Demon Hunters (35 page)

“What does this have to do with anything?”
She asked as I pored over the papers. “I admit, plastic surgery
isn’t really on the top tier of real estate expenses, but maybe it
was a gift for his wife or girlfriend or something,” I then pulled
out the two photos Aldo had given me. “Who are these guys? They
look terrible.”

“Vyra and Pyre, at least they were.”

“What are you thinking?”

“Maybe something very wrong, but there’s
only one man in the world who can prove that.”

The next day, I asked Gwen to accompany me
to the offices of Dr. Thaddeus Belgard, plastic surgeon
extraordinaire. Dr. Belgard was regarded as one of the top lift men
in Beverly Hills. His roster of patients read like a who’s who of
Hollywood and his work was so good, people would proudly confess to
feeling the touch of his scalpel. One thing those sterling smiles
and tight butts didn’t know was as well respected as he was in one
realm, he was just as applauded in another. Unknown to the general
public, Belgard had talents in Demoplasty, as I referred to it.
When a demon comes to this mortal coil, there’s no other face maker
they trust more than Belgard. He was a whiz at filing down horns
and amputating extra appendages. He also offered the more mundane
services such as electrolysis and fur removal and caps to make
teeth from fangs. The monstrous would seek him out to drink from
his well of beauty so that they could live as normal a life as they
were capable of. After all, everyone knows when you look normal;
your life is normal as well. Right?

We arrived at Belgard’s office a little
after eleven in the morning. His waiting room put my apartment to
shame. Of course, his garage did that too. Classical music was
being piped in and the one woman who was there was leafing through
a recent edition of The New Yorker. The carpet was thick and
luxurious and there was original art tacked up on the wall.
Lighting was creatively staged as to put everything in the best
possible light.

“Wow.” Gwen said as we walked in.

“Don’t tell me you’re impressed by all of
this.”

“No. Not really. It’s just I never thought
I’d be in the office of THE Dr. Belgard.”

“You know about him? How do you know about
him? You’re from Blue Haven!”

“We get Entertainment Tonight out there, you
know. I saw all the stories about him. I even watched that reality
series about him they had on E.”

“I think I just lost a little respect for
you now.”

“I know it’s stupid, but that’s kind of the
fun of it too. I mean, I’d never have anything done. I wouldn’t
dare become one of the sideshow freaks this guy churns out, but
it’s still kind of a thrill to be here. Where it all happens.”

“I guess. Just sit down for a second and
catch your breath. I want to see if the good butcher is in.”

Gwen sat on the overstuffed couch just by
the entrance as I walked over to the receptionist.

“Hello. Do you have an appointment?” She
asked. I could tell from her eyes she was years older than her face
appeared. Her lips were stretched tight into an almost permanent
frown and while her neck had more lines than a road map, her
breasts looked like they had just grown in the night before.

“No, but I was hoping I could see Dr.
Belgard. I really wanted one of his purple lollipops.” The
receptionist looked at me carefully.

“I’m sorry. Dr. Belgard only sees patients
with appointments.” I was astounded that I couldn’t see her lips
move.

“Come on. It looks like a slow day. He
couldn’t squeeze me and my girlfriend in for just a quick
consultation?” The receptionist looked over my shoulder at Gwen,
who was sitting blissfully ignorant of our conversation.

“What is she looking to have done?”

“You’re not blind. You see. She’s here for
the works. Top to bottom.” I could finally see her face actually
transform into an actual emotion. Curiosity.

“She is? She looks fine to me.”

“For what she is, I guess so.”

“What she is?”

“Yeah. I should mention that we came to see
Dr. Belgard for some of his ‘special’ services. You get me?” My
eyes locked onto the receptionist’s and it was clear she picked up
on my tone.

“She’s one of those?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry. I understand how much you need
to see the doctor, but you really need to make an appointment.”

“We only came here because Bertram
recommended him. He said he was the best.” The receptionist’s ears
pricked up a bit.

“You were referred by William Bertram?”

“Yeah.” I said and the corners of her lips
quivered, in what I could only assume was her attempt at a
smile.

“Fine. Go on in. Right through the door
there. Last door on the left.” I turned to Gwen and motioned for
her to join me. We walked through the door and into his main
office.

“What did you say to her?” Gwen
whispered.

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

It looked like any other doctor’s office. We
walked forward and stopped at the last door at the end of the hall.
It looked like any other door. I looked to Gwen who appeared to be
growing more worried. I grabbed the handle and pulled the door
open. We saw only a modest office inside. A large mahogany desk
with a slim computer on top. Book shelves lining the walls full of
medical journals. We stepped in and behind us came Belgard. He
wasn’t as I had pictured him. He was a lot younger than I thought
he’d be. Fit too. His hair was rather long and tossed easily as he
moved.

“Good morning,” He said with a bright smile
and slid behind his desk. He tapped a few buttons on his computer
and then looked to me and Gwen with his intense stare. “Bertram
sent you, eh?”

“Yes. He says you’re the best.”

“He’s right. So, how can I help you
two?”

“Well,” I began.

“Have a seat,” Belgard said pointing to the
two chairs in front of his desk. He diverted his eyes from me to
Gwen. “Pardon my staring, but you look fantastic, if you don’t mind
me saying.”

“Oh, that’s fine.” She said.

“Very passable.”

“Excuse me?”

“Pardon my bluntness, but my last case was
this giant pile of blubber with fur all over. No way to pass that
off as human.”

“I am not a demon.”

“Oh, neither was that guy,” Belgard said and
then exploded in laughter. Gwen giggled a bit, but I could only
roll my eyes. “Just my little joke. Now, if you’re not demons, why
are you in my special office?” I stood up.

“My name’s Jake Corba and I need to ask you
a few questions.”

“I see.” Belgard leaned back in his chair.
His body language seemed to take on a hostile tone. I knew then
time was of the essence.

“I need to know if two particular
individuals have been in for work.”

“You know I can’t reveal my clients.”

“Unless I’m with a basic cable network,
don’t you mean?”

“Privacy is their privilege.”

“For humans, not demons,” I pulled out the
photos. “I need to know if you’ve done any work on these two,”
Belgard took the pictures and examined them carefully. “I found
receipts for your services in William Bertram’s files. I just want
to know if these were the two he had you work on.” Belgard looked
up at me. His eyes were hard to read.

“What if I did?”

“You know who they are?”

“I might.”

“I don’t really have time for these games.
Vyra and Pyre. Did you perform any procedures on them?”

“If I told you, I’d be a dead man.”

“Bertram’s involved with something a lot
bigger than even he realizes. What he and those two demons are
doing could tear the very fabric of creation apart. I need to know
if it really is them. Now stop with the tight lip act. You tell me
what I need to know now, or we all die!” Belgard then turned to his
file cabinet and pulled out a folder and tossed it on the table. I
grabbed it quickly and rifled through it. I found a picture of Vyra
and Pyre similar to the pictures I had, plus their after shots.
Melissa and Jeff.

“He brought them in late at night and
requested extreme secrecy about the project.”

“Must have been a pretty big check he wrote
you.”

“What I was paid is none of your
business.”

“You’re right. I don’t care what little
backdoor deal you did. At least you can rest tonight knowing you
did the right thing. For a change.” I looked over to Gwen but her
gaze was focused on a large picture of a hospital hanging on the
wall. It looked like what I always envisioned a hospital to look
like. Tall, white building with flowers and trees lined along the
edges. Very clean and peaceful. I noticed a large concrete slab
with the name of the hospital on it. Stuart Green Cancer
Institute.

“I know this place,” She said. “I saw it on
the news a few nights ago,” I began to recognize it too. “They said
they had lost a lot of federal funding and were going to have to
close”

“That’s no longer the case.”

“Wow. Charity. Looks like you face slashers
and fat suckers do have hearts after all.”

“My wife had a long fight with Ovarian
Cancer. A fight she lost, I’m afraid. They helped keep her
comfortable in her final moments, and I would like to think if they
had more time, they could have saved her.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Bertram promised he’d see to it the
hospital would get more than enough funding to keep its doors
open.”

“For how long?”

“Forever.”

“He made good on this?”

“From what I was able to learn, yes.”

“And all you had to do was perform two big
makeovers and keep quiet about it.”

“Yes.”

“You’re doing the right thing,” Gwen added.
“Your wife would be happy that you’re telling us all of this.”

“No, I’m not. You broke into my office and
stole my file. Isn’t that right?” He looked to me with a slight
smile.

“Right.”

“I know of your reputation, Mr. Corba, and
as well versed as you are in the ways of demons, I’m not a novice
myself. I know enough to keep me alive. What little I have told you
could be costing me my life.”

“Don’t worry. I’m shutting this little
operation down fast, but I would advise you to take a break from
the demon work. This could end up being one of those big
things.”

“Of course. Is that all?”

“Yes. Thanks.”

“Of course. Perhaps you could show
yourselves out? Through the back?”

Gwen and I made it back to the car, but it
was not as picturesque leaving Belgard’s office as it was arriving.
The backdoor led through several dark alleys and parts of Beverly
Hills they don’t normally show on television.

As we turned the last corner on our way to
the car, I saw a familiar face briefly before it ran into me. I
fell to the ground and as I got a better look at my obstacle, I saw
that it was Felix Lesidous.

“Felix? What the Hell are you doing
here?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Corba, I just had to see
you.”

“I thought you only had a three day
pass.”

“I did, but I came back here through
different methods. I just need to talk to you.” I began to get up,
but just as quickly as that, Felix had his arm wrapped around mine,
lifting me to my feet.

“Thanks.”

“Of course.”

“Now, I’m not going to tell you anything,
Felix. Aldo told me that he’s got it under control and that should
be good enough for you.”

“You’re right. It should, but it just
isn’t.”

“From what I’ve seen of Aldo, he seems like
a pretty sharp lawyer. I’ve got some good information and once I
pass it on to him, your case will be as good as won, but if you
keep bothering me, you could jeopardize it. You don’t want that, do
you?”

“No. I don’t. I’m sorry, Mr. Corba. You’re
right. I’ll go. Please don’t tell Mr. Rex I came to see you.”

“I won’t. Just don’t let it happen
again.”

“It won’t. I promise.”

Real Estate Planning

After I dropped Gwen off at her place, I
raced back to the office. I was certain Ivar would have a mountain
of new research on Vyra and Pyre. What little I already knew made
me sure that this was not going to be as easy as demanding Heaven
back from them.

I was just a few blocks from the office when
I realized I was no longer alone. I turned to the passenger seat
and there was Aldo, looking as sharp and put together as ever.

“A good day?”

“We have a positive identification on Vyra
and Pyre.”

“Okay. So now that we know who the guilty
parties are, what’s our next step?”

“We talk to the man who hired them and
figure out what he wanted from them. One Mr. William Bertram.”

“Very good.” Aldo said.

“That’s all.”

“I realize that.”

“You can go now.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to be
there when you talk to this Mr. Bertram. Just so I can keep
everything nice and admissible.”

“Sure. Whatever.”

When we arrived at the office, I discovered
that Ivar was not there, which I found odd at least. I checked
around to see if he left any notes or messages, but nothing. I did
find a thick pile of books stacked on his desk. Whatever he had
been researching, he had been doing it for a long time. I had the
inclination to wait for him to show up and elaborate on what he
found, but as time was quickly becoming an issue, Aldo and I went
on ahead to Bertram’s office.

It was in the heart of Encino in a newly
renovated strip mall on Ventura Boulevard. We found a space on the
street just in front of Bertram’s door.

It was a rather upscale looking office. Very
new. I could still detect the faint aroma of fresh cut wood and
newly coated paint. The furniture and accents were cutting edge and
very modern. I couldn’t really imagine Gwen working in a place like
that. There wasn’t a lot of heart or soul to be found. I spotted
her desk and saw she had already adorned it with pictures of her
family and some other little touches. Her desk stuck out greatly
from all the others, as it was the only one with a sense of warmth
and humanity.