Chapter 24

The four men sat in the van for a few minutes trying to catch their breath. Dade pulled the scarf from his face. “Next time we ask Leena to create cover can we ask her to direct it away from us?”

Chris nodded. “If Dex hadn’t grabbed me, I think I may have blown away.”

Steven lay back in the seat panting. “I swear we went around the block to get here.”

Dexter took off his hat and looked at Dade. “Starting the van would make it produce heat faster.”

Dade nodded. “How cold is it out there? My ass is numb.”

Dexter shrugged. “Too cold is my guess.”

Chris opened his coat from his throat. “You pick up anything on the way here?”

“Other than hypothermia, no.” Dexter rubbed his hands together and looked out the window.

“Let’s go then.” He nodded to Dade.

Steven read the list again and shook his head. “I have no idea what Kasey is asking for on this Chris, I can’t read her writing and you all say doctors can’t write legibly. Rid bug gun slones? Tepid dig?” He grinned. “I think the last one is code for warm dirt.” He handed him the list.

Chris took it and looked at it for a minute using the light from his cell phone. Steven smirked at him with an ‘I told you so’ look.

Chris grinned at him. “That’s red bag of gem stones, laptop, and dog, as in our puppy that has probably eaten its way out of the house by now. It’s probably a good thing she bought a giant feeder and water dispenser, or I’d have to charge myself with animal abuse. I only hope the spell to keep him in one area held this long.”

Dexter took the list. “We’re bringing pets back?”

Dade nodded. “Good thing the only pet any of us have is that puppy huh?”

Dexter nodded and looked at the list again. He looked up at them. “We’re going to need a tractor trailer for all of this.”

Steven scratched his head in thought. “Well I’m thinking we’ll take the most important and tell them we couldn’t find the rest or something.”

Dade laughed. “Yeah, because I want to go back to Cora and admit to her I have no idea where anything is.”

Steven frowned. “You have a point.”

Chris took the list back from Dexter and studied it. “Who put Yule tree on here?” He looked at all of them. “They want us to go hack down a tree and sneak it back?” He unzipped his coat further. “Whose handwriting is this?” He handed the list back up to Steven.

Steven studied it and then held it over where Dade could see it. “Do you know?” He glanced at it twice then back to the road and shook his head.

Dexter reached up and took the list and looked at it again. “It doesn’t match anyone’s on here.”

Dade looked at him in the rearview mirror. “Right, so the spirit living with the sixteen of us wants a tree.” His voice trailed off at the end and he glanced back in the mirror at Dexter and Chris then back over to Steven. The other three men all had the same look on their face. He cleared his throat. “So, anyone know where we can get a tree?”

Steven pointed. “I think we’re coming up to where Justin and Gwen live.” He looked around. “I never realized they lived this close to all of us.”

Chris shook his head. “They actually just moved here from about fifty miles south.” They looked at him. “What? Being in each other’s face the last few days I had to do something but sit there and wish I wasn’t.” He glanced at Dexter as they pulled up outside the cottage type home. “Any feelings we should know about?”

Dexter looked around for a moment. “Other than not wanting to get cold again? None.”

Dade turned off the van. “We’ll take turns sitting outside waiting, what’s on the list for this stop?”

Chris read down it. “Any clothes we can grab, yellow ritual bag and bags for Yule by door.”

Steven zipped up his coat. “An easy first stop.” He looked at Dade. “You sit this one out.”

An hour later they pulled up outside Chris’s place. Dade turned off the van. “Well Kevin was the easiest so far.”

Steven nodded. “I still can’t believe Kevin’s place is so damn clean. He’s a bachelor, what’s wrong with him?”

Chris laughed. “Bachelor is not a synonym for messy slob.”

Dexter frowned. “I still don’t understand Jean, the duffle bag from the trunk of her car, nothing from house. There were lights on in her house, did anyone notice that?”

Dade shrugged. “Maybe she shares the house with a roommate and didn’t want us freaking them out.”

Dexter sighed. “Maybe.” He looked around. “No bad feelings here either.” He looked at Chris. “Your house is more like a mansion.”

Chris grinned. “Gives Kassandra more room to run.” He pulled up his hood. “Now to go see what kind of damage Corbus has done.”

Dexter raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Corbus?”

Chris shrugged. “I didn’t name him.”

Dade laughed. “I’ll sit watch, just hurry it up, messes can be cleaned up later.” He picked up the cell phone. “I’ll call Cora and tell her we’re halfway done.”

Dade slowed the van as they neared his house. “Chris, you have to keep Corbus from trying to run under my legs while I’m driving.”

Chris leaned down and scooped the ‘mix of every breed’ puppy up. “I’m trying. He’s a little excited to see people right now.”

Dexter looked out the window quickly. “Don’t pull in your driveway, keep going by it.”

Everyone immediately straightened and looked around.

Chris held the puppy tight against him to keep him still. “You picked up on something?”

Dexter nodded and kept looking around. He still had the feelings when they passed Dade and Cora’s. “Go to the end and come back again.”

Dade nodded and concentrated on not sliding through the intersection. He went around the corner and then pulled into the nearest driveway and turned around. “Let me know, man.”

Dexter nodded. “Stop a few doors down and let me out.”

Steven spun his head around and looked at him. “Let you out?”

Dexter nodded and pulled his hat down. “I can get closer to the house on foot than we can in a van.”

Steven shrugged. “But how safe is that?”

Dexter grinned. “Safe. You do the doctor thing, this is my thing.” Steven just looked at him for a moment then turned back to watch out the window.

The three sat in the van and watched Dexter disappear. Dade leaned over and whispered. “How is he able to move and not be seen?”

Steven shrugged and continued look. “I think he’s behind that tree…” He shook his head. “Or maybe not.”

Then Dexter popped up beside Dade’s window and Dade almost jumped into the seat with Steven and Corbus, who barked excitedly.

“Holy hell.” He took a deep breath. “Shit, you just scared me half to death.”

Dexter grinned as Dade rolled the window down a few inches. “Not sure what I was getting but it’s gone. Bring the van into the driveway now, and let’s get this done.”

Chris held the dog out to Steven. “Your turn to stay behind.”

With eyes wide he took the puppy. “Well at least I have the killer dog to watch over me.” The multi-colored animal squirmed in his arms and began licking his chin. “Oh yeah, he’ll slime any intruders to death.”

“We got the whole list?” Dade said surprised.

Chris nodded and looked down at it. “Except the tree.”

The other men turned and looked at him. Steven shrugged. “Where are we going to get a tree? Does anyone have a saw in their pocket?”

Dade grinned. “I know just the place.” He backed the van out and headed away from the street his old house was on.

A few minutes later he pulled up outside a fenced in area in the middle of town.

Steven looked at him. “You want us to hop a fence and steal a tree from the charity selling precut trees?” He glanced at Chris. “Breaking into our own homes is one thing…”

Chris held up a hand. “We’ll pay for it.” He zipped up his coat and shook his head. “And why would we physically hop over the fence?”

Steven smirked. “Oh yeah, right.” He shrugged and handed the puppy to Dexter and zipped up his coat.

Dexter tried to keep the dog from licking him, with no success. “What are they just planning on levitating a tree over the fence, where anyone can see it?”

Dade grinned. “Probably.”

They both turned to watch. A wind suddenly began swirling the snow around the fenced in area, creating a cone of snow blowing up over the fence and area around the trees.

Steven brought his hands back down and grinned as Chris stood there holding a tree wrapped in cord when the snow settled back on the ground.

Chris turned and flicked his hand a few times and something floated over to the stand inside the small yard of trees.

Dade hopped out and helped tie the tree to the roof of the van. He grinned at Chris. “How much did we pay for our tree?”

Chris shrugged. “Enough.”

They sat looking down the block where the cruiser sat outside the house. “Now what?” Dade looked at Chris in the mirror. “I really, really don’t feel like hiking this stuff to the house from the lot in Leena’s hurricane force winds.”

Chris rubbed his jaw. “I’m not up to doing that again either.”

Steven opened his cell phone and hit a button. “Hey, angel.”

“Doc, where are you?”

He grinned. “All done, but not wanting to lug it all through Leena’s storm to the house, any ideas?”

She paused. “Just a sec and I’ll ask around.”

“I’ll be here.” He could hear the muffled sound of voices on the other end.

“So how much trouble will we get in if you just pulled in the drive and unloaded the van?”

He knew she was grinning on the other end. “I really don’t know. I have no problems with pulling in and unloading. What does Patrick say?”

She laughed. “Well he’s figuring when the Captain comes by later, he’s going to notice the stuff and a dog and will be irritated anyway.”

Steven grinned. “Well good then, he can be irritated along with us.” Dade waved his hand at him. “Hang on.” Steven lowered the phone and looked at him.

“I have a problem with possibly being shot by the guards who have been told no visitors.” He looked around at the others who nodded.

Steven opened his mouth then closed it. He scowled into the phone again. “Dade just pointed out…”

“Caught it.” He could hear her relaying the question to Patrick. He heard Patrick laugh. “Patrick says he’ll talk to them, just keep the flash to a minimum so he doesn’t have fainting cops on his hands.”

“See you shortly.” He grinned. “Oh, and tell Owen and Kevin to get their asses out here to help us.”

“Okay.”

They went around the corner and pulled past the car that was sitting at the end of the driveway. The two officers were climbing out of their car, and they didn’t look happy. The fact that four men got out of the house unnoticed probably didn’t help. The larger of the two was talking on the radio attached to his shoulder, while the other stood facing away from the house with his hand on his holster. Dexter nodded to them and took his place standing by the van, looking around the yard as the other three climbed out.

Kevin and Owen came out quickly, and headed straight to the back to unload it. Chris moved quickly to the house with Corbus, where Kasey waited in the doorway.

When Dade carried the tree in Cora met him beside the open door with what looked like a basket and thermos. She smiled and shrugged. “I figured they wouldn’t be quite as mad if I sent them a little something to eat.”

He took it with a laugh. “If your food doesn’t do the trick, nothing is going to, love.” He winked at her and went back out into the cold once more.

Corbus ran around and around the living room, unable to decide what or who he should jump on first. His tail wagged so hard it threw him off balance. Gwen knelt and ruffled his fur. “A tree and a sociable creature are just what we need to make the best of this situation.”

Chris laughed. “You won’t think that when he decides he needs to be sociable at three in the morning.”

Gwen winked at him. “It’s just good practice for you before fatherhood.”

Chris pouted and looked over at Kasey who was helping to move the tree around, or rather watching as Justin and Owen moved it from one place to the other. Kasey just smiled at him and continued pointing to where they should try next.

The tree had finally found its place by the wall at the bottom of the stairs when there was a knock at the door. Dexter was immediately out of the kitchen and striding to the door. He glanced at Patrick. “Bets on who is on the other side?”

Patrick leaned against the kitchen door. “No need when we’d both bet the same.” He sighed. “Let the Captain in.”

Dexter hesitated. “The vibes he’s giving off aren’t good.”

Patrick laughed. “Oh, I know and I can’t even sense it.”

Dexter didn’t even have the door closed before the Captain zeroed in on Patrick. “Are all of you insane? I’m fighting red tape up to my ass…” Gwen raised an eyebrow at him. “Sorry.” He turned back to Patrick. “To keep all of you alive and breathing while exhausting every lead I have so…”

Tara came down the hallway brushing her long red hair. “Oh Captain, let me take your coat. You’ll get sick if you wear it in here and back out into the cold.”

He closed his mouth and smiled politely. “That’s very true.” He took off the jacket and handed it to her. “Thank you, my dear.” She smiled and walked to the closet. He turned his head quickly back to Patrick and frowned. “I can’t…”

Cora walked over and held out a cup. “Fresh eggnog, Captain?”

He took the cup. “Thank you, Miss Avery.” He smiled at her then turned to Dexter. “And you. You know better than to be traipsing around collecting…”

Kasey bounced over to him and held out a key chain. “I want you to have this Captain Bentley. It’s to say thank you but the stone is also very soothing.” She smiled up at him.

He looked at the key chain then to the huge green eyes. Reaching over he took it from her. “Thank you very much, Mrs. Larkin…”

“Oh, Kasey will do.”

He smiled. “Kasey then. Thank you for the thought.”

“No problem.”

She practically ran over to her husband’s waiting arms. He smiled back at her. A smile like that was contagious, he thought.

Captain Bentley turned back to Patrick with a cup in one hand and the key chain hanging from the other. “Detective, could I have…” He looked down at the cute puppy sitting right at his feet looking up at him with the biggest brown eyes he’d ever seen. The tiny body shook with each quick wag of the short tail, causing its whole body to rock gently. He sighed. “You should have told me you had pets left unattended all this time. I would have gone and collected them for you.” He glanced over at Patrick. “Are there more?”

Patrick shook his head and tried not to smirk.

Leena walked over and knelt to pick up Corbus. “He’s so happy he was rescued.” She nuzzled her nose into his fur. “Poor baby.” The Captain stood there and looked at the beautiful woman cuddling the tiny creature.

Rachel sauntered from the kitchen in only a way she could.

“Captain Bentley, how wonderful to see you.” She stopped a few feet from him and gave him her sexy smile. He smiled back just as she pouted. “You look exhausted. Why don’t you come into the kitchen and sample some of Cora’s baking and rest for a short while?” She smiled and held out her hand.

Kevin hissed and picked up a magazine suddenly, trying to stop himself from laughing out loud. Poor man didn’t stand a chance.

Captain Bentley took her extended hand and allowed himself to be led to the kitchen. “Oh well, I would love to my dear.”

As they passed Patrick he looked over and gave him a defeated look. “And you, Detective, will join me and explain how your friends managed to sneak past my handpicked men.”

Patrick nodded and laughed as he turned to follow them. “It will be one of those accounts you will find captivating, sir.”

Dexter watched them go into the kitchen then turned and looked around at the others. Blowing out a breath he shook his head. “I am so glad we are on the same side.”