“What is it, darling?” As usual, she moved to adjust his tie, even though he was pretty sure he’d put it on correctly this time.
“Nothing, my love. Where are we meeting Alex?”
“In the lobby. I’ve called Erik to be our ride, as she said she had somewhere to take us.”
“Oh, brilliant,” Finn said before realizing the possible issues with that. “And he agreed? He got pretty banged up last time.”
“He’s very loyal. Come on.”
“He’d better be loyal,” Finn said, following her back out to the living room. “You paid off his house.”
“It’s nothing to do with material possessions,” she argued, her voice high and breathy. Finn knew her embarrassment wasn’t based on the amount she’d spent, but rather on the implication that she might have bought off someone who wouldn’t otherwise have wanted anything to do with her.
It was still staggering, though, that Veruca could be so casual about the amount of money she’d bestowed on a man who, up until Finn had come into her life, had been little more than Veruca’s driver. Finn had never owned a house himself, but he swore he’d heard a number in the upper one-hundred-thousands being bandied about like it was nothing.
Working for the Prince of Hell certainly had its benefits. Dating a woman who worked for him was only slightly less rewarding, though Finn guessed that even had Veruca been a poor woman, she’d be just as giving.
“I love you,” Finn said as she held his coat out to him. She smiled without looking over, choosing her own coat from the rack just inside the door.
“I can tell,” she said when she’d chosen a long, bright red bridge coat—a term she’d taught him in her attempts to make him respectable—and slipped it on. “That doesn’t mean we’re staying and getting undressed again.”
“Of course not, so get that idea out of your head.”
This time she did catch his eye. “Out of my head?”
“I know how I look in this suit. You can barely contain yourself.”
“Well, then, we should get out to a public space before I lose all control and rip it right off you.”
“A very smart, if disappointing, course of action.”
****
Just as Veruca had told Finn, Alex was waiting in the lobby, perched on the arm of a chair tucked into an alcove near the front desk. She looked different, though Finn couldn’t have really explained why. He kept a close eye on her face, trying to discern what it was that made her look not quite like herself. She’d changed clothes, of course, which would have been obvious to anyone.
Instead of the tight jeans, faded t-shirt, and studded, tan jacket, she’d gone corporate. Her pantsuit looked cheap and a little baggy in the wrong places. She’d changed her hair, too, though Finn suspected she’d found an expensive, boxy wig rather than somehow dyed and smoothed down her Mohawk in the few hours since they’d last seen her.
She got up and came to meet them, barely noticing the intensity with which Finn was staring at her face. He wanted to know why she looked off, but she didn’t give him a chance to ask.
“Strap in, rough riders, we’re going to a crime scene.”
“Has there been another robbery?” Veruca asked. Alex shook her head, moving so they could walk abreast toward the door.
“No, but I got us permission to check out a recent one. I’ll get word soon if we can look at any of the others, but we’ll start with this one.”
“What do you think we’ll find? Don’t we already know it was zombies who robbed the place?” Finn asked.
“Yes, but we’re looking for who controls the zombies,” she said, her tone making it clear she thought his question was moronic. “The cops wouldn’t have been looking for anything preternatural. We will be.”
“I doubt we’ll find much,” Veruca said as they stopped near the car. Finn waved eagerly at Erik, who smiled but didn’t match Finn’s childish excitement. He looked good for having been kept alive by only magic a few months before.
“We’ll see. I’ve given your driver the address, so I’ll see you there shortly.”
“You’re not coming with us?”
“Doesn’t mesh with the image.” Without explaining what that meant, Alex turned and headed up the street to turn into the parking garage.
****
“What does she think we’ll find?” Finn repeated once they were buckled in and Erik eased into traffic.
“How’ve you been?” Veruca asked Erik, letting Finn know his question could wait for them to catch up.
“Me?” Erik asked, seeming surprised.
“Of course. I know how Finn’s been,” she said with a smile. “He refuses to leave my side.”
“I leave,” Finn argued, knowing it was a weak defense. It was usually her who left him for board meetings, morning exercise, or soul collections.
“I’m good,” Erik said. “No worse than when you asked last week.”
“Just wanted to make sure. Have you decided on a dog?”
“Not quite,” Erik said, shifting in his seat before handing his phone back to Veruca. The lock screen was a picture of a Labrador-sized pig with an adorable underbite. “I have a pig now.”
“A pig?” Veruca asked, laughing and staring at the picture intently. “Why a pig?”
“I don’t know how it happened. I thought I had the dog I wanted all picked out, but this little girl showed up on the site and I was completely taken by her. She’s too cute, I think I have to go vegetarian.”
“You should,” Veruca said, giving the phone back. “She’d never forgive you if she saw you eating all her barnyard friends.”
“Not exactly unbiased advice,” Erik said, chuckling. “But as long as you agree to give me tips, I think I can make it happen.”
Finn watched them chat with a grin so big his face hurt. He hadn’t spent much time around such casual conversation and loose ribbing. His childhood in Ireland was foggy, so while it may have been idyllic, he didn’t have the reference to know for sure. Since falling into bed with Veruca, though, his experiences had changed. She made friends easily, in a different way than Finn had ever seen before.
She didn’t make friends with the aim of taking whatever the new person was willing to give, but rather because she liked being a pal. Finn liked that even more than he liked her spectacular boobs.
****
Alex had somehow beat them to the bank and was waiting out front looking serious and reserved. Veruca looked her over once, wondered if the contacts, fake teeth, and heavy makeup she wore were as uncomfortable as they seemed. She hadn’t changed her appearance so much that someone who was looking at her specifically wouldn’t be able to recognize her, but rather so that anyone who wasn’t looking directly at her would get a different impression of what she looked like.
Her eyes were pale in a way that drew attention, the shape of the wig made her face look pudgy, and the teeth pushed at her lips just enough that you’d think she had a heavy overbite, even if she never smiled at you once.
It was proof she was worth the money, at the very least.
Her demeanor was similarly different from what it had been at the hotel, which Veruca understood once she started speaking.
“Agent Triche, good to have your help. If you’ll stick with me, I’ll speak to the owners on your behalf.”
“Who’s Agent Triche?” Finn asked, looking between Veruca and Alex. Then, in a whisper, he leaned close and said, “Are we choosing code names? Can I be Burt Bonewell?”
Veruca ignored him and gestured for Alex to lead the way inside. She carried herself as if holding something back, scanning the area intently. She settled on a man at the back who could have charitably been described as dorky. They moved to him and Alex held out a wallet, flipping it open to show off an undoubtedly forged ID.
“Morning, I’m Agent Triche with the Federal Reserve Board. Is there someone we can speak to about the incident that happened here two weeks ago?”
The bank employee’s mo
uth fell open as he took in Alex and her ID, and Veruca swore he might have fainted if her voice had been forceful in the least.
“The what board?”
“Is your boss here, sir?” Alex tucked her badge away, tilting toward him minutely as if the extra inch would allow her to inspect his badge more intently. Though she was no closer than had she taken a deep breath or shifted her weight, the man pulled back far enough that it seemed he might tip right onto his plump behind. As Alex stood still, her gaze fixed on the little square of plastic pinned to his chest. Mr. Grass held his breath, making Veruca feel a little sorry for him.
“Mr. Grass,” Alex said finally, her tone holding a note of concentration, making it clear she’d taken note of his name. He swallowed thickly and Veruca wondered how he survived in daily life if just being faced by an authority figure pushed him toward fainting.
“I’ll call her.”
“The offices upstairs?” Alex asked, throwing him off with the change of subject.
“I’ll call her,” Grass repeated automatically. As he dialed his phone, his gaze slid to her breast pocket where she’d slipped the ID. Even though he’d stepped carefully back so he could reach the phone, Alex continued to lean in slightly. She watched him in a way that one might characterize as “intense” if one was nervous. Veruca kept an eye on Alex’s face, considering she hadn’t so much as frowned or whispered a single threat, and yet she’d managed to push the poor man right up to the edge of peeing his ill-fitting trousers.
To Finn’s credit, he remained silent as they waited for the manager to come over and liberate Grass from Alex’s attentions. Just a few months before, he would have probably tried to talk the man out of his discomfort. It was just in Finn’s nature to make people feel at ease. It was, along with his stunning features, how he got so much out of people.
“Good afternoon.”
Veruca turned to find an older woman stepping up to hold out her hand to Alex, who ignored the approach just long enough to make Grass gulp nervously one last time. Reading her soul and its power immediately, Veruca shifted and grabbed the woman’s hand first, smiling and hoping Alex understood she was stepping in for a reason.
“Are you the manager? I’m Veruca, it’s very nice to make your acquaintance.” Refusing to let go of the manager’s hand, Veruca placed her left over her right and turned to face Alex. “We’re not with the Board, like Agent Triche here, but we’re very interested in getting to the bottom of what’s happened here.”
“You’re here about the robbery?” The manager tugged lightly at her hand, but Veruca continued to smile broadly, softening her expression into one of overwhelmed gratitude. Perhaps hoping that introducing herself would free her, the manager met Veruca’s eye and spoke. “Pauline Sievers.”
“I’m from the Reserve Board. Agent Triche,” Alex said, keeping her hands at her side, rather than trying to wrestle Pauline’s hand away from Veruca. “I’ve brought some outside consultants we sometimes work with in these situations.”
“What situations?” Pauline asked, finally tugging her hand out of Veruca’s grip and keeping it to herself rather than risking anyone else holding it hostage. “I wasn’t aware the Board came to town for this sort of thing.”
“We come to town for all sorts of things when taxpayer money is involved. Can you show us to your security room? We’d like to review the tapes, speak with your people, etcetera. Local authorities gave me the rundown, but I’d like to hear it from the source.” Alex kept her tone flat, slightly bored but deliberate, as if she was reading from a script she slightly resented having to memorize.
“Can I see your badge?” Pauline asked, holding out her hand. Having picked up on the con, Finn pushed in between the two ladies, slipping two of his long fingers under the pendant hanging over her brass-colored blouse, and catching her eye.
“Your necklace is lovely. Is it Irish?” He kicked up the accent a bit, and Veruca could swear she saw an extra sparkle in his eye. As most women did, Pauline went a little pink, flattery distracting her.
“Oh, yes. My grandmother was from Killarney. She left it to me.”
“She passed away?” Finn asked, stepping back only just enough that Alex could hold out her badge, but Pauline’s attention would remain mainly on him. “I’m so sorry. Losing a loved one … such a difficult ordeal.”
“Oh, it was for the best at the time, though I do miss her. I try to think about how she was before the end.”
“You’re a strong woman,” Finn said, sympathy ringing through his voice. Alex cleared her throat as if she was so interested in getting down to business that socializing offended her.
“Shall we go?” she asked, still holding her badge up. Pauline tore her eyes off Finn just long enough to glance at it, and then nodded.
“Of course.”
She left her gaze on Finn as long as she could as she turned and led them to the back of the bank. Finn nodded at the timid and happily forgotten Mr. Grass and fell into step behind the women.
Chapter Seven
The security office was a large, rectangular room with no windows, no decoration, and a coffee machine that looked like it had been used to make sludgy coffee once in the eighties and then abandoned. The carafe was stained and filled with muck, but the cracked garbage can next to it was nearly full of Starbucks to-go cups, so at least the bank could still count on the guards being caffeinated.
The men looked to Pauline as she entered, taking in Veruca and Alex with equal parts confusion and interest. Even the older of the two, a guy who could have easily been in his sixties, straightened slightly and smoothed down his tie. Finn stayed at the back, knowing the value of beautiful women leading any interaction with men who probably spent the majority of their lives staring at screens with only the farts of other men for company.
It wasn’t a bad place to be, behind a woman, Finn felt. Not only was the view worth it, but he often found himself cavorting with women who were much more productive and forceful than he, which worked out just fine for him.
“Jim and Anthony will be able to answer your questions. Both were working the day of the robbery. Lisa’s on lunch, but she was on the floor when it all happened. I’ll make sure she comes in to speak with you when she’s back.” As she finished speaking, Pauline’s brow knit as if she’d just realized something unpleasant. “You said you’re all Board agents?”
“We work with profilers in certain cases,” Alex said, already moving toward the monitors and the younger of the two guards. “Independent contractors who don’t have a stake in the outcome of the investigation.”
“And what do you do?” Pauline asked Veruca, already back to being unhappy with their presence.
“Myself, I’m a body language expert,” Finn answered, angling himself so the look he gave Pauline was for her only and the security guards wouldn’t notice. “I speak the language of the human form quite well.”
“Oh,” was all Pauline got out. Veruca moved to the older guard, smiling brightly at him and gesturing to the chair next to his desk.
“May I?”
“If that’s all, we’ll get to work,” Alex said, making it clear she had no more use for Pauline. “Unless you were a witness and you’d like to make a statement?”
“No,” Pauline said, drawing the word out as if finishing it would force her to stop looking at Finn. He kept his slight smile in place, holding her gaze intensely. For a moment he worried he was pushing her a little too hard, that she was going to throw herself at him right then and there. Instead, she shook her head.
“No,” she said again, backing toward the door. “It was a Saturday and I wasn’t working. I can send in the clerks who—”
“That won’t be necessary right now,” Alex interrupted, leaning over the desk and addressing the guard as if Pauline no longer existed. “Start from an hour before it happened and run it at twice the speed.”
****
“So what’d we learn?” Finn asked as soon as they were outside the bank.
Alex was keeping her stern expression and calm demeanor, which Veruca preferred to her true personality.
“We’ll know once we check out the other banks.”
“All of them?” Veruca asked.
“The ones in the area, assuming you think it’s worth it. One’s already reported back that their footage is with the feds, so they won’t be of much use. What’s your deal?” Alex asked, stepping a little closer as if they were about to share a dirty secret that she wasn’t sure she wanted Finn to hear.
“Pardon?” Veruca asked, unhappy with her proximity but refusing to show it.
“You jumped right in there to stop Pauline from shaking my hand. What made you worry for me?”
“She could read lies by touch. I didn’t want you blowing the whole thing.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about little old me. I do my research, so I know what I’m walking into.”
“Is that why you went straight for Mr. Grass?”
“Noticed that, did you?” Alex grinned, proud of herself. “He’s got about twenty-five thousand reasons to be nervous about a tax official poking around. He’s just not smart enough to have noticed Agent Triche isn’t from the IRS and therefore wouldn’t give a shit about his personal taxes. I’m good at my job because I’m like the world’s cutest Boy Scout. Pauline is small-time, her power barely worth blocking. Yours, on the other hand…”
“Mine?” Veruca knew what Alex was hinting at, but wasn’t about to give up her ability to the other woman. She’d told Finn right off because he could be trusted well enough, and because she knew if something changed, he’d be easy to lure into the arms of a memory fae who could be bought. Alex, on the other hand, would be a worse bet than trusting a snake offering a forbidden apple.
“You read people, that much is clear, but how?”
“Have you another location, or are we going to stand here looking conspicuous all day?”
Alex kept her gaze on Veruca’s for a moment, refusing to answer and perhaps hoping Veruca could be intimidated into giving up her secrets. Veruca remained quiet and patient, knowing Alex was nothing compared to some of the creatures she’d stared down in the past.
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