Knights v Hunters: The Choice

Caleb was unusually quiet that evening. His mind was still focussed on the crime scenes they had visited earlier. There was a strange scent at each of these scenes, which he suspected was that of the Untouchables. It smelt like vanilla! Maybe he could use that to track the killers? He needed to let Becca know. It was something that she could use to track McCall and Gentry.

“Hey Becca,” Caleb said, as a tired Becca picked up his call. “Miss me?” He laughed as he heard her response and shook off the feeling that came over him when he heard her voice.

“So, my dad told us about your findings. You know, this mission just became really tricky right? It’s like we’re moving into dangerous territory here. I mean, Knights knocking each other off? Ugly!” she said.

“I know. The sooner we find these condemned, the sooner we can get back home. Listen Bec, I smelt something similar to vanilla at each of these crime scenes. I think it came from the Untouchables. Think you can use that?” he asked.

“Sure can partner! But can I do that tomorrow? I need to be somewhere,” Becca responded mysteriously.

“And where are you needed at this late hour, young lady?” Caleb asked, a bit reluctant to hear her response.

“Eli and I are going to watch a movie. I don’t want to be late,” she said.

“Okay then,” Caleb responded. “I won’t keep you. Let me know if you find out anything.”

“Okay,” Becca promised and rung off, leaving a perturbed Caleb on the other end.

A while later, Rafe, after trying unsuccessfully to gain his brother’s attention, threw a paper aeroplane in his direction. Caleb barely reacted.

“What’s bugging you?” Rafe eventually asked.

Caleb told him about the scent he had picked up at the crime scenes. Rafe was not surprised. As a born tracker, Caleb was more attuned to those things than him.

“I also think that these Untouchables were obviously banished from Knight town for some heinous crimes,” Caleb continued. “I know you felt it too at the crime scenes.”

“Yes,” Rafe admitted. He paused before continuing, “The strangest thing’s been happening. I think my abilities are evolving. When Detective Peck showed me the photos the other day, I could see how some of those other people, not related to this case, died.”

“Well, we kind of knew that would happen. Dad’s been telling us for years. You pick anything else up today?”

“I think that just before they died, our victims recognised the Untouchables. I don’t know how or why, I just saw it in their eyes,” Rafe said.

“Do you think that these condemned Untouchables were in Knight town at the same time as the victims?” Caleb asked.

“It’s possible. The age range of the victims except for Missy Adams is small enough to indicate that the Untouchables are possibly in the same age group.”

“Good theory. Now, if only we knew a Knight we could test it on!” Caleb said and smiled as he headed for his room.

Rafe refused to take the hint. There was something unspoken between the brothers and Rafe wished to leave it like that, for now at least. That night, when he spoke to Eden, he wasn’t even tempted to ask her about the former Knights, since Ethan had already indicated that he and Jude would come up with a plan to confirm the victims’ origins.

Two days later, Eden, Gabe, Josh and Matthew sat at the breakfast table with Grace, when Kyra burst into the kitchen.

“You’ll never believe what I just heard!” she squealed in excitement, her blonde locks literally bouncing off her shoulders.

“Spill,” Josh commanded, not in favour of his sister’s theatrics so early in the morning.

“Well, I heard that Seth and a few of the other members of the Council will be coming around here very soon. Father, there’s a new mission that they haven’t told you about, but with which they need our help. More specifically, I think that they want Eden and Matthew to get involved,” Kyra said.

“Why Eden and Matthew specifically?” Gabe asked his daughter, well aware, that as leader of the Knights, all missions should have been discussed with him in the first place.

“Well, Eden’s one of our finest trackers and Matthew is a Sensor. Apparently, they need those abilities on this mission,” Kyra explained.

“Finish your breakfast, all of you,” Grace ordered. “We’ll talk about business after we eat and we better not be interrupted by the Council while we are doing that!”

Josh didn’t need to be a Sensor to know that his mother was peeved right now. Grace hated nothing more than being intruded upon by the Council during family mealtimes. Recently she was just suspicious of the Council and their motives and worried for her husband.

They ate in silence and it was only when the dishes were stacked in the dishwasher and Matthew and Josh were wiping down the table, that they heard a knock at the front door.

Gabe opened the door, looking almost majestic in his dark black pants and a crisp white shirt, slightly opened at the neck. There he found Sam, Seth and Noah, all wearing equally worried expressions.

“May we come in, Gabe?” Noah asked. I don’t let my enemies into my home, Gabe wanted to respond, but knew that he couldn’t say that without any proof. Instead, he nodded and stepped aside to let the three men and members of the Council enter his home. Sam was the youngest of them, barely forty, but highly respected due to his multiple abilities. Noah, although similar in age to Gabe, looked much younger, probably due to the limited stress he carried when compared to the leader of the Knights.

“You’re probably wondering why we are here,” Seth commented as Grace joined them and offered them coffee, all of whom declined.

“Well, I’m certainly curious!” Grace confirmed. Seth smiled and Grace was once again struck by her belief in him and her refusal to accept that he was involved in any mutiny against their society.

“A few months ago, two Normals took the life of a known drug dealer. As you know, the Knights have always believed that sins committed in the pursuit of justice, provided that they are not repetitive, are redeemable,” Noah began. “These two condemned Normals were tracking this drug dealer for a while and since the police refused to intervene, they decided to take matters into their own hands. They confronted him, he fought back and he was killed in the process.”

“You know as well as anyone, that the Knights do not condone street justice,” Gabe reminded him.

Seth coughed. “We know that Gabe and that still stands. However, these two condemned Normals are the exception for one very important reason. They, uh, are our allies in Normal society. They’ve provided valuable assistance to us in the past,” Seth justified.

“Why wasn’t this brought before the Council?” Gabe questioned. “Furthermore, if this crime was committed months ago, why do the condemned need to be rescued now?”

Sam, Seth and Noah all looked uncomfortable.

“I asked Sam and Noah to keep this out of the Council, Gabe,” Seth confessed. “I didn’t believe that we had anything to worry about at that time since no one was aware that these condemned were responsible for the drug dealer’s death. However, in the past few days, the police have started to make enquiries, which will lead to the imminent capture and detention of our allies. They ran after they attacked the drug dealer. We have to apprehend the condemned before the police track them. There are other unsolved murders in the city at this moment and we don’t want these two condemned caught up in the middle of those investigations.”

“Is there any way that these two condemned Normals would be willing to pay for their crime instead?” Gabe asked.

It was Seth who answered. “I know you don’t approve of this Gabe. Trust me, you mirror my sentiments, but I don’t think that these condemned want to go to jail for a crime they didn’t intend committing in the first place. Once we rescue them, we break off all ties and they will never remember crossing paths with the Knights! Our current concern is that they have some information on the Knights and we can’t risk that going forward.”

Gabe paused. “What do you want from us?” he directed his question to Sam and Noah.

“We need Eden to track these two condemned. Matthew can go with her. As a Sensor, he is more aware of his surroundings than most and can thus also protect Eden where necessary,” Noah said and Gabe had the feeling that Noah could have been conveying his knowledge about Eden’s injuries at the hands of Harry Tyler! “When Eden and Matthew have found the condemned, they can rescue them and Matthew can erase their knowledge of us. We erred in not doing that previously,” Noah conceded.

Well at least we agree on something, Gabe thought.

Sam was aware of Gabe’s hesitance. “Gabe, this is one of the more important missions in recent years. Our security, our way of life, depends on this outcome. We have no choice this time around but to compromise!” he reaffirmed.

“I hear you, all of you, but let me be clear on this. Your actions have severely compromised the Knights’ safety and integrity. The fact that you saw fit to engage with Normals who deliberately tracked and killed another Normal, is unacceptable! I should have been made aware that these condemned were on our list of Normal collaborators and the Council of the Elders should have been made aware of this matter before it escalated. Now, you have all placed me in an impossible situation where there seems to only be one solution! I expect a post-mortem of this mission at our next council meeting. Is that clear?” Seth, Sam and Noah look equally chastised.

“You’re right,” Noah agreed, “there are no excuses, but right now, we have to clean up our mess before it escalates even further.”

Gabe nodded. Noah indicated that he would brief Matthew and Eden within the hour. When they left, Grace turned to her husband and said, “They needed to hear that! The only thing that comforts me about this, is that Matthew will be with Eden this time.” She interrupted Gabe as he attempted to speak. “Look, I know that Eden is more than capable of taking care of herself. I guess, there’s just a bit of worry left in me after the last time.”

Gabe placed his arm around his wife. “You’re right,” he said. “We would be insulting our daughter if we ever suggested that she was weaker than her brother, but I can’t say that I’m not relieved that Matthew’s abilities are also required on this mission. However, I am going to ask them to report to me directly on this mission and I’ll convey the feedback to the Council. I’m still uncomfortable about what we are being asked to do!”

“And I don’t exactly want my children spending an unnecessary amount of time tracking the condemned in New York City!” Grace admitted.

A few hours later, Eden and Matthew had both packed and left Knight town, their mission clearly defined. However, they also left with the understanding that Gabe’s instructions would take precedence over the Council’s.

Caleb and Rafe were planning to take a cab to the police station when Caleb suggested that they re-visit Dean Calloway’s home. He explained to Rafe that it seemed as if Calloway’s killers had spent more time at his home, given the extent of his injuries and the eventual brutality of his death. Rafe agreed and sent a text message to Detective Peck to let her know that they would be a bit late.

Dean Calloway’s home was warmly furnished, but it was evident that a single man occupied it. Caleb walked around the house, looking for entry points that would have allowed McCall and Gentry to gain access undetected. The house had a burglar alarm, which was still activated when Calloway was found, which indicated that his killers had known the code and could have re-activated it when they left. There were no indications of forced entry. As he walked towards the garage, Caleb quickly turned around as he felt the presence of someone behind him. In an instant, Rafe was outside, standing next to his brother and observing the young man who stood in the driveway. The young man, who was probably a few years older than Rafe, had shortly cropped blonde hair, light green eyes and looked like someone who was in extremely good shape.

“You’re thinking what I’m thinking, bro?” Caleb asked his brother.

“Yup,” Rafe concurred, staring at the young man who now walked further up the driveway.

“Can we help you?” Caleb asked the young man.

“That depends. I was just walking by and remembered seeing this house on TV,” he responded.

Rafe looked at Caleb and something unspoken passed between the brothers.

“So you thought you would just drop into a crime scene?” Rafe asked.

The young man was unfazed as he looked at both Caleb and Rafe. They seemed to carry themselves differently to most of the Normals he had seen around that age. He shrugged and said, “I’m Matthew. I don’t live too far from here and just wanted to see what had happened. It’s been all over the news.”

“Did you know Dean Calloway?” Rafe asked.

“Not personally, no. But I did hear rumours about him being a drug dealer,” the young man said.

Rafe shook his head. Who had fed Matthew this story? Instead he said, “I’m quite curious, since when do Knights rescue serial killers?”

Matthew almost keeled over. How had they known? Who were these Normals? No, they’re not Normals, he realised.

Rafe held up his hand. “Look, you’re in no danger from us,” he said. Yeah right, he heard Matthew think, as the Knight’s eyes focussed on Rafe’s raised hand.

“If we were going to harm you, you would have been dead in seconds,” Caleb said, not exactly easing the situation.

Matthew had barely moved, although Rafe recognised the need to flee in his eyes. Rafe needed to know what was going on first, before Matthew left.

“We met your sister a while back. How is Eden by the way?” Rafe asked and could see Matthew visibly relax.

“You’re Rafe and Caleb!”

“Guilty,” Caleb admitted.

“I can’t thank you enough for saving my sister’s life,” Matthew said and held out his hand, which Rafe took and then Caleb. “She’s doing great by the way.”

“Good, so maybe you’ll answer our earlier question. Why are the Knights interested in Dean Calloway’s murderers? And by the way, Calloway was no drug dealer!” Rafe said.

If Matthew was surprised at that revelation, he didn’t show it, although Rafe heard the words that Matthew was silently uttering. Matthew was also considering how much information to share, although Rafe and Caleb had pretty much guessed most of it.

“His killers are Normals that some of the Knights have worked with in the past. They are basically good men who were desperate to solve a situation in their neighbourhood,” Matthew said.

“Really? What situation where they solving exactly, considering they killed an innocent man?” Caleb asked calmly.

What kind of garbage have we been fed now? Matthew wondered. Why would the Council want to protect these Normals if what the Hunters said were true?

“Do you know that these men are serial killers? They’ve been dumping bodies all around the city, including that of an eighteen-year old kid, who I can assure you, didn’t do drugs!” Rafe informed him.

“The information we have says that these Normals are not involved in the other murders,” Matthew said stubbornly.

“Well, we know first-hand how accurate your information is,” Caleb declared sarcastically. “Come, see for yourself” and he led Matthew into Dean Calloway’s home and right to the murder scene. Matthew could sense fear, anger and something else in that room. Vengeance? He focussed on everything that he saw there, the photo frame of Calloway and another woman, the little jewellery box on the nightstand, the extra pillows scattered on the bed. There was no television in the bedroom but there were plenty of books in the bookshelf that took over a wall. Calloway’s reading collection consisted mostly of non-fiction, self-help type of books, almost as if he was trying to learn through the lessons of others.

“Does this look like the home of a drug dealer?” Rafe asked. Matthew paused in his assessment of the house and shook his head.

“No,” he conceded. What he didn’t share with Rafe, was that everything he was sensing made him doubt the information the condemned Normals had conveyed to the Council. He didn’t sense that they were under attack from Calloway when they retaliated. In fact, it seemed as if they had initiated the attack, almost as if they had revelled in it. What was going on? He had to speak to Eden and his father as soon as possible.

“We want you to visit another crime scene with us. Just file away everything you’ve sensed here. You’ll understand why we believe that Dean Calloway’s killers are responsible for the other murders.”

Rafe and Caleb took Matthew to the place where Missy Adams’ body had been found. She hadn’t been killed there, only dumped, but one could still sense her killers. “Only one of them dumped her here,” Matthew sensed.

“Yes,” Rafe said, not wanting to acknowledge that he was impressed by Matthew’s insight. “The other one was keeping watch. Missy was light enough for only one of them to carry her.”

Matthew turned 360 degrees and closed his eyes as he did so, focussing completely on what he smelt and sensed. Rafe was used to Caleb doing that and knew that his brother and this Knight had a lot in common, like Eden had told him once. Eden! Suddenly Rafe knew that Eden was also on this mission! He had to talk to her without their siblings present. She trusted him. She would listen to what he and Caleb had deduced thus far.

“I get why you think that the same killers killed this girl,” Matthew conceded. “I sensed that they were here too.”

“Sense anything else in particular?” Caleb prompted, walking over to Matthew.

Matthew laughed. “Yeah, I smell vanilla! Is that crazy or what?”

“Not so much,” Caleb smiled. “That’s the smell I’ve been getting at each of the crime scenes or places where the bodies were found.”

Caleb filled Matthew in on their visits to the other crime scenes. He stopped short of sharing their theory that the victims were former Knights or of revealing that the killers most definitely belonged to the Untouchables. He would have to seek Ethan’s counsel before they started to liaise with the Knights on that level.

“Well, we know that you have things to do, so we won’t keep you,” Rafe told Matthew. “Caleb and I have to be somewhere soon.”

“Can I tag along?” Matthew asked.

Rafe didn’t hesitate when he said, “Unfortunately, not today. Besides, we know that you have to check in with the Knights. You can confirm to them that we are on the opposite sides on this matter. When we find the condemned, we will use our arrows!” Caleb was not surprised by his brother’s tone. Rafe could be pretty intimidating when he chose to be.

Matthew didn’t seem to dispute what Rafe said, but he also knew that the brothers were leaving a lot unsaid. He didn’t have time to find out right now though, since Rafe was right in that he urgently needed to consult with his father.

“Well,” Matthew said eventually. “Thank you for taking me around and sharing what you know. Obviously I have to go back and verify a few things.”

When Matthew left, Caleb and Rafe agreed to speak to Ethan first before they headed to the police station. Ethan was more than surprised to discover that the Knights were around, looking to offer salvation to the Untouchables who were killing former Knights.

“Here’s the thing, Uncle Ethan. I don’t think that the Knights know that the victims were all former Knights or that the killers are actually part of the Untouchables,” Caleb offered.

“And, I think that there is something else going on in their town. The misinformation that’s preceding their missions is extremely dangerous, but the Knights control their own intelligence, so it’s obvious that someone internal to their society is sabotaging them. This mission is not going to end well for the Knights and if they try to restrain us, then there will be consequences. For both societies,” Rafe added.

Ethan thought for a moment. “You know the Knights and Hunters used to work together very closely centuries ago, but that all changed. Nevertheless, we have managed to co-exist and not get in each other’s way. I’d like to keep it like that. If there is something afoot in their town, they have to resolve it amongst themselves.”

“Do you think that we should let them know what we have found so far?” Caleb asked.

“Yes. At least then, we will be engaging on an equal footing and they can choose to do what they wish with that information. Is there only one Knight there?” Ethan questioned.

“No, there’s another one, Matthew’s sister Eden,” Rafe informed him.

“Ah, she’s the one you brought over to the compound?” Ethan asked.

“Yes,” Caleb answered. “Uncle Ethan, I think we should inform both Eden and Matthew as soon as possible. Maybe they can help us find a motive for these killings.”

“Okay, go ahead. But do that later, after you attend that interview with the Adams. Becca also needs to come in now. Will you pick her up at the train station tomorrow at 8am?”

“Yes sir, will do,” Rafe said, almost relieved. He didn’t want to keep this from Eden, although he would have if he needed to. He just feared for her safety. Someone was out to get her family and Gabe didn’t seem to be any closer to finding out who and why.

“She’ll be fine,” Caleb suddenly said, aware that he was more in Rafe’s head than he wanted to be. “Her brother will not let anything happen to her. Can you ask them to meet us later, maybe away from our apartment in case we run into Detective Peck? That could be awkward!”

Rafe didn’t seem to be upset at Caleb for reading his mind. There was very little that was off limits when they were on a mission. They kept an eye on each other at all times. He suspected that it was the same with Eden and her brother.

They were on the way to the station when Rafe heard Eden’s voice.

“Rafe, can you hear me?”

“Yes, I can,” he responded. “And so can Caleb, by the way.”

“Oh, okay. Hi Caleb! Listen, Matthew told me what happened. Is there anything we need to discuss?”

“Eden, I can’t quite talk right now. Why don’t you and Matthew meet us later?” Rafe gave her the name and the address of a diner and told her to meet them there at 8pm.

“Are you okay, Rafe?”

“Yes, be careful in the meantime, okay? Caleb and I will see you later.”

When he was done talking with Eden, Caleb turned and looked at him. “That’s pretty cool man. I thought you could only communicate like that with Hunters!”

“Yeah, me too.” Rafe then quickly told Caleb about how he had communicated with Eden and that she seemed to have developed that same ability, although she couldn’t read his mind, like he could hers.

“Father, we have a problem. The Hunters are here!” Matthew informed Gabe. Gabe was on speaker with Kyra, Josh and their mother close by. Matthew proceeded to tell them what they had discovered and that the condemned Normals they were tracking most definitely had committed more than one murder.

“Do you trust the information you gleaned off the Hunters?” Gabe asked, already knowing Matthew’s answer.

“Yes and the information they shared is more plausible than what the Council members told us,” Matthew said angrily.

“Gabe, I think they should return home immediately,” Grace said, now very concerned.

“Father, the Hunters want to meet us tonight. I think that they have conferred with their leaders and are willing to share what they know. Mother, we can’t leave now. It will raise suspicion with the Council,” Eden pleaded.

“I agree,” Gabe said. “This might just be the opportunity we need to root out the tainted within the Council. Besides, since they can track you as well as I can, they’ll know that you are not where they expect you to be. But, I am worried about the fact that you are being led into a trap, which is why I’m sending Kyra and Josh to you in the morning.” Josh looked ecstatic at the news.

“Okay, Father, just one more thing. How do we play this out with the Hunters?” Matthew asked, concerned.

“Play it by ear, but play nice. As you say, these are the Hunters who saved your sister and I’m more inclined to trust them, than our own kind right now,” Gabe said forcefully. “However, we operate on the other side of the line as Knights. Find the condemned, but keep clear of them until we know better. Listen to what the Hunters have to say. They obviously have better intel than us, but don’t do anything to ruffle the relationship we have with them,” Gabe warned. “Jude is an honourable man and I certainly don’t want to get on his bad side!”

“I’m more concerned when Hunters turn up on our missions. They don’t get it wrong. We might not agree with their stance, but if they’re there, it’s for a valid reason, so pay heed to what they say,” Grace advised.

Matthew and Eden agreed. When they had ended the conversation with their family, Matthew asked his sister, “Do you trust these Hunters?”

“With my life. Obviously!” Eden replied without hesitation.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Detectives Peck and Channing were quiet on the drive to the Adams’ residence. They remembered the pure grief of this family when they found out about their daughter. The look in the father’s eyes was enough to break your heart, Lena thought. Now, they had to go and re-hash this with them, but it was more than necessary, especially if one of the parents was the intended victim.

The Adams lived in an old Victorian style house that looked very much like all the houses in their suburb. The lawns were well manicured, fences were absent and children walked home from school. All in all, it looked like a safe neighbourhood. Could Missy Adams have been less concerned about her safety, about walking around late at night, because of this?

John Adams opened the front door as their car pulled into the driveway. He still wore the look of a broken man; his eyes red-rimmed, his hair dishevelled, his clothes creased.

“Mr Adams, thank you for seeing us at such short notice,” Lena said as she opened the car door. She shook John Adams’ hand and heard the tremor in his voice, as he replied, “No problem.”

Lena quickly introduced Rafe and Caleb and if John Adams was shocked to notice that the department hired such young consultants then he was polite enough or maybe too numb to mention it.

“Have there been any leads in the case, Detective?” John Adams asked as his wife went to put on the kettle.

“A few, sir, but we’re still trying to piece together this puzzle. Mr Adams, there have been several similar murders around the city in the past few weeks and we have reason to believe that they are all connected,” Sawyer said. John Adams looked shocked.

“You think the same people murdered my daughter?” Adams asked.

“We suspect so. However, all our other victims were much older, and we’re thinking that maybe Missy’s murder was a mistake. Sir, we think that either you or your wife could have been the intended victim,” Sawyer said and watched Adams blanch.

Sara Adams paused in the doorway to the lounge, nervously balancing the drinks tray. Rafe leapt up to help her and he felt her terror.

“Why would anyone want to harm us?” Sara asked in fear.

“That’s what we want to know. Have either of you dealt with anyone threatening in the last few months? Anyone who made you feel uncomfortable or nervous?”

“Detective, I’m a social worker. Most of my clients make me nervous, but none of them would harm me,” Sara responded.

“And, I’ve never dealt with someone who has threatened me or my family. My practice is established and I’ve helped bring many of my patients into the world. None of them would have done this,” John Adams responded forcefully.

“They’re telling the truth,” Rafe communicated to Caleb. “They don’t believe that their patients or clients would have done this to Missy.”

“Are you picking anything else up?” Caleb asked his brother.

“Like what?”

“Well, do you think that they might be hiding something from the police?”

“No,” Rafe responded. “But I think that we need to kick it up a notch!”

Rafe nodded to Sawyer, indicating that now would be the right time to introduce the all-important topic.

“Mr Adams, when we looked at the backgrounds of the other victims, we couldn’t find any information on them prior to age twenty one,” Sawyer began.

“One of the reasons we think that one of you might be the intended victim is that you share the same information gap,” Lena said gently.

Both Sara and John Adams turned pale at that. Bingo, Rafe thought. Here we go.

“Detectives, what exactly are you insinuating?” Sara asked, infuriated.

“Nothing mam, but maybe you can help us with some information. Where were you born, where did you go to school?” Sawyer asked.

“I was born in New Jersey where I also went to school. My parents are Miriam and Chris Barnes, both of whom are now deceased. I am an only child. Is that enough information for you?” Sara asked. Her husband gently laid his hand on hers, as if to calm her.

Rafe sensed that Sara believed whatever she had just said. That was her life story. He couldn’t read anything else, except feel the immense pain she felt at the loss of her only child.

“How is this going to help you find my daughter’s killers, Detective?” John Adams asked, much calmer than his wife.

“We just need to find out if these killers interacted with you in some way. Was there anyone suspicious that you treated recently?” Sawyer asked.

Rafe saw John Adams reflect on an incident at the local hospital. He was talking to a man, whose face Rafe could not see. There were angry words being exchanged. John had said, “Sir, I don’t know you. I think you’re mistaken.” The other man had responded, “No, I don’t think I’m mistaken. You know me. I can hear the wheels in your head turning!” The man had turned around, as if to gain the attention of someone else. As he did so, Rafe saw his face. Roan Gentry! The man he had called was Gage McCall. Rafe caught the whisper Gentry had exchanged with McCall. “The Healer thinks he can dupe us. We can hear you man, there’s no escaping!” Rafe saw John Adams reel in shock, pretty much as he did so now.

“There was a man I treated about a week before Missy…..before she was taken from us. I volunteer at the local hospital. I was treating a man for some minor burns, nothing too serious. He looked at me as if he knew me and continued making references to that fact. Look, I’m used to getting a few crazies at the hospital and I wouldn’t have thought much about it, but this guy kind of creeped me out a bit. And, he was there with another guy and they both looked at me strangely. When I left the hospital that night, I actually looked around me before I got into my street, just in case I was being followed. I hadn’t done that in years,” John confessed.

Sara smiled ruefully. “I remember when he came home that night, he looked bothered but he wouldn’t tell me until I pestered him. We even called Missy to find out if she was okay.”

“Mr Adams, would you recognise any of those men if you saw them again?” Sawyer asked.

“I can do better than that, Detective. I described them to my wife and she sketched them. She loves to draw. Honey, can you show the detectives your sketches?” Sara went to another room and returned with the sketches.

Rafe and Caleb looked over Sawyer’s shoulder as he opened the sketchpad. McCall and Gentry! Sara was very good, Caleb thought.

“Wow, thank you Mrs Adams. This certainly helps,” Sawyer said.

“Mr Adams, you’re quite certain that you’ve never seen these men before?” Lena asked.

“Positive,” John replied. “I never forget a face. Besides, these men probably have nothing to do with these murders. They just stood out for me, that’s all.”

“We know. We’d like to take this to the station though, if you don’t mind. Maybe we can figure out who these men are,” Lena said.

As Rafe listened to John Adams, something made him doubt whether Adams was revealing everything he knew. Rafe already knew that Sara Adams had no knowledge of being a Knight, but he wasn’t so sure about John. How could he question the man now, in front of these detectives, without revealing more than just John’s secret? Caleb agreed that it was a no-go.

After a few more questions, Sawyer signalled to them that they should leave. They thanked the Adams for their time and promised to let them know if there was any new evidence in Missy’s murder. Back at the station, Lena looked at Rafe and Caleb expectantly. Rafe knew what she wanted to find out.

“They were both being truthful,” Rafe started off by saying, “but I think John Adams might have been more spooked by these men than he admitted. That guy who accosted him could very well be the guy we’re looking for. Sara sketched him perfectly.”

“Do you think that one of the Adams was the intended victim?” Sawyer asked.

Rafe thought a moment, but Caleb answered. “I think that John Adams was the intended victim. We just need to find out why. Detective Channing, do you think that you’ll have any luck finding out who those men are?” Caleb asked.

“This is the best lead we have thus far. Trust me, we’ll find out who these men are, even if I have to walk the streets to get an ID!” Sawyer replied.

Lena smiled at Sawyer. “Or we could just run it through facial recognition.” This case was unnerving them both. Maybe it was time to go home for the night.

“Can I give you boys a lift?” Lena offered.

“Ah, no, thanks Detective. We’re actually meeting a few friends for dinner, so we’ll make our way there before heading on home,” Caleb said.

With that, Rafe and Caleb hurried over to Wells Diner. They were aware that they were a bit late, but Rafe had already apologised to Eden as they were returning from the Adams’ home. Eden! Rafe couldn’t wait to see her. He just had to ensure that his face did not reveal anything when he saw her. Warrior face tonight, he warned himself.

They were surprised to see that the diner was quite packed, but Matthew had secured them a corner booth, almost away from the maddening crowd.

As he approached the booth, Rafe seemed to hear Eden telling him to stay calm and not let Matthew get a whiff of what was going on between them. Caleb reached Eden first and with a big grin on his face, he did the unexpected. He hugged her!

“Good to see you, Eden,” he said. Eden hugged him back, secretly thanking him, because Caleb’s move enabled Rafe to do the same without stirring any suspicions with Matthew.

The boys shook hands with Matthew and took their seats. They were starving, having barely eaten the whole day and Caleb wasted no time in asking that they ordered their meals before getting down to business.

“So, I’m glad that you wanted to meet,” Matthew began. “Open cards?”

“Open cards,” Rafe said, looking at both Matthew and Eden, trying very hard not to let his eyes linger too long on his love. Warrior face.

“Okay. We were sent to track two condemned Normals who had killed Dean Calloway in self-defence. They believed that Calloway was using his gym as a cover to supply drugs. Our Council admittedly felt a bit trapped because these condemned had helped the Knights in the past and well, we can’t exactly let our existence become public,” Eden said.

“Well, you won’t believe what we have to say. Hell, we can’t even believe it ourselves, but we know it to be true,” Rafe started off by saying.

“Firstly, Matthew, you were at Dean Calloway’s house. I’m sure that you know that what happened there wasn’t exactly what you had been told by your Council,” Caleb said and Matthew nodded. “You would have also known that these condemned were at another crime scene, so they did commit more than one murder, which is contrary to what you were told.”

Matthew nodded once again and Eden looked worried. “Why do I think that this is another Harry Tyler situation?” she asked.

“Maybe because you have good instinct,” Rafe replied and tried to not look too proudly at her. “Look, can you guys hear us out and then we can try to infuse some sense into this situation.” Both Eden and Matthew agreed. Just then their meals arrived, which brought about a few moments of silence at their table.

“The condemned you are tracking have been responsible for nine murders,” Caleb said between mouthfuls of his seafood pasta.

“Nine? I thought that there were only eight murders,” Matthew asked confused.

“They’ve killed somebody else, but the police have not found the body yet,” Rafe said.

“All victims, except Missy Adams, have one thing in common,” Caleb said dramatically as both Matthew and Eden stared at him, forks midway to their mouths. “All of them started their lives as Normals at age twenty one!”

“What?” Eden asked, now completely giving up on her meal. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” she whispered.

“Yes, we suspect that all these victims are former Knights!” Caleb confirmed.