Why do you think I called you here? Because I enjoy drinking with cops?
Detective Kar, Grim Reaper’s Bar, 3:45 PM
Detective Kar slowly stepped into the bar, the strong scent of cigarettes making his nose wrinkle and itch. He had disliked the smell since he was fifteen when his father took up the bad habit. He also disliked this bar, simply because it was filled with criminals of all types – from petty thieves to hired killers working for the mob. This place was dangerous, especially so for a cop such as himself. Thankfully, he had thought to change into civilian clothes before deciding he would make the journey.
The bartender eyed him when he approached, a glass in one hand and a stained rag in the other. “Ain’t seen you ’round here before,” he stated, his voice like gravel on sandpaper.
Those sitting at the bar nearby glanced over at the detective, eyes narrowed suspiciously. No one here took too kindly to strangers, criminal or not. The bar had a bad reputation and it had one for a reason. That didn’t stop tourists from wandering in after getting lost or baby criminals trying to prove that they’re tougher than they actually are. The regular patrons were more than happy to deal with either type.
Kar had been on the force for nearly twenty years, ever since he was eighteen years old. He had learned how to remain calm under pressure, despite what he may be feeling inside. His poker face had been nearly perfected and he had learned how to talk his way out of most situations. “I’m here to meet someone.”
“Oh yeah?” the bartender smirked. “An’ who would that be?”
Kar took a moment to observe the man. He was a tall, muscular man wearing a dirty tank top and jeans. His tanned skin was littered with tattoos of all types, most of them black or grey. Kar recognized several prison gang tattoos among them. His head was bald, but a long mustache covered his upper lip, draping down well past his chin. His eyes were black and beady, not unlike a rat’s, thought Kar.
The detective reached into his pocket, setting a card down on the bar top. It was thick and off white in color, the texture rough instead of smooth. Engraved in the corner of the card was a large black dragon, chasing its own tail. Its eyes were blood red, the only drop of color to be found on the black and white card.
The bartender leaned over, squinting as he read the words printed there. In a thick, messy black script was the name Rain Dullahan. Below that in a serif font were the words Employ of Sena Dixon.
Once those words registered inside his brain, he jumped back, hitting the cabinet behind him. The bottles of alcohol clicked as they bumped against one another, though none of them fell. Fear danced in the man’s eyes as his gaze darted from the card to the detective and back again.
His reaction unnerved the detective, though he didn’t show it. He had no idea who Rain Dullahan was and, even searching through the police’s database, he had been unable to find a single hit on her. Sena Dixon, however, was a name he knew all too well. It was a name the entire department knew, even the rookies new to the force.
Dixon was the boss of a large crime syndicate, one who hadn’t been caught once in the 30 or so years he had been operating. The family used to be known as the Marellos back before Sena took over. Back then, the family was vicious and cruel, kidnapping women and kids from their beds to turn a quick buck.
Back when Kar was a child, they had the run of the streets and everyone was terrified. The cops had been completely outnumbered and outgunned. They could do nothing, though they did their best with what little they had. It was one of the main reasons he decided to become a cop, having seen first hand what the family was capable of.
Kar isn’t sure of the exact details about what transpired, no one truly is aside from those who were there at the time. All he knows for sure is that Sena Dixon killed Sam Morello in cold blood. He had been one of Morello’s lieutenants, one of his most trusted allies. And yet he had betrayed him.
‘Such is the life of crime,’ he thought. ‘You have no friends, no allies. Just acquaintances that you can only hope don’t turn around and stab you in the back.’ He couldn’t imagine living that way, being in constant fear, not knowing who you can trust and who you can’t.
The bartender swallowed thickly. “I… I didn’t know they were coming here today…”
“Last minute arrangement,” said Kar simply. In truth, he felt just as stunned as the bartender.
He had gone out for lunch, as he did every day around the same time, and when he returned to his desk, he found the card lying there. Beneath it sat a sticky note, telling him to arrive here at 4:30 and to present the card to the bartender. He had intended to throw it away until he read the final line of the message. ‘You’ll come see me, detective, if you want to know more about Clare and Danny.’
Clare and Danny. It was a case he had been working on for over a month with very little headway. Every clue he found led him right into another dead end. The pair had been roommates, living at the local university as they worked on their degrees. One day, both of them just up and vanished without a trace. The lead theory is that they simply became too stressed over college life so they ran away.
Their families, and Detective Kar, was not too keen on that idea. Both families insisted that neither girl would leave like that, no matter how stressed they may be. Their friends stated that the girls had been acting perfectly normal the night before. Then there was the fact that none of their items were missing. Their keys, purses and phones were all in their dorm room, untouched.
It was as if the earth had just opened up, swallowing them whole before closing back up. It made no sense to him. Was the Dixon family behind the disappearance? It seemed foolish for him to meet up with a known mafioso by himself in a bar filled with miscreants. He hadn’t told a soul where he was going or who he was meeting, just as the note had informed him. He knew it was a poor idea, but he was desperate.
He didn’t want the recognition of having solved the case. He just wanted to bring peace to the families, just as he had promised to do. That was the whole reason he had become a cop in the first place. To help people. To save them when they weren’t strong enough to save themselves.
The bartender motioned toward the booth at the back of the bar, in front of the stairs. “You can wait there.” His eyes flickered to the card. “And take that thing with you.”
Kar picked up the card, sliding it back into the pocket of his jeans before slowly making his way toward the booth. The bar had become considerably more quiet since it had been when he first entered. The eyes of the other patrons followed him as he went, burning holes into his body. He briefly wondered if they knew he was a cop.
’No,’ he quickly swatted that thought from his mind. There was no way they knew. At least he hoped not. Sure, he did bring his gun with him, tucked securely against his back and hidden by the long black coat he wore, but one gun against a room full of men? Possibly armed men, at that. He wouldn’t stand a chance.
Even so, he slid into the booth, back to the stairs, and he waited.
Rain Dullahan, Dixon Manor, 12:00 PM
“Why do I have to go?” I scowled, glaring at the window beside me. I was sitting in Sena’s office, behind his desk where a large bench sat beneath an even larger window. It was on the third floor, giving me a perfect view of the front gate and the courtyard below.
“I agree, boss,” said Harry as he paced back and forth in front of the desk. “She shouldn’t be trusted with this. She can’t be trusted with this!”
I scoffed at him. “You’re only saying that because you’re jealous he chose me for this mission instead of you.”
Harry sputtered at the accusation, pale cheeks darkening as he brushed strands of long hair from his face. “Don’t be ridiculous! As if I’d ever be jealous of someone like you!”
“Someone like me? You mean competent? Confident? The boss’ favorite one?”
“You are not the boss’ favorite one!” He snapped angrily. “You take that back right now!”
“Make me.”
He reached for the blade he kept hidden at his waist, eyes burning with fury.
“Enough.” One word from the boss and Harry stood at attention, arms straight by his sides.
“I’m sorry, boss!”
“I’m not,” I muttered under my breath.
Sena turned in his hair, sending me an exasperated look to which I simply shrugged at. “This is an important mission, Rain. I chose you because I believe you are the best person for this particular job.”
Harry’s face filled with rage toward me, but it was gone as quickly as it had come because Sena turned back around.
“That does not mean she’s my favorite, Harry. Her skills are simply better put for this mission.”
“What skills?” he scowled, his voice soft while speaking to his precious boss. “All she does is insult people or hit them.”
“Two talents I’ve been honing my whole life,” I admitted proudly, pulling myself to my feet. I stopped by the boss, resting my hand on the large wooden desk he sat at. “Are you sure you wanna give a cop this information? Could put us in a bind.”
Sena leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. “I’ve given it much thought this past month.”
I knew what that meant. He had spent countless hours calculating every possible route in his mind, no doubt lying awake at night while doing so if the dark circles under his eyes were any indication.
“This path is the lesser of two evils. We cannot let this injustice stand.”
I hummed, straightening up as I cracked my fingers in anticipation. “Alright then. I’ll handle it.” I started for the door, sending Harry a smug look because I knew it got his blood boiling.
“Rain,” he called softly, making me pause at the door.
“Yeah, boss?”
“Please do your best not to anger Detective Kar. We need him on our side for this.”
I clicked my tongue. “That’s a tall order, boss, ain’t gonna lie.” Then I offered him a grin. “But for you? I think I can manage it.”
He smiled gratefully, nodding his head. “Be careful.”
“Careful is my middle name.”
“More like dumbass,” muttered Harry.
“I heard that!”
“You were supposed to, idiot!”
Rain Dullahan, Grim Reaper’s Bar, 5:00 PM
I muttered darkly under my breath as I stepped into the bar, feeling annoyed. My day had started off easy enough and there had been no issues dropping the note off on the detective’s desk. It was just a matter of waiting after that. The only problem is that me and waiting don’t exactly go hand and hand.
I went for a walk just to give myself something to do only to run into that bastard, Johnny. He had been kicked from the Dixon family two weeks ago for refusing to follow our code. This prick had the nerve to threaten Sena! It was the first time Harry and I had been in sync as he beat the shit out of him. The little weasel got off easy.
And then he had the nerve to go after me on the street. He thought that just because he had a group with him, suddenly he was a tough guy. He stood back, letting the others fight for him like the coward he is. Had me chasing him all over town before the little rat got himself trapped in a dead end alley.
I shoulda killed him, but I knew Sena would be unhappy.
The bartender was the first to notice me, his face turning pale as he straightened his back. “Good afternoon, Miss Dullahan!”
The bar went dead silent, all eyes turning to look at me. Most held fear in their eyes, though some held adoration. Both were equally annoying to me.
“Well? What are you idiots waiting for?” I grunted, giving them an annoyed look. “Get the fuck out. I’m late for a meeting.”
Without a second to spare, the bar emptied out, patrons rushing out the door like the building was on fire. Only two men were left – the bartender, Freddo, and the detective.
Freddo rushed over to me, a towel in his hand. “T-There’s blood on your cheek, miss. Are you hurt?”
I reached up, wiping it away with the back of my hand before wiping my hand on my jeans. “Not mine.”
“Of course! Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Rum,” I replied as I made my way toward the booth. “And a beer for the welp.”
“Right away!”
Detective Kar eyed me wearily as I flopped down across from him, making myself comfortable. “Rain Dullahan, I presume?”
I nodded. “Sorry I’m late. Had a run in with an…old friend.”
“Don’t all of your run ins with friends end in blood?” He questioned, glancing at my bloody shirt.
“Only the fun ones,” I grinned back.
Freddo dropped off our drinks, bowing before leaving the bar just as the patrons before him had.
“You seem to have a lot of sway here,” he mused as he took in the now empty bar, half filled drinks left behind.
“The boss has a large stake in the bar. Woulda been shut down years ago if Sena wasn’t helpin’ to pay for it. Naturally, that comes with some… amusing perks.”
“Why did you call me here?”
“Straight to business, aye? I like that.” I grinned at him before downing my rum. “You been workin’ that Clare and Danny case for a while now, right?”
“That’s right. If you have information -”
“Why do you think I called you here? Because I enjoy drinking with cops?” I shook my head, leaning forward onto the table. “Tell me something, detective. What do you know about Snickerdoodle?”
He blinked, confusion written on his face. “The cookies? Um, they’re not my favorite but -”
“Not the cookies, you idiot.” I scowled at him, leaning back in my seat. “Snickerdoodle is the online handle of a nasty piece of work. She’s your typical female supremacist. Hates men and all that.”
“Okay…” he said slowly. “And what does she have to do with Clare and Danny?”
I smirked at him, folding my arms over my chest. “Snickerdoodle is Clare and Danny.”
“That’s ridiculous. I’ve talked to all of their friends, males included, and they all had good things to say about them.”
“Of course, they did. A psychopath isn’t going to act like a psychopath. It would be too easy. A good psychopath – or psychopaths, in this case – hide their tracks by acting completely normal. It’s rare for friends and family to be aware of their true nature. Sure, there are signs, cracks in their foundation, but most people just wave those off as bad days or stress.”
Kar frowned, brow furrowed in thought.
“They are criminals, through and through, and nasty ones, too. We’ve been watching ’em for a while, that’s why they disappeared. Thought they could throw us off their scent. Or perhaps they thought we’d back off once they got the cops involved. Either way, they were wrong.”
“If they’re criminals, shouldn’t you be helping them?”
I sent him an annoyed look. “The world ain’t black and white, Mr. Detective. All criminals ain’t molded from the same material. You got your desperate ones – they act out of need for self preservation or to help their families. You got the evil ones – they get off on the pain and misfortune of others. Then you got the neutral ones – they break the law here and there, but it’s usually for a good purpose. That’s us.”
He scoffed. “Breaking the law is breaking the law. It doesn’t matter how good you deem your purpose to be.”
“Maybe,” I shrugged. “But it is what it is. My boss has asked me to pass this information along to you. What you choose to do with it is your business.” I tugged a manilla envelope from the inside of my jacket, sliding it over to him. “Know this, though, Mr. Detective. If you don’t stop them before they strike again, we will. And it won’t be pretty.”
I pulled myself from the booth, leaving the bar without looking back.
