Dead To Me

12

Co

I recognized the mark of it all.

“Government work.”

Co

The letters on the wall were the same style as the ones listed out on the directory and the ones on the glass doors, except this time they spelled out the full name of the operation.

The Sectarian Defense League.

The receptionist sitting just below them at the desk was a heavyset woman with welcoming eyes and straight black hair pulled back so hard it stretched her face. She looked up from her magazine and noticed us for the first time. She smiled pleasantly…for a cultist.

“Can I help you?” she asked with the hushed tone of a librarian.

There seemed to be no need for the hysteria or theatrics that I was prepared to engage in, and I relaxed momentarily-even though I was still confused by what purpose this office served. These were businesspeople, reasonable office folk who could be dealt with in a civil ma

And thingswould have proceeded calmly had I given Co

“You’re damn right you can help us!” I said with menace. “We’ve come for the fish.”

The woman stared back, perplexed. I could tell she had no idea what I was talking about, but shehad to know something.

“Which fish is that exactly?” she asked nervously. Her smile faltered.

“You know what fish!” I said, and threw my jacket open, freeing the bat. I whacked it hard against the reception desk. The woman jumped back, startled, and nearly toppled over in her chair.

“Simon,” Co

It was already far too late for calm. Every last person who had been working at the desks had leapt up and surrounded us. At first glance this assortment of temps and assistants had looked like any other group of office workers, but now I could see the raving fanaticism in their eyes. These were a determined-looking bunch of extremists that hid behind a thin veil of office pleasantries and seventy-dollar ties. We had to do something to gain control of the situation I had so hastily created…and fast. The mob of angry workers had us boxed in.

“Sorry about that little outburst,” Co

“But we’re environmentally friendly!” the woman pleaded, still eyeing me with nervous fear. “We recycle. We don’t dump any contaminants. Honestly!”

In general the Inspectre didn’t like us throwing around the name of the Department, but we were still recognized by the city government and allowed to invoke that status if we thought it might have some sway.

“Not the Department of Environmental Affairs or the Drug Enforcement Agency,” I said bitterly. “The Department of Extraordinary Affairs.”

As soon as the words left my lips, the crowd around us snarled and began chanting in ever-increasing volume, drowning out Co

A tall, shapely blonde plowed her way toward us with a clipboard in her hands. Her attractiveness and my chivalry aside, I wanted to smack theI know something you don’t know look right off her pretty blond head.

“I’m afraid you two will have to leave…” she shouted over the noise of the crowd. “Now.”

A clearing formed around the three of us, and the workers backed off slowly. They feared this woman. It wasn’t apparent why, but I surmised that it would be wise for Co

Co

“We’re not leaving until we get what we came here for,” he shouted over the snarling crowd. “One of your people took something that doesn’t belong to him. We want it back.”

She checked the pages on her clipboard. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. You see, we were merely recovering what was already ours.”

“That artifact belongs to Irene Blatt!” I shouted.

“I assure you it did not,” the woman said, staring at us with beautiful but cold eyes. “Now, you can leave here the hard way or the easy way.”

The fanatics howled like caged animals all around us, waiting for any sign of resistance on our part as an excuse to tear us into bite-sized pieces.

“What’s all the commotion out here?” a cheery male voice boomed out from behind the crowd. Every office worker’s head turned, but none of them broke from their positions. At first I refused to chance a look, afraid to turn away from the menacing crowd even with the bat in my hands. After a moment, though, curiosity got the better of me and I snuck a peek toward the movement off to my right. I searched the crowd and locked on to a dark-haired European gentleman who appeared to be drifting through the throng toward us.

“Jane!” he called out to the woman with the clipboard. His voice held a hint of an accent, and at my best guess it sounded Slavic. “This is what I pay you for, isn’t it? To tell me what’s going on? So tell me…whatis going on?”

Jane shifted uncomfortably, and I detected a bit of fear mixed with the anger in her eyes. “That’s what I was trying to ascertain, sir, before our band of village idiots jumped up from their desks and decided to go all pit-bull.”

The man glowered at the crowd and they all averted their eyes as they shuffled away apologetically. The circle around me, Co

The man pushed past Jane, who was smiling smugly from behind her clipboard. Her boss stood an impressive six inches taller than any of us. He cast his eyes on me, smirking as he gave the bat in my hands a good look up and down, and then he turned his focus to Co

“We’ve come for the fish,” Co

“Who the hellare you?” I asked sharply. I refused to be casually dismissed.