Michelle's Case Files Page 3

  With that mystery solved, I leaned in to give the broken pieces a closer examination. One of the sharp edges caught my eye. Leaning closer, I could see tissue and clumps of short red hairs.

  I stood up abruptly, jaw clenched, and looked at Rodriguez. He pursed his lips and nodded his head. This was the trailer that had transported the bugbear.

  Stepping back, I took another look at the damaged spells. Sure enough, if you knew what you were looking for, it was easy to see that they’d been twisted to allow the breakout. Well, that answered how the bugbear had gotten to the area, though not why. I had a feeling we could get all our questions answered if we found the person who’d transported the bugbear.

  I checked for spells that I might have missed. While I could find magical residue, including the same repelling feel that the bugbear had left behind in his trek through the park, there was nothing definitive. My guess was that enough magical creatures had been in this trailer to obscure any traces of a particular critter.

  Stepping back, I checked for a license plate. The spot where it should’ve been was empty. Frowning, I headed up to the hitch. I did my best to find something for my magic to latch onto, fingerprints, finger oils, anything I could use as the basis of a tracking spell to find the person responsible for transporting the bugbear, but the hitch had been cleaned. And I suspected with magic, because it was almost spotless. I checked a couple other places that were likely to have fingerprints, the latch on the rear door, the edges of the rear door, and the escape door, but came up empty.

  Satisfied with my examination, I marched over to Rodriguez. “You owe me some answers.”

  Closing his eyes briefly, he sighed. “I won’t jeopardize this investigation.”

  “And I wouldn’t ask you to, but I want to know if you have any idea who dumped this trailer.” I needed to know if we could catch these people. They’d endangered children and that was unforgivable.

  He motioned to the empty license plate area. “Not yet, but when I get back to the office I’ll try a couple of other searches. I’m not sure if it’s connected to the black market ring, but it was definitely used to move the bugbear. I’ll find something, Michelle.”

  I nodded jerkily. “If you do, call me. I want these people in jail.”

  “You’re not the only one.”

  “I know,” I said softly. I knew he was right. “Forget what I said before. Regular rate for today. Do you need me to stay?”

  “No, you did your part. I was just waiting on you before I hauled it out of here.”

  “There’s some hair and tissue on a sharp piece of metal in the hole. You’ll want to bag that.” Looking around, I wished there was more I could do, but we each had our jobs and my responsibilities out here were finished. “I’ll have that report to you before the end of the day.”

  He nodded solemnly. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.” My steps were determined and purposeful as I returned to my car.

  Driving away, I started planning my report. It might take us some time, but we’d find the people responsible. When we did, I wanted my report to help build an ironclad case against them. It was the least I could do for those children.

  Leather and Fire

  The voice on the other end was light and crisp. “Hi, Michelle, it’s Queen.”

  I set my lunch down and leaned my hip against the kitchen counter. “What can I do for you?”

  Queen was a competent hedge-witch from Pickens County, which was just north of here. Last time she’d called there was a clurichaun trashing a liquor store, so I couldn’t wait to see what she had for me this time. Since I didn’t hear screaming, it didn’t seem to be as volatile as the last case.

  “I need help. Magical for sure. And I might need you to examine some livestock. Normally I would call animal control, but they’re dealing with a hoarding situation and can’t get here until tomorrow or the next day.”

  I heard a cow mooing in the background. “Bovine?”

  Her voice was tired. “Yes. Things are mostly under control, but I could use your help. It would be a bonus if you could get here quickly. I’m still dealing with some legal issues, but even if those work out, I can’t leave until the fencing has been brought up to code.”

  “I’m here to help. What’s the address?” I picked up a notepad and pen and scribbled down the location. “I should be there in about thirty minutes.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll see you soon,” Queen said as she hung up.

  I pulled up the weather on my phone as I scarfed down the rest of my sandwich. Winter was slowly inching toward spring, but we hadn’t made it there yet. I traded my running shoes for boots, grabbed my purse, jacket, gloves, and hat, and headed out. Elron, my elven boyfriend, was coming into the lodge at the same time I was leaving.

  “Elron, I thought you were working at the university all day.”

  He shook his head, sending his long silver hair rippling, and letting his pointed ears show. “I had a report of a magical plant nearby that I was verifying this morning. After lunch I will go to the university. Would you care to join me?”

  “Wish I could, but I need to get to a police emergency.”

  “Would you be willing to join me for dinner tonight?” There was a knowing gleam in his eyes. “I could cook.”

  “Done.” I went up on my toes to lay a kiss on his cheek. “But I’ve got to hurry. I’ll see you tonight. Good luck at the university.”

  He called after me as I hurried out the door. “Be careful, Michelle. I’m making French onion soup tonight.”

  My mouth started to water at the thought. Looking over my shoulder, I smiled at him. “I said I’d be there.”

  He grinned and vanished inside, and I hurried to my car. My gear bags were already safely stowed in the backseat, so I plugged the address into my GPS and headed out. The drive was pleasant, and in a few minutes I was turning off the main street and winding down one-lane roads. Before long I began to wonder if my GPS actually knew where it was taking me. It didn’t have a good track record away from town. But a mile later the trees gave way to pastureland.

  The bovine connection made sense when I turned onto a gravel driveway with cow pastures on both sides. As I bumped down the road, I tried to figure out what needed to be brought up to code. Other than a plethora of black patches on the otherwise winter-brown grass, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. When I passed a black patch near the driveway, I slowed down and studied it more carefully. The grass looked burned.

  Puzzled, I pulled in behind two police cruisers. Queen was standing by a big open-air barn with another officer and a portly man in overalls and black rubber boots. The farm owner had his arm draped across the shoulders of a black-and-white cow. I left everything but my phone in my car and walked over to them, glad I’d had the forethought to put on boots.

  “Michelle, good to see you,” Queen said.

  “It’s good to see you, too. How can I help?” If I didn’t get some answers soon, I was going to be eaten alive by curiosity. Typically, by the time I showed up, the excrement had hit the rotary wind device. This scene was uncannily calm for one of my cases.

  Queen did the introductions. “Gentlemen, please meet our magical consultant, Michelle Oaks. Michelle, please meet Officer Carlow and Mr. Stone.”

  The man with his arm over the cow, and a bulge in his cheek that I suspected was chewing tobacco, shook his head. “I told ya ta call me Howard.”

  “Yes, Howard,” Queen sighed.

  Officer Carlow—a fey with skin the color of pine needles and hair that was only a couple of shades lighter—nodded in my direction. I returned his nod and waited for someone to explain what was going on. The cow coughed. Howard patted the beast on its shoulder as a small ball of yellow and orange flames shot out of its mouth.

  Blinking, I looked at Queen, wanting to make sure my eyes hadn’t fooled me. Neither Queen nor Carlow looked at all surprised. After Ty, my pet T. rex, I would've liked to say that nothing surprised me, but a fire-breathing cow had done it. Queen nodded slightly, and I chocked this one up to illegal magical creature breeding.

  “When can I get a vet out here? Bertha’s sick. She needs medicine for that cough.” Howard turned his head to the side and spat out a glob of brown goo. Yup, that was chew tucked in his cheek.

  “Until I see the paperwork, no one is going anywhere or calling a vet,” Queen said tiredly.

  “If I’d known the last one was such a ninny, I never woulda called him,” Howard groused.

  Queen waved off Howard’s argument. “I know, Howard, we’ve been over it, but you’ve got to make this legal before you can find another vet.”

  Before Howard could protest or Queen could continue her lecture, I asked, “What do you need from me? Fire-coughing cows seem like something for animal control.”

  “They don’t just cough fire,” Howard muttered.

  Queen talked over him. “You’d be right, but one of these things burned a hole in the fence and went into the neighbor’s pasture. It destroyed part of his fence and scorched the wool off one of his sheep. Howard is lucky that his neighbor doesn’t want to press charges. I can’t let him keep the cows unless he can prove they are legal and the perimeter is fire-cow proof.”

  “I ain’t leaving my cows, not even to get their papers. You’ll take them as soon as I’m out of sight.”

  Maybe it was time to change tactics. I gave Howard my best “I’m competent and on your side” look. “Howard, why don’t you take Queen with you and look for the paperwork? She can’t hurt the cows if she’s with you. I may not be a vet, but I am a witch, and I’ll take a look at Bertha and see what I can do about your fences.” I could see the argument building. “You have my word that I won’t let anything happen to Bertha or the rest of the her
d while you’re getting the paperwork.”

  His scowl was still there, but he didn’t launch into a tirade about his cows. Eyeing me, he turned his head and spat more brown sludge on the ground. “All right, but I’m holding you personally responsible for anything that happens to my cows.”

  Nodding, I offered my hand. His bone-crushing grip lasted the required two pumps, and I had to resist the urge to cradle my hand against my chest as he walked away, Queen right behind him. Bertha took a step after him, but Carlow caught her lead.

  I shook out my hand as I eyed Bertha. This was my first experience with a fire-coughing cow.

  Carlow scratched her between the eyes and looked at me. “Bertha seems to be a good lady. I’m not sure what caused this morning’s excitement, but both the farmer and neighbor reported hearing barking before Bertha burned through the fence.”

  “That’s all well and good, but what is she and how did he breed her?” I approached Bertha and petted her neck. She was on the small side for a heifer, with the top of her shoulders only coming to the bottom of my sternum. Her ears lazily twitched, and she flicked her tail, sending a fly zooming for safety.

  “If there’s a name for such creatures, I don’t know it,” Carlow said. “Bertha is a cow, but when she’s healthy she can breathe fire. Her fur and hide are burn resistant. I saw a couple of the younger livestock frolicking, and they were chasing one another with flames. Bertha is the only one that has the cough, though.”

  Nodding, I rested my hands on her side and let my power explore her. She was a cow all right, but whatever Howard had done when creating her had given her the fire-breathing and flame-resistant traits of a dragon. I couldn’t find any sign that her ailment was related to her unique talents.

  Fey were often skilled when it came to tending creatures. Maybe Carlow knew what was wrong with her. “Can you tell why she’s sick?”

  Carlow smiled and nodded. “I’ve known since we got here, but Howard was so concerned about us taking his cows that he wouldn’t let me get a word in. She’s got a virus. Basically the cow equivalent of a cold. Do you want me to heal her?”

  I considered, but thought better of it. “Not until Howard is here. If he doesn’t see you do it, he’ll cook up some crazy story.”

  Carlow nodded and asked, “What are you going to do about the fences?”

  Bertha sighed, which turned into a wheeze and was followed by a cough and a fireball the size of my fist, which dissipated a few inches above the ground.

  “I haven’t decided.” I shaded my eyes with my hand and looked at Howard’s land. His farm was on a nice spot; the land sloped downward but didn’t have any big hills or valleys. In the distance I could see someone stringing barbwire over the gap in the fence. When the repair was finished the fence would be back to its normal self, a mixture of wooden and metal posts strung with barbwire. From here it seemed like all the fencing was connected—or would be when the breach was fixed—but I’d need to verify that with Howard before I did anything. It was possible he had additional fields that I couldn’t see from where I was.

  Queen came out of the house with a couple of sheets of paper in her hand, followed by a smug-looking Howard. She waved the paper at us, muttered something about verifying the information, and then got into the cruiser.

  Howard sidled up to us and took Bertha’s lead from Carlow. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what I’d be doing until Queen returned with answers to her questions. This could go any number of ways depending on how the paperwork came back.

  From my spot next to the barn, I watched the man in the field finish with the wire and start tossing tools in the back of his truck. A moment later he got in the truck and drove over to a gate. From there he headed over to a different part of the farm. With the truck out of the way, I had an uninterrupted view of the cow-dotted fields that eventually ran into a creek. In spring and fall, it had to be lovely.

  Behind me the car door opened and slammed shut. Queen walked over, her stride brisker than it had been before. She handed the papers back to Howard, who folded them and tucked them into his back pocket.

  “Your paperwork is in order, though you should register these guys and any other magical creatures in your possession with the county. It would help avoid problems like this in the future. As for Bertha, you can call a vet.” Queen tucked her hands in her pockets.

  “Why do I need to register the cows? I’ve got my paperwork.”

  Beside me, I could hear Queen sucking in air through clenched teeth.

  “Howard, the only reason your cows are legal is because that paperwork is fifty years old. Anyone starting this today would be required to register each animal. I don’t know why your family made fire-breathing cows, but count your lucky stars that they haven’t caused trouble before now.”

  I kept my mouth shut, but I really wanted to know how his family had kept these cows from starting fires and generally attracting attention for half a century.

  “They’re docile creatures,” Howard muttered. “damn dog.”

  I elbowed Queen. “Howard, would you let Carlow look at Bertha? He can heal her, and that would save you the cost of the vet.”

  After a long pause, Howard shrugged. Carlow stepped over to Bertha and set a hand against her side. I could feel the energy moving, but I couldn’t tell exactly what he was doing. Fey powers were different than my own. A few seconds later he moved away from Bertha. She seemed to be breathing more easily and her ears had perked up.

  “How will I know that it took?” Howard shot glances at Carlow while rubbing Bertha’s side.

  “You’ll know it worked because she’ll stop coughing up fireballs,” I answered. From the look I got from Carlow, I didn’t think he agreed with my phrasing, but Howard just nodded. If he heard the sarcasm, he didn’t acknowledge it. “Now that Bertha has been taken care of, can you help me secure your fences?”

  “What?” Howard didn’t stop petting Bertha, but he did look at us.

  “Queen said your fences need to be brought up to code. That means I need to fireproof them. If you give me a hand, I can do that, and you’ll be perfectly legal.” This wasn’t what the police typically hired me for, but I had a feeling it was worth the cost of my time to avoid confiscating a herd of fire-breathing cows and figuring out what to do with them. It wasn’t every day that they had to manage weaponized bovines.

  “It won’t cost you anything,” Queen added.

  “All right.” Howard looked at Carlow. “Will you watch Bertha while I help this little lady?”

  “Sure.” Carlow took the lead from Howard and went back to scratching the cow between the eyes. She nudged him with her nose, and I took that as a sign that she was feeling better.

  “Can you tell me where your property ends? Is that one section the only broken part?” I needed to have an idea of the area I was going to be covering before I could get started.

  “She only hurt a couple of feet of fencing.” Howard pointed down the slope. “See where that creek is? My property line is on the other side, where the fence runs.”

  Sure enough, the fence that started up here ran down the side of the slope, along the far side of the crest, and vanished behind the bulk of the barn. There were a few sections of fence I couldn’t see, but I didn’t need to see the fence to spell it.

  “If you come over here, you can see where that little stream feeds into the creek. Give or take a few feet, that’s my other property line. I don’t share any fence lines with my neighbors.”

  “Does all of your fencing connect?”

  “Sure does.”

  This wouldn’t be too bad. I could do a variant of the spell I’d used before when I’d reinforced a fence standing between gremlins and a jail. “Unless you have any objections, I’m going to spell your fences to make them resistant to fire.”

  He nodded. “It’s what I need to be legal.”

  “Then I’ll get started.”

  Howard nodded and strolled over to Queen. I hurried over to a fence post, ready to be done with this job and their bickering. I touched the fence, letting my power flow through it, checking for anything that might interfere with the spells. The first part of the fence was fine, but near the repaired area, I found some traces of magic. From this distance, I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on.