Chapter 2 – Middle men.
[22nd January, 2021.]
Act 1
Scene i: West Seattle Veterinary Clinic, Fairmount Park.
Blood transfusion equipment purred, plasma and red cells recombining together into a single bag that rocked on the tilt tray of a collection monitor. Elwin had been using the empty veterinarian clinic for some months now, tapping into the city’s power grid so that he could make use of the medical equipment he had collected during his nocturnal hospital robberies.
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As the limpid wine tipped to the rhythm of the monitor, Elwin waited, planning the course of his evening once he had fed. Turning off the machine, he upended the storage bag’s contents into his mouth, squeezing the remaining vacuum streams of red from the sealed edges. Releasing the drained plastic to fall from his hand into a laundry basket of other used bags, he paced the surgery room, checking the fridge to count how many remained before he would need to hunt again.
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Before leaving the unused clinic grounds to meet with the other members of the Burien coterie, Elwin took out his copy of the patient records stolen from the university during his last hunt, glancing through the results of the Lymphogene-H trials. The data was incredulous, a breakthrough in cancer vaccines with potential applications against other aggressive diseases. There was no information about the pharmaceutical company that had developed LG-H, except for the name “MediLaz US”.
Scene ii: Burien.
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Accompanied by a beagle and walking cane, Ed Clarke meandered through the electric watt glow of the commercial streets, easily mistaken for just another old soul who’d been forgotten by Lady Luck.
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From the side alley of a mechanic’s shop, Ed paused to listen to the sounds of movement, nothing hidden from the vertical pupils of his nocturnal sight as he watched a man working under the hood of a delivery truck.
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Entering the side street with casual step, Ed asked the stranger what troubled him. Glad for the old man’s assistance, the delivery driver related how he had come off the 509 with engine troubles, hoping to find any workshops open at night. Standing close to the stranded driver under the pretence of examining the truck’s exposed engine, Ed continued talking until the other had turned his back.
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Wrapping his limbs around the driver in a sudden chokehold, Ed’s smaller mass dropped him in a brief dragging struggle that finished in the shadow of a dumpster bin. The strange eyes of the beagle turned from the mouth of the alley to the hidden view of its master feeding from the now motionless figure.
Scene iii: Four Seasons Hotel, Seattle.
Waking shortly after dusk, Mikhail was soon standing before the mirror of his luxury hotel suite, admiring the custom fit of his business suit as the pale hand of his wife Anastasia adjusted the shirt collar. Speaking in their native language, she advised her husband that their son was settling into his private school, just as she was becoming used to the culture shock of living in America.
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Anastasia reminded her husband that there was a message waiting for him with the hotel concierge, kissing him on the cheek before he departed the serviced room.
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The desk staff retrieved the message after he had emerged from the elevator, a request from a Mr Lukyan that the chess set he had ordered was ready for pickup at 10am the following day. Thanking the receptionist, Mikhail continued out of the foyer with his chauffeur-bodyguard close by.
* * *
The hotel was close to the social life of Belltown, where the affluent residents of the inner districts mingled in the themed bars and neon cocktail lounges after the sun had retired into the west. Resting an elbow on the bar as he surveyed the crowd, Mikhail discreetly watched the early evening patrons until his bewitching gaze lured the interest of a young woman, a lawyer that had just left her work, still wearing an office suit. Soon after he had introduced himself, the pair walked away to a screened booth from which Mikhail returned alone some minutes later.
Act 2
Scene i: 152nd St, Burien.
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After each of the three Kindred had fed, they met again in the upstairs office of the restaurant on 152nd street, where they waited for the return call of Weeper the Nosferatu. However, when the appointed hour came the phone remained silent. After some time it became evident that it would remain so, leaving them to continue an earlier discussion on how they could bargain for some neutral ground between the two courts.
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The shrill ring of the phone cut them off mid sentence, Elwin and Mikhail listening as Ed picked up the receiver and placed it to his ear. Conferring with the dry voice on the other end, he agreed to a meeting with Leo the following night at Harbour Island before replacing the handset, repeating the details for the rest of the coterie.
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The location of the meeting troubled Ed and Elwin, as it was situated next to Seattle and therefore close to Prince Oran. Harbour Island had always been Brujah territory, and had remained so during the current stalemate between the Washington Clans. Why they had chosen this location rather than Tacoma remained an enigma for the three Cainites.
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A knock came from outside the office door, and then the Russian accent of Mikhail’s bodyguard warning his boss and the others that there was something of interest taking place on the streets below. Joining the guard when he returned to the windows overlooking the urban scene, Sascha (the guard) pointed to a group of figures involved in petty drug dealing, aware that his boss would be interested in the activity taking place.
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Watching the small crowd drift apart once they had exchanged cash for their fix, the three Kindred knew they would have to react immediately if they hoped to uncover whom was responsible for the local trade. Rushing down the stairs and through the refurbished dining space of the restaurant to catch up with the junkies, Elwin and Mikhail turned west to intercept one figure walking toward the town park whilst Ed ran North-East to quarry his own target.
* * *
Slipping like a ghost though the back alleys to overtake the quickening pace of a man wearing a stained winter coat and beanie, Ed emerged from the street corner ahead to casually pass by them on the pavement before he interrupted their progress with a leading question.
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Eager to try and shake off the old man and his questions, Gary gave him the directions he needed, nervously scratching himself as the needs of addiction tickled his anxiety. Changing his line of inquiry, Ed offered to buy the man a meal and coffee in gratitude for the directions, hinting that he was also looking for a heroin hook-up.
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Cold and hungry, Gary accepted the kind offer, enthusiastically speaking with his new ‘friend’ as they walked away from Burien’s main strip.
* * *
Meanwhile, Mikhail and Elwin had caught up with a male youth before he had a chance to disappear into the unlit warren of Town Square Park beside the library. Calling the youth’s attention so that he could look into their eyes, the insolent junkie’s demeanour softened under the hypnotic focus of the Ventrue’s gaze.
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Elwin remained in the background, keeping a lookout as Mikhail questioned the youth about who was distributing heroin in the southern neighbourhoods. Flint (the youth) was only a bottom-feeder in the tangled drug networks, giving up the name of ‘Andy Tibble’, a musician from Tacoma who often played at a venue in Columbia City.
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Flint’s friends, whom were waiting on him to deliver them a fix, made themselves known as they emerged from the park foliage, leading him away from the stranger and his dangerous questions.
* * *
Seated at a booth within the diner, Ed waited for his acquaintance to finish eating, picking up the conversation about where he could go to find a fix. Cautious about divulging too much information on the local drug scene, Gary mentioned that a few bikers from Tacoma had been distributing around the SeaTac area. Anxious to relieve his cravings, the junkie sold a small amount to Ed in the belief that he was a fellow addict before he excused himself from the booth.
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Watching the junkie depart through the diner doors, Ed remained on the seat until a slim attractive waitress began to clear the table. Ed knew the waitress quite well, having been a regular late night customer of the diner for years, so he asked Lily (the waitress) if she was at all familiar with the man that had just left. Shaking her head, Lily answered that she could not recall seeing him, but would keep an eye out if he should return to the diner.
Scene ii: The Palace, Columbia City
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Reconvening at the closed restaurant, the trio were curious to learn more about Andy Tibble and the music venue he frequented in Columbia City once they had discussed their mutual encounters with Flint and Gary.
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Leaving the restaurant in the security of Mikhail’s car, Sascha drove the three Cainites though the shimmering lights of southern Seattle to reach the commercial strip of Rainier Avenue, lined with unkempt shopfronts between the grunge-stained architecture. Cruising along the street to identify the name given to them by Flint, they soon discovered the facade of an old theatre, the marquee block letters arranged to spell “The Palace”.
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Their chauffeur turned at the next street corner to momentarily leave the main avenue, allowing Elwin the opportunity to depart the vehicle and return to the music venue on foot. Being late on a Wednesday night, the venue was quiet as he approached, ignoring the inquisitive stare from some of the punk cliques whom were waiting outside.
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The theatre’s interior had been stripped back to the original walls to allow a long single black room covered in a collage of band posters and graffiti, the stage at the far side empty with most of the customers seated in and around the nearby bar. Staffed by a lone barman dressed in what looked like a butcher’s apron, Elwin approached and asked for a drink to begin the conversation.
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Acting as though he were once again a medical student, he mentioned the name a musician friend he was looking for, known as Andy Tibble. Benny the barman confirmed that he knew the drummer would be playing with the rest of his band “Siren” the following night (Thursday). Mistaking Elwin’s shy demeanour as caution about Tibble’s side hussle as a heroin dealer, Benny offered to hook him up with Tibble if he returned to the bar before the band’s set had finished.
Act 3
Scene i: Harbour Island, West Seattle
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By 9pm the next evening Mikhail’s black vehicle was tracing its way around the access roads of Harbour Island as cargo vessels were being unloaded of their shipping crates in the glare of the background dock lighting. Behind the wheel, Sascha calmly turned into a long avenue bordered by empty stacked containers, allowing the car to roll through the shadows as he and the other passengers studied their surroundings for any hint of the meeting ground.
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Headlights blinked at the end of the road, signalling Sascha to steer toward the half-seen pier where a parked escort of vehicles waited as a barrier. Coming to a halt before the vehicle barricade, Mikhail allowed a single window to be wound down so they could speak with a handsome woman whose accent was sonorous with Latin American origins.
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Monica, the spokeswoman for the Tacoma Prince, listened to the introductions of the three Cainites before they left the vehicle and accompanied her to meet the vampire himself, greeted with the imposing physical presence of one whom had been a woodsman or lumberjack in their mortal life. Except for some hideous exceptions like the Nosferatu Weeper, the rest of the Tacoma Prince’s crew had been embraced from the wild pioneers of the state as Leo had been, in contrast to the more urban clans of Seattle.
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Answering Leo’s direct questioning on who they were and why they had requested to meet with him, Mikhail explained that Prince Oran had gifted him with a small property in Burien, which he had recently learnt from his companions (Ed & Elwin) was situated in the contested southern neighbourhoods. To avoid any unnecessary conflict, Mikhail and the others had decided it would be best to meet with him (Leo) directly and explain that they were innocent of Prince Oran’s potential machinations.
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Leo seemed pleased with their respect and honesty, although he warned them that to remain in possession of the restaurant in Burien they would have to recognize his claim as the ‘True Prince’ of the state or vacate it. If they accepted his terms, they would also have to report any reports of unknown or enemy Kindred as well as avoiding any upset with the Anarchs whom freely travelled between the two cities (Tacoma – Seattle). Lastly, they would also be required to answer a boon favour when called upon, as payment for his generosity in letting Mikhail keep the restaurant.
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They would have twenty-four hours to decide on Leo’s offer, confirming their decision via the contact number Ed had used to arrange the meeting, after which the phone service would be permanently disconnected.
Scene ii: Columbia City
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After the meeting with the Tacoma Prince, the three Cainites and their chauffeur returned to the city streets, driving back to the commercial strip of Columbia and the punk music venue that Elwin had previously scouted the night before.
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Pulling up to the curb, Sascha remained silent as the trio quickly organized themselves; Mikhail and Elwin agreeing to enter the bar whilst Ed and his blood hound snooped around the nearby alleyways.
* * *
The Palace was filled with the frenetic energy of youth dancing to the primal chords of the musicians on stage, filtered lights spinning over their heads to paint colours across the agitated audience. Working their way to the edges of the crowded hall so they could rest against the wall, Mikhail and Elwin glanced over the sea of faces, everyone a stranger except for the barman who was working in the blue glow of the mirror shelving.
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As the performance on stage came to a roaring ovation, Elwin stood in line with the other patrons until he could be served by Benny. Recognizing Elwin and their conversation about Tibble, Benny explained that the dealer (Tibble) was with the rest of the band in the greenrooms backstage as they had just finished their set.
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Given the all clear to go and speak with them, Elwin thanked the barman, signalling Mikhail to join him as he crossed the dance floor to find the backstage rooms.
* * *
Meanwhile, Ed and his beagle paced the side streets and alleys around Rainier Ave South, taking note of the customised motorbikes parked behind The Palace. The design of the black cycles was similar to the rider he had observed nights earlier during his SeaTac walk.
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Finding nothing else suspicious about the venue, he proceeded to widen his search before narrowing his patrol again to the vicinity around The Palace. A sense of being watched kept the old man alert to the shadows behind dumpster bins and silhouette rooftops when he retraced his steps, but nothing was revealed, even with his preternatural senses.
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Resting on his walking cane, Ed listened to the background song of the streets to try and detect anything out of rhythm, of which there was seemingly nothing. Unperturbed, he continued with his animal companion as they waited for Elwin and Mikhail to conclude their business within the music venue.
* * *
Finding their way to the greenroom in which the band was debriefing after the set, Mikhail bluffed his introduction as a talent scout interested in their act. Elwin continued his own ruse as a user looking to score a small brick of heroin, allowing Mikhail to engage with Tibble and the androgynous goth singer ‘Blackie’. Blackie was suspicious of Mikhail’s charm over the other (mortal) members of his band, demanding that he be present for whatever deals he wished to make with them.
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Dismissing everyone from the room except for Elwin, Blackie, and Tibble, Mikhail cooled the friction, changing the conversation to their interest in the heroin trade, asking for and introduction to their supplier. Blackie interrupted any further discussion about their source, suggesting that the pair finish their purchase of the ‘brick’ and leave the club.
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Agreeing to the proposed amount, Elwin and Tibble made the exchange, expressing their desire to leave the business relationship open for the short-term future.