Knights v Hunters; The Return

There was a flurry of activity in Gabe’s household with the discovery of Grace’s kidnapping. Gabe was beside himself, but he would not let the children know of his deepening anxiety for the safety of his wife. If Seth had killed Dina, his wife for almost as long as Gabe was alive, then what chance did Grace have? Except that Grace is resourceful, stubborn, highly intelligent and more mobile than Dina, Gabe reasoned. If anything ever happened to her…

“We have to get out now and find them,” Josh told his father, “before their trail gets cold.” Before he does anything to Mom. The words remained unsaid.

“Thanks to the Blocker, we can’t track Seth or your mother right now,” Gabe said, trying to calm his children. “We need to go back to New York, find the Blocker and then hopefully your mother. The next few days are not going to be easy, but we have to stay strong and hopeful, understand?”

His children nodded, with Kyra trying to hold back the tears that were overwhelming her. Nate, who had just joined them, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she leaned into him.

“Father, you can’t go into the world of the Normals. We know for sure that the Untouchables plan on attacking our town. This could just be a trap. They expect you to look for Seth, thus leaving the town vulnerable,” Matthew advised.

Gabe knew the wisdom of Matthew’s words. He had an obligation to the town and to his family.

“Let us go and find Mom,” Eden said suddenly, voicing the direction of Matthew’s thoughts. “We’ll keep communication open with you at all times. You can decide who joins Matthew and I,” Eden said firmly. She watched her father, watched him battling with his emotions. Gabe was the strongest and most powerful of all the Knights, but right now, he felt weak.

“I have to let the Elders know of what’s happened, so I’m sure that they will recommend that more Knights join you. Right now though, I think that Eden, Josh and Matthew should go. Kyra and Nate will stay here and help me organise Knight town,” Gabe decided. He noted the disappointment on Kyra’s face, knew that she wanted to join her siblings on the search for their mother, but he needed her here right now. “I don’t have to tell you to be safe and to report in regularly. Remember the Blocker can only disable one of your abilities at a time. Right now, it is your ability to track, but Matthew, use your other abilities and you’ll pick up their scent.”

Matthew agreed and he, Eden and Josh left their house and headed for New York with heavy hearts. What would they do when they found Seth?

Before she left Knight town, Eden had fired a quick mail to Caleb, letting him know of the latest developments in the town, including the disappearance of her mother. Caleb read her mail to his family over a quick lunch, noticing his mother’s alarm.

“Oh, Jude!” she exclaimed.

“I know,” her husband simply said, reaching for his wife’s hands. Neither Caleb nor Rafe understood this exchange between their parents.

“It means that the Untouchables will be expeditng their plan. I’ll speak to Ethan,” he said, turning towards his boys. “It will mean that the both of you and Becca will have to leave immediately for New York. I want you to start tracking a few of the Untouchables who the Blocker might be targeting. She obviously can’t block us, but I’m not sure if she knows that. Start tracking her and everyone she engages with. I don’t think that she knows that we’re onto her yet, so she might not be overly cautious and could still lead us somewhere useful.”

“Okay, what do we do if we run into the Knights?” Rafe asked.

“If it’s Gabe’s children, help them. Be cautious of any other Knights and if they seem suspicious, steer clear or use your arrows if you need to. Just focus on your mission. Don’t forget that our compound is also in danger!”

“Let’s go,” Rafe instructed his brother. His mother stood up, enveloping both her sons in hugs. She didn’t need to convey to them that they were expected to stay in touch at all times, that they needed to be on guard. Ava now had a worried look on her face and Rafe knew that it had to do with more than just her concern over them.

“Keep Becca close to you,” Jude warned. “She’s fully recovered, but there could still be some after-effects. Let us know if you need us to send more Hunters to you.”

The boys left shortly thereafter, with their instructions reiterated. Jude and Ava watched them drive away. “It will be okay,” Jude assured his wife, knowing that the impact of the Untouchables was soon to affect them all.

Detective Lena Peck walked into her place of work for the first time in a month. She felt at home and was more than glad to be back, the walls of her apartment had started to close in on her after only a few days at home. She had not received her suspension well initially, but she had eventually used the time to reflect on the case that had almost cost her, her job and she had managed to re-connect with a few old friends whose friendships she had put on hold because of that very job. She didn’t even want to think about the faux pas she had almost made with Sawyer. Taking Rafe’s advice, she had decided to ask Sawyer Channing on a date. However, Sawyer failed to answer the first four times she had rung. Eventually, deciding to be more courageous, Lena drove over to Sawyer’s apartment, only to have the door answered by a stunning blonde wearing one of Sawyer’s shirts and nothing else. When Lena had enquired after Sawyer, the blonde answered that he was in the shower, intimating by her smile, that she was on her way to join him. Lena had not left a message and had bolted with as much dignity as she could muster. On the drive home, she had seen several missed calls from Sawyer and knew that he must have received a description of his visitor from the blonde and had immediately known it was her. She had not called him back, but had sent him a message saying that she had dropped by to let him know that she was going out of town for a while. Like he would care, she realised after she had sent him the message. He had called her several times more, but she had not answered.

Lena had indeed gone out of town for a few days and had visited an old friend in Los Angeles who had recently had a baby girl and who had been begging Lena to visit for months. The visit had been wonderful and Lena realised what she wanted for herself after bearing witness to Stella’s chaotic, but love-filled life. She also accepted that despite the psychic Rafe’s assertions, Sawyer Channing was not interested in her and she would not spend another moment wanting somebody she could never have. She was done pining.

Sawyer was already seated by the time she walked to her desk. Lena ignored her fast-beating heart as she took her seat. “Morning, Channing,” she greeted casually and watched him look back at her in surprise.

“Hey, welcome back,” he responded, with wariness in his eyes. “How was L.A?”

“Warm and wonderful,” she responded with a mysterious smile. She noticed that Sawyer was looking at her differently, like he needed to say something.

“Phones don’t work in L.A. I guess, uh?” he asked and then she realised that he was referring to all the calls he had made and she hadn’t returned.

“Sorry about that,” she said. “Stella confiscated my phone upon arrival and to be honest, I just needed a complete break to think.”

Sawyer was about to ask her for more details, when Captain Marquez walked to their desks. The three of them had been the only ones suspended after the Gentry-McCall debacle, but Internal Affairs had not found anything to warrant further action against them, hence their unhindered return to duty. McCall’s unexplained death whilst in police custody raised many questions, which was compounded by the death of Roan Gentry, whose body and that of a few others was found outside the police station. The coroner’s reports on all deaths pointed to all victims having died of heart attacks, which was impossible given the age and physicality of the men, but there were no findings of foul play. Hence, in the meantime, the detectives and Marquez could return to work.

“Welcome back, Detectives,” Marquez offered in greeting, noting the strain between his two top detectives. “Hope you enjoyed your break. My wife was more than happy to see the back of me,” he joked. Lena laughed, knowing that the captain and his wife of ten years had a loving and amicable relationship.

“Thanks Captain,” Lena responded. “It’s good to be back.”

“Well, IA has issued a friendly warning that they will be keeping tabs on us for a while, regardless of what they found now, so be on your best behaviour, kids,” Marquez joked.

“We’ll try,” Sawyer returned, winking at Lena.

“Oh, and we’ve been given the all clear to return Missy Adam’s diary to her parents. Can you arrange that, please?”

Lena volunteered, since she knew that John Adams and his wife had returned after Gentry and McCall were found dead, the danger to the family being removed. So far, the family seemed to be safe and Mrs Adams had also returned to work. The death of their daughter still weighed heavily on them both and they would be glad to have something of her to remember.

“I need you both to investigate two missing persons cases,” Marquez began, handing them the files. Back to business. “David Cawley is a forty year old doctor, who is married and has two children. He’s been missing for three days. His wife reported him missing when he didn’t return from a medical conference in Vegas. Records show that he did make his flight back to New York, but he vanished after that. Then there’s Noel Emerson, also forty years old, a bit of ladies’ man, but well liked. He works at a bank downtown, and was reported missing when he didn’t turn up for work without explanation. His friends checked his apartment and it seemed as if it was completely trashed. Apparently this guy is a neat freak, so a trashed apartment is out of character.”

“How long has he been missing?” Sawyer asked.

“A week, as far as anyone knows. Start with Emerson and check out the apartment. Our guys have been through it with a fine toothcomb, so some results should be coming back soon. Those files I’ve handed you are way too thin to help right now, but those families are counting on us,” Marquez said, walking away.

Lena and Sawyer quickly browsed through the files before they made to leave. They ran into Officer Shelley at the front desk, the young man who had been on duty the night that Gage McCall had been killed, and raised their hands in greeting. “Uh, Detectives, I know that you’re on your way out, but could I speak to you for a second?”

Lena came to a halt at the front desk. “Sure, what’s up, Shelley?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened that night when our suspect was killed,” Officer Shelley began nervously. “I was wondering if I can talk to you about that later, when you have some time.”

“Sure,” Lena responded, wondering what was on Shelley’s mind. She had never figured out how Gage McCall had died; the medical examiner’s report indicated a heart attack, very similar to Harry Tyler, but there was no further information. “We should be back late afternoon. Come by our desks then,” she added.

Officer Shelley nodded gratefully as the detectives exited the station.

Wonder what that’s about? Lena thought as she drove to Noel Emerson’s apartment with Sawyer.

Rafe, Becca and Caleb were back in their old apartment in New York, They knew that Lena was back at work and they hoped to stay out of her path, where possible. They had started their day literally circling the bakery. They knew that Mrs Ginello was still in the bakery, working behind the counter as normal. Jude had been right; Lucia Ginello hadn’t yet cottoned on to the fact that the Hunters were on to her. Becca still felt that James could be a valuable asset on their mission, but Caleb cautioned against them bringing James in so soon.

They had also checked out Leo and Harper Zolfar at their places of business. The Zolfars were busy on two major construction projects, but they still managed to find time to make their way to the bakery each day. Caleb sensed that the blonde-haired Harper Zolfar was stronger and more powerful than her husband. Several times, when they had been tracking her, she had turned around, scanning her environment, almost sensing that she was being watched herself. Rafe had managed to read her though and he couldn’t read anything there that indicated that she had thrown her lot in with the Untouchables.

Rafe had the names of a few former Knights that Jude wanted them to follow. One of the Knights had been a Healer and according to their intelligence, was now a doctor, suggesting that he was another former Knight who had left Knight town with his abilities intact. Jude’s logic was that the Untouchables had failed in their quest to recruit a Healer in John Adams, which would lead them to look for another, in this case, David Cawley. According to Ethan, David Cawley was another law-abiding citizen who had two children and was in a very happy marriage with a Normal. None of his children were gifted with special abilities. Rafe decided that he would find David Cawley, while Becca and Caleb would continue in their tracking of activities in the bakery. Caleb also indicated that he would be on the lookout for both Seth and Grace. Jude had mailed them photos of the pair earlier.

David Cawley was a surgeon at the local hospital, not too far from where he lived. Rafe made his way to the hospital and enquired after the doctor, only to be met with suspicion by one of the nurses.

“Why are you looking for Dr Cawley?” the nurse asked Rafe.

Rafe answered quickly, knowing that the nurse was looking for any hesitation. “He’s an old friend of my father and I promised Dad that I would drop by to say hello when I came to the city. If he’s busy, just let him know that I’ll catch up with him later,” Rafe said, immediately cottoning on to the fact that something had happened to Cawley.

The nurse sighed and then said, “I’m afraid that Dr Cawley is missing,” she said, confirming Rafe’s instincts. “He went to a conference in Vegas and he never made it home. His family is beside themselves.”

Rafe displayed the requisite emotion that seemed to satisfy the nurse and she went on her way. Rafe stood there in the hospital and realised that the Untouchables had probably found Cawley. He communicated this to Caleb, who indicated that he would now focus on tracking the former Knight. Just as Rafe was exiting the hospital, he saw Detective Sawyer Channing’s car enter the parking lot, Detective Lena Peck in the passenger seat. He made certain that they didn’t see him but he stilled to focus on reading their minds. They were handling the missing person’s case, Rafe realised. Oh and Sawyer was definitely not in Lena’s good books!

Matthew had never been so frustrated in his entire life. The search for their mother and Seth was proving to be fruitless. He couldn’t sense his own mother! He and his siblings had parked outside the bakery for hours and they had picked up absolutely nothing. Apart from being unable to track them, Matthew felt as if their other abilities were useless as well!

Eden sensed Matthew’s irritation. She felt the same way and knew that her father must be beside himself right now. He was counting on them, Grace was counting on them and Eden and her brothers would not let them down. “Matthew, Josh, what does Mom smell like to you?” she asked, trying to bring her brothers back to business.

Josh said, with a smile, “Nothing to do with kitchen smells since she’s a lousy cook, but she loves to garden.”

“Roses and lavender,” Matthew said simply. Eden and Josh nodded. Even their home smelt of lavender on occasions. Grace could spend hours in the garden in her spare time and she lavished love and attention on her rose bushes and lavender plants. Yes, those were the scents they associated with their mother.

“Well, let’s try to hone in on those scents,” Eden suggested. “When I think of Seth, I think of honey,” she said, noticing the irony. Seth kept hives in his garden. “Let’s see whether we can find those scents together.”

Matthew and Josh concurred. It was a good place to start instead of them thinking about what life would be like without their mother.

“Both our former Knights are missing,” Rafe informed his brother and Becca a while later. Rafe had also discovered that Noel Emerson had disappeared without a trace almost a week back. “They have obviously been taken by the Untouchables and get this, Lena and Sawyer are investigating both their disappearances.”

Caleb groaned. As much as he liked those detectives, he didn’t feel like spinning yarns right now just to get close to them. “If we need to engage them, can you do it please?” he begged Rafe. It was bad enough with him trying to concentrate on finding their ever-increasing list of missing Knights with a moony Becca next to him! She seemed to be crazy in love with Eli, although she didn’t mention him at all to Caleb when he chatted to her.

“Okay, I’ll play it by ear. I doubt that the detectives have found out much in any case. Emerson’s apartment looked like it had been trashed. I couldn’t pick up any particular scents in there and I could only ‘see’ the backs of the Untouchables who had taken him. There were two of them and Emerson really put up a fight. Ethan says that Emerson was a Sensor back in Knight town. I think that he recognised the Untouchables in his apartment. I don’t know why they trashed his place though.”

“They tried to make it look like a burglary in case they have to dump his body later,” Becca volunteered.

“Maybe,” Rafe conceded, “but how many burglars actually kidnap the home owners?” Becca shook her head.

“What about David Cawley?” Caleb asked.

“Well, he definitely made it back to New York. He was taken at the airport. I viewed some of the security footage through very deft negotiations,” Rafe said with a smile, “and he got into a cab, but someone was already inside. He got out again and I couldn’t hear what transpired, but he hesitated only for a second before he got back in. I couldn’t see the car’s registration though.”

“Are his wife and children safe?” Becca asked.

“Yes, they’re safe, but terrified. His wife’s parents are staying with his family while the police try to find him.”

“So, we have one former Knight who has definitely been kidnapped and another who might have been taken?” Caleb summarised. “I think that they’ve both still alive though.”

“Why do you say that?” Rafe asked his brother.

“Because their life signs are still out there,” Becca explained, “and we should be able to track them soon.”

“Okay, let’s get to it then,” Rafe advised.

It was late afternoon when Detectives Peck and Sawyer returned to their desks. It had been a long day and they had very little to show for it. They had spent hours at Noel Emerson’s apartment checking the reports from the laboratory against what they also witnessed. Emerson was obviously taken at the scene. He had last been seen at a local grocer before he made his way home, so he had to have been taken from the apartment. Peck and Channing still had to wrap their heads around possible reasons for Emerson’s kidnapping.

David Cawley on the other hand, had just disappeared. He was last seen getting into a cab, but they were unable to get any details from the cab company yet. They had also stopped by his home and had a quick discussion with his wife. All was well at home, nothing to indicate that Cawley might be taking some time off his marriage.

“Emerson had a key position in a bank. Do you think that he might have been taken with the intention of using him in a bank robbery?” Sawyer asked Lena, distracted now as she removed her hair from its usual hairgrip, allowing it to flow over her shoulders in all its glorious wonder.

“It’s possible,” she said, unaware of her partner’s discomfort, “it’s definitely happened before.”

“Yeah,” Sawyer agreed. “Or he could have just chased the wrong woman! Emerson’s last girlfriend lives in the same apartment building. She says that he definitely had an eye for the ladies and they weren’t averse to him either. Maybe he chased someone who was already taken?”

Lena nodded, distracted herself. Seems like Sawyer has something in common with our victim, she told herself. Get over yourself, Lena, she chastised. She wouldn’t be chasing someone who was already taken!

Her thoughts were interrupted by Captain Marquez who requested feedback and while Sawyer ran through their findings, Lena remembered Shelley’s request to speak to them. She saw him approach their desks, just as Marquez exited. Sawyer also needed to follow up with the lab on evidence that they had found at Emerson’s apartment so she volunteered to speak to Shelley on her own.

“You want to speak here or somewhere private?” she asked Shelley, who looked quite nervous.

“Can we use one of the interview rooms?” he asked and Lena led him to one of the unoccupied rooms.

Shelley sat down and Lena decided he needed coffee, which she went to grab while the young officer calmed himself. When she returned, Shelley seemed to have settled down and he smiled at her as she placed the coffee in front of him. Lena waited while he gathered his thoughts.

“I’ve, uh, been thinking constantly about the night that McCall was killed, trying to see whether I could have done anything to prevent it from happening,” Shelley began. “I started to think about everyone who came into the station that night. They all had to stop at the front desk, so I remembered most of them. You asked me that night if I had seen someone suspicious, someone I hadn’t seen before.”

Lena nodded, remembering their conversation.

“I think that I might have missed something,” Shelley confessed.

Lena sat up straighter in her chair. “Go on,” she encouraged.

“That night, before all hell broke loose, two young guys came into the station. I didn’t think much of it, because I’d seen one of them with you and Detective Peck quite often in the weeks before. He’s tall, dark haired, quite good-looking,” he stated.

Lena’s heart almost stopped beating as Shelley continued. “I think his name is Rafe – I remember him, because he was friendly, always raising a hand in greeting when he saw me. Anyway, he was there that night, with another guy who I’d never met. That’s where I think I messed up. When you asked if I’d seen someone I’d never met before, it was that guy. Except I didn’t think anything of him because he was with Rafe who seemed to know him and honestly, there wasn’t anything suspicious about him.”

“Can you describe this guy?” Lena asked nervously.

“Yeah, he was tall like Rafe, but bigger built and he had blonde hair and blue eyes. I’m sorry, I know that’s not very descriptive,” Shelley added.

“No, that’s good. Was anything worrying you about that night and these two men?” Lena questioned.

“No, only that I hadn’t told you everything. I apologise, Detective, I just tried to root out what was suspicious and Rafe and this guy weren’t.”

Lena thanked Shelley and told him she would let him know if anything came of this information. Rafe hadn’t mentioned anything to her about being in the station that night and certainly not with anyone else. Shelley’s description had triggered something else in her mind from that night and she searched her laptop for footage she had copied. The cameras in the station had not been functional that night, much to the annoyance of IA and the captain. However, there was footage available from the cells and they had reviewed it that night, witnessing McCall’s possible murder, but the footage had been grainy and of not much use then.

Now, with this latest information, Lena could view the footage with different lenses. She eventually found the recording and pressed play. She saw the two men approach the cells, staying as far away from the line of vision of the camera as possible, but it was undeniable. One of those men was definitely Rafe and the other man was tall and blonde, matching Shelley’s description. She had not thought of Rafe when she had first watched this footage because he had not been in the station that evening, but now she had proof that he was and worse, that he had somehow killed Gage McCall!