The Lion's Den

by D N Simmons

  He found what he wanted to wear, something bright. He pulled an orange t-shirt over his head and pulled on a pair of tan khakis. Leaving his bedroom, he walked up to Marcus, who was lounging lazily on the sofa, still naked.

  “I’m going out now, anything you want me to do in particular?” he asked, smiling.

  Marcus nodded. “Wreak havoc and have fun doing so.”

  “That’s my kind of request.” Kiren turned and left, heading out to put his own signature on the city.

  It didn’t take him long to find his victim. He chose an ice cream vender who was putting gasoline in his truck. He came up behind the man, covering his mouth with his hand, dragging him back into the truck and ordering the man to undress. Once the vender was naked, he ripped the man’s throat open with his clawed hand. Blood spurted over his own shirt and khakis as he knew it would which is why he ordered the man to undress first, leaving the uniform clean. He watched the blood splatter his chest as it ran down in a flood over the dead vendor’s torso. He wanted to feed so badly. The blood scent filled the truck with the most succulent aroma, but Kiren fought against it. He had no plans to feed his hunger with the man’s flesh. Cleaning the blood off his body, he dressed in the man’s clothes, making himself presentable. He was going to have to wait a while until the right time came before he could make his move.

  ***

  Warren and Matthew waited in the “arrivals” area for the two California detectives to come through the terminal.

  “What good do you think these two will be able to do?” Warren asked.

  Matthew shrugged. “Who knows what they might know. I just want all of this to be over with.”

  They waited for several minutes, holding a sign with the two detectives last names on it before two men approached them. Immediately, Matthew and Warren noticed something familiar about one of the detectives, they wondered if his partner knew. Not sure if that was the case, they kept their mouths closed.

  The taller of the two men greeted Warren and Matthew. “You must be Detectives Davis and Eric?”

  The shorter man spoke, pointing to his partner, he said. “This is Detective Brian McNeary.”

  The first man who greeted them nodded.

  “I’m Detective Colin O’Neal,” said the shorter detective, extending his hand toward Matthew and Warren.

  The four officers shook each other’s hands.

  “Why don’t we gather your things and get the hell out of here,” Warren suggested.

  “That’s the plan,” Brian said.

  Once they had their luggage, they climbed into Warren’s SUV.

  “Nice ride, barely street legal, though,” Colin commented, looking at the girth of Warren’s “little baby”.

  “I wouldn’t talk about the truck if I were you, he’s really sensitive,” Matthew joked, breaking the ice.

  The four men chuckled.

  “Listen, the S.U.I.T. made arrangements for you prior to you guys coming here. You’ll be staying at the Xavier hotel while you’re in Chicago.”

  Brian whistled. “Wow, the Xavier hotel. Not sparing any expenses I see.” He smiled. He had heard about the luxury of that hotel chain, but had never stayed in one.

  “The city and the S.U.I.T. likes to make an impression,” Matthew said.

  “They must think we’re supercops coughing up the dough for that kind of accommodation. Here I was expecting to sleep in one of the cells in the back of the precinct,” Brian joked.

  Warren chuckled. So far, he was liking the two men. “The city has contracts with three of the top hotels that do business here. Whenever different officials, diplomats, etcetera, visit Chicago, they end up staying in the Lendon, Esquire or the Xavier hotels. The hotels get tax breaks and like Matt said, the city gets to make an impressive showing. The S.U.I.T. was lucky enough to establish a contract with this particular hotel.”

  “From what I’ve heard, a vampire owns it?” Colin questioned, somewhat disgusted.

  Warren nodded. “Does that matter to you? If so, it’s not too late to prepare your two cots at the precinct.”

  “Naw, no complaints from me,” Brian said. < height="0">

  “I guess we don’t have a choice. These fucking supernatural freaks got their claws in every damn thing,” Colin commented with a sneer.

  Warren and Matthew tossed each other a quick glance. Their question was answered. If that was how he felt about supernaturals, then they were certain he didn’t know that his very own partner was one of the “freaks” he mentioned.

  “We’ll drop you off there so that you can get situated, then we’ll take you back to the precinct to get you caught up,” Matthew said.

  “Okay, that’s good, because I have to take a piss,” Brian informed.

  ***

  Within an hour after arriving in the city, they were at the hotel, checked in and were in their room. Colin entered the bathroom when Brian came out.

  “I guess it would have been too much to ask for separate rooms, eh? I’ve got to room with that snoring S-O-B in there,” Brian joked, pointing toward the now closed bathroom door.

  Warren chuckled. “As you know, the S.U.I.T. is generous, but not that generous. Mind if I speak with you in the hall?” he asked.

  Brian nodded and followed Warren outside the room. Matthew stayed inside, monitoring Colin. In the hallway, Warren began talking.

  “I know what you are, you know what I am, I just want to get that out in the open.”

  “I caught your scent right away, you and your partner. How do you pass inspections?” Brian asked.

  “We have a friend who can pull all of the right strings. What about you?”

  “Same here.”

  “What’s with your partner?”

  “He doesn’t know about me. His family was killed by a hyena Pack, and he’s hated supernaturals ever since.”

  “Shit. Ever think about getting another partner, one that’s more open-minded?”

  Brian laughed. “You ever tried switching a partner within the Team?”

  Warren shook his head. Matthew was his soul mate; there would never be any need to look elsewhere.

  “Well, let me be the first to tell ya, it ain’t easy. Besides, it would get back to him that I wanted to switch partners. He’s an excellent cop, one of the best and if I wasn’t what I am, I couldn’t ask for a better partner. But if I were to ask for a switch, that would raise questions, get what I’m saying?”

  Warren nodded. “So you two get along?”

  Brian nodded. “As well as can be expected.”

  “What about your once a month vacation day?”

  “I’ve got a pretty tight excuse for those nights and no one has ever suspected.” Brian slapped Warren lightly on his arm. “Thanks for looking out for me.” He smiled.

  “Don’t mention it,” Warren said, returning his smile.

  The two men re-entered the hotel room. Colin was talking with Matthew as he checked the ammunition in his gun. When he saw his partner walk back into the room, he slipped his gun into his holster, preparing to leave.

  “Are we ready to go?” Colin asked, wondering what the two men were discussing out in the hallway. They hadn’t been in Chicago less than two hours and already there were secrets. He wasn’t sure if he liked it. Whatever Warren had to say to his partner, he could have said to both of them. He thought.

  “Yeah, let’s go.” Brian pulled his coat on and the four men left.

  While in the car, Warren could sense the tension in the air radiating from Colin. He assumed that the other man was pissed off that he had a private conversation with his partner. He couldn’t really blame him. Had another officer pulled Matthew off to the side, he would have to hold his territorial tendencies in check with all of his internal control to keep from attacking and reclaiming what was his. Or in a case like this, at least be included. Once they were at the precinct, Colin pulled his partner aside before they entered. Matthew and Warren watched the two men chatting in a corner. They could hear e
very word, even though Colin was trying to be discreet. Warren was right; he was pissed about the private conversation. Brian assured him it was nothing; he lied and said that the other cop was questioning their involvement in this case.

  “Still, why didn’t he come to both of us?” Colin asked.

  “Because he sensed you were more confrontational, now can we go inside?” Brian looked at him as if to say, ‘are you finished bitching?’

  Satisfied with that answer, even understanding and agreeing with it, Colin nodded and they joined the other two men as they entered the precinct. They picked up their temporary I.D.s, and met with the captain before diving into the case. Colin and Brian looked over the paperwork and files matching their cases. Brian handed Matthew and Warren the information they had gathered when they were hunting down the same coven in California.

  “Can we see the bodies?” Colin asked.

  “I don’t see why not,” Warren said. He escorted them to the morgue where they found Marshall sleeping in two chairs in the far corner of the room. Warren chuckled, fully understanding why the busy man had finally fallen flat. He gently nudged him, slowly bringing him out of his deep slumber. Marshall opened his eyes and looked up.

  “Jesus!” he flailed about until he was able to regain control and recognition of his surroundings. He looked around. “You scared the hell out of me. My goodness, was I just asleep?”

  Still chuckling, Warren nodded. “And snoring.”

  Marshal wiped his eyes then stretched. “I do believe that is a first for me.”

  Warren shrugged. “It’s understandable, you’ve only had what, six hours of sleep at the most?”

  Marshall nodded as he rose. “Something like that.” He took out his handkerchief and began wiping his eyeglasses. Once clean, he put them back on. “Whom do we have here?” he asked, looking at the two new detectives.

  “Marshall Galen, this is Detectives Brian McNeary and Colin O’Neal.” Warren gestured toward each man as he made introductions.

  “Ah, nice to meet you gentlemen, I … um … hope you can forgive my indiscretion. Now, I take it you came to see the bodies, right?”

  They nodded.

  “Well, I hope you haven’t eaten too heavily this afternoon, they’re pretty disturbing.” Marshall began revealing the bodies and going over the details of their demise.

  Colin scratched the side of his nose. “So … are these the only bodies?”

  “Shit, how many more are you expecting?” Warren asked.

  “A lot more than seven,” Colin replied.

  “You haven’t made it to the Second Phase, yet,” Brian added.

  Two sets of eyebrows raised. “The Second Phase?” Warren and Marshall asked in unison.

  The two out-of-town detectives nodded. “I’m afraid so. So far, these DBs are the remains of the vampires, there’s a shape-shifter, too. And he’s a real sick son-of-a-bitch,” Brian said.

  Warren and Marshall tossed each other a look.

  “Go on,” Marshall prodded.

  “If I’m not mistaken, he’s the Second Phase, at least that’s what we called it. And it was the only pattern we were able to identify. And if he’s a creature of habit, he’ll want to do the most damage that will be the most devastating. When this group was in LA, the Second Phase consisted of mutilated children, women, men, indiscriminate killing,” Colin grimaced.

  Matthew entered the morgue, joining the others. “I don’t like the expression on your faces. What did I miss?”

  “Apparently, there’s a Second Phase to the killings,” Warren informed Matthew of the new details.

  “We’ve been going about it all wrong, then,” Matthew said.

  “How so?” Warren asked.

  “We’ve been narrowing our search for murders committed by vampires, when we should have been widening our search for murders of all kinds,” Matthew replied.

  “I wouldn’t beat myself up over it. We didn’t know about the shifter at first until he left us the remains of his first victim,” Brian said. “Evt="0">

  Matthew rubbed his temples, hoping to ease the headache threatening to cause him hours of pain. “Maybe there is a pattern, we just weren’t looking hard enough because the victims were so random.”

  “I’m listening.” Warren watched the mental gears turning in Matthew’s mind.

  Matthew turned to the two detectives. “Who was the first victim in the ‘Second Phase’?”

  Now it was Colin and Brian who gave each other “the look”. They were seeing where Matthew was going with his idea.

  Colin nodded. “We need to get out there on the street. If you’re going where I think you’re going with this, his first victim or victims were children.”

  “Shit, let’s go … we have to check out schools, playgrounds, anywhere kids congregate,” Warren added. “Thanks Galen.” He waved goodbye as he made his way to the exit with the other three men.

  Marshall nodded then prepared his lab just in case. He hoped it wouldn’t be necessary … hoped.

  ***

  Outside the morgue, once Matthew contacted the captain and told her their theory, he requested squad cars be sent to locations where there were plenty of children.

  “You think this is a pattern,” the Captain asked.

  “I’m not sure yet, but it’s worth a shot. I haven’t had time to go over the other paperwork I have on this case and I don’t want to waste countless hours doing so when the answer may be right in front of us,” Matthew replied.

  She could hear the desperation in his voice, even though he tried to mask it. If Matthew thought they had discovered the killers’ next target, she was going to follow through. “All right, I hope you’re right on this one, Detective. I’m going to call in reinforcements from the local police. There’s no telling were this killer may attack and I think other cities need to be on alert.”

  “Great idea,” Matthew agreed.

  They ended their phone call.

  “While you were on the phone, McNeary said that the first victim of this Second Phase was a seven year old boy found shredded to pieces and buried in a sandbox on a playground.”

  “So do you think we should be looking for playgrounds with sandboxes?” Matthew asked. “I mean, it would narrow down our search.”

  Brian shook his head. “The thing with these killers is that’s too close to a pattern. During our investigation, we noticed that they liked to kill women and children, especially children. We figured they got off on destroying innocence and dominating authority.”

  Matthew raised an eyebrow. “That would explain the condition of the last victim and the fact that they’re probably laughing their asses off as they watch us jump from one foot to the other.”

  The two other detectives nodded. “Although, most of the children were skinned alive in our case, some were molested as well. However, your situation is a bit different. When this was going down in L.A., no infants were murdered. Seems like they’ve evolved,” Colin said.

  “It’s still like we’re looking for a needle in ten thousand hay stacks,” Warren started to slam his fist on his desk and caught himself just in time. Instead he rose from his chair, pacing.

  “I’m going to call Weinstein and Johnson, get them here.” Matthew picked up his telephone and dialed Weinstein.

  When the other man picked up the telephone, offering a groggy greeting, Matthew told him what they knew so far and what they were suspecting.

  “What the fuck!” Barry Weinstein shot up in his bed, tossing back the covers. “Just hold it, we’re coming in.” He hung up without waiting for a response.

  Matthew looked at the receiver, one eyebrow arched before placing it back on the base. “They’re on their way here.”

  The four detectives continued to discuss their case until the other two could join them.

  ***

  Barry called his partner’s home number. There was no answer. Next, he called his cell phone; it rang with no answer. Getting worried, he dialed Gabriel’
s cell phone again; finally, there was an answer.

  “What?!” Gabriel answered, highly agitated. His breathing was ragged and came in short gasp.

  “Are you fucking?”

  “Yes, Barry … now what?” he asked once more, grunting a little as his mistress swirled her hips over his groin in a way to get him to give her all of his attention. “Ah, shit,” he gasped as the pleasure hit him. “Can I call you back?” he asked between pants.

  “We may have a break in the case, I need you to meet me at the damn precinct, ASAP.”

  “A what? Hold on, what do you mean break” He paused when his lover did. He looked down at her. “What wrong?”

  “I’m not going to fuck you when I don’t have your full attention,” his mistress huffed as she slid off him, rolling over. Gabriel looked at her, clearly agitated by the entire situation. He put the phone back to his ear. “Barry, I can make it there in fifteen minutes.”

  “See you then.” Barry hung up the phone, shaking his head. He didn’t approve of his partner’s secret life and he’d rather Gabriel be honest with his wife and just come clean, but he was his partner and friend and he’d keep his secret, besides, it really wasn’t any of his business. He climbed into the shower.

  eight="v> ***

  Gabriel looked at his beautiful mistress as she sat on the bed, pouting. “What’s your problem? You know my job is demanding,” he said coming out of the bathroom after his three-minute shower, hair still dripping wet. He was still upset that he never did get a chance to reach his climax.