by B N Miles
“Let’s go.”
They climbed out of the car and walked around the gravel, up a cracked and faded concrete sidewalk, and toward the front door. The single sign read AVONMORE ANIMAL HOSPITAL and was faded from years of weather. Jared lingered at the door and considered knocking for a second, but just grabbed the silver rusty handle and turned it.
The door swung open and they stepped into a tiny waiting room. The smell of animals hit them immediately. There was a carpet on the floor that was stained all over, little pits of black and brown. The desk ahead of them was covered in linoleum, and old signs touting brands of dog food Jared didn’t recognize were tacked up all along the front.
Chairs were set around the waiting space, and he caught sight of some magazines tucked in a corner on top of a small table. As far as he could tell, it really was a vet clinic, a little rundown and ancient, but definitely legit. He walked up to the desk and looked around, saw some files and folders scattered about, an old computer monitor, an ancient mouse and keyboard, but nobody was around.
“Here we go,” Cassie said and tapped a little bell that sat on the far end of the desk. It rang out a few times and they waited.
There was a shuffling sound in the back, something got knocked to the ground with a clatter, and someone grunted. Jared gave Cassie a look and she stifled a laugh, hand over her mouth.
The door behind the desk opened and a harried looking man stepped out. He wore a dark blue button-down shirt tucked into light jeans. Pens were tucked in the pocket and his sleeves were rolled to the elbows and revealed hairy forearms. He was a big guy, wide in the chest, round in the stomach, with a bushy beard and bright blue eyes. He grunted when he saw Jared and Cassie, and crossed his arms over his burly chest.
“Can I help you?” he asked, eyes narrowed.
“Hi, my name is Cassie Grim,” Cassie said. “And this is Jared Bechtel. Are you Doctor Kurt Pallett?”
“Call me Kurt,” he said. “And yeah, that’s me.” His frown got deeper as he looked right at Jared. “Did you say Bechtel?”
“I was hoping we could talk for a second,” Cassie said, ignoring his question. Jared shifted a little and he felt the tension in the room grow as Kurt kept staring at him with narrowed eyes. “We’re looking for someone and we heard you might—”
“I do animals,” Kurt said, cutting her off. “I don’t do people anymore.”
“Anymore?” Cassie asked.
“If you two got an animal that needs care, I’d be happy to help, otherwise I have an annoyed Doberman back there and I can’t leave him unattended for long. He gets real bitey otherwise.”
Cassie held up her hands. “Just one second. We were sent here by Underlord Nikita, do you know her?”
Kurt went still. “I might,” he said and looked at Jared again. “She did say Bechtel, didn’t she?”
Jared let out a breath and looked at Cassie who just shrugged.
“She said Bechtel,” Jared confirmed.
“Well shit,” Kurt said. “You’re a Magi.”
“And we know you’re a Werebear. My friend here’s a Were herself.” Jared gestured at Cassie, who beamed up at Kurt. “So you can speak freely.”
Kurt relaxed a fraction of an inch then ran a hand through his bushy hair and scratched at his beard.
“Look, I know Nikita, but only by name and reputation,” he said. “She sends me work sometimes.”
“I thought you said you don’t do people anymore,” Cassie said.
He gave her a flat look. “You want to talk or you want to fuck around?”
Cassie gave him a sweet smile. “Sorry, just trying to figure out what we’re doing here.”
“I do Metas,” he said. “And only Metas. Humans can go fuck themselves, no offense, Magi.”
“None taken,” Jared said.
“Nikita sends me work from time to time, and I do it because it’s better to have a Vampire Underlord on your side than it is to piss one off.” He tugged at his beard. “You know what I mean?”
“I know Nikita pretty well,” Cassie said. “So yeah, I know what you mean.”
He grunted and shook his head then spread his hands. “I don’t know what you people want. I’m just a veterinarian.”
“Someone came through recently,” Cassie said. “A man named Taavi. A Plethoak.”
Kurt tensed again. His jaw tightened and he took a step back. He held up his hands, palms out like he was trying to show them that he had no weapons.
“Look, I don’t want anything to do with this, okay?”
“We don’t care if you helped him,” Cassie said. “In fact, we’re happy if you did. We just want to know where he’s at.”
“I don’t know,” Kurt said. “Okay? I really don’t.”
“How bad was he hurt?” Jared said. “When he came in, what were his injures?”
Kurt winced a little and glanced back over his shoulder.
“Uh, look, I should—”
“Please,” Cassie said. “I’ll put in a good word to Nikki for you.”
He sighed, ran a hand through his beard again.
“I’m not supposed to talk about it, but fuck, I really don’t want to piss anyone off here.”
“We’ll be discreet,” Jared said.
Kurt looked between them again then sighed and crossed his arms.
“Alright, look, the Plethoak came through here about four days ago. He had some nasty burns on his arms and chest and a cut that needed stitches on his cheek. The cut was conventional, but those burns definitely weren’t. I’d guess magic, but I don’t really know.”
“What did he say?” Cassie asked.
“Just that he had an accident,” Kurt said. “Which was clearly bullshit, but the lights kept flickering, and he kept staring with me with those weird, dead eyes, and, shit, I know I shouldn’t say this, but Plethoaks freak me out, okay?”
“I know what you mean,” Jared said.
“I treated his burns, wrote him a prescription for an ointment that should help, and sent him on his way.”
“Did he say where he was going?” Cassie asked.
“No,” Kurt said. “But his burns were pretty bad. I can’t imagine he went far, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he was still in town.”
Jared glanced at Cassie then back to Kurt. “If he was staying in town, where would he go?”
Kurt snorted. “The one motel,” he said. “You keep going down Main Street out there, turn left at Carter Ave, you’ll see it. Only place for miles.”
“Thanks,” Jared said. “We’ll give that a try.”
“Look, if you find him, you never saw me, okay?” Kurt glanced over his shoulder again and moved foot to foot. “Please, just leave me out of this. And tell Underlord Nikita I was helpful.”
“I’ll put in a good word,” Cassie said. “Thanks for your help.”
Kurt grunted, glanced at Jared, then turned and shook his head. He mumbled something about Magi then disappeared into the back again, slamming the door behind him.
Jared looked at Cassie with a little frown and together they headed back out to the parking lot. The gravel crunched underfoot as Jared headed over to the other car where Izzy sat in the back with Wade. Lumi had her feet up on the dash, her head leaned back, and Jessalene fiddled with the radio.
Cassie bounced over to Lumi’s door and flung it open. Lumi grinned as Cassie leaned inside and kissed her then climb in onto her lap. Lumi laughed, struggled a little, then gave in.
Jared leaned against the car as Jessalene rolled down her window.
“Well?” she asked.
“He was here, all right,” Jared said. “Doctor in there was pretty nervous. I think he’s hiding something, but I don’t know what.”
“He seemed as afraid of the Plethoak as he was of Nikki,” Cassie said.
Lumi struggled again and Cassie dug in tighter.
“Can’t blame him,” Lumi said.
“He thinks we should try the motel,” Jared said. “Taavi could be st
aying there. Doc said the burns were pretty bad, so he might need time to heal up before running again.”
“Worth a try at least,” Jessalene said. “And we could use a place to stay for the night.”
Jared nodded and looked around. The town was tiny, about as tiny as he expected. They’d passed one restaurant, one grocery store, and he could have sworn there was a Blockbuster Video tucked back behind a tiny little pizza shop. Otherwise, it was all farmland, single family houses with crumbling porches and overgrown yards, and trees sprouting up like weeds.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s go. Cassie, leave poor Lumi alone.”
Cassie kissed Lumi’s cheek then climbed back out. Lumi groaned as Cassie used her elbows to push off and get back out the door. Jared laughed, shaking his head, and Izzy hopped out of the car to join them.
“Crammed in there,” Izzy said as they headed back to Jared’s car.
“How’s Wade doing?” Jared asked once they were inside.
“He seems okay,” Izzy said. “Physically, he’s fine at least. Didn’t say much. I’m not sure how he’s adjusting to all this.” She shook her head. “I can’t imagine being in his position.”
Cassie made a little noise but didn’t say anything. Jared looked at her for a long moment, but just started the car and pulled out.
He followed Kurt’s directions, which were easy enough. Jessalene followed at a reasonable distance. After a few minutes of driving, past more rundown streets, more overgrown yards, and what looked like a park full of surprisingly well-kept tennis courts, he found the Avonmore Motor Lodge tucked back down a winding driveway.
It wasn’t as bad as he expected. There were some cars in the parking lot, which meant there were people staying in the small rooms that lined the long, single-story building. The office was tucked in the far-left corner, just a single door and a large glass window with the rates posted on a large laminated sign. Jared parked in the shade, killed the engine, and got out.
“Same deal?” Izzy asked.
Jared nodded. “Just to be on the safe side.”
Izzy rolled her eyes and walked over to the other car.
“You sure you don’t need help?” Jessalene asked, rolling down the window.
“No,” Jared said. “Stay here with Lumi. We should try not to split up too much, just in case the Medlar come. Me or Lumi should always be around.”
Jessalene nodded. “That’s reasonable. Annoying, but reasonable.”
Jared headed over to the office with Cassie by his side. She seemed a little less buoyant than she had just a few minutes ago.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said.
“Thinking about your cousin,” he said.
“Trying to imagine what he’s going through,” she said.
“You went through it yourself.”
She shook her head. “No, I chose this. He didn’t. It’s… different.”
“Still, it’s close.” He stopped just outside the office door and took her hand. “Cass, I know this is hard on you. If you need to talk, or you need anything—”
“I know,” she said. “I just need time to process everything.”
Jared nodded, looked at her for another second, then dropped her hand and opened the office door.
The room smelled like stale coffee and the walls were covered in a brown wallpaper that made it look nicotine stained. A lazy overhead fan turned in slow circles but didn’t do much for the heavy air. An old couch sat against the left wall with a small coffee table in front of it and magazines splayed out on top. Jared saw a coffee maker perched on top of a gray folding table, which he guessed was the source of the awful coffee stink. Thrift-store paintings of wildlife and rivers lined the walls, and a huge moose head hung behind the check-in desk.
An older woman sat behind the desk, staring at a computer screen. She didn’t seem to notice them until Jared took a few steps closer. Her hair was black with streaks of gray and she wore an oversized blue flannel. She wore heavy eyeliner and had wrinkles around her forehead and cheeks.
“Be with you in a minute,” she said, her voice a low croak.
Jared shifted foot to foot and Cassie leaned up against him. She caught his eye and smiled a little bit then nodded at the computer. Jared craned his neck and realized the woman was playing solitaire.
“Right,” the woman said as the cards began to bounce around the screen. She turned to them, her expression flat, like she’d won solitaire a million times before. “What can I do for you folks?”
Cassie approached the desk and gave the woman her sweetest smile.
“Hi there, we were hoping we could get a room?”
“Sure,” the woman said. “What do you need?”
“Two rooms, actually,” Jared said. “Uh, two twins in each, if possible?”
She shrugged, clicked at her computer to banish the bouncing cards, then opened a different screen. Jared wondered why they even needed a computer to keep track of their rooms, considering they probably never filled up, but he held his tongue.
“I got two rooms, but one’s a queen, and one’s got twin beds,” she said. “Right next to each other, if that matters.”
“Perfect,” Cassie said. “That’ll be great, thanks.”
She nodded, clicked a few times, then looked up. “Just need your information, dear.”
“Carla Alder,” Cassie said, and proceeded to give the woman a fake address.
“And how are you paying?” the woman asked.
“Cash,” Cassie said.
“Great.” The woman finished typing and looked up. “Forty per night, we got fresh towels on request, and we change the sheets every other day by request. No smoking, no loud parties, don’t piss anyone off, and you’re welcome as long as you like. Enjoy your stay.” She stood, rummaged around for a couple keys in a small drawer, then slapped them down onto the counter.
Cassie took them. “Thank you very much,” she said.
The woman turned back to the computer. Jared was just about to ask a question about Taavi when the computer froze. The woman started clicking with a frown, bashed on the keyboard, and banged on the monitor.
“Shit,” she said. “Of course.”
“Something wrong?” Jared said.
“Oh, computer just froze,” she said. “You’re not an IT guy, are you?” She squinted at Jared.
“Unfortunately, no,” he said.
“Been having issues all over the place these last few days. I guess I should warn you about that.”
“What kind of issues?” Cassie asked.
“Electrical mostly,” the woman said. “Flickering lights. Lost power a couple days back for an hour. Not sure what’s going on. I had an electrician out and he can’t find any problems, but all my guests keep complaining about their lights going on and off, their sockets not working, that sort of thing. Just keep an eye out and let me know if you experience any problems.”
Jared forced himself not to smile. “Uh, thanks,” he said. “We’ll let you know if anything happens.”
The woman nodded and stood with a sigh. “Now I gotta restart this old piece of junk. Enjoy your stay.”
She knelt down, disappearing under the desk.
Jared turned away, took Cassie’s arm, and steered her to the door. She grinned up at him as they left the office.
“He’s here,” she said.
“He’s definitely here,” Jared said. “Come on, let’s get out of here before he notices us and gets spooked.”
They hurried back to the cars. Cassie leaned down and talked to Jessalene as Jared started his engine. Izzy came back over and slipped into the back seat.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“He’s here,” Jared said.
“You’re sure?”
He nodded, grinning. “They’re having electrical problems.”
Izzy sighed and smiled a little as Cassie got back into the passenger side.
“What now?” Cassie
asked
“We need to regroup and talk,” Jared said. “But we shouldn’t do it here where Taavi might spot us.”
“Got it,” Cassie said. “There was a barber shop that looked closed just down the road. We can go park there.”
“Perfect,” Jared said.
He pulled out with a smile on his lips and headed down the road with Jessalene just on his tail.
22
Jared leaned back in the driver’s seat of his car and looked out into the chilly, rainy night. Lumi sprawled out on the back seat, her knees bent up, her hands behind her head. Jessalene sat in the passenger seat looking bored, her eyes half closed as she reached out to fiddle with the radio again.
“How long’s it been?” Lumi asked.
“Four hours,” Jared said. “And stop asking.”
She grunted and didn’t reply.
Jared sighed and tried to stretch his legs, but there wasn’t much room. The car was parked at the far end of the motel’s lot under a large oak tree, its leaves dripping fat rain drops on the windshield.
Shadows and darkness enveloped them, but he could still see the front of the motel. The “T” in MOTEL was tilted to the right, just enough to touch against the “E,” and Jared wondered how long it’d been like that.
Nobody matching Taavi’s description had come or gone since they arrived. Jared considered pressing the motel clerk for which room Taavi was staying in, but decided that might tip their hand. He didn’t want to give Taavi any advance warning, since surprise was on their side.
“I hate stakeouts,” Jessalene said. “Seriously, I hate them.”
“It’s only been four hours,” Jared said.
“When do the others get on?” Jessalene asked.
Jared checked his watch. “An hour,” he said. “I think they’re out getting dinner right now.”
Jessalene leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “Dinner,” she said. “The outside world.”
“I forget what it’s like out there,” Lumi said.
“It’s raining,” Jared said. “But I’d almost rather be sitting out there than hear you two complain for another hour.”
Jessalene grinned and smacked his shoulder. He grinned back and shifted in his seat, trying to get more comfortable.