Written In Stone

with a woman, she was exactly what he wanted —a woman — a grown woman with full breasts and rounded hips; a woman who could keep up with a conversation, should he ever desire a conversation with her. What men saw in these children would never make sense to him, and he didn't try to understand it either. He simply tried to stop it.
    These kinds of men, or males of the species anyway —Gavin didn't consider them men — were not anything he understood. He was a man, and putting those types in the same category as himself seemed to lower him to their level, not bring them up to his. These males were despicable human beings preying on the young, the weak, and the poor to fulfill their demented fantasies. Gavin could not abide it.
    Peering into the alley, he could see no one about. Stepping around the corner, he waited, knowing it wouldn't be long before he would find what he wanted. The streetwalkers were already out, and men from downtown, uptown, and even some from the Haley District, appeared to look over the wares for sale tonight. Gavin left them to themselves and the whores they paid. The ones he waited for were not here for the women prostituting themselves.
    Gavin waited less than twenty minutes before a man he knew quite well appeared. Intrigued, Gavin watched to see what the judge might be doing in the Raven District this time of night. Perhaps the judge had certain urges, like any man, and filled himself with ladies of the evening. A well-known fact, the judge's wife stayed in France as much as possible, simply unable to tolerate the rainy, English weather. However, the judge passed by the women, shaking his head as he declined their offers.
    After going half a block farther, he spoke with a woman sitting on the stoop in front of her building. She watched the working girls, and the children running up and down the block laughing and yelling at one another. The woman looked at the judge as he spoke, nodded her head, and pointed up the block. The judge put something in her hand and continued walking. Following in the shadows, a discreet distance behind, Gavin was stealthy, no one even noticing him.
    When the judge reached Evergreen Street, he turned right, and Gavin crossed the street to follow him. The judge looked from one side of the street to the other as if looking for something in particular, and then jogged up the steps of Number Eleven Evergreen. Gavin waited a moment then followed the path of the judge and pushed the entrance door open. The putrid smell of rancid grease, unbathed bodies, urine, feces, cigar smoke, and stale food hit him in the face, and for a moment, he couldn't take a breath. Peering into the darkness, he spotted a place beneath the stairs where he could wait undetected. A few minutes later, the judge came down the stairs holding the hand of a young boy in one hand, and a young girl in the other. Gavin felt his stomach clench, then realized his fists clenched at the same time. If the judge were doing what Gavin was sure he was doing, it would not bode well for the Honorable Judge Elmer Grossman. In fact, Gavin was sure it would be the worst night of the judge's poor excuse for a life.
    Following the trio all the way back through the Raven District, he kept an eye on the children. They were afraid to say anything, but Gavin could tell the little girl was crying, and the little boy trying hard to hide his fear. When they came to the end of Raven Street, the judge led them to the right, down Water Street to Templar Drive, and through the downtown area to Candlestick Drive. An affluent community made up of condominiums rented or owned by politicians, businessmen, and high society members, it was here they kept their mistresses, met for card games, a tryst, or whatever else they didn't want anyone to know about.
    The judge entered Wonderland Tower, nodding to the doorman; he identified himself with the special pass key only members possessed. Gavin heard him introduce his "niece and nephew" to the doorman who only nodded, allowing them passage. Gavin ground his teeth so hard he thought he heard one of them crack. He went quietly to the back of the building; not having a membership key was hardly a deterrent.
    Finding the workmen's access ladder to the roof, Gavin scaled it in a matter of seconds. He was strong and quick, and once on the roof, he simply opened the access door and jumped down, landing on silent feet. It was, after all, only a twenty-foot drop, and he didn't need a ladder