...And The Big Bad Wolf

Dinner time was crowded. Most of the family in town was at Luc's house by early afternoon. Meg brought food home to augment what Ginny and Vivien were cooking. When the kids came home, they cuddled Fezzik until the poor dog fell asleep as the kids watched cartoons. Andrew updated Vivien on the house and brought her her laptop. David and Seth were the last ones in. Andrew, Luc and Patrick pulled them over into a corner to talk.

"Any news?" asked Andrew.

"None. Ted gave us info, but it was a dead end. Lysol on everything and nothing left behind. Not even any good prints," said Seth.

"The only real lead we have is that Ted was sleeping rough or in a homeless shelter. We've got a couple of guys working that angle," explained David.

"That would make for interesting recruiting. Anyone you wanted to use could be discredited rather easily," said Luc. Patrick and Andrew nodded. Most of the homeless shelters around town were filled with people who weren't that picky about where their next dinner or dollar came from.

"Did you draw up a list of people who aren't happy with shifters?" asked David.

"Yeah. I came up with the same ten groups. Not one of them has been active lately." Luc sighed.

"We'll find them." Patrick said with a growl in his voice.

Joey got the plans from his sister. Said he wanted them so that he could study up to apply for a janitorial job. The man with the computer had been happy enough to give him a $50 bonus.

(10)

Buttercup bit Max and then growled at Val. Cal growled at Buttercup and within two minutes, all three dogs were on their backs waiting for belly rubs. Pete had put up netting across the top of the fences to discourage any more treats being lobbed over the fence.

"That was quick," Luc said as he watched the three dogs begin to patrol the fence.

"Yeah. Buttercup is a real bitch, but she misses Fezzik." Cal watched the dogs for a minute and then turned back to Luc. "Any leads?"

"No. David and Seth says it's gone real quiet. Not sure if this is a good thing or not. Andrew and Vivien moved back into their house. Ginny, Patrick, the kids, Sandy and Jesse all went with them. Have to admit I'm looking forward to a bit of quiet tonight."

"I bet. Elliot and Linsey are going to miss the three monsters though."

"No, they went with Ginny. The women figured it would be easier to keep track of all the kids if they were under one roof. Andrew's house is pretty big, what with that apartment upstairs."

Cal thought about it for a second. "I guess you're right. You going back to work?"

"Yes. I've got about ten minutes of my lunch hour left." Luc took one last look at the dogs and headed to the schools.

Joey wasn't sure he liked this latest idea of his boss. The money was good, but there were just things you didn't do. When he voiced his concerns, the man gave him $100 and told him to get lost. Joey pocketed the money and went to get a few beers before he went home. His sister would be pissed, but he'd find a job tomorrow or the next day.

Three hours later, Joey walked out of the bar and wove his way to the nearest bus stop. Leaning up against the bench, he didn't realize that anyone was behind him until the hands were on his head. There was a quick wrenching pain and then nothing.

The man at the computer told Derek to keep the $85 he'd taken from Joey's pocket. Then he gave him the folder with information and explained what he needed done. Derek smiled, read through the stuff in the folder, took a few notes and then handed it back.

"Are you clear on what I want done?"

"Yeah. Easy. Did plenty of these in 'Ghanistan. Tomorrow work for you?"

"Yes. Check back in when you're finished."

"Right." Derek nodded, and then left.

The man smiled. "Nits breed lice" he thought as he typed information on his laptop.

"Notice anything?" Seth asked David as they examined the corpse.

"Yeah. Aftershave. Any bets this was our graffiti artist?"

"No, none. Look at the shoes." Seth pointed to the edge of the sole.

"Damn. Red spray paint. Bigger question though. Was this random? Or did our real asshole have him killed?"

"You tell me?" Seth stood up and backed off so that the EMT's could move the body.

"Tell you what. You go tell Luc that things just went weird, and I'll head over to our local homeless shelter and see who got hired for a day job lately."

Seth nodded. "See you in a bit."

Vivien was laying down, trying to rest. Morning sickness was turning into afternoon sickness, and all the tension of the last few days was getting to her. Andrew had gone into work for a few hours while Ginny took the kids to the movies. Patrick was in the kitchen cooking when Seth walked in.

"How's it going?"

"Not good. We have a new resident at the morgue. Smells of Axe, and has red spraypaint on his shoes."

"Shit."

"Yeah. Whoever this is has a real hard on for shifters, and is willing to kill to keep people quiet."

"You think the guy behind all of this, had the guy killed?"

"Probably. Doesn't make sense otherwise. As far as we know, the corpse is a minor player. Just bright enough to hold the door during a bank robbery. The station is hunting around to see if he has any kin in town."

"Luc know?" Patrick stirred the meat and checked on the beans. It was taco night.

"Yes. Saw him first. What we can't figure out is who the target is. Is it just shifters in general, or is it Andrew?"

Patrick nodded. "Ginny's at Tinseltown with the kids. Will you go check on them?"

"Sure. What are they seeing?"

"Frozen. What else?"

The two men laughed. When Seth left, Patrick locked the door behind him. When he turned, he found Vivien in the doorway.

"I thought you were napping."

"Heard voices."

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough. Who is doing this?"

"I don't know. Wish I did. That way, we could kill them and get on with life." He walked over and gave Vivien a hug.

Andrew checked on the store, worked on an order for a client and then left the shop in Becky's capable hands. He walked towards the movie theater where he knew Ginny and the kids should be finishing up with the movie. As he stood there waiting, Seth walked up.

"Everything alright at home?" Andrew asked a little anxiously.

"Yes. Just updated Patrick on the latest." Seth then spent ten minutes bringing Andrew up to speed.

"Damn. Maybe, maybe we should move the kids. Take them up to George and Angie's."

"I'm not sure. I get the feeling that this whole thing is just about to hit the boiling point. What I can't figure out is who is next."

"Luc, Patrick and I tried to figure that out the other night. We couldn't figure it out. Everyone is accounted for that has a screw loose." Andrew scanned the crowd as people began to pour out of the theater. He waved at Ginny, who was herding the children with the help of 'Solde. He pulled Ginny aside for a moment and explained what was going on. They decided to convoy home.

(11)

Derek tugged the coverall over his clothes. He was now a HVAC service technician named Bill. Picking up the tool box, he headed for the school entrance. Following the signs, he headed for the office. "Hi! I'm here to check on the HVAC system."

The secretary looked up to see a smiling face. "Hi. Sign in here please. I didn't know we had a service call in. Charles or Luc usually let us know."

"Ah, Central office called me. Said we needed to do some sort of annual check. You know. Stupid stuff. " He grinned at her.

"Yeah. HVAC room is just down that hall, across from the library." She handed him a sticker that said 'Visitor Pass' on it.

"Thanks." He put the sticker on his shirt, picked up his tool box and headed down the hall. He went into the HVAC room and poked around for a few minutes. Then he headed down the hall, checking out things as he went. Whenever anyone passed him, he smiled and then stared at the ceiling vents. It took him forty-five minutes to do a full circuit. The cameras went in quickly. Once he was done, he went back to the HVAC room. Hooking the cameras into the system was another twenty minutes and once he activated them, he smiled and left.

"See you later sweetheart!" he called as he headed past the office. The secretary waved and went back to her paperwork. When he got to the van, he carefully saved the visitor's pass. Then he pulled out the cell phone that he'd been given and called.

The man at the computer answered the phone on the third ring. "Yes?"

"The cameras are installed," said Derek.

"Good. Hold on a moment." He turned to his computer and opened a program. He smiled as the cameras showed students moving through the halls. "I'll have your money ready when you stop by."

"See you in a bit." Derek started his van and headed into town.

"Are you sure you don't want us to take the kids up a week early?" asked Ginny.

"No. I know it sounds stupid, but I don't want them to miss school." Meg looked over at the kids playing on the grass.

Ginny nodded. "I understand. Letting Sara and the boys out of anything is never a good idea. I have enough trouble keeping them in line as it is. At least Andrew's house is big enough for everyone."

It was Meg's turn to nod looking back at Andrew's house. Vivien waved from the front porch. "I never thought we'd run out of room. Having half the pack there and shifted certainly made it feel crowded."

"I agree. Now I understand why the family had all those big houses. Emergencies make for strange bedding arrangements."

Meg giggled.

The two men were laughing. $50 a piece to go flatten some tires. They moved quietly down the alley as the women and children played on the front lawn. It took less than five minutes with the little tool the guy had given them. They threw the valve stems out onto the street as they walked away.

The wolves circled the house. The pups and mates were asleep. One wolf sniffed at the ground. He growled, and followed a trail that lead back between the buildings. The scent faded quickly. He huffed as he rejoined the other wolves.

(12)

Ginny scowled as she looked at the flat tires. Eight of them. She dialed Luc's number as she headed back into the house. "Luc," she said once he answered. "I've got flat tires. Yes, tires. Eight of them. Can you come pick up the kids on your way to work? Thanks."

Patrick looked at Ginny as she thundered back into the kitchen. "What's the matter?"

"Someone removed the valve stems from all the tires."

"That explains what Jesse smelled last night."

"Oh? And no one went to look?" Ginny was getting that 'I'm going to kill something' look on her face.

"Ginny, calm down. He did report it. I was going to look after the kids went to school."

"Fine. Luc will be here to pick up the kids in about ten minutes."

Patrick nodded and headed outside to look at the flat tires. Ginny called the local garage and arranged for them to come out and repair the tires.

The man at the computer watched the doorways to the classes. He smiled as he watched Luc come in with children in three different classes. He made screen shots of the kids as Luc left each set. Picking up the phone, he made a call.

"Luc!"

"Yes Sally?"

"I wanted to let you know that the kids weren't marked late."

"Thanks."

"Oh, and the HVAC guy was here yesterday. Thought I'd let you know."

"HVAC? We didn't have any service tickets in to them." Luc looked puzzled and then the hairs began to crawl on the back of his neck. "Did he say what they were doing?"

"Some sort of annual service check."

"Okay. I'll check with the company later and see if there are any updates." Luc left the office and headed for the tech office. Charles was at his desk going through invoices. Luc came in, looked around the room and shut the door.

"Hi Luc."

"Charles, did you ask the HVAC guys to come in for an annual service check?"

"No, why?"

"Sally says that a guy was here, did some work and left."

"That sounds odd."

"Did to me too. I'm going to check the network." Luc sat down at his computer and logged into the system. After ten minutes, he turned to Charles. "Umm... we have some interesting traffic."

Charles stood up, and came over to where Luc sat. "Yeah. There are eight new Mac addresses. What the hell?"

"Would you go check, while I monitor the system?"

"Sure Luc. This is just weird." Charles grabbed his radio and headed for the HVAC room.

Luc kept an eye on the system and picked up his phone. He made two calls. One to Patrick and the second one to David.

David and Seth went down to the homeless shelter that had been mentioned by Ted. They spent ten minutes fighting the red tape in the office and gave up. As they left, a man smelling more like a vat of wine than human walked over.

"Yous guys lookin' for the bossman?"

"Who?"

"The guy whats hires us bums. Gives us jobs and even pays." The man belched and the fumes of cheap wine filled the room.

"Yeah. Here he's real good to you guys." David watched the wino while Seth moved to make sure the residential aide didn't walk over and interfere.

"Sure nuff is. Gave me and George over there $50 to go pull a bunch of them stems outta tires." The man smiled.

"Where can we find him?" David asked as nonchalantly as he could.

"Weez seen him at the church roun' da corner. Seez ya after breakfast. Yous comes by then, an he be dere." The wino nodded with authority.

"Thanks. Here's a tenner for your trouble." David handed the guy a bill and then motioned to Seth. The two of them left quickly.

Charles walked around the halls and checked a number of rooms. Then he headed back to the tech office. Once he got there, he motioned for Luc to come outside with him. When they were next to Charles' truck, he put down the radio, his phone and then moved a little farther away. Luc left his phone on the tailgate too.

"What's going on?"

"Luc, we have eight or ten cameras in place. All facing classrooms, including where your kids are. Slick job. I was afraid to say anything on the radio."

"That explains this," Luc said pointing to the pile of electronics on the tailgate.

"Yeah. It may be nothing, but hell, it makes me nervous."

"Question is, who's using the cameras."

"I don't know. They aren't part of our normal surveillance system. That was the first thing I checked."

Luc thought for a moment. "We need to break one and see who comes looking for it. Whoever did install the cameras isn't going to move today. That gives us time."

Charles nodded. "But what about the kids?"

"Hmm... we either have the kids move through the connecting bathrooms, or we pull the fire alarm. Which is it going to be?" Luc wanted to charge in right now and pull the kids out, but knew that wouldn't be the right thing to do. They had to catch the guy.

"I... I don't know." Charles was nervous, but trying to think. "Umm... Sara and the boys have library time in a few minutes. I could move them out then. But what about the twins?"

"Connecting bathrooms. You go into the PreK room and talk to the teacher. She can get the kids. That way, whoever is watching won't see me."

They talked for a few more minutes and then began to move. Luc called Patrick and then Seth. Then he went into the HVAC room through the back door. Once inside, he checked the various connections the 'tech' had added. He pulled the mac address of the camera on the room near the twins. Then he went back out the way he'd come in. Once he was back in the office, he blocked the mac address of the one camera and watched the network. Sure enough, the 'down' camera was singing home. He smiled and waited. Then, ten minutes later, he flipped the switch on the Internet filter system. It triggered a lock down of the system. Luc then went to help Charles.

"Damn!" cursed the man at the computer. One minute, the system was up and running, the next it glitched. A few moments after that, the whole system locked up. He called Derek's number. Derek arrived fifteen minutes later.

"What's the matter?"

"Your system is borked up."

Derek moved in to look at the displays on the computer. He flipped through a few web pages and then relaxed in the chair. "Don't worry. Seems some 8^th grader was trying to cruise porn and flipped all of the security protocols. Normal shit. Happens all the time. In fact, I'm surprised it took this long. But, to ease your mind, I'll slip on the HVAC suit and go down for a hands on check. Anything you want me to do?"

"No. Just get it done." The man was gritting his teeth.

(13)

Charles walked into the library and got the attention of the teacher. He explained that he needed Ivan, Joe and Sara to come with him. She nodded and sorted the three out as she sent students to different parts of the library. Charles thanked her and took the threesome with him out the back door and down a hall where he knew there were no cameras. Once they were back in the tech office, he explained that their uncle wanted them to wait quietly.

"Are there bad men in the school?" Sara asked.

Charles thought for a moment. "No, not at the moment, but your Uncle Luc is concerned. I need you to stay here while I go get the twins." He started to leave when Sara stopped him.

"If there are bad guys, they will see you and Unky Wolfy. Seeing a kid won't make them nervous."

"You've got a point. But, they have cameras up and I'm not sure about this."

Sara just sighed. "You need Elliot and Linsey. You going into the bathroom next door?"

"Yes."

"They have music in a few minutes. It would be safer to get them out of the music room."

Charles blinked. It stung a little to be out thought by a nine year old, but he had to admit that she was right. He started to speak.

"An I can get them faster."

"Sara, I... I can't let you do that."

"Yes you can. It would be safer. No one looks at kids."

Charles thought about it for a moment. He knew that Luc would be back from the HVAC room in a minute, and he was nervous about leaving the three alone. "No Sara, I can't let you do that."

"Let her do what?" asked Luc as he came into the room.

"Let her go get the twins," said Charles. "I was worried about leaving these three to get the others."

"Didn't think about that." Luc looked from Charles to Sara. "Sara, you really think you can get the twins?"

"Yes. Where are the cameras?"

Charles drew a quick sketch on the dry write board. "They are here, here and two there."

Sara looked at the drawing. "They go right by them into the music room. We could get them in the music room. But Unky Wolfy, what about all the other kids? If the bad guys come, they will hurt the kids left behind."

Luc looked at Charles. "Don't you hate it when they're right?"

Charles nodded. "What now?"

Derek smiled as he walked towards the school. He had put the visitor's pass back on his coverall and walked in a side door. He smiled as he passed teachers and students on his way to the HVAC room. Once inside, he checked the camera. The Internet system was still down, but he knew that often took a few hours to reboot. The camera seemed to be working, but just in case, he figured he'd add a new camera. He stepped out the door and headed towards the dead camera.

David and Seth were heading to the school as fast as they could. No sirens, just lights. When they got close to the school, they cut those as well. Neither man dared trigger the response teams until they spoke to Luc.

Sally was walking back to the office when she she saw the HVAC repair man. She didn't remember him coming in, but figured she'd check the log. When she got back to the office, she did just that and realized that he hadn't checked out the other day, nor returned his pass. Cold icy fingers ran down her spine. It might be totally legit, but she was nervous. Looking around, she didn't see anyone she could send down to the tech office. Checking the hall, she didn't see the HVAC man, and walked quickly towards the tech Office. She opened the door to find three students and the two men talking quietly.