Tea for two (Vincent)

Number one rule for dealing with any of the Kiss never be late. As such Del kicked himself as he stood over the corpse of a witch and wished Xanatos was in town. Sadly he wasn’t and every attempt to reach him was met by a well-meaning officious secretary he guessed was somewhere in Minnesota or further north answering his calls and repeating the message that Xanatos was unreachable and would be until morning. Del had expected that return of the APV damaged and barely recognizable would have been thrown his way. Instead the Brass attributed it to the rise of aggression directed at coppers and chalked it up to a loss they couldn’t recoup. The normal FWTP rules had been laxed in light of the national discussion into police power abuses.



So as things looked to settled down they instead ramped up whatever was causing this body and the three before it to crop up was not strictly preternatural. Each body showed signs of abuse gun, knife bludgeon, which should have ruled RPIT’s involvement out. Sadly as each was a known witch or Practitioner as they liked to call themselves it was RPIT instead of RoHo which caught the cases. Del was thinking it was all connected but there was no proof aside from being known witches each was as different as May from December.



Knowing this would eat up at least the next three weeks of his time unless he solved it he moved out of the cordon and dialed the Inn on Bourbon. They answered right away and he began describing Chidera. “She’s about five and a half feet tall. Skin as dark as thief’s mind with eyes that light up her face and the room she’s in with hair as black as Satan’s heart. She will be the one your eyes are drawn to in the crowd and yet she will be sitting with the patience of a saint. Her she’s the one I need to speak with as I am still at best an hour away.”



Once the phone was brought to her or she to the phone Del began speaking, “Chidera I know I said three days and should have been there already. I am sorry. Work has kept me. I will be there as soon as I can or you can meet me and offer the gift of your appraisal of my job so I can free myself sooner rather than later…” It was a long shot and he didn’t dare hold out hope of not offending he merely hoped that she would understand as even as a man of his word that the sanctity of the city mattered more than his own hopes and dreams.



Yes it was against all sorts of protocols but what were they going to do fire him. As if they had a hard enough time filling the department let alone getting someone who was willing to shoulder the blame for its many failures and few successes.
 

Chidera arrived just after the CSU finished and the body was carted away. He knew it would be a late night. Thiugh some part of him didnt honestly mind. It jept his mind from fixating on Baby D. Wondering had she made contact with Beau or was she in any trouble.

Chidera however struck a chord in him and he stood watching nearly slack jawed. As she closed he righted himself. "Sorry. If I had a choice I'd have been there with bells on." He said opening his arms showing he was in fact dressed for dinner and not death. Casual caramel colored blazer and a pair of dark nearly black blue jeans paired with a golden rod button up his black wife beater peaking out from beneath.

"Thank you for coming." He added slipping his arm into hers guiding her to through the cordon as if they were on a moonlit stroll instead of a crime scene.

He smiled at her appraisal, "Thank you. And yes most of the known witches in the city. The entire population at large and a few cops I know who have a hard on against the preternatural. So too many to name and none more promising than any of the others. Especially as the cause of death are all unrelated between this one and the other three." Waiting as she gathered the feel of the scene he again looked over everything in sight. It was simply a room now even with the knowledge that the red here and there was blood going dark and not spilled paint.



The outline of the victim still outlined he walked through the particulars as if Chidera was a cop instead of the right and left hand enforcer of the Master of the City. “ Charles de Rabineaux a seventy-six year old retired book dealer by trade a practicing witch for the last thirty years. Out of the preternatural closet even if he wasn’t out of the sexual one. Area native grew up in Abita Springs considered the Witch of Witches in those parts. The man to go to for the esoteric. Friends of note include the Head Priest of Saint Jane de Pastal, The County Sherriff, Former mayor and current, most of the Parrishes local and Parish politicians. He was known as Charlie the Good.”



Del let the weight of the political firestorm that would certainly brew once news got out that would be coming his way. As well as gave Chidera information that would be telling if she or the kiss had dealings with the man.
 

He didn’t stop her with a mention of thought of that or any such idiotic statements he let her dig in and get a feel. He was no expert on vampires but he could tell she’d thought of something she hadn’t shared aloud. More than likely something directly Kiss related and not something she was seeking to hide. He let it go even as he filed it.



" Sad thing no connections aside from being a witch. The first was an Oneiromancer, had to look that one up. A dream mage helped folks sleep and gain a since of their future. Honest injun it’s a real thing in their subsect of the community. The last was a Fulgurmancer again thanks to Darden the witch on the team its an olde world way of saying Pyro. The one before that had a …" Pulling out his phone he pulled up the notes “dual specialty of Therionomancy and transmorgrification. Oh and Fulgurmancy is not just fire but Divine fire? Mister de Rabineaux was a Quaeritomancer, which according to Darden…” He cycled through his notes, “A finder.”



He shrugged he was nominally in the community but he worked the wrong side of the street to truly get the gist of every thing at times this was one of those times. Everyone knew that on the scale of things that human witches were nowhere near the top so no matter how rare their abilities there was never really a reason to off any of them unless one was sensitive to annoyances. Well any of them except those that practiced necromancy summoning the dead and all that. They had abilities that were above annoyance. Nothing like an already dead shambling corpse to put the wish for town hall burnings at the stake.



Turning a few flowers into birds or seeing someone’s dream or finding lost items did not really register as kill worthy in his book. Divine fire maybe but even that was a stretch fire extinguishers were not that expensive.



" So like all deaths it makes no sense but I can’t connect the dots."
 

He watched her wheels spin and had to admit she thought enough like a cop that he had to wonder. Every native knew what a Seneschal was in the old French customs. The servant that ran the house and meted out justice when needed. Perhaps that was Gates initial want of her but he couldn’t see the house-running angle no she was a fighter. Yetthe idea of real justice and the Kiss seemed a little skewed to his mind. Pushing the idea away he focused more directly at the task at hand instead of wondering how soft her hair was or the fact she smelled like nightflowers and some spice.



He answered still lamenting not having a stronger witch in RPIT. It’d be better all around if they had someone with real up to date knowledge on the witches happenings. "Not that hit the wire but you know most o the town willing to turn a blind eye so long as ain’t nobody dey know directly. Specially as most don’t know such a thing as a dream witch or divine fire witch even exist. Most folks see witches as witches and dat be all. Course if Xanatos was around I could ask him ta look into it from that side of the street. Problem being can’t reach him don’t even know if he in town. My last contact for him on a personal level just up and left. Doctor long the vee eight head shrink that had his offices over in NOLA east. Unless you got a way to get the man down here?"



He walked around where the body fell looking more closely at the scene. He was no expert in the field but to him based on splatter looked as if the man was looking out the window or at least was facing away from his attacker. He’d wait on CSU but that would be his bet. Attack of opportunity though the result was planned. Mister de Rabineaux more than likely knew his attacker at least in passing. Chidera was right about that. But something was off he was well connected someone should have known where he was or what he was up to. He had his wallet well money-clip yet the body had also been wearing nitrile gloves. As if he were handling something of value or didn’t want touching his skin. Too many avenues not enough time to walk them all.



“Lets walk through the house see if anything jumps out at us?”
 

"Okay," he said aloud as he thought it. "That makes things a little easier. And limits our suspect pool. A witch killing another witch. Makes it a whole lot easier to wrap our heads around. Witch on witch crime is usually a big thing someone will be butthurt enough to either act out or snitch."

He rubbed the frowing stubble as he thought how to get things lined up provably so. He kept coming back to the gloves. Why would a witch protect themselves in such a mundane way.

"So de Rabineaux knew his attacker cause they were both witches. Do you think you can get a feel for the type of magic at work here. Is it homespun gris-gris or something bigger?"

Del considered how one could have led Mister de Rabineaux here and yeah even retired that would do. Curiosity was a hell of a hook for most people.
Especially anyone that was good at their jobs. And de Rabineaux was according to common held rumor very good at his job. THey'd have to find out whether it was witch related or book related for sure.


" That’s a good point…" he began, as his phone went off. “Excuse me,” he said as he apologized and answered his phone. “This is Vincent.” He was surprised that Moni was calling but her lead in was telling. “So the Big Apple has dead witches too? I’m at a scene right now with a…consultant. What do you got?”