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Entry tags:
"The Pumpkin Face Murders"
"The Pumpkin Face Murders"
11/29/2004
I.
"Aren't you glad to see me? You KNOW you are. Don't give me that look, captain," Unicorn said as she sailed into the office. "You know you love me more than life itself. Here! Check this out, it's a Meat Lovers Pizza from Vinnie's on First Avenue. Pepperoni, ham, salami, sausage, I don't know what those things are, bologna maybe?"
Jeremy Bane adjusted to the chatter from Unicorn as she rattled happily away. Ashley Whitaker was twenty-four, a perfect little blonde with delicate features, platinum hair past her shoulders and bright blue eyes. She had a trim figure and today was wearing almost all white... boots, snug jeans and long-sleeved pullover with dark blue trim at the collar and cuffs. A light windbreaker was dark blue with white stripes down the sleeves in contrast. Strapped to her back by a harness that ran diagonally down between her breasts was a leather sheath about three feet long.
"Let me have a slice," she was continuing as she put the pizza box on the office desk, "I know you can eat the whole thing by yourself, but be fair. I also bought this 32-ounce bottle of Pepsi. Maybe you don't have any cups here? What the heck, we can drink from the same bottle, I don't mind if you don't. At least I know where MY mouth has been," she giggled.
Despite himself, the Dire Wolf could not be angry with Unicorn. She was just too oblivious. "Any particular reason why you are here, Ashley?'
"I like that!" she said, ripping off a slice and putting a wad of napkins under it. "Men would give everything they own to have me visit them and you act like I'm in the way. Really," she began chewing. "Do you have any glasses or mugs or anything?" she went on in a muffled voice.
Bane went to the closet and found some red plastic cups in a bag, as well as some paper plates. "I think the world of you, Unicorn. But you ARE a KDF member and I assume you have duties there."
"Nah," she said, putting what was left of her slice on a paper plate and opening the soda. "They're all in Okali. I'm off. Sable has started giving each of us an assigned day off. Even so, we're on call. It's like being a firefighter. But I know you miss me and wanted me to visit." She chugged eight ounces of Pepsi and tried to conceal a belch. "Aw, let's be honest, I miss you. You're my captain. I look up to you. Maybe I have father issues, what do you think?"
Bane did not answer. He was working on his own slice. It was pretty good, but he didn't want any Pepsi because caffeine was the last thing he needed. There was a fresh bottle of water on his desk and started sipping from it.
Ashley started on her second slice. "Hey, Jeremy, you remember the first time we met? That was hilarious. I was ten years old, TEN! and I already was convinced I would be the new Unicorn when I was old enough. Bet you thought that was funny but here I am. My mom retired young, she made a bundle and she just got tired of it all and I was bugging her about it, to be honest. And I am good at it. You know," she stopped talking for another glass of soda, "my power is kinda specialized. I can't punch out a gorilla the way Sheng can or fly or turn into a freakin' giant lion! But I can remove the gralic powers from others and there are times when that it is exactly what is needed. Did you hear I captured Sirion by myself?"
"The Melgar strongman? No, I didn't hear that." Bane was starting his second piece when Ashley had finished the last of her own second slice and was eyeing a third.
"Talk about hysterical," she said. "You know he's like Sulak, right? He was holding a motorcycle over his head, ready to throw it at some people. I yelled my slogan, 'with this horn you know the rest' and took away his powers. The bike dropped right on him. It was great. He's alive but both arms and one leg are in casts. You never saw anyone so mad."
Bane snorted and almost choked. Sirion was a real brute, almost as strong as Sulak. The image of him dropping a motorcycle on himself was priceless. He wiped his mouth and said, "Ashley, I hate to interrupt but I have business. Two FBI men have an appointment at noon."
Jumping up, Unicorn wiped her hands together and got one more glass of Pepsi. "That's in four minutes! Jeremy, why don't you tell me these things?" She grabbed the remaining pizza, the napkins and paper plates and ran to put them in the closet. Picking up the bottle of soda, she looked hurt. "No refrigerator?"
"No refrigerator," he agreed. "Unicorn, you have to leave now. This is not KDF business, it's a case for the Dire Wolf agency."
"So what? You need my expert help." Ashley stood her ground, hands on hips and feet planted well apart.
Bane hesitated and was lost, because the doorbell rang. He motioned for her to hide the bottle of soda as he went through the tiny waiting room. This was seldom used. It was big enough for two chairs and a coffee table with some newspapers on it and not much more, but there was a mirror on one wall next to a calendar. The Dire Wolf paused to tug down his jacket and glance in the mirror. He had not changed much over the years. He remained a tall, gaunt man with short black hair and cold grey eyes under heavy brows. He checked there were no pizza crumbs around his mouth and opened the door.
Standing out in the hall were two men nearing fifty, wearing black suits with white shirts and black ties. Their hair was short, their shoes polished. Bane said, "May I see your IDs, please?" and inspected the cards they produced not from wallets but from separate cardcases. He did not just glance at them but carefully checked them out before stepping back into the waiting room and motioning them through into the office itself. Bane watched them closely; the taller one with the pointed nose was Carl Seberg and the broader one with faint acne scars was George Weidy.
As they entered the office, Unicorn was nowhere to be seen. The door to the bathroom was open, so she was not in there, which left the closet. Bane shook his head sadly. That girl. He gestured for the two agents to seat themselves in straightback chairs, while he circled around to drop into his own swivel chair behind the desk. "I have worked with the Bureau before, but not Department 21 Black," he said. "I take it you are a new part of the organization?"
"Yes," said Seberg. "Our interests overlap, Mr Bane. I think it is safe to admit that there are crimes which are difficult to explain. Paranormal, in fact. Officially, the supernatural is dismissed but," and here he leaned toward Bane confidentially, "we know these things happen, don't we?"
Bane watched their faces as if the three of them were playing poker. "With all respect, gentlemen... there is much more than the FBI knows about. The cases your Bureau has handled. Quilt, Seneca, Wu Lung, are just the tip of a huge iceberg." He gave the slightest predatory smile. "There is a Midnight War going on that you have only seen the edges of."
"Be that as it may, let us concern ourselves with the situation at hand. Two days ago, an extraordinarily dangerous man has escaped custody. He was being transferred from one facility to another when he apparently broke his own thumbs to get the handcuffs off, killed a guard despite being shot three times in the chest, grabbed the driver and made the van flip to turn over five times down a hill, and then kicked out a window and walked away. He seems hard to kill."
"Sounds like a fair description. Where did this take place?"
"Up near Buffalo. We believe he has a hideout in that area where he is remaining concealed and we would like you to help in the search. You have apprehended this fugitive before."
"Wait a minute," Bane said in a tight voice. "Is this who I think you're talking about?"
"Yes. SAMHAIN."
II.
Agent Weidy spoke for the first time. He had a deep, resonant voice that would have worked well in TV commercials. "The most notorious serial killers of modern times. We believe there have been at least three men using the Samhain name, perhaps four. Perhaps there is a family connection between them because the murders seem so similar."
Bane shook his head. "No. I don't care how you react to this but you should know. There is only one. Samhain is over a hundred years old. He is as close to immortal as flesh and blood can get, because he drains lifeforce from his victims. It's a kind of vampirism. Seneca and the Slaughterman did the same."
"well.." Weidy coughed and hesitated. "That is an extraordinary claim, Mr Bane."
"Believe it or not. It doesn't matter to me. Samhain is impossible to kill because the stolen lifeforce gives him healing powers. Check your records. He's been trapped in burning buildings, run over by trains, blown up by grenades. He always comes back. Look at what just happened. He was shot three times in the chest at pointblank range but he ran away and he hasn't been caught since. How do you think that happened? Do you think he's just really tough or something?"
Seberg glanced at his partner. "The Correction Department outfit was found five miles away, in someone's yard. It was soaked in blood and there were not only three bullet holes in the front but three holes in the back where they came out. The suspect broke into a house and stole some clothes and money."
"Those people are lucky they weren't home. Samhain would have killed them without slowing down," Bane said. "Listen, in your official records, you can report this however you want. Say this is just the latest serial killer using the Samhain tag. But for your own safety, if you want to survive tangling with him, act as if he is a psychopath with seventy years of experience. Don't expect him to be intimidated by guns and don't think a bullet is going to stop him because it won't."
"If you say so. I have to say, even with as many extraordinary events you have been involved in as our records show, this is just going too far." Weidy started to get up, then thought better of it. "Can we report that you accept the commission?"
"Absolutely," Bane said. "I am not going to take a fee. I am doing this on my own because I have fought Samhain before. The Astronomy Murders were not that long ago. We have bad blood between us."
Now Weidy did rise, and Seberg followed. "Your record speaks for itself, Mr Bane. Looking it over, I am deeply impressed. Our superiors will be gratified you are going to help the manhunt."
"It's nice to be appreciated," Bane said politely. He stood to escort them from the office. "I will be investigating from a different angle. I think I can find some information with a little luck."
The two agents thanked him, gave him a number where they could be reached in the Buffalo area and left. After the door closed, Bane watched the closed-circuit TV screen until they had crossed the lobby to the street. He went back into his office, saying, "You can come out now." From the closet, Unicorn bounced out, holding out a slice of pizza. "Still two pieces left, Jeremy. Here."
The Dire Wolf took and started to chew as he went back to sit behind his desk. "I take it you heard every word."
"Natch. You know, I am the one person who can defeat Samhain." She tapped the bundle behind her shoulder.
"He's too dangerous. I am not completely sure I can beat him again. Each time we fight, it's too close for comfort."
Ashley Whitaker rested one hip against the desk. "So, Captain. Am I a knight of Tel shai and a member of the Kenneth Dred Foundation for the past four years?"
"Yeah you are."
"And even before that, I was the Unicorn. I grew up being trained by my mother, the original Unicorn. You might consider that I am now older than you were when you were hired by Kenneth Dred."
"I think I see where this is going." He rubbed his chin with one hand wearily. "Okay. I can't deny you're qualified. Are you determined to come with me?"
"I am! Right this second, captain." Unicorn went back to the closet and came out with the last of the Pepsi. "I am wearing the Trom armor under my clothes, even though it makes me look five pounds heavier. I have a dart gun in the small of my back, where the windbreaker hides it and I have the usual gimmicks hidden on my person." She raised a thumb.
"Let's go then." Bane took his sport jacket from where it was draped over his chair and put it on. He had the same armor and weaponry as Unicorn, as well the two silver-bladed daggers sheathed on his forearms. With Ashley right behind him, he left the office and walked through the lobby. As they passed the door of the Emergency One clinic, a doctor looked at Ashley admiringly and completely misunderstood her relationship with Bane.
"So, we're going to Buffalo?"
"No, that's a dead end. I think Samhain is in Manhattan by now. He had a gang here, he never has more than four or five henchmen at a time." Bane turned left and started walking down 3rd Avenue. "Once before, his men turned him in because they were afraid for their lives. Of course he escaped- he always does- and within forty-eight hours, they were all dead."
As they reached 40th Street, Bane turned into the wide open ramp of the Imperial Garage. He exchanged nods with the security guard and went to where his car was parked. It was a dark green Subaru outback with a spoiler. The Dire Wolf thumbed his key fob and the security system chirped four times and then beeped the horn once. Nothing had been touched. He unlocked the doors and Unicorn hurried to get in the passenger seat, unslinging the scabbard from her back and stowing it in the back seat.
"Could you replace that horn?" Bane asked. "There are other unicorns still in herds in Okali, you know."
"Nah," she answered as she tugged the restraint strap down over one shoulder. "It's not just any old unicorn horn. It was ensorcelled by the Eldarin ages ago. I dunno, maybe the Masters at Tel Shai could make a new one." She reached behind her to pat the horn. "I take good care of it, believe me."
Bane headed uptown. After a few minutes, Unicorn said, "You could stop by KDF headquarters more often, Jeremy."
"Your team is doing fine on their own. If Cindy and I have stayed in that building, we would always have been taking charge. Is Sable on top of things?"
"She's great," Ashley said. "I have to give her props."
At 144th Street and 7th Avenue, Bane found an empty spot. It wasn't the best of neighborhoods, with boarded up store windows and litter all over. Three young black men slouching around a doorway stood up as they saw Unicorn get out of the car and strap the sheath across her back. She looked gorgeous and shaking her platinum hair loose didn't hurt the effect. But the young men froze as Bane got out of the driver seat and went around to stand next to her. Talking in low voices, they moved away unhurriedly.
"Seems like they know you," she said as they stepped up to that doorway.
"I've spent some time around here," Bane admitted. The door was wide open, showing stairs leading up. To the right was a row of mailboxes and a door that read JANITOR. He led the way up the creaking stairs, through an aroma of cabbage and urine. On one of the steps was a paper bag with the neck of a whiskey bottle sticking out of it. At the third floor, Bane stopped before a door with the number 32A on it and listened. Faint R & B could be heard. He knocked sharply on the door, got no answer and knocked again more loudly. Unicorn was keeping an eye out. Bane knocked still harder. "Come on, Skip! It's one in the afternoon, you need to get out of bed."
Still no answer. Bane got a set of keys from his jacket and bent to identify the lock. The third key opened the door.
"This is why you should have accepted the commission from the FBI," Ashley said, poking him in the side with a finger. "Then this wouldn't be breaking and entry," to which he shushed her. The Dire Wolf swung the door outward, one hand behind him on his dart gun. The apartment was not bad. The furniture was old and the wallpaper was faded to a vague beige but the place was tidy and not cluttered. Bane peered inside and turned back to Unicorn. "This is going to be gruesome, Ashley."
"I was raised on gross sights, captain. I could watch an autopsy while eating lunch."
"Just so you know," he said and led her in. The body of Skip Knoxville was propped against the wall facing the door, sitting up. A gory mess was off to one side, but the corpse itself had been cleaned up. Bane stepped closer, staring in disbelief. The man's face had been stained orange and covered with some clear varnish or shellac. The eyes had been removed, as had the nose, and upward pointing triangles had been cut in their place. The mouth curled up in a grin with two pegs left to suggest teeth.
"It's a Jack-O'-Lantern," Unicorn said calmly. "He's been made into a Halloween pumpkin."
III.
"This is Samhain's work, all right. No one else is this sick." Bane stepped closer, careful not to touch anything with his hands. "It wasn't enough to punish Skip for turning him in, Samhain has to make a game of it."
"This took a few hours," Unicorn said. "Look, that puddle of shellac by the body parts has dried."
The Dire Wolf nodded. She was taking it well, better than most homicide cops. Approaching the body, he slowly lifted one of its arms with the toe of his boot. "Let's get going. We didn't leave any sign we were here." As they went back out, Bane took a blue silicone cloth from a pocket and wiped the doorknob, then closed the door so it locked again. They headed back down the steps and outside. As they went back to the car, Ashley asked, "Aren't we going to call the cops? That's a homicide scene."
"Not yet. We'd be tied up all day and held as material witnesses maybe into the night." Bane started up the Subaru and swung out into traffic. "It's more important that we reach the other gang members as quickly as possible."
Unicorn was thinking. "Samhain escaped custody two days ago. One day to make his way to the city, considering the buses and trains were being watched. He must have stolen a car or two."
"Sounds reasonable," Bane said. "I didn't give the body a full examination but there was postmortem lividity on the underside of the arm. That means-"
"I know. The blood stops flowing at death and collects whereever gravity pulls it. So he was killed and immediately put in that position. Samhain does neat work. I guess he put a tarp or something around the man, just leaving the head exposed."
They were getting near the lower end of Central Park. Empty spots were hard to find, but Bane spotted one. He said, "Maybe we're in time. I'd call the gang members but I know they wouldn't believe me." They hiked down to 57th Street and turned right, toward a restaurant with a sign LEMON GRASS- BEST THAI FOOD IN THE CITY. Hanging inside the door was a CLOSED sign.
"The hours listed say they should be open now," Unicorn observed. Bane noticed she was a lot less chatty when she was on the job, and he was glad. She peered in the window and said, "All the lights are on."
Bane stepped up to the door, drew his elbow back six inches and smacked his open palm just above the door knob. It would be a killing blow if he had used it on an opponent. The lock snapped and the door swung inward. With Unicorn right behind him, the Dire Wolf entered and closed the door behind him. No one was in sight. The tables and chairs were all set up and the smell of food was in the air. Beside him, he saw Unicorn draw her dart gun and hold it barrel up beside her shoulder.
They stepped through a beaded curtain into the kitchen. Three bodies were sitting up against a wall, two men and a woman, all Asian, all wearing red long-sleeved shirts with nametags and black trousers. Their eyes were open. In one corner was a small table with a newspaper spread open, and a hideous pile of blood and flesh scraps on it. Sitting in a chair was a heavyset man in the same red shirt and black trousers. His face had been shellacked and carved into a Jack-O'-Lantern smile.
"That's Jimmy Cafaldo," Bane said. "He wasn't Thai, his family owned this place when it was Italian cuisine and he converted it." He stepped closer to the mess on the table. "Blood is still sticky. It hasn't coagulated yet."
"We're getting closer! Come on, hurry!" Without waiting, Ashley was heading out of the restaurant. Bane caught her by one arm and told her to wait. He peeked out the door and saw no one on that block. Cars were passing, though. They stepped outside, closing the door, and walked briskly down the street. They circled the block and reached the Subaru.
"Phew, we're in big trouble if anyone saw us," Unicorn said as she got in. "Leaving a homicide scene."
Bane pulled out. "I'm not happy about it but every minute counts. You can call Homicide West if you want."
She pulled a thin device from her belt. "Our Links work on Trom tech. It's more like microwaves than regular phone signals. I can't be traced. What's the number?" Bane told and gave her an extension, telling her to ask for Lt Joseph Montez. Ashley got through, told the lieutenant that there had been a murder at the Lemongrass Restaurant on 57th, and broke off.
"He doesn't know my voice. And the Trom signal won't leave any number to be identified."
Bane was heading south. "Montez is a good cop. That crime scene will have him tied up all day, but the rest of the force will be out running all over. I doubt if they know about Samhain's gang though."
At a red light, Ashley said, "I'm doing okay, huh?"
"Real professional job," Bane admitted, "maybe you should have been made leader of the KDF team."
She snorted at that, "Me? Making schedules, writing out checks, applying for permits? No way. I was born to be a free spirit. Say, Jeremy, why are you driving a car like this? I know you're a millionaire."
"What do you mean, a car like this?" He sounded put out.
"I don't mean there's anything WRONG with it, exactly-" She broke off as the light turned green and changed the subject. "Did I tell you I used to date Johnny Packard?"
"The Brimstone Kid? Yeah, I heard something about it. He's nothing but trouble."
"You're telling me. He thought he could give me orders. After a few weeks, I told him to find a girl who was also from 1895 because I wasn't his servant. He took off for Montana."
By now they had passed through the Wall Street area and were nearly at the southern tip of Manhattan. Bane pulled over in an area of warehouses, some of which jutted out over the river. He stopped the car. "I'm not quite sure where the gym is. I know it's around here." He got out and started down the block, then pointed. "That's it."
They crossed over an empty side street where everything seemed boarded up or under renovation. A small brick building had HOLLY STREET ATHLETIC CLUB painted in curved letters on its wide window. Taped on the inside was a sign FOR LEASE and a phone number to call. Bane drew his own dart gun as Ashley did the same, and he stepped up to the door. He tried it and it was unlocked. Unicorn raised an eyebrow at that. Bane swung the door open and stepped quickly inside, moving to the center of the empty space. The place was stripped, except for a few scraps of paper on the floor and an empty beer can on its side. Getting up from a sleeping bag in one corner was a big man with a pot belly and longish black hair. "You again?" he said.
"Never mind that," Bane snapped, walking over towards him. "You're in danger, Ray. Two of the other members of your little society have already been snuffed out. Your ex-boss is loose and he's not happy with you guys for turning him in. He must be on his way here right now!"
"Wrong again, Bane." The big man seemed deathly afraid. "He's already here."
Even before the thug said that, he had moved his eyes past Bane to something behind him. The Dire Wolf spun and dropped to one knee, the dart gun swinging up. Fast as he was, he was already too late. The rattle of automatic gunfire detonated close behind him. Within a second, thirty rounds pounded into him and into Unicorn. The Trom armor they wore under their clothing was good but it wasn't miraculous and even though it saved their lives, the multiple impacts smashed them into unconsciousness. It was just chance that a bullet did not hit their heads. As they fell to the dusty floor and lay still, a man in the doorway behind them lowered his assault rifle and made a tiny happy chuckle. Samhain seldom laughed out loud.
IV.
Less than an hour later, they groggily came back to awareness. Both were in serious pain. Bane got his bearings first, he was lying on his stomach with his thumbs tied to his ankles behind him. His head was free. He lifted it and saw Unicorn a few feet away, also lying face down with her thumbs and ankles tied together with wire. As he watched, she stirred and moaned and coughed out a little vomit. He felt like he was going to throw up himself. Bane wriggled his fingers, feeling that he was bound tightly with the same wire. He could work loose. It would take a while and he would lose some skin, but he had taken lessons in escape art.
As his head cleared and the burning pain in his chest and abdomen came under control, he saw Ray Dolan sitting up against the far wall. Obviously dead, with his eyes gouged out and his nose cut off, the man had been cleaned up and his face stained a bright orange. Spread out on newspapers were cans of shellac and fixative, surgical instruments and some more vicious home-made implements.
Samhain stepped into view, He was impeccably dressed in a dark blue suit with a powder blue shirt and narrow black tie. He was taking off rubber gloves with a snap. The ancient killer had a Hollywood-handsome face with thick black hair, clear blue eyes and a cheerful smile. "Ah, my old friend. What is this, the sixth time our paths have crossed? I promise you there won't be a seventh. This area is nearly deserted and now, after dark, there is no one around for blocks in any direction."
Bane did not speak. There was a vague chance that Montez would make the connection between the killings and that the victims had been Samhain's henchmen. It was also possible that the 21 Black agents would be on the trail by now, but he wouldn't bet on it. The Dire Wolf could feel a flash grenade cutting into his side where his weight was on it.. if there was some way he could get it loose...
Unicorn had recovered consciousness and wriggled experimentally. Samhain walked over near her. "I don't recognize this one, Jeremy, A daughter perhaps? Not a girlfriend, surely? Sometimes I wonder if I should relax my rules against rape and torture. In this case, I would certainly have fun with this child. But, then, the perfection of the deaths would be soiled."
He went back over toward the corpse against the wall. "I imagine you found the earlier specimens? Yes, I can see in your eyes that you did. It's my little tribute to Halloween. I took my name for a reason. Now, I will have three more human Jack-O'-Lanterns before I go after the final two betrayers. The Pumpkin Face Murders. How fitting." He leaned down to leer close to Bane. "Happy Halloween."
As Samhain bent to get another pair of rubber gloves, Unicorn cried out, "Wait! I have something to offer."
"Do you now?" Samhain said. "I really doubt that, darling."
"In our gear. Over there. That object in the leather carrying case."
The immortal killer stared at her with curiosity, then went over and picked it up. He snapped the catches and drew out a lovely spiral horn, ivory-colored, with a sharp point at the narrow end. The wide end was capped in silver. "Carved ivory?" Samhain asked. "A walrus tusk, perhaps?"
"It is gralic magick," Ashley whimpered. "That is a powerful talisman. Let me go and I'll tell you how it works. I don't care what you do to this guy, just please please let me go."
Samhain shook his head, still smiling. "You can't be that naive. I can hardly let you go free."
"Oh, please! I'll tell you its secret. Just don't hurt me."
The fiend hefted the unicorn horn in both hands, examining it in obvious fascination. "I will make this offer. Explain to me what this does and I will not make you into a Pumpkin Face. You will die quickly, without pain, and your face will not be mutilated. At least your family will be spared seeing that."
"All right, all right," she sobbed. "Promise me that. Take the magic talisman and hold it over your head. That's all."
As Samhain did this, Unicorn shouted in a clear voice, "With this horn I remove thy power!"
In an instant, Samhain crumpled and fell apart. The horn clattered to the floor. The skeleton of the ancient maniac separated with only scraps of flesh adhering to its surfaces. The skull rolled and came to a rest sitting up, its empty eye sockets seeming to look right at Ashley.
Jeremy Bane got stiffly to his feet. His wrists were covered with his blood, and strips of skin hung down but he had gotten free. "That was some fine acting, Ashley." He walked awkwardly over to where his weapons and gimmicks had been tossed after Samhain had searched him and found a multi-tool. "I almost believed you myself."
"I wasn't laying it on too thick? I was terrified he would see through it."
"No, you did great." Bane was starting to loosen up after being tied in that position. He opened the tool and began unwinding the wire from her thumbs. "Do you realize what you've accomplished?"
"Oh, my God, you're right. I've destroyed Samhain. He's dead at last."
"At long last," Bane said, freeing her. "What the police and FBI and CIA could never figure how to do, you did with a few words. I am so proud of our little Unicorn."
Ashley sat up and flexed her wrists. "Oh, look at you, captain. You're bleeding all over." She reached inside her windbreaker and pulled out a tiny first aid kit in a plastic box. It didn't hold much more than some bandaids, gauze pads and Neosporin, but she covered up Bane's injuries as best she could. "Your poor wrists," she said.
The Dire Wolf got to his feet, and offered her a hand up. "What a night. That lunatic had murdered thousands of people over the last century but it's over now. I admit it, you're a real hero."
Ashley retrieved her Unicorn horn and examined it for damage. It was fine. She gave Bane a dazzling smile. "Told you!"
4/6/2013
11/29/2004
I.
"Aren't you glad to see me? You KNOW you are. Don't give me that look, captain," Unicorn said as she sailed into the office. "You know you love me more than life itself. Here! Check this out, it's a Meat Lovers Pizza from Vinnie's on First Avenue. Pepperoni, ham, salami, sausage, I don't know what those things are, bologna maybe?"
Jeremy Bane adjusted to the chatter from Unicorn as she rattled happily away. Ashley Whitaker was twenty-four, a perfect little blonde with delicate features, platinum hair past her shoulders and bright blue eyes. She had a trim figure and today was wearing almost all white... boots, snug jeans and long-sleeved pullover with dark blue trim at the collar and cuffs. A light windbreaker was dark blue with white stripes down the sleeves in contrast. Strapped to her back by a harness that ran diagonally down between her breasts was a leather sheath about three feet long.
"Let me have a slice," she was continuing as she put the pizza box on the office desk, "I know you can eat the whole thing by yourself, but be fair. I also bought this 32-ounce bottle of Pepsi. Maybe you don't have any cups here? What the heck, we can drink from the same bottle, I don't mind if you don't. At least I know where MY mouth has been," she giggled.
Despite himself, the Dire Wolf could not be angry with Unicorn. She was just too oblivious. "Any particular reason why you are here, Ashley?'
"I like that!" she said, ripping off a slice and putting a wad of napkins under it. "Men would give everything they own to have me visit them and you act like I'm in the way. Really," she began chewing. "Do you have any glasses or mugs or anything?" she went on in a muffled voice.
Bane went to the closet and found some red plastic cups in a bag, as well as some paper plates. "I think the world of you, Unicorn. But you ARE a KDF member and I assume you have duties there."
"Nah," she said, putting what was left of her slice on a paper plate and opening the soda. "They're all in Okali. I'm off. Sable has started giving each of us an assigned day off. Even so, we're on call. It's like being a firefighter. But I know you miss me and wanted me to visit." She chugged eight ounces of Pepsi and tried to conceal a belch. "Aw, let's be honest, I miss you. You're my captain. I look up to you. Maybe I have father issues, what do you think?"
Bane did not answer. He was working on his own slice. It was pretty good, but he didn't want any Pepsi because caffeine was the last thing he needed. There was a fresh bottle of water on his desk and started sipping from it.
Ashley started on her second slice. "Hey, Jeremy, you remember the first time we met? That was hilarious. I was ten years old, TEN! and I already was convinced I would be the new Unicorn when I was old enough. Bet you thought that was funny but here I am. My mom retired young, she made a bundle and she just got tired of it all and I was bugging her about it, to be honest. And I am good at it. You know," she stopped talking for another glass of soda, "my power is kinda specialized. I can't punch out a gorilla the way Sheng can or fly or turn into a freakin' giant lion! But I can remove the gralic powers from others and there are times when that it is exactly what is needed. Did you hear I captured Sirion by myself?"
"The Melgar strongman? No, I didn't hear that." Bane was starting his second piece when Ashley had finished the last of her own second slice and was eyeing a third.
"Talk about hysterical," she said. "You know he's like Sulak, right? He was holding a motorcycle over his head, ready to throw it at some people. I yelled my slogan, 'with this horn you know the rest' and took away his powers. The bike dropped right on him. It was great. He's alive but both arms and one leg are in casts. You never saw anyone so mad."
Bane snorted and almost choked. Sirion was a real brute, almost as strong as Sulak. The image of him dropping a motorcycle on himself was priceless. He wiped his mouth and said, "Ashley, I hate to interrupt but I have business. Two FBI men have an appointment at noon."
Jumping up, Unicorn wiped her hands together and got one more glass of Pepsi. "That's in four minutes! Jeremy, why don't you tell me these things?" She grabbed the remaining pizza, the napkins and paper plates and ran to put them in the closet. Picking up the bottle of soda, she looked hurt. "No refrigerator?"
"No refrigerator," he agreed. "Unicorn, you have to leave now. This is not KDF business, it's a case for the Dire Wolf agency."
"So what? You need my expert help." Ashley stood her ground, hands on hips and feet planted well apart.
Bane hesitated and was lost, because the doorbell rang. He motioned for her to hide the bottle of soda as he went through the tiny waiting room. This was seldom used. It was big enough for two chairs and a coffee table with some newspapers on it and not much more, but there was a mirror on one wall next to a calendar. The Dire Wolf paused to tug down his jacket and glance in the mirror. He had not changed much over the years. He remained a tall, gaunt man with short black hair and cold grey eyes under heavy brows. He checked there were no pizza crumbs around his mouth and opened the door.
Standing out in the hall were two men nearing fifty, wearing black suits with white shirts and black ties. Their hair was short, their shoes polished. Bane said, "May I see your IDs, please?" and inspected the cards they produced not from wallets but from separate cardcases. He did not just glance at them but carefully checked them out before stepping back into the waiting room and motioning them through into the office itself. Bane watched them closely; the taller one with the pointed nose was Carl Seberg and the broader one with faint acne scars was George Weidy.
As they entered the office, Unicorn was nowhere to be seen. The door to the bathroom was open, so she was not in there, which left the closet. Bane shook his head sadly. That girl. He gestured for the two agents to seat themselves in straightback chairs, while he circled around to drop into his own swivel chair behind the desk. "I have worked with the Bureau before, but not Department 21 Black," he said. "I take it you are a new part of the organization?"
"Yes," said Seberg. "Our interests overlap, Mr Bane. I think it is safe to admit that there are crimes which are difficult to explain. Paranormal, in fact. Officially, the supernatural is dismissed but," and here he leaned toward Bane confidentially, "we know these things happen, don't we?"
Bane watched their faces as if the three of them were playing poker. "With all respect, gentlemen... there is much more than the FBI knows about. The cases your Bureau has handled. Quilt, Seneca, Wu Lung, are just the tip of a huge iceberg." He gave the slightest predatory smile. "There is a Midnight War going on that you have only seen the edges of."
"Be that as it may, let us concern ourselves with the situation at hand. Two days ago, an extraordinarily dangerous man has escaped custody. He was being transferred from one facility to another when he apparently broke his own thumbs to get the handcuffs off, killed a guard despite being shot three times in the chest, grabbed the driver and made the van flip to turn over five times down a hill, and then kicked out a window and walked away. He seems hard to kill."
"Sounds like a fair description. Where did this take place?"
"Up near Buffalo. We believe he has a hideout in that area where he is remaining concealed and we would like you to help in the search. You have apprehended this fugitive before."
"Wait a minute," Bane said in a tight voice. "Is this who I think you're talking about?"
"Yes. SAMHAIN."
II.
Agent Weidy spoke for the first time. He had a deep, resonant voice that would have worked well in TV commercials. "The most notorious serial killers of modern times. We believe there have been at least three men using the Samhain name, perhaps four. Perhaps there is a family connection between them because the murders seem so similar."
Bane shook his head. "No. I don't care how you react to this but you should know. There is only one. Samhain is over a hundred years old. He is as close to immortal as flesh and blood can get, because he drains lifeforce from his victims. It's a kind of vampirism. Seneca and the Slaughterman did the same."
"well.." Weidy coughed and hesitated. "That is an extraordinary claim, Mr Bane."
"Believe it or not. It doesn't matter to me. Samhain is impossible to kill because the stolen lifeforce gives him healing powers. Check your records. He's been trapped in burning buildings, run over by trains, blown up by grenades. He always comes back. Look at what just happened. He was shot three times in the chest at pointblank range but he ran away and he hasn't been caught since. How do you think that happened? Do you think he's just really tough or something?"
Seberg glanced at his partner. "The Correction Department outfit was found five miles away, in someone's yard. It was soaked in blood and there were not only three bullet holes in the front but three holes in the back where they came out. The suspect broke into a house and stole some clothes and money."
"Those people are lucky they weren't home. Samhain would have killed them without slowing down," Bane said. "Listen, in your official records, you can report this however you want. Say this is just the latest serial killer using the Samhain tag. But for your own safety, if you want to survive tangling with him, act as if he is a psychopath with seventy years of experience. Don't expect him to be intimidated by guns and don't think a bullet is going to stop him because it won't."
"If you say so. I have to say, even with as many extraordinary events you have been involved in as our records show, this is just going too far." Weidy started to get up, then thought better of it. "Can we report that you accept the commission?"
"Absolutely," Bane said. "I am not going to take a fee. I am doing this on my own because I have fought Samhain before. The Astronomy Murders were not that long ago. We have bad blood between us."
Now Weidy did rise, and Seberg followed. "Your record speaks for itself, Mr Bane. Looking it over, I am deeply impressed. Our superiors will be gratified you are going to help the manhunt."
"It's nice to be appreciated," Bane said politely. He stood to escort them from the office. "I will be investigating from a different angle. I think I can find some information with a little luck."
The two agents thanked him, gave him a number where they could be reached in the Buffalo area and left. After the door closed, Bane watched the closed-circuit TV screen until they had crossed the lobby to the street. He went back into his office, saying, "You can come out now." From the closet, Unicorn bounced out, holding out a slice of pizza. "Still two pieces left, Jeremy. Here."
The Dire Wolf took and started to chew as he went back to sit behind his desk. "I take it you heard every word."
"Natch. You know, I am the one person who can defeat Samhain." She tapped the bundle behind her shoulder.
"He's too dangerous. I am not completely sure I can beat him again. Each time we fight, it's too close for comfort."
Ashley Whitaker rested one hip against the desk. "So, Captain. Am I a knight of Tel shai and a member of the Kenneth Dred Foundation for the past four years?"
"Yeah you are."
"And even before that, I was the Unicorn. I grew up being trained by my mother, the original Unicorn. You might consider that I am now older than you were when you were hired by Kenneth Dred."
"I think I see where this is going." He rubbed his chin with one hand wearily. "Okay. I can't deny you're qualified. Are you determined to come with me?"
"I am! Right this second, captain." Unicorn went back to the closet and came out with the last of the Pepsi. "I am wearing the Trom armor under my clothes, even though it makes me look five pounds heavier. I have a dart gun in the small of my back, where the windbreaker hides it and I have the usual gimmicks hidden on my person." She raised a thumb.
"Let's go then." Bane took his sport jacket from where it was draped over his chair and put it on. He had the same armor and weaponry as Unicorn, as well the two silver-bladed daggers sheathed on his forearms. With Ashley right behind him, he left the office and walked through the lobby. As they passed the door of the Emergency One clinic, a doctor looked at Ashley admiringly and completely misunderstood her relationship with Bane.
"So, we're going to Buffalo?"
"No, that's a dead end. I think Samhain is in Manhattan by now. He had a gang here, he never has more than four or five henchmen at a time." Bane turned left and started walking down 3rd Avenue. "Once before, his men turned him in because they were afraid for their lives. Of course he escaped- he always does- and within forty-eight hours, they were all dead."
As they reached 40th Street, Bane turned into the wide open ramp of the Imperial Garage. He exchanged nods with the security guard and went to where his car was parked. It was a dark green Subaru outback with a spoiler. The Dire Wolf thumbed his key fob and the security system chirped four times and then beeped the horn once. Nothing had been touched. He unlocked the doors and Unicorn hurried to get in the passenger seat, unslinging the scabbard from her back and stowing it in the back seat.
"Could you replace that horn?" Bane asked. "There are other unicorns still in herds in Okali, you know."
"Nah," she answered as she tugged the restraint strap down over one shoulder. "It's not just any old unicorn horn. It was ensorcelled by the Eldarin ages ago. I dunno, maybe the Masters at Tel Shai could make a new one." She reached behind her to pat the horn. "I take good care of it, believe me."
Bane headed uptown. After a few minutes, Unicorn said, "You could stop by KDF headquarters more often, Jeremy."
"Your team is doing fine on their own. If Cindy and I have stayed in that building, we would always have been taking charge. Is Sable on top of things?"
"She's great," Ashley said. "I have to give her props."
At 144th Street and 7th Avenue, Bane found an empty spot. It wasn't the best of neighborhoods, with boarded up store windows and litter all over. Three young black men slouching around a doorway stood up as they saw Unicorn get out of the car and strap the sheath across her back. She looked gorgeous and shaking her platinum hair loose didn't hurt the effect. But the young men froze as Bane got out of the driver seat and went around to stand next to her. Talking in low voices, they moved away unhurriedly.
"Seems like they know you," she said as they stepped up to that doorway.
"I've spent some time around here," Bane admitted. The door was wide open, showing stairs leading up. To the right was a row of mailboxes and a door that read JANITOR. He led the way up the creaking stairs, through an aroma of cabbage and urine. On one of the steps was a paper bag with the neck of a whiskey bottle sticking out of it. At the third floor, Bane stopped before a door with the number 32A on it and listened. Faint R & B could be heard. He knocked sharply on the door, got no answer and knocked again more loudly. Unicorn was keeping an eye out. Bane knocked still harder. "Come on, Skip! It's one in the afternoon, you need to get out of bed."
Still no answer. Bane got a set of keys from his jacket and bent to identify the lock. The third key opened the door.
"This is why you should have accepted the commission from the FBI," Ashley said, poking him in the side with a finger. "Then this wouldn't be breaking and entry," to which he shushed her. The Dire Wolf swung the door outward, one hand behind him on his dart gun. The apartment was not bad. The furniture was old and the wallpaper was faded to a vague beige but the place was tidy and not cluttered. Bane peered inside and turned back to Unicorn. "This is going to be gruesome, Ashley."
"I was raised on gross sights, captain. I could watch an autopsy while eating lunch."
"Just so you know," he said and led her in. The body of Skip Knoxville was propped against the wall facing the door, sitting up. A gory mess was off to one side, but the corpse itself had been cleaned up. Bane stepped closer, staring in disbelief. The man's face had been stained orange and covered with some clear varnish or shellac. The eyes had been removed, as had the nose, and upward pointing triangles had been cut in their place. The mouth curled up in a grin with two pegs left to suggest teeth.
"It's a Jack-O'-Lantern," Unicorn said calmly. "He's been made into a Halloween pumpkin."
III.
"This is Samhain's work, all right. No one else is this sick." Bane stepped closer, careful not to touch anything with his hands. "It wasn't enough to punish Skip for turning him in, Samhain has to make a game of it."
"This took a few hours," Unicorn said. "Look, that puddle of shellac by the body parts has dried."
The Dire Wolf nodded. She was taking it well, better than most homicide cops. Approaching the body, he slowly lifted one of its arms with the toe of his boot. "Let's get going. We didn't leave any sign we were here." As they went back out, Bane took a blue silicone cloth from a pocket and wiped the doorknob, then closed the door so it locked again. They headed back down the steps and outside. As they went back to the car, Ashley asked, "Aren't we going to call the cops? That's a homicide scene."
"Not yet. We'd be tied up all day and held as material witnesses maybe into the night." Bane started up the Subaru and swung out into traffic. "It's more important that we reach the other gang members as quickly as possible."
Unicorn was thinking. "Samhain escaped custody two days ago. One day to make his way to the city, considering the buses and trains were being watched. He must have stolen a car or two."
"Sounds reasonable," Bane said. "I didn't give the body a full examination but there was postmortem lividity on the underside of the arm. That means-"
"I know. The blood stops flowing at death and collects whereever gravity pulls it. So he was killed and immediately put in that position. Samhain does neat work. I guess he put a tarp or something around the man, just leaving the head exposed."
They were getting near the lower end of Central Park. Empty spots were hard to find, but Bane spotted one. He said, "Maybe we're in time. I'd call the gang members but I know they wouldn't believe me." They hiked down to 57th Street and turned right, toward a restaurant with a sign LEMON GRASS- BEST THAI FOOD IN THE CITY. Hanging inside the door was a CLOSED sign.
"The hours listed say they should be open now," Unicorn observed. Bane noticed she was a lot less chatty when she was on the job, and he was glad. She peered in the window and said, "All the lights are on."
Bane stepped up to the door, drew his elbow back six inches and smacked his open palm just above the door knob. It would be a killing blow if he had used it on an opponent. The lock snapped and the door swung inward. With Unicorn right behind him, the Dire Wolf entered and closed the door behind him. No one was in sight. The tables and chairs were all set up and the smell of food was in the air. Beside him, he saw Unicorn draw her dart gun and hold it barrel up beside her shoulder.
They stepped through a beaded curtain into the kitchen. Three bodies were sitting up against a wall, two men and a woman, all Asian, all wearing red long-sleeved shirts with nametags and black trousers. Their eyes were open. In one corner was a small table with a newspaper spread open, and a hideous pile of blood and flesh scraps on it. Sitting in a chair was a heavyset man in the same red shirt and black trousers. His face had been shellacked and carved into a Jack-O'-Lantern smile.
"That's Jimmy Cafaldo," Bane said. "He wasn't Thai, his family owned this place when it was Italian cuisine and he converted it." He stepped closer to the mess on the table. "Blood is still sticky. It hasn't coagulated yet."
"We're getting closer! Come on, hurry!" Without waiting, Ashley was heading out of the restaurant. Bane caught her by one arm and told her to wait. He peeked out the door and saw no one on that block. Cars were passing, though. They stepped outside, closing the door, and walked briskly down the street. They circled the block and reached the Subaru.
"Phew, we're in big trouble if anyone saw us," Unicorn said as she got in. "Leaving a homicide scene."
Bane pulled out. "I'm not happy about it but every minute counts. You can call Homicide West if you want."
She pulled a thin device from her belt. "Our Links work on Trom tech. It's more like microwaves than regular phone signals. I can't be traced. What's the number?" Bane told and gave her an extension, telling her to ask for Lt Joseph Montez. Ashley got through, told the lieutenant that there had been a murder at the Lemongrass Restaurant on 57th, and broke off.
"He doesn't know my voice. And the Trom signal won't leave any number to be identified."
Bane was heading south. "Montez is a good cop. That crime scene will have him tied up all day, but the rest of the force will be out running all over. I doubt if they know about Samhain's gang though."
At a red light, Ashley said, "I'm doing okay, huh?"
"Real professional job," Bane admitted, "maybe you should have been made leader of the KDF team."
She snorted at that, "Me? Making schedules, writing out checks, applying for permits? No way. I was born to be a free spirit. Say, Jeremy, why are you driving a car like this? I know you're a millionaire."
"What do you mean, a car like this?" He sounded put out.
"I don't mean there's anything WRONG with it, exactly-" She broke off as the light turned green and changed the subject. "Did I tell you I used to date Johnny Packard?"
"The Brimstone Kid? Yeah, I heard something about it. He's nothing but trouble."
"You're telling me. He thought he could give me orders. After a few weeks, I told him to find a girl who was also from 1895 because I wasn't his servant. He took off for Montana."
By now they had passed through the Wall Street area and were nearly at the southern tip of Manhattan. Bane pulled over in an area of warehouses, some of which jutted out over the river. He stopped the car. "I'm not quite sure where the gym is. I know it's around here." He got out and started down the block, then pointed. "That's it."
They crossed over an empty side street where everything seemed boarded up or under renovation. A small brick building had HOLLY STREET ATHLETIC CLUB painted in curved letters on its wide window. Taped on the inside was a sign FOR LEASE and a phone number to call. Bane drew his own dart gun as Ashley did the same, and he stepped up to the door. He tried it and it was unlocked. Unicorn raised an eyebrow at that. Bane swung the door open and stepped quickly inside, moving to the center of the empty space. The place was stripped, except for a few scraps of paper on the floor and an empty beer can on its side. Getting up from a sleeping bag in one corner was a big man with a pot belly and longish black hair. "You again?" he said.
"Never mind that," Bane snapped, walking over towards him. "You're in danger, Ray. Two of the other members of your little society have already been snuffed out. Your ex-boss is loose and he's not happy with you guys for turning him in. He must be on his way here right now!"
"Wrong again, Bane." The big man seemed deathly afraid. "He's already here."
Even before the thug said that, he had moved his eyes past Bane to something behind him. The Dire Wolf spun and dropped to one knee, the dart gun swinging up. Fast as he was, he was already too late. The rattle of automatic gunfire detonated close behind him. Within a second, thirty rounds pounded into him and into Unicorn. The Trom armor they wore under their clothing was good but it wasn't miraculous and even though it saved their lives, the multiple impacts smashed them into unconsciousness. It was just chance that a bullet did not hit their heads. As they fell to the dusty floor and lay still, a man in the doorway behind them lowered his assault rifle and made a tiny happy chuckle. Samhain seldom laughed out loud.
IV.
Less than an hour later, they groggily came back to awareness. Both were in serious pain. Bane got his bearings first, he was lying on his stomach with his thumbs tied to his ankles behind him. His head was free. He lifted it and saw Unicorn a few feet away, also lying face down with her thumbs and ankles tied together with wire. As he watched, she stirred and moaned and coughed out a little vomit. He felt like he was going to throw up himself. Bane wriggled his fingers, feeling that he was bound tightly with the same wire. He could work loose. It would take a while and he would lose some skin, but he had taken lessons in escape art.
As his head cleared and the burning pain in his chest and abdomen came under control, he saw Ray Dolan sitting up against the far wall. Obviously dead, with his eyes gouged out and his nose cut off, the man had been cleaned up and his face stained a bright orange. Spread out on newspapers were cans of shellac and fixative, surgical instruments and some more vicious home-made implements.
Samhain stepped into view, He was impeccably dressed in a dark blue suit with a powder blue shirt and narrow black tie. He was taking off rubber gloves with a snap. The ancient killer had a Hollywood-handsome face with thick black hair, clear blue eyes and a cheerful smile. "Ah, my old friend. What is this, the sixth time our paths have crossed? I promise you there won't be a seventh. This area is nearly deserted and now, after dark, there is no one around for blocks in any direction."
Bane did not speak. There was a vague chance that Montez would make the connection between the killings and that the victims had been Samhain's henchmen. It was also possible that the 21 Black agents would be on the trail by now, but he wouldn't bet on it. The Dire Wolf could feel a flash grenade cutting into his side where his weight was on it.. if there was some way he could get it loose...
Unicorn had recovered consciousness and wriggled experimentally. Samhain walked over near her. "I don't recognize this one, Jeremy, A daughter perhaps? Not a girlfriend, surely? Sometimes I wonder if I should relax my rules against rape and torture. In this case, I would certainly have fun with this child. But, then, the perfection of the deaths would be soiled."
He went back over toward the corpse against the wall. "I imagine you found the earlier specimens? Yes, I can see in your eyes that you did. It's my little tribute to Halloween. I took my name for a reason. Now, I will have three more human Jack-O'-Lanterns before I go after the final two betrayers. The Pumpkin Face Murders. How fitting." He leaned down to leer close to Bane. "Happy Halloween."
As Samhain bent to get another pair of rubber gloves, Unicorn cried out, "Wait! I have something to offer."
"Do you now?" Samhain said. "I really doubt that, darling."
"In our gear. Over there. That object in the leather carrying case."
The immortal killer stared at her with curiosity, then went over and picked it up. He snapped the catches and drew out a lovely spiral horn, ivory-colored, with a sharp point at the narrow end. The wide end was capped in silver. "Carved ivory?" Samhain asked. "A walrus tusk, perhaps?"
"It is gralic magick," Ashley whimpered. "That is a powerful talisman. Let me go and I'll tell you how it works. I don't care what you do to this guy, just please please let me go."
Samhain shook his head, still smiling. "You can't be that naive. I can hardly let you go free."
"Oh, please! I'll tell you its secret. Just don't hurt me."
The fiend hefted the unicorn horn in both hands, examining it in obvious fascination. "I will make this offer. Explain to me what this does and I will not make you into a Pumpkin Face. You will die quickly, without pain, and your face will not be mutilated. At least your family will be spared seeing that."
"All right, all right," she sobbed. "Promise me that. Take the magic talisman and hold it over your head. That's all."
As Samhain did this, Unicorn shouted in a clear voice, "With this horn I remove thy power!"
In an instant, Samhain crumpled and fell apart. The horn clattered to the floor. The skeleton of the ancient maniac separated with only scraps of flesh adhering to its surfaces. The skull rolled and came to a rest sitting up, its empty eye sockets seeming to look right at Ashley.
Jeremy Bane got stiffly to his feet. His wrists were covered with his blood, and strips of skin hung down but he had gotten free. "That was some fine acting, Ashley." He walked awkwardly over to where his weapons and gimmicks had been tossed after Samhain had searched him and found a multi-tool. "I almost believed you myself."
"I wasn't laying it on too thick? I was terrified he would see through it."
"No, you did great." Bane was starting to loosen up after being tied in that position. He opened the tool and began unwinding the wire from her thumbs. "Do you realize what you've accomplished?"
"Oh, my God, you're right. I've destroyed Samhain. He's dead at last."
"At long last," Bane said, freeing her. "What the police and FBI and CIA could never figure how to do, you did with a few words. I am so proud of our little Unicorn."
Ashley sat up and flexed her wrists. "Oh, look at you, captain. You're bleeding all over." She reached inside her windbreaker and pulled out a tiny first aid kit in a plastic box. It didn't hold much more than some bandaids, gauze pads and Neosporin, but she covered up Bane's injuries as best she could. "Your poor wrists," she said.
The Dire Wolf got to his feet, and offered her a hand up. "What a night. That lunatic had murdered thousands of people over the last century but it's over now. I admit it, you're a real hero."
Ashley retrieved her Unicorn horn and examined it for damage. It was fine. She gave Bane a dazzling smile. "Told you!"
4/6/2013