Early morning in the trial room. Captain has never been a fan of early mornings, but it comes with the job. He blinked back the weariness and forced himself to focus on the proceedings. Another trial. One of many that he'd sat through since getting here. Actually, one of many he stood through. Comes with the job.
Two of his soldiers brought in the hunchback that attacked May in the body of Esmeralda the night before. Laden with heavy iron chains, he followed them silently resigned, barely aware of his surroundings. They led him to stand in the place of the accused. There he stood, bent and twisted with a rough woven garment hanging torn off of him, looking for all the world like something inhuman. There were gasps from all those present, some even muttering insults and foul names. He stared off to his left at nothing, not responding to anyone, seemingly not hearing them.
Captain looks around the room for anyone that might be the other man that May had mentioned. No one had the look of a possible accomplice. He wished May was present to help him identify them, but she had not turned back up after suggesting her terrible plan to flush the target. He really wished she didn't get the chance to put that plan into action. He did not want to have to rescue her. . . again.
The prosecutor identifies the hunchback as Quasimodo and presents the case against him. Assault. The victim against him is called, but no one comes forward. Maybe it's for the best that May is off playing elsewhere. Without a victim, there can't be a case and the poor hunchback can be on his way. There was no harm done and he was probably just someone's puppet. The old fat judge sat in his seat waiting impatiently for a case to hear. The prosecutor called again for a victim.
"Sir, the victim is not present." Captain called, trying to move things along. He didn't want to be here anymore than the poor hunchback in chains.
"Very well," Replied the prosecutor, "I call Captain Phoebus to give an account of the accused's apprehension."
"Yes, sir." Captain answered with a sigh. He approached the witness box. Covering for May again. Always the same in any time and what did he get out of it.
"Captain Phoebus, tell us what happened last night when your men took Quasimodo into custody."
"We heard a commotion and went toward it. We witnessed this man attacking a woman."
"Where is the woman now?"
"I don't know, sir. She was a gypsy and did not stay for questioning."
There was a murmur through the assembly. Which was worse, a deformed hunchback or a god forsaken gypsy. He just waited for it to pass. The prosecutor decided to salvage the situation. He couldn't possibly let an accused man go free, could he.
"You're honor, I propose the hunchback be punished for disturbing the peace at evidenced by the Captain's testimony of his attack on a young woman."
"An hour of beating and an hour of display on the pillory," Announced the judge with disinterest. A murmur of approval swept through the assembly. Only two figures remained stoic. The Captain and a robed figure across the room near the door.
At the Notre Dame Cathedral May was making herself useful by looking for clues. Captain said the target was in the cathedral so that's where she would start. She blended in with the crowd just fine. A beautiful, jingling gypsy gliding through the sea of people looking for salvation. And a goat. She smiled with the confidence of knowing she was completely unnoticed.
She walked among the statues of saints and depictions of their various martyrdoms. Her thoughts ran somewhere between the strangeness of idolizing such foolishness and how she was to deal with the situation before her. This wasn't the strangest mission, but there were always times when time traveling just confused the hell out of her. Devil was the one with the head for that stuff. All she really understood was that items of value in the cathedral had been promised to private families only to have big insurance policies claimed after the Notre Dame fire. The historians spotted the discrepancy in the insurance records. Why they would check insurance records seemed crazy to her. But I guess all aspects of history had to be watched over. Understanding wasn't really her job. She just had to catch the people she was sent to catch. Captain said they transmitted into the cathedral. But where, he's not sure. There had to be a clue. A tell. Something that will give them away. She remembered a few of the items that were listed on insurance claims and decided to look more closely at them.
She walked along the east wall of the cathedral looking for a particular statue, the clop of her goat's hooves following close at her side. That little goat was quickly becoming a pleasant companion. Stopping a moment to look closer at one statue, she realized there was a strange breathing near her. She held the same stance, listening, trying to judge size by the few tones that escaped with the breath. Finally she decided whoever was watching was probably a man, but frail enough to dispatch with little difficulty so she moved on. The breathing moved with her. If they were following her, they were probably watching her. This might make her job a lot easier. It could just be some sick jerk after a pretty girl or the target on her trail. She couldn't take a chance.
Quasimodo suddenly perked up and stood to his full, twisted height. His one visible eye wide and alert. He moaned and tried push past the soldiers who responded quickly to push him back into place. He struggled against his chains frantically and called out with a heavy nasal lisp, "Mathter." Captain looked quickly where the hunchback's desperate attention was focused, but saw only an empty piece of wall by the door. He knew from gossip that the hunchback was the bellringer at the cathedral. He was clearly being used by someone. Someone in the cathedral. That someone tried to attack May and has remained unseen. Is it the target? Have they made us? "May please," he quietly prayed while his men dragged the pitiful creature away wailing incoherently. "Please don't do anything stupid."