“Even if we were to accept your theory, what can we do? We’re no closer to knowing who these people are and where they are hiding,” she argued.
“What’s going on over here?” asked Bryan.
My gaze flickered to his. He was back.
Finally.
Would he accept my theory? Would he help me find those people? If my own people didn’t believe, I’d no right to think that he would support me so unconditionally. “Mark bring him up to speed,” I said in a cross voice as I strode over to the window. The gardens outside were not as green and lush as they were in summer and spring, but they were still the pride of the commune. Yet, I couldn’t take any pleasure in the beauty that spread out before me. My mind grappled with all the possibilities. “There has to be something we’ve over looked.”
“We’ve gone over each and every clue, and we haven’t found anything to indicate who the culprits are and what their intentions are,” said Mark. “We’re nowhere close to knowing their identities.”
He didn’t mention my theory. It meant he didn’t believe me.
All hope sank but I couldn’t lose.
We couldn’t give up.
“We’ll find something soon,” said Augusta.
“Ah!” Bryan cleared his throat. “I’ve got some bad news.”
We all turned to look at him. “Jones thinks…we have not made sufficient progress, and he has taken me off the case.”
Another blow!
A big one.
Bryan went through a lot with me. I now kind of relied on him. Of course, I could do this alone. There was no need for him to stick around, but shit…I would miss him. Not that I would ever tell him that. We barely knew each other.
“It’s fine. We can do this on our own.”
If he was upset by my quick dismissal, he didn’t show it. “You don’t understand. Jones has asked me to convey the message that he is taking you all off the case. He thinks that the reason you’ve not been able to make a breakthrough is because you’re too personally involved with the case. And…he wasn’t too happy with my account of what happened at Looney Wal’s place.”
Of course, he told his boss about it. It was his duty to debrief completely, but I felt a flicker of annoyance. Maybe it would have helped if he kept his mouth shut about it. But then Special Agent Bryan was a believer of the rules. He wouldn’t ever hold back anything from his boss. It wasn’t fair for me to expect that he would do so.
Still, I wasn’t ready to accept this decision. “We can’t stop working on this case now. We’re close.”
“Don’t be silly, Cleo,” said Augusta. “We’ve been working on this case because of the FBI. If they have given us an order to stop, we must do so.”
“But the thieves attacked us. They…are going to open a portal into another dimension and likely plunge this world into chaos and anarchy.” Putting my hands on my hips, I glared at everyone. “You can’t be serious about leaving this case at this crucial juncture.”
Augusta sniffed. She wasn’t the slightest bit intimidated by my attitude. Of course, she wasn’t. “You’re the only one who seems to think that they are opening a portal into another dimension. There isn’t a shred of proof to prove this theory.”
“But…”
Her shoulders tensed, a sure sign that she was getting ready to dig in her feet over this issue. “No buts, Cleo. I’m afraid I agree with Jones; you’re too close to this case. He needs to find someone who can look at it objectively and come to the right conclusions. If the spell was right there in that book, why would they steal the artifacts? It doesn’t make sense. We’ve been on the wrong track from the start, and perhaps it is good that the FBI find some other mages who can do the same work. Maybe they can find those thieves.”
I couldn’t believe she was agreeing Jones. I mean, really. “No one is as good as us, Augusta. That is why he came to us in the first place.”
“Don’t be arrogant, Cloe.”
Frustrated, I ran my hand through my hair. “Damn it, Augusta. You know I’m right. I’ve to be. This makes perfect sense.”
“You’ve not been wrong before, but that doesn’t mean you won’t ever make a mistake. Maybe this time you’re not on the right track.”
“I am.”
It was Augusta’s turn to put her hands on her hips. “You’re not.”
“I am.”
She huffed. “Really, Cleo. There is no point talking about it. We’re done here. Jones has given the order, and we’ve no choice but to abide by it. I shall pass on all your concerns to him so that he can brief the new team. This isn’t our case anymore.”
If it were an ordinary case, if it was something that didn’t affect me so badly, I would have let it go. It would have been hard because I don’t like to leave a case midway, but I would have attempted to make a clean break for Augusta. But this time, I simply couldn’t do it. I was on the right path, and if I didn’t see this through, no one else would be able to do so. Arguing with Augusta was useless; it was impossible to make her change her mind once she committed to something.
No, I was on my own.
Fine. I’ll do it my way.
Rather than say anything else, I simply stalked out of the room. “Let her go,” said Augusta. “She’ll be back once she is over her hissy fit.”
Hissy fit, indeed.
No way was I done with this case. It wasn’t over, and I wouldn’t let it go until I found the culprits. Stopping them at this point was crucial. After walking out of the farmhouse, I stopped half way up the driveway. Shit. I’d no support, no backup, and no leads. Alone, it would be impossible for me to finish this task. I needed some help, but no names came to mind.
Whatever happened, I would see it through.
Bryan walked over to me. Ignoring him, I strode towards my car. Somehow or the other, I would find a way. It was essential that I do so. “Hey, listen.” Did I want to hear a lecture on respecting authority? No way. When I tried to open the door, he grabbed my arm. “Wait up.”
My eyes flashed fire as I turned towards him. “You don’t want to do this right now, Bryan. Let me go.”
“You don’t scare me.”
“Let me show you then how much damage I can inflict.” Magic bubbled in my veins. So pissed was I that the idea of unleashing it made me happy. Our gaze locked. My fingers itched, and then sanity prevailed. Of course, I couldn’t hurt him. The man supported me so many times. I couldn’t blame him if he couldn’t do so this time. “Please, Bryan.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“You don’t want to.”
“Yes, I do.”
Dear Lord. The man certainly was obstinate. Did I have to spell out everything for him? “I’m going to see if I can find some leads for this case. Jones has taken us off it, so essentially whatever I do next would be illegal. Are you really sure you want to be a part of it?” I raised a hand before he could answer. “Of course, you don’t. I understand completely that you need to follow rules, but I don’t. So I will do it my way.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Did he not get what I said?
Or was he serious?
No, couldn’t be. This was stickler for detail Agent Bryan. He wouldn’t risk his career for me. No way.
My mouth gaped. “What?”
“I’ll come with you. I don’t know what your theory is and I’m pretty sure I won’t understand it even if you told me about it. But I think Jones is wrong. We can’t back off. I want to help you.”
“You? You? But…”
His lips twitched in a smile. “I thought rules were meant to be broken.”
“But you love rules.”
“Not when there has been a murder, and no one seems to want to do anything about it.” He winced “You’ll just use this information to make your head swell ever more so, but the truth is I happen to think you’re right.”
He was the last person whom I thought would endorse my decision. I couldn’t believe it; he was willing to bre
ak the rules for me. Well, not me, technically. For the case, of course. But right now, his words made my heart bloom with hope. Without thinking or analyzing further, I rose up on my toes and kissed him on the mouth. Startled as he was by the move, he didn’t pull away. My tongue skimmed over his lips for just a moment. The kiss was short and brief, but it was potent. An electric tingle zinged up my spine. My hands itched to touch him. My tongue ached to taste him. But I drew back. This was enough for now.
It shouldn’t have happened, but since it did, I couldn’t take it away.
“Didn’t mean anything. It was just a kiss.” He raised an eyebrow as I babbled. “Just a way of saying thanks.”
He grinned. Oh, dear. What did I unleash?
“How do you say thanks when someone saves your life? Asking because I could try to do that next.”
“Shut up and get in the car. I want to get out of here before Augusta realizes what I am up to.” He got in the car and I drove out at full speed. “Woo. Ok. We’re out.”
“What are we doing next?”
“I’ve no idea.”
“Wonderful.”
I bit my bottom lip. It was one thing to make tall claims but I didn’t have any plan. I didn’t have any lead to chase. There was nowhere to go and no one we could ask for help. Searching for the mages for like looking for a needle in a haystack without even knowing in which part of the world was the haystack. “It’s crazy, stupid. I know. But I can’t just abandon this quest at this crucial juncture.”
“I agree with you. Something will show us the way.” He took out his phone. “But first things first. I’ve to report in to the boss.”
“But…”
He was already dialing the number. What did he intend to tell Jones? Had he come with me so he could report on my whereabouts and plans? “Sir, I would like sick leave,” he said in a weak voice. He coughed. “I’ve suddenly developed a cough, cold, and fever.” He leaned back and breathed hard. “It seems to be some kind of a viral. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” He listened for a while. “No, sir. I relayed your order, and Augusta agreed with me. All of them are off the case.” He listened again. “As you say, sir.”
When he put the phone down, I shook my head. “You’re the master. If I weren’t driving, I would have bowed. You covered your ass well and good.”
“I’ve covered both our asses for now. He doesn’t know that we’re on this case. If we find something big, we can report it in and if not, no one knows what we’re up to. I’m sick, and you’re off sulking somewhere.”
It was a good idea. Ingenious, really. I would have done it differently. If Jones called me, I would have announced that I didn’t agree with his decision and there would have been confrontation that would have led to a disciplinary hearing. But his plan made more sense. If we didn’t discover something important, there was no point getting into trouble.
The man was sneaky.
I liked that.
“So what should we do?”
It was strange to ask him for an idea, but my mind was blank. “Let’s just find a hotel and crash there.” When I gave him that look, he winced. “Get your mind out of the gutter. We need a place to stay, eat, and plan. Since we don’t have a lead as yet, we can’t just keep driving. We need a strategy, and it’s late. We should take a break and start tomorrow.” He paused. “But if you have something else in mind…”
“No, I don’t. It’s your turn to keep your mind out of the gutter.”
He laughed but didn’t say anything. We found a motel not far from the commune. It was cheap but comfortable. Now that we were officially off the case, we didn’t have access to FBI funds. Oh well. We would manage on our own for a while at least. After we reached and checked into one room, I took a shower. He ordered the food, and we had it together. There wasn’t that much to say. After all, we didn’t have any suspects to chase except for James, but he was already underground.
“We could contact the police and ask about the progress on Bella Singer. They don’t know we’re off the case so they might throw a bone at us,” I suggested.
“It’s a good idea.”
I leaned back. “It’s a lame idea, but I’ve got nothing else.”
My phone rang. I picked it up. It was Jeremy. I wasn’t sure if I should pick up. He would likely give me a lecture, or else Augusta might have asked him to call him. Swiping the screen, I picked up the phone. “Hey. Please don’t tell me to come home.”
“I didn’t call for that,” he whispered. “Actually, no one knows I am calling you. Augusta told us specifically that we were not to do anything about the case, and if you were off chasing anything on your own, we weren’t to help you.”
Alert, I sat straighter. “What have you got?”
“Remember, Max Fallon.”
“You said he died.”
“Yeah, he did.” He whispered. “But he has a son, apparently, and his son started the coven again about a year ago. They are in Virginia, right near the state line. I’ll text you the coordinates. Apparently it’s some kind of a nature temple.”
“You think he has something to do with this?”
“I’ve got a CCTV footage of Washington airport. He was seen with James about a month ago. There was also a woman with them. His name is Scott Fallon. That’s all I have got.”
“You’re a genius, Jeremy. I owe you one.”
“If Augusta finds out I told you this, I may not be around to claim that favor. But I think you just might be on the right track, and without my help, you won’t make it.” That was true, of course. But I pulled a face at his arrogance. “Anyway, got to go. Take care.”
“Bye.” I didn’t need to tell him to keep searching. He would do so.
“What?” said Bryan when I put the phone away. “What did he say?”
“We’ve a lead.” I brought him up to date. “So now tomorrow, we’ll go to that temple to see if we can find something.”
Picking up the empty dishes, he deposited them outside the door. “Tell me about this portal that you all talked about? Why is it dangerous?”
It wasn’t often that I’d to explain such matters to non-magic people. “You can open a portal to another place. That’s been done before. Of course, most mages who try it end up dead, because you have to walk through the underworld to do that.”
“I thought the underworld was…in the sky or something.”
“Everything is on the same plane. It’s all hidden. It’s like the universe has secret chambers, and they are all connected, but it’s not possible to access them easily. So there is the valley of dead, and if you can go through it, you can step from one place to another in no time.” I stopped, gathered my thoughts. “But the valley of dead can only be accessed safely by the spiritist who can talk to the dead. I don’t think they would attempt to do that. Why bother to try and find a way to get to another location? It’s been done before, and it’s not very…rewarding even if they manage something. I mean, now, with fast planes, you could go anywhere so why risk death?”
“So what’s the other dimension?”
I took a deep breath. “I believe they are trying to open a door to another part of the universe. It is another chamber, another world all together. Originally, the world didn’t have magic. It was brought here by creatures that came from another world. Their arrival happened by accident, and it still does happen from time to time. Sometimes there are big storms that cause electrical disturbances and people and creatures are moved from one world to another by a natural portal that opens and closes at will.”
“Huh?”
“It’s how the baby came to us,” I said. The revelation that the child traveled through a natural portal from another dimension was the reason why the idea occurred to me in the first place. The baby’s appearance was unexpected and unexplained. The farmhouse was well protected; no one should have been able to breach our security. And no one did; she came through from another dimension due to some strange, natural occurrence that shifted her from one dimensi
on to another. She wasn’t human; sure, she looked like one. Or perhaps there were humans like us in another world.
Whatever!
I couldn’t think about that now, but I did feel a pang in my heart for her parents who probably must be frantically looking for her. They didn’t know where she went and what happened to her, and we had no way of contacting them or finding them. I would have to tell this to Shelley and Augusta. Like it or not, the child was our responsibility now.
“It is how the mages came from another world, and the vampires from another, and the werewolves from another,” I continued in response to Bryan’s query.
“Werewolves?” he asked.
“Concentrate,” I admonished. “So all these creatures came on earth from other places, but they arrived through nature portals. If the mages are now trying to open this portal, they would need a lot of energy. It’s been forbidden because it is said that such an act would unleash a lot of energy that is the equivalent of a hundred atomic bombs.”
“That’s not possible.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Whatever. This is what has been said. So no one has ever attempted it because it would likely destroy this country, probably the continent, and the blast might be so huge that it would tilt the earth off its axis and send it careening towards the sun,” I said quickly before he interrupted me again. “So basically it would lead to annihilation, doomsday.”
He stared at me for a full minute. “You’re making this up.”
“I am not. It has been discussed in the Grade 4 standard book of spells, and later on, in books of Grade 7, 8, and 9. Many separate, stand-alone texts have been written on this theory. We’re not allowed to show them to non-magic people or else I would have gifted you one.”
“It’s ok. I guess I will take your word for it.”
I paused. “So you really think that’s what they are up to.”
Laughter sputtered out of his mouth. “That was your theory, pal. Are you doubting it now? Don’t tell me you’re re-thinking this whole notion?”
00 Mayan Thief (The FBI Paranormal Casefiles) Page 11