Page 25 of Wishing Upon a Monster (Monster Brides Romance #40)
Aurora
“ N one of this makes any sense!” Rocio growled at our briefing Monday night. “It's been almost two months of this, creatures that shouldn’t be here, in overwhelming numbers, but there’s not a whisper of monster fighting rings on the preserve or in Magnolia Springs.”
“We aren’t counting the illegal flying pig races?” CJ tried to whisper.
“Well, no, CJ, they weren’t fighting, were they? They were just racing,” Isla whispered more effectively back.
“They were still creatures that shouldn’t be on the preserve, on the preserve,” he defended.
“Well, maybe that’s the point,” I said, interrupting everyone.
Irene sighed, “What is the point?”
“Things that shouldn’t be on the preserve being on the preserve,” I explained, “things that don’t quite fit. Flying pigs aside, we have a mixture of nocturnal creatures that could be used for fights and groups of creatures that seem to be migrating too far or have been dumped in the wrong spaces .
“We keep thinking some dumbass can’t control their illegal enterprise, but what if that is the point?
What if it's one big ass smokescreen to keep us running around so we can’t see what’s really going on?
What if it’s not about these invasive monsters at all?
What if it's about something else entirely?
“Out of all the shit that has gone down over the last month and some, what doesn’t fit the most? Maybe we need to look at this from a different angle. If we remove all the wild and crazy shit––”
“That’s almost everything,” CJ muttered.
“What’s left that’s off?” I asked.
“I’ve got no other ideas,” Rocio said, kicking her heels up on the table.
“I vote we go through all the reports from the last two months, looking at everything, where they originally came from, where the incidents happened, what kinds of creatures they are, if they are used for anything else besides fighting––”
“Get your feet off the table,” Irene scolded before looking at her watch. “I wanted us to check out B16 tonight. There were reports of something invisible, most likely a Kobold, tearing up the Langston farm, but I can send...”
“I’ll go!” CJ boosted himself up, adjusting his tactical belt. “Yari owes me for a few months back, we could check it out.”
“Yari hates fieldwork,” Rocio cautioned, finally removing her boots from the table.
“Yari hated what I took care of infinitely more. He owes me.” He looked to Irene.
“Yes, fine, go. When you go past the front, tell Vickie we want her and all the cases for the last two months,” she ordered to CJ’s retreating back.
He gave a salute to the air on his way out.
We discussed theories of monster trafficking, monster hunting for sport, gambling rings involving flying pigs...
“Where is Vickie?” Irene asked, noting that twenty minutes had passed.
“I’m here! I just needed some help!” She called, floating in with an overbalanced armful, followed by Nash, who dutifully carried a large stack behind her.
“What are you still doing here, Thistledown?” Irene bristled.
“Oh, you know, just my job, Fitzpatrick,” He needled back, “The lovely Victoria asked for assistance, and I was able-bodied and still here. Besides, she had a good point; you need all of the reports for the last two months from both the day and the night shift. If this is a pattern, I would think looking at everything would be best.”
Irene turned a deathly pale shade of her deathly pale shade. Man, I didn't know you turn the color of bloodless outside of vampirism. She gave a tight nod.
Someday, those two are going to get together explosively, and I am here for it!
“What has you so excited, min skat ?” Olan’s voice whispered in my mind.
“Office drama. Nash and Irene are fighting their destiny, and it’s fabulous and ridiculous all at the same time,” I told him; he had heard me say similar things about them in the past. “But now I’ve got some paperwork to sort through.”
“Hmm, people fighting their destiny, you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you, min lille skat ?” He teased.
“Hmmm, I am sorry, you are breaking up!” I said, making static noises as I grabbed a stack of reports from the center of the table.
“That’s not how telepathy works,” he chuckled indulgently. With a mental caress, he retreated.
I might just let my Momma plan her over-the-top wedding for that being .
“It’s cute because she doesn’t think we notice when she is talking to him,” Rocio stage whispers to Nash.
“Yeah, like we haven’t witnessed telepathic communication before. Youths.” He sighed with a dramatic eye roll.
“Oh, mermaid's tits! Honestly, y’all!” I rolled my eyes good-naturedly and accepted a pad of paper from Irene, who also looked amused.
“Alright, so this is what we are going to do: write out what sector the event happened in, who was involved, what was involved, and anything notable,” Irene commanded, and we got to work.
It took a few hours, but by charting it out, we were able to identify some of the creatures as absolute distractions.
Some of the beings we’d encountered, if properly prepared, could be used for potion ingredients.
A few made no sense at all and were dotted around the others, as if attracted to the chaos.
We marked a map of the preserve with each disturbance.
Once we finished, the map was filled with clusters of incidents, their edges overlapping, except in two areas.
“Columns ‘F’ through ‘H,’ rows one through five, had a singular event, and area ‘A’ through ‘E,’ rows fourteen through sixteen, had absolutely nothing.” Vickie hovered over the table, laying parallel and surveying the pink circles she had placed for us on the map.
“What was the one incident?” Irene asked, leaning over the map, Nash hovering over her shoulder.
“Wasn’t that the O’Shea kid?” He asked.
Isla rummaged through her stack of reports. “Yes, it says here that Cora O’Shea was reported missing, that she had fallen into a troubled crowd.
“Yes, I remember,” Nash said. “Vickie, didn’t her mother and boyfriend, Xander Bishop, I think it was, come by saying that she had been found? ”
“Yes, sir, Kenny and I were up front when they came in. She had been on a bender, they said, and she was sleeping it off, but she didn’t want us to worry, so they came right away to tell us.
..” She scrunched her nose, “I didn’t really think too much about it because it was really not my job and all. ”
“No one said you were in any trouble,” Irene soothed, “what did Kenton put in the file, Isla?”
“Nothing much, just that she had been hanging out with some other teens and got mixed up in a bad crowd. Though, honestly, her boyfriend is pretty bad company himself,” Isla said. “I’ve taken him in for dealing Hell Crystals before, on the human side of the preserve, no less.”
“Hell Crystals are pretty expensive,” I said, “don’t usually the high society types buy those?”
“They do,” Nash straightened, giving Irene a little more space, but not much. “Is Xander a lesser demon or a higher demon?”
“I can’t remember if he was wearing a glamor or not, it's been a while since I’ve picked him up. Has anyone else had a run-in with Xander?” She looked around at the table to a chorus of head shakes and nos. “Which is odd. I mean, he could have turned his life around, but statistically…”
“Vickie?” Irene questioned, elbowing Nash for a little more space.
“On it,” she said, sailing her spectral form through the wall.
The door to the conference room opened.
“Olan!” I blushed at my outburst, but I was happy to see him.
“Hello everyone, min skat , did you know it was an hour before the end of your shift?” He raised a non-brow at us all.
“You skipped lunch. I could feel the emptiness of your belly from our home. I have brought you all sausage gravy and biscuits and a potato hashbrown casserole with peppers and onions for the vegetarians among you.”
Olan carried a large basket; a gallon of sweet tea, pinched by the handle between a few of his fingers, dangled beneath it.
Rocio’s stomach rumbled like a disgruntled dragon, and we laughed.
“Alright, there is no reason why we can’t take a break and read the file once it is here,” she said, slipping by Nash and heading for the clear side of the table where Olan had set the food hamper.
“Thank you for your care, husband,” I said, sidling up to him.
Olan snaked a hand around my waist, kissing me on my temple. “Wife, it is my pleasure.”
Olan passed out plates, utensils, cups, a large boat of gravy, a deep dish of biscuits, and an equally sizable container of hashbrown casserole.
We served ourselves, and I ended up in Olan’s lap as I had almost two months ago in this very room. Sensing my amusement, Olan nuzzled my cheek before I took a bite.
“This is delicious,” Nash groaned, eating his casserole. “Do they make lady Br?dmands?”
“No. They do not,” Olan said, looking at Nash like if they did, he would warn them away immediately .
“I got the information on Xavier Bishop!” Vickie zoomed into the conference room with a massive folder. “Who wants it?”
“I can––” Irene said, reaching her hand out.
“You eat,” Nash said, standing up and meeting Vickie halfway.
Irene looked a little lost for words as those around pretended like their plate of food was the most interesting meal of their lives .
“Well, we have assault, assault of a minor, drug buying and selling charges, and... a kidnapping charge that was waived... because the person turned up unharmed, vouching for him, saying they were not kidnapped, it was a ‘surprise trip.’ Not sure I am buying it, then or now. Has anyone actually seen Cora O’Shea? ”
“Where does she live?” I asked after taking a sip of tea.
“They listed her mother’s home in F4 as her address, which is why it’s the only incident in that area,” He finished passing Irene the file when she held out a hand for it.
We finished up our meal, and with a snap, Olan made all of the disposable plates disappear in a puff of black and gold glittery smoke.
I suppose it’s better when it is a disposable plate and not one of my china plates.
“It’s basically end of shift, Irene, maybe I can send––” Nash said, gathering the larger dishes to put back in the basket for Olan.
“ Basically isn’t end of shift, Nash. I can go and check out the O’Shea residence––” she interrupted.
“I’d rather you have backup when you go,” he argued, putting the last dish away.
“Since the information was gathered during the night shift, and the day shift had the initial contact, why don’t you both go, representing the entity that is Eastwood River Preserve?” Rocio suggested firmly.
We quietly agreed, yawning and stretching like we had really used up the brain power this evening.
“I suppose if we must,” Irene sighed, joining Nash at the end of the table. “It’s not like I get to do a lot of fieldwork anymore.”
“It will be a nice change of pace, eh?” Nash ribbed, slapping her on the shoulder .
Irene grabbed his hand and had it behind his back and him in a hold faster than any of us could blink. “You can’t come if you need to go to medical,” she said, sweetly frog-marching him from the room.
“Uncle!” he called loudly from the hallway, and we laughed at their antics.
“I cannot wait for their wedding,” Isla said, pushing away from the table. “Thanks for the meal, Olan.”
“Yes, it was nice to have something home-cooked instead of free range.” Rocio rose to her feet. “And it’s so amazing to end a shift without needing a shower.”
“From your lips to the Goddess’ ears,” I said as Olan stood with me in his arms.
“Home, min elskede?” He asked.
“Home.” I thought, laying my head in my favorite spot and breathing in his comforting bracken scent.