by T S Paul
“And they already hate us for it too,” Cat pointed out.
“I did try to burn the place down after all. Do me a favor and call your dad. See if he can send us more detailed information about the Moon and his pack. Walking into this blind might not be very healthy for us. I called Jackson’s Sheriff and informed him we were coming.”
Cat winced. “How did that go? Was he aware this was a serial killer?”
“About as well as expected, actually. And no. Our friends in the local FBI neglected to mention it was a serial killer.” I glanced upward and remembered THAT conversation.
<<< >>>
“Do you mean to tell me, Agent Blackmore, that I have a serial killer running around my town?” The Sheriff sounded a little pissed.
“Possibly. The media named him the Highway Killer. He’s been following a straight line along the highway since Albuquerque. Five women, including yours, have been set on fire and killed so far. That we know of. The agents at the BAU have classified this as a Rogue,” I answered him.
“A Rogue. What does that mean exactly?” The sheriff was momentarily silent.
“The UNSUB that we are hunting has been identified by the BAU to be a Rogue Were. In cases such as this, all authority is passed to the Magical Division to take care of. We suspect you have a killer Werewolf in the area,” I told him.
The man laughed a dark sort of laugh. “What’s one more to add to the pile? There is a whole pack that falls into that category around here.”
“Sheriff, we know about the Moon Pack. I’ve met them, actually. Nice folks when they aren’t trying to kill you. We suspect that the one we are chasing may try to associate himself with them as a cover. It’s what he or she has done in other areas. Do you have any relations with the Moon’s?” I asked.
Sheriff Bowen snorted then laughed. “What you are chasing will fit right in with them. Is the FBI taking over this case?”
“Sort of. The Magical Division is taking over. It’s our job to police the paranormal community. My team and I are en route and should be at your office bright and early tomorrow morning.”
“So, you’re going to just roll into my town, and I’m supposed to cooperate? Just like that?” Sheriff Bowen asked.
“Pretty much. You can refuse and take it up with Washington, but then I might be forced to call in the regular FBI to take over your duties in the county. Federal law is pretty clear about jurisdiction when it comes to paranormal crime. It’s so much easier on all of us to just cooperate. The rules are for your protection as well as ours after all,” I replied to him.
The sheriff blew out a breath, “Fine. Whatever. I’ll have my boys ready for you first thing in the morning. Do you need directions to get here?”
“Boogle has is covered. Sometimes computers are better than Magick that way. We will see you first thing in the morning. Thank you, Sheriff Bowen.”
<<< >>>
Cat cleared her throat bringing me back to the present. “And?”
I gave her a quick glance. “And nothing. He’s going to help us so things should go a little smoother. Can the both of you handle this case alone? I am authorized to ask for help. We’re down two team members as it is.”
“Who would they send us?” Chuck asked as he peered over the top of his computer.
“No idea. Almost all of our classmates have been assigned. I did see the Mer sisters the last time I was in the administration building, but they do better in water. Melissa might be available. She’s told me a few times she wants out from behind the desk,” I answered.
“Please, no on the Mer sisters! Those chicks are crazy. The last time Mongo and I hooked up with them they…” Chuck stopped talking when he realized what he was saying. His face changed color very quickly.
“The last time? I thought you and Mongo didn’t date the other cadets? That was what you told us final year.” Cat waved at her and me as she grilled him.
His face flaming red Chuck lowered his head. “I may have stretched the truth just a bit there. See there was this party out in the woods by Chopawamsic Creek, and the girls were wearing these tiny bikinis. Mongo and I, we…”
Laughing I made a stop motion with my hands. “Save us from your naked adventures. That is way too much information, buddy. And Mongo wonders why he had to quit the FBI. He’s a bad influence on you.
For your information, I was kidding about the Mer. I happen to know the Sea Scouts keep them way too busy protecting the coasts to mess around with the land. When I call in tonight, I’ll ask the Director about temporary assignments. If we have to hunt this guy down, we’ll need support. How long do you think it will take us to get to Jackson from here?”
Chuck looked at the map and cocked his head to one side in thought. “Morning? If we push straight through and only stop for gas, I can have us there by mid-morning. The sheriff’s office and the Blood Moon pack house are on opposite sides of town.”
“I know. We have to have the locals on our side. The other way is too complicated. Can you handle the forensics alone?” I asked Chuck.
“The basics. It really helps to have another tech along. What we do is nothing like a forensic team in a big city or even what the regular FBI does. We miss way too many things. You do understand that, right?”
“The Magic Security Act of 1959 established both this division and rules of engagement when it comes to how we deal with paranormals like ourselves. Like it or not, it skips over much of what regular humans would have to deal with. Details and evidence can be changed using Magick and Were blood isn’t any different than human. It is only on a more detailed genetic level that differences occur.
The laws have been updated a few times to keep up with technology, but the basics are still the same.” I looked expectantly at my two remaining team members and made a hand motion similar to what one of the Academy instructors might have made.
“Find them and catch them. That is what is important.” Both Cat and Chuck replied at the same time.
“Exactly. Catch the bad guys. Punishments are different for us. Humans at least get a lawyer. OK. Let's get rolling,” I instructed.
Cat gave me a side glance as Chuck moved toward the front cockpit of the bus. “You forgot the bit about amnesty.”
“You know it already. I only mentioned that other stuff because I know Chuck was sleeping through those lectures. Remember I wasn’t kidding the last time we were here. I could have burned that whole place down, and no one would have arrested me. This job is really scary sometimes,” I told her.
“Do you think Director Mills will let us borrow someone?” Cat asked.
“I don’t know. We might have to rely on the local office for help.”
Cat reared back and looked at me sharply. “There’s a regular FBI office in Jackson?”
I chuckled. “Yep. I Boogled it. There is a tiny extension office sandwiched between a used car dealer and a laundromat out near the Board of Education building. It has exactly one agent on duty.”
“One guy. What’d he do to deserve that posting?” Cat asked.
“I don’t know, but it must not have been good. That’s an exile post if I’ve ever seen one. He might jump at the chance just to get out of the office. I’ll ask. We might get lucky.”
Chapter 6
“Lift your leg a little higher and stop.” Gen braced Bill as he attempted to climb the small hill.
“Why does this trail even have a hill like this? I thought this was supposed to be a convalescent hospital.” Bill gritted his teeth and moved his leg.
“A little nature and a bit of poor planning by the architect. You should know what poor planning gets you,” Gen replied.
Bill laughed. “Yup. Piss poor performance is the answer to that one. So, what was the original plan for the trail?”
Using her hands to support the agent, Gen absentmindedly answered him. “When this place was built, it was supposed to be a children’s hospital. This trail and that clearing over there were for families to use while th
e kids were recovering.”
Bill took another step up the small rise. His leg had gotten stronger during each of these sessions. Nurse Vogel was good at her job and full of interesting facts. Some of what she knew was almost too interesting for the investigator in him. “Wasn’t this hospital built in the 1960s?”
“Yes. But it didn’t come online until the early seventies. A bit of a scandal there,” Gen answered.
“Scandal?”
“Yeah, the contractor got caught using substandard materials for the emergency wing. If you look carefully at the outside, you can see where they tore it down and started over.” Gen pointed over her shoulder as she held onto Bill with her other arm supporting his weight.
“And how would you know that, young lady? You look to be maybe thirty years old,” Bill remarked. “You weren’t even born when this place was built.”
Gen shook her head. “Ever the investigator. What makes you think that I’m thirty? Maybe my parents told me about it.”
Bill gritted his teeth and took a step forward. The bones in his leg barely moved, but the muscles were screaming at him. He blew out a breath in frustration and pain. “You told me last week you grew up in Alaska. Unless you were lying, that is impossible. Why would your parents tell you about a scandal at an obscure hospital in the middle of nowhere? You must have heard that story from someone here.”
Gen laughed and gripped Bill’s arm tighter. “You found me out. I was talking to one of the groundskeepers. He told me about this place. If you ever get up to speed, we can both hit him up for more information if you like. He hangs out in the north garden most afternoons.”
“You’ve got a pretty good grip there, Gen. Been working out?” Bill looked down at her muscular wrist.
Gen glanced upward for just a moment. She imagined herself with Mercy’s Vengeance in her hand. Perfecting any sort of blade style took years. The sword was a gift from the one being that truly understood what drove her. What made her do the one job she had grown to love, a chooser of the slain and a seeker of justice.
“I try to keep in shape. You never know when I might have to carry an old guy who can’t keep his mouth shut around. Trust me when I say you do not want me picking you up.” Gen looked down and smiled at her patient.
“I’m not that old. What is with all the old jokes all of a sudden?” Bill took another step and then another, his face scrunched up in pain.
“Motivation. I did tell you that you would hate me before this was all over. Now give me five more steps then you can rest.” Gen pointed to the wheelchair sitting a short distance away.
“More like torture. Are you sure you’re a nurse and not an interrogator?” Bill asked as he raised his left foot to take another step.
Gen smiled again at him. “That’s what I went to school for. Interrogation is more your line of work.”
Bill snorted. “Contrary to popular belief, we in the FBI don’t beat out confessions. There are scientific methods and good honest police work that we employ to get someone to confess. I blame TV and the media for all those lies and other crap.”
“Bill, I know the FBI isn’t evil. I’ve had my share of evil enough to know the difference. I was kidding. You need only one more step. Lean on me if you have to.” Gen braced herself.
Bill looked his strange nurse up and down. The past couple of weeks she’d gotten him out of bed and up on his feet. Not even his wife could’ve done that. He nodded. “True. Sorry. I forget where I am sometimes. Let me try it on my own. If I fall, you can catch me.”
Gen let go of Bill’s arm and took a half step backward. She kept her hands up in case the agent needed support.
Bill stood at the top of the low rise and took a step forward on is own. His leg was still shaky but was able to bear most of his weight as he moved along the path. “See, I can do it.”
Dropping her hands, Gen smiled to herself. “Yes, you can. Do you feel up to walking back or do you want to ride?”
“Are you kidding? Why walk when I’ve got you to push me around?” Bill gripped the arms of the wheelchair as he sat down. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he panted with exhaustion.
“A few more sessions and you may be able to go home. Your progress is very good,” Gen remarked as she started to push the chair down the path.
“I hope so. It will be good to get back with my team. They have to be missing me right about now.” Bill craned his neck backward toward his nurse.
“No promises, but I might be able to sneak you a phone so you can call them,” Gen told him.
Bill shook his head. “Don’t get into trouble with the hospital on account of me, Gen.”
“I’m just trying to keep my favorite patient happy.” Gen carefully maneuvered the chair onto the paved sidewalk and toward the hospital. “You’ve got a checkup with the doctor in a half-hour, and then they have you down for a nap.”
“So, he finally took a break from his golf game to come and see me?" Bill asked.
Gen frowned, “He’s not that bad of a doctor. I think he gets a bit overextended is all. Just a short while longer and you are out of here. Just suck it up until then. That's the best advice I can give you, Bill.”
“Maybe. Let’s just say I’m not all that impressed with his performance. If I were his boss things would be way different. Is Nurse Battle-ax here today?” Bill asked.
Gen burst out laughing. “That's… That’s not her name! But it is a good description of her. By the Gods, that is one woman that needs a makeover and a trip to the dressmaker.”
Bill looked up at Gen again. “Dressmaker? How old are you really?”
“Old enough. Why are you asking strange women their ages? Do I need to have a conference with your wife?” Gen lightly touched Bill’s shoulder in reassurance.
Bill chuckled replying, “No, that’s OK. No need to involve her unless you really want me to get a beating. I'm sorry I asked. Forget about it, Gen. Sorry, again.”
Gen pressed the handicap button and silently watched the backdoors of the hospital open. “Don’t worry about it.”
The elevators in the rear of the building weren’t as shiny as the ones most visitors saw. Its walls were scarred and pitted by years of laundry carts and meal wagons. Gen carefully wheeled Bill into the car and watched as the doors closed behind them. His room was up on the fourth floor.
“You’re the only one that uses this thing with me. Did you know that?” Bill asked.
“No, but it doesn’t surprise me. Lots of nurses forget there is another layer to every hospital. The people that use this one do the jobs that everyone takes for granted. It is them, not the doctors, that keep this place operating. At every new hospital I work at, I try to learn its ins and outs. All the passages and all the access points. Information like that is very valuable sometimes,” Gen leaned back against the wall.
Bill nodded. “I can see that. Are you sure you aren’t a cop because you sure think like one sometimes?”
“Just a nurse. I do sometimes troubleshoot though. The boys upstairs call on me a lot,” Gen replied.
“That proves they know something then. You make a good troubleshooter. We could use a hundred of you in the Bureau. Sometimes the newer agents can’t find their asses with both hands and a pack of hunting dogs.” Bill laughed at his own joke.
Gen smiled and replied, “And here I thought you liked the FBI. Not my deal, buddy. Too many guys with guns over there. Trust me when I say the world is much safer without me working for the government. I need to get you back in your room before the battle-ax gets back.”
“Ha! You called her a battle-ax.” Bill wheeled himself over to the bed in his room and carefully stood up. Glancing around the room he could see everything seemed to be in its place. The cleanup crew had made the bed and emptied the trash already.
Gen moved the wheelchair, folded it up, and placed it in the small closet in the room. “Be nice to her. Don’t forget to ask your doctor when you can get out of here. I know you’ll forget.”
“That I do. Take care of yourself.” Gen stepped out into the hall and pulled his door closed. A quick glance at his chart on the door told her his doctor would be around in an hour or so. Plenty of time for him to rest up. She walked past the fully staffed nurse's station, and not a single person acknowledged her presence or said hello.
<<<>>>
Bill’s dreams were fitful as he slept. He kept seeing his wife standing over a hole in the ground crying. His team all stood next to her holding flowers. Over and over he saw himself being lowered into the ground kicking and screaming. Now. Was. Not. His. Time!
Opening his eyes, he could see nothing but darkness. Blinking he could see a glimmer of light under the door and hear voices in the hall. Squinting he could see the clock on the wall that read seven. He’d been sleeping for two hours! Reaching down, he pressed the call button beside his bed for the nurse.
A slight knock and the door opened. “Agent Maxwell? Did you need something?”
Bill could see the shape of Nurse Batler in the light of the doorway. “Yes, did I miss dinner?”
The nurse he’d been calling a battle-Ax clicked on the lights and spoke softly to him. “Not yet. There was a slight delay down in the kitchens, but the trolley is coming along now.”
“Thanks. Is my doctor coming by tonight?” Bill remembered to ask.
Nurse Batler pulled the clipboard off the door and paged through it. “He should be along before too long. Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you yet. I’ll give you your meds after dinner.”
Bill watched the nurse replace his chart and breathed a sigh of relief. Prophetic dreams were more of Agatha’s thing than his. Seeing your own death flash in front of you was never fun. There was another knock, and the door opened again. The food cart was here.
<<<>>>
Gen stood on the roof of the building with Mercy’s Vengeance in her hand. It was hard to imagine that the pretty glowing silver sword was the Magickal equivalent of a cell phone. Hermod, her boss, and handler stood in front of her.
