Thanks to dropletsoflight, sister-b, rednightmareand of course Vivienne S. for the thoughful reviews! It is really good to know that you also enjoy stories out of the Masquerade franchise and give Requiem a chance.
And this point some major THANK YOU to Officer Michael, who patiently answered Vivienne's questions about badge IDs and ID numbers, while they arrested some vampire or ghoul who even put up a fight after being teasered, shot and 10 policemen wrestled him down. Dude, YOU ROCK!
Sleep was something Lee was in desperate need of. Even if it was against his will it overtook him. However this time the black curtain was more welcoming, more warm, without a dream, silent and relaxing. As his senses returned he realised that the warmth wasn't any prank his mind played on him; no wet clothes were sticking to his skin. Instead it was dry and upon opening his eyes, looking around irritated, the detective was lying in a bed. The blanket slid down from his chest as he slowly lifted his upper body to get a better overview of the current situation. The lamp on the bedside table was illuminated, as it was still dark outside from what Lee was able to judge with a glimpse to the window. He was sitting on a bed which stood next to a wall. The room had the size of a small guest room and was drearily furnished. Besides the bed there was only a table, a drawer, a chair and – Lee raised an eyebrow – a cross above the door.
The back of his head still emitted a painful, rhythmic throb. His body felt weak, exhausted and floppy, telling Lee that he was about to get a cold which was the logical outcome of his predicament moments ago. Again he wondered how long he'd been passed out or slept this time. There was no clock to be found in this room and further inspection of the clothes he was wearing – a plain white t-shirt and shorts – gave him no more clues as to where he exactly was at the moment, but judging by the cross above the door, it wasn't hard to come to a conclusion. 'Charity and benevolence. Seems like it's not only empty preaching, huh?' No offense. Lee was grateful that he wasn't disposed of outside in the rain. It's some kind of cynical worldview which accompanied his job too often, taking a glimpse into the dark corners of the human mind. Miranda often told him not to be so pessimistic, only seeing the bad side of people and that not every human being is selfish or heartless. Of course she was right. Somehow. It was never wrong to have a good portion of mistrust ready. Another trait from his job he never could lay down even when he wasn't on duty, evolving to a second nature. That was why he was slightly upset about what happened, the absolutely irrational behaviour which led into this little embarrassment of his, nagging on his pride like an evil, grinning, taunting gremlin. He'd be the laughingstock of the department, not to mention of the media which were circling like vultures around their heads, calling them incompetent fools for not even having a simple clue on the case. And now this stupid mistake on top of everything. As soon as he made the necessary calls there needed to be time to prevent more damage. Losing his badge was, in such a case, not as simple as it may seem; more so how should he explain it properly? 'I got a strange feeling, jumped without a second thought into a random bus and landed in the middle of nowhere and got robbed.' Quite a bad explanation, tasting again like incompetence garnished with stupidity.
Lee brushed over his hair, sighing heavily and exhausted as the door opened with a creak, breaking the silence in the room as if the hinges were screaming in agony for some oil and once more Lee's conclusions were right. In the doorframe stood a blond man in his forties – late or early he couldn't judge at the moment – blue eyes and the first remarkable trait was a tiny scar on his upper lip. It was the black cassock, combined with a white priestly collar which proved the detective's theory: he must be in the rectory of the chapel, which was strange. Did chapels even have rectories? To be honest, Lee did not have much knowledge about the church. For Bible John there was a special theology expert hired so they wouldn't miss any important religious reference.
"Pardon my rude intrusion. If I would have known that you're awake, I most certainly would have knocked." Unlike the more aggressive voices of the preachers he knew from church, this man's was soft and friendly; however there was some kind of eerie feeling, making the detective's hackles rise and upon scrutinizing the guy further he looked a bit sickly. Shrunken cheeks and dark circles around the eyes like he hadn't slept for quite some time, the skin slightly pale. Perhaps the priest looked shittier and more dead than Lee during the flight to Glasgow. Still the man's presence brought something formidable along, like an old Viking. Why this thought passed his mind was a puzzle for Lee but it was the first thing which came to it. The silence became uncomfortable and Lee knew it was a bit rude to stare at the priest without a response.
"No...no it's okay. You couldn't have known." Finally the silence was broken with the detective looking at his bed sheets, twitching a shoulder uncomfortably as he could hear how the cassock rustled, implying that the priest moved into the room. That guy gave him the creeps. 'You're behaving irrational again. It's not like every person in the clergy is a paedophilic psycho priest of some sort.' Plus he was an adult.
"I have to apologise once more. I know I don't look very healthy. Terminal cancer and the medicaments don't let me look like vivid life. Well then I hope you don't mind talking a bit, do you?" Wooden chair legs moved on carpet and the rustling of the cassock became silent which left him no other choice. Furthermore it would be rude to decline after the hospitality he was given, even more because the priest was quite friendly. Cynic or not, he still retained his sense of common politeness, avoiding to end up as a social outcast which sometimes happened to some co-workers; furthermore the man gained his respect, being deadly sick and still maintaining his faith to such a degree.
"Well, it's the least I could do after picking me up as..." Actually now he remembered the man he met in the chapel, who simply said the word 'sleep' before Lee fell asleep. "...sorry, my mind is a bit blurry."
"Ah yes. Mr. Donovan told me you'd fallen over right in front of his eyes." Lee scratched his chin. That was not like his memory told him. "He brought you into the rectory where Father Adams took care of you. He is asleep at the moment and I'm afraid you have to put up with me for the time being. I'm Father Walker." One didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to know that there was something off. Why would a small chapel need two priests, but it seemed as though the priest read his mind. "Father Adams fetched a cold, so I took over his duties as a replacement." Once more Lee twitched, uncomfortable, with his shoulder, shifting his eyes so he looked straight at Father Walker. To add more odds Lee felt around this man like a little child.
"I thank you for the hospitality. Lee Smith's the name." The hand he reached over to the priest was grabbed by the other man who had bony fingers. Like a skeleton and upon touching them, Lee nearly thought they would be cold but they weren't.
"Again Mr. Donovan told me beforehand: You're a detective according to his word." Dragging his hand back, Lee slid on the bedside and the priest folded his hands back on his lap. "I don't want to be curious but considering your accent, you're not British. Is this correct?" For a normal tourist it was more than strange to mention that he was a detective and Lee couldn't blame him for being cautious as well.
"It is. I would show you my badge but I got mugged." A frustrated sigh passed his lips, hands rubbing over his face, wisely not telling that he got lost and then mugged. More stabs and his ego would look like Swiss cheese.
"So you're a lost sheep, my son." It was nearly frightening how this man was able to read him like an open book and to crown all this it was alien to be called 'my son' from a person who was perhaps only ten years older than Lee himself.
"Considering that I'm stranded on the outskirts of Glasgow without money in the middle of the night, yes. I guess everyone would be lost in some sort of way." When a man's pride was attacked, a man would defend it; however the detective wasn't a person with a bad temper. The good cop so to speak.
"And you were guided into the Lord's domain. Nothing is coincidence, my son. God has a destiny for all of us prepared and you are here, because you're lost and seek guidance." The smile on Father Walker's face didn't reach his eyes. It felt artificial and Lee often enough knew how to distinguish a true smile from a faked one. What had the priest in mind with those questions? The least Lee was now in need of was some religious sermon.
"Hey, no offense Father but preaching is really not hitting a nerve for me." Firmly but still friendly he made it clear that it was a waste of breath trying to deliver the word of God to him. "I'm really grateful for your help but I don't believe in God or any great plan of his. You're not going to change it, so I don't want to waste your time." To also not appear too aggressive, Lee raised his hands soothingly, however the eyes of the priest slightly narrowed for a second; but were then again expressionless, like a mask of friendliness.
"Detective..." Father Walker leaned a bit forward, staring straight into Lee's eyes, smiling again that smile which didn't reach the eyes. "...a tourist who travels in the night into the outskirts where there is nothing interesting to see, one could think you're searching for something specific, may it be intentional or unintentional, though. I'm not here to judge you in any way. It is my holy duty to offer you shelter, physically and psychically. Don't be afraid. Tell me the reason why you came to East Fulton." Lee didn't know what came over him, but he felt the urge – no the desire – to tell the priest the truth which he'd wanted to keep to himself and the police department in Richmond.
"I felt that someone or something was watching me and I jumped on a random bus in Glasgow which took me to East Fulton. At the bus stop I was beaten down and mugged. After waking up I felt this strange feeling again while I searched for help and now it's gone." Frowning, it came now into his mind that this feeling of paranoia was gone when he was approaching the chapel; however Father Walker leaned back, his smile broadening and now actually looked for the first time genuine.
"Often the eyes don't see what instinct can. As a policeman you know this of course, but also the instincts accept what the mind doesn't." Silence hung in the room, with both men staring at each other. The detective like a lectured child and the priest like the lecturing father, letting some seconds pass until Lee broke the silence.
"I'm sorry I don't believe in God, Father." He shook his head, leaning back and propping his hands up on the mattress.
"But you are here because of a feeling. I'm sure it will all make sense at some point. That you journeyed into Scotland and Glasgow to reveal something important for yourself." Those words made Lee chuckle in amusement. Of course it was only coincidence and he was sure, that the priest was a person with a good insight into human nature.
"Actually I'm not a tourist. I'm here to work. I don't know if the news here reported about the murders in Richmond, that they have a striking resemblance to your Bible John." The media knew he was here, so it wasn't a big state secret; anyway this time Father Walker was silent for a few seconds, like he was thinking.
"Yes, I remember...Bible John. What a poor, misguided soul hunting the city. Another dark chapter of Glasgow but where a lot of light is, there are many shadows. Watch the shadows close, detective." Once more Lee frowned upon those strange words. Letting his head hang down a bit but with a smile. Give him his due. Father Walker was a faithful man and perhaps it was the last reason for this man to bear every new day, being deadly sick.
"I'll be on my guard from now on, especially watching for things trying to hit my head." As opposed to his dialogue partner, Lee chuckled again about his own joke.
"Please keep those words in mind and don't use only your eyes. I thank you for the conversation, Detective Smith and I'll let you rest now. You can use this mobile telephone to make any important call you need right now." Reaching for a drawer, father Walker took out the said cell, handing it over and was a slight relief that the priest wanted to go and it wouldn't come to Lee's mind to stop him as he raised himself from the chair.
"I have to thank you again for the hospitality and help, Father, even if I'm not a good Christian." Once more the artificial smile showed up on the blond man's face.
"Don't worry. As I said: I'm sure everything will unfold in time, even faith. Good night, detective." And as soon as he went through the door and closed it, Lee fell on his back and sighed, sliding back under the blanket. His first call was of course to his department to report the lost badge. Gladly he could identify himself with his internal ID-number which was only known to the department for such a case and not stated anywhere on the list of stolen goods. With this done, Lee closed his eyes, slowly succumbing to relaxing sleep, only slightly remembering that he forgot to call someone important besides the department.
Everything was just like the Bishop expected. As he left the room where Detective Smith was dwelling for this night, he allowed himself to let out an angry snarl, fangs bared. It was a warning from the Archbishop; furthermore it was also a trap. A sling which was slowly tightening on his neck and he couldn't avoid it. It was now clear: McKinnon wanted to get rid of him. It was a sin to socialize with humans without wanting to feed upon them but for the Bible John case he needed to be in touch with the kine from now on. That he'd set foot into the same building during his own presence could be considered a danger to the Masquerade. On top of it, there seemed to be a lack of sense of duty in his Ostiary, those who controlled the boarders of his domain. They didn't mention a newcomer to it. He would take care of it soon. They shall know that he doesn't tolerate treason in his ranks.
His hands brushed shortly over the fold of his cassock and Bishop Walker strode to seek out his childe. As long as the night would last he needed to continue with his plans as if nothing happened; however there were slight adjustments to make. Detective Lee Smith would play a larger role in them than planned and he would place the sling on McKinnon's neck. It was only a question of what the Bishop was willing to sacrifice and he was willing to sacrifice a lot for gaining what he wanted and what was rightfully his by God's will.
AN: Did I mention Vivienne? She's getting officially now the badge of badassery, asking armed to the teeth cops about their IDs what happens when a badge is stolen and so on. I would have crawled into my place with a blanket on my head, but she even got out when things stirred up. But, please my dear, be careful!
