Although Owen would have bet serious money on Principle Jennings not being one of those people.
Another surprise was when the police, a couple of dectectives, wanted to question him about the recently deseased. Hopefully all they did was put the dead person with a sword together with Douglas's death and wanted to see if he knew anything about the other man. Worst case somebody saw. Not that he couldn't get away if the need ever arises, but Natalya would kill him for forcing them to lose the house. And he would rather face an angry mob compared to that. The qustioning itself was more or less what he expected, but he was caught a little by one question in particular, "Would it be alright if we examine your car Mr. MacDonald?"
At the moment he could only supply one answer, "Why?"
"Just standard procedure Mr. MacDonald," replied his partner.
"I'm not trying to be a problem maker or anything but are you doing this with everybody?"
"No not everybody," answered the first one. "But since you were friends with the original decease, well I hope you can understand."
"Sure," he said realizing this was looking more like a potenial worst case senario than he wanted, "I guess, follow me. My doors are locked, do you want me to unlock them?"
"If you would please." Owen sighed and lead the way to the aprking lot
Another part of being immortal in any age, don't do anything to draw any undo attention to yourself if you're still around a location a dead immortal is found. And if questioned by the police don't appear too defiant and especially don't appear too helpful. An innocent person may have nothing to hide but pointing things out just raised red flags. Both were the same as having a big ol' "Look at me!" sign above your head. No you had to act confused with a slight hint of anger at the situation in order to appear believable, at least in Owen's experience.
Opening the driver side door he was asked to step away as they exaimed the vehicle. Owen stood by annoyed, and there was no need to act there, and looked around. He saw Principle Jennings standing a couple feet outside the door, and that every so often he would look back at the door behind him. Glancing behind him Owen saw Princess watching the entire thing, and looking very satisfied. And suddenly he had a real bad feeling on who might have saw them. Dear God dont let that be the case.
Watching the two officer's start to examine the back seat he watched as one of them located the hidden pocket. "What the...?"
"Do you know anything about this sir?", he asked. Owen shook his head. "How long have you owned this car?"
"Only a few months, I got it second hand," he told them. Owen bent down a little as the other one inspected the hidden pocket a little more. "If there's drugs in there am I going to be in trouble? I mean you never think to ask if it has any hidden compartments when you buy it."
"Well to be honest with you it won't look good." You had to appreciate a little honesty at least.
"It looks clear," he said. "Would you have any objections if we did a little testing now that you brought it up."
"I'm not sure now. I don't to go to jail for something I didn't do. But go ahead I guess."
"While my partner does that do you have anything in the trunk? A CD player, any luggage, grenades, tank or anything like that?"
Owen smirked, "Tank's in the shop." The officer smirked as well. He gestured toward the trunk and Owen opened it and backed away when instructed. After a few minutes the detective looked satisfied as he nodded his head and closed the trunk lid.
Yet another rule you had to learn, if you're still around when a dead body is around do not, repeat do not be caught with your sword. A particularly dangerous thing if you were forced to hide your sword or keep it in you house for the time being. Particually in this situation depending on how fast word of two headless bodies reached the head hunters in Chicago.
"Pocket's looking clean so far," said the dectecive doing the drug test, rubbing a cotton swab around the inside and dropping it into a vial of liquid, a few minutes after the test was looking negative. Then they started peppering him with some questions again, how long he owned the car, if he knew about the pocket. Just seeing if he'd changed his story. Then they caught him off guard with another question, "Have you seen a pink smartphone lately?"
"A what?"
"A pink smartphone?", he repeated. "Have you seen one lately?"
"Several of the female students have a phone like that," he told them "It's almost attatched to their hands as they walk down the hall. Same with the male students and their phone"
"I told you my daughter wasn't the only one," the first officer joked with his partner.
"What does a pink phone have to do with what happened?"
"One of the students claimed she saw two individuals fighting with swords the time it happened. She also claimed she recorded the incident on her phone."
Owen cocked an eyebrow, "So if you guys have a recording of what happened why are you talking to me?"
"She also claimed sombody knocked her out and stole her phone."
"Personally I have a hard time beleiving that part," said the other. "Especially after she started claiming the guy she supposedly caught on camera was the one who did it. If he was smart enough to take the phone he'd be smart enough to not leave any witnesses too."
While this was going on Owen watched them try to guage his reaction to this particular turn of events. Trying to see if he would tense up a bit about the footage or the fact there was a witness who saw him, maybe act a little panicky. Seeing how he had at least three hundred years of experience on these two they were going to have to try a little harder.
"I'll take your word for it," he told them. He briefly entertained the notion of turning this around on them a little. Ask that since they were only talking to him like this the descrpition of one of the guys must fit him to a tee or if it was really a female student or something. But that would go back to drawing a little too much attention to himself. "Are we done now, I still have a class to teach and the rumor mill is getting more ammunition than I really need."
"I suppose so," the second one told him. "Being a teacher and all I suppose I don't have to tell you that we'll be in contact if we find anything." Translation: If we find the evidence to pin this on you we will not hesitate to haul you in.
"Good day gentleman," he told them as he walked off. He was going to have to double check things when he got home once school was out. If they were taking Princess word this far no doubt they obtained some sort of warrent to check there too. Good things immortals were real good at hiding swords.
"Is there anything wrong Mr. MacDonald?", Jennings asked as he got close enough.
"They're just being extra cautious," he told him, "seeing how close I was to Harry and all. They wanted to make sure I didn't go off the deep end or something."
"They seemed to pay close attention to your car."
"They were looking for a pink phone." Jennings quickly glanced back at Princess, more or less confirming who it was the detectives were talking about. God were was Natalya when you needed her. "Apparently they say someone saw what happened but they don't believe her." He coughed while looking back again.
"Well... I'm not sure I like the attention you have brought to my school..."
"Is this going to be your decision or her's?", Owen demanded.
"No see here I run this school..."
"Not according to the other teachers around here," Owen cut him off and got in his face. "They all say she does. And that's something I've seen with my own eyes. In fact they can't wait until she graduates so they can get rid of her. She doesn't like me, fine I get it and I really don't care. I'm not here to be liked. She may run this school but she's just another child in my classroom who's throwing a tantrum because she's not getting her way. You personally think I need to be fired, fine. If you're doing it because she wants me gone then you better be ready for a fight. And seeing how in the past few day I lost my friend and have been hassled by the cops I'm more than ready for one. Are you?" Jenning looked away and backed up a bit. On one level he hated doing this to the man, in fact he felt sorry for him in a way. But this had been coming for a while now. Too bad it had to be now. "Like I told them I have a class I have to teach. Or should I say do I have a class?"
"No, you still have a class," he said meakly. Owen took a deep breath, realizing he came on a little stronger than he intended to. But it was a stressful past couple of days. He'll find a way to make it up to him.
Princess ran out and he didn't say anything to her, and she said nothing to him. Instead she ran up to her father and demanded, "Why aren't they arresting him? He was there! I know that fucking bastard killed the other one!"
"Not now...", Jennenings started.
"Now you listen here..."
"Shut up!", Jennenings snapped at his daughter. She was so stunned she actually did as he demanded as he stormed away from her. Owen, who stop by the door just long enough to overhear, couldn't stop the
grin from forming as the door closed behind him.
At dusk in a small town a couple of hours away from the Illinois/Indiana border the person known in the media as the "Immotal Thief" pulled into an old apartment building that had seen better days and cut the engines. Patting the bag as he walked up the stairs he felt the buzz and felt like skipping into the from with the others. "Lucy I'm home," he chimmed as he dropped the bag on the floor. He was a little miffed that he wasn't exactly reciecving a hero's welcome here. On either side of the door stood stood a woman with blond hair and a man who looked like he belonged on an amish farm. On the back wall sat an Asian man who commanded the room with his preseance. Beside him a hulking man from the middle east stormed forward and partically slammed a bunch of newspapers into his chest. "Ow."
The bigger man glared at him, "Is this your doing?"
"Yeah," he told him. "You can't pull the crimes of the century without getting a little noticed." He let the papers dropped to the ground as the other removed his hand. "Who even reads the paper anymore? We got the god damned internet now for Christ sakes." The fourth man in the roomed tensed at that bit of taking the lord's name in vain, the others didn't seem to care.
"Why are you bringing undo attention to our kind?", said the man in the chair. "We have been taught for ages to keep our society a secret from the mortals."
"Gotta do things with style my man," the thief told him. A brief hand motion by the one sitting in the chair the big man and the other two in the room flashed their swords trapping him by the neck in a deadly metal triangle. "Challenges are supposed to be one on one," he gulped.
"True," the man said as he rose and walked forward, "but an execution can be as many as I want."
"Point," the thief conceded. His eyes widdened as the other made another quick gesture. Instead of dying right then and there the swords were removed. He held his throat, almost hyperventalating at how close he had just come.
"While I appreciate the extra income do not use your abilities in this stupid way again." Pulling out his own sword he checked the edge before looking at him, "Is that understood Nathan?"
"Right Jin, crime spree officially over."
"It had better be," Jin told him as he sheathed his sword. "I brought you into this group because I thought your skill as a theif may prove to be useful, not to exploit your immortal gifts." Returning to his chair he addressed the woman, "Victoria, according to the media there has been two deaths involving your adopted daughter's school. From the what Ezekeal," he motioned to the fourth man in the room, "has been able to determin both were beheaded. Perhaps she's overheard something that may prove to be useful."
"I already asked the little cunt," she told him. The big man snarled a bit at her choice of words but Jin made him stay his hand. "The first dead one was the school shop teacher. She says she has no idea who the second one was."
"A pity she hasn't awaken yet, wouldn't you say Omar?", The big man snarled at him as well but did nothing against him. "She could have helped us know for sure, but from all apperances we have another immortal in the area. We must be on guard." Nathan and the rest quickly went back to their rooms now that the more important matter was settled, but Jin pondered on the identity of this possible other Immortal, and if he or she could, or should, be brought into their group.
