No Way Out

A Wake of Vultures and Camouflage

A scowl made its way to Gabriel's face as he left the emergency room. Not only was he upset about his new-found knowledge of Marinette's missing earrings, but the sight of a few reporters waiting outside the door made him even angrier.

As soon as they spotted him leaving, they hurried over and started asking questions.

"Gabriel Agreste, is it true that your daughter-in-law Marinette Agreste was brought here this morning?"

"We received a report that Marinette was the victim of a mugging. Can you confirm?"

"What is your daughter-in-law's condition right now?"

"Do the police have any suspects?"

He walked right past them, not saying anything at all. As far as he was concerned, reporters fell into the same category as vultures; they were vile creatures that preyed on the suffering of others.

After he got into his car, he drove a few minutes away. Then he parked before walking one block to his destination.

He had learned the location of the attack from one of the nurses before leaving the hospital. It was a narrow alley in the fashion district, and it was exactly the same as the many others that dotted the city.

There were a few doors leading to the backs of the surrounding buildings, but there were no cameras, no kwamis, and no earrings to be found.

After a thorough search, Gabriel reluctantly returned to the car. He hated that he had bad news for Marinette. After all that she had done for him over the years, he was really hoping to make some sort of atonement by recovering her earrings.

His mood only soured more when he arrived back at the hospital. The vultures had multiplied since he left, and now he'd have to walk through them to get back inside.

Of course, as soon as they saw him, the reporters started asking questions again. At first Gabriel ignored them, but then he suddenly had a moment of brilliance.

Once he was past the crowd, he turned to face them. "I have a statement that I'd like to make."

Cameras flashed, and people jostled each other to try and get the best angle.

"Around eight o'clock this morning, my daughter-in-law Marinette Agreste was physically assaulted and mugged on her way to work."

More flashes and more jostling.

"Fortunately," he continued, "she only sustained a few minor injuries, and will most likely be discharged tomorrow."

Flashes and jostling.

"While we're relieved that Marinette is now safe and recovering, we are deeply saddened by the reality that several family heirlooms were stolen from her during the attack. These items might not have much monetary value, but they have an exceedingly great amount of sentimental value to us as a family. And therefore, I will be offering a fifty thousand euro reward..."

The jostling was over, now replaced with overt pushing and shoving.

"...to anyone who provides information that leads to the recovery of these items, and to the arrest and persecution of the individual responsible." Done with what he needed to say, Gabriel paused for a moment. "Thank you," he then added.

The reporters now quickly started shouting out questions, but he simply spun around and continued toward the hospital.

Along the way, he smiled to himself. Sometimes vultures were useful after all.

************************************

Simone walked around Paris, trying to figure out what to do. Every possible scenario that popped into her head, however, ended with the same conclusion: life as she knew it was over.