2021-12-30 - Searching for the lost

Ellen's awake - finally. What Alexander did to her put her out cold for a while. But, considering who Alexander is friends with, he makes it into that hotel room and gets the T.R.U.T.H.

Yes, Ellen is sleeping with Alexander's client's wife's husband and didn't want Alexander looking into it. They'd PLANNED on delivering a random note along the lines of "drop this case or you'll never see your feathered friend again!" kind of thing. They'd NEVER hurt a person, but they're just animals, and it would keep their dalliance secret.

She doesn't know where the animals are now though. Once they'd paid Rafe to get Alexander out of the house they'd driven the creatures out of Gray Harbor proper, figuring it would be harder for Alexander to find them, but she hadn't been a part of it. Honest to god - she doesn't know. Maybe south though, along the highway?

So now it's decision time.

If Alexander chooses to go after the animals first, please turn to page 3.

If Alexander chooses to go after the cheating scumbag of a husband, turn to page 50.

Alexander is not kind to Ellen in demanding the answers he needs, and by the time he walks out of the hospital room, the cold rage has...not subsided but contracted into a fiery ball in the pit of his stomach. Around that ball is fear and worry for his pets, and even a cold sort of self-loathing for himself and what he's done to Rafe, the other teens, and even to Ellen. Not that he doesn't intend to text his client and tell her exactly who her husband is fooling around with, though.

But right now, the need to find his animals and make sure they're safe is stronger than the need to boil Ellen and the husband's brains inside their skulls. Just a little bit stronger. He's a native of Gray Harbor, and has walked over most of the town, so he opens up Google Maps and uses his knowledge of the town and its surrounding areas to try and calculate out where a good stashhouse would be to the south. He also texts his client, mentioning that he's following up on a lead, and asks if she or her husband have any property to the south, or any place they like to go for vacations, etc.

The poor client is the innocent in all of this. She probably would be the kind to work it out with her cheating spouse but... she just had to know, right? For their children's sake.

So she texts back a couple of properties, one in California, Vancouver Canada, and a small cabin not too far outside of Gray Harbor proper the point where it gets just a little harder for the talented to get precise fixes.

It's about a thirty minute drive. Walking will take much - much longer.

Alexander stares at the little map. Come, little map. Make the distance shorter. Sadly, Gray Harbor magic doesn't work on spatial relocations, so he sighs, reaching up to rub at his wounded chest while he ponders. And walks out of the hospital grounds, into the Park. He looks around, thoughtfully. It occurs to him that Ellen's car is still in the Safeway parking lot. Then again, he's already tripped over a couple of felonies tonight. Maybe not best to add another to the pile.

One of these days, Alexander will buy a car. But for today? He spends some time trying to call in favors from old clients for a ride - only to discover that gratitude goes absolutely nowhere with the clientele he usually has. Ego bruised, he walks into the nearest car rental joint, and tries to negotiate for whatever ride they have available. He looks like a hobo. But, hey, at least he pays in cash?

Alexander, so ethical. Few questions for the police to ask afterwards.

He gets asked SEVERAL additional pointed questions at the rental car station, and it's likely that his fee is WAY higher than it should be but.... he passes the checks AND buys the extra insurance for lost/damaged vehicles as well as providing a copy of his identification. The twenty-something clerk has done his job and the company is covered.

It's a blue Honda Civic, a little older than a typical rental car, but it'll do the job. Alas, this rental car company is the shady kind that doesn't fill up the tank upon return and so the car is running on fumes. Chances are they're banking on the customer filling it back up and they get a little extra return. The bastards.

The turn off to the cabin is unmarked and so Alexander sails right by it at first, it's only when he realizes he's been traveling for twenty minutes longer than his client said it would that that something is going to start clicking that maybe something is wrong.

Alexander doesn't drive often, although he enjoys it. So it's easy for his mind to drift - even as focused as he is on the animals - and remember driving much better cars than this. The unmarked turn just slips right by as he glancing to the other side of the road. Eventually, his eyes tick to the clock on the dashboard, and it's easy to do the calculations from there. "Son of a bitch!"

There's an awkward as hell three point turn in the road, and then he's going back the other way, combing the side of the road carefully for the turn. If he can find it, he creeps up the road, stretching his senses to the limit to try and pick up on the familiar warm glow of his pets' minds.

The three point turn is only made more awkward when a semi-truck comes up and attempts to blind Alexander with it's lights and deafen him with its blaring horns. Truckers are not happy to be stopped in the middle of the highway. The turn made and Alexander continues onwards.

He might have missed the exit again except that something familiar crosses his mind. Well, two somethings. They're faint to but to the left and by driving exceptionally slowly (and pissing off several people who opt to jump the double yellow and flip him off in the process) he finds the exit. It is just a spare set of dirt tire tracks, not even a dirt road, and they lead back into the woods for a good ten minutes before it opens into a clearing.

A clearing with a building that is NOT wildfire compliant. The trees are way too close to the building and for heavens sake the ground hasn't even been cleared of undergrowth or mast!. Everything is dark - but the presence of those two minds, the closer Alexander gets, the more in focus they come. In that cabin, right there.

"Fuck you, and fuck you, and fuck you with a rusty hatchet," Alexander mutters under his breath as every other driver passes him. "Where the fuck are you going, anyway? You're going to die alone. Don't hurry to get there." And other such friendly and uplifting advice. He finally finds the turn, and creeps through the dark, barely able to see the dirt tracks he's following. Except, it's not really the tracks he's following, but those minds. He stops the car a fair ways from the cabin, cuts the lights, and gets out, making his way in what he hopes is a quiet manner through the underbrush to the building.

To those two minds, he sends love and reassurance and a silent but fervent promise: I'm coming.

Alexander is physically able to get through the bushes without too much noise - at least, not so much that it isn't mistaken for a while animal.

What sets the alarm is his animals inside. Luigi sets off an absolute caterwaul (birderwaul?) the closer Alexander gets. From within the dark house comes a voice. "SHUT UP BIRD. I should have strangled you the moment. We're waiting for him. Bastard who ended my marriage..." More cursing before he lapses into silence, the cabin still dark. (The person inside clearly lacks an understanding that it was his own inability to keep it in his pants that did his marriage in...)

The closer Alexander comes the louder Luigi squawks and eventually even the more muted yowls of the cat can be heard. THEY know that Alexander is coming and they want him to know THEY ARE HERE.

The house stays quiet - and dark. Around back hidden in a half-garage is a car, one that Alexander's investigations put in the possession of his client's husband.

The husband we're going to call Clark from now on.

One one hand, Alexander really wants to punch that guy's face in. On the other hand, he is closer to the pets than Alexander is, which puts them in danger. He creeps around looking for a good entry point. He considers the car thoughtfully. He maps out the door closest to the half garage, and lurks behind it, before reaching out with his mind and adding trying to add juuuuust the right amount of electrical juice to set the alarm off.

Well. The alarm DOES go off. For about a split second. It screams out into the night a half call before dying in a sudden explosion of sparks as every light in the car goes on and then pop. Are LEDs suppose to be able to explode? Well, they do. It is VERY splashy and exciting. Especially when each of the windows shatter.

It is a good thing that the car is an enclosure because even with the winter rains it's likely sparks like that would have set off some kind of wildfire.

Regardless - it probably gets the reaction Alexander wants. The back door of the cabin goes flying out and a wild haired man in a suit comes running out clutching a flashlight. "What the fuck - I will sue their asses - " He'll continue like that for a while as he surveys the wreckage of his poor car.

Oh dear. There's a wince from the investigator as the electricity surges and fries just about everything. That wasn't actually his intention. Poor Clarkcar. And as the poor man ponders his insurance and probably how he's planning to even get home from here...Alexander does his best to sneak up behind Clark to jump him, and do his absolutely best to beat him into unconsciousness.

Clark is invested in his car. It was practically brand new. The fact that he is going to be paying alomony and child support from now on... well. That puts some issues into buying a new car. It means that he doesn't hear Alexander coming up from behind him until the very last second when Alexander's feet crunch on shattered window glass. He starts to whirl, but that just means that Alexander takes him down harder.

Both of them get a few bloody scrapes as they go down onto glass. Clark gets the worst of it though. He is seeing birdies (sorry, not Luigi, that would be too poetic) and marrying a concussion under Alexander's blows.

If Alexander listens closely he'll notice something else has changed - there's no sound of animals coming from the cabin any more.

Alexander gives Clark a kick once he's down, reaches up to touch his new bruises and scrapes with a disgruntled noise, then grabs Clark and tosses him over his shoulder as he rushes into the cabin. His mind reaches out for Luigi and Bluebell, a spike of worry and concern as he notices the animals are no longer being loudly welcoming.

Take the poor animal's side - something loud and scary just happened. Even the contact with daddy's mind has been cut as he moves into action.

There's a pet crate on the floor where Bluebell cowers, and Luigi has a cage formed out of an overturned milk crate. It won't take a lot of looking to find either - the cabin is well furnished but neither of those things look like they really belong.

On his shoulder Clark groans - slowly coming awake.

"Hey, sweethearts," Alexander says, soft and gentle. "It's all right. We're going home in just a few minutes. Just hang in there."

It's a rather marked contrast to the way he throws Clark into the first chair he can find, draws his knife, and pulls another chair before the waking man. Alexander slumps into it, and waits for his eyes to open, and for him to see the knife, and Alexander, and Alexander's expression, which is as warm and empathic as a hungry snake. "Hi, Clark. We probably need to talk."

Well - as long as they're in cages - Luigi and Bluebell don't have much of a choice, do they? They'll keep hanging in there.

Clark's eyes finish flutter open and confusion is instantly replaced with ABJECT FEAR. "Woah woah woah! Chill dude - chill."

Like that'll help.

"I don't have any chill," Alexander says. "Really. Zero chill." He taps the knife against his knees. "But what I do have is pets I love. And you've scared them. I'd just kill you, but that's probably wrong. Probably. So I was thinking...I had some time to think, driving up here. I need to make sure no one ever thinks about hurting my pets again, Clark. It feels like it needs an object lesson. So. Part of me thinks that I should take the knife to your face, Clark. And not stop until you're a living, breathing - with difficulty - testament to why you should keep your goddamned hands off of my pets." There's nothing hard about Alexander's voice; it's soft, almost conversational, like he feels he needs to explain that there's a purpose to what's about to happen. His eyes are flat and dark as he watches the man. "Do you think that will make the lesson clear?"

The growing stain of wet between Clark's legs show how scared the man is. He may have been thinking murder earlier - but when faced with dangers to his face all of that resolve fails him. "Look - look," as if the words will keep Alexander from doing anything, "You were going to blow up my marriage. I was drinking in a bar and this woman tells me that you have a bird you took off her. Said you liked the bird and maybe were going to be willing to get off my trail if something happened to them. Look - I wasn't going to hurt them. You already blew up my car - I've learned my lesson , I swear!"

"You already blew up your marriage when you decided to fuck your wife's best friend," Alexander points out, still in that same, soft tone. He doesn't seem to be enjoying any of this; his expression is blank, remote. "I just want my pets to be safe, Clark. They didn't do anything to anyone. They don't deserve to be scared. I don't want them to be hurt. If that means I have to hurt you so badly that no one will ever think about hurting them again, because they might end up like what's left of you? I can do that. Because they matter to me, and you don't." Alexander contemplates the knife, raises it up so it catches the lights overhead; it's clear he keeps it very sharp.

He looks at Clarke over the edge of the blade. "Is that what we have to do, here? Or are you going to help me make sure my animals stay safe, and your face stays a face?"

"Ellen seduced me! I didn't want to sleep with her - she just kept coming on to me day after day!" Clark protests, even as his eyes begin to go cross-eyed at the sparkly knife. "The animals-" he's grasping at straws right now. "When I told her about what the woman at the bar said - it was her idea to kidnap him! She even remembered my cabin here!"

Alexander warned Clark. He was very clear about his level of chill. Or lack thereof. So the guy shouldn't be surprised when the investigator interrupts the litany of excuses by leaning forward and punching him in the face with the non-knife-wielding hand. "Stop," he says, softly. "I don't care and you're an asshole." He lifts the knife to try and place the tip just against Clark's lower lip. "You wanna know what you have to do to keep your face, Clark, or you wanna keep talking?"

Clark's face turns white - except where the scratches have bled. That's red.

He opens his mouth for more complaints to pour forth - or more excuses. Something about the way Alexander looks just now has him freezing with his mouth open.

"I - I - I want to keep my face."

That's the right answer, and Alexander rewards him with a surprisingly sweet smile for a man holding a knife to another man's face. Like he's genuinely pleased and approving. "Good. Faces are messy and they bleed a lot." The knife doesn't move from Clark's lip, even as Alexander leans in a little. "So what we're gonna do, is I'm gonna take my animals home. I'm going to tell your wife that you're having an affair, and who with. By the time you make it back to your home, she's probably going to have time to process a little bit. But you're going to make it as easy as you can for her. This is all your fault, and you'll agree to whatever terms in the divorce she wants. And then you're going to go the fuck away from my town, Clark. And I'm never going to see you again. Because if I do, or if I hear that you've fucked your wife over in any part of the future process, I will find you. Just like I did this time. And I'm not going to offer you a second chance to have a reasonable discussion. And if you ever," the knife presses into his skin, just enough to break it, "fuck with me or my animals ever again, I will take your face." He reaches out with his mind, pushing just a little bit of certainty on Clark; the absolute knowledge that Alexander means every word that he's saying.

Clark is not a strong man. A strong man wouldn't have kidnapped animals to protect his infidelity - a strong man probably would have confronted Alexander and tried to bribe him directly to back off.

Clark is a lousy coward. So as he stares into Alexander's eyes he feels it - right now to his toes that Alexander does mean it.

"I... I'm sorry sir." His voice is very very low. "I won't do anything. I'll admit to my wife. And the divorce. And and... never hurt you or your animals again."

"Good. I'm glad." Another of those sunny smiles, like this is a decision Clark came to without an ounce of coercion, and Alexander is just so proud of him for doing the right thing. Alexander removes the knife from Clark's lip, absently wipes the bloody tip off on a relatively clean place on Clark's cheek, and stands up. "Stay there. Think about what you've done, and try to be a better person in the future. I'm going to go home." He steps away from the other man; he doesn't put his back to him until he has to, to lift the makeshift cage off of Luigi and gently help the bird up to his shoulder. He soothes both animals with his mind, just enough quiet pressure there to keep them from bolting somewhere or panicking as he picks up the cat carrier and - unless Clark decides to get frisky - leaves without a backward look.

Yes, Clark. Clark is going to sit. Clark is a good man. Well. Not a good man. But he isn't giving ANY TROUBLE to Alexander, just to his sofa where the wet between his legs is setting downwards.

His eyes stays fixed on Alexander till he's gone, and he STAYS sat there.

Bluebell is NOT happy that daddy is here and sheis still in the crate. While Luigi cuddles on Alexander's shoulder Bluebell is going to set up a caterwaul of her own in utter displeasure.

Alexander clucks his tongue at Bluebell, and says, with exasperation, "I can't carry you and the carrier, Bluebell. Just be patient."

Yeah, that last all of five minutes before her piteous miaows have him letting her out of the cage and cuddling into one arm while the other hand awkwardly struggles with the carrier. They're reunited, though, and it's a happy ending! For...uh. Alexander, anyway.