Chapter 42 (1/2)

The Applegate Hotel had seen better days. Between the dust and the grime and the outdated decor, Dan was surprised the place was still open for business at all. The lobby was poorly lit and smelled a bit like old cabbages, and the revolving door hadn't been oiled in decades. Despite these quibbles, the first floor was teeming with residents.

Dan's party entered the scene with a screech of metal, and all eyes fell upon them. It was, Dan reflected, like taking a visual poll of the city's attitude towards law enforcement. Of the twenty or so people in the lobby, a good third immediately peeled their eyes away, aggressively minding their own business. Another third visibly brightened at Gregoir's presence, his bright blue officer's uniform loudly declaring his affiliation to the general public. The final chunk of civilians collectively realized that they'd all forgotten urgent appointments, and rapidly vacated the premises.

”Officer!” A loud voice echoed through the lobby. The speaker was a squat Hispanic man in his fifties, with greying hair and a pronounced belly. He was dressed in a rumpled button-up shirt with a pronounced coffee stain, and threadbare brown slacks. He smiled nervously as he approached, holding out a limp hand towards Gregoir.

The blonde was cheerful as ever, vigorously shaking the offered limb. ”Ah, you must be the hotel manager, Mr. Gonzalez! You made the call?”

”That's me,” the portly man answered with a wince. ”Thank you for arriving so promptly. You can call me Felipe.”

”Excellent! And I am Officer Pierre-Louis.” Gregoir gestured behind him, in Dan's general direction. ”These are my juniors. Don't mind them. They are in training.”

After receiving a confused nod, Gregoir released Felipe's moderately-crushed hand and straightened to his full height. He loomed above the rest of the room, almost a full foot taller than the manager before him.

Gregoir's genial expression disappeared, and his voice deepened into a gravelly bass. ”So, someone has been stealing from you?”

Mr. Gonzalez stiffened at the change in tone. He managed, with difficulty, to stutter out a confirmation. ”Yes, or— or at least I thought so.”

”Oh?” Gregoir cocked his head ever-so-slightly. ”Have your thoughts changed, then?”

”Well...” Felipe chewed at his lip. ”It's a bit of a confusing mess, I'm afraid.”

Gregoir answered with a smile. It was not blinding, nor brilliant, nor filled with good cheer. It was perfunctory, professional, more for acknowledgement than to convey any real emotion.

”Why don't you start at the beginning?” Though Gregoir worded it as a suggestion, it was clearly a command.

This was a singularly disturbing experience for Dan to witness; Gregoir never behaved like a responsible adult. The boundless optimism that always seemed to roll off the giant in waves had disappeared, replaced by a sense of calm power. Somehow, the boisterous numbskull had transformed into an unassailable authority figure. Graham, at Dan's side, looked like he'd been clubbed over the head.

Eerie as it was for those who knew him, Gregoir's presence seemed to steady Mr. Gonzalez.

”The beginning, right.” The squat man mopped at his brow with a handkerchief. ”This morning, I was checking over my accounts...”

Gregoir guided him away from the center of the lobby as he murmured out his story. The giant man glanced over his shoulder to Dan, flicked his fingers to the civilians hovering just out of earshot and mouthed the words ”Distract them.”

Still stunned, but rapidly adjusting, Dan spun around to face the hotel's residents. It appeared that they had drawn a small crowd, rubberneckers, whose curiosity trumped their respect and fear. Apparently, Gregoir was a throw-'em-in-the-deep-end sort of teacher, as he had all but disappeared into the manager's office, leaving Dan and Graham to fend for themselves.

Dan turned to his companion. ”How do you think we should—”

Graham swaggered forward before the question could be completed. He held both hands up high, palms out toward the crowd, and announced, ”Please, citizens, disperse. Official APD business, be about your day.”

With a thick police-issue kevlar vest worn over his tie and button-down, Graham looked more like a federal agent at the scene of a crime than a police grunt. Dan was tempted to pop back to his hotel room and retrieve a pair of blacked-out sunglasses to complete the look. The young student had the voice of authority down pat. He spoke with clear expectation, leaving no doubt as to whether he would be obeyed. It was an entirely different style than Gregoir. While the latter commanded respect through his overpowering presence, Graham managed a decent imitation through sheer blustering confidence.

Kind of like a peacock facing down a pack of lions.

The bluff worked, at least for the moment. There was courage, and then there was stupidity. Few civilians would openly challenge a person in uniform, especially over something as pointless as idle curiosity. What would even be the point?

So the crowd scattered like gnats on a warm day, buzzing away just out of sight, hovering at the perfect distance for them to swoop back in and be a nuisance should the situation warrant it. Necks craned over potted plants and around corners, searching for drama. Several didn't even bother with pretense. Five steps back, four to the side, whip out a cell phone and wait. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

One didn't even do that. A man, as blue-collar as they come, wearing thick brown overalls and a large but empty tool belt. He was built like Dan, not particularly skinny nor all that broad, but carried just enough height to be labeled as tall. His skin was light, lacking a tan, and his face was clean-shaven and handsome. He wore a dark collared shirt beneath his overalls, bearing the logo of a local electric company.

The man approached with an easy stride and a relaxed smile.

”Officers,” he called genially. ”Nice day, isn't it?”

Graham hesitated, visibly caught off-guard at his orders being so overtly ignored. He found his composure quickly, but struggled to actually reply.

Not that Dan couldn't blame him. It was difficult to react to such a bland statement.

But Dan could give it a shot.

”Beautiful.” He kept his voice low and unamused, attempting to channel Sergeant Ito's gruff tone. ”Did you need something, mister...?”

The man brightened at Dan's reply.

”Charleston,” he offered. ”Eddie Charleston.”

”Mr. Charleston,” Graham tagged himself into the conversation with unnerving speed, ”unless you have something urgent to report, please be about your business. Our superior is currently interviewing a witness and does not wish to be disturbed.”

He managed to say all of that without a sneer or even a hint of disdain. Dan was impressed.

”Ah, well, maybe I can help?” Eddie looked between Dan and Graham, before settling his gaze on the latter. ”Did Mr. Gonzalez call about the meter issue?”

Graham frowned. ”I can't comment on an ongoing investigation.”

Dan snorted, earning him a filthy look from his companion. He couldn't help it. 'Ongoing investigation,' Graham had said, as if there were some grand crime being committed.

”I'm an electrician. Mr. Gonzalez called me in,” the civilian elaborated. ”I might be able to explain some things. This isn't the first time this has happened. Mr. G has a tendency to overreact. I'd hate for you to waste your time here when you could be out helping people.”

Dan could hear the sincerity in his voice. The man was clearly trustworthy. He didn't know why he was hesitating, really. It was silly. Just nerves, most likely. Fear of making a mistake.

Best to hedge his bets.

Dan loooked to Graham. ”We should probably let Gregoir know, at least. Let him make an informed decision.”

The student seemed to consider it, cupping his chin and narrowing his eyes like a pondering wiseman. No one was fooled.

”I could tell him myself,” Eddie offered graciously. ”Though, it might be awkward showing up without you two.”

”No, no, you're right. We should be there with you,” Graham replied quickly.

Did he just agree to bring Eddie over? Weren't they going to inform Gregoir first?

Dan's head felt fuzzy.

He opened his mouth, searching for words.

”He said to distract the civilians.” The sentence was mumbled, uncertain.

Vertigo struck like a bolt of lightning on a clear day, sudden and unexpected. For a single instant, the world tilted sideways. Dan's head lurched, his vision blurred, and he locked his knees to remain standing.

And then things returned to normal. Dan shook his head like a dog, trying to throw off the sudden feeling.

”You should bring me over anyway, just in case,” Eddie said, with a pleasant smile.