Dexter at Dawn
Chapter 17
by Technomad
That weekend, there was a city-wide youth sports festival. Astor's judo school and the Duchamp Academy of Fencing were scheduled to be there, as well as the Hialeah School of Fencing. In addition to fencing and the martial arts, youth teams for all sorts of sports were going to participate.
On the Big Day, I loaded my three little predators into the car and headed off to the park where the event was to be held. Deborah had wanted to come along, but she'd been called in to work to substitute for a colleague who had got sick. We got there early, which was a good thing; already parking was promising to be tight. We managed to snag a spot close to the main entrance, and had a short walk to get in. Arya was carrying her fencing equipment and Astor had her judo uniform on. Cody was in his usual clothes, but there were other children present in street clothes, so he didn't stand out particularly.
The scene was festive and cheerful. There were food vendors around, all doing a very good business. We'd already had breakfast, but I noted the locations of some stands selling pizza slices and other wholesome food, in among the people selling things like popcorn and cotton candy. When lunchtime rolled around, I planned to make sure that my little disciples got good food to eat. I may be a monster, but I want to take good care of the children in my life.
Madame Duchamp came by and collected Arya, and Astor's judo teacher got her. Cody and I settled ourselves in the bleachers, with eyeshades to protect ourselves from the bright Florida sun, and got ready to watch.
There were exhibitions by various ball teams, which I had expected. The basketball, football, and baseball teams did their things, and I manfully stifled a yawn. I'd never taken much of an interest in those sports, for all that many of my colleagues at the police department were mad about them and very knowledgable.
After the ball-chasers had done their thing, it was time for other sports. Astor's judo school came out, and began demonstrating what they had learned.
The oldest and highest-ranking students went first, demonstrating throws, blocks and grapples that made me very sure that I did not ever want to tangle with a serious judoka without at least the advantage of surprise. They were adults or older teenagers, and could have easily handled most assailants. I noticed that some people I knew in passing from work were there. I remembered that they had mentioned having children studying martial arts, either because they wanted to follow in their parents' footsteps, or just because they'd become interested.
After the older students had shown us their skill, it was the turn of the younger pupils. When Astor came out, Cody and I sat up and paid close attention.
Astor was not nearly as advanced as the older pupils, but it was clear that she had learned a great deal in the time that she had spent at the school. I could see that if she went on with judo, one day she'd be the proud wearer of a black belt of her own. I hoped to be there on the day it was awarded. And that Rita and Deborah would be there, Rita crying happy tears to see her little girl awarded such an honor.
After the martial artists had displayed their skills, it was time for the fencers. The Duchamp Academy, the Hialeah Academy of Fencing, and several other schools had sent representatives, and Cody and I sat up and began to pay close attention. We had let our minds rather wander after Astor had shown everybody what she could now do.
As with the other sports, the most advanced pupils showed their skills off first. I was very impressed with how fast and agile they were. I would very definitely not want to face off with them across a piste. But while I was watching, I remembered Arya saying:
"A girl was not taught a sport. A girl was taught to kill grown men with a sword."
With that in mind, I began analyzing ways to deal with a sport fencer, should that ever become necessary in the course of my work or my hobby. Watching them, I began thinking of ways to counter their skills, or render them useless.
Finally, it was Arya's turn. She came out and bowed to the crowd, then turned to face her opponent. Surprisingly, her opponent was all in black. This was a departure from usual norms. All the other fencers were in identical white outfits, which, combined with their face-concealing protective masks, made them very hard to tell apart.
Caroline Sula had seen us in the bleachers, and since her match was done (she had won rather easily) came climbing up to join us. "That's Wendy Addams, facing Arya," she said. "Wendy heard me and some of the others talking about Arya, and asked if she could have a match against Arya today. Arya said she was willing, so they're going to have it out today."
"Wendy's a student at your school?" I asked. I hadn't seen her at the other match against Hialeah Fencing Academy, but she might just not have been present then.
"Oh, yes. She's good. C-rated and going for B. She does love a challenge, and she heard enough about Arya to make her curious. I think Arya's got her work cut out for her this time."
We quieted as the match began. Back and forth, the blades flashed, nearly too fast to see. After a complicated pass, the electric scoring system buzzed, and the announcer said: "First point to Wendy Addams, of Hialeah Academy!"
This was a surprise. In her other matches, once she had mastered the rules, Arya had seldom or never been scored on. Caroline straightened by my side. "That might just make Arya mad. I hope it doesn't make her mad enough to make mistakes."
When the match resumed, I could see that Arya was taking her black-clad opponent more seriously. She advanced cautiously, probing with her blade, and then launched a fast attack. Miss Addams hadn't anticipated that, and she fell back, parrying frantically. Before she could adjust, though, Arya had touched her with her blade, and the buzzer sounded. "Second point to Arya Stark, of Duchamp Academy!"
The match resumed, and we watched intently, our snacks forgotten. This point would decide the match. Arya and Wendy were both clearly taking each other very seriously now. They probed each other's defenses, looking intently for an opening.
Then they both attacked at the same time. It was too fast to follow, but the buzzer sounded. "Mutual hit! The match is a tie!"
Cody, Caroline and I looked at each other. We had never seen Arya lose, and a tie was just as unheard-of. Caroline gave me a grin that would have had any boy her age wrapped around her finger. "It'll be interesting to see how Arya reacts to this. And I wouldn't miss seeing Wendy's reaction for the world!" I got the impression that Wendy Addams was not universally popular at the Hialeah Academy.
After the fencing was over, Arya came up to join us, and Wendy Addams came trailing along behind her. "Hi, Arya. I thought you did very well," I told her. I may be a soulless monster, but I know how to deal with children who've been disappointed.
"A girl thinks she did well, considering that she was matched against a more advanced student," Arya replied. She turned to Wendy. "Wendy, a girl would like to introduce you to her new family. This is Dexter Morgan, a girl's guardian. This is Astor Bennett, a girl's new sister. Beside him, you see Cody Bennett, a girl's new little brother. You already know Caroline Sula, a girl believes."
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Morgan," Wendy said, stepping up to shake my hand. Like the other fencers I had met, she had very good manners. As our eyes met, I was startled to see that she, too, had a Dark Passenger inside her. My own Passenger gave it a polite greeting. She had clearly seen my own Passenger, and her eyes went rather wide. She then greeted Astor and Cody, shaking their hands.
A rather squat Cuban-looking man came up into the stands, along with a tall, elegant-looking woman in an old-fashioned long black dress. "Hello! I'm Gomez Addams, and this is my wife, Tish! We want to meet this girl who did so well against our Wendy!" I introduced everybody, and Mr. and Mrs. Addams sat down with us.
"Normally our Wendy dominates every opponent she faces, but this time, she got a bit of a surprise! Between us..." he leaned forward conspiratorially, lowering his voice to keep what he said private... "it might do her some good. She's good, but rather overconfident." He looked over to the children, who were deep in some sort of confab, although Wendy kept turning to look at me for some reason. "It's also unusual to see her taking to anybody this well. She's usually rather aloof."
Astor, Arya, Caroline and Wendy were clearly deep in discussion of something or other. I wondered what they were talking about, but did not try to listen in. I knew I could trust Astor and Arya, and Caroline was also very well-behaved. Wendy, on the other hand, was an unknown quantity.
Charlene Sula came up to see what her daughter was up to, and found herself introduced to the Addamses. When Gomez bowed over her hand, she blushed, but I could see she was rather charmed at his old-fashioned manners. She joined Gomez, Tish and I in a discussion of our children. The Addamses were very interested in how I had come to be Arya's guardian, and quite indignant about Rita's predicament. It turned out that Gomez Addams was a lawyer himself, and he promised to look into Rita's case and see what he could do to help...pro bono. I found myself enormously touched. While my playmates are monsters, and so am I, there are a lot of good people about.
When the festival was over, we found ourselves invited out for dinner as the Addams' guests. I wasn't sure how that happened, but Gomez Addams was a whirlwind of energy, and so friendly and upbeat that even a monster such as I couldn't help but be swept along. The children were clearly happy to be spending more time together, too.
We ended up at a very nice Cuban restaurant, which it turned out Mr. Addams owned. Since all my family loves Cuban food, and so do the Sulas, I wasn't worried. Soon we were tucking into a magnificent feast.
Gomez dominated the conversation, which I didn't mind. I couldn't help contrasting him with his daughter. While we were eating, Wendy said very little, but seemed to find something about me extremely interesting. She hardly took her eyes off me. Astor, Arya and Caroline all noticed this (Cody was absorbed with his food) and seemed to be sharing some secret they didn't want to reveal just yet. At least, from the way they were looking at each other, and sharing sly little smiles, I thought that was the case.
At the end of the evening, I was sorry to say goodbye to the Addamses. Wendy asked if she could come over on weekends to join in with Caroline and Arya, and I assured her that she'd be quite welcome. With one last lingering look at me, she left with her parents, being swept off in a long black limousine that was driven by a tall, pale, rather cadaverous-looking chauffeur.
"Well. That was unexpected," I commented, once I had my own little family safely in our car and headed back through the lethal Miami traffic to our home. "I must say, they're eccentric...but I like them. I think they're good people."
"Didn't you notice the way Wendy was looking at you?" asked Astor. Beside her, Arya grinned rather smugly.
"Yes, I noticed, but I couldn't figure out what she was looking at. Do I have a blob of food on my shirt front?"
"Couldn't you tell?" Astor was uncharacteristically smiling. "She's got a crush on you!"
I was so shocked, I nearly got us into an accident, but managed to avoid disaster by a hair. A girl having a crush on me? Who would have thought it? True, Rita seemed to find me quite attractive, but Rita's taste in men, judging by her previous marriage, was questionable at best.
"She has a Shadow Guy," Cody put in. "Just like yours. And Astor's. And Arya's." I knew that my own two little predators could sense a Dark Passenger, since they'd mentioned it to me before, although their term was "Shadow Guy."
I had been wondering if, and how, I could set Wendy's feet on the Path of Harry, the way I was trying to do with my own three disciples. A lot would depend on how frequently she was around, and how willing she was to be instructed.
"A girl wonders what Aunt Sergeant Deborah will think?" said Arya. At that thought, I felt myself blushing bright red.
Caroline Sula had met Deborah enough times to form a pretty good impression of how she'd react. She started giggling, then laughed out loud. My own three little disciples were less demonstrative, but I knew them well enough to know that they, too, were hugely amused at this thought.
As we pulled up into our drive, I was already picturing Deborah's reaction. Monsters are not usually prone to embarrassment, but this time, I knew all too well what it was like.
Sure enough, when the kids told Deborah about Wendy's crush on me, she all but collapsed with laughter. "A crush? On you? Oh, God, what a joke! If she only knew what you really are!" Deborah was one of the few people who knew of my hobby, and while she wasn't really comfortable with it, she had resigned herself to it. As long as I confined my activities of the night to deserving targets, and was careful to not leave clues that might get me captured (and a one-way ticket to Old Sparky, or at least, a long, long stay as a guest of the great State of Florida) she could cope and deal. Down deep, I think she was actually grateful that I often took care of people who were guilty as hell, but whom she couldn't touch due to the strict rules of engagement she had to work under.
"As it happens, I think she does know. Or at least, can sense what I am. I can see a Dark Passenger in her, very like my own." I hadn't told Deborah about the children's Dark Passengers. That bit of news, I judged, would be a little too much for her to handle. I would preserve my sister's sweet innocence for as long as I could.
At the thought of Deborah, one of the toughest police officers in South Florida, having any sweetness and innocence left, I could hear the Dark Passenger laughing inside me.
After a bit, Deborah did manage to calm herself down. She said, calmly and seriously: "Dex, as long as she has that crush on you, you'd best not let yourself be alone with her, or in a compromising position. Girls that age aren't known for their sound common sense...I, of course, was an exception...and she could pull something that might ruin your reputation. No matter how innocent you are!"
I had already known that. I had made up my mind that while I would be as gentle and kind as possible with Wendy, there was no way I'd let myself be alone with her. She could easily pull some stunt that would ruin me for life, no matter how innocent I was. Thanks to the never-ending hysteria about child molesters and "groomers," even innocent interactions with girls her age were dangerous for a man.
Rita was very interested in hearing about the exhibition. "Oh, how I wish I could have been there! I'd have been so proud!" she said, when she called me the next night. "Did you get pictures?"
"I sure did!" Every minute Astor and Arya had been out on the field, I'd been snapping pictures with my phone. "As soon as I can, I'll get them printed up and in the mail to you!"
"I'm so proud of Arya...I'd never have believed that she could do so well...you say this 'Wendy Addams' girl was rated a couple of levels above her? And she forced a tie?" Rita sniffled for a second, then rallied. "You said Madame Duchamp said that Arya's a real talent...I guess she knew what she was talking about...oh, God, I wish I'd been there!"
Rita broke down weeping, and I renewed my vow to find whoever had engineered her arrest and make him pay. The Code of Harry did apply, I decided. Harry had always wanted to protect the innocent, and there was no adult I knew of more innocent than Rita.
At work, my colleagues were interested to hear about the exhibition. Some of them had been there themselves, and they talked at length about their children's accomplishments. None of them had children who fenced, though, so they listened to me tell about Arya's fencing.
Angel-no-relation said: "I have a few young women in my own family that might be interested in taking up fencing. They've been talking about taking up a sport so they can keep their figures trim and toned." He shook his head. "Not that they need it!"
I gave him information pamphlets for the Duchamp Academy and the Hialeah school. "These both seem to be pretty good schools. Arya's at the Duchamp Academy and her friend Caroline Sula's a pupil at the Hialeah school."
Angel looked them over. "These do look interesting," he said. "I'll show them to my kin and see what they think. For that matter, I have some male cousins who might be interested."
I looked down at the extra pamphlets I had...and suddenly my blood froze in my veins. I was looking at an information pamphlet about the Hialeah Academy, and suddenly a detail that I had missed jumped out at me. How could I, Detecting Dexter, have been so blind?
The pamphlets listed the people who worked at the schools. There, on the pamphlet for the Hialeah Academy, was Annie Wilkes! She was described as a champion college fencer, and apparently worked part-time at the Hialeah Academy as a coach.
This was a development I had not anticipated. I left Angel looking at the pamphlets and headed for my office. I had things to think about.