Wolf and Cub
By DJ Clawson
Chapter 10 – What He Did To Me"Hey Pops – don't you have an award ceremony to go to?"
Zenigata set the vase of flowers down on the tray by the half-eaten hospital lunch. He wasn't about to admit it, but it was nice to hear some vitality behind Lupin's voice. Coming and going was now also easier, since Lupin had been transferred out of ICU to a regular ward. "It's tomorrow. I'm just doing it for the commissioner."
"G-d, Zenigata, haven't you gotten a bunch of medals by now? Didn't you get one in Italy for saving the Tower of Piza or something?"
"Fortunately he has his monumental failures to balance it out," Jigen said with a smirk. He was awkwardly spread out in his chair, careful to keep his weight off his injured arm. In fact, none of the Lupin clan had emerged unscathed. Goemon had a bandaged head and Fujiko still wouldn't admit exactly what Lupin the Second broke and how he broke it. Everyone put on a good show for their boss, who had barely said anything about the situation since his father was carted off by half a dozen policemen. Arséne Lupin II had to be treated for injuries and exhaustion, and was sitting in a prison hospital under heavy guard, while Japan and France fought over who would get him. Under French law he was allowed to hire private doctors to see to his medical needs, and though he made no move to do so, they had mysteriously been sent nonetheless.
"I'm glad I'm such a source of humor for you," Zenigata said, leaning back in his seat. He noticed the television was on, with the volume low, but the movie was a very fast English that he couldn't understand. "What is this?"
"Ocean's Eleven," Jigen said. "He's watched it like twenty times since he got in here. It's overdue at the video store."
"I'm gonna figure it out," Lupin said with obvious frustration. "Those flyers have to get in the vault somehow."
"Lupin, give it up," Fujiko nudged. "It's a plot hole. They totally admitted it on the internet."
"It's best to let it go," Goemon said. "The man is obsessed and you cannot dam a mighty river."
"Actually you can. I take it you've never been to Nevada," said Jigen. "Man, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't – "
"I need to talk to Lupin," Zenigata announced.
"I don't know when we let Zenigata start pushing us around," Jigen said as they left.
Lupin shut off the television. Most of his color had returned now, and they were talking about releasing him within the week. "So which country wants my head first? You're not sending me up the river on the same boat as my father, are you?"
"No, we want you both alive for your trials," he said, patting Lupin on the shoulder.
"Is he okay?"
"Yeah, but there's not a lot they can do for - you know..." He trailed off. "You sent those doctors, didn't you?"
Lupin looked at him completely seriously for once. "How long does he have?"
"A couple months. Maybe more, if he agrees to chemo. The government won't pay for it, though."
"The government doesn't have to pay for it."
"You don't have to do this. That man is a danger to you for as long as he's alive."
"He was just mad at himself and his life and he was taking it out on me," Lupin insisted. "I don't win any prizes by beating him in anything. He's still my father and he's still dying."
"Your nobility is going to get you killed someday."
"Well, I have to say – it's not the worst way a thief can go."
Zenigata sighed. Something about Lupin was being unshakable, as usual. "Do you know why he came after you? Out of nowhere?"
"He wanted to see me one last time. It just didn't go well," Lupin said.
The wall of the bank hadn't been excessively hard to shimmy up. It was an old French building, obviously not originally a bank, and it had plenty of ledges and windowsills. He made it up fairly quickly, before the guard made another pass around.
Inside, his father had already cracked the walk-in vault. "I thought I was going to have to wait all day," he said with his back turned to his son, hands in the loot.
"Good to see you too," Lupin said with controlled vehemence. This was their first meeting in over ten years, and he owed it to him to at least try and be civil.
When his father turned around, he could see a different. The years had not been kind to Lupin the Second. His beard, once trimmed and black, was overgrown and largely grey. His hair was a bushy mess. At least I know I'm not going to go bald, Lupin mused.
"Are you going to help me or not?" his father said impatiently, shoving a box of jewelry in his hands.
"Sure, dad. Hey, you look terrible."
"Cancer does that to you," Lupin the Second mumbled nearly inaudibly, loading up his pack with the diamonds from the case. When Lupin tried to get closer to help him, he pushed him away. "Get away from me, you little brat."
"Hey, you invited me." But mixed signals was what their relationship – if one could call it that – was all about. "Cancer?"
"There's black spots all over my lungs. But then again, the doctors are full of shit." He looked like he had more to say, but they both heard the door handle on the other side. Two generations of the Lupin clan went out the window. His father opened the manhole and dropped into the sewer, landing on the walkway. Lupin followed him.
"Cover the hole, stupid," his father spat. "You want them to follow us?"
"You know, dad, I may have some experience at this," Lupin said.
"Yeah, you're all over the papers."
"You've been
following my career?"
"If career is what you'd call it," his father said, readjusted the pack on his back with some difficulty. "Jetting around the world with your grandfather's money, having every good stash swiped by that predictable whore."
"Is that what this is about? Fujiko?" he said with disbelief. "You forced me here so you can yell at me about my girlfriend?"
"You're a
laughingstock, Arséne. It's bad for the family name."
Lupin growled, "Right, like you've been so good for it. Winding up in jail on rape and murder charges. Why do you think grandpa disowned you?"
Beneath his hairy face, there was a look of rage in his father's eyes. "You obnoxious brat." For an old man, he could move rather fast when he wanted to. He smacked Lupin across the face. While his son was still collecting himself, he snacked the jewel box from Lupin's hands. "Teach you to mess with a real Lupin."
That was enough. Lupin decked his father across the face, sending him against the wall of the sewer.
Lupin the Second cursed in French, Japanese, and a few other languages. "Maybe you are my son after all," he said with a sick laugh. "So it has to end like this."
There was a flash of a dagger that had been buried in his father's clothing. He didn't really have to advance – Lupin was close enough and he was fast enough.
"That's pretty much how it went," Lupin said, his voice tired. "If he said anything else to me, I missed it. It's all a blur. Say – what happened to the stash?"
"Found beneath the floorboards in the Deauville house," Zenigata said. "You should really press charges."
"He's up for so many other things, it would really just be a drop in the bucket."
"Whatever you say." Zenigata knew better than to press him on this. "Feel better, okay? Because my superiors are getting impatient."
Lupin had a strange smile on his face. "Sure, Pops."
"I really have to hand it to you, Inspector," the commissioner said over the bowl of punch. "Brilliant work, catching both Lupins in one shot. Kill two birds with one stone, as they say in England."
"Uh, thanks," Zenigata said, but this case didn't make him feel particularly good about himself. He wasn't used to praise and it felt unnatural. Besides, his still-healing shoulder was killing him, and something made him want to get back to the hospital. He shook all of the necessary hands at the reception and slipped out.
In the hospital, the nurse was eager to see him. There was a pile of unconscious guards piled up at the door to Lupin's room. Zenigata sighed, already knowing what she was about to tell him. "I don't know how it happened – "
"It's fine," he assured her, for some reason. He stepped over the bodies and into the open room. All that was left of Lupin's presence was an overdue tape of Ocean's Eleven and a note. In no particular hurry, he sat down and opened the note.
Dear Pops,
As you're the brilliant and celebrated genius of Interpol now, I guess you saw this coming. I can't thank you enough for all of your hard work.
I'd like to officially announce my brief Sabbatical while I recover, because if I try to do anything stressful for the next few months, I think my friends will kill me. Give yourself a break, Old Man, and take a vacation.
I've taken the liberty of leaving an anonymous 'tip' with Interpol that I'll be at the Sheraton in Aruba for the next few weeks, Room 203. It might seem like I'm not there, but you'd better go and stake it out. Bring sunscreen.
All my love,
Lupin the Third
Zenigata balled his fists and raised them to the ceiling for good measure. "Lupaaaaaaan!"