"You know; when I was a kid, I wouldn't have gone all the way around the park." Hank's voice dripped in the background as Nick absentmindedly scanned the street. The nightly conversation with his aunt was still playing in his mind. The implications of the key and what it could possibly bring.
"Nick?" Hank questioned after not getting a response. "You know I was thinking of quitting the force and opening a taco stand." Silence. "I'm thinking of naming it Nacho Mama's."
Nick shook his head slightly. "Sorry, Hank," he said, "what were you saying?"
"I was suggesting we check out the park when you started spacing out," Hank said before a serious expression crossed his face. "I know you've got a lot on your mind with the whole thing with your aunt and all. Losing a relative sucks, but I need you to focus, Nick. A little girl's life is in danger."
Nick wondered what Hank was going on about for a moment before remembering that he mentioned his aunt having cancer earlier this morning. "You're right, sorry." Nick sighed and shook his head. He needed to focus on the here and now. Their current homicide investigation was put on hold at the moment due to an amber alert issued this morning for a missing girl. "I'll do better. Sorry. Let's go."
After staring at Nick for a long moment, Hank nodded. Looked like the younger detective got the message. They both turned and headed into the park, looking for clues to the disappearance of Robin Howell. As they walked, they scanned around the trail, looking for clues to the girl's disappearance. Eventually, they came across similar tracks to their homicide next to a backpack with R.H. initials. Obviously they were on the right trail. Digging around carefully in the underbrush to see if they could get a direction off their kidnapper, they unfortunately couldn't find anything else. The tracks just seemed to peter out. It was decided that they would continue to follow the trail and see if any more clues would pop up. Eventually Hank and Nick reached the other side of the park, no other signs of the girl's attack were found.
Glancing about the area, Nick almost missed it. A man in a flannel shirt was checking his mail when a child rode by on a red bike. The man's head snapped in the child's direction as his face became more wolf-like. 'Wesen,' Nick thought as he focused on the man. 'Wolf based, meaning carnivorous. Attention taken by the color red. Wesen type is currently best candidate for homicide and kidnapping. Good chance of either being our guy or knowing who and where he is.' The man's head turned towards Nick, most likely feeling his gaze. Fear stretched across the man's as he hurriedly back-pedaled into his home.
'Not looking for a fight. That's good. It'll be easier to get answers, but I'll need to get him alone.' After a moment of thought, Nick turned to Hank. "Let's split up and ask the neighbors, see if any of them noticed someone leaving in a hurry."
"Or someone staying around too long," Hank noted as well. Their target might have tried to throw off suspicion by lingering, because only the guilty or scared run.
"I'll take this one if you'll take the one next door. If we alternate homes, we'll cover more ground quickly." Nick stated, gesturing towards the house with the wolf Wesen.
Coming to an agreement, the two detectives split off towards their respective destinations. Glancing about as he approached, Nick knocked sharply on the door before taking a step back. 'When entering a canine based Wesen's territory, always check your surroundings. Be cautious and prepared. They tend to run in packs and get highly aggressive towards intruders.' A moment of silence passed before the door slowly opened. The Wesen looked curiously at Nick, his face back to a more human one.
"Can I help you?" The man's voice lacked any hostility, a welcome surprise towards what Nick was initially expecting.
"Possibly, may I come in?"
The man gave Nick a slightly guarded look. "You're not going to cut my head off as soon as the door closes, are you?"
"Beheadings are a bit behind the times, don't ya think." Nick couldn't help but quip.
Snorting briefly, the man opened his door all the way. "Right. Right. Come on then." The man turned and started to walk away towards his kitchen. "Want a beer? Might be easier to get this over with."
"Sorry, can't. Not on the job at least." Nick entered the home and looked about. Lots of clocks and antique wooden furniture depicting wolves. Making his way slowly into the living room, he sat down in an armchair.
"Too bad." The man returned a minute later with a beer in hand before sitting across from Nick. "You know, I never seen one of you before. I heard about you guys all my life. Never thought I'd seen one up close. A Grimm." Chuckling slightly to himself before taking a large sip of his drink, he continued. "You're a bit different than what I was expecting from the childhood stories. Expected a bit more death and destruction in your wake than peacefully asking questions."
"If it makes you feel better, my uncle is a Steinadler." Nick supplied, "kind of hard for 'the kill all Wesen' when you're related to them."
"A Steinadler?" The man raised a brow in surprise before leaning forward in interest. "Is it true what they say about them having really large-"
"Please don't," a slightly green look crossed Nick's face. A small shudder went through him. He didn't really want to think about that.
"Ah sorry," the man leaned back and held his hands up briefly. "Didn't mean to make things awkward. Anyway, what do you need from this lonely Blutbad?"
'Blutbad, that explains the reaction towards the color red. He's a lot less aggressive than the books say to expect.' Nick thought to himself before responding. "Well I'm hoping for some information on Robin Howell. Was taken not too far from here. I've got a good suspicion that a Blutbad is involved."
"I don't know what to tell you. I'm a Wieder Blutbad. Whole different church altogether. A reformed Blutbad with a strict regimen of diet, drugs, and Pilates. I'm a clockmaker, I don't go around kidnapping little girls."
"But you might know who did," Nick countered.
A slight frown crossed the man's face. "Look, the Blutbaden around here don't socialize with each other much. Bad things happen when we get into a pack. I don't bother the other Blutbaden, and they don't bother me."
Sighing, Nick rubbed his face slightly with his hand. So far, this wasn't giving him the answers he needed. If he couldn't follow the Wesen angle, maybe he should just stick to the police one. "Alright," he said, "can you think back to yesterday? Was there anything that you noticed that seemed off? Like was there someone around that usually isn't, or anyone acting strange?"
The man shook his head. "I'm sorry, nothing really comes to mind. Like I said before, I mostly stick to myself."
Sighing in disappointment, Nick stood up and pulled out a card. "Well I guess that's that." Nick placed the card by the man before heading for the door. "Give us a call if anything jogs your memory."
The man stared at Nicks back in silence, a variety of thoughts going through his head. Sighing deeply he held a hand up. "Wait."
Nick paused in his steps, hand outstretched towards the door. Turning back slightly he raised a brow.
"Look if this guy's a Blutbad, and I'm not saying he is." The man started to ramble slightly as he stood up and approached Nick. "You'll need someone like me to find him."
Nick stared at the Blutbad in thought, contemplating the pros and cons of recruiting the man. The two stared at each other in silence for a minute or two. Coming to a decision, Nick nodded. "Alright, but it'll have to wait until later this evening. Not really supposed to allow civilians in on active police matters, but an off the clock 'tip' I could let slide." Reaching a hand forward Nick continued, "welcome to the team…"
"Monroe." Monroe responded to the unasked question about his name. Taking Nick's hand and giving it a firm shake, he nodded.
"Nick," Nick replied as he released Monroe's hand. "Nice to meet you Monroe. I'll see you later then."
A small smile stretched on Monroe's face. "Likewise Nick."
The two parted, unaware of the lasting friendship that would eventually be born from this single interaction. A Grimm and a Blutbad. Unlikely allies that would change the world.