Chapter 9 Ben
NINE
BEN
Early the next morning, Hendricks showed up at their door. “You’ve got some serious explaining to do.” He barely waited for Erik to invite him in.
“We called you,” Erik replied. “Gave you a heads up.”
Hendricks looked at them incredulously. “You called the station, and nothing about that scene was a normal multi-vehicle accident except that it looked like several of the vehicles had rammed into each other. The cars track back to the Newark Mob and Bratva. The weapons are unregistered, highly illegal, and still loaded with ammunition. A dozen corpses were floating in the marsh, and piles of bloody goop and bones were in the road, as well as a bunch of dead goons—some without a mark on them. Forensics is working on the teeth and DNA to get solid IDs. How in the hell—”
“We called in reinforcements with special abilities to help us safely move the dome to where it couldn’t hurt anyone else,” Erik said.
“What do you mean by ‘special abilities’?” Hendricks demanded.
Ben took it as a good sign that Hendricks had come to them instead of having them brought down to the station. He figured that the chief suspected supernatural elements were involved.
“A witch, a necromancer, and a vampire,” Erik replied as if there was nothing special about the admission. He thought it best to leave Haley and Alessia out of his explanation.
“Don’t joke around.”
“We’re not,” Ben replied. “You asked. That’s the truth.
We got ambushed by Barone’s people, and then Gusav’s goons ambushed them.
Magic jammed the guns, or there would have been an epic shootout.
Then the ghosts chased the foot soldiers into the marsh and took their vengeance on Barone and Gusev.
I apologize for not calling you directly.
We were rattled and maybe not thinking clearly by then. ”
“Why aren’t you dead?” Hendricks looked like he was struggling to put the pieces together.
“The witch protected us,” Erik said. “Fortunately, her magic was stronger than theirs.”
“I can’t put that into a report.”
“Blame a creature of unknown origin,” Ben suggested. “Say it made hash of Barone and Gusev and some of their henchmen, and the rest of the terrified goons ran into the marsh and drowned.”
“You want me to falsify information.”
Erik met his gaze. “As far as you’re concerned, witches, necromancers, and vampires are ‘creatures of unknown origin.’ Or you can tell the whole truth, but I doubt it will go well.”
Hendricks ran a hand over his eyes. His pained expression suggested a migraine. “Do your friends pose a danger to the community?”
“No. They’re the good guys. And they’re already gone, along with the dome.”
Ben didn’t want to admit to trespassing at Weston Hall, but since the property’s ownership was in limbo, he doubted there was anyone to press charges.
“I’m guessing they took that small window too?” the chief asked.
“It won’t cause any more trouble, ever again,” Erik assured him.
Hendricks had the look of a man who had just discovered that a whole different reality lay hidden behind how he had always understood the world to work. “These people you called in—you already knew them. You’ve worked with them before.”
“They’re allies and friends,” Ben replied. “Working quietly in the shadows to keep the world safe so most people can go about their business and never even suspect the supernatural is real.”
“Trinkets has been in Cape May for a long time,” Hendricks said. “Has it always done this kind of thing?”
Erik nodded. “Yes. It’s one of many shops across the world that get dangerous magical items out of the wrong hands. That part is a mission, not a business.”
“How much does Susan know? Is she safe working here?” Hendricks looked lost.
“She knows that magic is real and that there are bad guys out there with paranormal abilities,” Erik replied. “We’ve given her protective charms and warded her house. I can’t be sure what she suspects, but we don’t involve her in the details.”
“My first inclination is to make sure she stays far away from you two, to keep her safe,” Hendricks admitted. “But if your people took out two Mafia hit teams, then maybe she’s safest close to you.”
“I think that’s up to Susan,” Ben reminded him. “She’s pretty formidable all on her own.”
Hendricks nodded. “I know. Doesn’t change me wanting to protect her. Please, promise me you’ll watch out for her.”
“Absolutely,” Ben swore.
Hendricks let out a long breath. “What you’ve told me is absolutely bonkers…and the only explanation that really fits the situation. God help me, it’s going to take some creative writing on that report.”
“Look at the bright side,” Erik replied. “Any town that can take out Gusev and Bartolo without a small war is going to get noticed by both the Mob and Bratva. My bet is that both sides will steer clear of Cape May for quite a while.”
“Probably too much to hope for, but I hope you’re right.” Hendricks looked from Erik to Ben. “I’m grateful that you didn’t let the town get turned into a battleground, and I appreciate that you let me know about the wreck. But this does not mean that you are above the law. Do I make myself clear?”
“Absolutely,” Erik said.
“Definitely,” Ben echoed.
“I’ll hold you to that. And I expect to stay in the loop,” Hendricks said as he headed for the door.
They watched him get into his squad car and drive away.
“That went better than I thought it would,” Erik observed. “Got any thoughts?”
Ben turned toward him. “I want to get a dog.”
“A dog?” Erik said with a dumbfounded expression at the sudden shift in topic.
“Now seems like as good a time as we’re ever going to get.
” Ben knew he sounded slightly defensive.
“We’ve had one big threat after another, but with the windows taken care of and the mobsters set back on their heels—at least for now—we’re reasonably safe.
That might be a false sense of security; there are still other bad guys out there, but maybe we’ll get lucky and have a break for a while. ”
“There’s no way to know if things are really going to calm down,” Erik warned.
“I know. But we can’t put everything on hold forever until the world straightens itself out.”
“You haven’t mentioned it before, but I’m guessing this isn’t a new thing,” Erik said.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while.
I loved having dogs when I was growing up.
My schedule was too crazy as a cop, and then my old boyfriend didn’t like pets.
But now, I don’t have to work as long hours most of the time.
Jenny would be fine with me bringing the dog to the office, I’m sure.
” Ben paused, feeling nervous. “Say something.”
He hadn’t brought up the subject before this.
Their relationship had been too new, then there were several dangerous cases to contend with, and moving in together kept them busy.
But now that they were settled into the apartment and their lives were as quiet as they were ever likely to get, Ben figured the timing could work.
“I guess a hellhound or shifter is out?” Erik’s tone told Ben he was only partly joking.
“As much as that might come in handy from time to time, I mean a real, regular, non-magical canine,” Ben clarified.
“I’m okay with that,” Erik replied, and Ben felt himself relax. “Probably not a huge dog since we don’t have much of a yard, but a small or medium-sized one would work.” He paused. “Did you have a particular breed in mind?”
“I’ve always been partial to Golden Retrievers or Labradors,” Ben admitted, knowing they didn’t qualify as small or medium.
“I fell in love with them from movies and TV shows. I know they’re not small, but they’re so friendly and smart…
and easy to train. But if we get a rescue, I’m open to a Heinz 57,” he added, meaning a mixed breed. “How about you?”
Erik had a faraway expression as he answered.
“I didn’t have a dog when I was a kid, but I always wanted one.
When I got my own place, I worked long hours, and then when I started doing fraud and theft investigations with Interpol, I traveled too much.
But if we can find the right dog, it would be nice. ”
“We’ll need to make sure it doesn’t freak out around magic,” Ben said. “I’ve heard that dogs can pick up on the supernatural.”
“I don’t know about dogs, but cats can certainly sense ghosts,” Erik said. “Magic is manipulated energy, and dogs have more acute senses than we do, so I guess it would make sense that they’d pick up on something.”
“We don’t have to get a puppy if you think that’s too much work,” Ben blurted. He had been thinking this through for a while and tried to counter all the obstacles. “We could get a young rescue dog. He’d be a little more settled. I’m not really stuck on a particular breed.”
“You’ve really put thought into this.” Erik’s smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Ben sighed. “Guilty as charged. I didn’t know when it might work, but I don’t think our lives are ever going to slow down a whole lot more than what we’ve got. So now could be a good time.”
“Okay.”
Ben had his counterarguments all prepared, so Erik’s agreement stopped him in his tracks. “Okay?”
Erik chuckled. “Yes. I’m fine with getting a dog, but it has to like both of us. My aunt and uncle had a chihuahua who loved her and pissed in my uncle’s shoes.”
“Got it. No shoe-peeing,” Ben said. “I think we can work with that.”
Erik looked thoughtful. “Getting a dog means needing dog things: bed, dish, water bowl, toys, other stuff. If we get the supplies before we get the dog, we don’t know for sure what size we need. But if we wait to get the dog first, then we don’t have the stuff when we all get home.”
“I thought about that,” Ben replied. “If we go to the big shelter, there are a couple of stores we could stop at on the way home. Take the dog with us and help pick stuff out.”
“Okay, that could work, especially if it’s already grown and not a little puppy,” Erik agreed. “Boy or girl?”