“Were you waiting for us here all this time?”
“Of course. I never doubted you, Warner.”
Jonathan was about to shake Quentin’s hand, but Anya quickly stepped in front of him. She folded her arms with a scowl all cops made when they were about to arrest someone. The assassin raised his eyebrow and leaned back against the armchair.
“I’ve heard lots about you from Jonathan,” she began. “And you seem to have access to much information. Too much, as a matter of fact.”
The smile remained on the assassin’s face, though it had a tinge of regret and sadness to it this time. “Save your breath, detective. No need for any questioning. My work is done, and I’m tired of this life.”
Jonathan looked at the both of them in confusion while Anya kept her stern stare on Quentin.
“I wasn’t just here for you, Warner.” Quentin smiled wryly at Jonathan, before looking at Anya. “I’m also here to turn myself in. Yes, it was me who killed the auctioneer. And it was I who stole the Lily Noir.”
“You don’t know the auctioneer,” Anya said. “Who hired you?”
“A tricky man who betrayed me, but I wish not to invoke his name here.” Quentin turned to Jonathan. “My plan to kill O’Connell during the auction night was foiled only because Lucy Carpenter was sent there to protect him.”
“No, we were there to protect the auction—” Jonathan gasped in realisation. “No way… it was him all along?”
The assassin nodded grimly. “Right under your noses, yes.”
“Wait, who’re you two talking about?” Anya looked at the two men in bewilderment.
“Inspector, I believe it best for you and your colleagues to hear my story back at the station.” Quentin took a small device with two small but sharp edges at its end. “Here’s the murder weapon. You can ask forensics to match the wound to my tool.”
Anya put the handcuffs on his wrist as the assassin stood up and turned to Jonathan.
“Michael O’Cornell killed my wife and son in cold blood. Drained them entirely and dumped their bodies in a forest like some takeout food. I suppose it was karma for all the people I murdered in the name of money,” he said “But thank you for avenging them. For fulfilling my final wish.”
“And thank you, detective.” He turned to Anya. “The police ignored my appeals for justice due to my low credit score back then. Thank you for showing me there are still good cops left in London.”
An oval portal opened itself silently and the policewoman escorted the assassin through, leaving Jonathan in the empty headquarters once more.
~ ~ ~
Jonathan stood dumbly in the empty headquarters for a moment, wondering what the hell he should be doing. Half of him wanted to ignore the revelation he just received, to simply walk away and disappear into the world.
But he wanted to get to the bottom of this, to get answers about the gem which was now part of his body. Furthermore, Lucy was still a member of this mess of an association, and he’ll be damned if he let her continue working for Maximus. He’d thought about contacting her, but he did not exactly give her a chance to leave him a calling card when he abruptly left. The informant sighed.
Looks like I’m alone for this one.
He cracked his neck and walked to the desk sitting conspicuously in the middle of the room, determined to honour his childhood friend’s investigative spirit.
“Alright, where to begin…?” Jonathan muttered to himself, sifting through a few boring-looking documents. He was not exactly hoping for a map that directly revealed Maximus’ location, but these papers were filled with sketches that would put even the nosiest profession in the city to sleep. Bah… What sort of lousy informant was he?
Jonathan sighed again after a solid two minutes of reading and slammed his palm on the table in frustration. Sparks flew from his fingertips like an electrical appliance that failed even the most basic safety standards. He barely noticed the electricity dancing around the table, until it found its way to the tiny knob underneath.
The table lit up without warning, and Jonathan darted to the other corner of the room like a startled cat. He watched in awe and disbelief as the table seemed to melt before his eyes. It sloshed around like some sort of impossible brown liquid until it finally solidified into stairs leading down to a dark basement.
Oh well, what could go wrong?
~ ~ ~
A cooling wave washed over Jonathan as he found himself in an empty mansion. He stepped onto the wooden floor and looked back up the stairs. It had not disappeared at least, but it was now cut off at the ceiling, as though designed by a drunk architect. A ticking sound from what sounded like a grandfather clock echoed down the hallway, masking Jonathan’s footsteps.
The full moon shone into a full-height window and onto an empty table. Jonathan ran his fingers across it absentmindedly as memories of Oliver Harred’s mansion flashed across his mind. What’s with rich people and sandalwood tables?
“Mr Jonathan Warner, I was beginning to think you weren’t smart enough to find my house.” A voice made Jonathan jump.
“What’s up, boss?” Jonathan faced the man walking into the light. What’s with immortals and ominous entrances?
“I was never your boss, Jonathan.” Maximus’s voice was suspiciously warm. “I never was anyone’s boss. The Immortal Paranormal Association never existed.”
“No offence, but that really isn’t surprising,” Jonathan scoffed. “What kind of association only has four members?”
“And yet you joined anyway.” Maximus laughed dryly. “You must have been so eager to find out what happened to you. Occupational hazard, I presume?”
“Speaking of which, you never followed through on your promise.” A blue light flashed in Jonathan’s eyes. “What am I? Why are you so obsessed with the Lily Noir? Who are you?”
“Let me tell you a story.” Maximus walked further into the house. Jonathan followed him. “Once upon a time, there was a man who fell in love with a beautiful woman. He did everything for her, got rid of dangers for her, followed her around to protect her. But she… she was such a fool to fall for another man. Didn’t she know of his love?”
What the hell is this guy going on about? Jonathan stared blankly at Maximus.
“The man’s love for her was boundless, and so he did accept the unfortunate truth,” he continued his monologue. “But one day, her husband died. She found solace in her sisters instead of that man. Sisters that convinced her to preserve their lives in gems of night. How foolish! But the man remained strong. So he too, chose the path of immortality to finally reunite with his love.”
Maximus began pacing agitatedly, engrossed in his story. “He pursued the gems lost in time. He made acquaintances to help him all, but all his partners were useless. They were always too frightened of the Lily Noir’s power. So the man only succeeded when he did it by himself. And when he finally thought he had found his love again, she… she refused to show herself to him. That was when the man realised, her sisters locked her up! They locked her up in a man’s body unworthy of her boundless power.”
“You!” Maximus snarled without warning, pointing at Jonathan’s chest. “You are all that stands between me and my true love! She chose death over me. She chose you over me! All I wanted was for her to love me back. I’d kill anyone for her! Including you!”
Jesus, this man’s gone completely bonkers.
Electricity crackled over Jonathan’s body as he prepared for a fight, but a familiar cloaked figure descended in front of him. He relaxed his body and grinned widely at her.
“Lucy, thank god you’re here—”
His entire body went numb as the vampire’s crimson eyes bored into his. Jonathan hit the ground with a thud, watching helplessly as Lucy turned her body robotically to Maximus. He gave her a creepy smile as the glowing silver gem on his neck flickered.
Jonathan’s legs pushed him up as he began walking against his will. A large hallway greeted him, and his body stopped in the middle of a large triangle drawn with some kind of white powder. He stood still while Lucy fished out the red gem from Jonathan’s pocket.
“That’s enough, Lucy,” Maximus commanded, receiving the Lily Noir from her. “Release him.”
Control returned to Jonathan’s body. The ever-opportunistic man immediately got up and tried to run out of the diagram, but a greenish barrier pushed him back. Maximus stifled an amused chuckle, taking out a tablet with some words carved into it.
“Don’t worry, Gabriella.” He sighed wistfully. “I’ll get you out of your prison.”14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8uJvrMOve
