Driving through the streets of Nashville, Mortis kept an eye on the road while his mind thought about his new treasure. The Silver Box was clearly an expensive object: the carvings, the design, the style; that was not a random item, and yet someone drops it to an antique dealer who winds up dead at the hand of a new serial killer, and the object inside the box wounds up missing. In his line of work it was unlikely that it was all a coincidence, someone wanted to sell it to the now dead man, but who and why, it could be the reason the serial killer was on the loose, or not, in this line of work no one truly knew until you were there.
Meanwhile Mortis was here, and here meant he was working around a schedule. He was up since eight and had already invested nearly three hours in his new case this very day only to have more questions than answers come his way, not an uncommon occurrence, but an annoying one. He wanted to go back home and research the box, but the time was too constrained, so he opted for a pit stop at a place where he knew he could get a quick catching up of what was going on in Nashville during his absence, and that was his lawyer's office. Thus Mortis turned his vehicle towards Nashville's old city centre.
Christophersson & Aibe's law firm was one of those old businesses, the kind that has been there for ages, and it has been there for ages mainly because it has been run by the same family for generations. The current owner was the third generation running the business. They are a law firm that specialize in financial law, and thus also double as financial consultants; their clientele run among the most distinct families who do not own their own major conglomerate, and wanted advice well worth the price, and a management team that could get them a good return for keeping their assets safe. Christophersson & Aibe had run Mortis's grandfather and father's accounts and managed properties for them, now they run Mortis's wealth, and they did it well, it was the least they could do for Mortis after what he had done for them.
The building was one of the many new modern pieces of architecture back in the early eighties, now it stood with a slight sense of anachronism; it was still pristine and well kept, but even when new it was a distinctive piece of architecture, built with a vision that mixed art nouveau with Danish aesthetics. Christophersson & Aibe was in one of the higher levels, you could tell immediately when you arrived because it was the only floor with old-world interiors dominated by wood, a strange place. The large windows were etched with the logo of the Company: a large C and A adorned with a medieval Boar's head, quite strange it was, even more so if you noticed that the boar's little eyes resembled the shape of a dog's or wolf's head, something only those looking for it will notice, and for those who knew understood what it meant.
Mortis opened the door of the firm with Cicero walking behind him, and was immediately greeted by the veteran secretary who immediately asked: "Good Morning Mr. Mortis. Are you here to see Mr. Christophersson or Mr. Aibe?"
Mortis nodded back: "Morning Samantha, I have no appointment, I just need to speak with Aibe."
"He is in a meeting, but I can get him out for you. Would you like something to drink dear? Coffee? Tea? Maybe some water for your little friend" asked the well meaning woman.
"I am good."
"Take a seat then, it will not be long."
Good to her word the secretary pushed a button in the internal network, after a few rings she went: "Mr. Aibe, Mr. Mortis is here, it seems urgent. Sure thing" the woman hanged up and indicated Mortis to go through. "You know his office."
"Thank you."
Mortis walked with Cicero behind him, looks turned as the Detective walked through the large and busy office space. Many employees took a chance to look at Mortis, some had seen him before, while for the newest acquisitions he was a strange sight that seemed to have been pulled right out of an old movie or comic book, not a modern urban environment. Despite the sight not one employee dared to stop Mortis, he just bee lined his way to the office of one of the two bigger shareholders of the firm and went in without even being escorted in.
William Aibe's office was an astonishing sight, a room covered with a large selection of country and rock music memorabilia, with elegant wooden furniture that matched the price of all the artifacts hanging around the room. Key piece of decoration was the elegant solid oak desk behind which a man in his late forties sat, he was tall, but not very tall, and of thin frame, if you did not pay attention to him you would have thought he was a pencil-necked nerd that was bullied in school heavily, If you did pay attention you could see sharp eyes and excellent posture owned by a man that had had little to fear in his life not because of his privileges, but because he had seen enough horrors. William Aibe was sharp and pragmatic, a man Mortis liked to engage with, always down to the point, William sat on a tall armchair that made him look deceptively thin, and besides the usual desk equipment fit for his profession he had a small selection of pictures that spoke of a beloved family.
"Ah, Mr. Mortis. I will skip the meaningless formalities and enquire to what do I owe this unannounced visit at this hours?" asked Aibe with a small smirk.
"I am sorry for dropping all of a sudden, but I have been out of the city for weeks, so I need information fast" said Mortis.
"I see. Do take a seat. Are you perhaps investigating the new series of killings that have happened in the streets for the last month or so?"
Mortis sat on the comfortable leader chair and Cicero sat straight beside his owner.
"Nothing escapes your ears" said the Detective.
"You are my client, a very valuable one and, you know, important" Aibe stated with a bit of hesitation that extended into an awkward pause, in need for a safe way the lawyer went for the expensive looking teas close to his desk.
"Would you like anything to drink Mr. Mortis?"
"Bottled water is fine."
Aibe passed Mortis a closed bottle of water while the former took a cup of fragrant Jasmine tea.
"Mr. Mortis, ever since we agreed onto this, er, arrangement, I resigned myself to the fact that you would need someone to consult in case there is a financial angle to anything you could be looking upon" pointed Aibe as he went for a cup of jasmine tea and sipped it gently.
"I need to have eyes and ears wherever the public interest is involved, is what I have to do now if I want to keep my little slice of revenge going, unless you prefer things to go back they way they were" pointed Mortis.
Aibe gave a tired grimace that he quickly turn into a smile "You know most prefer the new boss better than the old one. You let us be, you don't abuse us like your father did, and do not control us, much…" subconsciously Aibe rubbed his right forearm, Mortis noticed, he was not proud of what he had to do to secure his place in the new food chain he had created, but it was worth it, or at least that is what he wanted to believe.
"Right! How long do we have then?" asked Mortis.
"I am attending the ceremony at the Frigg Estate so I estimate an hour or so" said Aibe.
"Is it an important ceremony?" Mortis asked. The question may have seemed pointless to anyone who knew of Mortis's summoning by Miss Aurora, but Mortis could not let it slip that he was aware of the event unless he was willing to explain why, as a man on his line of work and privacy was not expected to know about a socialite unless there was something valuable for him, better play dumb and keep everyone else with a brain in the dark.
"A simple socialite to honour the workers and people that work and support the old family's charity, a good place for big wigs of various major company owners and investors to mingle and make contacts under the Autumn sun" said the financial consultant.
Mortis nodded "Any news in the financial side of the city?"
Aibe picked up a folder he hard ready and passed it to Mortis, the Detective opened it and saw various news articles printed in it.
"There have not been any major issues, but the few there are involves international interests trying to get a hold of local corporations, companies, and land grabs" pointed Aibe.
"And this is something worth noticing, why?" asked Mortis as he flipped through various articles detailing that a pretty big player in Tennessee and the United States was making the rounds for investment loans, someone Mortis had a vested interest in keeping safe and sound.
"A couple of those organizations are fronts by the kind of people you definitely do not want in this town, fronts that could bring very bad company to our streets" pointed Aibe.
"Worst than it is now, that would be interesting to see" said Mortis.
"One is a French Company in which a German conglomerate owns ten percent of the stock, and there have been rumors that they have been in talks with the family owning the majority holds to buy their stocks, their name and information is on the folder" pointed Aibe. Mortis found the paper, the logo was a large GL logo raised like a sun on a minimalist depiction of a farm.
"The GosLud corporation, it says here they are based on Poland, I assume that is a front" pointed Mortis.
"Almost, the company was created by an East German Company in Poland, they are Polish in name only, anything else they are run by the same people who have run the latest forays in American Food Suppliers."
Mortis face became sombre, he indeed had heard of the people William was talking about. It was during his travels, well before he came back and took over the family holdings in the Tennessee area from his family. He had heard of an investment company run by very old creatures, things that toyed with humanity for pleasure and sustenance. They had extended their tentacles all over the world, and wherever they focus their new efforts pain and misery was soon to follow in spades.
"Any idea what brings them to our corner of the world?" asked the Detective.
"Your father."
Mortis could not hide the twitch of rage on his right eye, the anger bubbled in him strong enough that it could be seen briefly in his face, a shade of destruction blinked making Aibe fear and Cicero lower his ears in submission. The anger subsided and Mortis came back from destruction to deduction.
"The old man is trying to bring me down by sending big things to mess with my operation" reasoned the Detective.
"Turning the Nashville area into neutral territory was a clever move, but banning those who feed on their fellow man has put a target on you. Not many cities have tried to get rid of people who see other people as nourishment and stay in one piece for long, if you catch my drift" stated Aibe.
"I knew the risks when I made my move, I calculated it well in advance. If that is something that worries you then you are free to leave" pointed Mortis as he put the folder down.
Aibe coughed awkwardly "And start all over again? No thank you. I may not agree with all your methods, but I agree with enough of them to choose you over all other options".
"Then tell me how is my father helping the GosLud Conglomerate muscle their way into my territory" asked Mortis.
"It appears that your father has let your brother and cousin do some jobs for GosLud in exchange for the corporation to take a look into muscling their way into your 'turf' as the kids would say" Mortis looked at Aibe who seemed slightly embarrassed at the use of the word only a man with a teenage son would use.
"My father must be desperate if he is pulling such favour against people he would have seen as lower than dirt a decade ago" said Mortis.
"Rumour has it your father has been building networks with the clans in Eastern Europe, and some of those clans, well, they have been the muscle of bigger and badder things for generations. The way you humiliated your father, how you took his throne and his territory, it has made him a laughingstock and a target, he had to rebuild a lot of things from scratch, he is desperate, maybe even insane" suggested Aibe.
"And that is worth making a deal with the devil for him" reasoned Mortis.
"Exactly."
Mortis pondered for a moment, thinking of what he was dealing with, and decided to shoot into the possibility.
"What have you heard about the Serial Killer lose in Nashville?" asked Mortis.
"Heard of? Not much. One of my clients lost his nephew to it last night. Place is on fire ever since those kids appeared dead in the parking lot. People will demand heads and money will be lost. I assumed you are on the case, right?"
"I am" replied Mortis.
"This news makes you look bad Mortis, people talk when things like that happen, many point fingers, and in our circles, thy point them at you, you need to sort it fast" said Aibe.
"I know that, that is why I want to ask if you think there is a financial angle to this?" asked Mortis.
"If any of the killings have proved to be profitable for someone so far?" asked Aibe.
"I need to know if someone is moving in as things get cheap, as people get scared: Businessmen, Politicians, the likes" said Mortis.
Aibe leaned back and pondered for a moment "Only angle I can assume, is that this could take the Police Chief off the force."
"A recalling of Chief Rhodes?"
"That's the man. A scandal this big could cost him his post, and since you go the man to power, to take him out would be to take your eyes and ears out of the place where you may need the the most" suggested Aibe. Mortis had sought Aibe's advice to help get Rhodes the job, so the man was in the inside, Mortis did trust Aibe, but not much, enough to know that the man would fully cooperate for his own self-interest.
"I do not know if it is worth keeping him there, the whole place has become a den of vipers, it would be better if we let it burn and start again" suggested Morits.
Aibe tilted his head as only a man of finance would, it signified the begging of an explanation that would start with an agreement, and end with a schooling in why the person on the other side was an idiot.
"Sure, that sounds like a good way to proceed, if you have a way to bring it all down in one go. Rhodes is out, the thing collapses, Rhodes comes back as a hero to save the whole thing, it could work, If you are willing to take the chaos that will ensue."
Mortis huffed "Any ideas in what to do then?"
"Find the killer, find him fast, and stop him. What happened last night is going to bring down a level of political and societal chaos that could make things worst. Police will be on edge, and so will be criminals" stated Aibe.
Mortis frowned, he did not like to be told what to do, but hell if the lawyer was not right. Accepting his fate Mortis stood up, folder in hand.
"Thanks, I will look into this" said Mortis, pointing at the folder.
"Very well. One more thing though…"
Mortis rolled his eyes, he knew what was about to happen and said: "No, I am not going to go on a date with Silver, no matter how much she asks."
Aibe blinked slowly: "I don't know what you are talking about."
"You looked at her picture before talking, that is a dead give-away" pointed the Detective.
With the speed and skill of a man who had mastered the art of public relations Aibe tried to shift the blame towards Mortis by making a plausible lie. "I was going to comment about checking the companies our foreign investors are trying to buy into, but since you mention my daughter…"
"Stop it right there, I have told you before I am not interested in her, besides I am nearly a decade her senior" stated Mortis.
"Be reasonable Mortis, my daughter likes you, she likes you more than any man she has ever met, at least take the chance to know her" pleaded Aibe.
Mortis pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, "I am telling you what I have told her a million times before: I am not interested in dating her, period! I have taken myself out of the market for a reason. Plus I am not sure how normal is now a day for parents to arrange dates for their daughters."
Aibe shrugged, "I am her father, she asked the favour, what is a dad going to do when the apple of his eyes asks so nice and politely?"
"Isn't Silver in her mid twenties? And hasn't she ripped more men with her bare hands than your clan did in a hundred years?" inquired Mortis.
"She has. I do not know how a lovely creature of such strength and stature came from a weakened clan as mine. She even has forgone education went to the security sector, trained with the Marines, now runs the detail for that club you invested for that weird guy, good pay too, but to me she will always be that sweet little girl that asked me to take her to the forest hunting" stated Aibe.
"Good day Aibe. Let's go Cicero" Mortis lowered his hat, covering his eyes as he turned, the torment of a world he believe he could never see being shown to him, it made him envious of what he could not have, and reminded him of what he lost, of what he mourned. With not another word Mortis stepped outside the office with Cicero right behind him.
Aibe watched the door close as sank deep on his chair as a delayed fear took over his mind. Now consciously rubbing his right forearm he stated: "The more things change, the more they remain the same, how strangely apt that phrase can be".
.
Mortis returned to his 1970 Ford Mustang and sat inside for a while as Cicero laid on the chair for another power nap. The Detective took his time to think about what was going on with his case, and with the new issues coming onto his lap, he pondered about what he knew now, what his father was up to, the man had never been father of the year, or a real father for that matter; the way he tried to turn him into a monster, the way he succeeded with the rest of his siblings, the ones that survived that is. The man was a bastard, but he was not cunning. Mortis believed that the current murders had nothing to do with his father, and he doubted he had something to do with the current financial threats, unless an old dog could actually learn new tricks. Either way, the Detective had gone once more to ask somewhere for answer, only ending with more questions and no answers. It was one of those days, and it was ready to get a lot worst.
Still, Mortis felt something bothering him, he found his thoughts drifting towards Aibe's actions in relation to his daughter, and now Mortis thought himself thinking of Silver, even though he was not into looking for companionship, even he could not deny that she was a gorgeous firecracker, and as the image of a fire-haired maiden pierced the clouds of his mind, another memory came through, that of the woman The detective had loved before. Mortis found touching his chest where two wedding bands rested on a necklace, hidden by his shirt. The thought of his wife made Mortis sombre again, lowering his head, it was Cicero's apt nuzzling that made the pity party stop on its tracks. Mortis pulled himself out of the land of fantasy and memories, smiled at his friend, patted his head and took on towards his next destination