* * *
Parke
"We found a trail, but it ended at the border," Daniel informed me. He'd called just before I left the office to go home for the night.
"How did they cross—car, or on foot?"
"Private plane. Rented it, according to the records we found. Six of them. When the plane wasn't returned, the company reported it as stolen. Transponder stopped working after they crossed into Mexico."
"So they probably landed and destroyed the plane," I guessed.
"That's what we think. Alfred and I questioned the man who rented the plane; he says they were all dressed alike, in jeans and black hooded sweatshirts."
"Were the hoods down, at least?"
"Yes, when their pilot signed papers. We've looked up his license—it's stolen, from a pilot who died in a crash two years ago."
"Of course," I said. "Do we have images?"
"Yes, but they're blurry. Hard to make out features. We checked the camera; it worked fine while we were there."
"You think they were able to manipulate that, somehow?"
"It's the only conclusion I have at the moment."
"Right. Do you think it will do any good to try to track them in Mexico?"
"Not if that's what they're expecting. Not with only two or three of us. An ambush could be in our future."
"True. What do you suggest, then?"
"Giving the information we have to the Border Patrol, for a start. Trey suggested that. He says he has a scent from two of them, so he'd recognize that, at least. He's talked with people from his department, too. Sounds like they're getting worried. I don't like it when the Paranormal Division of the FBI gets worried," Daniel said.
"Anything new from the CDC?"
"They're still working on this, but I can tell they're worried, too. Trey heard from his boss that two people working in the lab were so scared of whatever this poison-disease thing is that they quit rather than deal with it."
"But somebody is still working on it?" I asked.
"Yes. The government moved more people in to do research. So far, no progress."
For now, this was reported as an isolated incident, so the people weren't panicked. That could change in an instant if the scenario were duplicated elsewhere. I had no doubt it would be duplicated elsewhere; it was merely a matter of where.
"What are we going to do?" I whispered. I hadn't meant for Daniel to hear that. He did anyway.
"Keep working at it," he advised. "You know I don't like anything to do with Black Myth, but we're involved, now. I'm determined to see it through. It's all new to us, but they've probably been planning this for a very long time."
"Right under our noses, no doubt," I snorted. "I feel like a fool."
"Right there with you, bro," Daniel acknowledged. "Right there with you."
Chapter 14
Cassie
Will joined us for dinner when Gina invited him, and it was decided that he'd eat with us if we were at the house.
It curtailed conversations regarding what we were and things we were dealing with, but he needed a meal, just like the rest of us. Gina and I worried that Will was living off sandwiches and canned soup.
"This is really good," Will said, cutting another bite off his smothered pork chops.
"We made it in the slow cooker," Gina grinned at him. "Easy."
We made small talk after that, enjoying the meal and company until Cliff's cell phone rang.
"It's Kent," he said and rose from the table to take the call elsewhere. He was back in less than two minutes.
"Your aunt's house burned down," Cliff's dark eyes looked worried. "We need to go. I have no idea whether anything's salvageable."
I sat, stunned and unmoving, as I stared at Cliff.
"I'll come and help," Will stood and carried his plate to the sink.
"Yeah. Me, too," Gina agreed.
"It's cold out; get a jacket," Rob instructed.
"Yeah." I moved as if I were only learning to do so. I felt disjointed.
Awkward.
Unsure.
"We'll sort this out," Rob took my arm and led me from the kitchen.
On the hour drive to Birmingham, I found it difficult and painful to breathe. Everything that belonged to Shelbie, except for her jewelry chest, was likely ash. I wanted to cry and couldn't. So many people were around me, and tears were something I wished to release in private.
Cliff drove; Will, Gina and I huddled together in the back seat of his truck. Rob, sitting up front with Cliff, turned to check on me from time to time. I was grateful for the warm jacket he'd pulled from my closet and forced me to wear; even in a warm truck with people snugged next to me, I felt cold.
A single firetruck was parked on the street in front of the house when we arrived. I steeled myself when the door was opened and Will extended his hand to help me from the truck.
The scent of burning lay all around us as I walked across the ash-strewn lawn. Shelbie's home was little more than a pile of burnt wreckage. Had we forgotten to turn something off? A thousand causes for the fire raced through my brain, without any of them standing out.
"We believe it was arson," a firefighter approached us. His jacket had Capt. Knight printed on it.
"Huh?" I blinked at him in confusion.
"We're pretty sure it was set," he said. "Fire started in the back bedroom and moved forward. Probably an accelerant tossed through a window, but we're still investigating."
"This is the owner," Cliff said, producing ID and showing it to the captain. "She recently inherited the house, and has been in Tuscaloosa with me all day."
"No worries," the captain waved away Cliff's concern that I might become a person of interest. "A neighbor saw two men in the area shortly before the fire was reported. That's who we're looking for."
Two men. "Do you have a description?" Cliff asked.
"Just a sketchy one—it was after sundown, with only streetlamps to light the area. It wasn't easy to see detail. You can ask for a police report, if you want."
"We will."
* * *
Dalton King
"How the hell are we going to tell them that the windows and windshield fogged over in the car—for half an hour?" Morton hissed.
He and I had cleaned repeatedly, working to get the foggy moisture off the windows. We'd even removed our shirts to wipe glass and turned the heat on high to clear it up. Nothing had worked.
When the windows finally cleared, the scene down the street hadn't changed, allowing us to breathe a relieved sigh. Our associates wanted to flush someone out. Morton and I had a good idea who it was. It didn't matter; the effort failed. When the firetruck moved away in the early-morning hours, we waited ten more minutes before we left to make our report.
* * *
Cassie
"We'll notify the insurance company tomorrow," Cliff said. "They'll do their own investigation, and that could take a while. Just be patient; it'll all work out."
We sat in a twenty-four-hour diner on the outskirts of Birmingham, having coffee and dessert. Well, the others were having dessert. Kent met us there and he and Gina sat together to share a piece of apple pie a la mode.
"I know that part will be fine," I croaked. Those were the first words I'd spoken since we'd left the burned ruin of Shelbie's house behind.
"We associate objects with the people who've left us behind," Will said. "This is like losing your aunt again, isn't it?"
"Yes. Cliff, do you think the same ones are responsible for bombing the courthouse?"
"I hadn't considered that, but it's a possibility." I watched his face; he was considering it and didn't like the conclusions he was drawing. "Let me pull the police reports on that, and I'll compare the two," he said.
"Thank you." I already had two people in mind who could be responsible, and I didn't like that at all.
They weren't only targeting Cliff and Rob.
I was on their list, too.
It made sense; they'd likely k
illed my mother. Why would a daughter or granddaughter make any difference?
My question was this; what did they have to gain? Mom probably knew too much. Shelbie became a target the moment she helped get Destiny and me away from Alabama. I—what did I know? I'd only recently learned Dalton King was alive. I knew nothing about him, other than the information Trey had given Parke.
"I have murderers in my family," I whispered and covered my face with both hands.
* * *
Cliff
If Rob hadn't done it, I would have. The sprite had both arms around Cassie as she wept. If I'd had any concerns about Will hearing what he had, they were somewhat dispelled when he reached over and patted Cassie's arm.
It was clear he was already loyal to her; she and Gina treated him as an equal, nothing less. I figured he appreciated that.
As it was, if I could have gotten my hands on the culprits who'd burned down Shelbie's house, I'd kill both before they had time to become ice demon.
Yes, I considered that Cassie was right; her father and grandfather were probably behind all this. They weren't above murdering anyone, family included, if the rumors were true.
The Chancellor said Morton was responsible for killing Cassie's mother. I could believe that easily enough.
Those two had left a string of unsolved murders behind them, between Texas and Alabama. Perhaps Shakkor Agdah pulled their strings, but not in every case, I figured. A gun would get you money; you didn't have to kill to rob someone.
Dalton and Morton appeared to take pleasure in the killings. They'd gotten away with it, too; they weren't on human radar anywhere.
My cell phone pinged; the screen said I had an e-mail from the Chancellor. I'd answer it later—we had enough to deal with at the moment.
* * *
Cassie
"Want something to help you sleep?" Gina asked.
She'd followed me to my bedroom, where I sat at the foot of the bed, wondering what to do next.
"I really don't," I said. "But thanks for the offer."
I was grateful to Rob for letting me cry on his shoulder. The tears had come anyway, as much as I'd tried to hold them back.
Cliff explained to the concerned waitress that my aunt's house had burned down. She was sympathetic; we'd left her a big tip when we paid the bill.
"All right, but knock on my door if you change your mind," Gina said and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
"Yeah." I said to myself. I was at loose ends. I'd had decaf at the restaurant, just so it wouldn't keep me awake. I was awake anyway.
This—all this—was like physical blows, coming one right after another. What would they do next? How would they hit me again? I found myself in fear of that blow.
Perhaps that's what they wanted—to make me afraid.
"That's my battle, to not be afraid," I told myself sternly.
As if that would cure my fear instantly. I had a long road ahead of me; I knew that as I rose, pulled back the comforter and slid into bed, wrapping myself in covers to stop the shivering.
* * *
Cliff
I read the Chancellor's e-mail twice. They'd managed to track the Shakkor Agdah responsible for the California deaths to Mexico, where plane wreckage had recently been discovered.
Nobody knew where they'd gone after that; the plane was rented in San Diego. The wreckage was discovered two hundred miles south of the Mexico border. No bodies were found with the plane—they'd gotten away, somehow.
When I wrote my reply, I included information on Shelbie's house and the fact that two men had been seen in the area before the fire was reported. I also told him that we suspected Dalton and Morton King. I promised copies of police reports, too, as soon as I was able to procure them.
Officially, I was still on the Tuscaloosa PD's payroll until my two-week notice was up. That carried a small amount of clout—enough to get police reports, anyway.
Tonight, Cassie had been overwhelmed. I left that out of my e-mail. We would handle that, whatever it took.
* * *
Cassie
"Feel better?" Will sat at the kitchen table, having breakfast with Lyle, Gina, Cliff and Rob when I shuffled into the kitchen.
If no sleep and a worried night constituted feeling better, then sure, I felt better. "I'm fine," I lied and went to get a cup of coffee.
"Sounds just like the lie it is," Will sipped his coffee.
"It's easier than telling the truth," I thumped a coffee mug onto the counter and poured from the carafe.
"Sounds about right," Rob grunted. "Sit down and eat." He patted the chair beside his. A platter of bacon and scrambled eggs waited; I realized I was hungry.
"Thanks for breakfast, Gina," I nodded to her.
"Will helped cook," she offered a smile.
"Then thank you, too," I nodded at Will.
"Not a problem," he said, biting into a strip of bacon and chewing.
"We need to go back to the store," Gina said, lifting her empty plate and heading toward the sink.
"I want to go," I said. I intended to force myself not to hide in the house. If they wanted me dead, we'd see about that.
"I'll drive you in my truck," Will offered.
I turned to Rob, who shrugged. They might be looking for Cliff's vehicle; Will's was sturdy enough to get us to the grocery store and back.
"Is there enough room for Lyle?" Cliff asked.
"The back seat's small, but yes," Will agreed.
"I'll ride in the back," I said.
"Me, too—we can fit," Gina added.
"Good. That's settled. Make sure nothing blows out of the truck bed on the way back; I don't want toilet paper rolling down the road," Cliff grinned. "When you get back," he directed his words to me, "We'll deal with a few things that have shown up for you to take care of."
Princess work. My shoulders drooped.
"Sure," I said, determined not to let it upset me.
"What are you waiting for?" Rob asked. "Shoo. Go." He gestured with a hand, dismissing all of us.
"I always get suspicious when he's that happy to get rid of me," Gina said.
"He probably wants to look at dirty pictures on the Internet while we're gone," I whispered loudly. Gina laughed as we walked out of the kitchen.
* * *
Zedarius
At least we had cash to spend; the werewolf had seen to that. A wise move, to keep those bent on destruction from tracking them in that way.
The grocery store parking lot was mostly empty when I parked and followed the rock demon and his charges into the store.
Yes, I'd placed a ward around the truck; that was easy enough to do. I'd know it if unfriendly feet approached. The two women Lyle and I guarded—I was beginning to understand how important they were.
Half-demon shifters were unusual enough; a fire demon female—there were no others like her.
I'd checked.
Shakkor Agdah knew what they were doing; they'd managed to kill many fire demons in the past two centuries. Two other fire demons remained; both males and living in other countries. I hoped that would be enough in the coming days.
I worried that the fire demon race would become extinct. That went against everything I'd worked for in the past. It was bad enough that humans caused the extinction of animal species; this would be so much worse.
"Get it if you want it," I stood behind Cassie as she studied the donuts displayed behind clear plastic.
"What about you?" she asked, turning bright blue eyes in my direction.
"I'd take one," I said.
"I'll get a dozen—the others may want one, too."
"You do that." I grinned at her; I couldn't help myself. If something as simple as a donut would make her happy, I was certainly in favor of it.
* * *
Cassie
"This is so good," Gina bit into her donut on the drive home. Lyle was having a donut, too, with a small container of milk he'd pulled from the dairy section. I held t
he box on my lap so it wouldn't get crushed in the tightly packed batch of sacks in the back of Will's truck.
Nobody wanted their donut frosting stuck to a box top.
I was saving mine to have with a cup of coffee. Maybe it would make Princess duty easier to deal with when I got home.
* * *
"Four requests for private audiences; three duplicate submissions for arbitration. The arbitration duplicates were originally submitted to Blake Donovan." Cliff handed a sheaf of papers to me when I took a seat at my desk. "I suggest hiring someone to cook and clean; there's a budget attached to your office, you know, with allowances for such."
"What about the private audiences?" I waved those requests after I segregated them from the others. I didn't want private audiences.
"The werewolves call it a butt-sniffing," Cliff said. Laughter shown in his eyes, although it didn't travel to his mouth.
"They want to see how tough I am?" I squeaked.
"In a manner of speaking. Private audiences don't mean completely private. Rob and I can be with you, and present evidence of how tough you are. The last thing on your agenda is a request—from me."
"What is it?" I asked.
"That you ask the Chancellor to make the announcement to all that Shakkor Agdah has reappeared. I think we should prepare ourselves now."
"Yeah." I lowered my head and stared at the papers in my hand; they'd grown unimportant against more terrible things.
"And we need to send out notices that Dalton and Morton King are in Black Myth's Camp."
"Yeah." I let out a slow breath, attempting to keep my heart rate from skyrocketing. What would the paranormal community in Alabama—and across the country—think when they learned I was related to the schmucks?
"I say keep your married name—it's your prerogative," Cliff said. "The papers are signed, showing you and Parke are no longer married. That should be enough for anybody. You're Cassie Worth."
"Right. Until they start digging."
"Stop worrying about it. Tell them you're just as anxious to capture or kill those two as anyone. Tell the naysayers that they killed your mother and your aunt. That should be enough to prove your determination."
"Sure." I rubbed my forehead before looking up at Cliff. "How is this going to work?" I moaned.
"It'll work, don't worry. You have the trust of the sprite Kings and Queen. You bear their gifts. You have the trust of the Grand Master and the Chancellor. That should be enough."
Your Money's Worth: Seattle Elementals, Book 1 Page 20
