Industrial Magic
Page 7
As I told your men, Lucas is in court, out of town. If you didnt believe me
I know where my son is.
A chill tickled the nape of my neck as I heard the un-spoken qualifier: I always know where my son is. Id never thought of that, but hearing him now, there was no doubt in my mind that Benicio always knew exactly where Lucas was, and what he was doing.
Well, thats funny, I said. Because your men said you had a message for him. But if you know hes not here, thenOh, I get it. That was only an excuse, right? You know Lucas is gone and you came here pretending to want to deliver a message, hoping for a chance to meet the new girlfriend. You wouldnt want to do that with Lucas around, because you might not be able to control your disappointment when you confirm that your son is indeed datingwhoops, living witha witch.
I do have a message, he said. For both of you.
Im guessing its not congratulations.
I have a case that might interest Lucas, he said. One that might be of particular interest to you as well. While wed been talking, his eyes had never left mine, but now, for the first time, he truly seemed to be looking at me. Youre developing quite the reputation, both for fending off the Nast Cabals attempt to take Savannah and for your role in ending that business with Tyrone Winsloe last year. This particular case would require someone with such expertise.
As he spoke, a thrill of gratification rippled through me. On its heels came a wave of shame. God, was I that transparent? Throw a few empty words of praise my way and I wriggled like a happy puppy? Our first meeting and Benicio already knew what buttons to press.
Whens the last time Lucas worked for you? I asked.
This isnt working for me. Im simply passing along a case that I believe would interest my son
And whens the last time you tried that one? August, wasnt it? Something about a Vodoun priest in Colorado? Lucas turned you down flat, as he always does.
Benicios cheek twitched.
What, I said, you didnt think Lucas told me about that? Like he didnt tell me how you bring him a case every few months, either to piss off the other Cabals or to trick him into doing something at your request? Hes not sure which it is. Im guessing both.
He paused. Then he met my gaze. This case is different.
Oh, Im sure it is.
It involves the child of one of our employees, he said. A fifteen-year-old girl named Dana MacArthur.
I opened my mouth to cut him off, but couldnt. The moment he said fifteen-year-old girl, I needed to hear the rest.
Benicio continued. Three nights ago, someone attacked her while shewas walking through a park. She was strangled, hung from a tree, and left to die.
My gut clenched. Is she? I tried to force out the last word, but couldnt.
Shes alive. Comatose, but alive. His voice softened and his eyes filled with the appropriate mix of sorrow and indignation. Dana wasnt the first.
As he waited for me to ask the obvious question, I swallowed it and forced my brain to switch tracks.
Thatstoo bad, I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. I hope she recovers. And I hope you find the culprit. I cant help you, though, and Im sure Lucas cant, either, but Ill pass along the message.
I walked toward the front hall.
Benicio didnt budge. Theres one more thing you should know.
I bit my lip. Dont ask. Dont fall for it. Dont
The girl, he said. Dana MacArthur. Shes a witch.
We locked gazes for a moment. Then I tore mine away, strode to the door, and flung it open.
Get out, I said.
And, to my surprise, he did.
I spent the next half-hour trying to code a customer feedback form for a clients Web site. Simple stuff, but I couldnt get it to work, probably because ninety percent of my brain was endlessly cycling through what Benicio had told me. A teenage witch. Strangled and strung up from a tree. Now comatose. Did this have something to do with her being a witch? Benicio said she wasnt the first. Was someone targeting witches? Killing witches?
I rubbed my hands over my eyes and wished Id never let Benicio into our apartment. Even as I thought that, I realized the futility of it. One way or another, hed have made sure I knew about Dana MacArthur. After all these years of bringing cases to Lucas, hed found the perfect one, and he wouldnt quit until we knew about it.
A faint rustling from the kitchen interrupted my brooding. My first thought was We have mice, followed by Well, doesnt that just make my day complete. Then the loose floorboard by the table creaked, and I knew whatever was in the kitchen was a lot bigger than a rodent.
Had I fastened the deadbolt? Cast the lock spell? I couldnt remember, but somehow I suspected Id been too overwhelmed by Benicios visit to take care of such mundanities. I mentally readied two spells, one to deal with a human intruder and another, stronger spell, for the supernatural variety. Then I pushed up from my chair and crept toward the kitchen.
A dish clattered, followed by an oath. No, not an oath, I realized as I recognized the voice. Simply a wordless exhalation of pique. Where anyone else would mutter shit or damn, this was one person who never uttered even a profanity without first considering its appropriateness to the situation.
I know where my son is.
A chill tickled the nape of my neck as I heard the un-spoken qualifier: I always know where my son is. Id never thought of that, but hearing him now, there was no doubt in my mind that Benicio always knew exactly where Lucas was, and what he was doing.
Well, thats funny, I said. Because your men said you had a message for him. But if you know hes not here, thenOh, I get it. That was only an excuse, right? You know Lucas is gone and you came here pretending to want to deliver a message, hoping for a chance to meet the new girlfriend. You wouldnt want to do that with Lucas around, because you might not be able to control your disappointment when you confirm that your son is indeed datingwhoops, living witha witch.
I do have a message, he said. For both of you.
Im guessing its not congratulations.
I have a case that might interest Lucas, he said. One that might be of particular interest to you as well. While wed been talking, his eyes had never left mine, but now, for the first time, he truly seemed to be looking at me. Youre developing quite the reputation, both for fending off the Nast Cabals attempt to take Savannah and for your role in ending that business with Tyrone Winsloe last year. This particular case would require someone with such expertise.
As he spoke, a thrill of gratification rippled through me. On its heels came a wave of shame. God, was I that transparent? Throw a few empty words of praise my way and I wriggled like a happy puppy? Our first meeting and Benicio already knew what buttons to press.
Whens the last time Lucas worked for you? I asked.
This isnt working for me. Im simply passing along a case that I believe would interest my son
And whens the last time you tried that one? August, wasnt it? Something about a Vodoun priest in Colorado? Lucas turned you down flat, as he always does.
Benicios cheek twitched.
What, I said, you didnt think Lucas told me about that? Like he didnt tell me how you bring him a case every few months, either to piss off the other Cabals or to trick him into doing something at your request? Hes not sure which it is. Im guessing both.
He paused. Then he met my gaze. This case is different.
Oh, Im sure it is.
It involves the child of one of our employees, he said. A fifteen-year-old girl named Dana MacArthur.
I opened my mouth to cut him off, but couldnt. The moment he said fifteen-year-old girl, I needed to hear the rest.
Benicio continued. Three nights ago, someone attacked her while shewas walking through a park. She was strangled, hung from a tree, and left to die.
My gut clenched. Is she? I tried to force out the last word, but couldnt.
Shes alive. Comatose, but alive. His voice softened and his eyes filled with the appropriate mix of sorrow and indignation. Dana wasnt the first.
As he waited for me to ask the obvious question, I swallowed it and forced my brain to switch tracks.
Thatstoo bad, I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. I hope she recovers. And I hope you find the culprit. I cant help you, though, and Im sure Lucas cant, either, but Ill pass along the message.
I walked toward the front hall.
Benicio didnt budge. Theres one more thing you should know.
I bit my lip. Dont ask. Dont fall for it. Dont
The girl, he said. Dana MacArthur. Shes a witch.
We locked gazes for a moment. Then I tore mine away, strode to the door, and flung it open.
Get out, I said.
And, to my surprise, he did.
I spent the next half-hour trying to code a customer feedback form for a clients Web site. Simple stuff, but I couldnt get it to work, probably because ninety percent of my brain was endlessly cycling through what Benicio had told me. A teenage witch. Strangled and strung up from a tree. Now comatose. Did this have something to do with her being a witch? Benicio said she wasnt the first. Was someone targeting witches? Killing witches?
I rubbed my hands over my eyes and wished Id never let Benicio into our apartment. Even as I thought that, I realized the futility of it. One way or another, hed have made sure I knew about Dana MacArthur. After all these years of bringing cases to Lucas, hed found the perfect one, and he wouldnt quit until we knew about it.
A faint rustling from the kitchen interrupted my brooding. My first thought was We have mice, followed by Well, doesnt that just make my day complete. Then the loose floorboard by the table creaked, and I knew whatever was in the kitchen was a lot bigger than a rodent.
Had I fastened the deadbolt? Cast the lock spell? I couldnt remember, but somehow I suspected Id been too overwhelmed by Benicios visit to take care of such mundanities. I mentally readied two spells, one to deal with a human intruder and another, stronger spell, for the supernatural variety. Then I pushed up from my chair and crept toward the kitchen.
A dish clattered, followed by an oath. No, not an oath, I realized as I recognized the voice. Simply a wordless exhalation of pique. Where anyone else would mutter shit or damn, this was one person who never uttered even a profanity without first considering its appropriateness to the situation.
