Chapter 31

Chamber of the Tree, House of Fourteen, Santa Monica, California, United States

Gen was grateful that Dwayne was at her back, or otherwise he'd see the victorious smile that sprang to her face. Now it was her turn to watch him be roasted and hopefully she'd learn some covert information. She'd heard about this Commissioner's death from Sophia. It was a big concern for Hiker because he thought that it hinted at a huge problem and upset the arrangement that the Rogue Riders had established with Los Angeles. But Sophia had said it wasn't her jurisdiction anymore. It was all on Dwayne Stone and hopefully he was about to get ripped a new one for it.

"Although Commissioner Peter Stevenson's death was unfortunate," Dwayne began in an almost amused voice. "I see this as an opportunity to take back control over the City of Los Angeles."

"You think that the death of a civil servant who has devoted his life to the City of Los Angeles is an opportunity?" Clark questioned, disgust seeping into his tone.

"I think that under the previous leadership of the Rogue Riders, the old alliances have grown stale," Dwayne replied tersely. "We all know that Los Angeles is a pivotal city in creating the balance with the criminal world. If we maintain control there and with other major cities, then we hold the power."

"Yes, we are all aware that New York and Los Angeles are the major hubs of control for power in North America," Haro stated matter-of-factly. "And our concern is that the City of Los Angeles is now in flux. Someone has murdered the highest ranking law enforcement official and that's concerning in a city already out of control."

"Well, I should point out that crime was out of control before I took my role," Dwayne stated. "I believe this murder of the Los Angeles Commissioner is a result of things not being managed by Sophia Beaufont."

Liv, who was still standing at the front, staring straight at Dwayne, growled. "Sophia had a long-standing partnership with the Commissioner that kept crime at bay. Her problem was that she couldn't manage two full-time roles and didn't belong in the Rogue Riders."

"Her list of problems were long and varied, I'm learning," Dwayne said.

"Have you determined who murdered the Commissioner?" Seraphine asked.

"I can't say," Dwayne answered.

Just then, Gen caught Jude's right eye twitch. It was so slight, but she knew at once what it meant.

"He's lying!" Gen blurted out.

"Excuse me!" Dwayne boomed, marching forward and looking down at Gen with menace. "How dare you accuse me of lying?"

She pointed to the white tiger. "Because of him, I know that you do know who murdered the Commissioner because Jude's gesture has indicated that you are withholding."

Dwayne laughed darkly, his crooked teeth flashing white in the darkness of the chamber. "I've never heard anything so foolish."

"Can you better explain yourself, Gen?" Clark asked, blinking down at her from the high bench.

Gen spun to face the council. "Dwayne said that he can't say, but the regulator's movement has clearly indicated that he is using language techniques to cover the truth. Maybe it is that he knows but is trying to act as if he doesn't. I don't know for sure, but I can tell you that Dwayne saying he can't say who murdered the Commissioner is a form of deceit."

The leader of the Rogue Riders threw his hands up in the air with a loud protest. "Because a tiger did what? I didn't see anything."

"His right eyebrow raised, which indicates that someone is avoiding telling the truth," Gen explained.

"Is that true?" Hester asked, curiously, looking down the bench at her colleagues.

Clark tapped his fingers on his chin, thinking. "I seem to remember a rumor of this information but it has since been lost. I think that could be the micro expressions that can give detailed information on the regulators. Diabolos and Jude obviously tell us when someone is lying and to which degree, but I remember there being something about more subtleties to forms of deceit."

"It is true," Gen urged. "I know it for a fact. A raised eyebrow by Jude means that someone is withholding information by using clever phrasing."

Dwayne scoffed. "How can you possibly know what the mannerism of a tiger means?"

Gen looked up at him, defiance in her eyes. "Because my father and I programmed Jude and Diabolos as lie detectors. We imbued them with the magic that has kept them alive for centuries and made them the regulators of the House of Fourteen from the beginning."

This produced many sounds of surprise from around the Chamber of the Tree. Murmuring broke out. This was followed by clapping by Liv, still standing at the front of the bench, like holding court.

"Yep, that's my girl!" Liv sang, looking around at the other warriors. "She's my relative!"

"Quiet down, Warrior Beaufont," Freek commanded, shaking his head. "This is very speculative information. All we have is Gen's word that a small gesture from Jude means something that calls Dwayne's character into question. I caution the council on making serious judgements about this."

Armando nodded. "Well, then, maybe we can get to the bottom of this. Dwayne, do you in fact know who murdered the Commissioner of Los Angeles?"

"Yes," the Rogue Rider replied at once. "But as I said before, I can't say."

Again, Jude's eyebrow raised. This time, everyone saw it. Many more gasps filled the chamber.

"I can't say, because it was an inside job," Dwayne said in a rush. "Disclosing that information at this stage would be dangerous."

"Dangerous for whom?" Raina asked.

"For me as the leader of the Rogue Riders," Dwayne replied, not eliciting a reaction from either of the regulators. "I'm playing a very strategic game as I lay down my rule in my new position."

He was telling the truth, but Gen knew that it was about how people disclosed things that mattered. That's why her father and she had worked to try to hone in on linguistics when programming Diabolos and Jude. However, covering all the basics was difficult since there were many loopholes.

"I need more time to put my plans as leader into action," Dwayne continued, again not lying. "I'm using this opportunity to sift through the ranks and get rid of the waste. We've put a new Commissioner into place and I'm hoping that this will help for me to be more successful as the leader of the Rogue Riders going forward."

Gen was infuriated not to see a reaction from either the black crow or the white tiger. Dwayne was telling the truth, but she knew at her core that he was choosing his words carefully. Instinctively, she knew he was up to something, but what, she had no clue.

"Yes, this new Commissioner has been making many personnel changes throughout the city already," Seraphine observed. "Do you think it wise that Los Angeles undergo such drastic changes, especially with a murderer on the loose taking down head officials?"

"I've got things covered, as is my job," Dwayne stated with conviction. He then turned and gave Gen a murderous look. "And I won't have anyone disrupting that or putting my authority into question."