[Original: Fiction] "Witness" [Zeke Jones, G]
Title: Witness
Prompt: writerverse challenge #09 quick fic #3, prompts ‘monster’ & ‘anywhere else’
Bonus? gen/friendship genre
Word Count: 949
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original ( Zeke Jones ‘verse)
Summary: Zeke and Howell find the witness to a case.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_library
Witness
One day, out of the blue, I realized that I’d never heard Howell talk about other werewolves. There had to be some in Philadelphia, because every major city had a Pack- not like those terrible old horror movies, but something pretty much like the Vampire Council- but as far as I knew, Howell never went to meetings.
Of course, vampires were way more high-profile than werewolves. Vampires (the stuck-up snobs) tended to pick wealthy, beautiful, influential people, but I had no idea what werewolves looked for in their potential recruits. And Howell had been Bitten at least a hundred years ago, so I didn’t even know if they had the same requirements anymore.
I hadn’t planned that I’d ever know, until one shift when we’d been called in to sweep a robbery scene and Howell had gone suddenly still.
“A werewolf was here,” he said, so that only I could hear him.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “No, of course you’re sure. But are you saying a werewolf did this?”
Howell shook his head. “I can’t tell. But he was here.”
I sidled closer, away from the detective, who was talking with two other patrol cops. “Can you track him?” I asked.
My partner paused, considering. “As the wolf, yes.” He stepped back more into the open. “Detective Markov? This area is secure. I suggest that Officer Jones and I do a sweep of the perimeter.”
“Good idea, Howell,” the detective said, and I followed my partner out of the building.
In the alley behind it, he pulled off his tie and started on the buttons of his shirt. I put a hand over my eyes and turned my back, until I heard a soft whuff from behind me. His uniform was in a neat pile, folded up into his jacket, which I grabbed as I headed after him.
We went through several more alleys, from the ‘business district’ toward the less-nice part of town. The walkways got narrower, until finally Howell stopped. He darted forward to duck behind a dumpster, and a second later, snapped, “Jones.”
I stopped. “Sir?”
“I’m staying as the wolf,” said Howell. “So you’ll have to do the talking. He’s behind the outbuilding, just up ahead. He’s scared.”
“I’ll be gentle, sir,” I promised.
The wolf reappeared and trotted off. I followed, and found him crouching outside a make-shift cardboard-and-sheet-metal lean-to.
“Hello?” I asked, softly. Something banged inside the lean-to. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re- Okay, we’re cops, but we’re really nice ones, and…” Howell nudged my hip. “And we know you didn’t have anything to do with the robbery.”
“You do?” asked a small voice.
“Yes, we do,” I said. If Howell was sure, that was good enough for me. “Plus, I think maybe you’d like to talk to my partner.”
“I- Whoa!” A person had ducked out of the lean-to, and pulled up short. “You’re… a werewolf.”
“No,” I said. “Well, I’m not. He is. I’m a vampire.”
Usually, it wasn’t polite to talk about that sort of thing in public, but I could tell that this kid was the werewolf we’d been following. He was a kid, too, much younger than me, wearing torn jeans and a faded high school t-shirt. He looked, curiously, at both of us but didn’t come any farther than the lean-to door.
“You really think I didn’t do it?” he asked.
“Did you?” I asked.
The kid looked at his scuffed sneakers. “Yes,” he admitted, softly. “I… he said I had better learn to pull my own weight. That I’d never get a real job being… being what I am.” He laughed, humorlessly. “And he’s right, right? I mean, my parents kicked me out, so…”
“He’s not right,” I said, then took a deep breath. “I’m Zeke. Officer Zeke Jones. This is my partner, Howell. What should we call you?”
“Ben. Ben Paulson.”
“Nice to meet you. What say we move this party someplace a little nicer?”
Ben frowned, and glanced back at his lean-to. “Aren’t you going to arrest me?”
With a short whuff, Howell looked up at me, and I nodded. “Didn’t you just admit to being a witness to the robbery we’re investigating?” I countered. “That means a hot meal and a safe house for the night, doesn’t it, sir?”
Howell nodded.
“What?” said Ben.
“You’re not a monster,” said Howell, suddenly human again.
I yelped and slapped a hand over my eyes, “Geez, sir, warn a girl!”
He ignored me. “How many full moons have you seen, Ben? Two?”
“Including the first one, when I got Bitten.”
“And the wolf who Turned you?” Howell pressed.
Ben shook his head. “I never saw him again. Or her? There are girl ones, too, right?”
“There are,” said Howell. “Jones-”
“I am not looking until you put some pants on, sir,” I said.
“It’s safe, Jones,” he said, and I turned around to find him buttoning his shirt.
“Okay, Ben,” I said, “we’re going to head back to the warehouse. We’ll tell the detective that we found a witness to the robbery- that’s you- then we’ll take you back to the precinct, get you to ID the guy who actually pulled the job, and get you set up with a place to stay. You won’t have to see the guy, but you will probably have to testify in court.”
“Court?” he repeated. “They allow testimony from… people like me?”
“They let you be cops,” I said, and Howell growled, “You stay at my place.”
“Really?’ said Ben. “Um, officer…”
“Howell’s guest room is really nice,” I said. “Will you come with us?”
Ben hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I will.”
I smiled. “Great. Let’s go.”
THE END
Current Mood:
blah
Prompt: writerverse challenge #09 quick fic #3, prompts ‘monster’ & ‘anywhere else’
Bonus? gen/friendship genre
Word Count: 949
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original ( Zeke Jones ‘verse)
Summary: Zeke and Howell find the witness to a case.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_library
Witness
One day, out of the blue, I realized that I’d never heard Howell talk about other werewolves. There had to be some in Philadelphia, because every major city had a Pack- not like those terrible old horror movies, but something pretty much like the Vampire Council- but as far as I knew, Howell never went to meetings.
Of course, vampires were way more high-profile than werewolves. Vampires (the stuck-up snobs) tended to pick wealthy, beautiful, influential people, but I had no idea what werewolves looked for in their potential recruits. And Howell had been Bitten at least a hundred years ago, so I didn’t even know if they had the same requirements anymore.
I hadn’t planned that I’d ever know, until one shift when we’d been called in to sweep a robbery scene and Howell had gone suddenly still.
“A werewolf was here,” he said, so that only I could hear him.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “No, of course you’re sure. But are you saying a werewolf did this?”
Howell shook his head. “I can’t tell. But he was here.”
I sidled closer, away from the detective, who was talking with two other patrol cops. “Can you track him?” I asked.
My partner paused, considering. “As the wolf, yes.” He stepped back more into the open. “Detective Markov? This area is secure. I suggest that Officer Jones and I do a sweep of the perimeter.”
“Good idea, Howell,” the detective said, and I followed my partner out of the building.
In the alley behind it, he pulled off his tie and started on the buttons of his shirt. I put a hand over my eyes and turned my back, until I heard a soft whuff from behind me. His uniform was in a neat pile, folded up into his jacket, which I grabbed as I headed after him.
We went through several more alleys, from the ‘business district’ toward the less-nice part of town. The walkways got narrower, until finally Howell stopped. He darted forward to duck behind a dumpster, and a second later, snapped, “Jones.”
I stopped. “Sir?”
“I’m staying as the wolf,” said Howell. “So you’ll have to do the talking. He’s behind the outbuilding, just up ahead. He’s scared.”
“I’ll be gentle, sir,” I promised.
The wolf reappeared and trotted off. I followed, and found him crouching outside a make-shift cardboard-and-sheet-metal lean-to.
“Hello?” I asked, softly. Something banged inside the lean-to. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re- Okay, we’re cops, but we’re really nice ones, and…” Howell nudged my hip. “And we know you didn’t have anything to do with the robbery.”
“You do?” asked a small voice.
“Yes, we do,” I said. If Howell was sure, that was good enough for me. “Plus, I think maybe you’d like to talk to my partner.”
“I- Whoa!” A person had ducked out of the lean-to, and pulled up short. “You’re… a werewolf.”
“No,” I said. “Well, I’m not. He is. I’m a vampire.”
Usually, it wasn’t polite to talk about that sort of thing in public, but I could tell that this kid was the werewolf we’d been following. He was a kid, too, much younger than me, wearing torn jeans and a faded high school t-shirt. He looked, curiously, at both of us but didn’t come any farther than the lean-to door.
“You really think I didn’t do it?” he asked.
“Did you?” I asked.
The kid looked at his scuffed sneakers. “Yes,” he admitted, softly. “I… he said I had better learn to pull my own weight. That I’d never get a real job being… being what I am.” He laughed, humorlessly. “And he’s right, right? I mean, my parents kicked me out, so…”
“He’s not right,” I said, then took a deep breath. “I’m Zeke. Officer Zeke Jones. This is my partner, Howell. What should we call you?”
“Ben. Ben Paulson.”
“Nice to meet you. What say we move this party someplace a little nicer?”
Ben frowned, and glanced back at his lean-to. “Aren’t you going to arrest me?”
With a short whuff, Howell looked up at me, and I nodded. “Didn’t you just admit to being a witness to the robbery we’re investigating?” I countered. “That means a hot meal and a safe house for the night, doesn’t it, sir?”
Howell nodded.
“What?” said Ben.
“You’re not a monster,” said Howell, suddenly human again.
I yelped and slapped a hand over my eyes, “Geez, sir, warn a girl!”
He ignored me. “How many full moons have you seen, Ben? Two?”
“Including the first one, when I got Bitten.”
“And the wolf who Turned you?” Howell pressed.
Ben shook his head. “I never saw him again. Or her? There are girl ones, too, right?”
“There are,” said Howell. “Jones-”
“I am not looking until you put some pants on, sir,” I said.
“It’s safe, Jones,” he said, and I turned around to find him buttoning his shirt.
“Okay, Ben,” I said, “we’re going to head back to the warehouse. We’ll tell the detective that we found a witness to the robbery- that’s you- then we’ll take you back to the precinct, get you to ID the guy who actually pulled the job, and get you set up with a place to stay. You won’t have to see the guy, but you will probably have to testify in court.”
“Court?” he repeated. “They allow testimony from… people like me?”
“They let you be cops,” I said, and Howell growled, “You stay at my place.”
“Really?’ said Ben. “Um, officer…”
“Howell’s guest room is really nice,” I said. “Will you come with us?”
Ben hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I will.”
I smiled. “Great. Let’s go.”
THE END
Current Mood:
blah