by T S Paul
Cat and Bill both looked like they wanted to ask about the case. I glanced in their direction. "I'll check and see if I can read you into that case."
"So Sheriff, about the boy? What has your department found?"
"My cousin said you were relentless Agent Blackmore. Here's the skinny. Two Packs. The Jaeger and the Petrovs. This town is what's left of the Ouachita Were Reservation. When the internment was over the two Packs stayed in the area and initially worked together. This town is the result of that cooperation."
"But things change." The Sheriff cut his eyes toward me in surprise.
"Yes. Things change. My family is one of the few original human ones that is actually from here. I grew up here, and I consider myself mostly neutral. My officers, not so much."
"So you know the basic rules," Cat spoke up.
"Rules, Agent?"
"Don't talk to humans, don't tell the authorities anything, don't get noticed, and for the God's sake, never ever tell them your real name. My family was in one of the Kentucky Reservations. I grew up with the rules even though the 'system' was gone."
"Interesting. That is pretty much the deal around here. So when the Jaeger boy was found everyone shifted to the old rules. Your FBI boys hit the wall of silence around here." The Sheriff rubbed his face. He looked tired.
"We've spoken to Agent Ford. He and his men have turned the case over to us. We are the ones that are called if you have a rogue and unfortunately a murder. Did your people find anything at all at the crime scene?"
Sheriff Geri winced. "You won't like it."
I made a gimme motion with my hands. Better to get it out in the open now.
"When Buster found the body he moved it. The child was torn up pretty good. By the time I got there, the victim was wrapped up in a dog blanket, and placed in the back of the police cruiser. You have to understand my officers. I have two part-timers and four volunteer officers. You just met two of each. They keep the peace, lock up the drunks, and chase livestock out of people's yards. Murder and other violent crime is a bit out of reach for them."
I shook my head. "So where is the body now?"
"That we have. It's over in the County Morgue. The Medical Examiner is a good one. He told the family the FBI needed to keep the body and they listened to him."
"Good. I'll send my forensics team over there right now. They might not find anything more, but they are very thorough. Do you have any suspects?" I made a motion to Cat, and she pulled out her phone.
"I sent all my files and information to that Agent Ford in Fort Smith." The Sheriff looked surprised.
"We have them. I just wanted your opinion. Reports aren't personal, people are." I looked him in the eye. Silently I prayed to my Goddess that he told me the truth. Not what was on paper.
Sheriff Geri scratched his chin again. He must be a terrible poker play with this many tells. "Well, according to Buster, there wasn't any familiar scents around the body. Stephen was attacked. That much is obvious. It wasn't the Petrov Pack. He told me he smelled Weasel around the body. There isn't any of them around here. We would know."
I glanced at Cat and smiled. Nothing he just said was in the official report. "What about the Pepin or Austin Packs? Do they have Weasels in them?"
The Sheriff's eyebrows went up, and his eyes widened. "That is a good question. Not one I expected from the government either. How... I only found out about those two groups this afternoon. You surprise me, Agent."
"We have good connections. Don't worry about them. We will take care of contacting their Alphas. So now the other more volatile question."
Geri's eyes got even bigger, and he reached up to touch his ear, shaking his head.
I nodded and spoke a word of power. A blue shield snapped into being around the entire office. I used the same spell I cast in Director Mills' office. "We can talk now. No one but us can hear what happens in this office. Even electronic devices are null."
"For real?" He looked up and down then around the room.
"Trust me. Why are you worried?"
"The Mayor is a Were, part of the Petrov Pack. Anything I say in here ends up in the hands of Stephen Petrov. You want to know about the slavers?"
"We do. What do you know?" I motioned him toward the small sitting area they had.
"Call me Geri, please. It's ceremonial. Both the Sheriff and the Mayor change our names when we take the position. We are supposed to protect both the town and those in it." The Sheriff hopped up and went over to the small kitchenette near his office.
"What did Ana say?"
Cat leaned over to me. "She and Chuck took the forensic RV over to the morgue. She said they'll process the body and get to work on the details."
"Good. Tell Ana we will try to get the rest of the physical evidence to her."
Cat pulled out her phone again and started texting.
Geri came out of his office with an armful of sodas. "It gets hot in here." We all took one.
"Like I was saying. Freki, that's the Mayor's name, reports to the Petrovs. The slavers started using this area about twenty years ago for recruits. There are many Weres with no hope around here. The trouble between the Packs has cost more than one man his livelihood. It started with the children of those that live in Box Town."
"Box Town?" I glanced at Bill. He shook his head no.
"It's the unofficial name for the south part of town. A box manufacturing company from back east built a plant here in the 1970s just in time for the gas shortage. It went under in a hurry leaving a shuttered plant and ruined families. Those with better investments and power didn't lose a dime. Many Pack members couldn't make the monthly tithe and were exiled or shunned from the Pack."
"Tithe?" Bill looked at the Sheriff.
"Bill, many of the older Packs require members to give a percentage of their earnings to the Pack. It is a tradition that dates from before the Purge and unveiling. The money or products were used to hide the Pack and provide running money. None of the east coast Packs do it anymore." Cat looked at the Geri.
"Very good. The percentage had gone down until recently. Old man Jaeger was trying to leverage Petrov into allowing a logging concern into the area and needed cash. Quite a few families live out that way now."
"So the children?" I tried to give him a small nudge.
"Getting there. Keep your pants on. I wasn't around as Geri then, but my predecessor left me a box of files hidden in the safe. I'll give them to you in a bit. Among the shunned, the children started to vanish." He took a big swig of his Coke, and I suspected it didn't just contain Coke.
"It wasn't all at once. This is the country and Weres are almost indestructible. Kids play outside past dark often. At first, only one was missing. This office was called, and a report filed. Those in power buried it. Then another and another vanished. Parents started keeping their children inside after that. That summer five turned up missing. The official report says they were runaways."
"Do your files say different?"
The Geri took another drink. "They do. Each was listed as a possible kidnapping. We didn't have any resources in those days, and the Internet was barely a thing here. The city council along with the Freki buried the reports and changed the files. Or so they thought. That was in the early 1990s. Every other year or so we get similar disappearances. This year we have had two."
I almost came out of my seat! "And you didn't report it?"
"I did. The Alpha has someone at the State Police on the payroll. Anything I send out gets quashed. I can't trust my own officers. They work for either the Petrov or Jaeger. Neither one wants any outside involvement here."
Leaning back in my chair I grimaced. "Until Stephen Jaeger."
"Right. Until Stephen. God, what a mess this has become. Stephen wasn't like his father or his brothers. He was a kindhearted soul. He made friends with everyone regardless of Pack lines and rules." The Geri took the final drink of his coke.
"Let me guess, Sheriff. One of Stephen's friends vanished, and h
e searched for him." I shook my head in dismay.
"That's what I think happened. Daniel... Daniel refuses to believe that his son would sink to the level of the shunned, but half the town knows better. He was a good kid and will be missed."
Cat leaned forward and looked at the Sheriff. "So Stephen visits one of his friends and what? He gets snatched? Could he shift yet?"
"His father says he could, but I doubt it. Most of the kids around here don't start doing it until fourteen or fifteen. Petrov calls it too much inbreeding, but I think it's just the culture here. They do what they expect to do. There were signs of struggle, but Buster messed up the crime scene so much..."
"Just who is this Buster?" Bill wanted to know.
"I didn't say? Sorry about that. Buster Jaeger is his name, he's one of my unpaid deputies. Daniel is his brother." He informed us.
This just gets worse and worse. So the brother of the Alpha finds the body of his nephew then proceeds to destroy evidence and disturb the crime scene leaving doubt as to who the perpetrators are. He then wraps the body in an old dog blanket, which I assume is covered in trace from every doggie adventure for years and puts the body in the backseat of his cruiser. The cruiser.
"Do the officer's wash them?" I asked.
The Sheriff had his head down now and shook his head no.
"No suspect, no evidence, and no help. Typical for Magical crimes. Is the crime scene mostly preserved? Or has it been bulldozed?"
"Bulldozed? No. But over a dozen people including Agent Ford's FBI guys have walked over it."
I gave him a sharp look. "That is not a big problem. Can you give us directions or take us there?"
"Sure. I'll take you myself." He stood, setting the can down on the table.
We stood, and I looked toward the doors. "I think we have visitors."
Cat and Bill stood and moved to either side of me. I snapped my fingers and watched the show.
Two large and burly men dressed as police officers exploded into the room as the shield released suddenly. They must have been applying a significant force on the doors to have the reaction they did. Behind them were half a dozen men in suits or hunting gear.
A tall man in a finely cut Italian suit stepped into the room. He stepped over one of the now dazed officers. Shaking his head, he looked at the Geri. "Private conferences Adam? You should have called me. Now, who are you, people?"
The Geri coughed. "Alpha Daniel Jaeger this is Special Agent Blackmore from the Magical Crimes Division of the FBI."
"More FBI? You aren't needed here. We police our own here." The Alpha made a brushing motion with his hand.
"I think not. Anything to do with Weres is our business. Murder is within our purview. We are staying."
The Alpha wasn't used to being told no. He motioned to one of his people. A short man in a Hawaiian shirt of all things stepped up. He doffed his white straw hat. "Tuck Braddock. I represent Mr. Jaeger in all things legal. Do you have a warrant?"
"For what? The crime scene is on public land, and we have the right to investigate according to both State and Federal laws. If I need a warrant, I will, of course, have one. However, according to the State Charter, I don't need one in cases of National Security. This case has just achieved that heading."
Braddock looked at me with wide eyes. "National Security? The murder of a child doesn't deserve that much pull in Washington."
"Who said I was investigating the boy's death? That case is part of the much larger National slavery case we are here to work on. That is the issue that Washington is concerned with."
"Slavery? Here? You're crazy. Show me the proof!" The Alpha stepped over to me and got right in my face.
My eyes never left those of Jaeger's. "Mr. Braddock. Please inform your client that I do not have to show him anything unless he is the one we are charging. If he wishes to confess to something we are all ears?"
"Daniel step away from them please."
"No! I want to hear what sort of evidence this bitch has against me! What do you have?" Daniel Jaeger reached out and grabbed my arm as if to shake me. He never got the chance to do anything. My personal protections snapped into being! A dark blue shield appeared around me as the Alpha was tossed ten feet from me. His hand scorched by my protections.
"Nobody. And I mean nobody, touches the Witch. Anyone want to go for two?"
Chapter 10
"You're a Witch? Hell, I have one of those!" Daniel stood up from where he was thrown. "Tell Ivan to get in here!"
"Daniel, I don't think this is a good idea!" Tuck frantically looked at his boss.
"'Your' not thinking is what got us here. Let's do this my way." Keeping his distance from me, Daniel strode over to his men standing next to the lawyer.
A small slip of a man stepped into the room followed by another apparent bully boy. Noticeably upset, he was looking in all directions.
"There he is. Ivan, this woman says she's a Witch. Do something." Smirking, the Alpha stepped back to his lawyer and gave him a nudge. "Watch this."
The little man looked in my direction and muttered a few words. I could feel his pitiful attempt at shield breaking. It was all I could do to not laugh at him. He looked at me and shook his head. More words were muttered, and sparks filled the room. It was pretty, but not that effective. The locals were impressed, that was all that mattered to Ivan is seemed.
"Are the sparks supposed to hurt us? It's pretty. Is that all you've got Ivan? It seems to me you got yourself into a bad situation and can't get out. Sucks to be a mercenary, doesn't it?" Ivan flinched back from my words.
I leaned to one side so I could see Daniel Jaeger a bit better. "What is this supposed to prove? OK. You have a Witch on the payroll. So do lots of people, Russian Witches make good servants. If this is all the Magick he has, his training is lacking just a bit. I hope you didn't pay too much for him."
The Alpha glared at me and then motioned to the two large men in police uniforms. "Get him to do something, you idiots!"
Ivan looked at the two large men and cringed he began to point at me and say "Nyet! Nyet!"
"What the hell is that idiot saying? Tell him to take out the Witch!" Daniel Jaeger yelled at the men.
"All he says is 'night' boss!" Both men pushed the little man and shook their fists at him.
"Night? What's that supposed to mean?"
"He's saying 'no' in Russian. That is what 'nyet' means. Would you like to come peaceably or have Sheriff Geri arrest you instead?" I stared at the man and felt a fireball form in my hand.
"What? I'm not going anywhere with you!" His eyes went very wide seeing the fire in my hand.
"Attacking a Federal Officer is jail time. Ask your lawyer over there." I pointed at the tackily dressed man.
The man in question looked up from his phone and spoke. "Agent Blackmore, you know as well as I that it won't stick. My client will be out of jail in less than an hour."
Smiling I answered. "True. Since none of us were injured in the attack, I think we will just take the Russian Magician into custody." I motioned toward Ivan. Cat and Bill took two steps in his direction, and the two locals grabbed the little man.
"Ivan is in my employ and isn't going anywhere!" Daniel stepped closer to his 'employee.'
"It's either him or you. I'll let you decide." I cocked my head and stared at him. The fireball in my hand flared to life again.
"Take him. You will regret this!" Daniel turned and stormed from the room. The hulking officers looked at me bewildered for a moment then scurried after their boss. Tuck Braddock watched as Cat gently took the little Russian into custody before casually following his client.
"I'm already regretting taking the case," I muttered it so low that only a Were could hear it. Cat looked up and gave me a small smile.
"Making an enemy of that man is not a good idea." The Sheriff stood next to me.
"How did you let it get so bad around here?" I still wasn't looking at him.
"Politics, desperation, and job
loss were the key factors. The Alphas have always held the power around here. Dan's father was quite cagey, he kept his hand on the pulse of the town. Dan, well he's only lined his pocket so far." The Sheriff seemed to be standing a bit taller than before.
"What happened to his father? Weres have pretty long lifespans." Cat had handcuffed the Russian and put him in one of the small cells.
"Daniel killed Darius in a contest. The old man was dying, and he knew it. But he still wouldn't give up power. Dan challenged his father and won. Darius had already conceded, and he killed him anyway. That is the primary reason for the unspoken conflict between the Packs."