by Trudi Jaye
“What the hell have you two been doing?” demanded Frankie.
“Pardon?”
“You’re both listed as persons of interest in an FBI bulletin! And they’ve been notified that Henry is in the hospital at Little Rock. Police will be knocking on your door any minute now.”
“What?”
“You need to get out of there.”
Fee shook her head. “No. I’m not leaving Henry.”
“They won’t keep you together if they catch you. It’s better if you get out of there, so we only have to break one person out of jail, not two.”
“I can’t leave him,” whispered Fee.
“You have to. He’ll understand. He’s at the hospital; they’ll take care of him there for the moment, get the bullet out of him. It gives us a bit of time. Get out of there now, Fee.”
Fee looked around the hospital waiting room, trying to figure out what to do. A movement in her hair startled her for a second, and then she pulled the tiny creature out. “Go find Henry,” she whispered to her kleptomaniac robot. “Find him and look after him.” She crouched near the wall and let the little multi-armed robot go. If nothing else, her little creature would be able to unlock some doors for Henry. She watched him race off toward the surgery area, sneaking into the restricted space when a nurse buzzed herself in.
She stood up, and walked to the door, keeping her head down. Going outside, she was walking along the footpath outside, away from the hospital, when two police cars screamed to a halt outside.
She quickened her pace, trying not to burst out into a sprint.
Since when had she become afraid of the police? She hadn’t done anything wrong; and now, she was listening to Frankie tell her to run, when she should have stayed and protested her innocence.
Lucas was right. Running just made her seem even guiltier.
Her steps slowed. She stopped and turned around. At the entrance, the policemen were running into the building. Fee tried to make herself go back. But she didn’t want to be arrested, and she was afraid of what the Witch Hunters could do. It wasn’t as if she could tell the police they were after her because she used magic.
“Wild Feather!” The voice came from beside her, and pulled her out of her reverie.
She looked and realized that Henry’s red Charger was sitting next to her, Alberta at the wheel. She leaned over Fee’s mother to speak. “What’s happening? Where’s Henry?”
“He’s in surgery. They’re operating to get the bullet out.”
“What are you doing out here?”
“They’re looking for us. I...” She looked back at the entrance. “I was thinking of turning myself in.”
Her mom shook her head violently. “You can’t do that, Fee. If they know who you are, and where you are, the Witch Hunters will get to you. Especially in police custody. You can’t give yourself up. It would be committing suicide.”
“What about Henry?” Fee was suddenly afraid for him.
“Is he on their radar? Does he use magic? If he doesn’t, they won’t care about him.”
Fee bit her lip. No way was she going to tell her mother Henry used magic too. She didn’t know her mother’s loyalties; and she was still half convinced this was some kind of trap.
“Fee, jump in the car. We need to get out of here.” Alberta was again the voice of reason, and her mother got out of the car, climbing into the backseat, so she could get into the front.
“Where are we going?” asked Alberta. “You said something about an apartment?”
Fee nodded. “Just start driving and I’ll direct you as we go.”
“Is it close?”
“Not far.” Fee looked out the back window as the hospital got further and further away. Was she doing the right thing? Would Henry be okay? She didn’t know, and it was tearing her apart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Henry woke, feeling groggy. He couldn’t remember where he was, and the white walls made him screw up his face. He’d been having the most amazing dream. It had been like another universe, filled with bright lights and warming touches. He’d been surrounded by love and kindness, soft colors that were soothing and calming. Waking up in a sterile white room took a bit of adjusting.
He tried to move his hand, and the chink of metal on metal was accompanied by the inability to bring it to his face. Looking down, he saw a handcuff around his left wrist attaching him to the bar along the side of the bed. If he’d been feeling better, he might have grinned. He could undo a handcuff in a few seconds flat.
But he felt like he’d been hit by a train that had also stopped and reversed back and forth over him a few times just to make sure. His head was pounding, and his side felt like someone had lit it on fire. He glanced down, but all he could see were white bedsheets and blankets.
He tried to remember something, but it was a blank.
The door opened, and a nurse bustled in. She glanced up and noticed he was awake. “Oh, good. I was hoping I’d see you awake,” she said. “The operation went very well. They found and removed the bullet.” She checked his chart, and the machines at his bedside. “I’ll come back in a while with your meds, and something for you to eat.”
“Where...” Henry cleared his croaky throat. “Where am I? What happened?” he asked as the nurse walked toward the door again.
She turned around and looked at him in surprise. “You’re at the UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock. You were brought in yesterday on the helicopter from a small farming town north of here.” She glanced at his hand in cuffs. “Wanted for a bombing down in Florida.”
Henry winced, and it all came flooding back to him. Callaghan Technology. Tampa. Fee. The Witch Hunters. Getting shot.
Now getting arrested for the bombing.
“I’ll let the officers know you’re awake. I think they have some questions for you.”
The nurse headed for the door again, and this time Henry let her.
He pulled at the handcuff experimentally, but let it lie. There was no point in getting rid of it yet: he was in no shape to go anywhere. Something moved at his neck, and he jerked back across the pillow, trying to see what it was. A small metal creature was making itself comfortable next to him on the pillow. He grinned. At least he had someone keeping an eye on him. “Try to stay out of sight, will you?” he said to the little metal robot.
He looked around for his mobile phone, but couldn’t see it anywhere. He wondered where Fee was and experienced a moment of panic when he realized she had probably been arrested and sent back to Tampa without him. Hence the robot. He pulled his wrist against the handcuff, tempted to break out now anyway. But no. He didn’t know for sure where she was.
What he needed was to talk to the police, to find out where Fee was, and what was happening. There was a chance that Fee had escaped before they’d arrested her. He held onto that thought while he waited for someone from the police to visit.
Even as he lay there contemplating nasty retributions on whoever was actually responsible for the bombing, Henry could almost feel himself healing. It was even faster than usual, and he suspected he was getting some kind of boost from the Carnival. He didn’t know how; he’d never experienced anything like this before, but it was certainly welcome.
At that moment, the door swung open, and a tall, gangly man with a thatch of blond hair came through the door. He wore a suit, and Henry recognized him from Tampa.
“Agent Franklin,” said Henry.
“Mr. Kokkol.”
Henry’s eyebrows rose. “Nice to see you again. I think.”
“Do you understand why you have a handcuff on your arm?” asked Franklin.
Henry glanced at it. “I’m assuming it’s something to do with the bombing?”
“You’re a person of interest in the case, and you’re considered a flight risk.”
“Lucas told us, but I didn’t believe him at the time.” Henry rattled the handcuffs. “I guess he was right.”
Franklin’s eyes sharpened on Henry. �
�You’ve spoken to Mr. Callaghan recently?”
“He was trying to convince us to go back to Tampa. But we weren’t convinced it was very safe.”
“What does that mean?”
“Fee was the target of that bombing. If she goes back, they’ll just try again.”
“That remains to be seen,” said the Franklin. “We need to speak to Fee to ascertain that.”
“You don’t have her?” Henry tried to ask casually, but he was pretty certain he sounded as desperate to know as he actually was.
Franklin paused a moment, but seemed to take pity on Henry. “She wasn’t here when we arrived.”
Henry let out a breath and lay back on his pillows.
“Tell me, Mr. Kokkol, where have you been since the bombing?”
“We’ve been hiding from the thugs who did it. Plus I’m not entirely sure that Lucas is as innocent as he’s making out.”
“That’s an awfully big accusation, Mr. Kokkol. Do you have anything to back it up?”
Henry stared at the man’s face. He wasn’t going to start explaining things to some goon who wouldn’t listen. But Franklin had a way about him, something that said he was a rare commodity—someone who actually listened rather than assumed.
“We were locked in a room in the lab for most of the night. If the bomb was planted during the night, we’d have had no way to do it.”
“Is there any way to prove this?”
Henry thought about it. “Violet would have known. But she’s been destroyed.”
“Who’s Violet?” His voice was censorious.
“She was a robot. A creation of the research team.” Henry paused. “I’m probably not even supposed to talk to you about it, but it popped out.”
“But she was destroyed in the explosion?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a bit convenient, wouldn’t you say?”
Henry took a deep breath, trying to think. There must be something that would prove their innocence. “Men were at my hotel room. You could check there, see if they left anything.”
“We’ve been to your room, Henry. It’s clean.”
“What about Fee’s apartment? They probably ransacked it when they realized they missed her.” Henry hated the thought of someone destroying her cave, but if it helped them prove her innocence…
“Someone did indeed go through her apartment, Mr. Kokkol. But there’s no proof that it was anyone or anything to do with the bombing.”
Henry tried again. “What’s the reasoning behind myself and Fee doing it?”
Franklin shook his head. “I’m not at liberty to say. I’m only here because they’ve said you can’t be moved for at least a week.”
Henry didn’t like to tell Franklin that he’d probably be ready to leave by the end of the day. “What questions then?”
“Where were you between midnight and seven o’clock on the night in question?”
Henry shrugged. “Fee and I were both locked in a back room of the lab. The power had gone off and scrambled all the systems. We had to wait until the others arrived in the morning to let us out.” Henry looked out the window. “But as you say, any hope of proving that is probably buried knee deep in rubble on the lab floor.”
“What about cameras? Does the lab have those?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask Lucas. I’m just a temporary consultant to the team, not a permanent member.”
“It’s a big coincidence that just when you join the team, the building is bombed, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know why they chose now to act. Maybe I was a catalyst.” Henry paused to think about it. “You know, you’re right; I probably was.” He tapped his finger on the side of the bed, thinking it through.
Franklin sighed. “I’ll let you rest for now. I’ll be back soon to ask you more questions. You’re wanted as an accomplice, Mr. Kokkol. It’s Ms. Wild Feather who we’re trying to find as the main perpetrator.”
“Haven’t you listened to a word I said? She didn’t do any of it and the longer you pin your hopes on Fee, the longer the real bomber is out there.”
“Good day, Mr. Kokkol. I’ll be back to talk to you if there is any more information I need.” Special Agent Franklin nodded his head and left the room as if Henry hadn’t even spoken.
***
The apartment was in the city center, but Fee still didn’t know whether she could trust Alberta, and she definitely didn’t trust her mother, so she was leading them in a strange circuitous route, which hopefully would confuse them and mean they’d have trouble finding their way back to the hospital. Or to the nearest police station.
“Here. Turn into that drive way,” she directed. She pulled out a key card, and gave it to Alberta to push into the little metal box to one side of the entrance. The metal gate moved slowly upwards and Alberta rolled the car forward.
“It’s space number 77.” Fee loved that number; it had always felt auspicious to her.
Alberta drove the car into the space, and let out a breath as she turned off the motor. “This car is harder to drive than it looks,” she said.
“I don’t know, it seems pretty hard to me,” said Fee’s mother with a half-smile. She was still squished up against one side of the car away from Max.
“Come on. We need to get up to the apartment and figure out how we’re going to get Henry out of there.”
“You’re going to get him out? But he’s been arrested. You can’t do that.” Alberta was horrified.
“But he’s been arrested for a crime he didn’t commit,” said Fee, frowning. If Alberta were going to go all moral on her, it would make everything harder.
Before Alberta could answer, Fee’s mother put up a hand. “Let’s get up to the apartment and discuss it there. Come on.”
Fee popped the trunk, and grabbed her bag and Henry’s. She helped Max out of the back seat, and then they all headed toward the elevators.
“Wild Feather,” said Max. “I believe I will use the stairs. I would like to check our security measures.”
Fee nodded absently while Max headed off in the direction of the stairs, his undulating legs strangely quiet on the concrete floor. He closed the door quietly behind him.
Fee’s mother shuddered. “I don’t know how you can have a creature like that around. It’s against nature.”
“Keep saying stuff like that, and I’m going to dump you onto the streets to fend for yourself,” said Fee grimly. She was too angry to be in the same elevator as her mother. “Get off at the fourth floor. I’ll meet you there.” She stalked over to the stairs and followed Max through the door.
Fee pounded her way up the stairs in Max’s wake, not sure why she was so angry about her mother’s reaction to Max. Summer Dawn had given up all technology, even the good stuff like cars and phones. Of course she’d think Max was an abomination. But it still hurt and it wound her up tighter than a drum.
She arrived on the stairwell landing to the fourth floor to find Max waiting beside the door.
“What is it, Max?”
“I believe we may have a problem, Fee.” He kept his voice low so she could only just hear what he was saying.
Fee glanced quickly at the door. “Is there someone here?”
“Yes. They have your mother and Alberta.”
“Are they inside the apartment?”
“They are currently trying to get in.”
Fee pulled her phone from her pocket, and sure enough, the silent alarm was pulsing. Damn silent. She’d forgotten about checking the alarms. She’d been so damn sure her hidey-hole was secure. Where were they getting their information?
“Set up the protection sequence, Max. Make sure you tell the system to protect the two women.”
“Yes, Fee. In the meantime, if you would please take a position behind me, so I can better protect you.”
Fee snorted and considered not doing what he said, just to be petulant. But he was right. He had a super hard metal outer than she’d designed herself, and if
anyone came smashing through that door guns blazing, she’d at least be protected from a bullet.
She crouched down and pulled up the live feed of the cameras in the apartment. The sequence had already started. The lights were out, and two of the five men had been electrocuted by touching something metal in the room. They were lying knocked out on the floor. She’d been careful to make sure the levels weren’t fatal. It was the last thing she needed.
The other three men were holding up their guns, looking around in agitation for an enemy to shoot. It was a pity Fee didn’t intend to give them an easy target.
The next step was the gas, which smoked out from multiple surfaces around the room, filling the small space. A couple of the men panicked and tried to leave through the front door and the small balcony. Both had been locked. Alberta and her mother fell first, knocked out by the powerful gas. The bigger men took longer, and fought harder against the inevitable ending. When she was sure all five men were completely unconscious, Fee stood up.
“Let’s go clean up this mess,” she said.
“Indeed,” said Max.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Henry looked up when another nurse came into his small hospital room. She was younger, had a geometric bob of black hair, and seemed less like a typical nurse than the previous woman.
Henry grinned from ear to ear. “Rilla! What are you doing here?”
“I had to come make sure you were okay. Frankie was going wild back at the Carnival, ranting about saving you. So we decided to send out a rescue party.”
She came over and gave Henry a huge hug.
Henry felt tears pricking at his eyes; it was so good to see Rilla. He blinked them away and smiled again when Rilla leaned back and stared at him as if she were trying to make sure he was okay just by looking at him.
“We’ve been pushing Carnival magic at you, so you should be mostly healed by now,” she said. “It helps that I’m so close.”
Henry nodded and pulled his arm up and down on the same side where he’d been shot. “I’m almost up for an escape attempt,” he said with a grin.
