“What connection?”
Huh?
Hmm.
My head pounded. Thoughts churned and boiled in my mind. “She attended one of his sessions years ago. He found a footage. Listen…I gotta go.”
“I’ll drop you both.”
Yeah, we came in his car. Nice move, Cleo. This was what you got for trusting someone. If I raised an objection, he might wonder why. The man was way too clever for his own good. He was already running circles around me, and I was tangled in this mess.
“Thank you.”
As we sat in the car, his fingers lightly brushed against mine as we both buckled our seat belts. “Are you sure you are ok? You look a little pale.”
He could have given Brad Pitt a run for his money.
The man was a genuine actor.
Two could play this game.
“I’m worried about Mark.”
Yes, Mark. My friend. What the hell did you do with him, you bastard?
With an effort, I turned and looked out of the window. If I made eye contact with him, I may be tempted to kill him. To think that he lured me in so easily? Was I so desperate for male attention that I didn’t see the danger I brought to my team? If it wasn’t for me, Mark would have been safe. I gave Aaron too easy a target.
He pulled a fast one over me, and that didn’t happen to me all too often.
It was a novel experience, and I was hating every minute of it.
“I remember World War Two as clearly as if it happened a day before,” said Dubey. “Nasty work it was. Too nasty.”
“Right,” said Aaron, a little puzzled by the topic.
“There was this man, I think he was Hitler’s aid. One of them anyway. Smith reminds me of him. That guy sure had a strange talent and he used it well during investigations. He would stare at his victims and they would confess everything.”
“A truth seeker?”
Truth seekers were a myth. As were mind readers. I’d certainly never come across one or read about one, but every culture had its own folklores – and within our diverse community, truth seekers and mind readers were the elusive talents that one hoped to have. Mind control was next on the line, although everyone agreed that it would probably be too dangerous a talent.
“Smith doesn’t seem to have those abilities,” I added.
“He is a bit of an enigma,” confessed Dubey. “But it’s these mysterious types who give the most trouble. If a man has got nothing to hide, he is at ease. For those who want to protect their secrets, the world becomes a murky place and their relationships murkier still.”
I’d a feeling he knew exactly what I thought about Aaron at the time.
Or was he talking about Smith.
I was dazed, confused. To be honest, I wanted to kick some ass, preferably Aaron’s. But he was a mage of high caliber. I didn’t want to put him on guard without having enough firepower of my own. He would make a run for it and with all that money at his disposal, we wouldn’t be able to find him. And we needed Mark back.
Better to play along with Dubey. “What happened to Hitler’s aid?”
“I killed him. Had to. He was getting too many confessions out of British and American spies. We had to eliminate him.”
“You participated in the war?” asked Aaron.
“Of course. I worked on the direct orders of the Prime Minister, Churchill. I was assigned to him along with others.”
The world outside was serene, beautiful. The traffic was still manageable this time of the day and we cruised along nicely. If only I could make sense of the mayhem in my mind.
“You mean…the forces used the mages, the vampires?” said Aaron.
“Of course. In a war, the government has no compunction against using anyone. And the FBI is required to give them a true account of all the mages and the other magical people who can be of aid. And trust me, they put everyone to work.”
“That’s not good,” said Aaron.
“Not good for us. We kill them, they kill us. Each war thins the magical herd.”
“Even others die.” It was an effort to keep track of the conversation, but I needed to appear normal, nonchalant. A difficult task given the circumstances; I sat in the car with the killer and couldn’t do a thing about it. “Each life is as important.”
“True that,” said Aaron. “So we need to ensure there are no more wars.”
Right. As if he was so altruistic.
What was his agenda? Why pick the girl and the werewolf? Were they annoying him? What did he plan to get out of it?
Maybe he was plain crazy.
I’d never been so confused in my life. Motive of a killer was always significant. Once you discovered the motive, everything else usually fell in place. But Aaron had sufficient money and power, and I didn’t think he needed to take revenge on them for something.
Unless…
What if Sara was his girlfriend and she ditched him for the werewolf Sean. Hmm. That could just be it. Someone with his ego wouldn’t be able to take rejection. He killed them, and to throw everyone off his scent, he didn’t use magic.
What did he use though?
With his bank balance, he could purchase a number of exotic poisons that would remain undetected without some specialized lab equipment.
But why Mark?
The farmhouse came in sight. I’d never been so happy to see this place. All I wanted to do was walk in, go to my room, and collapse on my bed. But it wasn’t going to happen, not until we found Mark. If Aaron was the one who held him, his life was in grave danger.
That is, if he wasn’t dead already.
What if Aaron killed him?
I saw the man in action. He was a merciless machine of violence. If he really did something to Mark, I would personally peel the skin off his bones with my fingernails. Something of my murderous thoughts must have shown on my face because Aaron pulled the car to a stop outside the main door, and his eyebrows rose as he looked at me.
“Whatever you are planning doesn’t seem good.”
“No, it’s not. It certainly isn’t.”
Bryan walked out the door and I was relieved to see him. An extra hand would come in useful. Aaron Fine was no ordinary foe. We would need more power. He wouldn’t give up without a fight. I would have to request Jones to send us more people. Mages, agents, and perhaps even a few shape-shifters if he could manage.
Dubey got out of the car.
Aaron grabbed my hand just as I opened the door. My other hand clenched into a fist as I resisted the urge to pull. “Are you sure you don’t need my help? I could spare a few hours.”
Yeah, another few hours to distract us and lead us away from Mark.
His smile reached his eyes. Another time I would have melted. But now my heart was steeled against his charms. Sure, he would want to be closer, to keep an eye on where this was going. My initial intuitive assessment had been right; he was a menace, a killer, who didn’t have a moral compass.
I forced my lips to stretch into a smile. “Thank you, but we’ve got it covered. I’ll call if we need you.”
He didn’t let go. His fingers sent warmth down my arm. Gently, I withdrew.
“How about another date soon then?” he asked.
Yes, sure. That would happen when angels landed on Earth to bring peace to the warring nations.
“I’ll call you,” I said.
“Hey,” said Bryan as he walked over to the car.
I was glad to see him.
At least him I could trust. I should have stuck with him rather than get all riled up the big, bad mage who saved my ass a number of times.
Why?
The bastard should have allowed those idiots to kill me. At least I wouldn’t have faced this pain of betrayal now.
Slipping out, I forced myself to walk rather than run. No way was I allowing Aaron Fine to get the idea that we knew what he was up to. Closing the door of the car, I walked towards Bryan. He looked a little exhausted. “Where have you been? I was expecting
you back sooner.”
“I’d a family emergency. My mother was in hospital so I flew to San Francisco.”
Grabbing his arm, I steadied myself. No way in hell was I looking back to see what our killer mage was up to. “Oh! I’m sorry to hear that. How is she?”
“Fine. Just getting old I suppose. Low blood sugar. She collapsed.” He wiped a hand on his brow and turned to walk back inside with me. “What’s up with the case? I sent my report. Elena Chapman is out. She hasn’t been out of the city for a while. I checked her alibis for all relevant days backward and forward. It couldn’t have been her. So you were right. I emailed Mark all the details.”
Right. He didn’t know about Mark.
I couldn’t bear to talk about it.
As we came into the cool interior of the lobby, I stepped away from him. “We’ve got a new lead… and a huge problem. Why don’t you ask Jeremy about it? I’ll take a minute or two to catch up.”
As I started to walk up the stairs, he stopped me with his hand on my shoulder. “Cleo, what’s wrong?”
He was a friend, and he was concerned.
Tears pricked the back of my eyes. God damn it. I wasn’t going to cry.
This wasn’t me.
I didn’t lose it over men.
Without turning around, I walked up and his hand slid off. “Nothing. It’s…just go talk to Jeremy.”
I knew he stood watching me as I strode up, but I didn’t look back. What was it with men? Why did I always choose the wrong guys? It was better when I didn’t even think about them. Lately, I was debating my sanity.
First Special Agent Bryan.
And then Aaron Fine.
Who was next on the list?
The devil, probably.
Pushing open the door, I walked to the window and looked out. All I wanted was to get Mark back unhurt, and then forget about all these men and go back to kicking some ass like I used to. It wasn’t often that a man got under my skin. But somehow he did. I let my guard down with Aaron Fine.
And I shouldn’t have.
No man could ever be trusted.
Forget about men; it was better to not trust anyone. You never knew who would betray you. The people at the farmhouse were the only ones I could talk to, work with. They were family, and while we might have our differences like all other families, we stuck together.
For a few days, I was besotted with Aaron Fine.
But that was over now.
The gorgeous willow tree at the edge of the pond drew my attention. Its branches lapped the water. When I was a teenager, this was one of my favorite places. There was a bench under it that was hidden from view by the all the foliage. I could sit there now also and hide from the world.
But then Mark would still be in danger.
Aaron Fine would still be an asshole murderer, a cheat, and a liar.
Damn him back to hell.
I wish I never laid my eyes on that guy.
My gaze was drawn to the slight movement and the brown cloth that could be seen partially. There was something up there. Putting my hands on the glass, I leaned forward and peered at the odd sight. Was it a big bird? A vulture perhaps? There was a sudden movement. No, definitely not a bird. The person jumped from the top of the tree, fast and agile like a cat, and landed on the walls with both her feet firmly planted on it. She leapt off before I could take a good look.
Jumping jacks.
I ran down. “Intruder,” I yelled, barreling out of the door.
Jasper was right behind me with a broom in his hand. He must have been sweeping when he heard my call. “Who was it? What was it? Where?”
There wasn’t time enough to answer him. I rushed to the gate and looked out. Nothing. No one. I lost her.
Had to be her.
The same woman I saw near the farmhouse before, wearing the same tattered brown dress. It couldn’t be anyone else. I didn’t see the face and I barely saw her as she leapt super-human like from the tree to the wall and down, but I mean…how many such girls were lurking about near our farmhouse?
And why?
“A girl, wearing a brown dress. I saw her before.”
“Me too,” said Jasper much to my surprise. “When I went to the grocery shop, she stood right there, staring at our place as if she…planned to do something.” Pointing his finger, he showed me the spot where he saw her. He banged his broom on the driveway. “We’ve got to find her and find out who sent her.”
“And how the hell did she get inside? I thought we’d this place locked down since Mark disappeared.”
“Yeah, that too. Maybe Shelley and Jeremy didn’t do a good job. The only one around here who works diligently is me, and no one is ever grateful.”
I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to deal with his tantrum. “We’ve to increase the security.”
I was not going to lose another person to Aaron Fine or to anyone else. “Come on. I’ll tell Augusta to put in some spells herself.”
“I could do it.”
Colonel Sanders was a water mage. He could do things that startled us sometimes, but Jasper barely had any grasp on his magic. His talent was air, but all I had ever seen him do was use it to remove the webs from the roof. “Ah. Yeah, sure. You could help her out.”
We walked in a companionable silence to the farmhouse. “Ah, Cleo.”
My mind was too preoccupied with many things. “Yeah?”
“You will get him back, wont you?”
It wasn’t like him to express himself. Jasper focused on himself, and he was too concerned about his own work and place in the world, but something really must have clicked inside him to feel this. “Yeah, we’ll get Mark back.”
“Ok, then. I’ll find Augusta and fill her in.”
“Thanks.”
What now?
What else?
I just wanted Mark back and then perhaps a brain lobotomy to forget all about the difficult men in my life.
But Mark first.
Striding into the library, I made my way to the coffee table. “What have we got?”
Bryan and Jeremy moved apart as if they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Jeremy swiped his finger over the laptop and the glowering image of Aaron disappeared from view.
Oh right!
Time to catch the bull by the horns.
Taking a deep breath, I straightened. “Yes, so I got a little involved with evil incarnate. It happens to the best of us, but I’m fine about it. Once we have found Mark, we are going to throw Aaron Fine in a cell and throw away the key. Now, tell me what you guys have got and don’t hide anything.”
Jeremy cleared his throat. He pushed a key on the board and brought up another image. “I’ve got the lists of all properties owned by Aaron, and there are a number of them where he could have hidden Mark.”
That was if he hadn’t already killed our friend and tied him to a cross somewhere.
“He could have stashed him in a rented property,” suggested Bryan.
“He is a control freak. There is no way he would choose a rented property for such an activity. No. He would keep him close, somewhere he could monitor, and somewhere he could exert his will on him without many people getting in his way. Did you get a warrant?”
“Jones is on his way with it,” said Jeremy.
It was unlike Jones to get his hands dirty, but this was a serial killer, one of our own was involved, and Aaron Fine was a goddamn big deal. I sighed. Yes, Jones wouldn’t relinquish authority to anyone over this.
“Who is coming?”
“He has got three mages from a team that was free at the moment, and we’re taking Augusta, Shelley, and Dubey. Me, of course. And Bryan.”
“You’ll…” I stopped seeing the look on his face. “Fine. But I have got to put a shield on you.”
“Already done,” said Jeremy.
Bryan shrugged. So it was fine if a man protected him but not a woman. Huh? And I thought we lived in an enlightened world. “We’ll leave as soon as Jo
nes arrives.”
If Aaron decided to fight us, it would be a blood bath. He was strong, freakishly so. And I’d a feeling he practiced his craft on a daily basis and honed his skills with experiments and spells. I couldn’t imagine him surrendering with ease – so yes, we were in for a battle.
And I was pumped for it.
We would kick his ass and then some.
And after we found Mark, I would kick his ass again.
Chapter Fifteen
Aaron Fine was toast.
As I glanced to my right, I saw Bryan, his gun drawn as he flanked Jones. The team was in place, and we were ready for a firestorm. Literary. Our nemesis was a fire mage and he wasn’t going to make it easy for us.
On my cue, we opened the door and strode in. “FBI, FBI. Hands in the air.”
It was merely forty-five minutes since our meeting in the farmhouse, but we managed to get the warrant, organize a team, and create some kind of signal that caused interference with Aaron’s in-house CCTV system. He didn’t know we were coming and that would give us the advantage we needed.
There was nothing else to do.
Live or die.
And we would find out soon enough how prepared we were to face his magic.
The receptionist and the man talking to her against the counter raised their hands in the air. We ran up. The blood that pumped through my veins was primed with magic. My gift crackled at my fingertips, waiting to be unleashed at the killer, at the man who betrayed me in more than one way.
I would enjoy doing this.
Oh yes, I would.
I burst through the door. “FBI.”
The magic nearly escaped my control at the sight that seared my eyeballs. The tall, curvy brunette wrapped around Aaron turned her head to look at us without relinquishing control over him. “What is the meaning of this?” she said.
Aaron stepped back. “It’s not what it looks like.”
Oh yeah, right. So not only was he a coldblooded, heartless killer, he was also the creep who made his move on more than one woman in a day. And to think that I had sexy, hot thoughts about it. Oh my! My magic whipped around me, harsh and eager. It demanded to be free. The air thickened as I strained to hold my gift.
01 Serial Killer (FBI Paranormal Casefiles) Page 15