The Wrath of Pan (The Inglewood Chronicles Book 2)

by Jeremy Croston

  “Liz, can I take a sick day?”

  I felt my blanket pulled off of me. “No time for sick days. The two of us have some investigating to do.”

  There went my quiet day. I figured I’d be due for one once we caught or eliminated Divas. Then the bastard had to mention the Hammer of Jehovah. He was the shadow figure behind old Warren Tucker and his mad schemes.

  Seeing me not moving as fast as she’d like, she used her brute strength to pull the top sheet out from under me. I went rolling onto the floor.

  “Damnit! I’m awake!”

  “We have no time for rest, we have leads to follow!”

  There was no arguing with the boss. I’d lose and we’d do what she wanted anyway. “Let me shower and get dressed at least.”

  “That is acceptable. You smell like a bar. How late did the three of you stay up?”

  I scratched my head. “I don’t know, maybe four or five?”

  She rolled her eyes and left the room. I didn’t have any worries. By the time I got showered and dressed, she’d be right as rain. Plus, I couldn’t be too upset; I knew she was freaked out by this whole Hammer of Jehovah situation.

  I hurried and by the time I walked into the living room, Liz had burned a hole in my carpet from her pacing. Well not really, but you get the picture.

  I grabbed my jacket, “So where’re we headed?”

  “We are going to Divas’s night club to search it. There may be a clue or two there.”

  That made sense. “Did Rod or Cristof have any information for us?”

  She shook her head no. “It would seem no one knows anything. In fact, all Roderick wanted to talk about was how soon we could get to London to investigate the Pan situation.”

  “I guess he’s just stressed.”

  “I suppose.” Her words may have agreed, but her face and body language didn’t. I wondered what was going on in her mind.

  I didn’t say much more while making our way down to my car. I wanted to make sure I worded my next question right before I asked. Liz took notice of my silence.

  “It is not like you to be so quiet. What is on your mind cowboy?”

  “Is everything okay with you and Rod? I noticed earlier you seemed to be a bit put off when I asked.”

  Her blue eyes looked tired. “I was upset with his lack of concern with the issues I brought up. I understand the seriousness of Peter Pan being free, but we are working as fast as we can to get there.”

  “For the time being, let’s focus on what we can – seeing if the nightclub has any information for us.”

  Traffic wasn’t as pleasant as it could’ve been. I’d never get used to the difference between small town life and the big city. Here in Phoenix, everyone was in a hurry and heaven help you if you slowed them down. I’m pretty sure the speed limit was more of a suggestion and not the law.

  “Vic darling, you may want to get over into the right hand lane. I do believe the rather large tuck behind you is planning to run us over.”

  I looked up and saw that, yeah, this guy was right up on my ass. “Okay, okay, jeez.”

  Thankfully we weren’t that far from the club. I was annoyed by the time we got there, really hating driving in this town.

  “Would it make you feel better if I drove us back after we look around?”

  I just tossed her the keys. “No one’s here. That’ll make this easier.”

  We walked through the entrance the club, walked passed the bar and the dance floor to the back area. The first door led to an employee break room, the second was the security offices.

  “I guess it’s going to be lucky number three.” I pointed to the far door on the left.

  The good thing was there were few scents and no noise besides us. The air lingered with Divas’s cologne which I’d come to hate, but at least it wasn’t overpowering.

  Liz opened the last door and jackpot. My eyes couldn’t believe it. “Look at this place!”

  Handmade wooden furniture was all over the room. His desk looked like it was made out of mahogany, two nice polished chairs, and one very large bookshelf.

  “Hey Liz, you can start with the bookshelf, I’ll take the desk.”

  Her eyes went to the shelf and her eyes opened wide. “He must have been quite the avid collector of literature.”

  “Well, maybe we’ll get lucky with the desk.” I pulled open the top left drawer and saw receipts that must’ve been for the club’s business.

  Liz took the right side and seemed not to be having any luck either. Nothing of value was found in the other two drawers on the left so I moved to the center one. I gave it a tug and it was locked. I put a little more oomph behind it and for a second time, I was denied.

  “This one’s stuck. Any suggestions?”

  “Hmmm, let me try.” Liz stuck her hand into her jacket pocket and pulled out a pick.

  Of course she’d be able to jimmy the lock. “What talents don’t you have?”

  She gave me a smile and went to work. It didn’t take long before it popped open. I reached over and opened it the whole way. Sitting on top of the pile of papers were two plane tickets.

  I picked them up, “These are tickets to London.”

  I handed one of them to Liz. “This ticket is for Divas, who is your ticket for?”

  I looked over it in more detail. The first thing I noticed was the flight was in two weeks. The second was the name on it, “Someone named Rosette DeBondi; does that name mean anything to you?”

  Liz looked as confused as I did. “I have never heard of anyone with that name. It seems we have our next contact point.”

  It was about time for me to be useful again. “Tracking’s my specialty. Get me something to go on and I’ll find her.”

  Chapter 6

  What’s the first thing I did? I Googled the name of course. Within the first three hits came the one we were looking for. I handed Liz my phone with my findings.

  “Looks like our girl owns a clothing boutique not far from here.”

  She was still reading, her eyes never leaving the phone. “So it seems. Her hours of operation are a bit odd for a vampire, closing at five.”

  “Could it be this girl isn’t among the fangy?”

  Handing me back my phone, “It seems like that is a distinct possibility. There is only one way to find out.”

  “I’ll go get the car and meet you out front.”

  As I walked out to the car, this all seemed too easy. By the time I pulled up and picked Liz up, I was downright paranoid.

  “I think this is a set up.”

  She laughed at me. “Of course this is a set up. Someone like Divas was not going to leave something so obvious out in the open for us to discover unless it was a trap. Be prepared for anything once we get there.”

  DeBondi’s shop was less than five minutes down the road. When I pulled into the parking spot on the street, I took it all in. The shop looked just like any other hippie type clothing store you’d see. Tie-dyed shirts and bell bottoms were hanging in the store display window.

  “I remember bell bottoms! I could really pull those off!”

  I gave her a look. “You can pull off a lot of things Liz, but bell bottoms? C’mon, those things are ridiculous.”

  “This coming from the guy who dresses like Clint Eastwood. Pardon me if I do not take fashion advice from you.” She stuck out her tongue and we were off.

  When we entered, a bell rang which brought someone from the back. I did a quick smell test; this girl was human. No taller than me with blonde hair and bright green eyes, she seemed rather harmless. This couldn’t be…

  “Welcome to my shop,” her accent was very French, “is there anything I can help the two of you with?”

  Liz walked over to the counter. “There is. We are looking for Rosette DeBondi. Do you happen to know where we can find her?”

  “Of course my lady! That would be me!” The girl’s eyes got very bright.

  “I hate to be this straightforward, but are you famili
ar with a Vincente Divas?”

  As soon as the question left my mouth, her expression changed. “I am very busy, so if you are not here…”

  Liz slammed her hand on the counter. “It would be in your best interest to answer the man’s question.”

  Those bright green eyes gave us both a hard stare. For such a young looking girl, her look was that of someone much much older.

  “I think it would be best if the two of you abominations left my shop. I cannot be held responsible for what happens next.”

  Pulling out Roscoe, “Is that a threat? Your buddy Divas made a threat like that to me once and now he’s no longer among the walking and talking.”

  Did I over react? Yeah, I probably did, but I could tell behind that cold stare was a bit of fear. Call it the bad cop routine if you want; it works.

  “Vincente is dead?”

  Two things happened. First, the hard stare was immediately replaced with one of relief, which was odd. Number two, the French accent was gone. In fact, it was replaced with a thick Irish brogue.

  Liz was equally confused. “Is Rosette DeBondi even your real name?”

  The girl shook her head. “No, my name is Rosette O’Byrne. I apologize for the deception.”

  “O’Byrne, just like the legend of the witch clan huh?” Being Irish, my dad would always threaten me and my brother Bernard with stories of the O’Byrne witch clan when we were bad.

  Judging on her reaction, I’d hit a sore spot. Liz immediately went on the defensive. She pulled out a knife, “A witch, here in Phoenix?”

  Rosette put her hands up. “Peace vampire, I mean ye no harm. With Divas dead, ye have done me a great favor.”

  Watching the scene unfold in front of me, I didn’t know what to do. I’ve heard of witches, but never met one. I thought of them more of urban legends or something. “I don’t mean to be dumb, but I didn’t think witches were a real thing.”

  Both girls turned their attention to me. Rosette looked amused while Liz gave me that ‘are you serious?’ look. Rosette spoke up first. “It’s not something we generally broadcast. There aren’t many witch covens left and most of us would rather be left alone.”

  “There is a reason for that. Most of your kind gets too power hungry for their own good.”

  Rosette’s eyes flared at Liz. “We shall not be judged by a few! Most of us are quite happy living in the shadows as ye do vampire!”

  “You will address me with the respect of my position! As a witch, you fall under my jurisdiction, just as the werewolves do!”

  “Do not compare the witches with those overgrown bags of fur!”

  Overgrown bags of fur? “Hey wait a minute? Don’t you go dragging my pack into this.”

  Forgetting about Liz and her beef with the vampires for a second, “Ye are a werewolf? How can that be? My senses pick up blood magic on you.”

  “I’m telling you lady; I’m a Red wolf through and through. Granted, I had a blood transfusion from my lady friend here, but I’m one hundred percent wolf.”

  Rosette made her way around the counter and came over to me. She put her hands on mine and closed her eyes. “Impossible!”

  I pulled my hands away. “What’re you doing? And what’s impossible?”

  It was like she didn’t even hear me. Running behind her counter, she grabbed a very old looking book. Liz walked over to me, looking a bit put off too.

  “This is an odd one. Then again, most witches are a bit off.”

  “You’ve run into witches before?” I looked back over at Rosette, still flipping through her book. “What’s the deal with ‘em?”

  “Witches are humans with power. They can be killed just as any other human can. The older a witch grows the more powerful their abilities become. I have seen witches call fire down from the sky.” She shuddered as if reliving a bad memory.

  “We’re talking some serious firepower then?”

  She nodded, her eyes going back to Rosette. The witch had stopped flipping through the pages and was now reading something. I peered over to see, but it was in some odd looking language.

  “Here it is!” Not expecting her voice, I jumped a bit.

  Liz walked over. “I am going to regret this, but what is it you have been looking for?”

  She was certainly excited. “As soon as I touched this wolf’s hands, I felt it. Ye have been touched by an old Irish curse, one that’ll never be broken I’m sorry to say.”

  “Lady, I got no idea what you’re talking about. And quit calling me wolf, my name is Vic.”

  “Forgive me.” She came back around and got uncomfortably close. “You cannot transform correct?”

  Liz reached out and pulled her back a little bit. “We are here to interrogate you, not the other way around.”

  Rosette wasn’t paying attention though. She just kept staring at me, waiting for the answer. “No, I can’t transform.”

  “The Curse of Oberon is upon ye! Ancient Irish legend tells of a wolf that will bear the curse yet gain the power of the blood. Yer destiny is at hand!”

  I had no idea what she was talking about. From the looks of it neither did Liz. “Witch, can you explain further what it is you are insinuating?”

  “The Curse of Oberon was laid upon a pack of Red wolves whom desecrated sacred land to a coven of witches. The curse has weakened over the centuries, but it was spoken that one would bear the curse and be blessed with the power of blood.”

  Liz waved her hand. “We got that part already.”

  “The wolf that comes forth is destined to end the darkness hiding in the shadows. Tell me vampire that I’m not wrong and that a time of great sorrow is not upon us?”

  I looked over at Liz ready for a smart blow off. My spirits fell when she actually agreed with the nut job. “It is as you say witch. A great many odd happenings have occurred.”

  “You come here today to seek my knowledge of Vincente Divas, is that not correct?”

  Finally, “Yes, that’s right. We found two plane tickets, one for him and one for you. How do you know him and why were you going to England with him?”

  “Divas is, or was, my sponsor. He kept me safe; in turn I provided him knowledge and protective spells for his club. To say I was reluctant to work for him was an understatement, but I had no one else. My kind is not welcomed with open arms.”

  I pulled out the plane ticket. “What were you two going to do in London?”

  “His boss wanted to meet with me. I guess Divas told him of my services and he was intrigued. Believe me when I say I didn’t wanna go.”

  “I can protect you, as the Ambassador of this territory; I can be a very good ally.”

  Rosette nodded at Liz. “That would be most welcome.”

  “A truce then. The only other piece of information I need is who you were going to meet in London.”

  Rosette went back behind the counter. “I don’t know his name, but here is the letter we received. He just signed it with his initials.”

  She handed the letter to Liz. I looked over and my eyes went right to the bottom. In super fancy handwriting there were three letters; T.H.J.

  Our eyes met and in unison, “The Hammer of Jehovah.”

  Chapter 7

  We’d dropped the witch off at one of Liz’s safe houses. Rosette didn’t seem thrilled with being left there, but Liz told her that Reno would be over at sundown and she’d be safe. I laughed to myself, I wouldn’t exactly say having Reno on protection detail would qualify as safe.

  Once away from her and back in the car, I had quite a few things to get off my chest. “Liz, just what in blue blazes is that witch lady talking about? What’s the curse and destiny bullshit she’s spewing?”

  She was reading the letter that Rosette gave us again. “I honestly do not know. The only thing she said I would agree with is that we are suffering from dark times.”

  “Dark times? Is the Apocalypse around the corner or something?” I’m sure the sarcasm was quite evident.

  We were
at a red light. “Look at this letter Victor. Would you say the author is hoping for sunshine and puppy dogs?”

  I took the letter and skimmed over it. To sum it up for you, the nut job wanted the witch to decipher some old texts that supposedly contained enchantments to unlock some old crypt. “How do we know he’s not after buried treasure?”

  Grabbing the note back from me, “People like this are not after gold, silver, and trinkets! You know this to be true, especially based on what we experienced with Warren Tucker.”

  “Well Tucker did think this Hammer fella was an angel after all.”

  “And if someone is calling them self an angel, is meaningless treasure something they would be after?”

  I hated it when she made a valid point. “I doubt it. Seriously, what could he really be after? What’s on earth has the kinda power this guy wants?”

  “You would be surprised with what certain places in the world are holding in secret. I have been in the catacombs of the Vatican; the items I saw are not for mortal eyes.”

  “The Vatican?” I started thinking, “Could that be our guy’s target?”

  Liz folded the letter in half. “No, that would be impossible to penetrate and not be noticed. No, I think our friend the Hammer is looking for a more inconspicuous target.”

  Just how many secret vaults were there? And more importantly, how would we find the one he was after? I think Liz could read the questions from my mind. “Vic, the city of London holds many secrets, more than even I know. Between Pan being free and Divas planning on taking that witch there, this is no coincidence.”

  “I guess we should give Rod and Jonathan the heads up huh?”

  To my surprise, she shook her head no. “We will inform them when we get there. This is sensitive information and needs to be handled as such.”

  “You’re the boss and all, but is there something you’re not telling me?”

  We pulled into the parking garage of our building. “We will speak more of this when we get to my office. Go get yourself something to eat and then come on up.”