Dane Curse (15 page)

Chapter 28

Lynx drove me to a stately stack of bricks in the east side of town with a fountain and lush hanging gardens out front. She pulled past the security checkpoint and into an underground parking structure. I looked over at her. “You said we were going to a bar.”

“I said drink, not bar, and considering what we just pulled off I figured some privacy might be nice.” She found a spot and backed into it.

“Good point.” I hopped out of the car, opened the trunk, and retrieved my gear. “So where are we?”

Lynx led me into the elevator. “My apartment.”

“I thought you lived in the Mountains.”

“I have a place there, but I keep a few others around town in case.”

“In case of what?”

“Just in case.” When we arrived at the seventh floor the elevator doors opened directly into the living room. I followed Lynx in. She slipped off her lab coat, and tossed it on a chair. “What do you think?”

I had no idea. I was too busy watching her walk to have an opinion, but said, “It’s beautiful.”

“Really?” She stopped and turned to me.

By then I was looking around, and I was right, it was beautiful. But it wasn’t girly. The walls were covered with plants and natural wood, with thick carpet on every inch of floor. A sofa and two chairs sat in the center. They were wrapped in creamy leather giving the room a hunting lodge feel so authentic I could practically smell fox pheromones. “Yeah, it’s great.”

“Thanks. Have a seat, I’ll fix us a drink.” She kicked off her shoes, went to the bar, and retrieved a bottle with a pair of tumblers.

I took off my coat, and parked on her couch.

She joined me, poured two large glasses of the brown stuff, and we sat and sipped.

“So about the case,” I said.

“No. Not yet. I need a second to unwind.” She pulled her legs up, and turned towards me. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself? How’d you get into this business?”

“Ah, it’s sort of personal.”

Lynx grabbed my chin and turned it towards her. “I think I’ve earned it.”

She was right about that. “It was my family.”

“Really, they wore the black cape, too?”

“Mom and Ray? No, that’s funny. They were both regs. Ma was as straight laced as they come, but Ray, I never told ma this, but it was my brother’s fault I donned the cape in the first place. I got special in my early twenties. Back then I was employed in a warehouse doing halfwit work, but my pay helped the family. Raymond wasn’t much for the day labor. He joined a gang and started pulling heists that he thought were the real hot ticket. When I found out I asked him to quit.”

“Did he?”

“Hell yeah. By then my powers were fully manifested, and I didn’t give him an option. But the guy who ran his crew saw an opportunity. Said he’d let Raymond go only if I took his place.”

“The stones. Did you break him in two?” Lynx said.

“In retrospect I should’ve, but I was still green and the threat really scared me. I mean what’s the good of being bulletproof if your family isn’t? So I went to work, and made sure Raymond stayed clean.”

“Why didn’t you quit after a while?”

“Because I liked it.”

“Ahhh.” Lynx nodded. “That I understand.”

“Plus I was skilled. And smart. Compared to them at least. I had a real talent for planning burglaries and our scores got bigger, big enough to get noticed, so after a few months I was approached by Subatomic. He offered me a spot with Dread Division, and with that came bigger scores, more lettuce, and protection for my family.”

“What happened to them, are they still in Gold Coast?”

“No,” I said, “they both died.”

Lynx put her hand on my thigh. “How?”

“Raymond got hit by a truck walking home with his girl one night. She was pregnant. A lot of people, my mom included, blamed me. They thought it was a message. I found out a few years later it was just a horrible accident.”

“Yeesh. And what happened to your mother?”

“Cancer, a few years after.”

“So when did you become a detective?”

“It was right after mom got sick. I was up on Ayers visiting Ray, and… you ever go up there?”

“I’ve never had a reason to.”

“You’re lucky. Most of it’s a regular graveyard, but there’s one section dedicated exclusively to black capes who died on the job. Usually nobody claims those bodies, so the only thing that marks their time on this earth is a stone engraved with a villain’s name and the day they died. I was up there paying respects when I ran into an old friend of my ma’s. Her kid was some small-time cape who got himself killed on the job. The cops don’t waste time investigating that sort of thing, but as you can imagine it had the old bird twisted, so she asked me to look into it. Find out what happened. After I did she was so grateful she gave me some dough.”

“It couldn’t have been more than you were earning.”

“It wasn’t even close, but that didn’t matter, it felt… right. Anyway, soon after I met Carl Cutter. He specialized in black cape snooping, and offered to take me on as a partner, show me the ropes. So long story short I said sayonara to Dread Division and became a shamus.”

“That must’ve made mom proud.”

“She didn’t believe I had gone straight at first.” A smile I couldn’t stop bubbled up. “But yeah, before she passed she was real proud.”

“That’s one hell of a tale.” Lynx leaned forward, grabbed the bottle, and when she saw it was empty got up for a fresh one. When she returned she said, “I’m glad you didn’t say it was because you found God or something worse… you’re just a white cape at heart.”

“No,” I laughed. “What I do is definitely not the white cape thing. But I try to help.”

“Just like Benjy.” She sighed and took a drink. I watched her do it, and noticed her leg was pressed against mine. It gave off heat like volcanic rent. I shifted a few inches away. She turned to me, leaned over, and put her head on my shoulder. “I miss him, you know. So much.” She reached up, and rubbed above my collar. “Sorry again, about your neck.”

Anybody who tells you that invulnerable skin’s immune to goose bumps doesn’t know what they’re talking about. “Um, that’s fine, so… you want to know anything else?”

“Yes.” She took the glass out of my hand, and put it on the table. Then she threw her leg over my lap, and straddled me. Her breath was warm. Her hair smelled like jasmine.

She leaned in.

“Whoa now.” I grabbed her waist, and held it right where it was. “That’s far enough.”

She put her hands on mine. “You don’t want this?”

“Of course I do, bad, but…” I knew where that sentence was going when I started it, but she felt so good I got lost on the way.

“So then.” Lynx grabbed my collar and started to unbutton my shirt. Then her mouth, full, warm, and still wet from the whiskey pressed against mine, and parted my invulnerable lips with ease. She bit my lower one, and ran her tongue across it. I began to grind my hips into hers.

Then I gained control and lifted her off me. “I have to go.”

“Don’t. It’s too early.”

I stood up.

“Don’t go.” Lynx jumped to her feet, and swept my legs, bringing us both crashing to the couch. I tried to fight, but the lady’s TK wouldn’t let me budge. Still, I pushed back as hard as I could. “You’re going to destroy my sofa.”

“Let me up,” I said, “I’m serious.”

“Ok. Relax.”

She released me, and I got to my feet. “Don’t do that again.”

Lynx pounced on me, and we fell to the floor. “And if I do?” She lowered her mouth to mine. Those soft lips did a much better job of keeping me pinned than the TK had. After a few seconds she came up for air.

It gave me a second to think. “Lynx, you don’t want to do this. You’re-”

“I know what I am.” Her shoulders dropped. “I’m sorry, but I need to be with someone, and I trust you. I like you. Please. I want this. Don’t make me take it.”

She kissed me again, and my hands grabbed her. Hard. Those two treacherous bastards at the ends of my arms had gotten me into trouble before, but this was a new low. I lifted up Lynx’s skirt and took a run up her thighs. I didn’t stop until her dress was completely off, and a few feet away. Then I used my fingers to trace every inch of her terrain like I was making a map. Lynx grabbed my shirt, and tore it off.

How we made it to the bedroom is still a mystery.

Chapter 29

Afterward we stayed in bed for a while, twisted around each other like Hermes’ snakes. Her hair lay across my chest in such a way that when I looked down I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began. “That was nice,” I said.

She nuzzled my neck like a kitten. “Yeah it was.”

“I never thought… I didn’t…”

She kissed my nose. “You’re cute.”

“No one’s called me that before.”

“Really?”

“Just my friend Monday.”

“Who?”

“Never mind.”

“Well, it’s hard to believe you don’t hear it more often.”

“Really?” I ran a finger down her spine. “I don’t know if you’re kidding or telling the truth.”

“Well,” she got up on an elbow. “That’s the fun, isn’t it? A bit of mystery and all. But in this case I’ll tell you I’m shooting you straight.” The phone rang, and she picked it up. “Hello? Yes. Yes.” Her face fell a few inches. “I understand. I’ll be there shortly.”

I put my hands behind my head. “What’s that about?”

“Fun’s over. That was Skip. The board’s meeting.”

“Now?” I looked at my watch. “At ten pm?”

Lynx hopped out of bed. “Now.”

I used my watch to activate Jane’s homing autopilot so that she’d be outside waiting for me. “What’s up? This about today?”

“I don’t know, but if it is I told you I can handle it.” She walked to her bathroom, stopping in front of the mirror. “Before I leave why don’t you tell me about your theory on the Black Bleach. I can’t see how it’s involved with Benjy. Anyone who ingested it would be long dead before they were strong enough to hurt him.”

“That’s right.” I watched her apply lipstick, eyeliner, and run a very lucky brush through her hair. I’ve had worse times. “You’d make a good detective.”

“Well if you know all that then why’d we do what we did?” She left the bathroom and entered the walk-in closet.

“Are you familiar with MAGMAs?”

“Yeah. The board just purchased some.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. Did your dad know about it?”

“Of course he did. An asset that expensive couldn’t have been acquired without his approval.”

I knew it.
 “Well, he didn’t mention that during our last meeting.”

“So? He keeps a lot of secrets. Are they involved?”

“I think someone coated the tip of one with Black Bleach, and then shot Benjamin with it. The chemical reaction inside him is the only thing that could’ve caused the wounds I saw on his body.”

Lynx emerged in a conservative black dress and heels. She sat on the side of the bed, and asked, “How can you fasten liquid to a bullet?”

“They do it with Azures,” I said, “Professor Varius told me the process isn’t difficult.”

“That’s true, but is a MAGMA really powerful enough?”

“The guy who sells them swears it could break Pinnacle’s skin.”

“Then that gives dad access to the murder weapons, but I still doubt he was involved.”

“That makes one of us.”

“Well, it would explain why he didn’t tell me about Benjy, but sorry, I’m not convinced. Dad’s a lot of things, but careless isn’t one of them. He wouldn’t do something like this without being able to cover himself completely.”

“Good to know. However, in my opinion the real hole in my theory is that in order for the MAGMA to work the marksman would have to be extremely far away, like well over two miles. And to the best of my guy’s knowledge there’s no sniper that skilled in the world.”

Her face dropped. Lynx looked away. “Yes there is. But it’s not possible…”

I grabbed her chin, and turned her to me. “What’s not possible?”

She took a deep breath and swallowed. “A sniper. That’s what dad is. Nobody knows this, but back when he was in Israel, in the army, he specialized in long-range marksmanship. He was their best.”

A heavy silence fell between us. It took a moment for me to break it. “Are you serious? Lynchpin pulled the trigger?”

Lynx got up and paced the room. “I don’t know if you’re familiar with the art of accurate shooting over distances, but having the ability to control things with your mind is extremely helpful. He once hit a target from almost three miles out. My God. He did it.” She made a fist, and I felt the air pressure in the room double. The lamps, the bed, everything sank an inch under her power.

I walked to Lynx, put my hands on her shoulders, and she relaxed some. “Yeah, I think so. But all the evidence is circumstantial right now. I still have to prove it.”

“Then how do we? Prove it I mean?”

I thought for a second. “If we can show that your dad purchased the Kaos rifles and accessed the Black Bleach that’ll give us means. Add that to his skills, and it might be enough to take to the SPECs.”

“Ok. I’m not in the supply chain though, I don’t control any outflows of payments, but I can check on them easy enough. There might be ways to hide transactions, but I know what to look for. If we’re right though, and he is guilty, why do you think he did it?”

“Who knows?” I said. “Maybe he was lying and he didn’t like the two of you together. Maybe it has to do with his expansion into Japan. Probably both.”

Lynx dropped her jaw. “How do you know about that?”

“It’s my job.”

She turned away from me, shaking her head. “That would make sense. Dad’s been planning to move into the Asian black cape territories for months. He said the families there couldn’t stop us, that no one could, except Team Supreme.”

“Not anymore they can’t, not without Pinnacle.”

“Yeah.” She sighed, then looked at her watch. “Damn it, I’ve got to go. In the meantime, you be careful.”

I wrapped my arms around her. “You too.”

“I’m his daughter, he won’t-”

“He’s already killed one of his own kids.”

“Spitfire. I remember.” Lynx’s face turned red. She walked into the living room and I followed, scooping up my clothes on the way. I threw them on as fast as I could. “Alright Dane, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Meanwhile I’ll see if I can’t get us some assistance. But be sure to contact me regardless of what you find.”

She showed me to the door. “I will. And if we’re right, I’m going to want-”

“Revenge,” I said. “Me too,” I put on my hat, took a step outside, and turned around. I pulled her close and gave her a kiss on the mouth harder than all the others.             

#

When I got downstairs Jane was out front waiting for me. I needed rest, but instead of my apartment I drove to the office. The light was on, and when I walked in Widow was there, waiting.

“Late night, kiddo?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said, “I had some stuff to finish up.”

I looked at the clock. “After eleven? You liar.” I walked into the back room, and tossed my gear on the sofa. “How’d you know I’d be here?”

Widow followed me. “You always crash at the office when something big’s stirring.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah,” she said, “you told me Cutter used to do that.”

“He did. So?”             

Widow walked over and gave me a four-armed hug, which if you ask me are the best kind. She pulled away, but left her hands behind. “So the time has come. I need to know what’s going on.”

“I can’t, but you know I’d never freeze you out unless it was important.”

She shook her head. “No. Not that again. I promised myself that if you went home then I’d let this lie, but you came here which means I have to insist. Spill it.”

“Widow,” I looked in her eyes. I could see she was right so we sat down on my couch. I filled her in on everything I’d done the past few days. Mostly I focused on the action, leaving the romance out, and considering the severity of it all she took it pretty well.

“Ok, then that explains everything. I can’t believe you really found Pinnacle’s secret identity. I’m impressed boss, that’s like the black cape Holy Grail.” She let out a long whistle. “And you got the murder weapons, too. Any idea how you’re going to take down Lynchpin? The guy’s army is as big as all outdoors.”

“I’m thinking Monday can help with that. I’ll call him tomorrow.”

“Good idea. You give him the evidence and he’ll get the SPECs on board for certain.” We sat in silence for a few seconds, and a smile crept across her face. “You know, I think I’ll stop ribbing you about your skills now.”

“Thanks. Anyway, like I said, I’m sorry I kept it all from you.” I slapped her knee.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said.

“You’re a doll.”

Widow stood up, went to her desk, and started collecting her things. “Now that I know everything’s settled I’m going home. You need anything before I leave?”

I picked up a bottle of whiskey and a glass. “Nope, I’ve got it all well in hand. Good night.”

“Good night.” She turned her desk lamp off, and walked out the door.

I poured myself a healthy dose, leaned back, and closed my eyes. This was a good day. Productive. For the first time since I caught this case I felt confident that I might bring it to a close fast enough to stop a war. I just had to prove for certain that the whole thing was Lynchpin’s doing. For that I needed to- 

“Dane!”

I jumped up. “What?”

Widow ran past me, grabbed the remote off my desk, and clicked on the television. “Thought you might like to know, they just found the guy who killed Pinnacle.”