Ghost files: part 2

Case 4

The lost children.

It’s been over three weeks since Kit was clear of any wrong doing, but the streets seem to become more and more dangerous, hospitals are filling up and most cases involve drug users. The Chief of police was back in his office, even if the doctors kept complaining to him to get more bed rest, how could he rest, his city was falling apart, he didn’t truly know who he could trust of his officers and the few people he did trust were doing everything they could to try and stop the drugs from getting to the streets. “Chief we just got another call the Ghost was spotting in down town busting up a well known street pirate hangout.” with that the chief grabbed his hat and the two quickly raced to the scene. As they arrived they found a scene they had come to expect from the Ghost in recent days, the street pirates out cold, while one of them remained awake balled up in a corner sobbing like a frightened child.

“Alright Lupe book them all.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know jay walking for all I care, just hold them for 24 hours, I’m sure most of them are wanted for something else anyhow.” with that Lupe nodded and headed for the phone and rang up the station while the chief walked around looking at everything until he came to the sobbing pirate who looked up at him for a minute before pulling his thumb out of his mouth.

“He t-told me t-to give this to you.” with that the grown badger pirate handed over a scrap of paper that had a time and place written down on it. The chief looked at it for a minute before wadding it up and shoving it in his pocket, later that night as the chief walked out on a roof top at the time and place on the piece of paper he looked around and didn’t see anyone.

“Alright Ghost I’m here, and I’m alone.”

“Well your correct on one of those chief.” Shade said, as he seem to appear out of nowhere a few feet away.

“Do you have any idea on what the under world is saying about you, most of my snitches have gone straight because they don’t want to see your true face, not after some of the stories that those in lock up have passed on, some say you’re a demon, some say the grim reaper, the one we brought in today swore you took him to a pit of Hell when he told you to go there.” Shade smirked slightly, he had been forcing memories into the criminal element since he had gotten back making them see their worst fears when they refused to give him the information that they had and he wanted. “You need to tone it down a bit Ghost, last thing we need is a religious man hunt break out in this city.”

“And what about the drugs chief, we’ve done a lot to keep them off the streets but they keep showing up, the hospital is getting more cases by the day, sooner or later there isn’t going to be a non-user in the city. We need to find out who is making them and we need to shut them down before it’s to late.” Shade’s voice rang true, and the chief knew it, the drug dealers had been pushing the drugs harder as of late and had been finding knew ways to do it. A week before they had broken into a pick up location and found that they had been mixing the drugs to make candy to start selling to kids, another time they found it liquidated and mixed into soda pop that was going to be handed out at a ball game. The chief knew about these cases but didn’t know about a close call that one of Shades friends had.

***********

One week ago

Local park

***********

Rebecca was sitting on a park bench smiling as she watched Molly play, the sun was just about to go down and Rebecca felt safe knowing that Baloo was on the other side of the swing set watching to ensure that nothing happened to Molly. Just across the street Rebecca could see Kit buying a plane model and smiled knowing that soon he would be her son legally. Her attention however was snapped back to the park when she heard a lot of children screaming, as she looked she saw Shade standing between Molly and a clown. As both Baloo and Rebecca ran up to see what was going on, Molly ran to her sobbing slightly. “Mommy he hit me.” Rebecca looked at Molly then at the clown.

“How dare you strike my daughter.” Rebecca scolded as she looked at the clown.

“I was preventing her from getting hooked.” Shade responded getting Rebecca and Baloo to both look at him.

“Are you insane I was just trying to give the children free candy.” the Clown said, with a smile on his face, only to loose it when Shade’s claws dug into his wrist.

“Hey leave the clown alone, he was just trying to bring smiles to are kids faces.” another parent said, as the parents in the area started to circle Shade and the Clown. As the mob started to form Shade turned his attention away from the clown and started notice that he was in a tough position.

“what are you going to do now Ghost?” the clown whispered with a smirk on his face. Shade’s head snapped in the direction of the clown’s face and he bared his teeth letting out a low growl as his eyes locked with the clowns, and he started to speak. Images that filled the clowns mind as he found him self being engulfed in darkness, forced to see his worst nightmares appear before him, while anyone else looking on only heard Shade speak, and saw nothing out of the ordinary

“I know your secrets Bruno, I know who you are, I know what your trying to do. I know just how tainted your candy is, and I know the darkness that lies deep with in your heart, now tell them.” with that the Clown started to sob in fear as Shade let go of his wrist.

“It’s made with frost, I was going to get them hooked and then make them pay next week, then start selling it to their parents.” As the clown started to confess to a plan to get the children of the park hooked on drugs, the parents stepped aside as Shade left, only to stop and look at Molly who was still holding her hand that he had slapped a piece of candy out of just before she put it in her mouth.

“I’m sorry for slapping you little one, it was for your own good.” Following that event Shade lead the cops to the mixing lab from information that he had taken from the clown’s memory.

*******

Present

*******

“We both know that time is running out, the drugs are getting into the city faster and we aren’t any closer to finding out how it’s being made or how it’s getting in.” Shade argued, as he looked at the chief. “I’m tired of seeing the people of this city turning their minds into goo, and I’m tired of watching parents sitting by their children’s bed side in the hospital because some one tricked them into taking the stuff in the first place.” with that the chief crossed his arms and glared at Shade.

“That’s not how we work Ghost and you know it, we don’t go around busting up people with out some kind of hard proof, so from now on if you want this partnership to keep working you don’t make a move with out clearing it with me first, is that understood.” Shade clintched his fist and turned his back on the chief.

“I make you this warning Chief, if any more children get hurt because of this poison all bets are off, I will hunt down and break everyone involved, that includes any crooked cops I run across. I’m tired of watching the future of this city slowly being destroyed, and if that means I have to work with your officers chasing me again, so be it.” with that Shade vanished once more and the chief lowered his head. The Ghost was a good person to have in the shadows, but he was starting to get a little out of control.

The following evening, Shade was standing on the cape suzette orphanage roof, and was looking over the city, the lights illuminated the streets as he scanned them, to many times had there been close calls, to many times had he seen children hurt by the drugs that had been getting pushed, be it by them getting hooked on them, parents while under their effect lashing out at them, or just simply an addicts driving while using. He was doing everything he could to try and keep the city safe, but it just didn’t seem like enough, he was growing tired of watching the busiest place in the city be the hospital, and it was slowly driving him mad hopping that every time he heard those sirens that no one that he cared about was being rushed to the hospital. As Shade stood on top of the orphanage, a strange act caught his attention, a bus pulled up and children started to get moved from the orphanage to the bus. “Odd it’s to late at night to have a field trip.”

“They’re getting taken away.” a little girls voice said from behind getting Shade to spin around and find himself looking at a small bobcat girl holding a doll and smiling at him. “You the Ghost right?” with that Shade smiled and bowed slightly.

‘This kid snuck up behind me with out me even knowing it. I must be slipping’ the little girl smiled as she walked up to the roof’s edge and looked over. “Shouldn’t you been in bed little one?” with that the girl smiled and shook her head.

“I wanted to see my brother before he left.” the girl said, as she pointed to a boy bobcat getting put on the bus. “His name is bobby and when he get older he’s going to come back for me.” Shade looked at the girl and smiled slightly.

“Come back? Where are they going?” Shade asked, as he looked at the bus.

“They’re going to a camp outside the city, it supposed to teach