Witch Hazel Chapter 6.5

Chapter Six

Part Five

Leonardo left work early the next afternoon. He left behind the stacks of paperwork the captain was griping he needed to finish, called his old partner Rogelio and took off into the afternoon. Despite how much he loved his family, the changes having a baby had brought into his life had left him with little downtime and he needed a few hours to himself with a friendly ear to confide in. A drink or two couldn’t hurt either.

The old fisherman’s bar, the Swordfish, made for a good location to have a secretive conversation. The bartender was a serious woman who didn’t gossip and it would be quiet this time of day. Old as the sea itself, built on a craggy bit of rock and sand and rising up out of the sea on pylons, the bar had endured all manner of foul weather and bar fight. Perhaps he wanted to reveal the dark parts of his pack to Rogelio in an indestructible place.  Maybe he was worried his conveniently gifted home was bugged. It was possible that he was finally losing his mind.

He hadn’t been in here since finding out Benita was pregnant with Rosalinda. It tended to be a place he went to when he had a lot on his mind or something to celebrate. Lately, he’d just been to busy to stop in for a drop. Benita was struggling with this pregnancy and he felt bad leaving her alone with Rosa so he could hang out at a bar. He hadn’t hung out with his buddies much either, too wrapped up in work, pack and home life to find room for much else. Feeling guilty for all he’d neglected didn’t help him but he couldn’t make it go away, knowing he simply hadn’t had a choice.

Opening the door, Leonardo inhaled the scent of old wood, the vague and ever present odor of the sea and smoke. It was familiar and welcoming, more so than any number of fancy scented candles. It was the scent of people he knew, times he remembered fondly and real life. Even the faded rug under his feet as he entered seemed vibrant. It felt good to be back.

The owner, Moara Roth, was behind the bar as always. She lifted her head at the sound of the door opening and gave Leonardo a small smile and a nod in greeting. “It’s been a while,” she said. Her voice was low and husky, matching her interesting appearance. As long as anyone could remember, Moara had owned this bar and for as far as memory went, no one could recall getting a straight answer out of her about what she was. With scales and a fascinating iridescent green skin, she drew stares before the ones staring even realized she had elongated ears and the razor sharp teeth. Given where she worked, Leonardo personally speculated that she was a mermaid. That alone wouldn’t have explained her skin, though, as merpeople look nearly human when on dry land. Thus far he had never been rude enough (or drunk enough) to ask her himself.

“It has,” he agreed, sliding onto a bar stool. “Benita is pregnant and it’s been a hard one so I haven’t left her side much.”

“You look like you’ve had a rough day,” Moara commented, sliding a drink over to him. She didn’t need to be told what he’d want, for Leonardo it was always whiskey and soda. “Work or personal?”

Leo gave her a tired smile and gratefully took his drink, taking a long swig before he spoke. “Mostly work, both in the pack and in the force.” Moara wasn’t human and was well aware of the wolves in her town. She seemed to have taken the attitude of ‘I’ll allow it’ rather than the ‘they’re terrifying, please don’t let them eat me’ that he might have expected. It made her all the more interesting and he wondered exactly what kind of powers she had hidden up her scales that made werewolves look harmless. Having acknowledged that neither of them meant the other any harm, they spoke as equals. Leo had seen her break bigger wolves than himself with only physical strength, he had no desire to fuck with her. “I’m meeting Roggy here. I needed some time out of the office to clear my head, try to think straight.”

Moara nodded. “Want another?” she asked as he drained his glass rather quickly.

About to agree, he stopped himself. “I’d better wait for Roggy. I don’t want to be drunk off my ass by the time he decides to show up.”

Rogelio took a water taxi out to the bar, rereading the cryptic text he’d gotten from his friend that morning. It wasn’t like Leo to drag Roggy out for drinks solely to talk. It really was not like him to refuse to say WHAT they were talking about. Since his friend had moved up both in the force and in the pack, he’d noticed the dark circles growing under Leo’s eyes. While he enjoyed his job as an officer and liked detective work, he’d never felt the compulsion to rise in the ranks the way his friend had and wondered if the stress of trying so hard was finally getting to him. Hadn’t Leonardo mentioned taking his Captain’s exam soon? Maybe that was bothering him.

Rogelio entered the musty bar and gave a cordial wave to those inside as he walked towards them. He didn’t come to this bar much anymore, preferring newer establishments that women frequented. They had better music too, than the old 45 warbling in a corner. “Afternoon,” he greeted Moara. “Hey Leo. What’s going on? Your message was rather… terse.”

“I’m glad you made it. You would not believe how this month has gone for me,” Leonardo began, almost rushing headlong into his tail before he caught himself. “If you have time, I need someone who can listen to what I have to say and help me sort it out. I needed a trustworthy ear.”

Moara offered Roggy a smile and a nod in greeting and went back to polishing her bar. She would stay out of it unless they invited her into the conversation, which was unlikely. Best to let the wolves work it out between themselves.

“Damn Leo,” Rogelio paused by the door and took him in. “You look like shit. The fuck happened to you? Did you wake up in a ditch?”

“Thanks a lot,” Leonardo said dryly. “You’re the best friend I could ask for. No, I didn’t wake up in a ditch. I woke up at my desk at work. Much worse.”

Maora frowned to herself as she stayed busy behind the bar. If there was trouble in town bad enough to keep Leo from his wife and home, she needed to be on guard. What could possibly be going on that she wasn’t aware of though? Even out on this isolated rock she heard every rumor and secret kept by every species that lived here and considered herself well informed on current events.

“Very well,” Rogelio sat down on a stool, releasing a grunt as he recalled how very uncomfortable they were. All the padding had long since been flattened by the sea faring butts that occupied them for hours on end. Another point to the newer establishments, he thought with a wince. “I think I need a drink and so do you. Whatever has been going on clearly has you in knots, so out with it.”

“You recall the truck that crashed while we were moving? I had a buddy from forensics take a look at it. The brake lines were cut. Not severed, just sliced so the fluid would leak out and the brakes would fail.” He nodded to Moara in thanks as she handed him another drink and began mixing Rogelio’s. “I asked him just out of a hunch. I’ve had a bad feeling ever since I took this position. There’s been other things too. Father keeps calling, well, making mom call…”

“Wait, slow down,” Rogelio frowned at him. He was rambling and not making sense. “Ok so the brake lines on the truck were cut. Did the driver have a criminal background?”

Leonardo shook his head. “I checked that first. He was a family man, well liked and very much missed. What gets me is that he tried to get me to ride with him. He actually insisted on it. Seemed… kind of panicked, when I think back on it. Even Benita remarked on his strange behavior.”

“So you think it was an attempt on you?” Rogelio surmised. He took a swig of his drink and considered the situation. Leonardo was a powerful wolf but hardly the biggest threat in the pack. “Do you have any theories about who might be behind it?”

“I went to see Dhimant Valome the other night,” Leonardo began, but Rogelio cut him off.

“You went to talk to that asshat? Why? What in gods name do you think that slimy politician could tell you that would be true?”

“He might be a slimy politician but he’s got eyes and ears everywhere. I wanted to see what he’d say, how he’d react.” Leonardo was a trifle annoyed at Rogelio critiquing his detective skills. He had more cases solved in a year than his friend had in his entire career.

“Madre de dios,” mumbled Rogelio, rubbing the bridge of his nose like a migraine was coming on. “So you went to see Dhimant. I’m assuming it was a less than pleasant encounter.”

“Who has ever had a pleasant encounter with Dhimant?” Leonardo shrugged. “He was half helpful after I threatened him. He had some veiled threats of his own and warnings that I am looking into things I’d better off staying out of.”

That gave Rogelio pause. For Dhimant to be worried enough to threaten Leonardo meant he was actually onto something. “So give me the rundown.”

Leonardo recounted his conversation with Dhimant, going over the reactions he’d given to certain information and his bombshell revelation that had Leonardo doubting everything he’d ever known about the pack. Was the Alpha really an imposter? Leonardo had found himself looking at the man differently since the idea was put into his head. He couldn’t decide.

“So you think Berenguer Modesto isn’t Berenguer Modesto at all?” Rogelio leaned back against the bar, propping his elbow up and scratching his jaw thoughtfully. “I have to ask the obvious question. If he doesn’t exist, then who is he really?”

“I dug through records in the basement of the city hall and at the library, the old records. I went through the records we brought with us from our old lands. Even if Dhimant is full of shit, it’s very odd that there’s no Berenguer Modesto in any family record anywhere, until he became Alpha.”

“They could have been lost or destroyed,” his friend pointed out. “A lot of family records don’t survive from that time. There was a lot of war, cities burning, you know your history.”

“Perhaps,” Leonardo hesitantly agreed. “But how much do we really know about him? Being close fisted with your personal information is one thing but most of his family is pretty high and mighty about their bloodlines. Isn’t it odd that we don’t have any idea who his parents are?”

“So it’s the lack of information on him that’s got you worried he’s a fraud?” Rogelio said. “What difference does it make though? He’s still the strongest wolf. He won his place by combat and by all rights, he should be Alpha regardless of who he is. Why do you care if he’s not a real Modesto?”

“Being a Modesto gives him access to something else,” Leonardo said. “Secrets. Political weight. I don’t know, I feel like I’m missing part of the puzzle but I don’t know what it is.”

Moara listened to this conversation with a sinking feeling in her gut. Trouble among the werewolves meant trouble for her town. They were big and violent, if they erupted into civil warfare half the town would be rubble before they were finished murdering each other.

“I see,” sighed Rogelio, although he really didn’t. He drained his glass and set it on the counter. “Another, Moara, if you don’t mind.” While she mixed him another Jack and coke he leaned on the edge of the counter and considered what his friend was telling him. “The other bit you mentioned, about your father. What’s he got to do with all this?” he asked finally, as Moara gave him a second. “Thanks beautiful.”

“You keep those flirty words to yourself,” she said, but smiled all the same.

“Madre keeps calling, wanting to take Karisme. Whether to take her off my hands or just to talk to her, I’m not sure. Karisme seems frightened by them and says she doesn’t want to talk to them at all. So I’ve forbidden them from bothering her but that’s only good as long as she’s at home.” Leonardo gave Moara a grateful smile as she set a fresh drink in front of him also. “Jerico has been weaseling his way into the Alpha’s good graces for a while now and his sudden interest in my sister is concerning. Especially since she came home covered in warding tattoos…”

“I heard a rumor about that,” Rogelio crossed his arms. “Warding against what?”

“I don’t know. We don’t have a witch in town capable of decrypting them for us.”

Rogelio looked concerned. “Karisme won’t tell you?”

“Karisme won’t utter a word about the place. I’m anxious about it but Benita insists she needs time to heal. That seems reasonable but I have cause to be concerned those tattoos are why she can’t speak of it.”

“Ah, right, Dhimant’s theory about the institution she came out of being something more than a madhouse.”

“Why else would they suddenly release her?” Leonardo asked. “She’s not any better than she was before. You can’t tell me it’s only because Jerico stopped paying the bills, he claims she’s his biggest embarrassment.”

“It sounds like you have plenty of investigating ahead of you,” Rogelio said. “Do you plan on visiting this asylum?”

“Yes but it has to wait until after Benita has her baby,” sighed Leonardo. “I don’t dare leave her alone, especially since there seems to be a threat to our safety.”

“Well I will give you this,” Rogelio finished his drink and stood. “When you make the arrangements, I will go with you. We were a good team before, if there is something foul going on there, we’ll find it. As for your family’s safety, if you truly believe that someone is out for you or all of you, I will ask my father and mother to stay with them while we’re away. Will that ease your mind?”

Leonardo considered this and nodded. “A great deal. Thank you, I appreciate you listening to me.”

“We’re friends,” Roggy chuckled. “Don’t get sappy on me or I’ll lose my drinks and that’d be a sorry waste of money. I’m not saying I really believe all this but I can see it’s got you badly worked up. I’ll help you put your mind to ease, at least.” He dropped some cash onto the bar to settle his tab and thanked Moara.

Leonardo paid his half and got up as well. “With patience, I think we’ll find the evidence we’re looking for,” he said.

Moara watched them go with the sinking feeling that if they were digging into the secrets the wolves kept even from other wolves, the only thing they would find was death. She looked at the money in her hands and wondered what motivated men to try to destroy others. With sadness, she put the money in her register and watched them from the window of the bar as they got into Leo’s boat and sailed back towards the mainland. She hoped for their sake that it was worth it.