The Resistance Kids and the Haunted House, Part 3

The next day, while the other Resistance Kids were working at Hank's or filing patient records at Dr. Kalonia's office, Poe was meeting with his boss, Mrs. Leia Organa-Solo herself. Leia was a small woman, barely five-one in her stocking feet, but she was known for tenacity. Her gray-brown hair was wound around her head in a thick braid. She wore a fashionable purple wool jacket with a nipped waist and a black pleated skirt that was just long enough to show off her still-trim legs.

“I'm going to talk to Lor San Tekka again today.” Poe leaned over in her chair. “I think I'm onto something really, really big. San Tekka told me he had some kind of map or clue to Mr. Waller's location. If I can just get this piece. I think it'll make a big difference in this case.”

“I hope so.” Even Poe noticed how haggard Mrs. Solo had been looking lately. He knew she'd been through hell and back in the past decade. Her son Ben, once a promising young member of the police academy, was arrested for burning down several major police departments and correctional facilities...including taking part in the destruction of Luke Waller's school. Luke took off shortly after. Hank moved out after Ben was sent to reform school. Ben had since gotten out, but Leia hadn't heard from him in months.

With all that, Leia kept pushing on. She was one of the officials who insisted on the removal of Professor Roland Snoke for unethical practices after reports of police officers killing people and themselves after taking part in his “experiments” filtered back to her. She was instrumental in ending the gang wars that had rocked the area in the early 1900's, too. After she quit the police force, she opened her own detective agency. Poe could only hope to be half as strong as she was.

“San Tekka claimed he actually saw Luke in the Bowery.” Poe leaned over her desk. “He said he was willing to tell me or give me some kind of a clue to where. Some old house, I think.”

She handed him a photo. “This was the last picture we took of him, before he vanished.” Luke Waller was a handsome man, smaller than typical, with fine features for a man who was likely in his fifties. He had short gold hair streaked with gray and a big, sunny smile. He wore suit trousers with the jacket of a World War I fighter pilot.

“What happened to his hand?” Poe tapped the gloved appendage.

Leia frowned, her face looking far older. “My father cut it off around 1917. He arrested Hank and me in what was then known as the Cloud City Club on false charges. Luke came looking for us. He sliced off his hand as a warning to anyone who would dare to defy him.” The older woman shrugged. “Losing limbs seems to run in my family. Father lost an arm in the Battle of San Juan Hill. He had to have it reconstructed.”

Poe rubbed his own wrist. “Ouch. Now I'm glad I got out of the last war with all my limbs intact.”

“I wish I knew what Luke was doing.” Leia shook her head fondly. “It isn't like him to be so quiet. Usually, the problem is getting him to stop talking. When we were younger, he was such a chatterbox. He used to drive Hank crazy. You should have heard him imitate half the residents of the Bowery. He was an amazing mimic. I always thought he could have gone into radio, if he hadn't been so dead-set on following in Father's footsteps.”

Poe chuckled. “I think he'd get along well with Finn. Finn can be a talker, when you get him going.” He coughed. “Mrs. Solo, I saw your husband at his garage yesterday. Finn and two of the girls in our group work for him. I think he wouldn't mind seeing you again.”

Leia sighed. “I do miss Hank. Him and Ben. I miss him coming home and seeing him every day, grimy from being in the garage. I miss bouncing around in the Falcon. Charles still comes in to say 'hi' every now and then, but Hank is never with him.” She shook her head. “We always argued. We've been arguing ever since we met. But that last one, after Ben was sentenced to reform school...it ended with Hank walking out. He thought we were being too easy on him. Ben should have been in jail, he said. I said there's still good in him.”

“You know,” Poe started slowly, “Mr. Solo is going to be at our Halloween party on Canal Street, at Skywalker Manor. I'm going to invite you, too. Maybe it'll give you a chance to talk to him.”

“Skywalker Manor?” Leia's eyebrows went up in surprise. “I thought they tore that eye sore down years ago.”

He shook his head. “Apparently not. In fact, I heard Starkiller Industries bought it.”

“Hmm.” Leia leaned back in her chair, her face furrowed in concentration. “I wonder why they would buy the old family homestead? Surely there are houses in better shape in far nicer parts of the city if they want to set up offices in New York.”

The young man grinned. “Do you want me to look into it, Mrs. Solo?”

“No, you concentrate on finding my brother.” Leia reached for a small, leather-bound black book. “I still have connections in this town. I can find out more about this myself.”

“All right.” He stood, taking his hat from the rack near the door. “The party starts at 6 tomorrow, Mrs. Solo, as soon as the little guys are done trick-or-treating. The Resistance Kids are going as Wizard of Oz characters. I'll be the handsomest scarecrow there.”

There was a twinkle in Leia's brown eyes. “I'm sure you will be.” She waved her hand. “Now, you run along. Tell Lor I say 'hi,' and if he knows where my brother is, to make sure to smack him over the head for me for running out.” But she was grinning.

Poe couldn't help grinning back. “I will.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Detective Lor San Tekka met Poe by the docks near the Manhattan Bridge. The warehouses were grimy and probably not the safest, but the elderly detective said what he had to tell him was important. He didn't want anyone on his regular beat to hear it.

“Did you bring it?” Poe looked around furtively.

San Tekka pulled a wrinkled piece of paper out of his pocket. “I have part of it. If you want the rest, you'll need to talk to ol' Artie Baker. He and Chief Waller were best friends, back in the day. Artie always knows where Waller is.” He quickly scribbled something on a slip of paper. “This is his address. He's a mechanic and an inventor, of sorts. Lives on Hester Street. Doesn't get out much.”

“Thanks.” Baby let out a bark. He wished the silly dog hadn't followed him here, but she wouldn't leave him. He was afraid someone would try to steal her, or she'd get run over. “I've got to get this to Leia fast.” The smaller man swept the puppy into his arms.

They both stopped as they heard footsteps and gunfire. “Go!” San Tekka shoved him onto a fire escape. “I can handle these hoods.”

“But...” Baby growled as a knife embedded itself into the warehouse wall between them. It was a familiar knife, one he'd seen several times before. One that had a garnet-studded handle and a long, sharp black blade. “You be careful, Detective.”

“Don't worry about me, son.” Gunfire rocketed over their heads. “Get going! Now!”

He didn't need to tell Poe twice. The younger man raced down the street, Baby whimpering and yipping over his shoulder. Poor thing didn't like that noisy gunfight! Her owner wasn't a fan of it, either. Leia Organa had to get that message!

He had just made it to Canal when he saw the three youths in white and black zoot suits on his tail. Poe dove into an alley, letting the trio run past them. “Baby,” he insisted, pulling the papers out of his pocket, “I want you to get this to the Kids. Or at least Rey. They'll bring it to Leia or Hank.” He wound the paper around her orange and white collar. “Don't lose it, ok?”

Baby yipped and rubbed him. “I'm sorry, girl, but you have to go. Go get Rey!” She barked happily at the mention of her second-favorite human in the entire world. He pushed her into a hole in the wooden fence at the end of the alley she just fit under. “Get going! Rey! You have to find Rey!”

He got her just in time. The boys in white and black streamed into the alley, all holding guns on him. He put up his hands, grinning. “Hi, fellas. I have no idea what's going on here. I was just talking to a nice old man. How about we discuss this over a root beer float at Ackbar's Soda Shoppe?”

The largest responded by slamming him hard in the gut. “Maybe not,” he gasped as he dropped to his knees.

He saw the heavy black boots walking up the alley before he felt the gloved hands yank his hair forward. Kylo Ren breathed heavily in his face for a few minutes before he got sick of looking at a black visor. “Ok, so who talks first? Do I talk first? Probably better me than you. You usually sound like you smoke ten packs a day.”

A gloved hand smacked hard across his cheek. “The First Order Gang wants something from you, Dameron.”

Poe glared at him. “Nice try, but the Organa Detective Agency won't be intimidated by the likes of you.”

Ren nearly dropped him. “Organa?” There was what he believed was a snort under the visor. “Mother. I had heard she had some foolish idea of becoming a detective.”

“She's a damn good one.” Poe struggled in the two goons' ham-sized arms. “Don't you even think of touching her. She's got enough problems without you showing your ugly puss around her office.”

“I wouldn't touch her. None of my gang would ever touch her. As long as she keeps to her business and stays out of mine.” He backhanded Poe again, this time across the lips. “Take him to the Starkiller Manor. Snoke was asking for some...experiments. His mouth might actually be useful for something.”

“Experiments?” Poe struggled. “There's no way I'm gonna cut open by some mad scientist!”

“Oh, this works a little...differently. Snoke's more interested in that sharp little mind of yours.” He gave Poe's curls one more good yank. “Take him away. And find that dog. He must have sent the map with it.”

Poe could only hope as they lead him away that Baby was on her way to the other kids...and that he hadn't put them in as much danger as he was.