Seams in Reality

by Alex Siegel

  "Forensic sorcery is a special discipline," Keene said, "with special rules."

  Williams raised his eyebrows.

  Tonya came out a few minutes later. Her pale face had a very troubled expression, and she refused to meet Keene's gaze.

  "Well?" he said.

  She rubbed her temples. "I'm afraid you have to go back to Atlanta. Stay home while I investigate this matter."

  "Is that really necessary?"

  "You know the rules. You were his master. You bear some responsibility for his failings. Until I finish my inquiry, you're under house arrest. There will eventually be a formal hearing which may lead to further censure."

  "But..." Keene said.

  Tonya pointed towards the road. "Just go. Don't argue with me. I'm not in a mood for it."

  He lowered his head and walked slowly away.

  "What was that about?" Williams said.

  Tonya stared at him. "I will discuss the details with Director Webster when he gets here. You should focus your attention on Keene. Make sure he gets home and stays there." The anger in her voice was reflected on her face.

  He hesitated and then went after Keene.

  Tonya looked at Agent Dan. "Leave us alone." Her icy stare could've shattered a mirror.

  Dan ran off after Williams.

  When the sorcerers were alone, Tonya put her face in her hands.

  "Will you tell us?" Charley said timidly.

  "I'm guessing a little," Tonya said, "but I think Serkan was trying to make his girlfriend into a sorcerer. He wanted to share his talent with her even though she had none of her own."

  Charley gasped.

  "Is that possible?" Andrew said.

  "It's never been done as far as I know," Tonya said, "but I'm not prepared to say it's impossible. In theory, sorcery has no hard limits. I will say it was incredibly stupid, and he compounded his error by doing it without supervision. I can't imagine why Serkan would make such an atrocious choice. Was he trying to prove something to his lover? Disaster was inevitable."

  Andrew and Charley exchanged glances.

  "What do we do now?" she said.

  Tonya sighed. "We have to discover the truth. I need to understand Serkan's motivation. Maybe he had a good reason after all. I hope so because otherwise, Keene may go to prison, and he's a dear friend."

  "While we're investigating, who will guard your seam?"

  "The BPI will have to take care of that for a few days. This is more important."

  A thumping noise made Andrew look to the sky. A huge black helicopter was approaching. It looked like the kind of aircraft the President might employ except it had no markings.

  "That must be the director," Tonya said. "Exactly the person I want to talk to. Come on."

  She marched off purposefully towards the helicopter. Andrew and Charley stayed right behind her.

  The aircraft landed in a grassy field. Six BPI agents jumped out, and then Frank Webster exited with more dignity. His gaunt face was as immobile as a statue. His big, beefy body moved quickly and without wasted motion. A blue Kevlar vest covered his tailored blue business suit.

  As soon as he saw Tonya, he ran over to her.

  "Where is Keene?" Webster said. "I expected him to be here."

  "I sent him home. He stands accused of violating regulation 14-B. I have appointed myself as the lead investigator in the case."

  "Oh."

  "And Serkan appears to have violated many regulations," Tonya said, "but he's dead, so that case is closed."

  Webster crossed his arms. "I know. I received a full briefing during the flight. What I don't understand is why further investigation is necessary. We have a pile of dead bodies, and we know what killed them. Serkan was messing with a secret seam and created a banshee."

  "That's true."

  "So what questions still need to be answered?"

  Other BPI agents were gathering around Webster. They were waiting for orders from the boss. The black helicopter's engine was turned off which came as a great relief to Andrew's ears.

  "I don't understand Serkan's motive," Tonya said.

  Webster made a face. "Does it really matter? Even if the outcome wasn't intentional, the essential facts of the crime remain the same."

  "The most essential fact is Serkan's behavior doesn't make sense. We have to investigate."

  "Are you sure your friendship with Keene isn't biasing your judgment? If this case were presented to the Sorcerer's Tribunal, the verdict would be swift and unanimous."

  "Perhaps," she said.

  "I think you're being sentimental."

  Tonya furrowed her brow.

  Andrew decided to come to her defense. "Serkan would never do what he did, unless he had a good reason."

  Webster gave him a look that made him feel six inches tall.

  "You should definitely be a witness for the defense," Webster said. "Your argument is so compelling."

  "If one of your agents got into trouble, you'd want to know the truth."

  "What other truth do you expect to find? What will an investigation accomplish besides wasting time?"

  Andrew clenched his jaw angrily.

  Charley came forward. "Serkan was a good guy. If we don't understand what went wrong with him, it might happen to somebody else."

  Webster rolled his eyes. "This argument is pointless. I have much more pressing issues to deal with. Perhaps you noticed there was a massacre here."

  "You seem very eager to punish Keene," Tonya said. "Do you have a personal grudge I don't know about?"

  He looked at her. "Not at all."

  "Then let me satisfy my curiosity. The trial can wait a few days. There is no rush."

  They stared at each other for a long moment.

  "Fine." Webster bowed his head. "Knock yourself out. The conclusion will be the same either way."

  "I appreciate your patience and understanding. We won't trouble you anymore."

  Tonya walked off. She made a gesture for Andrew and Charley to follow, and they trotted after her.

  "That was tense," Andrew said.

  Tonya nodded. "I was getting worried he wouldn't back down."

  "What would you have done?"

  "I'm not sure."

  "What's the plan?" Charley said.

  "Let's figure that out," Tonya said.

  They found a quiet spot behind a white house where they could talk privately. The house was so small, Andrew expected it had only one bedroom. Vinyl siding covered the walls, and it had split open in spots to reveal plywood underneath.

  "Any suggestions?" Tonya said.

  "Seems like we need to work backwards," Charley said. "If we can retrace Serkan's steps, maybe we can determine what went wrong."

  Andrew nodded. "We should talk to everybody he talked to."

  "The BPI can pull up records of all his phone calls and bank transactions," Tonya said. "That should give us plenty of leads."

  Andrew wondered how much information the BPI had about himself.

  "Which means we need to talk to Webster again," Charley said.

  Tonya shook her head. "No. He might change his mind. I'd rather work with your liaison. Dan?"

  "Yes."

  "He'll be much easier to intimidate. Let's go find him."

  The three of them went back into the crowd. State troopers and sheriff deputies were still trying to maintain order, and they looked tired. Some of them had probably arrived hours before Andrew had. He felt sorry for them.

  The BPI was gradually taking over though. The Bureau now had enough manpower on hand to control most of the village. Instead of being allowed to wander freely, the reporters were herded into specific locations. Printed press releases were being distributed. Stern men in blue suits were pushing the tourists out to the periphery.

  After searching for several minutes, the sorcerers found Agent Dan working in the morgue. He and several other BPI agents were loading corpses into unmarked black delivery vans.

  Andrew walked up to Dan.
"You're stealing the bodies?"

  "No," Dan said. "They'll get a proper autopsy before being returned to their next of kin."

  "And the autopsy report will say what the BPI wants it to say."

  "You're catching on. I believe the prevailing theory is poison gas, but airborne pesticide seems to be gaining traction."

  Dan and another agent lifted a corpse into the back of a van. The interior had steel shelves big enough for plenty of bodies. They were prepared for a massacre, Andrew thought. This isn't the first.

  "You're finished here," Tonya said. "You're coming with us."

  Dan gave her a worried look. "I am?"

  "Yes. You're still responsible for Andrew and Charley, right?"

  "Sure."

  "Then where they go, you go, and they're going." She raised her eyebrows.

  He opened his mouth to protest and then thought better of it.

  "Let's take the limousine," Andrew said. "Our luggage is already in the trunk."

  The group swung by the Jeep Tonya had used so she could grab her own bag. Eventually, they arrived at the black limousine.

  Tonya surprised Andrew by insisting he drive. Dan was relegated to the passenger seat in front. Tonya and Charley climbed into the rear compartment, and Tonya immediately grabbed a soft drink from the wet bar.

  "Drive," she said. "Get us out of here."

  Andrew started the engine and backed up carefully. Escaping the traffic jam required tricky and aggressive driving. The limousine bounced over some big rocks along the way, and he was glad it wasn't his car. He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally reached open road.

  "Where are we going?" Andrew said.

  "Dan is going to tell us," Tonya said.

  Dan looked over his shoulder at her. "I am?"

  "Call your headquarters in Washington. The BPI must have some idea of the places Serkan visited before he died. Get that information so we can visit the same places."

  "Hold on. I can't just..."

  "Quiet," she said. "I'm in an extremely nasty mood. Before you start arguing with me, you should carefully consider who you're arguing with."

  Dan thought for a moment. He took out his phone and dialed a number.

  Andrew smiled a little. It was good to have Tonya around.

  He admired the green forests on both sides of the road and relaxed a little. He was very glad to be away from the massacre. He hoped he never experienced anything like that again.

  "Stop!" Tonya yelled. "Right now!"

  Andrew immediately pulled over to the side of the road and parked. "What's wrong?" He looked over at her.

  "We have company," she replied in a grim tone. She didn't appear happy.

  A blue sedan with tinted windows was approaching. As it got closer, Andrew recognized the energy signature of a familiar sorcerer inside.

  "Blake," Andrew said.

  "Yes," Tonya said. "What is that snake doing here?"

  The sedan parked across the road. Blake stepped out and blinked in the bright sunlight. His patchy gray hair and beard had loose strands that needed to be trimmed. He stretched his long, thin arms. He was wearing a dark blue shirt, slacks, and dress shoes.

  He crossed over and knocked on the window of the limousine. Tonya rolled down the window but kept the door closed.

  "What do you want?" she said.

  "I heard there was trouble. I came to offer my help and expertise. What happened?"

  "Keene's apprentice created a banshee."

  "Oh." Blake grimaced. "How unpleasant, but why are you headed the wrong direction? As a member of the Sorcerer's Tribunal, I'd expect you to investigate."

  Andrew noticed two BPI agents getting out of the blue sedan. They were particularly large and menacing men. They leaned against the car and crossed their arms. For once, Andrew was glad he only had to deal with Dan.

  "We already saw the scene of the crime," Tonya said, "and now we're moving on. Why do you care?"

  "I told you," Blake said, "I want to help."

  "Really?"

  "Why is that so hard to believe?"

  "Your history doesn't lead one to expect altruistic behavior," she said.

  "I'm trying to write a new chapter in my life. I'm tired of being ostracized by my peers. I want to prove to you and everybody else I can be a good citizen."

  Tonya's face expressed doubt.

  "Where are you going?" Blake said.

  "We're not sure yet."

  "You don't think Keene's apprentice committed the crime?"

  "We know he did it," she said, "and he died as a result. We're trying to figure out why."

  He nodded. "And Keene's fate hangs in the balance."

  "Exactly. Now, if you'll excuse us...."

  "Wait." He grabbed the window frame. "Can I tag along? You have to admit a man with my experience would be an asset during a criminal investigation."

  Tonya frowned. "You're serious?"

  "Why do you think I came all the way from St. Louis? Because I like rural Georgia?"

  "You honestly expect me to believe you rode in on a white horse just because it was the right thing to do?"

  "Yes," Blake said.

  Tonya narrowed her eyes. "Sure. I'll give you a chance to prove your sincerity, but you're not riding with us. Follow in your own car."

  "You won't be sorry."

  "I already am." She rolled up the window, forcing him to let go of the frame. "Andrew, go."

  Andrew drove off. Blake ran to get back into his own car. The limousine was well down the road when the blue sedan started to follow.

  "I can't believe you're letting that guy stick with us," Andrew said.

  "Blake is up to something," Tonya said, "and I want to know what. The best way to answer that question is to let him come. As Michael Corleone taught us, 'keep your friends close but your enemies closer.'"

  "But we'll have to watch our backs the whole time."

  "Indeed." She paused. "This might be a good time to discuss how sorcerer's fight."

  He tried to keep his eyes on the road while listening closely at the same time. He had always been curious about this topic.

  "Crude tactics include using transmutation to damage your opponent's body," Tonya said, "but masters prefer pure psychic combat. If I were fighting you, I'd get inside your mind. I'd turn your own fears against you in the form of nightmares. I'd dig up your worst memories and make you relive them. I'd paralyze you with such powerful emotions you'd forget your own name. I'd take away your ability to resist my will, and then I could do whatever I want with you. I could even make you kill yourself."

  The description frightened Andrew. He had seen enough to know Tonya wasn't exaggerating.

  "How do I fight back?" Charley said.

  "Your core beliefs are your defense: a fortress of calm certainty. You can't forget who you are or where you are. You can't lose your focus. Remembering the difference between reality and illusion is the key to survival in combat."

  "Is that it?"

  "It's not easy," Tonya said. "When we get back home, we'll do some exercises. You'll practice math while terrified."

  Andrew grimaced. That doesn't sound like fun.

  He checked the rear view mirror. The blue sedan was following close behind, and he sensed Blake inside. Andrew didn't doubt Blake would defeat him quickly if it came to a fight.

  Dan used his phone to talk to other BPI agents in their headquarters in Washington. The conversation went on for a long time, and Dan sounded frustrated. He clearly wasn't getting the answers he had hoped for.

  When the call was done, Tonya said, "Well?"

  "They wouldn't tell me much over an unsecure phone line," Dan said, "but they will email a report to my official inbox. If I get to a computer, I can print it out."

  "That's fine. I'm starving anyway. Let's stop at the next town and look for food and a computer."

  Chapter Fifteen

  Andrew parked the limousine in front of a tall office building covered in glass and stainles
s steel. A copy and print store which had public computers was on the ground floor.

  "Get your printout," Tonya said. "We'll be eating next door."

  Dan nodded and got out of the limousine. He jogged into the copy store.

  Andrew stepped out in a more leisurely manner. His back was stiff from driving, and he stretched it until he felt it pop. Charley and Tonya joined him on the parking lot.

  The air was cool but not chilly. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, Andrew was tired. He already wanted to quit for the day and resume the investigation tomorrow despite its urgency.

  The three sorcerers walked into a restaurant specializing in fried chicken. A few stools were in front of a white counter, but most of the seating was at high tables. The simple menu was listed on a chalk board. Jugs of peanut oil and sacks of potatoes were stacked in the corner. Pictures on the walls showed happy chickens living in big, clean pens on farms, but Andrew expected reality wasn't as nice.

  He looked at the menu and picked out what he wanted even before he sat down. Charley appeared less enthusiastic.

  "What's wrong?" he said. "You don't like fried chicken?"

  "Too greasy," she said, "and lunch wasn't exactly healthy."

  "But we didn't have any breakfast. Go ahead and eat. Our next meal might not be until tomorrow."

  She furrowed her brow.

  The group sat at a table in the corner.

  A moment later, Blake entered the restaurant with his escort of two very large men in blue suits. The BPI agents sat by themselves, but Blake came over to join the sorcerers. Andrew wanted to send him away but kept quiet and deferred to Tonya. Surprisingly, she invited Blake to sit at their table. Andrew tried to maintain a polite appearance.

  "Bring me up to date," Blake said. "What do we know? What are we trying to find out? All I've heard are the lies on the news and what my personal gorillas were willing to tell me." He glanced at the BPI agents across the room.

  "Those guys follow you everywhere?" Andrew said.

  "One of the benefits of being an ex-convict is twenty-four hour 'protection.' I'm constantly watched. There is even a camera in my bedroom."

  What was his crime? Andrew wondered.

  Tonya asked Charley to describe the investigation so far, and she did so quickly and without feeling. She was rushing to get through it.

  A waitress came by in the middle of the briefing to get their order. Andrew ordered a basket of fried chicken with corn and mashed potatoes on the side. Charley went with the chicken salad. Blake ordered something called "beer grilled chicken." Finally, Tonya asked for hot wings and onion rings.