THE CHINESE PEACH
by Lynn K. Hollander
Chapter 3 - Alarms and Incursions
Giles drove Dawn to her summer school and went on to the Magic Box. Unlike Spike, he never used the back door, always either parking out front or walking from the back parking lot through one of the alley walkways connecting with the street. When he opened the front door this morning, though, a steady breeze blew out. He frowned, and followed the current through the store into Buffy's training room. He checked, but forced himself to enter. The back door was open.
He called Spike.
"'Ullo," the vampire muttered.
"Wake up."
"Giles. Why?"
"So I need yell at you only once."
"Sod that. About what?"
"Not closing the back door."
"I did, and locked it, too. And no one was inside, if that was going to be your next question. I looked."
"And do you still have your key?"
"Yes. The lock's not damaged? What's gone?"
"Unlocked, somehow. I can't tell if anything is missing. Most peculiar."
"You know," Spike said. "I never thought I'd say anything good about Riley Finn, but he did suggest an upgrade to the security system there, such as getting one."
"Possibly not as unreasonable idea as I first thought," Giles said.
***
"So you need at least a five letter word, but we can also set it for six, seven or eight. The usual cautions for passwords apply of course: Not your name, not the name of the shop, not your mother's name. Other than that, pick any word that you won't forget, and that doesn't have multiple spellings, which can confuse you."
"Like what?" Dawn asked.
"Honour," Giles said at once.
"Shawn," Xander said.
"Oh," Dawn said.
"A six letter word then," Giles said.
"Never tell it to anyone, and of course, never, repeat never, write it down. Ready? Punch it in, hit enter, punch it again, and hit enter again." The installer turned away.
Giles punched in S L A Y E R. Xander and Dawn nodded. Giles completed the activation procedure.
"Now, when you open the door after you've set the alarm, you have one minute to enter the password and cancel. Otherwise, your next visitor will be the police."
"Excellent," Xander said.
"You have two minutes to get the door shut after you switch on the alarm, so don't dawdle on your way out."
"Thank you. The whole system is much more elegant that I had imagined," Giles said.
"Yes, the new technology is really good. It's a pretty decent set up. Not museum grade or bank quality, but better than anything else on the block. The new locks are a good idea, too. Nice job," the installer told Xander. "The place is much more discouraging to thieves than it was this morning. Sign here."
After the installer had packed up his tools and left, Giles said, "I still have a suspicion we would be just as secure if we only put the little sign up."
"Here are the new keys," Xander said.
"Thank you, Xander."
"So how's Anya?" Dawn asked.
"Basically OK," Xander said, "but headachy. She plans on coming back tomorrow."
A man entered the shop. He was about as tall as Spike and rather stocky. His hair was thick and white and his eyes behind bifocals were blue. He wore a light weight suit as if it were a disguise. "I thought he'd hang around till closing, Giles."
"He was quite speedy, actually, but he did get started late. How are you, Frank?"
"Pretty good, pretty good. The vampire says you're interested in the murders on the ship."
"We were wondering if they were in our line more than yours. This is my ward, Dawn Summers, and our friend Xander Harris. Frank Paterson. Frank is the sheriff over in Santa Ysabella county."
Frank eyed Dawn and glanced at Giles.
"She reads the papers, Frank. She already knows the worst."
"True enough."
"How do you do?" Dawn said politely.
"How do you know Spike?" Xander asked.
"The hiker who walked in on the black mass and was killed, Spike insisted the murderer wasn't a vampire, and it turned out he was right."
"Spike's clever," Dawn said.
"And surprisingly responsible these days. What can you tell us, Frank?"
"There's a backlog on the autopsies, there always is. No wounds, not smothered or gassed. Poison isn't ruled out yet, but that will depend on when they get reports back from the state lab. Not robbed, as far as the Sunnydale force can tell, the victims had their jewelry and money. No indication of contraband of any sort, beyond the refugees themselves."
"The police don't know why and they don't know how?"
"Which is why I'm telling you about this. Around the time the victims all died, and they all died at one time, there was a small motorboat passing to the north. They're looking for that, but so far, that's their only lead, and it's not much."
"Yeah," Xander agreed.
"They're talking to mainland China, where the refugees came from, but they haven't heard back."
"Well, we'll worry it around for a while. If we come up with any advice or insights, can you act as our cutout with the Sunnydale authorities?"
"Sure, no problem. It will add to my air of mystery."
"Thank you."
Frank nodded and left.
***
"So where's Gang Long?" Xander asked. "We thought he could port over and ask around."
"No," Spike said.
"He's Chinese," Dawn said.
"He's a Chinese dragon.," Spike said. "I have no idea what they say about longs in the twenty-first century equivalent of The Little Red Book, but I'm not asking my friend and Ann's foster son to go to a place where they may want his gall bladder for organic Viagra."
"I hadn't thought of that," Xander admitted.
"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.
"We have people over here poaching Grizzly bears for their innards. They export the organs to mainland China. Old men think the gall bladder of a bear keeps them potent," Spike said.
"Eeeewu."
"Exactly. Dragons are more powerful than bears, and therefore in more danger of being harvested. Other than that, it was a good idea."
"Does he have a gall bladder?" Giles asked.
"I assume so. He was hatched in dragon form, a non-placental animal if there ever was one, but when he's human he has a navel, so a gall bladder, at least when he's in human form, is not out of the question."
"Your mind is a strange and wondrous thing," Xander said.
"What did Paterson have to say?" Spike asked.
"The police don't know why and they don't know who," Giles said.
"Or how," Dawn said.
"Oh, I know how--a death curse, but that does the police no good at all."
"How'd you find that out?" Xander asked.
"I went back to the docks late last night. Filis came with me. She could detect the traces of four curses, the death curse being the third one cast. And at least two casters, both human."
"Two!" Xander said. "A single suspect slaying by sorcery was bad enough. Now we have ah,"
"A dynamic duo of demonologists," suggested Dawn.
"Or possibly a trio of thaumaturgists," Giles offered.
"I don't care if we have a gaggle of goetics," Spike said. "Eighteen crew and twenty-six refugees were killed by one curse. We still don't know why and we still don't know who. I said knowing about the death curse doesn't help the police and it doesn't help us either. Filis is consulting with Beroule and Willow, getting some protections for us, but they have no idea if those protections will do any good. Therefore, we must all be cautious."
"Cautious?" Giles said. "Meaning we should sneak aboard a death ship with only a novice Alv for back-up without telling anyone else?"
"Well," Spike allowed. "Maybe a little more cautious than that."
"And what were you going to do if you had been noticed?"
"Gone over the side and swum north."
"In the harbor?" Dawn asked.
"Well, that is where they keep the ships."
"Swim? When were you thinking of swimming north?" Xander asked.
"Last night, some time after midnight. Why? Vampires can't drown. It would have taken me a while, but I would have reached the point eventually."
"Maybe not. High tide was between half past noon and 1:00 yesterday, so it would have turned between 10:30 and 11:00, call it about a quarter to eleven last night. It was going out," Xander said.
"Tide?" Spike said.
"Even vampires can be swept out to sea, Spike."
"Not to mention the sharks," Dawn said. "Everybody who grew up in Sunnydale knows about the currents and the sharks. Why didn't you ask me? You don't swim in the harbor!"
"Sharks?"
***
"Now I know," Giles ranted into the phone, "it's entirely too easy to fall into habits, especially bad habits, but I'm tired of coming to work and discovering someone has burgled me."
"And the door was unlocked, not broken," Spike asked, trying to wake up.
"Yes. Xander wants to set up a hidden camera."
"Why not let him? And the alarms didn't go off?"
"No. No reason why not, I suppose. Are you coming to dinner tonight? Dawn says she invited you."
"Yeah, she did. OK with you? I said she'd have to ask."
"Fine, about 8:00."
***
"But, Giles," Tara said, "that's just a simple mechano-electric system. This is a magic shop. We should use magic."
"Tara, this is not a competition," Giles said. "If you want to install a second system, one entirely magical or a variant of your clever technology and magic hybrid, or both, I'm sure there's room."
"OK, I'll get right on it."
***
"So I left them to it," Giles told Spike. "Beroule surprised me by being quite enthusiastic. I hadn't realized Berengar was using the opportunity to widen the Alves's experience as well as keeping a close eye on Tara."
"Most of them are young, for Alves away from home, Filis said. Except Beroule, they're all younger than I am. Berengar spent nearly thirteen years with Ann, maybe he feels Earth is a good finishing school for his troops."
"Carlotta says dinner is ready," Dawn announced.
As they went to the dining room, Spike asked Dawn: "And the mug?"
"Right at his place."
***
"Giles, Giles," Spike said into the phone. "GILES! I'm coming down. I'll be there shortly."
He rolled out of bed, showered, pulled on some clothes and wandered downstairs. He warmed some Cambells and had a quick breakfast.
He checked the garage: the Mercedes was in. He went looking for Beroule or any of the Alves to tell them he was taking it. He started at the basement.
Filis and Gang Long were in the playroom. Gang Long was on the parallel bars and Filis was doing what looked like Tai Chi and perhaps was.
"Hi."
"Hi," the dragon said.
"Good morning," the Alv said.
"Giles says the Magic Box was burgled again. I'm taking the Mercedes and going down there."
"I'll come with you," Filis said at once, "But why not the Viper?"
"It's a sunny day," Spike said. "I turn to dust in sunlight. Ann's put a filter spell on the windows in the Mercedes, so I can get around in daylight."
"I'll come, too, but I'll drive," Gang Long said.
"I can drive it," Filis said. "Ann put all our names on the drivers list."
"Let's match for it," the dragon suggested.
"Hold it," Spike said. "Can I win against either of you?"
The Alv and the dragon looked at each other. Filis shook her head. "No way."
"I'm afraid not, Spike."
"Right. You two figure out who's driving and meet me in the garage in fifteen minutes." As he went up the stairs, he heard Filis say:
"How about Stone, Scissors, Paper?"
"Arm wrestling," the dragon countered.
"Fifteen minutes, or I leave without either of you," he called back.
***
Spike tossed his blanket off. Behind him, Filis and Gang Long entered the Magic Box.
"Archery," Filis said.
"Fire making," Gang Long said.
"Lock picking."
"What are they doing?" Giles asked.
"Trying to decide how they will decide who drives down from Ann's," the vampire said.
"Naughts and Crosses."
"Chess," Filis said.
"Endurance juggling."
"So tell me," the vampire said, ignoring Gang Long and Filis, "What do the cameras show?"
"Ah," Giles said. "That is very interesting. I brought these in, so we can see both media." He turned on a small TV, connected to a DVD and a VCR
***
"This is from one of Xander's cameras."
Filis and Gang Long settled down beside the others and watched.
A figure opened the front door and came in. It appeared to be taller than Giles, weighed maybe less than Willow, and was bubble gum pink, with long hair and a sparse fringe beard of delicate tendrils, both vivid magenta. He went quickly to the control panel for the alarms and, taking a piece of paper from a pocket, apparently read aloud from it.
Nothing happened, and the figure began searching. He started in the middle of one shelf. He ignored all the books and looked into everything bigger than 7x7x7 centimeters.
"Not a piece of paper," Spike said.
"And not a wizard," Filis said.
"The color may be skewed," Giles.
"No, he's exactly that color," Spike said. "Did he show up in your briefing?" he asked the Alv.
"No. Why?" Filis asked.
"He's a gofer who used to hang around Willy's, when I could get in there."
"A hireling?"
"Exactly."
"What's Willy's?" Filis asked.
"Bar. Local dive, really. The girls have no business going there, so don't forbid them. How could you tell he's not a wizard?" Spike asked.
"He used somebody else's charm to silence the alarms."
"So if I grab him and shake him, he won't be able to turn me to stone?"
"Shouldn't be."
"Good."
"Not so fast," Giles said. He fast-forwarded for a moment. The burglar suddenly jerked his head up. Giles slowed the tape to normal.
The burglar turned and ran out the front door, leaving it open. From the lower section of the shop, a second figure came into view.
"Shall we call this one burglar B?" Spike asked.
B was human, shorter than Giles, taller than Spike, and gray haired and black skinned. He wore a totally forgettable navy blue suit and oxfords.
"Letters or numbers," Giles said. "I'm beyond caring."
B raised one hand, apparently spoke, and made a gesture.
"Well," Filis said. "There's no doubt that he's a wizard."
"None," Spike agreed.
"Yes," Giles agreed. "I may keep this, just for inventory purposes."
Many, but not all, of the items on the shelves had acquired a glow. B did not look pleased.
"Giles, what do those glowing things have in common?"
"Beyond being magical to some degree?"
"Yes."
"Nothing. Even if I break it down into categories, say, statuettes and idols, they came from different sources and arrived here at different times."
"Was this all? Only these two?"
"Yes."
"Did Burglar B find what he was looking for?"
"No."
"So the first night, someone was here and hit Anya, and someone, possibly someone else, came in later, and left the door open, the back door, that time."
"The second night, again, someone left the back door open," Giles said.
"And last night, Burglar A left the front door open. Did Burglar B leave the back door open?"
"Both doors were closed but not locked."
"Burglar A has been here before," Gang Long said.
"Why?" Spike asked.
"He was very methodical. He went from one shelf to the next and then from one set of shelves to another, but he started in the middle of the third set from the end. I think he searched the first two and a half sets of shelves some time before and came back tonight and picked up where he left off."
"And he knew right where the control pad was," Giles said.
"Yeah," Spike said. "Giles, when did you last get a shipment?"
"Nearly two weeks ago, thirteen days."
"The first intrusion was right after the murders on the ship, but you didn't get anything from La Garza."
"Right."
"But that is the time when things started happening here," Filis said.
"Yes. Coincidences do happen, which is why we have a word for it," Spike pointed out.
"I'm thinking of spending the night here," Giles said.
"No," Spike said at once. "Eighteen crew and twenty-six refugees, remember."
"You said that was a coincidence," Giles said.
"Possibly it is, but you're Dawn's guardian. I'll do it."
"You can't hit humans."
"So? Not all the intruders are human," Spike said.
"Why not?" Filis asked.
"Long story," Spike said.
"I can hit humans," Filis said.
"And I certainly can shake A, the gofer," Spike said. "I'm going to go to Willy's."
"That's asking for trouble, Spike," Giles said.
"If I just talk to him, no one will try to stake me. Now, what was his name? I never hired him for anything. Doesn't matter, I'll just shake him a little harder."
"We'll all go to Willy's," Gang Long said.
"You should be about as welcome as I am," Spike said.
"They know I'm civilized," the dragon said. "Unless provoked."
"And I want to see this place," Filis said.
"I feel as if I'm organizing a field trip," Spike grumbled. "Let's go."
***