New Gods of North America.

Chapter 572 Accusations
"Boss, 'Shock' and 'Whale Oil' are injured. The enemy had a concentrated reinforcement, but a few people escaped. The rest have been captured."

It took a little time to "fix" the tree-man and his companions in place. Wayne and Inessa weren't the first to arrive at the fireworks area to provide reinforcements; Lina and Sanders arrived even faster.
So when Wayne and the others arrived, the "battlefield" had already drifted some distance from where the fireworks had started, and things were nearing completion. Ryan came over immediately to report the situation.

There was now an extra carriage and several prisoners on the scene, along with two or three horses. Because of the fight, they weren't being treated very well; they were all lying neatly on the ground, scratching the back of their heads.
Being able to touch the back of the head is considered lucky; at least the situation is better than the two lying there—they're probably not dead yet, since there's no need to tie up a dead person.

Wayne walked up to the row of Voldemorts, lowered his head, and asked, "Who sent you?"

“We are…” one of the “Voldemors” raised his head slightly, but stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, “Take us to the police station.”

Sending them to the police station? That means they're "locals," right?

“According to the warrant signed by Bishop Corleone before his death—which Reverend Tyrell also confirmed—I currently have some authority over wild Beyonders in Virginia.” Wayne said, turning to Ryan to confirm, “They are all Beyonders, right?”

Ryan nodded in affirmation, and the guy who had spoken earlier in "Voldemort" quickly added, "We are not the Fallen!"

The bishop's name was too easily recognizable. Wayne had deliberately mentioned the name of the priest Tyrell to test whether they would be unfamiliar with members of the local church, and he might also casually mention Mr. Walter's name to probe their relationship with the local intelligence organization.

However, once the term "fallen one" is uttered, the other party's identity can be preliminarily determined.

Wayne didn't believe tonight's events were a simple "misunderstanding." He had a general idea of ​​how the agents operated; at least with the partners nearby, even if they were to take action, they would likely corner the person and wait for them to resist before retaliating. It was unlikely they would violate the detective agency's principles by deliberately causing trouble.
So these people first followed us, and then took the initiative. If they were from the church, they would be more troublesome than local intelligence agencies.

The position of bishop is about to be officially changed, and the church has recently been embroiled in a "rebellion of associations." Even if Wayne doesn't know the details, just by looking at Tom Hagen's evasive attitude, he knows that things are quite complicated.
In a sense, Wayne was similar to Tom Hagen. Following his example, he also wanted to "keep a low profile" for the time being, preferring to focus his energy on the dock area rather than get involved in the internal factional struggles of the church.

So he didn't bother asking any more questions. He checked the injuries on "Shock" and "Whale Oil" and found they weren't too serious; with timely treatment, they wouldn't become old injuries.

Then let's just do as that "Voldemort" suggested and send them all to the police station, and see what Priest Tyrell does next.

Having settled things here, Wayne returned to the carriage and began to reassure the plantation foremen and supervisors.
They saw the "tree man" tonight, and according to the conventions of the church and the exorcist's association, matters concerning extraordinary beings should not be known to ordinary people, so Wayne was resorting to deception:
“We found hallucinogens on those two people. You may have accidentally inhaled some smoke and were hallucinating. They are not ‘evil spirits’ at all.”

"really?"

Judging from the manager's expression, he seemed to find this somewhat unbelievable.

But perhaps because Wayne was a guest treated with great courtesy by the Beeton family, or perhaps because he felt that a detective like Wayne who could make the newspapers wouldn't speak carelessly, he quickly accepted the statement, "Will the hallucinogens they used leave any side effects?"

Wayne could only continue making things up, "There might still be some residue for now, but as long as you get some rest, it should be fine soon."

Having worked in the Exorcist's Guild, Inessa was more adept at handling the situation: "If you're still worried, after you give your statements at the police station, we can take you to the church to seek blessings from the pastors. It won't have any negative impact."

The manager clearly thought so too, nodding repeatedly, "That would be best. I feel that I really need the guidance of the Holy Spirit right now."

Having finished discussing matters directly related to his physical and mental health, the steward's attention immediately returned to the two men from before: "Mr. Wayne, what do you plan to do with those two slave thieves?"

Those two guys also claimed to be from the church, so they're probably either colleagues or accomplices of the group being packed up outside.
Wayne thought for a moment, "Let's send them all to the police station together later."

"What about our plantation's slaves?" the foreman pressed.

Wayne wasn't entirely sure. "If the police confirm it's true, they should let you take it back?"

"That's good." The manager was finally relieved, then asked, "Can I go see them now? I want to check on their current condition."

"Please go ahead." "Thank you very much!"

……

Horseback riding is not allowed in the city, so the horses formed a long line behind the carriage.
The stewards and overseers then moved to the carriage where the detectives were sitting, keeping a close watch on the two slaves. The detectives who were originally supposed to be in those seats got into the carriage that had just been captured and watched the prisoners from inside.

Shortly after arriving at the police station, both the plantation and the two groups of prisoners were blown up.
After speaking with the two slaves, the foreman believed he had grasped the situation and made even harsher accusations against the two "slave thieves": "They are members of that 'Underground Railroad' organization! Habitual offenders who help slaves escape! The slaves on our plantation can testify to this."

Those who were captured also felt offended, especially the two who had directly clashed with the officers: "You're slandering us! You were the ones who suddenly attacked us out of nowhere. We were acting in self-defense!"

Virginia legalized slavery, or more accurately, because slave owners held a high position in all sectors of Virginia society, "aiding and abetting runaway slaves" was effectively a felony, punished more severely than for ordinary murderers, and directly impacting police department funding and officer compensation.

Upon hearing this accusation, not only did the officer in charge of receiving the report take it seriously, but many officers from the police station also rushed over, as if they had encountered some major case.

The officers were initially hesitant to make a judgment, but when a "ticket" clearly from the "Underground Railway" organization was found on the man who was originally "Tree Man,"
The male slave then revealed their escape plan for the night, confirming that they would indeed leave Virginia with the help of the "Underground Railroad" organization. His testimony was completely consistent with that of the beautiful mixed-race female slave who had been interrogated separately.

With witnesses, physical evidence, testimonies, and an accuser, the ringleader in "Voldemort" seemed completely stunned: "We are members of the church! I want to request a defense!"

The steward, now filled with righteous indignation, shouted, "Shut up, you slave thieves! How dare you slander the church! The pastors have never supported you despicable 'Underground Railroad' members, you deserve to go to hell!"

Those guys, whose affiliation with the church was unclear, naturally didn't dare use their extraordinary abilities in the police station. Inside the iron cages where they were waiting for bail or detention, the two groups could only hurl insults at each other through the bars.

Wayne hadn't expected such a scene to unfold, and he watched the spectacle for a while before leaving.

As one of the "witnesses" and "parties involved" tonight, he's a "familiar face" at the police station and receives relatively good treatment.

Knowing that Wayne would likely be attending the bishop's farewell ceremony and funeral today, the sheriff quickly completed his statement in his office and even had Wayne help verify the veracity of what both sides said.

Wayne naturally leaned towards the Beaton family's side, and even if there were some things he wasn't sure about, he was willing to help them steer the narrative in a "relatively objective" direction.
Finally, the detective agency left Liam and a carriage behind, so that if the Beaton family had no one to pick them up, the stewards and overseers wouldn't have to walk back on their own.

Lina and Emma were reluctant to leave. "If we watch a little longer, it looks like they're about to start throwing things at each other."

Wayne reached out and tugged at the two, saying, "Let's go. We still have to go to the cathedral after dawn."

"I'm not going."

"There aren't enough carriages, so you'll have to walk back to the restaurant yourself?"

"Tch." Lina turned back every few steps, and casually brought up a different topic, "I hadn't realized before that mixed-race female slaves are actually quite pretty."

"Pretty ones are definitely a minority. Do you like them? How about considering buying one as a maid?"

"Hmm...it must be very expensive?"

"You're actually considering it?!"

(End of this chapter)