Knights v Hunters: The Choice

Matthew looked aghast. “Someone’s killing former Knights?” he asked incredulously.

“Yeah,” Rafe said. “Except that you know who the someone is here.”

“How would these condemned have information on Knights who made the Choice to live as Normals and most importantly, on where to find them?” Matthew asked, clearly stupefied.

“It obviously came from within Knight town,” Eden realised. “Besides, these condemned have apparently been helping the Knights for years, so one of our members has probably been a bit too generous in sharing confidential information.”

“Maybe,” Caleb half-agreed. “We think that these condemned have more first-hand knowledge of your society and your ways than you think.”

“Why do you think that?” Matthew calmly asked, only his flushed face giving away his total mortification.

“Let’s just say that these condemned are no ordinary condemned,” Caleb said, stringing it out.

“What my brother means to say, in obviously more words than are necessary,” Rafe said, glaring at Caleb, “is that these Normals you refer to as the condemned, are actually members of the Untouchables!” Rafe watched as both Matthew and Eden turned to look at each other, many unspoken words passing between them.

“Can we assume that they still have their powers intact?” Matthew asked.

“Yes, they still have their abilities, which they now use for absolutely no good,” Rafe replied. “They also have very good information on the Knights, especially those who chose to live as Normals.”

“Do you think that these former Knights still had their abilities when they were killed?” Eden asked.

“Not all of them, but I suspect that at least one of them did. Dean Calloway. He recognised the Untouchables. We think that’s the reason they had to restrain him before they killed him.”

This information had to be difficult for the Knights to digest, Caleb realised.

“Why would they kill the young girl?” Eden finally asked.

Rafe and Caleb filled them in on their theory regarding the Adams and a possible reason for Missy’s murder and their suspicion that John Adams was very skilfully blocking them.

“That’s where we need your help,” Caleb said. “We need you to talk to John Adams. There’s no doubt that he will recognise you as Knights, although he might not know which Knights to trust right now.”

“Let’s go,” Matthew said and asked the waitress for their bill, while Rafe hurriedly tried to finish his meal. His mom cooked better, but he was hungry and this would have to do.

A very alert John Adams answered their fevered knocking at 11pm, almost as if he had been expecting them. He looked at the four good-looking young people standing before him and knew that he couldn’t keep with the pretence any longer. After ushering them in, he turned and asked, “So when did Knights and Hunters start working together again?”

Caleb smiled. “This is a once-only performance, for your benefit.”

“Mr Adams, we’re sorry to have barged in like this, but you obviously know why we are here,” Rafe said.

“Can you identify yourselves?” he asked Matthew and Eden.

“I’m Matthew and this is my sister Eden and we’re the children of Gabe, leader of the Knights.” John visibly relaxed.

“Gabe’s a good soul,” he said, “grey before his time, but a good man. You boys are obviously with the Hunters. I would recognise Jude’s children anywhere,” John said, surprising all in the room.

“Mr Adams, tell us something that we can use to help you,” Matthew begged.

“I don’t know. I used to be a Healer within the town. I left because I wanted intensive medical training, which I obviously couldn’t get in Knight town. I also wanted to help the Normals. So, when in the year of the Choice, I chose to come here, I was fortunate because Sara, my great love, chose the same. I knew what was supposed to happen when you became a former Knight, so I was surprised when I still had my abilities when I left and I would be lying if I told you that I wasn’t grateful for that, because it helped me to settle into Normal society with ease. Sara, on the other hand, had been successfully cleaned, so she didn’t remember me. But, when we met at college, I guess her heart remembered me,” John said with such wistfulness, that it brought tears to Eden’s eyes.

“Did you meet any other former Knights?” Eden asked.

“No one except Sara, not for a long time. Then that day at the hospital, I ran into those two men. I knew that they were members of the Untouchables. I was surprised when they recognised me. I mean, I know the Untouchables have their abilities removed before they are sent to live amongst the Normals. That’s been the rule for centuries. When I got home that night, I realised that if I could leave with my abilities intact, then it was possible that it could have happened to some of the Untouchables as well.”

“Did you tell anyone about it?” Matthew asked.

“No, there was no one I could tell who would actually believe me. And, since former Knights and Untouchables are not allowed back into Knight town, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t exactly tell Sara, but I told her how creepy those men were. That’s why I asked her to sketch them. In case something happened to me. I didn’t know that they would… that they would go after my daughter,” John said, his voice breaking.

“You couldn’t have known that,” Eden tried to console John.

“That day, at the hospital, when the Untouchable you were treating spoke to you, he already knew that you were a former Healer. Did you ever meet him in Knight town? Did you ever see him again after that day in the hospital?” Rafe asked.

John didn’t even want to ask how Rafe knew what had passed between him and the Untouchable. “I couldn’t remember him from that time, which was strange. I know Knight town is quite large, but eventually you meet everyone. I mean, we were obviously around the same age, but I couldn’t place him in Knight town and my memory is pretty good. However, I might have seen him again after I treated him at the hospital. Once, when I drove over to the university to drop some stuff off for Missy, I felt as if I was being followed. There was a light blue Toyota, a very old model and I saw it at too many stops. The driver had a cap on, but I could swear it was the Untouchable from the hospital.”

John paused. He got up and opened a drawer in the desk situated in the corner of the room and pulled out a blue envelope. “I received this in the mail a few days after the university incident. It had no postmark.” Which meant that they knew where he lived, Rafe realised. John handed Rafe the envelope. A few photos of Missy fell out. On the back of one photo, they had scrawled the words, ’We know. So, you still don’t want to help us?’

“What did they know, Mr Adams?” Caleb asked, confused.

“They knew that Missy was my daughter and they knew where they could find her,” John said.

“That’s not it,” Rafe said quickly. John flinched and put his head in his hands.

“What else did they know Mr Adams and what help did you refuse to give them?” Matthew asked gently.

John raised his head and there were tears in his eyes. “They knew about Missy. They knew that she was gifted. She, uh, could see things. I guess if we were in Knight town, she would be called a Seer!” Eden reeled back in shock. Was it possible for the offspring of former Knights to develop their own abilities?

“I didn’t know it was possible, either,” John said, reading Eden’s mind. “Ever since she was five, Missy used to have these dreams and unfortunately, they always came true. When she was a bit older, she tried to block out these visions and it worked for a while. She was so focussed that she literally motored through high school. And then, it all started to come back. Sara thought that it was more of a curse than anything. Not long before she was killed, Missy came home unexpectedly. She wanted us to keep this locket we had given her when she was thirteen. She said that she was afraid that it might get stolen in the dorm. I think that she…” John couldn’t seem to go on.

“That she knew she was going to die,” Caleb finished. John nodded.

“That day in the hospital, the second Untouchable suggested that I join their team as they required a Healer. I said I didn’t know them and couldn’t help them. That was it,” John said.

Rafe sat and listened to John Adams answer a few more questions that Matthew and Eden threw at him. John Adams had told them everything that he knew. There was nothing that he was holding back.

“Mr Adams, my father will ensure that you receive the necessary protection until we know what’s going on. We let you down once, I promise you that won’t happen again,” Matthew said.

“Thank you,” John said. “I don’t need any protection, but I ask that you keep my wife safe, no matter what happens. Nothing bad is to become of Sara.” Eden and Matthew agreed and Rafe knew that they would have Knights around the Adams home very shortly. Except, that Knights couldn’t read the Untouchables!

As they left the Adams’ residence and climbed into Matthew’s hired vehicle, Rafe remarked. “You won’t be able to protect them from the Untouchables if you can’t read them. We can read the Untouchables. Let us help you until we find the condemned.” He knew that Caleb would second him on this.

Matthew reflected for a moment. “You’re right,” he eventually said. “If you can get someone here as soon as possible, we’ll appreciate that.”

Caleb knew the perfect Hunter for the job. Eli!

“Wake up, lazy bones,” Becca yelled. Caleb almost fell off the bed.

“What the…?” he didn’t finish his question as his half opened eyes settled on Becca, looking remarkably bright-eyed and alert for six in the morning.

Becca laughed. Caleb was not a morning person. This much she knew from experience, which was why waking him up this early, gave her immense satisfaction. Maybe she had not yet completely forgiven him.

“What are you doing here, Bec?” Caleb asked, scrambling to cover himself. “We were supposed to pick you up!”

“I know. My dad thought it would be better if I got a lift into the city with Eli. He’s at the Adams’ home as we speak. Sorry, I have a key. Guess I should have knocked!” Becca said, not looking apologetic at all.

“Yeah, you should have,” Caleb muttered, still slightly miffed. “I could have had an overnight guest, you know.”

Becca ignored him, whilst trying to figure out where she would sleep in this two-bedroom apartment. Caleb never mixed business with pleasure. None of the Hunters did. No distractions, stay focussed. That was their first lesson when they were little, something they continued to take with them on their missions.

“You can have this room, I’ll take the sofa,” Caleb said, not realising he had given himself away.

“You can hear me!” Becca exclaimed. “I thought that the only other Hunter you could read, was Rafe?”

“I could always hear you, old pal. It was just easier not to listen. Besides, lately, you have literally been keeping your thoughts to yourself!” Caleb said, much to Becca’s relief because her recent thoughts had brought her much shame and disillusionment. “So, can you move to the lounge so I can take a shower, please?”

Becca went into the lounge. Rafe was already busy at the breakfast counter. “Pancakes, Bec?” She nodded. She could do pancakes this early. Besides, Rafe cooked as well as his mom and that was saying a lot. Ava had certainly taught her boys well!

Whilst they ate pancakes and drank orange juice, Rafe filled Becca in on the latest information and why the need to track McCall and Gentry was paramount over the next few days. Caleb joined them and also added that they would have extra help in the form of Matthew and Eden, both experienced Trackers. Becca never flinched about working closely with the Knights, knowing that her father had sanctioned it and he wouldn’t have done so without Jude’s explicit approval.

“Becca, how close are you to tracking them?” Rafe asked.

“It has been frustrating, I have to admit. They’re moving very fast and I think that at least one of them must be a Tracker himself because it’s almost as if he can anticipate our movements. Their route markers are all over the place, but the vanilla scent that you picked up Caleb, has thrown an interesting spin into the works,” Becca said.

“How so?” Caleb asked.

“Well, I went back and analysed their route markers. There are a few common markers, all leading to a very interesting place.”

“Yeah? Where’s that?” Rafe was now curious. Were they actually making progress on tracking these ruthless Untouchables?

“A bakery. Ginello’s Bakery to be more specific. I’ve tracked their scents to the bakery and it coincides with quite a few markers. They both seem to make several stops there each day,” Becca concluded.

“These goons have a sweet tooth?” Caleb asked, and Becca shrugged in response.

“We’ll tell the Knights and see whether their tracking leads to the same place. We can’t use them to go to the bakery though. They can’t read the Untouchables whilst the Untouchables can smell them a mile away,” Rafe said.

“Yeah, we have to be more careful going forward. Hopefully Matthew and Eden will come through for us with some information on the Untouchables. I want to know why they’re doing this? I mean we know that they wanted John Adams for his healing abilities, but what prompted the killing of those other former Knights? Could they have also refused to join these nutcases?” Caleb asked perplexed.

“I don’t know. I think that in most of the cases, our victims would have thought of these guys as nutcases considering the conversation they would have had with them about Knights and powers!” Rafe said. “Maybe we should ask Eden and Matthew to also get us information on what abilities these former Knights possessed. If the Untouchables sensed that they still possessed those abilities, then they could have approached them the same way they did John Adams.”

“I hope the leader of the Knights is doing more digging around on his home turf. There’s something brewing beneath the surface in Knight town. I think there’s a lot more crazy yet to come out of those gates,” Caleb joked. Rafe couldn’t agree more. Gabe would hopefully be more daring in his investigations, since his undercover tactics had obviously not revealed anything.

“So, when are we going to meet the Knights?” Becca asked curiously. She had never met a Knight on a mission before, so she didn’t know what to expect, although her sister Ella had met the Knight that Rafe and Caleb had rescued and had said that she was no different to them.

“They’re expecting back-up in the form of their brother and sister, but we’ll meet them a few blocks from here. I don’t want them near in case we run into Detective Peck,” Rafe explained.

“Fortunately, they can’t track or read us,” Caleb laughed.

Rafe shook his head. “I think that I’ll head to the station at a decent hour. Caleb, I want you and Becca to find this bakery and stake it out for a bit. We’ll meet the Knights at midday, at the same diner. I don’t have to tell you both to be careful. These Untouchables have killed their own kind, they won’t hesitate to do the same to us!” Caleb agreed.

“Any hits?” Sawyer asked as he deposited a cup of tea on Lena’s desk. Lena was forever drinking herbal teas and although Sawyer ribbed her about it, he never failed to get her one if he went out for coffee.

“Still waiting,” Lena groaned, rubbing her neck. She had been running the sketches through their databases hoping to find the identity of the two men who accosted John Adams. Sawyer watched her and almost went to massage her neck. Whoa, Channing! What the hell? His hands stopped mid-air, in time, as Lena turned around. Why had it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to relieve the pressure on her neck? Something he was sure she wouldn’t have appreciated! She would have clocked him one if he tried! She had worked for years not to be seen as a sex symbol at the station.

“What?” Lena asked, noting the confused and almost embarrassed expression on Sawyer’s face.

“Nothing. I was just thinking,” Sawyer said, immediately changing the subject, “that our victims are especially good looking!” Before Lena could object, he went to the board, which had the photos of all their victims. “These people could have been models when they were younger or movie stars now. Even Missy Adams, who tried to hide her beauty behind over-sized glasses, ill-fitting clothes and messy hair!”

Lena took her eyes off the screen and stared at the board. That is true, she thought. These were exceptionally good-looking people, all of whom looked much younger than their ages. What did that mean though?

“So, you think they got knocked off by a crazed beautician?” she asked, mimicking his earlier comment to the boys.

“Funny,” Sawyer said. “It was just an observation. Maybe, except for Missy, they weren’t naturally beautiful. Maybe they had some work done, which would establish a link between all of them.”

Lena studied the victims’ photos once again. “Nah, trust me when I say that I’ve seen my share of plastic surgery. These people are all naturally good-looking,” Lena said, dismissing Sawyer’s theory. Just then, her computer indicated success. Sawyer rushed to her side, peering over her shoulder at the screen. Focus Lena, she warned herself.

“Ah, DMV records. Roan Gentry, address here in New York. I’ll run a background on him. You continue trying to find the other guy,” Sawyer said.

“Gage McCall,” Lena announced shortly. “Both these guys are forty-four years old, blonde haired, blue-eyed. Ah, more blondes. I’ll check him out.”

Twenty minutes later, they compared notes. Neither Gentry nor McCall had any priors, not even parking tickets. They were both from New York City, volunteered at their local church, neither were married and they both worked at the same bakery.

“Okay, so it is possible that these are the two people that John Adams referred to. Gentry is a pastry chef and McCall is part owner of the bakery. Hardly serial-killer material,” Sawyer remarked.

“You forgot to mention that they’re really good-looking,” Lena half-joked, for these two guys truly looked out of this world. Too bad about them being possible serial killers!

“Yeah, that too,” Sawyer said. “All in all, they seem to be real upstanding citizens. Wonder why they thought they knew John Adams? They live and work in a different part of the city to Adams. I wouldn’t think that their lives would intersect much.”

“Agreed, except that they did turn up at the hospital in which Adams worked, which could have been co-incidental. Adams mentioned though, that Gentry had burns on his hand. If that was the case and assuming that he incurred those burns at work, why would he travel past two hospitals to go to the one in which Adams worked?” Lena mulled. “And, what is their link to our other victims? Unless our victims were all into pastries, which if you look at them, you can kind of guess, they weren’t. Let’s check with John Adams if he’d ever visited that bakery in any case.”

A phone call to John Adams revealed that he had never been to that bakery and neither had his family. While she talked to him, Sawyer remembered something and turned to his computer to check it out.

“This is weird,” he revealed to Lena a few minutes later. “Now I’m convinced that these two guys are linked to our other victims. They could be next on the list, or they just might be the serial killers we are looking for. Here, look at this,” Sawyer said, turning his screen towards Lena.

“They didn’t exist before age twenty one either!” she gasped. “But what the hell does that mean?”

Captain Marquez couldn’t shed any light on it either and once again called his pal in the US Marshalls office who reiterated that none of the victims or even Gentry and McCall were in any witness protection programme.

Just then, Rafe walked in and the detectives shared their findings with him. John Adams had done the right thing in handing over these sketches, Rafe thought. At least now, the detectives had the necessary information to take this investigation in the right direction. They didn’t need to know about former Knights or Untouchables to bring these two condemned in for questioning.

“So, are you going to speak to these guys?” Rafe asked.

“Yup, we’re going now actually,” Lena said, grabbing her gun. “Want to join us?” Rafe didn’t need any further invitation. He communicated his whereabouts to Caleb and also indicated that he should meet with Eden and the other Knights without him and fill them in on the plan, as discussed.

An hour later, Sawyer pulled into the parking outside Ginello’s Bakery. The bakery was located centrally in the strip mall and was packed with customers. The scent of freshly baked goodies wafted through as Lena opened the door. Inside, the bakery looked really inviting, with pink walls and rows and rows of delicious-looking pastries. The till was manned by an elderly woman, her black hair streaked with grey, who greeted her customers with a loud Italian accent and bucket loads of familiarity. Sawyer used his remarkable charm to find out that the woman was actually Lucia Ginello, part owner of the bakery. Lena pushed herself to the front of a very long queue, surprised that no one tried to injure her for cutting the line.

“Mrs Ginello, I’m Detective Lena Peck, with the New York Police Department. Can you tell me where I can find Roan Gentry and Gage McCall please?” Mrs Ginello looked a bit taken aback as she looked at Sawyer and Lena’s badges.

“Are they in trouble, Detective?”

“No, mam,” Lena lied. “My partner and I actually hope that they can help us with an investigation.” Mrs Ginello smiled and pointed to a door behind her.

“Roan’s in the back, working on a few orders. Gage is out making deliveries,” she said, with obvious pride. She was definitely fond of these men.

Lena thanked her and went behind the counter to the back of the bakery, Rafe and Sawyer in tow.

They have an impressive kitchen, Lena thought. Roan Gentry was right in the back, assisting a few of the younger chefs, not looking at all like a man who had committed eight murders. He looked up, a curious smile on his face.

He’s been expecting us, Rafe thought. Gentry approached them now, all smiles.

“Can I help you?” he asked, wiping his hands on his apron.

What a handsome man, Lena thought once again.

Sawyer was the first to respond. “Mr Gentry, I’m Detective Channing, this is Detective Peck and Trainee Officer Rafe,” he said, suddenly including Rafe as part of the team. Good move, Rafe thought.

“How can I help you detectives?” Gentry asked amiably.

“Actually, we’re hoping that you can assist us with an ongoing investigation,” Lena said. “Have you ever met this young woman named Missy Adams? She would be about eighteen years old.” Lena handed Gentry a photo of Missy and Rafe knew that she wouldn’t share information about any of the other victims, because currently, there was no obvious link between them and Gentry.

Gentry intensely studied the photo for a minute. Rafe sensed an accelerated heartbeat, but other than that, Roan Gentry was calm and confident. Rafe didn’t want to be too obvious in reading his mind, so he very patiently delved into the disturbing thoughts of Roan Gentry, while the latter pretended to search his memory banks for any sightings of Missy Adams.

“No, I can’t say that I have. Is she in trouble or something?” Gentry probed. Meanwhile, Rafe clearly saw how McCall had approached Missy in the virtually empty library, requesting assistance in finding a particular book. Missy had known who he was, Rafe realised. She had been scared, but had gone to help him nonetheless. When she had returned to her table, she calmly packed up her books into her bag and quietly exited the library. She had virtually run back to her dorm, door key in hand, but Gage McCall had been faster.

“Actually, she was murdered a few weeks ago,” Lena said.

Gentry reflected the right amount of shock on his face. “What? Oh my God! Why would anyone want to hurt her?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out, Mr Gentry,” Sawyer said. “Her parents indicated that she was trying to organise a cake for her roommate’s birthday,” Sawyer improvised. “Her roommate apparently loved the pastries from this bakery, so Missy’s parents thought that maybe she might have come here shortly before she was killed.”

Gentry had to think about that for a while. “Maybe you should check with Lucia, she’s normally the first port of call for all our customers, but she never sent this young lady to me. Let me check with my staff.” Gentry passed Missy’s photo to his staff, but none of them had ever seen her before. “Sorry, detectives. I wish I could be of more help,” he said, with mock sincerity.

Lena thanked him and Sawyer muttered that it wasn’t much of a lead in any case, as he walked out. Once outside the bakery, Sawyer turned expectantly to Rafe.

“McCall killed her, but Gentry was with him. Only one of them dumped her body at the library while the other kept watch,” Rafe quietly said.

Sawyer pushed his hand through his head in frustration. “Do we have any evidence that will lead us to the same conclusion?” he asked.

While Rafe had been delving into Gentry’s mind, he had seen a frightened Missy Adams being chased down by McCall. Gentry had followed. He had asked her to call her father. “Why?” she had asked. “We’d like him to know that we’ve met you and that it would be to his benefit if he assisted us on a job,” Gentry had replied. “We think that he would be more amenable to our offer if you discussed it with him.” Missy had looked at them both, fear replaced by a dawning realisation. Rafe couldn’t read much of her mind then, but he recognised bravery when it stared him in the face.

“My father is a honourable man,” Missy had said. “He would never support you, even if I asked him to. He values integrity above all else, Mr Gentry!” Roan Gentry had looked as shocked as McCall even though they had known that Missy Adams was a Seer. Now, it seemed as if she knew what they were up to and would be dangerous to their plans going forward. It was McCall who made the move to suffocate her, placing a plastic bag over her head, Missy’s arms flailing helplessly as her life slowly ebbed away.

Lena watched the emotions on Rafe’s face. It was obvious that he was seeing something devastating, the helplessness very clearly written on his face.

“None that you can use,” Rafe eventually replied, shaking off the vision of Missy’s murder. “Missy kept a diary, in which she wrote how she would die. You will probably find McCall and Gentry’s names in there, but I can’t see you being able to use that.” He recognised Sawyer’s incredulous gasp. “Yes, Detective, you heard right. Missy Adams was a psychic!”

Lena shook her head. Very little surprised her nowadays, she realised.

“What do we do now?” she asked as they got into the car. This case just became more complicated.

“Well, I think that we sufficiently spooked Gentry. I mean, he looked calm enough, but don’t be surprised if he reaches out to McCall very soon. I say we keep an eye on them,” Sawyer suggested.

Rafe concurred. “Gentry’s confident. He knows that they didn’t leave any evidence at any of the crime scenes, so he’ll suspect that in Missy’s case, John Adams has identified him.”

“Which means that he’ll go after John and Sara Adams,” Lena deduced.

“I’ll ask the captain to get someone to sit on the Adams’ home,” Sawyer said. Rafe of course couldn’t quite inform him that more powerful guards were already protecting the Adams!

“We have to get back to the station,” Sawyer said after he finished his call to Marquez. “Seems as if we found Phoebe Winter’s estranged brother. You wouldn’t believe who it turned out to be? Dean Calloway! That’s the first solid, tangible link that we have between our victims,” Sawyer said excitedly.