Outfoxed

  Outfoxed

  A Furred, Feathered, and Fanged novelette

  J. R. Burnett

  Published by J. R. Burnett at Smashwords

  Copyright 2016 J. R. Burnett

  Cover designed by Deranged Doctor Designs

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Chapter 1

  "What do you mean it was an accident?" Alex asked. The door he leaned against shook in its frame. Glass broke somewhere on the other side.

  "I'm serious," a dark complected man cowering against the wall of the small outbuilding said. "My sleeping draught boiled over, so I opened the door to let the shop air out a little. Rama wandered in and apparently got into the enlargement potion cooling on the counter."

  "What were you doing making an enlargement potion anyway? They’re restricted." The door shuddered, more violently this time, and Alex pressed harder against the wood. Enlargement potions were regulated for a very good reason….

  "There's a bit of a loop hole,” the Apothecary said, his voice trembling almost as much as his hands.

  "What kind of loophole?” Alex asked.

  A sly smile spread across the man’s face and he pointed downwards. Alex felt his cheeks start to burn. Seriously. By now he should know better than to ask.

  "Your best seller, I’m sure," Jamie said.

  Alex looked up at his partner’s voice. Jamie stood just inside the gate, a huge smile on her face. Apparently she’d been there a while.

  The Apothecary’s grin widened. "I can barely keep it in stock."

  "This isn't funny," Alex said.

  Jamie snickered. "Yes, it is. At least Rama didn't get the finished product."

  "I think I might have preferred that," Alex muttered. “You could at least help me hold the door shut.”

  “Mike and I are saving our energy in case that thing escapes.” Jamie crossed her arms, leaning back against the fence. “Well, I am at least. Mike’s off marking his territory.”

  Sighing, Alex turned to the Apothecary. The man had shifted several more feet along the side of the building, ready to make a break for it. "How long do you think the potion will take to wear off?" Alex asked.

  The man shrugged. "An hour. Maybe."

  Alex glanced at his watch. They’d been here at least half that and the noise inside the building had deceased considerably. "I'm going to take a look."

  "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jamie asked.

  "Are any of my ideas ever good?"

  Jamie backed up several steps. "Be careful."

  The hinges groaned as Alex eased the door open a few inches. Cauldrons and broken bottles littered the workroom floor, their colorful contents splattered across the tile. Thin tendrils of smoke rose where one spilled potion touched another. Alex wrinkled his nose at the pungent chemical smell that filled the room. Nothing moved.

  "I think the coast is clear," Alex said, pulling the door all the way open and stepping into the room. A ten foot tall peacock stared back at him. "Or not."

  The bird cocked its head to the side, glaring at him with an eye as big as a dinner plate. A cluster of iridescent feathers, each as long as Alex's arm, crowned its head. "Easy, Rama," Alex said, stretching his arm out behind him towards the door. His fingers groped at air. "Everything's going to be fine. Just hang in there a little longer and you'll be back to normal. That's a good peacock."

  The bird bobbed its head, turquoise feathers glinting in the sun that came through the open door. Keeping an eye on its sharp beak, Alex backed up, fingers still searching. Rama honked and shuffled forward after him. Alex’s fingers touched wood and he jumped to the side, slamming the door shut. "Not a good idea."

  Before he had a chance to catch his breath, Alex's cell phone rang. The number on the display didn’t surprise him. "Looks like it’s going to be one of those days," he said to Jamie.

  "Hey, Alex," a woman said on the other end of the line. "How's your morning going?"

  Alex tried not to grumble as he recognized the voice. Susan. She was bad news...the afterhours albatross of dispatch. Something shattered inside the building. "Wonderful, as usual."

  "I needed to talk to you before I left. The incident report is on your desk, but I thought you might want to check it out this morning."

  "Check what out?" Alex asked, hoping she couldn't hear him grinding his teeth in frustration.

  "I intercepted a 911 call last night. Some woman out near 15th and Harvard claims that a horse jumped over her back fence."

  "That's not far from the fairgrounds. Someone's pony probably went walkabout overnight."

  "She said its mane and tail were on fire."

  Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Because a ten foot peacock wasn't bad enough, now he had to track down a Nightmare. "Text me the address, would you? We'll head there next."

  ***

  "Right over here," the woman said, waddling across her yard.

  Alex eyed her choice of pink Hello Kitty pajama bottoms topped with a threadbare NRA t-shirt and tried not to judge her. Lack of fashion sense wasn't a crime. Though it probably should be.

  "It came over the fence, eyes as mean as a snake, and its hair on fire. I couldn’t see much of the man riding it, but...."

  "There was a man riding the horse?" Alex asked.

  "That's what I said, isn't it? If you'd let me finish, I ain't even gotten to the dogs yet."

  "Dogs?"

  "You think I'm crazy, don't you?" the woman asked. She glared at him, as if daring him to agree. "Those other cops called me crazy."

  Alex swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and surveyed the trampled grass around him. Several large divots had been gouged out of the earth. “No, I don’t think you’re crazy.” He knelt down and pressed his fingers into a paw print as big as his fist. Only one dog could keep up with a Nightmare….

  "Hey, Jamie, bring Mike over here, would ya'?" Alex called over his shoulder.

  "Anything good?" Jamie asked.

  "Maybe." Alex glanced at Hello Kitty woman. She'd lit a cigarette and was puffing away, oblivious to the wolf that had entered her backyard. Alex slipped the collar from around Mike's neck and his four-legged partner trotted off, nose to the ground.

  "Looks like a mob came through here," Jamie said.

  Nodding, Alex looked up at the woman again. She'd pulled out her cell phone and pecked at the screen with one finger, cigarette still dangling from her lips. "At least one Nightmare," he whispered. "And a pack of Hellhounds."

  Mike barked at a line of rosebushes that looked like they hadn't seen garden sheers in years. Alex crossed the yard, not sure he wanted to know what held Mike’s interest. Crouching down, he plucked a tuft of black hair from a thorny stem.

  "It's a Hunt." Alex said, pocketing the hair. "And I have a good idea what they're after."

  Chapter 2

  Gravel crunched under the animal control truck’s tires as Alex turned off the highway. Mike's ears twitched at the sound and he leapt up, climbing into Jamie's lap to peer out the passenger side window.

  "I think you need to go on a diet," Jamie said, trying to shove Mike back into his seat.

  Mike ignored her, whining at the view outside the window instead.

  "Can't you teach him some manners?" Jamie asked.

  "He doesn't listen to me any better than you do." Alex parked behind a shiny, new pick
up and opened his door. Mike scrambled across the seat, jumping out before Alex could unbuckle his seat belt. "Don't chase the horses," Alex yelled after him. "I might let Don shoot you this time."

  "I don't see Don shooting a dog. Even one chasing his horses," Jamie said.

  "Not with live ammo, but he does keep a paintball gun around for that purpose.”

  "Speak of the devil," Don said, stepping out of the nearest barn. "I was just saying last night that you hadn't been by in a few days." Don nodded towards Jamie. "Good to see you, Miss Jamie. I take it this isn't a social call."

  "Wish it was. Got a few minutes?" Alex asked.

  "Of course." Don leaned the manure fork in his hand up against the fence and stripped off his leather gloves. "What ya’ after?"

  Alex dug the tuft of fur out of his pocket and handed it to Don.

  "Been a while since I’ve seen a kitsune around these parts. It’s a long ways from home,” Don said.

  Alex nodded. "And with a Hunt after it.”

  “Nothing’s ever easy.” Don motioned towards the house.

  Mike and two spotted dogs ran up onto the porch and through the door as Don opened it. "Not on the couch, Mike," Don said. "Dustin will have your hide if he finds hair on it."

  “How is Dustin?” Alex asked.

  “He’s doing alright.”

  Alex started to say something else, but then thought better of it. If Don didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t push it. At least not with Jamie around.

  "Come on back to my office," Don said, leading them down the hallway.

  Layers of paper maps held up by thumbtacks covered the office walls and bound books of maps were stacked in leaning towers over nearly every available foot of floor space. Curling map edges peered out from the partially open desk drawers. There were big yellowed maps held together with pieces of tape and brightly colored maps from various highway rest stops. Most of the labels appeared to be in English, but Alex could see a couple in French and Spanish as well. Arabic script covered one small worn map on top of the desk.

  Alex carefully worked his way along a narrow path through the clutter and found a safe place in the corner. He caught Jamie's eye across the room. She was pressed up against the wall, her shoulders hunched over and a huge smile on her face as she held back her laughter. Alex couldn’t blame her. It was more than a bit comical. Dustin kept the rest of the house and the barns to a meticulous OCD inspired standard of cleanliness, but even he didn’t dare step foot in Don’s office.

  "How far do you think it got?" Don asked.

  "Not very. It was down by the Fairgrounds early this morning and I'm sure it went to ground as soon as the sun came up," Alex said.

  Don slowly circled in place, considering the maps around him. Not finding what he was looking for on the first pass, he circled twice more.

  Alex could see Jamie starting to fidget and he felt for her. The maps pressing in from every side made him twitchy as well, but at least he had known what he was getting into. He’d forgotten that this was her first time in Don’s office. Maybe he should have warned her. The overcrowded space could trigger anyone’s claustrophobia.

  "Can I help you find something?" Jamie asked.

  Don didn't seem to hear her. He stepped through the maze of maps and opened the closet door. Alex flinched, expecting an avalanche, but amazingly nothing came tumbling out. Don reached in and pulled out a large leather cylinder nearly as tall as himself. "Clear some space on the floor, would you?"

  Alex helped Jamie pile the books up against the walls. The skin of his fingers tingled as he picked up a particularly hefty volume bound in simple brown leather. Alex opened the book, randomly flipping through the velum pages. The words were in a language he didn’t recognize. He stopped at a detailed drawing of a stepped pyramid surrounded by lush, tropical forest. The ink had faded with time, but at the bottom of the picture he could just make out a person, or at least what was left of one. Body parts stewed in a pool of dark blood. Alex ran his hand across the red pigment and it flaked off in rust colored pieces on the tips of his fingers. A cold shiver ran down his spine. "A little light reading?"

  Don took the book from him and put it away in a desk drawer. "Project for a private client."

  "Someone I should know about?"

  "No."

  From the cylindrical case, Don took a large map and unrolled it in the center of the room.

  "Wow," Jamie said, crouching down. Alex nodded in agreement. Don had shown him this particular masterpiece before, but it was no less impressive than the first time he’d seen it. Made out of thick parchment, the entire city of Tulsa had been hand-painted across the map’s surface in incredible detail. Each tree in its place and each street precisely labelled in neat letters. "Who made this? It's incredible."

  Don shook his head. "I'm not sure its creators would be pleased with me if I named them."

  Jamie reached out towards the parchment. Alex started to say something, but Don got there first. The Seeker caught Jamie’s wrist in his hand. “Please don’t.”

  “Sorry, it’s just….” Jamie hesitated, her eyes darting back and forth as she searched the map. “The whole thing looks old. Really old. But….” Being careful not to touch, Jamie pointed at several orange markers. “That’s not far from my house and the construction only started a few days ago.”

  Smiling, Don looked up at Alex. “Did I ever tell you how much I like your new partner?”

  “She’s not so new anymore,” Alex said.

  Holding the tuft of black hair in one hand, Don touched the image of the fairgrounds with the other. He swept his fingers back and forth across the surface of the map. After a few minutes, he reset his hand and repeated the motion. The muscles in Alex's neck knotted tighter with each repetition. Don never took this long to locate what he was searching for.

  "That's one wily fox you're after."

  Alex jumped at the sound of Dustin's voice. He turned around to find the Empath standing in the doorway, watching Don work. Dustin’s jeans and t-shirt hung off his frame. He couldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. By this time of the year, Dustin had usually tanned to a dark mahogany. Today his skin had taken on a waxy, anemic look with dark circles pooling under his eyes. Grey strands streaked his long black hair. Alex chewed his lower lip, forcing himself not to say anything. It wasn’t the time nor the place, but….

  "I suppose that's why it's still alive," Alex said finally.

  "It's not a fox," Jamie added. "It's a kitsune."

  Confusion clouded Dustin's eyes as if he had only now noticed Jamie's presence and struggled to place his memory of her.

  "You're supposed to be resting," Don said, getting up from the floor.

  "I could hear Mike blanketing the couch with his fur," Dustin said. "I think I will walk down to the barn and see the foals. I could use some fresh air." Nodding towards Jamie and then Alex, Dustin turned and left. The screen door banged shut behind him.

  "Don....”

  "Don't you start, Alex."

  "I've stayed out of it long enough,” Alex said. “He's my friend too."

  "I have it under control. He’s taking time off work and I have a Healer friend coming to stay for a while. We'll be fine. Here." Don handed Alex a piece of paper with several street names written on them.

  "It’s like ten square blocks," Alex said.

  Don shrugged and started to roll up the map. “Best I got for you today.”

  Chapter 3

  Alex’s eyelids drooped and he blinked several times trying to clear his blurry vision. Surely it would be okay to close them for just a second…. Alex jerked awake as his chin touched his chest. He was getting too old for this shit. Night stakeouts were for the young and gullible.

  Jamie slept curled up in the truck’s passenger seat, head resting against the window. Her hair had mostly escaped the confines of her ponytail holder and stuck out in a million different angles. She’d be mortified when she woke. Jamie liked her hair sleek and
bound into submission. Alex smiled, resisting the urge to reach out and smooth it back into place. She’d probably break his arm before she was fully awake.

  Mike had taken up what space was left. His long body stretched out over the seat and his head rested in Jamie’s lap.

  "You awake, Mike?"

  A hairy ear twitched. Mike always had managed to be the one to stay awake when they worked nights.

  Something buzzed and Alex reached instinctively to the phone at his hip. It lay dormant in its holder. The buzzing continued and Alex looked to the colored stones lined up across the dashboard. A pale blue light emanated from one as it jittered back and forth like a drunk, phosphorescent June bug.

  "Hey, wake up." Alex reached across and tapped Jamie on the shoulder. "We've got something."

  Jamie stirred, stretching as much as the cramped seat would allow. "Probably another tom cat." Her words slurred with sleep and she lay her head back down on the door frame.

  "Maybe, but we have to check it out." Alex flicked on the overhead light and Jamie groaned. "You're not quite as chipper in the middle of the night."

  Jamie glared at him. "Bite me. What color?"

  "Blue."

  Checking some scribbled notes on the back of a napkin, Jamie pointed straight ahead out the windshield. "Two blocks that way."

  Though it was another week before summer officially started, Alex’s shirt clung to his skin before they’d made it half a block. Humidity hung heavy around them even in the middle of the night. Summer was going to be brutal.

  “That map at Don’s place…,” Jamie said as they walked.

  Alex sighed. Of course she had questions about the map. Anyone would. Problem was, the information wasn’t his to share. “It’s a map of the Center of the Universe.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jamie laughed. “The Center of the Universe is a cheesy roadside attraction. Like the Blue Whale…or the largest ball of twine…or Cadillac Ranch….