I unfastened the right cuff of my blue dress shirt to roll up the sleeve, while descending the stairs carrying my charcoal suit jacket. Misha trotted across from the front door, bound for the kitchen where I heard Alison crashing around. I thought about it for a second before I moved around the stairs and walked over to lean on the kitchen island. Alison was barefoot in tight, dark jeans and a red baby-doll shirt, happily sliding back and forth between the stove and several mixing bowls.
“What are you doing?” I grumbled. Alison stopped and spun to face me wearing plastic gloves and a kitchen apron.
“Good morning to you, too.” I focused on the boiling pot and a small tray of little wax balls on the counter. When you find someone who specializes in chemistry cooking in the kitchen you can safely assume that it’s not cookies on the baking tray.
“Uh-huh.” I set my jacket on one of the two barstools at the island. “Again, what are you doing?”
“Just cooking up a little defense.” She waved a wooden spoon, and I spotted the bandage on her wrist. She had cut her wrist last week under the influence of something, and she was stuck with the white gauze bandage on her wrist but she had been hiding it under a leather bracelet. My eyes found all of her bracelets in a pile under the black leather-bound book on the far end of the island. It didn’t bode well if she actually had to take off of her jewelry to cook.
“We’re not going to war you know?”
“Such a baby, it’s not even lethal.” She turned back to stir the pots. Alison was downright scary in the kitchen. Between what her grandmother taught her, and her ever increasing knowledge of chemistry, she had a solution for almost any situation. The right amount of kitchen compounds can create any variety of results ranging from medicine to explosives.
“Try not to blow up the kitchen.” I straightened up to walk away when she spun back holding up a small wax ball the size of an average gumball. Grinning, she pitched it at the floor in front of Misha. The wax broke, releasing a small puff of smoke in his face. The cat wobbled and fell over. I stared at her in shock.
“He’s fine.” Alison smirked. “I figured if we’re going to this club we’re going to need some means of defense if things get out of hand.” She held up a completed one that looked identical to a gumball. I gave her a worried look, with a glance at Misha.
“And you’re making enough to take out the entire club?”
“No, I just made a little extra.” She gestured at the two trays of wax gumballs. There were at least three dozen of the things. “A little,” she mumbled as she returned to stirring the pot.
“I can see.” I saw Misha twitch, showing signs of life. “I want you and Veronica to keep an eye out for anything…out of the norm.”
“Great, what now?” She leaned against the counter.
“I thought I saw someone last night when Brandon fell.” Alison rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. I couldn’t blame her. We had been stalked by one too many people and things lately. “Just be careful, okay?”
“Alright, I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Thanks.” I spotted a bit of gauze under the hem of her shirt. “So how’s Sarah’s work holding up?” When you work on the fringes of the legal system you learn to avoid most hospitals, so when it comes to treating a gunshot wound you need to have resources available that you can substitute. A friend that works at a veterinarian clinic can be just such a resource. She lifted up her shirt to show the square bandage folded around her side.
“Pretty well actually, but I don’t think I can escape a scar this time.” Alison pouted and shut off the stove. I stepped around the island and opened the stainless steel fridge to pull out a bottle of water. Alison stood in the way, refusing to move. I stepped to one side and she stepped in front of me again.
“What?” I narrowed my gaze at her.
“You’re giving me attitude?” She pulled off the gloves. “You don’t get to give me attitude, Connor.” I took a step back from her. “Not after everything that’s happened in the past week.”
“You’re right.” I took a breath and let it out slowly to keep my composure. “I’m sorry.”
“Good.” She threw the gloves on the counter. “Now, tell me what you’ve been hiding before I hurt you.” Behind her, I saw Misha slowly rise and shake his head like he had just woken up from a nap.
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“Uh-huh.” She picked up one of the gumballs and scrutinized me, as I calmly opened the bottle and took a drink. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Fine, be that way.” She turned back to the counter and continued to pick over the ingredients. I watched her start dipping the wax in an outer coating that made them look like candy.
“So, do you know where Veronica was going? I saw her leaving the boat earlier, but she didn’t come inside.” The only way Alison was tolerating her staying with us was under the provision that Veronica was staying on the sailboat moored out back.
“Nope.”
“Well, given the drive time we should probably aim to be at the club by eleven. I’ve got to stop and check in on a couple things first. Will you have something by then?”
“Yeah, it’s good. I’ve got a date with someone that should be able to help with that.” I pursed my lips to say something, when she shot me a glare. I quickly took a gulp of water to hide it. I had no doubt that if I ticked her off she would use one of the knock-out drops on me. Misha gave a disgusted look at Alison and trotted away.
The front door opened, sparing us the awkward silence. Veronica came in the door carrying a bakery box. Shedding her leather jacket, she tossed it on the banister and came over to join us. She was wearing a black turtleneck with the sleeves pushed up, a thigh-high black skirt and high-top union-jack chucks. Veronica’s hair looked a little more frazzled and a brighter shade of blonde, falling just above her shoulders. She pushed it back behind her large silver hoop earrings.
“You got a haircut.” I smiled at her. She dropped the box on the island with a glare at me. I tried to keep a friendly smile. “It looks great.”
“It’s the only thing I could do to hide this.” She pushed back her hair to show the nasty bruise high on her forehead. Rostern had done a number on all of us when we finally caught him. Veronica refused to let Alison help tend her wounds, and that meant healing on a normal time-frame. She dropped her bangs and teased them back in place.
“It looks better though. It’s healing.”
“Whatever.” She broke the seal on the box and flipped it open to reveal a dozen different donuts.
“So about tonight,” I started. Veronica shot me another glare, and Alison glanced at her then me. Her expression said she was enjoying the drama between us.
“I stopped in to see Brandon.” Veronica picked a glazed chocolate donut free, and took a careful bite. After Brandon’s fall, the paramedics had swept him away without a word about his condition.
“How is he?” I asked.
“Broken leg, bruised ribs and concussion. Oh, and the gunshot wound in his shoulder.” She took another careful bite, avoiding eye contact. “Cassie was there too.”
“Oh, now that’s torture, hospital food and Cassie.” Alison resumed dipping the wax into the coating and placing the finished ones on a drying rack.
“So the shooter was there last night, I thought as much.” I looked Veronica up and down again, feeling my thoughts begin to wander. A glance out of the corner of her eye said she knew it. “How’s Melissa handling this?”
“Blames both of you.” As she finished the donut, she reached over and took my water bottle. Watching my eyes, she took a drink, never letting her glare waver. Through the hostility, I could still see sadness in her eyes. She broke eye contact and slapped down the bottle in front of me.
“Saw that coming.” Alison finished the last one and dropped the empty tray in the sink. “The only thing stopping her from suing us is Brandon.” I rolled my eyes. She was right, after the past month we couldn’t trust her friends.
“So did we actually do anything useful?” Veronica picked up another glazed donut and started picking off the stray sprinkles.
“Not much.” Alison was half-finished with the second baking sheet.
“Despite Brandon, we did get the survey completed, and we didn’t get shot.” I watched her carefully and reached for the Boston Cream. Veronica slapped my hand and tipped the box to Alison first. Alison gave a snort and shook her head. Eyeing Veronica, I took the donut.
“Hm?”
“We’ve got a few leads that we’re hitting up today. We should get something.” She finally gave her attitude a pause. Taking a bite gave me time to think. All of our leads were arms dealers. They were valid leads on our shooter but not necessarily on why Rostern had tried to kill us. It was progress though.
“Like what?”
“No clue, it’s all we have at the moment.” I finished the donut in a couple bites and brushed off my hands. “It can’t be coincidence that one of our leads happens to be Nightlife though.”
“Marvelous, isn’t it?” Alison tossed another tray in the sink. The stern glare from Veronica softened while I watched her eyes. I saw the hint of tears.
“What are you doing?” Veronica yelled at her to avoid me. Alison pitched the bowls in the sink and picked up one of the spheres she had managed to coat with a speckled red and blue pattern.
“Tonight is going to be interesting.” I tried to draw her attention away from Veronica. It was not going to be a case that killed me. Alison rolled the gumball around in her palm.
“How’s that?” Alison held the gumball between her fingers. Veronica kept her glare focused on her. A thump at the door made everyone stop. Another thump had me give a questioning look at Alison. She shook her head in the negative. We didn’t have walk-in clients that often, and anyone that knew us would call ahead. I reached under the island and pulled free the .45 revolver that I had stashed. Veronica’s eyes widened. Alison picked up a couple more gumballs. Veronica took a few more steps before opening a drawer and pulling out a knife.
Our visitor moved past the windows to the loading dock and tried the side door, rattling the handle. I cocked the hammer and quietly moved to the door. Alison stayed where she was to keep the island between her and the door. I stepped to the right of the door with a glance at Veronica who was doing well to mirror me on the other side. The handle rattled again.
It doesn’t matter if you’re breaching a house or repelling an armed assault, controlling access points is your key to survival. When you have limited resources and you have chosen your point of contact, you can wait and see if you’ve made the right decision or assure that you have. Taking a breath, I unfastened the bolt and turned the handle. Opening the door, I saw an auburn haired woman in her mid-forties staring at me.
“Are you Connor Maitland?”
“No.” I assessed her for any possible weapons. A baggy sweatshirt and jeans that could easily conceal anything. She was only a bit shorter than me, and had a rather husky build. The fear in her eyes and nervous mannerisms made me doubt my assessment. I lowered the revolver and un-cocked the hammer out of her sight.
“Uh, Cassandra Brooks told me to give this to the people at this address.” The woman held out a small letter folded in half. Squinting at her, my eyes focused on the letter. I clicked the safety and turned the grip to Veronica while I opened the door a bit more. I felt the weight leave my hand behind me, and I reached out to take the letter from her. I unfolded the letter and read it. Restraining myself from looking too aggravated, I opened the door wide.
“Come in.” I stepped aside. It was always something. “Have a seat.” I gestured to the couch and the woman nervously accepted my instruction. I moved over to Veronica where she stared at me with a confused expression.
“What’s going on?”
“More trouble.” I looked at the page in my hand. Cassie just proved she was never a friend. We were never going to work her ever again.
“Who’s that?” Veronica placed her heel flat on the wall causing the tight skirt to ride up on her legs.
“Don’t know.” I looked over my shoulder to the woman.
“What? Then why?”
“Uh, Connor, who is she?” Alison joined our discussion.
“He doesn’t know.” Veronica answered with irritation.
“What does she want?” Alison inched closer to us.
“Help.”
“How did she find us?” Alison tried to brush melted wax from her hands.
“Cassie.” I held up the letter. Veronica read the threat and passed it to Alison.
“Guess we’re not going out tonight.” Veronica stared icily at the woman.
“Not yet, at any rate.” I agreed.
“I told you she was a no good.” Alison swore a curse at Cassie.
“Okay,” I hushed her. “We’ll do an interview and check out her story. Just a couple of hours and then we’ll get going.” I crossed my arms defensively.
“I suppose,” Veronica accepted. “So, has Cassie always been this vindictive?”
“Pretty much.” Alison crumpled the note and threw it toward the kitchen in disgust. Threatening to disclose our role in the Mill case if we didn’t help the woman was outright blackmail.
“Veronica, do me a favor and get a tripod and some blank tapes. Oh, and a blank file.”
“Uh-huh.” Veronica pushed off the wall and marched across the open space to the stairs. The woman watched us with an air of nervousness.
“So, what has she got?” Alison tucked her thumbs in her pockets with a scowl, judging me for watching Veronica so closely.
“Let’s find out.” I adjusted my tone and turned to the woman. Moving over to couch, Alison claimed the recliner while I brought in a chair from the dining table to set it across from the couch on the opposite side of the coffee table. Veronica descended the stairs with a collapsible aluminum tripod in one hand, and several cassettes in the other with a folder.
“Just a minute,” I addressed the woman, when Veronica came over. I attached the camcorder to the tripod and set it on the coffee table. Adjusting the height, I made sure the woman was in frame as Veronica took the chair I had set up behind the camera.
“How long have you been doing this?” the woman asked as I finished playing with the camera.
“Forever.” I straightened up. “Okay, this…” I placed my hand on Veronica’s shoulder. “…is Veronica Strand. She will be conducting your interview and this is Alison.” There are many professions that rely on interviews to obtain information from an individual. The process of the interview is not only to obtain information from the subject but also analyze their behavior, their body language and tonal changes that can provide invaluable insight into a subject. An interviewer needs to be controlled, calm and analytical. All of which excluded Alison and myself after Cassie’s note.
“A pleasure. I’m Carla Ferguson.” The woman nodded at us.
“How do you know Cassie?” Alison spoke up while I moved to stand next to the recliner. I restrained myself from taking a defensive posture.
“Uh, she’s a cousin.”
“Where would you like to begin?” Veronica opened the file folder placing its contents on a clipboard I had left on the table.
“The demon,” the woman unwaveringly answered, making us exchange glances at the response.
“Can you say that again?” Veronica’s pen stopped moving.
“The demon.”
“That’s what I thought you said.” Veronica reluctantly scribbled down the answer.
“Well, that’s what my daughter and her friends call it. I really don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Um, can you please elaborate?”
“Hold on,” I interrupted. “What exactly do you mean by demon?”
“Well, it’s kind of tall, always in the shadows and has big red eyes.” Veronica winced at the woman’s description and looked at me. I bit my lower lip. If it wasn’t for Cassie, I would have thrown the woman out already. Alison leaned closer to whisper to me.
“It can’t be what I’m thinking of can it?” I frowned at her.
“I always thought people were crazy for believing in those stories until last week. Now it shows up every night, knocking over everything and peering in through the windows at us.”
“Are you sure it’s not a bear or…?”
“It’s a demon. It’s like some sort of animal.”
“Do you have any physical evidence?” I chimed in again.
“Yeah, all over my back yard.”
“In what form?” Veronica picked up where I stopped.
“What do you mean?”
“Hair, photos, footprints.”
“Lots of funny looking tracks and all kinds of things.”
“If it is at all possible, can you recount the most recent event that made you seek our assistance?” Veronica was doing well following the questions.
“Um, okay. It was maybe two days ago. It was late at night when Kim got home. Kim, that’s my daughter.”
“Uh-huh.” Veronica checked her notes.
“Well, it was around eleven when she came home. The demon was already making its usual mess, flipping over lawn furniture and knocking over the trashcans. It had already broken the backyard light for the umpteenth time so we just gave up on replacing it. You see, every time we heard the thing crashing around in the back we would switch on the light, a few minutes later we would hear the light break and a rock would glance off the house. All we ever see is a large shadow with red eyes anyhow.”
“Please continue.” Veronica nodded.
“Anyway, she came home late and the car seemed to scare it off because it quit. Everything was about as normal as it can get around the place when Seth, my son, had a fight with her about something. I don’t remember what but they really got into it cursing, screaming, everything. Anyway, I split them up sent her to her room for being out so late and Seth to his. A few minutes later, everyone came running into the living room when we heard these horrible smashing sounds. I mean it was loud, like a car wreck. We went to see what had happened when we heard Kim scream from the bathroom.
“We went to see what she was screaming about when Seth saw something run past the kitchen. We have these glass patio doors in the kitchen that allow us to see the backyard, that’s how we saw the thing the first time. Now, I wish we had a wall.” The woman tried a smile. “Anyway, he saw something run past the doors heading out front. We came into the bathroom where Kim was crying. She said she was getting ready to take a shower when she saw its red eyes looking in through the window screen. She threw the plant pot out the window. She broke the window, and said she had hit it. Then we heard the same smashing sounds outside again. We started to go find out what it was doing when it broke in the window in Kim’s room.
“I took down my husband’s rifle and sat with the kids in the living room until morning. When we went to see Kim’s room, we found some of her things were missing from her nightstand in front of the window. Outside, the backyard was a mess again, everything everywhere and out front we found out what the smashing noises were. Seth’s truck was trashed, broken windows, dents, the whole roof looked crushed.
“That’s when I called Cassandra. I’m sorry if I interrupted something, but we’re really getting desperate.” The woman sounded genuine. “I know you said you could come out this weekend but I don’t know what’s going to happen and I’m afraid it’s going to get worse by then.” The woman stared at me with pleading eyes.
“We’ll see what we can do.”
“Do you have a particular time you want us to stop by? When would be the most convenient?” Veronica was trying one last time to free up our afternoon. She reached over and shut down the camcorder.
“I was kind of hoping that you could come over now to see what happened last night before we try to clean it up.”
“Very well. Can you excuse us?” I tapped Alison on the shoulder and nodded for Veronica to follow. The woman wove an interesting tale, and showed no signs of wanting anything to do with the subject. We gathered back in the kitchen. I leaned on the counter facing the island and Alison hopped up to sit on the counter. Veronica circled to put the island between us and keep an eye on our guest.
“What do you think?” I addressed Alison.
“I think she believes it.” Alison banged her bare feet against the cabinets.
“She said demon.” Veronica looked down at her skirt brushing off the crumbs.
“I know,” I agreed.
“So, what do you think it is?” Veronica asked the obvious question.
“I think she believes it and we’re being blackmailed into helping.” The girls fixed on me. “Regardless what we think, we need to go through with this.”
“But we’re stuck doing this today,” Veronica grumbled. “So much for tracking down the shooter.” She sighed. “Already screwed up anyhow.”
“You are so whiny!” Alison glared at her.
“You…”
“Not now,” I interrupted them. Alison surrendered, raising her hands and shaking her head. Veronica re-focused her glare at me.
“So we’re going to help this woman with a stupid Bigfoot instead of finding out why someone is trying to kill us?” Despite Veronica’s tone, I could feel her fear. “You need to check your priorities.
“Alison,” I ignored Veronica’s comment. We did have to help the woman but there was no reason we couldn’t work on separate projects. “Grab the forensics kit and some remote surveillance gear. Veronica and I will go check on the scene see if we can’t figure this out. We’ll catch up with you tonight at the club.” I walked back over to the woman. “Mrs. Ferguson, we’ll join you in a moment.