Clarke
She was nervous about doing this, but also wanted to be honest with Russell. He hadn’t just warned her about Mitch from the beginning, but still reported on what the crazy water elemental was doing. Russell wanted her to be able to avoid Mitch when she went to town.
Russell was a good person. He possessed integrity, and unbending ethics. Revealing her gender and reason for being here was still a big step.
“I’m a woman,” she said, deciding to wait for his reaction before continuing.
Russell scrutinized her closely, and shook his head. “Do you mean that you identify as a woman?”
“No. I’m not proud to admit that I took advantage of the sexual identity laws, but I did have a valid reason. I dropped the E at the end of my name, got an ID stating that my gender is male, and used products as well as tailored clothing to complete my disguise.”
“You’re saying that you were born female, identify as female, but are impersonating a man. Clark is your name, but with an E,” Russell commented, sounding skeptical.
“Exactly. I needed to get this job, but only male applicants were being considered for the position,” Clarke confirmed.
“Enhancers can’t possibly be that effective,” he said.
She felt a burst of pride for her dad and Uncle Harry. Heath had given her the impression that their products surpassed most of what was on the market. Russell’s reaction confirmed it. He still didn’t look convinced.
Clarke might not have been able to fool the entire staff at Mars with standard enhancers. Not that it mattered. She had good ones, and the plan was working.
“Some are,” Clarke said, and took off the charm bracelet.
Russell blinked repeatedly, like he didn’t trust his eyesight. Then he laughed.
“May I ask where you got that?”
“Does it matter?” Clarke asked.
She was willing to tell Russell why she was here, and ask for his help. Depending on his motives for knowing the origin of the charm bracelet, however, it might be best to leave Uncle Harry out of it.
“For myself, no, although I am curious,” Russell said. “That is one powerful charm. I could get the seller considerable business, if he or she wants it. There is a demand for effective enhancers. You still sound like a man without the bracelet, though. Do you have two charms?”
“My dad, the man you saw with Jace, brews potions. His business partner, my Uncle Harry, is a caster. They both make enhancing products for men and women,” Clarke explained.
“The Deep Sexy Voice potion makes me sound like a man. They get business from surrounding counties and cities, not just locally, and make a good living. I don’t know if they would be interested in expanding, which isn’t feasible, currently. ”
“That’s a sideline, anyway. We can talk business at a later date, after the important issues have been solved,” Russell said. “When I pondered the puzzle that is you, I hadn’t taken enhancers into consideration, since most of them are weak in comparison to what you have.
“It all makes sense, now. I’ve always had a good gauge for when someone is lying, but you threw me off.
You would look at Heath Halston like a person on a starvation diet presented with a triple fudge sundae, then swear that you aren’t gay.
And you sounded honest,” Russell said. “Clearly, Jace knows, and has since before you arrived.”
“Heath does too, now,” Clarke said. “He and Jace are my mates.”
“Which explains why we’re here, on his property,” Russell guessed. “It’s safe, and private. Congratulations on landing those two, you lucky thing.”
“Thanks. It was a shock, both times, but of the good variety. I’ve been blessed,” Clarke said.
“I’m guessing that they are lurking nearby. If I do anything villainous, I’ll be laid to my eternal rest, and put to use fertilizing the vegetable garden.”
Clarke snorted in amusement. She realized that one of the reasons she liked Russell and felt comfortable with him, was due to his having a sense of humor like her dad’s. He could make her smile even on stressful days.
“Mitch is in considerably more danger of that than you,” she said.
“Yes, he would be. I’m still adjusting to this reality.
But I’ll get there,” Russell said. “The burning question in my mind is, why go to such efforts, and maintain this level of secrecy? Other than Jace, you didn’t know a single person here, and you had a job in your hometown, which is hours away. It has to be something big.”
“We should sit down for this, because yes, it is big, and rather convoluted,” Clarke suggested. “This won’t be a quick explanation.”
They did so, and she told him everything. Russell listened attentively without interruption. He was silent for a solid minute, seeming to be in deep thought, after Clarke finished.
“I’m honored that you trusted me with this, and will help in any way I can,” Russell said eventually, with a serious, concerned expression.
“Now I understand why Heath was so tense at the meeting about the tournament. If students are being targeted at those events, it won’t be easy to ensure their safety, and determine the culprits. ”
“Jace investigated the people whose reactions got your attention. We didn’t know if any of them might be connected to Dad going missing, but hadn’t found any leads on our own with no direction to look in,” Clarke told him.
“You were on target with the maintenance workers, one of whom has a drinking problem, while another is in ill health. He’s still looking into the groundskeeper. Nothing has led to Dad.”
“We can check them both off the list of suspects for all the mysteries, then,” Russell said. “Since I was curious, I made some inquiries. The head groundskeeper is a heavy gambler, explaining his excitement.”
Clarke nodded. “He’ll be betting on the events with inside knowledge of the entrants from Mars and Venus. With all the students and coaches housed here, he’ll have a strong sense of the competition and odds.”
“Exactly,” Russell agreed. “I haven’t heard anything about your dad or this veterinarian.
No one on campus pops into my head as a likely suspect.
Mitch is deranged, but I wouldn’t call him smart or subtle enough to cover his tracks if he’d been involved in a kidnapping.
Whoever this is, knows how to keep his mouth shut, and play the game.
“Can we meet in a few days, or possibly over the weekend? I’d like time to organize my thoughts, and strategize.”
“Let’s aim for the weekend,” Clarke suggested. “We’ll all have more time to plot, and bounce ideas off of each other then. I’ll text a day, place, and time after talking to the guys.”
“Sounds good, but won’t we just meet here again?” Russell asked as he stood from his chair.
“Now that you’re on board, Heath might prefer the main house,” Clarke commented. “But I want to discuss it with him first.”
“That makes sense. Bye Heath, bye Jace. Let the canoodling commence!” Russell declared with a wink and a smirk as he walked to the door.
Clarke rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind him. She hadn’t confirmed that Jace and Heath were here. But Russell was confident they were, and naturally, he was correct. He was incorrigible.
Heath and Jace walked into the house from the garage when Russell’s car turned onto the road.
“I’ve never heard of canoodling,” Jace said. “Is that a naughty word?”
“It’s an old term,” Heath answered. “I think it refers to kissing and cuddling. Russell probably read it in a classical novel. That went well.”
“It did,” Clarke agreed. “I feel good about this.”
“I’m fine with meeting at the house,” Heath said. “Hearing his conversation with you has me seeing Russell from a different perspective. My whiteboard might help organize his thoughts.”
“Saturday or Sunday would be probably be best for all of us,” Jace said. “We can figure out the exact details later.”
“Sounds good,” Clarke said.
Not wanting to be away from the dorms longer than necessary on a weekday, Jace and Clarke didn’t stay much longer. Clarke hugged Heath, and said she’d talk to him soon before walking to the car.
“Russell seems like quite a character,” Jace commented on the drive back to campus.
“That’s indisputable,” Clarke said with a grin. “Russell strikes me as a young, gay version of Dad. That’s probably why I like him so much.”
Jace barked a laugh. “Now that you mention it, I can see it. They have a similar flair for drama. Both are good, thoughtful people. We’ll have to tell Russell to be careful when he noses around. Who knows what these people are capable of?”
“Good point. I wouldn’t want Russell ending up in danger for helping us,” Clarke said.
“He sounds smart enough to be cautious, but it won’t hurt to warn him,” Jace mentioned.
“Have you thought about confiding in Nadine and her husbands? I’ll support whatever you decide.
But, for what it’s worth, I think they are trustworthy.
They helped compile the information Heath had, and are working with him to figure out what the hell is going on. ”
“The more people who know my identity, the greater the risk of exposure,” Clarke said.
“But bonding Heath makes Nadine and her husbands extended family. Since she teaches at Venus, and Roger and Brady work in town, they aren’t suspects.
Even if the strange behavior of local animals and missing students have nothing to do with Dad and Dr. Prentis, this is much more complicated than any of us originally realized.
So, yeah. I think I’ll bring them in on this. ”
Clarke wouldn’t put a strain on Heath’s relationship with his family if she could avoid it. She was nervous to reveal herself to yet more people here. With Heath’s sister and her mates, however, the risk should be minimal.
“As you said, they aren’t suspects, and could be a lot of help,” Jace said. “Can I text Heath that he doesn’t have to hide from his family anymore?”
“Yeah, go ahead,” she said.
Remembering Heath’s hilarious reenactment of Nadine’s fear-inducing interrogation had her smiling again. Jace nodded, and began texting, with a mischievous smirk.
“What are you up to?” Clarke asked.
For weeks, Jace had been in a constant state of protective concern and fury, mixed with his worry for her dad, until Mitch was ousted from campus. It was nice to see him in a good mood.
“Just giving Heath a taste of his own medicine. Turnabout’s fair play,” Jace said cryptically. “Check your phone when you park.”
“Ok.”
Now she was curious. The moment she was parked behind the shifter dorm, Clarke lifted her phone, seeing that the group chat had been updated. Heath had been changed from Wizard to Triple Fudge Sundae. Giggles erupted from her.
“I love it,” she said.
She also loved that Jace wasn’t jealous, knowing that she found Heath desirable. They grinned like cohorts in crime.
“Heath is TFS now whether he likes it or not,” Jace said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. “I’m going to make sure it sticks.”
Her phone chimed, showing a message from Heath, saying that he was proud to be her triple fudge sundae, and would happily answer to the moniker. He was also relieved that he could be honest with Nadine and her mates, thanking Clarke for that.
Clarke’s tummy was fluttering, and she couldn’t stop smiling. She replied with heart emojis.
“It’s so good to see you happy,” Jace said seriously. “I like that Heath put that look on your face, and hope we see it more often soon. Love you, Primrose.”
“Love you, too, 007,” she replied, and blew him a kiss as Jace stepped out of the car.
With a sigh, she drove to the powered dorm and parked. The worst thing about bonding two mates in this situation was her inability to spend much time alone with them. Winter break seemed far away, but at least they would have more freedom then, even if they hadn’t found her dad at that point.