Fraudulent Death, Draft 01, CH 01 (Patreon)

The enforcer’s bullpen(need another name) was crowded with people other than Marlot, who was pacing back and forth before the bank of monitors, looking at the one of the monitors each time he walked by it; the one with the lion and armadillo on one side of the table, talking. They’d been at it for hours with nothing else happening.

Marlot wanted to barge in there, throw Trembor’s lawyer out and demand answers. But leaving aside how it would look to anyone watching the screen, how would take it, Marlot making demands? The two of them had just kisses again for the first time not even—he took his pad to check the time—too long ago. He needed to hold his lion, to make this go away for him.

And how would that leave Trembor feeling like? A possession? With what he now knew of his lion’s past experience with Gorrek, Marlot couldn’t do that, and he didn’t want to. Trembor wasn’t his possession, he was his mate. The male he loved, wanted to comfort, ensure he wanted for nothing.

There was someone else in the room, seated opposite Trembor and his lawyer; a hippopotamus in a dark blue suit. The city prosecutor. Marlot cursed. She was going to tear Trembor apart, take whatever this was make is a circus for the newsies to feast on.

This was it. He’d apologize to Trembor, but he was putting an end to this even if it mean eating everyone in the room except the lion. He turned to heads for the interrogation rooms and a massive brown bear headed toward him.

“What are you doing here?” Marlot asked.

“Got a call there was a potential crime about to happen, so I came down here before you did something that would let to you and the lion being in legal trouble.”

“I can afford them.”

Bahamel canted an ear. “Both?” she looked at the screen. “You were planning in eating Trembor’s lawyer too? How indebted are you looking to get?”

“How did anyone here know to call you?” Marlot accused. “Have you told every enforcer in the city you’re my friend?”

“They’re enforcers, Wolf, when one of their one comes back injured, they sniff far and wide to find out who cause it and how to fix it. Had more than a few of them seek me out to find out how I’d take you ending up on Trembor’s prep table.”

“You wouldn’t let them?”

She snorted. “I told them to clear it with the lion first. I know that no matter how bad it was, he wouldn’t want you eaten, by him or anyone else.”

Marlot looked at the screen, Trembor sulking while the lawyer seemed engage in a verbal stalking.

“What is going on, Ba? All I heard when they arrested him was something about tampering with evidence, but that makes no sense. Trem wouldn’t do something like that. I don’t care what trouble he might be in, he does things by the book.”

The bear motioned for Marlot to follow him. She knocked on a door opened it and poked her inside. “Grof, you might is I borrow your office?”

“What happened? They shrunk yours and you need more elbow room?” a male answered. Marlot moved to look in. A old silver fox sat behind a desk that looked substantial, until he realized the office was smaller than Bahamel’s. “Ah, I see. Well, better here than where he might eat someone.” He stood.

“I wouldn’t.”

“Not what I hear.” The fox said as he stepped out. “People who threaten Trembor have a way of ending up in your stomach.”

“It only happened a few times,” Marlot said defensively. “And they were going to kill him. Wait, how do you know about that?”

“You hurt one of our own,” the fox said, fixing his hard gaze on Marlot. “There is nothing we don’t know about you, wolf.” He looked at the bear. “Please be careful in my office, it isn’t much, but it’s the only one I have.”

Bahamel entered and Marlot watched her maneuver around a chair, shoulder brushing a bookshelf. She turned, bumped the desk. And gently rested against it.

“You know, there are larger cages downstairs. We could go there.”

“Get in and close the door. They listen in on everything going on there.”

“I don’t think I can fit in here,” Marlot said, stepping in and making a show of staying against the wall as he closed the door.

“Funny, Wolf. This isn’t any smaller than my office.”

“You are clearly spacially challenged. This is half the space of your already tiny office. Is that a thing among enforcers, see in how tiny of a room the can squeeze the people running the departments?”

“Are you done doing everything you can to not hear what I have to say?”

“I have nothing against what you have to say.”

“Good, Trembor is being accused of tampering with evidence in the case of Bolifen Goldenmane who was being investigated for the killing of an underage body found in his house.”

“Stop it right there, I don’t know his brother that well, but under age predation? No, I don’t see him doing it, he has to cubs of his own.”

“The evidence was compelling, blood on the cub’s claws matching Bolifen’s, finding the body in his house. There was more.”

“You said was compelling.”

She nodded. “That hunter you brought in, he confessed to killing the cub, told us where, how and how he made it look like Bolifen did it.”

“Why?” Marlot asked, to himself more than her. It made no sense, Bo had nothing to do with him and Trembor.

“That he wouldn’t say, but what he told the enforcer panned out. Bolifen’s being processed out of the system right now. It’s all paperwork at this point. He’s going to be back here only long enough to sign the discharge and he will never have to think about this incident again.”

“Then why is Trembor in here? If Bo wasn’t actually guilty, what Trem did doesn’t matter.”

Bahamel sighed. “That’s not how things work. He committed a crime, one that could cost him his license if he’s found guilty.”

“It just doesn’t make sense. The investigation he would have tampered with is being wipes away, but his guilt over something that no longer even exist remains?”

“The investigation isn’t being wiped away, Wolf and you know that.”

“So that’s what the city Prosecutor’s here for? Take away his license?”

“Oh, she’s here for a whole lot more. RI uses personal position to protect brother from repercussion of his crimes. I won’t be surprise if she doesn’t come up with a way to make this look like it’s indicative of corruption within all the enforcers. And that it’s Leader Sharphorns’ fault. If she manages that, your lion will be looking at a long time in one of the cage complex.”

“That can’t be legal.”

“What’s legal and what happens don’t always match up.”

“There’s not way Trem’s father will allow it to happen. And if it does? I’m going to start eating each and everyone of them.”

“You’re going to give yourself indigestion before you’ve gone through two of them. Marlot, your wolf has a good lawyer, he isn’t going to let her have things her way. It won’t be quick, but I don’t think he’ll suffer more than the loss of his license.”

“Being an RI is his life, take away his license and you might as well eat him yourself.” He took his buzzing pad out.

“Lion isn’t really my thing.”

Marlot cursed. “I have a body.” He asked close to the scene being fully marked out they were. “Do you think I can get in there before I need to go?” the response came back. “They’re ready for me now.” He cursed again. “You make sure Trem knows I was here and that the only reason I am no longer is because I know he’d be pissed if I let my duty slide on his account, got that?”

She smiled. “I’ll make sure he knows.”

Marlot stormed out of the office then out of the precinct, and as an echo of his mood, frigid wind buffeted him all the way to his car. The sky were gray, and as he looked up, flurries began falling.

He pulled his jacked tighter. The weather was turning cold early this year, his winter coat wasn’t fully gown in. It would make for an interesting few weeks if this was more than a temporary dip.