by Ashlyn Chase
“Where are the keys to the big cage?” Anthony asked.
“There aren’t any. It’s a code. The keypad is on the side next to the door.”
“Do you know the code?”
“No, and I’m not sure the guy you’re holding knows it, either. He has keys to the padlocks in the desk drawer. That’s what I was trying to point to. But I’ve never seen him open the big glass cage.”
“Listen to him,” the researcher said. “He’s right. I don’t know the code.”
“He’s also the only one who has never hurt me—or anyone else that I know of. He mostly sits and reads all night.”
Kurt took a nearby chair and faced the researcher. “So, it seems as if you might have a conscience.”
The guy nodded eagerly. “Oh, yes. I wouldn’t hurt any test subject. I needed the job to pay my rent, but if they’d asked me to experiment on anyone, I would have refused.”
“You’re not completely blameless, lab-rat boy.” Kurt said. “You could have reported the abuse.”
“To whom? They always documented their work carefully, saying they needed to justify their funding, so I assumed it must have come from a grant or something. But I never heard the name of the source.”
Nick, who had joined them, growled. “Who would fund research like this?”
Anthony shook his head. “What have we all been afraid of? That the government would discover our powers and want to dissect us. Or maybe they’ll try to brainwash us and then use us as ultimate soldiers or secret weapons, right?”
“Shit. You think the government is behind this?”
“I don’t know, but it’s clear we need to find out. Even if we can get our hands on each staff member and erase the memory of what they’ve been doing here, somebody somewhere knows about it. We’re still at risk until we find out who.”
Nick grabbed the guy by the hair and tipped his head back until he could see his face. “Why can’t you be mesmerized?”
“I—I don’t know.”
“He’s lying,” Nick said.
“And he knows a lot more than he’s telling us,” Kurt agreed.
Anthony remembered a secret weapon they had on their side. “Is there something you can do with magic, Kurt?”
He chewed his bottom lip. At last he said, “There’s a truth spell…”
“Do it!”
“I need certain things.”
“I’ll keep an eye on the place while you go get whatever you need,” Anthony said.
Kurt chewed his lip again. “Okay. But it’ll take me an hour to get to my apartment and back.”
Anthony cursed under his breath. “One of us will have to go. You know you can trust me, don’t you?”
He hesitated slightly. “Yes. I mean, of course, but…”
“What aren’t you saying, Kurt?”
“Can we step outside for a moment?”
Anthony glanced around. Nick, Sly, and Ruxandra could handle one little researcher, but what about the merman? He didn’t know him at all.
“I’ll help keep an eye on him too,” Jules said. Then he grinned at the man, showing two rows of jagged teeth.
“No. Don’t leave me with him,” the researcher said and squirmed.
Anthony was conflicted. He knew he could trust Nick, but he still wasn’t convinced Ruxandra had found an altruistic side. Nick wasn’t as fast as she was, but Sly was. He didn’t know Sly well, but Nick had vouched for him.
At some point, he’d have to trust that all the paras were on the side of their fellow paras. His plan to have them get to know, trust, and work together seemed to have worked well enough. The only loose cannon was Jules. He scrutinized the merman, who was eyeing the researcher like he’d make a good snack.
“Jules. You have to leave this guy alone. We need him to tell us what he knows. Can you do that?”
The merman crossed his arms and didn’t take his gaze off Dr. Odd. “Why should I? I know where they keep their keys.”
“But do you know their computer passwords? You’ve already told us you don’t know what the combination to the glass cell is.”
Jules sighed. “No. And I see your point. There’s a chance that he might. He does write up a short shift report on that one.” He pointed to a laptop on a desk in the corner.
“So, you won’t hurt him?”
“Fine. Better yet, I’d like to get back to my pod.”
“I thought you said you were kicked out of your pod,” the researcher said.
“Nah. I left. Personality clash with the leader. I thought I could make it on my own, but clearly there’s strength in numbers.”
“So there are more of you?” the researcher asked.
Jules gave a sharp, toothy grin again. “Still trying to get information out of me, eh? Well, you can suck it.”
Anthony glanced at the others in his vicinity. “Any objections to letting this man get back to his kind?”
The others either shrugged or said they had no objections.
“You’re free to go,” Anthony said. “But you’ll need clothing. Otherwise you’ll just trade one jail for another.”
“Yeah. I don’t have any. When they fished me out of the river, I was in fin-form.”
Anthony took the coat off his back and handed it to the man. “Here.” He walked him to the door. “You might want to avoid the river. Too many people could spot you there. And stay away from the Navy Yard in Charlestown.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take the subway to the aquarium. I can slip into the sea nearby. No fishing boats there.”
“Good luck, my new friend,” Anthony shook his hand. “And if you decide to visit land again, you can find me at Boston Uncommon.”
“The tea room?”
Anthony’s jaw dropped. “How did you know?”
“It’s all the day guys could talk about. They said they’d found a hotbed of paranormal activity there. If you don’t kill them, they’ll know where to find you too.”
Anthony’s lips thinned. “Yes. They found a couple of us there. I hope to avoid killing them as long as we can mesmerize them. Do you know why Dr. Odd can’t be mesmerized?”
“I have a theory, but I’m not sure if I’m right.”
“I’d be glad to hear it.”
“I’ve seen them giving him injections. I think he might be the one they’re trying to transfer the supes’ powers to.”
Anthony swore. “That makes sense. Has anyone else on the staff been injected?”
“No. He seems to be their guinea pig. Well, him and the actual guinea pigs.”
“Thanks for offering your opinion. That gives us something to go on.”
“Sure.” The men shook hands, and Jules sprinted down the stairs and off into the night. Before he disappeared, he called out, “Thanks for the coat.”
Anthony smiled and silently wished him luck. His smooth legs were bare from the calves down. He looked a little goofy, but as long as he was covered, he’d be okay.
Chapter 17
Kurt had given Anthony the list of ingredients needed from his apartment. While he was nearby, he figured he’d see Claudia, thank her for being so cool with everything, and give her a good-night kiss.
Instead of a kiss, he got a virtual slap upside the head in the form of a note tacked to her door. Apparently, she had gone to a friend of a friend’s house “to think.” He swore.
I knew she was accepting what happened with Ruxandra too easily.
Part of him was hurt. She didn’t trust him when he’d said he’d take care of the situation once and for all. Another part didn’t blame her. How could she have faith in his plan when he didn’t have one? He wouldn’t kill Ruxandra, but did Claudia know that? He had been quite angry when they talked about it…but she knew him better than that, didn’t she?
Anthony dropped his he
ad in his hands. This was a disaster. He needed to make things right, but how could he if she was incommunicado?
Clutching at his last hope, he tried to reach out to her telepathically.
Claudia… Sweetheart… Can you hear me?
He waited. When no response followed, he tried again. Nothing. Was she not answering him because she couldn’t hear him, or because she didn’t want to? Or maybe she wasn’t able to? It wasn’t like Claudia to take off without making sure the tea room was covered.
The tea room! Was she hiding out down there? Even if she wasn’t, his Vampire Vintage was there, and he might need a flask with him if things at the lab took longer than planned. Charging down to the tea room, he found it locked. That was no big surprise. He used his key to get in and then entered the office.
She wasn’t there, either.
He raked his hands through his hair and paced back and forth in front of his desk for a few moments. He couldn’t think of anything that would help his cause except to give her the time she needed and have faith that she’d call him when she was ready.
And he had to get back to Ruxandra to make sure her nicey-nice behavior wasn’t just an act. Perhaps she’d hired someone to take Claudia away and never called off that person. One thing was for sure… Part of that truth spell would be used on Ruxandra.
He let out the deep breath he’d sucked in when he saw the note.
I’d better get to Kurt’s apartment and find those ingredients.
***
Twenty minutes later, Anthony had everything on Kurt’s list and had arrived back at the lab. Everyone seemed to have calmed down. Dr. Odd had stopped struggling, and Ruxandra had relaxed her grip on him. Nick and Sly were trying different combinations on the locking mechanism to the side of the large glassed-in cage.
“Did you find out anything more while I was gone?”
“No. We were waiting for you. What took you so long?” Kurt asked.
Anthony waved him over to the door. Step outside. I want to talk to you privately for a moment.
“In other words,” Ruxandra called out, “you don’t want me to overhear you.”
“Dr. Odd might overhear us too, honey,” Kurt said. “We don’t know which of our powers he may have now.”
Good point, Anthony thought. He was surprised he hadn’t thought of it himself. His mind was divided between freeing his friends and finding Claudia, so he wasn’t as sharp as he should be.
The two of them stepped outside. As soon as the door was firmly shut, Kurt asked, “What did you want to talk about?”
“Claudia’s gone.”
Kurt’s eyes rounded. “Again? But Ruxandra’s been with me all evening.”
“I know. She left a note saying she had to go somewhere to think, but anyone could have made her write that. I called Sadie, Chris, and Angie to see if Claudia had mentioned her absence to any of them, and they all said no.”
“That’s not like her, is it?”
“No. She’s always taken her managerial responsibilities seriously. I can’t imagine she’d leave us in the lurch.”
“So, what are you thinking?”
“I’d like to use some of your truth spell on Ruxandra to see if she hired anyone to harm Claudia and didn’t call him off. I know you’d believe her, but—”
Kurt held up his hand. “I understand. It’s a distinct possibility. I was hoping to use the truth spell on her anyway. I need to know she’s not pretending to be into me, just to make you jealous.”
“Another distinct possibility. Although she seems different. It looks like you might be a good influence on her.”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“I’m not. I mean…”
Kurt laughed. “I know what you meant. Let’s get this spell started. I think we have to begin with the researcher.”
“That’s fine, but when it’s Ruxandra’s turn, how will you get her to cooperate?”
“Well, I can start by asking. I brought it up briefly and she said she’d consider it. If she has nothing to hide, she should agree.”
Anthony rolled his eyes. “Good luck with that. Is there a plan B?”
“No.”
“Okay, then. She’ll either cooperate or pitch a fit. I can’t wait to find out which.”
This time it was Kurt who rolled his eyes. “Let’s get back in there. The longer we stay out here, the worse it looks.”
“Fine.”
***
Kurt took the censor and copal out of his bag and set them on a nearby desk. He knew the aroma of copal would encourage liars to expose the truth. It had the added benefit of affecting Ruxandra without her knowing it. However, it was subtle.
“Ruxie, honey. Can you continue to hold him for me?”
“Of course,” she said.
He’d worded his request so she’d have to say “yes.” Even so, she could have let go of the researcher and bolted if she were afraid of being affected.
The commanding spell Kurt would have to use on the researcher left no choice. The liar would reveal the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. He always wondered why it wasn’t used in courts of law. Oh, yeah, because most people were skeptical of magic, if not downright disbelievers. Once he’d done his thing, though, no one in this room would doubt it worked.
He set the copal on a charcoal disk, placed them in the censor, and lit it with a match. Soon, the coal caught and the copal smoke began to fill the room. Meanwhile, Kurt took the purple candle from the brown paper bag and dressed it with Command and Compel Oil, a concoction he’d made himself.
Kurt faced the researcher. “What’s your real name?”
Sweat broke out on the man’s forehead and he bit his lower lip, presumably to keep from spilling the information.
Kurt took some of the oil and rubbed it into his own palm. “I said, tell me your name.”
“George.”
“Good. Is George your first or last name?”
The guy hesitated again. Kurt cupped the smoke in his hand and directed it to the man’s nostrils.
“It’s my first name,” he said.
“Now we’re getting somewhere. What’s your last name, George?”
“Robbins.”
“That’s appropriate since he’s been robbing our kind of their freedom,” Ruxandra said.
Good. She isn’t afraid to talk.
“Sit tight. I’ll just be a minute.” Kurt tore a chunk out of the paper bag and wrote the guy’s name on it seven times. Then he wrote his own name over the other ones. He placed the candle over the paper and lit it.
As it burned, he closed his eyes and chanted. “Darksome night and shining moon, harken to the wizard’s rune. East, then south. West, then north, Hear! Come! I call thee forth!
“By all the power of land and sea, be obedient to me. By all the might of moon and sun, As I do will, it shall be done.”
When he opened his eyes, he focused his gaze on Dr. Odd and demanded, “George Robbins, I command and compel you. Tell me the truth!”
The candle flame grew to five or six inches. The widening eyes around the room said everyone knew magic was afoot.
George trembled. “What do you want to know?” he asked in a small voice.
Nick stepped in front of Kurt and asked, “Mind if I take over?”
Because Nick was a PI and former cop, he probably had some good interrogation techniques.
“Be my guest,” Kurt said.
Nick got up into the guy’s face and asked, “What’s the code to open the big, glass cell?”
“I don’t know. Only the day and evening guys know.”
“How many guys are there?”
“Five.”
“What kind of research is going on here?”
George squirmed but answered, “We’re trying to di
scover as many different types of paranormals as possible, catalog them, and see what their special abilities are, if any. Those who demonstrate superior strength, senses, speed, and the like will be examined more thoroughly.”
“How did you discover paranormals exist?” Nick asked.
“A little over six months ago, one of the guys found a merman in the river in front of our university. We captured him in a net and held him in one of the basement rooms. He tried to bargain for his release by telling us about the other paranormals he knew of in the area. When we verified his information, we rented this facility and went after funding to build more sophisticated cages, buy equipment, and hire trained researchers.”
“But you didn’t let him go? Did he give you misleading information?”
“No. Everything he told us was true.”
Nick swore under his breath. “And we let him walk,” he said to Anthony. “Never mind. Freeing the captives and damage control are what we need to do now. Justice can wait.”
Anthony stepped forward. “Do you mind if I ask him a few questions?”
“You probably should. I’m too angry to think straight.”
Nick seemed to know all the big men in the cage. Kurt only knew Tory. The woman and boy huddled together in the corner didn’t seem familiar to anyone, but Anthony’s heart went out to them. If the woman knew the full moon was tomorrow night, she had good reason to be afraid.
Anthony leaned down and stared the man in the eye. When he blinked, Anthony’s mouth thinned. Then he straightened and folded his arms. “Why can’t you be mesmerized?”
“I don’t know,” George said. “Maybe it has to do with the blood they transfused into me.”
Anthony’s brows shot up. “Whose blood did they give you?”
“I don’t know. It’s a blind study. The results might be skewed if I knew.”
“Fuck,” Anthony muttered.
Kurt decided it was his turn. “So, they shot you full of paranormal blood and left you here alone? That doesn’t seem right.”
“That’s not quite true,” George said. “See that rabbit over there?”
The three paranormal interrogators glanced at the cage holding a white rabbit. There didn’t seem to be anything abnormal about it except the cage was larger than the usual size for a rabbit.