Every Picture Tells A Fury (Federal Bureau of Magic Cozy Mystery Book 8)

by Annabel Chase

  “This is how Sassy regroups after a breakup. I’m here for moral support.”

  “That’s an interesting turn of events.”

  I ignored the remark. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be getting cozy with your imported bride?”

  “I made plans to meet some friends here. A break from domestic life. You know how it is.” He smirked. “Speaking of cozy, I see Chief Fox is here as well. How’s it going with you two?”

  Warmth flooded my body. “Fine.”

  “I think it’s nice that you two are intent on humping…I mean helping each other.” My icy glare prompted an eruption of laughter. “Oh, I can’t even pretend. I smelled those pheromones a mile away. In the wolf world, you’d be sniffing each other’s bottoms and preparing for the rut. You two are hot for each other. Admit it.”

  “I admit nothing. He’s an excellent chief.”

  “Yes, but is he excellent at anything else?” He gave me a pointed look.

  I pushed past the werewolf. “Thanks for the update. Now go find your friends, if you really have any.”

  He grabbed my hand and tried to pull me closer. “How about a dance first? I might not marry outside the pack, but that doesn’t preclude other things. I told you I’m open to other arrangements.”

  I yanked my hand away. “No thank you. Sheesh. How drunk are you?”

  “Come on, Eden. One dance won’t hurt you.”

  “No, but it might hurt you,” I said.

  Hugh laughed again. “The potential for fun with you is infinite.” He turned and walked toward a group of men near the jukebox.

  As I stomped back to Sassy and Clara, my phone vibrated in my purse. I’d switched the settings earlier knowing I wouldn’t hear a ringtone with the band in the background. I fished the phone out of the purse to see a text from Chief Fox. I’m here. Where are you?

  Before I could respond, Clara and Sassy swept me toward the dance floor as the band attempted a Cyndi Lauper cover song.

  “Time to shake it, girls.” Clara’s eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed from alcohol. Two songs later, Clara leaned her head against my shoulder. “I must be super drunk because that guy looks exactly like Quinn.”

  What were the odds of a random guy looking like Quinn Redmond? I turned with a smile plastered across my face, ready to laugh at the patron who allegedly resembled the FBM agent. My smile faded when I caught sight of the lookalike who was now striding toward us.

  “Holy Mordor. Legolas?”

  “It’s good to see you, Agent Fury.” He embraced me warmly.

  “Quinn?” Clara’s whisper was barely audible.

  He released me and turned to face her. “Clara. I’m so pleased to see you.”

  Clara gaped at him, seemingly at a loss for words.

  “I intended to call you and let you know…” He began, but Clara didn’t wait for the end of the sentence. She bolted from the bar without another word.

  Sassy wound her fingers around my arm. “Holy smokes, Eden. This is the guy who broke Clara’s heart.”

  “I know, Sassy.” As much as I wanted to speak to Agent Redmond and find out the reason for his visit, my best friend instinct kicked in. I detached from Sassy and ran after Clara.

  I found her leaning against the car in the dimly lit parking lot, a stupefied expression on her sweet face. “It’s him, right? It isn’t an illusion?”

  “It’s him,” I said.

  She rubbed her cheek. “Do you know why he’s here?”

  I shook my head. “Not yet. Why don’t you speak to him?”

  “Because he isn’t here for me.” Tears glistened in her blue eyes.

  “Clara, I promise you—even if he’s here on FBM business, he’s desperate to see you. He loves you.”

  “Then why didn’t he tell me he was coming?”

  “I’m sure if you give him a chance to explain, he’ll tell you. Quinn’s a reasonable guy. You know that.”

  “I do.” Suddenly her eyes rounded and her hands flew to her hair. “Oh no! I must look like a hot mess. I can’t let him see me like this.”

  “You look great, Clara. Just talk to him.” I paused. “And don’t drink anything else. You’re cut off.”

  She raised a finger and burped. “A wise plan.”

  The door opened and the sound of Come On Eileen mingled with the quiet night air. Agent Redmond’s silhouette moved across the parking lot.

  “I’m sorry I upset you,” he said softly. “I need a few minutes with Agent Fury. Will you wait for me? I’d really like to speak to you.”

  Clara seemed uncertain. “Okay. I’ll go sit with Sassy.”

  “No more drinks,” I reminded her firmly. As soon as she was back inside the bar, I rounded on Agent Redmond. “Why would you turn up out of the blue like this? Do you know how hard it’s going to be for her?”

  He sighed. “I know. It wasn’t ideal, but the agency needed someone to follow up on an issue. When I heard the name Chipping Cheddar, I volunteered.”

  I eyed him closely. “You seem more tightly wound than usual. I’m worried you’re going to start dropping diamonds right here in the parking lot.”

  He didn’t crack a smile. “I’m afraid I need your assistance with a rather delicate matter.”

  Anxiety uncoiled in my stomach. “Does this delicate matter rhyme with weevil ditch?”

  “It isn’t a coven matter.”

  I crossed my arms. “Did my father do something? Or was it Anton? He’s been traveling and I know…” I stopped myself before I said too much.

  “It’s your cousin,” he interrupted. “I’m here about Helena.”

  My hands dropped to my sides. “Helena? Why? What happened?”

  He pressed a narrow hip against the car. “There’ve been a string of related incidents recently. The first one in Denver. Then Minneapolis, followed by Dayton.”

  “Define incidents.”

  A puff of air escaped his lips. “You won’t like it.”

  “I’m sure I won’t, but it sounds like I need to know. That’s why you volunteered, isn’t it?”

  He scratched the back of his neck. “I hoped to spare you a visit by someone else from the agency. Someone who might not handle the situation with the same…flexibility.”

  “I appreciate that, Quinn. I really do. Now tell me what happened.”

  “Just so you know, no one was seriously injured. Not physically anyway. The emotional damage will take years to unravel.”

  “You’re describing my childhood. Continue.”

  “The victims suffered hallucinations so severe that they each fell into a coma. Helena was a known associate of the first victim and she conveniently left town soon thereafter.”

  My head was spinning—and not just from the alcohol. “Is there a connection between the victims?”

  “None that we could find, but we were able to track Helena here. She could’ve easily wreaked havoc along the way. The route fits.”

  “And she could’ve just as easily not,” I said. “She lost her job. She came back to Maryland to regroup.”

  “Or perhaps she came here to hide.”

  “What reason would she have for doing that?” I asked.

  “Does she need a reason? Maybe they were accidents. That’s what her file says about priors, right? Accidental interference with human minds.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to force myself to relax. “Are you sure all three were affected by a temporal demon and not something else?”

  He nodded. “Have there been any similar incidents here since her arrival?”

  “No, but there is a missing artist,” I said. No. There was no way Helena had anything to do with Nari’s disappearance.

  “Does Helena know the artist?”

  “Not at all…” I halted mid-sentence. “Well, she came with me to an event at the art gallery the night before Nari disappeared.” What if there’d been an accident and Helena had hidden Nari’s body until she could revive her? But then why wouldn’t th
e locator spell have worked? Ugh, I hated thinking that my cousin was to blame. I didn’t want to be like everyone else.

  “Do you know where she is now?” he asked.

  “No. I’d invited her to come out with us, but she said she had something to do first and that she might come later.”

  Agent Redmond regarded me. “How would you like to handle this? It’s your call.”

  “Let me speak to Helena first. If I think for one second she had something to do with it, I’ll do my job, Quinn. I swear it. Just give me a little time before you swoop in.”

  “I know you’ll do the right thing, Eden.”

  I paused. “If Helena is responsible, what will happen?”

  His expression turned grim. “With her spotty history, three incidents in quick succession makes her look like a threat.”

  “They wouldn’t send her to Otherworld, would they? She’s from this realm. She doesn’t belong there.”

  “Then you’d better hope she had nothing to do with their hallucinations.”

  I felt sick to my stomach. Helena was a seasoned temporal demon now. There wouldn’t be any reason for her to go off the rails.

  “Thank you for coming to me first,” I said.

  He glanced back at the bar. “We prioritize those we care about, right?”

  “I do. Can you say the same?”

  He winced. “Would you ask her to come out now? Though I wouldn’t blame her if she’d rather not see me.”

  “She wants to,” I said. “Very much.”

  I hurried back into the bar to tell Clara. Although I wanted to witness their reunion, I forced myself to babysit Sassy. I downed another drink and hoped that the fae didn’t break her heart all over again.

  “You missed Chief Fox.” Sassy swayed on the stool. “Apparently there was a minor fender bender and Sean needed his help.” Her mouth formed an exaggerated pout. “Stupid Sean Guthrie.”

  “Stupid Sean Guthrie, indeed.” The redheaded deputy and I weren’t exactly close. He’d been Tanner’s best friend in high school and didn’t seem to mind at all when our relationship went belly up. I’d even go as far as to say he took pleasure in it. Ginger jerk.

  My stomach lurched when Helena arrived unannounced. “Here’s where the action is,” she said, smiling broadly.

  “Sassy, do you remember my cousin, Helena?”

  Sassy waved from her slumped position over the bar. “We’re drinking because my boyfriend cheated on me.”

  “I’d say that’s a perfectly legitimate reason to get drunk,” Helena said.

  It was hard to be in close proximity to my cousin without asking her about the incidents. “What took you so long to get here?”

  “I had errands,” she said vaguely.

  “At night?”

  Helena frowned. “What’s the problem?”

  I cut a quick glance at Sassy. Her head rested on the counter and her eyes were closed. I leaned closer and heard the soft sounds of snoring.

  “Okay, we can talk here. I need to ask you something and I don’t want you to be mad,” I said.

  Helena narrowed her eyes. “What?”

  I sucked in a brave breath. “Did you have anything to do with Nari’s disappearance?”

  Pain flashed in her eyes. “Great Nyx on a stick, Eden. Why would you ask me that?”

  “Because it’s my job.”

  Helena’s jaw tightened. “And if I say no, then what?”

  “Then I believe you.”

  “Really? Just like that?”

  I snapped my fingers and missed. Too many drinks could mess with a fury’s coordination. “Okay, not quite like that, but you get the idea.”

  Helena still seemed uneasy. “Why did you ask me about Nari?”

  “Why did you leave Denver?”

  “Right. I see where this is going. You’ve heard about the comas.”

  I released a breath. “Are you serious, Helena? That was you? Here I’ve been defending you to anyone and everyone…”

  She silenced me with a look. “It wasn’t me, okay? But I know who it was.”

  “Were you there?”

  She rubbed her hands over her face. “Yes and no.”

  “Yes and no? Is this because you’re a temporal demon or just evasive?”

  “About six months ago, I met another temporal demon named Marcie.”

  I watched her closely. “Go on.”

  “Marcie’s only twenty-one. She left home at sixteen.”

  “And let me guess—she struggles with her abilities.”

  “She means well, just like I did,” Helena said. “But she has trouble controlling her emotions, which leads to problems.”

  “And there are three problems on the FBM’s radar, all attributable to her.”

  “She called me the first time, when we were still in Denver. I tried to help, to coax him out of the hallucination, but Marcie had done a number on him. She was so frightened that she left in a hurry. I only heard from her again when she landed in Minneapolis and had a similar problem.”

  “And then Dayton.”

  Helena nodded. “She didn’t deal with her emotions and so they kept building. Each time something set her off, it was like an explosion instead of a blip.”

  “And she called you for help each time.”

  “I basically ended up following her to try and clean up her mess, which is how I ended up here.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I didn’t want to involve you. Besides, it’s outside your jurisdiction.”

  “Helena, that’s crap and you know it. I could’ve helped.”

  She lowered her gaze. “I also didn’t want everyone shaking their heads and saying ‘there goes trouble again.’”

  I didn’t bother to tell her they were saying that anyway. “It’s not your fault though. You didn’t do anything to those people. You only tried to help.”

  “I know that, but do you think anyone will believe me with my history? Do you really think the FBM will believe me? They’ll give me a one-way ticket to Otherworld.” She hugged herself. “I don’t want to live there, Eden. This is my home.”

  “Where’s Marcie now? You said you ended up here because you followed her.”

  “She’d heard about Chipping Cheddar from me. How it attracts supernaturals because of the vortex. She kept heading further east and eventually I realized where she was going.”

  “What did she think would happen once she got here? She’d magically learn how to be a proper temporal demon?”

  Helena shrugged. “I think she thought she’d hook up with some kind of Supernaturals for Dummies group and learn the ropes.”

  I squinted at her. “So where is she? You haven’t mentioned her since you arrived.”

  Helena exhaled. “That’s the thing. I don’t know. I saw her once and then she disappeared.”

  “Saw her when?”

  She averted her gaze. “At the art gallery.”

  My eyes bulged. “The night of the exhibit?”

  Helena nodded. “I ran into her at the bar.”

  “What did she say?”

  “That she was sorry for running away and not taking responsibility and that she wanted to get help. I told her about you and offered to introduce her, but she looked so terrified that I backed off.”

  “So you just let her walk away?”

  Helena’s expression softened. “What was I supposed to do? Handcuff her myself? I couldn’t turn her in. I saw the look on her face and I knew exactly what she was feeling. I’d been in her position and it took years for me to get a handle on things.” She squared her shoulders. “But I did, and so can Marcie.”

  “But you haven’t seen her since?”

  Her shoulders sagged. “No. I thought our conversation went well overall, but I think she might have run off again. I’ve been looking around town whenever I can sneak away without being questioned. Our family is very nosy.”

  “You’re just remembering that part?”

 
“I feel like I need a hall pass every time I leave the house.”

  “The barn is a paradise compared with the attic.”

  “I bet. The steps squeak. It’s a dead giveaway.”

  “I think they left them that way on purpose.” I cocked my head. “We need to find Marcie. Maybe Neville can do a locator spell.”

  “You’re not doing anything tonight. Your eyes are glazed over. How much have you had to drink?”

  I glanced at Sassy. “Not as much as her.”

  “Try to take off your agent badge and live in the moment for a change,” Helena said. “I feel like you’re on duty twenty-four hours a day.”

  “Because I kind of am. Supernatural problems don’t limit themselves to office hours, you know.”

  “Fine, but this is a girls’ night out. We should be having fun, not interrogating close relations.” She tapped my arm. “Hey, I have an idea. I have your mother’s car. Let’s drop Sassy home and then sneak into Mrs. Paulson’s house to rearrange her pantry. It’ll be like old times.”

  “What? Are you nuts?” The woman was old. If she woke up while we were in her house, she’d have a stroke.

  Helena tugged my arm. “Come on. It’ll be a riot. Remember when we snuck into Tyson Dudley’s house to free the ants in his ant farm?”

  “That was different. That was in the name of liberation. Those ants were prisoners.” I couldn’t imagine the reaction the next morning when the Dudley family discovered ants roaming freely through the house.

  “Come on, Eden. We need to find joy wherever we can.”

  Maybe it was because I was a little tipsy, but I heard myself say, “Forget the pantry. I want to see which book she’s reading.”

  Helena frowned. “Okay, that’s less of a prank, but I’m game for whatever.”

  “She’s reading something naughty. I know it. Jodi Picoult, my ass.”

  “You can fly us up to her window,” Helena said. “I bet it’s unlocked.”

  “I’m sure it is. She sure spends enough time opening it to yell at my family.”

  Helena giggled. “Perfect. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Stand back so you don’t get feathers in your mouth.” Helena and I stood in the darkness of my backyard, where I uncloaked my wings and spread them wide. Normally I’d object to using a fury trait for a task like this, but alcohol had a way of weakening my resolve.