Chapter 7; 9:30 am Sunday Burrow Home
Gwen stumbled away from the dwarf. She had heard the stories all her life. However, never had she believed that Red Caps where real. The dwarf stared at her while he put the wet cap on. A sneer rolled across his face. Gwen's heart began to race faster than she had ever known. So fast her fingertips began to feel lighter than air. She began gasping for air, her eyes slowly beginning to turn pink.
"Oh my, oh my, I can feel the magic rolling off you..." the dwarf tapped his fingers on the table with excitement.
{What is he doing to me?} Gwen tried to question the dwarf on why he was doing this to her, but she could not get enough air to speak, and then slowly like a storm cloud moving in, darkness moved from the corner of her eyes. The last thing she saw was the little dwarf moving closer to her, then of all her vision was lost and her body felt like it was floating.
9:30 pm Saturday Night Gwen's Apartment Building
Marci hopped out of the Uber in front of the apartment building. The building was old but held a classic beauty to it. It was four stories tall, with a brick outer layer. It was a high school once upon a time. Gwen and she moved here 3 years ago. After their foster mother's death. Marci trotted up the front steps, she could not wait to tell Gwen about her date. It wasn't even 10 pm yet, so she knew Gwen would still be awake. Marci actually had a great time; Josh was not the usual type of guy she would go on a date with. But he was a complete gentleman; funny, and they shared a lot of the same interests, and that made her even more excited to tell Gwen how it went. Marci entered the lobby of their building and instantly went to the stairs instead of the elevator. Marci was so excited she did not even realize she had already made it to the third floor. Gwen's floor. Marci stepped through the stairs door and began to walk to Gwen's apartment,
*BING* Marci phone chimed
*One new Text*
*Had a great time tonight. Hope you made it home safely. Maybe we can do dinner again tomorrow - Josh*
While keeping her face to the phone Marci continued to Gwen's door. Marci's phone kept her distracted, so when she reached Gwen's door she had not noticed it was still open. Then someone rushed from the Apartment and hit Marci, it was a fast and hard hit, and the force was so great, that she fell over the decorative planter in the hallway. Her jaw slammed against the floor, she bit through her lip and chip a tooth. By the time Marci was back on her feet, she heard the door to the stairs close with a click. At some point from the floor to her feet again, Marci had managed to pull her XDE handgun from her appendix carry. It was Gwen's idea for them to get firearms training if they were going work as P. I.s. Marci moved towards Gwen's apartment, it was dark and still, darker than the hallway. Marci stood just to the side of the doorway taking a few moments for her vision adjust, even though she wanted to charge in and look for her sister, she could not let herself be surprised again if another attacker was hiding. It only took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust but it felt like forever. Once she could see outlines in the darkness at a minimum she saw Gwen's body only a few feet from where she stood. Her hands bound, with a plastic bag over her head. Marci's heart stopped. She rushed to Gwen, she rolled Gwen so she was laying on her back, while pulling the bag off her head. There was so much blood, all down her face, across the flood, so much that it began pooling in the broken vase pieces on the floor. Marci knew from her time working at a bar that head wounds bleed, a lot, they also bleed heavy. Marci patted her pockets for her phone
Marci used her pocketknife to cut the bonds from Gwen's wrists and laid her on her side, tilting her head slightly to allow drainage and prevent her from choking on her on bodily fluids. Marci picked her phone up from the hallway.
The dwarf was standing over Gwen; he had a look of concern. She tried to speak but she just drifted back into the darkness
"Her pulse is weak." A strange voice said when Gwen began to regain consciousness; the hardwood floor of her apartment seemed to give way to the earthly smells of the burrow.
"Intriguing." The dwarf looked at Gwen; his hands were rough as they held her head in his lap.
"On three, 1, 2, 3" on three Gwen felt as if she was floating, it took a second for her body to register the Rigid Stretcher in conjunction with the cervical collar, head immobilizer, and restraint straps.
"I do not know if you can hear me child, but pick one. Choose an anchor." The dwarf's words felt like instructions. Like he was trying to guide her.
"Let's get her to the elevator, dispatch we have a female, 25 years old, head trauma." Gwen could not see what was going on; her vision was lost to the wash of bright lights and blood that covered her face.
"Will she be okay?" Gwen recognized that voice, it was Marci, and she was in such distress
Gwen could smell the mossy earth all around her; then the distinct smell of city air, filled with smog. She could swear she heard the gentle pops of the small fire that was present in the dwarf's manor, yet still feel the bumps of potholes. In one instant, Gwen could hear a loud ear-shattering siren, next the soft pleas of the old dwarf. Then nothing, all the sounds melted away. The perplexing images just stopped, and in that brief moment, everything seemed to become calm. She found comfort in that calm, and then she faded into the black. Marci wiped the tears from her eyes; the ambulance raced down 5th street towards Saint James Hospital, Gwen had suffered a violent seizure, possibly from the head trauma. Marci was angry, sad, scared, she had these emotions running through her. Since she was 10 years old, Gwen had been her big sister. The cornerstone of her life, without her she would never have finished high school; she most likely would have been another foster child that became a burden to the state.
Meanwhile at the old Garden Center Mall, Mr. Jing rushed down the hallway towards the Gazette.
Mr. Cornwall dashed into the hallway to meet him halfway. Each gasping for breath, they just nodded, as if they already knew what the other had to say. Side by side, they walked towards the exit; there was an air of serious intent around them. Almost like, they were reading for war.
9:45pm 10th Street Precinct
The phone on Detective Stone's desk rang loud and with a sense of urgency.
"Detective Stone. I see, I will be there shortly, and Ms. Brollachan, keep an eye on her until I get there. Intervene if needed." Stone hung the phone up and leaned back into his chair.
[Maybe she is not so innocent after all] with that thought Stone called the 5th Street Precinct, they would have received the case based on the location of the 911 call, and with Ms. Greene's possible connection to his case, it would not raise any eyebrows for him to pull it to his Precinct and case load.
Rain poured from the sky, it was a thick, hard wall of water. Thunder clashed in the heavens, windows rattled from the force. Detective Stone stood under the Emergency Room overhang just outside of the hospital. His overcoat soaked from the rain. He had his cellphone to his ear.
"Yes Sir, I just got here. I did notify fifth that I would take over the case. Yes Sir, she is connected to my case. Thank you sir. Yes, I will keep you informed." Stone hung up his call and dropped his phone into his jacket pocket.
[All right Ms. Greene; let us see what trouble you have gotten yourself into.]
Marci had fallen asleep in an old chair next to her sister's hospital bed. Stress has a way of exhausting you, Mr. Jing and Mr. Cornwall did not want to wake her. So they stood just within the doorway, has if keeping watch. Bai took a deep breath in.
"Ms. Brollachan is nearby."
He did not need to tell William; William could tell she was hiding within the shadows here too.
With a ding, the elevator doors open and Detective Stone stepped into the hospital hallway, both William and Bai shifted uncomfortably in his direction.
Detective Stone made his way towards them. William sighed and looked at his old friend Bai,
"How do you think this is going to go?" William did his best to sound unconcerned but deep inside they knew that there was only one way to play it. Stone's way.
Bai, chuckled "Well, let us see how this goes."
"Gentlemen, it is good to see she has some support here." Stone said while gesturing to Gwen still unconscious in bed.
Both of the men stood in shock, it was unlike Stone to be considerate, or supportive, he usually had the emotional spectrum of a stone. Rough, cold, and heavy. It was almost as if emotions eluded him.
"Aye, well she is like a daughter to us." William looked to Gwen; William had no family of his own, no wife, and no children. The Council had taken the privilege of them away from him; no family, no returning home, violating either would result in his execution. Following those terms allowed him to stay out and about while the other families were gone, hiding, dead, or worse.
"Do you have any idea what happened?" Bai asked; he knew the Detective would have nothing this early on, but still his concern made him ask anyway.
"5th Precinct has CSI going over her place now. We will assign a protective detail if we find a connection between her attack and the Mepple murders." Stone was just stating the facts.
William squared up with Detective Stone.
"You better damn well find out who did this and why." Anger flared in William's eyes, so much so Detective Stone swore he saw a spark.
"What I know is you both are tired, stressed, and concerned for your Friend. I also know she suffered a horrible attack at her home, meaning this could be personal..." Stone allowed his words to fall like a threat on purpose, he knew with certainty they weren't responsible for her attack. William and Bai where many things, some of which you could call criminal. However, they were loyal to a fault.
"Listen here De-tec-tive, should any more harm fall her, we will have questions. So you better give the answers." Bai anger was boiling over his better Judgement.
"I think you have forgotten how things work nowadays. " Stone's comment made Bai realize how powerless they were when it came to Detective Stone and a great reminder that he'd been handpicked by the powers to be for just this reason.
"But I'll make a deal with you both, stay here and keep an eye on her. I'll go check in with CSI at her place, on my way I'll make sure some uniforms get tasked with watching her."
"Stone, you are going to provide a top-notch Officer right? Not your run of the mill Officers?" Bai knew he did not need to tell Detective Stone the type of Officers to send; again, it was just him trying to feel better.
"Of course, till then Ms. Brollachan is around if something happens that you two cannot not handle." Detective Stone said as he turned to walk away.
"The only thing in this whole city we can't handle is YOU." William replied with a spat.
Detective Stone looked over his shoulder at the two old man, they both flinched has if they had just received an electric shock.
"I am aware, however; just because you can doesn't mean you should. WE have laws to follow after all" Detective Stone Straighten up and continued to the elevator.
End Chapter 7