Lasting Fury (Hexing House Book 2) (8 page)

A glorified gardener
. Facilities. The fence.

Thea remembered what Elon had said about the humans having someone on the inside, helping them plant that dead bat in her residence. There was certainly no love lost between her and Graves. And Graves would be one of the people responsible for maintaining the fence. Finding and fixing weak spots.

Maybe he’d found some, and deliberately not fixed them.

“I’m glad you’re here, actually,” Thea said. “You might be able to help me.”

His catnap while they made dinner seemed to have sobered Graves up ever-so-slightly, and although his words came slowly, they were perfectly clear.

“Go to hell,” he said.

“You will not use that kind of language in my house,” Nana warned.

“Give me a break, will you?” Graves snapped. “You use that kind of language all the time.”

“I have given you more breaks than you deserve, and you will be polite to my guests,” Nana said. “Now sit up straight and answer her questions.”

Graves glared at his mother, but he did sit up straighter.

“You heard about what happened at Hemlock Heights, I assume?” Thea asked.

Graves scowled at her. “So? I can’t even leave the campus. I haven’t got anything to do with the superhex anymore.”

“No, but nobody here knows more about Megaira and her research than you do, right?”

If she’d hoped to flatter him, she’d taken a misstep. Graves’s lip curled at the sound of his niece’s name.

“I want to know if it’s possible that Hemlock Heights was being used as a kind of, I don’t know, living lab or something,” Thea said. “If there were other experiments going on there, besides that last superhex demonstration.”

“How should I know what they were doing?” Graves asked. “They cut me loose, remember? Left me here to rot.”

Well, that explained the snarl. Thea had nearly forgotten. Before he was dewinged, Graves had genuinely expected Megaira to rescue him. But she never showed.

“But what do you think?” Thea asked. “Does that sound like something she would do?”

Graves shrugged. “Sure, it’s possible. Why do you ask?”

“Because some of the residents there were acting like they were under the influence of a hex well before that day.”

Graves’s eyes focused, suddenly sharp. “What do you mean? How?”

Thea debated whether to trust him, then decided that even if he was somehow getting messages back to Fury Unlimited—and she doubted it, given how bitter he was—she most likely wouldn’t be telling him anything they didn’t already know. She recounted her conversation with the Bowmans.

By the time she finished, Graves was laughing. Rather hysterically.

“Want to let me in on the joke?” Thea asked.

“As a matter of fact, I don’t.” Graves’s smile was gone in an instant, the bitter slur back in his voice. “Hexing House’s treated me every bit as badly as Fury Unlimited has. If not worse. Megaira left me for dead, but it was
Alecto
who did the killing.”

“Give us some peace from your drama,” Nana said. “Nobody killed you.”

Graves showed no sign of hearing his mother. “I can’t think of a single reason I’d help either one of you.”

Nana stood and crossed her arms. “Graves. This is important. People are dying, and Hexing House is getting the blame for it.”

Graves scowled at her. “What does that have to do with me?”

“Graves. I won’t warn you again.”

He opened his mouth to argue, then stopped and turned to Thea with a wide smile. “You want me to tell you something? Fine. I’ll tell you this.” He pointed a clawed finger at her, coming dangerously close to her nose. Thea forced herself not to flinch.

“You’re off course,” Graves said. “You need to be thinking bigger than a few experiments. You need to be thinking about what might have gone
wrong
.”

After that, he refused to say another word to Thea. Not even goodbye when she left.

Nana walked her out. “Don’t give too much weight to what he says, for all I did make him say it. He’s not much but an old drunk now.” She sighed and shrugged at Thea. “What can I say? I have to take pity on him, I’m his mother.”

“Thank you for seeing me, Nana, and for your help,” Thea said.

Nana nodded. “I’ll think things over. You know. In our way. I’ll let you know if anything comes to me.”

Thea thought of that old blue sweater hanging over the window latch back at her residence, and nodded in return. “I’ll do the same.”

She pulled the sweater down as soon as she’d changed into her pajamas, and fed it with several drops of blood from her face.

And as always, it showed her something.

There was a clanking of chains. Boyd Lexington wore them, like Jacob Marley in the Scrooge movie Uncle Gary used to make them all watch together every Thanksgiving. And like Marley, Boyd wore a cloth tied around his head, holding his mouth closed.

“Are you trying to hold in the monster?” Thea tried to ask, but her voice was unintelligible, a series of squeaks and squeals.

Boyd pointed at something off to her side. Thea moved to look and realized for the first time that she was lying down. Whatever she was on was wet and sticky. She turned back to Boyd to tell him she couldn’t see what he was pointing at, only great folds of some dark cloth all around her.

He’d turned into Uncle Gary. He was shaking the chains now, his face darkening under the strain of trying to speak, or maybe shout.

Thea wanted to sit up and help him, to untie the cloth, but when she tried to use her arms to boost herself up, found she had none.

Uncle Gary was pointing frantically now, jabbing his whole arm toward whatever it was he wanted her to see. Thea squealed and shook her head.

He lunged at her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and tugged her up. She floated into the air—not like a fury on wings, but like a soul leaving its body. Uncle Gary’s nails dug into her back like claws, and he spun her around, so quickly Thea got dizzy and nearly fell.

And why was she still Thea? She always took the place of someone else in her visions.

Her eyes focused again, although her head was still spinning, and she looked down.

She tried to scream, and managed only a feeble squeak.

It was her own pillow—a giant version of it—that she’d been on. Her body was still there. Her wings had been cut off and were arranged on either side of her, gushing a pool of purple blood that was rising above her dead torso.

Her head was gone.

Thea was thrashing and screaming when her eyes finally snapped open. For the first time in months, she walked a circuit of her residence—three times, in the same direction—checking that every window was securely closed, as well as the door.

“Well, thanks for the warning, Uncle Gary,” she muttered when she finally curled up on her couch, shaking. “I guess.”

Half an hour later, Thea was recounting the vision in a journal, and sketching some of the images as best she could, when her phone rang. She glanced at it, then took the call.

“Holgersen,” she said. “Miss me so soon?”

“Don’t quip,” Holgersen said. “You’re not the type. Doesn’t really work for you.”

“How would you know my type?”

“That’s another quip.”

“No, that was just a question.”

“Listen, in the interest of keeping you in my loop, I wanted to let you know I tracked down one of your witnesses today.”

“One of
my
witnesses?” Thea asked. “I wasn’t aware I had witnesses.”

Did that count as a quip?

Why do I care?

“One of the names you gave me. From the lab,” Holgersen said. “Dr. Denise Forrester.”

“Ah, the good doctor. How is she?”

“She didn’t make such polite inquiries about you, I can tell you that much.”

Thea laughed. “No, I’m sure she didn’t. The last time I saw her was the one time she didn’t win.”

“She says you tried to kill her.”

“If I’d wanted her dead, she would be. I have claws, remember? And her throat looked pretty soft.”

For a second Thea remembered lying there, watching the pulse in that throat. The momentary urge she’d had to just kill Dr. Forrester and be done with it.

Back then, that urge had passed in an instant. Thea doubted it would be the same now. Oh, she was pretty sure she’d still be able to resist it.
Pretty
sure. But she was also pretty sure it would be a much bigger struggle.

“Did you just say her throat looked
soft
?” Holgersen asked.

“Never mind. What did she say? Anything useful?”

“Yes,” Holgersen said. “She says you’re responsible for what happened at Hemlock Heights.”

“I told you, Hexing House—”

“Not you plural. You. Thea.”

“She thinks I attacked Hemlock Heights? Personally? What for?”

“She says you were the first person she thought of, when she found out what happened to the Lexingtons. She asked for protection, in fact. Said you were probably going after everyone from the lab.”

“But that’s ridiculous.”

“Well, you are a creature of vengeance, are you not?”

“I’m a creature of
justice
.” Thea waved an impatient hand, although of course Holgersen couldn’t see it. “That’s beside the point. I didn’t even know Boyd Lexington. We were never at the lab at the same time. She would know that.”

“Hey, I’m just telling you what the lady said. Something I obviously would not be doing if I was giving any credence to her accusations, by the way.”

“And I’m telling you, she’s not thinking straight. Either someone put her up to pointing a finger at me, or she’s completely paranoid. Did she seem unstable?”

Did she seem like she was her own monster?

“Not especially,” Holgersen said. “But I don’t have a basis for comparison, either.”

“I want to see her.”

“Out of the question.”

“You just said you don’t believe her,” Thea said.

“That’s beside the point,” said Holgersen. “She asked me to protect her from you.”

“I’m not going to hurt her!”

“Also beside the point. She doesn’t trust you. I don’t get to make that judgment for her.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re the one who doesn’t trust me? You’re happy to ask for my help, but I’m only as good as I’m useful, is that it?”

“Calm down.”

“Calm
down
?” Thea felt the familiar tingling in her fingertips, and struggled for patience.

“Thea—”

“Okay, how about this,” she interrupted. “Arrange a meeting with you present. We can all sit down and talk together. Then you can be her big strong protector while we actually, you know, do our jobs? Try to figure this whole thing out?”

“I’ll ask, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.”

Without saying goodbye, Thea ended the call with a stab of her claw.

Big breaths. Deep breaths. Calm breaths.

If Langdon was right, and Thea’s problem was nothing more than growing pains, she hoped they would pass soon.

But a part of her—a small one, she was sure—kind of hoped she got the chance to claw Detective Holgersen’s face before they did.

Thea had no further word from Holgersen for a week, but the next morning she got word of a different sort: Flannery, calling to tell Thea that she was engaged again.

“Congratulations. I’m happy for you,” Thea said, although in truth she was feeling a little numb.

“Thea, I know this last year… This last
fifteen
years, maybe… I mean… but I…”

When Flannery showed no sign of making sense, Thea filled the gap.

“I’m happy for you Flan,” she said again. “I really am.”

Was that true? Thea thought it was. She really did love her cousin. Not to mention that a settled, happy Flannery was a good thing, considering how much trouble an unsettled, unhappy Flannery could be. But what would happen to Aunt Bridget, out there on the farm all by herself?

“I wanted to ask if you’d be my maid of honor,” Flannery said, then rushed ahead, as if afraid of the answer. “I wouldn’t make you wear anything gross. You can wear whatever you want. It won’t be a big production. We’re doing it in like three weeks, actually, same weekend as my birthday. At the auditorium there. So obviously I’m not about to invite a bunch of our extended family that we don’t even talk to out to Hexing House. And try to explain to them why I’m marrying the purple guy.”

Thea laughed.

“Just a couple of my nearest and dearest, and your whole colony,” Flannery went on.

“
Your
whole colony, now,” said Thea. “Do you think you’ll apply to transform?” The thought of Flannery as a fury made her a little ill, but she hoped her tone didn’t show it.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Flannery said. “Nero would like me to, of course. But I’m not sure it’s what I want. I kind of feel like I’m still figuring out how to be a human, you know?”

“I do know,” Thea agreed. “And believe me, learning to be a whole other thing is… complicated.”

“So I’m just going to take it one step at a time, for now. I have to do a round of exploratories, just like you did. Find a job.”

“Any idea what you might like to do?”

“There are only so many positions they let humans have. I’ve been encouraged to consider HRI. They like to put humans in human-facing roles. But I didn’t know if that would be too weird for you.”

This whole thing is bordering on too weird for me.

“You wouldn’t be in Investigations?”

“No, no. More like sales, or just a liaison, you know, helping out the people who are freaked out or have a hard time being around furies. Public relations work, maybe. There’s all kinds of stuff I could do, but I wouldn’t be in your group no matter what. I would be in the same building, though.”

Thea resisted the urge to shout
Mine!
repeatedly, toddler-like, and instead kept her voice smooth as she said, “I don’t see why that would be a problem.”

“Sure, why would it be?” Flannery asked. “Invading your turf is what I do, right? You’re used to it by now.”

Thea laughed that off like the joke Flannery seemed to hope it was.

“So will you do it?” Flannery asked. “Will you be my maid of honor?”

“I’d be maid-of-honored,” Thea said.

Was that another quip?

It was a pleasant conversation, overall, but then conversations with Flannery usually were, when she got what she wanted. Thea couldn’t help but wonder whether planning a wedding—even a small, hurried one—would challenge her cousin’s newfound maturity and serenity.

Thea’s work that morning consisted mostly of writing down a bunch of disjointed notes, then staring at them, trying to make sense of everything.

Boyd Lexington had (maybe) helped Mr. Fanatic escape the lab. He and his family were manifesting sins. His neighbors probably were, too.

Detective Holgersen was being discouraged from investigating furies at all, Fury Unlimited or Hexing House.

And someone had left a dead bat on Thea’s pillow. Uncle Gary seemed particularly concerned about that last one. Thea couldn’t say she blamed him.

She didn’t know how it all fit together, but Hemlock Heights was at the center of all of it. Which meant Fury Unlimited was at the center of all of it.

Thea called Cora and asked her if she could meet for lunch.

“Sure, if you don’t mind Elon hanging out with us,” she said. “I already told him I’d meet him.”

“I won’t be interrupting couple time?” Thea asked.

“I’m sure he’d love to have couple time interrupted right about now,” Cora said, but she wasn’t interested in elaborating on their problems. Thea could only guess that the news of Nero and Flannery’s engagement had gone over about as well for Elon as Thea had predicted it would.

But they looked happy enough when Thea found them in the dining hall, laughing over a couple of burgers. After ordering one for herself, Thea got straight to the point.

“I need a way to hack into Fury Unlimited. Documents, files, emails. Whatever I can get my hands on.”

Cora shrugged. “Fine. Get a hold of one of their laptops or tablets.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Thea asked. “It won’t be easy for me to get in and out of that building.”

“No,” Elon agreed. “You’re way too high profile now. They’ve probably got your face on Most Wanted posters in the hallways.”

“So steal someone’s laptop while they’re outside,” said Cora. “Preferably somebody with a lot of access.”

“But they all live and work in the same building,” Thea said. “It’s not like I can intercept somebody during their commute.”

“Give me a few days,” Elon said.

“To do what?” Cora asked.

He grinned at his girlfriend. “We can use Nero’s wedding.”

Cora did not look like she liked where this was going, but Elon turned to Thea with a mock sigh and a sad shake of his head. “My girlfriend is pressuring me to commit. It’s making life in my colony hell. I’m considering moving to Fury Unlimited.”

Thea raised an eyebrow and played along, pretending not to realize how uncomfortably close to the truth this was. “Are you, now?”

“Just considering it, mind. I’d like to talk to a few people. Get a sense of the place.”

“But that could be dangerous,” Thea said. “Remember what happened last time we had people go undercover?”

“You don’t need to remind me,” said Elon. “I’d still need that cane if I didn’t have wings to get around with.”

“But you’re still willing to do it,” Thea said.

“Doesn’t matter!” Cora broke in. “I’m unwilling enough for both of us!”

“Relax, you two,” Elon said. “I’m not going to steal anything for you. Or do anything that’ll get me into trouble. I will genuinely take interviews, before ultimately reconciling with my true love here.” He squeezed Cora’s shoulder. “And regretfully declining any opportunity I’m offered.”

“So what would be the point?” Cora asked. “If you’re not going to take any tech?”

“I’ll have a look around while I’m there,” said Elon. “Talk to some people. Try to get a sense of comings and goings. I might at least be able to identify some opportunities. Who knows, maybe they’ve got some disgruntled people of their own who’d be willing to double cross them.”

Thea shrugged. “All right. Let’s see what comes of it.”

They agreed that Elon would stage a couple of public fights with Cora, just in case, and avoid contact with Thea altogether for a few days. Meanwhile, Thea spent her time on the less exciting, but generally most productive, aspects of investigation: searching the internet, combing social media, making phone calls or sending emails when she thought she had a plausible enough story to get somebody to talk. She gathered all the information she could on the Lexingtons and the other residents of Hemlock Heights, and on anyone she could find who’d once been associated with the lab.

That included her old friend Denise Forrester. Now that Holgersen had given Thea a first name, the doctor was easier to find.

Thea knew that Megaira and Graves had recruited Dr. Forrester in the first place with a promise to cure her son’s cancer. As it turned out, that son was indeed in remission, and doing fine. But perhaps the burden of his illness had already done irreparable damage; the Forresters had divorced just eight weeks before.

They’d also sold their house around the same time, and Thea wasn’t able to find Dr. Forrester’s new address. She probably could, with some digging, or maybe with Cora’s help. But she decided she would give Holgersen a chance to set up a civilized conversation first.

If that didn’t work, she might have to pay the good doctor a visit. And treat her as a hostile witness. After the weeks of torture Thea had endured at that woman’s hands, the prospect wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

The Concerned Citizens For A Fury-Free County came back again at the end of the week, demanding that Hexing House be shut down. Or so Thea heard. She didn’t see them herself, because Alecto came by the Investigations office to warn Thea away from the gates.

Thea’s coworkers popped their heads over the cubicle walls like prairie dogs, straining to hear the latest while Alecto talked to Thea.

“Just stay inside for an hour or two,” Alecto said. “I don’t need any more pictures of you in the news.”

“So they’ll take a picture of someone else,” Victor said. “What difference does it make?”

Alecto looked at Victor like he was an idiot. Thea couldn’t help but feel it was kind of nice to have that look directed at someone else for a change.

“It won’t be a picture of someone who was at Hemlock Heights,” Alecto said.

“Fine,” said Thea. “Say hello to Mr. Fanatic for me.”

“I’m not going out there either.” Alecto looked around at the others. “In fact, I’d rather you all stayed away. I’ve got a few guys from Security making sure they don’t damage the gates or anything. Otherwise, we’ll just let them wear themselves out.”

“You seem a lot more relaxed about them this time,” Thea said.

Alecto’s jaw tightened. “Quite the opposite, actually. I’m afraid I’ll lose my temper if I go. And I won’t give their cause credence by engaging them any further, anyway. It was a mistake the first time.”

Thea frowned. “They’re not actually hurting business? Holgersen said most of the world has dismissed that picture as a hoax, which would make the Concerned Citizens lunatics or con artists, right?”

Now it was Thea’s turn to get the idiot look.

“To most of the world, yes,” Alecto said. “But most of the world isn’t our client base. The ones who already know about furies, or would be inclined to believe we exist, now think
we’re
the lunatics. Evil ones, who set off deadly weapons in neighborhoods full of cute little human children.”

“So it is hurting business,” Thea said. “Interesting.”

“I don’t see what’s so interesting about it.” Alecto sighed. “At least the police stopped breathing down our necks, without me having to call in any favors to get them to go away.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that,” Thea said. “Detective Holgersen also said he’s been straight-up told not to bother investigating furies.”

That perked Alecto up. “Has he?”

“He’s pretty mad about it.”

Alecto chuckled. “So it was my sister calling in the favors. Now
that’s
interesting.”

“What do you mean?” Thea asked.

“I didn’t get them to back off,” Alecto said. “So it must have been Megaira.”

“Why would she do that?” Victor asked. “She’s the one who tried to pin it on us in the first place.”

“But it didn’t work as well as she hoped,” Alecto said. “So she went to plan B and shut the whole investigation down. Someone with enough authority to be troublesome must have heard our side of the story, and started poking around Fury Unlimited.”

“Or it could just be that Holgersen’s boss is one of the ones who don’t believe in purple dragon people,” Thea said with a shrug. “And that’s why he told Holgersen to back off.”

But Alecto shook her head. “Trust me, Maggie reached out to someone. We trade in hexes. Those are useful things, for a career in politics. We have friends at pretty much every level of government.”

Thea stared at her. “You’re telling me you just, what, hex their rivals for them? What happened to not hexing anybody undeserving?”