The Hedgehog and the Fox - The Hunted

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Jennie and Clint do some old-school sleuthing, and are about to make a break in the case... when they receive a phone call.



Clint tipped his head from side to side, tensing his muscles to crack his neck as the most recent Danish cabbie drove away from them. He had a headache, but he thought that was probably related to low blood sugar more than anything else -- they hadn't had much luck with the drivers so far, but that was only the fourth one they'd managed to question. "Okay," he said, scrubbing his palms through his hair before once again attempting to flatten it. "We wanna walk to the next designated taxi spot or what?"

Jennie rubbed her face in frustration. "We're going about this the wrong way. My Jennie sense is tingling. We've checked the waterways, none of the cabdrivers use a route that links the dump sites. Nor do they know of one. Ugh, I'm sorry. I just can't see one of the Disciples driving. They used to just... Show up."

"There's a joke I could make here about magical, mystical bad guys or something, but I'm kinda tired," Clint said, shaking his head. He sat down on the sidewalk, feet in the gutter, and took a slow breath. He opened his mouth to say something, but he paused and tilted his head to the side. "Hey, can we -- I dunno, climb a building or something. I need to see from up high."

Jennie looked over her shoulder, up at where Clint was looking. "Well, if it helps," she said. A flash of red and a door's lock broke, then it was a few stories of stairs to the roof.

Grinning, Clint pushed open the door at the top of the stairs, getting out to the roof and heading toward the eastern edge. He looked out over the surrounding area, mostly full of warehouses and defunct factories. Salt was in the air, hanging damp and heavy in the late afternoon light. "Probably gonna rain tonight," he said, frowning as his eyes traveled from the clouds amassing on the horizon back to the buildings. "Hang on," he said, brow furrowing as he checked the maps in his head again. Gesturing toward a particularly rundown looking building, he asked, "That factory over there is closed, right?"

Jennie called up a few items on her smartphone. "As far as these records state," she said, lowering it and squinting at the building Clint was pointing at.

Scratching out a rough map on the battered ledge ringing the roof, Clint said, "Okay. Unused fish factory, place the victim was found." He used two different pieces of gravel to indicate both. "Can you verify what I think I just realized, which is that all the bodies were discovered within a few blocks of fish factories?"

Jennie called up the map, and then hit the program that pinned where all the bodies were located. She set it next to Clint. "Not all fish factories, but definitely near water."

"Hm... like factories or businesses that take shipments?"

"Yes," Jennie said, blue eyes widening. "Two shipping areas, and two next to the Nyavn, the waterfront district."

"So," Clint said, leaning back against the ledge. "We already knew the bodies had been found near water, what do you think it means that they're all near places with what amount to port access?"

"Plenty--" Jennie broke off as she studied the map. "Oh. Oh my God. Clint, I just had an idea. What if it's not cabs we're looking for. What if it's a ship?"

"That would be -- " Before Clint could finish his thought, both of their mobile phones began to ring. Eyebrows rising, Clint reached for his and checked. "Danes," he said, looking toward Jennie.

"This is Green," Jennie said, answering and slipping back into her London accent. She went pale. "Understood, right away--" she clicked off her mobile. "He's taken another one."

There was no question about who he was.

Answering his own mobile, Clint said, "I'm with Green. We're coming in now." He cut the phone call without waiting for an actual reply. "Let's go."