Dead of Night: The Nephalem Files (Book 3)

by Douglas Wayne

  We reached the police department right around noon, which I knew thanks to the rumbling sounds my stomach had been making for the last ten minutes. He parked alongside the building and opened my door, pulling me out gently to my amazement. There has to be cameras watching this entrance, I thought as he led me inside.

  He took me in through a set of doors and through a few hallways until we reached another door. He motioned to an officer on the other side of a reinforced glass window, who pressed a button and released the door.

  Once inside, he led me to a metal desk and sat me down in a chair that was padded at one time, but was more or less just a piece of blue fabric fastened to a metal chair. I shifted a few times, trying to keep my weight off of my arms, which were starting to go numb after the car ride here.

  He sat in a wheeled chair on the other side of the desk and reached into his top drawer, pulling out a pad of paper and a digital recorder, placing both on the desk in front of him before closing the drawer. "Now, let's start from the beginning, Raymond Gilmore," he said, pressing the record button on the recorder, "what brings you to New Orleans?"

  I went over the story again, telling him I was hired by Nicholas Bates to investigate the incident at the Pine Ridge Cemetery a few days ago. He followed that question by asking me why I was at Cedar Valley if I was here to investigate Pine Ridge, and I told him again how I expected to find fresher clues there and that I figured the two were related. He wrote something on the paper I couldn't make out thanks to the sloppy handwriting and trying to read it upside down.

  "What makes you believe the damage at Pine Ridge or Cedar Valley was caused by something paranormal?" he threw in from out of nowhere. I hadn't mentioned to him I was a paranormal investigator and wondered where he would get that idea until I remembered I gave the man at Cedar Valley one of my business cards. I handed that one to the cop and now had to answer.

  "There aren't many things that can unearth a tomb like that overnight. Construction equipment is one of them. I didn't find a single track that would've belonged to a construction vehicle at Pine Ridge. While I wasn't at Cedar Valley long before I took off, I didn't see any tracks there either."

  "There were hundreds of footprints at both," he said, looking up from his writing. "It's not out of the question to believe that a group of people could've done this."

  "They could've dug up the tomb," I agreed, "but how did they tip them both on their sides like that? I'm not sure how much they weigh, but I can't imagine they are less than a few tons."

  "And what do you think dug them up?"

  That was the question. I wasn't much further along in my thoughts than he was, and I only had about thirty-six hours to think about it. With the big two out of the way, it left something smaller and more agile than I had considered before. But as of now, I didn't have any ideas.

  I shrugged. "The digging isn't the difficult part. As many footprints as there were, a decent sized group could've dug it out overnight. The part I'm stumped on is what could've knocked them over like that."

  "Rope. A truck. Hell, they could've dug enough underneath so the tomb just fell over at the slightest touch."

  "That would put whoever dug the hole at risk. Not exactly the smartest idea."

  "Criminals aren't always the smartest people."

  Neither are the cops, I told myself. He was too busy looking at the things he knew could do the trick, he wasn't even bothering to think about the repercussions of failure in that method. Whoever did this either had the strength to handle it without worry or he had the means to do it without hurting, or killing anyone. It was a lot deeper than some rope and a well dug hole, no matter what the officer thought about it.

  "To be fair, I haven't had a week to look into the other one, like you guys have. I'm fresh on day two and am still looking into things. If you let me go..."

  "Let you go?" he laughed and leaned back in his chair. "The way I see things, you are suspect number one. You come here claiming to be a paranormal investigator, yet you are the only one using anything remotely magical. What I'd really like to know is how you pulled off changing your looks like that. We were told there was an old man getting in your car. Imagine our surprise when we saw you."

  "Perhaps you got the wrong car?" I tried, knowing it wouldn't work.

  "Place wasn't exactly full of black Cadillacs." It could've been on a day with a funeral, but of course today wasn't one of those.

  "Look. I know it looks suspicious that I was in Cedar Valley looking like an old man..."

  "So you admit to the disguise?"

  I nodded. "I had to see it with my own eyes. Half hoped I'd get there after you all had left."

  "So you could get away with it," he wrote something else down on the pad. "Just couldn't avoid viewing your masterpiece, could you?"

  "This isn't about me," I said, wrists straining in the cuffs as my arms instinctively moved towards my side to defend myself from his response. "I have the ability to detect the signatures of anything paranormal. By the time I reached Pine Ridge, it was too late to even bother trying. Here at Cedar Valley, with it being this close to the vandalism, there was a chance that I would find something."

  "Would it tell you who did it?"

  I shook my head. "It would only tell me if something paranormal was involved. If you can take me back..."

  "The only place I'm taking you back to is a cell for the night. The captain wants to run your information. See who you really are. If everything checks out, you can be out of here in the morning. If not..." he smiled. "Looks like you'll be spending the fourth behind bars."

  - 10 -

  The door to the prison cell slammed behind me, even as I shouted and screamed for my phone call or my lawyer. Apparently they don't have to allow you to speak to one unless they plan to question you, which they already had. They said they would allow me to talk to my lawyer in the morning, after they decided if they were going to charge me or not. I knew all the evidence they had against me was circumstantial, and they had no proof that I had changed appearance, regardless of what the witnesses may have said. My only fear was them finding my staff and realizing what it was. Unless they messed with it and tried to pull it apart, it was probably still sitting on the passenger side floorboard, in an impound lot somewhere in the city.

  With time to spare, I sat on the hard bed and tried to work out the case. Without access to my phone or computer, it was difficult, but I needed to get some thinking in anyways. Even if I wasn't in a position to record my thoughts.

  I started with the things I already knew. That someone, in the span of a week, had dug up not one, but two tombs in different cemeteries. While I hadn't seen much of Cedar Valley, the cop implied that there were dozens of footprints here as well. There was definitely a group of people involved at both scenes. How they were involved, was another question.

  The only thought that came to my head was a group of dedicated earth wizards, much like myself. It's possible, with enough of them, that they could've moved the tombs to their new resting positions. Digging them up would've been another matter entirely. While each of them was more than capable of creating a fissure in the ground, it is doubtful that any of them had the type of control needed to keep the intricate stonework in one piece.

  That's the inherent problem with earth magic. It is all about strength and brawn. There aren't any spells in our repertoire that allow us to work with anything close to that type of precision. For that, you need wind magic.

  This, however, was far too big to be handled by a wind wizard. Even three hundred of them couldn't have unearthed one of the tombs in one night. Wind magic is far more delicate, making a process like that take loads of extra time. Even if they managed to dig one out, they didn't have anything capable of tipping them over, which put me back at square one.

  The more I tried to mull over magical means, the more I realized it would've taken a small army of wizards or witches to pull off. Even with the abundance of footsteps on the scene, a group even hal
f as large would've caused a scene on the premises.

  After nearly three hours of contemplating how various creatures could've pulled it off, I heard a door open. Footsteps filled the air, growing louder as the person approached. I stood up and placed my back near the wall with the exposed metal toilet and waited for whoever it was to pass.

  "Well, well, well," a familiar voice said as it passed the brick wall and in front of the steel bars of my cell. "Fancy meeting you at a place like this."

  "Cedric..."

  Cedric Rogers walked into view, wearing the white suit and pants customary by those on the wizard council. He held a grin on his face as he looked inside my cell. The light shined on his bald head as he grabbed the bars of my cell and leaned in. "I always knew you belonged behind bars. It's a shame, however, that your trial went as it did. You could've been spared from this embarrassment."

  "And be without magic, or dead."

  "The world would be a much simpler place without you, Ray. If Wade hadn't had a change of heart, we wouldn't be here talking today."

  "Wade had a change of heart?" I snorted. "How exactly was sending me to fight an ancient vampire not a death sentence."

  "You are still alive, are you not?"

  He had a point. No matter what Wade had done, I was up to the task. Of course, he couldn't have known I was willing to sacrifice it all, to keep Alfred from roaming the streets for even another day.

  "Tell me, Raymond, why would you, an esteemed earth wizard, willingly spend even one night in this..." he looked around the room, flicking the steel bars to emphasize his point, "prison."

  "Why would I escape? So they can hunt me down and charge me with two crimes I didn't commit?"

  "We are wizards. The rules of mankind do not apply to us."

  "I may not agree with their practices at times, but we live in their society. Just because we have powers, doesn't make us any better than them."

  "Does it not?" he asked, almost quizzically. "Their world is only kept safe by wizards like you and I. Why else would you be here, in this shit hole of a city, investigating the unearthing of two different tombs in under a week?"

  "So you know why I'm here."

  He smiled. "We watch you very closely, Raymond. After the stunt you pulled in Boulder, you are lucky we give you any alone time."

  I tried to hide the shock from my face. The council was having me followed? For some reason, it really didn't surprise me they might want to. It was more of a shock to hear it than anything. I had thought, after my time in Cinci, and my next bid of service, that everything had blown over and was back to normal. Looks like things weren't as clear as they seemed.

  "You my tail?"

  "I wouldn't waste my time. If it were up to me, I would kill you right here in this cell. Make it look like a suicide. The police wouldn't even think twice about it after all. How else could you explain being in both cemeteries just a day apart?"

  "Work," I said, without hesitation. "I have the stub from my flight two days ago as well as my key to the hotel room. A quick check will tell them I hadn't been staying there for more than a couple nights now."

  "The work excuse will only take you so far, Raymond. The people here, they are starting to panic. They demand answers, and the police here, they are willing to do what it takes to provide those answers to the people."

  "Even if the answer is wrong?"

  "Humanity fears that which they don't understand. Those officers don't have a clue what you really do. To them, you are nothing more than a fraud. Another gypsy who traveled here from another state to swindle the tax paying citizens of New Orleans out of their hard earned money. Your life means nothing to them. The only reasons you aren't being strung out is that they need more time to build their case. By my clock they have another fifteen hours before they have to charge, or release you. I have heard, in confidence of course, that they intend on charging you with both crimes. They will drag out your trial, Raymond. Making sure to shame you in front of the world."

  "I think you are losing it, Cedric. Two cemeteries in New Orleans hardly means anything to the world."

  "Perhaps," he said, taking a few steps away from the bars. "But perhaps this happened during a slow news period. There has already been mention of the event in the national news. Rumor has it that CNN has already sent two news anchors to cover the story. What do you think they are going to find when they start digging into your past?"

  I shrugged. "Depends on how deep they look."

  "Precisely. That is why you must be cautious. CNN is hardly known for their shoddy reporting."

  I had half a mind to disagree, but it was more about the principal than the ability of a news network to dig up, or even manufacture, facts, than anything. Instead, I asked him the only question I could think of, given the direction our conversation was headed. "What is it you would like me to do?"

  He turned around, wrung his hands together, and grinned. "I thought you would never ask. You are a dense being at times."

  "I've heard."

  "Well then. I am prepared to get you out of this cell. To save you from any further embarrassment. The police will drop their charges within the hour as they will be presented with new evidence proving you were not involved. CNN, and any other news networks will all be given seeds of information, keeping them well off your trail, as well. I am also prepared to compensate you for a month of your time, using the same outlandish pay scale you charge your clients."

  This was almost like a dream come true. He would get me out of here, out of the limelight, and even pay me to do so. There was something he wasn't telling me. I just needed to draw it out of him. "What's the catch?"

  "The catch is that you must be on a plane out of here by morning. I don't particularly care where you go as long as it is not here. High Wizard Wade sent me here to look into this incident personally. Apparently, your dear ole daddy even turned this one down."

  It was starting to make sense. Why else would he be here within hours of me being arrested if he wasn't the one involved. Yet, the destruction I had seen at both points was well above anything that Cedric could do, even at his best. Even if he was involved, I was hardly in a position to throw around accusations.

  "Why would I need to leave? Doesn't Wade realize we could figure this out a lot quicker if we worked together than alone?"

  "He is aware, yet wishes for me to see to this matter personally. Perhaps, if you weren't insistent on creating a scene, the high wizard would be more apt to place you on cases like this."

  "Let's just say I believe you about the council. That you were asked to look into the incidents on your own. Why would I walk away from them? I have a signed contract stating that Nicholas Bates only has to pay me at the conclusion of the case, regardless of the outcome. If I were to pack up and walk away, I wouldn't get a thing."

  "I have offered you ample compensation, Raymond. But, if that is not enough, I am willing to double it."

  "You're willing to pay me over sixty thousand dollars just to pack my bags and leave."

  "Will that suffice?"

  I had to be honest, his offer was well beyond tempting. That kind of money would pull me out from under the two car payments. I would even have enough left over to get ahead on my mortgage, which was still over thirty days past due. As tempting as the money was, there was a cost involved that someone who wasn't in business couldn't begin to understand, or even see. "The money is nice, but some of us have a reputation to uphold. Hard to get new work if you cut and run from your cases."

  "Reputation is overrated. Perhaps, with a little hard work, this whole mess could be swept under the rug in a matter of weeks. I could even go to Nicholas myself and tell him I work for you. He wouldn't be any wiser. His pay isn't important, so I could even send that to you as well."

  After he said that, I was convinced he had to be involved. Why else would he be willing to pay me well over sixty grand just to get out of town. Something wasn't adding up and I needed to find out why.

 
"I'll tell you what. You tell me why it is so important that I leave town tonight, and I'll consider your offer."

  Cedric shook his head and laughed. "You are hardly in a position to make demands. The way I see it, you can take my offer and be out of this cell within the hour. I'll take you to your hotel to pick up your belongings, stopping on the way to have a cashier's check printed out in your name. I'll even take you to the bloody airport if you insist." He took in a deep breath. "Or you can refuse, sit inside this cell for the night. I assure you they will find enough evidence proving you were involved that it gets you locked up for a long time. I can't imagine a stint in prison for felony vandalism, amongst other things, would be very good for business."

  "Give me the night to think about it." I threw it out there, hoping to mull it over for a while longer. He had to go for it, it wasn't like I was going to be going anywhere anytime soon. The police seemed insistent on keeping me overnight and I had no plans to escape.

  "I grow tired of this discussion. You have exactly five minutes to make up your mind. Once I walk out of this door, the offer is off the table and I'll see to it personally that you spend the rest of your life behind bars. You do realize what they do to people like you in prison, don't you, Raymond?"

  "Can't be any worse than what you tried to do to me at the trial," I said, not bothering to keep the words to myself. "Then I'll tell you what. You can take your deal and shove it. I know you are involved somehow. Once I get out of here, I'll figure it out. I can't wait to watch them strip that pretty white outfit off your arrogant ass when I do."

  "Very well." Cedric walked slowly back toward the door he entered in and turned around as he opened the door. "Perhaps I've underestimated you..."

  "Darn right you did."

  "I won't be making that mistake again. I know this cell is nice and cozy, but I've been told the ones at the prison are much less pleasant. Enjoy your stay." He stepped out the door and stopped again before exiting completely. "Don't worry about your precious skinchanger. I'll keep her company for you."