E-Mail: sundevil48@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Lost em in a poker game. They belong to Joss.
Distirbution: Want, ask, take, have.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Someone needs help.
Dedicated to Kylia, kitti, liz, sus, and John. You all know why.
Feedback is loved and needed.
Author's Note: This is in response to a challenge from Nummy Treats. It was for a film noir. Now, I don't watch film noir so I did in the style of the Robert Parker, Spenser, series of books and shows. Now, Angel and Spike are not vamps in my little AU. Nor is Buffy or Faith slayers. There are demons though that work for humans.
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~Part: 1~
The streets below me bustled with rush hour traffic as the pedestrians rushed home from work. A light rain had been falling all day, taking away the normal smell of the city and replacing it with a fresh, clean scent that would disappear as soon as the rain left. A cool breeze drifted through the window of my office, a nice change from the humidity that had taken over the city the past week. I could hear Cordelia out front, typing up something for one of the few clients that had made their way to my office. The outer door opened, causing my secretary to stop doing whatever it was she was doing and I listened to hear what was being said through the closed door to my office. A light knock signaled that someone wanted to enter.
"Come in," I said. Cordelia entered. As usual, she was dressed in something not exactly professional. That is, unless your profession was walking the streets of Hollywood and Vine instead of being a secretary to a private detective. It reminded me that, no matter how hard she tried, Delia would never be able to truly escape her past. It was too much ingrained into her being.
"Angel, you're six o' clock is here to see you," my secretary announced. "Should I let him in?"
"Yeah, and why don't you call it a day," I told her. "Don't you have a date or something with that detective Gunn.?"
"Yeah, he's taking me to the Spagos tonight," she nearly squealed. "Can you believe it? I never thought I would get to go to Spagos on a Friday night."
"I'll have to talk to Price. If one of his guys can afford to take you to the Spagos, then he must be paying them too much," I quipped, glad to see Delia so happy. After everything she had been through, she deserved it.
Cordelia left and I could hear her tell my possible client that he could go in. Then I heard her leave the office to get ready for her date.
When my client entered, I could see what it was about him that made people take notice. Alexander Harris exuded charm, wealth, class and pure sex appeal. He was a self made millionaire, having made his fortune in computers. He had gotten involved with an Internet company just before it had gone public, bringing him his first million by the time he was graduating high school. Things had only gone uphill from there. With some wise investments, some of which had brought the attention of the federal government, Harris had increased his initial million into a multi-billion dollar corporation. And all of this by the time he was twenty five.
Xander Harris, as he was known, was frequent fodder for the tabloids. He has been linked to almost every major starlet and model there was, whether they be single or married. He was even rumored to have been the reason an extremely popular Hollywood couple had broken up, although both partied denied ever having been romantically involved. He was dressed in an Armani suit that looked to have cost more than I paid Cordelia for a year. His hair was done perfectly and he strode in like a man used to getting his own way.
"Mr. Angel, I presume," he said, offering me his hand.
"Just Angel," I told him, taking it. He squeezed my hand, trying to impress me with his strength. It didn't work.
"Just Angel, huh?" He quirked his eyebrow at me. "Isn't that kind of a girl thing, that whole one name deal? You know, like Madonna or Cher."
"Actually I was going for the Sting thing, myself," I replied. He smiled at me with what I had to assume was indulgence. It didn't make me feel any better towards him. "What is it I can do for you, Mr. Harris?"
"I need your help in locating someone," he began, removing from his briefcase a 8 X 10 photo. He handed to me and I looked at it. The woman in the photo appeared to be in her early twenties. She had shoulder length red hair and emerald green eyes. She was an extremely attractive young woman.
"This is my sister, Willow, and she's missing."
"How long?"
"Two days," he told me. "We were supposed to meet for lunch Wednesday at a little café that we have been going to since we were children. She never showed and I haven't heard from her since."
"When was the last time you actually talked to her?" I inquired. I looked down at the photo again. There was something about the woman that seemed to call to me. An innocence surrounded her that made me want to get to know her, and not just as a missing person.
"Sometime Monday," Harris answered. "We talked about getting together like usual. We were on the phone for about an hour or so and then she said that she had to go meet some friends of hers. That was the last anyone has heard from her."
"What about her friends?" I questioned. "Have you talked to them?" Harris shook his head.
"I've tried, but I haven't had any luck. Her friends aren't exactly forthcoming with information, if you know what I mean." There was something in the way he said that that made me look at him sharply. Why was it I suddenly had a feeling that this case was going to be a lot more difficult than your normal missing person case.
"Have you gone to the police?"
"I tried, but initially they said they couldn't do anything for forty eight hours," Xander answered. "And then when they found out who her friends were, they weren't too keen on getting involved. They said they would look into it, but I have a feeling that they will be more than happy to put this case on the back burner."
"Who exactly are her friends?"
"Buffy Summers," came the answer that I really didn't want to hear. I groaned when I heard the name of the young woman that loved to cause trouble wherever she went.
"Your sister doesn't look the type to be hanging out with that crowd," I stated. "Ripper doesn't like publicity and having the sister of one of the most photographed men in Hollywood hanging out with his people wouldn't be something that he would normally allow."
"I know and that's why I'm scared," Xander said, his fear that something had happened to his sister apparent in his voice. "I'm afraid that they might have done something to her." I looked again down at the photo in front of me and thought about how involved the young Willow Harris might have been involved with Buffy Summers. "I know someone on the inside and, according to him, something is seriously wrong within the Giles organization. Something major and I'm just afraid that my sister might have gotten caught up in it."
I whistled at the news that something might be wrong in the Giles family.
It confirmed what my own sources had said and it didn't make me happy. The Giles' organization was not exactly known for it retirement packages. In fact, the only way their problems tended to get solved were in bloodshed.
If there was a problem with that family, especially if Summers was involved, that meant that Los Angeles was about to see a serious increase in bloodshed, both innocent and not so innocent. Ripper was one of the most ruthless Mafia leaders in years. Not since the eighties, when the Bruno/Scarfo family in Philadelphia was decided by gunfire, had so much blood been shed in the name of the family business. And Buffy Summers was one of the most ruthless members.
She was the daughter of a former capo of the family who had been murdered when a pipe bomb had ignited when he started his car when she was only ten.
She had grown up with the family, her mother having been the daughter of another capo. When her father had been killed, Buffy became obsessed with revenge. Finally, on her sixteenth birthday, she finally got it. That was the day she had killed her first person. It was the first of many. She has been credited with at least fifteen deaths, although the government had yet to be able to gather enough evidence against her to convict her on any of the counts. There was a price on her head of almost half a million dollars and the only reason she was still alive was that she had killed the five men that had attempted to cash in on the money. She was supposed to be one of the best. And she surrounded herself only with those that she could trust.
Which meant that she only had a handful of trusted people. Make that two.
A young man by the name of Oz and a young witch named Tara. Both of whom had mysterious pasts all their own. If Willow Harris was involved with this group, it would be extremely difficult to find out anything. Ripper tended to keep his family business to himself and get rid of anyone that questioned him. Then again, I've never been known to take no for an answer before.
"How did your sister become involved with Summers?" I asked, wanting to know how the sister of one of the most prominent men in America became involved with one of the most vicious killers in America.
"She met Tara, one of Buffy's associates, while attending some club meeting at her school. My sister has always been fascinated with magick," Harris began to explain. "She's actually quite good at it. Apparently the group turned out to be a bunch of frauds but she had felt a kinship with this Tara person. They began to hand out and that's how she met the others. I don't know why Buffy kept my sister around. The only thing I can assume is that she did it because between the two of them, Tara and Willow, she has a powerful magickal base that would be of help to her."
I nodded my head, agreeing with Xander's assessment. I had always had the feeling that Buffy had used the dark arts to help further her career. It would make sense that she would accept Tara's friendship with the Harris girl if it meant that more power would come her way. Harris looked at me expectantly. "Will you help me find my sister?" I nodded my head. There was no way I wouldn't take the case. There was something about the girl that just called to me and I wanted to make sure that she was okay.
"I charge three hundred a day plus expenses." Alexander Harris nodded his head. "And I'll need a retainer."
"Will five thousand be enough?"
"That will be fine," I replied, thinking of Cordelia's face when she saw that check. He always did like giving her something to smile about. Harris wrote out the check and handed it to me.
"Please find her."
"I'll do my best." I watched as he left my office, some hope on his face at the thought that maybe his sister would be found. I just hoped she would be alive when I did find her.
~Part: 2~
I stopped off at the deli by my house, grabbing a loaf of fresh Italian bread that the owner's wife makes everyday for her special customers and some good Italian cold cuts. It was the only place in the city where I could get good corned beef and fresh mozzarella that tasted like it had just come from Sicily. The rain had finally stopped but the air still had that fresh scent that always came this time of year. It was the only time that the air was actually breathable without the smell of carbon monoxide and all of the other chemicals that tended to reside in the Los Angeles smog.
I arrived at my apartment, depositing my dinner on the table and turning to my answering machine. There were three messages there. I hit the play button and started to unload the coldcuts from the bag while the messages played. The first one was from an old friend of mine telling me that she was in town and would like to see me. I quickly wrote down the number, making a mental note to give her a call. She was always good one to toss ideas off of. The second one was from Cordelia telling me that she was going to be late the next day, saying something about an audition. I shook my head at my secretary's continuing attempts at an acting career. I had the misfortune of actually seeing a performance of hers. I don't think I can ever read Ibsen again after that night. The third message was from my sometime partner, Faith, telling me that she would be over around eight. I checked my watch and realized that she would be there any minute.
I decided to make myself some dinner while I waited for Faith, knowing that she would probably be expecting something to eat. She had a tendency of taking advantage of my sometimes nice nature. Then again, she was Faith and she always had a way of getting others to give her something for nothing. Or maybe not for nothing. She always has been a great one for trading favors. Especially with the opposite sex. And if you weren't willing to help her out, well, let's just say I'm glad that she and I have never really ended up on the opposite side of a conflict. I'd hate to see what the fallout would be like.
I opened my refrigerator, grabbing a couple of tomatoes, some fresh basil, oregano and a couple of cloves of garlic. I also grabbed a Yling Yling lager a friend of mine in Philly got me hooked to. It was hard to find in the city of Angels, but it was well worth it. I set about making a marinade with the herbs and some Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar for the tomatoes. Just as I was adding the tomatoes to the dressing, there was a knock on my door. Before I even had a chance to ask who it was, it opened to reveal Faith.
Now, don't get me wrong, my partner is a beautiful woman. Hell, who am I kidding. She's knock down, all out gorgeous. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew she would probably kick my ass I would have gone for her a long time ago. As it was, I'm glad I didn't because our friendship is something that defies logic. Faith has helped me on more occasions that I care to count, always willing to lend a hand when I needed some backup. And the kicker is, I think that helping me is the only time she is on the right side of the law. More often than not, she is working for some of the men that I have managed to piss off in my life as a private eye.
"So what's for dinner, handsome?" Faith asked as she took her accustomed seat on one of the stools that were around my kitchen counter. She grabbed one of the tomatoes out of the marinade and bit into it. "Needs more garlic."
"Since when have you become the galloping gourmet?" I questioned as I took out the garlic once more.
"Since I dated that chef from Montis," she replied, popping another piece of tomato into her mouth. "So, are you going to make me die of thirst or are you gonna offer a girl something to drink?"
"I just figured you would take it like you do everything else," I threw at her. She grinned as she promptly went over to the refrigerator and grabbed herself one of the Sam Addam's I always kept for when she came over. I had discovered early on in our friendship that it was always a bit easier to keep Faith happy. "So what brings you over or is this just a social call?"
"Word on the street has it that you got a visit from some mighty powerful people, " the brunette answered as I began to cut the mozzarella and sort out the cold cuts. "Heard that Xander Harris came calling on you today."
I didn't even ask how Faith had already heard about my visit from Harris. That girl had more contacts than some politicians and they probably were a bit cleaner too.
"And once again your sources are correct, " I commented, taking out some baguette to slice for the sandwiches.
"And what did the powerful Mr. Harris want with your sorry ass? " Faith grabbed a piece of the cheese and dipped it in the marinade before eating it.
"Wants me to look for his sister, " I informed my sometime partner. "Seems she went missing a couple of days ago and the cops aren't exactly keen on looking into her disappearance. "
"Now that doesn't exactly sound right," Faith stated. "Would imagine that the police, even the LAPD, would be keen on finding the missing sister to one of the most powerful people in the city. Would've figured he would have enough connections to get him nice and speedy work. Done. "
"Yeah, you would figure, wouldn't you. " I took a few pieces of corned beef and made myself a sandwich. Faith did the same. I grabbed another beer from the fridge and went to sit down. "Appears, though, that the young Miss Harris has gotten herself involved with some very bad people though. "
"Exactly how bad are we talking? " Faith made herself a sandwich, twice the size of mine. I still couldn't figure out how she ate so much while staying so thin. Must be all the exercise she gets in, among other things that is.
"Buffy Summers and friends. " Faith whistled at the name.
"Little girl has some nasty friends. No wonder the cops don't want to get involved. Probably don't relish the idea of losing a few of them to the bitch. " I nodded my head, agreeing with Faith's statement. It wouldn't be the first time that the police have decided to just let someone in the Giles' family just do what they want instead of having a gun fight. "And let me guess, you couldn't say no to Harris so now you're gonna get involved, right? " I nodded my head. "You know, you're too soft hearted. You should have just told the man to stick his wallet up his ass and tell him to find his sister himself. "
"Yeah, I should have done that. "
"But you couldn't, could you? " I shook my head again. "Took one look at her picture and fell for her, didn't you? " I looked at Faith, amazed that she could figure me out that well. Well, I knew she could, I just still wanted to think that I wasn't that readable. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I've seen her picture. Hell, I'll admit it, she's a looker. I'd do her in a minute. " This didn't surprise me. I knew that Faith swung both ways, depending on the person. She was an equal opportunity sexual pervert.
"Seems Willow, that's her name, likes to dabble in magick, "I began to explain. "Harris says that she's got some power to her. And it seems that she met Tara at some meeting at her college. *You know how Buffy likes her people to be semi-educated. "
"Don't know why, just proves how stupid she is, " Faith muttered. "she gives new meaning to the dumb blonde. "
"Ahh, yes, but she is more than willing to shoot the person who points that out to her, " I reminded the brunette who had run up against Summers a few times.
"But not always successfully, " Faith grinned, remembering just exactly how those meetings have turned out. My partner is the only known person to have insulted Buffy Summers and still lived to tell about it. And that didn't exactly put her at the top of Summers' like list. "So what's the plan? "
"Don t really have one, " I admitted. "Thought I would have a talk with our old friend Rupert and see if he knew anything. "
"What makes you think he'll talk to you, " Faith asked. "You did help put away his son away for life. "
"But that wasn't my fault, " I retorted. "If Riley hadn't of been there when I went to bust those punks, he would have been free and clear. Hell, is it my fault old Ripper has a son who doesn't know enough to let the guys on the lower rungs take care of something like a little shipment of coke? "
"No, but I'm just saying that Ripper might not see it that way, " Faith pointed out. "We are talking about the man who shot a guy for pissing on the side of his bar. "
"True and that's why I thought I would go in with a little back up. " I swallowed the last of my beer and went to grab another one. I also brought one out for Faith, knowing that she would be ready for it too.
"And I take it by back up, you mean me," Faith stated, already knowing the answer. I grinned at her.
"Wouldn't have it any other way, would you?" The brunette moaned. "Oh come on, you know you're just dying to see ole Ripper again. Isn't he still after you for a little one on one action?"
"Yeah, and I still haven't figured out why I keep saying no."
"Might it have something to do with the fact that you have standards?" Faith shook her head.
"Nah that can't be it, or else I would be hanging out with you, now would I"
"True," I agreed. "But, then again, I've always thought of myself as the exception instead of the rule."
"You always did have a high opinion of yourself. So when did you want to go see our old friend?"
"How about tomorrow,"I offered. "Is he still hanging out at that dive over on Sunset?" Faith nodded her head.
"Yeah, the Magick Box" she answered. "Only in LA would the Boss of the most powerful group hang out at an occult bar. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll just hand us the girl."
"Yeah and maybe our politicians aren't as dirty as the air we breathe." Faith snorted, which on her sounded womanly.
"Speaking of politicians, have you heard from Wilkins lately?" Faith asked about the former City Councilman whom we had helped out of a little blackmail jam a few years back. We still kept in touch with him, knowing that he would be more than willing to pay back the favor.
"Yeah. Turns out he got himself elected mayor of Sunnydale," I explained. "He's hoping to change the town's image around. Make more people want to visit it."
"He's got himself a hard job to do there," Faith stated. "That town turns up more bodies than LA during a heat wave."
"Point taken."
"So what time do you want to go see Ripper?"
"How about one," I offered. "You know, nothing helps the indigestion more than a visit with friends."
"You are one sick mother, you know that, don't you?"
"And you wouldn't have it any other way."
"True. Now how about another beer?"
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