Blood Catalyst

by A. L. Kessler

  He was silent for a moment. "Would the woman have talked?"

  "I think she would have if she were able to."

  "Then she probably had said something about it before. I'll handle these two. Go comb Lydia's record and see if you can't find anything in her testimonies that would help pin these two down to the murders."

  I nodded and headed out of the station. A dead witness was not what I needed.

  ∞

  I arrived at the office and found the car that had been stalking me parked at the very front of the parking lot. I sighed as I threw the Hummer in park. I could see the license plate from where I was, and I put it in my phone as a note as well as the make and model of the car. If they didn't approach me when I walked in, then I could search for them and see who I was dealing with.

  I got out of the Hummer and marched to the front of the building. I glanced at the car as I passed and no one was in it. Dread filled my stomach at the thought that someone might be waiting for me inside.

  I rubbed my eyes as I walked into the building. Hopefully I wouldn't be walking into any surprises. The receptionist was nowhere to be found. I took the stairs one by one this time, in no hurry to get to what may or may not be waiting for me in my office.

  I walked out of the stairwell and paused as I saw a stranger standing in the hallway. Part of me should have been happy that they weren't in my office, but I was really tired of strangers showing up in my hallway too.

  "I'm Special Agent Collins, can I help you?" I asked, putting my hand on my gun.

  She nodded and pushed off the wall. "Yes, I'm Lydia's sister. I was told to talk to you about the circumstances of her death. My name is Lonnie."

  Interesting. "Lonnie, do you drive a white car? A bit on the beat-up side?"

  She nodded. "You've noticed me following you then."

  "I have." I motioned to the office. "Let's talk in here. I'd like to know why you were tracking me." I pulled out my key card and passed it over the reader. The tumbler of the door clicked, and we both walked in. I sat at my desk, and she automatically took a seat in front of me.

  She was quiet for a moment. "I wasn't interested in tracking you until I noticed Jon had come to see you multiple times. I didn't think he'd come to PIB with the case of his brother. I knew it would lead to my sister's case, so I wanted to track the person who was on it."

  I folded my hands on the table. "How are you wrapped up in all of this? You do realize that stalking is a crime, right?"

  She nodded. "My sister was innocent. The two women who lived with her framed her, and their lawyers were able use magic to get them out free and clear."

  "Magic is illegal in the courtrooms."

  "But it's used often in interrogation rooms, where confessions and evidence are collected."

  That was true. "So you were following me to what purpose?"

  "To make sure you weren't in on it. I knew the moment that you went to the police station and I saw that Detective bring both girls in that you weren't, and you'd bring my sister out of Containment."

  I held my head down. "She was killed by a curse."

  "I know, but that doesn't mean you can't bring her justice. I have something for you." She handed me a manila envelope. "Every letter my sister wrote me, every picture that wasn't taken from the house. Anything that might help clear her name."

  "Why bring it to me now?"

  "I tried to bring it to the officers that were on the original case, but they told me the case was closed and new evidence would be seen as fraud."

  I took the envelope. "I'll see what I can do, but you need to stop following me."

  "I will now, but one more thing." She stood. "There was someone else following you. A gentleman. He stopped when he realized I was following you too."

  I hadn't seen anyone else. "Do you have a description of him?"

  She pulled her phone out and showed me a picture. Nick.

  I nodded. "Thanks. I'll deal with it."

  Hopefully he didn't mean me harm but was just keeping tabs on me since he'd warned me about the underground.

  "Thank you, Agent Collins, for being on top of this case." She walked out without another word, and I was left sitting there alone with the envelope. I called Mason.

  "What's up, Abby?"

  "That lawyer there yet?"

  "No, not yet. Apparently he's with another client. Why do you ask?"

  "Move them to the antimagical interrogation room that PIB set up for you guys."

  Mason was quiet for a moment. "Should you come back down for this?"

  I glanced at the clock. "Yeah, probably. I didn't really want to mess with the lawyer, but I guess I will." I paused. "Actually, bring them up here. We'll use PIB's rooms."

  "What's the purpose of that?"

  "To throw him off guard, and I can set up my own protection." I opened the envelope. "I also have new evidence that Lydia's sister just dropped off. That'll give me a chance to look through it and figure out how much of it is useful."

  Mason grunted in agreement. "I'll make arrangements for us to get there. I'll text you when we're on our way."

  "Thanks." I disconnected and set the phone down. I looked through the papers and the letters, a detailed account of what happened at the house and with the lawyers were written down. Details on the deaths and how the organs were kept, which pointed more to Lydia's guiltiness than innocence, but there was one sentence that caught my eye.

  "It was like I was under a spell. I couldn't stop them as I watched them harvest the organs through a spell. I wasn't able to stop them or voice anything about it, and by that alone, I am guilty of letting it happen."

  Bingo.

  Spell work at its best. I called the lab and put in a request for a test on the authenticity of the letters and pictures while I flipped through them.

  There wasn't much that was left in the house after the crime scene investigators came in to take the evidence. I caught a photo in the corner though of Jon and Virginia together. Interesting. I couldn't tell if the photo was recent or not, but I thought Virginia was over Jon.

  My phone rang, and I picked it up, swiping the icon to answer it. "Special agent Collins."

  "Hey, I got thumbprints back on the knife used to stab Jon Serif. Matched a woman with a crazy ass magical past."

  "Let me guess, Virginia?"

  "Yep. Crazy ex-lover?"

  I snorted. "Yeah, we can go with that. Thanks." I disconnected the call and smirked. We had her, in every damn way, we had Virginia.

  I grabbed the envelope to drop off at the lab on my way to set up the interrogation room.

  ∞

  I had gotten the room set up to temporarily block all magic, mine included. Both Virginia and her lawyer would know it when they came in, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the lawyer wasn't going to magic his way out of this. I wish I could have had the lab get me the results on the letter and images before this meeting, but that was okay.

  Mason walked down the hall with Virginia, free of handcuffs, and a man I'd never seen before. I assumed it was her lawyer. I held my hand out. "I'm Special Agent Collins."

  He didn't take it. He grasped one wrist with his other hand, crossing his arms over the front of him. "Agent Collins."

  I tried not to be irritated that he left off the Special because I know he was doing it on purpose, I could see it in his eyes. His gaze searched my face for a reaction. I didn't give it to him. "Thank you for coming down to PIB, if you'll come this way, I have a room assigned to us. Would you like any coffee?"

  "This is a lot friendlier than earlier. My client told me you accused her of murder."

  "I never said those words. I told her that if she was involved and she didn't give us any information that I couldn't help her if the death sentence was brought up."

  "She might as well have accused me of murder," Virginia muttered.
/>   I opened the door and motioned for them to enter. They both growled the moment they did. Mason walked in, and I shut the door behind me when I brought up the rear.

  "As you both have noticed, all of our magic is temporarily blocked for this interview."

  "You mean interrogation?" the lawyer shot back. "We did not agree to have our magic blocked."

  I shook my head. "You actually don't have to. It's a protection right that PIB has that keeps our agents safe and people honest. I didn't catch your name Mister?"

  "Doctor actually, Dr. Wards."

  "Mr. Wards, Virginia is involved with not just one but two current murders as well as a past murder."

  He locked his jaw at the lack of title. He didn't want to give me mine, I wasn't going to give him his. "She was acquitted of the previous murders and any association with them."

  "She also has a current warrant." I laid out a paper for him to look at. "I just need some answers about Jon and Lydia."

  She crossed her arms and remained silent.

  "My client has nothing to say about either of those people."

  Ugh, this wasn't going to be as easy as I wanted. "Okay, that's fine. I have papers and images that indicate that you were still pining over Jon. I also have a knife with your fingerprints on it. A knife that recently stabbed Jon. So you're looking at attempted murder at least."

  Her jaw locked and Dr. Wards turned to look at her. Apparently he didn't know about that.

  "So, should we talk a bit more about why you stabbed Jon? You had a picture of him hanging on your wall for some time now."

  "You haven't had time to get a warrant to find that out. I'm sure you can get in trouble for breaking and entering." Dr. Wards looked at Detective Mason. "Ms. Collins has broken the law."

  I shook my head. "I never mentioned how I knew that, and actually it was a shot in the dark based on a picture of the old house."

  Dr. Wards looked at Virginia. "How does she have pictures of the old house?"

  "They were dropped off to me today."

  "Funny how key evidence supposedly pops up after Lydia has died." Dr. Wards shook his head. "Most likely false evidence."

  "I guess we'll have to see. I'll let Mason handle the stabbing of Jon since it's not a PIB case." I bowed my head. "You both have my contact information if you decide you want to talk."

  I walked out, leaving Mason alone. In a magical protected room, I wasn't worried about it.

  Mason came out a few moments later with Virginia in cuffs and took her out of the PIB building. Dr. Wards stepped out. "You won't win this Agent Collins."

  "It's not about winning or losing, it's about justice." I shrugged and walked back to the staircase to go back to my office.

  Part of me expected Dr. Wards to follow me, but he didn't. Once I got to the office, I called Liz.

  Her phone rang a couple of times before she answered. "What's up, Abby?"

  "We got the woman who stabbed Jon. I just thought I'd let you know."

  "Progress." She sighed. "I heard about your key witness dying from the curse."

  "Yeah, I wasn't thrilled with that, but it turns out that she has a sister hell-bent on justice."

  Liz was silent for a moment. "Do you trust her?"

  "I haven't looked into her yet. She brought me some evidence that I'm having tested for authenticity."

  "Okay, just be careful. I'd hate for this case to be screwed up and have the Cult after you."

  I snorted. "I've dealt with them before. Besides, friends in high places and all that fun." I waved it off. "But I won't screw this up."

  "I have faith in you. I'm picking Jon up from the hospital tonight."

  "Okay, I'm heading home. Mason arrested Virginia right in the interrogation room. I'm hoping that'll keep her busy for a bit."

  She laughed. "Oh, that woman. Have a good night Abby. I'll see you in the office tomorrow."

  "Bright and early." I disconnected the call and grabbed my bag before heading out.

  ∞

  I walked into the house and found Merick leaning against the counter. "Ready to learn how to transport?"

  "Right now?" I put my bag on the floor. "I seriously just walked in."

  He nodded. "My father and I have decided it's probably a lifesaving skill that you need to know."

  I sighed. "Okay, you're probably right." I ran a hand over my face. "How does this work?"

  "It's a spell." He pushed off the counter. "Some words, some magic, and whoosh, away you go."

  I narrowed my eyes. "You never speak when you transport us."

  "Because I have lots of practice. You can do it mentally when you have enough skills."

  Liz hadn't spoken when she used her spell either. "So it's like conjuring a circle without a guide."

  "Yes. You can do that in your sleep, you'll be able to handle this." He wrote the words down on a piece of paper.

  "That's not Latin; it's Arabic."

  Well, that was a new one for me. "Okay, so walk me through them, and then we'll practice?"

  Merick nodded and started working through the pronunciations with me. Two hours later I finally had them down.

  "Good, now again." Merick placed another cup of coffee on the counter.

  I repeated the words without putting magic behind them. I went to take the coffee, and he moved it away from me. I glared at him. "What?"

  "It's only a foot away. Put magic behind the words and conjure an image of you moving to the coffee."

  I sighed. "You shouldn't mess with my coffee."

  "I just want to see if you can do it."

  I nodded and took a deep breath. Closing my eyes, I repeated the words, threw my magic behind it, and…

  When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the same spot. "What the hell?"

  "Accent in the wrong place on the first word. Try again." Merick nodded to the coffee. "You want it, right?"

  "You think coffee is a good enough motivator?"

  "I don't have anything life threating to teach you with right now." He shrugged. "So coffee will have to do."

  I closed my eyes and tried again. This time, I moved an inch, but I felt exhausted. "What the hell."

  "It's a powerful spell. When you first start using it, you'll be tired because you're physically moving through space using magic. It's not something that's going to come easy. An inch is good progress."

  I snorted. "I'm used to spells coming easy."

  "This isn't going to be one of those times, Abigail." He shook his head. "Come on, only eleven more inches to go."

  I sighed and tried again, this time I moved two inches, but I could feel the magical drain. "How do you do this all the time and not be exhausted?"

  "It's a spell and skill I use daily. The more you use it, the easier it gets."

  I nodded and continued to try. A few more tries later, I had my coffee in hand. "Finally."

  Merick laughed. "Let's relax on the couch for a little bit." He disappeared and reappeared on the couch.

  I held my coffee tight and closed my eyes again. I muttered the words and this time got a foot closer to the living room but started to feel dizzy.

  "Don't push it, Abby, walk over here."

  I sighed and walked into the living room, sitting on the couch next to him. "What age does the Cult typically teach this spell?"

  "Members are taught it when they pledge themselves to the Cult. It takes an average of a month to learn, but we don't typically let them try until they can memorize the words completely. You're a special case."

  "How come?"

  "Because we're worried about the assassins after you."

  Speaking of. "Did you know that Nick was following me?"

  Merick shook his head. "No, but I think that is the least of our worries right now. Drink your coffee and regain some of your strength. Then we'll practice some more."

  I nodded. "It's go
ing to be a while before I can transport myself out of a lake huh?"

  "Months, but you'll get there." He leaned back on the couch.

  I could only hope because I couldn't depend on Merick or anyone else to save my ass all the time. I sipped my coffee and tried not to dwell on the idea of needing a Cult spell to stay alive.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I woke the next morning and tried to use the spell to get out of bed. I cried out when I landed on my ass on the floor instead of on my feet.

  "Abby?" Merick called.

  "I'm fine, just tripped." No way in hell I was going to admit to appearing on my butt instead of my feet. I stood and went to get ready for my day. Not risking trying again while I was getting ready.

  I bounced down the stairs and grabbed my bag. Merick stood near the door with his arms crossed. "Off to the office early today?"

  "I have research to do and evidence to put in order." I stopped with my hand on the door. "Hopefully a person to put in jail."

  "Will that person see trial?" There was no joking in his voice.

  "I honestly don't know. It depends on this evidence." I shook my head. "I can't give you details, Merick, you know that."

  He nodded. "I know, I was hoping though. Now, try to go through the door."

  I sighed. "I don't think I'm ready for solid objects."

  He thought for a moment and then swung the door open. "Now try."

  I sighed and muttered the words with my eyes closed. I opened them and found myself standing outside the house, on my feet. Yes.

  Merick was grinning when I turned to him. "Go to work. We'll work on longer lengths later."

  I nodded climbed into the Hummer to drive to work. I started the engine and waited for a moment to give it time to warm up. Merick had shut the door once I walked away, and I backed the Hummer out of the driveway. I felt the magic fade as I went past the circle and headed down the road.

  I turned onto the highway and checked my review mirror. No car following me. I made sure to keep an eye on it while I drove to see if I could catch Nick in the act or not. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary as I drove to the office. I relaxed the moment I parked the Hummer. The office wasn't as well protected as home, but it at least had surveillance if something happened. Assuming no one fucked with it. I didn't want to think about that.