Kahlua and Cream: A Magical Detective Agency

by WL Flinn

  When I walked downstairs the Rusty wolf-whistled at me. “Have a great time on your date, Mom.”

  “It’s not a date. It’s work. Don’t wait up for me.”

  “Sure, it’s not a date,” SallyAnn chimed in. She winked at me. “I hope he realizes how much work it took for you to look like that.” She wouldn’t let me sit down so I didn’t wrinkle my outfit. She smacked my hand when I went to get a glass of water. “Mom, your bladder is already tiny. No need to fill it ahead of time.”

  At precisely eight-thirty Cal showed up at my door in a Cadillac Escalade. He knocked on my door. When I answered he looked me over and his eyes widened in surprise. “That will do nicely,” he said.

  “Well hello to you too.” I looked him over. He was dressed in a sharp tux with the tips of his French cuff shirt showing. “I guess you will do, too.” I laughed.

  “I am sorry. Let me begin again,” he said. “You look amazing.”

  He guided me by the elbow to the monster SUV. Who knew he could be such a gentleman? I could get used to being treated like a lady.

  We arrived at a non-descript block building in Delray. There was a line of Mercedes and BMWs and the occasional Rolls Royce waiting to be valet parked. We waited our turn and walked down a red carpet to enter the building. Immediately we were offered glasses of champagne by tuxedoed servers. After we each took one, with my free hand I grabbed Cal’s arm and looked around the room. “Do you recognize anyone?” I asked. I realized I was way out of my league here. I am just a secretary for God’s sake. What was I doing here?

  As if he heard my mind panicking, Cal squeezed my arm and tucked me closer to his massive body and murmured into my ear. “The servers are mainly shifters. Try to control your heart rate.” The warmth of his body relaxed my racing mind a bit, but not much.

  I tried to slow my heart when my stomach betrayed me. Could he hear it growling too? He nuzzled my ear lobe. “Just relax. Remember we are here for a good time. Maybe we’re going to buy something special.”

  I tried to calm down, but I hoped the fact he looked like he was trying to get me hot and bothered would give me a valid reason for my galloping heart. I smiled at him and tried to laugh and not choke on my drink. “Where will we bidding, I wonder? And when can we see the auction items?”

  One of the many staff dressed all in black came over and answered my question. “This way, madame,” she said sweeping out her hand. “Bidding will be in the room to the left but viewing is this way.” She walked briskly to the right and Cal and I followed her.

  There were several other people in the hallway. The lights were dim and the one wall was completely see-through. It looked like the one-way mirrors we had in the interrogation rooms at the State Attorney’s Office. We could see into three cells which each held two girls chained to the wall. Each girl looked freshly washed and had on clean clothes. Most had tears running down their cheeks. We walked to the last cell and my heart dropped. Beth sat chained to the wall. Her dark skin standing out against the pale paint.

  “A fine choice,” a male voice said out of nowhere. I tried not to jump. Cal quickly wrapped my arm around his and patted my hand.

  “What can you tell us about this one?” he said feigning interest.

  “She will do wonders for any breeding program,” the male said, getting closer to us. He was in his early forties, slightly graying hair. His body was soft like he spent all his time behind a desk. “She is the one I think has the most potential. She is untouched, as is all our stock.” He smiled. I wanted to smack the grin right off his face. “She is showing remarkable abilities for having been infected recently. She appears to be telekinetic. If you breed her with another telekinetic or someone with similar power, the baby should be quite powerful.”

  “What if we bred her to someone with elemental powers?” Cal asked as if he were truly interested. “Do you think that would do anything to the baby’s powers or just hit and miss, doctor?” He left enough pause to let the doctor provide his name.

  “We don’t have enough data, sadly,” the doctor said. He didn’t supply his name, but his brown eyes lit up with the topic. “These are exciting times. With someone this young you could breed her to several different mates and see what creates the best magical outcome. You never know with genetics. This is such a glorious era!”

  “You sound very knowledgeable. Tell me about your thoughts on these other, doctor,” Cal said. He unwrapped my arm and gently pushed me away so he could talk to the doctor in a more conspiratorial way. Cal directed the man to the next cell.

  That was my cue to take a hard look at the cells and the setup. I wanted to pound through the glass and set them all free, but I knew that would only end up with me getting hurt. There were too many staff dressed in all black. They just blended in and I didn’t even notice them until I forced myself to look. They were everywhere. Probably about one staff or guard to about every five of us lay people. Those weren’t good odds for a breakout.

  I stared into Beth’s cell. I knew she couldn’t see me. But I tried to memorize every feature in case I needed to tell her mom. Suddenly I wasn’t so sure she would be coming home with us. The other bidders were draped in diamonds and designer clutches and stilettos. This was Palm Beach at its most exclusive.

  Cal walked back to me. “Don’t worry honey, the doctor told me they feed the breeders very well so we shouldn’t have any concerns. They are also protected from any guards or other untoward advances so we can be assured of their virtue.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. “Any one of these would work for us.” He smiled at me. I saw the tightness of his eyes and the tenseness of his shoulders. He was clearly as upset as I was about this.

  I squeezed his hand. “This is perfect, honey. I would be happy with any of them.” I really wanted to save them all, but I couldn’t figure out a way to do that. We didn’t know how they operated. How did they move their girls? When would they be picked up? We were so under-prepared.

  Just to prove we were under surveillance Cal said quietly, “I am parched, Sweetie. I need another drink.” Instantly a server, who I now recognized as some type of shifter, offered him a tray of champagne. He waved it off. “Do you have any coffee?” The server nodded and looked at me.

  “That would be lovely.” I nodded.

  How could we even plan if we couldn’t talk? I just wanted to pull my spikey hair and scream. These are girl’s lives we are talking about. No one else seemed to be uncomfortable. If anything, people began to excitedly chatter as the doors to the bidding room opened.

  Cal sat us near the middle of the group. He took his paddle out of his pocket. “If you are going to limit me to one, honey, I want the one that we talked about.” I rubbed his chest and looked into his dark brown eyes like a spoiled wife. He stroked my back. Yep, I could get used to this part.

  “I am sure we can bring home one, Pet,” he said. Something about his hand rubbing my back made me feel like purring. I guess it had been a little too long since I had male contact. Apparently being old didn’t turn off the hormones.

  The lights dimmed and all the chatter quieted. A teenage girl was walked on-stage. She was clearly drugged. A staff member dressed in black guided her and stopped her at the center. A disembodied male voice said, “We will start the bidding at $20, $20,000.00 for lot number one. She is a fifteen-year-old white intact female. She had the sickness approximately six months ago. She has manifested a power in growing plants.”

  The bidding started and I wanted to vomit. These people were bidding on a girl for God’s sake. Cal grabbed my arm and kept me firmly in my seat. He leaned over and nuzzled my ear. “Darling, if you are going to get so excited over each one, we may have to leave early. We can’t be greedy here.” He leaned in even further so his lips were touching my earlobe. Electricity went up my spine. “Settle down, Sienna. We have to develop a plan.” He leaned back a little and said a little louder, “You know how your neck riles me up. Especially your perfume…”

  Peo
ple stopped looking at us and I realized the next girl was already out. I bit the inside of my lip as the people bid on this girl. Cal was tapped my arm. I looked down. Hair had covered my arms and my nails turned black. “Breathe deep,” he whispered.

  Knowing I couldn’t horse out here, I took several deep breaths and closed my eyes. I tried to tune out the sound of the auctioneer droning on the in background. I had already made the commitment I was bringing Beth home. I didn’t care if I had to raid the kids’ college funds or steal money to cover the check. She was coming home with me. Once again Cal tapped my arm. “Here we go darling,” he said.

  I opened my eyes and they brought Beth out. Like the other girls, she was clearly drugged. Her eyes were glassy and unseeing. Her feet dragged the floor, and she was held up by two women. I wanted to stand up there and charge to her rescue, but I knew I couldn’t without jeopardizing the whole mission.

  The auctioneer said, “Lot five, a black female aged sixteen. Intact. Possible telekinetic.”

  I tried to jump to my feet to offer my opening bid when I realized Cal had draped his arm around my shoulders so I couldn’t move. “Honey, we don’t want to let people know how excited you are,” he said through gritted his teeth.

  The disembodied voice said, “The bidding starts at $10,000.00” Cal physically held my arms down. No one said a word. “The house is asking $5,000.00 dollars,” it continued.

  Cal put his paddle up. “We have five, do I hear six? This is a fine, intact female with unusual talents. She is worth much more than that.” Someone put up a paddle. “Six, Do I hear seven?”

  Cal waved his paddle.

  “Seven. Do I hear eight? This girl is young and healthy and strong.”

  The other paddle waved.

  “Eight. Do I hear nine?”

  I waved my hand. Cal looked at me but nodded to the auctioneer.

  “Nine. Do I hear ten? Just look at the size of her hips and her breasts. She will be a perfect mother.”

  I stood up. “Fifteen thousand.” There was a gasp from the audience at my price jump. But I wasn’t taking this crap anymore. This guy could not talk about Beth that way. She was a child for God’s sake and I was taking her home now..

  The auctioneer looked at Cal for permission. He smiled by and laughed. “My wife wants what she wants.” He sat back in his chair and waved his paddle in approval.

  Silence reigned. “Going once, twice, sold to the couple in the back.”

  There was a smattering of applause at my boldness. Then the auctioneer began talking again as we walked out.

  A staff member walked Beth back to the side and I nearly started crying in relief. “You did it, honey.” I kissed him full on the lips and there were a few chuckles around the room. Cal looked at me in shock before he tried to recover his happy husband persona.

  A staff member walked over to us. “If you will get your car from valet and then bring your it around to the side and you can pick up your purchase.”

  I wanted to make a quip about contactless purchasing but it didn’t look like he would get it. He wouldn’t know I say the stupidest things when I get nervous. We quickly walked towards the main door, but I turned back to one of the more official looking staff members. “If we are satisfied with our purchase,” I said smiling as nicely as could. “How do we find out about other, let’s say, opportunities? I am sure we will have to have more than just one.”

  The man looked at us and said, “We have your information. We will be in contact with you.”

  “Great!” I said. “We very much look forward to it.”

  Cal walked by him and slipped some cash into his hand. “Make sure of it.” The man looked down at the cash and smiled, “Yes, sir!”

  We walked out to the valet and our car was brought forward. We got inside and the valet directed us to the side entrance. Our back door was opened and Beth was put in. She was barely conscious. Her hands were bound with zip ties. The staff member handed me a vial. “This will wake her right up, ma’am. But be ready with her. She is a fighter.” He tipped his hat at me and we drove away.

  Once we were on I-95, I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. “What now? Where do we go?” I asked. My phone buzzed. I looked down and Ashe texted that Jim and she were meeting at Jim’s office.

  “I guess we are meeting at Jim’s office,” I said.

  Cal nodded. “We agreed we would go to the office after tonight no matter what happened. In the event we were able to rescue anyone, we thought it was best to have a meetup location.”

  I turned and looked at Beth’s slack features behind me. “She’s a mess.”

  Cal reached over and squeezed my hand. “You did it, Sienna. You brought her home.”

  A big smile crossed my face. “We did it. All of us did it. I can’t thank you enough.”

  We pulled into the office complex and Cal carried Beth to the front door. Jim opened it and ushered us inside. Ashe gave me a quick hug as Cal was sitting her on the sofa. “Did you call her mom yet?” Ashe asked. She cut the ties off her hands.

  “I didn’t want to until she was a little more alert,” I replied. “I can’t stand the thought of her mom seeing her like this.” I pulled the vial out of my pocked and poured it into Beth’s mouth. She swallowed and I hoped she would start waking up soon. Ashe sat on one side of her and I sat on the other so we could keep her upright and the two guys put a blanket over our laps. Then they pulled up chairs so Cal and I could tell them what we saw.

  Jim put his head down between his hands. “We have to get the other back. We can’t just let them go and …” He couldn’t finish the sentence. “Who knows what will happen to them?”

  Beth interrupted softly, tears falling onto the blanket. “They will be used as breeders,” she whispered. “They want to create more magical people. They think by breeding a magical girl to someone they might get a magical baby from birth.” She started sobbing. Ashe pulled her close.

  “Shhh,” she tried to comfort her. “That isn’t going to happen to you. When you are ready, we are going to call your mom. We just wanted to give you a chance to get the drugs out of your system first.”

  Beth nodded and took a kleenex I handed her. “Can you call her now? She is probably worried sick about me.”

  Cal pushed his chin out indicating I should call her since we had spoken to her first. When she picked up the phone I told her I had someone who wanted to speak with her. Beth grabbed the phone out my hands, “Mommy?” she cried.

  After Beth and Kathy were reunited Cal and Jim and several other of the BlackHats sat around the office. We had ordered in some pizzas and sandwiches and beer.

  Cal looked around. “Here is what we know. They are taking young women and using them as breeding stock for trying to create magical babies. “

  There were of chorus of “gross” and “sick” from the group gathered. Cal let them air their disgust for a minute and continued. “Ashe and Sienna here contacted the police when the girls were in a known location and the police refused to help. So they are either in on it or they are being paid to ignore it. Either way, we cannot ignore what is happening to our own.”

  There were a few “here, here’s” and “let’s get ‘em” which Cal waited to die down. “The problem is they are very well run and very well financed. Sienna will tell you, they were flashing diamonds and gold like they were nothing. This is beyond the regular Palm Beach crowd. So, we are going to have to be very careful.

  “I understand this is going to be dangerous,” he continued. He looked every one of his group in the eye. “If you want to leave, we are going to break for more food, and I want you to leave now. There aren’t any hard feelings. And we will be using you for future ventures. This one,” he took a deep breath, “this one is above and beyond”

  A thin woman with her black hair pulled back in a ponytail stood up. “If we don’t help, will more kids get sold as breeders?”

  Cal nodded. “As far as we can tell, this looks like
the newest version of trafficking.”

  She put her shoulders back, “Then count me in, boss.”

  I wiped my eyes as they filled with tears. When did I become such a cry baby? But I was so proud of that girl. She was willing to lay it on the line for girls she didn’t even know.

  Jim stood up and told everyone to break for more pizza and sandwiches and to leave before they were in too deep on this mission. If anything, when we got back from the food there were more people crowding into the room.

  “Okay,” Cal said. “First, thank you. I know you do a lot for me and the BlackHats. This is truly for the kids of the community. Secondly, we need ideas.”

  We had originally thought about a plant or bait, but Beth had nixed that idea. She said she had been tested to see if she was a virgin. When I made a face thinking of a physical test, she had told me one of the girls just “knew” which girls were virgins and which weren’t. It was an odd magical power but I wasn’t going to contradict her. She said the girl was flawless too. She never missed.

  “What about taking them down at the next auction,” a burly guy said. I didn’t have to guess he was either a big shifter or had gotten a magical dose of superhuman strength.

  Planning and arguing went on into the night. My phone buzzed when SallyAnn texted me. “Mom, I don’t feel good.”

  I texted her back I would be home in a few. I told Cal I had to go and he said he would let me know they came up with.

  Ashe joined me and we headed to my house. “SallyAnn isn’t feeling well,” I said. “I can only hope it is cramps and that time of the month. I don’t think I could deal with it if she got the Sickness now.”

  When we got to the house, Rusty met me at the door. “I think it’s bad mom.”