The Power of Grief

[Arlo Evans (DELETED 11795)]

Arlo looked up at the gray sky with a frown. Snow fell in thick fluffy flakes, it didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon. “How fitting.” Arlo thought to himself as he watched the snow fall. “A bleak day.” He didn't know how long he stood in the graveyard staring at the sky. Memories rolled through his head like thunderstorms and he fought to keep the tears back. Eventually he snapped back to reality and set the flowers he had brought with him in front of the tombstone. Ariel Castillo, the mother he had never known. “She died doing the right thing.” It read under her birth and death date. Arlo scoffed at that. “Died doing the right thing.” He muttered through gritted teeth. What a load of crap. She had been cut down in the line of duty as a Harper Rock police officer. Her death hadn't been swift and it hadn't been just. She had been murdered in cold blood. She had died alone, and in pain. Up until her death a few weeks ago Arlo hadn't even known his mother was still alive. His useless drunk father had convinced him she had run out on Arlo and his brother Levi. Arlo had grown up harboring a hate for the woman. Then out of the blue he had gotten a call that not only had she been alive, she had been a hero cop. “Why didn't you come look for us mom?” He asked the gravestone. “Why did you leave us all on our own?” He wasn't surprised when he didn't get an answer back. He stared at the grave silently. “Well screw you too.” He growled and tucked his hands in his pocket walking away.

Grief could be a powerful motivator, it could drive a man to do some crazy things. By the time Arlo made it back to his hotel room he had made a decision. He stared out the window at Harper Rock, the city his mother had called home. Someone in this city had killed his mom. He didn't care how long it took him, he didn't care if he died in the process. He was going to find whoever did it. The decision had come with ease and a sort of strange comfort. It was more than just revenge, he wanted to know why. Why had they killed her? That was the part that was driving him mad. Everyone who knew his mother had told him she was a good cop and a good person. Maybe it was just people talking kindly of the dead. From what he understood it hadn't been random. He had pushed her partner for details who had been reluctant at first. She had been tortured before being left to die in some random back alley. People didn't just do that randomly, their had been a intent and Arlo was determined to find out why. Arlo plopped onto the hotel bed tucking his hands behind his head and began plotting.

Arlo was known as a “crisis management consultant.” He was a corporate fixer and he was good at what he did. Some people were good at fixing things with their hands. Arlo prefered to use his head to fix problems. Scandels, botched branding, corporate espionage, Arlo had handled it all. He was the puppeteer behind the scenes. He had built a name for himself and had worked with some of the biggest companies around. He needed to approach this like he would any other problem. He rolled over and grabbed his notebook from the nightstand and started jotting things down as they came to mind. He had a plethora of contacts at his disposal. Though he didn't know anyone inside of Harper Rock. He had heard more than a few rumors about the city though he didn't give much thought to any of them. He needed to get a lay of the land, he needed information and he needed someone under his thumb. A sly grin crossed his face as he wrote faster. He could already see a plan forming in his mind. Tomorrow, tomorrow he would start.

---

Three months. Three long, frustrating months and Arlo had barely gotten anywhere. Getting the case file and evidence from the murder had been the easy part. He had even managed to blackmail the lead investigator into giving him any and every detail he wanted. That was where his good luck had ended. He had thrown money at it, applied pressure wherever he could, and still ended up with nothing. He could tie it back to organized crime, he could even tie it back to the man who had given the orders. But no matter how hard he tried to turn the tables. No matter how he tried to turn the man's people against him. He ended up with nothing, always a brick wall. Either the man had the entire city in his pocket or he had somehow perfectly instilled loyalty in his men. Arlo couldn't even get a name out of them, a location, a hint, nothing. Arlo paced around the apartment in frustration. He was missing something, something important. Even the toughest private investigator had turned Arlo away. What was going on around here? What made this man so untouchable? Arlo looked over the ever growing wall of notes and information he had gathered for the hundredth time in the last hour. “What am I missing?” He muttered to himself. “Their has to be something.” Arlo went through the stack of papers again and again, his frustration growing until he finally snapped. He flipped the table over and let out a roar of anger.

After a few minutes the anger resided and he decided he needed some fresh air. His neighbors had pestered him more than a few times not to go out after dark. Arlo for the most part had listened to them but tonight he needed the fresh air. He dressed in his warm jacket, tucked in his earbuds and started walking in a random direction. The crisp night air helped wake him up as he walked. He had been lost in thought and hadn't seen the limo pull up. Arlo stopped in his tracks when a giant of a man got out and blocked his path. “Get in.” Arlo snorted and went to walk around the man. He held out a hand stopping him. “I'm not asking.” The man growled and Arlo narrowed his eyes at the man. He doubted he could get around the man let alone fight the man. Maybe this was the opportunity Arlo had been waiting for. “Only because you asked so politely.” Arlo said with a fake smile and ducked into the limo.

Arlo blinked at the figure sitting across from him. He had expected someone older, well. He had actually expected a man. That hadn't been the case. She couldn't be out of her mid twenties. She was tall, her red hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. She was dressed in black slacks and a long black coat. She didn't wear makeup, she didn't need to. Her natural beauty was more than enough to turn any man's head. Arlo might have fell for her looks if his body didn't scream at him that he was in serious danger. Her ice blue eyes regarded him curiously a soft smile on her lips. “So your the one causing all the trouble.” She said her voice filled with amusement. “Arlo Evans, you have made quite the name for yourself.” Arlo watched her carefully trying to keep calm. Something about the woman was just.....wrong. Her voice had an age to it that didn't fit her appearance. “What I want to know is why you have such an interest in little ol' me” She said with a smile that sent a shiver down his spine. Arlo put on his best business smile. “You seem to have me at a disadvantage, you know so much about me and I don't even know your name.” Arlo said leaning back in the seat folding his arms across his chest.

“That is of little importance.” She said with a smile and leaned forward. “What I want to know is why you are here. Why you have set your sights on me.” Arlo chuckled and was silent for a long moment. “Ariel Castillo, HRPD. Four months ago she was killed in cold blood.” If the woman recognized the name she didn't let it show on her face. “And?” She said annoyed. Arlo gritted his teeth resisting the urge to reach out and strike the woman. “And she was my mother and you had her killed. I'm here to settle the score.” The woman blinked at him and then burst into laughter, which of course only angered Arlo further. “Oh Mr. Evans, do you really think you can touch me?” Arlo was about to say something snide when she closed the distance between them in a blink of an eye. Her hand wrapped around his throat. Arlo grabbed at her hand but it wouldn't budge. He felt his heart skip a beat as she smiled at him. Her canines long and sharp....fangs? “See the difference between us Mr. Evans is I command power, real power. Your off the edge of the map Mr. Evans. Here there be monsters.” The last thing Arlo remembered was wondering if she had really just quoted Pirates of the Caribbean.

He awoke shivering and shaking his whole body aching. He winced as he slowly sat up looking around him. Based on the impression in the snow she had thrown him from the moving limo. He sat in the snow his mind trying to process what just happened. No matter how many times he played it through his mind it didn't make sense. “Real power.” He said to himself over and over. He groaned as he climbed to his feet and limped down the sidewalk. Power, that was what he needed. Real power, the same power she wielded. A wicked smile crossed his lips as the plan began forming in his mind. She probably figured she had scared him away. Scare him, rough him up a little bit and like everyone else he would cower away. If anything she had only made Arlo's resolve that much stronger.

---
“Your sure?” Arlo asked the man. It hadn't taken him nearly as long as he had thought it would to find what he was looking for. The man raised an eyebrow at him. “Your the one knocking on the devil's door. I had to pull a lot of strings to set this meeting up.” Arlo nodded and passed the man the thick envelope of cash. “Your not feeding me a line? They really are...” Arlo couldn't bring himself to say it...Vampire. The idea was just plain ridiculous.....But after what he had experienced in the limo it was hard to deny. The man rolled his eyes at Arlo and snubbed the cigarette he had been smoking. “Listen kid if your smart you'll walk away from all of this and go back to whatever mansion you crawled out of. These kind of people, you can't just throw money at them and expect them to fix your problems.” Arlo tucked his hands into his pockets to keep them from shaking. “Burn that bridge after I cross it.” Arlo said with a nervous smile. The man passed him a card. “Tonight, midnight. Don't be late and don't say I didn't warn you.” He said and began to walk away. “Wait, how will I know it's the right person?” he called out after the man. “Trust me kid, they will find you. Best of luck.” The man called over his shoulder and melted into the crowd. Arlo looked at the card, it was an address for a night club. “No backing out now.” Arlo mumbled to himself and tucked the card into his pocket.

He tried to take a nap before the meeting but couldn't. He did the best he could to keep himself busy and half past eleven he headed out. He didn't know what to expect, he was still having trouble wrapping his mind around the whole thing. He checked his phone a dozen times and arrived at the club a few minutes before midnight. The place was surprisingly empty at least it was a public space. Arlo settled down at a table near the back of the club facing the front door. He ordered a whiskey and nursed the drink. He looked down at his cellphone, they where late. Maybe he had been scammed? He would wait ten more minutes and then leave. He tapped his finger on the table lost in thought. This whole thing was ridiculous. How could he be such a fool? He stood and grabbed his coat of course it had been some kind of scam. He must have hit his head or something, of course vampires didn't exist.