by Sharon Pape
From my vantage point, I watched five cats race into the foyer, where they wove in and out of Mason’s legs like furry little rockets. They were a blur of motion. I’d had no idea they could move that fast. Mason was turning in circles, trying to get off a shot at them.
Before he could, he lost his balance and fell with a resounding thud. His gun spun away across the hardwood. Travis lunged for it like a base runner sliding into home. In one smooth move, he was on his feet again, the gun trained on Mason. We weren’t out of the woods yet, but the odds were certainly improved.
The cats, who’d vanished when Mason hit the floor, reappeared, this time leaping from every high surface they could find. Since Travis and Mason were still in the foyer, one cat leaped off the steps onto Mason’s back, ripping his claws down the base of his thick neck and across his back hard enough to draw blood and screams of outrage.
Another cat jumped off the china closet onto Royce, dragging his claws across his cheek and forehead. They were joined by three more of their brethren, leaping through the air like a team of mini ninjas. During the melee, I saw Royce’s grip on his gun loosen as he tried to protect his face with his forearms. Before I could try to wrest it from him, Tilly had it in her shaking hands. She got to her feet and backed away from the couch, keeping the gun pointed squarely at Royce. When she reached me, she handed off the gun. We’d disarmed our assailants, but all the credit belonged to the cats. Sashkatu had resumed his place atop the couch. Looking straight at me, he winked. But I’d already deduced that he orchestrated and choreographed the brilliant attack of the familiars.
Mason and Royce were aghast. If the floor opened beneath them and Hobbits sprang up from Middle Earth, I don’t think they could have looked any more stunned. I tried to calm my heart and mind, so I could think clearly. We didn’t dare let down our guard; these were two extremely dangerous men who could overpower us again if we made the slightest mistake. Acrobatic cats notwithstanding, our lives were hanging in the balance until we completely incapacitated them.
Merlin, who didn’t appear at all fazed by what happened, told Travis to bring Royce into the living room. Travis looked at me, eyebrows raised. I knew what he was thinking—it was a better idea to keep the two men apart. Although I shared his opinion, I suspected Merlin had a plan up his wizardly sleeves. I nodded back to Travis. I could see he wasn’t happy about it, but he ordered Mason into the living room, staying far enough behind him, in case he should turn and try to grab the gun.
Merlin came to stand between us, facing our prisoners. He closed his eyes and began reciting a long string of words in a cadence that sounded something like a spell, but the words must have been in old English, incomprehensible to me.
“Wait,” Travis blurted out, “damnit, wait!”
Merlin stopped and wheeled on him. “What is the problem?”
“I need to question them.” He sounded every bit as ticked off as Merlin.
“And you believe they will answer your questions?” the wizard asked in a bemused tone. “Then by all means, proceed.” He folded his arms, prepared to wait.
“You’re both smart enough to know you can’t get away with everything you’ve done,” Travis said. “Answer my questions now and we’ll tell the police you cooperated with us.”
“Not going to happen,” Mason sneered.
Royce echoed the sentiment. “Not a chance.”
“You know how this works,” Travis went on. “Even if you run, the police will catch up with you. First thing they’ll do is separate you and put pressure on you to talk. Sooner or later one of you will break and he’s the one who’ll get the deal with the cops. You know we’re not talking petty theft here. You’ll be facing murder charges. Do you really want to torture yourself wondering if the other guy is spilling his guts to the police? Give up the creep you’re working for.” The two men stole a glance at each other, trust beginning to erode. Travis had gotten to them, but it wasn’t enough. If we waited much longer, they would launch an attack on us. We might have the weapons, but we were rank amateurs and I was certain it showed. They had to know the odds were good that we would never actually fire at them and if we did, that we were likely to graze them or miss completely. I felt it in the marrow of my bones. Tilly must have felt it too.
“I’ve been doing a little neurological research,” she said to Travis. I knew what that meant—she’d been snooping around in our prisoners’ brains. “I have the name you want.”
“You do? You’re sure?” Travis asked, keeping his eyes and gun locked on our prisoners.
“Tilly wouldn’t say it if she had any doubts,” I assured him. “We have to let Merlin get on with…it.” I didn’t want to use the word spell out loud. Travis gave Merlin a reluctant nod to go ahead. The wizard repeated the incantation three times. Before the last words faded away, Mason and Royce were slumped on the couch, snoring.
“When will they wake up?” I asked.
“They will wake only if I repeat the spell backward,” Merlin said on his way into the kitchen.
“All right, Tilly,” Travis said, “let’s have it.”
Chapter 53
“Sam Crawford is the man responsible for all the deaths, including your foster brother’s.” Tilly spoke plainly, without the fanfare of which she was fond. No one said a word for close to a minute. We were all trying to make sense of her revelation. Questions bubbled up in my head, giving rise to other questions, with no answers in sight. Those answers would have to wait. We didn’t have long to formulate a plan of attack. According to my aunt, snooper sublime, Crawford was waiting in his office until his two henchmen called to say the job was done. Surely there was a time past which he would assume they’d encountered problems. But he hadn’t shared such a time with Mason or Royce. Tilly was certain the two men didn’t possess that knowledge. She’d gone through their brains with a fine-tooth comb, as she put it. Any scruples she had about pillaging their minds had gone out the window the moment she and Merlin were abducted.
Travis and I agreed that Crawford wasn’t likely to be a patient man. He wouldn’t wait long before he ordered up some damage control. We had to assume he had at least one body guard or hired gun in his office with him. It seemed to me that the only way we could take on two of them was if we had the advantage of surprise. If I popped out of thin air, it was bound to startle and bewilder the most focused and stable of bad guys. People had certain expectations about how the world worked. Some things were possible, others were not. Appearing and disappearing were solidly in the not column. It was a dandy illusion for so-called magicians, but even if the audience couldn’t figure out the mechanics of it, they recognized that it was only a trick—sleight of hand and misdirection, trap doors, smoke and mirrors. It wasn’t real.
When Travis heard my plan, he vetoed it as being too dangerous. But the clock was ticking and when he couldn’t propose a better one, he was forced to get on board with mine. We would drive to Crawford’s office together. I would disconnect the security system with the spells I’d created for Epps’s office and in a similar fashion unlock any doors that stood between Travis and the attorney. After he was well-positioned, I would teleport into Crawford’s office and hopefully scare the stuffing out of the man and whoever else was with him. At the same time, Travis would burst in brandishing one of our newly acquired guns.
When I asked him if he had much experience with firearms, he told me he’d done some target shooting. I decided I didn’t want to know how proficient he was or how long ago he’d participated in the sport. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be encouraged by his answers. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to use the gun. Most people facing the business end of a gun tended to back off. Of course that probably didn’t apply to bodyguards and hired guns.
I had my own misgivings about the plan, chiefly what to do after the initial shock of our entrance wore off. There was no way to prepare for it, since it depended on how many peo
ple Crawford had with him and how they reacted. Leaving Tilly and Merlin at my house in charge of the sleeping prisoners worried me too. What if Merlin was mistaken and the spell wore off on its own? What if Crawford had already sent a second team to accomplish what his first team failed to do? I made Merlin promise to do whatever it took to keep himself and Tilly alive. He promised around a mouth full of Oreos. I took it on faith that he said yes.
I had one more instruction for Tilly, before we ran out the door. “In forty-five minutes, I want you to call 911. Tell them Travis and I are being held against our will at Crawford’s office. It’s just a precaution,” I added when I saw fear flare in her eyes.
“I’ll set a timer this very minute,” she said, heading to the kitchen. “And I’ll make tea.”
The drive from New Camel to Watkins Glen seemed longer than ever before. Fortunately the roads were dry and the traffic was light. I couldn’t imagine racing there on icy roads. Travis parked down the block from Crawford’s office and we hoofed it the rest of the way. Standing in the shadows, I recited the spell to disarm the security system, and Morgana’s spell to unlock the front door and the door to Crawford’s office. At the last moment I added a directive to make the locks move silently. There was still the possibility that if someone was looking at the door they would see the lock’s position change, but in magick, as in life, you can’t account for everything.
Peering through the front door, the lobby appeared to be empty. Light seeped from beneath the closed door to Crawford’s office. I told Travis to go inside when I started the third incantation of the spell and to wait near Crawford’s door until he heard evidence that I’d arrived. He leaned in to me and kissed me softly. “Thank you,” he whispered, “for helping me make this right for Ryan.”
“Don’t get all mushy now, our minds need to be as clear and focused as possible for this to work.” At least mine did. “Save it for celebrating our success.” I sent a silent apology to Bronwen for breaking my promise to always do a trial run with an object before teleporting myself. There was simply no time.
From here and now to there and then
Attract not change, nor harm allow.
Safe passage guarantee to souls
As well as lesser, mindless things.
When I opened my eyes after the third repetition, I was standing directly in front of Sam Crawford’s desk. The attorney installed behind it was turning a chalky white and his eyes were bugging out of his head. It looked like one good thump on the back would knock them out of their sockets.
“Ms….Wilde? How… How did you get in here?” he stammered.
“The only thing you need to know, Mr. Crawford, is that tonight you’re going to give up your lavish lifestyle.” My words would have had more impact if I’d had a gun to point at him, but Tilly and Travis needed the ones we’d confiscated more than I did.
“Hudson,” Crawford bellowed, blood flow infusing his face again, turning it an angry red. “Get in here!” I listened for running footsteps, but there was only silence.
Crawford renewed his calls for Hudson as he opened a desk drawer and withdrew a handgun. “Make no mistake,” he said, “I’m well-known for my proficiency with this weapon.” It might have been a more believable threat if his hands weren’t shaking so badly.
“It won’t be long before you’re just as well-known for your proficiency in murder,” I said, locking my eyes on the gun. Success with telekinesis so soon after teleporting into the office was by no means a sure thing. Where the heck was Travis? I focused on the gun and pulled, but his grip on it was stronger than I’d expected. I summoned my remaining strength and tried again. I felt it give—just enough to encourage me. Crawford had felt the weapon move too. He frowned and readjusted his grip on it. I tugged at it once more, sheer determination making up for my flagging energy. I was almost as surprised as the attorney when the gun jerked free of his hand and flew over the desk into mine. I pointed it in his direction and hoped I wouldn’t have to use it.
“What the hell are you?” Crawford snapped. The door burst open and Travis appeared, gun in hand and a wild, don’t-mess-with-me look in his eyes. He threw the door closed behind him.
“What do you people want from me?” Crawford demanded. “Do you have any idea what I can do to you? Hudson!”
“We’re here to get justice for all the people you killed or hired others to kill. By the time Ryan Cutler came on the scene, you probably didn’t have a moment’s hesitation arranging for his death too. But you should have. That was the single biggest mistake of your life. Ryan Cutler was my brother, and I will do everything in my power to see you rot in prison for the rest of your miserable days.” Travis’s throat had tightened with emotion, nearly choking off his voice. “Knowing that will give me some measure of peace.”
We all heard the door click open. Travis had the presence of mind to slip behind it, probably hoping he could get the drop on the newcomer. I moved my hand with the gun behind my back, waiting for Travis to act.
“What’s up, boss?” Hudson asked, holding a half-eaten slice of pizza. He glanced at me and gave me a head bob. Maybe it was normal for Crawford to have young women around after hours. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had an adjoining bedroom.
“Where the hell have you been?” Crawford thundered.
“I went to get a slice like you told me, remember? You said, ‘I’m not hungry, but you should go grab some pizza. I’ll be fine here for a few minutes.’” Crawford must have remembered, because he didn’t pursue his argument.
I made a point of not looking at Travis in his hiding spot. He must have been waiting for the best moment to make his presence known, and I didn’t want to direct Hudson’s attention to him before then.
“Do you see this woman?” Crawford snapped, getting back to the business at hand.
Hudson frowned. “Of course I see her.”
“Well she appeared out of thin air. She didn’t come through the door, she didn’t come through the window, she just appeared!” Hudson turned to me as if for verification. I gave him a beats me shrug and a little smile.
“Right, I’ll definitely have to look into that,” the bodyguard said in the tone of someone trying to calm a raving lunatic.
“Yeah, well while you’re at it, you’d better look into that guy—”
As Hudson turned around, Travis threw the door shut and stood there with his gun pointed at the man’s chest. “Hands up!” he shouted. I brought my gun out from behind me and aimed it at Crawford. “Hands up now!” Travis repeated.
Hudson took a moment to look longingly at his pizza, before letting it fall to the floor and raising his hands.
Crawford jumped to his feet. “What’s wrong with you? I don’t pay you to cower when there’s danger. Take the damn guns away from them!”
Hudson ignored the order, directing his remark to Travis instead. “Okay, pal. I don’t know what your beef is, but nobody’s looking for trouble. Let’s talk this out. What can we do for you?”
“Your boss is responsible for having my brother killed, along with five other people.” I was amazed by how measured and calm Travis’s words were. There had to be a whirlpool of emotions spinning inside him. Judging by Hudson’s expression, he wasn’t aware of Crawford’s darker enterprise. He must have been hired for strictly legitimate bodyguard duties.
“Don’t listen to them,” Crawford raged. “They’re the ones trespassing and threatening to shoot us.” I could see that those words finally reached Hudson and he was struggling to decide where his allegiance belonged. Fortunately, he’d heard his boss sound like a lunatic minutes earlier.
“This man is a reporter,” I said, indicating Travis. “Look at him, Hudson; you’ve seen him on the local news.” I sure hoped he had. “There’s no reason on earth for him to be here, unless he’s telling you the truth.” Hudson studied Travis and I thought I saw a flicker of re
cognition. But he was still clearly torn about what to do.
“Call the head of the news division,” Travis said, “he’ll vouch for me.”
“We just want to hold Crawford here until the police arrive,” I added. “They’ll be here any minute.” As long as nothing had gone awry back at my house where Tilly and Merlin were babysitting Crawford’s henchmen.
“Let’s talk money, Hudson,” the attorney said, sweat beading on his upper lip. “Name your price to help me get out of here. These people are nuts. They have a vendetta against me. How does a million sound? Two million—you’ll be set for life.” If our plight wasn’t so serious, I would have laughed at the absurdity of the situation. We were each lobbying to win the bodyguard to our side, even though Travis and I were the ones with the guns. We all seemed to have accepted the fact that Hudson could take the guns away from us any time he so wished. After all of Crawford’s carefully planned murders, the thing that might undo him was hiring a bodyguard with ethics.
“I think I’ll give it five minutes and see if the police show up,” Hudson decided. “Do you think I can put my hands down?” he asked Travis. “My arms are really aching.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Just don’t do anything that’s going to make me shoot you.” I looked at Crawford who was still standing and ordered him to sit down and stay put. It felt good to be the one giving orders. A moment later we heard the wail of the police sirens.
“Travis, that money is yours if you let me go right now,” the attorney said.
“You have got to be kidding,” Travis said with a bitter smile. “What I would really like to do is point this gun at you and pull the trigger. But since I have no desire to be locked up, you’ll get to live. From time to time I’ll think about you in prison with your new best friends and your sumptuous new accommodations and I’ll know that at least in your case, justice was served.”