Even Heroes Fall

Chapter Twenty-Four - Ghoul

An unknown number flashes up on my phone screen and I glance at it wondering who could be calling me. They are calling the phone I used for a brief while as Max, rather than the one I use as Ghoul. There are only about three people who even had this number, and one of them was Celia. Knowing Violet would be upset if the caller was Celia and I ignore it, I answer the phone.

'Hey, Max! It's, um... Laura!' She sounds breathless like she is running and in the background I can hear the tell-tale sounds of hospital tannoy announcements and the constant medical chatter.

'Laura, hi.'

'Sorry for the noise, I'm at work.'

'No problem. How can I help you?'

'Have you heard from Celia?'

'No, sorry. I think I'm the last person she would call.'

'I know but I am worried about her. This isn't like her at all just to go silent on her friends for days- oh shit!' Suddenly the wail of sirens slams into my ears through her phone followed by urgent shouting.

'Is everything okay over there?'

'I have to go, there has been some kind of accident at a warehouse in Barking. Bye, Max.'

After she hangs up my ears are still ringing with the sounds of sirens, sometimes having super-hearing can be a real burden. I replace my phone into my pocket, a foul mood beginning to sink over me. Going to City Hall yesterday had been almost a complete waste of time except now we knew Castlemain was a familiar face to Theodore. But as Violet pointed out, Theodore knew a lot of people. But whose face would he not question being at City Hall that late at night?

I return to the basement I rent under the shop, hoping maybe my replacement suit has arrived - it has not. Doesn't help my mood. I distract myself by going over everything I have collated so far to try and see if I am missing something.

Castlemain's name only appeared in London a few months ago when he took over three other big crime organisations. Judging from the specific nature of the organisations he targeted it would make sense if he had already been in London for some time prior to that. Personally I had not encountered him for seven years so that would make sense. However there seemed to be no real motive for him taking over the criminal organisations. If there was, I am certain he would have done so years ago. Which leads me to conclude it was done purely as a diversion to prevent me from figuring out his real motive for being in London. Which now I can see is clearly something to do with Devereux.

I pull up a web-browser on my computer and go down the rabbit hole of internet information about Theodore Devereux, even though I have done this multiple times before.

He was fifty-eight years old, married to Miranda Devereux for thirty years. One daughter, Violet, twenty-four years old. Theodore grew up poor in South London, a large chunk of his first mayoral campaign was about how he experienced first hand the poverty and prejudice that led many kids from similar backgrounds to a life of crime. Despite his start in life he did well in school, and got himself a scholarship to study law at Oxford University. He went onto become a solicitor with Mr Andrew Barker and for many years he worked hard to make life better for the people in South London. Apparently when he realised a solicitor can only do so much he moved into a political career and eventually became Mayor, serving for three successful terms. From what I can tell his desire to help people must have been the motivation to allow Violet to work as Justice. Everything I have read about him labels Devereux as a highly intelligent and fierce man who saw himself as a champion of the poor people. I scan through his list of professional associates searching for Castlemain's real name, or anything that might link Devereux to him. I catch sight of the name "Meridian" mentioned a couple of times, relating to a dispute over some property outside of London. The name feels familiar to me but I cannot place it, and when I search for the name online nothing comes up in relation to the law firm, so it is probably a codename.