6 Behind Closed Doors

The Chief paced outside city hall's press room doors beneath the large and imposing city seal engraved above its entrance. It was supposed to give the space an air of authority and importance, but right now it just felt oppressive. Though he'd been here for briefings and press releases numerous times, never before had he felt as apprehensive as he did today.

Twenty years on the force, the last eight spent serving as Chief of Police, yet Joe McKinney had never seen things this bad. The city was in a growing state of panic. Parents were keeping their children home from school, fathers were encouraging each other to keep guns by the bedside, and women were afraid to venture out after dark. McKinney hated to admit it, but they had good reason to be scared.

Assaults, robberies, and home invasions had all inexplicably jumped in the last year with no clear patterns establishing why. Politicians blamed gangs, though the known players didn't make up half of the reported incidents. Worse still, Over the last ten months missing persons cases had risen dramatically. Low risk victims, adults and children alike, were vanishing without rhyme or reason. The facts didn't add up, and people were starting to get desperate. Yet even amidst all this, the most disturbing details were still largely unknown to the public... 

In recent months whispers of corruption from across the city had been reaching McKinney's ears. Rumors of conspiracy and collusion running right into the heart of his own department. Proof was scant, but things were escalating, and now a little girl had to be added to the list of the missing. He felt overwhelmed, powerless. It made him angry.

Brooding to himself, McKiney continued to wear a path in the tile when Lieutenant Finnick spoke up.

"You're going to need new shoes, boss." Finnick said, leaning against a nearby wall and fidgeting with his lucky zippo, the steady click-clack of the lid echoing throughout the hall.

 "So, what's his angle?" He asked as he twirled the lighter. 

McKinney shook his head, "No idea, but he's tying it together somehow. The Mayor insists I let his new task force handle it."

Mild surprise passed over Finnick's boredom. "Who is he naming for the team?" Finnick asked. 

McKinney's gray mustache twitched, "who do you think?" He growled. 

Finnick stiffend, "the trio? Fuck." 

Mckinney continued to pace anxiously. "Tell me you found something?" he pleaded.

Finnick shook his head. "Pretty sure my team is compromised too. Every lead I find comes back empty. Surveillance at the casino goes black, nothing to use for a wiretap... all I got is rumors and an ulcer." 

The Chief stopped and straightened his sleeves compulsively. "Yeah, I know what that's like," he said, eyeing another uniformed officer walking towards them down the hall. 

Assistance Chief Enzo Bianchi approached McKinney, a smug expression playing across his pinched face as he smoothed back his greasy black hair.

"Chief," he said with mocking formality. "Sorry, I'm late. Got caught up having a chat with the Mayor after lunch. Oh, I thought you might need this." He handed McKinney a packet. 

McKinney took the paper and scanned it. As he read on, his face reddened and he grew hot under the collar. 

It was the Mayor's press release, but different from the one he received that morning. As before, The Mayor's statement said he would address the rise of several new gangs terrorizing the city. But now it refuted the potential link to the increase in missing person cases or the growing concern it was all connected to a larger criminal enterprise.

"This is a damn lie." McKinney growled, "We don't know the connection yet."

"My team has concluded the preliminaries. There is no connection," Bianchi sneered. 

Finnick walked up from behind McKinney, taking the packet from him and reading it in disgust.

The palpable tension in the hall was interrupted by the arrival of a group of suited men, led by Mayor Gambal. The politician's robotic smile fixed in place, he stopped in front of the Chief.

 "Gentleman," he greeted silkily, "shall we?" 

scowling, McKinney let himself be led into the conference hall, the other officers falling in line behind him. 

Dozens of people were already inside the room, all members of the press. Though reporters did not often attend these events in person anymore, given the current environment of fear in the city, every wanna-be with a podcast was eager for a first crack at this story. They all knew the reports would trend once they were posted online. 

Seats shifted and camera lights turned on as Mayor Gambal and his entourage entered the room. The middle-aged politician looked fit and energetic, only the slightest touch of gray marking his short-cropped black hair betrayed his age. His face was fixed in a smile, as always, and he waved mechanically to no one in imparticular as he took the podium.

The Police Chief and several council members took up positions behind him along the wall, while a blown up poster of the latest missing child stood displayed up front. The Mayor tapped a stack of papers on the podium and cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for coming. I would like to start by acknowledging Chief McKinney and all the hard work he and his brave men have done so far to address our current crises." 

the stout police Chief's stern face nodded curtly to the Mayor, betraying no hint of emotion. 

"As we all know, there has been a marked rise in crime recently, correlated to increased gang activity. Well, I am pleased to say that we will be launching a new special operations unit within our gang task force whose sole purpose will be to address these rising threats. I have hand-selected three detectives of high repute who will head this new team and stamp out this threat!"

He pounded his fist on the podium, and his brow furrowed, a pointed expression of sincerity. 

"As many of you know, a young girl has recently gone missing, and foul play is suspect," he pointed to the poster. "But rest assured, my new task force is diligently working her case as we speak. As I promised in my campaign, public safety is my number one concern. We will not compromise, and we will not falter!" 

Throughout the room, eyebrows quirked and people shook their heads. He wasn't saying anything, and they knew it. At the break in the Mayor's speech, everyone started at once, each shouting their questions until one made himself heard above the rest.

"What about the rumors of a human trafficking ring responsible for the uptick in missing person cases? Are these related to the gangs you're referring to?" He called out.

Mayor Gambal raised his hand and shook his head dismissively. "As my office has said, the police assure me there is no connection in any current missing person cases. Sadly, incidents such as young Annabell's, occur in every city, but I encourage everyone to please stick to the facts instead of listening to these false and provocative online agitators."

A young man in a suit hurried up to the mayor and whispered urgently in his ear. Gambal made a show of frowning and nodding earnestly, then turned back to the microphone.

"I sincerely apologize, an urgent issue has come up that I must address. Please refer to the packets we have provided for any further questions." The smile returned on cue and he waved again as he left the room, followed by a storm of shouts from the unsatisfied crowd. 

(music recommendation: "enjoy the silence" cover by Ki:Theory)

In the ruckus, Chief McKinney and Lieutenant Finnick quietly slipped out the back door at the opposite end of the hall. Had anyone seen his face as he departed, the loathing slipping through his disciplined stony exterior would have betrayed his true thoughts on the Mayor's words.

"I want eyes on the trio at all times," he said to Finnick in a low voice. "Keep the circle tight, only use the men you know you can trust." 

As he exited the door, Finnick pulled out a cigarette. "You know if he gets word you're investigating his pet cops, he'll pressure the rest of the council and get the votes to out you," he said.

McKinney glared, "Just do it." He crossed the parking lot to his car, leaving Finnick alone on the sidewalk. 

***

Gambal's office was on the fifth floor of city hall. The room was decorated in simple modern fashion, a single fern placed in one corner, and several patriotic stock photos along the walls. A portrait of Gambal with his wife and son was strategically positioned on his desk, visible to anyone who would sit across from him.

Gambal himself entered just in time to look out and see the Chief drive away. He peered out his window to the parking lot, eyes blank and distant as he watched the tail lights disappear down the road.

"Um... Sir?" Gambal's young assistant spoke up from the doorway. "Can I get you anything?" he asked eagerly.

Gambal turned, his public smile snapping back in place. "Oh no thank you. Please just make sure I'm not disturbed."

The assistant nodded and began to close the door, but stopped short. "Was... was that ok sir?" 

Gambal's expression never shifted. "Yes, thank you. If anyone else asks, I'm still dealing with the 'urgent Issue'." he used his fingers for air quotations.

The aid laughed nervously, nodded in understanding, and left. closing the door behind him.

As soon as the door clicked, all pretense melted away. Gambal's face fell, his posture slackened and his eyes drifted to a lone cabinet against the wall. He reached over and pulled the curtains across the wall-length window obscuring the view of the city below, enveloping his office in darkness.

Gambal crossed the darkened room and stood in front of the gray faux wood doors of the cabinet. He took several breaths and grabbed a handle, pulling it open to reveal its odd contents.

The cabinet was almost empty but for a single shelf. The interior walls had been painted black, and the sole shelf held only two items; A small, black obsidian pyramid, and a simple single-edged fixed-blade knife. 

Gambal loosened his tie and kicked off his shoes while peering into the glassy pyramid. Without hesitation he stripped off his clothes and stood naked before the cabinet. His eyes remained fixed on the small pyramid as he reached out and retrieved the knife.

In the blackened office, subtle sounds of the outside world quieted, then ceased, the very air developing a heavy, stagnant quality. Gambal became like a statue. For several minutes he stood in oppressive silence, eyes intently fixed on the black stone pyramid, when suddenly, he convulsed. 

He sucked in a sharp breath as though emerging from a deep pool, his eyes rolling back in his head. His exposed skin prickled and his body shivered where he stood. After a moment, the fit passed and his body calmed.

"Yes," he whispered to the dark room. "Yes It's done."

Eyes returned to the pyramid as Gambal lowered the knife to the marred flesh of his bare thigh. Slowly drawing the blade across, he desecrated himself once more before his dark altar.

"Yes master," he moaned as blood trickled down his legs.