Conjuring Quantico (The Federal Witch Book 1) (24 page)

“Sir, according to some of our people in Washington she’s not a mercenary. She’s the FBI’s first Council-approved agent. This one isn’t interested in money.”

“Everybody is interested in money! It’s what makes this country great. If she’s from here, trace her family. Find an angle and push it; I want her on our team by week’s end! Now, how goes the search for little Elizabeth?”

The tall man paled. He and his team had found nothing. The Senator had offered a huge reward of five million in cash for information that led to either the kidnappers or his granddaughter. But every underworld contact had come up with the same thing: nothing. His men had tried to find out what the FBI knew and had come up empty. “Sir, we don’t have anything more than the FBI does. They found the supplier of those statues before we could and took possession of the entire complex. But the workers there don’t know anything. Most were illegals to begin with. Our contacts tell us the owner was a lowlife that worked with the Cartels to smuggle in drugs or whatever. They won’t be releasing him anytime soon.”

The Senator kept his cool but his face got more red with each disappointment. “What does the FBI know? Why did they search my office? Have we been able to hack them to find out?”

“No such luck on the hack. They have one of the best techs in the business working for them. The past two document searches have been foiled by that new Witch. Our mole inside the Justice Department says they had evidence that one of your servants is the one who had the statues made. They think you are behind the kidnappings for some political reason.”

“Who here would do something like that to a child? If you can’t find out, buy someone then. Everyone has vices or secrets. Find one and pay them off. I need to find her. Tell our people to block any other such inquiries and notify me the details of any potential warrants.”

“Yes, Sir. We will do what we can.” He watched the old man as his servant helped him up the stairs. The Feds had the edge here, and he knew it. But the old man had a point. Everyone has a secret they want kept hidden.

Senator Emery stared out the window of his office. He’d made a promise to his daughter and he would live up to it if it was the last thing he ever did. She needed to understand that he was a man of his word regardless of the law and those who made the rules.

Even if some of those rules had been made by him.

~~~~

The command center was humming when we got back inside. More information about Fabulous Face had been discovered. Each time they’d moved was after the disappearances of children. The board members also changed from location to location for the most part. Though Catherine Emery had been on the board for more than thirty years. Every disappeared child had some connection to the ANO Sorority. Both the FBI and local LEOs had missed that fact. But then, it was so far fetched they had not been looking for it. Agents in Missouri had located the tiny town of Meta. A pet food company occupied the cosmetic company’s location now. A short list of building modifications and repairs had been sent. Many people in the town had vivid memories of the cosmetics company and were still bitter about its relocation to another State. Agents had been sent to the other locations as well, but in most cases too much time had passed for any useful information to be gathered.

“Agatha, here is the list from Missouri of the changes and repairs that the former plant needed. It’s not much but it might spark a memory. See if anything leaps out at you, please.” Nita handed me a clipboard with hard copy attached to it.

I took the information and found an unoccupied desk near the air conditioning unit. All this computer equipment needed to be kept cool or it would shut down. The desk I chose was the coldest in the room so it was naturally avoided.

The construction list read like a contractor’s dream. When Fabulous Face had pulled out, they literally ripped things from the walls instead of carefully removing them. Doors were damaged; over forty walls had holes that needed patching; tile floors were scraped and needed replacing; and several windows were shattered. The company kitchen was in terrible shape and the walk-in had been completely removed. The factory floor and production areas fared better than the corporate levels. Machinery had been carefully removed and packed up. Some of the electrical grid was messed up and needed to be replaced. Also, one of the industrial air conditioning units was vandalized and needed to be replaced. A copy of the police report was included.

The AC I was sitting next to kicked on with a roar that for a moment sounded like a wind tunnel. I froze literally and figuratively. I cocked my head to the side and considered the report again. I studied the police report. Was it even possible? That was all I could think of.

This desk didn’t have a computer on it. I went over to the main desk and Nita.

“I think I have something. Can you pull up the overhead shot of the plant again?” The screen changed, and I studied it carefully.

“Did you find something?”

“I’m not sure it’s even possible, but it’s the perfect hiding place.”

“Where are they?” I now had the attention of the room.

“I think they are inside one of those industrial Air Conditioners. If one was hollowed out, could a small group of children fit inside?”

“Jonathan, pull up pictures of industrial AC units. Mark, get on the phone and find someone who works on those things and ask how much room they have inside. Call the damn manufacturer if you have to...”

I broke in. “Nita, I know where they do the ritual too. The records show a lot of damage to the buildings, but most was superficial. There was one thing missing: the walk-in cooler from the kitchen. It is metal and has a large locking door. They design those things to have drains built in and to be capable of being washed out with a high-pressure hose. Plus they go together like a jigsaw puzzle and are easily removed.” It was the only place the ritual could have been done. Anywhere else would have left traces.

“Good work, Agatha! See if you can pinpoint that location along with the probable location of the girls. I suggest you study overhead shots and see which fans are not in operation. I will call the brass and get a warrant.”

Cat joined me and we began to study the multiple overhead pictures of the plant. We had three possibles by the time Nita got off the phone. “OK people, we have one shot at this. Senator Emery is the legal representative at this place and he will take this as a personal attack. We need to find those girls:. That is the priority! If Aalu Kovacic or Catherine Emery are spotted, do not pursue alone. We do not know what capabilities they have. To make any sort of case, we have to find some trace of the girls. The warrant allows us to visit the kitchen walk-ins and any industrial air conditioning unit. If we have to follow the rules, so do they. All agents go gear up.”

“Do Cat and I get a weapon this time?”

“I can’t do it, Agatha. I do want you to wear vests and armor. You need to be identified as being with the FBI. If you were at least Probies I could get away with giving you a gun. But I like my job too much to risk it. If you are attacked, you have my permission to fight back in your own ways. That is the best I can do.”

“That sucks!” Cat looked pissed.

“She has a point. If we got hurt, it would be her ass on the line. That amulet I gave you should protect you from most things magical, but remember what I told you to do. Doesn’t your War form make you mostly invulnerable?”

“It sort of does. Not many of us can assume that form for very long.”

“Can you?”

Cat made a face. “I can. I haven’t in awhile. It’s sort of a dead giveaway to others that you are an Alpha. I have only changed into that form twice.”

“OK, I’ve got your back. Don’t be afraid to change if you need to.” She smiled at me and we ran for the armory.

The armory truck was the most heavily armored of all the vehicles with us. They had our armor laid out and waiting for us. I thanked the armorer and began putting the vest and body armor on. “Are you going to be able to wear that and still keep from crushing the life out of me?”

I had completely forgotten about Fergus. To call the Goddess I had used all the energy stored within him as my familiar. It had been just enough. The little terror had been sleeping it off until now.

“I’m sorry Fergus, I clean forgot. Let me see if I can fix it.” I called the armorer over and explained the situation. Like many of the mundanes he could not take his eyes off Fergus when shown him.

“Miss Blackmore, that armor is not designed to be modified in the field. We would have to have the manufacturer bend a plate and make a hollow compartment for your… companion.”

“OK. So this is my assigned suit? No one else's?”

“Yes, that is correct. It is the one assigned by command specifically for you.” The puzzled tech still stared at Fergus but he nodded yes.

“Cat, can you fix this please?” I handed the armored vest to the Were. Using her fist Cat pounded out a compartment for Fergus in the vest.

“We might have to fiddle with the straps but that should work.”

“Thanks Cat.” I smiled at the man as I put Fergus away and strapped on the vest. The cosmetics company was about ten miles away so we had to hustle. We all knew we were running out of time.

Chapter 18

Serving the warrant was easy. The gate guard was a rent-a-cop who when confronted with over thirty heavily armed FBI agents complete with a Tactical Team folded like a sheet of paper and allowed us inside. Nita strode into the main building to present the warrant. The rest of us spread out to look for our targets. The mechanical area was in the rear of the facility. Twenty large AC units sat on pilings pushing air into the building. Their roar sounded exactly like the one from my dream. According to the pictures, two possible units were on this side of the section and the last one at the very back. Cat and I would take that one and the trio of agents with us would take the closer ones. We all had radios, but the noise was so loud I doubted we could hear them.

I sensed, rather than saw, the bolt of energy that just missed me. I’m blaming the bracelet, but it twinged just in time for me to change direction. The bolt hit one of the AC units and caused it to arc electricity into the air. Both Cat and I spun to the ground and looked for the caster.

Hiding behind the last unit was the missing Aalu Kovacic. He had gleaming red eyes and a fireball in each hand. He tossed one at me and I pushed Cat out of the way. I felt it slide off my shields. “Cat, get the girls to safety! I will handle this guy!”

Taking a deep breath, I engaged my shield and threw a fireball of my own at the cultist. Saying a silent prayer to my Goddess, I hoped that no hostages were in any of these units as we threw fireballs at each other. Sparks and melted droplets of metal filled the air. This guy was starting to piss me off! My fireballs only glanced off of the machines his melted holes and sank into the asphalt with a demonic glow. I hoped that Cat was having success.

~~~~~

“Sir, we just received a call from Catherine. The FBI is at Fabulous Face. They just served a warrant to search the place.”

The Senator sat upright. “What? Now they are harassing my wife? Get the car we need to get there and stop this nonsense. They need to be searching for my Granddaughter. I will have the head of whoever is in charge of that group. Call Catherine back and tell her I’m on my way!”

~~~~~

Cat stumbled as she dodged another fireball. Agatha was deflecting most of them but the cultist was getting close to her. She interpreted that to mean she was close to the girls. The last bank of machines was in the corner of the walled area. The center machine had a large padlock on it. That had to be the one she was looking for. Keeping one eye on the magical duel she tried to pull the lock off, and it was stuck. Glancing away from Agatha she concentrated on the lock. It was an older style but it wouldn’t break no matter how hard she pulled. The metal of the air conditioning unit groaned under the pressure she was putting on it. Cursing, Cat began stripping off her armor as fast as could. Reaching down inside of herself, Cat called forth her warrior form.

With a rumbling growl, a large Bigfoot-sized humanoid cat hooked it’s four-inch claws into the edge of the door and ripped it off the AC unit. Four tiny shrieks of terror could be heard from inside the unit.

“Doonnn’t beee afrrraaid! Ressscuuee.” Cat’s voice was very deep but could be clearly heard. A tiny head poked out of the hole and let out a squeak when it saw Cat. Four very wide-eyed little girls could be seen through the small door. “Pleeaase cooome wiithh meee. Saaafffe.” Retracting her claws Cat carefully helped the girls out of the large metal container one at a time. A fireball, deflected during the battle came arcing over the units and hit the retaining wall with a loud bang. All the girls jumped, but it didn’t scare them. Cat remembered where the cars were and motioned for the girls to step back. She charged the wall with all of her strength and battered a hole through it.

If the members of the FBI tactical team reacted to an extremely large Cat-creature bursting through a wall near their cars, they never said anything. Leaving half the team to guard the gate and vehicles, the rest rushed over and helped the girls get out of the enclosure. Explosions from the battle could now be heard by all as it drew closer. Cat turned and went to go help her friend.