GAME ON - GoM 2

5

Detroit PD taped off the access to the alley and blocked the cross-street. People gathered behind the barrier guarded by uniforms, murmuring and taking pictures with their phones. Soon a couple of crews from local news outlets showed up. It wasn't a nice area, always full of homeless, junkies and working girls with their pimps lurking around. So the neighbors were surprised to see so many cruisers and officers. And so many ambulances. Those keeping score swore five ambulances had left the place, carrying each at least two bodybags.

In the diner right across the street from the alley, the man watched the useless circus as he drank coffee after coffee. He'd taken a table before the first cruiser arrived, so he was able to stay there after they closed the street. Only at noon the frantic coming and going came to an end. Even the G-men drove away in their black SUVs with tinted windows. Two uniforms remained there, keeping the roped-off access to the alley.

The man ordered yet another coffee. Now that law & order were gone, chances were somebody would contact him there. He could only muster his patient and wait.

About an hour later, two young men in jeans and flannels walked into the diner. They scanned the few faces around and headed straight to his table.

"Harry Bormstone?" asked the older one.

The man held his eyes with his best poker face. He didn't knew the pair. And he certainly didn't like strangers who knew his name. At all.

The younger man flashed a tight smile. "I'm Mark, this is my brother Aidan. We're Ben Holster's sons."

Harry kept staring at them, not showing any sign of recognizing their names. Aidan rolled his eyes and sat down opposite him. Mark hesitated and sat down too. Harry studied them without a word, letting his face reflect he didn't exactly dig Aidan's attitude.

Mark cleared his throat and tried the diplomatic gambit. "You left Dad a message last night. You said it was an emergency. Dad's working a case in New Orleans, so he asked us to come."

Harry nodded to the alley across the street. The Holsters looked out and back at him.

"Nice alley," said Aidan.

He held Harry's stare, full-out race for Tough Guy Of The Year.

"My brother called me last night," Harry said after a thick pause.

"Sweet of him," replied Aidan.

Mark's heel landed on his brother's toes, forcing him to suffocate an exclamation.

"Your brother Charlie, right?"

Harry only nodded. In the following awkward pause, Mark couldn't help wondering why the hell hunters always had to put up those silly testosterone matches when they first met.

"Something about the Shelter?" he asked.

Harry's answer was a low growl. "The Shelter's gone."

Aidan sat up with a jolt and looked out again, starting to get the picture.

Mark frowned. "What d'you mean, gone? Dad said the relocation was scheduled for tomorrow."

"There ain't gonna be no more relocations. It's gone too."

The Holsters gawked at Harry.

"But it was protected!" Mark argued. "How could anyone just get in and take it? And how did they locate it?"

"That's what I wanna find out," Harry replied. "But it's been a frigging parade all morning. Even the feds were here."

"Feds!" repeated Aidan, frowning.

Harry shrugged. "Eleven bodies in an underground bunker that's not listed in any city blueprint. Suits are bound to show up."

"Wait," said Mark. "Eleven? But it was supposed to be guarded by a dozen Protectors. Around the clock."

"That's why I'm here. Whoever escaped the butchery, this is the rendezvous point."

"Did you have a chance to see the Shelter before the cops got here?" asked Aidan.

"I called it in myself."

"You knew how to enter the Shelter? Wasn't it supposed to be super-duper top secret?"

Mark and Harry looked at Aidan as if he were a simpleton. He arched his eyebrows--what?

"Harry's brother's Chief Protector, Aidan. Of course he can access any Shelter."

"Was," Harry corrected bitterly. "My brother's dead."

"What!?" cried Mark.

"Any idea who did it?" asked Aidan.

"One killer, two tops. Shelters are demon-proof, but I can't think of any other creature capable of such a massacre."

"Couldn't have it been a human?"

"Not an ordinary human."

"We need to see the bodies, Mark," said Aidan. "Maybe we can find a clue to who did it."

"You go see the bodies if you want. I already know who did it. I only need to locate him."

The Holsters gawked at him again. Harry produced a blood-stained handkerchief. And wrapped in it, Harry showed them his brother's phone, smashed and still covered in blood.