The Black Coats: The Standard Tech Case Files, #1

By Joshua Corbeil-Stoodley

Welcome to Fort City, the original vampire town. The streets are soaked in innocent blood and the sidewalks paved with countless dead. It's the kind of city where anything can happen, where vampires and lycanthropes duke it out on rainy evenings and the mortals go heavily armed. The Fort has recently become bitterly divided between mortals, lead by the corrupt Mayor Jim Stranger, and the therianthropes, lead by the idealistic vampire Baron Isaak ben Jacob.

The Black Coats are Isaak's vampire family, lead by his Dhampyr daughter, Jessica bar Jacob as his Chancellor. The Coats are rocked when one of their human agents, Akisha Jones is murdered. Follow Joey Bianco, vampire Master-at-Arms and his newest apprentice, Jen Ryan, as they track down the perpetrator of this heinous crime. Why was Akisha murdered? Who did it? And why is Acting Police Chief Rollins so intent to knock them off the case? Just what had young Akisha gotten herself into?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joshua Corbeil-Stoodley
• Release date: Dec 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393835141

Joshua Corbeil-Stoodley

I'm Josh Stoodley. I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I have a BA in History from St. Mary's University College and I write stories about the weird and the superpowered.

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The Standard Tech Case Files: The Black Coats

By

Joshua Corbeil-Stoodley

The Black Coats

Copyright 2015 Joshua Corbeil-Stoodley

Published by Joshua Corbeil-Stoodley at Draft2Digital

Draft2Digital Edition License Notes

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Acknowledgements

Once again, I would like to thank my family for putting up with my nonsense as I wrote this tome. Dad, T, Izzy, Mom, you are the best family one could ask for. Even if you have driven me permanently insane.

I would also like to thank my editor, Shelley Kassian, who has more than once put her own writing on hold to help with mine. Thanks always, Shelley.

Lastly, I want to thank my aunt Nancy for her help marketing this book. And lastly, I want to thank all of my friends and extended family for supporting me.

You guys rock!

A Vampire Family Breakfast

Igot off the central elevator and walked towards the kitchen/dining-room. The scent of blood came first, then bacon, ham, sausages, and eggs. Pancake batter sizzled on the grill and melted chocolate wafted in the air. Underneath these familiar smells of breakfast was the faint taste of lilacs after a spring rain. Jess’s favourite soap and shampoo combination; she must’ve started breakfast already.

I walked through the kitchen door, then said: Jess, did you get into your dad’s chocolate stash again? Tsk, tsk. You know that much chocolate isn’t good for you.

Jess stood at the stove opposite the fridge, pouring pancake batter into the frying pan. Funny vampire, she said. Did you think of that all by yourself?

Jess was in her favourite shape-shifting form: a dame of average height and build, her raven-black hair was arranged in curls that fell artfully around her face, with ivory skin and eyes as blue as the summer sky. You could get lost in those eyes.

You know, I did. Worked on it all morning, I said, walking the two steps from the kitchen door to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of blood. It was dead blood, bought from a clinic, and it tasted like it. On the other hand, given the poison humans put in their blood, this was probably the better option. Oh, well. At least the Black Coats could eat human food. It didn’t give us all the nutrients we needed, but it was better than puking up blood because some nitwit decided to hit McDonalds that day.

So? Jess asked, pouring the last pancake.

So, what? I asked, turning around to face her. Jess narrowed those impossibly blue eyes at me, one hand on her hip.

So, how did it go with Jen? She must’ve been excited to be on her first day of vampire training.

I shrugged, taking another sip of blood. It went, I said.

Jess rolled her eyes. C’mon, Joey. Would it really kill you to give a straight answer?

Probably, I answered. I outlined the general plan, we argued about University and whether or not the ríastrad was a curse, and then we moved on to fight training, because that’s what we know how to do.

Ah, Jess said, turning back to the pancakes. So, pretty much normal then. You know, a lot of people take a year off before they go to college. Jen’s not exactly unique in that respect.

I know, I said, scratching my chin. I’m just worried that she’s gonna let her fear stop her from ever going.

Hmm, Jess said, flipping the pancakes. That doesn’t sound like the Jen Ryan I know. I think she’ll go to University. Just not when you want her to, Jess finished, looking over her shoulder with a mischievous smile. I elected to ignore it.

So, back to the chocolate. Did you—

I did not break into Dad’s stash, okay? Jess said. I thought because it was Jen’s first day as a squire, we should do something special.

She’d probably like it more if you put broccoli in the pancakes.

Jess snorted. Yeah, probably. But that’s just too weird for me.

I raised an eyebrow. You’re half-human, half-bloodsucking monster, and putting broccoli in pancakes is too weird for you?

Yep! Jess said brightly.

Alrighty, then.

"Besides, you can’t eat broccoli. I don’t think ruining Jen’s big day by having you puke all over the dinner table is a good idea."

Point taken, I said, finishing my bottle of blood. With a grimace at the taste, I walked past the fridge and over to the sink to wash the bottle out and put it in the recycling bin. Jess flipped the last pancake onto a covered plate and took the food to the dining table.

I went back to the fridge to pull out the condiments and drinks, like maple syrup and orange juice. I also grabbed the big pitcher of blood we kept around. It was as dead as the blood I’d been drinking earlier, but at least it actually held blood. The artificial plasma we’d been consuming was eighteen types of disgusting. Anyway, I put the juice and condiments on the table while Jess hit the buzzer to bring the team down. We both sat opposite each other, me on the left side of the table and Jess on the far right.

I watched the rest of the Black Coats file into the room, taking their seats. Baron[1] Isaak ben Jacob sat at the head of the table. Isaak was a short vampire with a barrel chest and rust-coloured hair and beard. A long whitish scar stood out noticeably against his olive skin. He wore a black suit with a navy blue shirt that brought out the colour of his eyes.

Mikhail Ivanovich Tchaikovsky, wearing his usual half-Mongolian, half-Slavic form, sat next to me. He wore a classic black suit with a white shirt and a skinny black tie. He chewed relentlessly on the inside of his cheek, drumming his fingers on the table.

On Jess’ right sat Chandramathi Dhaliwal in a black suit and green shirt that did nothing to hide the corset worn underneath. The smell of leather was a dead giveaway too. She wore jade eyeshadow and had her hair in a customary double-braid all down the length of her back.

To her right sat Nafisa Bartlett, and opposite her sat Neema, Nafisa’s twin sister. A pair of African-American wifwolves[2], they wore black suits and gold shirts. Despite their similar taste in clothing, the twins were easy to tell apart. Nafisa wore gold-rimmed glasses and had her hair tied into cornrows. She was also the smaller of the two. Neema, in contrast, used golden eyeshadow and blush. Her hair was shorn right to the scalp these days.

Lastly, Omar Taylor sat at the end of the table wearing a black business suit and grey shirt. Omar, an African-American, was the only genuine human at the table. Out of all the Black Coats, that made him the most unusual. Vampire courts were almost always exclusively vampires, rarely other therianthropes[3]. Never vanilla humans. But Omar said he wanted to prove that humans could run with the vampires as well as anybody else, and he certainly had so far.

Should we wait for the guest of honor, or start with the briefing? Isaak asked, laying a napkin across his lap.

Let’s wait, I said. I can hear Jen coming down the stairs, so she won’t be long. And besides, she wants to be a vampire, right? Well, if she’s eventually going to sit at the table, she might as well start now.

Isaak opened his mouth to say something, but just then Jen rushed into the kitchen. She gave a little half-bow to Isaak as she came in. She was a short, pale-skinned and freckle-faced redhead with storm-grey eyes. Her nose was as crooked as a cork screw, the result of a hundred schoolyard fights. Those same fights had left her body hard and lean, a fact that her new suit did nothing to cover. Like mine, Jen’s suit was all black. She took her seat at the far end of the table, nervously smoothing out her trousers as she did so.

Isaak cleared his throat and said, Alright, first things first. I would like to congratulate young Miss Ryan on starting her first day as a vampire squire. Congratulations, Jen!

We all raised our glasses in a toast and Jen went bright red, grinning from ear to ear. Isaak grinned, and then turned to Jess. Now that that’s over with, how about we start with the briefing. Jess[4], if you would be so kind?

Alright, she said, clearing her throat. "The Flock’s[5] looking pretty good these days. Birth and immigration rates are up by five percent, which helps after the twin shellacking we took from Hurricane Abigail and that damned serial killer over the summer. Population numbers still aren’t back to what they were before we got hit, but they’re getting there. Blood production is way up thanks to that ad blitz we ran last month. We’re looking at a forty-four percent increase in donated blood and artificial plasma. That’s enough for our needs, the Flock’s needs, and it will cover some of the shortfall for the rest of the city." Jess paused to take a sip of blood and Jen stepped in, asking:

What about the election? Does that ass Jim Stranger getting in affect anything?

Language, Jen, I chided gently as Omar spoke up:

That’s a question I want answered too. Stranger didn’t sound like he liked us very much during his campaign. Are we going to have a problem with him?

That I don’t know, Jess admitted. Jim Stranger’s pretty much an unknown quantity as far as we’re concerned. He won’t meet with me, which is pretty troubling. But he could just be getting settled. On the plus side, the new councilor for Zion, Alexandra Kalivas, seems to be a much more reasonable sort. I’ve had a few meetings with her and while she won’t sell out humanity anytime soon, she’s at least willing to talk. I’ll keep you all updated as I get a better feel for her. And for Jim Stranger for that matter.

We all nodded, and Isaak motioned in my direction. On that note, he said, why don’t we move on to Joey[6]’s briefing? Joey, if you please.

Right, I said, elongating the word with a sigh. Jess took the opportunity to shovel sausages, eggs and pancakes onto her plate. Jess and her dad were mildly devout Jews, so the bacon was for the rest of us. First things first. After the arrest and execution of Dennis Worms[7], we haven’t had any major pests or parasites in the Flock. Drug consumption and sales are down by about thirty-five percent from last month, and that includes booze and cigarettes. None of the major mobs have managed to muscle their way back in, although Lou Campagna would desperately like to. There’s also rumours of a new gang headed by Harry Okoro, and I hear tell that the Triads have been reformed under some dame, but they haven’t bothered us any.

Harry Okoro, Omar said with a snort of disgust. I remember that boy. Always in and out of jail, never had a real job, picking fights with everybody. I’m not surprised he turned out to be a thug.

Same could be said of me, Jen pointed out tartly. When you’re at the bottom of the totem pole, you do what you have to to survive.

She has a point, Omar, I said with a shrug. It’s not like there are any innocents at this table, either.

Omar nodded reluctantly. I suppose, he said.

I shrugged again. I’ll keep an eye on this Okoro character, anyway, I continued. So far, it looks like he’s recruiting from a mixture of African-American, Latin@, and Arabic youths. That puts him into competition with Los Demonios, ThugKingz and the Muslim Freedom League. None of whom happen to be operating in the Flock at the moment, but a gang war could easily bleed over. We need to be prepared to take them all out if we have to.

The rest of the Coats nodded in agreement. Jen added:

What about Stranger’s new police chief, Rollins or whatever his name is? Is that gonna hurt us? We all turned to look at her and Jen blushed. Sorry, she said. I seem to be butting in a lot.

Do you want to sit at this table? Isaak demanded, his voice as hard and cold as the northern wind. Jen nodded numbly, apparently afraid that she had offended the baron somehow, who continued in the same hard tone. "Then butt in. Ask questions. Demand answers. And listen to the answers you get. I have no use, none, for a knight who sits on her laurels. If you want to wear this coat and be a part of this family, then you had damned well better speak up."

Yes sir, Jen said with only a hint of sarcasm. I hid a grin beneath my hand and continued.

Jeffery Rollins, as my young apprentice has just pointed out, is Jim Stranger’s new police chief. Well, acting police chief, he hasn’t been confirmed yet.

What do we know about him? Isaak asked, heaping sausages and eggs onto his plate.

He’s a nobody, I answered with a dismissive sneer. "A yes-man Stranger hired to make himself look good. He claims to have worked his way up through the department, but he was a two-bit desk jockey. He cleared no cases, made no arrests, did nothing but type reports. We won’t have a problem with him.

Isaak nodded. Anything else?

Not on my end, I answered. Tchaikovsky might have something though. Having finished my briefing, I got to work assembling my bacon-sausage-egg-pancake sandwich. Guaranteed to harden your arteries or your money back.

Tchaikovsky[8], who had finished his breakfast now relaxed with his feet on the table. He slowly sat back up. Guess that means it’s my turn, he said. And the answer’s no, not really. Not in terms of security threats anyway. Some of the knights bachelor[9] have told me that Cavanaugh’s[10] ambassador is causing trouble again, but that’s about it.

What kind of trouble? Isaak asked through a mouthful of egg. Real civilized, boss, I thought.

Tchaikovsky shrugged. "The usual. He’s been asking how satisfied the locals are, statements such as : wouldn’t they be better off under the Council[11], that sort of thing. He held a few get-togethers and fundraisers, but I can’t see that he’s gotten any sort of traction. Cavanaugh isn’t especially liked here."

Some of his goons have been hanging around the Vampire Club too, Jen added. Dropping off pamphlets and stuff. At least, ‘til the bouncers kicked them out.

I hadn’t heard that, Tchaikovsky said, scratching his chin. Turning to Jen, he asked: Did you see what was printed on those flyers? Or grab one?

Jen shook her head. No, sorry.

That’s okay, Tchaikovsky said. I can probably get my hands on one. But I don’t think it’ll be an issue. All the evidence I have right now says that the other vampires in town are happy with us. Tchaikovsky shrugged. Other than that, we’re about to roll out a couple of major software updates. The first is a patch to our OS and the other is a security update. Both should be out in the next week or so.

Well, if that’s it Tchaikovsky, then I suggest we move on. Neema? Would you like to go next? Isaak asked, inviting the wifwolf to speak.

Neema[12] looked up from her plate of bacon and eggs with a guilty start and said: Whoops. Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. What was the question?

You’re a pig, Neema, Nafisa said in exactly the same soft and gentle voice you’d expect from someone her size. Neema shot her twin a dirty look. Isaak sighed and said:

Your briefing, Neema?

Right, she said. ’Kay. Well, we’re in the black for the most part. But we’re stretched pretty thin, money-wise. The acquisitions of Bluebird Homes and Canseco Building Supply left us drained of funds. I still say they’re worth the effort, but I’d be lying if I said it wouldn’t take a while for them to take effect. Which means, she added, sending a pointed look my way, that you’re not going to get the budget you asked for. Sorry Joey.

I waved that off. That’s okay. It was just a wishlist anyway. We’ll still get the cost of living adjustments, right?

Neema nodded. Yeah, that won’t be a problem. And everybody else gets the budget they want. It’s just you, Joey, who has to go home disappointed. You asked for way too much.

Go big or go home has always been Joey’s philosophy where budgets are concerned, Isaak commented dryly. Alright then, Nafisa, if you could.

Nafisa[13] nodded, pushing her glasses back up on her nose. She took a couple of deep breaths and squared her shoulders. Alright, she said. For the most part, we’re in pretty good with our fellow therianthropes. In particular, Finnbogi Andreassen was very appreciative of us building those abortion clinics."

Why would a pack of lycanthropes care about abortion clinics? Jen asked with a puzzled frown.

’Cause we go into heat every spring, Neema answered with a mouthful of sausage. She swallowed. It’s like being a teenager up to eleven. Literally everything is about sex.

Ah, Jen said, nodding in understanding. Yeah, I could see how that could cause some unwanted pregnancies.

Just a few, I commented dryly. Nafisa sent me a dirty look before continuing on.

Right. So, that’s the lycanthropes. The selkies are also pretty happy with us thanks to Joey busting that slave ship a few months back and rescuing all those pups. Nafisa paused as the others sent applause my way and I nodded in recognition. Unfortunately, she continued. The Nāgaraj aren’t nearly as well-disposed. They’ve been trying to poach several of our businesses and are trying to lure both the lycanthropes and selkies into their camp. Why, I don’t know.

Joey? Has there been any physical altercations between us and the Nāgaraj? Isaak asked. His breakfast was finished and he had pushed the plate away, concentrating those sea-blue eyes on me.

No, I answered dismissively, looking up from the remains of my pancake sandwich. Which tells me that old Hanuman is just rattling the sabre. He’s toothless.

That’s what I’m thinking, too, Isaak agreed. What about the Foxes?

No idea, Nafisa admitted. You know what that crew is like. They don’t tell nobody nothing. Same with the witches, in case anybody’s wondering. Haven’t seen hide nor hair of them in the past year.

Fair enough, Isaak said. Omar, if you please?

Omar[14] looked up from his pancakes, an almost bored expression on his face. You know, when I signed on with you guys, I was hoping for some excitement, you know? Defending the rights of vampires before human rights courts, determining whether or not a vampire is really culpable for the murder of a human if that’s what their biology demanded. That sort of thing.

Paperwork not exciting enough for you, Omar? I jabbed.

Not really, he said with a dismissive shrug. Aside from nailing that Worms guy, there really hasn’t been anything going on.

"So, what? We should invite parasites like that into the Flock just so