Out of the corner of his eye Max caught a young woman who was sitting in the aisle across from him stand up, for a brief moment it looked as if she glanced in his direction.
Why was she here, and what was she doing wearing a police uniform? Max sighed again in frustration; it was another wrench in his plans. Avoiding Headmaster Ezekiel, someone who might recognize him was one thing, but avoiding Scarlet Rose, someone who definitely would was another. He''d have to be one of the first out of the room once the meeting was over, he couldn''t risk being identified. Max wasn''t as worried about Kacey since she''d likely stay after to mingle with the other guests.
Additionally, unlike Kacey who Max felt confident predicting, Rose on the other hand was someone Max knew frighteningly little about. Academically she was skilled, and was in the running to be valedictorian just like Kacey was, but if her deduction skills were on par with her father she''d be especially dangerous, and Max wanted to stay under her radar for as long as he possibly could.
"My daughter Rose is responsible for organizing this meeting, and as many of you know she''s been very involved in numerous cases involving the Archangels, and other cases in the city – all with official police supervision of course. She''s an incredibly sharp girl with a bright future ahead of her, please give a round of applause for my daughter, and the future of our department."
As if on cue everyone began to clap, giving the young girl her props, and not wanting to seem out of place Max did the same applauding along with everyone else in the room.
After the applause died down Scarlet Rose took her seat, and crossed her legs refocusing on the stage.
"Thank you everyone," the police commissioner said, "now let''s get into why we''re all here." The man revealed a remote which he pointed upward, and after pressing a button a large projector screen began to descend from the ceiling. Afterwards, the lights were dimmed, and an image appeared on the screen – it was a map of Eden Springs with all six of its districts.
"For the last decade the archangels have been the only gang in Eden Springs, with territory in every district, spreading their influence like a plague. In districts like South Eden, they''re very active, and we estimate that at least 40% of gang activity occurs in that region, and most of that is violent crime."
''He wasn''t wrong.'' Max thought. ''But if the plurality of crime is committed in South Eden it would stand to reason that police activity would also increase in the region – that was simply not the case.''
"As for other regions the Archangels are usually very discreet, and commit crime that''s typically less obvious, whether it''s money laundering, insurance fraud, or identity theft. Despite these reports it''s worth noting that there hasn''t been a murder tied back to the Archangels since I became commissioner."
Now that was something Max didn''t know. He sat up, and cupped his chin curiously. Max had been under the impression that his organization was just as bad as other gangs in the U.S, but it looked like they had some level of restraint – where did that restraint come from?
"To most of you none of this information is new, but I felt it necessary to refresh all of your memories considering what I''m about to say next." The man paused for a moment, making sure that he had everyone''s attention, "since the beginning of the year the murder rate has skyrocketed into the dozens, with the vast majority of victims being Archangel gang members."
Max had forgotten to breath, reminded by the sound of his heart begging for oxygen Max let out a deep breath, almost choking while he did.
''Someone is targeting the Archangels?''
Was he in danger? No, if he was Raguel would''ve said something, right? If this was true, which it most definitely was, why hadn''t he been told about it? He had the job at the end of the week, was it still worth going through with? A million thoughts raced through Max''s head as he did his best to wrap his mind around what he was being told.
"The most recent victim in this string of murders was a teenage boy that attended Eden High."
The tension in the crowd was palpable, hushed whispers began to permeate the aisles like an infected wound spreading to the rest of the limb; even the couple that sat next to Max seemed horrified. Max was worried as well, but not for the same reasons they were.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"The boy was found in his home with his throat slit. He''d been tied to a chair, and forced to watch as the same was done to his family."
''Was this Azrael?" Max thought. The time line added up, and if his theory about the Azrael title being held for boys in his age group was right then-
At this point the hushed whispers had evolved into yelling, and the fear into anger. The crowd was mad, and even the mayor who was sitting in the front row was getting nasty looks.
"Now everyone listen to me, please," the commissioner said in an attempt to calm everyone down, "I take sole responsibility for the decision to keep everyone in the dark. You saw the protests outside; can you imagine how much worse things would be for our city if any of these murders were made public?"
The crowd died down a bit, but there were still frustrated murmurs, and insults thrown his way, albeit much quieter ones.
Suddenly Max felt chills down his spine. He only attended this meeting to get some possible insight on the last Azrael, and maybe some intel on what was going on with the Archangels, but what he was learning was so much more than that – a grand conspiracy to hide mysterious, and brutal murders from the public. What he needed to know now was –
"The vast majority of these murders have occurred in district 4, and 5 respectively. As for the culprits? Our evidence has lead us to believe it''s a new gang, one that''s much more ruthless than the Archangels; they call themselves ''The Sanctified'' and they''ve since kicked the Archangels out of both districts."
While the crowd was still anxious, they seemed to calm down a bit, after all everyone in this room except for Max himself either lived in Wavecrest or Hightown so there was still some space separating them from this violent gang. And while Eden''s elites didn''t particularly like the Archangels, the Archangels themselves generally left Eden''s upper class alone, all the violence was kept to districts aside from the two they resided in, out of sight out of mind.
Max had heard about The Sanctified, they were a gang that had been spreading like wildfire across the United States the last few years; they were ruthless, and for some reason police departments in every city all across the country haven''t been able to stop them. Why was that? It was another mystery that Max might need to investigate, but if things were heating up this much maybe it was in his best interest to leave the gang. Max shook his head at that thought, there was still too many unknown variables for Max to confidently make that decision.
"I do not want Eden Springs to become like many cities across the eastern seaboard. I want us to kick The Sanctified out now before they dig their heals in." The commissioner stated. "So, I am asking for all of your support! Everyone here represents Eden''s best, and finest, I need your help kicking this gang out of our city!"
A man in the front row spoke up unprompted. "It''s no secret that we pay the Eden police force to maintain order in districts 2, and 3. So why should we bother wasting money on parts of the city we don''t care about? As far as I''m concerned we can wipe districts 1, 4, and 5 off the map and call it a day."
The commissioner seemed annoyed hearing that. "Whether you like it or not those districts are a part of Eden Springs, and right now the image of this city which you''ve all carefully cultivated has been one of excellence; what do you think would happen to that image if half the districts in Eden become crime ridden wastelands?"
The man wasn''t satisfied with that answer, but before he could say a rebuttal Reginald Sinclair stood up, adjusting his tie as he did so. The room grew quiet as he stood, even the mayor himself seemed captivated. Max knew that Reginald was respected, but he didn''t know how deep that went with the elites of Eden.
"I spent years rebuilding this town..." He began. "Why should your department be trusted to handle a second crisis when it hasn''t demonstrated the ability to handle one?" His gaze pierced through the stage. "The Sanctified are here because Eden has failed to purge itself of the Archangels. A city incapable of addressing its gang problem signals weakness to others." Reginald''s attention shifted from the stage to the audience, his demeanor resolute. "For years, I tolerated the Archangels, trusting others to manage them. Now I see that was a mistake."
As murmurs of agreement stirred the crowd, the commissioner interjected, attempting to diffuse the tension. "Mr. Sinclair, I understand—"
"You don''t understand a thing. You''re one of the good cops Alex, but the things you lack can''t be fixed with money. I''ll be solving this problem my way, just like I rebuilt Wavecrest all those years ago, I will handle the Sanctified and the Archangels myself." His words hung in the air, a challenge and a declaration of intent wrapped into one
Max watched as Mr. Sinclair left the room with Kacey trotting behind him, the room erupting into chaos as they did. Eden''s elite stood from their seats and hurled insults at the chief, and the mayor, but several others argued in the chiefs favor. Even the couple beside Max seemed to agree with the chief of police, committing to help them in any way they could.
Believing the meeting was over Max quietly got to his feet, and skirted through the aisle, attempting to make his escape. Once he was finally out of the room he turned to his right, the direction he saw the Sinclair''s come from when they entered earlier. As he made his way down the hall the bickering, and yelling seemed to die down, but just when he thought he was home free he felt a hand latch to his shoulder, and turn him around.