Chapter 2: The Enemy Makes Their Move

Generally, I normally like to wake up in a pleasant and serene atmosphere. Of course, Dorothy would sometimes play her annoying tune to get me roused from bed in a hurry. But lately, she had been trying another tactic, and it was getting decent results…

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Roger was busy. He had Dorothy pinned to the wall, exploring deep inside of her. His breaths were ragged, staggered, and he was panting hard. He was busy navigating the valley of her breasts, nibbling each one here and there, but now he was close to finishing. He didn't mind this position, but exploring her body was rather difficult while trying to support her, and that was the one thing he enjoyed about this activity. Dorothy, on the other hand, was holding tight onto his back, her fingernails digging deeper as she was getting closer with each push he made inside of her. She was panting hard, but found enough breath to speak.

"Roger… dear… I think we need to… AH!"

Roger quickened his pace now, feeling her tighten around him, and she had gasped at the surprise change in pace. He grunted loudly. He was very close now.

"Negotiations… haven't… concluded…" he managed to get out as he looked up at her. Their faces were covered in sweat from exertion, flushed from the task at hand, yet the moment to release was so close. Dorothy closed her eyes and moaned, louder and louder before she looked into his eyes again briefly before feeling her release. She buried her mouth into his chest, stifling the moan that came from her. Roger lost control and finally felt himself let go, groaning loudly. They both felt the tremors of release racking their bodies, Roger pushing at the pace with his until they subsided. They were both breathing heavily. Roger's legs felt weak, his head lightheaded as the blood flow was now being concentrated in one area. Dorothy, on the other hand, was feeling her body go limp, and wanted more support than the bedroom wall.

"Roger dear… the bed…please…"

Roger held Dorothy close, slipping out of her and gently laid her on the bed. He collapsed next to her. They were both breathing hard, but they were satisfied.

"I'm not sure… if I'm a fan of that position," she said, in between breathes, "It's nice… but it leaves so much unexplored."

"I'm in agreement," came Roger's muffled voice. He was laying on his pillow and turned around to face Dorothy, moving closer towards her. He brushed the hair out of her face.

"There are some things that are more fun in the bed."

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Roger began to playfully kiss her, tickling her. She squealed, her body still sensitive to touch, laughing. She tried tickling Roger in the abs, but ended getting a deep, passionate kiss and her hands pinned on either side of her by him, which distracted her from seeking retribution.

They laid on the bed together, holding each other, Roger tracing the outline of Dorothy's body with his fingers, Dorothy placing her hand on his chest. It was the middle of January and cases had picked up once more, bringing along a steady amount of work. Dorothy was still volunteering at the clinic, helping Dr. Plebanski and Carlye with the children. Because of the number of cases they had received, divide and conquer was the chosen strategy to be in many places at once. Roger and Dorothy normally only had time in the mornings together. Having dinner together and spending time in the evenings had become sporadic as sometimes Dorothy stayed late at the clinic to keep an eye on the children whose parents had yet to pick them up after a long shift, coming home late after working on a case, or helped Norman with maintenance on Big O. Sometimes, Roger worked late as well. He had begun tagging along with Angel and Dastun on the stake outs to see if there was anything he could possibly see that could lead to a breakthrough in Angel's case. In other words, any time they found they could spend together was not wasted.

Roger pulled the covers over them, propping himself up, looking into Dorothy's eyes.

"My knight's on E5. I made a move last night, so it's your turn."

"Sooo… oh shoot, you have me in check! Wait, no fair! We need to finish that game now! That's not what we agreed to."

Roger and Dorothy had decided if the times were to be sporadic between them, they would play a chess game, making one move until the other moved, and then letting them know about it. It had been interesting to say the very least. Dorothy would leave notes on Roger's desk sometimes or have Norman deliver them to him. Roger got equally creative with his delivery, sometimes wrapping his notes in a small gift box or leaving them taped on the bedroom door. It wouldn't be odd for one to go to bed without the other, only to wake up briefly to feel the other person getting in bed later on in the night, before sharing a kiss and going back to sleep.

"You told me to only tell you if I was going to put you in a position of checkmate to let you know before I made the move. You can still get out of this position, so it's technically not a checkmate situation. And we agreed to that," he said, nuzzling her.

Dorothy changed her mind from earlier and sought her tickle vengeance on Roger, tickling his abs. Roger jerked, rolling on his back, twitching as Dorothy got him in the right spot, laughing hard. Of course, it didn't help he was still sensitive from their extracurricular activities from earlier. Dorothy did not let up, however.

"Dorothy… can't breath…" he managed to get out. Dorothy stopped tickling him and he gasped, breathing hard. He took a moment to recover and then launched his own tickle attack on Dorothy, but Dorothy found his center again and started her attack. Then it became a game of endurance to see who would give up first. Both were laughing, twitching until a knock at the door made them stop. Roger turned to look at the door and frowned. It was probably a call. Dorothy saw his disappointment and gently brought his head back to look at her, kissing him. He nuzzled on her on the forehead once more.

"What is it, Norman?" he called to the door, "I'm a little busy right now!"

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but it's the telephone, sir. Chief Dastun's on the line. He says he tried the communicator, but you and Miss Dorothy were unresponsive. I tried to tell him that both of you were busy, but he insisted, sir."

Roger threw his head back, groaning. They were going to meet in a few days. What was so important that he had to leave now?

"Take an address for me and tell him I'll meet him at his current location!"

"Very well, sir." Norman walked away.

Roger turned his head back to Dorothy and kissed her.

"To be continued. I'm gonna take a shower. You wanna join me?"

"For what? The shower or to see Dastun?"

Roger tilted his head back and forth as he got up to go to the shower. "Why not both? You have anything to do this morning?"

"Not really, aside from some paperwork, but it's just proofreading. I can easily do that later when I'm watching the kids. I'll tag along."

Dorothy got up to follow him into the shower.

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Roger was on the freeway in the Griffon while Dorothy organized her satchel, looking for the note Norman had given her with address. She found it, looking it over the address.

"Roger… this address… this puts it Union Central Dome," she said, looking over the paper.

"Mm? Is that significant?"

"Maybe? This address is close to the estate case I handled a while back."

"So, definitely a very wealthy area. I guess I can see why Dastun decided to call me." Though I'd rather stay in bed with Dorothy. So much for spending the day together.

He sighed, pushing what could've been a pleasant day with Dorothy until she had to go to the clinic out of his mind. However, it had been a while since they had worked a case together, so the day was not lost. And, having a second set of eyes would help with perspective.

Roger took the exit for the dome and navigated through the traffic. Traffic was backed up more than normal. Roger took a detour he knew well, navigating around the congestion.

"I saw Dastun called me three times. How many times did he call you?" Dorothy asked.

Roger chuckled. "Three times that amount. So, I'll probably get an earful when we get there."

"Must be bad."

"I don't see how…"

Roger stopped talking as he had pulled up to the residence, but recognized it instantly. It was Thomas Cavanaugh's home.

"Never mind what I was going to say. Listen and observe anything you can. Take notes. This the rep for Union Central Dome. Everyone knows his house. He's one of the original founding members of Paradigm's Corp."

"In other words…"

"You could say he's as powerful as the President, just with better connections."

The home was indeed very recognizable. The stone and brick home had Gothic columns around the entrance, and multiple points where the roof rose at an angle. Neatly trimmed hedges formed a barrier that concealed a walkway that led to different areas of the house. The gated drive through was shut, but an MP standing guard opened the gate to let Roger in. Roger pulled around the circular driveway which had a large, ornate fountain in the center. Car parked, he stepped out along with Dorothy, putting on his sunglasses. They walked up the stairs and into the mansion.

Dastun was standing in a corner of the main entrance area, talking to one of the coroners. The bodies of the fallen had been removed as the tape that had outlined them remained, with flecks of blood near them. Roger looked at Dorothy for a moment, nodding at her, and she wandered off to look around. Roger continued walking to Dastun.

"What took you?" he hissed at Roger, "I got the press, my bosses, and the council pressuring me to get answers." Dastun waved the coroner off, who nodded, and went back to work.

"I was busy this morning and traffic. I'm assuming you're halting all traffic near here to keep the press at bay?"

Dastun nodded. "We may have a situation. I've heard rumors already, Cavanaugh didn't like the President at all, and she's the main suspect."

"Who's starting that rumor?"

"There were four of the council that were very close to Cavanaugh, so it has to be one of them or all of them. But now the council's all flustered. I've assured them that his a totally random incident, but…"

Dastun looked around to make sure no one was near him and whispered, "Roger, the way Cavanaugh and his family were killed, they were executed. It was clean. Apparently, a couple of victims panicked and ran. Those two you see in the entrance, probably the ones that panicked. Then there's also the issue with the Madam President."

Dastun turned pink, double checking his surroundings once more. "I'm technically her alibi."

Roger raised an eyebrow. "If you're her alibi, you can simply say you were in an meeting with her."

"Like a late at night, 2 a.m. in the morning kind of meeting? It's the coroner's estimated time of death for most of the bodies found."

Roger understood what Dastun was trying to tell him. "So, in other words, this situation is very delicate then, and could cause a conflict of interest between you and her, and with the council. Any chance there's anyone on her detail you trust that they can vouch for you, until I do some digging and get some results?"

"I have two. Might work, but the council wants the murderer found. But so far, we've found shell casings, and nothing more. It's going to be a while, for any forensics to get back, even with putting a rush on it."

"Then there's the fact that Cavanaugh was a vocal opponent of Angel's on the council. Do you know if Cavanaugh had any other people he made enemies with or had disagreements with, Dastun?

"That list won't never end. Cavanaugh made friends and enemies. But because the Madam President and him didn't get along, naturally that get the spotlight first." Dastun sighed, shaking his head. "It was probably a bad idea, getting involved with her."

"What's done is done. But she'll need you now more than ever, when everyone comes after her. I would suggest going somewhere private and not out in public." When Dastun looked like he was about to protest, Roger continued, "Dorothy has been hanging out with Angel, and Angel has told her a lot, and in turn, Dorothy tells me. We have no secrets from one another. Angel needs you, Dastun. She's feeling very lost and confused about her power and apparently, she has found comfort and understanding in you. Though, I wouldn't mention I gave you that info."

Dastun slowly sighed, looking around once more to make sure no one was around.

"This won't make my life easy. Roger, anything you can find… I would appreciate it."

He looked around and saw Dorothy poking around.

"You teach her how to meddle just like you?"

Roger saw Dastun looking at Dorothy.

"Dorothy? She was already a natural at that."

Dastun gave a small smile and adjusted his hat, before the smile disappeared.

"There's something else. I'm not sure if it's relevant."

"Mm? What is it?"

"Remember former Lt. Davidson?"

"I do. He was just sentenced not too long ago. What about him?"

"He's dead."

Roger's eyebrows furrowed. "When?"

"Just a few days after New Year's. He was supposed to be in max and segregated from the rest of the population, but there was a mix up on his paperwork. He got transferred to the medical bay, for a physical check up, not sure what about, still looking into that. But, an inmate worker got to him, stabbing him multiple times. He bled out. Nothing they could do. Everyone knew he was a cop and protocol was followed until that day to keep him segregated. It's been a mess. I was dealing with it before this happened, but that case is gonna have to go to the back burner for a bit."

"So, you don't think Davidson was killed because he was a former MP, and considered low on the social hierarchy of the prison population. You think there's more to it."

"Call it a hunch. Have I ever been wrong?"

"No. Paranoid, yes, but your hunches have never been wrong, for the most part."

While the men talked, Dorothy walked around the mansion, exploring the rooms. She was now in view of Dastun and Roger, studying the wall near the living room. At first, she was admiring a portrait of what appeared to be a nature scene in the woods, trying to take her mind off what she had seen earlier in one of the rooms. The picture had to be worth almost as much as the house as it looked before forty years ago. But then something got her attention below the painting, near the decorative stand. Dorothy looked around her, no one was watching. She slipped on her gloves Roger had given her and began checking the wall. There was a minor indentation, hard to see unless you were up close, but it had been patched up.

She looked over at Roger and Dastun and waved them over and pointed at her observation.

"What did you find, Dorothy?" asked Roger, crouching down to see what she was pointing at.

"I think that looks like a bullet hole, but it's been patched up with putty and painted over. But I guess the putty hadn't fully cured when they painted it because there was indentation that looks like it was made by the brush. When I was looking at the painting, I saw the indentation in the wall. But no one died over here."

Dorothy stood up to allow Dastun to take a look.

"You're right, Dorothy. Good find," said Dastun.

"Perhaps someone made a house call before the murder?" wondered Roger, "It looks somewhat recent. Colors don't match exactly…"

"Dunno, but if we can compare it to what we have found, might give us some insight."

Dastun called a forensics team over to take a look at the wall. Roger and Dorothy fanned out to look around the entrance hall. Roger scanned the floor while Dorothy looked over the walls. Roger, using a sweeping motion with his foot to check for any indentations or imperfections in the floor as the light color made it hard to see, Dorothy feeling over the walls for any imperfections.

Roger got near the staircase when he observed something in the grout. Browns spots? He put on his gloves and crouched down to touch them. They were stained in the grout, not dirt. Dorothy was moving into view when Roger stopped her and motioned her over.

"What does that look like to you?"

"It looks like… dried blood? Honestly, it looks like a part of the floor if you look at the pattern of the marble."

A young MP ran through the entrance to Dastun, who was still on the wall with the forensics team. He caught Roger's attention as he handed something over to Dastun, what appeared to be a case file. Dastun looked it over a moment. Roger stood up, looking around at the floor. Dorothy looked at Roger, trying to find the direction he was looking in and fan out from there.

"Dorothy, is it me or does the grout over here, look whiter than normal?"

"Like it's been bleached, but why?"

She looked over by the spot Roger had noticed. The grout not near the area was off-white, compared to the area they were standing in. Dastun walked over with the case file.

"Sounds like there was a robbery a couple of months ago, but nothing was taken. However, Cavanaugh's butler was shot, apparently trying to stop it."

Roger raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a black light kit handy?"

Dastun motioned over one of the forensic techs for his black light kit.

"What is it?"

"Spray the luminol here and here, and on the wall."

Roger, Dorothy, and Dastun took a step back while the forensics tech did their work. They waited for the tech to finish spraying the chemical. Then the tech turned on the black-light. A giant spot where the bleached area in the grout had been, glowed. Splatter along the wall glowed as well.

"You found the butler," said Dastun.

Roger grimaced. "I'm starting to think the butler didn't die because he protected the family jewels. May I have the case numbers for all the cases you mentioned?"

Dastun pulled out a notepad and scribbled them on a sheet, tearing it off to hand to Roger. Roger pocketed the note.

"I appreciate the help, Roger."

Roger nodded at Dorothy, indicating it was time go. "Give me some time with this. Hold the line until then. I'll call you when I have something.

Dastun nodded at Roger, and Roger and Dorothy turned heel and walked out, back to the Griffon. Roger waited until they were inside the car and drove off, before asking her anything.

"Besides the things you found, anything else?"

"You didn't take a look at the room off to the left, did you?"

"No, I was talking to Dastun, then we got caught up in your discovery. If you see Angel, warn her that this case may cause of conflict of interest. Apparently, Dastun's her alibi, but the murders happened at around 2 a.m."

"I see. So, this could get complicated."

"If Dastun has a rival for his spot, yes. And Angel, well, being the President, bad press, they can question her judgment. Everything that she has worked hard for can be thrown out the window and used as leverage. I told Dastun what you told me. Normally, he would err on the side of caution, but if what you told me is true, it sounds like she needs him."

Dorothy nodded. "I'll let her know when I see her. But, back to the room. Roger… did Dastun tell you how they died?"

"Executed. Why?"

Dorothy paused to find her words carefully, not wanting to alarm Roger. "Roger, whoever killed them, lined them up with someone watching commit the murder, and then killed that person. And I think those two we saw in the entrance hall, were the ones that got up and ran. It didn't…I don't know. It felt very bad, like there was a heaviness in the room. Roger, I…"

Roger took off his glasses, putting them in coat pocket.

"What is it, Dorothy?"

"I think… who ever this was… killed kids. There were two small body outlines… in that room off to the left…"

Roger gripped the steering wheel tightly, grimacing with anger. He composed himself as he merged onto the freeway.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry you saw that. I'll confirm it with Dastun later on. Something tells me, all these cases are linked. And they have something to do with Angel's case."

"What cases are you talking about that are linked?"

Roger explained the Davidson case to her.

"You think someone is tying up loose ends?" asked Dorothy, once he finished.

"Apparently so. But if they are, it makes sense as to why the council is wanting the murderer found, ASAP. Most of them have families. I think this was a message delivered to them in particular by our enemy in the shadows. Now the council is afraid, and doesn't want anything to do with them. And when I mean council, I'm thinking whoever's working with them."

Roger gripped the steering wheel tightly. Regardless of their status, to kill a child for the sake getting a point across, was crossing the line. This person or people, they were not messing around.

"At least we can say something certain on Angel's case," he muttered.

"What's that?"

"I don't think our enemy is on the council like Angel thinks. I think our enemy is using the council while they hide in the shadows. Otherwise, why would the council be so afraid of what happened to Cavanaugh? No, I need to know who else has been opposing Angel and as soon as possible."

Roger shifted the gear into five, weaving his way in and around cars to get to the exit for The Speakeasy.

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Roger took his seat with at the table with Big Ear while Dorothy remained in the car. Big Ear turned the page of his paper.

"What's with the mood?" said Big Ear. Roger was scowling.

"Let's cut to the point. I need the names of those who oppose the Madam President the most. I know one of them is already dead, and possibly who ever killed him and his family, might go after the others."

"Cavanaugh had an inner circle that composed of four additional council members. All were known to have shady dealings in the past with, well, toss a coin and it'll land somewhere they've had their hands in. Cavanaugh was one of the original founding members of Paradigm. He lived a long life, made a long list of enemies, but he always kept the same friends."

Big Ear turned the page again, looking over his paper. Roger tapped his finger on the table impatiently.

"You have McConnell, the man who's responsible for the shipping industry. Hill, the man who created the public transportation system in between the domes. Harriman, who founded the Paradigm Bank and centralized the banking system, by wiping out local competition, and Vanderbilt, the man whose company created the automobile industry and weapons, and is responsible for filling the contracts for the MP's needs. Combined with Cavanaugh's influence, they made a powerful quintet and while they may have been in the minority, they have been known to swing legislation in their favor, until recently, that is."

"The Madam President," said Roger softly.

"She's cunning for a politician. Outwitting the council using dirt she had found about each of the members during the hostage crisis to get what she wanted was a bold move. However, Cavanaugh and his friends did not like what happened that night. I heard Cavanaugh's was on the war path, desperate to find anything he could use against her. But for a politician, she covers her trail well. Of course, her detail also vouches for her."

"Cavanaugh was desperate to find information on the President?"

"Desperate. Some say he lost face with the council, and was no longer a threat. Many of the council were relieved that the Madam President found dirt on him as they had been trying for years."

"So, the question who and why did they kill him…" Roger covered his mouth, thinking

"Don't forget what for. He had a list of enemies going back as far as Paradigm's founding."

"There's a rumor going around that the Madam President wanted him dead."

"Naturally, they would go to her first as she's the figurehead, but she doesn't strike me as the type. There's a good chance the someone on the council did him in or someone he ticked off. It'll be hard telling. Though, I did hear an interesting rumor that he made a deal with 'The Devil', not too long ago, and 'The Devil' came to collect when he didn't have payment."

"'The Devil'?"

"No one knows for sure. This person has been rarely seen. But they say they're a messenger of death. If you're visited by them, chances are you're getting a warning, or a bullet."

"Know what this 'Devil' looks like?"

"I don't."

Roger sighed. "The Devil" rumor seemed closest to his hunch.

"So, the question is, if you are paid by a visit from this 'Devil,' what's the payment you're to offer it? Hmm… I see now. Could you keep your ear to the ground and any info you hear of this 'Devil,' save it for me?"

Big Ear nodded. Roger got up from his chair, placing a stack of twenties on Big Ear's table as he left the Speakeasy.