King Takes Rook

by A. L. Kessler

  "I have what Nick and I were able to gather from the scene and the databases. You're welcome to come take a look at it. Nick is determined to solve it alongside our other case."

  That might be a good idea. He tried to recall if there was anything strange from the early 1900's that he could remember. "And your thoughts?"

  "I'm hoping that you're not involved in it. That's about as far as I've gotten. If we can solve it, great. We can send the executioner out for the vampire. If we can't, it's a case long cold. Nick says her ghost is at the house though."

  "Nick can see ghosts?" Why hadn't anyone mentioned this before? He could have been of use and not just a weight on Abigail. Of course, having a medium in his territory could also mean trouble for some of the more questionable things done in his territory.

  "He can talk and interact with them, yes. I didn't know until today. That worry you? Don't want a medium in your territory?"

  "That's fucking insane," he muttered, and Mario nodded in agreement.

  "Levi…" Abigail prompted.

  "No, it doesn't bother me. I just don't like knowing that he was hiding an ability like that from people. He could have been useful long before now. I'll be over there in a few minutes to look at the file."

  "I'll be here. Don't spook my cat."

  That damn cat. Abigail loved it already.

  Mario sighed. "Okay, let's go see what she thinks you could be involved in." He pulled himself out of the chair. "I don't recall seeing anything on the news that could be her case."

  Levi shrugged. "Who knows." He took himself to Abigail's house knowing that Mario would follow. They appeared in her living room and found her lounging on the couch with a glass of wine.

  She pegged Mario with a glare. "I don't remember inviting you along for this conversation."

  "I don't remember you specifically saying I needed to stay away either," Mario shot back. "Anything that has to do with vampires in this territory is my concern right now, including this."

  She took a big sip of wine and glanced at Levi, who gave a one-shoulder shrug. "File is on the counter. I'll fill you in after you look at it." She poured herself another glass of wine.

  Levi walked over to the counter, but Mario sat down on the other end of the couch. "I thought your concern was just the blood-starved vampires," Abby stated.

  "Any vampire problem," Mario repeated, and Levi found himself hoping they weren't going to pick a fight with each other. "Should you be drinking another glass of wine?" His gaze went to the bottle.

  "I'm a witch. I can have another half a bottle and be fine. Jealous?"

  Damn it, child. "Abigail," Levi snapped, and she glanced back at him. "Do not tease him." What had gotten into her tonight? He looked down at the file and glanced over the information. He remembered hearing about it through the grapevine, but he hadn't had much to do with the case. The location, on the other hand, was very close to a situation he'd dealt with. He pressed his lips together and shut the file.

  "I'm sorry, I won't tease the big bad vampire. What do you make of the file?"

  "I know the case. I had just moved to the area." He went into the living room and leaned against the arm of the couch, closest to Abigail. "I don't know who the vampire was though, if that's the information Nick is after."

  "I think it is. He's pretty determined to solve that case as well. With it being a hundred years old, I'm not holding my breath." She took another sip. "It's pretty barbaric though. Not to mention we found other…" She glanced at Mario. "Evidence on the property that we're still waiting to process."

  Levi looked down at her, trying to read her expression. "You don't have to go into details. I'm sure I can imagine what you found. Do we know why Nick is so bent on solving this crime too?"

  "Because a young woman's life was cut short by vampires." She didn't sound completely convinced of it and kept her gaze on the wine in her glass. "I'm curious myself, especially if her soul is not at rest because of what happened."

  "You and Nick can pursue it, but there's not a whole lot I can help you with unless you have a name or a face to go with the vampire." Levi pushed off the couch and went back into the kitchen. He wasn't sure if permission was what she was looking for or not. Osiris hissed at him and ran off. Levi rolled his eyes at the stupid animal.

  "I may have a picture, but I'm waiting on some red tape to clear."

  "An actual photograph?" Mario asked. "Vampires didn't photograph with cameras from that period."

  That could help clear up some of the mystery if it was taken at the house. Levi shook his head. No Ira only had a little cabin in the area, and the timing was off.

  "No, they ran from the cameras then and left blurs and outlines behind. Technology is an amazing thing nowadays." Abby's tone had a smug tone to it.

  She came into the kitchen and reached for another bottle of wine on the counter. Levi caught her wrist. It wasn't like her to drink so much, especially while discussing a case. "Something bothering you about this case?" His gaze went to the wine bottle and then to Abby.

  "There are a couple personal things that have sprung up that I really don't feel like sharing with our guest." She gently pulled her wrist, and he let go. "I'll share when he's decided to leave or when I have to. Assuming Nick hasn't shared yet."

  Why would Nick have called him? They had very little interaction, and the agent didn't seem to be a fan of Levi. "Nick does not speak to me often. The fact that you think he might have shared worries me." Levi opened the bottle for her and poured her a glass. "I still owe you a birthday dinner. Alone." That was the best he was going to get and the most subtle he could manage.

  She glanced at Mario who had turned to look at them. Abby opened her mouth to say something, but the cat darted into the room, letting out a shriek that made everyone pause. Levi didn't have to be a witch to feel the black magic suddenly in the house. "Get my book," Abby demanded. She sprinted to the door, and Levi took himself to the room where she kept the book, grabbing it, and taking himself out of the house to Abigail's side. Mario appeared next to him, holding Abby's beloved bag.

  She had been thrown to the ground, her hands over her head protecting herself from what may have followed the spell. She looked up at them and started to pull herself up.

  Levi grabbed her by the elbow to help steady her. He wanted to pull her into a hug but resisted as they turned to the house to see what was left. It had collapsed as if imploded. The ruins held evidence of a burn, but there was no smoke, no coals, nothing to indicate a fire.

  "Abigail?" Levi asked, his fingers digging into her elbow a little too much. She tried to take a step forward, but her body failed her. Her legs crumbled beneath her. Levi caught her and laid her on the ground, panic filling him. Had the spell gotten to her? Was there something else wrong? There had only been a fine tremor to her body, and she just seemed like she was in shock.

  He took a moment to realize that was exactly what it was. It was all too much for her, and the shock had shut her down for a moment. Or two.

  A few moments later she started to stir, and he relaxed. Osiris trotted over and stuck his face into Abby's.

  "Abigail?" Levi's asked.

  Her eyes opened, and she seemed to take a moment to gather herself. He backed up to give her a little space.

  "I'm okay. Just…shock." She sat up slowly and looked at the house again. "I'm not okay." Her voice sounded far away as she pet Osiris. "This might be too much."

  Mario knelt in front of her. "Do you think that this is related to your case?"

  Levi locked his jaw. He hadn't wanted to ask it right away. She needed a moment to process everything that had happened.

  She was silent for a moment, and Levi was about to tell Mario to back off when he spoke again. "Abigail?"

  She swallowed. "I don't owe you an answer." She stood and snatched her bag and her cat off the ground. She was d
oing exactly what Levi had taught her to do, shove down the emotions and deal with the now. "I…I don't want to deal with this tonight." Or she wasn't going to deal with it at all. Levi sighed.

  "Mario is just trying to figure out if it's related to Tomes," Levi reminded her, and she closed her eyes. Probably counting to ten.

  "I just lost fucking everything." Her voice was low, normally a warning tone. "Except for my car, my cat, my bag, and my book. I really don't want to discuss who might be trying to kill me right now."

  Now was not the time to push her. Levi held his hands up. "Come to the mansion tonight-"

  "No," she growled. "I'm not going to the mansion. I'm going to get a hotel room for the night. I'll deal with this tomorrow." She glanced back at the house and took a deep breath. Osiris curled up on her shoulder like he had the intention of protecting her. She scratched his head. "I guess we're going to have to go back and get you another litter box and food." Sirens filled the silent night. It was just a matter of time before they made it to the house. She hung her head, and Levi placed a hand on her shoulder.

  "I'll take care of it. Let me drive you to the hotel, so I know you are safe. I don't like how you look." Then he could come back and handle everything for her. There was still a fine shake to her body, and the color hadn't returned to her face at all.

  "I'm pretty sure I'm still in shock."

  "Your house just imploded, I think that's a good reason to be in shock." Mario bowed his head. "I'll go back to the mansion and wait for Levi there." He disappeared into the night. Levi was grateful that he seemed to take a hint.

  "I'm pretty sure my phone was in the house…"

  The phone should have been the least of her worries at this moment. "I'll have a new phone to you by tomorrow," Levi promised.

  "Okay." She took a few shaky steps towards the car and eyed it hesitantly. She seemed to find comfort in something and continued forward. She dug into her bag and found the keys, tossing them to Levi. He caught them, and he unlocked the car, getting into the driver's side. Abigail climbed into the passenger side and buckled in. The cat curled up in her lap as she scratched his ears.

  "Maybe I should-"

  He cut her thought off. "No, tonight you go get a hotel room. You process and regroup. I will handle everything, it's well before dawn." He had the whole night to handle the emergency crews, to cover for Abigail so they wouldn't question where she was, and to start handling replacing her phone. She was already overwhelmed so he brought up the one thing he knew would distract her. Work.

  "You said there was something about the case that was bothering you."

  She nodded. "The house had a room covered in runes from the Cult of Ra. I didn't want to say anything in front of Mario, because I don't know who to trust."

  "You can trust him." Levi didn't hesitate.

  "You said I could trust Tomes as well and he had me kidnapped." She leaned her head back. "Here's the odd thing about the runes. I was welcomed in by the magic, but Nick was not."

  So maybe whoever left them had good taste in people. "So whatever was in there was for you. What was it?"

  "It was sealing in a poltergeist who doesn't like me." She laughed. "It's really been a bad couple of days, even by my standards."

  Poltergeists. He didn't think she'd ever dealt with a case with them before. He thought back to the case he'd worked with Tomes. How the hospital had been haunted. "Do you think they purposely trapped the poltergeist in there to harm you?"

  "No, because it didn't come out until Nick came into the house." She hesitated with her next thoughts. "I know it sounds strange, but I'm wondering if they didn't seal it up to help me. To make sure I could come into the house to solve the crime."

  Levi was quiet for a few moments. "Why would they do that?" Who would do that even?

  "I don't know. After killing my parents, and Merrick making it very clear that I was not on their good side, I don't expect help from them." She leaned her head against the window. "I don't understand any of this."

  "When you're a little more clear-minded then we can discuss you staying at the mansion." He turned onto the highway. "Until then, a hotel close to the office."

  "I'm not staying at the mansion with Mario there." He didn't miss the slight anger in her voice.

  "I told you that you could trust him."

  She snorted. "I don't feel like I can, maybe that's still the shock talking, but there's something about him that I can't put my finger on."

  Levi was quiet for a moment. She was probably sensing the lies around the whole situation and the fact that Mario came from out of nowhere. "Then where do you plan on staying while your house is taken care of?"

  It took her a moment to come up with the answer. "I can stay at my parents' old house. The contractors finished with the walls in the basement. I should be fine there. Not many people know that I still own the house, which means it's safe. I can have my security system subscription moved there."

  He didn't want her there alone. Every time he went, he felt something there. There were also the memories of her parents' deaths. "I don't know if that's a wise idea. The mansion-"

  "Not while Mario is there," she cut him off. "I don't want him poking around in my business any more than he already has."

  He twisted his hands on the steering wheel. Mario already knew most of Abby's business, but there was no reason to bring that up. "You invite no one into that house. Understood? Not even Nick. I'd prefer if you perform all magic out of the house as well." He didn't want her to trigger anything or have someone see a ghost. Neither one of them would be okay after that.

  "I'm not going to blow it up," she muttered. "Not even Clarissa?"

  "No one, Abby. Just you and the cat." He glanced at the sleeping feline in question. "Even then I don't know if I want him in the house." He didn't really trust the strange cat that had shown up on her doorstep.

  She agreed after a few moments of hesitation. He pulled up to a parking spot of a hotel. "Stay safe and let me know if you need something." He got out and handed her the keys to her car. "And please remember, no one else in the house?"

  She simply grabbed her stuff and nodded before going inside the hotel. He waited a moment, hoping she'd change her mind about staying at the hotel. When she didn't come back out, he took himself back to her house.

  Levi looked at the imploded house and the emergency crews that were taping the area off to keep bystanders away. Levi stepped up to one of the officers on scene. "Abigail Collins is the owner of the house. She's unreachable right now."

  The officer looked at him. "And you are?"

  There weren't many PIB officers who didn't know him on site, but this wasn't PIB, this was typical human police. Levi offered a small smile. "Her next of kin."

  He looked Levi up and down for a moment. "Thank you, do you have her contact information for when we can reach her?"

  Levi nodded, and the officer handed him a notepad. He wrote down Abigail's number and time to call her. "There was no one home at the time of the accident. Abigail lives alone, and she was out on a case."

  "Case?" The officer raised a brow.

  He nodded. "She's PIB."

  He swore the officer rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'll make sure to contact them then, chances are that it's related to something paranormal."

  "That's probably a good call. If you can't get a hold of Abigail, my information is there as well. I might be able to answer any questions you have."

  The officer gave him an odd look but nodded. "I'll make sure to pass the information off to PIB. Thank you, Mr..." He looked down at the notepad, "Felcos."

  Levi nodded and took one last look at the house. Had it not been for the cat then they would have all ended up dead. It had Ira written all over it. He'd known where Abigail was, but how did he get past her security system and her wards to do such damage. He wasn't a warlock, and
very few warlocks and witches could transport themselves. It was typically a skill of the Cult of Ra. Levi snarled at the thought that they could have been involved with this.

  "Did you think of something?" the officer asked.

  Levi shook his head. "No, sorry. I was just trying to think of who would do this. Do you need me to stick around?"

  "No, I have your information, and we'll have to do an investigation to see if it is paranormal related and go from there. We'll be in contact with Ms. Collins."

  Levi nodded and took himself back to the mansion trying to keep his anger under control.

  "I don't think she likes me much," Mario stated the moment Levi appeared back in the library.

  Levi snorted. "I think she's just very cautious. She wants to stay at Elizabeth's and Tobias' house."

  Mario shook his head. "No, that's too far from you, and we can't control anything that she finds there unless you gut the house first."

  "Elizabeth was very thorough in hiding Abigail's origins from her." Levi shook his head. "She won't come back here because of you."

  Mario sighed. "She's careful of strangers."

  "Yes, and had we avoided her meeting you last night then we could have had her safe here at the mansion." Levi crossed his arms. "But what's done is done, and now I'm worried about how she's taking this. There are so many possibilities of who tried to kill her tonight that I'm sure her paranoia has kicked into overdrive."

  "And yours?" Mario asked. "Have you formed your own theories about who has tried to kill her tonight?"

  Levi nodded. "I have two, the Cult of Ra and Ira. I'm not sure which is more likely."

  "Ira could have done it to try and force Abigail out of her comfort zone and into an unknown situation."

  Levi shook his head. "No, this was meant to kill, and had it not been for that cat, it would have killed us all." Though all spells needed to be activated, so the question was what had set it off? The cat? Was it time sensitive, had it just been a ticking time bomb? Abby rarely used her basement so who knows how long the spell had been lying dormant.