Leon left the bathroom door slightly cracked so he could hear if anything untoward should happen. The next thing in line was a tie between getting his bed clean for D to rest on and finding out what had happened after he left the petshop. Leon the friend was still in charge but was quickly being run over by Leon the cop who very much wanted answers. He comprised by digging out his cell phone and punching in Jill's number while searching for clean bedding material.

"Hey Jill, it's me. So give me the lowdown." Jill who had become accustomed to his abrupt manner just dug in with all the details she knew.

"Okay, first it's a good thing you took off with D because things got pretty hairy at the shop. The arresting officers got the two bodies out and into body bags with out a hitch but only because the man there got the animals under control. Apparently you could hear the racket they were making two blocks away. Anyway they got the other two men cuffed, read them there rights and all that and into the squad car, however as far as we can tell apparently the door didn't shut all the way because one of them was able to kick it open and get in the driver seat. They took off, the other squad's took off after them and too may a long story short there both dead as door nails now because the perp lost control of the car and slammed into a railing flipped twice and went up in flames. I'm waiting on forensics to identify them by dental records. So I guess now you won't have to worry about anyone talking to them." Jill paused to take a breath.

"You still with me Leon?" Jill asked into the phone. Jill unlike most wasn't afraid of Leon even in one his more interesting tirades but even she wasn't sure what to expect from him right now.

"Yeah, I'm here. So what else you got?" Leon asked in a stony voice. His mind digesting the fact that he wouldn't have any forth coming leads from the attackers.

"Well, as for the worm food you left. Both small time crooks, both involved in drugs, gambling, and prostitution. Neither one were known for burglary or fencing so right now its anybodies guess why they showed up at the pet shop. My guess is someone wanted to send a message to the community. The both were scum Leon. There apartments are being searched right now and so far there coming up with all kinds of child porn, video tapes of them abusing the people in there stables, both girls and boys. Sick stuff that you wouldn't believe a human could do to another and getting off on it. You did the world a favor getting rid of them, trust me on this one, anyways, I'm thinking this has got hate crime all over it." Jill fell silent finally giving Leon a chance to speak.

"Okay, so I'm going to take it then that they'd like the Count to stay with me for awhile, right? Until we verify that he isn't in any further danger." Leon placed the question as casually as he could. Jill saw right through it anyway.

"Oh yeah, the Chief is good with that. Says it's your just desserts for always harassing him. The man at the pet shop says he's D's cousin by the way. Damn strong family resemblance. He's going to watch the shop. A squad car will be at the store at all times along with a couple of officers. There's real good reason someone might mistake him as D. He says his name is D to and that it is a family name but to call him Chan if we liked that it was his other name. Gee, Leon I imagine it must be killing you to have D there all the time. Poor baby want me to come over and help?" Leon shook his head at the heavy sarcasm in her voice. Yeah, I just bet you'd like to come over and help. Leon thought to himself but then thought better of it.

"Actually, Jill, I do need you to come over. But first could you go by the Pet Shop and get a couple of days worth of clothes, some shoes, and some of his tea. And, oh yeah, stop off at that little bakery D likes and bring me a couple of fruit tarts. Got all that?" He heard Jill sigh and smirked to himself. She'd baited her own hook and she knew it.

"All right, I'll be there in couple of hours when I get off. Will that work Detective Orcot?" Jill asked in a resigned voice.

"Be just fine with me, see you then bye." Leon hung up set the phone down on the night stand and went about the business of making the bed. Dirty sheets and blankets were snatched off and dumped in a nearby corner. After the bed was made Leon stepped back and admired his work, probably not as elegant as the Count was use to but definitely clean. Leon gave his room a critical once over, not good enough he decided and went to get a laundry bag and several trash bags. Leon made brisk work of gathering up all the dirty laundry and followed it with the trash bags, old food containers, cigarettes butts, ashes, and empty boxes all found there way into them. He eyed the room again. Better, not wonderful but better. Leon opened up a window just slightly to let in some fresh air and let the musty air out. Leon eyed the porn all over the walls and ceiling. It's my room ran through his head and he crossed his arms vexed. He tapped his foot impatiently. All right it's my room but he is a guest and he won't find this stuff the least bit entertaining besides Leon had to admit to himself he didn't really look at them anyway. It was more part of the image he projected then who he actually was. Resigned he yanked them all down off the walls and shoved them into the trash too. Finished with that Leon went to check on D and give him the only clean sweat shirt he had. As small as D was it should adequately cover him until Jill arrived.

Leon knocked softly on the door of the bathroom. He heard the water splash as D set up and had to quell the image in his mind of D's soft ivory skin covered in water droplets. It was going to be a long couple of days.

"Yes, Detective."

"I'm just checking on you. Everything okay in there?" Leon waited for a response.

"Everything is as you put it okay in here. If it is not to much bother detective I would like to soak a few moments longer." Came the soft reply.

"Take all the time you need. I brought you a shirt to wear for now I'll just hang it on the door. When your ready call for me, okay?" Leon paused just long enough to hear D reply and then continued on to the back part of the apartment.

There was a real good reason Leon paid for all the other extras in this apartment and that was because of the biggest modification the former tenant had made. The apartment had originally been a four bedroom family apartment the back two bedrooms were accessed through a large walk in closet which had once opened onto a small hall that led to three doors. The two bedrooms side by side and on the end a small bathroom. A cook and a caterer she had requested permission to remove the walls between the two bedrooms and tear out the hall leaving a very large open room and the bathroom. She had apparently needed the space to store all her equipment there, eventually she had outgrown even that storage and had moved on. Leon had since then put a false wall up so that anyone who entered the closet saw just a closet. He didn't have a secret agenda in mind but the place he was building was private and he wanted it left that way. The large room in a strange counterpoint to the rest of the apartment was immaculate. Dark drapes shut out the outside world. The walls were lined with various different weapons, guns, bo fighting sticks, several Chinese and Japanese blades. The floor had been taken down to just polished wood and in one corner stood a bo flex body machine. A boxers bag hung suspended from the ceiling and in the corner stood a thick wood pole with many smaller poles of different lengths and sizes protruding from it.

Leon stretched for a few minutes warming up his muscles. He had changed into a soft pair of white pants with a draw string waist and had removed his shirt before entering. Leon Orcot was many, many things most of which were unknown. Not much after his fight with his grandmother his grandfather had intervened and had talked with his parents about letting him take judo. He had argued that it would be good for the boy and teach him discipline. It would help to focus all that electric energy that Leon had at that age. His grandfather had won out. Leon had followed one martial art to another and to another and by the time he was nineteen Leon himself was a force to be reckoned with. The movement had allowed him to quiet his inner self giving purpose to his inherent need to move and to be doing. Leon allowed himself to fall into his disciplines one form following the other. A fine sweat had broke out on his body and his endorphins kicked in as he pushed his body harder. It was in this state that the detective in Leon took over and his mind disconnected with his still moving body.

In the center of his minds eye Leon could see the petshop and evaluate everything his mind had absorbed, it was a trick an art teacher ironically had taught him. She had told the class on the first day to not be so intent on hearing everything she said but to just sit back and let yourself absorb it loosely and then she had taught them how to recall events from there mind later on. Details so small that they hadn't noticed them right then. She taught them this so that when they were creating a work of art they could remember with clarity just how something had been so they could recreate it. Leon had a near photographic memory and had excelled at it. He sometimes wondered what she would think of the purpose he used it for though.

The first thing Leon allowed himself to scrutinize was the street he had parked in. He had scanned the area quickly in passing as he had entered the petshop. Had there been anything untoward out there? No, people had closed themselves inside at the first sound of a gunshot. The other squad cars had not arrived yet. Leon walked over to the punching bag and began his practices again. Back in his mind he reflected length of time, he had been on top of the crime scene almost as soon as it happened, five to ten minutes tops. So what did that tell him? Either the four men acted alone or anyone with them fled the vicinity immediately. Leon let him self continue down the stairs but willed it to slow down in his minds eye before he had reached the door. The door was off the hinges. Why? Because it had been blown off the hinges. Which would make sense. The hand held gun that Leon had taken from the assailant wouldn't have caused the huge gaping wound D had had. No, that looked much more like a shotgun or assault rifle. Leon let himself look down upon D in this state and notice what he'd missed before. The exit wound on D had been in the area of his stomach. Whoever had shot D had done it from an angle from the steps. Not a point blank shot after all but with that kind of fire power it didn't matter. There was no such gun on the scene. Leon let himself look around the petshop again to be sure. Okay that meant at least a fifth party had been involved who either shot and ran or shot and hid. Leon punched the bag one more time and let himself come up out of it for a minute.

Leon took a small break gulped down some water and listened out for D. He thought about going to check on him then let it slide figuring D probably had a lot going on in his head to. Leon did another stretching session to ease burning muscles and then went over to the wooden fighting man. Leon allowed one smooth hit to follow another becoming immersed in thought again.

What was wrong with the scene when he came in the petshop. Something nagged at him that something more then D being shot was off. What was it? Leon's movements picked up speed as did strike and counterstrike trying to worm it out. The men had been talking about sexually assaulting D. Leon played it again in his head again. Something. And then that something occurred to Leon in a jolt. The silence. Where were the damn animals? Why weren't they all over these guys? They were all over Leon the moment he walked in the door. Damn protective to. Where had they been? Why had it been so quiet accept for the men surrounding D. Where had Q-Chan been? He fast forwarded his mind. Q Chan had flown in after Leon had downed the two men. He wasn't there when the assault happened. As soon as Q Chan had transformed Leon could hear the animals again. Leon nearly spun around the wooden opponent placing kicks and hit as he went. His mind racing creating the scene in his head and coming up with answers he didn't like. Leon listed them to him self in order.

1. This was not a random act. This had been planned by someone who knew D.
2. This someone was aware that shooting D wouldn't kill him but would render him injured for awhile. You don't send four men after a corpse after all.
3. This person had been the trigger man. He had shot D from about halfway down the steps as the door opened. Effectively taking him by surprise. This person had known not to take D on in a one on one fashion.
4. This person had then left the scene or hid. Which meant Jill was probably right about this being a message.
5. This person had known to wait until D's grandfather had left the building.
6. And finally this person knew how to control the animals despite a very loud gunshot that would have caused normal animals to stampede. Which spoke of more things Leon couldn't understand but made them no less so.

In short Leon came to the conclusion that D had been set up. One final kick sent the wood post flying across the room. Leon breathed in harshly pulling air into his burning lungs. Leon Orcot shook with barely controlled rage. This wasn't over yet. This was just the beginning and D wasn't out of danger yet. A small noise caught his attention. Leon jerked around and faced the door. D stood there staring at him wide eyed a look of shock on his elegant face. He had on Leon's oversized sweatshirt. It hung almost to his knees and it made D look fragile. Leon glared at him in his fury.

"You were set up. But you know that don't you?" D merely shook his head yes. Leon's chest heaved a few more times and then he got control of himself.

"You were suppose to call me before you got out. You could have hurt yourself. Damn stubborn fool." Leon spat the words at him more to cover his shock of D being in his space then to really chastise him.

"Yes, but I'm feeling better now Detective and I heard the noise from back here and was concerned." D had quickly regained his composure as well. He certainly had not expected to discover Leon carrying out complex martial art moves half naked and surprise and desire had mingled with one another.

"Come on. Jill will be here in another couple of hours and you and I have got to talk." Leon grabbed D's elbow and propelled him out the room. Leon could feel D trembling and caught him right as his legs gave out.

"You know this is becoming a habit isn't it? See? You should have stayed put." Leon swept through the apartment and carried D to the bedroom. He put D down on the bed and backed away from him. He was in full endorphin high mode and the sight of D in his shirt, his slender legs showing from the bottom was amping up the sensation. Right then in that space Leon very badly wanted to let the male in him loose and get between those legs. D knew it too. D's mouth had parted and he backed up against the headboard the pulse in his throat hammering in response to what he saw in Leon's eyes.

"Detective?" D asked a slight tremor in his voice. Leon just shook his head and backed out of the room closing the door as he went. Not now. He'd talk to him in a bit. Right after he had a cold shower. Leon made sure the front door was bolted before continuing on his way to take that cold shower and ease the pressure building in his body.