| Primary Characters: | Nick, Hank, Wu |
| Rating: | M |
| Spoilers: | Some |
| Warning: | m/m sex |
| Description: | A murdered man is found close to a community of men living in seclusion. Since there are no other leads, Nick becomes curious and tries to find out more about the community. In the end, he finds out quite lot, but the case also leads to more embarrassment for him and Hank. |
Since they’d been forced to live together, Nick and Hank had made a point of arriving separately to headquarters. Even if everyone knew they were sharing a house, they didn’t want the image of them coming in together would stick in their colleagues’ minds.
Hank walked in, fully five minutes after Nick, holding a cup of coffee in his hand – he’d stopped buying his partner one each morning, because he thought it would look – something or other he didn’t want to look. He saw that Nick was on the phone anyway, so Hank had a sip of his coffee and waited.
”Right. We’ll be out there in – fifteen minutes – with any luck.”
”New case?”
”Yes. Uniforms found a dead man on the outskirts of the city. Strangulation this time. I don’t know anything else right now. We’ll have to see for ourselves.”
”Ok. I’m coming.”
Hank decided to bring the coffee, since it was still warm. He finished it on the way downstairs, then tossed it into a bin on his way out.
They found the uniforms standing guard over the body and took a look at the body moments before the forensics team and the ME arrived. It was like Wu had said, just a dead man who had been strangled. He was in his thirties, dressed in ordinary, plain clothes and unremarkable in every way. Nick tried to remember if there were any Wesen that preferred strangulation as their chosen method of killing. He couldn’t think of any. Besides, not all victims had to be Wesen, just as all perpetrators didn’t need to be either. This could be just a human who had ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Not many people passed the location and there were no surveillance cameras in the area so they’d just need to look at the crime scene and the body.
The ME made a cursory examination, then the body was packed up and removed. Nick and Hank were just about to leave themselves, when Nick caught a rustling sound from the bushes beside the open space where the police officers were standing.
He sharpened his Grimm hearing and thought he could detect the faint sound of footsteps. After gesturing to Hank, he took off as silently as he was able to, and entered the wooded area. That gave way to an open wooded area that didn’t seem all that thick. A few steps into the area, Nick caught sight of a vague figure sneaking off. He followed, but lost track of the figure when the trees thinned out and he came upon what looked like a property of some kind. There were several buildings on it, but all looked rather simple and he couldn’t quite make out if this was a business, a home or maybe some kind of farm.
There was a fence and a gate, but no sign to reveal what sort of setup it was. He decided to break off pursuit. It was too late anyway. The suspect – if it was a suspect – was lost to sight and even to his keen Grimm hearing. Better return to headquarters. There wasn’t much more to be learned here.
”What happened?”
Hank raised his eyebrows at him inquiringly.
”Oh, I thought I saw someone and followed. I lost him near some kind of property on the other side of these woods.”
”Ok. Are we done here?”
”Pretty much. I’ll look into what sort of place that is, just in case.”
”Right.”
Back at the station, Nick did a search and found that the group of buildings were owned by an organization he couldn’t quite make sense of. It was no non-profit, but also no business, as far as he could tell. Perhaps it was just meant to be a home to a group of people. In the end, he only had the name of the organization which was vague and anonymous and didn’t really tell him anything.
He asked Wu to ask around, if their uniformed colleagues had anything to say about the area, but apart from the odd dumping of trash, a gang of robbers who had hidden their loot there five or six years earlier, there wasn’t really anything. Most of the officers seemed unaware that anyone lived out there.
Hank answered his phone and nodded and asked a few follow-up questions, which told Nick it was the ME calling.
”Just like it looked – our guy was strangled. Nothing else really. No DNA from any perpetrator, unfortunately. I guess that would have been too much to ask. The tox screen isn’t done yet. More test results later.”
”We’ll have the uniforms canvas the area and maybe make an appeal for witnesses. An unpromising start though. I’d like to take a closer look at that group of buildings out there. My search didn’t turn up anything so far, so I’d like to get out there and ask a few questions.”
”Ok. I can come with you if you want.”
Nick looked up and faced Hank. Was his partner really going to start acting normally again? If so, that was a relief. Even if it felt weird just thinking about it, Nick really missed his old friend, the way he used to be. What had happened – during the Wesen Blue Moon – and the serial killer/gates of hell case, was – awkward, there was no denying that, but he’d really hate for it to ruin their friendship. Especially now with Juliette gone – Who else could he count on? Monroe and Rosalie, of course, but he had no wish to intrude more than he had to on their newlywed bliss.
Sure, here at work, he also had Wu and Captain Renard, but – they weren’t that close.
They drove back out to the site and left the car not far from the actual crime scene, then walked through the wooded area towards the buildings. There was a gate, but it wasn’t locked, so they just opened it and passed through, up the driveway.
They couldn’t see anyone moving around and at first glance, they didn’t notice any activity from inside the main building. Nick walked up the front steps and knocked on the door. There was no doorbell or knocker.
Only silence greeted the knock. Nick knocked again and waited. He was beginning to think that there was no one there. Then he heard the faint sounds of footsteps approaching the door. Someone was unlocking the door.
A tall, ethereal creature was standing in the doorway regarding them impassively.
”Yes?”
Nick and Hank displayed their badges.
”I’m Nick Burkhardt and this is my colleague Hank Griffin. We’re investigating a murder. A body was found this morning not far from here.”
”Oh. Well, you’d better come in then.”
The voice gave no indication of whether their host – a man – Nick concluded after taking a closer look – had heard about the body. In fact, the voice didn’t give anything away. It was melodious and high-pitched, but not exactly feminine.
They followed their host inside. The building was very sparsely furnished. Some of the few decorations were – different. Nick wouldn’t say that they were odd, but certainly unusual. They seemed to be made from glass or crystal and were mostly translucent or white and the shapes flowing and organic.
They couldn’t see anyone else while their host ushered them into a large impersonal room that looked like a reception area.
”Were you aware that a body was found close to your land?”
”I noticed that there were many cars coming and going, so I knew something was going on, but I haven’t been that way today. We usually come by another road, out back.”
”I see. We?”
”My – associates – and I.”
”Can I ask what sort of place this is. A private home? A business?”
”We’re a community of friends who make our home here, but we also work on certain projects and some of us create these works of art that you see displayed here.”
”Right. Where are your associates?”
”Most of them are somewhere on the premises, either in this building, in one of the others or throughout the grounds, depending on what tasks they are working on.”
”Can we speak to them?”
Their host hesitated, then nodded.
”I believe a few of them are here in this building. Let me go and find them.”
Nick hesitated too. He would have liked to go and find the others, but at this point, they had real cause for suspicion and since they didn’t have a warrant, they might as well let their host make his own decisions.
A few minutes later, their host returned with three other men, who looked strangely similar to him. Were they related? Brothers, perhaps?
”Excuse me, sir -”
”Yes?”
”Are you the owner or manager of this place?”
”I sometimes speak for our community, but no one holds any position of power over anyone else.”
”Your name?”
”I’m Willem De Jong. And these are my friends Armin, Marek and Evan.”
Nick glanced at Hank, who went to speak to the first man De Jong had pointed out.
”Mr -”
”Heineke. Armin Heineke.”
”Mr Heineke. My name is Hank Griffin. I’m investigating a murder. Were you aware that a body was found not far from here?”
”A body? No. Just outside our lands?”
”Yes. You haven’t heard anything unsual? Seen any strangers?”
”No, at least not lately. Of course we always hear some of the traffic from outside, but we pay almost no attention to that. And we usually drive through the woods. I’m assuming you mean that area where people park cars or turn their cars and so on? We have heard of young people playing music there, but nothing more than usual. This morning there were more cars coming and going – your people?”
”Yes. So you have nothing to tell me?”
”I’m afraid not. We live a very secluded life out here and that’s why we come here. To find peace and quiet, away from the crowds and the noise out there.”
”Are you a religious community?”
”No. We have a similiar way of looking at life, perhaps, but we don’t share any beliefs.”
”Thank you.”
Nick questioned the man who introduced himself as Evan McNiall. He had no new information to share. Nick found it very hard to judge his veracity. Nothing indicated he was lying, but if he had been, it would have been impossible to tell. His face didn’t give anything away.
Hank moved on to question the last remaining man in the room, a Marek Janacek. Not surprisingly, he claimed not to have heard or seen anything.
Nick tried asking Willem De Jong a few more questions but found himself hampered by the lack of anything to go on. They had seen nothing, heard nothing and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Furthermore, he had the impression that the men had no interest in their questions, and were only being polite.
”Just one more thing – could we take a look around your grounds?”
Willem’s gaze passed over Nick’s face, with an unreadable look on his face, then nodded.
”By all means. I will show you around.”
There were five or six other buildings, three of which looked as if they were used for accommodation, whereas the others looked like workshops or perhaps storage units. The ones used for accommodation were unlocked and Willem showed them around. There were just a number of rooms that looked like bedrooms, and a few bathrooms.
The workshops were locked and Nick decided not to ask to have them opened, but he looked quickly through the windows. There was some sort of machinery in both of them, but also storage crates.
They saw nothing suspicious and nothing to help them further along on the case.
When they’d seen enough, they thanked De Jong and began to walk back through the trees towards their car. Nick’s Grimm senses told him someone was walking not far from them. He glanced around and caught sight of a movement out of the corner of his eye. The figure was taller and more powerfully built than the four men they’d already seen. He stopped in his tracks and listened, using his Grimm-enhanced hearing. That was definitely the sounds of footsteps retreating. Since he didn’t hear or see anything else, he and Hank just continued back to the car and got in.
He couldn’t really put a finger on why, but he wanted to find out more about the mysterious community. There was still no strong indication that they had had anything to do with the murder, but they had nothing else to go on.
On the other hand, they had no probable cause to ask for a search warrant and so far they had seen nothing suspicious. He was hoping the uniforms would have learned something useful. They would need to make an appeal to the public to identify the victim. Maybe if they knew who he was, they’d get a lead on his killer. Of course, Nick could remember a number of earlier cases that were never solved. This could very well be another. Some cases were never solved, others only when a similar case showed up, maybe ten or more years later. You never could tell.
He wanted to know Hank’s impressions.
”What do you think?”
”Weird. They look – unusual. Wesen?”
”Possibly. If so, no one showed himself. I find them extremely hard to read.”
”Me too. And they look like dancers or something. What do you think they’re really doing out there?”
”No idea. That’s what makes the whole thing so – mysterious. I’d like to know more, but I don’t really have any indication this is connected to the murder.”
”Well, we have nothing else. Let’s see if Wu’s come up with something. And we have to get an ID on the victim. That should tell us something.”
Back at the station, they learned from Wu that they hadn’t found any footage from surveillance cameras that could be connected to the area out there. It seemed unlikely that the body had been dumped by a car, unless the car had come from further outside. The main road passed by out there so that was always a possibility, but if so, they’d have almost no chance of solving this case. What if someone had just driven by, dumped the body and continued on, disappearing down the coast somewhere or had turned off inland and disappeared anywhere. The men from the community had referred to another road, which they’d also need to check out.
”Anything else?”
”Not really. Not that many people live out there and there are no businesses nearby. Just that community or whatever you called it. There were plenty of tire tracks though, so too many cars have been out there. No way of telling how close to the murder. Or rather – didn’t you say he was dumped?”
”Yes. He seems to have been dead for a while before he was placed on the ground. Actually, the ME said he hadn’t come far, because there were traces of grass and gravel that were similar to the ones on the site.”
”Which brings us back to our community. They have to know something. But I don’t see them revealing what they know. You should have seen them. No way to read their faces. No way of even telling if they’re upset or anything.”
”Weird. Should I post his photo online and ask people to come forward if they know him?”
”Yes, do that. I’ll ask Captain Renard if he wants us to go on tv. We’re getting nowhere.”
It turned out that identifying the murdered man took time. In the meantime, Nick and Hank worked a few other cases they still had on their desks and managed to close both of them, but Nick couldn’t forget the strangled man and above all, the mysterious community nearby. Did those odd men have anything to do with the murder or was it just a strange coincidence? In Nick’s experience, in police work practically nothing was coincidence, but unfortunately, it was nothing he could base his work on. There were always exceptions.
When two weeks had gone by, and they still hadn’t made much progress with the case, Nick decided he wanted to return to the community.
Strangely enough, that was when Wu’s inquiries turned up one piece of new information. Local young men – not serious criminals – but troublemakers and thugs – found it amusing to harass the community.
Nick and Hank went out to question a few of those young men. They were the kind of people who lived in trailer parks, rarely worked an honest job and in general made life miserable for their more settled neighbors.
Wu and a few of the other uniforms had rounded up three of them and had them waiting outside one of the bigger trailers. They were irritable and a bit drunk and were moving about restlessly as if they wanted to run off into the deepening dusk. Their angry glares didn’t bother Nick anymore. He’d seen hundreds of this type of guy over the years and there was nothing unique about them. Neither one of them appeared to be Wesen.
Wu and one of the other uniforms fixed the biggest guy with a peremptory gaze. Eventually, the guy shook himself edgily.
”So, Dwayne, tell me what you told me before. You and your – friends – here – like to drive by the religious community in the evenings. Tell these officers what you get up to.”
He spat out an expletive, but read the look on the officers’ faces then shrugged as if he couldn’t care less.
”They’re just a bunch of fags. We were just – having fun.”
”Having fun – how?”
Again, Dwayne shrugged, as if it was nothing to do with him.
”They’re dancing and prancing about like – and they have this weirdass music that sounds like – I don’t know – no real music. So we turn up our music and – let them know what real music sounds like. And we drive by and – ”
Again, he spat out an expletive.
”You like to break down the fence too, don’t you? And maybe – a few windows too?”
A string of colorful invective followed this suggestion, hinting that this, Dwayne didn’t like to confess to, even before Wu’s steely gaze.
”What about the men themselves? Did you attack them?”
”Stupid fags. Run like little girls.”
Nick interpret this as a sort of consent. So the local thugs liked to harass the community. The question was, how did they react to this treatment? On an impulse, he showed Dwayne and his friends the photo of the dead man, who appeared to be a bit older than them – maybe in his early to mid thirties.
They shook their heads, scowling, but Nick didn’t get the impression they were lying. Still, if one group of thugs liked to harass the men of the community, maybe others did too.
Nick nodded to Wu and the others that they were satisfied. He and Hank began to walk back to the car.
”You think our vic was one of the ones who like to come out here and harass the community?”
”It occurred to me, yes. But if so, he wasn’t part of this gang. There could be others. Especially if they have a reputation for being gay.”
The word made Nick falter for a while. But he wouldn’t let the last weird couple of months interfere with his ability to do his job. He had no reason to be embarrassed. Yeah, right. Anyway, this was a new lead for them and he intended to follow it up.
”Let’s go back and ask De Jong about these guys. Maybe something will come up. And maybe we’ll get to see some of the other members.”
”Ok.”
Hank didn’t sound enthusiastic and Nick understood. It was getting close to eight in the evening and he was sure Hank wanted to go out for a beer or go to the gym. Not hang out here in the woods and question suspects. If the members of the community were suspects. They still didn’t know anything for certain.
As they walked in among the buildings, Nick caught a haunting, plaintive sound from further into the woods behind the open space. Could this be the ‘weirdass’ music those thugs had referred to? He became curious and decided to find out.
”Can you hear that?”
Hank looked puzzled.
”Hear what?”
”A sort of – sound. Maybe that music those guys were referring to.”
”No, I can’t hear anything.”
”I want to go check it out.”
”Ok.”
They turned off into the woods and soon enough Hank began to hear the sound too.
”Really odd. Are you sure that’s music?”
”No. Let’s find out.”
A little further into the woods, they caught sight of at least a dozen men, who were – dancing – at least that was the closest Nick got when he tried to explain the activity. They were swaying to the odd sound and it almost looked as if they were interacting slightly with each other, but it was hard to associate it with the sort of dancing Nick and Hank were used to.
It was an odd, yet compelling scene. Nick was wondering if they were working some kind of magic. In a way, it was a beautiful scene and though Nick could see why those thugs had referred to the men as a ‘bunch of fags’ there was a sort of wildness to the dancing, if that was what it was, that was far from feminine. At least in the traditional sense.
As they were watching, the sound died down and the men stopped dancing. A few of them were leaning on each other, braiding their fingers into each others’. Some were holding each other and it was hard to escape the conclusion that many of them were actually lovers.
They were filing back towards the house and on the way, they passed Nick and Hank so the officers moved back into the woods to avoid being seen. When the group had disappeared into their various buildings, Nick and Hank walked up to the main building. Again, it seemed strangely empty, but after a while De Jong came to open and let them in.
”We have some new information that we’d like to ask you about, if you don’t mind.”
De Jong nodded seemingly without emotion.
When he didn’t say anything more, Nick went on.
”It has come to our attention, that groups of young men have been harassing your people. Do you have anything to say about that?”
De Jong appeared to be thinking over his reply, then nodded again.
”Yes, sometimes they come here and – disturb us. It hasn’t been that many times and there has been very little material damage, but of course it upsets our members. After all, we came out here for the peace and quiet.”
”I see. And no one has been injured?”
”No, not so far. We try to keep the area fenced in, but sometimes they break through.”
Again, the replies seemed strangely unsatisfactory. It was as if they were still learning nothing. Going nowhere with this case.
”Can we question some more of your members?”
”I don’t see the point. Are we suspected of any crime?”
”We’re just trying to get more information. I was wondering – I’m sure you’d like these attacks to stop.”
”Of course.”
”If you like, I could come out here and stay with you for a few nights and keep an eye on the grounds. Do you accept visitors from outside?”
De Jong appeared to be thinking and his reply took longer this time.
”Well – mostly we are joined by those who wish to be a part of our community, but we have had a few short term visitors. But -”
”But what?”
”They’re usually – like us.”
Nick was wondering if De Jong meant thin and ethereal? Dancers? Artists? Or gays? He was trying to think of a way to ask without sounding politically incorrect, but couldn’t come up with anything.
”So you think the other members will find my presence odd?”
”Perhaps not. We do have different types of members. You will meet them all sooner or later, if you stay here for a few days.”
Hank stared at Nick, as if he was wondering if he’d taken leave of his senses.
”I’ll be back later.”
”We’ll have a room prepared for you.”
On the way back to the city Hank couldn’t help asking Nick about his decision.
”What are you thinking?”
”I was curious and I don’t think we’re getting anywhere so – maybe this is the way to find out more.”
”Hm. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”
Nick laughed humorlessly.
”Thanks. I think.”
”You know what I mean. I don’t condone what those thugs were doing, you know that, but – they’re right about one thing – they all look like they’re gay. Ok, I’ve said it. And besides, they also look like dancers and artists and – you know. You look like a cop. And maybe a Grimm. If they’re Wesen.”
”I know. I hope I’ll still be able to learn something.”
”Rather you than me.”
Nick sighed. Yes, this was a long shot and he wasn’t at all sure it was the right thing to do, but they’d been getting nowhere. At least he was pretty sure he’d find out more about the community, if not the case.
He had a feeling that the community had members who were Wesen – in fact – he was beginning to suspect that they might all be Wesen. That was the real reason for his interest. But he still wasn’t sure if it was connected to their murder. Perhaps he would find out.
He packed a bag and said goodbye to Hank, who looked at him as if he was crazy. Nick was wondering if he should have asked Wu to join him, but decided that the fewer they were the less they’d stand out. If he found something, he could always call for backup, in which case he’d probably ask both Wu and Hank.
”I’ll take my car.”
”Ok. You do that. Stay in touch.”
”Will do.”
By now, it was completely dark. Nick was wondering if maybe he should have waited until the next morning, but it was too late to change his mind now. He was hoping he’d get to see more members of the community. In fact, he’d ask De Jong for a member list.
When he returned, only De Jong seemed to be awake. He showed Nick to a room upstairs. Unlike most of the other rooms, this one only had two beds, one of which wasn’t made up.
”Thanks. Do you have a list of all your members?”
”No. It doesn’t work that way. Some people come and go. At the moment there’s about twenty of us, but a few years ago, we were only twelve. At one time, we were over thirty. It varies.”
”Right. I’d like to see more of your members tomorrow, if that’s ok.”
”I could take you around to the workshops. Some of our members are seeking solitude for meditation, so I can’t disturb them. But our artisans will not mind you observing their work. They take a great deal of pride in their work.”
”Thank you.”
”Your – colleague?”
”Hank? Yes, what about him?”
”Are you – is he -”
It was as if De Jong was willing Nick to tell him something and Nick had a feeling De Jong was sensing something about them that – Surely that was nonsense. How could anyone know about what they’d been forced to do?
”He’s my partner. We’ve worked together for many years. He’s a good friend.”
De Jong nodded and withdrew. Nick had a feeling he hadn’t quite believed him.
There was a deep silence in the house that wasn’t in any way threatening, but all the same it felt odd. Nick wasn’t used to such silence anywhere in the city. It was as if he was in another world. At least it was easy to fall asleep. The following morning, he woke up with a start, briefly not knowing where he was. When he remembered, he hastily got up and got ready.
Downstairs, he found his host seemingly waiting for him.
”Breakfast is being served – in here.”
He led Nick towards a large well lit dining hall, where about a dozen men, most looking strangely similar to De Jong, were having breakfast. The food served was nothing out of the ordinary. Fresh bread, coffee, orange juice. But Nick was more interested in the men. Three of them were far more sturdily built than the others. Where the others reminded Nick of dancers, these seemed to have some other trade. Perhaps these were the artisans De Jong had mentioned the night before.
De Jong waited politely until Nick had had his breakfast, then asked if he wanted to tour the workshops. He thanked De Jong and followed him outside. The members of the community had been studying him with something like curiosity, if that wasn’t his imagination. They had certainly been looking him over, but what they thought wasn’t very clear.
Just as Nick had guessed, the three sturdily built men were artisans and in one of the workshop buildings they were hard at work, creating those strange ornaments – vases? lamps? – they had seen before. It seemed they were made of glass, after all. Nick had never seen anything like them before. Even the artisans themselves were unusual. They had low foreheads, long arms and enormous hands. Their strength seemed formidable. Nick was glad they didn’t transform into some sort of troll as he was watching. All three of them might have been far more than a match for even a Grimm.
In the other workshop, the material the vases or lamps were made from was prepared.
”Have you seen enough?”
”Yes, thank you. What about your other members? What do they do?”
”A few have office duties up at the main building. Others are scholars. You understand that I can’t disturb their work in the middle of the day. At dinner you might ask them about their work, yourself. As I mentioned before, a few are also meditating on their own. They most likely won’t join us for dinner.”
”I see.”
”I can take you to see our office. You may speak to the clerks if you like.”
”Thank you.”
The two men who were working in the office were thin and ethereal like most of the others, but had an unmistakable look of bureaucrats. One of them even wore glasses.
”This is our office manager, Mortimer Soames. And this is our clerk Li-Chen.”
”Can you tell me anything about the men who have been attacking you?”
Soames looked up from his work and gazed at Nick with that weird unreadable look.
”What can I tell you? I have been the victim of one such attack. It wasn’t serious, yet it felt disturbing, because this is supposed to be our safe haven.”
”What happened to the men afterwards?”
”When they tired of tormenting us, they left. They usually don’t stay long.”
”Mr Li?”
”Yes?”
”Is there anything else you can tell me?”
”No, not really. They seem to be mainly young men who are intent on causing trouble. Not dangerous, just destructive.”
Nick nodded, feeling exasperated. These men were seemingly cooperating fully, yet he felt as if he wasn’t learning anything or at least that he was missing something. He didn’t know what questions to ask these men to finally get some more information.
”Thank you. I have no further questions at the moment.”
He decided to be blunt with De Jong.
”Did you kill the man we found outside your land?”
De Jong waited so long to reply that Nick was beginning to think he wasn’t going to. Again, it might have been his imagination, but surely this was a sign of surprise or even dismay?
”No, I did not.”
”To your knowledge, did one of your members?”
”These men come here to seek refuge from the outside world. They are peaceful men who only want solitude and safety.”
”Answer my question, please.”
”To my knowledge, no.”
It sounded as if De Jong might have had more to say, but Nick didn’t know of any way to make him talk, other than dragging him back with him to the precinct. At this point, he didn’t feel he had enough to go on. It was all just a vague suspicion and he had nothing solid to base it on. He wasn’t even sure he did suspect these men, but there was something about the attacks that had to be connected to the murder.
In the evening, after dinner, when Nick had managed to speak to four more of the men, with the same inconclusive results, he was invited along to witness the dance. It wasn’t until he was standing in the clearing along with the other men, that he realized he was being invited to join them. He held out his hands to politely decline. De Jong pointed towards a rough wooden bench where he could sit down and watch the dance.
To Nick’s surprise, De Jong joined him.
”Your friend should be here. It’s not right for you to be alone.”
”Excuse me?”
Nick sputtered. What was De Jong hinting.
”You know what I mean. Everyone has a perfect match, a mate. You are alone. A man alone lacks balance. Your friend should be by your side.”
”I’ll be fine.”
Nick was beginning to think he had probably found out as much as he could. Maybe it was time to return to the city. This was getting weird. He could tell that most of the men dancing were couples. Fine. None of his business. But De Jong was sitting there hinting that he and Hank – it made his skin crawl, not only with embarrassment, but also with a sense that De Jong was seeing right through him, maybe even knew he was a Grimm.
”Very well. If your friend isn’t going to join you, I will find another partner for you. Tonight is a night for joining. There is a young man here who has no partner, so far. He will be glad to join with you.”
”Now, wait a minute. I’m not here to – uh – join anyone.”
”The members of my community will understand that you’re not a new members seeking to join us but an outsider who is here to expose our secrets.”
”Perhaps I should leave.”
De Jong bowed slightly as if hinting that perhaps that was the best course of action. It was frustrating, because Nick felt that he was on the verge of learning something. He needed to speak to the artisans again. They didn’t join the dance so they weren’t present in the clearing.
”Can I speak to the artisans again?”
De Jong got up to escort him back towards the buildings. The artisans were in one of the smaller buildings close to the workshops. Just as Nick had feared, they were paired up, two and two. There were six of them altogether. Nick fidgeted. not sure how to proceed. He decided to be direct.
”Can you tell me anything about the men who have been attacking you here?”
One of the artisans got up abruptly, suddenly towering over Nick in a rather menacing way.
”They want to destroy that which they don’t understand.”
”Did you kill one of them?”
”They come here to attack us. Should we not defend ourselves?”
Now the other five were also standing up, all pressing close to Nick in a way that he couldn’t help but interpret as hostile. He backed off a few paces.
”It’s understandable. Self defence. But killing an unarmed man -”
De Jong moved in between them with a smooth movement.
”Mr Burkhardt. If you wish to remain here, I suggest you bring your friend here or let me -”
”I – will be back later.”
Nick hadn’t brought any of his Grimm weapons and with only his handgun, he didn’t feel it was the right time to try to apprehend six huge troll-like men. Or Wesen?
Maybe it was time to ask Monroe out here.
He called Hank and Wu on the way back, asking for reinforcements, then called Monroe.
”Hey, Nick. What’s up?”
”I’m investigating a murder and came across a group of men living together in a community. They’re mostly – kind of elf-like. Tall, thin, ethereal. Then there are some that are far more sturdy and muscular. Kind of like – trolls.”
”Wesen?”
”I was hoping you could tell me that. If so they haven’t revealed themselves to me. I’m still not sure, though I have a feeling.”
”Want me to come out there?”
”If you would.”
”Rosalie is busy, but she doesn’t need my help so I can be there in an hour.”
”Thanks, that’s very kind of you.”
Nick gave Monroe the directions, then stopped by the precinct. Hank wasn’t there, as he knew, but Wu was still working, or at the moment, having a cup of coffee.
”How many men do you need?”
”How many are available?”
”There’s me and three others, but we can’t leave this place completely empty.”
”You and one more then.”
”Ok. Do I have time to finish my coffee?”
”Sure. You know the way out there. I’ll get back to the house and give Hank a ride.”
Nick was hoping it was his imagination, but Wu gave him a look that to Nick seemed to hint at a secret knowledge. Sure, Wu knew about what he and Hank had had to do, but Nick was sincerely hoping he was buying into the cover story that he and Hank was just sharing the house. Which, in a way, they did.
He left hurriedly to avoid further speculation.
By the time they got to the house, Hank was ready.
Nick thought he’d better warn Hank. If De Jong started talking about ‘joining’ again, he knew Hank would have wanted to know in advance.
”Uh – I just thought I’d mention that De Jong is hinting at some sort of ‘joining’ tonight. He wanted me to – uh – join with someone. Preferably you. He had some idea about us. I think I know who killed our vic, so we need to get back there, but – well -”
”Hey, I’m not joining with anyone.”
”Of course not. We’ll just take our suspects and go. But unlike most of those guys out there, these are really big. And there’s six of them, but one of them is more aggressive. I think it might be a case of self defence – that went too far.”
”Yeah, but strangulation? Oh, well, I guess we’ll find out. How many uniforms did you get?”
”Just two. Wu and one more.”
”Isn’t that a bit – risky?”
”There are only two more at the precinct at the moment. Busy night. I did ask Monroe out there to see if he can find out if it’s Wesen we are dealing with.”
”Ok. Then I guess we’ll have to manage.”
Half an hour later, all four police officers and Monroe met outside the community’s land and began walking up to the main building together.
De Jong met them at the door. Apparently, they were all inside the main building.
”You are just in time for the joining.”
”Listen, we’re not here to – we’d like to question your – artisans.”
De Jong suddenly looked frustrated, if that wasn’t just in their imagination.
”Very well. After the ritual.”
”We’re police officers, we aren’t here to join in anything.”
”Then sit at the edges of the room and observe. The ritual should fill its purpose anyway. Do not interfere or disturb us.”
”Is he saying what I think he’s saying?”
”I don’t know. I also don’t want to wait. We’ll just try to get the artisans outside and -”
”Nick -”
”Yes?”
Monroe was staring at the members of the community, eyes wide and mouth slightly open.
”Those big guys – they’re definitely Wesen. Just like you said, a sort of troll. The others – I’m pretty sure they are Wesen too, but I can’t say exactly which kind. There are at least three types of – uh – elf-like Wesen – four if you count the – ”
”Ok, that’s what I wanted to know. Be prepared to – change. This could get ugly.”
”Can’t we just wait outside? I have a feeling these guys aren’t going to take kindly to being interrupted and I’d rather not sit here and watch them all – join.”
”Me neither.”
Hank didn’t hesitate. He walked out into the waiting are outside and sat down. Nick and the others joined him. De Jong didn’t try to stop them. Nick’s skin was crawling. He had come here to make an arrest, or at least to question the suspects. Now he was forced to wait for a ritual of a particularly embarrassing kind to play out before he could get on with his work. He was already wondering how he’d fill out his report. How did he put anything like this into a formal police report?
The ritual, regardless of what it consisted of, took the best part of an hour. Afterwards, the men began to file out, two and two together, looking embarrassingly intimate. Last of all, De Jong came outside.
”The ritual was a great success. Our community is safeguarded for another month. Now, would you like to follow me? I’ll take you to the artisans’ quarters. But I can hardly believe any of our members would be guilty of murder.”
”Even in self defence?”
De Jong hesitated.
”I suppose I can’t say for sure. We have been under pressure for the last couple of months. The attacks have begun to disturb our rituals.”
The artisans were in their quarters, and it couldn’t be Nick’s imagination that they all looked hostile at his approach.
”I would like you to come with us back to the precinct for further questioning.”
The biggest of the artisans got up abruptly, towering over Nick.
”You have no right. We – must be allowed to defend ourselves.”
”Is that what happened? You were attacked and – somehow – while you were defending yourselves, that man was killed?”
”He came here to kill us. There were five of them. Armed. Said that they couldn’t let abominations like us live.”
”So you killed him?”
Suddenly, the big artisan’s face twisted into something else entirely. To Nick it was all too familiar. No one else reacted, except Monroe and De Jong, who also transformed. De Jong’s already ethereal face became even more so. He was definitely Wesen and extremely elf-like, like something straight out of a fairy tale. All Wesen transformed, then began to back off from Nick. His Grimm eyes had given him away again.
”Hey, take it easy. I’m not here to kill anyone. Just come along peacefully and there will be no trouble.”
To his surprise, the artisans backed down. None of them appeared about to launch himself into a fight.
”It was self defence”, the largest one repeated.
”We’ll take that into account.”
In the end, it was that easy. So Nick’s hunch had paid off. Not really a first degree murder, then, but some kind of second degree murder or even manslaughter. At the bottom of all this was a hate crime. A bunch of thugs who had come to attack a group of homosexual men, Wesen or not. They would most likely never know now if the dead man and his friends were Wesen too.
Wu called for a few vans to take the huge artisans back to the precinct. De Jong, rather surprisingly, for a man so ethereal, called a legal representative to assist the artisans. It was as if the whole image shifted again. Suddenly, it wasn’t just a group of elves performing some sort of sexual magic, it was just a community of men who had sought refuge outside the city to be allowed to be who they were.
”I assure you, mr Burkhardt – Grimm – that I didn’t know about the killing.”
Nick nodded. He couldn’t tell if De Jong was sincere or not, but he looked at Monroe, who seemed to believe the elven man’s words. Why should he have known, unless he was present? Nick found himself believing in De Jong too. He also had no reason to doubt the big artisan’s story either. They were under attack by a group of men intent to kill what they couldn’t understand. Anyone would have been inclined to use violence to defend themselves.
Wu and the other uniform escorted the now calm and docile artisans into the waiting vans, then disappeared in their own car. That left Nick and Hank and Monroe – but Monroe was late for dinner with Rosalie, so he left after Nick had thanked him for his help.
De Jong studied them both closely for so long, Nick felt his cheeks heat up. He was pretty sure Hank was just as uncomfortable as he was.
”Your commitment helped the ceremony tonight. We are grateful. The other men are not partnered?”
”They work together, but I don’t think they’re very close friends.”
”I see. And your other friend is paired. I sensed it.”
”Yes, he’s married.”
Again, Nick had an eerie feeling De Jong could see right through them.
”They too have a strong commitment. That is well.”
Nick reminded himself to tell Monroe that De Jong approved of his and Rosalie’s marriage. He was sure Monroe would get a kick out of that. Of course anyone who knew Monroe and Rosalie could tell that they did have a good marriage. They were lucky. Nick felt his eyes sting when he briefly remembered what he and Juliette had had. It was too late for that. He only wished everyone wouldn’t keep assuming he and Hank were –
”Thank you for your assistance, mr De Jong.”
”No, thank you. This is a distressing incident, but – I realize the law has to be followed.”
”Now that we know about the harassment you are suffering, we will send uniformed police out here to keep an eye on things. But the next time you’re under attack, call us. We’ll deal with the attackers. It’s our job.”
”Thank you. We will. I always thought that police officers and indeed Grimms were -”
”Yes, I get that a lot. I’m not that kind of Grimm. Or that kind of cop.”
De Jong once more bowed then stood and watched as Nick and Hank got into Nick’s car and drove off.
Nick didn’t know what to say, so he drove most of the way in silence. Just as he was parking outside the house, he heard Hank draw in breath to speak. Here it came.
”What did you tell him – about – us – I mean – about – you know.”
”Nothing. He kept saying that being alone meant being out of balance and that we should be together. I kept trying to tell him that – he misunderstood – but he was insistent. If I hadn’t left when I had, he would have paired me up with someone else.”
”Damn. I told you not to go out there.”
”It worked out, didn’t it? I found the killer.”
”Ok, fine. But what kind of place is that anyway?”
”Just a home and place of work for a group of men who want to get away from the outside world. To live in peace.”
”And to work a little magic too, right?”
”Something like that, I guess.”
”Weird magic.”
Hank shuddered at the thought.
”Yes, weird to us. They seem happy.”
”Yeah, you’re right. None of our business.”
”So, back to the desk to file our report?”
”You do that. I wasn’t around for most of it.”
”Fine. I’ll do it. Then you get us dinner.”
”Why me? Oh, ok. I’ll call for takeout. Just don’t expect me to fill in for Juliette. I had enough of that kind of thing when I was married.”
”Yeah. Whatever. I’d better let Captain Renard know as well. If he’s still here.”
”If he isn’t, he’ll just read the report tomorrow. Get a move on. I’m hungry.”
”Ok. I’ll be quick about it.”
Wu came to tell them that he’d locked all six up downstairs, in two different cells and that they were waiting for their legal representative.
”I guess he’ll get them bail. Did you take their statements?”
”Sure did. They got quite talkative in the end. Turns out they were all there when it happened.”
”Oh. Well, just file the paperwork and we can be out of here.”
”If only. I work the night shift tonight, remember?”
”Sorry, Wu, I’d forgotten. Oh, well, see you later then. I have a report to fill out. Oh, is Renard still here?”
”I haven’t seen him, so probably not.”
”Right.”
Nick hastily filled out the report, hoping there wouldn’t be too many typos in it. It was late. He was tired. It had been a weird case, just like Hank said. There. Finally done.
”Ready to go?”
”Yes, the takeout is on its way.”
”Great. Well, we got this case sewed up.”
”You mean, you did.”
Nick shrugged. He was tired. It was time to get away from work and have some dinner and get some rest.
He had to admit that with Juliette gone, it felt good to have someone else around the house. Being room mates wasn’t that bad. House mates. The room mate thing was just a bit too much. Having dinner together and watching tv was fine.
He was hoping no one would call with a new case before morning. Tonight he really needed his rest. When they got to the front door, the delivery guy was already there with their takeout. But he really should do some cooking. When Juliette was still around –
But she wasn’t and things were different now and he just had to learn to accept that somehow. At least he had a partner to watch his back. And Hank knew how to cook. They really should work on that. Monroe and Rosalie were always cooking together. But that didn’t mean – Nick was too tired to finish the thought. At least he’d solved the case, just like Hank had said. And now he’d get some rest.
FIN
© Tonica