Double Trouble (Taz Bell Book 5)

by Sharon Green

  "I'm guessing that the Whippe sent to Oldon didn't set off any alarms," George said, now studying Amiol's face. "If I'm wrong, please do say so."

  "No, George, you aren't wrong," Amiol said at once, and then he headed to the fridge. "Which means I want to take a closer look at the Whippe."

  Amiol opened the fridge door and located the Whippe, then he said something in that language he used for magic. We all waited for something to happen, and when it didn't our teammate turned back to us.

  "There's nothing wrong with these meals," he stated, looking from George to me and back to George. "If there's nothing wrong with them, why were they sent to Oldon?"

  "Good question," I said, but this time nothing of an answer showed up. "I don't know what's going on, but let's not announce this to everyone else. We'll let Oldon's friend test the stuff, and then maybe we'll have some kind of explanation that makes sense."

  "I'd be interested in an explanation like that," George said after joining Amiol in agreeing with my suggestion. "Right now I don't have clue one about what's going on, and I don't like being in the dark like this."

  "Now there's an interesting picture," I said, finding it impossible not to tease my partner. "A ghost who doesn't like the dark. Are you afraid something might sneak up on you, George?"

  "Anything that wants to sneak up on me can do it," George answered with a grin. "Then I can laugh when the sneaking doesn't do it any good. Let's go back and rejoin the team."

  The three of us did the laughing as we went back into the dining room, and then Amiol and I rejoined our coffee, so to speak. Once we were all sitting down again, Freemont turned to George.

  "You need to know, George, that we have a new team member," my living partner said with a smile. "Bari has agreed to join us, but it will be a few weeks before she has her certification."

  "What kind of certification are we talking about?" Bari asked, looking more curious than bothered. "I'm already a certified locator."

  "But not a certified rogue hunter," Freemont answered with a continuing smile. "Eric's certification ought to be at our mailbox address any time now, with Amiol's only a short time behind it. Oldon's certification will take a little longer; it isn't all that long since I sent in the paperwork – so to speak - for him. Now I get to do the same for you, and then we'll all be legal and official."

  "And the certification will include a Federal gun permit," George added as Bari sat with her brows high in surprise. "Do you have a gun, Bari? If not, do you know how to use one?"

  "Yes, I can use a gun but no, I don't have one," Bari answered, now more pleased than surprised. "Once I'm certified, though, that can be changed. But what happens if we get into trouble and I need to use a gun before that? Will I be breaking the law?"

  "It's not a problem," I assured her, since she seemed to be asking me the question. "Freemont sends in the request for certification online, and as soon as they have your name you're considered a rogue hunter. It just takes some time before the condition is made official. Red tape and all that."

  Bari nodded her understanding, but there was nothing surprising in that. Anyone who wasn't raised in a closet knows how slow any government office tends to be. People are not falling all over themselves to be certified as rogue hunters, but it still takes weeks before the paperwork goes through.

  Someone had refilled the carafe, which let us all sit around drinking coffee for a short while. Oldon decided to take a bit more of the blood in the fridge, so he went in and warmed it before bringing the mug back. It was the same blood he'd been drinking since we moved in, which meant there was very little chance he'd regret making the decision.

  We were talking about nothing at all important when someone knocked on the front door. I volunteered to see who it was by getting up and heading over, but the question was answered even before I reached the door. I got Art's scent more clearly than usual, but not because he was "smelly." I didn't know the real reason his scent came through so well, but I dismissed the question as I opened the door to our good friend.

  "Hi, Art," I said with a smile, reaching over to open the outer door as well. "Come on in and join us in having some coffee."

  "Don't mind if I do," Art answered with his own smile, putting one hand on the outer door to keep it open as he began to step inside. His other hand held a plastic shopping bag, the kind you get in any grocery. Art started to step inside, but suddenly he was stopped as if he ran into a brick wall.

  "What the hell?" he exclaimed, kind of bouncing back a step from the opening. "There's something keeping me from coming in."

  For a second I didn't understand what was happening, then the obvious hit me between the eyes.

  "Of course you can't come in, not with that bag in your hand," I said, even though I knew he'd have no idea what I meant. "Wait just a second and we should be able to get this fixed."

  I turned and called out Amiol's name, and a moment later my dark elf teammate was hurrying to the door – with Eric right behind him.

  "What's wrong, Taz?" Amiol asked, a small bit of worry in his expression. "Why aren't you letting Art come inside?"

  "I'm not the one keeping him out," I answered, finding it impossible to hold back a laugh. "Art has a silver headband in that bag he's holding, and that's why he can't come in."

  "Of course!" Eric exclaimed while Amiol just looked confused. "Silver is poison for three of us, you and me and Oldon. No wonder Amiol's spell isn't letting Art come inside."

  This time it was Art who looked confused, while Amiol's expression immediately cleared up. Now we'd have to see if Amiol was able to make an exception to his spell…

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Amiol spoke in that strange language again, and then he gestured to Art.

  "You can come in now, my friend," he told our visitor with a grin. "I've exempted the silver headband from my spell, so anyone will be able to carry it in and out of the house. That should make things easier when the full moon comes."

  "It should definitely make things easier for Taz," Art agreed as he stepped inside, letting me close the door behind him. "But I thought you'd found and taken care of the one who was after you. Why do you need such … special protection now?"

  "That crazy light elf isn't the only one who's after us," I said, leading the way to the dining room. "We do have other enemies, unfortunately, so we're taking precautions. You know what George always says: better safe than sorry."

  "It's too bad you don't remember that saying a little more often," George put in from where he sat at the table. "Hi, Art, nice to see you again."

  "Same here," Art said, smiling and nodding at Freemont and Oldon. "In fact it's great to see all of you again. And now Oldon is a member of the team. Obviously, now that he's one of you, I'll have to brush up on vampire care."

  "Art took care of Eric and me after a particularly nasty encounter," I explained to everyone in general. "After that it's no wonder he expects all of us to need his services at some time or another."

  "Wow, the team has it's own doctor," Bari said, mostly teasing. "Now I feel better about having volunteered to join you guys."

  "Right, like you were really worried before now," I said very dryly. "Art, that's our newest team member, Bari Lancaster. Except for the fact that she's crazy enough to join the team, she's not very talented. Aside from her martial arts ability and her locating ability, but those two things aren't very important."

  "She's a locator?" Art said, nodding and smiling at Bari now while Bari herself grinned at what I'd said. "That's a talent I wish I had."

  "If you'd like to try, I'm willing to give lessons," Bari told him, still grinning. "My talent is one a lot of people have, but most people don't know they have the talent. You just have to try it and see."

  "I think I'll take you up on that," Art said, and he looked perfectly serious. "Once the full moon is behind us, we'll have to get together."

  Bari nodded her agreement, so I took Art into the kitchen to get a mug for his coffee. He
filled his cup from the big urn, then followed me back into the dining room. He also handed me the bag he'd been carrying before messing with the coffee, so I was the one who took the bag back into the room where everyone else sat and waited.

  "What's in the bag, Taz?" Bari asked as I sat down near my coffee again and Art took his own place at the table. "If it's anything to eat, I'm available to help dispose of the item. But only after finding out what it is."

  "If you hadn't qualified that offer, I probably would have tossed you off the team," I told her while the rest of our teammates chuckled. "What's in this bag is a silver headband, carefully wrapped up so that it won't touch my skin. It's what I'm hoping will keep me from changing on the full moon."

  "And I'll be joining you for the experiment," Art said while Bari raised her brows in surprise. Art was fixing his coffee, but only needed partial attention for that chore. "I think we ought to go to the preserve the way we normally would, dressed in what we usually wear, just in case the experiment doesn't work."

  "That's a good idea," Eric said, nodding as his thoughts turned inward. "If you have to change after all, you want to be in a place where you can do it safely."

  "And I'll be the one who drives you two," Oldon put in, looking from Art to me and back again. "If one of you loses control, I can make sure that no one gets hurt."

  "That's a good idea," Art agreed at once, then took a sip of his coffee. "And now that that's settled, I can ask about who else is after you folks."

  "It's that same fool who caused trouble when Taz got hurt a short while ago," Eric supplied, a distant growl to be heard behind the words. "But this time there are more witnesses than just her, so the fool is currently behind bars. He can't be arraigned until Monday."

  "What a shame," Art said with a wide smile. "And when Monday comes they'll put him away for longer than a couple of days."

  "Freemont says it won't be that easy," I supplied with a shake of my head. "That's why I intend to be in court when he and his lawyer are there. If they try any cute little tricks I won't be letting it happen."

  "Just don't let yourself be locked up," Art said, his expression showing a touch of disturbance. "Monday is only two days away from the full moon, and you don't want to play games that could turn out really bad."

  "Don't worry, I'll be careful, but I won't let that fool get away with lying his way free again," I stated, giving Art a level stare. "His lawyer claimed that I was too badly hurt in that warehouse that what I said I heard couldn't possibly be the truth. If he tries the same thing this time I'll be there to argue the point."

  "You should have been there the first time," Art said, now wearing a frown. "And I should have been there as well, to testify that you weren't imagining what you heard. Why weren't we there?"

  "Neither of you was there because the prosecutor didn't call you," Freemont said, his words thoughtful. "I don't know exactly what that means, but I can't get past the feeling that the idea means something."

  "Somehow it means something to me, too," I said, now searching for the reason behind the feeling. "I meant to make sure the fool's lawyer didn't pay off the judge, but maybe it's not the judge we have to worry about. If the prosecutor's office screws up, the fool goes free."

  "And that screwing up can be done on purpose if the fool buys him," Art said, nodding slowly as he considered the possibility. "Is there any way to check if the man or woman has recently had a financial windfall?"

  "First step ought to be finding out if the man or woman handling the case on Monday is the same one who handled the last case," Bari put in. "If so, then there's a reason for checking him or her out. Do you think your friend in the state government would be willing to take that look?"

  "Let's find out," I said, pulling out my phone and choosing Allison's number. The phone rang twice, and then it was Allison on the line.

  "Hi, Taz," she said, sounding the least bit hesitant. "I don't think you have trouble again, but there's something behind the reason for your call."

  "The something concerns that man Roland Helms," I answered, delighted to see that her talent was definitely getting stronger. "Art is here, and he wondered why he wasn't called to testify against Helms at the man's first arraignment, when the man's lawyer claimed I wasn't able to back up what I said I heard because I was too badly hurt. That led some of us to wonder if the prosecutor was paid off to keep Art and me from testifying. We also wondered if the prosecutor from the first time will be prosecuting this time, too. Do you think you can do any checking to see if our guesses turn out to be true?"

  "I think I have to do that checking," she answered slowly, as if considering what she'd heard. "The idea of a prosecutor 'throwing the game' is something that needs looking into, especially by my office. Today may be Saturday, but I think I can get somewhere anyway. I'll do some snooping and then I'll get back to you."

  "Sounds good," I agreed. "If you need any help we can give you, just let me know."

  She said she'd do just that, and then we both said goodbye and disconnected.

  "She's going to look into it," I told those at the table who hadn't heard the other side of the conversation. "If she needs us she'll call, but until then we can just enjoy a day off. So, Art, how are you coming with your plans for a shapeshifter community?"

  "Not very well," Art answered with something of a sigh. "Some of our people are afraid that putting themselves into a community would make us targets, just as you suggested, and the rest don't care as long as they can be among their own. I think we'll just have to keep at it until we can come up with something everyone will agree to. Or at least almost everyone. There will always be those who prefer their own ideas."

  "Maybe you'll be able to find a compromise of some kind," Freemont said, but unfortunately he wasn't looking as though he studied something unseen to the rest of us. "I don't know if that's possible, but maybe something will turn up."

  Art nodded wearily, but didn't look convinced. I knew just how he felt, so I changed the subject to our new living arrangement. Eric took Art upstairs to see his apartment, and when they came back down we began to rave about Jack's cooking. That subject took Art's attention, so we invited him to join us for dinner.

  We sat around talking for quite some time, and then there was a ring at the front door. I got up again and went to see who it was this time, and when I opened the door I saw a man I didn't know. Just under six feet, light brown hair and light eyes, a pleasant smile on his pleasant face, and human. He was dressed casually in jeans, running shoes, and a tee shirt, and when he saw me he sent his pleasant smile in my direction.

  "Good afternoon," he said with a nod. "I'm looking for someone named-"

  His words cut off abruptly as he stared for a moment, and then he pointed at me.

  "You're Taz Bell!" he exclaimed, almost as if the words were an accusation. "No wonder Zyoril said I'd have a surprise! Ms. Bell, you have no idea how delighted I am to meet you. You and your team are heroes of mine, I mean, you're heroes to a lot of people, but especially to me. I mean–"

  His words broke off a second time and he shook his head, then sent me a sheepish grin.

  "Sorry about that, but hero worship turns you into a babbling idiot," he said with a laugh. "I'm Harry Longren, and I've been sent by Zyoril to give this package to Oldon and then I'm to collect a different package."

  He pointed to a fairly large, bulky package he'd put down next to him, so I sent a smile of my own.

  "Hi, Harry, we've been expecting you," I said as I pushed open the screen door. "Do you need any help with that monster package?"

  "I know monsters are your specialty, but this one I can handle alone," he answered with a chuckle. "If you'll just hang onto that door, I can manage the rest."

  He bent and picked up the bulky package with only a small, soundless grunt, then moved through the doorway with it. Since nothing kept him from coming inside, I took care of closing the doors while I called out Oldon's name. My teammate came out of the dining room to
see Harry and his package, and surprise raised Oldon's brows.

  "What's this?" Oldon asked, moving closer to Harry in his usual gliding stride. "Did someone send us a gift?"

  "Harry here says the gift is yours, sent by your friend Zyoril," I answered. "I wonder what it can be."

  "No, I don't believe it!" Oldon exclaimed, getting my own guess from my expression and Harry's grin. "Did my good friend send me more of those new meals?"

  "Only a week and a half worth," Harry supplied, sounding really pleased. "Any more would go bad before you were able to eat it, so you'll have to find a source of your own once this batch is gone."

  "I will find that source, no worries about that," Oldon stated, then moved closer to Harry. "Here, let me carry that for you. We'll put it into the refrigerator in the kitchen, and then I'll give you what you need to take back."

  Harry had been straining a little under the package, but Oldon took it without any trouble and then led Harry toward the kitchen.

  "Oldon, please let Jack know we're having company for dinner," I called after my teammate. "That is, if you can pay attention to anything other than your own meals."

  "I'll tell him, I'll tell him," Oldon returned with a laugh without slowing or turning. "As soon as I get these beauties into the fridge."

  Everyone in the dining room had pretty much heard the news, so the same everyone was grinning when I reclaimed my seat at the table.

  "What's this about meals for Oldon?" Art asked, his expression filled with curiosity. "Since when do vampires eat meals?"

  "It's something new they've just come out with," Eric supplied while I took a swallow of coffee. "The meals are based on Whippe, but flavored with actual food tastes instead of just fruit. Oldon has already had one of the meals, and he was just about drooling as he ate."

  "Along with that new Boast stuff, he now has quite a lot to choose from," Freemont put in. "It makes me feel better, at least. I really hate to sit stuffing my face while there's someone around who can't do the same."

  "Which means we're finally going to get the answer to whether or not vampires can get fat," Amiol added with a grin. "If it's possible, Oldon will manage it."