The Knightstick Chronicles, Rough Justice

Ch5, Behind Closed Doors

Sacred River's new City Hall was a modern office building downtown. The City Council had relocated after a renovation grant came through several years back. As a whole, the building was nothing special, but the press area had an imposing large city seal emblazoned on the back wall, giving the room an air of authority and importance.

Police Chief John Mckinney had been here many times over his tenure, but never had he been filled with more doubt. Whispers of corruption from across the city had been reaching his ears for months, but proof was scant. Now things were escalating, and bodies were starting to drop... He paced outside the press room doors while Lieutenant Finnick leaned on the wall nearby, the steady click of his zippo sounding throughout the hall as he fidgeted with the lid.

"Who is he naming for the team?" Finnick asked. McKinney's gray mustache twitched, "who do you think?" He growled. Finnick sighed, "the trio. Fuck." Mckinney continued to wear a path in the tile. "Tell me you found something?" Finnick shook his head. "Pretty sure my team is compromised too. Every lead I find comes back empty. Surveillance at the casino goes black, nothing to use for a wiretap... all I got is rumors and an ulcer." The Chief stopped and straightened his sleeves compulsively. "Yeah, I know what that's like," he said, eyeing another uniformed officer walking towards them down the hall.

Assistance Chief Enzo Bianchi approached McKinney, a smug expression playing across his pinched face as he smoothed back his greasy black hair. "Chief," he said in a mocking tone. "Sorry, I'm late. Got caught up having a chat with the Mayor after lunch. Oh, I thought you might need this." He handed McKinney a packet. McKinney took the paper and scanned it. As he read on, his face reddened and he grew hot under the collar.

It was the Mayor's press release, but different from the one he received that morning. As before, The Mayor's statement said he would address the rise of several new gangs terrorizing the city. But now it refuted the potential link to the increase in missing person cases or the growing concern it was all connected to a larger criminal enterprise...

"This is a damn lie. We don't know the connection yet," McKinney said. Bianchi sneered, "My team has concluded the preliminary review. There is no connection." Finnick walked up from behind McKinney, taking the packet and reading it, disgust playing across his face.

The palpable tension in the hall was interrupted by the arrival of a group of suited men, led by Mayor Gambal. The politician's robotic smile fixed in place, he stopped in front of the Chief. "Gentleman, shall we?" scowling, McKinney let himself be led into the conference hall, the other officers falling in line behind him.

Dozens of people were already inside the hall, all members of the press. Though reporters did not often attend these events in person anymore, given the current environment of fear in the city, every wanna-be with a podcast was eager for a first crack at the story. They all knew the reports would trend once they were posted online.

Seats shifted and camera lights turned on as Mayor Gambal and his entourage entered the room. The middle-aged politician looked fit and energetic, only the slightest touch of gray marking his short-cropped black hair betrayed his age. His face was fixed in a smile, as always, and he waved mechanically to no one in imparticular as he took the podium. The Police Chief and several council members took up positions behind him along the wall. The Mayor tapped a stack of papers on the podium and cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for coming. I would like to start by acknowledging Chief Mickinney and all the hard work he and his brave men have done so far to address our current crises." the stout police chief's stern face nodded curtly to the Mayor, betraying no hint of emotion. "As we all know, there has been a marked rise in crime recently, correlated to increased gang activity. Well, I am pleased to say, that we will be launching a new special operations unit within our gang task force whose sole purpose will be to address these rising threats. I have hand-selected three detectives of high repute who will head this new team and stamp out this threat!" He pounded his fist on the podium, and his brow furrowed, a pointed expression of sincerity. "As I promised in my campaign, public safety is my number one concern. We will not compromise, and we will not falter!"

Throughout the room, eyebrows quirked and people shook their heads. He wasn't saying anything, and they knew it. At the break in the Mayor's speech, everyone started at once, each shouting their questions until one made himself heard above the rest. "What about the rumors of a human trafficking ring responsible for the uptick in missing person cases? Are these related to the gangs you're referring to?" He called out. Mayor Gambal raised his hand and shook his head dismissively. "As my office has said, the police assure me there is no connection in any current missing person cases. Sadly, such incidents occur in every city, but I encourage everyone to please stick to the facts instead of listening to these false and provocative online agitators."

A young man in a suit hurried up to the mayor and whispered urgently in his ear. Gambal made a show of frowning and nodding earnestly, then turned back to the microphone. "I sincerely apologize, an urgent issue has come up that I must address. Please refer to the packets we have provided for any further questions." The smile returned on cue and he waved again as he left the room, followed by a storm of shouts from the unsatisfied crowd.

In the ruckus, Chief McKinney and Lieutenant Finnick quietly slipped out the back door at the opposite end of the hall. Had anyone seen his face as he departed, the loathing slipping through his disciplined stony exterior would have betrayed his true thoughts on the Mayor's words.

"I want eyes on the trio at all times," he said to Finnick in a low voice. "Keep the circle tight, only use the men you know you can trust." As he exited the door, Finnick pulled out a cigarette. "You know if he gets word you're investigating his pet cops, he'll pressure the rest of the council and get the votes to out you," he said. McKinney glared at him, "Just do it." He crossed the parking lot to his car, leaving Finnick on the sidewalk, blowing smoke and rubbing his face.

***

On the fifth floor of City Hall, Gambal walked into his office and peered out his window in time to see the Chief drive away. Gambals young assistant stood in the doorway, "Can I get you anything sir?" he asked eagerly. Gambal looked back, his smile unchanged. "Oh no thank you. Please just make sure I'm not disturbed." The aid made to leave but stopped short. "Was... was that ok sir?" Gambal's expression never shifted. "Yes, thank you. If anyone else asks, I'm still dealing with the 'urgent Issue'," he used his fingers for air quotations. The aid laughed nervously, nodded in understanding, and closed the door.

As soon as the door clicked, all pretense melted away. Gambal's face fell, his posture slackened and his eyes drifted to a lone cabinet against the wall. He reached over and pulled the curtains across the wall-length window obscuring the view of the city below, enveloping his office in darkness.

Gambal crossed the darkened room and stood in front of the mass-manufactured gray faux wood doors of the cabinet. He took several breaths and grabbed a handle, pulling it open to reveal its odd contents. The cabinet was almost empty but for a single shelf. The interior walls had been painted black, and the sole shelf held only two items. A small, black obsidian pyramid, and a simple single-edged fixed-blade knife.

Gambal loosened his tie and kicked off his shoes while peering into the glassy pyramid. In short order, he stripped off his clothes and stood naked before the cabinet. His eyes remained fixed on the small pyramid as he took the knife in hand.

After several minutes of standing in silence, focusing on the cabinet, he suddenly sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes rolling back in his head. His exposed skin prickled and his body convulsed where he stood. "Yes," he whispered to the room. "Yes I will." he opened his eyes, returning his gaze to the black stone.

He lowered the knife to the marred flesh of his bare thigh and desecrated himself once more before the pyramid in the dark and silent room. "Yes master," he moaned as blood trickled down his legs.