Agent Dark, page 13
part #1 of Dark Protector Series
“Don’t worry, Kat, we’ll sort this out. Now, how are we getting to Vesper’s shop? Last I heard you were turning into some sort of badass biker bitch.”
“Riding a Ducati does make one badass, I will agree with that, but I had a small incident with the Blood Runners gang and the bike got totaled. I have a new ride. Don’t worry, you’ll look good riding shotgun in this one.”
Thomas adjusted the lapel of his suit. “I look good in anything.”
Kat wanted to argue, but the truth was he did. “Whatever, let’s get going.”
At the parkade, Thomas whistled when he saw the Dodge. “Damn, even you would look good in this car.”
“Asshole,” Kat said, but she was smiling. It really was good to have a friend there to help, and trading quips with friends was just her style. Thomas understood that and was probably going out of his way to send barbs her way.
…
After entering the password into Vesper’s surprisingly high-tech security system, Kat and Thomas entered the shop and started looking for clues.
“Vesper says she keeps an official ledger in the front but her actual files are stored on the hard drive in her safe,” Thomas said. “She’s actually rather clever, using her laptop for the business files but the second computer with no internet access for her more sensitive files. That’s a level of security most supernaturals wouldn’t be bothered with.”
“She used to spend a lot of time with Judah. He taught her about hackers and how easy it was for someone to bypass most security systems. It seems she was listening more than she let on.”
“I accessed Agent Fox’s files again. They found more of Vesper’s DNA, this time on the second body.”
“That just means the same demon killed the two victims. I already knew that.”
Thomas raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve been learning to use some of my draia skills. I can tell a demon from its scent.”
“A handy skill for a demon hunter. Dexter wasn’t wrong in recruiting you for this position.”
“Are you sure? I’ve barely been on the job a couple weeks and I’m already almost done with the MBI. If my little outburst back at the office doesn’t get me fired, I may quit because of this bullshit.”
“I doubt they would fire you, and if they did, Dexter would find you something else. The MBI is not the be-all and end-all of magical investigations. They are like any other government agency. You will find a plethora of faults if you look hard enough.”
“I thought you liked the MBI?”
“The MBI has its use, but to use a poor sports analogy, the MBI thinks of itself as a football team, that the organization is bigger than any individual agent. But the reality is that the magic world is like the NBA, where you are only as good as your star players.”
“First you drop a Tarantino reference and now you’re using sports analogies? Where is the stick-in-the-mud vampire I met in Quantico?”
Thomas shrugged. “I tend to keep my distance with new people. It seems you’ve grown on me.”
“So now you’re calling me a fungus.”
“That makes us a good team. I’m a fun guy.”
Kat groaned. “Oh my god. You even do bad puns. I may have to keep you around.”
“You’d be so lucky,” Thomas said. “How are you coming along with her files?”
“I’m almost in. It would help if I had something more to go on. Do Agent Fox’s notes say anything more about her DNA? Was there anything else in the autopsy?”
“Only that the DNA was in an unknown substance, black in color, but the lab wasn’t able to determine what it was.”
“That’s because it’s magical goop! She used some at my apartment the other night.”
“Excellent. Her attorney will need a sample. Actually, we’ll hire an independent lab to sample her stocks. It should prove how much of her DNA gets spread out among her stock.”
Kat nodded. “That will help clear her name, but we still need to find whoever is behind the attacks. Are Daemon and the lawyer still with Vesper?”
“Yes, they are.”
“Ask Vesper if her files have everyone she sold the magic goop to.”
Thomas texted Daemon. A few seconds later came a reply. “Type in spell enhancing solution.”
“Hmm, I like the sound of ‘goop’ better. Perhaps she needs to hire me for her marketing team,” Kat said as she typed in the product name. A list of clients popped up with individual modification to each product. The goop, or spell enhancing solution, was sold either as a base product or customized according to client needs. “I think we have something here. She modifies each batch of goop for certain clients. If we can find out if the goop on the murder victims was modified or not, we can narrow down the suspect list.”
“Let me see,” Thomas said as he sat down beside her.
“From the results at the lab, it looks like it’s a modified version. See the a-latrotoxin? That’s a fancy name for black widow venom. She only has thirteen clients who have that type of goop.”
“OK. That is a number we can work with.”
“It can probably be narrowed down even further. Check her shipping manifests for those names.”
Kat typed in the search. “I found four. Two in LA, one in Vegas, and one in New York.”
“I think it’s safe to eliminate them from our list. Seems foolhardy to ship a potion to your home and then come to Boston with it. So now we have nine. I’ll cross-reference the list of names with the MBI database and see if we get any hits.”
“Speaking of the MBI, are you allowed to be reading Agent Fox’s notes? I thought agent work files were password protected and not for distribution.”
“That is true. However, I tend to find excessive rules rather tedious. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just grabbing your partner’s files for you. Until the agency declares you officially off the case, I haven’t broken any rules.”
“Nope, just bent the shit out of them,” Kat said.
“Speaking of bending the rules, I almost forgot to tell you. Judah is almost done with your supercomputer. It’ll be here in a day or two. You’ll find it very helpful if you ever need to retrieve agent files that are password protected.”
“It that how you’re getting into Jordan’s files?”
Thomas grinned. “Yes. That a problem for you?’
“Nope.” What mattered was getting Vesper out of jail. If they had to bend or even break a few rules, she didn’t care.
“Good. We have nine names to look into now. Let’s close everything up here and get down to tracking them.”
22
Kat
The first name on their list of potential suspects was a Mr. Edgar Jones. Mr. Jones lived at 660 Washington Street. After finding a parking spot, Kat and Thomas went to pay him a visit.
“This whole situation is ridiculous,” Kat complained. “If we could talk to Vesper for a while, we could probably narrow down the list more.”
“It would be convenient to speak with her, but the prosecutor isn’t willing to drop the charges. And the rumor is at the bail hearing tomorrow they’re going to ask for no bail. They’re calling her a flight risk and saying her close ties to the Blood Runners gang makes her an even bigger threat to the public.”
Kat shook her head. “Did her lawyer not tell this idiot about all the evidence we’re finding?”
“Yes, she did. But Ms. Cantrell thinks the prosecutor is getting pressure from above on this one. Someone is playing politics, so for now it’s just us investigating, which has an upside. We won’t have agents tripping over our feet.”
“Damn it. I just want to Hulk smash someone. I hope our Mr. Jones is secretly an ogre and he has the demon stashed out in his apartment.”
Thomas chuckled. “That would be convenient.” He knocked on the suspect’s door.
The door opened a few inches and a man peeked around the door at them. “Who are you?”
“MBI. We have a few questions for you,” Thomas said.
“One second.”
The door closed and then opened after the chain lock was removed. An elderly man stood in front of them. “Come in.”
Kat followed Thomas into the apartment. It was immaculate with a very modern feel. The white and black with chrome accent pieces were very hip. Kat wondered if the elderly Mr. Jones had hired a decorator and if she could get his number. “You have a beautiful home, Mr. Jones.”
“Thank you. Now, what can I do for you? I’m sure you aren’t interested in talking to an old man about room design.”
“Oh, I think you’d be surprised,” Thomas said. “My partner here isn’t one to throw out compliments, so I bet she’d love to talk design. But that’s not why we’re here. You recently visited the East Wind Apothecary?”
“Yes. Lovely little shop. Vesper is a gem. I’m so glad she decided to come to Boston. It’s so nice to have a reliable apothecary in town. Been years since we had a truly gifted witch who worked out in the open. Last one was Sandy Mae, and she retired to Florida two years ago. I guess old age gets the best of us, even magic users.”
“You purchased a spell enhancing solution from Vesper Moran. Is that correct?”
“Yes. I have it in my washroom. Just a moment.” Mr. Jones left them and headed to his washroom. A few seconds later, he came out with a small tin. “Wonderful stuff, works like a charm.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what do you use the solution for?” Thomas asked.
“I have to confess, I’m a little vain. And I haven’t adjusted to growing old as well as one ought to. I use a glamour out in public that makes me look like I’m half my age. But my magic isn’t what it once was, and it’s hard for me to maintain the glamour all day. With Vesper’s solution, I have no issues. It’s silly, I know.”
“Millions of women apply makeup every day to achieve the same results, although probably not nearly as effectively as a glamour,” Kat said with a smile.
“How often do you go out?” Thomas asked.
“I like to walk the Commons every day. Keeps me active and a gets me a little fresh air.”
“Very well. Kat, do you see any need to further investigate Mr. Jones?”
Kat closed her eyes. She focused on the smells in the apartment. Bleach with a lemon-scented cleaner were the predominant odors. Mr. Jones used a musk-based cologne with hints of cedarwood and bergamot. Apparently, she now had a knack for breaking down the components of complex scents and not just demon stink. “No. I don’t think we need to bother Mr. Jones any longer.”
“Out of curiosity, what were you looking to find? I’m an old mage who wasn’t particularly powerful to begin with. What would the MBI be doing investigating me?”
Thomas gave a wide smile. “Just eliminating suspects is all. Thank you for your time, Mr. Jones.”
When they got back to the car, Kat sighed. “So much for finding an ogre and a demon.”
“At least we have one less person on our list.”
Thomas was right; the visit hadn’t been a bust. Everyone on their list that they visited made the list smaller. Eventually, they would find the right name. “Where to next?”
“There’s one a few blocks from here. We can hit them, but it’s getting late. That will be the last one for today. Hit the pavement early tomorrow.”
“I want to see Vesper.”
Thomas nodded. “I figured you would say that at some point. Dexter is working on it now. Why don’t we have dinner and go over Vesper’s files before you visit? Make your visit a productive one. Besides, we still need to meet up with Daemon. He’s already spoken with Vesper and her lawyer. We can give him part of the list. It’ll go much faster that way.”
“This Daemon dude can smell demons?”
“No, but he’s good at reading people. If someone is hiding something, he’ll know.”
As frustrated as she was with the MBI and Agent Fox, Kat couldn’t help but be impressed by how much support she was getting from Dexter and Thomas. They were there for her and even bringing others in to help as well. “Let’s go meet Daemon, then.”
“Hello, Kat. I’ve heard good things about you from Dexter.”
Kat shook Daemon’s hand. He really was a dead ringer for Lenny Kravitz, if Lenny Kravitz were six-three and spent all his time working out with the Rock. Daemon was jacked and hot. He even had the rockstar vibe to him. “Dexter lies.”
Daemon laughed loudly. “Yes, I suppose he does. He probably says nice things about me too.”
“Well, to be honest, I’ve only ever heard of you because Gerald thinks you are sexy. I didn’t think anything of it until Thomas mentioned that Dexter was pulling in the big guns to help. I think Thomas here may be in your fan club right beside Gerald.”
“As I am in his. There is no better agent than Thomas St. Gerard. He’s smart, tough, and can handle himself in some pretty crazy situations. Gerald, on the other hand… Well, let’s just say Gerald is a unique individual.”
Kat glanced over at Thomas. If a vampire could blush, it would’ve been Thomas. But Daemon was serious. There was a lot more to the story, Kat was sure.
Thomas seemed to read her mind. “It’s a long story. Daemon and Dexter ran into some minor problems with a gang of trolls. I helped out. Nothing to it.”
Daemon snorted.
God, even his snort is sexy, Kat thought.
“Thomas is full of shit. Dexter and I were in big-time trouble. A pair of witches had imbued a clan of trolls with super strength and speed. Between the witches and the trolls, we were getting our asses handed to us. Thomas saved the day.”
“Daemon exaggerates. I merely provided a distraction for the witches.”
Daemon slapped Thomas on the back. “Sure, if that is what you want to call it.”
They sat down at the restaurant table and the server came up to the table. She was a cute little redhead. “How you all doin’ tonight?” She looked them over and Kat swore the sexual tension in the room increased four degrees as the redhead put her hand on her hip. “Well, isn’t this my lucky night. Three of the sexiest people alive all at one table. What can I do for you fine-looking folks?”
Daemon gave her a wink. “We’d like a few waters to start, you know, something to whet our appetites.”
“Oh, I know, darling,” purred the waitress. “Y’ all are whetting my appetites. I’ll be right back with some cold water.”
“Better make it four glasses. We’re expecting one more.”
“Sure thing, sugar.”
“Four?” Kat asked.
“We have more reinforcements arriving soon.”
Kat chuckled as the waitress walked away, her hips moving far more suggestively than was practical. “Friendly gal.”
“Very,” Daemon said. “Far friendlier than the prosecutor who is coming after your friend. She was a straight-up ice queen.”
“She has a reputation for being very aggressive and ambitious,” Thomas said. “I’m guessing someone with some juice sent her Vesper’s way. It doesn’t make sense for the federal prosecutor to be going so hard at her. Unless someone is really pushing the Blood Runners gang angle at her.”
“Vesper has barely anything to do with her brother,” Kat said.
“I know, but it doesn’t take much,” Thomas said. “A powerful witch with connections in the MBI and a brother who’s been recruited to one of the most powerful and dangerous magical gangs in America—it’s prime real estate for a tough-on-magic-crime campaign. And if there is a more nefarious reason for going after Vesper, the politics makes a great cover.”
“A very good cover.”
Kat turned to see who was talking.
Dexter pulled up the fourth chair beside Daemon. He put a folder on the table in front of Kat. “Sorry I’m late. I had to deal a few little fires before I could come. I have managed to dig into why the prosecutor is pushing so hard. She’s getting hit on two sides. Someone high up in the MBI has had Vesper under surveillance ever since she arrived in Boston.”
Kat opened the folder and found a series of pictures with Vesper in them talking to various men. “Who am I looking at?”
“The man in the blue shirt is her brother. He’s been to Boston twice since she came to town. According to the surveillance notes, both visits were short and very non-cordial. Vesper is not happy with her brother and she let him know it. However, they are using these photos to prove she does have an active relationship with her brother.”
“Building up the gang association case,” Daemon said.
“Exactly,” Dexter said.
“So how do we fix this?” Kat asked.
“Right now, the best thing you can do is solve the case. Find the demon, find who unleashed the demon, and bring them in.”
“Fine. But I have to say, present company excluded, I am finding myself very disillusioned with being part of the MBI. If someone is pulling strings, far too many people are willing to go along as puppets. I now know why all the superheroes work alone. Give me a bat cave and I’ll quit the MBI in a heartbeat.”
Dexter smiled. “Your feelings on the MBI are not unwarranted. I’m sure Thomas has told you his own feelings on the MBI, and if he was willing, Daemon here could fill you in on his feelings about blindly following orders. The point is the MBI is a flawed institution. But there is no such thing as a perfect institution. The FBI, sheriff’s department, CIA. It doesn’t matter which one you pick; they are going to have flaws. However, in general, all of them are trying to do good and they have their uses. Now, you haven’t been on the job long, and I’d hoped you would’ve had a far longer run before coming to these conclusions, but I had anticipated it. After we get Vesper out of jail, you and I will sit down and talk about it. We’ll find a solution that works for you.”
“If I may say something here,” Daemon said. “Dexter mentioned me knowing something about blindly following orders. What he meant to say was that I personally had spent a lifetime blindly following orders. I was part of a cult that believed all supernatural creatures and beings were evil and needed to be destroyed. It wasn’t until I met someone who forced me to reconsider the way I looked at the world that I changed. Now, I’m not trying to justify the way the MBI agents and the federal prosecutors are handling things—I agree with you that they are far too willing to follow orders without using their own ability to critically think. I will say, though, that I’ve found the MBI to be a very useful tool. I mostly work alone or with certain NYPD officers that I trust, but the MBI has tools that I access when needed.”
