27: Analysis

“Who called the Mortals?” Finrod asked Daeron as he dug into some scrambled eggs, scooping up some ham with it. Several of the Elves were gathered in the kitchen having breakfast even though it was the middle of the night. Besides Finrod and Daeron, Laurendil and Manwen were there, along with Valandur. Vorondur had gone home to his wife and Eärnur was keeping an eye on Glorfindel in ICU. The healers would each take a turn keeping watch over the Elf-lord. Serindë had also elected to stay at the hospital to watch over her beloved and future brother-in-law while they slept. The two Legolases and Beleg arrived at Edhellond shortly after Finrod had arrived and were having breakfast as well. Most of the other Elves had already retired by the time Finrod returned, so he had no opportunity to speak with Helyanwë. That conversation would have to wait. Finda and Nell and the other two youngsters had grabbed some food and retired to the sunroom to eat, leaving their elders to themselves.

Daeron, throwing together some more scrambled eggs for any who wanted some, answered, “Well, Finda called Alex, Derek and Zach. Charles and Josiah said that they received phone calls telling them to come to the hospital, but they did not recognize who spoke to them.”

“Yet they came,” Finrod commented. “Why?”

Daeron shrugged. “It’s their job. It is not unusual for them to be called in the middle of the night to attend to the spiritual needs of people who may be dying or are in danger of doing so. In fact that’s what Rabbi Cohen was doing there, acting as the hospital chaplain. However, the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that Charles and Josiah were not called to attend to Loren. He was already in surgery by the time they arrived, but all three Men recognized that they were there for a different purpose, to minister to us.”

“Us?” Finrod asked, leaning back as he took a sip of coffee.

“All of us,” Daeron said, gesturing with one hand. “Just about every Mortal in that waiting room commented on the fact that they could feel the tension that lay between us. Charles, Josiah and Daniel took it upon themselves as spiritual warriors, yes, that’s what they call themselves, to battle for our souls, to bring us to the Light. At least, from my experience, that is how they would describe what they were doing.”

Finrod raised an eyebrow and glanced at Valandur sitting across from him. Valandur nodded. “When Charles addressed us as his brothers and sisters, I wasn’t the only one to goggle. Never have I heard anyone address any of us so familiarly.”

“And yet, in a way, that is what we are,” Daeron said. “The Valar call us, Elves and Mortals, Eruhíni, in which case we are the elder brothers and sisters of the Secondborn.”

“I find it interesting that the Mortals recognize this relationship even if we do not,” Valandur said.

“Well, I am grateful for them being there,” Finrod said. “I feared that there would be more than one casualty from tonight’s events. What have we learned about what happened with Glorfindel?” This last was directed at Prince Legolas.

“We went to the place where Glorfindel was found,” Legolas replied between bites of his wheat toast. “It was a gas station?” He looked up at Daeron, who nodded, and then continued with his report. “A gas station. There is a dumpster, they call it, behind the building where garbage is thrown. That is where he was found.”

“Any idea as to who found him?” Valandur asked.

“According to the police with whom we spoke, a Man was rummaging through the dumpster looking for useable trash that he might sell. Apparently people throw away all sorts of things, not necessarily garbage. This Man was in the habit of visiting various dumpsters in the area and collecting items of interest. He found Glorfindel and ran to the nearest tavern and had them call the police.”

“Which tavern?” Daeron asked. “The gas station is on the corner of Evans and DeForrest. There are a couple of bars in that area. The nearest one, I think, would be McDuffy’s.”

“No, he went to the Rusty Nail,” the prince replied, “and we think Glorfindel was there earlier, at least, the barkeep recognized him from our description.”

“Valar!” Daeron exclaimed in shock. “So he did go there. It’s amazing he made it out alive.”

“He almost did not,” Finrod said sourly.

“But the surgery was successful, right?” Valandur asked.

“Yes, so far as it went,” Laurendil replied. He was leaning against a counter, an arm around his wife, the two drinking mint tea. “Mir did a good job of patching him up, but he’s not out of the woods yet. I was surprised that he didn’t slip his leash, Aranya. He wasn’t wearing his ring.”

“I know,” Finrod said with a sigh, rubbing the space between his eyes. “I thought I would have a fight on my hands, but he remained quiet. I am not sure, but I thought I detected the scent of at least one Maia with us, but with the antiseptic smells overpowering all it was difficult to tell.”

“Do you suppose that’s why Loren did not flee?” Daeron asked.

“I am assuming so,” Finrod replied. “I know from experience that the Maiar can keep a fëa anchored to its hröa, though if one manages to escape, it takes a Vala to get it back inside.”

There was much shaking of heads at that.

“So we know Glorfindel went to the Rusty Nail,” Valandur stated after a few minutes while everyone remained silent, either eating or drinking. “For how long? How far is this tavern from where he was found?” He looked at Daeron.

“Can’t be more than a block or two,” the former Loremaster of Doriath answered as he turned off the stove and poured himself some coffee.

“When he left this tavern, was he heading home?” Finrod asked.

“That’s hard to say,” Daeron replied. “The Rusty Nail is on DeForrest. For Loren to make his way here, he would normally walk to the corner with Evans and cross over and continue on DeForrest until he reached Morningside. From there he would go over the bridge and then he could cut across several streets and end up on Sycamore but about a couple of blocks further east of Kodiak.”

“Do we know where he was attacked?” Manwen asked. “Obviously it had to be somewhere where no one would hear.”

“Even if they did, no one would have come to the rescue or called the police,” Daeron replied with a scowl. “Wiseman isn’t the big city, but it is the home of Mortals and there is always a small element who thrive on crime and misery. People who live in that area do not always do so by choice but by circumstances and they learn early on to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear if they value their own lives.”

The Elves looked grim at that assessment. “So, you are saying that even if the attack had occurred in the open, no one would have done anything about it,” Finrod stated.

“Perhaps. I don’t know,” Daeron admitted. “My feeling is that whoever attacked Loren took him by surprise and then they dragged him away to do what they did. It could not have been very far from the gas station for them to conveniently dump him in with the trash, leaving him for dead. Did you find any traces of a fight?” He asked this of Prince Legolas.

“Even we cannot see that clearly in the dark and there was no moon,” Legolas replied and both Beleg and Legolas of Gondolin nodded in agreement.

“There was a trail, very faint, but there, and we believe that he was dragged to the dumpster,” Beleg said. “He lost much blood but there was little where he was found. Even the Mortal police agreed to that and they are even now searching for where the attack took place.”

“You did not assist,” Valandur said, making it more a statement than a question.

The three ellyn gave them thin smiles and Prince Legolas said, “We were politely told to keep out of the way. They gave us the hour promised to us and after that our presence was definitely not appreciated, so we left.”

“Why didn’t you return to the hospital then?” Daeron asked. “We were still there.”

“We may have left the place where Glorfindel was found, but that does not mean we left the area. The Mortals never bothered to look up. We had a good view of the area from above.”

“You were on the roof?” Daeron asked in disbelief.

Beleg chuckled and said, “And in the trees when there was one. As it is, there was very little conclusive evidence and we may never learn where the attack took place or by whom. Any traces can be easily covered by snow.”

“Perhaps Glorfindel will be able to tell us when he awakens,” Finrod suggested.

“We can only hope,” Valandur said and there were sighs of agreement all around.

****

“Well, that was interesting,” Derek stated as he and Alex sat at the kitchen table in their apartment drinking decaf, neither one ready for sleep even though it was after midnight. They had dropped Zach off at his place to find that Jud was still up and their other friends had gathered, waiting for news.

“To say the least,” Alex retorted. “I was sure we were going to have a war on our hands.”

“A civil war, though I doubt there would have been anything civil about it,” Derek replied with a grin. “Glad the God Squad showed up when it did.”

Alex choked on his coffee, trying not to laugh. “God Squad! That’s one way of putting it. They seemed to know what they were doing, though. Maybe they were able to get through to those bozos where even Lord Manwë couldn’t.”

“Yeah,” Derek agreed. “Did you see the eyebrows go up when Father Charlie addressed them as brothers and sisters? I thought they were all going to keel over from shock.”

 “Eyebrows on stun, Mr. Spock,” Alex quipped with a grin and Derek threw back his head and laughed and Alex joined him.

When they calmed down, Derek looked more pensive. “So what are the chances we’ll find who did this?”

“I have no idea,” Alex admitted. “We can only hope the police find something, or the Elves do. God help the bastards who did this, because if the Elves catch up with them, they’re toast and getting their day in court will not be an option.”

Derek grimaced. “That’s all we need, Elves bent on revenge. Never mind that the scum will deserve it, it will be Elves vs. Mortals as far as most people are concerned and that’s an unholy war none of us want.”

“Amen,” Alex said, draining his mug. He got up and went to the sink and rinsed out the mug, placing it on the drainboard. “Well, I think I’ll try and get some sleep. You don’t have to work tomorrow, do you?”

“No, thank God,” Derek answered as he got up from the table and washed out his mug. “I don’t have to be at work until six. I’ll be staying overnight.”

“Then I’ll see you later. Good night.” He headed for his bedroom and Derek took a moment to turn off the lights before making his way to his own bedroom.

****

Dave Michaelson looked up from his computer at the knock on his door and gestured for Conrad to enter, saving his work before giving the man his attention.

“So what do you have for me, Brad?” Dave asked.

“Precious little at the moment, Captain,” Conrad said with a sigh as he settled into one of the chairs before the captain’s desk. “We know DelaFiore was at the Rusty Nail, got there somewhere around six according to the bartender. He sat in a corner booth and ordered a boilermaker… several of them.” He gave his captain a sour grin.

“That’s not like Loren,” Dave commented with a frown. “How long did he stay there? Was there any trouble?”

“Well, you know those people can give clams lessons on keeping close-mouthed,” Conrad said and Dave snorted in amusement, “but no, no one caused any trouble while he was there and he was there for a good hour or so, but then he left.”

“End of story?” Dave asked, giving the officer a shrewd look.

“Not quite,” Conrad admitted. “People were naturally reluctant to talk to us, but we managed to learn that shortly after Loren left the bar, several… um… patrons also left… together.”

“How many?”

“Six or seven according to one witness, only three according to another. My guess is that six is closer to the truth. The bartender was more forthcoming with information. He claimed that when Loren came in, everyone recognized him for who and what he was. He ignored them all, grabbed a booth and ordered a drink. A couple of regulars, no names given, of course, attempted to ‘importune the Elf’. That’s a direct quote, by the way. First time I’ve ever heard anyone use the word ‘importune’ in a sentence. Guy must be a crossword fanatic or something.”

Dave hid a grin. “So what happened?”

“Nada according to the bartender. The two… er… gentlemen began razzing our favorite Elf and Loren just stared at them. Didn’t say a single word, just stared. Whatever they saw in his eyes though scared them and they backed off. No one bothered him after that, but the bartender said that once the shock had worn off, there was murder in their eyes. They were the ones along with a few of their friends who followed Loren out.”

“And we don’t know who they are,” Dave commented with a huff of disgust.

“Not yet, but you know those types can’t keep quiet. One of them will have one drink too many and will start boasting about it. I’ve already alerted our usual informants to keep their ears open.”

“And I’ve contacted the local TV stations,” Dave said, nodding. “They’ll run a piece during their morning programs asking for people to step forward if they know anything. There will be a reward, of course. That will bring us lots of callers.”

“Getting a bit cynical, are we, Captain?” Conrad said with a knowing grin.

Dave snorted. “I’m surprised you’re not.”

Conrad shrugged. “I like to believe that somewhere underneath all the grime covering people’s souls there’s a core of decency to be found, but sometimes you do need to give them a little incentive to do the right thing.”

“Yes, I suppose you do,” Dave allowed as he ran his hands through his hair. “Forensics says Glorfindel was moved, so the attack took place somewhere else. Any evidence of that?”

“So far, no,” Conrad admitted, “but we’ve only begun the investigation. Oh, by the way, those Elves who looked the place over? They didn’t quite leave after their hour was up.”

“I didn’t expect them to,” Dave said with a tight smile. “I hope, though, that they stayed out of the way and did not interfere with the investigation.”

“In a manner of speaking. They pretended to leave, but Tregarth happened to see one of them on the roof of a nearby building watching us and when we finally got to the Rusty Nail it was to learn that one of them had already been there and had spoken to the bartender.”

“Hmmm…. Well, I’ll be stopping over at Edhellond later in the day and I’ll speak with them. It’s possible they got information out of people that you didn’t. Elves can be very persuasive when they set their minds to it.”

“You mean they can be very scary and can put the fear of God into us just with a single glance,” Conrad retorted with a shudder. “It’s the glowing bit that gets me.”

“Amen,” Dave uttered piously. “Okay, nothing more we can do until we can talk to Loren and find out if he can shed any light on this. Thanks, Brad. Go home and get some sleep. Don’t bother to come in before noon.”

“What about you?” Conrad said as he stood.

“I’m up for the duration. I need to contact the mayor and a few others and fill them in on what happened. By the way, who’s watching the Elves?”

“I have Reynolds, Huggins and Lopez keeping watch. They’ll spell each other every eight hours. Reynolds is on watch now.”

“Good. Now, go home.”

“Yes, Captain. Good night.” Conrad made his way out of the office, closing the door behind him. Dave leaned back in his chair and sighed, running his hands through his hair, wishing he were home in bed wrapped in Jenna’s arms. He hated the thought of her waking without him beside her, but knew that that was an occupational hazard for the wife of a police captain.

“I should’ve been a shoe salesman,” he muttered, then shook his head, snorting mildly at the thought, knowing that he could not have been anything but what he was. He went back to his computer, glancing at the clock on the screen. It would be a few more hours before he could contact Harry and some others. In the meantime, he needed to finish this report, but first…

He got up and grabbed the ‘World’s #1 Dad’ mug his kids had given him for last Father’s Day and went in search of more coffee. He was going to need it… lots of it.

****

Vorondur pulled into the driveway of his home and made his way to the front door, pushing in his key. The windows were all dark and he assumed that everyone else had retired for the night. He was looking forward to getting a couple of hours of sleep himself. Helping to maintain the shield around Loren had drained him. As soon as he entered the house, though, he knew that at least one person was up waiting for him. He put away his coat and wandered down the hall to his office where he was unsurprised to find Amroth sitting there. The former king of Laurinand looked up at his entrance.

“Della and Holly are asleep,” he said by way of greeting. “I decided to wait up for you. Hope you don’t mind my being here.”

“No, not at all. Would you care for a nightcap? I know I need one.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Vorondur went to the built-in cabinet, and opening it, pulled out a decanter of sherry and a couple of glasses, pouring the sherry into them and handing one to Amroth.

“Cheers,” Amroth said in salute before taking a sip.

Vorondur raised his own glass and drank, settling into the chair behind the desk. “So what is it you want to tell me?”

Amroth gave him an innocent look over the rim of his glass. “And what makes you think I want to tell you anything? Is it not possible I simply stayed up to wait for you so you did not return to a darkened house?”

“Possible, but highly unlikely,” Vorondur shot back mildly, leaning against the back of the chair and taking another sip of his sherry. “I know you, Ryan. You would not have bothered to stay up unless you wished to speak to me without Della knowing about it. You would have waited until later and I’ve come home to a darkened house on plenty of occasions.”

Amroth scowled. “You know, you’re a real pain in the derriere sometimes.”

Vorondur chuckled and then his expression sobered. “I truly expected to be walking into a war zone there in the waiting room given the animosities between various groups of people. I was pleasantly surprised to find all was calm when we got out of surgery.”

“You can thank Charles Waverly, Josiah Makepeace and Daniel Cohen for that,” Amroth said, “and that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Yes, I noticed they were there, as were Alex, Derek and Zach.”

“Finda called those three, feeling they should be there,” Amroth said, “Daniel was already there. He was on duty as the hospital chaplain but we don’t know who called Charles or Josiah. They each said that they received a call saying they were needed at the hospital and to go to the Urgent Care Unit. They didn’t recognize the voice, and that in and of itself is not unusual, but no one at the admitting desk called them. I know because I asked.”

“You think it was someone else,” Vorondur stated, giving Amroth a shrewd look, “someone, shall we say, who will remain invisible as well as nameless.”

“Can’t think of another explanation,” Amroth replied with a sigh. “Any one of those three could conceivably be called in the middle of the night to attend to someone in the hospital. What I found suspicious was that Charles and Josiah were called and that Daniel was already there.”

“And why those three in particular?” Vorondur added with a nod. “None of us adhere to their religious beliefs, so it’s not as if Loren would want to receive extreme unction or even a blessing. So why those three and not, say, the Reverend Michelle Daniels of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church or Captain Jason McAuliffe of the Salvation Army?”

“And that’s what’s bothered me,” Amroth stated. “I know that Charles and Daniel, at least, have been ostracized by some of the other religious leaders of the community because of their friendship with us, especially Loren, but Makepeace is still on good terms with the more, shall we say, conservative ministers.”

“Yet, he has always championed us before others,” Vorondur pointed out. “If he has not been ostracized as Charles and Daniel have been it’s only because the others fear Josiah as they fear no one else, not even God, I suspect.”

“Odd, isn’t it?” Amroth said with a contemplative look.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I guess I’m just wondering what hold Makepeace has over the others that they fear him so.”

“Maybe he knows where all the skeletons are buried,” Vorondur ventured with a tight smile.

“Which is what is odd,” Amroth said. “Makepeace came to Wiseman only last year to take over New Jerusalem after Harley Sanford died. He’s not even local. He and his family come from Spokane, Washington, yet somehow he is asked to take over the reins at New Jerusalem. How did he even know Wiseman existed and even more important, how did anyone here know he existed? Who called him to this ministry?”

Vorondur frowned, mulling over Amroth’s words. “You think there’s more going on than even we are aware?”

“I know there’s more going on than any of us are cognizant of,” Amroth shot back. “I don’t think Makepeace’s appointment at New Jerusalem was accidental. I think it was planned and the oddest thing about it all is that the good folk at New Jerusalem accepted him with open arms and without a qualm, no questions asked.”

Vorondur gave Amroth a considering look. “How is it that you know all this and why didn’t you come to me earlier about it?”

“I may have been out of the Game for fifteen years, but I still maintain vigilance,” Amroth said. “Call it force of habit, if you want, but I keep a careful eye on the comings and goings of the good people of Wiseman. I know who’s moved away and who’s moved in. I know where many of the bodies are buried and in whose closets. If I did not come to you about it, it’s because I did not think you needed to know. You are not, after all, a spy.”

“Intelligence officer,” Vorondur corrected automatically, a sly grin on his face.

Amroth chuckled and took another sip of his sherry.

“But you’re telling me now? Why?” Vorondur asked.

“For the simple reason that I think you need to know,” Amroth replied. “I was not too surprised to see Charles Waverley and Daniel Cohen at the hospital. They are both good friends of Loren and us, but I wasn’t expecting Makepeace. I found it very interesting that Finrod was led to his church. I could see from the way the three ministers interacted with one another that they were friends and respected one another. I did not know that and that bothers me deeply. I should have been aware of their friendship, but all I ever saw between them before this was professional courtesy.”

“They are hiding their true relationship from others,” Vorondur suggested. “Tonight, the circumstances were such that they could not pretend indifference to one another, or more precisely, they could not pretend with Josiah. So, what exactly did they do to calm everyone, because I have to assume that was the purpose of their being there?”

“Yes. They understood immediately that there was a great deal of animosity between some of the Valinóreans and us, especially after Roy accused Helena of having driven Loren away and that’s why he was attacked and left for dead. Anyway, the three led the rest of us in prayer. I have to admit that by the time they finished, the tension between us had dissipated and we were all calmer.”

“So I noticed,” Vorondur said, taking a final sip of his sherry and putting the glass down on the desk. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m done in and need to sleep for a few hours. Help yourself to the sherry if you want more.”

“No, I’m heading for bed as well. Della is sleeping more these days and likes to wake with me lying beside her even if I don’t bother to sleep. I’ll wash up and turn off the lights. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Thanks. Good night.” Vorondur made his way to his bedroom where his wife waited for him. He was unsurprised to see her awake, lying in the dark. She said nothing as he undressed and climbed into bed beside her, but then she didn’t have to. He knew what she wanted and was happy enough to give it to her. It was sometime later before they both fell into a contented sleep.

****

Eruhíni: (Quenya) Children of Eru.