Alaskan Magic: Shadows of Alaska Book 1

by CC Dragon

  Green understood what I wasn’t saying. “Fine. Call me when they let you know. I should be back in Anchorage by tomorrow. We’re leaving a team of agents here to follow up on women who were sold or are working. Maybe there are some who escaped and are in hiding.”

  “Good. I wonder where else they’ve trucked victims,” I said.

  “You just worry about Mitch for now. We’ll get him back home as soon as we can. Keep me updated.” Green ended the call.

  I couldn’t leave my partner, but I wanted to be there to handle the magical aspects of the case. To figure out the witches and watch Indigo. Then again, if they ganged up on me, I might be easily outpowered even with my stolen magic. Zelda hadn’t texted a word either.

  The doctor walked up removing his scrub hat. “Agent Foster, your partner is in recovery. Luckily, we got the bullet. It was in one piece. It didn’t nick the stomach or any vital organs. He lost a lot of blood, but he should recover.”

  “That’s wonderful. When do you think we can move him to Anchorage? He’ll want to be near his family,” I said.

  “Of course, if all goes well, he’d be up for a plane ride in a day or so, but we wouldn’t recommend it. He’s stable, but we want to make sure he’s out of the woods for at least twenty-four hours post-op. We’ll know more then. Anchorage has more facilities, but let’s not rush it. The nurse will let you know when we’re ready to move him to a room.” He nodded.

  “Thank you.” I texted an update to Green.

  My phone rang.

  “Hello,” I answered.

  “Dot? It’s Zelda. Mitch okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah, just out of surgery. He’ll be okay but can’t move him home for a day or so. I feel like I screwed up this case,” I admitted.

  “Please. You’ve got over a hundred women saved because of one tip. It’s wonderful. A lot of paperwork and crosschecking of testimony. The whole place is going nuts,” she replied.

  I shrugged. “Good about saving the women. I know it’s a strain on the department, but we can bring in help. I just know Indigo is very dangerous. And there are a couple of women in the group up here and at least one of the men who have magic, so we have to be careful about letting people run loose. They’re powerful, and I’m betting they’re evil. I’m not sure I can handle them all.”

  “You’ve handled every other one that came before—somehow. Sure, a few were way out of your league, but when they knew the con was up, they bailed. It’s stopping the bad guy whether it’s within the system or outside of it. We can’t win every fight in a traditional human way,” she insisted.

  “Thanks, I needed that.” The pep talk helped. The tension between my shoulders ached less now.

  Thirty-six hours later, we were in Anchorage, and Mitch’s wife fussed over him. There were a lot of tubes and wires right now, but having him here with more cutting-edge technology and the best in the state people—it was the right call.

  “How could you let this happen?” she asked.

  Mitch shrugged. “It’s a dangerous job.”

  “Not you.” She shot me a look.

  She’d never liked me, but she needed to blame someone. “We were both equally in danger. There is no predicting. I wish I could change it.”

  “You need to get out of the field,” she scolded him and ignored me.

  “Love you too,” Mitch said.

  I slipped out knowing he was in good hands and headed to the office where I might be able do something to help people.

  Zelda met me in my office, since Mitch wasn’t there to overhear anything.

  “Hey Zel. What’s up? Any updates?” I asked, checking that the door was fully closed.

  Zel plopped in Mitch’s chair. “Um, Indigo is not talking to anyone. The charges are mounting, but there is still time before he’s officially charged. We’re coming up with a plan to return some of the women home, but some have nowhere to go. A lot, actually, have no one. The new women are still being interviewed. Many needed medical attentions first, so there has been a delay in the retrieval of statements. There are two witches among them. One male has a bit of Native magic, but I’m not sure he actually knows it.”

  “The witches were helping to keep the women in line. I’m sure they’re in on it. Indigo might’ve been using the guy to feed his own magic,” I said.

  She nodded. “The memories of the women haven’t been the best. Most of the women have no recall of being abused or terrorized, but they didn’t agree to any of it—being moved across state lines or sex work etc. Unfortunately, most of the women aren’t mad or pointing fingers. It’s driving the interviewers crazy. I’m trying a counter spell to the spell that’s causing this, but it’s being muddled.”

  “Indigo?” I assumed.

  “And the new witches. I think Indigo just wants out and to be rid of this mess. The witches aren’t admitting to anything, and no one has accused them of anything, so they’re being housed with the victims for now.” Zelda sighed.

  “I’ll see what I can do about that. What is Indigo up to? He could just start over somewhere else. Why get stuck in human legal nonsense?” I almost wanted him to go. If I could pull the magic out of this case, I could back off and let the humans handle it. Then go after Indigo in a magical way.

  “The witches seem more invested in sticking with the women and not letting them leave. No clue why,” Zelda added.

  “Why bother trying to make money in such a human way? What kind of witches or wizards need money at all?” I asked.

  “Low level ones who can’t conjure what they need,” Zel answered.

  I shook my head. “I can conjure enough money and things to live in the Earth Realm. I even try to pass for human. It’s not about money unless they want a ton of it. Greed isn’t strictly human but doing making money that way? Magical ways would make money faster. Status? Who cares about our status in human minds?”

  Zel grinned. “Celebrity is like selling your soul to evil. That and money are power in the human world. Those are their magic.”

  She was right there. “It just seems like such a waste of time and effort. Money is a human concept. It’s bits of paper or electronic data. It’s worthless or meaningless unless they believe it has value. These must be low level paras to buy into the money system.”

  “But it is a constant stream of power, money, and control. Torturing women. Sex is something they can sell over and over. This allows them to profit from the sex trade in a monetary way and from the women’s pain and suffering...that’s pure evil. It’s sick but lucrative.” Zel frowned.

  “Humans already do this. The only upside is controlling the women is much easier with magic. Avoiding detection and all of that is easier. A couple good memory erasing spells, and the world doesn’t notice.” I rubbed my forehead as a headache began. “I’ve lived off of coffee for over a day. I need food.”

  “Just like a human,” she teased.

  I smiled. “Magical or not, we need to fuel these bodies. Lunch, and I’ll dig in with the interviews?”

  Zel nodded. “Green wants to see you after lunch, but it’s just an update. He’ll make it sound important. Or that he’s important.”

  Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my purse. It was weird not to have Mitch in the office with me, but soon enough, he’d be back teasing me, I hoped. I did like having a private area where Zel and I could talk without the dangers of being overheard. A magical confessional where we didn’t have to hide.

  Before I left, my eye fell on Mitch’s pictures of his kids, and there was a tug in my chest. He had to be okay! There was the family pic that humans seemed to traditionally take around the holidays. Mitch was strong. He was a good agent. He’d be proud of how many people he saved once the pain killers wore off.

  After lunch and Green’s pointless update to make sure I knew who was boss—I went on a witch hunt. Indigo was being held in custody, which meant I’d have to officially go in, and it’d be recorded. The witches were staying with the victims, and I had access to th
em.

  They were being put up in a local hotel, and a couple of groups were in conference rooms in the office just waiting for interviews. I walked along the bland gray office hallway and felt out the witches. They were split up in different rooms. Smart.

  I entered one of the conference rooms, the one where I sensed the most power, and flashed a quick smile.

  “Can we go now?” one woman asked.

  “Go where?” asked another softly.

  Most of the women were quietly staring at a TV on one end of the room while they sat. Some sipped coffee or water, but the hopelessness hung in the air.

  “Once your statements have been taken, we can see about reuniting you with family.” I took a seat away from the TV.

  “What if we don’t have family?” the second woman asked listlessly. She seemed adrift in her own thoughts as she clutched the ugly Christmas sweater to her thin frame.

  She wasn’t the witch, but she stared into her cup of coffee as though she could scry an answer.

  The first woman huffed. “I want to go away from here. All this hell.”

  The witches’ spells weren’t working on everyone. Not anymore. Finally, a break!

  “What’s your name?”

  “Anne,” she shot back.

  I looked at the timider woman.

  “Olive,” she supplied.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Dot. How long were you held captive?” I asked.

  Olive shrugged. “I lost track of time.”

  Anne scoffed. “Months. They just kept us there. Put us to work sometimes. No food if you don’t earn.”

  “Did they hurt you?” I couldn’t help but feel all of the anguish etched in her face. Her tense lips and fearful eyes remained even though she was in a safe place. I wanted to reassure her.

  Olive nodded.

  “Keep it down. We’ll have to go over and over this at least ten times before they let us go. Enjoy the TV,” called another woman.

  Olive retreated back into herself and pretended to watch the TV.

  That was the witch, trying to distract me and the women willing to talk.

  “You don’t have to talk to me. I’m just trying to get up to speed. My partner was shot up in Deadhorse trying to help people. I was up with him in the hospital until he got transferred down here. This case is important to me, but you can’t leave people behind. Were a lot of women sold or placed?” I asked.

  The women exchanged looks.

  “It was hard to keep track. We didn’t get much sleep. Moving around all the time. New women came in and some disappeared all the time. They never wanted us to know where we were or for how long we’d stay,” Anne supplied.

  “Thanks. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. If you remember anything that’ll help put those men behind bars longer, be sure to get that in your sworn statements. I know they’re working on counseling, but with so many people...” I kept an eye on the witch.

  “Where are we going to go if we have no one? Nowhere to go?” Anne asked.

  “Then it’s up to you. There are some shelters and charities to help people transition back from traumatic crimes like this, but I haven’t looked into any in detail. The best move is to reunite people with family members, if you have any. Old friends, maybe? Some people are victimized in this life for years and years. Hopefully we got to you faster,” I replied.

  Olive and Anne shared a look.

  “You did, but we’ve been on the road about a year all things considered, at least as far as I can remember. They’d lie to us about time and locations. I just want to put it behind me,” Anne said.

  I nodded. That’d probably be how I approached it if I were in her shoes. Anne was strong. She’d make it, but Olive and the meeker members of the group would have a harder time. We’d help all that we could, but the witches and magical problems were something the standard FBI and human world wasn’t ready to handle.

  I caught the witch looking at me. Had Indigo warned them? Did she sense me?

  My phone beeped. A text from Green saying he needed me in his office ASAP.

  “What about that? Do we get phones? I don’t remember any phone numbers anyway, but I can find my cousins on Facebook at least,” Anne said.

  “That’s a good plan. We’ll see about getting some computer access for you guys. Individual phones and plans might not be possible.” I smiled. “I have to get to a meeting.”

  Olive held up her hand slightly.

  “Yes?” I asked.

  “I have one question. Did they find everyone?” she asked.

  “Everyone? We hope so. Some of the women might’ve gotten away, afraid of what might happen to them. Or sold. We have a small team still there. Are you looking for a friend? Was a family member taken with you?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I’m looking for my baby boy.”

  “They took your son, too? Please,” Anne scoffed.

  Anne was right. They wouldn’t likely take a child along with a woman to traffic. That would be more drama and issues than they needed.

  I knelt down next to her. “Olive, did you have a child while kidnapped?” I asked.

  She nodded as her eyes welled up with tears. “They took him away.”

  Chapter Seven

  Screw the meeting!

  “How long ago did you give birth?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” she whispered.

  “Okay, let’s get you in a private room where we can get some details.” I wanted her away from anyone who might be influencing her magically or otherwise.

  Another woman stood up. “You can’t take her away. You can’t just separate us.”

  I stared the woman down. “I’m one of the good guys. All of you will need to give your statements alone, without others in the room. That’s how it works. If you try to stop others from doing just that, we might start suspecting that you’re working for the traffickers and aren’t really a victim,” I warned.

  “Diana, calm down. Olive might be freaking out, but you’re not helping,” the other woman scolded.

  Clearly, the women had established a pecking order. I nodded to Anne and led Olive out of the room.

  “I don’t want to cause trouble,” Olive said.

  “You’re not. If you had a child, we’ll certainly add him to the search. But we need more info. A timeline, if possible.” I wasn’t sure exactly how to process a newborn missing with no real information, but what could I expect from her?

  Alone in an interview room, Olive played with the cap from her water bottle.

  “You’re sure you’re not hungry?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Thanks.”

  I sat down across from here and started the recording. “When did you give birth?”

  She shrugged. “Not that long ago.”

  “In Alaska? In Canada?” I asked.

  “We never knew when we crossed borders. I’ve been in Alaska a while, though, so it was here. Maybe a month ago.” Her big eyes glistened with tears, but they never fell down her cheek.

  “Would you be willing to submit to a medical exam to make sure you’re okay? I’m guessing you didn’t get great care,” I said.

  She shook her head. “The other women delivered it. One of them knew how. I don’t know if she was a nurse or an EMT or something before. We tried to hide him. The girls told them I was really sick with a flu or something. But the baby, how do you stop a baby from crying? Babies cry sometimes. It was my first.”

  “How old are you?” I asked.

  “Nineteen. I can’t believe this is my life,” she said.

  “It’s not your life. Not anymore. It’s something that happened to you. You need therapy and help to adjust back, but your life will be whatever you want it. What were you before? A student?” I asked.

  Olive sighed. “I was taking some classes as the local college. Medical tech or something maybe. I worked full time to pay for it.”

  “How did they get you?” I asked.

  She looked do
wn. “Stupid.”

  “No, no matter how they did it, you’re the wronged person here. We’re not judging. We’re trying to understand so we can warn others and stop them. Make the case against them. Please don’t criticize your choices or feel you need to defend how it went down,” I explained.

  Olive nodded. “I worked at a gas station. Clerk. The pumps had a handicapped button, for people who had trouble pumping their own gas. Usually it was elderly people or people in wheelchairs. They were regulars, and they knew I was nice about it. I never minded, so they’d come back to the same station. One day it was a new guy. I didn’t think anything of it. People do road trips or whatever.”

  “You went out to help,” I said.

  “Of course, it was my job. It was late and mostly deserted, but I went. He apologized four times. He lost his legs in Iraq and had surgery on his spine a few weeks ago so he was in pain if he moved too much. I didn’t suspect. I didn’t argue. Just did it. While I was filling the tank, someone rushed the other clerk, and it looked like a robbery.”

  “A team of people?” I asked.

  She nodded. “I went for my phone to call the cops, and the guy was behind me. He was fine. He knocked the phone out of my hand and shoved me into the backseat. The guys in the store part took the other girl and put her in their car. I begged for my life. I offered them anything.”

  “Do you remember how long the drive was? The station must’ve had cameras so we can try and check if you can give us the address.” I made a note to pull that info. The more support and documentation we had, the better.

  My muscles flinched to go and blow up the bad guys in that cell, Indigo in particular, but that wouldn’t erase what was done to these women. I took a slow breath and focused on Olive.

  “They did. We drove for like half an hour. They pulled off to a house in the middle of nowhere and swapped out the cars. Then went another hour or so to this weird motel. We were put in a room, and when we tried to talk to staff or anyone, they must’ve been in on it. No phones in the room. No WIFI. We had TV, and they fed us, but they took our phones and anything else we had on us.” Olive wiped away a single tear.