I got out of the Hummer and walked to the building. I walked in to find the receptionist at her desk and the lobby empty. I jogged up the stairs to find my hallway empty as well. That was a nice change of pace.
The office was also empty.
An early peaceful morning for research. Perfect. I sat at my desk and booted up the computer. I waited for the log-in screen to appear, twisting in my chair, and letting my mind wander. My gaze went to the camera in my office. Practicing my new little spell here probably wasn't a good idea, as much fun as it would be to pop around my office foot by foot. More practice would have to wait until I got home.
The computer chimed as it booted up and I hit the correct keys that I needed to log in. I pulled up the search engine and put Lonnie in it.
Nothing popped up except her relationship to Lydia. I leaned back in my chair. That wasn't anything suspicious. It just meant that she was pretty damn clean. There were mentions of normal things, past addresses, current address, but none of them linked up to anything notable.
Which meant she could probably be trusted. I just needed the lab to get back to me on the evidence.
My phone rang, and I answered it without looking at the screen. "Special Agent Collins."
"Hey Agent A. It's Jason." He sounded like maybe he'd had just a little too much coffee.
"What's up?"
"So got the cause of death back from the victim of the curse."
I shook my head. "It was the curse that killed her."
"Yes, we know that, but it appeared not only as heart failure but a complete shutdown of all organs."
Interesting. "All organs?"
"Yeah."
Well shit. "Have there been any other weird bodies coming in? With magical missing organs?"
I heard some typing on a computer as he made and um noises. "Not in our state. There have been a few in surrounding states, but they weren't listed as PIB cases."
Which was why they hadn't showed up in my preliminary search. "Thank you. That helps me out a lot. Can you e-mail me that list?"
"Sure thing Agent A. Glad to help."
There was the sound of clicking buttons and keys again. "Okay, it should be in your inbox now. Anything else?"
"Yeah, make sure Mason also gets a copy. He'll need it for his file."
"Aye aye Special Agent."
I hung up and checked my e-mail. Cross-referencing the places and known travel and locations of Virginia and Cynthia would allow me to see if they happened to be involved. Maybe they had gotten smart enough to do most of their killings outside the state.
But who was making sure it didn't end up on PIB's radar? I ran it all through the system and waited for results to come back.
The systems was able to ping Virginia's credit card in a couple of the states, as well as her cell phone, and she'd gotten a speeding ticket in one of the others. Cynthia, on the other hand, hadn't traveled out of the states since she was found not guilty of the first crimes.
Maybe Cynthia had been telling the truth. I looked at the path and the reports that Jason had sent me. They all matched up time wise. I smiled. We had her, there was no way she was getting out of this.
My phone rang again, and this time I looked before I answered. Mason's name flashed on the screen. I swiped to answer it. "Please tell me Virginia's still in custody?"
"Better yet. I got a warrant for her and Cynthia's properties."
"Multiple properties?"
"Yeah, turns out that Virginia has a house in the mountains that was never searched in the original case."
I pressed my lips together. "How come?"
"They couldn't get a warrant for it. The lawyer convinced them that it had nothing to do with the case and all the evidence was in the house the women shared."
"Same lawyer?"
"Yep."
"Okay, send me the address. I'll be there as soon as I can." I thought about trying to transport myself but chuckled at the thought.
"You okay Abby?" Mason asked.
"Yeah, just thought of something that amused me. I'll see you soon."
We hung up, and a moment later the address came through in a text. Off to the mountains I go, to find our evidence. Hopefully.
∞
I pulled the Hummer into the driveway of the cabin-like house. My magic hummed against me as it tried to warn me about spells that surrounded the property. I turned my lip up in disgust as I felt like slime was dropping over my aura. I was going to have to push through this to get into the house.
Mason's cruiser pulled up behind me, and we both got out. "Nice timing, what do you make of it so far?"
"There's a lot of magic around this place, and it's trying to keep us from going in. I don't like it." I touched the pentagram around my neck as it started to warm up. I would be okay walking in, but I wasn't sure about Mason. "Stay out here. Let me go in and see if there's a rune or something controlling the spell."
"Your magic will be able to protect you?"
I sure hope it would be enough. "Yeah, I should be fine." I started toward the house.
"If you scream, I'm coming in after you." There was a small bit of humor in his voice, but I knew that he would come after me.
I made it to the door and tentatively placed a hand on it. Nothing happened. No magic sparked, and nothing pushed against me. I opened the door, finding it unlocked. Maybe they thought that no one would find it.
Inside I heard a muffled voice that sounded like someone was struggling. I ran in, and the moment I passed the threshold of the house, something deeper inside exploded. Oh, fuck no.
"Abby?" Mason called behind me.
I continued to go in, despite hearing the crackling of flames, but the struggling noises were becoming louder now. There was someone trapped in here, and I wasn't going to let them die.
I found my way to the back room as smoke rose through the house. Lonnie was sitting there trying to get out of chains. She had a gag in her mouth and was jerking back and forth trying to break her bonds.
Rushing to her, I dropped to my knees in front of her. "Hold still."
She nodded and met my gaze. I swallowed and called on my elemental powers. Holding my hand over the chains, I heated them and told her to pull, glad that I'd tested the skill out on Simon a few months ago. The chains snapped, and she pulled the gag out of her mouth. "How?"
"Don't ask and don't mention it," I demanded. "Get out of the house now."
"What about you?"
I shook my head. "Don't worry about me. I need to save what evidence I can."
I ran towards the stairs where the smoke was heavier. I could feel the heat of the flames starting to lick up the stairwell. I forced my powers down the stairs so the flames wouldn't approach me or expand up. The fire followed my command. I walked down the stairs, using my abilities to shrink the fire back to the blast point. Sweat beaded down my forehead as the heat still pressed against me.
Finally, the flames died down in the same spot they had begun. I looked around the charred room. Much of it was gone, but some things were still recognizable and with some testing would show what they had been before the fire had touched them.
I had a feeling that they were the organs. Each one had a dagger stabbed through them, and I bet if the table not been burnt, there would have been runes surrounding them as well. I went back up the stairs shaking my head. I found Mason outside comforting Lonnie as well as calling in backup and help.
He looked at me with a raised brow. "What happened to the fire?"
"Magic." Was all I was willing to say. "I have a feeling the spell was to destroy the evidence. And well, kill our witness."
Lonnie threw her arms around me, holding me tight. I awkwardly patted her on the back as she sobbed into my shoulder. "She killed my sister. She was going to kill me the same way, but they had to get more organs. Oh my god, thank you, thank you."
But Virginia was still locked up. "Virginia?"
"No, yes. The other woman my sister lived with was the one who brought me here. She told me she needed to tell me something. I had no idea that this place was even connected to them. She was telling me that Virginia was the one who did all the curses because this woman didn't want to stain her aura." She pulled away from me and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry."
I shook my head and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be. We'll get you to that station to give a statement. I'm going to stay here to make sure everything is handled. I want to make sure we get tests on some of the things downstairs. I'm pretty sure we've got our people, thanks to you." I turned to Mason. "Get her to the station and bring Cynthia in. I want to talk to her."
"Absolutely."
I looked at the house. "I might be here for the rest of the day."
"I'll take care of it." Mason waved his hand. "If you can see her tonight or tomorrow, don't worry about it. I'll figure it out."
Of course, knowing that Lonnie lived and was able to place Cynthia at the scene might make Cynthia more willing to talk. "Thanks."
Mason nodded and guided Lonnie away from the house. As I stood there and looked at the seemingly innocent house, I could hear the sirens of the backup Mason called. I wouldn't go in until the firemen cleared the house again. Then I would make sure the crime scene team bagged each suspected organ so it could go into testing. But I also wanted to go through the house room by room to see what else I could find. If they were willing to burn the whole house down, what else were they hiding inside?
∞
It took a couple hours for the fire team to clear the house. I explained to them several times that I had used magic to put it out, but didn't explain what spell or what ability I used to do it. They continued to look over the basement and look at the burn marks before they let the rest of us back in there. I appreciated their thoroughness, but I was itching to go through the house and get my evidence.
I walked down the stairs with the crime scene team at my back. "I want to make sure that everything in this area." I motioned to where the table had been and the lumps on the floor. "Gets bagged and sent to forensics."
"All of it?" someone behind me asked.
"Yes, all of it." I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice.
I let them get to work and marched back up the stairs to search the other rooms. They were all empty until I got to the back room, furthest away from the front of the house. I waltzed in and froze at what I saw.
An altar was set up. Skulls decorated the table, and black partially melted candles stood by each skull. Human skulls. I stepped closer and found pictures of Jon and Zayden underneath two of the skulls. What the hell was going on here? I snapped a few pictures and sent them to Mason.
A crime scene investigator came in behind me. "Bag this too?"
"Yep." I walked out with a new determination in my step. I still wasn't sure if it was both women performing the black magic or not, but they were both going down for this. Who knew how many other people they took out with curses. This ended with me.
"Agent Collins?" a crew member called to me as I passed the stairs.
"What's up?"
"We found something that you might want to see."
I walked down the stairs, and he led me to a fire-safe box. They had cracked it open already, and he lifted the lid for me to show me what was inside.
More pictures. The top one of me. I picked them up and flipped through them. Many of the people I didn't know, but there was one of Mason, one of Liz, and one of me. Well shit. We were going to end up being victims. I shook my head. "Bag it up."
He nodded and called to someone else.
Walking up the stairs, I sent Mason another quick text about the evidence.
He called me back instantly.
"Pictures?" he asked.
"Yeah, luckily they were in a lock box and not on the altar, so I think we're safe. But keep tabs on yourself just in case something weird happens."
He snorted. "Abby, it's a case with you, weird is the normal."
"That's fair, but you know what I mean. How's Lonnie hanging in there?"
"She's okay. The doctors have checked her out, and she's unharmed. We have her in protective custody until we know what's happening with Virginia and Cynthia."
"With everything here, I don't think there's going to be an issue charging them with everything. Have you been able to get Cynthia pulled in?"
"We're working on getting her pulled in, and her lawyer will be joining."
Ick, more lawyers. "Same lawyer as Virginia?"
"No, she was actually asking for time to hire a new one. I don't know what's going on, but she was civil about it."
"Okay, thanks. I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning then." I hung up and headed back to the Hummer.
I crawled into the driver's side, and my phone rang again. I let out a growl of frustration as I answered it. "Special Agent Collins speaking."
"It's just me, Abby," Merick said gently. "Rough day?"
I was still trying to process my day at all. "I've spent all day at a crime scene where I just found out that my team and I could have been the next target of these witches."
"I'd say that counts as a rough day. Will you be home in time for dinner?"
I paused. "That's not typically a question you ask."
"I'm hoping to take you to a Cult gathering tonight." He hesitated. "Seth would like you to come, so our people can meet who is heading the case."
I cringed. "We're almost done with the case, what makes him want to bring me in now?"
There was no answer.
"Merick? "Am I going to die tonight?"
He chuckled. "Death is always a possibility Abby, you know that, but no, you will be in no danger from the Cult tonight."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm heading home now. I've done everything I can here. I just need the evidence processed. Give me a couple of hours."
"Of course." He disconnected, and I pulled the Hummer away from the crime scene and navigated my way through the emergency vehicles and press. I saw Stephanie as I pulled away and gave her a little wave as I disappeared from her view.
∞
I walked into the house to see Merick standing there with two cups of coffee. I grinned and recited the words for the transportation spell. The world around me blurred and then became solid as I appeared in front of him. I took a cup from his hand. "Thank you very much."
"Still exhausting?" he asked as he sipped from his mug.
I nodded. "Yes, but the only time I've done it today was this morning. Two feet is about as far as I can go right now."
"That's okay, you'll get further as you practice. I told you it's not an instant skill." He chuckled and held up his coffee. "Are you ready to go to your first Cult meeting?"
I raised a brow and sipped the coffee. "My first? You make it sound like I'm going to go to many more."
"You never know Abigail. You could be a valuable asset to us."
And that was an interesting yet terrifying thought. The Cult could benefit from having me join them, and they could offer me much more knowledge and power than I had now. I let that thought sink in for a minute. It sounded more ambitious than usual for me.
"Abby?"
I shook my head. "Nothing. Yeah, I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be. No random tattoos on me though, okay?"
He snorted. "I think you're too stubborn to depend on someone else's magic to control your abilities."
He was probably right. "Let me finish my coffee and change clothes. I smell like a campfire, and I don't really want to."
"Playing with fire today?" He followed me to the stairs.
I paused and looked at him. "You could say that. I didn't get burned, and I managed to save most of my evidence."
"Good." He followed me up the stairs and disappeared i
nto the guest room. I went to my bedroom and changed out of the smoky clothes and threw them in the hamper. I drank my coffee as I tried to decide what weapons to bring with me, if any.
Weapons were probably a bad idea. It showed that I didn't trust them. It also hinted at me being incompetent in my magic.
I sighed and took another sip. I had my pentagram, that would have to be enough. I was still thinking about it after I got out of the shower while I got dressed.
A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts. "Abby?"
"I'm almost ready," I called back. I walked out of my room to find Merick leaning against the wall across the hall. "I was in there maybe fifteen minutes."
"Thirty and I'm sure a few minutes of that were spent wondering if you could bring weapons."
I rolled my eyes. "Maybe."
"You'll be safe tonight, Abigail. We're not after your life," he reassured me, but I didn't really feel it.
Maybe it was because the Cult killed my parents.
Maybe it was because my life seemed to have gone haywire.
"You're over thinking it." Merick put a hand on my shoulder. "Ready or not…"
The world disappeared around us, and when we reappeared I was already cussing him out, and he was laughing.
"I hate you."
"No, you don't." He stepped away from me, and I looked around the room. I don't know what I had expected, but a plain room that looked like a community center wasn't it.
"What? No pyramid? No statues of Ra?" I asked before I could stop myself.
Merick snorted. "No. I mean, not for this gathering. This is more of just a meet and greet. One day, you'll come to a ritual, and then you'll see exactly how we conduct business."
"I'm not sure if I want to be there for that." I shook my head. "I've learned that you're not the worst of the worst, but there are still some very sketchy things that go on here." Though I was surprised to see children running around the area with the adults.
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