by T S Paul
"Looking to trade or just get a second vehicle? We have some nice ones that can be used for work or play. What does your husband think? Is this for you?" He peered into my SUV trying to see Marvin.
"Pretend you don't see him. He's not the one buying the car. That would be me. What do you have that's fast and easy to drive?"
The salesman continued to the car and stepped over to the passenger's side. He totally ignored me and my wishes. "Sir, we have the best-used cars in the tri-state area. If you look to your right, you can see we even have one of the new family trucksters. Not the most aerodynamic with those tail fins but it does do the job of carrying the family around and still look sharp to the eyes. If you know what I mean. Or if you are a discerning gentleman I have..." He never got to finish that sentence. I zapped him with a freeze spell.
Leaning down I called through the window. "Marvin, I need your help, please."
"Did you just hurt that man? Why was he talking to me?" Marvin, still looking rumpled and confused got out of the car and poked the salesman. "Is he dead?"
"I just froze him. He's still alive. He wanted to sell you a car, not me. Salesmen like him always talk to the man, never the woman at places like this. They assume that the women don't know what they want. Grab his arm. When I unfreeze him, he might fall down." I dropped the spell.
The salesman dropped to the ground taking Marvin with him. "Marvin I said hold him, not hold on to him."
I let my witness get up on his own. My arm was starting to throb much more painfully. I would have to try a healing trance later to see if I could fix some of the damage. Time to try a different tack with the salesman. Concentrating for a moment, I cast my spell.
"What is your name?"
The man on the ground replied. "Wilson Theai."
"Wilson, can you stand up and talk to me?" I tried to keep my voice even and toneless. That was the key to this sort of mesmerizing spell.
"Yes." He stood up.
"Wilson, do you have the keys to these cars around us?" I waved at the cars.
"Of course."
"Are they fueled and ready to go?" Gas would be an issue.
"Yes. We like to say that a car un-driven is a car un-payed for." Wilson's eyes were bloodshot and his face slack. That was one of the symptoms of this sort of spell.
I looked around and spotted a nice looking family car that would work now. A station wagon wasn't a good getaway car, but we weren't criminals. "Can you get the keys and dealer plates for that green one over there?"
Zombie-like Wilson turned toward the car I pointed at. "Yes." Stumbling he walked toward the office.
"What's wrong with him?" Marvin watched Wilson bounce off a couple of cars before climbing the steps to the elevated office.
"It's the spell I cast on him. Free will enhancers make the subconscious fight the conscious part of your brain. The result is that. He'll be OK when we leave. I promise."
Wilson returned with a set of keys in his hand. We couldn't take the chance on filling out the paperwork, so hopefully, I didn't get stopped. "The keys."
"Thank you, Wilson. Now here are the keys to my SUV. You will place it on the back of your lot and forget how and why it got there. Do you understand?" I took his keys and handed Wilson my keys.
"Yes. Move car. Forget why."
"Good. Marvin go grab our bags out of the car and put them in the green station wagon. Don't forget to grab Fergus too." Must not forget the little pain in my ass.
"Now. If the police or other people come looking for someone that matches my description you will tell them you haven't seen anyone. We are not the people they are looking for. Do you understand?"
"Yes." Wilson stood stock still waiting for yet another order. This was why these sorts of spells weren't approved of by the Witch's Council. Mind control left too many scars.
I opened the car door of the SUV and poked around. Fingerprints were almost impossible to remove with Magick, but hair and blood, specifically my blood, could be. A small cantrip and all my physical traces were gone in a wisp of smoke. Let them find unicorn hair and wonder how? I popped open the glove compartment grabbed the original rental paperwork and pocketed it.
"Wilson, I want you to count to a hundred and fifty very slowly. When you are done, you will move the SUV to the back of the lot and return to selling cars. We were never here. Do you understand?"
"Yes. Never here. One. Two. Three..." He stood still and continued to count.
I let out my saved breath. One less thing to worry about. The keys fit the car, so we drove right off the lot. First stop was a gas station. It might have gas in it, but not enough to drive to Upper New York state. I have a rental house in a nice quiet small town to go to. No one should be able to find us there.
Wilson finished counting and moved the car as ordered. The very moment he stepped out of it and pocketed the keys was when he woke up. "Why am I back here? If I don't make my quota Athena will kill me!" Straightening his cowboy hat, he ran for the front of the lot. His boss had a bit of a temper.
~~~~~~~
"We just picked up a tail." Bill radioed ahead to Cat. She was driving the main RV and leading them down the highway. The investigation into the Strega was hitting roadblocks left and right. Either people were scared, or other agencies were covering things up. They knew who some of the main players were so maybe poking the bear was the right way to go. Prick them enough, and they would get a reaction.
"Good. Let's make sure he stays interested. The next left is our turn." Cat's plan was to park the rigs outside of homes allegedly belonging to members of the Commission. Regular agents already had the houses under surveillance, but they were laughable in their disguised moving vans. Magical Crimes' move would be blatant and in your face.
This part of New Jersey made Sherman Oaks in California look like a slum. Mansions and tall gates were all you could see from the street. One of the largest gates had a ten-foot brick wall on either side of it. Only the very tops of the chimneys could be seen from the street. FBI records said that Alegra Capone lived here. She was Al Capone's ex-wife and second in command of the Commission.
A city works truck was parked across from the gate, but no workers were in sight. "Pull up behind them," Cat ordered.
"If they didn't stick out before, they do now." Chuck carefully parked behind the yellow and orange works truck. Bill chuckled but didn't say anything. He had experience with this sort of surveillance op. "What will the guys in the truck say?"
Agent Ronson was about to take another bite out of the Italian sub. He picked up the huge sandwich on his way into work this morning. Startled, he heard what sounded like a heavy duty diesel engine. They weren't supposed to get any additional support today. Or were they? Just like the Bureau to change things and not tell anyone. Happened all the dang time. Reaching behind him he pulled back the shade covering the rear window and peeked outside. Uh oh.
"... so now rotate the camera to the left about ten degrees. See you can zoom in on the very edge of that window. I requested some improved boom mic's so maybe we can hear something other than how the gardener's compost kitchen scraps. We think they have a meeting spot near there. Too many trees block observation from above." Agent Joe Orlando was used to being the teacher. He once thought he might make a good elementary school substitute. He thought it ironic that someone with his last name was trying to take down the mob. He jerked up when he felt someone tap his shoulder.
"Ronson. I don't want half your sandwich. If you suck them down like that all the time, it's a wonder you haven't choked to death." The agent in question had a sandwich crammed into his mouth and was staring at him.
Ronson shook his head no. He kept pointing toward the read. "What is it? Take the sandwich out of your mouth this instant!"
"Sorry, sir. We have a problem outside. Look out the window." He pointed to the rear of the truck.
"It better be important. Keep an eye on Smith here. The last time he messed with the computer he duplicated his login, and somehow everything
said, Smith. Smiths everywhere. Not this time." Joe allowed Ronson to get closer and edged past him. The van was small and filled to the brim with surveillance equipment.
The blinds were still up a clear violation of orders. Joe shook his head. Ronson. Never paying attention to standing orders. He glanced out the transparent window and saw it, a giant seal and symbol that said FBI.
Bill and Chuck sat watching the FBI truck. "Did you really sit in one of those for years?"
"Not the same one, but yes. The regular Bureau does a lot of surveillance ops. The last truck I was in said 'Kat's Donuts' on it. We kept getting stopped by people wanting to know if we were moving into the area. Apparently, donuts are big sellers to city workers. Go figure." Bill leaned forward to stare at the door to the truck opened up. "Here comes our first customer. What do you think? Us or Cat, first."
Chuck replied. "Looks like he's coming to us. He looks really mad."
"Well, I might be too if I was undercover and two trucks with FBI on them parked nearby." Bill stood and smoothed his clothing. No need to appear too rumpled.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Agent Orlando slammed his hand on the door to the impressive FBI forensics RV that was now parked behind his stakeout truck.
"Open up in there!
Bill hit the button allowing the door to open but blocking the stairs with his own body. "What can I do for you?"
"You can get this monstrosity and the other one off my street and away from my stake out. That's what you can do! We are supposed to be undercover here!" Agent Orlando was jumping up and down.
"Sorry, Agent?" Bill glared at the agent but didn't allow him to see inside.
"Orlando. Joe Orlando. New Jersey field office, Organized Crime Division. Who authorized this?" Joe tried to see around the man blocking his path.
"Ultimately it was Special Agent in Charge Agatha Blackmore, our boss and the person in charge of the Magical Crimes Division. For the moment, it was Agent Moore that placed us here." Bill still didn't budge.
"Where do I find Agent Moore? Is he in there hiding from the public eye or something?" Agent Orlando once again tried to see around Bill.
"Nope. She is in the command vehicle parked behind us. Feel free to take any complaints to her." Bill hooked his thumb over his shoulder.
As the regular Agent stormed off, Bill muttered to Chuck and Ana. "I hope her plan works because this is going to cause trouble."
~~~~~~
"What is it?" Ysabel practically screamed into the phone.
"It's Alegra. Those Magical Crimes people that we want to find? They're parked across from my house! What do I do?"
"Why are they there Alegra? Did you say something to them?" Ysabel began giving orders to her people.
"Me? NO! I wouldn't do that. What we have is sacred! The Strega is my life." Alegra almost had heart failure at the suggestion she might have gone over to the enemy.
"Good. What are they doing there then?" Ysabel's icy voice brought chills to any who heard it.
"Fighting with the regular FBI or so my people say."
"Ah, good. internal division. Just what we want. It slows their investigation and allows us time to kill the Witch. Leave your estate Alegra. Get them to follow you. I want you to lead them toward our dock complex near the Absecon Bridge. We will set a trap for them and see them gone once and for all. Without support, we can catch the Witch and our stool pigeon." Ysabel whispered her own orders at the same time.
"I will do as you ask. Thank you for your trust."
Ysabel set the phone down. "Kill her along with the rest. This will be an example for everyone not to play games with the Strega."
Chapter 12
Vermont is a beautiful place to be this time of year. Three Forks, Vermont, was about as far from New Jersey as you could get and not be in the Dominion of Canada. I seriously thought about crossing the border and hiding out over there, but it could cause many international issues. Besides dealing with the British Empire wasn't my cup of tea. Especially if assassins were after us. No, Vermont was it.
I deviated from the plan Madeline, and the Bs put together for me. It seemed as though we had a leak somewhere inside her office for them to be finding me this easily. Time to go to ground and hide. I rented a small, unassuming house in a little town off the beaten path. It reminded me of home. Briarwood was only a few hours away so much of the area was similar to home.
"Why do we have to stay here? They don't even have TV!" Fergus was on his second day of whining. He started up bitching right away as we got settled. The small townhouse was minimally furnished but would give us a place to hide. I had a week left before Marvin had to be in court.
"There is a TV right there. It even gets PBS." I pointed to the old-style TV in the corner of the room.
"That's not a TV. TVs are flat and hang on the wall. That thing looks like a fish tank. Why would I want to watch fish?"
"Fergus, look. It has channels here at the top." I turned the old TV on for him.
"Weird. What's with the giant blue bird? Is that guy supposed to be in that dumpster?" Fergus stared up at the screen.
"It's a show I used to watch called Sunflower Avenue. It's fun, and you might even learn something." I stepped over him and went back outside to help Marvin unload the groceries I purchased.
"Marvin, what's the matter?" The small man was sitting on the back bumper of the car staring at the ground.
"I miss Sheila."
"Just one more week and you can see her again. I promise." Reaching past him, I grabbed the last couple of bags of vegetables from the back of the car.
"We used to sit outside every morning to see the sun come up. I would drink my coffee and clip her nails for her." Marvin stood up and took half the bags from me.
Clip her nails? What a strange relationship that is. "Thanks, Marvin." I couldn't get the image of a man trimming my nails out of my head.
Closing the back of the car, I followed Marvin back inside the house. "What do you two want for lunch?"
They both yelled at once, but I deciphered pizza and salad from them. It figures that Marvin would bond with Fergus over food. The salad is about all I can make without burning it. I bought nuker pizza so I hope they like it. Ovens don't like me much either.
I grabbed my spell bag and shouted at my two charges. "Give me about twenty minutes, and I'll get that started for you two. I need to set the wards."
The house had two floors, so I started upstairs in the master bedroom. From the window, I could see the entire street. Marvin could use the smaller guest bedroom. This room would make a good observation point. I used blessed chalk to draw out my protections on the doors and window frames. The symbols would hold the spell on the house. Magick requires some physical structure to act as the bones of the spell. Without something to anchor it in place, a spell will quickly dissolve. The removal of Magick is a trademark of the mercenary magicians and one of the reasons the government shouldn't use them.
I wanted this house to survive a Magickal attack. I added extra precautions as a bonus. Anyone that burst through a door or window would get a nasty surprise. Defensive spells I can do exceptionally well. I was reaching for more chalk to protect the stairs when I heard it. At first, I thought it was the TV.
"I know. She likes to sun herself every morning. How are her scales? No, if you use the avocado oil in my cabinet she will react better. The soy oil is more of a treat. No, I'm not in New Jersey anymore. We had to leave there. The lady driving me around says we are in Vermont. It's pretty here. What? No, I'm not sure of the name of the town. Why? Oh. I don't think I'm allowed, visitors. No..." He never got to finish because I yanked the phone out of his hands and slammed it down on the receiver.
"Marvin! What the hell?" The phone was the old-fashioned plastic kind. I yanked the cord from the wall easily. "Are you trying to kill us?"
"No, of course not. That was Mrs. McGillicuddy, my next door neighbor. I was checking on Sheila." Marvin actually smiled at me.
"Why? Yo
u're going home in a week you can see your girlfriend then."
"Girlfriend?" Marvin laughed. "Sheila's not my girlfriend. She's my iguana. Mrs. McGillicuddy always forgets to give her a treat after her nap. I have to remind her every time to do it."
All I could do was blink at him. "Marvin, did you tell your neighbor we were at that hotel in New Jersey?"
"Of course, she's my best friend." He really didn't see the problem yet.
"What about at that place in Washington? How did you get a phone there?" I had to be sure.
"With those creepy government guys? That was easy. They put me in this office and told me to be good. I just picked up the phone, dialed nine to get out, and called. Easy. We have a phone system like that at the office. Why?"