First Destroy All Giant Monsters (The World Wide Witches Research Association) (42 page)

The detectives said nothing.

“Karl,” commanded Thalia. “Hold out your hands.”

Karl extended both hands straight out at shoulder height. Immediately his hands, his whole arm started to tremble.

“Try to stop that,” added Thalia.

“I can’t,” said Karl, closing his hands into fists and dropping them to the table. “It gets worse.”

“You have Parkinson’s?” demanded Detective Forth.

“No.” Karl sighed. “They don’t know what to think. I have some sort of … wasting condition. I had a heart attack two … no, three days ago. If you check my jacket pockets you’ll find the discharge instructions.”

The detective pulled a folder out from under his arm and shuffled through papers. He pulled out a colored sheet of hospital letterhead and held it out.

“This it?”

“Looks like,” said Karl before Thalia could stop him.

Both the lawyer and the detective read the sheet then studied Karl.

“You had a heart attack?” demanded Detective Forth. “How old are you?”

“Thirty.”

The staring continued for another few minutes.

“You really want to dance the dance with me?” asked Thalia. “You take this man in front of a judge and accuse him of assault of a presumably healthy woman who claims that he is an expert in karate and you will be laughed at.”

The detectives sighed.

It felt like hours later when a middle aged man in a suit far too tight for his abdomen emerged from the detective’s office area. The desk officer gave him a quick once over, identified him as lawyer and therefore scum, spotted his ID tag, and ignored him. Amber continued to watch the man’s movements on the grounds that he was the only creature stirring and she was trying to stay awake. Minutes passed and the lawyer’s agitation increased. Finally the elevator opened and two people emerged.

Amber straightened in her chair before forcing herself to relax and pretend only a casual interest in the newcomers. She recognized the woman immediately as the unpleasant Gloria, all grown up. She’d come a long way from the teenager shown in her college photographs as a skinny Goth wearing enough silver totem animal jewelry to equal the mineral wealth of a small nation. Now she was slender, dignified, and sporting a truly impressive black eye.

Amber winced. When it came to sympathetic victims, looking like she’d taken a beating would definitely get the police on her side. The man following a few steps behind her looked like hammered beefcake, solid, dependable, and emotionless.

Amber glanced at their auras. The lawyer was linked into the web as a recipient not a donor, but his personal energy was low and flickering. The bodyguard was not attached to the web as either donor or recipient, which probably indicated Madam Gloria was sensible enough not to mess with her hired muscle.

The twitchy lawyer plucked nervously at his clothes and tie as Gloria walked across the room. Amber could not hear his words, but Gloria’s reply echoed.

“If the police have questions, give them the answers they want to hear. Why’d you send for me at this obscene hour?”

The lawyer made pacifying motions as he trailed along in Gloria’s wake. Amber watched as Gloria tried three times to activate a spell she’d attached to her clothing. Each time the energy sparked and failed to catch. Amber grinned and pressed further back against the wall. The chaotic bundle of power Amber had returned to Gloria that morning … no, early yesterday morning was still interfering with Gloria’s magic. The damaged spells tangled in Gloria’s hands and hair, striking sparks and filling the ears of anyone with talent with a high pitched buzzing. Amber reached into her pocket for her fan, and opening it with a practiced flick, waved it gently before her face. With each twitch of the empowered woods she summoned, caught, and dismissed the debris of each failed spell’s residual energy hanging in the air behind Gloria. Amber couldn’t leave all that magical debris hanging around this room for weeks and weeks, annoying people who carried guns for a living. Who knew what might happen?

None of the night shift police or detectives seemed to recognize Gloria, which may have accounted for the disgruntled expression on her face. Gloria stormed up and started shouting at a randomly selected police officer. Police, as far as Amber knew from fiction, spent their entire professional lives not believing a word that was said to them. From the look on the officer’s face, he didn’t feel like changing that attitude for Gloria.

“Who’s in charge of my case?” Gloria demanded. “My lawyer tells me that the man who attacked me is here, but has not been arrested. He says you’re going to let him go. What the hell sort of police department is this?”

Amber’s heart missed a beat and she nudged the stirring Sandy further awake.

“They’re going to let him go!” Amber whispered and they shared a grin.

Amber struggled to restrain herself from hugging the nearest officer. Something was going right and she didn’t know what.

Detective Forth emerged from the corridor and took a moment to shuffle some paperwork in his hands before striding over to Gloria.

“Ms. Simmons. I’m Detective Forth. Your lawyer is correct. We aren’t arresting Karl Benn. We don’t believe he’s the person who attacked you.”

Gloria gasped. Amber watched her try and pull in power from the room, but it tangled in the chaotic spell residual surrounding her and twisted out of her grip.

“Are you crazy? Do you think I didn’t recognize the guy who did this to me?” Gloria gestured at her damaged face. “He and I lived together for years. I know it’s him. And my lawyer says you have him. I demand you arrest him.”

The detective continued past Gloria and sat at one of the desks. He waved at the nearest chair with his bundle of papers.

“Take a seat, Ms. Simmons, and take another look at what you told my colleagues on day shift. Is everything they wrote down correct? Do you have anything to add or change?”

Gloria remained standing, glaring down at the unperturbed detective.

“I gave my statement. I don’t want to change any part of it, except to add my frustration and anger at your inconsiderate behavior. I’m the victim in this case.”

“You don’t want to change any part of your report?” Forth’s voice remained calm as he made a notation. “Would you please sign this confirming your statement is accurate?”

Gloria snatched up the page and scanned it. Across the room Amber clung to Sandy’s arm barely daring to breathe. Gloria took a pen from the nearest table. Before she could sign the detective put his hand over the page.

“Are you sure you want to do this? Your lawyer should advise you about the penalties associated with making false reports, Ms. Simmons.”

Color drained from Gloria’s face then came rushing back. Her eyes glittered. Her lawyer stepped forward to whisper in her ear, but retreated rapidly when she turned her head to glare.

“How dare you imply I’m lying.”

Gloria pushed Forth’s hand off the page and scrawled her signature.

“Thank you, Ms. Simmons.”

Detective Forth’s face was impassive as he tucked the page into a folder and ignored the woman vibrating with barely controlled rage at his shoulder.

Out of the corner of her eye Amber saw Thalia emerging from the side corridor followed by Karl. He looked pale. Exhausted. From his posture Amber could tell that only stubbornness was keeping him up and moving. Amber leapt off her chair to rush across the room and hug him. He clung to her desperately, trembling as he ran his hand over her hair.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he whispered. “Thalia has fixed everything.”

Amber loosened her grip to get a better look at him. The tremors that wracked his body days ago were back. He walked slowly, back bent and fingers fluttering. His face was drawn with fatigue. Not since she found him unconscious in the front of his car had she seen him so drained. So bone deep tired. Amber’s head came up sharply and she prepared to snarl at the detective who had been questioning Karl, but the detective was not looking at her. He was staring across the room, watching Gloria. Amber glanced over her shoulder. Gloria was gazing idly in their direction, her face blank and indifferent. Karl and Amber were clearly visible to her, the only civilians standing in the middle of the room and she did not react. Seconds slipped past and Gloria’s eyes widened slowly in shock and recognition and she started to come to her feet, her mouth hanging open. Detective Craig patted Karl once on the shoulder and started stalking toward the suddenly pale Gloria.

Thalia touched Amber’s sleeve and guided the two of them to chairs near another empty desk. A broad grin lit her face.

“Usually we would go through wasted hours of lineups and other nonsense,” said Thalia. “But I was able to convince the detectives that it wasn’t necessary.”

Thalia wiggled her nose. Amber was confused for a moment and then laughed. Why had she thought that the coven’s lawyer wouldn’t be a member of the coven?

“It helped, of course, that the description Ms. Simmons made was so detailed, and so wrong,” continued Thalia, “Right down to the color of the car that they dragged into impound. Ms. Simmons swore it was white. The police impound documentation said it was red. So I asked for her to be brought in to ‘clarify’ her description.”

“The car was white,” whispered Amber, “but the color changed five, no four days ago. I’m so tired I can’t keep my days straight.”

“As soon as I walked into the room and saw Karl I knew I could get him off,” said Thalia. “I mean, they showed me this complaint about a tall man with black hair who beat the living bejezzus out of an equally tall, fit woman using advanced karate techniques. The next thing I know I’m looking at this skinny guy whose hair is completely white and who looked like he was suffering from early onset Parkinson’s. I just had to point out that little detail to the detectives. They were embarrassed when I did. They’re supposed to notice little things like that.”

“Add to that,” said Karl, reaching out to take Amber’s hand. His cool fingers still trembled and she wrapped both of her warm hands around his. “They had to call the paramedics when I started to have trouble breathing. And I have the receipt from the hospital and the discharge instructions. Remember? The hospital thought I had a heart attack three days ago. They called the hospital and got my medical records faxed down. The doctor who’d seen me had written all this stuff in the notes about my fragile health and unknown muscular degenerative condition.”

“Karl.” Amber’s breath caught in her throat at the pain and frustration in his voice.

“It’s okay,” Karl’s grin widened, but Amber could see how much it cost him, “I’m just tired. If I have to look like a dying old man, I should take advantage of it.”

“They don’t think you did it?” Amber sagged in relief.

“Huh. No kidding. They don’t think I could cross the road without a boy scout.”

Sandy drew up another chair and leaned in close.

“Thalia, how soon can we get them out of here? Karl looks like he’s about to fall over.”

“They still have my wallet,” said Amber. “My computer and the car. We’re booked into that hotel, but I haven’t got plastic to pay for it.”

Thalia patted her hand.

“It’s late. Or rather, it’s early,” she glanced at her watch. “Great Goddess, it’s almost four. We won’t be able to get your car out of impound or your suitcases back for hours yet. But I’ll see if I can’t get your purse.”

She stood and beckoned to one of the detectives currently clustered around Gloria and her lawyer. Amber grinned viciously and tugged on Thalia’s jacket. Thalia leaned down.

“Listen, Thalia. I know it’s really early and you’ve been up all night, but could you see if you can keep things going here for a couple more hours? It’s really important that Gloria is still here answering questions at five o’clock.”

“Five sixteen,” added Karl as he caught on. “She can’t be allowed to be alone at five sixteen.”

At Thalia’s puzzled look, Amber shrugged.

“I’ve told Sandy all about it; I can’t say much near … ordinary people. I’ll explain later, I promise.”

“It’s okay. I’ll have to stay anyway to get your stuff out of lockup. You and Karl head home with Sandy as soon as the paperwork is done. She’s got a spare room and I’ll take care of everything here. Let me just get things rolling.”

Thalia strolled across the room pulling a note pad out of her bag. She smiled at Gloria’s nervous lawyer. Amber and Karl could hear her clearly.

“I’m advising my clients to file suit against your client for harassment.” Then Thalia turned her back and leaned down to speak to the detectives. “My clients would like to leave now. Is there anything left to do?”

“I’ll get things started for you,” said Detective Craig, rising. He followed Thalia back across the room muttering. “I hate time wasters. We’ll be going after her, too. False complaint, huh? Politicians. Huh.”

* * * * *

Sandy pushed two cats off the double bed and picked up a half-finished quilt, folding it over her arm. Early morning light filtered through star patterned curtains, outlining piles of craft debris scattered across the small room.

“I hope you don’t mind,” said Sandy, wandering through the room pushing stray pieces of fabric under chairs and brushing cat hairs off the bed. “This room sort of collects junk, and I didn’t have time to clear it out.”

“It’s got a bed, it’s good,” declared Karl enunciating each word with care, and kicked off his shoes.

Sandy and Amber exchanged a glance, then they both laughed. Karl shot them a look both tired and annoyed that they ignored. He was fumbling with his shirt buttons when Amber crawled across the bed, still fully dressed and climbed under the duvet.

“Uh … perhaps I should go downstairs, sleep on the couch,” said Karl.

There was a dull click as Sandy closed the door.

“Don’t be a moron,” said Amber, wrestling under the blankets and emerging to throw her jeans onto a chair. “There’s only one spare bed and it’s big enough. Get in. We both need sleep.”

She rolled onto her side to face the wall and punched the pillow into a comfortable shape.

Karl watched her back as she settled the blankets around her, his hands still on the shirt buttons. The hug in the police station had been both unexpected and welcome. Especially after the hours of uncertainty, waiting to hear what the police were going to do. After the hours of helplessness and confusion to have Amber warm in his arms eased the ache deep within. Now he studied her back turned stubbornly toward him. He was beginning to be able to read her, more easily than she would want. Dispensing with the buttons he pulled his shirt off over his head.