[WoD] Histories Myth.~fin

[Father Barton]

I walked through the story slowly taking in the all the old trinkets, tapestries, and furniture. To me they where all part of a past I only knew through books and teachings. I was a servant of God cleaning up his mess from the beginning of time and yet I only knew bits and pieces of his past.

I realized then I wasn't here on a field trip, I was here on business. My cover was that of a member of the Chicago Police Department. I was detective investigating a murder that happened in ally near this establishment. The murder had vampire written all over it and my hunch was someone around here could point me in the right direction. Someone around these parts knew more about the vampires in the Area then they lead on that was for sure do to all the other shop keepers I had talked to that day.

I made my way to the front counter through all the old junk. That’s all it was to me none of it matter to me it may have once had story to tell but that story was lost centuries ago. My time was now and I had allot of work to do before the day I past on and was lost to History too. I rang the antique bell at the front desk to bring the person out of where ever they where hiding amongst the junk.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona walked up behind the counter and greeted Barton with a smile ::

"Good afternoon. May I help you?"

[Father Barton]

I look at the young woman with the friendliest smile I can muster. Then I reach into my coat and pull out the Badge I had acquired and show it to her. The Badge was authentic it was a fringe benefit of working for one of the most secretive churches in the world I could get my hands on almost anything I needed even false identities.

"I'm officer Jonathan Lasko. I have a few question to ask you and any other employees that may work here?"

I wasn't quick to judge this woman she didn't seem like a ghoul and the eyes where a sure sign she wasn't. Yet something tugged at me about her but I wasn't sure what it was.

[Fiona Devlin]

"Of course." she replied cordially.

[Father Barton]

I nod my thanks to her for complying I didn't want for this to get messy. I wasn't for sure if she knew anything at all so if she would have resisted it would have complicated things. I didn't care for complications my business was messy enough already.

"First question where you here Thursday night?" That was two nights ago.

I pulled out my note pad, I didn't need it but it helped me look official. I didn't want her seeing through my disguise that would not have been a good thing.

"Second question was there ever a man in here by the name of Marcus Hegger?"

I set the note pad down on the counter and reach into my coat for a picture. I pull it out and show her the picture of the man in question. This was picture of the man who was murdered, well he was more like mutilated then murdered.

[Fiona Devlin]

"I was here from three until seven, which is when we close."

:: She took the photograph and scrutinized it ::

"No, I've not seen him before."

[Father Barton]

"I see, well the man you see there was killed on Wednesday night and his body was found on Thursday Morning."

I didn't go into the gory details of the decapitation and the marks that where cut into his body not to mention the additional bullet holes. I didn't want to make the poor girl sick to her stomach. To me who ever did it must have really had a thing out for this Marcus guy. To my think the Sabaat where probably involved because they rarely hide there gruesome crimes.

"The man also had this around his neck."

I reached into my side pocket and pulled out an amulet. It was about the size of a dollar coin and had some kind of holy symbol engraved in it. To my best guess it was from the crusades and would have carried a heft price today. I lay it on the counter so the woman could get a better look at it.

"You ever saw that before?"

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona quirked an eyebrow. It was unwrapped as he set it on the counter ::

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt for me to touch it?" she said, looking him straight in the eye.

[Father Barton]

"Don't worry there was nothing on it, it was cleaner then sanitation station in a radioactive lab."

I lied of course there where prints on it but they where so old and faded they didn't even register in the database. Heck I was just as confused by Marcus Heggers prints according to his records he died in Nineteen eighty-nine. Also another name came up with his prints even older from a man on death row in the seventies in Jacksonville. Yeah this mystery baffled me even more then I was letting on.

"Go ahead take a look and tell me what you can about it?"

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona picked it up and scrutinized it, flipping it over and over again as she chewed her lip ::

"It appears to be from the 11th century, as you say, from the crusades."

:: she put it down on the counter again ::

[Father Barton]

"Interesting."

It really didn't matter where it was from but I needed to make it look I was gathering some useful information. Although it seems I was even more at a dead end then when I started this investigation. Although this wouldn't be my first time to give up a case.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about it? Also I didn't get your name I kind of need it for the paper work."

[Fiona Devlin]

"Fiona Devlin." she replied, casually reading every line on his face.

[Father Barton]

I pick up my stuff and stick it all back in my pockets with a bit of a frown on my face. I nod my thanks and goodbyes I turn to leave but I stop in mid stride. I abruptly turn back to face Fiona watching her eyes closely.

"You wouldn't happen to know anyone in this city running around with a great sword loping peoples heads off would you?"

It was a bit of an abrupt question with its sarcastic undertones. I knew what I was doing and something about this woman was setting off my spidey sense. I'm not sure if she is supernatural or had some contact with it but that was the usual problem with hunter’s sense.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: She looked at him with wide eyes ::

"Lopping off heads???!!!" she exclaimed. "Is that what happened to him???"

[Father Barton]

Yes there it was I noticed it. I kept a mental note to remember the name Fiona Devlin. Her eye's where not wide so much from surprise I noticed, she knew something. Maybe not to this particular case but she knew something else possibly.

"Yes he lost his head it was found a few yards away from the body in a dumpster. He was also riddled with bullets possible from an SKS or Ak-47. Odd part is the bullets hit many vitals he should have been dead from that. I don't quite understand why someone would take the head too."

I had a truly perplexed look on my face cause Marcus was clearly a human not a ghoul or vamp himself. I didn't understand what taking the head would represent maybe some sort of Sabbat or anarch message to the Camarilla. Yet even more perplexing to me was what connection this man might have to any of those groups being only human.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: She chewed her lip again silently ::

[Father Barton]

I take note of her facial expressions and keep note of them in my head. She knows something but I doubt she will tell me outright. So I decide to concede to the point for now. I don't want to push my luck and give away that I'm really not a cop.

"Well I will give you my card if you can think of anything that may be relevant please give me a call."

I reach again into one of my many pockets on my trench coat and pull out a card. One of my many fake cards I had printed. I set it down on the counter and slide it back to her as she continues to chew on her lip.

"Oh yeah one last thing before I go I noticed you had a tapestry over there." I point in the direction I saw it. "It is labeled as a Sumerian piece but it’s a fake probably created in seventeenth or eighteenth century. I studied art in the seminary."

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Her cheeks puffed ::

"That's why I'm selling it for thirty dollars, and you aren't really a cop, are you, Mister Lasko???"

[Father Barton]

"Run my badge numbers if you don't think I'm a cop cause I assure you I'm on file."

I wasn't lying I was on file and my badge wasn't fake. I wasn't a legit cop that much was true but it would take some deep pockets and allot of hard looking to find that out. I knew how well the holy church covered my tracks they didn't want me to exist so I didn't.

"As for the tapestry, I'm just saying maybe it should be labeled correctly."

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Her eyes narrowed ::

"Good day, Mister Lasko."

[Father Barton]

I just nod leaving my card on her counter and I turn tail and walk away. This Fiona will be kept under heavy watch I note to myself maybe I will enlist some of the real CPD nah they would just mess things up. I make it out the door and to my car; I hop in and take off.

The ford Pinto was running a like a dream, odd it never ran this well in San Francisco. I really needed to get a new car but there was just something about my pinto that I loved. I drove by the front door of the store giving it on last glance.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona was a step behind him as he was out the door. It was a quarter to seven and there wasn't another soul. She took note of the car he stepped into before flipping the sign and locking the door, then went upstairs to make a call ::