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Act II: The Wrong Place At The Right Time

A few days later, Shane and I were listening to the scanner. We heard several small time events announced. I wanted to act on all of them, but Shane said no. He said that I'd be remembered more at a larger event. Then we got lucky. The important announcement was made.

Shane nodded his head, telling me that this was the one. He wrote down the address and we hopped into the car and drove over to the scene of the crime. We arrived about the same time as three police cars and the chief of detectives had soon arrived afterwards. Shane and I emerged from our car. The chief was about to complain, then shut his mouth upon seeing Shane. Something about Shane had changed the chief's attitude. I thought this was suspicious, but I didn't pursue it. Instead, I introduced myself and offered help in the form of casual observer. He thought that was an odd request, but he OKed my being there. That's all I needed. The ambulance was the next to arrive. While they were being briefed, I quietly walked gingerly around the scene, taking note of the scene. It was an apparent murder. The victim was a private detective. I hadn't ever heard of him. His body was simply skin wrapped over bones. It was like something had drained all of his fluids out of him. But there was no bloody mess around the body. It looked like he ran and simply fell at this spot. I carefully backtracked his footprints where I found another set of footprints. These were strange, but I knew from the shape on what I was looking at. I called the chief over. I showed him the footprints and told him what they were. A woman's high heel shoes. The chief was impressed by the find and the observance. He asked for my name again and I gave it. He wrote it down in his contacts book. He also got my phone number.

Later, Shane and I were driving back home. Shane asked me what I thought of the scene. I told him that nothing human committed this crime. Shane arched an eye at me and asked me what I meant. I explained that a normal female standing that close to the victim would have been horrified by the simple appearance of the body, regardless of whether she was the perpetrator or not. The true culprit was something else. And I stressed the word "thing" exactly as Detective Kiir Lou-Fu had stressed it. Shane smiled. I wasn't sure why he smiled, but that worried me. He too knew more than he was letting on. But what did he know?

We got home, had a dinner, and hit the sack early. In the middle of the night, I heard the basement bell ring once again, but I was tired. I was going to give Jael some needed privacy this time. I was quickly asleep after that.

The next morning, Shane and I found a hastily scrawled note taped to the refrigerator. It read:

"Jansen. If you value your life, do not pursue the Ys O'dora killer. She will kill you like the rest. Her favorite prey to hunt are detectives who know too much. Remember your oath."

There was no signature. One wasn't needed. I knew who had written the note. This bothered Shane quite a bit. He was about to call it in, but I stopped him.

"No, Shane... This is my case now. If you call it in, the others will take it away from me and I need this chance to succeed. But I appreciate your concern."

Shane blinked his eyes.

"Are you sure you want to handle it? This is a cop killer, Jansen. Your life will be in the deadliest of danger."

I turned to Shane and smiled.

"I am a Tanner."

That was all that needed to be said. Shane took the hint and offered to help me. I accepted it. Two sets of eyes are better than one set. And of course... when one has clan help, you have a whole city of eyes. I didn't tell Shane that part though. I was going to keep my silence on that exactly as I had promised Jael and Xim. Late that night, after Shane had gone to bed, I met with Jael and two others in the basement. Jael was pleased that I wasn't going to quit the case.

Jael agreed to have the clan keep their eyes and ears open, and get back to me with any information. I smiled, then told Jael that I almost couldn't get Shane to sleep in his own bed. The beer guzzling boob wanted to sleep in the same bed with me. That was all I needed: beer breath. Jael chuckled and hugged me, then he and his friends departed. I returned upstairs.

The following morning, I overheard Shane talking on the telephone in the next room. I listened to what Shane was saying. He seemed to be talking to a contact somewhere in the area. He specifically mentioned the Ys O'dora killer and of the mystery warning note. He also informed the mystery person that I was not going to quit the case. Shane said his goodbyes, then hung up the phone. I was worried now. Who was Shane working for? I finally came out of my room. I immediately hit the bathroom. Nature calls often, you know...

Shane had breakfast fixed by the time I emerged from the bathroom. I sat with him and ate, glancing at him on occasion. Shane never looked at me once. He simply ate. I finally asked him who was on the telephone this morning. He looked up at me with a smile.

"I have my secrets and you have yours. When you tell me about the midnight bell and who wrote the note, I'll tell you who I called. Until then, it is a need to know status only."

He continued eating. I commented,

"I'll just call Ma Bell and ask them where the phone call was placed to. I do own the phone line."

Shane looked at me again, and replied,

"You don't own the phone line. It is owned by a Detective Gideon Langston, as is this building. You are merely his hired building caretaker. He gave you permission to use the shop as you saw fit. Have I left anything out?"

I blinked my eyes.

"How did you find out all that? I never told you..."

Shane grinned.

"I have connections."

Now I -knew- Shane was more than he appeared. I was very tempted to start calling him Sheridan, again. He must've sensed that and gave me a warning glance, by tightening up a fist in plain view. And that ended breakfast. He had his secrets and I had mine. And I was -glad- that I had some secrets that he didn't know about.

The next few hours were pretty tense. Shane and I kept watching each other. This lasted until the police scanner made another important announcement. Shane grinned saying that we were needed. I suppose it was a welcome break from our suspicion contest. We both hopped into the car and drove over to the new crime scene. It was almost local. We arrived in time for me to catch a glimpse of a shrouded female departing the scene. Then, all the other police cars arrived. The chief arrived last. He was almost upset that we had arrived first. Almost. He rolled his eyes, then told me directly to "do your thing". He then directed his attention to the scene itself.

I did my primary exam of the grounds, but I quickly turned my attention to where I had seen the shrouded female slowly striding. I found what I was looking for. High heel footprints and something more. A tattered piece of cloth. I called the chief over and revealed what I had found. This was taken as evidence. Then, I quietly confided in the chief about what I had seen when Shane and I had first arrived on the scene. The chief paled a bit. I knew I had struck a nerve. His attitude turned sour after that. He told me that I was officially -off- the case. If I showed up at another scene, he'd have me arrested as an accomplice. That ticked Shane off.

I got back in the car. I could see Shane quietly arguing with the chief across the lot. The way Shane spoke to the chief had some effect. Must be that "I have connections" thing that Shane mentioned earlier. I turned my head casually to look around the scene at other things. And I saw her again. And worse: she saw me. Then, she was gone. I couldn't discern any facial features, but it was obvious that each of us knew the other had seen the other. I was getting scared.

Shane and I drove back home. He was still ticked off about the chief. I was glad he was being quiet. I also remained quiet. I stopped by a gas station and refueled the car. I checked the tires and the oil, and gave the windshields a good cleaning. I then went and paid for the gas, and hit the bathroom. In the bathroom, I heard a familiar gruff voice.

"We found out something for you."

I smiled when I heard his familiar voice.

"What did you learn?"

The gruff stranger did not make himself seen as he continued speaking.

"The woman you're seeking is a vampire countess. She's been active for the past 150 years. Please use extreme caution if you plan on going after her. No one has -ever- taken her down."

After that, my gruff friend was gone. I never saw how he left. The clan was obviously good and entering and exiting without notice. The only clumsy one was Xim. Poor Xim. My heart still hurt for the kid. I exited the bathroom and got back into the car. Shane had gotten himself a soft drink, and looked calmer. We drove back to the shop. I parked and locked the car, then we both entered the shop. We both stopped at the door. Sitting inside was a knock out drop dead gorgeous black haired woman applying red lipstick to her lips. Her complexion made her appear Spanish. She wore a 1950's style navy blue dress with white frills, and she had white gloves and red high heel shoes. She stopped applying the lipstick when we had opened the door and slowly turned her head towards us. When she spoke, her voice was slightly deep, yet had a regal tone to it.

"Which one of you is for hire?"

Shane and I both gulped. Fortune was finally shining my way. My first customer. I cleared my throat and replied,

"I am Jansen Tanner, private detective for hire. This is Shane Wayne, a Marine friend of mine. And you are...?"

The lady slowly stood up. She had been sitting in such a way that her legs had been showing more than intended. I hoped Shane hadn't been looking there. If he had, shame on him! She brought her purse up in front of her, just above her belly button and held it with both hands.

"I am Isa Victoras. I need your help. I recently inherited a rather large estate from a wealthy relative. I checked the place out and it was a very nice estate, but when I spent a night there, I heard noises and saw spooky people prowling around. I will pay you well if you can investigate the haunting of my estate. Can you help me?"

I was taken by her beauty. Shane was being awfully quiet. I sneaked a glance at him. He was apparently in shock. I nudged him in the chest pretty hard; almost knocked him over. Shane blinked his eyes and finally exhaled a slow breath. I smiled to Ms. Victoras.

"I accept the job. Where is your estate, Ms. Victoras?"

She smiled, seeming very relieved that I was taking the case.

"Please. Call me Isa. I can take you there right now, if you want. I'll be waiting in my car."

She kissed me on the cheek, then slowly walked outside. Shane recomposed himself pretty fast. He patted me on the back of my jacket collar.

"You go with her. It -is- your first big case. You don't need me to hold your hand. Besides, she's quite the lady. I'll baby sit the shop and drink some beer."

I nodded my head, then dropped my car keys into my desk drawer. I then headed out and joined Isa in her vintage Studebaker. I was impressed by the vehicle. I felt like I was moving into the fast lane. I found out later that after I had left with Isa, Shane had gotten on the phone and had contacted his "friends".

The "estate" was one of those old vineyard properties that no longer saw the production of wine. There were plenty of good hiding spots, as well as a mansion with many hallways and unused rooms. Isa gave me free access to explore the estate as much as I wanted. I got out of her car and proceeded to do just that. Of course, my methods weren't like other detectives. Isa noticed that she couldn't keep up with me. I was gone pretty fast. She was pretty impressed by that, as she parked the car and entered the mansion to get an evening meal prepared.

In my search, I couldn't find the signs of anyone being on the property, but I did find some wires connected to tin cans and a well placed chain and some tap-boxes rigged to an old clock. It definitely looked like someone was trying to scare Isa away from the estate. My only question was "why?" Nothing seemed to suggested that this place was even worth haunting. I searched around for another hour, but came up empty. I finally entered the dining hall and smiled when I saw all the prepared food. Isa also smiled and invited me to have a meal with her. I accepted.

After the dinner ended, I burped, then blushed. I normally don't eat that much, but this was -good-! Far better than anything than I ever had before. I smiled and thanked her for the meal. That's when I noticed that her eyes were glowing. I blinked my eyes and was up from the table pretty fast, slowly backing away. I uttered a statement.

"You're Countess Ys O'dora!"

She arose slowly, and smiled, showing her fangs.

"Yes. That is who I am. Not many know that I am a countess. But you aren't like the other fools. You are dangerous. For that, I cannot allow you to live. But... I have to be fair. I like giving my prey a sporting chance to evade me... by running... You see, I love the chase... I'll give you a five-minute head start. Starting now..."

I didn't need a second invitation to run. I was out of the mansion in under two-minutes. Unlike the other fools, I memorized the layout of the estate when I explored it. In the next minute, I was out of the estate grounds. In the following minute, I had crossed a graveyard. Of course, I wasn't just running. I was looking for something. Within the last minute, I saw my goal, and ran that direction. I knew my five-minutes were up. I could sense her rapidly closing in on me from behind. I skidded to a halt and turned with both fists held outwards. I caught her right in the eyes and she hit the ground. I didn't stop to watch and resumed my flight.

She was infuriated. No one had ever struck her before. And she wasn't going to let me be the first. She was up and came again. She noticed me round a corner up ahead. She too rounded the corner and... she slammed right into a sharp metal spear that was attached to a statue of a saint that I had accidentally toppled as I rounded the corner! She howled the unholy wail as she was impaled on the metal spear. I had reached my goal. We were on holy ground. I panted.

"Welcome to God's estate. May the lord sort you out."

She screamed as she realized that she allowed herself to be tricked. Then, I watched in semi horror as she aged rapidly and disintegrated into dust on the spot.

That spooked me plenty. I panted and slowly headed back to the estate. Once there, I gave the estate a more thorough searching. This time, I found the secret entrance to the countess' inner chambers. It was right out of a horror show, only more ghastly. There were fresh bodies here spiked to the walls. It was all I could do to keep from vomiting. Then, I came across her coffin, and that's when I noticed that I wasn't the only one here.

You've heard of Men In Black(tm)? Well, these were the Men In White! And not just men; of the two, one was a woman. They had white full helms over their faces. My immediate thought was that I had found more vampires. I raised my gun and fired on them. They didn't even flinch. That spooked me even more. I backed up a step. Then, I was hit from behind.

I wasn't sure how long I was out. When I came to, I was securely tied to a chair under a very bright light. It was near blinding. Then, the interrogation began.

"Who are you?"

I squinted my eyes under the light. The rest of the chamber was dark.

"I am Jansen Tanner, a private detective."

Another question was given.

"Who told you that the countess was a vampire?"

I growled a little.

"I am a Tanner. My secrets are my own."

They repeated their question. I repeated my answer. I had promised the clan that I would never reveal them. Now or ever. I kept my mouth shut about how I knew what I knew. This, of course, must have pissed them off. Though the tones of their voices never changed, I continued giving the same answer. Finally, they turned the bright light off and departed the chamber.

Now I was in the dark again. I wasn't sure what was going on. But I knew that I wasn't being held by the police. They wouldn't have used the word "vampire" in such a way that made it sound like they had believed in their existence. Whoever these people were, they were special. But I wouldn't reveal my sources. I was under an oath, after all.

Suddenly, someone else entered the chamber. He never activated the bright light. He approached me and gave me a sip of water. Then he moved a chair over close to me and sat down.

"When you accepted this case, I'll bet you never thought you'd meet a vampire, did you?"

This was indeed a different approach. Now, it seemed that they were going the "gain his trust" route. I took a breath and replied cautiously,

"No, I didn't. And if you're trying the old trust route to get me to reveal my sources, you're wasting your time. My secrets are my own."

He seemed to smile at this.

"We -were- going to try that... but you strike me as being an individual with more promise than the average detective. You seem as if you would like to be doing more with your time and your life than you're currently doing. I won't ask you to reveal your sources again. However... I would like to offer you a special deal."

I blinked at that. I was even more surprised when I felt my bonds fall away. Someone had freed me. I wasn't sure if I was to be suspicious or pleased.

"What sort of special deal?"

He stood up, and helped me stand up. Then, he escorted me out of the dark chamber into the semi-lit hallway. There were two guards at the door. One had a white castle tower emblem on his jacket. The other had a black castle tower emblem on his jacket. Their faces were shielded by full helms of both white and black. The man standing with me was an African-American, in appearance. He wore a dull green business suit with a black shirt, black dress socks, and black designer shoes. His name plate read "Master."

"I am Danath Gaul. I am offering you a chance to join my organization. You'll be given special training and be sent on high paying missions around the world. You'll, of course, be given the options of accepting promotions in the organization. The only catch is that you cannot tell your family what you are doing. We are good because we are secret. Are you interested?"

I had to stop and think about it. So they weren't vampires. They were special agents. Really special. They had to be special if they hunted vampires. And believed in their existence. And now, I was being offered a one time chance to join them. The high pay factor was definitely a motivator. I certainly wasn't getting any income where I was. My first job turned into a trap. I was lucky that I wasn't killed. Sheer Tanner luck saved me again. Saint Leia Tanner... it had a nice ring to it. She'd, of course, blush from the reference. I looked at Danath Gaul once again.

"What is your organization called?"

Danath smiled.

"So you are interested. I run CHESS. That stands for Central Headquarters of Ethereal and Supernatural Studies. I am, of course, the Chess Master. Those you met in the countess' lair were Elites. The other agents are named, by rank, for each piece on the chess board. Black is the low end of the scale; white on the high end. The lowest ranks are the recruits. We call them Pawns. They have no color designation. They merely are. Outside of the organization, we refer to ourselves as Special Forces Units. You aren't the only inductee from this region. There is another. He had the misfortune to encounter a crossfire between a demon and some of our other Elites. Like you, he helped our side win the battle. So, we gave him the chance to join us. Now... do you want to join us?"

I blinked my eyes. So I wasn't the only one. If I did join, maybe I could befriend this local guy and maybe form a friendship in the organization. I suddenly realized something.

"Shane Wayne is involved with you people in some way, isn't he?"

Danath gave me a surprised look.

"Yes, though he is a Contact. Someone we can rely on for out of organization information. It pays to have good contacts on the outside."

I beamed. Now I knew who Shane had called the other morning. He was letting his Chess buddies know about the "Ys O'dora" event. I still had to handle the countess on my own. But it was comforting to know that I had backup that night. I turned to Danath and held out my hand.

"Where do I sign up?"

Danath smiled, and lead me through the hallways of the "bunker" and into a waiting room. Another young adult male was awaiting us there. Danath introduced me to Luke Masaki.

Luke Masaki was a rather normal looking person. He appeared to be on half-Asian decent, though looking more European than Asian. He was rather thin, almost lanky, and appeared to be about 19 or 20 years old. His dark black hair was sort of wild, and seemed to never lay down the way it was supposed to. He had a pair of sunglasses perched on his forehead, which currently were not covering his nice brown eyes. He wore a pair of khaki cargo pants, a white t-shirt, and a slightly worn looking green camouflage colored jacket that fit rather loosely on him. One sleeve of his jacket was currently shoved up, revealing a blue star burst shaped tattoo. On his lower wrist, he wore a Timex wristwatch with an elastic band, which was fortunate, thankfully, as Luke was often seen trying to find things he had misplaced.

Luke greeted me and I greeted him. Danath then swore us in and proceeded towards helping us fill in the paperwork. It seemed that I was finally moving beyond being a simple detective.

---

She yawned and entered her kitchen to get some caffeine. She then returned, and sat down at her computer again.

"Wow... Jansen could have been killed. Jo would have thrown a fit over that. She has that -protect the family- air about her."

She looked to the page once again to continue reading Jansen's agent history.

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