by Martha Carr
“Tell her how the fire grew to that.” The technician glanced up, his forehead wrinkled and one eyebrow arched.
Kathleen tilted her head to the side, the flow of words starting up again. “No idea, really. One moment it wasn’t there and the next, lines of flames were zipping along the floor and flashing up the walls. Like the fire had a mind of its own. Beautiful really.” She raised her hands, wiggling her fingers and winced, gently lowering them back down. “You should have felt the heat. The doorway was covered in fire like some kind of apocalyptic archway to hell. The men were shouting mumbo jumbo, waving their hands around like that would do something. Finally, they just ran off. Definition of cowards.”
“But you made it out okay…” The technician said it soothingly, patting her shoulder. He sat back, putting tape on her wrist to hold the bandages in place. He looked up at Maggie, still pressing down the last of the tape. “They found her coming out of the old maternity wing with a wet blanket over her head. Apparently, the water was never fully shut off to the place. Probably saved her life. There, all done. I’ve got to check on a firefighter, but I’ll be back.” He took off at a jog toward one of the fire engines. The fire was still blazing in the background.
Taylor came up to the truck, his coat pulled over his head in the rain. “No sign of anyone. Not even tire tracks and in this mud that’s not possible. The general consensus is the kidnappers didn’t set the fire, so there should be plenty of tire tracks out here. Not sure how they got out of here unless they lifted off in a helicopter. The bad guys are getting way too smart.” He pursed his lips looking around the scene. Maggie knew he was looking for any kind of plausible explanation other than magic so he could just forget the car ride over there.
“Let’s get you home, Kathleen.” Maggie put her hand under Kathleen’s elbow to help her stand.
“I want to check on your mother, first. Let’s go by there.”
“She’s okay, you don’t need to do that.”
“I insist. After all they were originally after Toni. I’m not sure they knew what to do with me. That seemed to be the whole argument before the place went up in flames. I’m not going to rest easy until I lay eyes on her. You’ll find I can be quite stubborn, Miss Maggie. Come on, let’s go before that nice fellow gets back. He seems to think I’m an old lady.”
Maggie gave a tight smile. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
Kathleen leaned on her as they made their way through the rain, weaving among the firemen and trucks to the car. Bernie was already in the backseat.
Taylor caught up with them when they were almost to the car. “I found nothing. They were thorough even if they did run away quickly. The fire took care of a lot of it for them.” He stopped, his face frozen in mid-sentence when he saw Bernie sitting in the back seat, once again in gnome form. He hesitated, wiping the rain off his face and turned his back to the car.
Maggie helped Kathleen into the backseat, settling in next to Bernie. She went to the trunk and found a blanket, depositing it in the back. “Wrap up in this, it’s way too cold out here.”
Kathleen sniffed the air, wrinkling her nose. “Why does it smell like wet dog? You don’t have a dog, do you?”
Maggie opened her mouth to say something but gave up. Bernie shrugged and helped pull the blanket around Kathleen, introducing himself. “Bernie, nice to meet you. You new in town?”
Taylor was still leaning against the car. He seemed to be arguing with himself, weighing out something.
“Taylor, its real and it’s okay.” Maggie had to talk over the rain. “Just because we didn’t know about it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong. Think of it like a new and amazing invention. Like discovering how to make a plane fly.”
“This is a bit more complicated.” He looked at the fire. “And deadly. What’s going on here, Parker? You in trouble?”
“The first answer is going to take a while. Magic is real and the world is not what we thought, but we’ll figure it out. The second answer is yes, I’m in trouble and I’ll figure that one out too.”
“We’ll figure it out, together. Don’t go cutting me out of the greatest case I’ll see in my career.” He gave her a crooked smile she knew was meant to encourage her.
“Let’s get out of the rain. I’m freezing and there’s nothing here for us to learn. Once we drop off Kathleen, I’ll tell you about strange bubbles and a missing compass and a passenger ship that got off course.”
“I couldn’t have called the odds on this.” Taylor shook his head, wearily, rain dripping off the end of his nose.
“You’re right, Taylor. We’ll figure this out together, over a beer, on me.”
Maggie opened his door, doing her best to give him a reassuring smile, blinking in the rain.
“I don’t know about that Bernie,” he whispered, before sliding into the car and glancing into the backseat. Bernie and Kathleen were busy chattering away about bluebonnets in the spring. Bernie’s excitement was spilling over, and he hiccupped a few small fireflies, covering his mouth.
Taylor startled, shaking his head.
“I’m not so sure about any of it,” said Maggie just before she shut his door, jogging over to the driver’s side. She was soaked to the skin, shivering, but her mind was racing.
Magic was a part of her life from the moment she was born, whether she had known or not. This was always her normal. A new definition of normal. “Too bad it wants me dead.” A shiver ran through her hard enough to shake her as she got in the car, settling in for the drive to her mother’s house.
She looked down at her watch and saw that it wasn’t even noon yet. “Man, these days are getting longer and longer.”
“You said it, partner.” Taylor rested his head back and stared straight ahead.
She started the car and began to pull out, looking in the rear-view mirror at the fire. She noticed that the further they got away from the fire, the more the flames seemed to be dying down, giving into the rain. Something is controlling the fire. Are they watching me leave?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Toni was waiting at her house. She wouldn’t let go of Kathleen once she saw the bandages and the wet clothes. She insisted on outfitting Kathleen with warm, fuzzy clothes and making impromptu s’mores over the gas burner. Just like when Maggie and Diana were little. Toni was at her best in a crisis or a sudden celebration. Oscar followed Kathleen around the house, nuzzling against her and wagging his tail.
“I have to get Taylor back to the station and into dry clothes.” A pool of water was forming around his feet. “I’ll check back with all of you later.”
Bernie had hung back in the car, waiting for Kathleen to get out of sight before he filled the car with bubbles drying it out. The smell of strawberries was everywhere, replacing the smell of wet Labrador. By the time Taylor and Maggie got back to the car the rain was letting up and the sun was showing through some of the clouds.
“We should circle back to the dealership and finish getting the information on that robbery,” said Maggie. “It felt like that was days ago instead of just a few hours.”
“My mind is kind of fried. I tagged Moss a while ago while we were still at the fire and told him this would make us even on the Giants game. He still owed me a large for that one, and he was more than happy to work it off by just doing his job. Can you drop me at home? I’m gonna grab lunch with Claire and talk about how I should pick up after myself more, eat a little tuna fish salad. I’ll meet you back at the station in an hour. I can get Claire to drop me off. I’ll tell her it was a helluva morning. She never asks too many questions.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Bernie chimed in from the backseat. “Ditto.”
“Oh geez.” Taylor slapped his hand to his face. “Maybe you can be done with your ride along by the time I get back to the station.” He went to put on his seat belt but stopped and twisted in his seat to look at Bernie. “And no sneaking on board as a mouse or a cricket or something else that i
s suddenly going to start speaking the king’s English to me.” He was stabbing the air with a thick finger, emphasizing the words. “I think I’ve been pretty accommodating up to now but I’m gonna need a day to absorb all of this.”
“Seems fair.” Bernie slid back in his seat, shrugging at Maggie, mouthing, ‘sensitive’. Maggie glared at Bernie in the rear-view mirror and started up the El Camino. The light shone brightly into the car as she pulled away and the trees gently swayed in her direction as the car passed down Pressler. A sense of momentary calm came over her and the memory of talking to the trees while holding her father’s hand flashed through her mind again. This has always been who I am, just forgotten.
“I’m hungry.” Bernie had moved up to the front seat of the El Camino and was straining against the seat belt looking out the front window like he was trying to get somewhere faster.
“We have to look for the compass. Too many weird things are happening. You said the book needs to be checked again to figure out who’s the fire starter. Let’s do that first.”
“I’m not going to last too much longer without food. Take me somewhere or I bubble on out of here to the cafeteria near the engine room. Today’s meatloaf day and I’m not thrilled about missing it in the first place.”
“I’ll make you a deal. One hour searching for the compass and then I’ll take you to Hopdoddy’s. I’ll even buy. The breakfast burger can make me forget a lot of troubles. It’ll be worth the wait, I promise, and we might even get closer to saving the world before lunch, or maybe just my hide.”
“I like that ambition, Peabrain, but I don’t know. If it’s not Huldu meatloaf, then it’s gotta be Subway. Perfect place to eat. You can get practically anything between two slices of bread, done your way. You could even order one with rabbit food.”
“That’s always an option, but no.” Maggie pulled into the lobby of the library. “One hour, now show me how to get through that wall again.”
“One hour and this place better have milkshakes.”
“Puhleez. I’m not an amateur. You want a Nutella chocolate pretzel shake or a strawberry shortcake shake? I’m from these woods, mechanic, and I don’t eat rabbit food.”
“Okay, simmer down. I get it. Fine, you have a deal but bring your wallet. Gnomes are not nibblers.”
Maggie went through the drive thru of a McDonald’s on their way over there to get a Happy Meal. She parked near the dumpster and got out, spotting his shopping cart hidden behind it but Slim was nowhere to be seen.
“Too early in the day. Leave it for him in his cart. It’ll be cold, he’ll complain and eat it anyway. It’s our schtick. What’s the prize?”
Maggie opened the box and looked inside. “A Teen Titan, whatever that is.”
“Oooh, is it Beast Boy? I don’t have that one yet.”
Maggie tilted her head to the side. “I’m not giving you his prize. He’ll know.”
“He’s homeless, he doesn’t need more stuff.”
“You live underground, neither do you.” Maggie tucked the Happy Meal under an old, stained towel in the cart.
“You wound me, Peabrain. Come on, let’s head inside.”
They made their way inside and through the library, up the stairs and got to the far wall back in a corner where very few patrons ever went.
Bernie pulled Maggie through the wall with a pop and she let out a giggle of delight. “That doesn’t get old.”
“You’ve done it twice. Do you do that every time you walk through a doorway? Peabrains,” he said, shaking his head. “Amazed by the invention of the toaster. How about we calm down and see how you feel after a few hundred times? Come on, your one hour is ticking down.” Bernie made a beeline for the purple tome and licked his finger, flipping pages furiously, scanning them briefly and flipping more of them. “That can’t be. There’s nothing in here. Less than nothing! The old writings say it’s impossible to control fire. Practitioners of dark magic have tried for centuries, of course. Who doesn’t love a little arson to make your evil point? But it always goes south and kaboom! Krakatoa!”
“Well, clearly the book is wrong.” Maggie leaned over his shoulder, reading the page.
Bernie tapped the page, incensed. “The book is never wrong. Maybe incomplete because of that other little fire in Egypt but not wrong. No one has seen anyone successfully control fire like that since the Library of Alexandria was burned.” He threw up his hands. “It’s a mystery. But whoever it was has a beef with Simon and his followers.”
“Only question we need to answer is if the beef is with all Peabrains or just his Scooby gang.” Maggie turned around and looked at the stacks of other books. She went down one aisle, reading off the spines. Herbal Healing Remedies. Bubbles for Beginners. Portals Made Easy. Understanding The Elementals. She ran her hand over the raised gold letters on the spine of the last book and pulled it off the shelf. “What’s this?”
“What?” Bernie looked up from the tome, still turning pages. “My cousin, Billy wrote that just in case we were ever able to find you guys.”
Maggie opened the book and read from the page. “Each Elemental is important but only one is necessary. Hey, can I check this out?”
“It’s not that kind of library. The answer is no. You can read it here, but you have to leave it behind. I know you said you have a thing about lying but just in case that doesn’t extend to stealing, let me save you the trouble. There are wards all over this room and if you try to take a book, you’ll get a shock like you never felt. Goosed by magic. The book stays behind, and you go through the wall to the other side. Punishment for even trying is banishment from the room for a month and we don’t have the bandwidth for you to be making those kinds of mistakes.”
“Got it, no borrowing books.” She looked down and kept reading. “It says here I’m connected to the compass.” She looked up at Bernie, her finger still on the page. “Then I should be able to sense where it’s located.”
“That’s the rumor but without a guide like the last Elemental, I have no idea how to help you tune into that. That was one of those secrets an Elemental’s not supposed to tell just anybody.”
“And it died with my father…” Maggie gently closed the book and put it back on the shelf.
“Sorry kid. I’m hoping nature will kick in at some point and you’ll just, you know, kind of naturally figure out how to handle this gig.” He held his hands out to the side. “There’s going to be some assembly required.” He pointed at Maggie. “Maybe the trees can help. They won’t talk to anybody but you, the mother ship and a few million insects and they see everything. One giant network that covers the entire ship. They have to know a few things.”
“I know you’re trying to help, it’s okay Bernie. We’ll figure this out.” She let out a deep sigh, not realizing she was holding her breath. “In time,” she whispered, looking at the rows of books. “We’ll figure it out in time.”
“Let’s get out of here. We need some fresh air.” Bernie took Maggie firmly by the hand and walked them both through the wall. “Time for some eats.” He glanced at the solemn look on Maggie’s face. “You know, some of my best noodling over a problem happens if I’m willing to take a break. My mind keeps working on it somewhere in the back.” He circled the top of his head with his finger. “Boom, out pops an idea. A little food couldn’t hurt either.”
“Sounds a little self serving,” said Maggie as they headed back down the stairs.
“Best ideas serve both sides.”
“You and Taylor really should be friends.”
“Takes Peabrains a while to warm up to me, but most generally do. I’m a likeable guy. Now tell me more about that Nutella shake.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
They stood in the long line at Hopdoddy’s on South Congress right by the line of pictures of local musicians who had made good. Bernie was busy studying the menu, or talking to people in line, or admiring the full stocked bar across the room from where they stood.
“This
is my kind of playground!” He whistled through his teeth, his eyes wide in amazement. “I have really spent too much time in our cafeteria. Who knew? There’s even a bar!”
“Huldus can drink, that’s a new thought.” Maggie smiled at Bernie, despite the dozens of thoughts racing through her mind. He’s right, I can use a distraction.
“Yeah, but not really a good one. Woof! Imagine a few hundred wild-eyed magicals who can pack some muscle. Remember that snowmageddon a few years back? Holiday party and someone had snuck in some hooch. We got a little carried away at the controls. Louie even hit the snow lightning button. That one doesn’t get used very often.” Bernie shrugged. “It happens. Chicago dug out eventually and everyone has something to talk about. Hello, how ya doing?” Bernie nodded to the tall young man with a bushy blonde beard and short cropped hair, standing behind him.
The gnome looked him up and down, sizing him up. “Your family go way back?”
Maggie’s phone chirped and she looked down to see a text from Jake. ‘Long day at work. Are you free Friday night? Let’s get dinner. We can talk football all night.’ Maggie smiled and leaned over to whisper to Bernie, “He’s not a Kashgar. Most of the world is taller than you are.”
Bernie pursed his lips sizing up the young man.
“Hey little dude.” The burly young man put out his hand to Bernie and tipped his brown pork pie hat.
“Oooh, I can’t look.” Maggie turned her back and typed a message. ‘It’s a date. I’ll show you my brackets if you show me yours.’ She smiled at her own joke. Her head popped up, suddenly processing what she was hearing in the background.
“I’m tall for my kind, I’ll have you know, and I can lift kindling like you over my head,” said Bernie, with a low growl.
Maggie slid her phone into her pocket and wheeled around in time to stop Bernie from power hugging the young man and lifting him high overhead. The man was smiling at Bernie and elbowing his friend next to him. “You in a cover band, some kind of dead head? That’s cool,” he said.
