by Jamie Davis
“I can see how that’ll help in planning,” Quinn said. “But how’s it going to help us get in?”
“Because they’ll let us in.”
“What?” Clark and Quinn both echoed together.
Clark sat up, really interested now.
Taylor smiled now that she had their undivided attention. “I first got camera access yesterday but didn’t say anything, because like you said, how did it help us beyond planning? Then I noticed there were a lot of vehicles coming and going and parked around the building. After a little research and hacking into the local building permit system, I found out they’re doing some sort of renovation and remodel of the whole downstairs.”
“So?” Quinn asked. “You want us to hide in a work truck?”
“Not exactly. I checked into the work vehicles on-site and followed them back to their business operations. I found the general contractor in charge of the job and got into his system.”
Taylor pointed to a window she had opened on her laptop. “There’s a whole string of messages between the contractor and this plumber. The regular plumber they use is not available, so they’ve hired this new guy from a few towns over. According to the emails, they don’t know each other except by reputation.”
Clark chuckled. “It’s almost too easy. We get his gear and assume his place. You know where this other plumber is located, right?”
“Yep,” Taylor said. “He’s ten miles from here in Sudlersville. I have his address and everything.”
Quinn looked at her friends. “Someone clue me in because I’m confused. We don’t know anything about plumbing.”
“We don’t have to,” Taylor said. “We only need to get in there long enough to find the bowl and the egg. Then we make an excuse that we forgot something back at the shop, and we leave. We can be in and out in an hour or less and do it during broad daylight.”
“I like it,” Clark said. “Score a win for the tech witch.”
Taylor beamed, then extended her arms, hands interlaced, and cracked her knuckles.
Quinn looked at the live camera feed on Taylor’s laptop. She saw the collection of work vans in the driveway. It certainly made sense, but this whole thing still bothered her on another level.
“Clark, are we sure this is a good idea?”
“What?” Clark asked. “We’re doing this to restore your amulet.”
“I know, but I’m talking about pissing off another fae princess and her faction working for a rival. I feel like we’re just doing Filippa’s dirty work for her. If we get caught or cause a major problem, she can wash her hands of the whole thing.”
“We don’t have a whole lot of options, Quinn,” Taylor said. “This gets us the things we need to start repairing the amulet. That puts us back in business against the slayers and whatever Handon is up to. We have the VR system up and running. With your amulet and what you can do when you have it, we’ll be unstoppable.”
Quinn knew Taylor was right, but was the end worth the means? She knew the fae were powerful friends, and that meant they’d be powerful enemies, too.
Clark got up and ran his hand through his hair. “It’s almost dinnertime. Let’s go eat and hammer out a plan. Then we’ll pay this plumber over in Sudlersville a visit. Taylor, use his email account to send the contractor a message saying we’ll be there tomorrow. We’ll borrow this guy’s truck and convince him to take the day off. I have enough cash with me to pay him to pretend we drugged him and stole his vehicle to do the job.”
Quinn nodded but was still uneasy. Filippa had been too quick to give up the information, as well as offering them her blood, without any apparent reservations. It didn’t make sense, even if they did recover this egg she wanted.
Taylor shut her laptop and hopped up from the small desk in the corner. “Let’s go to the Crab House again.”
“Good idea,” Clark said. “Their food is good.”
Quinn groaned.
Taylor laughed. “How do you grow up in Baltimore and not like crabs? I can’t understand.”
“I don’t like seafood, especially crabs. It’s like eating giant sea bugs.”
“Yeah,” Taylor said. “Delicious giant sea bugs.”
Clark grabbed his keys off the dresser and headed out the door. Taylor followed, and Quinn brought up the rear, pulling the door shut behind her. She checked to make sure it was locked and headed to the car. There was other food at the restaurant besides crabs, but she was tired of seeing them piled in the middle of their table, staring at her with their tiny black eyes.
At least they could be back in Baltimore tomorrow night. That would be one positive thing if they finished up the job tomorrow. No more crabs for a while, and she’d get the satisfaction of watching Filippa bleed for them. That would make all this worth it.
Chapter Twenty-One
Quinn sat in the white panel van’s passenger seat while Clark drove to the job site. He wore a tan long-sleeve work shirt with a patch over the left breast that read Joe. It matched the sign on the side of the van, Joe the Plumbing Guy. Taylor sat behind Quinn, perched on a five-gallon bucket.
Joe had driven a hard bargain, wanting more cash than Clark had with him. The hunter told him he could not only take the money and keep the job at the same time, he could also file a claim for insurance on any equipment the thieves supposedly stole from him. He jumped on it. It had cost them a thousand dollars in cash. Quinn knew it was a big part of their reserves. She hoped it was worth it.
“We’re almost there, Clark,” Quinn said. She’d been following their progress on her map app.
“Yes, the turnoff is just up ahead. Remember, stick to the story,” Clark said. “You’re both students from a local tech school riding along to learn the ropes for the semester. Call me Joe. I’ll use your real names.”
Quinn tugged at the work shirt she wore, borrowed from Joe. It was a gray short-sleeved polo shirt with a Joe the Plumbing Guy patch on the left breast. Joe told them he kept several on hand for when he hired part-time helpers. He was happy to loan them to the team. Quinn suspected he’d add them to the fraudulent insurance claim he planned to file.
Taylor reached forward and patted Quinn on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Quinn. This is going to be a cinch.”
“We don’t know where the bowl or the egg are kept. With the renovation going on, everything’s been moved around. They don’t show up on any of the internal security videos you retrieved. For all we know, they’ve been moved to a vault off-site.”
“Aren’t you a bundle of happiness and optimism?” Taylor said.
“I can’t shake the feeling this is all wrong for some reason.”
Clark said, “We’ll be back on the road in an hour, two tops. A quick search of the house and we leave. It’s easy.” He turned into the lane on the right. The road sign read Aurora Fields Drive.
They drove about a quarter-mile down the tree-lined lane until they came to a closed metal gate and a speaker box on a post.
Clark leaned out the driver’s side and pressed a button on the box.
“Can I help you?” the tinny voice on the speaker asked.
“Joe the Plumbing Guy. I’m assigned to do a bathroom install today.”
There was a pause, then the guy on the other side said, “Yeah, I got you on the list. Come on in. Park with the other work vans.”
The gate opened and rolled back to let them in. Clark drove to the mansion at the other end of the driveway. The concrete and iron fence extended all the way around the two-acre perimeter. A carpenter’s pickup truck with several ladders stored on a rack mounted in the back was parked by the side entrance. A carpet installation van was pulled up next to the carpenter’s vehicle.
“Busy day on the job site,” Clark observed. He parked their van and turned to the two ladies. “Remember the plan. You two follow me in. While I talk to the guy in charge, make an excuse to find the restroom. Since we’re doing an install on the one closest to this side of the house, you’ll have to go farther
in to find one. Be fast but efficient. Cover as much ground as you can in five minutes or so, then come back.”
“I hope we find the stuff on the first pass,” Quinn said.
“Me, too,” Taylor replied. “Then we’d have time for one more visit to the Crab House for lunch before driving back to Baltimore.”
“We are not sticking around once we get out of here,” Clark said. “We are taking Joe’s van back to where we left the car and leaving it on the side of the road, just like a group of thieves would do. After that, we’re driving straight back home. We don’t need to stick around in a place like this where everyone who doesn’t live here sticks out like a sore thumb.”
“Thank God, no more crabs,” Quinn said.
Clark and Taylor laughed.
The three of them got out of the van. Clark grabbed a clipboard with the job notes Joe had helpfully printed out for them. The guy seemed tickled to be part of the caper. He was happy to lend a hand with things like the shirts and the paperwork.
Clark led the way through the open side door. Inside the entrance was a hallway that led to the largest dining room Quinn had ever seen. Tarps covered the floor, and the smell of fresh paint hung in the air. They followed Clark through the room until they reached the kitchen. A guy in khaki pants and a blue polo shirt sat drinking a cup of coffee and flipping through his phone.
He looked up and then stood when they walked in. “You must be Joe.”
“Yep, that’s me. You Vince?” Clark asked, shaking the guy’s hand.
“Yep. Who are your helpers?”
“This is Quinn and Taylor. I offer internships to kids from WorWic College’s tech program. I hope that’s okay?”
“Sure, you’re the one responsible for the quality of the work. I’m not concerned. I’ve heard good things about you.” Vince turned to Quinn and Taylor. “Hello, ladies.”
Vince reached out to shake their hands. As soon as Quinn got close enough, she caught the distinct whiff of wet dog. He was a werewolf. Quinn and the others hadn’t counted on there being more than a few fae guards here. Now she wondered about the other contractors working at the site. Were there any other supernaturals around?
“It’s good to know I’ve got a good reputation,” Clark said as Vince turned back after greeting his helpers. “You’re only as good as your last job.”
Vince laughed. “That’s the truth.”
Clark looked around and said, “What’s the deal here?”
Vince glanced over his shoulder and then whispered. “A lady with more money than sense if you ask me. This is the third remodel I’ve done here in five years, not that I’m complaining. I’ve got two kids in college, and this is paying for it.”
“I need to get on your contractor list if you’ve got regular work.”
“Nah, just this one. The rest are piecemeal, just like everyone else. Things are slow this time of year.”
Clark nodded. “Hey, why don’t you show me to the job and we can get started?”
“Sure, it’s right through here.” Vince turned
Taylor raised her hand. “Um, Mr. Joe? Quinn and I have been on the road since we left school this morning. We need a pit stop.”
“Oh, yeah. Where’s the closest bathroom for the ladies, Vince?”
Vince pointed to a second hall leading off the kitchen. “There’s one back that way by the home theatre room. Just be sure you don’t touch anything. Stuff in this place costs a bundle, and security is watching everything on the cameras while we’re here.”
“Yes, sir,” Quinn said. “We’ll be really careful.”
She led the way, with Taylor right behind as Vince took Clark down the other hall to where the bathroom installation was supposed to happen.
The hall to the theatre passed several other rooms, and they peeled off in turn to search the first floor. They didn’t have to worry about the video security system. Taylor had taken care of the cameras, hacking into the cloud storage site so they showed a looped video from the day before.
The first three rooms yielded nothing, and Quinn met Taylor back in the hallway. The next room down the corridor was the theater room. When they reached it, they found eight reclining theatre seats in two rows of four facing a screen covering the entire far wall.
At the back room was a small sink and refrigerator built into a tall, floor-to-ceiling bookshelf holding video disc cases arranged in careful rows. There were also two empty shelves. One held a sizeable cut-crystal bowl about twelve inches across. On the other was a green egg about the size of a football.
Quinn walked over to the shelves to examine the two objects up close. There were tiny spotlights recessed in the ceiling to illuminate them. It surprised her that the ceramic egg sparkled so much more than the crystal bowl. The outer surface cast tiny rainbow sparkles where the light reflected from it. Quinn reached out and traced a fingertip down the side of the shell. The warmth of the outer surface surprised her. She yanked her finger back from the egg when a static spark stung her finger.
Taylor had gone on to the next room when Quinn came in here, so she had to leave the shelf and return to the hallway to get the tech witch.
“Hey, T, I found them.”
Taylor came back into the hallway from the room across the way. “Where?”
“In the theater. Come on. Let’s get back to Clark. Then we can return with boxes for them. They’re both bigger than we planned.”
The plan had been to use the plumber’s tool cases or perhaps one of the cardboard boxes they’d brought to smuggle the two items back out to the van without anyone seeing them.
Taylor and Quinn headed back to find Clark. He and Vince were just finishing checking out the room under the stairs where the new bathroom was to be installed.
“There’s not a lot of space to fit both the toilet and pedestal sink, but you told me you could make it work.”
“That’s why I get the big bucks,” Clark said. “We’ll get it done. Don’t worry.”
Vince nodded. “I’m counting on it. I have to talk to the lady of the house now and give her an update. If you need anything after that, call me. I have to go and check on another job site.”
“I don’t think we’ll need you, but I’ll call if anything comes up.”
Vince left, and Clark waited until he was gone then turned to Quinn and Taylor. “Good news, I suppose?”
“Yes and no,” Quinn said. “Both items are in the theater room. We just need to get some boxes in here, and then Taylor and I will grab them.”
“And the bad news?” Clark asked.
“You know Vince is a werewolf, right?”
“Of course,” Clark replied. “It’s not unusual for people in our community to support each other’s businesses. I’m sure he realized Taylor was a shifter, too. It lends us credibility.”
“If you say so,” Quinn said. She wasn’t sold and remained on guard. She worried about the additional danger of Vince being a shifter.
Clark clapped his hands. “Okay, let’s head out to the van and start bringing in the gear. Since Vince is planning on leaving soon, we’ll need to make it look like we’re getting started until he goes to the other site.”
The two of them nodded and followed Clark out to load up the folding cart Joe kept in the back of the van. There was also a two-wheeled dolly back there to move heavy equipment around. The toilet and sink were in the rear of the vehicle as well. They decided to bring them in, too, since the three of them had to make up extra work to do until the contractor left.
It took Vince over an hour to wrap up his business and leave for the other site. During that time, Clark had started to prep the toilet for the installation.
“How do we know we’re not screwing something up or doing it wrong?” Quinn asked.
“I’ve put a few of these in before and repaired others.”
“When?” Taylor asked.
“I haven’t always worked as a hunter. After the purges, when I was hiding from assassins, I took any odd job
I could find. Now bring me that wax ring, and I’ll show you how to seat a toilet so it doesn’t leak.”
Quinn and Taylor worked with Clark to get the new toilet in place over the newly installed drainpipe in the floor. The process kept Quinn’s mind off her worries about why they were here.
Taylor came back from the van. Clark had sent her out to get a small toolbox with pipe fittings for the water line to the toilet.
She set the metal box down and said, “Vince just left. The carpet guys are gone, too. It’s just the two carpenters and us, and they’re working out back on a new deck.”
“Perfect,” Clark said. He dumped out the toolbox, leaving the pile of curved pipe fittings on the floor of the new bathroom. “Will either of the pieces fit in here?”
Taylor nodded. “The egg will, I’m pretty sure.”
Quinn glanced around and spotted a broad, flat cardboard box that used to have a coil of copper tubing in it. “This should work for the scrying bowl.”
“Good. You girls go get the two items. Don’t forget to wear those work gloves I bought you. I don’t want you leaving fingerprints for an investigator if they report the theft. I’ll stay here and keep working so nobody gets suspicious about nothing getting done. Hurry up. We’ll leave as soon as you get back.”
Quinn said, “We need to figure out if the cases are alarmed or protected by spells.”
“I can do both, Quinn,” Taylor replied. “We’ve got this. Come on.”
Taylor headed off down the hallway, and Quinn followed her back to the theater. Taylor set the empty toolbox on the floor and checked out the two shelves up close. Quinn came over and helped. The two of them examined the items from all sides as well as they could. Each rested on a small padded disk.
“See any wires?” Taylor asked.
“Nope,” Quinn said. “But the disks are probably pressure sensors or something. How about magic? Do you know enough to detect a protection spell or an alarm spell?”
“I think so,” Taylor said. She got a faraway look in her eyes, and her face went blank for a few seconds. When it returned to normal, she turned to Quinn and said, “I don’t see any magical energy around either of them. There is something holding powerful magic inside the house. I can sense it somewhere, but it’s not in here.”
