Tachibana no Akane sat in the back seat of her car with her grandson Daisuke, as they were being driven to the Moon Lake Town Hall.
"And this information is accurate?" she asked, in regards to the report she finished reading.
"There are a few details we are still trying to completely confirm, but there is no reason to believe otherwise."
"I see," replied Akane, while sitting the folder in her lap. "This is most troubling."
"Agreed, and if you do not mind grandma-san, there is one other matter I wish to bring up with you," added Daisuke.
"What is it child? You know I wish you and the rest of my kin to always speak your mind freely around me."
"What we do to support the new kits to the Skulk, as well as to protect Moon Lake itself, is quite honorable and just. But I am concerned that if we stretch our resources too far, one of our public business rivals might try to take advantage of the situation, even if they do not discover the true nature of Moon Lake and the existence of the Skulk and weres in the process."
Akane thought about it for a moment, before saying she agreed. "The meeting we are headed to now is to coordinate our efforts with Moon Lake authority. The biggest dip in our collective manpower will be the weekend of the wedding itself, but honor and duty, let alone protecting the secrets of the Skulk and our home, must take precedent over everything else."
MEANWHILE...
"Doctor Twist. I mean, Frances. You're here early," said Rudy, her secretary, as he was opening the office for the day.
"Samantha had to drop me off on her way to an early meeting at the Town Hall. Soon as I grab a couple of files and call the car service, I'll be on my way to the hospital for my morning consults. Any new business?" she asked, before going into her private office.
"Let me switch the phone back from the answering service and I'll check the messages," shouted Rudy, as he entered the clerical area of Doctor Twist's practice.
"No. Nothing," replied the secretary, as Frances came back out, sticking a couple of folders into her over sized purse. "Appointment calendar still shows you with Yvette Smith, 3/5, along with a +1 at the hospital, and then Jenny Harper at 2."
"Two more visits after this one completes my exam of the rogue were-vixen, then I can write my report for the court. The plus one is a consult they want me to do while I'm there, whatever that's about," explained Frances, not going into details about Rikki the werecheetah.*
"There is one thing I would like for you to do while I'm gone," she added, while approaching the front counter.
"What?" inquired Rudy, standing on the other side of the swinging door.
"I'd like you to check the alarm system while I'm gone."
"We just did that last week. Is something wrong?"
"I hope not," was all Frances Twist said before leaving.
ELSEWHERE...
"You wanted to see me boss?" asked a tall man as he entered his superior's office.
"Yeah Mark. I've got a special assignment for you," replied the other man, sitting behind a fancy, executive desk. "I need you to go on a scouting mission. Get the lay of the land. Find out who's who, what their security is like, etc. Report all the details back to me via my private cellphone or e-mail. Then I'll need you to find a quiet place to hunker down unobserved, in case I need help when I'm there next weekend."
"Sure thing Mister Wilhelm. What's the caper?"
"My fiance has gone crazy and announced she's getting married. Her folks and I will be flying there to put a stop to it and bring her back home where she belongs. But I want you handy in case I need back up."
"Then I should go armed?" asked the tall man.
"To the teeth. Take your camper. There's $5,000 cash, all small bills, to cover expenses," said Dieter Wilhelm, pointing to a legal sized envelope on his desk. "It will take you a couple of days to drive to this Moon Lake place in Washington state from Alabama. We'll be flying in the day of the wedding, although the only couple getting hitched will be me and her."
"Congrats," replied Mark.
"This is a picture of my girl, Jenny Harper, taken earlier this Spring before high school graduation," added Wilhelm, not knowing he was handing Mark an outdated photo of her human side BEFORE becoming a were-vixen. "Once you locate her Mark, stay discrete, but keep a good eye on her for me! I want my bride safe for our wedding night and the return trip home."
"Will do. But what about the other guy?" asked Mark.
"All I know right now is his name. Harry Jenkins. Find out all you can about him too. Wait until the night before the wedding, but if he should happen to have an accident, especially one that makes it appear as if he left her at the altar..."
"I understand. Don't worry Mister Wilhelm. You can count on me."
BACK IN MOON LAKE...
"And, as you can see by our early research, the Wilhelm family are not to be taken lightly," warned Akane Tachibana, addressing an emergency meeting in the Mayor's office. Present were the Skulk leader and her grandson Daisuke; along with Town Chancellor Samantha Twist, Police Chief O'hara, and Mayor Stovall himself.
"As if we weren't going to have enough problems with Jenny's bigot relatives," commented Samantha.
"The lass is over 18, legal in Washington state," observed Chief O'hara who, in his weredog form was an Irish Setter. "Do her folks really think..."
"If my wife was here, she could tell you in greater detail than I've been able to, what a rough upbringing Jenny's had. If not all of it was actually legal, then those in Alabama actually aware of the situation turned a blind eye, thinking the parents were within their moral rights."
"There's no way I could live with myself if Julie was ever mistreated like that," said Mayor Stovall, in regards to his daughter.
"Just another day in paradise to those folks," replied Samantha.
"And this Dieter Wilhelm," began Chief O'hara, picking up the folder to take a closer look at the documents.
"Another rotten apple on a poisoned tree," answered Akane. "His ancestors fled Germany when the Axis lost World War 2. There are unconfirmed rumors that his grandfather Heinrich, or Henry, was a member of the local Klu Klux Klan when racial unrest was at its public worst during the 1950s. Since his father won that state lottery and bought a controlling interest in the local power plant where he used to work, Dieter has apparently kept his behavior in check."
"Or has gotten much better at not getting caught," observed Daisuke.
"Every known offensive as a juvenile has either been expunged or the record sealed, if the 'offended party' couldn't be bought off... I mean, changed their mind," was Chief O'hara's assumption, while putting the folder back on the Mayor's desk.
"A real piece of work," was Samantha's opinion. "Got a new car and the position of plant manager after graduating high school earlier this year. As long as the company is profitable, no one higher up down there seems to care. Meanwhile, our problems are, besides running the risk of them discovering that weres exist because Jenny looks nothing like she used to since becoming a were-vixen, he'll be here next weekend with the Harpers to attempt stopping the wedding."
"Or at least, a wedding. I'm trying to talk Miss Harper into having two ceremonies. One earlier in the morning to officially become Mrs. Jenkins, and another just for her folks," explained Akane.
"Not a bad idea. What does Jenny think?" asked Samantha.
"Miss Harper has yet to make a decision on the matter," replied Akane.
"Maybe we should talk to her, woman to woman," suggested Samantha.
*In another Moon Lake story line, elsewhere on CYOC.net