WiP: An Enchanted Thanksgiving

 

Cody regarded the office like a snake might look at the skin it sloughed off. It looked familiar, but wrong: hollow and smaller than he remembered. Spencer might not be happy to see him because he feared Cody was here to challenge him for the position of Sherriff, but Cody felt he’d outgrown that role. He wasn’t sure that was something his older brother was prepared to understand.

“I’m now with the DAA,” Cody said without preamble. “Agent Longford is my partner. We are both going to be stationed here in Arcana Glen. Your department is asked to provide all due cooperation.”

Cody pulled out his secret weapon, a wad of papers embossed with official seals and signed by high-ranking muckity-mucks. Spencer raised his eyebrows higher and higher as he perused the documents.

“So... let me get this straight.” Spencer tossed the papers on the desk when he was done reading the fine print. “You’re going to work for me as a Deputy Sheriff again... but not really. In reality, you’re going to be some kind of secret anti-shifter goon for the government?”

“I reality, I’ll answer to my own chain of command,” said Cody. He told himself he had been prepared for Spencer’s hostility, although ‘anti-shifter goon’ seemed extreme. “Which is ultimately the same government you answer to, the elected Executive of our fine Republic.”

Spencer snorted. “I see they taught you how to spread the bullshit at that fancy school you went to.”

“Look, I didn’t want to get assigned to Arcana Glen any more than any of you wanted to see me again,” Cody burst. “But this is where I was told I was needed. Are you really going to have a problem with this, Spencer? And if so, what exactly is your problem? Is it me? Or is it the DAA?”

“Hell, yeah, it’s the DAA,” said Spencer. “Your ‘organization’ acts more like a mafia, if you haven’t noticed. Kidnapping shifters, experimenting on them—”

“I think you’re confusing us with the military operation going on in a base near here,” said Cody. The subject made Cody uncomfortable, because he didn’t know for certain what was going on there, only that it was something that upset even his supervisor, Zeus Guile. “That situation, by the way, is of top concern to my agency, and the issue of enemy infiltration is being investigated. But that’s way above my pay grade, and yours too.”

“Oh, is it?”

“Spencer, for the Light’s sake, I’m not your enemy!” Cody drew a ragged breath. He pointed to himself and Caroline. “We’re not your enemy. We’re here to protect the citizens of Arcana Glen.”

“There are a lot of arcanes in Arcana Glen who are also good citizens,” said Spencer. “Are you here to protect them as well?”

“Yes.” Cody glanced at Caroline, wondering if she would say anything. She sat with her legs crossed, poised and lovely as a statue. No. If he blurted out her secrets, she would regard it as a betrayal.

Fine. It wasn’t anybody else’s business.

She spoke up, her tone amused and ironic. “How is that female Wolf who attacked me last time I was here, by the way? Rowena Grayhide, I believe her name was.”

“My wife is at home,” Spencer replied, “three months pregnant, morning-sick twenty-four seven and grumpy about it, especially on the Full Moon. You’re welcome to go talk to her, if you dare.”

Caroline bared her teeth. “Maybe I’ll pay her a visit.”

Spencer stiffened. “Actually, I think it would be better if you left her alone. In fact, it would be better if neither of you were here. Thank the DAA for the help and tell them we don’t need it.”

“It’s not up to you, Spencer,” Cody said. “Call whoever you want to call. You’ll find out that the DAA has dotted its ‘i’s’ and crossed its ‘t’s.’ You won’t be able to get me out of your office, so you might as well pretend you were the larger man and welcomed me back.”

Spencer stared at him. Then he made some calls, perhaps hoping to call Cody’s bluff.

It wasn’t a bluff.

Spencer slammed down the phone for the final time and glared at Cody again.

“Cody,” he growled, “You’re my baby brother and I love you, but if you—or your partner—hurt anyone in this town just because some paper-pusher told you to, I don’t care what the chain of command is. Copy that?”

“Copy.”

*

Outside the station, Caroline remarked, “That went well.”

The wind picked up, nipping her ears and nose as they walked to the car. They had parked under an oak tree which slowly, achingly wept golden leaves. 

Cody snorted. “I hate this town. I knew it was a mistake to come back. I entered the DAA to get away from this town, and now, here I am, stuck here like a bug on fly paper!”

“Your brother will come around,” Caroline said. “Let’s get lunch at the Three Bears, linger over coffee, and pick up local gossip before we head back to the inn. Then, tonight we have a secret meeting with Delson’s Rangers. They will send a driver.”

“If people know we are staying at the same hotel in adjoining rooms, they’re going to assume we’re having an affair and trying to be sneaky about it,” he warned.

“Good,” she said. “Then they will think they know why we spend so much time together.”

“Hmm,” he grunted. “You don’t mind people assuming you’re my girlfriend?”

A gilded leaf fluttered from the tree to land on his shoulder. Caroline plucked it from his jacket. She didn’t touch him directly, but he grew quite still, watching her.

She tossed the leaf to the ground. “It’s only a cover, Lawson. It doesn’t mean anything. Lying is our profession. Get used to it.”

You can find Spencer and Rowena's story here: