Page 90 - The Chronicles Ser2 (6-10)

which are involved with rival Syndicates” Dreck added. Krank finished a call with the Chief
and approached them…

“That was the Chief; he’s finalised the detail for the funerals, Lomax. Dreck and I, Frankie
and two others from David’s squad will be Pall Bearers, D’Souza and Mantille will be honour
guard, the rest is on this list I’m posting on the main notice board. Lomax called me earlier,
he’s got some news that might have a bearing on our case, and He’s bringing in a couple of
“experts” too, what is the latest on Glass?” he asked. Hurden brought him up to speed.
Dreck went to dispatch to tell Macie to have one of the Grindon Heights patrols bring
Kestrelle in for questioning. Anything he noticed during his visit to Glass might be relevant.
In the meantime he would go back to the Hall of Records to see what he could drag up on
the rest of the Lucerne family and relations, there seemed to be some connection with all
the recent activity. While he was there a call came in from the Mayor’s Office. “Could one of
the senior officers attend as soon as was convenient?” was all the caller would say. Krank
said he’d answer the call and left Hurden and Dreck to interview Kestrelle when he came in.

Krank had a shrewd idea what this call to the Mayor’s Office might be all about.
They’d ruled out the Mayor’s daughter and her boyfriend over the Casino business so that
left The Chief and the civic duty of the Funeral service. He just hoped this was not political
gesturing on the Mayor’s part, although he wouldn’t put it past the wily old goat. It was
more than likely because of a family connection with Nancy Ferris. He was an uncle by
marriage. He pulled up at City Hall and was met on the steps of the building by Henrietta,
the Mayor’s aide.

“His nib is in a right tiswas, he has received a death threat by courier about ten minutes ago.
There was a note attached to the object delivered.” She handed him the card which simply
read “BOOM! Happy Birthday” it was in red ink, or perhaps blood, and in a spidery hand. “If
this is some form of sick joke, it’s in incredibly bad taste Felix.” She added and they hurried
to the Mayor’s Office on the thirteenth floor. As soon as Krank entered the room a stench
invaded his nostrils, the “object” was the head of a Gantrax with two sticks of fake
explosives sticking out of its eyes and it was covered in Hadra slime. That’s what was
stinking. The mayor himself was white as a sheet and throwing up into an ornate plant pot
holder.

“Ah; Felix old chap, what do you make of… of…” he couldn’t speak and just pointed at the
head on his desk. The canister and its lid that it had arrived in were on the floor where they
had landed when the contents had fallen onto the desk. On closer inspection the head
proved to be a sophisticated facsimile, not a genuine Gantrax head, but convincing enough.
“I would say it’s somebody’s idea of a very sick practical joke. It’s not a real head; I’ve seen
plenty of the real kind before. The skull shape is too rounded. Your Birthday isn’t for two
months, so I would put this out of your mind, and concentrate on the Funeral for the Force
Officers who died in the Casino bombing. I’ll have Forensics check it over, but I’m very much
afraid the perpetrator has not left any clues as to their identity. The courier was probably in
on it or even the guy himself in disguise” Krank said confidently.

“Thank you Felix, I thought it might have been one of those Syndicate threats, word has
travelled fast about Lucerne, and I hear that we also have Mortimer Glass dehumed too.”
The poor man was still visibly shaken. It was not well known that the Mayor had been an
officer in The Black Guard outpost patrol that had encountered the first Gantrax wave on