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"DO YOU KNOW when the poison was sprayed on the playground?" Tina asked.
"Actually, I do," Ivette said. "I found a vid in the security feed. Whoever did this was wearing a light-bender unit, so it's hard to distinguish his features, but he does appear on the feed. Here, let me show you."
She went to the console and keyed in a few strokes. The figure which appeared was blurry. Small Light bender units were intended to hide stationary objects. Hiding a larger, moving target such as a person or vehicle required substantially more power.
"Maybe I can clear it for you," Tina suggested. "Do you mind?"
Mathias and Ivette both stepped back. "Be my guest," Mathias said.
"Freeze vid," Tina said. She picked up a laser pointer, moved it over the intruder's face and head and an image slowly appeared, unfortunately it blended into the surroundings.
"I don't think it's a man," said Garth, who had been studying the shape of the intruder while Tina worked on the facial image.
"Whoever it is paid top dollar for the unit," Tina said. "With some of the equipment we have in the police department, we might be able to get a match on facial rec, but unless either of you recognize her..."
"We might have another avenue to pursue," Ivette said. "Gran, as I've said before, was a paranoid old bitch. I'm betting the security room has a vid feed too."
"Hospice was vouched for by Pritchard," Mathias protested.
"His girlfriend wasn't," Ivette said.
She tapped a few keys and the security room popped into view.
Sabrina was a tall, leggy, brunette dressed in a skinsuit. The vid showed her and David in a passionate embrace. She had turned David, so his back was to the bank of monitors and was unbuttoning his shirt. At the same time, she reached around him and muted the monitor showing the playground.
"Booty Call," Garth said again. "Obviously he isn't aware the security room is recorded as well."
"There it is," Mathias said, pointing at the blur on the monitor. It should have also broadcast an alarm, and a flashing red light. Since Sabrina had muted the alarm, and David had his back to the monitors he failed to notice the flashing lights. "Does he live on site?"
Ivette had asked for the personnel records. "No, he has an apartment in town. I wonder if he lives with her?"
Mathias's lips stretched in a feral grin. "Want to find out?"
"I do, but I'd rather have him bring her here. I don't want to leave the children unprotected."
Mathias nodded. "I'll call him."
The children, all fresh from their bath came downstairs. "Movie!" shouted Francisca. "It's my turn to pick and I want the pumpkin!"
"You picked that last time!" Rafe griped at her.
Francisca's chin went up. "So? It my turn! You always pick the one where the candy eats the kids!"
"Enough!" Ivette said firmly. "Pull out the chairs."
When seven vari-colored moldable chairs had been placed in front of the vid screen, Ivette keyed in the movie Fran wanted.
"They'll be asleep in about twenty minutes," she told Tina with a smile.
"Whatever made you decide to take on so many at once?" Tina asked.
"They needed us," Ivette said simply. "And in some ways, we needed them. Would you like some coffee?"
"That sounds great. I'll help you make it."
Ivette ground beans from her special batch of St. Antoni Coffee and set the pot to make.
Tina perched on one of the kitchen stools. "Does all your staff go home in the evening?"
"The cooks, housekeepers and maintence staff do. Only the nannies sleep here, well Shifu Abhishree sleeps on her houseboat, but we do have a night security force. And Mom's Kennel Master has promised me a pack of Guard Voles. Why do you want to know?"
"Forgive me for being nosy, but it seems as if it might be easier to pull off stunts like spraying poison on the swings at night."
"Hummm, that's a thought I hadn't considered. Why did they do it in the daytime?"
When she brought the coffee tray into the library, Mathias and Garth had installed themselves in the most comfortable chairs. Leo had climbed into Mathias's lap and was snoring gently.
Ivette set the tray on a side table and poured each of them a cup. She fixed Mathias his coffee the way he liked it and brought it to him, before settling in on the Loveseat with her own cup.
"Did you get in touch with Hospice?" she asked Mathias, keeping her voice low to avoid disturbing the children.
"Yes. He'll be here shortly. He said Sabrina had a girl's night out planned, so she wasn't there."
Ivette set down her cup and glanced over at the drowsy toddlers. "Time to start the exodus, I think."
Mathias rose with Leo in one arm. "Hand me someone and I'll take them up," he said.
Gabe was already out as well, so she lifted him out of his chair and handed him to Mathias before stooping to lift Jillian.
"Can we help?" Garth asked.
"It's okay, we're used to it. We'll be back in a moment," Ivette said, as she followed Mathias upstairs.
Annie was putting Gabe to bed while Mathias tucked Leo in when she arrived. She slipped Jillian into her blankets and patted the foot of the bed. Rika jumped up and settled in.
"There might be some noise downstairs tonight, Annie," Mathias said. "It's nothing for you to worry about. Just keep the doors closed."
Annie looked at them. "You know who poisoned the play area, don't you?"
"Yes," Ivette replied.
"Good hunting," was all she said.
Their new security chief was plainly worried when he entered the room. "Has something else happened?" he asked.
"How much do you know about your girlfriend, Hospice?" Mathias asked.
"I met her at a community dance a few weeks ago. We fell pretty fast for each other. Why do you ask?"
"Show him Ivette," Mathias said.
Hospice turned red when he realized he and Sabrina had been filmed. "I'm sorry, it happened during work hours," he said stiffly. "It won't happen again."
"Your sex life isn't the issue—well it's an issue it happened during work hours, but not the one concerning us today," Ivette told him.
"Look at the monitor behind you," Mathias ordered.
Hospice stared, white-faced at the screen. "She muted the monitor," he whispered.
"And kept you distracted so you didn't realize an intruder was spraying poison on our children's play area," Mathias said grimly.
"Where did she go tonight?" Ivette asked him.
"She and a friend of hers went to a meeting."
"What kind of meeting?"
"It's well—some kind of women's auxiliary, I think."
"What group would that be?" Ivette was relentless.
"I'm not sure. It encourages women to become leaders and stuff."
"Where does it meet?" Mathias demanded.
"They meet at private houses. I don't know where they are meeting tonight."
"You don't know much, do you?" Ivette snapped.
He flushed. "We're only just getting to know each other..."
"Will she come back to your place tonight?" Mathias asked.
Hospice shook his head. "Usually, she stays overnight with a friend. I won't see her until she gets off work tomorrow."
"Where does she work?"
"She's works as a secretary for David Mackey's office."
"Do you at least know where she lives?" Ivette demanded.
"Yes, she has an apartment on Cobalt Lane."
"I'll flip you for who goes to sit outside her apartment," Mathias said.
Ivette lost the toss.
"I want to go with you," Hospice said.
"Why?" Ivette demanded.
"Because—Look if the vid is accurate, she used me to hurt the people I'm supposed to protect," he said fiercely.
"If it's accurate?" Ivette glared at him. "Do you think we rigged it?"
"No, but—I deserve to be there," he said stubbornly.
"In that case, I'm coming too," Garth announced.
"Okay, you can both come," Mathias agreed.
"You don't have to stay here with me, if you need to get home," Ivette told Tina.
"No, I want to see what happens," the other girl replied.
Sabrina's apartment was in a four-story building with a wraparound porch.
"Her sled is gone," Hospice said.
Mathias parked his sled where they could watch the door. "So we wait," he said.
When Sabrina returned it was nearly one in the morning. The three men got out and walked up to her as she was about to mount the steps.
"We need to talk," Mathias said. "Please come with us."
"Dave? What is going on?" Sabrina sounded frightened.
"I'm sorry, but my boss needs to talk to you. Please come with us."
"We can go up to my apartment—"
"No," Mathias said. "Don't make us use force."
She gasped and tried to run upstairs. When Mathias blocked her, she opened her mouth to scream, but didn't manage it because he slapped a hand over her mouth. At the same time twisting one of her arms behind her back.
"Get the sled Garth," he ordered, man-handling the woman back toward it.
When the sled stopped beside them, Mathias thrust the struggling woman into it, climbing in after her. Once inside, he pulled his gun and showed it to her. "Be quiet or I'll stun you," he warned.
"Dave help me!" she cried.
Dave climbed into the sled. "Don't be afraid Sabrina," he said. "We aren't going to hurt you, but we do need some questions answered."
"What do you want to know?" she asked, her voice quivering.
"Wait until we get back to the house," Mathias said. "You're good," he added. "I could almost believe you don't know why we want to question you."
She stared at him, tears leaking down her face. "Mathias," Dave said, "Maybe it was coincidence."
His boss just looked at him. "You saw the vid," he said.
Sabrina was still sobbing when they arrived at the Lake House.
Ivette stood up slowly. "Well, now," she purred. "If it isn't the woman who helps poison children. Let her go Mathias."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sabrina protested tearfully.
"Key the vid up, please Tina."
"You played David here, so your buddy could spray Gorda Poison on my children's play area."
"No," Sabrina whispered.
Ivette slapped her. Not hard, but hard enough to rock the other girl's head back on her neck. "Don't lie," she said.
"Hey!" David protested. "I told her you wouldn't hurt her!"
"I said I wouldn't," Mathias said. "I didn't make any promises for my wife."
"Who put you up to this?" Ivette asked. Sabrina glared at her.
"Go to Hell," she said.
When Ivette hit her a second time, she ducked and threw a punch of her own. Ivette caught her fist on the swing and busted Sabrina over her hip.
"I want to know who ordered you to try to kill my children," she said.
"Sabrina Loring, sergeant in the Blades," the other girl recited.
"Oh, Hell," Mathias said. He pulled out his com and contacted his boss with the Hive.
A sleepy Colonel Terrence McAdams answered. "Lieutenant, do you know what time it is?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you so late, sir," Mathias told him. "But Ivette and I caught the person whose been attempting to kill our children. She is reciting her name and rank in the Blades."
"You think this is part of a larger conspiracy?"
"Well, it might be. I thought you would want to check it out before I turn her over to the police."
"I'll send someone to pick her up," McAdams said.
"So, what happens now?" Tina asked when McAdams's people had left with a handcuffed Sabrina.
"If she's Blades and part of the conspiracy—which I think she must be, they won't get much out of her using conventional methods."
David looked up, "Are you saying they're going to torture her?"
"Physical torture isn't a reliable method of getting answers," Mathias responded, "but there are truth drugs, and they'll have an empath standing by to see if she's lying."
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