Chapter 12: The Police Investigation
Trollmarket, January 14th, 2017
Glory? In Arcadia Oaks? James Lake Jr. felt as if his heart skipped a beat. And his stomach dropped to the floor. "Glory?" he asked, looking at the others gathered around the scrying bowl.
"Our rooms are trashed," the Slayer replied. "Unless you have a gang of super-powered burglars, then…" She trailed off. "Evil trolls?"
Jim nodded, feeling relieved. He could handle trolls. Even Gumm-Gumms. "Could be. We need to investigate."
"Yes." Claire raised her staff. "I can open a portal…"
"No!" the Slayer blurted out. "Not before we know if this was the work of Glory!"
"Uh, guys?" Willow's voice cut Claire off before she could say anything. "The night clerk of the hotel… he's sitting there and looks like he lost his mind."
Jim took a peek at the bowl of water and saw the man still at his desk, staring at… nothing. His lips were moving. "Does he have a headset on?"
"One sec…" The image moved, showing the man's head, turning to check both ears."
"No," the Slayer said. "If he's lost his mind, then that might be Glory - we've had a rash of those cases in Sunnydale. If Glory's here…" She looked at Claire. "...then the portal might have attracted her."
"It hasn't attracted her so far. Not until Sunnydale!" Claire protested. "What if it was you that dragged that monster to our town?"
Jim saw the Slayer flinch a little. And set her jaw. He quickly stepped up. "Whether it's Glory, Gumm-Gumms or Angor Rot, we need to investigate." He bit his lower lip, then glanced at Claire. "And we need to save the portals for an emergency."
"Alright," the Slayer snapped. "Xander, Dawn - stay here!"
Dawn opened her mouth to protest - or so Jim thought - but a glare from her sister silenced her. Xander just nodded. "I'll keep an eye on her."
"Good. Let's go!" the Slayer said. "Giles, try to keep up. I'm not carrying you! "
"I can assure you that I'm perfectly capable of keeping up with younger people," Mr Giles replied as they moved out of Blinky's home.
Who, Jim realised, was following them. "Blinky?"
"If this incident is related to trolls or Gunmar, then you might need my expertise, lest you draw the wrong conclusions," Blinky told him with a wry smile.
Jim pressed his lips together. Blinky was great, but he wasn't a fighter. "Stay safe," he mumbled, then moved more quickly to catch up to the Slayer.
And snorted when he realised that, for once, he was hoping that this was one of Gunmar's plans.
Arcadia Oaks, January 14th, 2017
Despite James Lake Jr's best efforts, the Slayer had beaten him to the top of the stairs leading to Arcadia Oaks. And she looked like she was ready to bash the magic wall open with her bare fists.
He ignored her glare and opened the exit without a word.
"Finally!" The Slayer jumped out, head moving rapidly as she scanned the area.
"Don't… rush… off," Mr Giles said, huffing as he joined them, followed by Claire, who, Jim noted, wasn't out of breath. "We need to stick together."
"Not too close together," Jim said. "Buffy and I will take point. You stay back and be ready to bail us out."
Claire nodded at once. The Slayer glared at him for a moment before nodding with a huff. A moment later, she set off towards the hotel - at a breakneck pace.
"Wait!" Jim snapped. "Don't rush off!"
That earned him another glare, but the Slayer slowed down so Jim could keep up. And, hopefully, the rest of their group. They quickly made their way through the town. As usual, it was pretty much deserted at this time of the night.
Or almost deserted - as they reached the hotel's parking lot, Jim saw a police car parked in front of the entrance. "Damn," he cursed.
The Slayer snorted. "I don't suppose that your cops are as willing to write off any event as 'druggies did it' as Sunnydale's finest?"
Jim shook his head. "No. That'll probably be Darcy's dad. He once arrested Tobes and me."
"Then you better stay out of his sight. He might not believe that you were just cosplaying for Warcraft."
Before Jim could think of a retort - his armour didn't look like cosplay! And World of Warcraft? Who played that game any more? - the others arrived.
"Oh, no! The police!" Willow blurted out. "We should've used fake IDs!"
"Fake IDs? Are you wanted by the police?" Claire glared at them.
"No," the Slayer snapped. "But we need a cover story. And if that was Glory, then she has our names."
"And there's the matter of your, ah, record," Mr Giles chimed in. "They might be suspicious of you once they are aware of it. I should've thought of this possibility." He shook his head.
"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem," Willow said, ducking her head when everyone looked at her. "I've, ah, adjusted Buffy's record in the police system."
She had what? Jim blinked.
"It was so unfair that she had a record, and even though she wasn't convicted, it would prejudice authorities against her - just as Snyder wanted, I bet - so I thought it would be only fair if I cleared her record. And, really, the police have such an outdated computer system and IT security, anyone could've done it!" Willow babbled.
"Unless they compare paper records and computer records and find out that mine don't match," the Slayer said.
"Oh, I made it look like it was a common mistake," Willow explained. "I altered a lot of records."
"We'll have to discuss this once we have the time, Willow," Mr Giles said. "But for now, we should ensure that our stories match, should the police desire to ask us a few questions."
"And we need to look around and find out who did this," Claire reminded them while Willow winced.
"Alright, we went on an evening stroll after spending hours in the car which broke down… no, better not mention that we came in the pothead vehicle," Buffy Summers said. If Xander were here, he'd say 'Mystery Machine', of course.
"We do need to explain how we arrived, I believe," Giles cut in. "And the van is registered to Xander's uncle, so I do not think trying to obscure that fact would be to our advantage." He cocked his head at Willow. "Nor do I think you should attempt to alter yet another government database."
Willow looked sheepish but didn't object.
Buffy cleared her throat. "Anyway! Xander and Dawn… went to look for the school online friends of hers told her about." She turned her head. "Claire Nuñez and Jim Lake, if they ask. We have no idea why anyone would break into our rooms, other than to try to rob us."
Willow nodded. "Yes. I'll text Xander, so they know what to say once they reappear."
"Texts don't work in Trollmarket," Claire told her.
"I know. But they'll get the message as soon as their phones reconnect," Willow replied.
"And why did you come to Arcadia Oaks?" Claire asked with a frown.
"To check if it's a nice town since Sunnydale isn't, and we consider leaving," Buffy told her. "The massacre in the park spooked us, so we wanted to get out until the culprits are found anyway."
"Sounds like our cover story - we were supposedly looking into going to college in Sunnydale," Jim said.
Buffy grinned. "Great minds think alike!" She ignored Giles's cough. "Anyway, let's go! Those who don't stay back,that is."
She forced herself to smile. Her experiences with the police were… not good. Ungood. The Hemery arson, the robot "murder", the false murder accusation following Kendra's death - who could believe Snyder? - and then the whole Evil Mayor thing… cops generally were bad news.
But this wasn't Sunnydale. This was Arcadia Oaks. She stood a little straighter and started walking. She could do this. Just play the random innocent tourist.
Jim coughed. "Ah, Miss…"
She stopped and turned to frown at him. "Call me Buffy. I think I told you that."
"The hammer."
Buffy blinked. "Right, the hammer. My hammer." It barely weighed anything, so it was perfectly natural that she forgot about it. But if the cops wanted to check it… She clenched her teeth. She really didn't want to let it go. But she didn't want to get into trouble with the cops either. Or have it get stolen by some evil trolls.
She looked around, then went to the closest tree. "I'll drop it here. Keep an eye on it!" she told Jim.
He straightened a little. "OK."
"Good." She dropped the hammer behind the tree, then took a deep breath and started walking towards the hotel again.
One cop was leaning against the car outside as they approached. "Good evening, officer," Giles said in his best English accent before looking at the hotel with a frown.
"Did you rent a room here?" The cop was quick on the uptake. Then again, it didn't take a lot of smarts to make the connection when people approached a hotel in the evening.
"Indeed, we did. Two rooms, actually."
"Louis!" the cop yelled. "The guys you're looking for are here!" He turned back to Buffy and the others. "Please wait here. There was a robbery."
"A robbery?" Buffy gasped. A little - overdoing it was bad, and she didn't know if those cops would fall for her dumb blonde act.
The cop that walked out of the hotel wasn't in uniform and didn't look dumb enough to be fooled by her. He nodded at the cop at the car, then addressed Giles. "Good Evening, I'm Detective Scott. Mr…?"
"Giles. Rupert Giles." Giles nodded. "These are Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg."
Buffy nodded at her name.
"And where are Xander Harris and Dawn Summers?"
So, they had checked the forms already. "They went to look at the high school," Giles replied. "The Summers consider moving to Arcadia Oaks, and Dawn wanted to 'check out the school'."
Buffy could hear the quotation marks as she nodded. "Yes. We're from Sunnydale."
Detective Scott didn't frown at them, so Sunnydale's reputation mustn't have spread too far.
"I'm a friend of Mrs Summers," Giles added, a little too smooth for Buffy's taste. "After the incident at Buffy's graduation, Joyce started - finally, in my opinion - considering a move to a town less plagued with violence."
"Violence?" the other cop asked. "Where is Sunnydale?"
"North-west of Los Angeles," Giles replied. "About two hours if you drive carefully." Buffy frowned at the dig at her driving, but he ignored it. "Now… may I ask what happened here to result in a response by the police?"
"Robbery. Someone broke into the hotel."
Buffy forced herself to gasp again. "Did they steal anything?"
"That's what we're trying to find out."
"Oh."
"What do you need to know?" Giles asked, tilting his head slightly. He was really good at talking to cops, Buffy noted not for the first time.
"Fascinating. The appearance matches the description almost perfectly, but not the sketches I saw. It seems as if the age-old question of who was first, Umbar the Dubious's 'Tale of the Gods' or Jekas's 'Illustrated History of Trollkind', has been answered at last!"
James Lake Jr. pressed his lips together as he glanced back at Blinky, who was bent over the Hammer of the Troll Gods. The tree hid the hammer, but not the troll, and while it was dark, it wasn't exactly pitch black. If a cop glanced into their direction and saw something big move… Well, they would probably think it was a bear, but the cops wouldn't ignore a bear, either.
Not for the first time, Jim wished Blinky would be a little more discreet. It was nerve-wracking enough to think that a hell-god was running amok in Arcadia Oaks. The monster that had massacred the Knights of Byzantium and had shrugged off his best blows, roaming the streets of his home!
If this was Glory, of course. It could be goblins or Gumm-Gumms. Some raiding party. Or a changeling. Or an actual burglar. Arcadia Oaks didn't have a drug problem, but that didn't mean that none of the residents had a drug problem.
"Can you see what's happening?" Claire asked.
Jim looked at her, then at the hotel, then back at her. They were standing together, behind a car parked under the trees, and he couldn't think of any reason why he would see the Slayer's group and the cops - and that was certainly Mr - Detective - Scott - any better than Claire would. But she was probably as nervous as he was, so he didn't point that out and shook his head instead. "Only that they're still talking to Darcy's dad." After all the trouble following Jim and Toby's arrest in the museum, Jim could easily recognise the man.
Claire huffed. "We need to know if that's Glory or not."
"Yes," Jim agreed. But without investigating the hotel, that was impossible. And with the police present, they couldn't investigate. And he doubted that Detective Scott would let anyone mess up a crime scene.
"Oh, look!" Claire pointed down the road - an ambulance was coming.
Right, the night clerk. Jim clenched his teeth. If an ambulance was coming, then this was serious. As he watched, the paramedics entered the hotel. They didn't have a gurney, though, so it wasn't too urgent.
The man they brought out a few minutes later was walking, but one of the paramedics held his arm, and the other opened the doors to the ambulance, and the clerk…
"Do you think he's just under shock?" Claire asked.
"It could be," Jim told her. Mom had told him about her work, and he knew shocked people could look like the clerk. But he couldn't help thinking that this was something else.
He also hoped that Mom wasn't called in. If she went and told him that she was going out… He had told her he was going to bed early after spending the whole day developing pictures, but she might still check on him.
"They still haven't let the Slayer and the others inside," Claire commented as the ambulance drove off.
"Yes. Perhaps…"
"Oh, this is heavier than I thought.
Jim turned and sighed. Blinky was hefting the hammer, turning and twisting it to look at it from every angle. "Blinky!"
"What?"
"Please put it down." The Slayer was very attached to the hammer, and Jim really didn't want to have more trouble with her.
"It's the Hammer of the Troll Gods," Claire said. "And they left it in our care."
"Precisely!" Blinky agreed. "I'm merely examining it."
Jim doubted that the Slayer would see it the same way. "Please put it down."
"Alright," Blinky agreed after a last look. "This is really fascinating. Already, an age-old scholarly dispute has been settled. Oh, if my brother could see this…" He trailed off, and Jim looked away.
They didn't talk about Blinky's brother.
"They're going in!" Claire exclaimed.
Jim turned. She was right - the Slayer and Mr Giles were entering the hotel, together with Detective Scott. How had they managed that? Wasn't it a crime scene?
"I wonder if she's bewitched Darcy's dad," Claire muttered.
Jim winced. But if Willow had done that, wouldn't she be entering as well? Or was she staying outside to deal with anyone else who might arrive?
Or was he overthinking this, and this was standard procedure? For dealing with the victims of a burglary or robbery instead of the suspects?
Well, they would find out soon, or so Jim hoped.
"What happened to the man?" Buffy Summer asked as Giles and she entered the hotel with the detective.
"We don't know yet," the man replied.
"Was he hurt?"
"That's to be determined at the hospital."
Buffy pressed her lips together to keep from making a comment about how the detective was all grim and professional. Or how the man didn't look hurt. It helped that the man did look like the others she had seen in Sunnydale. Then again, some of the people she had saved from vamps - the bloodsucking type, not the, uh, other type - had looked the same. And if a huge hulking troll had broken into her hotel, and she wasn't the Slayer, she would probably be shocked too.
So this didn't have to be Glory.
"Is that your room?" the cop asked, pointing at the empty doorway leading into Buffy, Willow and Dawn's room.
"No, we just rented it," Buffy replied before she could help herself.
He didn't like it, judging by his brief scowl. Giles didn't like it, either - he was frowning at her behind the other man's back.
She beamed back at him. A little humour would do him good. And the detective as well.
"So, this is a crime scene, please don't touch anything…"
"Dear Lord!"
"Oh my God!"
Buffy stared at the room. It was completely trashed - it looked worse than in Willow's scrying thingie. Furniture, luggage, clothes - everything was wrecked. Shoes! "Oh, no! Those were brand new!" She gasped.
"Did you have any valuables in the room?"
She glared at the man. Didn't he know how much good shoes cost? Not that Glory would know good shoes if they were rammed up her butt, of course. Then again, trolls probably wouldn't, either. She blinked. Trolls… wouldn't they have stolen socks?
She tried to see if there were any socks strewn around. That would be a clue that this wasn't Glory. There were Dawn's socks, one of Buffy's - wait, she didn't remember packing her pink socks; had her sister stolen them again? And there was another pair...
"We took our wallets and purses with us. It was basically just clothes and toiletries left," Giles explained. "Someone must not have liked this."
The detective grumbled something that didn't quite sound like agreement. "Your rooms were the only ones ransacked like this," he said. "Can you think of a reason why that would be the case?"
"I'm afraid I can't, Detective," Giles replied.
"Really?"
Buffy looked up from where she had been staring at her ripped hose - did that count as socks? - and frowned. Were you supposed to interrogate people at the crime scene?
"Yes, Detective," Giles replied in that bland, innocent British manner of his, complete with a shy and confused smile.
"It wouldn't have had anything to do with the drug van outside?"
Oh. That. Buffy had totally forgotten about the van - she had just been glad that they hadn't left any weapons in the room.
"Drug van?" Giles frowned.
"It smells as if you transported a whole harvest of marihuana."
Buffy restrained herself from quipping that they wouldn't have had space for it, not with seven people in the car.
Giles nodded. "The smell was quite persistent despite vigorous airing on the drive up here. But that was, as the proprietor assured us, due to the van's history dating back to the seventies."
"And you travelled in this instead of in your own car?"
"My car doesn't seat seven people, sir," Giles replied.
"And it would probably have broken down halfway to here," Buffy added helpfully. Or not so helpfully - both Gles and the detective were glaring at her. Typical.
"And you couldn't find another car?"
"We tried, but, apparently, no rental agency in Sunnydale opens in the evening. Fortunately, Xander's uncle runs a car shop. Unfortunately, the selection of cars big enough for our party was very limited," Giles explained.
"Ah." It was obvious that the man wasn't buying it, even though it was the truth. "I think we should discuss this at the station."
Buffy didn't think so. They had to find whoever did this - find out if this was Glory's work or not. They didn't have to waste their time talking to a cop.
But she couldn't tell the detective that.
"Is this really necessary?" Giles frowned.
"We have to take your statements."
And try to trap them by questioning everyone. Damn. Buffy frowned. As she had known: Cops were always bad news. Even if they weren't incompetent.
"If we must. But we need another hotel - or another room. It's getting late, after all," Giles said.
"Can we gather our stuff?" Buffy asked.
"No. This is a crime scene."
"But we need our pyjamas! Do you expect us to sleep in the nude?" Buffy protested.
That threw the man for a loop, but he recovered quickly. Faster than Giles, who was gaping at her. "Of course not. We have a stock of suitable clothes for emergencies," the detective said.
"I bet they're all ugly."
He didn't have an answer to that.
The police station was both better equipped and smaller than Sunnydale's, Buffy Summers noted when she stepped inside. Well, that was to be expected - Arcadia Oaks was smaller than Sunnydale. Or so she thought. Not that it really mattered.
What mattered was that she had to give a statement to some definitely not-Sunnydale cop. Who still suspected her of being involved in something shady, like a drug deal.
And they didn't even have one of those interrogation rooms with the mirrored glass walls behind which the rest of the cops were watching. Though perhaps they saved that for the official suspects? As Detective Scott had told them - when Buffy had asked - they weren't suspects. But the 'not yet' had been clearly, if silently, added, of course.
In any case, she was sitting in front of a rather plain desk in the middle of the detective's office. Waiting, actually - the detective was apparently busy with other parts of the investigation.
And he hadn't even shown them the replacement clothes yet. Probably hoped to be able to lock them up and give them the ugly orange overalls, or what prisoners wore here. Definitely not cute Yummy Sushi pyjamas, Buffy was sure. Though wearing those to prison would probably not be a good idea - she would look like easy prey and would have to stomp half the prisoners, which would make her look even guiltier.
"...security tapes."
Her eyes widened as she caught the last part of a police officer's sentence. Security tapes? Buffy cocked her head and focused on listening in to that conversation.
"Good. Did you watch them already?"
That was the detective!
"Only to confirm they cover the period of the break-in. But I caught something… weird."
"Let's take a look."
Something weird? Buffy hoped it was a troll caught on camera. Even if that would mean trouble for Jim and Claire and the trolls. But they could explain that as some weird costume or cosplay.
"That's the weirdest gang I've ever seen, sir."
"One blonde wearing a red cocktail dress, followed by half a dozen people in cloaks?"
Buffy gritted her teeth. Glory. That was Glory and her ugly freaky minions. Damn. Double-damn.
"Look what she does to the clerk, sir."
"Some sort of electro-shock?" That was the detective.
"Or some pressure-point technique?"
"This isn't a tv show, Parker."
"Sorry, sir. But it is weird. She grabs his head, and he stops struggling or trying to flee, and just… sits there while they ignore him and rob the place."
"Not the weirdest thing I've seen. People react wildly differently to shock. But at least we have a picture of the suspects now. Send out a notice - they might still be in the area."
Oh, no! The police were looking for Glory? This was bad. Really bad. This would be another massacre! She had to do something about this. But how to stop cops from acting like cops? Bribery would only get her into trouble, and if she told them the truth, she'd get institutionalised.
"Did you get anything on our guests?"
"Nothing so far, sir. But Sunnydale…"
"What?"
"The news says there was a massacre. Dozens of people dead - gang members, presumably. Or D&D players on drugs."
"D&D players?"
Buffy winced. Xander and Willow would hate that. And one of their better excuses for carrying swords wouldn't work any more for a while.
"Apparently, they hacked each other to death with swords and axes, sir."
"That's… Dozens dead? What do the local cops say?"
"They only say that things are under investigation."
"Really? They must be swarmed by every news service in California and they won't comment?"
Buffy heard the detective snort.
"If it works for them, sir…"
"But our guests are from Sunnydale. And arrived in a drug van."
"Well, I would have booked it as well if such a thing happened in town. I mean, I would've sent my family away, sir."
Another snort.
"Well, let's be a little more careful with our guests."
"Do you think they are involved in this, sir?"
"Without any information from the Sunnydale police, we can only speculate. But the perps weren't armed - certainly not with swords and axes."
"Yes, sir."
Buffy clenched her teeth together. Glory was in town, and people thought her massacre had been some drug-fueled gang war. Or D&D cult. And they were suspects. If she didn't know any better, she would say that things couldn't get any worse,
She sighed as she heard the detective approach. A moment later, the door was opened, and he stepped in. "Miss Summers."
"Detective." She nodded at him, then faked a yawn. "How long will this take? It's getting late."
"As long as it takes. This is a criminal investigation."
"Shouldn't I have a lawyer then?"
"You aren't a suspect."
"But don't I have the right to a lawyer? I think I do!" She pouted. "I feel like I should have one. You're forcing me to stay up past my bedtime. Isn't that illegal? And you want me to wear ugly sleepwear or go nude. That sounds like some sort of harassment!" She was laying it on more than a little thick, but, damn it, Glory was in town! She needed to get out and hunt the skanky hell-god down before there was another massacre.
"Speaking of bedtimes: Where is your little sister? A patrol car was at the school and didn't find her."
Buffy kept from wincing. This was getting worse.
"This is bad," James Lake Jr. heard Claire mutter as they watched the police station - from afar, of course.
"Yes," he agreed. The Slayer and her friends had entered the station half an hour ago and hadn't left yet. Which meant they hadn't even started looking for Glory. If it was Glory - it could be something easy. Like goblins. Or Gumm-Gumms. Or…
He shook his head. No, it wouldn't be something easy. This was Glory's work - Jim didn't have any proof, but his gut feeling told him that. His gut feeling and the fact that the night clerk was still alive. Gumm-Gumms would have eaten him, and goblins… well, they wouldn't have just scared him but killed him if they attacked him in the first place..
So, a hell-goddess was tearing through Arcadia Oaks, looking for her key - whatever that was.
"We should be doing something," Claire said.
"Like what?" he asked.
"Look for Glory. We're just standing around here."
"We're keeping watch on the Slayer's hammer," Blinky cut in. "And on her friends, I suppose."
Jim snorted. Blinky was technically correct. But Jim knew the troll was barely paying attention to anything except for the hammer, even though he had toned down his excited commentary a little.
He blinked. What if the hammer was a trap? What if it was sort of like the One Ring, making people covet it? The Slayer was very attached to it, after all, and Blinky seemed fixated on it as well.
Then again, that was normal for Blinky. It might be normal for the Slayer as well - her friends certainly hadn't commented about her behaviour with the hammer. And, he added with a wince, Claire had acted the same about her staff, though that was perfectly understandable given her history. She had earned it, after all.
"We're just standing around," Claire went on. "While a monster threatens the town."
Jim nodded - she was right. On the other hand… "We can't do much against her."
"Having the Slayer around wouldn't change that," Claire retorted. "And I can lure her away," she added.
Jim clenched his teeth so he wouldn't blurt out a sharp denial. Claire was too brave for her own good - and she didn't even have magical armour. Or any armour. Not that that had helped the Knights of Byzantium. But Jim was the Trollhunter; it was his duty to protect trolls and humans alike. Even at the cost of his life.
"We don't know whether or not you attracted her, Fair Claire," Blinky pointed out. "You didn't before when you used the staff - nor did Angor Rot."
But if it hadn't been Claire… "Dawn?" Jim asked.
Blinky tilted his head. "You mentioned that she created green portals. I have never heard of such a phenomenon. Magic items, especially powerful ones like the staff, do not behave like that."
Claire looked angry for a moment, then frowned. "But if she attracted Glory... "
"Then she might have the key on her," Jim said. The Slayer had brought the key to Arcadia Oaks! That was… well, actually smart, he had to admit. Leaving it unprotected on the Hellmouth would've been stupid - and might have doomed the world.
"But why would the Slayer have left the key to her sister?" Claire asked. "She can't really defend it."
"She gravely wounded Tobias," Blinky pointed out.
"Toby is no Glory," Claire retorted. But she looked pensive. "Even if the Slayer didn't want to risk getting caught with it, she had better alternatives. Willow could defend the key much better."
Jim had to agree with that. "And I don't think she had Dawn hold the key for a while in the hotel. Unless the staff was the key?"
"I doubt that, Master Jim. If the staff were the key, then the Fair Claire would've attracted Glorificus's attention long before your excursion to the Hellmouth," Blinky said.
"But…" Claire trailed off. Then her eyes widened. "What if Dawn has to carry the key?"
"A chosen key-carrier?" Jim blinked again. That sounded... Well, it actually didn't sound too weird.
"It would explain her presence here," Blinky said. "The Slayer didn't strike me as the kind of woman who would drag children into battle - or expose them to danger unless there was no alternative. She certainly took offence at you being chosen, Master Jim."
"Even though she wasn't any older when she became the Slayer," Claire muttered. "Though she might just not trust anyone else with her sister's safety."
Jim didn't think so. And, judging by his sceptical expression, neither did Blinky. "That's possible," he said.
Claire narrowed her eyes at him, then sighed. "It still makes no sense. Dawn didn't act as if she was the key carrier, or what it's called."
"That might have been an act," Jim said.
That earned him a glare. "She isn't a good actress," Claire stated.
"Right," Jim muttered, grimacing. Suggesting that Dawn might be a better actress than Claire wasn't the smartest idea he'd ever had. Claire was still sore about her staff being used by the girl. And about her staff having been taken.
He sighed. "Let's wait a little bit longer."
"While we wait, people will be in danger," Claire objected. "If we find Glory, I can at least use my staff to evacuate possible victims."
And she would expose herself to the hell-goddess. Jim gritted his teeth. He wanted to keep her safe, but… she was right that as long as Glory roamed in Arcadia Oaks, people would be in danger. People whom the Trollhunter had to protect.
"Ah, leaving with the hammer might leave the Slayer with the impression that we might have intended to take it away from her," Blinky said. "And leaving it here…"
"Then you stay with it," Claire told him. "Jim and I can look for Glory." She hefted her staff. "And if we meet her, I can portal her back to Sunnydale if it's needed." She didn't sound as if she had any doubts that it would be needed.
"I see." Blinky nodded. "Although we should attempt to inform the Slayer or her friends, to, ah, smooth over potential differences or misguided assumptions."
Jim nodded. "Yes." He didn't really want to face the Slayer again, hammer or not.
Claire nodded and pulled out her phone. "I'll text Dawn. She can inform the Slayer without revealing us. It'll also tell us if they're still in Trollmarket." She quickly sent a message.
A few seconds later, her phone vibrated. Jim winced.
Claire looked at her screen, then frowned. "They're on the way to the station."
"They are?" Blinky sounded surprised.
"They must not want to look suspicious - the police will know they arrived with the Slayer, and if they don't show up and can't be contacted by phone…" Jim shrugged.
Claire was already typing. "I'm telling her it's Glory and that we're observing the station."
A few seconds later, the next text arrived. Claire shook her head. "A joke about the Slayer being jailbait."
Jim sighed.
"I'm afraid I do not understand the reference," Blinky said.
"It's an inside joke, I think," Jim explained.
"Probably," Claire agreed. "But Dawn and Xander are on the way."
"Good. Then we should be able to…" Jim trailed off. Something had moved across the street. "Down!" he whispered.
Claire crouched behind the parked car at once.
"Oh, no! What is it?" Blinky followed suit, although with less grace.
Jim peered over the hood. Yes, there was a really suspicious figure - who wore such a cloak? In Arcadia Oaks. It was watching the police station.
"They look suspicious!" Claire whispered.
Jim nodded. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Is it only the one?" Blinky asked.
"Might be a scout," Jim replied.
"We could kidnap them," Claire said. "I can open a portal under their feet, trap them in between portals."
Like William the Bloody. "What if they're more dangerous than they look?" Jim asked.
Claire frowned.
"Let's keep observing," Jim added, patting her arm.
Claire sighed but nodded.
The figure didn't move. Didn't fidget. Was it a zombie? Or a robot? Hadn't the Slayer mentioned a robot?
Jim drew a hissing breath. What was next, aliens? He scoffed. Maybe they should take the risk. Check who the figure was. Or what. They couldn't stall forever, after all - sooner or later, the police would look for Dawn and Xander. And then…
Someone stepped out of the station. A cop. Two of them. In uniforms. One adjusted his cap as they walked over to the patrol car parked in front. That left… Jim didn't know how many cops were left in the station. Back when they had arrested Toby and Jim, there had been four including the detective.
"Jim!" Claire hissed.
He whirled, glancing at her. She was pale. And staring straight ahead. He snapped his head around and gasped.
Glory was walking towards the station. "Hey!" she yelled at the cops just getting into the car. "I have to report a theft! Someone stole my KEY!"
Jim could see the two cops sigh and look at each other. After a moment, one of them sighed again and turned towards Glory. He said something Jim couldn't catch, but since he pointed at the station, he probably told her to go inside.
"I said someone stole my KEY!" Glory yelled into his face.
The cop backed up. And the other cop, who had been about to get into the patrol car, stopped and started to walk around it. To flank Glory, in case the yelling woman attacked his partner.
"They don't know," Claire whispered. "They have no idea."
A third cop came out of the station, saying something. Then he stopped and drew his gun.
"You're under arrest!"
The cops at the car were backing off, drawing their weapons as well.
But they were too slow.
Glory moved.
