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Chapter 74: Shubenacadie

Liam crouched behind the driver's seat in Mrs. Davis' Jaguar, trying to keep the wind to a minimum as he spoke on the phone. They were driving down Jubilee toward his office, but he wanted to get the tests scheduled as quickly as possible. The head of the Q.E. II's Department of Diagnostic Imaging was being... stubborn. "Sir, I am aware that the schedule is full. I am merely asking that you try to find time, even if it requires that some overtime to be scheduled. My patient is in dire need of these tests, her case is advancing at an alarming rate, and without these tests we cannot begin the treatment!"

"I understand that, Doctor... ah, Mister Smith. That's what all doctors, pardon, ahem practitioners, say to get their patients bumped up in the queue. We can't fit her in, she can wait in line like everyone else."

Liam took a few deep and silent breaths, "She will not live long enough to wait." He kept talking, not permitting a response, "You are aware that Dr. Ping and Dr. Solmes have given me their complete confidence, as have dozens of other doctors in various fields. I do not appreciate the derision with which you address me. However, I am willing to hold a fund raiser for your hospital next month, auctioning off seven pieces of art with all proceeds going to the hospital. Ask around and see the potential prices the paintings may fetch. In return, find time to perform the tests I need."

There was momentary silence on the other end of the phone, "So... you'll gladly pay me on Tuesday for a hamburger today."

Liam also paused, "I do not eat hamburgers, I did not mention hamburgers, and I have no idea of what you speak."

He was answered by a sigh, "Character named Wimpy in the Popeye comic strips, done by somebody named, uh, Segar. Doesn't matter. You're offering to let me do the tests you want in return for the proceeds of an art auction, for art from a nameless artist and whose work is of dubious quality?"

Liam could not stop a soft growl, "Yes. It is my art and that is why I have given you two references to look into, both Dr. Ping and Dr. Solmes have seen examples of my work. You may also see three pieces of my art in the private dining room at the Phoenix Monk restaurant, which is not far from your office. Ask the owners for the appraised value, and the value at which they hold it."

He could hear the smug satisfaction on the other end, "I'll go look at it, then, and make those calls."

"Very well," Liam stopped himself from making a snide comment, "I will have my phone with me and will be at my office for the next while." He wanted to add that he was pleased the director of such a busy department could find time to wander out of his office to look at art, on a whim. Mrs. Davis was frozen, he could feel her chi was in absolute chaos, probably due to his 'will not live' line. Liam sat up and put his paw on her shoulder, "I will not lie, Mrs. Davis, your condition is... urgent. I will say that I hold Dr. Solmes in the highest regard and that we will both do whatever we can to ensure you not only live, but return to the state of health you enjoyed before."

She nodded, carefully, but kept quiet. Mr. Drake glanced at her a few times as he turned down the street toward Liam's office. Mr. Drake slowed the car down, "It's nearby, um, Doctor?"

Liam shook his head, "I am not, officially, a doctor. I do not have a medical licence recognized by the Canadian government. It is the next block and on the left." They drove on in silence, "We are here." Mr. Drake pulled up in front of the building and let them out. Liam offered Mrs. Davis his arm and helped her into the reception area. He raised his voice slightly and called over to Mei Lin, in Chinese, "Mei Lin, I have a new patient, please prepare the forms. It is most urgent I begin making her medication. She has a young hyena parking her car, who can assist her up the stairs once they are finished." He smiled, "I apologise. Good afternoon, Mei Lin, I hope you are in good health."

Mei Lin turned back to face him, she had jumped up from her seat as he spoke and began pulling out several of the necessary forms. "Good afternoon, Honoured Grandfather. I am greatly pleased to see you." She bowed deeply, "You have become most active since the start of the school year. I do not know whether to be pleased or concerned."

"I do not know, either." His tone became brusque again, "I will prepare a list of treatments that need to be faxed off to Dr. Solmes and Dr. Ping; the hyena, Mr. Drake, will bring them down after helping Mrs. Davis to my office. Do you have the numbers?" Mei Lin nodded. "Good. Also, I will most likely be conducting an art auction with proceeds going to the Queen Elizabeth Two Health Sciences Centre next month, you may pass that on to those who may be interested. I will prepare flyers shortly to be distributed. Also, please inform Bao I will not be in attendance." He switched to English, "Mrs. Davis, Mei Lin will help you fill out the forms. Have Mr. Drake help you up to my office once they are complete. I must go and begin making your medications." Mrs. Davis nodded and walked to the counter with a slightly confused expression on her face as she looked around the room. The nearly complete lack of English seemed to take her by surprise. Liam ran up the stairs, his mind swiftly working through several problems.

Liam finished making the potion and leaned against the counter, his chi greatly reduced. His paw twitched toward the drawer containing his 'medicine', but he stopped. It was not that dire... not yet. He would ask Faelen, or perhaps Nathanial, to help. He was curious as to whether Nathanial could transfer yang aligned energy to him. He was even more curious, with a slightly more urgent purpose, if Nathanial could add Dark energy to a medicine. It would be extremely useful in treating Mrs. Davis... if it could be done safely. He had a theory as to the cause of these tumours, and it was not one he wanted to think of, let alone voice, at this time. Mrs. Davis was laying face down on the examination/massage table, it seemed to ease the pain, yet she was still obviously in agony. He quickly cast his memory back over the stock of pain killers that were already prepared, several would suffice, but he wondered if 'suffice' was appropriate. He hated to see someone in pain, yet the alternative was... he snorted, disgusted with himself. He put the kettle on and began preparing the ingredients for medicine that was not merely 'sufficient'. His... restriction caused by a single dose of his medication was nothing compared to the pain his principal was in. He was furious with himself for even hesitating. The kettle clicked off just as his phone vibrated, "Smith here."

It was the head of the Department of Diagnostic Imaging. He sounded very unctuous, "Hello, Mr. Smith. It's Bruce Miller, from the Q.E. II's Diagnostic Imaging. I have wonderful news, sir. A space just opened up at four thirty, will Mrs. Davis be able to make that appointment?"

Liam glanced at the clock, it was three thirty-five. If they left at four, even with traffic they could make it, "Which hospital? The Victoria General or the Health Sciences?"

"This would be at the Victoria General, sir."

A bit more of a challenge, yet doable. He would drive to Truro, an hour away, to get these tests done, even if he had to be there by the same time. "We will be there."

"Wonderful, wonderful. Now, will you be dropping off the flyers for your auction here, too, or just keeping it to the interested buyers?" Liam could practically hear the odious individual on the other end of the phone fondling the anticipated cheques. He felt revolted.

He pulled out a packet of his medicine and poured it into a thermos and began filling it with hot water, "I will put word out and get a feel for the interest. I anticipate a large audience, so perhaps I should speak with the professionals associated with your charity."

Mrs. Davis spoke quietly, "No, do it through the school. Make this a school project, it's good experience and will boost morale."

Liam cut off Mr. Miller, "No, never mind. Mrs. Davis wished her school to organize it and I agree. We will make a larger event out of this, and have the auction as the highlight, if perhaps on a separate night. I have international contacts that will wish to attend. We will sort that out on my end, but I will keep your charity apprised. Text me their contact information, or have them call the Dalhousie Collegiate office tomorrow."

"Very good, very good. We always enjoy having students getting involved in charity work, Mr. Smith. International buyers, you say? Very good, indeed."

"Yes, it is. Now, good day, Mr. Miller. I am with a patient." He hung up and washed his paws thoroughly, but wished he could shower to cleanse himself, "Mrs. Davis, please remove your top and lay back down, I will give you a quick massage while we wait." He chugged his medication, then kept his back turned while he sent Mei Lin a text, informing her of the recent developments. He could hear her struggling to sit up, "Do you require assistance, Mrs. Davis?"

Her voice was faint, and choked in pain, "Can you start the massage? I can't lift my head." He walked over to the table and squeezed her neck, right below the skull and on either side of her spine. He slid his other paw along her collar bone then helped her up. He kept the pressure on her neck as she unbuttoned her blouse, "Thank you. I don't know how you can just touch me like that and drive away the pain."

"I am a Monk, a healer, Mrs. Davis. It is what I do. While I may not be a Mage like Nathanial, I can still work wonders." She slipped her blouse off and Liam put it over on the counter, "Lay down, Mrs. Davis. I will finish this potion and then begin. It will be a minute." He helped her lay down and quickly finished the second potion, his own head ached from chi deprivation and the medicine. He accepted his penance in silence. He put the new bottle beside the first one and stepped over to the table and unsnapped Mrs. Davis' bra. He began his massage, "This has been a difficult week for you, madam. I hope you will speak to Mr. Ryhoski should things become too great a burden upon you. I will, of course, listen should you wish to speak to me, but this is his realm of healing."

He could feel her breathing become deeper and steadier, her muscles also relaxed quickly. Just having her relax caused the pain to decrease immensely, a rather ironic situation. The pain caused her to tense, which caused more pain, which caused her to tense even further. She gave a deep sigh, which caught in a soft sob at the middle, "Thank you. Thank you so, so, much."

"It is my pleasure, madam. I have prepared two medications, one is a pain killer. It a five millilitre dose, or one teaspoon, and is to be taken three times a day, directly before meals. That is breakfast, lunch, and supper, and please note that breakfast is to be eaten within a half hour of waking. It is also to include more than a bowl of cereal or a piece of fruit. A proper breakfast, though it need not be a feast."

She chuckled weakly, "I guess a cup of coffee doesn't count."

He frowned, even though she could not see, "No. No, it does not. Cereal is fine, as long as it is with some fruit, some eggs or other protein, and, if you must, your coffee. I would like you to include more leafy greens in your diet, as well."

She chuckled, again, "I guess you do know Dr. Ping. She's always after me about that."

"I am not surprised, you need more. You also do not ingest enough calcium, your bones are becoming brittle. The upcoming... stress of your treatment will leach further calcium from your system, I want you to begin taking two thousand units of calcium supplements a day. That is usually two pills worth. Also, drastically increase the amount of vitamin C you ingest, preferably in the form of actual fruit as opposed to a pill. An orange per meal. Now, the second medication will reduce the swelling of your brain, and while I cannot directly begin treating your tumours, it will have a happy side effect of slowing their growth. It is to be taken twice a day, between breakfast and lunch, and again after supper. You must wait at least two hours after last eating and an hour before the next meal to take it. This is also a five millilitre dose. Now, side effects." He sighed, "I hope you live close to school, as I heartily recommend you do not drive while taking either. Do not operate heavy machinery of any sort. Fatigue is the most common side effect, and taking both will compound it. The treatments Dr. Solmes may begin will add to that even further. Do not be surprised if you find yourself falling asleep frequently, just be sure to wake long enough to eat and take your medication. Set alarms if necessary. Second, and this you will like less, is difficulty remembering things. It will be both old and new memories. Third, loss of appetite, which is difficult as you need to eat. You will actually need to increase your intake as you will not be storing energy properly. Significant weight loss is to be expected. Even if you are not hungry you must eat at every meal, snacks are encouraged. While I normally do not promote this, drink much fruit juice, or add sugar to your coffee. Even small quantities of chocolate, preferably dark, can be eaten at any point. Just not heavy bars containing nuts or nougat, they have too much substance and cannot be eaten around the time of your primary medication." She murmured acquiescence. Liam stopped talking and let her take a quick nap as he continued to massage. She was greatly fatigued, the pain she was enduring prevented her from resting properly.

Liam sighed as he jumped over the fence behind the school and waited for Mr. Drake to scramble over. Mr. Drake looked at him in surprise, "You're not part antelope, are you, Mr. Smith?"

"No, Mr. Drake, nor am I part kangaroo. I just jump remarkably well, as does my friend, Geoff. I must thank you profusely for your assistance today. You may have saved Mrs. Davis' life by allowing me to ensure she began her treatments so quickly."

They began walking across the fields, thinking of the cougar they'd just dropped off at her home. Mr. Drake ran a paw through the short, reddish, mane atop his head, "What are you? No fourteen year old pup should be able to do what you do. You can call up doctors across the city and have them instantly answer you and just give you carte blanche in how to treat a patient in her condition. You can say you'll have an art auction to bribe someone to bump up diagnosis and it means something. Most pups would just be laughed at. You have your own office, your secretary doesn't just respect you like an ordinary doctor, she reveres you. I... what are you?" His tone became joking, "A god?"

Liam whirled to face the taller hyena, snarling, "NO! _ I am _not a god! Never suggest that, even in jest, again. Is that understood!?"

Mr. Drake backed up, paws in front of him, "O-okay, not a god, not a god. Sorry, I-I've never had anyone get upset like that over the idea before."

Liam forced himself to appear calm, though inside he was shaking in fear and anger, "The gods do not appreciate the comparison. Hades may tolerate it with amusement, but Zeus has..." He shook his head, "Zeus has a reputation, as does his wife and several other Olympians, of smiting those who are compared to them. I do not wish to be smote. Now, why would you ask what I am? I am a fourteen year old pup, a genius, to be sure, but still a pup. What else could I be, Mr. No-Idea-What-A-Spirit-Is?"

Mr. Drake looked scared, again, "I-I... right, you're just a genius, a pup, nothing else." Liam rolled his eyes at the foolishness of mortals. "S-sorry." They walked across the soccer field to the parking lot, the practice had ended an hour ago, but Liam imagined he could still smell Faelen on the air. He felt his muzzle start to curl into a smile and stopped it. Mr. Drake asked, cautiously, "So, what happened to Mr. Gomeche? The entire staff is walking on eggshells around the topic, so I'm afraid to ask."

Liam hesitated but chose full...er honesty, "His sister had been missing for over a month. He found out that she had joined the Hunters and had died because of them. They had been alienated for some time but had just salvaged their relationship recently. She was to be married to one of the ones suspected of killing her." Truth, as far as it went, though he knew Joseph Harper had not killed his betrothed, "He was a teacher at this school."

They walked along the sidewalk leading to the front of the school in further silence before Mr. Drake said, "Oh. I'll be here for a while, I guess. That's... going to be tough to get over. I wonder if he'll put in for a transfer?"

Liam raised an eyebrow and looked at him, "To where? This is a private school, there is nowhere to transfer to. He would have to quit and be hired elsewhere." Liam thought about it, "You may be right, it would be difficult to return here. I may wish to leave it all behind, were I in his position. The school is only a few years old, he would not be losing much."

Mr. Drake nodded, "I wouldn't mind being full time here, but I'd feel uncomfortable about the circumstances."

Liam tensed up as they walked into the front parking lot, "I hope you did not aid Mrs. Davis in order to curry favour. That would be most dishonourable."

He got an uncomfortable chuckle, Liam suppressed a shiver at that subtle cackle, "It didn't occur to me until I was waiting at your office, Mr. Smith. I really thought I'd be here for just a few days, now that I know I may have a chance for a full time job, it's... tempting. Temp work sucks. You're from a rich family, so you probably don't understand what poverty's like, but the uncertainty of temp work is really hard on you." He sounded grudgingly thankful as he said, "Still better than what I saw when I lived in Sudan."

Liam relaxed a bit, but shook his head, "I am on a scholarship, Mr. Drake. My father is not rich, though he is not poor, either. I can appreciate the temptation, but do not count on it, you must exercise restraint until we hear from Mr. Gomeche. If you were a Spirit, if such a thing existed, I could put the word out you are looking for full-time work. As you are aware, I do have many contacts, and some may have need of a secretary. Pardon, I believe the term is now administrative assistant, I meant no disrespect."

They stopped by Mr. Drake's... 'car'. The hyena glanced at him, "How...? Why do you insist on calling me a Spirit? Please... just don't, okay?"

Liam shrugged, "As you wish, it is not something that is of great concern to me. I will speak to you tomorrow, though not on this. And, again, thank you for your assistance."

Mr. Drake nodded, "Yeah, tomorrow. It wasn't a problem, it's not like I have anything else to do. Blimey, what a nice car she has."

Liam blinked, 'Blimey?' He hid a smile, "I was under the impression you were from South Sudan, Mr. Drake. May I ask where 'blimey' came from?"

The hyena paused with his paw on the door handle, "Sorry, something my father says, he was from England. I catch myself saying it, sometimes." He tugged on the door handle of his car a few times before the door partially opened with a loud 'chunk' then squealed sharply as it finished opening. Liam's ears lay flat against his head from the horrendous noise. Mr. Drake blushed, "Sorry. It's the only vehicle I could afford." He climbed in and turned the key as Liam began running home, it took several attempts before spluttering to life then the car rattled ominously as it moved to the gate. Liam sighed, disgusted and sympathetic, as he ran on.

---

Nathanial learned the place he went to was called 'Shubenacadie', pronounced 'shoe-bin-ack-a-dee', a Mi'kmaq name, apparently. It was quite pretty, in a rural sort of way, with lots of cow fields, a large river running through a valley, and small houses. He guessed most weren't really small houses, about the same size as Liam's or a bit smaller, but still small. They went to a house on a hill overlooking the river, it was such a nice view, and walked up to the two storey house. A couple of the ones nearby were just a single storey, they must be so cramped. How could you have a proper dinner engagement in them? Or a proper cocktail party? Lily had some with a hundred guests, such a tiny home couldn't hold that many people. He shook his head in disbelief. Sgt. Heimdolf looked over at him, "Something wrong? Don't tell me we have another hostage situation."

Nathanial blushed, "N-no, nothing like that. It's just... well, these houses seem... small. Do people, like a family, actually live in such tight quarters? Not just a single person? It'd be comfortable for one or two people, but where would the kids live?"

Sgt. Heimdolf stopped by the door, "What?" He looked at the few bungalows and other houses in the area, "Small?" He looked absolutely dumbfounded, "I... what? These are normal, most people live in houses this size, if not smaller. Have you seen any apartments? Trailer parks? You're not that far away from university, have you seen a dorm room? These are comfortable sized houses for families." He opened the door with a snort, then muttered, "Fucking snotty brat. Bloody spoiled rich kids don't understand anything." He glanced back at the hurt expression on Nathanial's face, "Don't give me that, pup, get your ass in here. Poor people have to work to live."

Nathanial's voice was quiet, "Dad works. Long hours, too; he'd spend weeks on planes and in hotels closing deals for his company. I've seen him more since my mother died than the last eleven years combined."

The rabbit paused just inside the door, taking his hat off to rub the soft brown fur around his ears, but then kept going without saying anything. An RCMP officer came down the stairs to meet them, but the goat paused when he saw Nathanial, "Sgt. Heimdolf? I'm Officer William Singer, who's the kid?"

The sergeant just grunted, "Job shadow, Nathanial Marks."

He was about to continue but Officer Singer cut him off, "This isn't the place for a kid, Sergeant, it's a pretty rough scene."

Sgt. Heimdolf's voice was dry, "I bet he's seen worse. I'll go look and decide."

Nathanial took a look around the house as he stood by the front door. The main crime scene was in one of the bedrooms, two naked bodies lay on the bed, under the covers, both shot in the head. One was a female gopher, late thirties, the second was a gopher boy, about Micah's age. In the bathroom was a gopher man lying in the tub, an extension cord ran from the kitchen to a toaster that was dropped into the water with him. His fur was singed where it was out of the water. In the last bedroom was a young girl, about nine, she appeared to have been suffocated. Nathanial looked around the rest of the house, noting a few odd details. He addressed the sergeant, "I'll take a look around while you do that. I won't touch anything." He got a nod as an answer, but Officer Singer seemed torn over who to follow. "Officer, can I look around outside?"

"Eh? Yes, sure. Please." He stroked his grey beard, "I'll send Officer Bokma to watch, uh, help you." He quickly ran upstairs, his cloven hooves clacking on the tile. Nathanial waited, watching Sgt. Heimdolf looking at the bodies in the bedroom. Nathanial frowned as Sgt. Heimdolf checked their necks, ignoring the bullet holes, then the sheets around them. There were no holes in their necks, but there wasn't nearly the same amount of blood as he saw from the wounds Lily had taken. He frowned, thinking of Gordon. He looked closer, seeing if he could see signs of Beriatana's involvement, and, yes, there was. All three of the non 'suicide' victims showed signs of rape. He shook his head, his paw twitched to his phone, but he owed it to Sgt. Heimdolf to talk to him first. He saw Officer Singer talking to a large black and white bull, Officer Bokma, he guessed, and the bull snorted before heading toward the front door.

Nathanial was lost in thought and just waved for the bull to follow him as he turned to walk toward the back yard. The bull followed docilely. Nathanial walked to the back, looked up at the house, then crouched down and pointed at a patch of grass, "This is right below the master bedroom." He pointed up, "The window is open, including the screen, it's a bit too chilly for that. I wonder if we can find prints." He poked about 'looking' for prints, and found them, "Ah! Officer Bokma, look here!" In the dying grass were two indents, where the grass was pushed down into the earth. "These look like cat prints, and it looks like they were made when the soil was damp, so either overnight or earlier in the week. The house didn't smell too bad, so I'd guess overnight."

The bull looked a bit impressed, but said, "Maybe a cat just walked by, wondering why his friends weren't showing up."

Nathanial shook his head, "They're too deep, he must've jumped from the window." He frowned, "Why jump from the window? He could've just walked out the door." He tapped his muzzle, "When did the call come in? Perhaps someone was at the front door." He carefully looked at the grass around there, but he wasn't a tracker and couldn't see signs of Gordon's passage. Nathanial corrected himself, what was likely Gordon's passage. He looked at the gardens in the backyard, they didn't look damaged, and they were already prepared for winter, so no prints or fur was likely. He looked at the edge of the yard, it ended in a steep slope with an old highway at the bottom. The wild grass on the slope showed signs of disturbance. "If there was another person involved and it wasn't called in, they must've driven or lived nearby. If no strange car was reported out front, perhaps they parked down on the road." He walked across the yard, Officer Bokma following in interest.

The bull pulled out his radio, "We may need tracking dogs, it looks like the shadow found some odd tracks that point to the involvement of someone else."

Officer Singer sounded surprised, "Really? Sgt. Heimdolf is confirming some of my suspicions, but it looks like a standard murder-suicide."

Nathanial sent his mind up to the rabbit, *Sergeant, the three victims have been raped and you already noticed the lack of blood. We have a succubus and a blood magic Demon Mage on the loose. The Society is aware of some of the crimes they've already committed, they may need to get involved in this.*

Sgt. Heimdolf cursed silently, *So, what, they can brush it under the carpet, again?*

Nathanial kept his voice calm, *No, sir. The Demon Mage tried to Turn an Investigator; he was an Investigator himself, and may have let many Demon Mages escape detection for years. He was behind the Demon attacks against my family and he plans on opening a Hellgate using my brother's, the Changeling, blood. The Society probably wants him alive to get more information about the Cabal and their plans. Otherwise, they'll want him dead. Then again, I want him dead, by my paws, so if you can help me get my paws on him, I'll keep quiet.*

Sgt. Heimdolf was quiet for a minute, *No, pup. If it's personal, you shouldn't be involved. Call it in.*

Nathanial reached the back yard and pointed to the track left in the tangled grass, "There, I'm guessing the mystery person went down there. You may find fur in the grass that can help identify him." Officer Bokma called that in to his partner while Nathanial spoke to his mentor, *It is personal, sir. That's why I should be involved. He seems to be the one that started this whole mess, or at least half of it; your superiors, or at least one of them, is responsible for the other half. I want revenge. You should be able to understand that, you saw your family killed, too. Don't tell me you don't feel a thrill every time you get to track down a vampire. Isn't that why they called you out here, because that's your specialty? I saw you check for bite marks. The blood was taken out through the veins in the right thigh, probably while a mind controlled daddy raped them. Maybe Gordon did the raping, but it would've hurt more, emotionally, if the dad did. That'd have given Beriatana more power.*

Sgt. Heimdolf stood up, sighing, "This isn't my jurisdiction, guys, or my regular field. I can't be much help." He flipped the covers back and quickly looked at the right thigh, along the vein, "But the blood was taken out here." There was a small wound, barely visible under the fur. Officer Singer looked surprised. "I can get some CSIS agents in to help, this is their type of thing. Can you get my shadow to meet me by my cruiser?"

Nathanial was fuming, but nodded to Officer Bokma when the message was relayed. He pulled out his phone and called Ella, "Hi, Ella." He peeked through the phone, she was sitting at her computer at work.

Ella sighed, "Hi, Nathanial. I'm guessing you got into more trouble?"

Nathanial knew he had a cheeky grin on his face as he answered, "Yup, but that's not why I'm calling. I found signs of Gordon Ahjee and Beriatana. They drained the blood from some people and raped them. The RCMP are here and could use some help from CSIS."

Ella shook her head, "That's good news, we aren't getting much... Where are you? I can't find you in the city, anywhere."

"Thirty-two Tully Avenue, in Shubenacadie. I was job shadowing a police officer today and he had to come out here." Nathanial nodded to Sgt. Heimdolf and climbed into the car.

Ella cast a quick spell, Nathanial saw the sensor appear nearby and waved. Ella's jaw dropped, "Isn't that the Knight who was in charge of looking at your house?"

Sgt. Heimdolf asked at the same time, "Who're you waving at, pup?"

Nathanial turned to the rabbit, "My 'lawyer'," He looked at Ella's sensor , "Yes, he is. I wanted help, or some tips at least, in tracking down the bodies of the Hunters who attacked me. I've been giving you too many of my problems, so I thought he might be able to help. He has, but I still need to figure out how to get the bodies to shore once I find them."

He saw the same stunned expression on Ella's face as Sgt. Heimdolf's. They both said, "What?" then, "There's no way I'm letting you do that," at the same time. Sgt. Heimdolf seemed to think that was the end of it, but Ella continued, "You may feel guilty, for some strange reason, or... I've given up trying to understand why you do things, or how, Nathanial, but this really is something you should leave to adults. Give me what you have and I'll make sure the bodies are retrieved." She tapped something on her keyboard, "The Investigators for that area should show up in a few minutes. Go home and I'll talk to you when I'm off work."

Nathanial nodded, "All right, I'll talk to you later." He pulled his mind back and turned to Sgt. Heimdolf while ending the call, "They'll be here in a few minutes. Do you want to wait or just head on home? Oh, the guy in the tub had been tied up for a while, he had rope burns on his wrists. I think he was dead before they electrocuted him, too." He frowned, "I never did find any spells that'd really help. Well, maybe. I found one that points out blood stains, and another that would point out any injuries on a body. There was also one that'd heal a corpse, but I don't know why you'd want to do that." He thought of the funeral Ahmed would want for Jezebel, "Well, yeah, I can."

Sgt. Heimdolf put his head on the steering wheel, "Give me another donut, pup. I'm tired, I don't want to drive all the way back."

Nathanial smiled, "Maybe you should bring me to a secluded area and I can help." He pulled out a donut and placed his paw on the rabbit's arm.

He was greeted by a shocked and terrified look, "Wh-what!? What are you getting at, pup? I'm not a fag, and there's no fucking way I'm going to throw away my career by shagging the pup I'm supposed to be mentoring!"

Nathanial grinned and waved the donut, as he took his other paw away, "You asked me to get you a donut. I wasn't offering myself to you. I'm glad you think I'm hot though."

Sgt. Heimdolf scowled, "Where the hell did you get that fool idea?"

"Your mind went right to my butt at the hint of a double entendre." Nathanial kept smiling and shrugged, "Lots of people think I have a 'sweet ass' and want a piece of it, but I was going to open a portal for us, so you could just drive through, rather than drive the whole way home."

Sgt. Heimdolf muttered as he grabbed the donut, then in a sour tone said, "You're reading into things too much, pup. I never said you had a nice ass, that was Fitzgerald." Nathanial had noticed the lioness spent a lot of time checking out his rump. "I don't look at guys' asses. No, we have to drive. If I'd brought my car we could take your bloody portal, but they'll be checking the kilometres and fuel for the squad car. Suddenly skipping seventy kilometres would be noticed right away."

"Okay, then drive on or I'll just go home, myself, and let you drive alone." Nathanial leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest and met Sgt. Heimdolf's glare evenly.

The rabbit turned the car on and backed out of the driveway; he muttered, "Might finally get some peace today if you did," but he didn't give Nathanial any opportunity to leave. Nathanial hid a smile and watched the scenery in silence.