Chapter Seven

Dutch was at his desk. He had spent an hour or so on the phone talking to some of Lucy's friends. So far he had nothing to show for it. He couldn't figure out what was going on. He heard someone coming up behind him.

"Hey Dutchboy, I hear you're getting your ass kicked by little girls now."

Dutch slowly turned around in his chair. "Very funny Vic."

"Maybe you need to spend a little more time working out," Vic said. "Next time you might find yourself facing an entire Girl Scout troupe," Vic patted him on the shoulder and turned to walk away.

Dutch just smirked and started to turn back to his desk. He paused for a second and a resigned look crossed his face. He turned back. "Hey Vic," he said.

Vic turned back. "What's up Dutchboy?"

"Have you heard about any kind of new drug on the street?" Dutch asked.

Vic shook his head. "Not that I can think of. Why?"

"Whatever Lucy's on, I can't figure it out," Dutch said. "Her reactions are all wrong. I'm thinking she may have bumped into something new. Maybe someone trying to step into the One-Niners territory."

"We put a dent in the One-Niners Heroin connection," Vic said. "But I haven't heard about someone stupid enough to try and take advantage of the situation. So far all we've got is just the usual shit hitting the streets. If someone is trying to muscle in, Antwon's not going to take it well."

"Last thing we need is gang war," Dutch said.

Vic nodded. "I'll have my guys keep their ears open," he said. "Anything else?"

"She may have gotten the drugs from someone working for or connected to something called the Jenny Calendar Foundation," Dutch added.

"Never heard of it," Vic replied. "Thanks for the heads up. Get yourself over to the gym."

Amy was mad at herself. She blew it and she knew it. Faith's protests to the contrary not withstanding. She couldn't figure out what went wrong. She thought she was good at this.

After Sunnydale, she spent almost a year traveling around the US and North America tracking down Slayers. It's not that everything went smoothly each time. But she established a good track record. Hell that was one of the reasons she was working on becoming a Watcher in addition to being a Slayer.

That and the fact she already took an active role in helping out her Slayers, as she thought of the girls she contacted. Locating other Slayers nearby for them to work with. Coordinating their travels to Cleveland for training. She was good at establishing bonds with the newly called Slayers. That's why Buffy and Faith had kept her out tracking new Slayers for a year and she was still tapped to make first contact with Potentials when they were found.

But she'd failed to reach Lucy. She'd failed to see what was wrong with the girl. Yes, the police were breathing down her neck. And yes, that meant she didn't have time to really establish a rapport with Lucy. But still, she thought she had reached her. Lucy was under control. She screwed up.

"How much longer do you think they're going let us stew in here?" she asked Kate.

"As long as Monica can play the system," Kate answered. "She's pissed. She'll throw up as many procedural roadblocks as she can. It'll be morning before I can work my magic."

Amy heard a commotion from the front area and smiled for the first time in hours. "I think we're going to be out of here sooner than that."

"What?"

"Faith called in legal help," Amy said. "Your friend is in for some trouble."

Rawlings looked up from her desk when a uniformed officer approached.

"Yes?"

"Abbott's attorney is here," the officer said. "He wants to talk you."

"Fine," Rawlings said. She got up and headed up front. She was confronted by a black man, shaved head and deep scar across his cheek. Even confined to a wheelchair he looked like someone nobody messed with.

"Captain Rawlings," the man said holding out his hand Rawlings accepted it. "Charles Gunn. I represent Amy Abbott and Kate Lockley. This is a court order for their immediate release."

He handed Rawlings packet of folded paper.

"You do fast work Mr. Gunn," Rawlings said. "Particularly given the time of day. Your name sounds familiar."

"I'm very good at my job," Gunn replied. "And I guess my rep precedes me. You'll release my clients now."

Rawlings looked at the paperwork. Who the hell was Kate connected to that she could get a court order this fast. "It'll take a few hours to sort out the paperwork," Rawlings said. "It's late."

Gunn smiled. "Don't play me lady. I've been in this building less than five minutes and I've already got over a dozen grounds to sue the LAPD for violations of the American's with Disabilities Act. That's not counting the false arrest and imprisonment lawsuit I can ram down your throat. I haven't made the LAPD my bitch in while. Might be fun to do it again. I've heard enough stories about how things are done down here in Farmington. Keep me busy for years."

"Charles Gunn," Wyms said, walking up behind Rawlings. "Gang banger to lawyer. Former Head of Litigation for Wolfram and Hart. You kept some really nasty people out of jail. I hear you're doing community action law now. Serving your penance?"

"Doing the things that need to be done Detective Wyms," Gunn replied. "You all still don't know what's out there." He looked back at Rawlings. "Let my clients out Captain. You really can't afford to start a war with me. You've got enough on your plate as it is."

Rawlings shook her head. Wolfram and Hart. For a long time they were the lawyers other lawyers were afraid of. That was before their headquarters collapsed two and half years ago. Before someone had sent copies of the firm's files to various government agencies and news organizations detailing hundreds of illegal acts the firm had been involved in over the decades. The prosecutions, backfilling and political fallout was still going on. She really didn't need this kind of crap right now.

"Fine," Rawlings said. "Claudette, have Mr. Gunn's clients released and brought up here."

"Yes Captain," Wyms replied and walked off. A couple of minutes later she returned accompanied by Kate and Amy. Amy broke out in a big smile.

"Charles!" she shouted and ran up to give him a hug. She then pulled back and punched him lightly in the shoulder. "A year. We've been in town over a year and you haven't come to see us. Not once."

"I don't work for you guys," Gunn replied.

"That's not an excuse," Amy replied. "So why are you here now?"

"Got a call," Gunn said. "You needed a good lawyer. Besides, I still owe you for dragging my sorry ass to the hospital. In record time too, I might add."

"It was that or listen to you complain about needing help to drag your 'sorry ass' to the hospital," Amy said.

Gunn smiled and shifted his attention. "Kate Lockley. We never did get the chance to talk back in the day. Angel always liked you."

"Good to see you again," Kate said shaking his hand. "So Monica, I take it we're free to go?"

"Yes," Rawlings replied. "You're free to go. And Kate. We're going to find Lucy Sutter. And I'm going to find out what's really going on."

"Speaking of Ms Sutter," Gunn said. "I was on the phone with her mother on the way down here. I'm officially representing Lucy Sutter now. This is my card. You'll contact me the second you locate her. Her mother hasn't waived Lucy's right to Counsel. So you can't talk to her without me being there. Good evening Captain. Ladies, shall we depart?"

"Let's go," Amy said gripping the handles of Gunn's wheelchair.

"If anybody's going to be pushing me it's going to be Kate," Gunn said. "No way in hell I'm letting one of you drive."

"Too late now Gunn," Amy said with a smile. She whipped the chair around with a surprising amount of speed and headed for the door. "This is what you get when don't come by to say hi."

Rawlings watched the group disappear. She turned to Wyms. "You know this Gunn character."

"Few years ago," Wyms answered. "He ran a crew. Tough bunch. I busted him for some minor vandalism and breaking and entering. Lost track of him after I transferred here. Four years ago he turned up as the lawyer for a real scumbag. A lowlife who was running a prostitution and sex slave operation. Feds had been setting up a case for almost seven months. Brought us in for the final bust. That's when I found out Gunn was a high powered attorney at Wolfram and Hart. Over a dozen eyewitnesses, ledgers, hours of wiretaps and he got the guy off."

"His group ever been involved in drugs?" Dutch asked. He had walked up to listen in on the conversation.

Wyms shook her head. "No, they weren't. His crew use to run drug dealers off their streets. They protected a couple of community centers. Fancied themselves more vigilantes than gang bangers. Always said the police never really knew what monsters were lurking on the streets."

Rawlings twitched at that comment. Kate had talked about the things the police ignore. "He mentioned the name Angel. That was the private eye Kate got mixed up with. And he obviously knows Abbott well. What do you know about what he's doing now?"

"Not much," Wyms replied. "Community action stuff. Like I said, I think he's doing penance. He always struck me as having a conscious. As much as any gang banger. Took good care of his sister. Couldn't believe he worked at a place like Wolfram and Hart."

"See if you can find out if he had any connection to the Sutters before today," Rawlings said. "Dutch you getting anywhere with Lucy's friends."

"Pretty much nowhere," Dutch replied. "Lucy was clean. She really wants to follow in her brother's footsteps and go to college. It just doesn't make any sense. The severe claustrophobia is consistent with a mental disorder. But the strength, lack of control, immunity to pain, that all seems drug related. But there is absolutely no evidence Lucy Sutter ever went near drugs. And I can't think of any drugs that account for everything Lucy's done or her behavior. It's like she turned fifteen and somebody threw a switch."

Came into her power today was how Kate had put it, Rawlings thought. "Not much left we can do tonight. Go to the school tomorrow. Interview her friends again. I'll check into what Charles Gunn has been up too. I just remembered where I saw his name."

"Where?" Wyms asked.

"Not important now," Rawlings said. Charles Gunn had been listed as one of Faith Wilkins' attorney when she arranged for her pardon. "What else have you got?"

"Nothing," Dutch replied. "Vic says he hasn't heard about anything new hitting the streets. He'll keep an ear out though. But it's hard to believe anyone would be dumb enough to try and muscle in on Antwon Mitchell's territory."

"Keep me informed," Rawlings said turning back to her desk.

"You don't sound too happy about this case Dutch," Wyms said.

"Nothing adds up," Dutch said.

"I thought you liked a challenge."

She was curled up on a rough top. There was a war going on in her head. Part of her was terrified. She had hurt her friends. She didn't know why. She couldn't control it.

It wanted out and it wouldn't be denied.

She wanted to go home. To her mother. But they had found her at home. The police. They would still be watching. They would put her in a cage. Not home.

No one there would understand anyway. They wouldn't accept her. She wasn't Lucy anymore. This thing inside her made her different.

But the other girl had been like her. She felt it. She knew it was true. She needed to find her. She would understand.

NO! Came something from inside her. Alone. Always alone.

But she wasn't alone. The other girl was like her.

NO! Alone.

She could feel the night around her. The urge to find … something. She didn't know what.

The power flowed through her. She could feel it.

But she wanted to go home. She wanted to go back to what she was.

She wanted to find the girl who was like her. To learn what she was.

The thing inside her wanted to … wanted to … she didn't know what it wanted other than to be alone.

She was in control. That's what the other girl said.

But she was going to let them take you. She was going to let them put you in a cage.

Alone. Always alone. That is enough.

The war raged inside her.

So she curled up on the roof and cried.