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Noxumbra Files

Case 4: The Favor

Part 1

By XP Author

Tag groaned, once more hating himself for pulling another all-nighter. He spent almost the entire night following his client's husband, hoping to get evidence of the man cheating on her. Instead, he ended up finding the man was a drug dealer, apparently pretty high up on the chain by how much he was handing out. Tag even recognized a few of the people he handed off to as street dealers. He snapped as many pictures as he could, making sure to get the street dealers in them as often as possible. The man had gone all over town doing it, so it was already dawn by the time Tag got back to his office. He downloaded all the pictures onto a flashdrive, planning to turn it in to the cops. That was for later. First, he went to bed.

Checking the clock, he saw it was almost three in the afternoon. He groaned again, rolling himself out of his bed, only for his large ears to flarp over his head and into his face. He brushed them back and stretched stiff limbs. He was moving to his closet to get fresh clothes when he realized he was hearing voices from the office itself. It was not unusual for him to hear Christa's voice every so often, though his bedroom was far enough back that it never woke him. However, it was not just her voice he was hearing. After listening for a moment, he realized he recognized the second voice, too. It belonged to Ginny. "The hell is she doing here this time." He shook his head, changing into clean clothes. "At least she didn't break into my room this time..."

He stepped out of his room, which led directly into the kitchen. He found a pot of coffee ready, half-emptied already. He still smiled and poured himself some. Even a few hours old, he really could use the caffeine. He also got to listen in on the conversation going on in the front. By context, he figured Ginny was telling Christa about Bill, the bull-taur that tended to the archives. "Yeah, and as a 'taur he's something like 8 feet tall. Absolutely towers over almost everyone. He even made big-ears look short in comparison!"

The panda giggled. "Oh, that must be a sight to behold. I don't think I've ever met anyone taller than Tag."

Ginny continued. "Not just short, but tiny! He's also super muscular. Like, bulging muscles all over the place. Looks kinda like a bodybuilder. He says it's all-natural, too. No steroids or anything. He's torn so many uniform tops, they just let him wear a business shirt that's got elastic in it or something. I've still seen him rip those, too." She giggled. "Gotta say, it's a pretty nice view when he does."

"Oh... I'll bet. Though being around someone like that must be terrifying..."

Tag took that moment to make his presence known. "Only the first impression." He stepped out of the kitchen and into the main office. "Despite how he looks, Bill's a big softy. I'm not sure he's capable of hurting someone."

Christa smiled as she leaned to look around the rat. "Good afternoon, Tag. Glad you could join us."

Ginny had dragged one of the stuffed chairs for clients over to the side of the panda's desk so she could sit in it. Though sit was maybe not the right term for how she was lounging. One leg was draped over the arm of the thing, her back leaning against the other. She tilted her head back to look at him. "Hey, tall boy."

He nodded, raising his mug. "Hello to you, too. Dare I ask what brings you to my office this time? Got another task for me?"

The rat shook her head. "Nah. I'm actually not here for you at all! I came to apologize to your assistant for how I talked to her on the phone last time."

He quirked an eyebrow, glancing at the panda. Christa gave him a big smile, holding up a box of donuts, half of them already gone. "She also brought a bribe! Double chocolate, too!"

He nodded, moving over to his desk and turning on his computer. "Well, I'm glad you two are getting along." Once the computer was on, he started tapping away an e-mail to the client, letting her know that her husband was not cheating, but she should still consider leaving soon. He did not go further into detail, not wanting to tip-off that he was going to turn him in to the cops for the drugs. "Unfortunately, I won't be sticking around for long."

Ginny tilted her head. "Oh? Got a date?"

He smirked, but shook his head. "No. Turns out the suspected cheater I was founding is a drug supplier. Pretty high up. He was going around all night handing out to other street dealers." He held up the flashdrive. "Going to be heading to the precinct and turning this in for them. Going to hand it over to Susan. She'll pass it on to who it needs to go to."

The rat blinked. "Susan?"

Christa explained. "Susan Sudders. She's the captain down at Tag's old precinct. He hands over information to her for the cops to deal with if something like this comes up."

He nodded as he finished sending the e-mail. "Yup!" Once he was done, he stood up again. "Alright. I've informed the client about what I found, excluding the drug part. She'll probably call later. Keep it vague. Don't want her husband knowing he's been found out before the cops can do a sting or raid or whatever."

The panda nodded, but before she could say anything, Ginny hopped to her feet. "I'll come with ya!"

He quirked an eyebrow again. "Why? I'm not doing anything exciting or dangerous."

She shrugged. "Yeah, but I'd still like to. They don't let me get out much, especially without an escort. Getting tired of being cramped up in HQ. If I'm with you, they can't complain too much!"

He shook his head, but didn't argue. "Alright. Suit yourself. Just make sure to behave yourself. And don't complain about being bored." Ginny gave him a huge grin, following him as he walked out of the office, giving a wave to Christa as they left.

* * *

He handed the small drive over to the beaver. "Made sure to get as many pictures of the product and the dealers as I could, too. Should be enough to get a warrant, or at least push the dealers that will flip on him."

The captain nodded. "Good work as always, Tag. I'll pass these on to narc and let them go over the pictures. They'll probably know a few of the regulars. I'm sure one is already an informant." She set the thing down on her desk, then nodded at the window facing out of her office and into the main section of the precinct. "Who's the rat? New protege?"

He glanced over his shoulder. Ginny was looking around, clearly bored. "Not quite. She's... uh..." He sighed. "It's complicated. She's basically a periodic partner for a new client I'm doing contract work for. Not at liberty to say any more than that."

Susan nodded. "She seems like the rough sort. More like a thug than someone's partner." She looked at him. "This contract work... you're not in any trouble, are you?"

He caught the implication and laughed. "No, I'm not working for any of the families or syndicates. It's more related to my... other skills." He wiggled his fingers a little, getting an understanding nod from her. She was one of the few people that ever believed he had abilities, though she had good reason to. "It's a private group, but they like to keep their secrets, so I like I said, I can't really say any more."

The police captain nodded slowly. "Alright. I won't pry. Just keep yourself out of trouble. You know I can't and won't protect you if you end up getting caught doing something you shouldn't."

He nodded. "Don't worry. We don't do anything that gets in the cops' way." He hated lying to her, but he didn't exactly want to try and explain about how magic and monsters were real. Even if she did believe in his psychic powers, that was just a step too far. Hell, he still had trouble believing it. He gave her one final nod and stepped out. He pat Ginny on the shoulder.

She looked up. "Done already?"

He nodded to her. "Yup. Told you it was just going to be a quick hand-off." He held his hand up before she could even say anything. "Don't worry, I didn't say anything about your employer."

The rat smiled. "Alright. Good. Or you might end up in the dungeons." He couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "So, what now?"

Tag shrugs. "Nothing. That's all I had for today. I was thinking I might get some lunch and-"

"The hell you doing here, Victor?" He sighed as the grating voice interrupted him. "You know you're not a cop anymore, right? Or did you get yourself busted?"

He turned to see his old partner, Detective Jason Alistar. "Hello to you, too, Jason. I was just turning over evidence."

The ferret scoffed. "Evidence? About what? The latest sightings of aliens and ghosts?"

Ginny giggled, but Tag nudged her to keep quiet. "I'm not at liberty to discuss an ongoing case. Ask your captain if you want more details."

The detective frowned, turning his attention to Ginny instead. "Who's this? You're newest squeeze?"

The rat stepped forward before Tag could stop her. "I'm Ginny. I'm his partner."

"Oh yeah? Well, I used to be his partner." He glared at the shorter rat. "So believe me when I say you'd do good to find a new one quick."

Before the rat could escalate things, Tag gripped her arm. "That's enough meet and greet. We were just leaving. Pleasure as always, Detective Alistar."

Just as he was turning to leave, the ferret called out. "W-wait..." He turned to look, seeing an unusually pensive looking Jason. "I actually need to talk to you about something."

Now he had his attention. "About what?"

Jason took a long moment, then blurted it out. "Jan's gone missing."

"Your partner?"

He nodded. "Yeah. She didn't come in yesterday or today. She's not answering her phone, either. It's too early to really put in for a missing person's report." He sighed. "I looked around her place, but nothing seemed out of sorts. I thought..."

Tag finished. "You want me to see if I can _see_something you didn't?" He had to admit, he was getting a real dark satisfaction seeing the ferret squirm.

"I want you to do your PI thing and find her. That's it." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'll pay you."

He played at thinking about it for a moment, though he had already decided. "Hrmmm, sure. I'll take the case. Don't worry about the pay. You'll just owe me another favor."

Jason glared. "I don't owe you shit!" He took a deep breath. "But thanks... Her apartment is at 11337 Bergonsen Street. Kiwi Flats. Building 3, number 316. First floor... There's a hide-a-key in the plant by her door."

Tag made a mental note of all that. "Alright. I'll get on that and let you know if I find anything."

The ferret huffed. "Yeah. You do that. But don't fuck anything up for an investigation. Now get the fuck out of here. Don't like the way your 'partner' is looking at me."

He looked over at Ginny, who had been quite quiet during all of that. She was giving Jason one of her unnerving smiles, staring unblinkingly at him. "Stop scaring the man, Ginny. He's sensitive." He heard the grunt behind him as he started to walk away.

Once the two were outside and walking away, Ginny looked up at him. "So what was all that about?"

Tag filled her in... mostly. "When I was a cop, he was my junior partner."

She tilted her head. "Okay... so why does he obviously hate you?"

The jerboa smirked. "He never forgave me for saving him."

"From what?"

He shrugged. "Himself."

* * *

The apartments were hardly the nicest of places. The buildings were covered in graffiti and there was more trash around the dumpster than in it. It was about right for a cop's wages. The two made their way to the building in question. There were a few potted plants around the doorway, though they looked fake. "Let's see. Al said the key was hidden... ah, here it is." He picked up a small rock with a flat bottom. Turning it open, there was a little section that opened. Inside was a door key. "A little obvious, but sometimes the obvious is the least expected."

As soon as he touched the door, his vision flashed white. A very brief scene played in his mind from the perspective of the door. Being opened hurriedly, closed, then a body being pressed against him from the inside. They weren't struggling, but they were pressed pretty hard. Then they were gone, and the vision with it. He gasped and took a step back, putting a hand to his head.

Ginny glanced at him. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Odd vision. Someone pressed against the door from the inside. I can take a guess what was happening." He shook his head to clear it, then stepped forward to unlock the door. "Alright, so look around for anything out of place. Food uneaten, dishes left out, clothes, anything like that."

The rat nodded. "I'll just follow your lead on this. I'm not trained for this detective stuff."

They stepped into the very tiny apartment. "You didn't have to come with me. This is boring normal PI stuff. Even if we find foul play, it's normal cop stuff from there. No monsters." He looked around the place. It really was small. Almost a studio apartment, with the kitchen being more of a counter with an oven at the side of the living room. A door led to the bedroom on the other side. There was not much in the way of decorations, either. A few pictures on some shelves, some books, and a few cheap paintings you could buy at the store for a couple of bucks.

"She's not much of a decorator, is she?" Ginny stepped around him. "No food left out." She pointed at the pictures. "Think those could be something?"

He moved closer. Most of them were obviously family photos. Janice as a teen, wearing a soccer uniform and holding a trophy, another tiger beaming away nearby. He guessed her mother. Another of Janice in full police dress uniform, very likely the day she graduated from the police academy. It wasn't much different from when he had done it. Most of the rest were like that. "Well, the only thing I can get from these is that she's close with her mom, and probably not her dad. He's not in a single photo." He started to move towards the bedroom. "Might be something to note for later. I'll try to find out about her mother. See if maybe Jan went there for some reason."

The bedroom was just as neat and sparse as the rest of the place. "The bed's not been slept in for a while." The sheets were still made. There were also a half dozen pillows. "Well, let's see what we get this time." He reached out and touched the sheets. Sure enough, he got another vision. A moment later he staggered back, then looked like he was going to be ill. "Oh... I did NOT need to see that!"

Ginny giggled. "What? Is she into some really freaky, kinky shit?"

He shook his head. "No... but I know why Jason was so insistent now. He's fucking her." He squeezed his eyes shut. "Ah, that's going to be stuck in my head forever..."

The rat tilted her head. "Aren't cop partners not supposed to do that kind of thing with each other?"

"Yeah... it's a huge breach of regulations. Enough that it could cost both of them their badge." He shook his head again. "But that's not what we're here for. Not our issue. Just... fuck! I did NOT want to know what Jason looked like naked! Jesus..." He made his way back out into the living room. With a sigh, he looked around again. "Nothing's jumping out at me as out of place." He walked to the kitchen, opening her tiny fridge. "Hmm... pretty empty." He closed it again, then saw something on the door. A list of food. "Shopping list. Hadn't gone out for groceries before she went missing..."

Ginny called out. "Hey, I... maybe found something?" He turned. The rat had her hand in a trash bin.

He smirked. "Trash diving. Good instinct. You can find out a lot about someone by their trash. What'd you find?"

She held up a wad of papers. "Fast food wrappers. Whole bunch of 'em."

He shrugged. "Well, it's at least something.

The rat nodded. "Seems she's a fast food junkie. All from the same place." She opened one of them to show the logo, a big letter J in the middle of what looked like a tortilla. "Recognize it?"

"Yeah... Jake's Fajitas. It's a food truck that's usually set up not far from here." He frowned. "Not sure why she's so addicted to the place. Their food is terrible. The meat is always practically raw."

Ginny tossed the wrappers back into the trash. "Well, she's a tiger, right? Maybe she likes her meat raw."

He sighed. "Yeah, that's fair." He shook his head. "Well, it's the only lead we've got. I've touched half the stuff around here, and other than the door and the bed..." he shuddered. "...I haven't gotten any other visions." He was almost thankful, considering the last one.

"So we're going to the food truck?"

He nodded. "Yup."

* * *

"Hey, what can I get you two?" The possum behind the counter gave a big smile at the two. Tag noted the multiple grease stains on the man's apron. The name 'Dale' was emblazoned on it. At least he had a hat on to pull his hair back.

"Info. We're looking for someone that frequents this place." It took everything in Tag's power to not flinch from the smell of the place. It wasn't so much bad, but the smell of whatever spices got mixed into the meat was almost overpowering.

The possum's grin faded almost instantly. "Oh. Look, we don't hire illegals, so don't bother."

Tag just blinked at him. Ginny stepped in, giving the man a smile of her own. "A friend of mine's gone missing. We're trying to find her. Do you think you could help?"

Dale looked down at the rat, getting his smile back. Though Tag also noted that at the man's angle, he was more likely trying to look down Ginny's shirt. "Oh, for a cute thing like you? Sure. What's your friend look like?"

She let out a little giggle, complete with a slight hop that made her small chest jiggle just slightly, having come to the same conclusion her partner had. "Well, she's a tiger, 26, a bit taller than me. Kinda athletic, blonde hair."

"Oh, you mean Janice?" Ginny nodded quickly. "Yeah, I haven't seen her in a few days. It's odd, she's usually pretty regular. Usually comes by at the same time every day, a little after 5 in the afternoon. She gets herself the house special to go, extra sauce."

Tag spoke up. "When was the last time you saw her?"

The possum had to think about that for a second. "Uh... three days ago? Yeah, Tuesday. Normally would have been here about half an hour ago, but nothing today, either."

"Does anyone else work here that might have seen her since?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I'm the only one that works this truck and this location for Jake's. I'm here from noon until 9 pm every day except Sundays."

Tag nodded. "Was there anything unusual the last time she was here?"

The possum shook his head. "Nah. Nothing..." his voice trailed off as he thought. "Well, there was the lizard."

Ginny perked up. "Lizard?"

He nodded to her. "Yeah. Some lizard came by and started chatting Janice up. Never saw her before, but they seemed like friends. Maybe someone from work."

Tag pulled out his notepad, scribbling down a few of the details. "Can you describe this lizard? Scale color, height, approximate age? Maybe be a little more specific about her species?"

Dale frowned at him. "Yeah, I can. She was..." his voice trailed off again, and he got a confused look. "Uh... green, I think? Or maybe it was kinda brownish?" He furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to remember. "I... uh... I'm not sure what she was. Snake, maybe? About..." he held his hand out, then looked confused again. "Not sure how tall she was. Couldn't be too old... about the same as Janice, I think? That's weird. I'm normally really good with faces... Y'know, remember customers for when they come back." He scratched the back of his head. "For the life of me, I can't remember anything about her. Just... lizard."

The jerboa still wrote down what he could. The gap in the man's memory was certainly worth noting. "Do you know which way they went after they left?"

Again the man had to concentrate to remember. "Uh... out to the..." He grunted, frustrated at himself. He closed his eyes, trying to force the memory to come back. "Not back the way Janice normally goes... or the way she came... I wanna say that way." He pointed in a direction across the street. "Walked off after talking and... I think they went down the alley?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry, that's all I can remember..."

Tag nodded. "That's still helpful, thanks." He was about to turn and head off where the man pointed, but instead, he got an idea. "By any chance, did the lizard order anything when she was here?"

Dale nodded. "Oh yeah! That I remember. She got herself two house specials, extra meat, no sauce. Wanted 'em as raw as I can make 'em without breaking code. I call it The Carnivore Special." Before Tag could say anything, the possum added. "Paid in cash, so don't bother asking for credit card info."

Instead, Ginny asked. "You don't happen to have any kind of security camera, do you?" Tag smirked as she beat him to the question. She had some pretty good instincts for this.

The possum grunted. "Of course I do! I turn the dashcam to face the window." He held up a hand. "But I erase the drive if nothing happens. It's pretty limited space, and it fills up running all day. So I got nothing to give ya. Sorry, cutie. Wish I could help more."

She smiled up at him, giving an even more ditzy-sounding giggle and doing a little bounce on her heels again. "You've been really helpful! Thanks!"

"Hey, any time." He called out as the two turned to walk away. "Come back anytime!"

Tag smiled at her. "If you kept that up for another few minutes, he probably would have offered you a free meal."

She giggled, though it was her usual dark giggle this time. "Followed by an offer to go back to his place. No thanks. Besides, I don't eat." She wiped her nose. "Which is good. The food smelled awful." He didn't argue that. "I notice you didn't try to touch his cart."

He shook his head. "No, I did not. I'd probably just get flashes of the meat being cooked badly or an argument with a customer or something. Or worse, him banging someone or, more likely, jerking off back there. Nothing I want to experience."

She glanced up at him. "Speaking from experience?" He nodded. "Now I'm really glad I don't eat." He smirked again. The two made their way down the alley that Dale had pointed to. It was pretty narrow, barely wide enough for a single car to pass through. "So, what are we hoping to find down a dirty alleyway?"

He let out a heavy sigh. "I have no idea, but it's the only lead we have right now." They went further, until they came upon a big dumpster. One of the typical green, metal kind that always seemed to live in alleys. He stopped to look at it, wondering if he should bother touching it and seeing if he got anything, though it would most likely just be of some homeless junkie getting a fix.

Ginny glanced at him as he stopped, then at the dumpster. "More trash diving?"

He shrugged. "Worth a shot, I guess."

He was about to reach out and touch it, but a hand held his wrist. "I'll open it and look inside first. Don't want you wearing yourself out before we know if it's even worthwhile." He smiled and nodded, stepping back. The rat braced herself for the smell, then flipped open the lid, only to stare. "It's empty..."

"Well, I guess that solves tha-"

"Wait!" She interrupted. "There's something at the bottom." Before he could say anything, the rat had hopped up and leaned herself over the edge. As she reached down, her feet kicked a little. He couldn't help but notice her butt was sticking out, too, furless tail waving about as she grunted with the effort. "Got it!" She leaned back and held up what she found, a leather jacket. "Huh... maybe not so worth it."

She was about to throw it back in when Tag stopped her. "Hang on. This looks like the one Janice was wearing in some of the pictures at her place."

"Think it's hers?"

He shrugged. "One way to find out." He reached out and touched the jacket. Sure enough, his vision was filled by a white flash within an instant.

* * *

Not for the first time, he was a piece of clothing. Thanks to the training he had been doing, he now was able to pick up conversations during these object visions, though they still sounded muffled. He was being worn by an athletic woman, a hand around her shoulder. The hand was scaled, but smooth. The voice that spoke was not Jan's, but someone else. She spoke with slow, melodic tones, almost like she was singing more than talking. "Just follow me, kitty. Stay nice and relaxed. No need to panic. Don't get yourself taxed. I'll keep you safe and sound, just follow me. I'll make you smile, and be happy." There was something about the way she sang that was calming. Unnaturally so.

They walked for a short time, then he felt himself being pushed against something metal. The dumpster. "To my lair, little cat, follow my lead. To my home, sweet girl, my words you will heed." Jan just mumbled nothingness, nodding along slowly. "Your coat, take it off. It's just far too warm. To the trash you will throw it, and show off your form." Another nod, and he was being removed. A moment later, he was tossed into the dumpster.

He still heard her as she walked away. "At my side you will stay, with no words and a smile. Follow my tail as we walk for a while. To the east we travel, to the water we go. To the docks you will follow, as I sing so." The voices grew too distant for him to hear anymore. Soon after, the white overtook him again as the vision ended.

* * *

He flinched back as his senses came back into his own body. He shook his head, feeling a little more dizzy than normal. A hand grabbed his shoulder to steady him. "Anything useful?"

He nodded. "Yeah... though it raises some questions." He put a hand to his head as the dizziness faded quickly. "Well, first off, I can confirm that is Jan's jacket. And the lizard is... a singer...?"

Ginny blinked. "Singer?"

He shook his head. "It was... very strange. She was singing at Jan the whole way, or... rhyming in tune, at least. It was all commands to do things like follow her, stay relaxed, take the jacket off, then follow again. Jan did all of it, like... I dunno, she was hypnotized or something."

The rat blinked. "Singing... hypnotizing... snake lady?" She looked down, trying to think. She gasped. "A lamia!"

Tag looked at her. "Okay. What's that?"

She smiled at him. "It's a type of naga sub-breed. Snake monsters that can hypnotize through song. It's said to be one of the most powerful kinds of hypnotism, able to make people do almost anything short of killing themselves. Though someone under their influence could totally be convinced to kill someone else. Or stand still while they kill you."

He blinked. "Really?" He knew a little of hypnotism, having looked into it when he was first researching his abilities. From what he knew, the survival instinct prevented anyone from being hypnotized to death. But if they could be convinced to stand there while someone else killed them, then it must be pretty powerful. "Well, let's hope that this lamia just wanted our wayward detective for her gun arm and badge. They went to the docks. Which only somewhat narrows our search down. Tons of empty warehouses and abandoned factories out there."

Ginny nodded. "Well, I'll help!" She grinned wide at him, her tail swaying. "Aren't you glad I stuck around now?"

He smiled. "Yeah. I guess so. Can't seem to escape these sorts of things now that I'm involved."

She shrugged. "You just know what you're looking for now. Anyway, I'll call it in on the way, let HQ know there's a lamia on the loose in the city. They're super dangerous."

He sighed, "Great." He groaned. "Anything else I need to know."

"Oh, yeah. They eat people."

He groaned again. "This just keeps getting better..."

* * *