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  I walked around and put my bag by the desk before sitting in my chair. “I do know she’s lying. Because Nick was like me, he was married to his work. There was no dating in his life. He also would have given me a heads up about Agent Grace, it would have been subtle, but he would have.” Much like the clues he’d been leaving around to tell me he was still alive.

  “Then what do you think it is?”

  “She hasn’t been hostile towards me for the last few months, I can only assume something happened with the case paperwork, and it got blamed on her.” I shrugged. “Without evidence of anything else, that’s the only conclusion I can come to.”

  She sat down on the chair in front of my desk. “Good instincts.”

  “Nick called it paranoia, but it keeps me alive.” I gave a short laugh. “As for my cases? You want the full brief?”

  She nodded. “Lay it on me.”

  I gave her the breakdown of both the cases but kept my theory about Drake to myself. I also kept my connection to Oliver out of it.

  “Sounds like you have a handle on this. Boss Man said that you knew how to close a case.”

  I tried not to look smug. “I have one of the highest close rates.”

  “And why do you think that is?”

  I thought for a moment. “Because I don’t give up. I refuse to believe that a murderer or a criminal gets away.”

  “There’s always a couple that escape us.”

  “But not if I can help it.” I sighed. “That was what went wrong with the case Agent Grace was assigned to help me with. We knew who it was, but we couldn’t bring him in. She insisted that she file the paperwork, but I had gone one step further.”

  She nodded. “You wanted to give it every chance you could to succeed.”

  “And I don’t know why Agent Grace wouldn’t want that.”

  Liz leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “I have something for you.”

  I raised a brow. “Something what?”

  “Sorry, a mission, off the records.” She leaned forward on my desk. “Do some research on Grace; I don’t like her. I’ve researched you both. Neither of you fit the personality type for a partner. She was insistent that she wanted to work with you.”

  “And after that show in the hall?” I shook my head. “Grace’s clearance is higher than mine; I have a feeling most of her information is blocked. She was a secret agent, so I don’t know how much of the database I could trust.”

  Liz smirked. “Abigail, your clearance is higher now. Special Agent, remember. The only thing you can’t access is the top priority things that the government hides from everyone.”

  Things like who the vampire king was. I laughed. “That’ll make my life easier. I’ll see what I can dig up on Grace.”

  “Thank you. Oh, and welcome to the team.” She stood. “Good luck with your cases, if you need some support, make sure you let me know.” She walked out of my office and once again made sure that the door shut behind her.

  I turned to my computer and unlocked it. I wasn’t sure what to make of Liz, but I knew that Agent Grace just cast more suspicion upon herself. Things could get ugly if I weren’t careful.

  Chapter Eleven

  I looked through the things that I pulled up on Cynthia. Everything that I found said that she was still in the mental hospital south of here. I had called, and they said that I could visit, but they weren’t sure how she would respond. So I had driven down there to see what she had to say.

  I had a few hours before dusk, so I had plenty of time to talk to her. After dusk, I’d get home to ask Mario to get me in touch with Drake and to talk to Levi about Oliver’s strange behavior. I got out of the Hummer and clipped my badge to the front of my pants. I was going in as an Agent because that’s what would get me the most respect and the most information.

  The mental hospital probably had seen better days. Cracks covered the adobe siding, and dead succulent plants dotted a square planter that sat a few yards from the front door. I walked in, and the glass door squeaked as I pulled on it.

  To my left was a little visitor window, a plump woman sat behind it, looking over today’s paper. She looked up as the door crashed close behind me. “Oh, good evening.”

  I smiled at her until she set the paper down and I saw the article she was reading. “Retailers Delivering Bodies?” was the headline. I tried not to cringe.

  “Good evening. I’m Special Agent Collins, I called earlier about visiting Cynthia Moll.”

  “Oh yes! Of course, Agent Collins. I just need to see some ID and give you the disclosure.” She closed the newspaper and set it aside.

  I handed her my ID and watched as she wrote down my name and some other information. “Disclosure?”

  “Yes, we have a circle to prevent magic from being performed inside the main part of the building. This way not only are our clients protected but our visitors as well.”

  It made sense, but it was always odd to be cut off from my magic. “Okay, thanks for the heads up.”

  She handed me my ID back and then reached over to hit a button. I heard the door next to her click, and I opened it.

  I didn’t spend a lot of time in mental hospitals, or any other type of hospitals for that matter. I didn’t like them, they smelt funny, and they were too quiet. This one wasn’t like a regular hospital. The door opened up into a round common room with a television and a few couches. When I stepped into the main area, a shiver went down my back alerting me to the circle the woman had been talking about.

  A sign hung above a window that read ‘Nurse Station,’ with two women standing behind a counter.

  One stood. “Hello Agent Collins, Cynthia is expecting you.”

  I looked around to see if the child was in the common room, but she wasn’t. No one was.

  “It’s time for group therapy. Most of our clients are there.” The nurse said as if reading my mind. “Cynthia is in her room. She rarely leaves, and because of her situation, she doesn’t have to attend group.”

  That caught my attention. “And what is her situation?”

  “Most of our clients are here on a temporary basis; Cynthia is not. She was left here by her grandfather because she was out of control, seeing things, screaming at random times. Upon studies, we discovered a few health issues.” The woman shook her head. “There has been no rehabilitation for her, no medications that have helped, nothing. Currently, she’s being studied by a university on magic developing in children under the normal age.”

  “How old is Cynthia exactly?”

  “She’s ten, in technicality, but she hasn’t aged past seven. Her body has started breaking down.” The nurse answered and led me down a cheery yellow hallway. “She’s one of six children here. So she’s not alone. They stay in this wing, while the adults stay in the other. I’m one of five nurses.”

  “And the doctors?” I followed her and glanced at the paintings on the wall. I stopped when I came to one of a doll. “This must be Cynthia’s.”

  The nurse chuckled. “How did you know?”

  “Her mother owns a doll shop; I simply made the connection.”

  “Mama never comes to visit.” The child stood there, her arms crossed. The big round brown eyes stared at me, framed by long, honey-colored hair in natural curls. She was similar to the child that I had seen in the spell, but it wasn’t exactly it. She was older by a tad, and she wasn’t wearing in rags.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Cynthia, I’m Agent Collins, and I was hoping we could talk a little bit.”

  She nodded and motioned to the door that she stood by. “Would you like to talk in my room?”

  She words didn’t exactly belong to a seven-year-old, and neither did the mannerisms.

  “I would, thank you. If you’re comfortable there? Or would you rather go sit on the couches?”

  She glanced at the nurse, and I looked back to see the reaction. The nurse nodded. “It’s fine Cynthia. Everyone is in group; you can go where you want.”

 
Interesting. “Do they keep you isolated?”

  “No, I just don’t like other people.” She stepped into her room and then returned with a doll.

  Following her, I glanced at the nurse. “She doesn’t like people?”

  “She doesn’t. Occasionally someone comes that she likes and she’ll get close to, but as I said, most people stay here temporarily.”

  I nodded and watched Cynthia sit down on the couch and look around as if she was worried someone else was going to join her.

  I sat down on the couch but not right next to her. I turned so I was facing her. “Cynthia, you said your mother doesn’t come visit. How long have you been here?”

  “Three years, three days, and fifteen hours,” she answered without hesitation. “I’ve seen twenty-three different doctors, there have been ten nurses who stopped working here, but my two favorites are still here. I’ve been on thirteen different meds, I’ve been on a trial magical bracelet thing meant to lessen magical abilities, and nothing is working. My body refuses to age with me, and I’m convinced it’s slowly decaying.”

  Well, that certainly answered a lot of things for me, even though I was only looking for one answer. “I see you have a wonderful memory.” I really wasn’t good with kids. I always wanted to treat them as adults, even though I knew they weren’t. Cynthia’s demeanor was making it hard to remember that.

  “It’s all just numbers; I like numbers. They make sense to my head and give me something else to focus on.”

  I nodded slightly. “Can you tell me how long it’s been since you’ve seen your mama?”

  “The same amount of time.” She looked down. “She doesn’t love me anymore because I can’t control my abilities.”

  My heart broke a little bit. “What abilities?”

  “All of them, particularly the ones where I can jump through visions.” She looked up at me. “But she has that ability too.”

  Like the vision in my office. “Those abilities are normally passed down, so it doesn’t surprise me. Does your grandfather have it?”

  “Yes, his is more awesome though. He can appear as anyone he wants in the vision.”

  Well shit. “Thank you, that helps a lot. When was the last time you saw him?”

  “Oh, he comes every week. He brings me candy and flowers for my room.” She hugged her doll tight. “He brought me this doll last time. He made her especially for me.”

  “May I see it?”

  She nodded and handed it to me. I could feel a little bit of magic from it, but I wasn’t going to mention it since it didn’t feel menacing. I was curious how he managed to keep it active within the circle. “It’s a very pretty doll.”

  “Yes, I know.” Her gaze met mine and she smiled, lunging forward at me.

  I jumped away, and she gave a feral growl. I slowly held the doll back out to her, and she tilted her head to the side like a dog before taking it and holding it to her chest.

  My heart pounded as she sat down with the doll, stroking its hair and humming Hush Little Baby. Just like her mother.

  “I’m sorry Agent Collins, it’s time for you to go.” The nurse stepped up.

  I nodded. “Of course. Thank you for talking with me Cynthia.”

  “Goodbye, Agent Collins.” She didn’t even look up this time.

  The nurse put a hand on my shoulder, guiding me to the exit. “She doesn’t get as violent as often, but it still happens.”

  “When did the violence die down?” I glanced over my shoulder at Cynthia. The little girl was just sitting there, acting as if nothing had just happened.

  “About the same time as she got that doll.”

  I opened my mouth to mention the spell now, and the nurse nodded. “I know, it works within our walls because it’s a calming rune stitched into the doll. The block on the building allows it because it helps the patient.”

  Well, had I known that, I wouldn’t have taken the doll from her. Though I thought it was interesting that Drake was the one who visited, not Loraine. “Thank you for allowing me to speak to her.”

  “Of course.” She opened the door, and I walked out. When I got into the parking lot, I found another mother fucking flamingo standing in front of the Hummer. This was getting ridiculous. This time it was wearing a sun hat, and there was a note stuck under it.

  “You owe me a dance.”

  No signature or anything, but it gave me a clue on who it was that thought this would be funny. I picked the damn thing up and threw it in my back seat.

  I got in the driver’s side and started the car. I’d make it back to town before sundown. I sent Mario and Levi a text saying I was heading in their direction.

  It was Levi who answered, reminding me that he didn’t have to sleep the entire day. “We’ll be waiting.”

  I threw the Hummer into gear and headed out.

  Mario was waiting at the front door when I pulled up in the Hummer, the sun had just set, and I was wondering if he had been debating on stepping into the sun before it faded.

  I jumped out of the Hummer, and he walked up to me, greeting me with a kiss on the cheek. “Hello, my dear.”

  “Hey.” I kissed his cheek back.

  He held me close for a moment. “We have company, best to play the part.” He whispered, nuzzling my neck.

  I hoped he didn’t think I was going to open a vein for him. “Okay.” I turned and kissed him lightly. “I hope you have a fun plan for tonight.”

  He pulled back and chuckled. “I think Levi has some less fun plans, but once his business with you is done, I’ll take you out to dinner.”

  Which struck me as odd, because the thought of him just watching me eat was weird. Is that what vampires who dated humans did?

  He wrapped his fingers around mine and pulled me toward the mansion. “Levi is waiting, let’s get this over with.”

  Of course I couldn’t handle my business with company. I forced a smile and let him lead me inside. I kicked off my boots and continued in with him. Mario led me to the library where Levi was sitting at a table with a very tall, pale, black-haired woman. Her lips were painted red, and it matched the color of her eyes.

  “Ah, Abigail.” Levi stood and took my hand from Mario’s. “Lady Rose, meet my daughter, Abigail.”

  I nodded. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “She’s a witch.” Lady Rosa quirked a perfectly manicured brow up. “So, not your blood then?”

  I glanced at Levi for any clue on how I was supposed to react. It was clear that Lady R wasn’t in on the King secret, so there was no way for me to screw up there.

  “Correct, adopted. After her parents were killed over twenty years ago.”

  “I heard you’re the one I need to speak to in order to search your territory for Keira.”

  “That little creep isn’t in my territory, that’s what I came here to discuss. Levi seems to think she is, but I’ve caught the vampire who had been leaving corpses in my area.”

  I sat down at the table. “Can you tell me how the bodies were found?”

  “They were on display, sitting like a family in an abandoned house.”

  “Yeah, that’s her. I don’t know who you caught, but that was how we found the bodies here.” I shook my head. “Have you seen her recently?”

  “No, I haven’t, and you will not be entering my territory. Not as PIB and not as Levi’s child,” she snapped, and the air grew thick.

  I held my hands up. “There’s no need for a power display.”

  “Lady R, we’re just trying to detain her so that we can figure out what to do with her,” Levi stated.

  Lady R shook her head. “I said no. If the King sends his demands, that’s one thing, but there’s no other proof that she’s there now.”

  I really wished that Levi didn’t have to remain in hiding because he could have just given the order then and there.

  “How about we make a deal?” I offered. “I won’t step foot in your territory unless she starts killing there again. Then you’ll know fo
r sure that she’s there and you know I’m not just trying to poke around.”

  She thought about it for a moment and then turned to Levi. “Your word that she will not interfere in anything going on in my territory if she comes to investigate.”

  “Do you have something to hide?” Levi asked. “If there’s nothing illegal going on, then you shouldn’t have to worry.”

  She hesitated. “There are some things that are questionable.”

  “You have my word that she will not interfere unless there are lives at stake.”

  It was a good way of putting it, but I didn’t like that she asked for his word and not mine. “I second that.”

  “Your word does not count witch; you are nothing but a magical human awaiting death,” she snapped back.

  I wasn’t sure what her problem was with witches, but I wasn’t going to push to find out. Once again I held my hands up. “I didn’t mean to offend you.” I could be diplomatic if it meant not being killed.

  “A witch can never offend me.” She ran her hands down her dress. “A witch is nothing but a cockroach, annoying, and needing to die.”

  I looked at Levi. “I’m assuming my business is done here. I’m going to go spend some time with Mario, and I’d love to talk to you after you finish your business with Lady R.”

  “Of course, I’ll be joining you in the sitting room soon.” Levi waved at the door. “You may take your leave, Abigail.”

  I stood and walked across the library. I hesitated for a moment when I realized the picture of my parents and me was gone from one of the small tables. Maybe he just didn’t want others to see it.

  I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. Mario was leaning against the wall across the hall.

  “That was short.”

  “Yeah, the queen of the red doesn’t like me much.” I shook my head. “Levi said he’d join us in the sitting room in just a little bit.”

  Mario held his hand out. “Shall we make you a cup of coffee and get settled while he finishes his meeting then?”

  I wasn’t sure if I liked this him being nice thing. It was strange to me, and it was a completely different side of him. I took his hand, and he gave it a gentle squeeze before leading me to the kitchen.