Feral Dust Bunnies (Offbeat Crimes Book 4) Read online

  An unholy grin of joy lit Vance’s face as he kept firing, again and again until the entire hedge was ablaze. He collapsed on his butt, panting and out of flame, and Jeff had to pull him back from the rising conflagration before he could be consumed in his own blaze. Jason ran up carrying two fire extinguishers from the house while Vikash calmly sprayed the garden hose over the worst of the flames.

  When the fire was finally doused, there was nothing left of the killer dust bunnies or of the rose hedge but a scorched oval in the grass.

  “Everyone all right?” Carrington called from the steps.

  “I think so,” Jeff shouted back. “Vance is a little out of it, but I think we’re okay here.”

  Wolf was about to flop onto the grass when his heart nearly stopped. Audacity. He turned and flung himself across the yard to the lawn chair where Jason must have left her. She wasn’t there…

  “No… No…” A howl was building in his chest as he bellowed, “Jason, where’s Audacity?”

  “I put her in a cardboard box… Damn it.” Jason turned the chairs over, looking as stricken as Wolf felt. “She was right here. With the dogs. She—”

  The golden retriever came trotting around the side of the house, apparently deciding it was safe to come back. Riding him like a tiny barbarian warrior on a mission was a black tabby kitten.

  “Sweet mother of night,” Wolf choked out as he lifted Audacity from her steed. “Don’t do that to me.”

  The braver guests, Kyle’s mother among them, trickled back out to the yard. “My poor roses,” she said with a little sigh. “Oh well. At least everyone’s all right.”

  “Aren’t you gonna ask, Mom?” Kyle said from where he was helping move Vance into the shade.

  “What that thing was? No. Thank you. There’s absolutely no reason I need to know that.”

  “Is Erasmus all right?” Vikash asked as he turned off the hose.

  “Your mother’s called an ambulance, dear,” Mrs. Monroe told him. “She’s concerned about shock and about the injured area, ah, possibly spreading. Carrington’s close to hyperventilation. We may need one for him, too.”

  When the paramedics and fire department arrived, the only people transported to the hospital were Erasmus with Carrington riding along. Vance insisted he was fine. Wolf, though he was having trouble getting a whole breath, also insisted he was fine. Nuzzling his kitten and feeling overwhelmed, he just couldn’t quite decide whether to cry or not cry so Jason sat on the grass and held him and Mr. Soren brought him chamomile tea, both of which helped.

  Vikash stared morosely at the ruin of the rose hedge. “State Paranormal will not be pleased about this.”

  Kyle shrugged. “I say we bag up the ashes and let them sift through it. We were saving civilian lives today. Krisk and Vance saved civilian lives.”

  Jeff’s soft murmurs reached Wolf from across the garden where he kept a still-shaky Vance company. “You did good, bud. You really, really did.”

  “Thanks,” Vance muttered. “Good thing it wasn’t raining.”

  “Yep. Even we get to catch a break sometimes.”

  “Speaking of breaks.” Vikash had been staring steadily at the mess of wet ash and burnt rose twigs. He bent over the smoldering debris and poked at a mound at the edge with a pen. “We may just have a bit left here.”

  “A bit of what?” Amanda peered over his shoulder. “Oh. Huh.”

  Vikash pulled a glove from his pocket, which made Wolf wonder if he always came to parties prepared for a crime scene. Probably. This was Vikash, after all. Careful not to disturb its surroundings, he pulled a gray mound the size of his palm from the site.

  “What’s that, Kash?” Jeff joined them, blocking Wolf’s view.

  “I believe it’s cat hair. Probably from our disintegrated dust bunny.” Vikash turned to Amanda. “Maybe it retained something?”

  She glowered at him. “Kash, I’m not gonna get anything we can use.”

  The angry expression was wasted since Vikash was waving Kyle over. “I have a thought.”

  Though Kyle was now eyeing his fiancé dubiously. “Oh, come on. That won’t work.”

  “What are they talking about?” Jason murmured close to Wolf’s ear, but Wolf could only shake his head. He had no idea.

  Whatever it was, Vikash persisted, holding out the remnant of monster dust bunny. “Just try. You’re an amplifier and transformer for my abilities but you’ve never tried with anyone else. You spend all your time avoiding contact with other people’s talents. How would you know?”

  Amanda shrugged and held out her hand. “Guess the worst that happens is we look stupid. C’mon, Monroe. I don’t bite.”

  “Funny, ’cause either you or Carr really should and since he doesn’t—ow!” Kyle rubbed the back of his head where Amanda had smacked him. He took the offered hand. “All right, fine.”

  “Okay.” Amanda took the hairball from Vikash and now Wolf thought he understood. “Think about the clump of whatever this crap is. But don’t think about it. Like don’t wonder shit about it. Just concentrate on the thing.”

  “Don’t see how we can fail with specific instructions like that,” Kyle grumbled but he closed his eyes and went completely still.

  Amanda shook her head as if she needed to clear her ears. “Well, that’s different. Don’t usually get sound. Put your other hand on the hairball, Kyle.”

  When Kyle did, they let out simultaneous gasps, then stood trembling, clutching each other’s hands until Amanda drew in a huge breath and stepped back, shaking her hand out. “Mother Mary’s violin, that was fucking weird. Like super HD post-cog vision.”

  “Did you see anything?” Jeff prompted. “Did it work?”

  “Jesus H. Christ on toast.” Kyle shook so badly he had to sit down. “Yeah. Oh, yeah. I’d say it worked. Not doing it every day, though, thanks.”

  Amanda held up a hand for patience. “There was a big empty space. Tall windows. Warehouse is my guess.”

  “Yeah.” Kyle nodded, arms hugged around his knees. “Probably a warehouse. There was wind outside. Water, I think?”

  Vikash crouched behind Kyle, kneading his shoulders. “What else did you see?”

  “There were trees out the window on the right.”

  Amanda plunked down on the lawn beside them. “Yeah. And this weird building in front of us.”

  “Weird how?” Vikash prodded.

  “Like it was tall and thin. I dunno. It’s something on the river. Has to be. But not up where the new buildings and docks and shit are.”

  “I know we’re off the clock.” Greg jingled his keys. “But anyone up for a road trip?”

  Vance couldn’t even stand, he was so exhausted, so he was a no, and Jason stayed behind to make sure Mom and Audacity got home all right. The rest of them took off in two cars with Kyle and Greg driving since they knew the city best. They drove across town to the river and up Christopher Columbus, past the new waterfront development, past the casino, with Wolf hanging half out the window to try to catch dust bunny scent. Around Penn Treaty Park, a hint of something off tainted the air.

  “Slow down, Greg. There’s…I can’t pinpoint it but there’s something.”

  Greg pulled off and found a spot to park. He gazed up and down the river with an odd expression. “I think I know where now. Keep everyone here a sec, would you? I need to go talk to some people.”

  Wolf nodded, explaining to the others as they got out of the other car. They gathered in a knot as Greg went to the waterside and crouched down. Within moments, waterfowl gathered—ducks, geese, seagulls—all focused on Greg and vocalizing at him in an urgent manner. Not that Greg actually talked to ducks but he heard when they were upset and could sometimes pick out the nature of their unhappiness.

  Greg returned after a few minutes and jerked his chin upriver. “It’s there. The Delaware Station. That old power plant they keep fighting about repurposing. That’s where the gulls are pointing to.”

  “Weird stuff.” Kyle sh
ook his head. “It’s not like I haven’t been in there. Why didn’t I recognize it?”

  Amanda started toward the crumbling power plant. “You’re not gonna want to hear this. But you were looking through a monster’s eyes. Stuff looks weird.”

  Kyle opened his mouth, closed it and shuddered. “Great.”

  After checking that they had a few badges between them in case park services came to check on the site and questioned what they were doing there, they entered the abandoned building, eight off-duty officers in their party clothes.

  The power plant had probably been a beautiful building in its prime. Light filtered down from huge skylights, many still intact, illuminating old turbines left in place and rusting pipes. Wolf stood still, sifting through the normal smells of crumbling cement dust and oxidized metals, then finally followed the scent of burnt ozone up a staircase that had seen better days. As he ascended, the light gradually grew from diffuse to glorious, the late afternoon sun creating an industrial cathedral with a central room flanked by arches and columns.

  Only the arches on the left-hand side actually appeared to lead to other rooms and spaces. The ones on the right were walled off. Of course, that’s where the smell came from.

  “Oh joy,” Jeff muttered. “I bet we need to get through one of the bricked up spaces, don’t we?”

  “Yeah,” Wolf growled. “Not my fault.”

  His squad mates waited near the top of the stairs while he stalked up and down the colonnade without entryways. Vikash murmured something about that being an outside wall. That might have been true, but there was no denying the scent trail. Finally, he found the spot where it was strongest at one of the round arches near the middle of the wall.

  “Here.”

  Wolf didn’t turn but knew from counting the various breaths behind him that the other officers had gathered there. They were arguing in low voices about how to get through the bricks or maybe trying from the outside, when Krisk took Wolf around the waist and lifted him out of the way as if he were no bigger than a toddler.

  With a soft snort, Krisk dug his claws into the seam between the bricks and cement archway. Where there should have been crunching and mortar dust, there was instead a metallic shriek. Krisk hissed, muscles bulging as he peeled back the metal sheet or door that had been masquerading as bricks. Every time Wolf thought he understood how strong Krisk was he found out he didn’t.

  Behind the metal panel lay a room that was considerably cleaner than the rest of the derelict building. The concrete floor looked as if it had been newly poured though the walls still showed cracks and crumbling mortar. A circle decorated the floor—on closer inspection a pinwheel of tentacles with strange symbols written around the circumference. Suspended above the circle was a collection of glass tubes and wires that looked like something out of an old Hollywood version of a mad scientist’s lab.

  Vikash stepped over the threshold and made his way carefully around the room’s perimeter. He avoided treading on or through the circle and its arcane symbols, of course. They all had enough paranormal training to know better than to do that.

  “Wish Carr was here. He might know what all this crap is about,” Amanda said as she followed.

  A row of sacks lined the far wall and here Vikash stopped to examine them using a pen from his pocket to move the edges of the opening and peer inside. “There’s only one thing this room could be.”

  Wolf hugged the wall to reach him. The bags were full of what looked like sweepings—dust, fur, crumbs and other things one might sweep up in a dirty house. “Yeah. It’s where the dust bunnies got monsterized. Are we calling State Paranormal in?”

  Jeff was department senior with Carrington not on scene but he shifted uncomfortably when they all turned to him. “Kash? What’s your thinking?”

  “That we can’t leave this intact and let whoever this magic user is make another one.” Vikash drummed his fingers on the wall a moment. “Kyle, one more power boost?”

  “Sure. I mean, I can try.” Kyle poked his fiancé’s shoulder. “But you’re not mad enough to go all psychic destruction.”

  After Shira had snapped photos of the summoning circle or whatever it was and the tubing and glass container contraption, Vikash made shooing motions to get everyone to clear the room. His soft voice was full of cold fire as he said, “That thing went after my mother. I’m furious.”

  Wolf cleared the room as quickly as he could, disturbed by even that tiny hint of rage from their calm and reasonable Vikash. Of all his squad mates’ strange and often unhelpful paranormal talents, Vikash’s was the strangest. He described it as “bad things happening” around him when he was angry, though with Kyle acting as a conduit, he’d found some control.

  “Kash, this probably isn’t a good idea in this crumbling heap,” Jeff said.

  “Surgical strike.” Vikash, now in the main room and staring into the smaller chamber, took Kyle’s hand in a firm grip. “Get everyone back, please.”

  It was dangerous and probably stupid but Wolf knew there was no changing Vikash’s mind once that frozen flame was in his eyes. They all retreated to the steps while Kyle stayed with Kash at the ripped open doorway. Wolf crouched low, ready to leap forward to pull them away if the floor looked ready to give way. The hairs on the backs of his arms stood up, the electric crackle of Vikash’s power gathering. It should have been more dramatic. They’d all seen first-hand what kind of damage he could do but Vikash was a statue framed in the arch, eyes clenched shut.

  His eyes finally snapped open and his free hand shot out toward the room. The release of his power wasn’t visible but Wolf could’ve sworn he saw it in a sonic wave hurtling at his target. A thunderous crack sounded followed by the distressing sound of dozens of glass vessels shattering. Vikash lowered his arm, panting, and was only just able to catch Kyle as he fell.

  Wolf rushed to them, still not convinced the whole building wasn’t coming down. But the floor remained steady. Inside the chamber, glass shards glittered in the last of the sunlight, and the circle lay shattered, chunks of cement flung everywhere like a puzzle someone had thrown off its table.

  “Is Kyle…?

  Vikash shook his head. “Shouldn’t have asked him. Too much today. He… I think he’s all right.”

  His attempt to lift Kyle ended in Vikash sitting down hard, holding his head in both hands, so Krisk carried him and Wolf took Kyle as they picked their way downstairs and back to the cars. Jeff volunteered to stay on site and call the find in to State Paranormal. They might come right away. They might not think it was worth the bother. State was like that but any site of sorcerous intent had to be reported.

  “I guess that’s it then?” Wolf asked as he climbed into the back of Greg’s car with Krisk.

  Krisk gave him a long, steady look but his only answer was a rhythmic thumping of his tail.

  * * * *

  Carrington looked awful at roll call that following Monday. The dark shadows under his eyes were what Kyle called his Barnabas Collins look. Even with Dr. Moreau’s quick intervention, saving Erasmus’ leg had been a close thing. There would be a lot of physical therapy in his future since the dust monster had gotten hold of more of Erasmus and for longer than it had with Wolf.

  They’d faced down some strange and awful things over the years, but somehow this one had shaken the squad more thoroughly than even the snapping turtle of doom had. Without Krisk’s quick and unorthodox thinking, things could have been much worse and while they couldn’t be entirely sure if that was the last of the feral dust bunnies, they at least knew how to handle the monsters if they showed up again.

  He and Audacity had stayed with Jason on Saturday night. It should have been a nice evening of letting Audacity get acquainted with Jason’s pack but Wolf had kept getting up to clean dust and fur bunnies along every baseboard. Jason helped instead of teasing him about developing a cleaning fetish. They didn’t sleep much that night.

  “One last announcement this morning,” Lieutenant Dunfe
e was saying and Wolf cringed. He’d completely drifted off during the briefing.

  “I’m putting in commendations for Officers Krisk and Virago. Well done, both of you. We all have reasons to be grateful for your quick actions last Saturday.”

  Edgar croaked from his perch above the doorframe. “Wasn’t even fucking invited!”

  “Good thing, too,” the lieutenant said in her driest tone. “Or we might be having roast raven for lunch.”

  “Caw!” Edgar ruffled his feathers in agitation. “Cannibals!”

  “I don’t think that word means what you think it does.” Carrington held up an arm for Edgar to fly down to as they filed out. “No one will roast you.”

  “Pen!”

  “I’ll get you a shiny new one since you were so traumatized.”

  Wolf put Audacity down on the floor when they reached his desk. At least she wasn’t traumatized by any of it. In kitten bounds, she scampered off to mew at Hunter until her pea coat friend floated down to the floor to play with her.

  Jeff was talking urgently to Vance, who still didn’t look great. The firestorm in the rose hedge had been the biggest output of power he’d ever managed and it must’ve taken a lot out of him.

  “You call him now, Vance. Call that lawyer of yours and make him earn his money. He can use this commendation in the hearing next week.”

  “I know but…” Vance picked at the edge of his mouse pad. “He was hoping not to bring up the firestarting shit.”

  Jeff went on in the fiercest tone Wolf had ever heard from him, “Laura’s gonna bring it up. You had better believe she is. Make sure they know that, yes, you’re a firestarter but you’re a hero firestarter.”

  “I’m not a hero,” Vance murmured in disbelief.

  “You tell that to Carr. You tell that to Erasmus Graham. To Manda. Pick up the phone, Vance. You’ve got this.”