Deadmen Do Tell Tales

[NoAzMale]

CHARMED
"Dead Men Do Tell Tales"
by J. B. Tilton
email: aramath@isot.com

Rating: K

Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

(Authors note: This story takes place between season 1 episodes "Blind Sided" and "The Power Of Two".)

* * *

Andy reluctantly asks for the sisters' help when a series of crimes appears to be supernatural in nature.

* * *

ONE

Andy Trudeau stood on the porch of the Halliwell manor. He wasn't completely comfortable with what he was doing. He didn't like involving civilians in police business. Especially when they were his friends. But this time he felt he didn't have a choice. And the sisters would probably be of more help than anyone else he knew.

He looked at the folder in his hand. He knew this case was beyond the scope of the police department. It required an expertise that the police didn't have. An expertise that most policemen didn't even believe in. An expertise he hoped the girls would be able to supply him with.

He raised his hand and was about to knock when the door suddenly opened. He stood facing Prue. It was the first time he'd seen her since learning her secret two days earlier. There was an awkward silence between them for a few seconds.

"Andy," she said in surprise finally, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I need to speak to you, Prue," said Andy.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Andy," said Prue. "Besides, I'm late for work."

"I'm here on police business," said Andy. "I need your help."

Prue looked at him for a minute and then decided to let him in. They went into the living room where Piper and Phoebe sat on the sofa.

"Hey, Andy," said Phoebe.

"Hi, Andy," said Piper.

"Hello," said Andy nervously.

"He says he needs our help with a case," said Prue.

"Our help?" questioned Phoebe. "How can we help the police?"

"With something they aren't equipped to deal with," said Andy. "Over the last couple of months, there have been a string of jewelry store robberies. They've been pulled off in broad daylight. They've all been smash and grabs. "That's where. . ."

"We know what a smash and grab is," interrupted Piper. "But I don't see how this concerns us. We don't exactly get involved in routine robberies."

"I'm coming to that," said Andy. He pulled a photograph out of the folder he was carrying. "Three days ago a security camera took this picture of one of the thieves."

The photograph showed a young man about twenty-five years old holding a shotgun. In the background of the photograph was another man scooping jewelry out of a smashed display case. The man in the background was fuzzy and indistinct.

"His name is Robert Malcolm," said Andy. "He's a small time hood who usually knocks over convenience stores. I've arrested him a couple of times myself."

"Well, it appears he's moved up in the world," said Piper.

"I still don't see how this concerns us," said Prue. "It sounds like a strictly police matter."

"Normally it is," said Andy. "But the evidence just doesn't add up. Fingerprints come back belonging to men who couldn't possibly have committed the crimes."

"Maybe there was a foul up with the prints," offered Phoebe, "or maybe the robbers have figured out a way to plant false evidence. To throw suspicion off them and onto someone else."

"That's what we thought at first, too," said Andy. "My captain still believes that."

"But you don't?" asked Prue.

"No, not any more," said Andy.

"What changed your mind?" asked Piper.

Andy hesitated for a second. Then he removed another photograph from the folder. This one showed a man from the waist up lying on a table. A "Y" shaped incision had been made in the mans' torso.

"Oh, that's gross," said Phoebe.

"It's an autopsy photo," said Andy. "It's part of the autopsy procedures."

"That looks like the same man in the first photo," said Piper.

"It is," said Andy. "They're both photos of Robert Malcolm."

"Well apparently Mr. Malcolm's life of crime has ended," said Prue. "That still doesn't explain how it involves us."

"Just this," said Andy. "The photograph of the robbery was taken three days ago. This autopsy photo was taken more than three weeks ago. When Robert Malcolm was autopsied by the county coroner."

TWO

"Wait a minute," said Prue. "Are you telling us that a man who's dead and been autopsied robbed a jewelry store?"

"That's why I came to you," said Andy. "So far there have been eight robberies. Seven different men have been identified as the robbers. Three were autopsied by the coroner. Two were pronounced dead at the scenes of accidents. The last two were pronounced dead in local hospitals."

"Could the doctors have been mistaken about the last four?" asked Piper. "Maybe they weren't really dead."

"I've talked to the doctors involved," said Andy. "They're all positive the men were dead. Besides, that doesn't explain the other three. We have completed autopsy reports, complete with photographs, on all of them. There are at least five more we haven't identified but I'm willing to be they were dead, too."

"This is strange," said Phoebe.

"Now you know why I need your help," said Andy. "After what I learned the other day . . . well, I just figured you might be able to help."

"I have to get to work," said Prue. "Piper and Phoebe can check it out. Then we can decide what to do about it."

"Thanks," said Andy. "My captains thinks these are normal robberies that the crooks have figured out a way to leave false evidence at the crime scenes. I don't think we stand a chance of catching whoever is doing this with that thinking. I also can't tell him what I really think, without him thinking I've lost my mind."

Prue left for work while Piper and Phoebe continued to talk with Andy.

"So, Andy," said Piper, "what do you really think?"

"Well, dead men don't just get up and walk around," said Andy. "I'm thinking that someone is doing this. What I can't figure out is why someone with the power to bring back the dead would use it to rob jewelry stores. It occurs to me there are a whole lot of other things they could do with a power like that."

"Maybe they aren't being brought back from the dead," offered Phoebe. "Maybe whomever is doing this is simply reanimating dead bodies. As for why, that's easy. Even evil needs money. What better way to support yourself than having dead men commit crimes for you? There'd be no way to trace it back to them."

"Okay," said Piper, "first we have to figure out what all of these dead men have in common. Whoever is doing this is choosing these men for a reason. We have to find that reason. That should lead us to the person or people who are doing it."

"I've checked their backgrounds," said Andy. "It's standard procedure. There's nothing any of them have, or had, in common. Different walks of life, different lifestyles, most of them had no direct connection to any of the others."

"They all have one thing in common," said Piper.

"What's that?" asked Andy.

"They're all dead," said Phoebe. "That might be the connection. Maybe it wasn't anything they had in common while they were alive. Maybe it's something that happened after they died."

"I never considered that," said Andy. "Normally, just being dead isn't a connection. It's usually something the people had in common in life that connects them."

"Usually they don't commit crimes after they die, either," said Piper.

"I'll check and see if any of them had anything in common after they died," said Andy. "Hospitals, the coroners office, mortuaries, medical personnel, anything of that nature."

"Get us a list of everyone connected to them," said Piper. "We might find a connection that you wouldn't look twice at."

"I'll check to see if we have any information on anyone who uses dead bodies to commit crimes," said Phoebe. "That might give us a lead, too."

"Let me know what you find out," said Andy. "And I should have the information in a couple of days. Thanks for your help, guys. I really appreciate it."

"Well," said Piper, "if this is demonic related, we're better equipped to handle it than you are. So, in a way, this falls under our purview."

"Thanks all the same," said Andy.

THREE

Andy arrived at the manor with several lists of names. He had gathered the names of everyone who had any contact with the suspected criminals after they had died.

"There are a lot of names," said Andy. "I haven't had a chance to go over all of them, yet. I was kind of hoping you could help me with them."

"How many lists are there?" asked Prue.

"Seven total," said Andy. "The coroners office, the Bay Area Hospital, two mortuaries, and three ambulance services."

"Sounds like a lot of names," said Phoebe.

"There are," said Andy. "I've been able to cross a number of them off the lists. People who weren't in town at the times or who weren't on duty when the bodies came in, that sort of thing. But there are still quite a few names to go over."

"Oh, the joys of police work," said Piper.

"This is what it's usually like," said Andy. "It's hardly ever like it happens in the movies."

"Well," said Prue, "we think we're dealing with a warlock. Someone who is able to reanimate dead bodies to use for his own purposes. In this case, robbing jewelry stores."

"So it's a man," said Andy.

"Probably, but not necessarily," said Phoebe. "Most warlocks are male, but being a warlock is not gender specific. Just like most witches are female, but there are male witches."

"Let's divide up the lists," suggested Prue. "We can go over them and trade off when we're finished."

Andy divided up the lists between the four of them. Even considering there were four people going over the lists, there were still a great many names to look over. They all knew they were in for a long afternoon.

"Wait a minute," said Phoebe after more than an hour. "This name, Michael Jablonski, Jr. I've seen that name before."

She shuffled through some of the papers, and then pulled out one page.

"Yeah, here it is," she said. "Michael Jablonski, Jr. According to these lists, he works part time at both the coroners office and the Mid Cities Ambulance Service."

"Jablonski?" questioned Prue. "I don't have a Michael Jablonski, but there is a Carla Jablonski that works at the Bay Area Hospital. She's a nurse in the terminally ill ward there. I wonder if they're related."

"I'll find out," said Andy, holding up a page. "This is interesting. One of the mortuaries where the bodies were taken from is the Jablonski Mortuary on Primrose Lane. Owned and operated by one Michael Jablonski, Senior."

"That's four out of seven," said Piper. "Sounds like more than just a coincidence to me."

"Me, too," said Andy. "We might just have our link. If this Jablonski isn't our warlock, I'm willing to bet he knows who it is."

"Why do you say that?" asked Prue.

"Instinct," said Andy. "The same name on two lists could just be coincidence. Although I really don't believe in coincidence. But a connection on four of the lists to one person? That is definitely not coincidence. There has to be a connection between him and our dead criminals."

"Andy," said Prue, "promise me you won't go after him alone. Come get us first. A warlock is going to have powers you aren't equipped to fight. We are."

And looked at Prue. It was clear she still had feelings for him, regardless of what had happened between them. And his feelings for her had never changed. Maybe one day they could put everything behind them and start over again.

"I promise," he said finally. "I'll let you know what I find out."

He left the manor as Prue wondered if he would keep that promise.

FOUR

Andy showed up at the manor the next day. When Phoebe opened the door, he had a smile on his face.

"We have a suspect," he announced to the sisters. "Mr. Jablonski has been a busy fellow. His father owns the Jablonski Mortuary. And Carla Jablonski is his older sister. In the last four or five months he's been visiting her at work quite regularly. Before that, he only stopped by occasionally."

"Looking for fresh bodies, no doubt," said Piper.

"There's more," said Andy. "He's also become real friendly with drivers from the other two ambulance services on our lists. In the past few months, he's been seen visiting them several times a month. At work."

"I'd say that definitely makes him a suspect," said Prue. "We also found out how he's doing it. There's a ritual that can be used to reanimate dead bodies. It only lasts for about twenty-four hours and the bodies have to be relatively fresh. Dead not more than about two weeks."

"That explains this morning," said Andy.

"Another smash and grab?" asked Piper.

"Yes," said Andy. "Only this time an off duty police officer was in the store picking out a ring for his fiancé. They cornered one of the suspects in an alley. It took forty-seven shots to bring him down. Thirteen of them were in vital organs that should have killed him instantly. And there was virtually no blood at the shooting scene."

"Another dead robber, huh?" asked Phoebe.

"That's not even the interesting part," said Andy. "The suspect had been autopsied by the coroner about two weeks ago. He died of a coronary at the Bay Area Hospital. And he was transported to the coroners' office by an ambulance from the Mid Cities Ambulance Service. Mr. Jablonski was the driver of that ambulance."

"That's pretty good evidence," said Prue.

"Especially when we found out the body was taken to the Jablonski Mortuary for processing two days ago," said Andy. "Mr. Jablonski, Jr. accepted delivery of the body."

"I'd say that cinches it," said Piper.

"Well, we recovered the jewelry this time," said Andy. "So the one that got away didn't get away with anything."

"Which means Mr. Jablonski may try again real soon," said Phoebe.

"That's what I figured," said Andy. "If he suddenly shows up at one of the places on our lists, I'll get a call. We should be able to catch him red-handed."

"Just come get us first," said Piper. "He's too dangerous for you to go after him alone."

"I've already promised," said Andy. "Stay near your cell phones. If he does make a move, we might not have much time."

Two nights later the sisters were sitting in Andy's car outside the Haskins and Blane Mortuary. It was nearly eleven p.m. and Jablonski had been inside for almost fifteen minutes.

"Haskins and Jablonski, Sr. are old friends," explained Andy. "Jablonski, Jr. volunteers to help out when Haskins has a lot of work."

"Very philanthropic of him," said Prue. "A couple of hours work and he gets a fresh body to reanimate."

"Mr. Haskins called me and said that Jablonski had stopped by for a visit," said Andy. "I'm guessing but I'll bet he's here for a fresh body."

"Good guess," said Phoebe. "Look."

They all watched as Michael Jablonski wheeled a gurney with a body on it out through the back door of the mortuary. He looked around furtively as he loaded the body into a hearse.

"Probably said he was taking it to his fathers' mortuary for processing," said Andy. "He takes homeless from this mortuary so Haskins doesn't get suspicious when the bodies don't come back. After processing, they're taken to a paupers grave and buried without ceremony."

"Well, looks like he got himself another body," said Piper. "Now, we'll follow him and see where he goes. With any luck, he'll take us right to where the reanimation ritual is performed. If he's not the warlock, we might be able to catch the warlock there. If we do, Andy, stay out of the way. We'll handle it."

They all watched as Jablonski got into the hearse and drove away from the mortuary. Andy followed a discrete distance behind.

FIVE

"What is that smell?" whispered Phoebe, holding her nose as the four made their way through the lightly wooded area just outside of town.

"Decomposing bodies," Andy whispered back. "I guess when the spell wears off he just dumps the bodies. He picked a good place. This place is so secluded no one probably comes out here."

Several minutes later they passed a deep pit dug in the earth. Nearly two dozen bodies at various stages of decay filled the pit.

"Well, we know what he does with the bodies now," said Prue. "There's a cave up ahead. I think we'll find Mr. Jablonski and his latest acquisition in there."

Andy pulled out his service pistol. The four made their way to the cave and peered inside. Jablonski stood next to a stone slab. A body lay on the slab. In the back of the cavern stood another body. Obviously dead, it had already been reanimated. Several burning torches illuminated the cave.

"San Francisco Police Department," said Andy, pointing his pistol at Jablonski, "stay where you are and keep your hands where I can see them."

Jablonski looked up at them. The he looked over at the reanimated corpse.

"Stop them," he commanded.

The reanimated corpse began moving toward them. Andy fired three shots into the dead body, two in the chest and one in the head. No blood came from the wounds. And the corpse didn't slow down. It simply continued moving forward.

Piper raised her hands and froze the entire cavern. Prue reached up and pulled a torch from its' holder in the wall, breaking the freeze on the torch. She held the torch to the reanimated body setting it on fire. As it started to burn, it again began to move forward.

Phoebe grabbed Andy, pulling him away from the burning corpse. The freeze broken, Andy just stared at the burning body, which quickly collapsed on the floor of the cave.

After pulling Andy out of danger, Phoebe, kicked Jablonski hard in the chest. The young man fell back against the wall of the cave, slumping to the floor. The freeze around him broken, he looked up at the four.

"Oh, God," he pleaded, "don't kill me. I didn't mean any harm, honestly I didn't. I just thought I could make some extra money, that's all. Please, take whatever you want, only don't hurt me."

"You can put that away," Prue said to Andy. "He's no warlock. And I don't think he's a real threat to anyone right now."

Several chests sat against the walls of the cave. Books and scrolls filled most of the chests. Andy reached into one chest and pulled out a handful of jewelry.

"Well," he said, "looks like we found the stolen jewelry."

"And more," said Prue, looking over the books and scrolls. "Spells, incantations, rituals; there's an entire library of stuff here."

"I found it," said Jablonski. "There were some papers on one of the bodies that was brought into the morgue one day. They told me about this place."

"And you just figured you'd use it to get rich, is that it?" asked Andy.

"Honest," said Jablonski. "I don't understand most of it. Just the one that brought dead bodies back to life. At first I thought I had found a cure for death. But when I realized they weren't really alive, I figured I could use them to make some quick cash.

"I made sure no one got hurt. I only used bodies that were already dead. And I gave them strict orders that they weren't to harm anyone. Just get the jewelry and bring it to me. That's it."

"And I'm supposed to just believe you?" questioned Andy.

"I do," said Piper. "A lot of these spells and incantations are a great deal more powerful than just reanimating dead bodies. If he knew what he had here, he wouldn't have been wasting his time with jewelry store robberies.

"Prue's right. He's no warlock. Just some kid who stumbled onto all this and was able to make the reanimation ritual work. It's probably the only thing he could make work. A lot of rituals don't need any special magic from the person who uses them. The magic is in the items and the incantations."

"What if he does it again?" asked Andy.

"He won't," said Phoebe. She picked up a glass sphere and threw it against the cave wall, shattering it. "Without that, the reanimation ritual won't work. And I'm pretty sure he wouldn't know what to look for if he tried to get another one. Or if he had the genuine article even if he did find one."

"What about all this stuff?" asked Andy.

"We know someone who can take care of it," said Prue. "It won't fall into the wrong hands again."

"Okay," said Andy, pulling Jablonski to his feet. "Come on, Merlin. You can tell me everything you know about this and the jewelry store robberies on our way downtown."

SIX

"How did things go with your captain?" Prue asked Andy the next day.

"Well, he was happy we recovered the jewelry," said Andy. "And the coroners' office is taking care of the bodies in that pit. I told my captain an anonymous tip led me there. I'm not sure he believed me completely, but he didn't press it."

"What about Jablonski?" asked Piper.

"You were right," said Andy. "That reanimation ritual was the only thing that made any sense to him. He just figured it was a good way to get rich fast."

"What's going to happen to him?" asked Piper.

"Nothing," said Andy. "I had to let him go. I couldn't charge him with anything without giving the whole story away. And the DA would think I was crazy. I had a long talk with our Mr. Jablonski, though. I don't think he'll be messing with any more spells any time soon."

"It must have been some talk," said Prue.

"Yeah, well, I kind of suggested you three might not be so forgiving next time," said Andy. "Jablonski is sort of under the impression that stuff belonged to you. And that you weren't happy with him for using it. I might have given him the impression that if it happened again, you might want to do something about it. And that you could be pretty unpleasant if you were angered."

"I've never been the boogie man before," said Piper, smiling.

"Well, if it keeps him from messing with something he can't control," said Prue, "I guess it won't hurt. This time."

"What about all that stuff?" asked Andy. "What did you do with it?"

"Let's just say it's in a safe place and leave it at that," said Prue. "I think the less you know about that, the better."

"Fair enough," said Andy. "Listen guys, thanks for all the help. I couldn't have done it without you. I really appreciate it."

"Let's just not make it a habit, okay?" asked Piper.

"I promise," said Andy. "I need to get going. There are still crimes being committed and criminals running around loose."

"I'll bet it was hard for him to come to us for help," said Piper, after Andy had left.

"I'm sure it was," said Prue. "Especially after everything that's happened recently."

"Kind of makes you wonder," said Phoebe. "About if there are things you might be able to over look. Thinks that have happened in the past."

"Maybe," said Prue. "But I think that's going to take some time. Even if it is possible."

"Whatever you think," said Phoebe.

"Well, I think I'll go lie down for a while," said Prue. "Call me when dinner is ready?"

"Sure, sweetie," said Piper.

Prue went up to her room thinking about what Piper and Phoebe had said. Maybe it was possible to overlook a lot of what had happened in the past. That was something she'd have to think about very hard for a while.

The End

If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Charmed" stories at my website, http://www.geocities.com/killeenmale/ . You can also post your own "Charmed" stories if you like to write fan fiction.