Back at the castle, Angela found Goliath and quickly told him what happened. She was speaking so fast that Goliath had to take his daughter by the shoulders and tell her to calm down and speak slowly.
Angela steadied herself before trying to explain what happened again. "We were on our way home. Broadway spotted some humans making a weapons trade. We both recognized one of the humans as the one they call 'Glasses'. We stopped them and Broadway told me to go to a payphone and call the police. He was going to tie up the humans and meet me on the rooftop. When I came back, Broadway was not waiting for me and Glasses was gone. The other men were still there, but they were not tied up."
Now it was becoming harder for her to keep her voice steady. This was the part that she had not gotten to the first time.
"I searched for Broadway," she said, her voice cracking. "I saw him being loaded into the back of a pickup truck by a human female. Father, Broadway was shot! He looked like he was dead!"
Angela buried her face in her hands and began crying.
"What?" asked Goliath, stunned.
"I don't know what help it will be, but I know the license plate number," said Angela. "Maybe Elisa can find the owner."
Goliath headed inside with Angela following him, still crying. They needed to speak to Elisa. She was the only way that they could find Broadway now.
Moments Before Angela Finds Broadway
Making its easy way down the dark streets of Manhattan was a cherry red pickup truck being driven by a young woman with olive skin, thick dark hair that came to her shoulders, and dark eyes. She wore jeans, a red plaid shirt over a tan tank top, a dark red scarf around her neck, and a gold and diamond charm bracelet on her left wrist.
Jaclyn Willows was driving back to her boyfriend's apartment. It had been a long day of running back and forth getting her possessions from Pennsylvania to New York. She had stopped at a burger joint to get something for both of them to eat. Probably the only thing the same about New York was the fast food. McDonald's and Wendy's were pretty common around here. And with her and her boyfriend's schedules, she being a veterinarian assistant and he a male nurse, it was probably the only way they would be able to sit down and have a meal together.
A few drops of rain landed on her windshield before the heavens opened up. Flicking on her windshield wipers, Jaclyn sighed.
"At least I don't have anything in the bed of the truck," she said to herself.
Jaclyn looked at the street signs to see where she was. Manhattan was much bigger than the small town in the country where she grew up and the last thing she wanted to do was miss her street and get lost, especially so late at night. Jaclyn looked at the clock on the dash. So early in the morning, she amended. The sun would be coming up soon.
As she looked for her street sign, Jaclyn caught some movement in an alley. Most New Yorkers would have passed it by without a second glance, but Jaclyn wasn't a New Yorker, not yet anyway. She stopped the truck and put it in reverse. There was something in the alley. A homeless person? No, even if they hadn't a home, they would seek shelter from this rain. Something was wrong.
Jaclyn eased the truck into the alley, the headlights shining on something large. It looked like a monster. It had large wings and a long tail and aqua blue skin. Monster or not, it was hurt and Jaclyn was not someone who would let this pass.
Hopping out of the truck with a heavy flashlight in one hand, Jaclyn walked over to it. Whatever it was was dressed in a simple loincloth. It appeared vaguely human. It was lying face down and the alley was beginning to flood with water. Not sure if it was still alive, Jaclyn kneeled down and checked for a pulse. There was one, but it was faint. Jaclyn put her flashlight down and rolled it over.
"Oh, my God," she muttered in horror, seeing two bullet holes in its chest.
Part of Jaclyn told her to leave it, it was as good as dead, but another part said that she should make an attempt in saving this thing's life.
Coming to a decision, Jaclyn ran back to the truck and got into the driver's seat. She pulled out of the alley before returning, this time rear first. She grabbed a tarp from behind the seat and hurried back to the injured monster. It was big, much bigger than Jaclyn. She would have to be creative to get it onto the back of her truck. Her boyfriend had showed her how easy it could be to move someone larger than herself by using a blanket and dragging them. That's what Jaclyn was going to do. She got the monster onto the tarp. With her first aid kit, she got the wounds patched up, but it was only temporary. Now, how to get it on the back of the truck?
There were some wooden pallets sitting out for the garbage. They appeared sturdy enough. Now she needed something heavy. There was nothing there except for a dumpster that was chained to the building it was next to. Jaclyn smirked. That would be perfect.
After getting back into the truck and maneuvering it in such away that she could use the pallet for a ramp and that the dumpster would keep it propped up and from slipping, Jaclyn dragged the monster onto the back of the truck. She carefully removed the tarp from beneath it and draped it over it to hide it from anyone who might see and keep off the rain.
For some reason, Jaclyn felt like someone was watching her at that moment. She didn't stop to look around. She figured it was just paranoia. She was new to the area and had heard the horror stories about women in back alleys in the dark of night. And the fact that Jaclyn was currently loading a monster into the back of her truck didn't help ease that fear away. She gave a sweeping glance, looking inconspicuous, and jumped into the driver's seat.
Jaclyn drove as fast as she dared back to her boyfriend's apartment.
"Please, God, let the elevator be working," Jaclyn prayed.
Jaclyn raced up the stairs and pounded on the door to her boyfriend's apartment.
The door opened to reveal a drowsy man in his mid-twenties with brown hair and brown eyes. "What?" Spencer Terry asked.
"I need help," said Jaclyn as she removed her dark red scarf from around her neck and tied her hair back with it.
Whether it was Jaclyn's tone or the fact that she was asking for help and not explaining why caused Spencer to begin to worry some.
"What?" he asked.
Jaclyn grabbed Spencer's arm and dragged him out of the apartment and to the stairs. "I found something. It was hurt and I couldn't just leave it there."
"What did you find?" asked Spencer.
"I don't know what it is," said Jaclyn as they ran out into the rain. "I did what I could, but I don't know what to do to help it."
Now Spencer was very curious. He saw that Jaclyn had a blue tarp draped over something large in the back of her truck. He pulled it back and jumped. Spencer looked at Jaclyn and then back at what was lying in the back of the truck.
"Gargoyle," Spencer whispered in awe.
"This's a gargoyle?" asked Jaclyn.
Spencer opened the bed of the truck. "Help me," he said. "We have to get him inside. I don't like this, but what else are we going to do?"
Spencer was deceptively strong for someone of his build. He and Jaclyn managed to get the gargoyle back onto the tarp, into the elevator, and finally into the apartment.
"Man, he's hurtin'," muttered Spencer as he took a look at the gargoyle lying in the middle of the living room.
Jaclyn pushed the coffee table aside and set down Spencer's kit.
"Think we can save him?" she asked.
Spencer looked grimly at the gargoyle before answering. "Between the two of us, we should be able to make him more comfortable."
Jaclyn didn't like that answer.
They cleaned and dressed the wounds as best the could. Both knew that this was only a temporary solution. The gargoyle needed stitches, X-rays, CT scans, a formal emergency room, not a vet assistant and a nurse.
"It doesn't sound like anything hit his lungs or his heart," Spencer said, after taking a listen with the stethoscope. "He's lost a lot of blood though."
Jaclyn sat on the floor beside the gargoyle. She ran her fingers over his brow. "He doesn't seem ferocious," she said after a moment. "He seems. . .sweet."
Spencer started to roll the gargoyle. Jaclyn helped him. His back was unmarked.
"The bullets are still in him," said Jaclyn. She ran her hand over his back. She gasped. "But they are at the surface. We can get them out."
Spencer took a scalpel from his kit and carefully made a small incision. He pinched the skin around the bullet and it popped out as easily as one would pop a pimple. He handed the scalpel to Jaclyn so she could get the other bullet.
".38," said Spencer. "Surprised it didn't do more damage."
"His skin is thicker than a human's," said Jaclyn. "It's more like a hide. It must have slowed the bullets."
"From what I hear, gargoyles are tough," said Spencer. "It takes a lot to take them down and keep them down."
After patching the wounds they made, Jaclyn and Spencer rolled the gargoyle onto his side.
"Just in case he throws up blood, he won't choke on it," said Spencer.
Jaclyn sat by the gargoyle and looked at the clock. She was surprised to see that everything happened in about an hour. She was sure it was more than three.
The gargoyle coughed and struggled for a breath. He began moving around, trying to get up.
"No! Stay still," Jaclyn said, trying to hold him and keep from hurting himself even more. "It's okay," she said as if she were talking to an injured rottweiler. "It's okay."
"Where am I?" he asked.
Jaclyn was surprised to hear that he could talk. "Safe," she answered. Jaclyn ran her hand over his brow again. "Do you know what happened?"
Spencer came over to see how the gargoyle was doing.
"Shot," the gargoyle strained to say, "by Dracon."
Jaclyn's face twisted in horror and fury.
At that moment there was the sound of cracking. Letting out gasp of shock, Jaclyn and Spencer saw that the gargoyle had turned to stone. Jaclyn quickly scooted away and stared at the stone form.
Spencer was the first to say something. "Explains why you don't see them in the daytime. What now?" he asked nervously.
"What do you mean, what now?" asked Jaclyn, a bit annoyed with the question.
"There is a gargoyle laying in the middle of the living room," said Spencer. "I know he needed our help, but I really don't want anyone finding out about this. The last thing I want is Quarrymen showing up at the door."
"Then don't tell anyone," Jaclyn simply said.
Jaclyn rose from her place on the floor and got her coat and keys.
"Where are you going?" asked Spencer.
"I'm going to see the man responsible for this," said Jaclyn.
Spencer stared at Jaclyn. "Are you crazy? Crossing Tony Dracon is a death sentence. He'll kill you!"
Jaclyn opened the door. "He wouldn't dare," she said. She closed the door behind her.
Spencer took a deep breath and sighed heavily. He looked at where his girlfriend was standing a moment ago and then at the gargoyle.
"Looks like it's just you and me, pal," Spencer said to the stone being on the floor.