"Did he, uh, say what was in the package?"
"Ray told him it was dangerous; he couldn't pass it off to Dalton fast enough. Claude doesn't have any qualms about other people being in danger—he only worries about himself, apparently."
"Yeah. Hence the wolfsbane planted on his property. It makes me wonder how his gardener got around that stuff—it's toxic to humans, too."
"He may do the yard work himself—as a half-demon he'd be immune."
"Well, that makes sense, unless he has a half-demon gardener."
"True. I'll have to research that."
"How long will you be out?" she asked.
"No idea. There's a long list of victims—sixteen, or so Claude says. Trey did us a favor—he ordered Claude to report that Ross was his last victim—it sort of ties everything up, since Claude reportedly hid the body in Ross' basement recently and burned the house down."
"You didn't," Cassie breathed.
"It was convenient, and points the blame in a logical direction. Claude and Ross have a disagreement; Claude kills Ross, hides the body until a convenient time and then destroys all evidence with a fire."
"Yeah. I just hope nobody looks too closely at that story."
"Trey was very thorough. He's done this before."
"Awesome." I could tell she was being sarcastic.
"We're paranormals, baby. Hiding what we are is second nature. Lies are told every day in the interest of the greater good."
"That's great, until something like Shakkor Agdah shows up and starts whittling away at the human population," she snapped.
"I know you're upset," I said, attempting to deflect her anger. "We'll talk when I get home, okay?"
"Sure."
* * *
Cassie
"How many murders?" Rob set a cup of tea at my elbow.
"Claude confessed to sixteen. Trey added Ross as the seventeenth victim, so that mystery would be cleared up."
"I can understand his reasoning, although I wouldn't have muddied the waters like that."
"Me, either," I confessed. "Thanks for the tea," I lifted the cup and drank.
"Gina says the wolves are doing better—Cliff is actually breathing through his nose, although he sounds like a foghorn."
"Thank goodness," I sighed and let my forehead drop onto the kitchen table.
* * *
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Zedarius
Humans and others ran out of the building housing the jail, many of them screaming as a second explosion sent a plume of sparks boiling into the night sky.
The first one out, although few could have seen it, was a vampire carrying two others. Yes, I knew where the explosion originated. Humans and one half-demon were dead as a result.
Had I been Black Myth, I would have killed the half-demon, too. He held a tenuous link to their doings, although he failed to realize it.
The human deaths disturbed me. The objective could have been achieved in a less spectacular fashion, and the other deaths prevented. Soon, it would be time to delve into Black Myth's leadership.
That could wait; other things had to be accomplished first.
* * *
Cassie
"You're home earlier than I expected," I said, but pulled back at the dark look Parke sent in my direction.
Angry wouldn't begin to describe what he was. He was ready to turn to rock demon and tear the house apart around him.
Daniel wasn't in a better mood, it's just that he'd be less destructive than Parke if he turned to ice demon.
Trey, the vampire agent, was the only one who hid his feelings. "What happened?" I asked him, hoping for a reasonable answer rather than a barked order to be quiet.
"Claude exploded," Trey said.
"What?" People didn't just explode, did they?
"Shakkor Agdah, no doubt," Parke's explanation was tight-lipped. "All those people poisoned in California are dead—I got the text from Prince Alfred while I was at the county jail. It's no longer the jail—it was still exploding and burning when Trey hauled us out of there."
My breath caught. Humans had likely died there, too. Not all of them had a vampire to carry them away faster than the eye could follow.
"It'll be on the news," Daniel nodded toward the small television on the kitchen counter.
I really didn't want to see it; it gave me the shivers. First the courthouse, now the jail. Somebody wanted Cliff and Rob dead at the courthouse. That same somebody, in all likelihood, had killed Claude Ullery and who knew how many humans at the same time?
"Did you get anything useful from Claude, other than he was a serial killer?" I asked. My lips were numb and I stumbled over the term serial killer.
"Not a lot," Daniel confessed. "Too stupid for the enemy to hand much information to him," he added.
"He could have killed four wolves tonight," Gina walked into the kitchen to fill a towel with fresh ice.
"We get that," Parke held up a hand. "If the police weren't swarming over his place like flies on a carcass right now, I'd go check it out myself."
"It wouldn't surprise me if that isn't booby-trapped, too," I announced.
"Kent got a call from Birmingham PD," Cliff shuffled into the kitchen, his face still puffy and dark, his voice barely above a weak croak. "Ullery's house blew up ten minutes after the police walked into it. Three officers are dead; two others are wounded and at the hospital."
"Bloody, fucking hell," Parke exploded.
* * *
Parke
"They can't find the source of the explosions, but that's no surprise," Daniel handed his report to me the following morning. He hadn't slept much, either, so he'd decided to use the time to write a report for the Chancellor's files.
He'd been watching television too; it wasn't just the Birmingham news stations that picked up the happenings in Tuscaloosa; a national news program in Atlanta was now on the scene, speculating about everything.
Trey had supplied the list of Claude's victims to his department at the FBI; at least they had that information to report, although the fact that Claude himself had exploded first, bringing the jail down around him, wasn't reported.
Probably because he'd been searched for weapons and other contraband before being booked.
"I need to be here, and I need to be in California," I said. "I need to be in Seattle in two days. Can things get more fucked up than this?" I asked Daniel.
"I'm not one to tempt fate by saying no," he said.
"You're right. They can be worse. Please don't get worse," I held up a hand.
"Want me to book a flight to California?"
"Yes. For both of us, plus Lance. Lyle can stay here with the others for now."
"Do you plan to leave a temp in the Prince's slot?"
"I'd like to do that; I'll see if there are any responses to my e-mails before making that decision. Get the latest flight out of Birmingham you can," I said.
"Will do."
"The gardener-slash-handyman is here," Rob poked his head inside the door before Daniel turned to leave.
"Fine. Take him to the kitchen; I'll be there in a minute."
* * *
Cassie
I couldn't determine his age, although his hair was still dark, if a bit shaggy. He held out a resume and a letter of reference the previous owners had written for him. Part of me felt embarrassed that his first job was to repair the lawn where Parke and I had damaged it.
"This looks good," Rob read the letter quickly. "Are you still interested in living in the boathouse as part of your pay?"
"Yes," he nodded. "It's a comfortable place, everything in the kitchen works; fridge could be updated, though."
"We'll look into replacing it," Rob said, handing the resume and letter to me.
"William Z. Berry? Do you prefer William or something else?" I asked after reading the name listed on the resume.
"Will," he shrugged.
"What's the Z for?" I asked. You didn't see many people with a middl
e name starting with Z. Or a first name, for that matter.
"Zedarius," he smiled. "My father insisted."
Parke arrived then; I handed the papers to him. "Everything looks good; I see you haven't had a raise in two years," Parke said after leafing through Will's information. "I'll give you a ten percent increase."
"Thank you," Will sounded surprised. "I'm just grateful I can have my job back."
"If you need tools or supplies, let Cassie know. Someone will make arrangements."
"Thank you. I'll bring my things later; I see there's a spot on the lawn that needs repairs," Will said.
"Yes. It would be great if you'd fix that first," Rob's words were dry.
"Welcome home," Parke held out his hand and shook with Will. "We appreciate the effort you've put into the lawn in the past; it's in perfect condition."
"Except for the mess we left in the backyard," I muttered.
* * *
Parke
Cliff sat inside my makeshift office, his eyes hooded. I suspected he was behind this campaign and had no idea what to do about it.
I had six nominations for Prince of Alabama.
Every nomination was the same.
"That's a pretty deep frown," Cliff said. At least I could understand him clearly, now; the facial swelling had gone down dramatically.
"You know this isn't possible," I handed him six printed copies of the e-mails I'd received.
"I don't know why not."
"The Chancellor cannot be married to any Prince or Princess. I can show you the exact passage in the paranormal laws," I said. "It's to prevent one state from having an unfair advantage over another."
"But," Cliff raised a hand, "a couple of days ago, she asked for an annulment. What if that were to go through? For the greater good, you understand. Those who nominated her know she killed Ray and saved Rob and me—twice. After Blake died so quickly, they want someone in that position who may not be so easy to kill."
"One of these nominations is from Rob," I snarled, holding up the proper e-mail as if it offended me.
Actually, I did find it offensive.
"She has the favor of the earth sprite King, because she saved his General. Twice." Cliff was unmoved by my anger. "If she gains this position, he is willing to provide extra protection. As am I."
"I don't like this. I almost fucked up our marriage once already. I'm not willing to tempt fate," I said.
"Explain it to her. Tell her this is temporary, until another can be found. I will sing and dance at a proper wedding between you afterward, I promise."
"Are you saying our wedding wasn't a proper one?" My anger rose.
"I'm saying you barely knew each other, it was rushed and she may not have been wholly conscious at the time."
He was right; Cassie had been on heavy pain medication, following a car accident. I'd pushed her onto a plane and forced the wedding to go through in Las Vegas. She was right in part, too, that I'd done it to keep Ross away from her. The fact that she'd been a pivotal piece in turning the Christmas war in my favor was just an unexpected plus.
How Cliff came by this information I had no idea—wait. Rob had told me himself that if he touched her, he could tell all sorts of things.
Fuck. I rubbed my forehead. "Go get her," I mumbled. "The decision will be hers."
* * *
Cassie
Cliff came to find me, after he'd found Rob somewhere and asked him to come to Parke's office.
"What's this about?" I asked as I was hustled toward the media room where Parke's temporary office lay.
"He'll tell you," Cliff said.
Already I could see that Cliff wanted to hide something from me as long as possible. Something I might not like, by the look of things.
Parke's face looked haggard as I was settled onto a chair in front of his desk. Cliff and Rob drew up chairs, too. I felt as if I'd been delivered to a firing squad, for some reason.
"I—we need to discuss the fact that I'm flying to California tonight to see about the poison released there," Parke began. He hadn't told me he was leaving, but I'd suspected after listening to Daniel make flight reservations on the phone earlier.
"Okay," I said. "I know you have to go, you're the Chancellor and that's your job."
"That's true. I also have a case coming up in Seattle, so I have to fly from California to Seattle to deal with that."
"I know you have work to do, outside of dealing with the Chancellor's duties," I said. "I'm not that needy—at least I hope I'm not."
"You're not—it troubles me that you suffer in silence until it's time to punch me in the mouth," Parke grimaced.
"That was a fine punch," Rob stifled a snicker.
Parke held up a hand; Rob went silent immediately. "That's not what this is really about," Parke continued. "Alabama needs a Prince. I've had six valid responses to my request for nominations. All six are for the same person."
"Well, unless that person is unsuitable, it makes this easy, doesn't it?" I asked. Why did they need me for this? I wondered. They could have done it without me.
"You're the person they nominated, Cassie, and I'm convinced they're right."
Chapter 13
Cassie
"It's temporary," Rob repeated. "When we find someone suitable, you can hand it over and marry Parke again."
The annulment papers had been signed shortly before Parke, Trey, Daniel and Lance left for the airport. They were somewhere in the air between Alabama and California by now.
I felt cold and abandoned as a result. I'd handed Parke his ring back; I had no right to it after the papers were signed. I wondered if he'd file for a human divorce, too, while he was at it.
"I'm sort of mad at you. And Cliff," I hissed between clenched teeth.
"We know. I'm sorry about the annulment, but not sorry you're the Princess of Alabama."
"I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing," I flung out a hand.
Rob chuckled. "Don't worry, Cliff and I can get your through this," he said. "Mostly it's listening to complaints, making decisions that appear wise and nodding and smiling at paranormal events."
"Until Shakkor Agdah shows up," I said.
"True."
"If you don't think they're behind Claude and his house exploding, then I have news for you," I snapped.
"I figure they are," Rob agreed. "I figure they didn't want Claude to spill certain things, if you get my drift. Those murders he confessed to—I think they were a smoke screen. Oh, he committed them, all right, but you see those confessions kept the vampire busy asking all the related questions, while ignoring the ones he should have asked."
"What are you talking about?" I turned in my chair to stare at Rob.
"The vampire knows that Dalton and Morton King have ties to Shakkor Agdah. He also knows that those two have ties to a company called Fli-Bi-Net. Now, that cannot be a coincidence. Perhaps Claude knew of that connection, too, and confessed to his murders to steer away from that subject?"
"That makes sense, I guess, but it still feels like a reach."
"It does and doesn't," Rob said. "If I could have placed hands on the half-demon while digging my toes into the soil," he sighed and leaned back in his chair. We'd chosen the covered patio at the back of the house to hold our conversation; I'd gone there in a snit after Parke left. Rob found me a few minutes later and began his attempt to defend his and Cliff's decision in the matter.
"Well, it's a little late for toes in the soil," I huffed. "You know something is going on—the poisonings in California are probably the tip of the iceberg."
"Or in Dalton and Morton King's case, the tip of the ice demon-berg."
"Please don't say those names to me. It's bad enough that my name reverts to King after the annulment."
"Oh. I didn't realize you had difficulty with that." Rob looked mortified for almost half a second.
"My father killed my mother, I think. Probably had a hand in killing Aunt Shelbie, too. I loved Mom and Aunt Shelb
ie. I can't recall when I last felt anything for him, other than loathing."
"We can have your name changed legally," Rob suggested. "Or look at it this way—your human marriage is still intact—Parke can't change that without going through the legal system. Keep the Worth name if you want."
"Right, because everybody knows who I am already, and a name change will make them conveniently forget."
"It's deeds, not words—or names—that make us who we are." Will, the gardener-slash-handyman set a pile of PVC pipe on the patio. "Just getting ready to fix the sprinkler system in the morning," he nodded at Rob and me.
I frowned at him; how much had he heard?
"Why would you want to change your name?" he asked. The tension went out of my shoulders then; he'd only heard the last part about changing my name, and missed the part about my father murdering my mother and Aunt Shelbie.
"It was just a thought," Rob replied smoothly. "Do you need anything before we go back inside?"
"Nah, I'm fine," Will shook his head. "Just wanted a quick start in the morning, that's all."
"Thank you for fixing things for us," I said. "We really appreciate it."
A nod was all I got from him; he was busy separating lengths of pipe.
* * *
Parke
I held a cup of coffee in my hand as we walked through the house. Prince Alfred had gotten us inside; it was quarantined, according to the papers slapped on the door and all the windows outside.
Trey was still asleep somewhere; he didn't tell me where he was going the night before after we'd landed.
"You think this is Shakkor Agdah's hiding place?" I asked.
"Neighbors say four men moved in right after the flooding started, and then disappeared during the night after the flooding reached its peak. Clothing left behind holds traces of the poison—or disease—they can't make up their minds what it is."
"Too early, I guess," I mumbled.
"That's what they're saying. I understand little of it, other than it kills quickly, no matter what they do."
The small town we visited was upstream from Tyree, where all the victims lived. These had likely killed the water demon, infected his water and sent it downstream to claim whoever touched it.
"Does it have a shelf life, or will we see more victims farther downstream?" Daniel asked.
Your Money's Worth: Seattle Elementals, Book 1 Page 18
