Gods And Monsters

Chapter Eighty-eight:

The following night, Dawn and Giles set to work reviewing police files for suspicious incidents that could reveal more about Caleb's past activity. They stood side by side in the kitchen, bent over the cluttered island counter.

"Okay, well, here's the one that stood out. It's, um, a mission up north in Gilroy." Dawn handed Giles a folder.

Andrew entered the kitchen, petulant as usual. "Um, Mr. Giles, Hel stole the last meatball-and-mozzarella Hot Pocket out of the freezer, even though I had called dibs on it."

"I don't see anything." Giles stated, gazing at a photograph from the file as he ignored Andrew.

"Exactly. No vandalism at all." Dawn replied pointedly.

"Then why is it in the file?"

"The place was abandoned. Um... Locals started noticing after a few days that no one was going in or out. Six members of the order lived there, but when the cops showed up... All gone. Unsolved." She explained.

Andrew strode to the refrigerator in a huff and flung open the freezer door, retrieving a box. "Yup. See, the post-it's still here. But the box is empty now." He complained, shaking the empty cardboard box.

"Oh." Giles uttered, still blocking Andrew out.

Dawn perked up. "Oh? Oh, good?"

"Not sure. Here..." He made his way around the island and into the living room, with Dawn and Andrew in tow. Behind them, along the sofa and on the chairs sat solemn-looking Potentials. Giles approached the desk, opening a drawer to pull out a magnifying glass.

"See, it's not the Hot Pocket itself — even though it did have that new-and-improved thicker tomato sauce — it's just the fundamental lack of respect." Andrew insisted.

"Shut up." Giles snapped. "Pay attention." He held the magnifying glass over the photograph. "Dawn, what do you see?"

"What am I looking for?" She inquired.

"On the back wall, a... Knothole."

Leaning her shoulder against his, she peered down. Narrowing her eyes and examining the image keenly, she managed to distinguish a detail that Giles missed. "That's not a knothole."

Giles shot a glance at the Potentials in the living room, addressing Amanda. "Amanda, would you go down to the basement and get Spike?"

"Maybe this'll help... If this does bring us closer to Caleb."

Hel meandered into the room, munching on a meatball and mozzarella Hot Pocket. "Sounded like there was news."

His eyes growing wide, Andrew jabbed an accusatory finger in her direction. "Thief!"

Smirking, Hel raised one hand, her palm facing outward in a mock gesture of surrender. "Caught red-handed."

Andrew glared at her, but his attempt to look intimidating failed miserably.

Circling around behind Hel, Spike appeared. "What's up... Rupert?" He asked suspiciously, his expression guarded.

"Spike, I have a mission for you." Giles replied.

"Oh, really? 'Cause, you know, sometimes our missions end up with you trying to kill me." Spike retorted. "I'm not fond of those."