Everyone else rose as well. Wells asked snarkily, “What will you and Bosk be doing?”
Aletta sighed. “We’ll be heading back to the theater, where we will be until about midnight.Afterward, we’ll head home and snatch a few hours of sleep, then head back to the opera by five tomorrow morning. There’s less than two weeks until opening. We’re in crunch time here. Trust me, we’re doing everything we can to catch these perps as soon as possible.”
Head held high, she exited the room, not bothering to look back and gauge his reaction.
Twelve
It was lunchtime on Wednesday when Lirim picked her up for their session with Awena. Aletta couldn’t help but give a sigh of relief as they exited the building. She waited until they were in the car before asking, “Anything?”
He shook his head. “Nothing at all. I’ve removed two more suspects off the list, so that leaves us with about a dozen, not counting Elizabetta and Stern. What about you?”
Pulling out her ponytail holder, she massaged her scalp. “Ah, that’s better. I managed to verify one alibi on the list, but that still leaves us with eleven plus the two. Unlucky thirteen. Has Elizabetta done anything or said anything?”
“It’s odd, she’s supposedly all that as a singer, but she never sings a note or practices at all. She’s totally apathetic, like she doesn’t even care. It’s really strange.”
Aletta shrugged, using a barrette to clip the hair away from in front of her eyes. “Maybe she knows something that we don’t. Maybe she believes that there won’t be a show at all. Or maybe she’s just lazy. Has she said anything at all suspicious?”
Her stomach growled, breaking her train of thought. “Oh, swing through Mario’s. I need to eat before Awena’s lesson and he makes the best meatball subs. Plus, that way I can eat on the way.”
He signaled to change lanes. “All right, do you want something to drink?”
“Something with caffeine. The lack of sleep is starting to get to me. I swear I dozed off mid-stitch yesterday.”
He chuckled, “Now that would’ve been funny to see. In answer to your question about Elizabetta, she hasn’t said anything suspicious. She’s too busy flirting with anything male.”
Aletta couldn’t resist smirking at him. “What about you? Has she managed to net the lowly detective?”
“I told her that I’d taken a vow of celibacy.”
Aletta burst out laughing, “You didn’t!”
He nodded, his expression earnest. “I vowed to myself that I’d rather remain celibate forever that ever be with her. She’s a man-eater.”
Aletta suddenly groaned and Lirim glanced at her, startled. “What is it?”
She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, “I can’t believe I didn’t realize this. Elizabetta knows that we’re investigating. If she’s involved in this, she can just tell her partners to lay low while we’re around.”
The silence that descended on the car was deafening. It lasted until after they had gotten their order from Mario’s and were back on the road to Awena’s. Lirim finally ventured, “Maybe it actually works in our favor that she knows.”
Aletta hastily swallowed the bite she was chewing, “How?”
He explained, “ Elizabetta is obviously hanging around me to keep an eye on the investigation, having dismissed you because you only got the role of a handmaid. Not only does this give us a source to feed misinformation to, it gives you greater freedom to investigate as well. We’ll have to double check the lists that she gave us with Mr. Lacroix. Maybe Lacroix is cannier than we gave him credit for.”
Aletta slowly nodded her agreement. “Either that or Mr. DuPont is. Maybe this isn’t a total disaster. Still, we can investigate that later. Are you still going to talk to Awena about what you were concerned about a few days ago?” She quickly finished off the last of her sub.
They arrived at Awena’s right then. He teased, “After the lesson. Don’t want you falling asleep mid-meditation.”
She pouted as she got out of the car. “Jerk! I knew I should’ve never told you that.”
He just smiled at her. “You know you still would’ve told me.”
She shrugged. “You’re probably right.”
Awena chose that moment to open the door, “Why can you two never decorously visit my house?”
Looking down repentantly, Aletta murmured to Lirim, “I don’t know why I allow you to bait me every single time.”
Awena sighed and held the door open wider. “Just get inside, both of you.”
They hurried up the stairs, trying not to laugh. It felt good to put their duties aside for just a little while, although they knew that the upcoming session would be anything but relaxing.
Once they’d settled into the sitting room, Awena asked, “Aletta, how have you felt since our last session? Anything unusual?”
Aletta took a moment and thought over everything that had happened since their last meeting. “Nothing really jumps out at me. There has been no unusual fatigue, dizzy or fainting spells. I was starving the day after we met, but that was nothing unusual. There was one incident where I was creeped out by a total stranger, but I believe that was because my passive field was picking up on something that I wasn’t. Other than that, it’s all just been business as usual.”
Aletta could’ve sworn that she saw a relieved gleam in Awena’s eyes, but it was gone before she could be sure. Awena asked, “Lirim?”
“Nothing out of the normal, all of my magic is holding at a normal level.” He stretched his arms above his head and groaned as his back popped. “Haven’t had a chance to really rest well, though. This opera stuff keeps people hopping and that’s not even including a criminal investigation.”
Awena nodded, “Monitor your magic levels closely, let me know if anything odd happens. All right, we’re going to start with a little light meditation today. Just half an hour, alone. I’ll pull you out when it’s time.”
Aletta settled herself comfortably on the floor. Before she closed her eyes, Awena added, “Light work only. If you visit your cottage, it’ll be something like dusting or watering the plants. Nothing more strenuous than that. I can tell that your magic hasn’t fully replenished yet.”
Aletta nodded her acquiescence and closed her eyes. She couldn’t really blame Awena for being concerned. She and Lirim shouldn’t have been able to do what they did last time. However, it had somehow worked and there had been no ill after effects.
She pushed all thoughts of the time before from her mind. Starting her rhythmic breathing, she allowed herself to fall into her magic center and opened her eyes to see her cottage. She was pleased to see that her garden appeared to be in even better shape than the last time she’d been there.
She spent the next several minutes puttering around the cottage, making sure that everything was in order. Satisfied that all was as it should be, she headed out into the garden.
Heeding Awena’s advice, Aletta decided to keep to light work and just water the garden. She frowned when she didn’t see a source of water. Maybe it was around the side of the cottage.
She circled around the building only to be brought up short. There, on the side of the cottage, stood a single tree. That wasn’t really shocking considering that she was standing in a garden. What was disturbing was that this tree looked like it had been struck by lightning, all charred and dead.
She gnawed at her lip, uncertain. Although her garden and, by extension, her magic had been somewhat neglected, there had been no true decay. The sight of this dead tree disturbed her on a fundamental level.
Making up her mind, she headed to the garden gate that had remained, although Lirim’s forest no longer appeared outside of it. It was just darkness outside. She called out Lirim’s name and waited.
He appeared in the garden before she had time to draw more than a couple of breaths. He was frowning. “What’s going on? Aunt Awena said that it was important for us to meditate alone today and only do light tasks. I don’t think it’s a go
od idea to defy her.”
Aletta hesitated. “I’m not trying to defy her, I just need you to take a quick look at something. No working, I promise.”
He sighed, “All right. But if it’s not something important, I’m going to tell Awena on you. I still might.”
She ignored his half-hearted threats and lead the way around the side of the cottage. She knew he’d seen the tree when she heard an indrawn breath behind her. He walked up beside her and said quietly, “Aletta? What happened here?”
She frowned as she scrutinized the tree. “I don’t know but whatever it was, it can’t be good. That can’t be healthy for me or my magic. I was hoping that you could tell me.”
He hesitated before slowly walking over to the tree, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’ll do my best.”
She offered him a half smile, “That’s all I can ask for. I appreciate you trying.”
“Well, here goes nothing.” He reached out and gently rested his hand on the trunk.
For a moment, nothing happened. The excruciating pain shot through her and she just barely had enough time to scream before her world went black.
* . * . *
Lirim was surprised when he heard Aletta’s call. It technically wasn’t supposed to be possible if they hadn’t been sharing magic. He frowned. Aunt Awena had warned them to keep it simple today. If she was going to try to convince him to help her do more than she should, she had another thing coming. Still, maybe she just needed some advice on how to care for a certain type of plant.
He made his way to the boundary of his forest and stepped across. Instead of returning to the real world, he stepped into Aletta’s garden. His ire died when he saw how concerned she looked. On the off chance that she was thinking of defying Awena’s orders, he warned her against it but his heart wasn’t really in it.
She hesitated but only for a moment. Whatever it was that she wanted him to look at, it truly had her concerned. Figuring that looking couldn’t do any harm, he agreed. Following her, he sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the lightning-blasted tree. It was a sharp contrast to the rest of the thriving garden and he was struck by an immediate sense of wrongness.
He asked quietly, “Aletta, what happened here?”
She frowned and chewed her lip, something he’d only seen her do a couple of times when she was extremely stressed. She admitted to him quietly that she was hoping that he could tell her what was wrong with the tree.
He wanted to reassure her that everything would be ok, but that wasn’t a promise that he was sure he could keep. He had no idea what had caused this anomaly in her magic.
He walked slowly over to the tree, examining it as he went. It appeared to be a weeping cherry, but he couldn’t be positive. He had to admit that he’d never seen anything like this before.
He barely heard her thank him, too busy studying it. Drawing in a deep breath, he said, “Well, here goes nothing.”
Reaching out, he gently placed his palm on the trunk, trying to get a feeling for the tree and what might be wrong with it. For a moment, nothing happened. He was about to try probing it with his magic when Aletta let out a shattering scream and he was thrust from her mind.
Landing back into his body with a jolt, his eyes shot open and landed on Aletta, who was across from him. She was lying on the floor, her back bowed up in an arch, obviously having a seizure. He yelled for Awena as he lurched for Aletta and tried to pin her down so she wouldn’t hurt herself.
Awena was there in seconds, thrusting a cloth into Aletta’s mouth so she wouldn’t bite her tongue. Throwing her weight across Aletta’s body, she screamed, “What happened!?”
“I don’t know, there was a dead tree in her garden. When I touched it, this happened!” The seizure subsided. Lirim was about to sigh in relief when she started seizing again. Pinning her down with his body, he frantically searched his pockets for his cell.
Finally managing to pull it out, he called HSI’s emergency number. When the person answered, he yelled, “This is Agent Lirim Bosk. I need a healer now! Agent Aletta Sheridan is having seizures. Get someone here now!” He rattled off the address and then hung up, flinging his phone aside as he struggled to keep her still.
Her seizure stopped and he prayed it was over, but she seized yet again, this one even stronger than the first two. Before he could get a better grip, two people materialized in the sitting room.
The healer ran over and lifted Awena off of Aletta, her hands glowing. The other man disappeared, only to return moments later with another healer. As the healer ran to join the fray, the teleporter staggered slightly and leaned against the wall.
The second healer pushed Lirim out of the way and took his place. He didn’t know what they were doing, but Aletta’s muscles started easing right away and the seizure began to fade.
Feeling useless and partially in shock, Lirim stood and unsteadily made his way over to where the teleporter was so he would be out of the healers’ way. Awena joined them a moment later, a red patch on her cheek where Aletta’s fist had caught her a glancing blow.
The teleporter spoke up, “The ambulance should be here shortly. Lilith and Sadie will help her until then. They’re all I had the strength to bring, I’m sorry.”
Feeling dazed, Lirim tried to gather his thoughts, “No, very few teleporters can manage two trips carrying passengers back to back. We’re grateful. I’m Lirim.”
The man shook his offered hand. “Henry. Can you tell me what happened?”
Lirim shook his head, “Agent Sheridan and I were meditating. All of a sudden, she started seizing. I don’t know what happened.”
Henry turned his attention to Awena, “Ma’am?”
Awena drew herself up, shaking off her shock. “I’m their teacher. Like he said, they were meditating when all of a sudden Agent Sheridan started seizing. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you what happened.”
Lirim glanced over at the healers but they seemed to have things under control. Aletta was no longer seizing but lay flat on the floor. Both healers were hunched over her, their hands glowing. He asked, “Will she be all right?”
Henry grimaced sympathetically. “I don’t know. But Lilith and Sadie are two of the best healers I know and they’ll do everything they can to keep her alive. Why don’t we go over here and you can help me start filling in her information?”
Lirim did his best to concentrate on the questions, but he couldn’t help glancing anxiously at Aletta every few seconds. It seemed like an eternity until they heard sirens, although in reality it had only been a few minutes. Abandoning Henry and his questions, Lirim went to the door and flagged the EMT’s down, waving them into the apartment.
Standing back, he watched as they efficiently loaded her onto a stretcher and prepared to take her out to the ambulance. Grabbing his phone from where he’d flung it onto the couch, he called out, “I’m riding with her.”
He gave aunt a quick hug and telling her that he’d give her a call as soon as he knew anything, he rushed after the EMT’s. They wouldn’t permit him in the back but did allow him to ride in the front with the driver. Clenching his cell phone tightly, he whispered, “Hang in there, Aletta.”
Thirteen
Lirim stood beside Aletta’s infirmary bed, watching the steady fall and rise of her breathing. He still couldn’t believe how close he’d been to losing her today. She’d had a grand mal seizure. Blood vessels in her brain had ruptured and her heart and lungs had seized, causing extensive damage. Even with several healers working, it had taken hours to painstakingly repair all of the injuries. Now they were all just waiting for Aletta to wake up.
He deeply regretted touching that blasted tree. He should’ve insisted that they talk to Awena first, figure out some proper precautions before trying to investigate it. He was even more troubled by its presence. It shouldn’t be in the garden at all.
He wanted to pace but couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She looked so frail, laying there pale and
still. He’d been torn. He’d wanted to tell the healers about Aletta’s magic but wasn’t sure if she was still being targeted or not, although the ogre incident had turned out to be simple misfortune after all. He had almost blurted it out, but managed to hold his tongue at the last minute. It was necessary to keep it secret for the moment, but if it came down to her secret or her life, he would spill in a moment.
He’d taken a minute while he was barred from the room to call his aunt and explain the whole situation. Unfortunately, she didn’t have an idea of what could have caused this any more than he did. She was going to do some research and get back to him, but she didn’t sound too hopeful that they would find what had caused Aletta’s seizures.
Aletta sighed softly and his eyes shot to her face, but she remained fast asleep. Lirim had been told by the healers that she’d been through a trauma and her body needed rest; that it was best for her to wake up naturally on her own. While he knew that was true, he wanted her to wake up and let him know that she was all right.
Right then, his phone buzzed. Pulling it out, he saw a text from Detective Watkins that read:
Urgent, call at once.
A second text quickly followed the first:
News about Stern. Danger.
Lirim’s hand tightened into a fist. This was obviously important, but he didn’t want to leave her alone. Knowing that she would be furious if he blew this off, he reluctantly left to call Watkins, pausing at the infirmary door for one last look. Taking a deep breath, he whirled and strode down the hall. The sooner he made the call, the sooner he could get back.
* . * . *
Aletta slowly woke up, aching all over. She felt like she’d been hit by a bus and absently wondered what had happened. Working to force her leaden eyelids open, she struggled to piece together recent events. There was the opera, the realization that Elizabetta might be an evil informant, Awena’s, meditating, the dead tree.
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