Destiny's Wrath (Destiny Series - Book 3) (14 page)

“
How can you say you didn’t have anything to do with it?”

“
Just as I said, your presence is going to do the little hoodlum no good. Be on your way while you still can.”

I returned Samael’s smile, over my initial shock, “You’re afraid. I can feel it. Whatever you have planned, you’re scared we’re going to get in the way.”

Samael’s expression never wavered, “I must be having a Scooby Doo moment. You meddling kids need to mind your own business.”

I felt the physical power I commanded, the strength I took from Samael all those months ago. I saw his wallet setting on the desk, and picked it up right in front of him. I held my smile, never breaking eye contact with Samael, and removed the badge, letting the leather holder fall to the desk. I held the tin shield in my palm, bent it in two, then began rolling it with my fingers until it took the shape of a long AAA battery. “Max may be averse to murder, but I’m not. You aren’t the law. You aren’t anything.” I could feel Max’s eyes burrowing through me, and I knew he was silently telling me to back off.

Samael’s smile finally began to fade, “I assure you, I am the law. Push me further and I will become your greatest fear.”

“
You had that role once, remember? That was before I took your power of sight, your physical strength, and the body you took refuge in. You care to go against me again? What do you have left for me to take?”

It was as if thunder echoed through Samael’s voice, “Enough!! I am through with your little games.” The three police officers in the room scrambled to their feet, and a young one in a starched uniform with razor sharp creases actually drew his weapon, focusing it squarely on me. In a more calm voice, Samael continued, “You both have a purpose, as do I. Provoking me in front of these mortals will solve nothing. Go now before the rookie shoots you.”

Max grabbed the back of my shirt and tugged me backwards. “Okay, Samael, we’ll be on our way.”

I allowed Max to pull me backwards; we were at the top of the steps before I let my stare waiver. Samael wasn’t locked up; he wasn’t hidden from humanity. I was still holding the rolled up badge in my palm. I said, “Hey, Detective Ross, this is yours.” I flicked the rolled up shiny metal directly at him; as I turned my back, I heard it twang on the floor.

Max gave my sleeve a hard tug, “C’mon, we need to go, now!”

I started down the steps. Before we got to the bottom, I called to Renny, “
Meet us at our motel tomorrow morning. Bring the Council
.”

Her response came through loud and clear, “
Lauren, you’ve seen Samael
?”

“
Yes. Have the Council meet us at our motel tomorrow morning. We’re going to need your help
.” I blocked any further communication with Renny so she wouldn’t
see
what we had just seen.

Max, who couldn’t hear my communication with Renny, said, “I think we should call Dakota.”

“
Dakota? Why Dakota?”

“
She’ll know what to do, and it won’t involve killing a police detective.”

“
I just told Renny to bring the Council to our motel tomorrow morning.”

Max looked frustrated, “I don’t think that’s such a great idea. That Detective Ross didn’t ask for any of this. He’s still inside somewhere. Turning the Council loose on him puts his blood on our hands.”

“
More than the other nine people that Jimmy killed?”

“
Their blood isn’t on our hands. You heard Samael. The kid did the murders all on his own.”

“
And you believe him?”

“
Lauren, I don’t like him, but you heard him. If he were responsible he would have been bragging about it. There’s got to be a way to get him out of Detective Ross without killing the Detective. I think Dakota will help. I don’t think Renny will be willing to take the chance.”

“
I want him destroyed.”

“
I do, too, but not at the expense of another innocent. We should try to meet with Detective Ross, offer to help him.”

“
Offer to help him? I only saw Samael. How do you think we make contact with the Detective?”

“
We’ll figure it out.”

Samael

“
Detective Ross, is everything okay?” The rookie with the starched uniform was confused by what had just taken place.

“
Everything is fine, officer.”

“
Did you want us to tail them or anything? It’s kind of a slow night; I don’t mind.”

“
Not necessary,” reading the rookie’s nametag, “Walowitz. I know exactly where the two are headed. They’ll be no trouble.”

I looked at my watch, “Looks like the graveyard shift is in full swing. Excuse me for a minute,” to no one in particular. I’d been through the police station enough the last couple days to know my way around. Let’s see, through the double doors, down two flights of steps, around the corner, and wa-la! I looked up at the yellowing sign on the caged area in the bowels of the basement, “Evidence Locker.”

A cheerful voice offered, “Hey, Bert, congrats on the murder wrap up! Haven’t seen a case closed that fast in twenty years.”

“
Well, thanks. It helps when the suspect confesses at his first opportunity.”

“
Yeah, did he really just ramble on about the whole thing?”

“
Full confession, all evidence intact, even gave us all the information on the bomb he planned to make.”

“
Well, congrats anyway. You should get a parking spot for that case.”

“
Maybe. Now that’s wrapped up, we’re working on a drug sting. I’m going to need to sign for $50,000.”

“
Uh,” the evidence custodian picked up a clipboard, “I’m not showing a sting on the sheet. Has the chief signed off on it?”

“
Would I be here if he hadn’t?”

“
Right, but Bert, there isn’t anything on my list. Do you have a requisition form?”

“
Everything should be in order. Believe me, I wouldn’t need to be here at midnight to sign for some cash if there weren’t a sting going down. I’d much rather be home sleeping.”

“
Bert, I understand, but with no requisition form and nothing on the property transfer register, I can’t get you the money. You know that.”

“
Right. I thought the chief had cleared everything. Let me give him a call.”

“
You’re going to call the chief, at midnight?”

“
If he neglected to fill out the necessary forms, he’s putting my op at risk. I’ll just call and find out where he put the forms. Is tonight Thursday or Friday?”

“
Thursday, why?”

“
The chief has a standing appointment with a friend of his every Thursday. I’ll need to phone him at her place.”

I pulled Bert’s cell out of my pocket and scrolled through his contacts. I saw the chief’s number programmed in, but scrolled past it. I dialed Maggie’s phone instead. I’d better make this sound good. “Hello Maggie, I’m looking for the chief.” I knew she’d think I was talking about her precious Dennis, and this custodian wouldn’t bother to check my story if I could make it sound convincing enough.

“
Hi, Bert, no, I dropped Dennis at the station over an hour ago.”

“
No, he left shortly after, said he needed to get back to your house. He didn’t go back? Oh, well, do you know where I might find him?”

“
Bert, I thought you called him in tonight?”

“
No, sorry, it wasn’t me. Listen, he was supposed to fill out some paperwork before he left, and I am not sure where to find it. Could you ask him to call me as soon as you see him?”

“
I doubt I’ll see him tonight. He probably went home.”

“
Ah, I understand. I’ll try him at his house then. Thanks, Maggie.”

Disconnecting the phone, I looked back at the property manager. He had hung on every word and asked conspiratorially, “The chief has a girlfriend?”

I did my best to wear a clandestine look, “I never said that.”

“
Sounds like you’re pretty chummy with her.”

“
No, just tight with the chief. I’m surprised he neglected the paperwork. It really isn’t like him. He has always had meticulous attention to detail. Are you certain the off-going custodian didn’t file it in the wrong place? I don’t mind calling the chief at his house, but his wife can be rather difficult. She’s on to his Thursday night rendezvous. I’d hate for the chief to take it out on you if he sent the paperwork down and the property department lost it. Remember the last time he had the entire cage re-inventoried when the single bullet casing walked away?”

A look of nervousness appeared on the custodian. “I guess it would be okay, so long as you sign a hand receipt. I don’t want to be on the chief’s shit list for no reason.”

“
Good call. I’d hate to report in tomorrow morning’s meeting that the sting didn’t go down because the money wasn’t available.”

The custodian went to the safe and pulled out five stacks of money. I wonder if I shouldn’t have requested $100,000. This was just too easy. The custodian had a very legible receipt and asked me to fill in the case number and sign. In ten minutes time, I had $50,000 in my pocket. Bert will be so pleased.

Lauren

A light knock on the door sounded as I looked at Max. I could hear Renny’s thoughts before I opened it. It was already 11 a.m. “Good Morning, Lauren. Good Morning, Max. The Council is waiting in the lobby for you. Are you ready?”

Max responded before I had a chance, “Renny, I want you to know, we’ll have no part in a murder.”

“
Max, Lauren asked us here. I believe she has some information for us. We have no plans to murder anybody.”

When we got to the lobby I saw all the familiar faces. Mike, the Council member who could actually communicate with animals, stood up to say hello, “How’ve you been? How’s Peanut doing?”

I couldn’t help but smile back, “He’s doing great. We all are. Thanks for asking.” Max and I leaned into a couch centered in the room. Renny and Mike were on a couch directly across from us, and everyone else were huddled around in a circle.

“
Thanks everyone, for coming. I have some information for you, but I’m going to need some information from you first.” Renny’s eyes stayed fixed on mine. “I’m going to get right to the point: you’ve told me I have the power to change destinies. How does that work?”

Renny never dropped her gaze, “Lauren, no one on the Council has this skill. You and Max are the only ones that will be able to work this power. You bent Paul’s destiny without even trying. You know better how to use your power than any of us.”

Paul was a friend that was supposed to have died during a home invasion. I delayed his death and ultimately bent his destiny, without even realizing I had done it. “I don’t buy it. You are supposed to be the good guys. Prove it to me. Tell me what you know.”

Silence was the only answer I received. I waited for a response longer than was comfortable and finally stated, “If none of you know, is there anyone you can think of who may know?”

Heads shook, but it was Mike who finally spoke, “Lauren, I don’t know anyone else who has ever bent destinies. It’s not exactly a power we want you to use. Destinies are mapped before individuals are born. Altering them, even in the slightest of ways, can only result in changes to their life’s map.”

“
So, let’s say for argument’s sake that Max was supposed to live a long life with me. Could my concern with his potential murder by the Council have made the Cabinet appear?” Renny’s eyes went wide for a second as she contemplated. “So, in effect, my involvement with Max actually allowed his destiny to play out when the Council would have ended his life decades too early.”

“
Is that what happened?” A tall, heavyset, white-bearded, Santa-looking man asked. I recognized him but had never been introduced. When I first started experimenting with my power of sight, I had looked in on Renny. She and the Santa-looking man had been in mid-conversation.

I held out my hand to him, “I’m Lauren, I don’t think we’ve been introduced.”

Santa took my hand, “It’s my pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Tom. Is that what happened? Is that how Samael was able to escape?”

“
If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn’t be asking.”

Renny looked at Max. “I had always assumed you had summoned Dakota and the Cabinet. You didn’t?”

Max shook his head, “No, they just showed up at an opportune moment.”

Renny turned her attention back to me, “So when you needed the Council’s help, we were all able to drop everything and come to your assistance. So, too, you have the Cabinet’s services. It seems you have been bending destinies for some time, without either group the wiser. Fascinating.”

Whispers erupted in all directions as the realization hit us all. My power wasn’t to wish destinies or outcomes to change; it was to influence others to make destinies what I needed them to be. When the whispers gave way to wide eyes and gaping mouths, I asked, “Is it odd that the entire Council would come to a single person’s assistance?”

“
Yes.” Renny’s eyes still concentrated steadily on mine.

“
Is it odd that the entire Cabinet would come to a single person’s assistance, as well?”