Page 1 of Hellhounds and Homicides

CHAPTER ONE

"That's the third case you've closed this week. What's your secret?" A junior Patrolman asked with wonder. Detective Rowen Dalhousie simply tipped his cap and kept walking. He was not going to give his co-workers his secret. He held many secrets about himself, his life, and his work, and he wasn't about to share any of them – especially not in a room full of humans.

He became a detective a little over six months ago, and his plan was to steadily move up the ranks to Chief. He started out as an officer at a department in the suburbs, but after a few months, he knew that he had to get somewhere that experienced more action and was more high-profile.

He transferred to the heart of Pittsburgh and to one of the most active precincts, Central and Downtown. What he hadn't banked on was the number of paranormals working and residing in central Pittsburgh. His most egregious error was not knowing that Nikolas Hadden, Master of the Hadden Coven, ran the city and owned a good share of downtown.

The Hadden Center was one of the architectural masterpieces of the Financial District. It was well known andrevered for its fashion, for,m and beaut. It was also home to the Hadden Coven. But no one outside of the supernatural world knew that fact. He also discovered several wolf shifters, and at least one vampire worked at this central precinct.

Thankfully, he was a breed of shifter who possessed natural protection that made them difficult to detect. With a basic cloaking agent, he could easily pass for a human. But there were those within the Hadden Coven who could see him clearly, such as Master Hadden and some of those within his leadership. Therefore, the Hadden Center was a place he planned to avoid.

Rowen preferred to keep to himself and socialized primarily with humans. Shifters and the like had never treated him well, and he preferred not to associate with them. He wasn't a part of any community. He was what most paranormals would call a rogue, but Rowen’s people called them strays.

Dumas and Gage were on patrol in the lowlands. It was an area south of downtown that although much effort has been made to upgrade still attracts and breeds darkness and negativity. Even the Charmer has been unable to maintain the land for long. He cleanses the area and within a month or two it starts to slip.

He can cure a building or structure and make it stick until the ground underneath it swells and infects once again. Curing the land itself is difficult and temporary unless the source is discovered. The land is ever-changing, and the evils of this world always seem to find a way in.

The Master has not given up on purifying this area. He owns several buildings in the area empty warehouses and vacant businesses which are kept clean and unpolluted in hopes of establishing a more positive influence. He also continues toassign patrols and to cleanse regularly. Evil will never be allowed a solid foothold in his city again.

There was talk on the streets of something suspiciously wicked occurring to some of the locals who called the lowlands home. The center of all gossip was the Two Track, a wannabe country and western bar that was actually just a sleazy, disreputable hangout referred to by the locals as 'off the tracks’. It was filled with the usual crowd of humans, shifters, and a couple of vampires, and they were all looking for the same thing: cheap booze, and even cheaper connections. It was dreary, but it was a necessary location to frequent in order to stay aware and be seen. If there was trouble brewing, they'd find it at the Two Track.

Nik Hadden was in his office going over police records of the incident at the Glendale Lodge making sure no sign of the supernatural came up no matter how trivial. It was a wild weekend, but he had to admit he loved getting away with his beloved. They would try again and maybe this time have a weekend filled with a lot more love and laughter and a lot less violence and bullets.

Andrew his assistant announced Kristof’s arrival. Kristof was the resident Alpha wolf and also Andrew’s beloved. Nik stood and shook Kristof’s hand before returning to his seat behind the desk. Kristof took the seat directly in front.

When the Hadden Coven began collecting wolf shifters as beloveds, Nik decided it was time to give them their own space because, as pack animals, they needed other wolves. They were still coven members, but the wolves also formed their own pack within the Coven and answered to their Alpha Kristof Lakatos. The pack members dealt with Kristof, and Kristof dealt with Nik.

The meeting today was to discuss the findings of Grant Dorsey a wolf shifter under Kristof and also a detective with the Pittsburgh PD. Grant was bonded to a coven member and good friends with Iker Dawson the husband of Walker’s best friend Stanley Binkman. Iker was also a detective with the Pittsburgh PD along with two other wolves that were patrolmen it gave Nik a connection in the police department which he valued highly.

"Grant has reported that the police are getting interested in the lowlands. It appears that people may be disappearing. There have been several reports of locals coming up missing, but so far, no bodies." Kristof began, and Nik's interest was piqued immediately. Having the human police rooting around in the lowlands could be a recipe for disaster. Many paranormal beings reside there, along with many humans. It's an unpleasant area, but rooms are cheap, and illegal activities tend to go unnoticed.

“What have the police found?” Nik asked.

“They’re not sure what they have. With so many of the residents being transient, it's hard to tell if they've disappeared or merely left of their own free will. They're looking into the reports." Kristof sent a copy of Grant's report to Nik. "As you can see, they've decided to assign a detective to the case. He's a new homicide detective, so apparently that is the direction they believe this case is headed."

“Who is he?”

“Detective Rowen Dalhousie, human and he’s said to be tenacious with an eye on advancement. He’s closed three homicide cases in the past week.” Kristof explained their situation quite clearly.

"He's good at his job, and he's not going to miss much." Nik voiced his concerns.

“It could become messy if there is a supernatural cause to these supposed disappearances.”

“Yes, we need to keep an eye on Det. Dalhousie.” Nik thought about who was the best for this job, and the name that came to mind was Dumas. He'd proven himself and his capabilities on several occasions, including their ill-fated weekend getaway. "I'll put Dumas on the case. He's already patrolled the area many times, so he's familiar, and his hellhound abilities will be useful for such an assignment. The lowlands are so unpredictable."

“I’ll have Grant contact Dumas and bring him up to speed on the case.” Kristof finished and stood.

“Thank you Kristof.” He left and closed the door behind him. Nik’s mind immediately went to the issues that could arise with any close scrutiny of the lowlands by the Pittsburgh PD.

They'd managed to beat back the evil virus that seemed to plague the area but were unable to eliminate it completely. Now, there were police to contend with along with the evil and its effects. If people are disappearing, there is most certainly a supernatural basis, so Dumas will have to find the culprit before the distinguished Det. Rowen Dalhousie. If not, they will be forced to deal with the Detective.

Nik put in a call to his second Josef McQueen, and asked to meet him at the new coffee bar downstairs. Their baked goods were extraordinary according to Walker and he was interested in trying the orange soufflé coffee cake. Josef was there when he arrived, and he explained to him the situation in the lowlands.

“I agree Dumas would be best for the job. He’s immune to most magics and can keep a low profile while also very capable of handling any issue that might arise.” Josef stated. “He doesn’thave the ability to clear memories, but he can incapacitate the individual until a mind sweeper arrives.” Josef smiled.

"Perhaps you could send someone with him," Nik responded lightly.

"Arthur Reis." He said the name and then continued with his explanation. "He's one of the new people who came in with the final call but has risen to the occasion and has presented himself as a worthy soldier. He and Dumas have worked together before and seem compatible. Reis was a coven guard at his old home and could use the experience working in the field among humans."

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