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Valencia Noir

ACT III

“DEXTER! SNAP OUT OF IT!!!”

With Dexter turned into useless puddle of man goo because of Tayte Fallon’s performance, Tyler was forced to take some drastic measures. Grabbing him by his coat collar and dragging him out of the club into a back alley, the werewolf was quick to start slapping the angel and shaking him around to get some sense back into his skull. “GET A GRIP, DEX!!!”

The force of being dragged outside into a back alley didn’t do much to pull Dexter out of the dream like haze he was in-but getting slapped, shouted at and shaken around by his partner sure did. It took him a moment to get control over his limbs before he pushed Tyler away, cheeks throbbing and head spinning. “KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!” Rubbing his sore and aching face, the angel suddenly felt really foolish about why he was getting knocked around in the first place. But he had to cover it up somehow. “You didn’t need to slap me like I was some passed out old lady!”

“You deserved to be slapped like a passed out old lady! You got your head completely turned around by that Fallon dame back there! You fell for all of that hook, line and sinker! You’re lucky she doesn’t know we’re both P.Is.”

“I-I-that’s not true! I-I just…You see…I don’t know what happened back there! She-She just, stood there and-and she…” She just turned his head completely around and stole his heart without as much as a fight. “Geez…”

“Dexter. We’re investing to see if she really murdered someone! We can’t afford to have you going weak knee and lame brain every time you see her. You got to buckle down, stand strong and don’t let her get to you. Otherwise we’re never going to get anywhere!”

That was easier said than done, but Dexter had to admit that Tyler was right. He needed to get his head back on straight and do his job. He could be professional about this. Who knows, maybe this was just a one-time thing-an effect of the lights and power of the stage. That was the angel convinced himself that it was…though somewhere inside, he still had his doubts. Finally, looking like a shame faced child, Dexter turned towards Tyler and gave him a nod. “Alright.”

“Okay then…sorry I had to slap you like that.”

“It’s okay…I would have done the same for you. And I think I may have somewhere in the last few weeks…”

“Alright then…all the same though, we’re finding you a girlfriend when this is over. You having no experience with the ladies could get us both killed one day.”

“Ah-geez! Do you have to say it like that?! What if someone heard that?!”

“Oh come on! It’s not like anyone will hear that. And it’ll be good for you to get a girl. God knows you’ve earned it!”

“Let’s just go and try to get an alibi for Tay- Miss Fallon, then.” Dexter would have to be careful not to get too familiar with the harpy. Even using her first name like he knew her could be bad news for him.

So the two sleuths returned inside the club and started to go backstage where the singers had retired for the night. Sneaking passed some distracted bouncers, they wandered around the backstage area. Among the clutter of costumes, props and stage equipment, there were doors with stars and names on them. The regular performers of the Gold Wing had their own rooms and the detectives started to search for the ones bearing the names “Aoi” or “Fallon”. They found the doors sitting right next to each other at the end of the hall. “So…who should we talk to first?”

“Probably to Fallon. She’s the one we’re investigating after all.”

“Right…okay! Let’s…go see her then!”

“Hey, try keeping it in your pants while we’re talking to her.”

“Shut up, man!” Tyler was never going to let Dexter live this down.

They knocked at her door but no one came. They knocked again and still no answer. They both decided to check the room to see if she was there…and maybe find some evidence if there was any. The werewolf stood as the lookout while the angel tried the door. The knob was locked. Before he could give it a proper jingle, Tyler was tapping him on the shoulder with something urgent. “Dex, we may want to leave. I smell someone back here and-“

“You talking about little old me?”

“GAH!”

“OH GOD!”

Snapping their bodies back around, the detectives had been found out by one of the bouncers. This bouncer was a particularly snappy dresser, with a fine black suit touched with silver and white. He wore leather boots and accessories that matched well with everything else. His thick black hair was styled and eyeliner surrounded his one blue and one white eye. “Now…what exactly are you two doing back here?”

“I thought you were on look out!”

“I was but I couldn’t smell or hear this guy until he was on top of us!”

“That’s the ability and skill of a mature werewolf, honey. Stalking prey is what I do.”

“Wait… You’re…a wolf, too?” Tyler and Dexter were really surprised. This guy didn’t look much like a wolf and there were only so many wolves in town.

“Yes…but I take it that you two aren’t sneaking back here to see me. You’re here for the girls.” Letting out a dramatic sigh, he crossed his arms and started to walk over to them, eyes suddenly taking on a predator like quality to them. “Ahhh, yes. None of the men up in front ever come back here to see lonely Lorcan. They always come for Reisen and now Tayte… not that I’m bitter, but still.”

“Did…you happen to see where Ta- Miss Fallon went, exactly?” Dexter had to ask, choosing to ignore how… weird, Lorcan was getting.

Lorcan thought it over for a moment before examining Dexter and Tyler’s face. “Hmmm…you’re cute-really cute-but not my type.” He said to Dexter, who suddenly looked and twitched like someone slid a dead fish down his pants. “Ohhh…now you’re more my type! Handsome with animal instincts-and knowledge of how to use them too, no doubt.” At Lorcan’s wink, Tyler looked like he was about to throw up the scot in his stomach.

A few minutes later, the back doors of the nightclub almost flew off their hinges as Tyler and Dexter ran out screaming and hid behind the dumpsters. They both looked gravely ill. “God, Tristan’s bouncers are scary…” Dexter said, pale as a sheet with a green undertone to his skin.

“AT LEAST HE WASN’T HITTING ON YOU THE WHOLE TIME!” Tyler reminded him, hands on his knees like he was bracing himself and his stomach against a nasty blow.

The werewolf Lorcan appeared in the doorway, smiling like a fiend with a chuckle in his throat. “Ahhh, don’t hurt my feelings now! I was only trying to be friendly!” He was greatly amused by this, as it was one of his favorite ways of tossing guys out without having to lift a finger or ruin his suits. Though he was serious about Tyler… Oh well.

“That’s not how you act friendly to someone!” Dexter challenged, peeking a head out from behind the dumpster. “You play cards, offer directions when they’re lost-"

“Or tell us where Fallon is like we asked you five minutes ago!”

“Oh yeah. Try looking for her at the ‘Blue Caterpillar’. She’s got a family friend there that she drops in on from time to time.” Lorcan answered, finally deciding to stop teasing them and just answer their question about where the harpy could have been. “If you get bored with her, just remember that I’m back here with nothing better to do! I wouldn’t mind the company… See you around, Lil’ Puppy!” And with that, he went back inside with a fanged smile and a wink.

“Lil’-!? DON’T CALL ME LIL’ PUPPY, YOU FRUITCAKE!!!” Tyler shouted, flipping Lorcan off while growling and snarling in frustration and embarrassment. Dexter was watching this with wide eyes before he felt himself get sick again. Tyler calmed down enough to suggest that they get the hell out of there and start walking. It was a most welcomed notion and they were both on the streets again in no time. “Dexter, I changed my mind. We’re not coming back here for fun. EVER!”

“Well, we’re definitely not ever going backstage in that place again! God, I would almost have preferred it if he just tossed us out on our bums like most places do…getting hit on by a guy is twice as worse.”

“Amen! So… ‘Blue Caterpillar’ then?”

The club that Lorcan told them about was two blocks over from the Golden Wing. It was a square little building dipped in shades of blue, red and gold. A sign of a blue caterpillar on a colorful mushroom hung over the door, painted in a style that suggested something from the Far East. “Why does this place remind me of an opium den like in the old detective movies from England?” Dexter asked as they stood outside, studying the building and the sign.

“I don’t think it’s an opium den. There are no druggies hanging around in the alleys. And it smells more like a rotting log than a drug parlor.” Tyler observed. There was only one way to find out what exactly this building was for and that was to go inside. So the door was opened and the sleuths went inside.

The atmosphere inside of the “Blue Caterpillar” was completely different than on the outside. It was brighter and more colorful, with the walls painted with scenes from nature and paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The tables were low to the ground with pillows serving as seats. As the detectives walked through, they made their observations of the club attendants…and what they were eating. “Mushrooms?”

Dexter had to get a closer look at what was on the plates before he had to agree. These were magic mushrooms! The kind that made people experience weird things when eaten! “They’re really mushrooms! That explains the rotting smell you were picking up on! Hey… ‘Blue Caterpillar’, mushrooms…it’s kind of like ‘Alice in Wonderland’!”

“I certainly thought it was pretty clever when I opened the place! Glad to see someone still sharp enough to pick up on that kind of thing!” This voice belonged to a smiling male kitsune standing behind them. With aqua blue eyes, short white fur and two furry tails peeking out from behind a black silk yukata, he was quick to wrap an arm around each of their shoulders and walk them to a table-despite their protests and polite declines against this. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you two here before! New comers are always welcomed though! The name’s Kirk Yoru! I own this fine little business and I trust you’re here to join the club!”

“Uhh…yeah, we’re not actually here to, uh…sample your merchandise.” Dexter said. A lot of the attendants here were starting to act odd in various ways. The mushrooms were starting to take effect.

As Kirk sat down across from them, he shot them both an icy cold glare. It looked rusty but still effective. “You guys aren’t cops, are you? Because everything here is perfectly legal! ...legal enough.”

“Do we look like cops to you? We’re P.I’s investigating a case. A case that involves Tayte Fallon to be precise.”Tyler answered.

That comment made Kirk relax a little and start to look mildly concerned. “Ah… what did Tayte do this time? Something involving a mailbox again?”

“She’s suspected of murder. It hasn’t been released yet but it’s believed that she killed a jockey at the race track the other night.”

Kirk went from looking worried to looking shocked, confused and just expressing disbelief. “Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa! I think I’m still feeling the shrooms a bit here because it sounded like you just said Tayte murdered someone! Tayte’s a lot of things but she’s no murderer! At least of innocent people… I should know! I’ve been friends with her brother Donovan for years! Hell, she still pulls my pants down in public when I actually feel like wearing pants! Just like when we were all kids!”

“So, do you think you could tell us a little more about the Fallons and where Tayte could have been on the night in question?” Dexter asked, pulling out his note pad again. “Anything you can share will help.”

“I’ll tell you anything you two need to know! Tayte’s still a good friend of mine, despite her and her brothers being in the mob business. Fire away.”

“What was their connection to the race track and to the victim, Cyrus Gilmead?” Dexter started, pencil almost glued to the paper.

“They own horses that race regularly at the track. They’re champion horses with jockeys that bring in first place nearly every race. Last time Donny came in to split some Sparkle Blue Fungi with me, he told me that they just got a new jockey in training. The kid came in from England and they were looking to get another capable rider out of him.”

“Were there any arguments or disagreements going on between him and Tayte that could have led to the murder? Any sort of complications or sticky situations with her or the family that could have spiraled out of control?” Tyler asked.

“Not that Donny ever bothered to tell me…he hasn’t been in much since he got a new lady friend and he’s been pretty distracted by her. Tayte didn’t say anything about the kid either the last time she came for a visit. Honestly, they just ignored him so he had the chance to work in peace. They treated him like he didn’t exist, like empty air or something.”

“So, Tayte’s whereabouts on the night of the murder…?”

“Not a clue. Sorry, guy.”

All of that information wasn’t going to help the angel and the werewolf much. There was a connection between the harpy and the victim…but it was pretty weak, casual at best. There was no clear motive for the murder so unless the harpy was truly a psychopath with a taste for killing innocent Englishmen… They needed more evidence before jumping to conclusions. “I think we need to see the track and the murder scene.” Dexter concluded.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” Tyler said with a smile. “I got a witness there that could really help us figure out who was there and what happened that night. This witness is hardly ever wrong!”

“You mean your girlfriend, Lulu?”

“Geez, I was trying not to mention any names! But yes.”

“Sorry. Anyway, thanks for your help, Kirk. If we need anything, we’ll come to you.” Dexter said. He and Tyler started to get up from their little table as a cute waitress came by. After a bit of flirting between her and Kirk, she presented him with a salad of herbs, noodles and mushrooms-sparkly, indigo mushrooms. “You…enjoy that salad.”

“You know I will! Don’t be strangers now! Come back if you need to know anything else! And if you’re ever curious about where the rabbit-hole goes, come back here!” Kirk replied as a wide smile appeared on his face as he started to eat. He certainly wasn’t shy about eating a hallucinogen in front of them-or about calling girls over to join him for a bite. Which they did-in droves.

“Yeah, okay! You enjoy yourself.” Tyler said, standing up while tilting his head towards the door. That was his signal to Dexter that it was time to go. That was fine by the angel-these girls were starting to get a little too friendly with the kitsune for his preference.

Somewhere between the girls giggling and teasing Kirk and him asking when Tyler found the time to steal his face to present to the evil Mirror King, Dexter and Tyler left the Blue Caterpillar. Despite the atmosphere of the place-and what they were serving its clients, they felt like Kirk was a reliable source of information. If anything, it confirmed that they had to check out the race track to get more evidence. With any luck, the werewolf’s girl Lulu would know something about what happened that night. All of that would have to happen tomorrow though, when both the sleuths had fresh eyes and daylight to work with. “Some night, huh Dexter?”

“You said it, Tyler. Hey…it’s starting to rain.”

Almost as if it followed them both from the lower parts of the city, the grey rain clouds started to collect and drop its millions of little packages down on their heads. The nightclubs and buildings started to lose their luster and color as the pair started to make their way back to their home and office in their little bulldog building. Their night in Upper L.A had ended-for now. They both had a million things to think about then… with some thoughts drifting more to the surface than others.

Tyler and I were both thinking the same thing that night as we walked home in the rain: Did this case have a chance? Only the evidence could tell and so far, it was taking us nowhere fast. I was secretly worried that Tayte really did kill this kid…and I would have to be the one to put her away. I thought back to everything Kirk said about her…and to his mushrooms. Maybe this case and the harpy were like his mushrooms: You could eat them expecting one thing but end up experiencing something completely different. Something that was different but amazing and terrifying. That was what I felt from her, that first time I saw her on stage. She sent me into a downward state of dreaming that this city was famous for. I couldn’t afford to lose my head in those dreams though…or else I probably would never wake up.

We had our job and we had to do it to the best of our ability. The race track had to hold some clues. It practically held the hopes and dreams of most of the town in the palm of its hands. It was safe to say that our hopes of figuring out this case could have been in its hands. As we said goodbye to the colors and were welcomed back with the shrug of grey shoulders of our neighborhood, I couldn’t tell Tyler what I was secretly hoping of dreaming of that night.

Just for a night, I wanted to dream of something…different, amazing but terrifying.