Life After Death
Chapter 2
"Harry Dresden is dead."
Gentleman Johnny Marcone stared at me making this blatant declaration in his tailor made Italian three piece suit that was currently worth more than everything I owned after, perhaps looking for my reaction to the comment. Note to self, if the situation works out where I don't have to kill Marcone and his gorilla be sure to ask him for the name and address of his tailor. Thankfully I have experience in not giving away too much when faced by ruthless killers like Marcone and heck I even had a hat to tip down further by aiming my head lower making his ability to read anything from me nearly nonexistent. That of course and I had to admit I was more than a little intimidate by how nice that suit looked on him.
That being said it is only fair to note that I never want to play poker with Johnny Marcone either. The man gave nothing away in either his expression or his posture that I could tell from staring at him. He showed no frustration, glee, anger, or even curiosity over my sudden appearance from the dead but rather just stared at me like an emotionless computer calculating how best to turn these events into a profitable situation for him. If there was one thing about John it was obvious that almost everything for him was strictly business and when in business he made sure to make a profit.
I said almost everything was business leaving room for exception because of the simple fact that I knew from personal experience that the ever dangerous Gentleman John Marcone, possibly the most dangerous and brilliant gangster to emerge in the past sixty years, had one personal weakness. For all his ability to calmly order the death of anyone inside his operation who lost his disfavor or anyone outside the family who crossed his path with hostile or personal intentions, the most ruthless gangster was still protective of children; and not just children he knew personally, but any child almost anywhere who he had a reasonable ability to protect.
I had seen this first hand more than two years when Marcone was captured by a group of demon possessed fanatics who had the intention of corrupting the mob boss and making him one of their lackeys with a demon infestation of his own. That move was in fact part of a deeper plan to draw out and capture a being known as The Archive, the sum of all of mankind's knowledge, but who also currently inhabited the body of a young teen girl. Their plans for her were even worse than the tortures the demons had put Marcone through.
When myself and a group of my friends came to rescue the both of them, even though Marcone had been cruelly tortured, barely able to stand, and even had a part of his ear cut off he still demanded that The Archive, who had magical power to rival that of a Faerie Queen, be rescued and pulled to safety from the battle before any attention was paid to him. It was this incredibly odd dichotomy of his outlook on life and death that I had to admit made the gangster interesting to deal with; especially when compared to the more run of the mill killing you and eat you types of monsters in my life.
"You say that like it is supposed to be an indelible statement of fact or are you looking for some sort of confirmation from me on this?" I asked as he continued his little evaluation game with me waiting for me to do or say something one way or the other. Suck it up John I have more important things to do then having a staring contest with you all night.
"I am not sure." Marcone said, not with any projection of self doubt but rather a twinge of intrigue. "That is what makes dealing with you, or at least the real Harry Dresden so interesting. He has this annoying yet admirable ability to survive situations when everything indicates he shouldn't."
That was a close enough segue to get me over to the subject I came here for. "I assume you cannot be too heartbroken over the possibility that I am still alive as you went to so much effort to prevent any word in the media reports that I had been killed." I said getting right to the heart of my reason for wanting to speak with him. Let's see how you like it John when I say your moves are equally transparent at times.
"It was hardly an effort." Marcone replied indifferently as if the action was as simple as breathing while he continued to stare sizing me up in the process. "As I have said to you before, I find that you serve as an occasionally useful tool for me whether you accept this role or not. Your death was hardly the first of its kind that I ever requested get little air time. Thankfully the media understands that some things are better left unreported."
"You know it would be easy for me to assume that you did not want my death to draw even more attention because you were behind it." I said noting that Hendricks tensed up at my words of seeming challenge even though I careful placed no implied threat or repercussion behind them. Marcone did not move but even so something in his posture, perhaps his own lack of tension, was an order for the big man to stand down and relax as well. To my amusement the bodyguard did just that. I kept myself in check for not mentioning how well trained he was.
"Really Dresden if this is really who you are?" Marcone asked with a tinge of annoyance. "Do you think if I had desired your death that you would be here now speaking with me? Or even more importantly do you think anyone would be foolish enough to imitate 'The Dresden' if I had been behind the attack?" Although the latter comment Marcone made was likely meant to refer to the former owner of my new coat and hat, I could tell the subtle undertone reflected his suspicions on whether I myself was the general article or not as well. Like I said before, being dead obviously screws up all sorts of things.
I visibly relaxed everywhere except for tightening my hand on the staff I was carrying. As much as I hated to admit it John's logic made a lot of sense. If he had been behind the attack the word would have gotten out in all the right circles and no one would have been foolish enough to want to claim to be Harry Dresden and draw his attention down upon themselves. Making sure the job hard been done right was not the reason he was standing here in this warehouse I knew. But then again there were other reasons why Gentleman Johnny Marcone might come to check out claims of a new 'Dresden.'
"No John I doubt anyone would be that dumb, not even me if I could pick another name." I said with a laugh. "So then I guess I should assume that your presence here is probably based upon you wondering if the attack on me was really just someone's opening gambit to set up a magical attack on you now?" I asked letting a little bit of a knowing smile that I understood him touch the corners of my lips.
He continued his stare at me with only a slight rise in one eyebrow. "You are either getting smarter and more perceptive then you were just days ago Mr. Dresden or you are not the real Harry Dresden." He said becoming even more blatant in his questioning of me.
"Chalk it up to experience and recent repercussions John." I said casually ignoring the challenge. I would have purposefully stared at my nails to give him even less concern for his question but that was probably a little too dramatically over the top. "I have been rolling around in the mud with scum like you for so many years now some of it was bound to stick eventually. That means you are like old chewing gum on the bottom of my shoes I guess." I said making Hendricks growl.
Marcone's eyes flashed dangerously as he considered his next words. I tensed a bit wondering if I had pushed him or his bodyguard a little too far this time and instead of getting information I was going to get yet another fight I did not actually need. I paged quickly through my mind wondering which spell is the best option for dealing with a gorilla like Hendricks.
"I believe I am going to accept you are indeed Harry Dresden for the moment only for the simple fact that I would like to think there are two wizards in the city of Chicago who can be this annoying and this foolish." Marcone said at last relaxing just enough to be a subtle warning for me not to push things any further because I had run out of my current supply of looking the other way. I took this as good advice as well since I really did not see how getting into a war with the gangster and his pet ogre would benefit me.
"Good, that will make our remaining discussions easier." I said calming myself as well. "Why exactly did you agree to come here to this warehouse looking for me if you were fairly certain that I was already dead?" I asked him as I tried to put the pieces together. "Did you honestly think whoever was behind the attempt on my life had gone to all this trouble merely in an attempt to replace me?"
"Please give me the same level of credit I afford you." Marcone said dryly. "Whoever tried to kill you was smart enough to do so in a way that you could not see it coming." He explained. "That indicates to me someone fairly intelligent and informed, at least where your kind are concerned." I knew by 'my kind' what Marcone was really meaning was wizards in general. Whether or not he knew about a wizard's death curse specifically I could not tell from his careful choice of words but it would not surprise me that a man as naturally and professionally cautious as Johnny Marcone would seek to learn as much as possible about wizards since his path and mine had this tendency to cross on a disturbingly frequent basis.
"Someone with that level or skill in planning is either someone I need to employ or someone I need to eliminate before they start to think I am a suitable target as well." The way he could so calmly speak to killing someone without guilt or fear of repercussions, and right in front of me as a potential witness no less, demonstrated that Johnny Marcone was either nearly fearless or completely insane. I could not decide which of those two options was the more frightening to me.
"I can see that makes sense, but you really cannot tell me that you thought these Manson Family wannabes were possibly involved in that." I pointed out. If her was looking for a seriously intelligent assassin, the kids wearing the Twilight makeup hardly seemed to me to fit that mold.
"Of course not." Marcone said. "But as you rightfully pointed out I have made sure that the news of your death was highly limited. As best I can tell the only ones who learned of it outside the authorities were those of your acquaintance who former officer Sergeant Karrin Murphy told and who have not been sharing that information outside their circle. There were also a few who paid the police for this information as well, but those individuals either worked for me or the press, and as you so rightly deduced I knew that second tree from bearing any fruit."
I followed that line of thought to its next logical step. "Ah, so I see you are monitoring the flow of information." I stated to him with a smile of my own. "That way if someone shows they know of my death and you cannot trace it back to one of these sources that you know about…"
"…Then the only ones they could have gotten that information from was either the killer or the person who had hired them." Marcone finished for me showing not only was he every bit as smart as me, but that he had come to this realization and implemented this plan within mere hours of hearing of my death. I hated that I had to admire someone like Marcone but until this very moment such a plan would never have been something that would have dawned on me. There is an old saying that a perfect criminal mind had to be a greater genius than those who tried to catch them because they not only had to plan out a perfect crime, but they had to understand and plan for how everyone else would think as well. I wondered if Gentleman Johnny Marcone was that perfect criminal mind.
"So then who did the evil Jackson Five learn about my death from?" I asked figuring this was just the information I needed as well.
Marcone's eyes turned even colder as he regarded me but did not immediately offer up an answer to my question. "I do not see what I gain from sharing that information with you." He said with no hint of a teasing smile but was instead all business. "You have rejected my offers for employment time and again so there is no question of loyalty. You have destroyed my businesses on multiple occasions and threatened both myself and my employees. You and your friends did have a hand in my rescue a few times but the debts incurred from that were all paid back in full." He stopped and stared at me like a snake preparing to strike at a mouse trapped in a corner. "So what makes you think I have any reason at all to share any information I may have on this subject with you?"
He had me there. I really had no leverage over him and it was not like Gentleman Johnny was known for handing out freebies to those who had challenged his authority. That left the old reliable show of force approach, but that would just cause another fight and I really did not have the energy to waste at the moment when there were more important things in play. Worse still he understood that and waited for me to say the words that he knew I would eventually have to.
"What are you proposing?" I asked keeping my words to the fewest possible as I agreed to negotiate.
I will give this to Marcone, he was so dedicated to business that he did not even take the time to gloat that I was standing before him with proverbial hat in hand requiring his assistance. Instead he looked at his watch, obviously calculating how much more time he could spend here dealing with me before looking back at me once more.
"I will not waste either of our times with another offer of employment because if you rejected me a third time I would have to kill you out of simple propriety." Marcone said with no sense of humor. "But I believe as I am a signatory to the Seelie Accords that entitles us to make a temporary alliance of convenience to act in our shared interests knowing that for either of us to violate that oath would mean our death, is that not correct?" He said almost exactly quoting one of the permission of the Accords when it had been translated from its original Latin.
"Such an alliance is possible providing that both parties agree to whatever limitations the partnership has, and what the eventual outcome of this alliance is to lead to." I said further elaborating. The last clause was put in place so that neither party could use the Accords to manipulate an unsuspecting partner into a suicide pact because they had not been smart enough to see this for themselves. "What is the end state that you desire?"
"Simple." John said. "Status quo as the situation between us was before this attempt upon your life. Something fairly important seems to be taking place in the magical underworld of Chicago and this has the potential for affecting me either directly or indirectly. I suspect this is related to the attempt on your life but since my own information on the subject is at present limited it may be something completely unrelated." His tone was strictly business like.
"If these events are tied to the attack upon you then while I might enjoy the opportunity to hire those behind that attack as such demonstrated planning talent is indeed rare, I willingly accept that you have first right of retaliation and wave this personal desire if you find that killing them, or in your case perhaps having them arrested even, is a better solution." The fact that he was so casual about killing was unnerving but he was talking about those who had left two high powered rifle bullets in the cabin of the Water Beetle.
"If it turns out that the attack on you was unrelated to other events recently taking place but these other events remain a shared concern then we pool our resources and information to see that this threat is also removed." I had a feeling John could have been a damn good lawyer if he had wanted to be. "And if we learn the threat is not shared, then we part in good standing and allow the other to deal with these events as they see fit without interruption. Is this an acceptable end state Mr. Dresden?" He was just too snakelike for my comfort but I had little choice in the matter.
"A few caveats." I said knowing you never let the person you are negotiating with make all the rules.
"Name them." He replied.
"First, however we 'deal with' this shared concern, we prevent innocents from being hurt." I said making sure he knew an army of his goons gunning down a city block was not something I was prepared to tolerate.
"Accepted." He said with a wave of his hand. "Innocent blood is bad for business."
"Second, we deal with our own." I said to him. "I may have to work and talk with you but I want my friends kept out of your circle and your promise not to try and entice them to your way of thinking, or apply any leverage against them to act in your behalf based on these events."
"Accepted." He said without hesitation for a second time. "I find those you work with to be rather stiff necked like yourself. We will incur no debts between yours and mine."
"Last." I said really without anything else but because three demands seemed much more confident and controlled than two. "We share everything we collect in information but I have the lead on the investigation. You and yours get my approval before taking any steps." Suck on that one Marcone! How's it feel for the big boss to have to report to someone else?
"Agreed." He said without a second of hesitation. "I would rather delegate the leg work to you." He looked to Hendricks and snapped his fingers holding out his hand. The big man pulled out a gold, I mean a real twenty four carat gold, business card hold with Marcone's initials prominently engraved on the case and handed it to him.
Marcone opened this and drew out an embossed business card that had no name on its pure pristine white surface, only the seven digits of a local telephone number. "You can reach me at this number with whatever information you gather. I will provide you any updates my employees have acquired when you call." He said before handing the case back to the bodyguard and putting his hand forward for us to shake on.
Dammit! Why did I feel like I had just been totally outmaneuvered? 'It was probably because you were' said a little voice deep inside my head that I really did not like at that moment. Well it was too late to back out of this now but I did not have to play his game. "I accept the deal Marcone but that does not mean I want to touch you." I said drawing no emotion from him. "Spill on what you are still holding back." I said.
His flicker of annoyance at my rudeness faded quickly as he put his hand down. "On the way over here the young lady who provided us with directions explained she had only learned of your death because her and her companions had served an overnighter in a holding cell two nights ago on possession, the mundane illegal narcotic crime and not the demonic matter." He explained looking for me to obviously make the connection.
Okay so the five would get picked up by a couple of cars and taking to the local station for booking and once that was processed they would be placed into a holding cell. "Great they were right down the hall from Special Investigations and heard someone talking about my case." I said quickly putting this all together and thankful that I knew the layout of that building due to my visits with Karrin Murphy.
"That was what I determined as well just as we pulled into the building." Marcone said confirming this was a dead end. If it had not been for the coat and hat I collected this might have been a total bust. Marcone did nothing but confirm what I had already suspected on the issue with the press. But why then was he so hot to make a deal?
"What else do you have then that you are worried about?" I asked watching his slight smile of approval on following the breadcrumbs he was leaving for me. Have I mentioned John is really annoying?
He paused as if considering what to say but really serving no purpose but to annoy me further as we both knew he was going to have to tell me based upon our agreement. Finally he began. "There was an incident at the Chicago Zoo last night that may have relevance in these events or at least screams of a magical component."
"Go on." I had heard nothing on this story and with it being such a slow news day and the Chicago Zoo being one of our city's most beloved attractions this silence was indeed strange.
"From what I have learned it appears that the pair of night watchmen who wander the zoo after dark came across one or more somethings that were not there to feed the monkeys." This was nothing all that new to me. Those who did not know much about real magic often proscribed magical powers to certain types of animals and believed their bodies could be used to create spells or potions. Best known of this is the White Rhino which has been a protected species for over two decades now but is still poached by hunters to collect its horn which people believe when ground up provides men with nearly superhuman strength or the magical equivalent of Viagra. One of the stacks of fliers in my former office was dedicated to debunking this and other similar myths since they did nothing but give magic a bad name. No wizard wanted to face a PETA inspired mob if they could avoid it.
"The morning crew of feeders barely discovered enough of the pair, a few teeth from one and part of the hand of the other that appeared to have been ripped off by large teeth so I'm told, to confirm that both guards had been present." He continued. "The amount of blood upon the ground though was too much for a single body."
While human beings were capable of various acts of brutality what Marcone was describing reaching quite a ways past the norm. Unfortunately however it was not all that much of a stretch for many things that came out from the Nevernever or even some things that lived right here in the mortal world but that we tending to ignore or think of only as myths from bygone days. "Did they find any other parts of the bodies elsewhere?" I asked. Such sloppy disposal was also not uncommon for such creatures and would point toward a different series of really nasty things.
"They found nothing according to my sources that were at the scene and tasked to help clean up." Marcone said confirming he had people in police uniforms who were feeding him information just as I suspected. Well that was hardly surprising or anything I was going to worry myself about. Cops needed to make a living and copy pay rarely covered the expenses of a family. Murphy would hate to know this, but I understood the unfortunate economics.
"So one or more somethings ate two night watchmen?" I asked looking for confirmation.
Marcone merely tipped his head. "That is what it appears and based upon our shared history with werewolves it seems to me that perhaps we are facing something similar."
Many years ago a group of FBI agents got their hands on some magical belts that allowed them to transform into werewolves and they put them to used hunting down those like Marcone that they saw were beyond the reach of the law. Not realizing the corrupting and addictive power of this type of magic the four eventually went crazy and killed innocents in the process to protect their secret. Marcone and I had to team up with others to eventually bring them down. It was not a memory I wanted to relive and from the expression on John's face it was a feeling that he shared as well.
"So you assume that the attack against me was to get me out of the way for round two of the wolf attack scenario?" I asked.
"As I said I do not know that for sure." Marcone answered honestly. "It certainly is a plausible explanation though and was a lead that I thought prudent to investigate further."
I thought about it and there was a possibility that this could be true. Hell I've seen the Tom Clancy books and knew that the FBI had snipers who could have been behind the shooting at the Water Beetle. But could this whole same plan be playing out once more and if so who was behind it? And more importantly why did this attack take place at the zoo?
"Were any of the animals missing?" I asked Marcone figuring that might be a decent lead.
"My source did not have that information." Marcone admitted. "The lead detective on the case was the one to talk with the staff and asked them to do an inventory of all the cages and see if any animals were stolen or there were any signs of tampering or other things out of the ordinary. They promised to call him with their results and so my source has not gotten wind of that information at the present." He finished.
"Really John?" I said with a sense of bewilderment. "You can't just call this detective up and get the information directly?" I chided him and happy to see his power had limits.
"I could, but I chose not to as a professional courtesy." He said. "A courtesy to the dead; but that was before I found out you were actually still alive. Would you prefer I call deal with Detective Stallings and his family myself or is this one of those matters you prefer to handle?" Marcone pulled no punches hinting at just what extremes he would consider to get information that he suspected would be vital. Yeah maybe I had negotiated that I was in charge of the investigation but he had no doubt which of us was really the puppet on the strings.
"I will go take care of it myself." I said. "Is there anything else that I should know about before I go?" I asked.
"Only that my associate Ms. Gard is checking out these events as well." He explained. "Since we were all under the false assumption that you were dead she took it upon herself to play magical detective and see what potential implications these events would have for me or my business. I expect to hear from her tonight and I will advise her that we are now working in alliance under the Accords but in case you two cross paths before I hear from her you should be advised she is out there."
Ms. Gard was a blonde Amazon woman nearly my height and packing almost as much muscle as Hendricks. I had seen her fight before and knew she was not someone I wanted to cross on purpose and certainly not by accident if this could be avoided. "I will keep a lookout for her." I confirmed but in reality I hoped to avoid that encounter if I could as it would likely get quite awkward and I really did not have time for awkward.
"I'm sure you will." Marcone said levelly. "Unless you have something further to share yourself I have nothing more of consequence at this time." He waited for my reply.
"Yeah I do." I said. "As you know I lost my apartment and office not to mention all my belongings." I said as a way to get to the point I was coming to.
"Are you asking for me to arrange a place to stay for you?" Marcone said with a hint of confusion.
"No I got that covered." I said. "What I could use though is some replacement mundane protection if you know what I mean." I said looking at Hendricks still holding his shotgun.
"I see." Marcone said with a smile. "Mr. Hendricks please lend your weapons to Mr. Dresden." He said and the big man did so handing over both the sawed off shotgun and the automatic pistol without even a moment of hesitation. Either he was really certain he could take me even though I was now armed and he was not, or his loyalty to following Marcone's orders was so absolute that he dared not question this.
"Those are clear weapons Mr. Dresden." Marcone said and I knew that he was not talking about the fact they had been recently checked and oiled but rather they were not attached to any unknown bullets in suspicious corpses. "As a profession courtesy I ask you either return them in the same condition or dispose of them if they get dirty." He said. That made sense. The last thing Marcone needed, as ironic as it would be, was getting tagged for a murder he had not actually ordered or committed.
"Not a problem." I said noting that Hendricks was taking off and handing me a sling for carrying the shotgun under a long coat just like the one I was wearing. This was going to be even better than I thought as I tucked the automatic in the duster's deep pockets and kept the shotgun in my hands but pointed in a safe direction as Marcone and I concluded our business.
"Then I will await your contact." He said turning and opening his own door while Hendricks got in behind the steering wheel.
Marcone stopped just before getting in. "And Dresden…" He said drawing my full attention. "Keep the hat. It suits you." He laughed at some obviously private joke and finished getting into the car before I could work up a suitable response. The BMW drove away leaving me standing there looking up at a battery operated clock on the way. The night was still early. I wondered what John Stallings was up to and just how I was going to explain being alive to him?
I drove slowly past the police station twice trying to confirm that Murphy's car was not in the parking lot. I had heard she was on suspension over what had happened at the FBI building and knew this was probably like a gut punch to her every waking moment of the day. Not only was her friend thought to be dead, but she, a trained detective, was not allowed to get involved in the investigation of his murder. Loyalty to friends and family was high on the list of Karrin Murphy's qualities and so this situation had to be one of the hardest that she had ever faced. I felt sorry for her and wished I could help lift the burden but until I knew who was behind the assassination I felt it was important that our paths did not cross; at least not until I was in a position to come clean on just what I was doing.
Alright the police station had cameras and metal detectors and while I was fairly sure I could sneak through if I had to, that was opening myself up to a set of really bad possibilities. Instead what I really needed was more neutral ground, neutral being the best I could hope for because all my normal options that would give me home court advantage had either blown up or burned down. This being Chicago however, I found a corner tavern a block away from the station that still had lights on. While I suspected it would cater to the occasional officer as a quick watering hole after their shift, it was also the only public place open in the immediate vicinity and was not overly lit up like an all night Walmart.
I parked the Mustang a block away and walked into the bar drawing attention from the bartender and the three patrons. "I just need to use your payphone." I said pointing to the big black callbox hanging just inside the door. The bartender finished drawing a glass of beer for the guy sitting alone at the bar and nodded for me to go ahead.
The good news was that I knew the station's number by heart because I had called Murphy there so many times. I dropped the required coins and called the number, tapping down all my emotions so I hopefully did not short the phone out before getting through. I asked the officer who answered for Detective Stallings and was happy to be put on hold while I was transferred. This meant he was likely on duty.
"John Stallings." The old, weary, yet tough as nails voice said by way of an introduction.
"Detective Stallings I am at the bar just down the street and I need to talk to you regarding a pair of cases you are working on." I said diving straight into the heart of the matter.
"Who is this?" He asked, but I had been prepared for that very question and responded immediately.
"You would not believe me if I told you." I said quite honestly.
"Can you come down to the station?" He asked and I heard him scribbling something down on paper, probably telling another officer to run a phone tap or something.
"I am afraid that is not possible." I replied.
"Well I'm afraid that I do not have the time for wild goose chases either." He said upping the ante.
I hated playing this card but I knew it was likely the only one I had that would work. "John, if you care about Karrin Murphy then you need to do as I asked and come over here to talk with me."
"Are you threatening her?" He said in a tone that was deadly serious and as intimidating as anything Marcone could say.
"No John." I replied calmly. "I'm trying to protect her. I am hoping I can convince you to do the same." I said.
"Give me ten minutes." He said after only a brief pause.
I hung up and thanked the bartender then went back outside and looked around. A meeting outside was not a good idea and it would put Stallings on the defensive based upon all the strange things he had encountered as a member of Special Investigations. The bar really was the only option open to me so I took a deep relaxing breath, prepared myself, and went right back inside this time heading directly over to the bar.
The bartender was on the phone when I walked in and he looked at me without any signs of recognition as he finished his phone call. "Yeah I think it's okay right now and everything seems to work though it was performing strange." He said acting like he was messing with one of the taps but still looking at me with too much intensity out of the corner of his eye. I got the sinking suspicion that Stallings had called the bar to confirm there was someone waiting for him and had just gotten the word there was indeed a someone and that while strange looking I did not appear to be looking for trouble. I was also glad I had left the shotgun on the floorboards of the Mustang instead of trying to wear it in where he might have noticed it.
"I'm just waiting on a friend if that will be alright." I said pointing to a table in the dark back corner away from the others. The bartender merely nodded and the fact that he did not demand that I buy a drink while I waited made me certain he had been talking to Stallings on the phone just a moment before. I took a chair and positioned it so I could watch everyone in the place, as well as the clock on the wall, and even the television above the bar while I waited for Stallings to get there.
He walked in with a minute thirty to spare telling me that he had taken my request very seriously and raced over here. His eyes glanced quickly to the others and the bartended who nodded in my general direction. I was thankful that he did not have the local SWAT team backing him up because when his eyes did finally land on me they were less than pleased.
He stalked over like a bear on the hunt but I remained sitting and did nothing even remotely aggressive as I waited for him to make the necessary greetings. "Harry Dresden is dead." He said staring at me like I had just betrayed him.
"Yeah you are the third person to tell me that tonight." I said honestly scooting a chair out with my foot and hoping he would take a seat.
"Are you aware of how many man hours the department is racking up looking for your killer?" He said slowly taking a seat and staring at me with smoldering fire in his eyes.
"John is the punishment for attempted murder all that much different than that for murder?" I asked.
He paused for a moment before responding. "No."
"So what is the problem then?" I asked hating to take this tact with this man who was just trying to do his job.
"The problem is Dresden that there are people out there grieving right now because they think you are dead." Stallings said in a tense whisper because his early statement had been made just a little too loudly and quieted all conversation in the bar so they could listen to ours.
I knew when he said 'people' that he was mostly talking about Murphy who had been his partner, his boss, and his subordinate. John was also one of the few officers old enough in Special Investigations to have known and worked with Karrin's dad when he was still on the force. Stallings had every right to be protective of her so I was not going to begrudge him his attitude on the pain she was going through.
"John, until we catch the shooter they are likely to keep trying if they think they missed." I said plainly. "Who knows who might be standing next to me the next time, or who might decide jumping in front of bullet meant for me was her sworn duty." I said referring to Murphy in everything but name. Her name was not required. John understood exactly what I meant and this went a long way toward cooling his temper.
"Alright maybe you got something there…" He said looking at the bartender. "Eddie draw me two if you would." He asked and the bartender pulled down two glasses and began to fill them from the tap.
"So why did you call and what do you need from me?" Stallings asked. I liked a man who got right to the point, providing he was not there to kill me. In those cases I was perfectly fine with the ones who took their time and did not mind beating around the bush.
"I heard your team is working something odd happened at the zoo last night." I said being equally blunt as the bartended laid our two glasses on the table and then backed away.
Stallings took a long draw and emptied half the glass. "Yeah we figure somehow the guards got too close to the wrong cages and got accidentally eaten. We are hoping they will turn up in the scat in the next couple of days and we can close the case."
Wow the extremes the human mind will go to avoid admitting there really might be monsters out there. And I had a sudden pity for whoever the poor patrolman was who got to play scat duty by prodding through the various animal dropping for the next three or four days.
"Were any of the animals missing?" I asked just as he was getting ready to finish off the second half of his beer. Instead he put it down and looked squarely at me trying unsuccessfully to catch my eyes under the rim of my new hat.
"Yeah one." He admitted. "Why? Does that mean something?" Having helped solve a bunch of SI's cases over the past decade or so John was used to me providing a different angle on things. He may not be a believer, but he was at least willing to listen to other options.
"What was it?" I asked. "A rhino?"
"No." He said. "It was a komodo dragon."
That struck me as odd. As far as I knew the komodo dragon was not one of those animals that people thought had mystical properties. At worst some people wanted them as chic pets. Why the heck then would something that ate two guards want a giant lizard? I hated to admit it but the answer did not come to me.
"That is a new one on me." I admitted sitting back in my chair as Stallings finished his beer.
"Would any religion be using it as a sacrifice in one of its rituals?" He asked me. Again being a wizard tends to make you a good source on all sorts of occult happenings. Stalling was not above using any source that he stumbled across.
"Not that I know of." I said honestly. "And that would not explain the eating of the guards. Why do you ask?" I said when I noted he was calculating something in his head.
"Because we found a note written in Latin at the scene." Stallings replied. "We have a professor coming over to translate the whole thing in the morning but one word kept popping up over and over so I Googled it."
"What did you get?" I asked.
"Blood."