Feds. I felt my lip curl.
Thats right, Adam agreed.
Can you tell me what happened tonight?
Youre here in response to my call? Adam asked instead of answering him.
Thats right.
Then, said Adam gently, you already know some of it. I think well call my lawyer before the rest.
Id have spent the night repeating what happened endlessly to a series of people who all would hope for the real story. Ive done it before. With Adam present, neither of us said anything because they werent letting Adam call the lawyer.
Agent Orton of CNTRP, better known as Cantrip, and Agent Kent, the nervous rookie, wanted to arrest us on general principle because Adam was a werewolf, and there was a dead body on the ground. And, possibly, because they werent happy with our not talking to them.
Luckily, we were under the local police jurisdiction, barely, because Adams initial call had only told them that there was a man who might have been responsible for murder and arson trying to break in to my garage. Human attacking human, even if she was the wife of a werewolf, was not enough to allow Cantrip to take over the case.
We didnt correct them when they speculated that our intruder was the dead man. We said nothing about a supernatural creature who could turn into a volcanic dog and cause earthquakes because Cantrip was dangerous. There were people in Cantrip who would love to see us just disappear, maybe into Guantanamo Baythere were rumors, unsubstantiated, that a whole prison block was built to hold shapeshifters and fae. Maybe they would just report that we had escaped before they could question us and hide the bodies. Adam, because he was a monster, and me because I slept with monsters. When Id shifted to coyote in front of Tony a few months ago, Id also shifted in front of a Cantrip agent named Armstrong. Hed told me he wouldnt say anything about it, and apparently, based on these two, he had not.
There were good people in Cantrip, too; Armstrong was a good person, so I knew that it wasnt just a pretend thinglike Santa Claus. But a growing number of incidents between Cantrip and werewolves or the half fae whod been left to defend themselves when the fullblooded fae disappeared indicated that the good agents were in a minority.
The fire department arrived on the heels of the Feds, took a good look around for hot spots (none), marveled at the damned big hole in the floor, and left with the promise of sending out someone to evaluate the scene in daylight. EMTs arrived while the fire department was still there.
One guy sat me down and looked me over with a flashlight while the younger Cantrip agent took it upon himself to make sure I didnt make a break for it.
The EMT made a sympathetic sound when he looked at my burns. I bet those hurt, chica , he said. I have good news and bad news.
Hit me, I told him.
Good news is that these all qualify as minor burns no matter how nasty they feel.
Bad news?
I think your cheek is going to scar. Theres some chance that it will fade, but youve got dark skin like me, and dark skin and burns arent a happy combination. Also, theres nothing to do for the burns. If the air bothers them, you can try wrapping them, but that will only be easy to do with the burns on your hands. If you see any sign of infection, take yourself down to your regular doctor.
I can deal with scars, I said with more confidence than I felt. Who knew I was vain about my face? I wasnt beautiful by any stretch of the imagination, so I certainly hadnt expected the pang I felt knowing Id bear Guayotas mark the rest of my life.
It should look dashing, he told me. Just a pale streak, and you can make up all sorts of stories about how you got it. Frostbite on your third polar expedition. Dueling scar. Knife fight in the ghetto.
Ill keep that in mind. His
matteroffact tomfoolery settled me. Impossible to believe in volcanic dogs when this EMT was so calmly cracking jokes as he got over the heavy ground as lightly as he could.
I do have some advice, before I let you go, he told me.
Whats that?
Chica , he said seriously, next time some firebug starts throwing burning things at you, run away.
Ill take that under advisement, I promised him solemnly.
The second EMT came back from looking for other victims. There is a finger in the backseat of the car in there, he said. Does anyone know who it belongs to and if I should get it in ice? It might need to be reattached. Or is it evidence, and I need to leave it alone?
I just shook my head, unwilling to talk in front of the Cantrip agent, and left the two EMTs to their debate. I wandered back over toward Adam. I dont know what the EMTs decided, but they left before the police cars started showing up.
The Kennewick police arrived while the fire department was still having a looksee, though the big red trucks toddled off soon thereafter. The local police interrupted the stalemate of our not talking and the Cantrip agents not letting us call our lawyer. Not that we talked to the local police, either, but their presence put a damper on the Feds. Tony wasnt with the police who came, but Willis was.