Doorways to Infinity: Book Five of the Wizard Born Series

by Geof Johnson

  “He has a bike? I thought it was a low-technology world.”

  “That’s something new. I’m afraid we started a craze there.”

  “My mommy got Leora one,” Sammi said, “and now everybody wants one.”

  “I have a mountain bike,” Annie said. “Maybe I could take that, instead.”

  “But you’d rather ride the horse,” Sammi said.

  Annie laughed. “Yes, that’s true.” Then she nodded. “So it’s all settled, then. The print in exchange for the healing jelly and twelve dollars, plus a visit to Rivershire. I’ll wrap the print in brown paper for you so you can carry it home.”

  Chapter 5

  Carl had just settled into the recliner in the family room, newspaper spread across his lap and ready to relax after a hard day at work, when the phone rang.

  “I’ll get it,” Rachel called from the kitchen. A minute later, she leaned her head out of the doorway and said, “That was Mrs. Wysoki. She’s worried about a strange van that’s been parked across the street from her house for the last two days. She said it looks suspicious.”

  Carl closed his eyes and groaned, “Why did we ever give her our phone number? She’s always calling about some little thing or another.”

  “Can you go check it out? I’m a little paranoid about vans myself, after what happened to Sammi. Don’t forget about Mr. Gundy and his van.”

  He folded the newspaper and pushed himself up from the recliner. “Guess it won’t hurt to go have a look.”

  He went out on the front porch and peered down the street in the direction of the neighborhood busybody, Mrs. Wysoki, who lived two doors down from Fred. Opposite the old widow’s house, parked against the curb, was a dark blue, full-sized Ford van with tinted windows, facing away from Carl. I suppose that does look suspicious.

  He went back inside and found his service revolver where he’d left it earlier, still hanging in its holster on the back of a chair by the kitchen, and he strapped it onto his waist.

  Rachel’s brow lined deeply as she watched him put on his weapon. “Is it that serious?”

  “Probably not, but you never know. I’d rather be prepared.” He pulled his lightweight coat on and zipped it up to cover the gun. “Have you seen Jamie?”

  “He’s in his room, I think.”

  “Could you get him for me, please?”

  Minutes later, Carl and Jamie went to investigate the van in question. They walked cautiously down the street toward it; the air had turned unseasonably cold and a few snowflakes drifted down. Jamie said in a low voice, “So, what do you need me for?”

  “I want you to tell me if there’s anyone in it,” Carl said. “You can do that with your magic hearing, can’t you?”

  Jamie crept up to the side of the dark vehicle and pressed one ear to it. After a few seconds, he stepped away and whispered, “I hear two heartbeats, and a faint humming, like from electrical equipment.”

  Carl unzipped his coat to allow easier access to his gun and to reveal his detective’s badge pinned on his belt. Then he rapped the knuckles of one hand on the driver’s door. “This is the police. Please step outside of your vehicle.” There was no answer, and he repeated his demand and added, “You have ten seconds or I will break your window and forcibly enter.”

  After a short pause, the driver’s door opened and a man came out with his hands up. He was taller than Carl and lean, with short, receding dark hair. He wore black slacks and black leather shoes, and a white dress shirt with no tie. “I’m unarmed,” he said.

  “Your partner, too.” Carl gestured at the vehicle.

  Carl heard some bumping noises from inside the vehicle, and the passenger door opened. A woman stepped out, trim and athletic-looking, with medium-length dark blond hair.

  “Ashley?” Jamie’s brow creased deeply.

  Carl glanced at Jamie and said, “You know her?”

  “She’s in my Environmental Science class, but I’m pretty sure her name isn’t Ashley.” He glared at her. “What are you doing here?”

  “I don’t have to answer that.”

  Carl put one hand on his weapon. “Then I’ll take you down to the police station and we’ll question you there.”

  “We’re with the CIA,” her partner said quickly. “Hold on, you can check for yourself.” He slowly reached for his back pocket and eased out his wallet. He flipped it open and showed Carl his badge. His name was Eric Stenner.

  Carl nodded at the young woman, and she pulled out her ID, which indicated she was also an agent, and her real name was Terry Voss. “How did you know my name wasn’t Ashley?” she asked Jamie.

  Jamie ignored the question and looked at Carl. “Now what?”

  Carl gave the lanky man a narrow-eyed look and said, “You’re obviously on a surveillance assignment, but what I want to know is why? The lady across the street is a harmless old widow named Mrs. Wysoki. Is she involved with something I should know about?”

  “We can’t answer that,” he said. “And this is out of your jurisdiction.”

  “Is that true, Dad?” Jamie said.

  “He’s right.” Carl stared at the ground for a moment and rubbed the end of his nose while he wondered what to do. Then he had an idea. “Well, I’m a detective and I know what it’s like to be on a long stakeout, especially when the weather’s cold like this. I bet you could use some hot coffee and a bathroom break, so why don’t you come up to our house for a few minutes?”

  Terry’s eyes flared slightly, and Carl knew he had said the right thing. She looked at her partner and said, “My bladder’s about to burst. If we don’t go to his house, we’re going to have to drive somewhere really soon. Like right away.”

  Eric gazed at Carl steadily as if he were sizing him up, and finally said, “I wouldn’t mind some coffee right now.”

  Carl turned so that his back was to them, caught Jamie’s eye and mouthed get Fred and Nova! Then he said over his shoulder to the two agents, “It’s this way.”

  They started for his house, but Jamie crossed the street and headed for Fred’s.

  “Where are you going?” Terry said.

  “To my girlfriend’s. You met her, remember? She lives over there.” He gestured loosely with one hand. “I’ll be right back.”

  Before they went very far, Carl looked at Mrs. Wysoki’s house, and saw the old woman staring out of her front window at them. Carl waved and smiled, and then held one reassuring thumb up for her to see. She waved back but continued to watch them walk away.

  Carl brought the two agents inside and Rachel seemed unsettled at first, but after he introduced them, she offered to make coffee.

  “I’ll help.” Carl motioned to the big table where the strangers could sit. Then he showed them the hall where the bathroom was and followed Rachel into the kitchen. He stood close to her and lowered his voice. “Take your time with the coffee. I need for you to stall until Fred and Nova get here.”

  “What is going on?” she whispered.

  “They’re CIA agents.”

  “Are we in trouble?”

  “We’re going to find out. I sent Jamie to get Fred and Nova, and I hope they bring a truth potion. I’m pretty sure Jamie has the good sense to ask them to. Fred probably needs time to make it, so that’s why we need to stall with the coffee.”

  “Ask our guests if they want something to eat. We still have some banana bread, I think.”

  Carl waited a couple of minutes before going back to the table. Eric was returning from the restroom, and Terry was already sitting down. Eric took a seat next to her and Carl joined them.

  “Feel better?” Carl said.

  “Much.” Eric checked his watch. “How long for the coffee?”

  “Rachel’s making a fresh pot. Would you like something to eat?”

  They both shook their heads wordlessly, sitting with their arms crossed and faces tight. Carl heard the front door open and Jamie came in. He flashed two fingers and mouthed two minutes, and Carl knew he had to kill some tim
e with small talk before Fred and Nova could get there.

  Carl turned to the CIA agents and said, “How long have you been with the agency?”

  Eric didn’t seem to want to answer at first, so Carl said, “Is that a national security secret?”

  Eric glanced at his partner and said, “Eight years for me, and five for her. We both started right out of college.”

  “What did you major in?”

  “Statistics.”

  He looks like someone who’d major in that.

  “I majored in criminal science,” Terry said. “I was going to be a cop, but the CIA recruited me and I became an agent instead.”

  “Where’s home, now?” Carl asked.

  “We both live in Virginia,” Eric said, “not far from headquarters.”

  “That would be Langley, right?”

  Eric nodded once and checked his watch again.

  Hurry up, Fred. I can’t keep them here much longer and this conversation is awkward. “I heard that traffic is terrible there because it’s so close to Washington, DC.”

  “It’s bad.” Eric gave his head a tight shake. “Look, I’m afraid we’re going to have to skip the coffee. This is taking too long.”

  Then Carl heard the front door slam and knew that Fred and Nova had arrived. He looked down the hall and saw Sammi with them, too.

  Carl gestured for Eric and Terry to stay seated. “Wait a sec. I bet the coffee’s ready now.” The three girls entered the room, and Fred caught Carl’s eye and winked. Carl pushed back his chair and stood without introducing them. “I’ll help Rachel with the cups.” Fred and Nova followed Carl into the kitchen while Jamie stayed with the two agents at the table.

  “Did you bring a truth potion?” Carl whispered.

  Fred pulled a small plastic bottle from the pocket of her jacket and showed it to him. “Jamie assumed you’d need this,” she said in a low voice. “I’ve wanted to give some to that woman out there ever since we met her. She’s hiding something.”

  There were five cups of coffee set across the counter by the sink. Fred took the cap off the bottle’s narrow spout. “Just remember which ones I put this in.” She picked the last two and meticulously poured a few drops of the clear liquid into each. “That should do it.”

  “How long before it takes effect?” Carl asked.

  “Wait ’till they take a few sips, and then it should kick in. I made it extra strong.”

  Carl picked up the two that contained the potion and carried them back to the table while Rachel, Fred and Nova brought the other cups along with the creamer and the sweetener.

  Eric immediately took his coffee, raised it to his lips and blew on it, then had a sip, though it was black and unsweetened. Terry poured two packets of sugar into hers and followed that with a dose of creamer.

  Eric sighed, “Boy, I needed that.”

  Terry took two quick sips of her own and smiled into her cup. “I really appreciate you letting us use your bathroom. It’s much nicer than the one at the gas station.”

  Carl gave a sympathetic dip of his chin. “Like I said, I know what it’s like to be stuck in a vehicle for hours on a stakeout.” Eric took another big swig from his coffee and Carl felt encouraged. He’s in a hurry. Good. Carl fingered his cup and fought to keep his expression neutral.

  “So, Ashley, or Terry, or whatever your name is,” Fred said. “Why are you taking classes at Western Carolina?”

  “Well, I already have a degree, but I want to get my teaching certificate.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Carl saw Nova give her head a subtle shake. That must mean Terry is still lying, if Nova’s using her power right now. The truth potion hasn’t kicked in. He turned his attention back to Eric when he took another long drink. Maybe it’s working on him now. “Eric,” Carl said, “have you been on many stakeouts?”

  “Lately, yeah.”

  “Where was your last one?”

  “Salem, Massachusetts. We were there almost a week.” Eric closed his mouth tightly as if angry at himself, and Nova nodded once.

  The potion is working.

  Fred had noticed, too, and she said, “Terry, why did you enroll in Environmental Science if it’s so hard?”

  Terry seemed to be struggling with her reply, so Eric answered for her, “To make contact with Jamie.”

  Jamie’s jaw tensed and Carl knew what he was thinking. They know about his magic. This is exactly what we feared. Rachel’s face turned ashen and she put one hand to her face.

  “Um…why did you want to make contact with him?” Carl asked.

  “Because it seemed like the best way to make contact with Fred, since we know they are dating. All of Fred’s classes were full, and the Enviro Science class still had space, so Terry signed up for it. She looks more like a college student than I do.”

  Fred? They wanted to talk to her? Carl pushed the tip of his tongue hard against the inside of his bottom teeth and his mind began to race. Not Jamie? He didn’t want to ask the next question because he was afraid of the answer, but he knew he had to. “Why did you want to contact Fred?”

  “Because we need her help getting in touch with two witches from Thibodaux, Louisiana, named Rita and Cassandra. We’re certain Fred knows them.” Eric and his partner glanced at each other with alarmed looks on their faces, and Eric muttered, “I didn’t mean to say that.”

  You can’t help it. Might as well go for the whole story, now.

  “Why them?” Fred said. “They’re just a couple of dirt bags.”

  “Because we’re pretty sure they are real witches. I know you probably don’t believe in those, but…but we think they’re the real deal, regardless of their shady lifestyle.”

  “How do you know that, Terry?” Jamie asked.

  “From intercepted phone calls and interviews with people at that biker bar where they used to hang out, The Rusty Screw.” Her eyes widened as she realized what she was admitting. “Uh…I could lose my job for telling you that.” She looked at her partner again, and he spread his hands as if to say I know. I’m doing it too.

  “Terry, I still don’t see what that has to do with Fred,” Jamie said.

  “We know that Rita and Cassandra kidnapped her, despite the official story of her disappearance. We’re hoping Fred might know how we could find them. They seem to have vanished without a trace. Nobody knows where they went. Fred, are they out of the country?”

  “You might say that.”

  “Why do you need to talk to those two women?” Carl asked.

  “Because.” Eric exhaled slowly. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “Try me.”

  “Well….” Eric made a fist with one hand and slowly opened it, staring at it as he did. Then he turned to face Carl. “We’re working on a serious case that we think might involve magic, but we’re not sure. We’re trying to find a real witch to help us.” He dropped his hand by his side. “That’s what Terry and I do. We’re in a special unit that deals with supernatural activities.”

  Nova arched her eyebrows. “Really?”

  “It’s more like a joke,” Terry said with a frown.

  “What do you mean by a special unit?” Rachel said.

  “Well, it started back in the 1950s when the army began recruiting psychics and other paranormals to give us an edge over the Soviets.”

  “And they created a super-secret division that became part of the CIA,” Eric added. “It had a pretty large budget and was well-staffed, but it has shrunk over the years and there aren’t many agents in it now. I got assigned to it in a sideways promotion, if you know what that means.”

  “It means since it’s hard to fire you,” Carl said, “they put you in a not-very-desirable job, hoping that you’ll quit.”

  Rachel shot Carl an angry look. “That wasn’t a very nice thing to say.”

  Eric made a sour face. “It’s true, though.”

  “We’re the brunt of a lot of jokes at the agency,” Terry said. “This one guy calls me X-Files. H
e thinks that’s so damn funny. I want to punch his lights out.” She scowled and picked up her coffee cup from the table.

  “Why don’t they just shut the unit down?” Nova said.

  “Our boss seems to think it’s important for some reason,” Eric said. “He manages to keep enough funding for us, but just barely. I’ve been forced to become a field agent, but I’m not really supposed to be one. I’m trained to be an analyst, sitting at a desk.” He tightened his mouth. “I should be going home every night to my own bed.”

  Carl leaned back in his chair and considered the lanky agent. “You said you needed Rita and Cassandra to help you with a case. What’s that about?”

  Eric idly twisted his coffee cup around where it sat on the table and watched it rotate for a moment. “There’s a former mercenary and arms dealer named Phillip Cage, who has changed careers and become a free-lance assassin of sorts, only he’s using unusual methods to carry out his hits.”

  “What do mean, unusual?” Jamie said.

  “He doesn’t kill his targets. At least not all of them, though he used to. He seems to be using something on his victims that permanently incapacitates them in a strange way. They lose most of their memory, like someone with advanced Alzheimer’s or a stroke. It has totally baffled doctors who have examined these cases, because it’s not like anything we’ve seen before. At first, we thought Cage was using a drug, but we’ve found no traces of any in the victims’ blood or at the crime scenes. After reviewing some of the intel we have on him, which is scanty at best, we think he might be using something supernatural. Though I know that sounds ridiculous.”

  “We’ve managed to intercept a few calls,” Terry said, “and a couple of times he’s made references to potions and witches. We think he might be utilizing some witch’s magic to help him, and the witch, or witches, are Romanian.”

  “What? Jamie jerked upright in his chair. “By any chance, does this guy speak Russian?”

  “Yes,” Eric said, “though he’s an American citizen. Why do you ask?”

  Jamie’s gaze met Carl’s but Jamie didn’t answer the question. Carl knew what he was thinking. That’s the man Sammi overheard. Carl glanced at Sammi, who was sitting nearby on the family room couch, her eyes wide and her mouth forming a startled oh.