by T S Paul
“Not this argument again. Mongo, I’m serious here. History just happens. Ask my grandmother. She’s pushing two hundred and can tell you stories that will curl your hair. And it’s all true! Now please answer the question.”
“I will when you tell me who this is. Come on, Agatha. I’m trustworthy. Who would I tell here in Madison?” Mongo I looked away from the phone and gave Winston the high sign that everything was ok.
“Anastasia,” Agatha replied.
“Is she helping you? That’s who you should ask about this. It would take a Vamp to understand a Vamp. So, who are you chasing?”
Agatha sighed, “No, Mongo. It’s Ana we’re hunting.”
“You’re kidding.”
Agatha was completely silent on the phone.
“You’re not kidding. OK. You do know she’s been with the FBI since the 1940s and knows every technique they use. Hell, she probably wrote the manual! What did she do?” I asked.
Agatha sighed, “It’s complicated. It concerns the World Species Council.”
“Whoa! Agatha are you crazy? This is an open line!” I practically yelled at her.
“Mongo, it’s fine. I’m a Witch, remember? Plus, my grandmother is the leader of that group. I doubt they will come after me.”
“If you say so. My parents told me to never, ever, mention THEM to anyone. Especially a mundane. They are the major leagues in our world,” I Explained.
“Trust me. It’s safe.”
“So, what did she do to THEM?” I asked. There were some people and things in this world you just didn’t mess with.
“The Vampire representative demanded that she present herself to them. They have questions as to her lineage and history. According to them, she doesn’t exist.” Agatha sighed again.
“She ran.”
“Yes, she ran. I know a tiny bit of her history. She told me once upon a time that she didn’t want to be found. But now the Council has involved my bosses at the FBI and even higher than that. My team was supposed to be investigating a Wendigo sighting in the Pacific Northwest, but now we’ve been told to drop everything and find her.”
“Dude, I feel for you. Like I said before, she wrote some of the FBI manuals. You’re screwed!” I laughed.
“Just tell me where she would go. Please?” Agatha almost growled.
“That’s an easy one. She will go to the one place no one would expect a Vampire to be. Once you figure that part out, the rest should be easy. Do you know if she has a human familiar?” I asked her
“ are you still there?”
“Sorry, Mongo. I was thinking. I’ve never heard her speak about a familiar or an assistant. How would we find out if she has one?” Agatha asked.
“Her boss at the FBI might know. Or her official record might have it.” When I’d gone on assignment, it was to a different branch of the Bureau. My understanding of the big picture was a bit more complete than my friends.
“Nope. I’ve got a copy of her record, and it’s nearly empty. She’s the head of her branch of the FBI. She apparently took the spot on my team because she loved it. Besides, she hinted to me that she has possession of some of J. Edgar Hoover's lost files. She really does know where all the bodies are buried.” Agatha sighed and sounded lost to me. I knew that she and the Vamp were really close.
“You’ve got a real job ahead of you then. Sorry I can’t be of more help, Agatha.”
“It’s all good, Mongo. You’ve given me some things to think about. Good luck with your detective agency. Call Chuck or me if you have any more ideas. I’ve got to get the team moving.” Agatha hung up her end of the call.
“Whoa, that was a bit intense,” I said to Winston. “My friends in the FBI have a serious new case.”
“And they still call you for help? Mongo, why’d you even leave?” Hina said from the kitchen.
I glanced at Winston a questioning look on my face.
“Dude, I did what you asked and kept my mouth shut,” he replied.
“It’s like this Hina…” launching into the whole sordid story I explained the trap I put myself into and how I was paying for it.
Hina came over and rubbed my shoulders, “you don’t have to pretend around us. We know you and trust you.”
“Thanks. So, what did your dad say?” I asked her.
She snorted and then laughed. “You’ll love this. If you think your parents are strange, you should meet mine.”
“What did they do now?” Winston asked.
Reaching past me, Hina picked up the tiki from the center of the table and help it up. “This thing? Not an heirloom. Dad wanted to see if we could be trusted with family materials. He claims he picked it up at a junk shop in Waimea. That it was intended for Haoles and only idiots would fall for the idea of a curse on it.”
“He pulled another on us, did he?” Winston asked.
“Yes, he did,” Hina replied with a smile.
“Dude,” I said with a laugh. Reaching into my pocket I pulled out a folded piece of paper. “It really is Jamaican Karma. You need to start that band for real. And by the way? Here’s my bill.”
Author Notes
**The conversation between Mongo and Agatha came from the start of the book Invisible Elder, book six of the Federal Witch series of books.
Mongo has been a long time coming. I conceived the character in 2016 when I first wrote the Federal Witch series of books. Creating an entire universe was so much fun. There are rich characters who all interact in the main series while having lives of their own elsewhere. Mongo is such a person.
He’s been the one I go too when I need a laugh or someone to do the one job none of my main characters will do. Who doesn’t like a big, beefy, Polar Bear delivering you barbecue?
Beyond this most recent book the big lovable bear has popped up in several stories: Serpent Con, Lost in Alabama, and Cat’s Night Out. He is the creator of the Jack and Cheese sandwich and puts his father’s culinary knowledge to the test.
In writing these books I intend to give him a background and his own life beyond the FBI. He is important to me and to the future timeline I have set up in my head.
As always you can find me at www.tspaulbooks.com or on either the Author TS Paul Facebook page or Fans of the Federal Witch. My publishing company has its own Etsy page and Mongo stickers are now available. https://www.etsy.com/shop/GreatGodPanStore
Keep it magical. Scott.
Also By T S Paul
Federal Witch
Conjuring Quantico - Now Available in Audio!
Magical Probi - Now Available in Audio!
Special Agent in Charge - Now Available in Audio!
Witness Enchantment
Path to Otherwhere
Night of the Unicorn
Invisible Elder
Blood on the Moon
Child of Darkness
Child of Darkness - The Extra Chapter
A Draft of Dragons
Cat’s Night Out, Tails from the Federal Witch - Audio Available
Serpent Con
Darkness Revealed
Monster Hunter
Jack Dalton Book 1
Jack Dalton Book 2
Jack Dalton Book 3
Jack Dalton Book 4
Jack Dalton Book 5
Jack Dalton Book 6
Jack Dalton Book 7
Jack Dalton Book 8
Jack Dalton Book 9
Athena Lee Chronicles
The Forgotten Engineer
Engineering Murder
Ghost Ships of Terra
Revolutionary
Insurrection
Imperial Subversion
The Martian Inheritance - Audio Now Available
Infiltration
Prelude to War
War to the Knife
Ghosts of Noodlemass Past
Athena Lee Universe
Space Cadets - Coming Soon
Smuggle Life
Double Cross
Politics Equals Death
A Grand Affair
Short Story Collections
Wilson’s War
A Colony of CATT
Borscht is Boring
Box Sets
The Federal Witch: The Collected Works, Book 1
Chronicles of Athena Lee Book 1-3
Chronicles of Athena Lee Book 4-6
Chronicles of Athena Lee Book 7-9 plus the prequel
Athena Lee Chronicles (10 Book Series)
Camilla: The Collected Works
New Beginnings
Standalones or Tie-Ins
The Lost Pilot
Uncommon Life
Kutherian Gambit
Alpha Class. The Etheric Academy book 1
Alpha Class - Engineering. The Etheric Academy Book 2
The Etheric Academy (2 Book Series)
Nonfiction
Get That Sh@t Off Your Cover!: The So-Called Miracle Man Speaks Out
Study Guide and Timeline: The Athena Lee Chronicles