DEAN STRAKEN
"I know it's a little late to bring this up, but a thought just struck me. Should we be doing this today? Should we be anywhere near the girls right now?" Calvin says to Dean as he takes the dish out of the oven.
"What do you mean?" Dean asks. "How else will you fill them in on what we found out? Besides, you're the one who invited them over. Not to mention, they should be here soon."
"I know... I just feel like I'm putting them in danger somehow," Calvin starts.
"In danger with Brooks?" Dean asks curiously. "It's not like you've given her any reason to keep tabs on you outside of work hours. I think I'm in the clear on that front too, for now at least."
"Yeah..." Calvin agrees with a sigh.
"She already knows them, remember. If Brooks wanted the girls badly enough, she wouldn't be following you to find them. She's met them already, and she has a way to get to them that's just as direct. Which is even more reason you have to let them know what's up."
Calvin sighs as he goes to his overhead kitchen cabinet, pulling out a stack of plates, "You're right, you're right. Best to warn and prepare them now."
"Exactly," Dean answers as Calvin forces the stack of dishes into his hands.
"Set these for me, would you." He says, his request being more of a statement. "Didn't have you come over so you could sit there and look pretty."
Dean scoffed as he got up from his seat, heading to Calvin's dining table. "The fancy plates? You never use these when it's just me!" He says to Calvin in mock offense.
"They're for special guests."
"You saying I'm not special?"
"You've been in my house way too many times to think you're a guest. You have your own keys!" Calvin rebuts.
"And to think I brought a cheesecake to this!" Dean huffed making the both of them laugh.
At the sound of a knock, Calvin heads over to the door, Dean watching him hug the girls in greeting.
"Hey, you switched up the place! I like it!" Naomi comments as they walk in. "Dean, hi!" She greets, having turned to the area where he was standing.
"Hey Naomi, Avery," He says to them, placing down the last plate. "You've been here before?" He asks curiously walking to the group.
A laugh escapes her as she nods in response to his question, "Yeah I have. I think it was the second day after I met Cal for the first time." She supplies with a chuckle, Calvin joining in.
"They both have actually," His friend adds. "Naomi had to talk me out of shooting Avery and her boyfriend!" He laughs making Dean's eyes go wide.
"Dude what?"
"Yeah, he had Naomi locked up in here with him," Avery adds making the Dean all the more confused. The three of them breaking out into laughter at his expression.
"Wow... how far we've come from that day!" Calvin exclaims. "We have to start from the beginning," He says to Dean with a pat on the shoulder.
~
Over a lunch of baked potatoes, honey barbecue chicken, roasted pork, rice, and a side of fresh salad, Calvin and the girls tell Dean the full story of their first meeting. Naomi had to set the record straight each time Calvin tried to downplay his actions - the three of them laughing at the memory.
"How did you come to know about Lycans and hunters?" Avery had asked Dean. His story led to him bringing up Arrow's name, which, in turn, brought up the reasons Calvin had invited the girls over.
Explaining to them, and Calvin for the first time in-depth, how he knew Arrow Berlin and his skepticism over Quinn's claims. "I know her, and she'd never be a part of something like this," He explains to the group. "I know she's been trying to better the place and get her uncle out of the picture. He's the one Quinn needs to worry about! I've met him... horrible old man." Dean supplies.
"Can't you vouch for her innocence?" Naomi asks, "Tell Quinn that there's no way she's involved and to focus her efforts on the uncle or someone else. Won't things be more productive that way?"
"With Brooks, that'll just make her double down," Dean replies. "She already has her version of how she thinks the situation is, there's no changing that—especially considering the opposing views their organizations have of each other. But to find out what's happening from her directly, or even warn her about Brook and her organization will be tricky. They obviously have eyes on her..."
"So no visits or phone calls," Calvin comments, finishing his sentence thoughtfully.
"Burner phone?" Avery suggests.
"A possibility but still not the best option," Dean replies. "And it's not just Quinn I have to be weary about...concerning her. It's these Kennedys, too."
"Huh, Kennedy. What a coincidence," Avery comments.
"Actually, it's not a coincidence at all," Calvin says, making the girls' heads snap toward him. "Your new lieutenant, Josh Kennedy...he's the son of Luke Kennedy who..." He trails off.
"Please don't say runs the organization," Naomi pleads wearily.
"Runs that hunting organization!" Calvin answers in a slight yell, banging his hand on the table dramatically.
"You're kidding me!" Naomi shouts at the same time Avery shouts out."Josh is a hunter?!"
"Yeah," Calvin starts again, nodding at them. "Josh, his sister Josie, and his brother Jerald run the organization with their dad. That's not all either. He knows Quinn. More than just someone who's a part of his organization - they seem to be great friends. She was at your friend's service, I don't know if you noticed."
"This is a lot. This is a lot of information!" Naomi mumbles. "This could explain a bit, though," She goes on. "He's probably just as unstable, unpredictable, and extreme as this Quinn. He has to be. They won't be getting along if he wasn't."
"Well, you're right on that part," Dean comments. "It seems as if that organization is full of like-minded extremists."
"And the organization your friend runs...what are they like?" Naomi asks him.
"Nothing like the Kennedys, I can assure you," Dean replies.
"Wait!" Calvin says, making them look at him. "Are we witnessing the start of some kind of hunter-organization turf war?!"
"Oh, I hope not!"
"Hell, it just might be!"
"The last thing this city needs is a war between hunters."
"There's no end in sight to all this madness," Naomi sighs.
"That's not all," Calvin begins, looking at Naomi. "You're not going to believe this....or maybe you might, considering..."
"What?" Naomi presses curiously.
"Before I didn't think much of it but now, huh..."
"Calvin, spit it out, please!"
"It's Parker's files," He begins explaining. "I was looking into it like you asked...his original files are gone."
"What!" Naomi and Avery exclaim simultaneously.
"They're saying a new employee accidentally misplaced the physical files. And, some kind of malfunction on their server corrupted a number of their digital files, including that one. The new replacement files have the bare minimum of information on them."
"Unbelievable, " Naomi murmurs. "You see how none of this is a coincidence, right?" She says, turning to Avery, who nods.
"He did something! I know it for a fact now!" She exclaims.
"Who?" Dean asks.
"Josh Kennedy. He killed Parker!" Naomi responds, her voice full of conviction.
"That is a big accusation," Dean begins, but Naomi shakes her head.
"It's a fact."
"How did he do it?" He presses, making Naomi let out a heavy sigh.
"That, I don't know," She answers softly, leaning back into her seat. "I just know he did. There's no doubt in my mind. Especially now that I know the kind of person he is off the clock. He or his dad had those files destroyed to cover it up."
"But why?" Dean asks. "Why would he want your friend dead? Was he a Lycan, recently bitten, or scratched?"
"No, not that I know of," Naomi answers. "But, I guess at this point I can't know for sure. His behavior was erratic the days leading up to the incident... but...." She trails off.
"Maybe that's why he did it?" Calvin pipes in.
"I don't know," Naomi sighs shaking her head.
"This is so complicated," Avery comments, all of them murmuring in agreement.
"We'll have to be extra careful now," She continues, looking at Naomi. "What we say, what we do around him."
"As if shifts weren't hard enough already," Naomi replies in disdain. "Back to you guys though, and this Quinn Brooks. What do you plan to do?"
"Play along, stay out of the messy stuff, and get this drug off the streets." Dean supplies. "We may not see eye to eye, but the end goal is a good one. It's getting too dangerous out there...if there's something we could do....might as well."
"Maybe you could use that logic to convince Brooks to work with your hunter friend," Calvin suggests.
However, before Dean could answer him, Avery pipes in. "How well do you know her?"
"Meaning?" Dean asks lowly.
"Meaning, how well do you know her? What if she's involved? And it's something you'd never see coming but..." Avery says, holding his stare.
"She's not."
"When was the last time you met or talked to her?" Naomi asks getting his attention. "If this detective is watching her, then she's probably already seen you with her."
"Valid point," Calvin comments with a head nod. "If Quinn or her people have been watching your friend and seen you two together... Man, all this could be so strategic on her part! Especially letting you in the task force."
"No, the Captain green-lit me," Dean replies shaking his head.
"But she allowed it. If she really...and I mean really, had a problem with it. She won't have taken that so lightly. You said she hardly put up a fight."
"It seems she's playing you," Naomi says to him.
"Bloody hell!" Dean groans out.
"She very well could be. We don't know how long Quinn or her organization, for that matter, has been at it - Watching Arrow, watching me. We have no way of knowing how much they know and how far back it goes."
"Could've had eyes on here way before they even came to set up their organization here. You know? Scoping out the competition and all that," Calvin adds.
"And if they already know you know her, won't not talking to her be suspicious?" Naomi pipes in.
Dean shrugs, shaking his head, "We don't physically meet up a lot, so, me not being around her won't be too suspicious if they have been watching for a long time. But if they haven't, and I go to see her, or blatantly communicate with her, that could put us in trouble. I'd have to think on it, explore all possibilities and angles," He states.
"Guess we all have to play it safe, huh," Naomi comments.
"Mhmm. And that means you not trying to find out how Kennedy killed your friend," Dean says to her sternly.
"What? No -"
"Naomi, these people...you don't want to get on their radar. You definitely don't want to get on their bad side," he says, cutting her off. "I know you want the truth and some justice to go along with it. But you're not going to get it. You're not a part of the complicated web that is their world. You'll only put yourself, and the...people, around you in harm's way."
He watches as she thinks over his words silently before reluctantly nodding. "Understood, detective." She replies ruefully.
"It's for your own good." He tells her.