Dying to Meet You

by S. C. Stokes

“Give me something!” Kasey demanded out loud to no one in particular.

  Eying the steel drawers, a thought dawned on her. There was one more body she hadn’t considered.

  She almost barfed at the thought of the decomposing form in the 4th drawer, Lincoln Stride. The poor occupant of Hudson Road had been dead for days when she had stumbled upon him.

  There had been no need for an examination. Lincoln had clearly been murdered. The cause of death was clear too. He’d almost been torn in half by a Werewolf.

  Kasey wasn’t sure what to expect from the poor man, but she hoped against hope her gift had something to offer.

  She crept to the drawer. Taking a deep breath, she held it in as she drew out Lincoln’s body.

  Lincoln Strode lay there and it wasn’t pretty. The refrigerated drawers had helped somewhat but Lincoln had been decomposing when they had brought him in.

  Desperate for a clue, Kasey reached out and clasped the dead man’s hand.

  To her relief, the familiar mist clouded over her vision and the morgue disappeared. When it cleared, she found herself standing inside a house.

  She scanned her surroundings. It took only a moment to realize she was standing back inside 65 Hudson Road. The house was cleaner than she remembered, gone were the flies and half eaten food.

  She eagerly searched for a clue as to when the vision was taking place. It was before her visit. It was before Lincoln had died; Kasey could see him tidying the house.

  The doorbell rang.

  Kasey followed Lincoln to the door. From her viewpoint, she could see a large silhouette through the frosted glass pane beside the door.

  Don’t open it, Kasey thought before realizing the futility of such wishful thinking.

  Oblivious, Lincoln opened the front door.

  Kasey’s mouth fell open in amazement.

  There standing in the doorway of 65 Hudson Road… was Agent Collins.

  Mist descended over her vision and in a heartbeat, it was gone.

  “What?” Kasey exclaimed as the morgue came into view.

  A thousand thoughts crashed through her tired mind.

  Before she could sift through them, a heavy hand rested on her shoulder.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  A familiar voice pierced her heart. “Kasey.”

  Spinning around, Kasey came face-to-face with Agent Collins.

  “You!” she shouted, struggling to get words out. Collin’s presence at Hudson Road could only mean one thing.

  “Me what?” Collins replied, a confused look crossing his face. “Sorry, Kasey, I didn’t mean to frighten you. You were just standing there, staring into the drawer.”

  She tried to back away, but with the cold steel of the morgue drawers behind her, there was nowhere to go.

  “What are you doing here, Collins?” she demanded, trying to buy time while she came up with a plan.

  “I just came to check on you. You looked pretty shaken up after the sting went bust. I just wanted to see if you are alright,” he said raising a hand to calm Kasey.

  “I’m fine.” She pushed past him, putting some distance between them.

  Her mind raced a million miles an hour.

  If Collins had been at Hudson Road he must be the killer, Kasey thought. Unless my vision is misleading me again, like it did with Brad. Kasey still felt guilty about Beth’s boyfriend that she had nearly blown through a wall.

  As she stared at the hulking FBI agent in front of her, conflicting feelings stirred in her chest. If Collins was Lelac, why hadn’t he killed her already? He’d had the chance. If he wasn’t, Kasey couldn’t risk using the Spear of Odin. If she were wrong, she couldn’t kill a Federal Agent just to conceal the World of Magic. Kasey was stuck, and she didn’t like it.

  Collins was at Hudson Road. He knows something. I need to test his DNA. The hair sample we found on Beth’s body had something that outed its owner as magical. If it didn’t the ADI would have had no need to mention it. If Collin’s DNA had the same non-human markers, I’ll know he’s a Werewolf. Now I just need him a little more cooperative.

  Kasey eyed the stainless steel tray on the table in front of her. If he’s not Danilo, I’m going to have some explaining to do. Whether it was the stress or the exhaustion, Kasey wasn’t sure, but she snatched the tray, scattering implements across the table. Swinging it with two hands, she spun toward Collins.

  Collins wasn’t nearly as surprised as Kasey was hoping. He raised a hand to block the incoming tray. “Kasey, what the hell is going on?”

  Kasey drew back the tray and swung again. “You were there. I saw you.”

  The flat of the tray hit him in the chest.

  “Where? What are you talking about Kasey? Of course I was there. I was with Bishop,” he replied, fending off the tray as Kasey made for another swing.

  She swung the tray at him again and again. Then she let it clatter to the floor as she delivered a roundhouse kick to his chest.

  Collins hadn’t been prepared for that. He stumbled backwards.

  Collins grunted as he struggled to stay on his feet.

  Before he could recover, Kasey was in his face, launching punches. Unfortunately, Collins was built like a brick wall. The jabs barely made a mark. As Kasey’s right hand sailed toward his jaw, Collins stepped back. He was deceptively nimble for someone so large. Her fist caught nothing but air. Collins reached out and grabbed it.

  He yanked on her arm, drawing her in. He wrapped his arms around her, pinning her hands to her sides to prevent further attacks.

  Kasey struggled to break the grip, but he held firm.

  “Now, Kasey,” Collins started, as he tried to catch his breath. “Care to tell me what is going on?”

  Kasey struggled against his hold. “I saw you there. You were at Hudson Road.”

  “Hudson Road?” Collins replied.

  “Don’t play dumb. I saw you there. Number 65 Hudson Road. Lincoln Strode’s house. It was days before we even met you,” Kasey fumed, raising her foot.

  “Oh,” Collins replied.

  Kasey slammed her foot down onto his. He jerked backwards.

  Without mercy, Kasey drove her elbow back into his stomach…right next to his bullet wound from the morning’s shootout.

  Collins let out a howl of pain. Kasey doubled down, sweeping his legs out from under him and sending him crashing to the floor. She scanned the ground for the tray, then swooped and picked it up. Lifting it high, she went for the knockout— only to find herself staring down the barrel of Agent Collins Glock.

  The black steel of the pistol’s barrel stopped her dead.

  “Okay, Kasey,” Collins said, huffing, “if you try to hit me again, I swear I’m going to shoot you.”

  She dropped the tray, then lifted her hands in surrender.

  Agent Collins got up off the floor, eying her warily. “Now if you wouldn’t mind explaining what on Earth is going on, I’d really appreciate it.”

  “I saw you at Hudson Road. You visited Lincoln Strode before he died,” Kasey explained slowly. “Tell me how an FBI agent knew who was going to die, days before we even found the body? Explain that one to me, Collins.”

  Collins jaw dropped. “Ah, you’re prescient?” He nodded. “The counselor didn’t tell me that. Could have saved me a beating if he’d mentioned it. I suppose you saw some sort of vision then?”

  Kasey blinked. “Wait what? Counselor? You believe in visions?”

  She wasn’t sure which question she wanted an answer to more.

  Collins looked at Kasey and then the gun in his hand. “If you are done trying to kill me, let me explain. I don’t work for the FBI. I work for the ADI. Arthur Ainsley sent me here to look out for you.”

  Kasey shook with rage. “Look out for me?” Kasey replied, fuming. “More like spy on me.”

  Collins holstered his weapon. “It’s not like that, Kasey. The Counselor may seem callous, but he wasn’t going to pit you against a killer on your own and just hope for the best. He sent
me for backup.”

  She wasn’t ready to trust Collins. “You still haven’t explained why you were at Hudson Road. Lincoln Strode is dead. As far as I can tell, you were one of the last people to see him alive.”

  “That doesn’t mean I killed him, Kasey. Do you have any idea who Lincoln Strode was when he was alive? He was the Alpha leader of New York’s Werewolf pack. I was there to warn him about Danilo Lelac. I’m not sure how familiar you are with Werewolves, Miss Chase, but they are highly territorial. When the Arcane Council received word of his arrival here in New York, I was sent to warn Lincoln…”

  “I’m sensing a but,” Kasey interjected.

  Collins took a step back and rested his hand on his hip. “Not so much a but more of an and. The council was hoping for Lincoln’s help in tracking Danilo. Danilo may not be from his pack but his presence in Lincoln’s territory would not go unnoticed. Danilo is a fugitive, we were hoping to bring him to justice.”

  “And?” Kasey prompted.

  “And what? He thanked me for the warning but declined to help the Council. Werewolves may be members of the magical community, but after centuries of bad blood, there is still a lot of skepticism between Werewolves and other magical beings. There was no way he was turning over one of his kind, not to us. So, the visit went pretty much as we expected. We left with nothing, which was a shame.”

  “A shame? What do you mean?”

  “Strode was our best chance to catch Danilo. Now he’s dead and his pack has scattered. Danilo likely targeted him for that very reason. Now he can move freely through the city. The pack is far too preoccupied to be bothered with a stray. Strode was a stabilizing influence between Werewolves and wizards. Now we’ll have to wait and see who succeeds him as pack leader. His death will have far reaching consequences.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Kasey said. “I had no idea.”

  “There’s nothing we can do about Strode now.” Collins replied as he squatted down and began to tidy up the trashed morgue, “We just need to take down Danilo before he can hurt anyone else.”

  “Is there anything else you know that could help?” Kasey asked joining him in the cleaning. “Your boss wasn’t particularly helpful in that regard.”

  Collins shook his head. “I’m afraid not. While the Golden Wolf is the terror of Europe, no one has seen him in human form and lived to tell the tale. That sting today was the best shot we had at taking him down. I was really rooting for it to work.”

  “So, if no one has seen his face, he could be anyone…even you?” Kasey asked, testing Collins.

  “Sure, why not?” Collins replied, holding up Vida’s scalpel that had been dropped in the scuffle. “But if I were out to kill you, you would already be dead.”

  Kasey couldn’t help but see his point. The two of them were alone and it was late. Collins could have killed her and been gone before anyone was the wiser.

  Besides, he’s already taken a bullet to try and save Kelly. I’m just desperate for answers.

  The realization bothered Kasey more than anything else.

  I need to clear my mind. Her stomach growled loudly. I need my pizza too.

  “I have some food coming. Want to split a pizza?” she asked, feeling a little guilty about attacking him. She had thought her lesson with Brad would have taught her about acting prematurely on her visions, but she had been wrong.

  “I appreciate the offer, Kasey, but I’ve gotta get some rest. Besides, Bishop and I had a snack in the cafeteria earlier.”

  “Oh, did you now?” Kasey asked with a laugh. “Smooth moves, Collins. She’s going to be mad when she realizes you’re not with the FBI though.”

  “Let’s keep that to ourselves for now. Might raise a few questions we can’t answer. If you want to grab your pizza, I can clean up for you down here.”

  Kasey’s stomach rumbled again. “That would be great, Collins. I’m going to stuff my face and relax. I’ll catch you in the morning.”

  “Good night, Kasey… Make sure you get some rest,” Collins added.

  “Will do!” Kasey answered as she dashed out the door. She headed straight for the elevator, the hallway was dark except for the pale green exit lights.

  As Kasey pondered on the poorly lit hallway she heard footsteps behind her.

  She turned around, catching a faint glimpse of motion before it thumped into her skull.

  Her world went black.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The first sensation Kasey became aware of was the pulsing headache at the back of her skull.

  Opening her weary eyes, she saw steel. Rows of steel. It took a moment for her to process what lay before her.

  I’m in a cell.

  Sitting up, she realized the bars were everywhere.

  Not a cell—a cage. What the hell?

  The last thing she could remember was leaving the morgue to pick up her pizza. Something had happened in the hallway.

  She felt the back of her head. A sizable lump was forming from whatever had struck her. She blinked to focus her vision, then took in her surroundings.

  Kasey was in her apartment. Or more precisely, she was locked in a cage, bolted to the floor of the living room of her apartment.

  And she wasn’t alone.

  Just out of reach was a second cage. The unconscious form of Agent Collins lay within. The cage looked almost comical with the large agent stuffed inside it.

  Kasey rattled the bars of her cage. Locked.

  “Collins!” she whispered.

  He stirred but didn’t budge.

  “Collins, wake up!” Kasey begged.

  He let out a groan as he rolled onto his back. Reaching out, he grabbed the steel of the cage. “What on Earth is going on, Kasey?”

  “I don’t know. Someone jumped me at the station,” she whispered. “They knocked me out, and I woke up here.”

  Collins nodded. “I heard you fall and went to check on you. Whoever got you clobbered me too. Feels like my head is on fire.”

  “At least we are alive,” she said. “Now we just have to get out of here.”

  Collins sat up. “Any idea where here is?”

  “That I can help with,” she said. “We’re in my apartment.”

  “That’s weird. Why would they bring us here?” Collins wondered out loud. “When the police realize you are missing, this is the first place they will look.”

  “Yeah but that might take hours,” Kasey answered as she tested the lock. “If it’s Danilo, we’ll be dead by then.”

  “If?” Collins asked, his whispered voice rising sharply. “Who else could it be? I was working on the assumption you only had one party trying to kill you.”

  Kasey sighed. “Well, true, or at least I hope so. John Ainsley’s been making my life pretty miserable lately.”

  Collins laughed. “Whatever beef you have with the Ainsleys, rest assured the Counselor isn’t going to tolerate his son running around abducting people, let alone the council’s own agents.”

  “True, true,” Kasey replied, not entirely convinced but willing to consider the more obvious choice, “Hey Collins, if it is Danilo, why are we still alive? More importantly, why are you still alive?”

  “What do you mean?” Collins asked.

  “Well, Danilo has it in for me. That much I know. I’m just trying to work out why he has kept you alive. Dragging you out of the station must have been a pain, so why go to all that effort when he could have just killed you and been done with it? No offense.”

  “None taken,” Collins answered. “It’s a good question. I’ve been working on the assumption that Danilo wants you dead. Have you considered that maybe he wants something else from you and simply killed the others because they couldn’t provide it?”

  Kasey thought back to her own analysis of the case. She had wondered if maybe her gift had something to do with why she was being hunted by Danilo. Nothing else in her past made sense. Perhaps she had seen something or someone and somehow that knowledge posed a thr
eat to the Hungarian assassin. It made sense, but for the life of her she couldn’t work out what that vision might have been.

  “I’ve thought about it,” Kasey answered. “I figured it had something to do with my visions. Nothing else adds up. I separated myself from the world of magic years ago. The only thing tying me to it now are the visions. I can’t get rid of them. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

  “Makes sense,” Collins said. “Not great news for me though.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because if it’s true, I’m expendable and I’m here for one of two reasons.” He leaned back against the cage.

  “Like what?”

  “One, information. You’ve probably seen police interrogate a suspect. They often use a method known as the prisoner’s dilemma where they separate two suspects and try to get them to turn on each other in exchange for reduced sentences.

  “It works like a charm, has for decades. It’s no good to Danilo though because only one of us has the information he wants. It’s possible that he is watching us and hoping we spill whatever it is he wants.

  “The second option is leverage. When interrogating a suspect, torture is a highly ineffective means of gaining the information you are seeking. Often the target will say anything just to get the pain to stop. Torturing someone else though, that tends to be more effective. Most people can’t tolerate watching someone else suffer knowing they could end it.”

  “You paint a grim picture,” Kasey said. “How do we know which it is? I don’t want to give him anything, but I’m not going to lie, I don’t think I’ll hold up well to watching you get tortured either.”

  “It’s impossible to tell. He’s not here so we have time. The longer we stall the greater our chance that Bishop or someone else will find us.”

  “We could always blast our way out of the cages,” Kasey said, frowning. “Take our chances with Danilo. I presume you are a wizard?”

  “Of course I am, but we have no way of knowing what countermeasures or charms he may have in place. We could make things worse. You have to remember, Danilo is used to killing witches and wizards. We need to get ahead of him not play into his hands.”