Conjuring Quantico (The Federal Witch Book 1)

by T S Paul

  “We have to catch her first. Agatha take a look at the factory, look for anything familiar.” Nita looked around the room, everyone had grim faces. “What do we know about the history of Fabulous Face?”

  “I had my people search every database and records center we had access to and a few we don’t. They traced the company back about twenty-five years so far. We have a pretty good picture of what they do. It seems to be a five-year cycle. In the first year the plant moves in and sets up operations. They use existing facilities or on one occasion build their own. Ninety percent of the company are local hires. Community governments love them until the fifth year rolls around. Twenty-five years ago they rolled into Trophy Club, Texas, and set up shop. The area was new and construction was booming. On the outskirts of town they rebuilt an old TQB parts facility. Local labor was hired and production was at full steam by the second year. As the town began to boom so did the plant. In its fifth year everything changed. Reports were filed by the board of directors outlining a re-consolidation of assets and hardship rules for the plant. They claimed it was due to production losses. The workers were puzzled as the plant was in full swing including a lucrative third shift.” Anastasia paused and looked to left and nodded.

  “The FBI was investigating a kidnapping of a girls sports team that year. It was suspected that they were smuggled through Dallas-Fort Worth but we could not get a handle on it. Half the team of eight was recovered on the Mexican border, but four of the girls were never found. Our files show it as an open case. Later that year the plant moved. We show a discernible pattern. The plant stays for five years, in the fifth year several kidnappings occur in the area. The plant closes and they move to the next State. We have them in Fox, Alaska; Wilson, North Carolina; Elgin, Illinois; and Meta, Missouri. They pick small to middle-sized cities to avoid notice. We are still searching for more of their previous locations.”

  “Anastasia are all of those locations confirmed?”

  “The ones we named, yes. We have other possibles. This is potentially a huge case. I am preparing information for the brass.”

  “You said that their last location was in Missouri? Call the closest FBI office and have someone talk to plant operations or the owners of whoever is in there now. Find out from them what was missing or strange when they took possession of the factory. It may relate.”

  I stared at the aerial view of the factory. I saw nothing that screamed wind tunnel to me. All I could see were buildings. I looked up when Cat came back inside the truck. I hadn’t realized she’d left.

  “Has, uh, anyone looked at the parking lot lately?” She was pointing toward where they had been congregating.

  “What’s wrong Cat?” Nita looked concerned.

  “Trees. Really big trees.” She sat down and stared at me.

  “Nita, does this thing have exterior cameras?” I pointed at the big screen.

  “Somebody hit the button for the cameras!”

  The picture on the screen changed and we could see outside. All around where my circle was drawn trees were punching through the concrete. They looked like Oak and Ash trees. They were growing at an accelerated rate.

  Everyone turned and stared at me. “I did say there might be some consequences. At least I don’t see any purple squirrels this time.”

  “OK everyone, back to work we have children to find. Agatha do you need a moment?” I nodded at her and moved to step outside. Cat smiled at me and stood up to come with me.

  Outside the temperature had changed. It was at least twenty degrees cooler than it had been earlier. I guess Goddess visitation carried with it low pressure systems and trees. I pulled out my cell phone and gave Gram’s a call. She would want to know about this.

  “Agatha, child, are you alright? I received a message from the Council about a huge surge of magic in Virginia. Was that you?”

  “Yes, Grandmother. It was. I’m on temporary assignment; I can’t discuss the details but I performed a spell to enhance my foresight.” I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

  “You did what? Agatha, that was extremely dangerous. You especially run the risk of burning yourself out. Obviously it worked or you would not have called me. What happened?”

  She sounded concerned, but I was very hesitant to tell her about the Goddess. It was almost private. “After the ritual, trees pushed their way through the concrete and now ring the place where I performed my magic. Grandmother, I created a grove! We need to save this place from destruction. Can you contact the Council for me and tell them?”

  There was a brief silence.

  “Child, for once you had a positive aftereffect to your magic! Did it enhance your foresight also?”

  I described in general terms my dream. She told me the Council would be notified. After I hung up, I stared at the new Grove for several long minutes.

  “Aggy, I saw her.”

  My eyes widened, and I turned toward Cat.

  She too was staring at the Grove. Without looking at me she continued to speak. “It was during the ritual. A tornado formed directly over you and the circle. It was all I could do to keep from falling and I thought I saw another figure in the circle with you. I tried to get a closer look but a sudden gust of wind knocked my feet out from under me. When I looked back the other person was gone, and you were lying on the concrete.” Cat sniffed. I could see tears rolling down her cheeks. “I followed your instructions, but I thought I’d lost you...”

  I leaned over and gave her a big hug. From what I knew about Were Packs closeness was encouraged between Pack members. “Cat, you should feel honored. She would not have allowed just anyone to see her.”

  “When all of this is over will you teach me about her?”

  “Of course. I would love to.” We stared at the trees for a few more moments and then went back inside. We had a kidnapper to find.

  ~~~~

  “What do mean they are under arrest?”

  “Sir, from what they admitted to the lawyers we sent, there was some sort of Ward over the entire hotel room. The team stuck to windows and remained caught there until the FBI got them loose almost three hours later. They had already told the Feds who’d hired them before our man got there.”

  “Dammit! What the hell do I pay you for? Did they at least make the offer to that Witch? Her magic is exactly what I need around here.” Senator Seymour Emery could only glare at his damn people. If they would only do as he asked! If his stupid daughter Margaret hadn’t called the FBI, his men would’ve found her by now. He had promised he would find Elizabeth,, but she didn’t believe him and called them in. Those freaking FBI agents couldn’t be trusted to find Elizabeth. Only he could do the job properly. There was no secret that money couldn’t find the answer to. You just had to know the right people.

  “Sir, according to some of our people in Washington she’s not a mercenary. She’s the FBI’s first Council-approved agent. This one isn’t interested in money.”

  “Everybody is interested in money! It’s what makes this country great. If she’s from here, trace her family. Find an angle and push it; I want her on our team by week’s end! Now, how goes the search for little Elizabeth?”

  The tall man paled. He and his team had found nothing. The Senator had offered a huge reward of five million in cash for information that led to either the kidnappers or his granddaughter. But every underworld contact had come up with the same thing: nothing. His men had tried to find out what the FBI knew and had come up empty. “Sir, we don’t have anything more than the FBI does. They found the supplier of those statues before we could and took possession of the entire complex. But the workers there don’t know anything. Most were illegals to begin with. Our contacts tell us the owner was a lowlife that worked with the Cartels to smuggle in drugs or whatever. They won’t be releasing him anytime soon.”

  The Senator kept his cool but his face got more red with each disappointment. “What does the FBI know? Why did they search my office? Have we been able to hack them to find
out?”

  “No such luck on the hack. They have one of the best techs in the business working for them. The past two document searches have been foiled by that new Witch. Our mole inside the Justice Department says they had evidence that one of your servants is the one who had the statues made. They think you are behind the kidnappings for some political reason.”

  “Who here would do something like that to a child? If you can’t find out, buy someone then. Everyone has vices or secrets. Find one and pay them off. I need to find her. Tell our people to block any other such inquiries and notify me the details of any potential warrants.”

  “Yes, Sir. We will do what we can.” He watched the old man as his servant helped him up the stairs. The Feds had the edge here, and he knew it. But the old man had a point. Everyone has a secret they want kept hidden.

  Senator Emery stared out the window of his office. He’d made a promise to his daughter and he would live up to it if it was the last thing he ever did. She needed to understand that he was a man of his word regardless of the law and those who made the rules.

  Even if some of those rules had been made by him.

  ~~~~

  The command center was humming when we got back inside. More information about Fabulous Face had been discovered. Each time they’d moved was after the disappearances of children. The board members also changed from location to location for the most part. Though Catherine Emery had been on the board for more than thirty years. Every disappeared child had some connection to the ANO Sorority. Both the FBI and local LEOs had missed that fact. But then, it was so far fetched they had not been looking for it. Agents in Missouri had located the tiny town of Meta. A pet food company occupied the cosmetic company’s location now. A short list of building modifications and repairs had been sent. Many people in the town had vivid memories of the cosmetics company and were still bitter about its relocation to another State. Agents had been sent to the other locations as well, but in most cases too much time had passed for any useful information to be gathered.

  “Agatha, here is the list from Missouri of the changes and repairs that the former plant needed. It’s not much but it might spark a memory. See if anything leaps out at you, please.” Nita handed me a clipboard with hard copy attached to it.

  I took the information and found an unoccupied desk near the air conditioning unit. All this computer equipment needed to be kept cool or it would shut down. The desk I chose was the coldest in the room so it was naturally avoided.

  The construction list read like a contractor’s dream. When Fabulous Face had pulled out, they literally ripped things from the walls instead of carefully removing them. Doors were damaged; over forty walls had holes that needed patching; tile floors were scraped and needed replacing; and several windows were shattered. The company kitchen was in terrible shape and the walk-in had been completely removed. The factory floor and production areas fared better than the corporate levels. Machinery had been carefully removed and packed up. Some of the electrical grid was messed up and needed to be replaced. Also, one of the industrial air conditioning units was vandalized and needed to be replaced. A copy of the police report was included.

  The AC I was sitting next to kicked on with a roar that for a moment sounded like a wind tunnel. I froze literally and figuratively. I cocked my head to the side and considered the report again. I studied the police report. Was it even possible? That was all I could think of.

  This desk didn’t have a computer on it. I went over to the main desk and Nita.

  “I think I have something. Can you pull up the overhead shot of the plant again?” The screen changed, and I studied it carefully.

  “Did you find something?”

  “I’m not sure it’s even possible, but it’s the perfect hiding place.”

  “Where are they?” I now had the attention of the room.

  “I think they are inside one of those industrial Air Conditioners. If one was hollowed out, could a small group of children fit inside?”

  “Jonathan, pull up pictures of industrial AC units. Mark, get on the phone and find someone who works on those things and ask how much room they have inside. Call the damn manufacturer if you have to...”

  I broke in. “Nita, I know where they do the ritual too. The records show a lot of damage to the buildings, but most was superficial. There was one thing missing: the walk-in cooler from the kitchen. It is metal and has a large locking door. They design those things to have drains built in and to be capable of being washed out with a high-pressure hose. Plus they go together like a jigsaw puzzle and are easily removed.” It was the only place the ritual could have been done. Anywhere else would have left traces.

  “Good work, Agatha! See if you can pinpoint that location along with the probable location of the girls. I suggest you study overhead shots and see which fans are not in operation. I will call the brass and get a warrant.”

  Cat joined me and we began to study the multiple overhead pictures of the plant. We had three possibles by the time Nita got off the phone. “OK people, we have one shot at this. Senator Emery is the legal representative at this place and he will take this as a personal attack. We need to find those girls:. That is the priority! If Aalu Kovacic or Catherine Emery are spotted, do not pursue alone. We do not know what capabilities they have. To make any sort of case, we have to find some trace of the girls. The warrant allows us to visit the kitchen walk-ins and any industrial air conditioning unit. If we have to follow the rules, so do they. All agents go gear up.”

  “Do Cat and I get a weapon this time?”

  “I can’t do it, Agatha. I do want you to wear vests and armor. You need to be identified as being with the FBI. If you were at least Probies I could get away with giving you a gun. But I like my job too much to risk it. If you are attacked, you have my permission to fight back in your own ways. That is the best I can do.”

  “That sucks!” Cat looked pissed.

  “She has a point. If we got hurt, it would be her ass on the line. That amulet I gave you should protect you from most things magical, but remember what I told you to do. Doesn’t your War form make you mostly invulnerable?”

  “It sort of does. Not many of us can assume that form for very long.”

  “Can you?”

  Cat made a face. “I can. I haven’t in awhile. It’s sort of a dead giveaway to others that you are an Alpha. I have only changed into that form twice.”

  “OK, I’ve got your back. Don’t be afraid to change if you need to.” She smiled at me and we ran for the armory.

  The armory truck was the most heavily armored of all the vehicles with us. They had our armor laid out and waiting for us. I thanked the armorer and began putting the vest and body armor on. “Are you going to be able to wear that and still keep from crushing the life out of me?”

  I had completely forgotten about Fergus. To call the Goddess I had used all the energy stored within him as my familiar. It had been just enough. The little terror had been sleeping it off until now.

  “I’m sorry Fergus, I clean forgot. Let me see if I can fix it.” I called the armorer over and explained the situation. Like many of the mundanes he could not take his eyes off Fergus when shown him.

  “Miss Blackmore, that armor is not designed to be modified in the field. We would have to have the manufacturer bend a plate and make a hollow compartment for your… companion.”

  “OK. So this is my assigned suit? No one else's?”

  “Yes, that is correct. It is the one assigned by command specifically for you.” The puzzled tech still stared at Fergus but he nodded yes.

  “Cat, can you fix this please?” I handed the armored vest to the Were. Using her fist Cat pounded out a compartment for Fergus in the vest.

  “We might have to fiddle with the straps but that should work.”

  “Thanks Cat.” I smiled at the man as I put Fergus away and strapped on the vest. The cosmetics company was about ten miles away so we had to hustle. We all knew we were running
out of time.

  Chapter 18

  Serving the warrant was easy. The gate guard was a rent-a-cop who when confronted with over thirty heavily armed FBI agents complete with a Tactical Team folded like a sheet of paper and allowed us inside. Nita strode into the main building to present the warrant. The rest of us spread out to look for our targets. The mechanical area was in the rear of the facility. Twenty large AC units sat on pilings pushing air into the building. Their roar sounded exactly like the one from my dream. According to the pictures, two possible units were on this side of the section and the last one at the very back. Cat and I would take that one and the trio of agents with us would take the closer ones. We all had radios, but the noise was so loud I doubted we could hear them.

  I sensed, rather than saw, the bolt of energy that just missed me. I’m blaming the bracelet, but it twinged just in time for me to change direction. The bolt hit one of the AC units and caused it to arc electricity into the air. Both Cat and I spun to the ground and looked for the caster.