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Lastly, another big thank you to Goranbixo@aol.com. His story Calendar Mystery inspired this work and two characters herein a heavily influenced by his writing.
CHAPTER FOUR: Rescue Mission
CHARACTERS
Ben Dover: Age 46 -- former Police Detective, Houston P.D.
Cliff Dover: Age 38 -- Biology Instructor, Kings College, Archdruid and Ben's younger brother.
John-Thomas Bilodeau: Age 41 - Dean of Faculty, Kings College, Apprentice Druid and Cliff's live-in boyfriend
Sgt. Sam Southwick: Age 26 -- Kings Harbor Police Officer
Sascha Markov: Age 35 -- Fashion Designer and Gypsy Princess
Nils Gustafsen: Age 32 -- English Instructor at Kings College
Julio Ojeda: Age 23: - thug
CHAPTER FOUR: Rescue Mission
The following morning Ben was downstairs early: the many things he'd seen and heard at the party jangled in his head. Learning that one of the guests had been drugged with a Lotus Cocktail wouldn't let him sleep. The big man tossed and turn but, in the end,, he gave up and went downstairs with his laptop and began running down more leads.
"Mornin' bro'!" Cliff, clad only in some low-slung lounge pants, came into the kitchen and gave his older brother a gentle hug. "You're up early--did you have a bad night? Was it The Dream again?"
Ben looked up and gave his brother a fond smile. "I did have a bad night but it wasn't because of The Dream: I did have A Dream though..."
"You gonna share?" Cliff asked after pouring himself a cup of coffee.
The older man let himself slide back into the memory. "It was a field o' Bluebonnets..." he said almost dreamily. "Th' sun was warm but there was a gentle west wind... Then I saw m' Little Bird and she had Dougie `n' a little tow-head girl with her..."
"Go on..." Cliff said, now fully dialed in.
"Dougie came runnin' up t' me an' he hugged m' legs," Ben went on. "Then he said thank ya f'r lettin' us go Daddy!" The Texan took a few deep breaths to get himself back under control. "Then Robyn gave me a hug an' a kiss an' said thank ya' f'r freein' us!' Then she intr'duced me t' th' little girl--Mary Theresa: we had just found out she was pregnant th' very mornin' we were shot!" Again, more breaths to calm himself down. "She said they had made it safely t' th' Summerlands and they would see me there when m' time came t' join em! She also said that she was gonna be MOST unhappy with me if I spent th' remainder o' m' life mopin' around an' missin' her! She told me t' live' an' do' b'cause that's why I'm here! Don't that beat all?"
"I don't need John-Thomas to interpret that," his brother said. "Sounds like Miz Robyn and the kids are telling you they are safe and they want you to start living again!" Ben nodded. "So--why didn't you get more sleep last night bro'?"
"Didja know your friend Nils Gustafsen was bein' drugged by that Indian `Language Tutor' o' his?"
"I suspected..." Cliff said hesitantly. "Frankly that relationship he has with Orlando Two Feathers seems more-than-a-little fishy! Something about learning the Klikitat Language before he can study their rituals and become a full-fledged Shaman doesn't work! Unless Nils has some Native American ancestry I don't know about all the study in the world isn't going to help him in the least. He has to have a blood relationship to the Gods before they will work with him. I told Nils that--more than once--but he wouldn't listen! He doesn't have the bloodlines to connect with that Magic and Spiritual Realm and no amount of preparation will change that."
"I r'member ya sayin' somethin' like that b'fore..." Ben commented. "Then I saw Orlando put somethin' in Nils tea. Brownie tells me it was White Lotus `n' Cocaine."
"Brownie would know!" Cliff said. "I wondered why you had Sam take the tablecloth away. You want concrete confirmation of what Brownie told you."
Ben caught sight of "Brownie" out of the corner of his eye: he had stopped to listen in on the conversation. "I believe Brownie completely," he allowed, "but I want a paper trail if-and-when this goes to court!" "Brownie" the Brownie nodded approvingly and went to start making breakfast.
"So--what are you looking up?" Cliff wanted to know.
"I was on th' Klikitat Tribal Registry," Ben told him. "I wanted to see if there was anyone named `Two Feathers' registered with the Tribe."
"And there wasn't?" Cliff surmised.
"From what I c'n see th' Klikitat don't use that kind o' nomenclature," the other man said. "They generally use Americanized names: sometimes a Spanish surname creeps in but even in their own language they don't have family names like `Two Feathers' : that's more a Plains Indian tradition!"
"Further proof that Orlando Two Feathers is a scam artist!" John-Thomas said as he came to join the other two men. "Cliff--you need to call Sascha! The Gypsies are clued in to all that stuff--even more than we are! She'll be able to tell us a lot faster than us having to dig it up on our own!"
"Who's Sascha?" Ben asked.
"Sascha Markov is a friend of ours," Cliff told him. "She's a Fashion Designer for plus-size women by trade but she also happens to be a genuine Gypsy Princess and practicing Witch! The local Gypsies would tell her if a scam artist was using their tricks!"
"She might even be able to give us their real names," John-Thomas added. "Sascha's `good people' and she likes Nils. I'm sure she'll be willing to help us!"
"Sounds like we'd better speak to her a.s.a.p. the big Texan said.
Cliff reached for the landline. "I'll put her on speaker," he said as the phone began to ring.
"Hello..." said a grumpy contralto voice. "This better be important if you are calling to wake me up this early on a Sunday!"
"I beg your pardon, your Royal Highness," Cliff said in a most formal tone. "You know I wouldn't bother you this early without good cause. I have a major problem that me and my Druids can't solve and we need your help."
"I'm listening..." The voice on the other end of the line suddenly seemed more awake and attentive. "What do you need Cliffeleh?"
"There's a guy calling himself Two Feathers claiming to be a Klikitat Shaman," Cliff told her. "He's running a little shop down in Goleta. I was wondering if he was one of yours."
"Not hardly dahlink!" came back the prompt reply. "His name is Gabriel Ojeda and he's about as much Klikitat as you or me. He's got the tiniest bit of awen that he uses to bamboozle the rubes into thinking he has real power then he uses tricks the Gypsies thought of a hundred years ago to scam his clients!"
"Does he use drugs t' help snare his victims?" Ben wanted to know.
"I can't prove it bubeleh," she replied, "but he and his two no account sons Julio and Orlando have rap sheets as long as your arm!" Both Dover brothers let out exclamations not fit for a lady's ear. "What's wrong dahlinks?"
"Nils Gustafsen has gotten himself mixed up with these boys!" Ben told the woman. "I caught Orlando tryin' t' dose him with a Lotus Cocktail!"
"Ben put a stop to it--that time..." Cliff added, "but then Orlando dragged Nils out of the party! Who knows where they went or what Orlando has done to him since?"
"We're goin' out there in a bit t' do a Welfare Check'!" Ben said. "If we need to we'll beat some answers outta that little fuck!"
"Get `em Cowboy!" Sascha said, "and Cliffeleh keep me updated!"
"Yes, your Royal Highness," Cliff promised solemnly.
Cliff and Sascha said their goodbyes just as Sam Southwick joined the three men in the Breakfast Room. "I got the test results from the tablecloth back," he told the other men. "It was a Lotus Cocktail."
Ben nodded as the other men sighed. "I also had my own blood tested," he told them. "I came back with White Lotus, Peyote, PCP and Fentanyl. God knows what Nils has ingested since he's been with Orlando!"
"B'lieve me, ol' son," Ben said, "we're gonna find out! We were just about t' head out t' Nils' place on Queen Anne Island. Care t' join us?"
Islas Las Reinas were a chain of islands clustered along the Central California coast. The largest islands were re-named the "Four Queens" after the influx of English settlers in the 1850s founded Kings Harbor. Queen Victoria Island, the largest of the group hugged the coast and could be accessed by a bridge and its close neighbor Queen Elizabeth Island was accessed by a bridge from her sister island. Queen Mary Island and Queen Anne Island, the farthest out, could only be accessed by Ferry. The pair were only now being built up thanks to the introduction of Water Mixers and Power Spheres from Wonderworks.
Cliff made sure the group got to the Ferry Terminal in plenty of time to insure they got a spot aboard the 9:00 AM Ferry. The hour-long trip across the placid Pacific Ocean was gray with the morning's "June Gloom" of close-hugging fog. Still, the water was flat and the crossing was easy.
Ben had a spot on the top deck where he could get a good view of the cars and passengers that would take the Ferry back to the Mainland after the outgoing travelers disembarked. "Looks like we got lucky boys," he told his friends. "I spotted that little bastard Orlando in th' queue waitin' t' board. "That'll give us a few hours t' get out t' Farpoint, check on Nils `n' decide what t' do from there!"
Disembarking was a long and tedious affair but at least it kept them away from those trying to leave the island. After they got off the Ferry Cliff took them down pleasant country roads until they came upon a large estate with a spectacular view of the Pacific and Farpoint Light. "This is Nils' house," Sam told them. "The gate is open and it doesn't look like anyone else is here."
"I wonder if Orlando dismissed the Staff..." John-Thomas offered.
"Did you MEET that little bastard?" Ben asked with a derisive sneer. "Th' Staff mighta quit in disgust but there ain't a chance in Hell that boy would dismiss folks he c'd force t' wait on `im hand and foot!"
The four men climbed out of the crew-cab pickup and knocked at the front entrance but got no answer from within. "Kick the door down bro'!" Cliff suggested.
"Lemmie make sure th' door ain't locked first," his brother told him. Ben tried the knob and the big carved wooden door opened inward. "Nils!" he called. "Are ya here buddy?" There was no response from the house. "Fan out!" the big man ordered. "If Nils is here find `im!"
"Just be careful!" John-Thomas cautioned. "There's a third brother and we can't be sure Orlando didn't leave him here!"
The four men separated to check the house and it wasn't too long before Cliff's voice rang through the silent house. "Found him!" he called. "He's in the Kitchen--and he's in bad shape!"
Ben thundered through the house like a linebacker slamming through the opposing side until he found the Kitchen. Nils Gustafsen sat naked on a sturdy kitchen chair, unmoving and unblinking but tears were dripping down his handsome face. Someone had slapped him around: his face was bruised and his lips were puffy. One eye had been blackened.
"He won't talk!" Sam wailed. "He won't move!"
"Control y'rself Sergeant!" Ben snapped in a voice that required obedience. The young Cop fought to get himself in hand. "He's likely been dosed with Lotus again."
Ben turned his attention to the man. "Nils--did Orlando give ya anythin' this mornin'?" The man remained silent and unmoving but there was pleading in his eyes. The Texan decided to try something: "Nils--you can speak now!"
"Oh God--it HURTS!" he moaned but he remained rooted to the chair, motionless. "Please--please--help me..." More tears began to flow.
Cliff stepped up. "Whatever commands Orlando gave you before he left are revoked!" he said.
Nils stood up shakily and almost fell over. "Oh God--thank you!" He winced. "Please--help me! Get that thing out of me!"
"Get what?" Sam asked. Then: "oh Jesus!"
The big Texan went behind the slender triathlete and extracted a massive dildo. He could see traces of blood and other bodily fluids gleaming sloppily on the thing. Ben set it aside and tried to hide a disgusted shudder. "What happened son?" he asked. "D' ya feel like tellin' us?"
"I--I don't know..." Nils finally managed. "Orlando was angry--I don't know--I don't REMEMBER why... I know he slapped me around a while and told me I was trash! Then he used that--that THING on me! He just slammed it in dry and told me not to scream--and--and--I couldn't! I wanted to but I couldn't...."
"You were under the influence of Lotus," John-Thomas soothed, "but don't worry--the Cavalry's here now! We've got you buddy!"
Sam hugged his friend gently. "I'm so sorry..." he whispered. "This is all my fault!"
"N-no--it's mine..." Nils snuffled into the young Cop's shirt. "I was so desperate to get control of my visions I let myself get taken in by a smooth-talking charlatan even though every fiber of my being told me it was wrong!"
"Nils--do I have permission t' search y'r house?" Ben asked. The blond man nodded shakily. "Th' rest o' you--stay with him! Cliff, John-Thomas--if there's anythin' y'all c'n do t' ease those hurts please do so! Just photograph `em first!"
Cliff nodded and set to work as the big Texan slipped on a set of latex gloves and headed up to the Master Bedroom figuring that would be the best place to start. The brass King Size Bed was unmade and Ben could see bloodstains and the marks of bodily fluids that Ben didn't want to identify. He rifled through the nearest Nightstand and found nothing that he wouldn't have expected to find in a gay man's personal effects: the other one was a different story.
The top drawer contained a variety of butt-plugs, dildoes, nipple clamps and other sex toys. Ben also found a nearly-empty jar of poppers. Lube, however was conspicuous in its absence. The next door down had an array of drugs which the former Narcotics Detective recognized as White and Red Lotus, Marijuana, PCP, Angel Dust, THC and other hallucinogens. He found several needles loaded with black tar heroin. The bottom drawer, in contrast, was almost empty.
Ben reached in and found a Glock semi-automatic pistol that was fully loaded in the larger bottom drawer. The Texan found a heavy ring of keys tossed haphazardly inside: Ben pocketed those to see if Nils could identify what they fitted. He also found Nils' checkbook and a Manila Envelope that contained a hand-written "Last Will and Testament" for Nils Gustafsen in which he (purportedly) left everything to Orlando Ojeda. The big man did some quick addition after examining the checkbook and found nearly fifty thousand dollars had disappeared in under three months. Ben sighed: things just seemed to get worse and worse for Nils.
Sam came into the bedroom as Ben was shoving the Glock into his waistband. "Cliff sent me up to get some clothes for Nils," he said. "Did you find anything up here?"
"I'll tell you when we get downstairs so I don't have t' repeat th' story," the other man replied. Sam found something for Nils to wear while Ben grabbed the checkbook and the large envelope. He chose to leave the drugs and paraphernalia where the were--for now at least.
The two men made their way back to the kitchen and found Cliff and John-Thomas rubbing some kind of ointment onto Nils' cuts and bruises: whatever they were doing seemed to cause the wounds to begin healing. So there really was something to this `Druid Magic, Ben realized. "What did you find upstairs?" Cliff asked.
"This." Ben tossed the checkbook onto the kitchen table.
"What are you doing with that?" Nils asked.
"Returnin' it t' ya, son!" Ben replied. "I found it in Orlando's Nightstand: it seems he's been helpin' himself t' more than your ass while he was here! There are two different handwriting samples in here: do you know who the other one b'longs to?"
The blond man looked. "That's Orlando's writing," he said bleakly. "Looks like I got to be his personal Cum Dump AND ATM!"
"There's more..." Ben said. He pulled out the Last Will and Testament. "D' ya r'member writin' this?" he asked.
Nils read the document then put it down with a shaky sigh. "That's my writing," he finally admitted. "It's my signature but I don't remember writing this! My God--I left everything to him! If I died would this Will be valid?"
The big man nodded. "Without evidence the Will was fraudulently executed then, yes, it's valid. Now--didja give Orlando access t' y'r Credit Cards?"
"Oh my God!" Nils exclaimed. "He has copies of every one I have! He said he might `need some things' and it would just be easier if he had copies! It seemed perfectly reasonable at the time..."
"You c'n thank the White Lotus he's been feedin' you," Ben told him. "I s'pect y'r gonna be getting' quite th' bill soon enough. Here's hopin' ya got a ready supply o' cash!"
"I'm--very well off..." Nils said. "God--I am such a FUCKING idiot!"
"Cancel those cards," Ben told him flatly. "Now! We're not lettin' that sumbitch bleed another penny out o' you! I trust ya got a list o' numbers so y' c'n call the issuin' entities?" The man nodded shakily. "The get on th' phone n' cancel these cards! Tell em your wallet was stolen an' that an attempt t' add additional users is fraudulent! Ya might want to also see if Orlando tried to open new accounts with you as a guarantor!"
"Oh, last but not least..." Ben pulled the key ring out of his pocket and dropped it on the table. "Do you know what these go to?"
Nils nodded. "House keys, car and truck keys, my Motorcycle keys, keys to the shop and guest cottages. Pretty much everything on the property!"
"Do you remember giving him these?" the Texan asked.
"Again--it seemed reasonable at the time!" Nils said. The blond man looked like he wanted to cry but fought to keep it together. "God Ben--what am I gonna do?"
"Don't worry ol' Son," Ben said, giving the man a reassuring smile. "We got this! Cliff--d' you have some sort o' Druid potion that c'n detox this boy?" The Archdruid nodded. "Good--then get Nils ready f'r transport back t' Seacliff Manor. We need t' get that shit cleaned out o' his system and we need t' do it in a safe environment! Also--if y' know a good Locksmith--get `im out here a.s.a.p. and change EVERY lock!"
"I'm on it!" John-Thomas said. "'Plenty' O'Toole is one of our Druids so he'll come!"
The big man put his attention on Sam. "Boyo--y'all need t' quit wringin' y'r hands like a frightened Maiden Auntie!" he snapped. "'Put on y'r Big Boy Pants' n' act like a Cop! We need to examine th' rest o' th' Estate--mebbe see what other rude surprises Orlando left f'r us!"
Sam forced himself to calm down then followed the big older man to check out the rest of the estate. There was nothing unusual in the shop but the garage wielded the first surprise--a Mustang with Oregon plates. "Can you run that?" Ben asked Sam. "I'm bettin' it'll come back t' someone named Ojeda!"
"It's registered to a Julio Ojeda," Sam told Ben after he got off the phone, "and there's half a dozen warrants attached to that License Plate!"
"Excellent!" Ben said, "that gives us all the reason we need t' have th' local Gendarmes out here! Now--lets see if we c'n find where Julio is hidin' out!"
They found Julio fast asleep in the guest cottage farthest away from the main house. Like his brother Orlando he was a good-looking Latino who worked out a lot. Unlike his brother Julio didn't seem to need a ton of hair product or designer labels. The clothes strewn in piles on the floor all bore labels found at Target, Wal-Mart and JC Penney. Ben rifled the bedside table and found a small supply of Marijuana, a heavy switchblade and another Glock to match the one he'd taken from Nils' Master Bedroom. This one, at least, had a holster which Ben promptly strapped on.
"I found a Meth Lab!" Sam said after casing the rest of the cottage. "I also found enough drugs to stock a mid-size pharmacy!"
"Good thing this kid's a heavy sleeper," the big Texan told Sam. (Julio, in spite of all the noise was still fast asleep and snoring gently.) "Fetch me some duct tape! It's time we truss up this Turkey!"
Sam hot-footed it back to the big house while Julio continued to snore his freedom away. Ben wrapped the gray tape tightly around Julio's ankles, tying them tightly together, then did the same to the young man's knees, wrists and elbows.
It was then Julio finally woke from his slumber. "Who the fuck are YOU?" he demanded. Then he realized his predicament. "You better let me go!" he blustered. "My brother will be back any minute and have the owner arrest you!"
Ben just laughed. "Son," he said with a derisive sneer. "Y'r bro' took th' Ferry across t' th' mainland! It's an hour over n an hour back--assumin' he c'n get on a Ferry! Meantime--I've got y'r Switchblade, y'r gun, AND y'r phone! Y'r trussed up like a Christmas Goose so YOU ain't goin' anywhere unless I set you free!" Julio struggled against his bonds. "Don't bother ol' Son," the big man said mildly. "True, ya spend a lot o' time in th' gym but th' Laws o' Motion n' Resistance still apply! Y'r not goin' anywhere til I release you so be a good boy n stop writhin' around! I don't want to hurt you...."
Julio cursed Ben in English and Spanish while the big man used his phone to call the Sherriff's Office. "This is Captain Dover--we need a team out to the Gustafsen Place near th' Farpoint Light. I found enough drugs out here t' start a mid-size pharmacy!"
Several hours and lots of embarrassing questions later Ben and the other men were released from police custody. Since the drugs were found in Nils' home he had been fingerprinted and forced to endure a blood draw even though the others told the Investigating Officers that he was the Victim, and not otherwise involved. In the end Nils wasn't arrested but was told not to leave town.
"If I didn't know better, I'd swear them boys were none too happy with us!" Ben said as he headed to the Ferry to get them back to the mainland. "You'd think they might be happy we put a serious crimp in a major drug operation!"
"Ben--you've got to understand the police in Kings Harbor are crooked as a dog's leg," Cliff told him as they drove onto the last boat of that night that was headed for the mainland. The Sherriff's Department isn't quite as dirty but they aren't too happy that some `rube'--meaning you bro'--cracked a case! Especially something like this! You seriously embarrassed them bro' and they won't take kindly to that!"
The big man chose to let this pass. "So," Ben said, "d' ya have some sort o' Druid mojo t' get that shit out o' Nils' system?"
"There are spells I can cast," the Archdruid replied, "and Potions I can brew that will help take the nonmagical drugs out of his system in a few hours. The Lotus he and Sam ingested will take longer and be--less pleasant...."
"I guess we'll just hafta help `em both through it!" Ben said.
END CHAPTER FOUR: more to come shortly!