A Dagger through Dimensions Chapter 51

A Small Gathering

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Chapter 51

Inside the darkened room of the fraternal Order of Pendo, a small gathering of the most important people of Stull Junction sat around a round wooden table. Dark red draperies covered the walls, giving the room the air of mystery and secrecy. In the middle of the table sat the model of a castle with a skull resting on the top.

The man sitting at the head of the table arrived late, his left side of his face partially wrapped in gauze. The men who watched in shock as Robert James Lees took his seat instantly recognized the changed man. No longer appearing like the quiet, but firm, look of a professor, their leader carried himself into the room with the air of open hostility.

“Alright, I want to hear you’ve killed the bastard who helped give me this.” Lees pointed to his face as he looked at Jim Reading, mayor of Stull Junction.

“Umm…they haven’t found him yet,” the overweight man replied nervously as he glanced over at his colleague next to him.

“I told Ramsey that he’s armed and dangerous. It’s not like I have access to technology like surveillance cameras and drones to use in place. I’ve done as much as I can, including a press statement about this shamus and his wife attacking their poor friend outside of your mansion.”

Lees scowled, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Yes, yes, you’re behind the times here. I get that. It’ll come when we get Cora. But we also need that bastard dead.”

“Going along with that, my men will shoot first,” a visibly nervous white hair chief of police took the initiative.

“I have men at the hospital to guard that woman O’Conner shot at the mansion. Lane told the staff the truth. But we can handle that as long as the D.A. stays away. I’ve already got warrants out for Dagger and the official line is that he shot the Penske woman. Your bounty is bound to give us Dagger’s corpse before he can tell anyone different.”

“Where’s O’Conner’s body?” Lees growled.

“I had a man take it to the laboratory where we handled Cora Elder’s corpse.” Ramsey explained.

“This time tomorrow, nothing but bones will remain. Do you want his skull as well?”

Lees stared at the two men for a moment, then he looked at the skull on the top of the table.

“There’s no need. Cora’s is the keystone. We hold it to keep my friends happy and compliant.” He said before he stood.

The master of the order strolled around the table with his head down. The man thought about his opponent. A bitter sneer came across his face.

“She’s protecting them,” he finally stated. “Illusions to keep them hidden. That’s all she can do now. Once I have her, resistance will fall apart.”

The enchanter stepped behind the empty chair and looked over at his supporters.

“I see. So I must draw them out. Ramsey, you have killers in the jail?”

The chief of police nodded.

“Yes, we have Don Hamm. He’s the rapist murderer we caught as he entered our city.”

“Yes, I know, he’s the outsider convict I brought in to help Antonio’s group. How did you capture him and why?”

“You won’t like it” The man sheepishly glanced at the others around the table. “There was no choice since he held up a store with someone in Antonio’s gang. They got caught leaving the building as my men accidently walked in. I’m not sure why the dimension put out the notion that Hamm escaped from a prison, north of the state.”

“It was for balance, of course. A familiar would need to arise otherwise. Just release him and give him a gun with permission to find Dagger. If Hamm puts his head on this table, I’ll double the bounty.”

A murmur of disagreement instantly spread around the table.

“Master, we can’t do something like that,” Judge Seabury interjected. “The dimension won’t stand for it. Good and evil must balance.”

Lees looked over at the judge. He knew Seabury believed strongly in justice, but it was an annoying display.

Well, sacrifices are necessary.

He focused his piercing eyes on Seabury.

“Cora Elders is a fool who tied herself to the wrong backer. I brought each of you here into this place. This building is mine and now the mansion is mine. All I need is her spirit and we have the keystone. Now, are you telling me you know this place better than I do?”

“Not at all. But you said those very words to me when I asked for more details about this place,” Seabury replied carefully. “I’m not undercutting your authority. But what will happen if one side becomes unbalanced? The dimension already identified Hamm as someone like a familiar. It could bite use if the elementals create a powerful figure focused upon justice, perhaps adding even more familiars who could hurt our long term goals.”

He paused to gather his thoughts.

“As I understand it, you want a peaceful place to rule, not chaos. I advise you to bring in another outsider, preferably from a prison. You said there’s no problem with adding people like us into this world. We can knock off outsiders like Hamm with another and take out Dagger as well.”

The master frowned, pushing away from the chair. He took several steps as he thought over the judge’s words.

“Your points are valid, Seabury. I’m afraid my anger about what that bitch familiar did to me overcame my reason. However, I have my reasons for not adding more of us to this realm that I won’t explain.”

He looked at the police chief while Seabury suddenly wondered what Lees was hiding from them.

“Ramsey, I’ve changed my mind. Make it appear Hamm’s going back to prison. Then drive him out of town and let him escape. Make sure to send him after Adele Dagger. That will satisfy the dimension for the moment.”

“Do you want him to kill her?” Ramsey appeared unhappy with the plan.

“No, he’s not to harm her while Lane Dagger is alive. The outsider who inhabits the identity of Dagger exposed his weakness. His hero complex will force him to save her. I want you to have this killer kidnap Mrs. Dagger and demand a ransom from her husband. After that, he can do what he wants to the woman as long as that shamus is dead.”

“Why would he work for us?” Jim Reading asked with concern. “Isn’t that dangerous to leave him in the city?”

Lees sighed.

“Hamm is an escaped criminal. He’ll work for us because you will personally tell him he’ll get a free bus ride to Mexico once the job is done. Of course, after he kidnaps a citizen of Stull Junction and murders the husband and wife, do you think the police will capture such a person?”

“Of course not, my master.” The police chief chimed in as he grinned at the idea. “My men will shoot first and display the body for the newspapers, just like they did to Dillinger back in the day.”

The man’s expression changed to concern.

“But we still must keep Winton out of the picture until it happens. He’s a familiar who seldom plays ball with me, and I can’t keep him from digging around. He’s a familiar with a sense of justice.”

Lees rubbed his chin, nodding in agreement.

“Seabury, you make that your job. Keep the D.A. busy with other problems.”

“And how am I supposed to accomplish that? He’s not going to defer to me. First, we must assume that Lane Dagger’s contacted him or will shortly.” The judge thumped his index finger on the table as he made his point.

“Second, Dagger already knows about the corruption within the police department. Plus, Winton will want to talk to you. We can’t gun him down without turmoil among the familiars. He’s hardly going to let me lead him along another path as long as this story remains front page news.”

The master scowled at his follower, but slowly nodded.

“Yes, I’d say that’s accurate,” he agreed as a smile came to his face. “Didn’t you say that O’Conner lost his gun to Dagger?”

The judge nodded.

“That works for us,” Lees slammed his palms on the table. “With O’Conner’s body missing, we can send Tom Winton on a wild goose chase. He won’t have time to worry about Dagger.” He leaned over towards the judge.

“I want you to tell our friend about O’Conner previous activities. With that knowledge, Winton will be chasing his tail while we remove Lane and his wife.”

~~~