A Girl's Guide to Demon Hunting (14 page)

Chapter 27

Tip 376:  If you want a good pastry go to a bakery owned by a Gluttony Demon.

     While Ace, Shooter and Max talked supplies, I helped Jenny clean up the table. Rolling up the blueprint and collecting the army men, I put them all back in the cardboard box and carried it into her dad’s room. Jenny was in the midst of laying equipment out on the bed for tonight’s field trip. Putting the box next to the door, I went to help her untangle the cords for the button camera. 
    “You okay?” she asked.
    “No.” I told her, knowing she would totally call me out if I tried lying.
    I tossed the snarl of cords back on the bed, sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall so I could look up at her. She picked up the cord I had just tossed away and sat down next to me. I watched as she swiftly untangled the cords, her slim fingers moving with a sureness that I envied. If only she could fix my life as easily.
    “Is it Max?” She asked after she laid the cords down next to her.
    “Yes, and no. It’s this whole thing. I just feel like since the moment he showed up everything has been out of control.”
    She gave me a long look and I could practically see her mind skipping around trying to identify and fix the problem.
    “We can’t control everything. You and I know that better than most. This just happens to be one of the things we can’t, despite how hard we try.”
    “I know. Trust me; if I had any control over this, first thing I’d do is ban Max from Vegas.”
    “Oh, I’d totally help you with that. I’ve decided his Assholeness completely outweighs his looks; as far as I can tell there’s really no reason to have him around.”
    “Except he knows Julie and we need him to find her before The Council descends like giant entitled locusts.”
    “Fair point.” She said with a smile, “So after we save the day, we banish him?”
    “Maybe from Nevada as a whole.” I said with a smile.
    Leaving Jenny to finish the preparations, (I just tend to get in the way) I went out into the living room to find Max standing in front of the Black Board of Bad Decisions, feeding Pancake an oatmeal cookie.
    “So, they fill you in on Pancake?” I asked coming to stand next to him.
    “Ace. Although I find it hard to believe she caused that scar on his arm just from a piece of pepperoni.”
    “You know how a snake can dislocate its jaws to swallow a mouse?” I asked.
    “Yeah.”
    “Well, so can she. Meat is bad, brings out the hellhound in her.”
    “Interesting choice of words.” He said.
    “Trust me, you’d call her that too if she ate your favorite pair of shoes.”
    “What’s this?” he asked, nodding toward the blackboard.
    Happy to change the subject I answered him. “It’s Jenny’s list of items Ace and Shooter can no longer use. She pulls it out whenever they’re planning something. Sort of a reminder of bad ideas past.
    “Nunchuks?” He asked.
    “Shooter gave himself a concussion.”
    “Did they seriously try Holy Water?”
    “I wasn’t there for that one; evidently they saw it in a movie. They’ve also tried crosses, silver bullets and a piece of wood from a pew. Father H had them build a whole new row of pews over that one.”
    “There’s at least a hundred items here, how long have they been doing this?” He asked.
    “Around three years. They were here before I moved to Vegas.”
    “Three years...that’s longer than most humans last. How are they still alive?”
    “How’s your arm?” I asked.
    “Touché.” He replied.
    “Mostly luck and prayers.” I said, thinking of Father Henry.
    “What about you, how long have you been here?”
    “I’m surprised you don’t know; I thought The Council would have a file or something.” I said, trying to evade the actual question.
    “Oh, they probably do but I’ve never seen it. So how long?” He obviously wouldn’t let it go.
    “Two years.” I answered.
    “You like it?”
    Really? What kind of question was that? He must have seen the exasperation on my face.
    “I’m not asking about the Demon part, I mean Las Vegas. Do you like it?”
    “It’s not my first choice but yeah I guess I do; it’s different, always something to do. I like getting lost in the crowds.”
    Glancing at him, I saw understanding cross his face. Strange; why would fading into a crowd appeal to him?
    “So what‘s the first choice?” He asked.
    I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering the cabin. I could just barely smell the lilacs.
    “There was this little wood cabin in Montana. I spent a summer there with my mom and there was this field of lilacs. That would be my first choice.”
    Opening my eyes, I felt a little sad as the memory floated away.
    “What about you?” I asked.
    “I don’t think I have a single place. My parents moved a lot for work so home was really wherever my family was at one particular time. I guess it would be surrounded by family.”
    “That sounds nice.” I whispered.

Chapter 28

"I don't want just riches, I want power-all of it."
             
             
             
             
             
-Mateo

    Four a.m. came way too soon for me, though as a rule I've never been a fan of four a.m. in the first place. We’d all only gotten a few hours of sleep and it showed as we rode in the back of Shooter’s van. Jenny had the best idea out of all of us; bringing a blanket. She wrapped herself up like a burrito and was asleep before we hit the interstate.
    I sat with my back against the van wall, Pancake curled in a sleeping ball on my lap. Max sat across from me, eyes closed, his head leaned back against the metal. Dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, he looked like the rest of us: ready to commit a crime. Which was perfect since that was exactly what we were about to do. I thought he’d fallen asleep but I saw his mouth twitch at something Shooter said.
    I can’t sleep in cars; all the bouncing and vibrations always remind me of the accident.   
   “Can’t sleep?” he asked. I looked up to see his blue eyes watching me.
    “Not tired.” I said lying.
    “So do you four do this a lot, breaking and entering?” Max asked.
    I smiled at his question. Career criminals: that was us.
    “No, not like this at least. It’s usually just getting into places where there are Demons. What about you, you’ve obviously had some practice or do you pick locks for fun?”
    “I grew up around many locked doors and I don’t like secrets.”
    “Really, want to share some of those secrets?”
    “Not tonight.” He said, and pulled his hood low so his face disappeared into the shadows.
    Fine, I didn’t want to know his secrets anyway. Mimicking him, I pulled my hood low and pretended to be asleep.
   
    Shooter parked the van in the maintenance spot at the resort as Jenny unwrapped herself from the blanket and checked her watch. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and sat up.
    “Right.” She said with a yawn. “We’ve got about twenty minutes to get in and out. Everyone know where to go?”
    We all nodded and taking the little ear bud from the case Ace passed to me, I turned the volume button up and pushed it into my ear. I clipped the wireless microphone that was hidden in an I Heart Vegas button to the collar of my jacket, gave Pancake a pat and turned to Max, who was pinning a four leaf clover pin onto his jacket.
    Jenny had climbed into the driver’s seat, the blue-white light of her laptop bright in the darkness of the van. Pancake, used to this, walked to the front of the van and jumped into the passenger seat.
    “Okay, everyone ready?” She asked and I heard the strange echo of our voices coming from inside the van and through the mike in my ear.
    “Great, you’re all up. Shooter, remember to turn the button camera on this time.”
    Giving her a thumbs up, he opened the back door of the van and climbed out. I could see him as he walked past the front of the van, his hands jammed into he pockets of a grey maintenance uniform, a black baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.
    No one spoke as he walked around the side of the adobe styled resort, and out of sight. Ace, Max and I lined up at the back door of the van.
    “Shooter’s at the fuse box. You’re up.”
    Ace opened the back door and we all climbed out.
    The cold air bit through my jacket and wiped all thoughts of sleep from my mind. Wishing I had remembered gloves, I followed Ace and Max in the opposite direction of Shooter. A sidewalk curved around the building, past a darkened swimming pool, steam rising up from the water, and to a door painted the same tan as the building. Shoulder-high bushes sat on either side of the door, providing us with perfect concealment.
    Max went right to work. Pulling out a little pouch from his pocket, he selected two long picks and inserted them into the lock. I started to turn away from them when Ace’s hand jutted out, his eyes still on Max’s lock-picking, as he handed me his pair of gloves.
    Smiling as I pulled them on, I crept to the edge of the bushes, watching for any movement. I looked across the empty desert to the east, where the dark sky was gently lightening to a deep blue. In my ear Jenny quietly talked Shooter through selecting the right fuses as we all waited for Max to get the lock open.
    “Got it.” Max said inside my ear. Turning back to them I stood behind Ace, Max’s hand gripping the handle.
    “Okay Shooter,” came Jenny’s voice, “you have to hit all three at the same time. Once the power’s out you’ve got twenty seconds before the backup generators power up. On three. One... two...”
    “Oops.” I heard Shooter say just as the resort went dark.
    Max opened the door and we ran in. I pulled the door closed behind me and sprinted down the hallway after Ace. Taking a left at the end of the hallway, we made two more turns and piled into a vending machine area just as the lights flickered on. My heart pounding, a smile on my face, I looked at Ace and Max and saw identical smiles.
    “Okay Ace, get us into that room.” Jenny said.
  
    “Here hold this...” Ace said from behind me.
    Holding out my hand, I felt something soft fall into it and prayed it wasn’t underwear. Laying it over my arm where his jacket, socks, and pants already hung, I was relieved to see his black T-shirt.
    “You’re clear.” Max whispered from where he stood next to the ice machine, keeping watch.
   I heard the slap of bare feet on tile floor as Ace took off in a run towards the front desk. Turing from where I had been standing in the corner, I walked to Max, who had a look of horror on his face.
    “Commando?” I asked.
    “Worse: Batman tighty-whities.” he answered.
    It didn’t take long. I heard the sound of approaching footsteps and the jingle of keys coming down the hallway.
    “Here they come.” Max said and pulled me back towards the ice maker.
   Pushing me in the little space between the ice maker and a soda machine, Max crowded in until we were both hidden from view. My back against the wall, the only thing separating us was Ace’s clothes that I had clutched to my chest.
    “What’s Ace doing?”  Jenny shouted in my ear and I flinched.
    “I really can’t thank you enough, this is so embarrassing...” I heard Ace say, cutting into Jenny’s shout.
    “No…no it’s fine...happens all the time... Really no need to worry.”
    My ears still ringing from Jenny’s shout, I struggled to listen to what was happening in the hallway.
    “Okay, you’re clear.” I heard Ace say.
    Wasting no time, Max backed out of the little space and took Ace’s clothes so I could get out easier. Once out of the tight space, we ran across the hallway to the now open door.
    “You’d better be in the bathroom.” Max whispered into his four leaf clover as he pushed open the door.
    Seeing the room Ace-free, we walked in.
    It was a nice room, decorated in the rust and purples of the desert. A king size bed was at one end of the room and a closed door which I guessed was the bathroom was near the front door. The curtains were drawn over the window. A pair of tan comfy-looking chairs sat in front of a beehive fireplace.
    “Sweet; they have robes.” Ace said from inside the bathroom.
    “Don’t you dare, Ace. Let’s go guys, we’ve only got a few minutes before shift change.” Jenny said from inside my ear.

Chapter 29

Tip 88:  Always have a back up plan. Mine usually involves chocolate

    Millie’s Waffle house was the stuff of legend among Las Vegas locals. It wasn’t much to look at; a typical little café with red vinyl seats and tabletops scarred with years of kids gouging their initials in the wood. The waffles though: so good they made my stomach growl just thinking of them. We all piled into the big U-shaped booth along the back wall. A waitress wearing a pink T-shirt with a giant smiling waffle across her chest took our order.
    “I can’t believe we just walked out of there.” Jenny said.
    “I told you; when the shift changes everyone is so happy to go home they don’t pay any attention.” Ace said.
    “And you’re sure there wasn’t anything to give us a lead as to why she was here?” Shooter asked once the waitress dropped off our drinks.
    “There wasn’t much: clothes, a travel guide and we already gave you her tablet.” Max said.
    “So what’s next?” I asked.
    “Food, sleep and then we regroup.” Max said, just as the waitress set a tray loaded down with our food on our table.
    I don’t know if it was the lack of sleep or the delicious food but for the hour that we all sat there, laughing as Ace and Shooter told us stories of their more notorious exploits, I felt good; really really good.
    “Naked Ace is definitely going on the board.” Jenny said later as we climbed the stairs to her apartment.
   
This was strange...I thought as I stood in the middle of a bedroom I’d never seen before. The walls were painted a soft purple, a large wooden bed with a brightly colored quilt took up most of the room. The light of the moon came through a widow, casting a silvery glow on a vanity that stood across from the bed. I walked across the room, my footsteps muffled by the thick white carpet; I sat down at the vanity.
   It was really very pretty up close, inlaid in the dark wood were lighter pieces of wood made to look like small poppies. They reminded me of the button that I threw at Max.
    The top of the vanity was covered by the usual items found in a girl’s room: perfume, makeup and nail polish. I picked up one of the bottles of perfume, intending to give it a sniff, but it slipped out of my hand like it’d been covered with oil. Cursing at my clumsiness, I bent over and picked it up. I sprayed a bit into the air and was instantly surrounded by the scent of cinnamon and rich floral. I took a deep breath in the hopes of remembering the scent.
    I was in the process of placing the perfume back when I caught sight of the mirror. Scrawled across it in red lipstick was the word “Stay.” Fear crept inside me as I realized that hadn’t been there just a moment ago. The mirror had been clean and since I didn’t write it, that meant someone or something else had. Okay, so that is officially my cue to get the hell out of here.
    I straightened up and backed away from the vanity, not wanting to take my eyes off it just in case it decided to write something new and/or horrible. Remembering there was a door on the far wall, I shuffled backwards it until my hand brushed against the warm metal of the knob. Opening the door, I stepped through and found myself standing in the middle of Jenny’s room.
    What the hell? I mumbled and pinched myself just to make sure I was awake. The clock on the nightstand flashed seven p.m., which meant I’d been asleep for about five hours. Urrgh; that wasn’t nearly enough time but no way was I going back to sleep, not with the psycho vanity waiting.
   
What was that all about anyway?
I hadn’t had a new dream since the accident so why when I finally dreamt something new did it have to be scary? Wishing I could dream about something better like being surrounded by hot guys on the beach, I went into the bathroom.
    Hearing the sound of voices and doors slamming I decided to take a shower before Ace or Shooter used all the hot water.
    Once clean and feeling more awake, I blew dry my hair and threw on some mascara and lip gloss not feeling up to a full makeup job. Dressed in my only pair of clean jeans and my favorite Count Chocula T-shirt, I went back into the bedroom and found Max sitting on the bed waiting for me.
    I felt heat rush through my body as my mind again bounced back to the kitchen floor and I found myself unable to do anything more than stare. He looked tired, deep purple shadows were under his blue eyes. Dressed in jeans and a dark green T-shirt, his hair was pulled back in a low ponytail at the base of his neck. Max had stood up at my entrance and taken a few steps away from the bed until he was leaning against the door. I wondered for a minute if he was trying to keep people out or keep me in.
    “What’s up?” I asked when I was finally able to form a coherent sentence.
    “We’ve got a problem. The Council’s Inspector is waiting downstairs.”
    “Let me guess; he wants to talk to me?” I asked, feeling my stomach drop to somewhere below my feet.
    “Actually he wants to talk to everyone. I’ve already woken Ace, Shooter and Jenny. They’re heading downstairs right now to stall so I can get my shield securely around you.”
    “Umm…what?” I asked, not sure I heard him right.
    “A shield. You know: the thing you lack? I’m going to throw mine around you and with any luck the Inspector won’t examine your power too deeply.”
    I could only stand there with what I was sure was a dumbfounded look on my face as I tried to process what he’d just said. He knew I didn’t have a shield? How long had he known? And what else did he know? Right on the heels of that last thought I managed to snap out of my stupor and like I’d opened a floodgate panic rushed through me.
    “We don’t have time for this.” I heard Max say as if from a great distance just before he grabbed my wrists and I felt his power wash over me. My panic increased and I felt my power roar through me pushing hard against his. I didn’t like the feeling of his power as it crawled over me, like thousands of tiny spiders. I tried to free my wrists but he just continued to hold on.
    “Allie, stop fighting it.” He said, giving my wrists a hard squeeze. Afraid he was going to break something I focused on answering him.
    “Easy for you to say, you’re not getting something shoved onto you.” I said through clenched teeth.
    “Allie, look at me; you’ve got to control this. Control your fear.” He said, closing the space between us.
    I nearly laughed in his face, I’d spent the last two years trying to control myself, did he really think I was going to be able to now?
    “Allie, you can trust me.” Now I really did laugh at him, a full on snorting kind of laugh.
    “Allie! This is not the time. Inspector Lokess is old-school. He finds out you don’t have a shield and first thing he’s going to do is get you to The Council.” He said, causing my panic to build again.
    The seriousness of the situation laid heavy on me and in that moment I questioned whether I would ever see mom again. I needed to get it together. Stay calm, I said to myself; the Inspector can only do something if he can catch you and no way would Ace, Shooter or Jenny let him. Plus, you’ve prepared for this, you put safety measures in place. Remember Dad and plan B.
    At my internal pep talk I felt my power begin to settle. Max must have been able to sense me calming, his hands let go of my wrists. 
    “Good, now focus on your breathing. Here match mine.”
    Taking my hand in his, he placed it over his heart. Feeling the rise and fall of his chest, I matched my breathing to his. Slowly I became aware of the warmth under my palm, the beat of his heart and my power stilled.
     As I calmed so did his power and it shifted to a low steady warmth. My eyes closed as it pulsed in time with the beat of his heart. Little by little my muscles relaxed and a content feeling filled me. As his shield settled into place against my skin, I felt the warmth build like a caress and my eyes drifted open. Max was staring at me, a bemused look on his face.
    “Is it always like that?” I asked.
    “You’ll get used to it.”
    “I hope not.”
    I felt like a freak in a fish tank when Max and I walked into the café as everyone stopped talking and watched us. Nick looked like he hadn’t slept since I last saw him and Sam wasn’t much better. Dressed in a wrinkled light beige sweater and dark brown pants, I felt her staring at our interlaced hands as we walked past.
    Ace and Shooter were leaning against the counter: a human shield between Jenny and the rest of the room. Jenny gave me a nervous smile and glanced towards the front door. 
    Standing near the entrance was Father Henry and a man I didn’t recognize. Thick grey hair was brushed back from a high forehead, making his nose look almost beak like; dark brown eyes constantly moving as if looking for a threat. A brown and orange plaid wool trench coat hung off his thin frame and I caught the rich scent of cigars as we walked closer.
    Stopping in front of them, I glanced at Father Henry who looked more worried than I’d ever seen him. Trying to put him at ease I gave him a bright smile before turning it on the Investigator.
    “Inspector Lokess, I’d like you to meet Allie.”
    Pinning me with his dark gaze, I felt my smile turn brittle and a seed of fear begin to grow. Max’s hand tightened around mine an instant before his shield grew hot against my skin.
    “So you’re the one I’ve heard so much about.” Lokess said in a raspy voice as if he’d been a longtime smoker.
    Evidently the Inspector wasn’t
too
interested in me as he looked over to where Nick and Sam sat.
    “Let’s get started, enough of my time has already been wasted this morning.” He said with a glance towards Max and me.
    Wow, Peaches should think about taking asshole lessons from this guy. 
    Max and I followed he and Father Henry over to Nick and Sam. Max sat next to his brother pulling me down to sit next to him.  Ace and Shooter were left with the rest of the couch. Jenny, not bothering to continue with the stalling act, left the coffee counter and came to stand in front of the blackboard next to the couch. Hearing the soft jingle of Pancake’s collar, I saw her peek her head around the corner of the coffee counter looking for me. I signaled for her to stay and relaxed a little as she followed my direction. Father Henry came to stand behind where Max and I sat while Inspector Lokess stood near the blackboard.
    “I apologize for the extreme lack of technology for this but this was faster than setting up the projector." Jenny said, spinning the board around to reveal a large city map.
    Red push pins were scattered all over the city, little yellow sticky notes next to the push pins. Pointing to a red pin in the far right corner of the map she said, “Right; so from the records I found, this was the first place she used a credit card, at The Sage Bush Inn…”
    I zoned out while Jenny described the resort. I wanted to watch Lokess but found it almost impossible with Max and his shield. Once seated, he let go of my hand and I felt a pang of emptiness as his shield faded. It wasn’t for long though; as he settled in his seat, he placed his arm next to mine  and I felt the warmth again. It was fainter, probably because it wasn't skin on skin contact, but it was still there.
    With each movement I made, he compensated in some way, always ensuring a part of us touched to maintain the shield. I’ve never been so aware of the bump of a knee or brush of an arm in my life.
    “The video footage of the lobby shows her leaving at 8:15 the morning she disappeared. After that she went to a spa here in town. Next was a bank on Canon Avenue, where she withdrew twelve hundred dollars, and a pawn shop on Third Street, in that order. After that there’s no further activity.”
    “What are the rest of the pins?” Nick asked.
    “Those are the places she went the previous two days. From what I can tell she did some sightseeing, got her nails done and really really likes popcorn. She stopped and bought four bags of it.”
    “She was nervous.” Sam said. “She only eats popcorn when she’s nervous. I watched her eat two bags before she took her SAT’s last summer.”
    “Okay, so she was nervous about something, but what?” Jenny asked, looking at the group.
    “Well, considering that she took a large amount of money out and went to a pawn shop, I’d say she owed someone money.” Shooter said.
    “I don’t know, she’s never gambled as far as I know.” Sam said, her perfect face pinched in worry.
    “What about her family, could she be paying something for one of them?” Ace asked.
    “She’s an only child and trust me her parents are
way
too straight-laced for gambling. The only one on my side stupid enough to do something like that is my brother and he’s fourteen; not really the age to get involved with a Vegas mobster.”
    “What if she wasn’t paying off a loan but paying for a job?” I asked, before I could stop myself. As usual, Jenny understood what I was asking before anyone else did.
    “It’s possible.” She said, looking thoughtful.
    “What’s possible?” Nick asked, looking between Jenny and me.
    “It’d explain the nervousness and the weeklong booking at the hotel. Getting out of town.” Jenny said, thinking out loud.
    “What are you talking about?” Nick asked impatiently.
    “There’s lots of cheap medical procedures here.” Jenny explained.
    “Plastic surgery? Julie wouldn’t do that.” Sam said.
    “Well, if she did it wouldn’t have been much, not with only $1200. That’s the price of Botox or getting your lips injected.” Jenny said.
    Lokess managed to stop the brainstorming right in its tracks. “Your theories are all valid but are purely conjecture and therefore will be treated as such. While what you have done so far is commendable, I will from this point forward be in charge of all efforts to locate Ms. Leland. I expect each of you to hand over all information that you have gathered.”