6:2
When Siobhan, Gwen, and Kim approached the table after dragging themselves out from under the sinks and thoroughly washing their hands and, in Siobhan’s case, their face, they found someone new had joined the group in their absence.
“Who are you?” Gwen demanded, all Gwen.
The guy slouching next to Dan in Kim’s seat responded with a considerable lack of give-a fuck. “Dempsey. Who are you?”
He was a big guy. You’d think maybe some kind of day laborer with those hands like hammers, the knuckles rough like they’d been broken once or twice and had healed up wrong, and the face that had seen a few fists or maybe the surface of a table up real close, the nose broad, the brow flat adding to that whole “I don’t make a living with my brains” thing he was selling. And yet… The shirt poking out of his leather jacket was fine, the weave of the cloth that finish that only expensive cotton had. It was the kind of shirt that said, “I’m just a guy, wearing a t-shirt, nothing to see here,” but those that had the data knew there was something to see. It was a stealth shirt. Probably worn by a stealth guy. And that made Kim look at him a little deeper, looking for the secrets beneath the ‘awe shucks ma’am’ veneer.
“Gwen. So, Dempsey, who *are* you?”
The guy turned to Dan, “Does she assume repeating the same question with different emphasis will get a different response?”
“Yep.”
Turning back towards Gwen, the guy, Dempsey draped his arm across the back of his chair and slouched lower, for all the world showing he really didn’t give-a-fuck. “Dempsey.”
Gwen jerked her head like an angry chicken and glowered. “Do you own any hoodies, Dempsey?” she air quoted around the name.
“I do in fact own several hoodies. Why?”
“You look the type.”
“You’re wearing a hoodie,” Dempsey pointed out.
Gwen pulled the sleeves of her jacket over her hands, pulling the arms out. “This is a sweater. With a hood.”
Dempsey made a gesture with his hand that could be interpreted as “so there”. Or that he had a twitch. But probably the first.
“C’mon,” Kim said, pointing to the chair next to Prairie and indicating Gwen should sit there. “I’m sure Dan will tell us why the Shady Dude is here.”
Ben raised his brows. “I resent that.”
“Wasn’t talking about you.” Kim turned and snagged an extra chair, placing it next to Ben and plopping down in it. “For once you are not the only Shady Dude at the table. Shocker.”
“For all Shady Dudes everywhere I lodge my resentment of your profiling.”
“Noted.”
Siobhan sat in the empty chair next to Ivan, her posture rigid with her back not touching the chair and her hands clasped in front of her on the table.
Dan gestured at the new guy. “This is Tom Dempsey. My brother, Carl, suggested he talk to us. We hadn’t gotten further than that before you joined us.”
“Hmmm… suspect.” Gwen muttered to Prairie who responded, “What’s making you say that? He seems fine. Normal. To me.”
“Uh huh.” Gwen nodded, tapping her nose. “That’s what’s suspect.”
She made the universal two fingers to eyes then pointing thing to indicate she had her eye on the new guy. He in turn barely shrugged before turning his attention to Dan.
“Carl put it around that you were looking for a book. I can get you that book.”
“How do you know my brother?”
“He’s a member of an organization I’m part of.”
Interesting wording, Kim thought. Carl’s “a member”. This Dempsey “is part of”. She wasn’t thinking that phrasing was an accident.
“What’s the organization?” she asked.
“Irrelevant.”
“That’s the name of the organization? Or the name of the organization is irr… okay my brain just twisted on that.”
Dempsey raised his brows in silent commentary, then shifted his attention back to Dan. “Do *you* need the name of my organization?”
“No.” Dan shifted his toothpick in the corner of his mouth. “I’d ask how you got the book but I’m guessing that’s irrelevant too.”
“Smart man.”
“Book like that is worth a lot to certain people. What do you want for it?”
“I want in.” Dempsey lofted his chin, the subtle gesture somehow encompassing the entire group around the table.
“Into what?” Ivan asked, though of course the answer was clear and Dempsey confirmed it with his reply, “Into your shenanigans.”
“Shenanigans?” Ben asked.
The look Dempsey leveled on Ben questioned his intelligence. Ben shrugged, acknowledging his gambit.
Siobhan took a deep breath through her nostrils, then leaned forward to rest her weight on her elbow. “If you could describe our shenanigans?”
Dempsey just gave her a look, to which she added, “I’m aware of what shenanigans means, Mr. Dempsey. What I was asking is what you know of what we are doing and why that would prompt you to want to join us.”
Ivan popped a finger, pointing it in Dempsey’s direction, “That.”
“During an investigation of several missing persons your group has come in contact with certain individuals who have access to Magick items. While I am at this time unfamiliar with what those items are or what they do I wish to acquire them.”
“You and me both, Bruh,” Ben retorted.
“Hmm.” Dempsey leaned back in his seat. “While I appreciate avarice in all it’s forms and usually encourage it, in this case I’m going to have to discourage you from acquiring these items.”
Ivan frowned. “Why would you assume you could join us and automatically claim these items?”
“Because while I don’t know what they are just yet I believe them to be dangerous.”
“And you get them because?” Gwen pressed.
“Because I have a means of taking care of dangerous items.”
Ben’s gaze shifted from Dempsey to Gwen, Dempsey to Gwen, then a light dawned. “You’re The Warden.” He threw himself back in his chair with a laugh. “The damned Warden sitting at my table.”
“Who’s the warden? Is that some jail thing?” Patti asked.
“The Warden?” Ivan’s question, directed at Dempsey, hinted that he shared similar knowledge to Ben.
“Who’s the warden?” Gwen pressed. “I can’t help feeling we’re missing something. And I second Patti’s question. Is it a prison thing? Because you, sir,” she pointed at Dempsey, “look like you have some personal history with the penitentiary system.”
Instead of Dempsey answering, it was Ben that gave up the information. “The Warden is a collector. A legend in the darker parts of the province.”
“And beyond.” Ivan added.
Ben nodded. “And beyond. They have a reputation for finding magic items. Most assume a Magickal Knack. And once they find one it’s never seen again.”
“Not never seen again.” Dempsey studied his nails. “I’ve heard that The Warden will lend or outright give the items to people who prove they won’t misuse them.”
“You’ve heard?” Patti asked.
“Yes. I’ve heard. They say that The Warden doesn’t hoard items. They safeguard them. Warden them. Hence the title.”
Kim’s gaze was canny. “You’ve heard. Which is to say, of course, you aren’t The Warden.”
Dempsey gave a brusque nod.
“So, if Ben is wrong and you aren’t The Warden, then why do you want the items?”
“Let’s just say I have my reasons.”
“Profits,” Gwen muttered under her breath.
“The Warden,” Ben did the same.
Dempsey turned his attention back to Dan. “Do you want the book?”
Dan worked his toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. Then back. “Yes.”
Gwen stood up. Planted her hand on the table to lean towards Dempsey. “That wasn’t a universal ‘yes’. A ‘yes, you can join’. That was a ‘Yes, Dan wants the book’.”
“Of course.”
“Why should we trust you?” Siobhan asked in a quiet voice, resuming her straight-backed position in her chair.
“If I was you, I wouldn’t.”
She nodded. Shifting her gaze around the table she stopped on each member of the group. From Ivan came a reluctant nod. From Ben an enthusiastic one. Gwen threw herself back in her chair and crossed her arms but didn’t voice any dissent. Prairie smiled sweetly, focused for a moment on the air behind Dempsey, then nodded. Patti frowned and pointed at herself as if to ask, ‘me?’, to which Siobhan tilted her head forward and gave her a look that quelled many a kindergartener. Patti nodded quickly and Siobhan moved on.
She stopped on Dan. “Do I need to ask?”
“I want the book. We can keep an eye on him.”
“We will.” Gwen retorted. “Oh, we will.”
“You so want to date him,” Kim leaned behind Prairie and whispered to Gwen.
“Shush,” Gwen whispered back.
Kim settled back in her chair. “I’m all for letting him in with caveats. Those caveats being,” she leaned towards Dempsey and snapped a flame to life on her finger before negligently flicking it into the fire dancing above the candle in front of him, “I will light you on fire if you screw us over.”
“Violent.”
“Absolutely.”
“So,” Siobhan brought the discussion around again to Dempsey. “It seems you have tentative admittance to our group. Don’t make us regret our decision.”
“Or I’ll light you on fire.” Kim added.
“And I’ll chop you into pieces too small for a coroner to identify.” Prairie said.
Ivan, Patti, and Dempsey all jerked at this. Though the first two were likely responding to this seemingly incongruous statement from their quiet friend, Dempsey’s nod in Prairie’s direction held a level of respect.
“Well,” Prairie said all quiet and demure and in conflict with the cold emphasis of the threat. “Ivan can’t because he’s a selectman and Siobhan can’t because she’s a teacher and if Patti did it and was found out people probably wouldn’t come to Leo’s any more. Gwen looks like she’d like to, but honestly, I’m not sure she has it in her.”
The look Gwen leveled Prairie with asked the question ‘but you do?’. Prairie shrugged, equally silently projecting ‘yes’.
“I could chop him up and feed him to the fishes.” Ben almost sounded like he was pouting. Wait, he was.
“You like him too much,” Prairie countered.
“I don’t know him.”
“You’re salivating over the possibility of seeing his collection.”
“Alleged collection,” Dempsey added, a note of amusement in his voice, then turned to Dan. “Is this standard for your group?”
Dan shifted his toothpick. “Yep.” Quietly he added, “So the book.”
“I’m almost afraid to say this word but,” he lowered his voice more, “It’s in my reliquary.”
“Reliquary!” Ben squawked. Yes, honestly, he squawked. “You have a reliquary?”
Prairie slid a napkin to Ben. “Drool.”
Ben clapped his hand over the napkin. “Can I see your reliquary?”
“Uh. That’s a solid no.”
Ben flashed the pirate smile. “Valid. Just means I don’t share my toys with you.”
“Crying.” Dempsey turned back to Dan, apparently deciding he was the most effective member of the party or the most likely to share. He looped in Siobhan to Dan’s right with his gaze. “So, read me in on what’s going on?”
“How much do you know?”
“As much as I could squeeze out of your brother.”
“So, pretty much nothing.”
“Pretty much nothing.”
Dan deferred to Siobhan with a nod. “Siobhan is the one that keeps our information organized. I just have the stuff that’s relevant to me.”
Siobhan gave a strained smile. “I’m going to let Ivan take this.”
Over the course of a half-hour Ivan explained as succinctly as he could the details of what they’d uncovered since first entering the Mystery House looking for Dan’s clients’ kids. When he petered to a stop, leaning back to sip from his tankard, Dempsey nodded.
“So, a whole lot of scattered information and a few possible directions to go to establish patterns, but basically nothing?”
Ivan took a big quaff from his tankard then nodded. “I wouldn’t say nothing.”
Prairie shook her head. “We have nothing.” Then shrugged. “Well, we have a lot of things but nothing seems to be connecting. There’s no big arrow pointing at any specific thing saying ‘look at me!’. But, I suppose we can’t expect that. If that was possible then it wouldn’t be a mystery and anyone could figure it out.”
“How have you broken down the information you do have?”
“We’re trying to figure out victim profiles.” Dan said.
“And what do you have on that?”
“A lot of data with no apparent intersects.” Dan pulled the diagram he’d drawn out from under a book and pushed it to Dempsey. “Maybe a fresh set of eyes could help.”
Dempsey took the paper and frowned down on it. “What do you know about the people doing this.”
“They wear hoodies.” Gwen eyed his jacket.
“And?”
“Masks.” Siobhan added. Her voice was quiet, strained, and her features were stark. She clenched her hands until her knuckles showed white beneath the skin. “They wear hoodies. Masks. Dark cargo pants. The kind with all the pockets on the sides. Like Dan wears. Boots. Gloves. They all wear the same thing. And they wear them large, so it hides their shape. The masks muffle their voices and I’m pretty sure they intentionally alter their voices to sound the same. I could only tell them apart because of their word choice and cadence.”
“How many?”
“Three. But I can’t be sure. I was dosed and a lot of the details blend together. My friends,” Siobhan gestured at the group around the table, “tell me I was only in there at most a few hours, but for me it felt like days. So, I’m not a very reliable witness.”
Ivan put down his tankard and laced his fingers in front of it. “The guard has had no reports of anyone wearing similar outfit’s or uniforms doing anything illegal.”
“No group in other sectors has adopted the look nor have any of my contacts seen anyone wearing it,” Ben added. “The pieces of it are just too common. Which probably was the point.”
“How about the items they use?”
“Those,” Dan said, pulling a notebook out of his pile and flipping the pages with his pen until he stopped and tapped at an entry, “all have some connection to the Fairy Tale that is being reenacted, from what I can tell. There was an ax in Mal’s story, which was Jack and the Beanstalk. He used it to chop down the beanstalk and kill the giant in front of us. Nieve’s story mentions a comb, which is an element in older versions of Snow White. There was a slipper,” he reached into the bag at his feet, pulled out the slipper, and placed it on the table, “in Diana’s story, which was Cinderella.”
“Because of the theory that Perrault changed the slipper to glass in his Mother Goose Tales? But don’t some people believe that the story originated from another culture in which the slipper was gold. Why fur?”
“Actually, this slipper is gold,” Dan pointed out. “With fur lining and trim. See how heavy it is?”
Dempsey flicked his hand at the slipper. “Can I?”
Dan hesitated then said, “Sure.”
As Dempsey turned the slipper in his large hand, Dan finished the list. “A coat, a hat, and a pair of shoes or slipper were used on Siobhan. Which would concur with three of the four items mentioned in Jack the Giant Killer. The only one missing is the sword.”
Prairie spoke up then. “I have a sword. We thought it would disappear once we left The House, but it didn’t. We can’t determine if it’s Magick.”
Dempsey perked up. “Have you taken it to an assessor?”
“Can’t find one.” Ben grunted. “I have three contacts that I trust and all of them have suddenly gone away on business.”
“That’s suspect.” Dempsey said. “Can I see it?”
Prairie shook her head. “I don’t carry it with me. Doesn’t go with my scrubs.” Her smile invited Dempsey to join in the joke. When, instead he maintained his steady look on her, she fumbled to add. “I have it at home. I could get it?”
“You keep a…” Dempsey shook his head. “Never mind. Yes, that would be good. I can accompany you.”
Saying this he rose to his feet and collected a shield and mace he’d propped next to his chair. Prairie looked up at him. “Right now?”
“Yes.” Dempsey gave what was probably intended to be a reassuring smile. It didn’t work so well.
Prairie rose quickly to her feet. “Do you think someone will steal it?”
“Yes.” Dempsey pulled no punches. “I do. Your lucky no one has done so already.”
Ivan rose to his full height. “You don’t need to make her feel bad. She didn’t know.”
Dempsey didn’t back down. Probably when you were a man mountain, and arguably a high-ranking member of a group that by implication was full of scumbags, not much really intimidated you. It seemed Ivan was going to have to work harder if he wanted to move Dempsey to any action the other man didn’t want to perform. “And whose fault is that?”
Prairie laid a hand on Ivan’s arm. “It’s mine. I did put the sword in my vault.”
“You have a vault?” Ben asked.
“Just a little one. For keepsakes.” The look in her eyes did not match the smile on her lips. Ivan, always one to take the opportunity to look at Prairie if he was to be honest, fought not to flinch at the ghosts there. Not literal ghosts. He couldn’t see ghosts. But what he saw there, he figured that was some ghosts. “Would you care to come?”
Ivan placed his hand on top of Prairie’s, conveying acceptance through the touch. “Always.”
“We should all go.” Gwen announced and rose from her seat.
“I haven’t finished my beer.” Ben grumbled. “When did this become a field trip?”
“We could grab the book from my reliquary after I… we look at the sword.”
Dempsey’s offer had Ben on his feet in a hot second. “I don’t need beer. Let’s go! Field trip! Yay!”
Enter The Woods 