Special Agent in Charge (The Federal Witch Book 3) Read online

  "Beatrice? Did you get a promotion?"

  The twin in question pointed at herself. "Me? No. I'm just filling in for the moment. Do you have Fergus with you?"

  I smiled and silently fished him out of my pocket and handed him over. Fergus and his women. He seemed to attract them.

  The Director stared at the tiny Unicorn prancing around on top of the desk for a moment. "Let's go in my office."

  Little had changed as I stepped inside. A few new certificates and awards now graced her 'I love me' wall, but overall, it was still the same. "Have a seat Agent."

  Sitting I smiled at her. I wasn't used to the title yet.

  "How were your Probi assignments?"

  "Incredible. Do you need me to report on them?"

  She chuckled at me. "No, it's not necessary. I've got both the official and unofficial reports right here."

  Arching an eyebrow, I asked. "Unofficial reports?"

  "As an Agent, you will find that some experiences are not worth giving specific details to the higher ups, but your fellow Agents might find them humorous or educational. Jack and I were both taught to make two reports. One official and one not so. He slipped me a few of the unofficial ones. You do good work, Agatha. Both my bosses and I are very impressed. So much so I have both good and bad news for you."

  My eyes widened a bit. What sort of new could this be?

  "It's not that bad! Don't freak out." Director Mills sat up straighter in her chair.

  "Jack has decided to take a leave of absence from the Bureau for a while. His reasoning is so he can spend more time with his wife and get his head on straight. I called him, and he claimed the Fae mission shook him up." She looked at me questioningly. "Do you know what he's talking about?"

  Thinking for a moment, I knew. "Jack did ask Anastasia in forensics how many of his cases involved the Fae."

  "What did she tell him?"

  "I'm not completely sure. He was mumbling about the Fae after we got to his house. I called and asked Ana myself."

  "You did? Did she answer you?" Director Mills leaned forward in her chair.

  "Sort of. Anastasia said that someone or something was blocking his memory of the cases involving the Fae. Her lab had investigated over a dozen Fae cases involving Jack. He never remembers them after filing his reports. This one, however, he remembered. Or at least he remembered the highlights of it."

  The Director nodded her head. "I can see that. OK for me that explains a few things. I am aware of the existence of the Fae. I have to be to have this position. Most people in Washington don't believe they either exist or affect our lives. I imagine they would prefer it stay that way. Anything else?"

  I almost asked about Anastasia, but that really was something for much later. "Concerning Jack? No."

  "Hmmm. Ana is an enigma around here. She is older than just about everyone and is a force of nature when she wants to be. I ask because she is involved in what happens to you now."

  My mouth dropped open. "Uh, what?"

  "Jack is unique in the Bureau. He's the only Agent with years of experience in the paranormal at the Bureau. With him unavailable, we don't have anyone to supervise you."

  "Oh." I closed my mouth and was suddenly worried.

  "There is a plan, but I thought you should be given a choice first." The Director's tone changed to one of a more serious nature.

  "There are those in positions of power that believe the Magical Investigations Division should be expanded and enhanced. Jack has done his duty for many years unaided and alone, but the future is now."

  "So... What does that mean for me? I'm getting a new boss?" I looked at the Director.

  "Not exactly." Director Mills opened her desk and pulled out what looked like FBI credentials and tossed them to me.

  I snatched them from the air and stared at them in disbelief. It was my picture, a shield, and the words: Special Agent in Charge. "You're kidding?"

  "No. Not so much. It's a pilot program. Or at least that is what I am being led to believe. Between you, me, and the walls, I think this was their intention all along after recruiting you. You won't be alone."

  "I won't be?" I could only stare at the shiny new badge. The newness still hadn't worn off my other new badge.

  "No. This will be a team effort from now on. A demon, a dragon, the Fae, and a cult are too much for one Agent to handle on their own. Even if that Agent is a kick-ass Witch." She smiled at me and laughed. "You did good work this year Agatha you should be proud."

  "Everyone keeps telling me that. I still wish Jack were along."

  "Jack will be fine. He's like that motorized rabbit. Nothing stops him. We or I should say Washington, has assigned you a small team. In addition to your RV, there will be a portable lab with techs to run it. They have assigned two investigators as well as a facilitator. The facilitator is an older Agent with media, public relations, and tact. He will be your liaison with local law enforcement and other Government entities. You, however, are the one that is ultimately in charge of the whole thing."

  I felt my mouth drop open again. If I can't keep it closed something would start to nest in there. "How many people am I responsible for?"

  All I could think of was payroll and accommodations. The RV could only sleep so many. Where were these people staying and how would I keep them fed?

  "Do you need a minute or more? It's a bit overwhelming I know." I just nodded and stared at the badge in my hands.

  "I'll get us some coffee. Just hang out for a bit." The Director stepped out of her office leaving me behind like a stunned potato.

  The badge still lay in my left hand. I blinked at it for a moment and pulled out my other badge, I kept it in a side pocket. Cat introduced me to cargo pants, and now I wore them everywhere. Two badges each complete with my information. One said I was an Agent, the other a Special Agent. Advancement in the blink of an eye. Grandmother would say it was a trick or a trap. I had to wonder about it being either. The Witches Council had been trying for years to get closer to the human authorities. This I knew to be fact. Where Grandmother got her information was a mystery to me, but she was always correct. Had all the work I did for the past four years been a sham? Did I get the promotion to further the Council's agenda?

  I raised my hand to my mouth and chewed on my knuckle. Grams says it's a bad habit, but it helps me think. What to do? On the one hand, it would boost my career in the FBI. But on the other, I might be expected to return the favor to the Council. I would not, become a pawn. That much was entirely clear to me.

  There was a faint knock on the door, and Director Mills returned to her office. "Do you have any questions for me, Agatha?"

  I didn't sense any bugs, but I knew from experience that they could be anywhere. Concentrating for a moment, I snapped my fingers, and a shield appeared around the two of us. Most humans wouldn't have seen or heard anything, but Mills did. Interesting.

  "Is there a problem Agatha?" Director Mills glanced upward and to the side.

  "I'm not sure. Is there some sort of motive behind this?" I held up the new badge and credentials. "Is the Witches Council involved?"

  "I assume this is some sort of shield?" I nodded to her.

  "As far as I know my office isn't bugged but it might be. Before asking you here, I did check with all of my sources. The offer is real. As to what influence the Council has in Washington? Your guess might be better than mine. Jack really is taking a leave of absence."

  I snapped again, and the shield disappeared. "Sorry. I needed to be sure."

  "I understand Agatha. Do you want the job?"

  "Do I have a choice?" I looked her in the eye.

  "Not really no. Take it or leave it and the FBI. Not my idea by-the-way. They want complete loyalty in this."

  Still looking her in the eye, I tossed a badge and credentials on the desk. She barely glanced at them. "You won't be sorry. I promise."

  "Don't make promises you can't keep, Madelaine." The Director inclined her head to me. This pro
motion almost made us equals. Almost.

  "Your team is almost all here. The second Magical Crimes Unit is being driven over from Iowa by the head of your Technical team."

  "Why Iowa?" I tried to remember if we had a large FBI presence there.

  "It's where the RV plant is. This particular truck was built specifically for your unit."

  The timing was suspicious. "Was this the plan the whole time? I graduate then run this... unit?"

  "No. Jack was supposed to be still in charge. We were going to have two teams. You and Jack would run the Division together. Or that is what I was told. This just moves up the agenda a bit and centralizes the team. I won't introduce the others until they all get here. Do I have to mention the Jackalopes or do you already know?"

  I blushed just a bit. "I sort of saw a couple out on the West Virginia, Kentucky border. I thought I was seeing things but did a little research."

  "Right. Fish and Game is keeping a lid on most of the sightings, but they have spread across five states and counting. We aren't sure how. Needless to say, the Parks Department is not amused and are about to label them an invasive species and declare open season on them. Do you have any way of controlling them yourself?"

  My blush deepened in color. "Uh, no? They were created by Magick, so that makes them almost impervious to it. I'm afraid if I do anything more they could end up like Fergus or worse."

  "That's what I thought. I'll inform Fish and Game. They won't be happy about it all. Your name has been excised from the record but expect repercussions." She held up her hands. "I am aware that it wasn't your fault and that the Witches Council trainer is at fault."

  I rubbed my forehead feeling the headache coming in full force. "Am I in immediate trouble?"

  "Not from me. The rest? We need you too badly to just throw away an asset. Don't worry too much about it. The Hunt is scheduled for next week. We have them bi-monthly now. The thought of hunting while in school is actually attracting Were's here."

  "At least that's something. Has there been any trouble at my lab?"

  "There has. I will let you take care of it Special Agent Blackmore. There are four or five counterintelligence agents trapped at the moment. Don't hurt them, please. I have spoken to the General about them, but he is pretending they don't exist. So just set them loose and forget they exist. Less trouble from upstairs that way. OK?"

  "Politics?" I stared at her.

  "Pretty much. No doesn't mean no to some people. Watch yourself, Agatha. Come back in the morning around ten. I should have the rest of your new team rounded up by then. Congratulations again, Agatha." Director Mills gave me a big hug and saw me to the door.

  "...I shook my horn at him, and he froze sold right in front of me! Dragons are Unicorns natural enemies don't you know. Nothing can stand up to the horn!" My Unicorn was prancing across the top of one of the B's desk. He shook his head and horn as he talked.

  I stopped and watched as he let the girls fawn all over him. Unicorns. Stepping closer I grabbed him and stuck him in my pocket. "Hey! What's the big...mmmmph."

  "Sorry about that ladies. He's a ham disguised as a Unicorn."

  "That's OK Agent Blackmore we like him. He's funny."

  "Funny and a pain is what he is. We will see you tomorrow." I headed back to the RV. Way too much to think about, and now I had to go free more idiots.

  Chapter 3

  The Academy is on a giant military base and preserve. Do people here not know how to read signs? The Magical Crimes RV is big. Almost forty feet long, it can be a bit impressive when it pulls up next to you. The gate guard house at MY gate was occupied again. I know this because two large and beefy armed Marine guards stepped out of it to stop me.

  "Sorry Ma'am but this road is closed." Guard number one stood in front of the RV holding up his hands while Guard number two stuck his face into my window.

  "It's not closed to me. That is my laboratory." I held up my badge and military pass. It was two years ago all over again.

  Guard two looked at my credentials and gawked. "Ma'am that isn't valid anymore. General Ney told us to refuse any of the older passes."

  "Regardless of what your General may say, this is my lab, and I will be going through that gate. So move, or I will move you." I took my foot off the brake and stepped on the gas gently. Everything happened in a split second. Guard one swung his weapon in my direction and Guard two reached for his. My bracelet shield snapped over me and the RV in an instant. Guard, one found himself ten feet in the air along with Guard two.

  I leaned out the door and looked up. "Now see what you made me do? Idiots." I waved at the gate, and it opened. The RV just barely fit in the parking lot out front.

  "Fergus, want some special hay?" I called to the back as I parked.

  "Hay! Hay! Hay!" he was shouting as I stepped into the back and the little guy was prancing around in circles. I sniffed his barn for unusual substances. It had only happened once, but I liked to check anyway.

  "What are you searching for?"

  "Just checking. Last time you acted like this, someone slipped something into your salad." I looked down at my little familiar.

  "Mongo apologized and said that it was a mistake, you know. Besides, that stuff made me feel good all day!" He continued to prance around in a circle.

  "Mistake or not. You need to remember that this is the FBI Academy and not spring break in Panama City! I'm just watching out for you, that's all." I closed up the top of his barn and scooped Fergus up.

  "Let's go check on the farm and water the plants. We'll worry about the Marines later."

  The weeds and grass around the lab had grown up to waist high in some places. I made a mental note to borrow a weed-eater or something later. Maybe one of the Weres would like a few extra bucks. My lab looked the same as when I left it. The Director had mentioned that somewhere around here, there were some stuck CID guys. They had waited this long for me to come back, a few hours more wouldn't hurt.

  My wards allowed Fergus and me inside. I casually flicked on lights as I walked. The Director had been true to her word and left the power on. I checked the 'farm' first. Using a spell Grams came up with, I had slow-motioned the water system and grow lights. They worked as advertised, but for each week I was gone only two days registered. Even though it sounded like a fountain of youth spell, it was very dangerous to cast on creatures. Plants and inanimate objects were safe. Something about the way the blood and other fluids travel through the body was affected in a negative way. It was possible to do, just not very practical. Grams had said parts of the spell were from the old country and may have been where the Sleeping Beauty fairy tales came from. It was one of the reasons tampering with living creatures was forbidden.

  I set Fergus down in his favorite field, and he began eating and running at the same time. Unicorns. My herbs and flowers were all ready for harvesting. "Timing is everything. Such a nice job. I will have to thank Grams for that spell, Fergus."

  Silence.

  I looked around, and Fergus was sound asleep in the middle of the magic hayfield.

  "I guess he's had a hard year." As I spoke into the air, I thought I felt a response from the bracelet.

  My laboratory and office were next door, so I went there first. Time for a discussion.

  When Grams packed me up, she included all sorts of early scientific equipment. As herbologists and Earth Witches, we used a variety of tools in our traditions. Many came from the early part of the twentieth century. So my desk was decorated with an assortment of magnifying glasses and jeweler's tools. I couldn't remove the bracelet, but I could examine it.

  I held the bracelet under the largest magnifying glass I had. Along the outer edge were what looked to be very faint hieroglyphics. Peering closer, I tried to make out the pattern. "Are you Egyptian?" I spoke to the bracelet as if it was alive. The bracelet gave off a very slight vibration. If I wasn't sitting, I might not have felt it. Was that a yes or a no?

  Grams didn't send very many of either
her books or mine when she packed the truck. What she did send were the almanacs and reference books. I had one Egyptian dictionary, and it was one of the most boring books I owned. All I could do was groan as I bit the bullet and pulled it out.

  Two hours later I still couldn't figure out the spell. "What if I ask you what you mean?"

  I shook my head. Talking to my Unicorn is bad enough. Now I'm talking to my jewelry. Deep down I knew that it wasn't decorative, but I couldn't help but think it was.

  The first line of the line of characters was the Udjat. Most people call this the Eye of Horus or if you like movies the Eye of Ra. Same concept - different Gods. It stood for protection, healing, and Royal power. All the other lines were a continuation of the protection theme as well as that of healing. The bottom of the cuff held the final part of the inscription. It was almost worn completely off.