“No designs today, Mr. Fendall. I have questions about your interest in the Tasker farm.”
His expression changed to one of enlightenment. “Mr. Tasker complained about my inquiries, I take it.”
“I think he used the word harassment rather than inquiry,” I said.
“Oomph.” He pretended to clutch his stomach. “I consider myself a professional.”
“A professional stalker?”
The muscle in his cheek twitched. “A connoisseur of scrap metal.”
“That sounds highly specific.”
“Oh, it is and I take my business very seriously.”
“So you want to turn the Tasker farm into a junk yard,” I said.
“There are few spaces in Chipping Cheddar with the land for such an endeavor,” Bruce said. “The Tasker property is ideal for what I have in mind.”
“And what happens? People dump their scraps there and you polish turds into diamonds?”
“More or less,” he said. He smiled, revealing a set of slightly crooked teeth. No orthodontia for this guy. Although my father had been against nonessential procedures, my mother had been adamant that we wore braces if we needed them and threatened my father with a hex on his nether regions if he got in the way. Needless to say, Anton and I sported matching camera-ready smiles.
“Can’t you rent a storage unit for that?” I asked. “Do you really need a whole farm? That’s a lot of acreage for junk.”
“Your trash is our treasure,” he said. “It’s our company slogan.”
“Nice.” I was perfectly willing to acknowledge a good slogan when I heard one.
“I’m trying to grow my business,” Bruce said. “For that, I need adequate space. The Tasker farm would provide it and then some.”
“Do you work alone?” I asked.
“For the most part. I outsource as much as I can,” he said. “It keeps costs down.”
“The farm’s worth a lot of money,” I said. “Are you sure you can even afford it?”
Bruce smirked. “If the FBI is interested in my profit and loss statements, I’m sure they can find a way to access them.”
“I understand Jayson Swift represents your company.”
“That is correct,” Bruce said. “I find Jayson to be worth every penny the company pays him.”
And I found Jayson to be a skeezeball, but why argue?
“If you need further information, feel free to contact him,” Bruce continued, “though I’m happy to answer any more questions you may have.”
Bruce Fendall may have had an unusual business, but he seemed more like an annoying guy than a harassing mobster-type figure. And as a regular human, he wouldn’t know anything about a plant from Otherworld or pod demons.
“Do you know anything about the other company that’s been sniffing around the farm?”
Bruce’s expression soured. “Brimstone.”
“You know the company?”
“The man and the company, unfortunately,” Bruce said. “Not that we run in the same circles, mind you. Titian Brimstone wouldn’t give a guy like me the time of day.”
“Then how do you know him?”
“We’ve been going after the same types of properties recently,” he said. “Different plans for them, of course, but similar requirements.”
“What do you think of him?”
Bruce removed his hands from his pockets and hooked his thumbs through the belt loops. “Arrogant. Pompous. Single-minded. Ruthless.”
Ruthless.
“Wow, such praise. Sounds like you have a bit of a crush,” I said.
Bruce snickered. “Brimstone belongs in a metropolis somewhere, not here in Chipping Cheddar. Leave a place like this to the little folks.”
“So they can turn trash into treasure?”
He winked. “Exactly.”
“I don’t have any more questions at the moment,” I said. “Just a request. Leave the Taskers alone. They’ve told you unequivocally no. They’re old and vulnerable and they don’t need strangers creeping around their property. It’s unsettling.”
He slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Very well then. They’ll not hear another word from me unless I hear from them first.”
“You spit and swear on your mother’s grave?”
He peered at me. “Is that how the FBI conducts business now?”
No, that’s how the Fury family conducts business. “Not really. I’m trying to keep this visit off the books so you’re not on our radar. I imagine you’d prefer to avoid a tax audit.”
“Cunning, Agent Fury. A subtle threat.” He gestured to the metal sunflower on the wall. “Any interest? I’ll cut you a deal.”
“Bribery, Mr. Fendall? Cunning. I don’t think a sunflower would do the trick, but thanks. I have a sun lamp in my office and that’s basically all I need.”
“A sun lamp?”
“It was a special gift,” I said. “There’s not a lot of natural light in my office.”
“Yes, mine is similar, as you can see.”
A train rumbled past and the walls shook. “We don’t have that,” I said.
“I like trains,” he said. “Always have.”
“A train’s just a chain of metal boxcars, right? What’s not to love?”
“You understand me already,” Bruce said. “Such a rare gift, to be understood.”
“Even rarer to be understood and accepted,” I said. I knew that all too well.
“Tell me, Agent Fury, will you be delivering the same message to Brimstone that you delivered to me?”
I frowned. “Of course. I don’t play favorites, Mr. Fendall, no matter how much money and power someone appears to have. They all get treated the same.”
Bruce observed me for a long beat. “Yes, the same,” he said. “Please be sure to give my regards to the Taskers.”
I wagged a finger. “Remember the rules, Mr. Fendall. Only if they give their regards first.” He escorted me to the door and I came to an abrupt stop.
“Be sure to sleep with your windows closed,” I said.
He seemed taken aback. “Another threat, Agent Fury?”
I quickly realized how my suggestion might have sounded. “No, no. This allergy season is brutal with the pollen count and my doctor is advising everyone to seal up any gaps and keep windows closed.”
“I appreciate the warning,” he said. “I haven’t felt like myself this past week.”
Oh, he had no idea how much worse it could be. If he ended up like Tanner, Sean, or Shelley Riggin, he could cease to be himself at all.
Chapter Ten
Standing outside the Brimstone building, I got the sense that Bruce Fendall wasn’t wrong about Titian Brimstone. The building towered over its corporate neighbors and the ostentatious canopy over the entrance boasted financial abundance.
I crossed the black and white marble floor of the lobby and approached the reception desk. The woman behind the desk looked like she spent too much time on a boat without sunscreen. Not uncommon for some residents. She greeted me with a toothy smile.
“Welcome to Brimstone,” she chirped. “I’m Carly. How can we be of service today?”
“I’d like to see Mr. Brimstone,” I said.
“Do you have an appointment?” Her tone suggested that she knew very well I didn’t.
I whipped out my badge. “Nope, but tell him I’ve got a box of his favorite Girl Scout cookies and I’m sure he’d be interested in talking to me.”
Carly’s brow furrowed. “The FBI sells Girl Scout cookies now?”
“No. That was just a quip,” I said. I shoved my badge in my pocket. “One of those cool things you say to introduce yourself.”
Carly cocked her head. “If you say so.”
“Please tell Mr. Brimstone that a federal agent wishes to speak with him,” I said.
“I’ll see if he’s available, Agent Fury. One moment, please.” She turned away to buzz her boss.
I took a moment to survey the inte
rior of the building. The soothing gray walls were adorned with oversized artwork of abstract nature scenes. I had no doubt they’d been commissioned especially for this building. The sizes and colors were too perfect for the space to have been mass-produced.
“Mr. Brimstone will see you now,” she said. “Take the elevator to the top floor.”
“Thank you.” My flats padded across the marble floor and I heard the echoing click of someone’s high heels behind me.
A statuesque woman joined me in the elevator and hit the button for the top floor before I could reach it. “I’ll escort you,” she said. “I’m heading there myself.” She stuck out a hand. “Katy Brimstone, Titian’s wife.”
I shook her hand. “Agent Eden Fury.”
I caught her look of surprise. “An agent? Is there an EPA issue again?”
“Not EPA,” I said. “I’d rather save the particulars for your husband, Mrs. Brimstone.”
She hesitated. “Should I not be present for this meeting?”
“That’s up to your husband.”
“I’m an officer of the company,” she said. “If there’s a problem, I should probably be aware.”
I gave her a reassuring smile. “I don’t know that there is a problem. I’m here to discuss your husband’s interest in a local farm.”
“Tasker,” she said, more of a statement than a question.
I said nothing as the elevator doors opened and dumped us directly into Mr. Brimstone’s office. He stood at the window, tall and muscular with a torso like a tree trunk. He turned at the sound of his wife’s footsteps and I was struck by the squareness of his jaw. The shape was so severe that it was almost comical.
“Katy, I didn’t realize you were back.” They met in the middle of the room and he offered his wife a peck on the cheek.
“I brought a friend.” She nodded to me. “This is Agent Eden Fury.”
I showed him my badge. I wasn’t sure about Katy, but I knew immediately that Titian Brimstone was a demon. Supernaturals weren’t always that easy to identify, but his aura screamed demon.
“My receptionist doesn’t have the Sight,” he said. “She told me you were FBI, not FBM.”
“I figured,” I said.
Katy glanced from her husband to me. “FBM?”
“Federal Bureau of Magic, my lamb,” Mr. Brimstone said.
“I didn’t realize such a thing existed,” his wife said.
“Katy’s human,” he explained, sounding almost apologetic. “But she’s a fast learner.”
“I get an undeniable demon vibe from you,” I said.
Mr. Brimstone’s laugh boomed. It was the kind of laugh that came straight from his massive chest and exploded into the world.
“A business in the streets and a demon in the sheets,” his wife said.
Mr. Brimstone winked at her. “That’s an understatement.”
Sheesh. Get a room.
“What kind of demon, may I ask?”
“A hellion,” he said. “I immigrated here decades ago. Started a new life.” He smiled. “Met Katy five years ago and haven’t looked at another woman since then.” They exchanged an affectionate look and I couldn’t decide if he was genuine or placating his wife.
“So you bring the brimstone,” I said.
His expression darkened. “I bring the fire, too, should the need arise.”
“Did you tell the Taskers that when you paid them a visit?” I asked.
He leaned his bottom against the edge of his desk. “Is that what this is about? My interest in purchasing the farm?”
“The Taskers feel that they’re being harassed,” I said. “Mrs. Tasker said that you’ve sent someone around every week.”
“It’s not unusual when you’re trying to develop a business relationship,” he said.
I wasn’t buying it. “She’s an old woman, Mr. Brimstone. It isn’t right.”
Mr. Brimstone eyed me curiously. “And what interest does the FBM have in an elderly human couple?”
“It’s part of our job to keep supernaturals from scaring humans,” I said.
“I’m running a business,” he objected. “The fact that I’m a supernatural and they’re not is neither here nor there.”
“I disagree. There’s an imbalance of power and you know it.”
He regarded me silently for a moment. “As I understand it, your family lives on one of the original Chipping Cheddar farms, Agent Fury,” he said.
An uneasy chill traveled up my spine. Why did he know anything about my family? “That’s right. The Wentworths were the original owners.” And Alice lived there still, not that he needed to know that. I was the only one who could see Alice, thanks to my fury powers.
“And how did they obtain such a coveted piece of property?” he asked.
“They paid for it in the usual way,” I said. “The farm went up for sale and their offer was accepted.”
He took a step toward me. “Is that so? They didn’t intimidate anyone with their black magic or threats of vengeance?”
It seemed that somebody was keeping close tabs on the other supernaturals in town.
“Why would they?” I replied. “The Wentworths didn’t know what they were. The last members of the family decided to sell.”
“That’s what you’ve been told. Make no mistake, your family isn’t known for its soft touch.”
I bristled. “Let me put it this way, Mr. Brimstone. Even if my family did unfairly obtain the farm—and I’m not conceding that they did—that doesn’t mean I’ll let you do the same.”
“Special treatment, eh? And here I’d heard you were unfailingly good.” He snorted. “I should have known better. No one could live in such a dark shadow and not succumb eventually.”
Katy shifted from one heel to the other, visibly uncomfortable. “If you don’t need me, I think I’ll go check in with Martha in accounting.”
Brimstone blew her a kiss. “Go on, lamb. We’ll catch up later.”
Katy hurried from the room so fast that I worried she’d break a heel on the way out.
“I am nothing like my family,” I said, trying not to seethe.
Brimstone laughed again, more softly this time. “Sounds like I hit a raw nerve.”
Now it was my turn to hit a raw nerve. “Have you ever used the services of a demon to acquire a property that you wanted?” I watched him closely for a reaction. “Maybe import something from Otherworld in an effort to persuade them?”
His expression hardened. “That’s racist. Just because I’m a demon doesn’t mean I’d stoop to such levels. I run a solid business here.”
I kept pushing. “If you were going to employ the services of a demon, which kind would be your go-to?”
“Depends on the services,” he said. “I mean, I know your father and brother would be good for a revenge project. You’ve got that lawyer cousin, too.”
“Uncle,” I corrected him. Uncle Moyer. “That’s not the kind of services I mean.”
His brow furrowed. “I don’t retain those type of services anymore. Maybe in my younger days before I embarked on actual relationships. I definitely dated my fair share of demons. To be honest, I never imagined I’d end up with a human partner. Hellions and humans aren’t exactly a common combination.”
“Neither are furies and humans,” I said. My thoughts automatically turned to Chief Fox. “Out of curiosity, did you tell Katy before you married her?”
“About my origin?”
I nodded. “It can’t be easy for a human to accept.”
“I eased her in,” he said. “Dropped hints every so often.”
“How do you drop a hint like that?” It was more like a nuclear bombshell.
“You’ve never dated a human? A pretty woman like you?” He looked me over. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I dated a moron,” I said. Tanner never had a clue. Still didn’t. I felt a slight pang of guilt remembering that his body now housed a pod demon. What if Tanner was gone for good?
I laughed, despite the tension. “I find it best to keep them at bay.”
“I had Katy watch certain films and TV shows and then gauged her reaction to them. She liked all the vampire movies. Had the hots for the males.” He shrugged. “Tall, dark and brooding. I figured I was on the right track.”
“How did you decide it was safe to reveal your true self?”
“We watched Hellboy. Do you know that comic? They made a movie or two.”
I nodded. “And what? She didn’t shudder with fear?”
“No. In fact, she added Hellboy to her laminated list.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Of people she’s allowed to sleep with should the opportunity ever present itself.”
“I guess that made it clear for you.”
“Made the risk worth taking. Paid off, too, as you can see.”
I could. Regardless of his questionable business practices, he seemed to be in a healthy relationship with a human. Hats off to him for that.
He edged closer to me. “Tell me, Agent Fury. What’s your interest in my personal relationship?”
“Any time a demon and a human interact, I’m interested,” I said. “It’s my job.”
“The government has no place in our private lives.”
“I’m not issuing any mandates, Mr. Brimstone. I was only making conversation.”
“I’m a busy demon, Agent Fury. Any more questions or are you just stalling to spend more quality time with me?”
“Oh, stop,” I said. “You’re obviously very much in love with your wife. Don’t use flirtation as a weapon. It just makes you look like a jerk.”
His arms dropped to his sides. “You weren’t even a little tempted?”
“Not really, sorry. Maybe if I hadn’t seen you two together.” I didn’t believe he’d cheat on his wife with me. I did, however, believe he’d kill me if it suited him. I decided to keep that nugget to myself. Best not to give the hellion any ideas.
“Poor timing then,” he said.
“Do you know Handel Gottsberg?” I asked.
He didn’t flinch. “Yes. We do occasional business together.”
“Any recent business?”
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