Missing Ch. 81 - End

"Yes. Only one other vehicle leaves, a cargo van. I could not determine the identity of the driver. The vehicles return separately. The first to return is Clyde Lassiter, this time alone. He departs again fifteen minutes later; notice the change in the back seat."

"There's a car carrier and a baby behind him," Master Milan stated.

"Correct. A camera on Interstate 94 showed him driving east later that night, and we know Lassiter picked up Bonnie Woods from a Green Bay jail later that morning."

"What about the cargo van?"

"It returns just after Clyde left, this time with our soldier in the passenger seat. Using the rear bumper ride height, I calculated the cargo compartment was approximately five hundred pounds lighter than when it left."

"The approximate weight of the three coyotes."

"That is my conclusion, yes. The rental van departs after the plane leaves and returns to the rental agency at eight-thirty. The identification used for the rental was a forgery. I was unable to track it further."

"Is there any evidence Master Ramesey left the plane?"

"No."

Master Milan looked at the two accused vampires. "Your witness."

Ch. 89

Supreme Vampire Cyprian Pontalba's POV

Minneapolis Four Seasons Hotel

Master Ramesey looked at Cassie Reynolds, then stood up. "You have an active imagination, Miss Quantrill. Unfortunately, at a hearing such as this, we need evidence. Do you have any direct evidence that Miss Cassie participated in the murder of Master Andersen?"

"No, sir."

"Any evidence beyond that she was there at the gate when the drug gang ambushed his car?"

"No, sir. I scented her nowhere else."

"Any evidence that other Minneapolis Coven vampires or familiars participated in the execution?"

"No, sir."

"Any evidence that I participated in the ambush?"

"No direct evidence, sir, but you were in the area."

He leaned over the table. "Is there any evidence showing I even left my plane?"

"No, sir."

"Any evidence that my familiars participated in the ambush?"

"I showed evidence that at least one of your familiars left the airport with Clyde Lassiter."

"Ah, yes. Clyde Lassiter, mate of Bonnie Woods. Is there any direct evidence that he participated in the attack on Master Andersen?"

"I could not place him at the scene, sir."

"So all you conclusive know is that Clyde Lassiter came to the airport, spent a few hours with my familiar, then returned to the airport and left with a baby."

"Correct."

"You stated the three werecoyotes had low blood levels. Were you able to identify the vampire responsible?"

"No, sir."

He shook his head and walked back to his seat. "I have no other questions for her." He'd done a fine job casting doubt on Cassie's role, and she was smart enough not to ruin it.

"Redirect?"

"Not at this time," Master Milan said. "I call Master Ramesey to testify." There were no Fifth Amendment protections; if he lied or refused to answer, the other Masters would take that as evidence of guilt. "Master Ramesey, when did you first meet Clyde Lassiter?"

"June sixteenth. He came to my Coven and requested to meet with me."

"Why?"

"His mate's killers had been released by the Werewolf Council when they made the treaty with the Werecoyotes. He stated Bonnie had sworn a blood oath to avenge them, and she would not complete the mating until the two were dead. His Council forbade them from searching for the coyotes or doing anything to harm any coyote, fearing exposure if they violated the treaty. He wanted me to find and kill them for him."

"And what did he offer in return?"

"He is a man of unique talents. He would owe me a favor."

"And did you find these people?"

"I did. We found the cook and his family, plus a large quantity of methamphetamine. I let Clyde know we were successful and offered him a deal. I knew Master Andersen was expanding his drug empire, and the cook was the best in the business. He wasn't one of the shooters, so I told Clyde that I'd take the Cook in return for capturing the killers. He could kill the others. It made sense; the Cook was far too valuable alive to the right person."

"Who was the right person?"

"Master Andersen. He's heavily invested in the drug trade and would pay a lot for such talent. I worked out a deal with him. I'd bring the three to Minneapolis with the drugs, using my abilities to navigate Customs. Clyde would meet us there. Hans would get the Cook and the drugs, I would get the cash, and Clyde would watch the two shooters die." He laughed. "Hans came up with an even better idea. He would use the Cook to draw in the Cartel, then kill them. He'd look like the coyotes died in the battle."

It was a brilliant rewrite of what happened, and I started to worry as Ramesey continued. "We all get what we want. Hans gets the cook, Clyde gets revenge, and I get two million in gold. Everybody wins, or they would have if Clyde hadn't double-crossed me."

"What did Clyde do?"

"My guys set him up in an observation post while they went to set up the coyotes and the scene. When Hans arrived, Clyde fired the RPG into his car. Clyde sent mercenaries that stormed in from the eastern woods and started shooting. Cassie withdrew to her support vehicle and got her people out of there. My man barely got out of there alive."

"That must have been a shock to you," Milan said. "What happened after that?"

"Clyde showed up at the airport like nothing had gone wrong and thanked me for my help. I gave him the werecoyote baby we'd captured in a raid; I wanted nothing to do with it, and Clyde could find a den for it. It wasn't until my people got back that I realized he'd killed a Vampire Master."

"What did you do then?"

"I'd captured more than just the coyotes back in Canada," Ramesey said. "I captured the leader of their kind as well. Under interrogation, he gave up the password for his phone and who had the button-down information being used to threaten the Werewolves. Inside we found the phone numbers of the coyotes. My people were able to obtain cellphone geolocation data that identified the locations of the North American dens."

That was shocking. "Harold Pembroke gave up his best leverage?"

"If you threaten a man's mate and family, the others don't seem so important."

I could imagine that interrogation. "Then what?"

"Clyde fucked me over so I'd fuck over him back. I knew the Werewolves wanted the Werecoyotes gone. I called that fool Sanders and told him about what I'd obtained. He was thrilled and proposed we wipe out the Coyote threat before they could react. I told him to get his people ready, and I'd hand over the list on the way back to Montreal later that morning. It was perfect; Sanders would call for the extermination of werecoyotes, and then they'd find Clyde and Bonnie with a werecoyote baby! They'd kill them for me!" He let out a little smile. "Then I called the Vampire Council together. The Werewolves would do most of the work for us. In days, we'd eliminate a group that threatened supernatural exposure. As a bonus, the dogs would be in our debt."

"You told the Vampire Council none of this," Master Milan said evenly.

"What would it change? There was no point in bringing up Andersen's drug trade now that he was dead. What WAS important was the chance to wipe out a species. I saw the opportunity, there was no danger, so I took it!"

"And you broke a major rule of engagement! You worked with the Werewolves in the first place without informing the Council," Milan replied. "You could have started a war with the Werewolves AND the Werecoyotes."

"I didn't. Our position improved, Master Andersen gets avenged, and the werewolves will do it for us."

I could feel the trial slipping away. There was no way the Masters would vote to convict. Hell, most would congratulate him! Milan still appeared confident, though. "No further questions, Master Pontalba."

I looked at his co-defendant. "Miss Reynolds, any questions for Master Ramesey?"

"No, sir."

"Any other witnesses, Master Milan?"

"One, Master Pontalba." He moved next to the witness chair. "The prosecution calls Mr. Clyde Lassiter."

The room EXPLODED in outrage at his words, and it took almost a minute for me to restore order. I did note the look of fear on Cassie's face as the words came out.

I was afraid that Mr. Lassiter would be dead within seconds of entering the room. After all, the Masters now believed he'd killed a Vampire Master. "Master Milan has called a witness, and the witness SHALL be heard. No one will harm or threaten him during this hearing."

"We can't trust a word out of a dog's slobbery mouth," the Miami Master said.

"You can evaluate his veracity in your deliberations. Once we rule on the two before us now, we can discuss Mr. Lassiter's fate." I looked over at Master Milan. "Bring in your witness."

"Master Pontalba, due to obvious safety concerns, the witness is joining us by secure videoconference," Master Milan replied. "Miss Quantrill?"

Mary turned on the monitors and activated the audio. Clyde Lassiter was in a room somewhere. Vampires hissed and shouted threats at his appearance, but Clyde remained stoic. "Mr. Lassiter, do you swear to Luna to give truthful testimony before this hearing?"

"I swear."

"This is outrageous," Master Ramesey interrupted. "Why would we believe a single thing out of the mouth of this murderer?"

"You shouldn't," Clyde answered. "You are right about one thing; I killed Master Hans Andersen. I did it on your orders, and I'm not sorry I did it."

The room exploded in outrage again. This time, the shouts were about the vile punishments they wanted to inflict on the confessed vampire killer. When the room quieted, Master Milan continued. "Can you tell the hearing about these orders?"

"I could, but you wouldn't listen to me. Maybe you will listen to Master Ramesey's words?"

Master Milan looked to Mary, who clicked a button. "Playing audio file one."

My respect for Fixer Lassiter increased as I listened to the recording of his meeting with Master Ramesey at his Coven House in Montreal. The Council paid close attention to Ramesey's voice. "Money does not interest me, Fixer. I make more money on my investments during this meeting than you could offer for the job."

"You know what I am and what I've done, Master Ramesey. I have skills that may be useful to you in return."

"You are not the only one with difficult problems, Mr. Lassiter. Solve one of my problems for me, and I will take care of your problem in return."

"Name your problem, and I will take care of it."

"I need the Master of Minneapolis dead. The death can't lead back to me."

"Kill these werecoyotes for me, and I'll take care of your rival," Clyde's voice said. "We have a deal."

Mary stopped the file, and Master Milan started addressing the witness. "This was your meeting on June sixteenth?"

"It was. Bonnie managed to locate the coyotes, and I passed the information to Master Ramesey. I got a text message on the 19^th to meet him at the Red Wing Airport at eight-thirty."

"Did you record this meeting as well?"

Clyde smiled. "Of course. I trust a Vampire Master as much as you trust a Werewolf."

"Playing audio file number two," Mary said.

Every excuse and story Master Ramesey had just told the Council was destroyed by Ramesey's words and those of his familiar. The Council members were furious as the recording finished with Clyde taking the baby away. Master Milan asked a few questions, then rested.

Ramesey and Reynolds were fucked. The recording even caught Cassie yelling to her people to "make sure that bastard is dead." They didn't even attempt to cross-examine the witness.

It took the Council less than ten minutes to convict both of conspiracy to murder a Master Vampire. The sentence was death.

I personally removed their heads with a sword at dawn.

Ch. 90

Supreme Vampire Cyprian Pontalba's POV

Four Seasons Hotel, Minneapolis

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

It was days like this when I was glad I didn't need sleep. I fed off one of my familiars back in my room just before six, then got down to business.

This afternoon, the Council would meet again. Dealing with Ramesey and Reynolds had used all our time. We would be meeting in a warehouse at two PM to oversee the elevation of a new Master Vampire of Minneapolis. The Coven wasn't the largest or most powerful, and few of us liked the cold weather, but these slots didn't open up often. Competition for the spot would be fierce and bloody, the battles to the death.

Was it brutal and unnecessary? Yes and no. As junior Vampires aged and strengthened their powers, they would threaten their Masters. It was better to give them another outlet. Some transferred to Covens with more powerful masters, some took one of the few jobs outside Covens, and some fought and died trying to get to the top.

My hopes rode on Mary Quantrill. She'd been New York Coven Master Milan's protégé and had done a great job working for me on Council business. Even-tempered and highly intelligent, she would make a fine Master if she could keep her head on her shoulders.

After the Council was complete again, the Council would take up the two issues that could lead to war. Ramesey had used us, and there would be blowback from that with the Werewolf Council.

There was also the fact that a Pack Werewolf had executed a Vampire Master. Many Masters wanted Clyde's blood and didn't care how many wolves died getting to him.

I needed to negotiate a solution quickly before things got out of hand. There was only one person I could trust to mediate this, and she happened to be in town. I dialed her number. "Luna Adrienne, good morning. I'm sorry to call you so early after last night's events."

"That's fine, Master Pontalba. I'm just sitting down at breakfast. How can I help you?"

"Last night's Council meeting was enlightening; it seems both our people got played. I need you to arrange and mediate a meeting with the Chairman as soon as possible. My people meet again this afternoon at two; if I don't present them with a deal, it could get ugly."

"How ugly are we talking?"

"Worst-case scenario," I replied. "Too many cooks will spoil the broth. It needs to be just the three of us plus a bodyguard each. I trust you to arrange a meeting place and security."

"I'll see what I can do. I'll call you back shortly."

"Thank you, Adrienne." I hung up and started working through my pile of work. I chuckled to myself as I remembered when computers came out in the eighties. "It will make us more efficient, and paper will go away in ten years!" Yeah, right. All computers did was make it easier to create mountains of paperwork. I'd become a Coven Master before the American Civil War, and the time I spent on administration had only increased with each decade.

Adrienne worked quickly, calling me back twenty minutes later. "I've arranged for a room at the St. James Hotel in Red Wing for eleven AM." She gave me the details. "Mr. Sanders will have one bodyguard with him."

"I will have my driver," I replied. "Thank you."

I arrived in the quaint river town with time to spare. Adrienne was waiting for me downstairs and escorted us to the meeting room. "Mary Quantrill, may I introduce your counterpart, Council Fixer Curtis Jackson."

The beautiful brunette vampire sized up the forty-something black former SEAL with an approving eye. Vampires were highly sexual creatures, with tens of thousands of conquests in their long lives. They were always seeking new challenges and thrills in their eroticism. They didn't care if their partners were a human, a vampire, or a shifter. The more dangerous the partner, the better the sex was. Curtis carried himself like he was always the most dangerous person in the room, but in this case, he was a distant third. Although she looked to be twenty years his junior, she had two centuries on him. By her scent, Mary was interested in him. "My pleasure, Mr. Jackson."

"Welcome to Minnesota," he replied cooly. Curtis didn't have a mate, but he had enough sense to know that any liaison with a Vampire was a bad idea.

The room had a small conference table with eight chairs. Adrienne went to the far end, motioning for me to take the chair to her left. Chairman Sanders took the seat across from me, and our associates took their seats next to us. Adrienne looked over at me. "Master Pontalba, you asked for this meeting. Can you explain your concerns to us?"

"I'd prefer to let this recording do that for us," I replied. I nodded to Mary, who removed a device from her jacket pocket and placed it on the table. "The first recording was made during a visit by former Fixer Clyde Lassiter to the home of Master Vampire Ramesey in Montreal." I paid close attention to the reactions as the recording played. The Chairman was angry at his former employee for going around his edicts. Luna Adrienne wasn't looking angry or surprised. She knew more than she let on. Fixer Jackson was gaining a new appreciation for the resourcefulness of the man he replaced at the Council.

The recording came to an end, and I looked at the Chairman. "Master Ramesey did not have the permission of our Council to make this arrangement, nor would we have approved it."

Sanders glared at Jackson before replying. "Clyde Lassiter and Bonnie Woods are fugitives from the Werewolf Council. If you return them to us, I will see they receive appropriate punishment."

"There's more," I said. "You know Master Andersen of Minneapolis died in an attack recently?" Sanders nodded. "Master Ramesey completed his part. He captured the three were-coyotes that Lassiter wanted and delivered them to Red Wing. This recording is of Clyde Lassiter meeting with Master Ramesey on his private plane at the airport and with his familiar on the way to the attack site."

Not even a poker player could hide their reactions when this segment played. The werewolves were rendered speechless. "Mr. Lassiter admitted in the hearing against Master Ramesey and another accomplice that he fired the RPG that killed Master Andersen."

"WE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT," Chairman Sanders yelled as he stood up suddenly. "Fucking Clyde!"

"My Council has no evidence that you did," I replied as I motioned him to sit back down. "That doesn't change the fact that a Council Fixer assassinated a Master Vampire."

"Lassiter quit the council well before this time."

"And the more suspicious of my kind might find that timing rather convenient." That got a reaction from him.

"There was no reason for us to start a war, Master Pontalba. I didn't even know Andersen was dead until the next morning! The only reason we got involved was because of you."

"What do you mean?"

"I got a call in the middle of the night from Master Ramesey, asking me to meet him urgently at the airport. He told me that the Vampires had found Harold Pembroke and neutralized the exposure threat he'd made. He said the Vampire Council voted to eliminate the Werecoyotes, as any supernatural threatening to expose one is a threat to all. He gave me a list of the dens assigned to us and departed for Canada."

"And when was this?"

"I got the call at three forty-two and met him at four-thirty in the morning."

"And then what?"

"I called an emergency meeting of the Alphas and directed the Packs to take out their targets as soon as possible. It took a little longer, but we got them all but one."

"Who did you miss?"

"A werecoyote named Jerry is believed to be in the company of former Fixer Emily Jones. The Council has issued an arrest warrant for her, and the kill order remains in place for the coyotes."

I raised an eyebrow and glanced at Fixer Jackson. "You need to fix your Fixers, Mr. Chairman." He bristled at that challenge. "What shall we do about them?"