Author's Note: Some foul language...
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The FBI agent and two Seattle detectives arrived quietly at the Moon Lake police station. It had generally been a bit of a long day, mostly in getting the assorted paperwork, particularly for the Seattle detectives to come along on the trip which all intended to find some clues as to Dymixious Drake's location, something they've been working on for a few days now. And while they'd found evidence that Dymixious Drake was their killer, they'd yet to find any evidence as to his location. About all they had in that regard was the possibility that he'd come to Moon Lake for medical treatment for his wife, though even there that could be a dead end. As they had no reason or evidence to indicate Jade Drake was involved in her husband's activities.
She could have come on her own. If she did, they'd at least hope to secure cooperation from the Moon Lake Police Department should Jade keep contact with Dymixious in some way. That way they'd get some opportunity to find the man who'd walked into a major hospital in Seattle, beat up a police officer and then poisoned a suspect that the FBI had been hunting for some time before finally being caught and arrested in Seattle. As while Lionel Ulysses may have been a criminal in his own right, that didn't mean he didn't deserve justice, and justice was what Agent Peters was determined to get.
They quietly made their way in through the front doors of the station and approached the front desk, which presently had a young man seated there, and was presently shuffling a few papers as he went. He looked up as they approached.
"Can I help you?" the man asked politely.
"Yes, I am Agent Peters of the FBI Seattle Field Office," Agent Peters spoke and pulled out her wallet and held it open to show the FBI card. The man took a good look at it and then nodded before Agent Peters continued, "These are Detectives Holmes and Smith, with the Seattle Police Department. We're here to discuss a few issues relating to potential cooperation concerning a suspect in a murder case in Seattle."
"You think a murderer is in Moon Lake?!" the man gasped in surprise and his voice sounding somewhat nervous.
"Potentially," Agent Peters answered, "though at the moment... we don't know for sure. We've had some clues that have lead us here... and as such, we're looking to follow up on those clues."
"I see... let me... let me take you to our conference room and you can talk with the chief there," the man spoke slowly and then nervously motioned to a side door with one hand.
The newly arrived officers and FBI agent looked over to that door as the desk officer came around and soon opened that door for them. They quietly began to follow him down a central hallway until they came to a door that lead into a long narrow room. There were a pair of square windows with a set of plastic blinds that hung down and had it been earlier in the day would have left an almost striped pattern of light coming into the room from the outside. With the sun setting, however, the blinds were more of a "decoration" and the light was from the various electric fixtures in the ceiling. There was a long folding table in the middle of the room with some desk chairs around it, though they also noticed several plastic chairs stacked along the far wall between the two windows. In the far corner was a speaker's podium with the specific seal for the Moon Lake Police on its front.
"If you could wait here," the desk officer spoke as Agent Peters and his compatriots entered and eventually took three seats on one side of the folding table.
It wasn't too long before the door opened and a man in a suit entered. He was relatively tall and well built, and his suit gave Detective Holmes and Smith the indication that this was the Chief of Police for Moon Lake, though they were also a bit surprised by how young he looked. Most police chiefs that they knew had spent many years on the force and spent those years climbing the proverbial ladder, and by the time they were qualified enough to earn the posting of "chief of police" or to be appointed to the position by the city's mayor, they had been around long enough to look far older than what the man looked.
"Chief O'Hara, Moon Lake PD," Chief O'Hara introduced himself and reached across the table shake Agent Peters hand, "I was told you wanted our cooperation with regard to an investigation you have?"
"Yes," Agent Peters answered as she sat back down and as Chief O'Hara sat down across from them, "We did..."
"Well... what sort of cooperation do want?" Chief O'Hara asked, "and what do you need?"
"Dymixious Drake," Detective Smith spoke, "THAT is who we need to catch."
Chief O'Hara gave a blink at that, though more for show than anything else. He was already well aware of the FBI's hunt for the man and thus they would potentially come to Moon Lake if they thought Dymixious was there, mostly due to the fact that Dymixious Drake kept contact numbers for Akane no Tachibana. He knew that would bring them in and put Moon Lake in a very difficult position, as the general hope had been that they could keep Dymixious under observation until the manhunt cooled down and therefore, if Dymixious was caught, it would be under circumstances that better protect Moon Lake's secret. It was an arrangement that didn't entirely sit well with Chief O'Hara, but protecting the were secret was something that often lead to these sorts of things.
However, the search had never died down and was now beginning to bring attention on Moon Lake, which naturally made those in Moon Lake's government nervous. As if the truth came out, that Moon Lake had essentially provided shelter for the suspect in a murder case, particularly one involving the FBI, Moon Lake's present city government was face intense scrutiny and deeper investigations, which might only expose Moon Lake's weres further. It was for this reason that he pushed for the arrest of Dymixious Drake in the conference with the rest of Moon Lake's government that morning. They couldn't allow for vigilantism, and he would stand by that decision.
Of course the decision had lead to a battle between Moon Lake PD and Dymixious Drake, but from what reports came in over the radio, he really couldn't say that the arrest would have gone better had the FBI been there to lead it. Dymixious's actions had been enough of a wild card that they really didn't have much in the way of options. Chief O'Hara had already stood by that decision in a brief press conference with Moon Lake's local paper and public access channel with the emphasis that they had taken all possible safety precautions and that the only fatality had been the suspect in question. All that was left was relay that information to the FBI.
"Dymixious Drake," Chief O'Hara mused in a low voice, letting it fall off at the end.
"Yes," Agent Peters nodded, "We have good reason to believe that he murdered Lionel Ulysses in the hospital he'd been placed in in Seattle after his arrest... and the suspicion that Dymixious has been involved in several vigilante killings over the past few years."
"Yes... I had been following all that on the news, a nasty piece of work," Chief O'Hara commented with a small nod.
"Yes, and one where we haven't had much luck," Detective Holmes grumbled, "every piece of evidence we've found has only proved WHAT he's done, but provides little to nothing as to WHERE he is... Until we came across a number on his family's yacht that brought us here."
Agent Peters nodded at that and picked up from the Seattle detective, "The number was a personal number to an Akane no Tachibana, a corporate CEO who's offices are here in Moon Lake. From what we've found out, Dymixious appeared to be looking for medical care for his wife. We have no issue with her, as we've found no evidence of her being involved with Dymixious, but the call and phone conversation we had with Mrs. Tachibana would give the implication that he might have come here... or at least might give us the ability to get some clues as to where Dymixious may have gone... That is what we wish to get your cooperation with. If he's here, we'd request your help in his arrest... and if not, we'd request your cooperation in monitoring any and all contacts he may have in Moon Lake, should he have simply left his wife here for treatment."
Chief O'Hara slowly nodded, "Well... I would more than love to provide you with whatever help you may need, but I must inform you that your search and such cooperation is unnecessary."
"Unnecessary!?" Detective Smith blurted with visible anger, "The man's potentially killed up to twenty people... with some going back quite a ways...!"
"We can't have vigilantes running around," Detective Holmes added, "it perverts justice and only makes sure that attaining it becomes more difficult."
"And he won't be anymore," Chief O'Hara answered calmly, "Though, I'm sure the Seattle Field Office and the Seattle PD haven't heard of this, yet."
"Heard of what?" Agent Peters wondered with a raised eyebrow.
"Well... he DID come into Moon Lake, seeking medical treatment for his pregnant wife," Chief O'Hara answered calmly, "and someone did recognize him recently and report him to us."
"He is in Moon Lake?" Detective Holmes asked with wide and almost eager eyes.
"He is... but at the time, we were already taxed to our limit with regard to a wedding that we'd been tasked to provide security for," Chief O'Hara spoke and was cut off.
"A wedding?!" Detective Smith gasped, "You gotta be fucking kidding me. Who was getting married the Queen of England?"
"The wedding was between a couple of college students," Chief O'Hara answered, "but came with a complicated family issue in which the father of the bride had a different groom in mind. That groom, however, had already sent agents to Moon Lake from Alabama with the intent of killing the bride's choice of groom and potentially kidnapping the bride. One had already put one of Moon Lake's residents in the hospital with a gunshot wound because of that nonsense. And when the culprit was arrested, we seized enough guns and ammo to supply a decent sized violent anti-government militia. Not exactly a small potatoes sort of thing."
"This the Dieter Wilhelm case?" Agent Peters asked, "One of our lower ranking agents came in with him yesterday afternoon."
"That would be the man," Chief O'Hara nodded, "but while he posed a threat, I felt it in Moon Lake's best interest that we didn't commit police resources to apprehend a potentially violent criminal who hasn't done anything IN Moon Lake and ignore a known violent criminal who's already orchestrated violent acts IN Moon Lake."
This got both Detective Holmes and Smith to relax a little. They didn't think that a wedding was really that important for police security, but if the situation was as the Moon Lake Police Chief described, the explanation would make sense. They also had no reason to not trust the explanation as Agent Peters had seemed to know of the criminal involved in the issue that Chief O'Hara described.
"Okay... please tell me you've at least kept eyes on him," Detective Holmes said slowly, "we've been trying to find clues to where this guy could be and the dead ends we've been running into have been frustrating, to say the least."
"We did keep an eye on Dymixious's activity in Moon Lake," Chief O'Hara answered, "and for the most part his actions were quiet and tolerable. Nothing too outlandish, though, given what reports you've given to the news, that might simply have been to avoid drawing too much attention to himself."
The three guests of the Moon Lake Police Department nodded. That much made sense to them.
"But based on the fact that you had stated you had evidence of his crimes, we couldn't just let him go free," Chief O'Hara continued, "and thus with the issues that Dieter Wilhelm put Moon Lake through largely resolved, we conducted an operation to arrest him this morning with the full resources needed to apprehend him with the full intent of handing him over to you."
"Do you have him?" Agent Peters asked, hoping for some questions to be answered.
"That depends on your definition of "have him," unfortunately," Chief O'Hara said slowly, "Dymixious did resist arrest and fought the arresting officers, and proved quite a determined opponent. Two of my men are in the hospital at the moment. One with bruised ribs and the other was actually bitten by Dymixious."
Detective Holmes and Smith practically had their eyes bulge out of their sockets in response to that.
"By the end of the altercation, Dymixious took three shots from the arresting officers, and from what I've been told died on the operating table as a result of his injuries," Chief O'Hara answered, "If you want his body... we can have it sent to Seattle for you... Though, I'd imagine by this point, there isn't much you're going to get from him."
"There probably wouldn't be..." Agent Peters gave a sigh, "but... you probably should have waited for us. We have skilled negotiators we could call in and could have potentially talked him down without things turning into a fight... and could have provided the numbers that any sort of fight would be seen as pointless from the start."
"From the reports sent to me, I doubt anyone would have been able to talk Dymixious down," Chief O'Hara spoke, "and in that... you'd still be arresting a man governed by his temper and would have a fight ANYWAY."
"We might have been able to prevent your officers from taking injuries," Detective Holmes commented.
"Perhaps... but then perhaps not," Chief O'Hara answered, "there have plenty of decisions made throughout history, including in law enforcement, where criminals have seemed determined to go out in a blaze of glory like Baby Face Nelson or Bonnie and Clyde. I'd tend to think that Dymixious Drake was enough of a wild card that there likely would have still been a fight and potentially someone could have been injured. Thankfully, my officers will recover and the bad guy has been dealt with."
"I suppose that will close things," Agent Peters gave a sigh, "I think we can leave burying Dymixious up to you... But the Seattle Field Office WILL require all your relevant paperwork regarding identifying Dymixious in Moon Lake, your observation of him until you were ready to take action, the arrest reports, and obviously the medical reports concerning Dymixious's death."
Chief O'Hara nodded, "We'll be on that as quick as we can. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"What do you know on Akane no Tachibana?" Agent Peters asked, "As we explained... Dymixious had her personal number. We talked to her on the phone... but what she described was close to a business deal gone bad, which doesn't really fit in what we know of Dymixious's activities. Neither he nor his father have ANY record in the business world with any company or any specialized service... In theory it is possible that they used an alias for their business records... but the Drakes don't have those records and one would think that if you're doing business with a major company doing scientific research and pharmaceutical work... you'd keep personal records of your proposal."
"I know that she's immigrated to the US shortly after World War Two and has been a major part of Moon Lake ever since," Chief O'Hara answered, "though the full record on what may have gone on before immigrating to the country hasn't been given to us... and Mrs. Tachibana has provided no reason for us to investigate into that. In fact more often than not, she's provided us with help with regard to security matters within Moon Lake."
There was a brief pause before Chief O'Hara continued.
"I've also received no reports or indications that her business dealings have been criminal, and thus have had no reason to investigate," Chief O'Hara commented, "so... if whatever "deal" that Dymixious thought he had related to something his father did or goes back to prior to Mrs. Tachibana's immigration to the US, there is no record of it in Moon Lake... and given that she's said that the original corporate headquarters was in Hiroshima, Japan, it's doubtful records from World War II survive... along with her husband, who would have been the one to actually negotiate out the deal if it occurred before she moved to America."
Agent Peters looked to Detectives Smith and Holmes who both gave a small frown.
"From what we understand, this "failed business deal" happened in America," Agent Peters said slowly.
"I see..." Chief O'Hara answered, "that would mean that Mrs. Tachibana was there for the negotiations... but even still... from what we know of the Drakes, they would be just "off" enough to have not kept records. And at times, Mrs. Tachibana could be a bit irritated when people try to pull stunts like that... and may have destroyed any records she had... or saw through the attempted deal and thus no deal was ever made and was rejected out of hand. Dymixious then held to it because he was a lunatic."
"We intend to talk with Mrs. Tachibana to get the clarification on that," Agent Peters gave a heavy sigh, "but thank you for your cooperation and at least providing us with a resolution to the Dymixious issue."
Chief O'Hara nodded, "anything to help and provide justice."
They all stood up and Agent Peters and Chief O'Hara shook hands again. He then lead them out. He had some private concerns, as the questions concerning Akane were highly suspicious in nature and could well be amplified when they find out that Akane no Tachibana didn't LOOK like she was old enough to have been alive in World War II, but then, he knew that the werevixen had dealt with similar type issues before, and figured that if they had questions on that, she would manage it. And if all they were looking for was clarification on answers given over the telephone, he knew that Akane could provide the clarification on that. And since the stated investigation was on Dymixious, he knew that they'd have no evidence that would be worth expanding the investigation to include Akane no Tachibana. There might be some suspicions that lingered, but Chief O'Hara was reasonably confident that the situation would resolve itself.