Chapter 019

  Officer Packley

  A glance at his watch told Ethan he had about forty five minutes left. The sun finally poked through a small break in the clouds and splashed an orange glow on the streets of New Horizon City.

  He needed to find the police station before it dipped behind the buildings. Along the way, he had no idea if Officer Packley was even on shift, let alone at the station.

  It didn’t really matter, he figured. He’d started out moving too slow compared to other players, and felt fantastic about his current pace.

  Combined with the mysterious new blades he’d found, Ethan was feeling optimistic. Even if he didn’t get to the station in time this evening, he could do so first thing the next day, and he could mow two lawns to complete Mr. Gallagher’s handy work if it wasn’t raining.

  Turning onto Shulberry Lane, he saw the familiar neon lights that lit up several two and three story structures lining both sides of the street.

  It was clearly the red light district, with plenty of human advertisements walking around out front wearing almost nothing. The business wasn’t as active as he’d seen the day before, but that was likely due to the weather.

  It wasn’t raining right then, but it had been pouring all day long and could again at any moment. Somehow, his feet felt even worse than they did before, as his damp socks did little to prevent the friction in his boots, creating sores that would need tending.

  A far-too-petite woman said, “Hey, fella’…”

  He already had countless blisters, and it would only get worse as he kept walking. Trying his best to ignore the pain and the sex workers, he moved briskly past most of them even as they called for his attention.

  “Need an extra hand there, handyman?”

  Ethan blushed, though it shouldn’t have surprised him or caught him off guard. In the real world he’d had a fair share of intimacy with women, but nothing that had turned into a relationship. Still, he hadn’t spent much time around prostitutes, or even women who chatted up such topics so bluntly.

  Was that the appropriate term? Maybe streetwalker, sex worker, or hustler would be a better choice of words. He didn’t bother to look at their profiles even though they had clearly looked at his to somehow see he was a handyman.

  One woman he wasn’t quite sure was a woman said, “I’ll let you fix me right up, mister!”

  And a goth chick added, “or you can nail me with that hammer of yours, daddy.”

  He just rolled his eyes and kept walking. Even if he had been interested, none of the women actually appealed to him. They were beautiful in a dirty magazine pinup kind of fashion. Pretty, but it was a manufactured variety he didn’t care for.

  In any case he knew they’d been used by plenty of individuals who probably hadn’t bathed in a while.

  The thought of it all sent shivers through him. Just as he was about to step past the last of the neon lighted sex establishments, he spotted the police station about a block down.

  At the same exact time, another player stepped out from The Pink Velda and stopped Ethan in his tracks. If he hadn’t been distracted by the scantily clad whores plying their trade, Ethan would have seen the guy on his mini-map.

  Rooster Normand.

  The man appeared to be a rooster caricature of a man. He was in his late thirties or early forties, tall, pot-bellied, though not too badly, and his dark black hair curled up dramatically above a long face.

  The guy was still buckling a belt on his wool slacks as he stepped forward, no desire to hide why he’d been inside The Pink Velda.

  Why did he look like a rooster? There was no way that could be his real name, right?

  Ethan pulled open the guy’s profile even before they spoke. It actually appeared to be his real name. Rooster Normand, Level Five, Bad Henchie, D-class Goon, The Borrells.

  He stepped back as the tall man noticed him. Half a second later, a long scimitar appeared in the man’s right hand. It looked nice, and he couldn’t identify any stats for it, but the name was fairly basic. Uncommon Scimitar of the Midnight Swarm.

  “Well, I’ll be…” Rooster spoke, his voice sounding French or Canadian, or maybe a mix of the two. “What do we have here? A level two Greenie noob, huh? Pity…”

  The sword disappeared again even before Ethan had a chance to be afraid, not that he would have been. He knew he still had the protection of not being level three yet, and honestly, Stalvek felt scarier for some reason.

  “Hi,” he said, still thinking about something else. “I have to ask. Is that really your name? Or is there a way to change it in the screens?”

  “Birth name,” the man scowled, looking Ethan over before pointing behind himself with a thumb at the building. “You going in? I recommend Mandy. She’s sweet like candy. Otherwise scram! Before I follow you around until you hit level three and then I cut you in half.”

  Ethan nodded, stepping away. He didn’t want to test his limits with a higher level player from a gang he knew almost nothing about. It was obvious the guy didn’t like him or the gang he was in, and likely both, considering the two organizations were enemies.

  “No thanks, and will do,” Ethan said.

  He didn’t need to look back as he walked away from The Pink Velda, and from Rooster Normand. He could feel the man watching him. It didn’t hurt that he could see the man’s unmoving red dot on his mini-map.

  Assuming he was being watched, he decided to walk passed the police station and take a left. He didn’t want to give this guy Rooster any reason to dislike him further.

  Waiting a few minutes, he finally decided to double back. When he did, the man was gone, and he saw no other players around.

  Not realizing how tense he’d become at the encounter, he let out a long slow breath and leaned against the building. He was only a few hundred experience points from level three. In this instance, having not leveled up yet had just saved his life.

  “Well,” he decided, “let’s tempt fate again.”

  In front of the station there were two police vehicles. The ancient Model T's sat there, and Ethan admired them. Not because they were law enforcement cars, but simply because they looked cool. They looked like the one Packley drove, and one of them might have been.

  He took a deep breath and pushed through the front doors, the pungent smell of stale cigarette smoke and harsh disinfectant assaulting his nostrils when he stepped in. The desk sergeant looked up from his paperwork, one eyebrow raised inquisitively.

  The name above him said Officer Mackson. Ethan recognized the name. Jason had described this officer as being on the take with some vampires.

  Ignoring that for now, he approached the desk sergeant and cleared his throat. "Excuse me. I'm looking for Officer Packley. Is he still on duty?"

  The man eyed him suspiciously, no doubt seeing Ethan’s affiliation. "And what business do you have with Packley?"

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "I was a witness to an incident yesterday," he explained, "and I'm just looking to get more information about what happened."

  The man grunted, flipping through a logbook. "Packley’s here I guess. Have a seat over there and I'll go tell him."

  Ethan nodded gratefully and took a seat on a bench along the wall. The wood seat groaned as he settled down, his gaze roaming around the little squad room.

  A few desks were scattered about, piled high with paperwork and overflowing ashtrays. The air was putrid and the walls a yellow off-white color.

  All the NPCs in this game seemed to smoke, like that was some type of stereotypical thing everyone did back in the 1920s.

  He seemed to remember reading that doctors used to prescribe nicotine and alcohol to patients. Times had surely changed in that regard, and likely for the better.

  After a few minutes, a door opened and a stocky man in a rumpled uniform stepped through, squinting at him. He recognized the officer that had arrested Billy Sadler.

  "You that kid Ethan Jones?"

  He stood up quickly. "Yes sir, that's me."

  "Packley," he grunted, jerking his head towards the door he'd entered through. "C'mon back."

  He followed Packley down a narrow hallway and into a tiny office, barely bigger than a closet. The officer took a seat behind a battered metal desk, folders and documents scattered across it.

  Ethan settled into the lone chair across from the guy. One stack of folders in particular had some interesting names written on the edge of them, but he didn't let his eyes linger there too long.

  "Alright, Jones," the man said, folding his hands on the desk. "Mackson told me you had questions. Ask.”

  He started talking and reminded the officer he was the other player yesterday, the one talking to Stalvek when Billy Sadler was arrested. Packley nodded with a grunt, and then urged him to keep talking.

  "Well…” he said, “I need to know more about that man."

  Officer Packley shook his head. "Can't just blurt out that sort of thing to anyone, now can I?”

  Ethan hadn’t expected him to throw up a wall so quickly, considering it was a mission and all. He guessed it made sense. His face apparently showed his confusion, not answering quickly enough for the officer.

  "Look,” Packley said, “I know you've been talking to Mr. Donovan, otherwise you wouldn't be here. I don't work for The Green Fists or The Cortez Family. I work for the people of The Grims.”

  He nodded, approving of the sentiment but knowing it wasn’t truth. Ethan spotted his own opening in the conversation and took it. He’d already been learning that he had to seize any opportunity he could or the other players would out level him far too quickly.

  “I think you work for the highest bidder.” he said, watching as the officer gave him a sharp eye. “We both know you wouldn’t have been able to arrest Sadler without The Cortez Family giving you permission, asking you to, or maybe even paying you to.”

  They eyed each other for a while, faces straight and serious. After a minute it was Packley who finally broke the stalemate and sighed.

  “What exactly is Mr. Donovan wanting to know?”

  Ethan shrugged. He actually wasn’t sure, since the mission description didn’t include a ton of details. It did mention wanting to know more about the secret blood deal, but he had a suspicion Samuel already knew about that. The Owl wouldn't be dead otherwise.

  “If Sadler’s gonna be released. Is he going to be sent to prison or stay here in the local lockup? Also, details about the secret deal he had with The Owl."

  Packley smirked, considering his words. Ultimately, he didn't appear to be convinced. "Not gonna happen."

  Ethan leaned back and exhaled, wondering exactly how he was supposed to get the information out of this NPC.

  As an Associate in The Green Fists and only at level two, he doubted he had the ability to put any fear into the man. Plus, the guy was a cop, and had probably heard plenty of bullshit stories before.

  Making a scene or telling one of the other cops that Packley was on the take wouldn't work, because all of them were likely corrupt. He didn't even know how many cops were in the place, since he'd only seen the two of them.

  The only convincing argument he could think of was to use a bit of logic and common sense on the man.

  "I'm in a bit of a hurry," Ethan said, looking at his watch. "We both know I'm going to find out eventually. The longer it takes, the more problems there's gonna be. If you just tell me now, we can both go our separate ways and nobody needs to know you're the one who told me. The Owl was a bad man who got what he deserved. Sadler deserves the same fate, so why would you protect him?"

  The officer considered it, but didn't say much at first.

  "You realize what you're getting yourself into?"

  He nodded. It was a mobster simulation with vampires. Things were going to get bad. He'd seen that movie where the guy with sword killed tons of vampires, so it had to be something like that. "Yeah. I do."

  The man shook his head and sighed, making some sort of decision. “Sadler's in county until the judge makes a choice. Judge is on the Cortez payroll. They want him alive because he's got good connections with the underground."

  “The underground?" Ethan asked.

  "The Borrells mainly," Packley said in a condescending tone. "You don't sound like you know what you're getting yourself into. You know, Lantern’s Pharmacy, The Midnight Swarm, and the Second Moon Den? All that?”

  "I do know," he said, actually having no idea whatsoever. "Tell me what you know about that connection."

  The officer's face twisted in confusion. "You don't want to be here all night, and neither do I."

  "No, I don't," Ethan answered, actually wanting to wrap things up pretty quickly. "Condense it for me."

  Packley laughed but took a few seconds to think about it.

  "The Borrells pay top dollar for a steady supply of donors, if you catch my meaning. Sadler brokered a deal with The Owl to lure people through Lantern's Pharmacy. Killing Sadler won't solve the problem. Two dead mobsters? Big deal. Five more show up. It doesn't matter what gang owns this city as long as vampires are around. So the way I see it is, you shouldn't try to fix it unless you have a death wish."

  The room seemed to spin for a moment as Ethan processed the man's words. He had expected violence and crime, but the thought of people being sold like cattle through a blood market was almost too much.

  He let his eyes wander as he thought about the implications, looking at nothing in particular. It was no wonder why The Grims felt so bad and appeared so run down.

  "You okay, kid?" Packley laughed. "I warned you. It's a nasty world out there. Men, women, children. The Borrells don't care. And the other two are just as bad in their own ways as far as I'm concerned. Is that what you wanted to hear? You think that's enough info to satisfy Mr. Donovan? I guarantee you he already knew half of that!"

  Ethan exhaled, finally letting his eyesight drift ever so slowly across the desk. He was able to read several of the names on the folders in the process. He saw Lantern's Pharmacy, Audia Villareal, Billy Sadler, and Thomas Gallagher, among several other interesting ones.

  His eyes drifted upwards in a smooth motion and found Packley's face again. "If someone wanted to check out this Lantern's Pharmacy, where would they find it?"

  The officer shook his head. "I knew I shouldn't have told you. I swear to god, if I find out tomorrow you went over there and got yourself killed…"

  "I won't," Ethan stated confidently. "Where's it at?"

  Packley studied him. His face looked tired, and honestly Ethan figured the man just wanted to be done with the whole conversation. That made two of them.

  "It's out on Draven Court. Now, Mr. Jones," the officer stood, "I think you can see yourself out, that way you can run along and tell Mr. Donovan what you learned about Sadler."

  Ethan nodded, not wanting to argue. If he was lucky, he had about fifteen or twenty minutes to get home before it was truly dark.

  The experience from this mission, if he'd got enough from Packley to finish it, should be enough to level him up. He would ignore the talent point and any new screen unlocks until he made it to the safety of his apartment.

  "Thank you for your time, Officer Packley."

  "Yeah, kid," the man said, "don't mention it, literally… to anyone."

  "Understood."

  Ethan walked to the hallway and turned left to leave. Officer Packley followed him to the hallway but turned right and walked away in the opposite direction, telling him to be safe on his way home.

  Trying to think quick on his feet, he slowed to a stop and watched his mini-map as the officer continued out what appeared to be a back door of the police station. Only Officer Mackson remained inside and nearby.

  Mission Progress: Copper Topper

  Learn more about Billy Sadler’s situation. Speak to Officer Packley at the local police station in Grimsborough Heights to learn more about Sadler’s involvement in the blood trade.

  Current Progress: 50%

  +500 XP

  You have 3,700 XP total

  !! You have leveled up !!

  Congratulations! You are now level 3

  You need 1,700 more XP to reach level 4

  Ethan saw the incoming notification but ignored it. Even though he felt fear and excitement about progressing beyond the anti-grieving system, he had something else in mind.

  Glancing into Packley's office, he realized he only had a few seconds at most to steal some evidence. He'd been playing things safe and casual since he started, but it was time to act instead of think.

  Stepping in, he grabbed the four manila envelopes he'd noticed earlier, plus two others that caught his eye. The handwritten tabs indicated files for Billy Sadler, Thomas Gallagher, Owney Johnson, Audia Villareal, Second Moon Den, and Lantern's Pharmacy.

  Feeling anxious and eager to walk quietly away from the scene of his theft, Ethan didn't spend any extra time looking through the rest of the pile.

  He tried to put the folders in his inventory but didn't have enough open slots for all six. Sighing, he slid the folders into his overalls, exhaled calmly to steady his composure, and walked casually from the office.

  He turned down the hallway to exit the police department. Officer Mackson was still at the front desk, flipping through a newspaper. The crooked cop barely glanced up at him as he left.

  "Thanks for your help, Officer Mackson. Had an excellent talk with Packley. I think we both have what we need now."

  "Anytime, citizen."

  With that, Ethan stepped outside and breathed a huge sigh of relief at not being questioned or caught in the act.

  "Great," he complained only to himself.

  It was already dark outside, and even better, he thought sarcastically, it had started raining again.

  He kept the six folders in his overalls and held them with his left hand to keep them from getting wet, then set about stomping through the puddles on his way home.