Every Picture Tells A Fury (Federal Bureau of Magic Cozy Mystery Book 8) Read online

  Every Picture Tells A Fury

  Federal Bureau of Magic cozy mystery, Book 8

  Annabel Chase

  Red Palm Press LLC

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter One

  The sun hadn’t quite breached the horizon as I made my way to Davenport Park to meet my assistant Neville for a training session. I parked in my usual spot and dragged myself along the path beside the Susquehanna River. I should’ve made a cup of coffee before I left the barn, but I was still figuring out how to use all my new appliances and didn’t want to keep Neville waiting. The whole reason he agreed to meet me so early was because I had a furniture delivery scheduled for nine and needed to get home.

  The park was still blanketed in semi-darkness when I heard a shuffling sound behind me. I paused mid-step and listened. Blades of grass rustled as a gentle breeze blew past. When the hairs on the back of my neck pricked, I knew I sensed more than the wind. I needed some kind of demon early warning system, like tornado chasers use for detecting developing tornadoes. Neville was a gadget-making wizard—the Q to my Bond. I made a mental note to make the suggestion.

  The shuffling sound started again and inwardly I groaned. It was too early to fight demons in the wild.

  I whipped around to confront my would-be attacker. “I haven’t had my caffeine yet, so you picked the wrong time to mess with me.” I squinted at the short silhouette behind me. “Grandma?”

  “Eden?” Sure enough, my grandmother peered at me over the top of her phone.

  I heaved a sigh. “Are you stalking me?”

  Grandma grimaced. “And here I thought your mother was the narcissist in the family. I’m doing a Little Critters challenge. The park is the best place to pick up water critters because of the river.”

  “What about the bay?” I waved a hand toward the Chesapeake Bay behind her.

  “Too many early morning joggers. The park is better.”

  “It’s a little early for games, don’t you think? Or are you that addicted?”

  “You think I’m setting an alarm or something? I’m awake before the sun comes up, toots. I might as well keep busy.” She eyed me closely. “I would think you of all people would support me keeping busy with harmless activities.”

  That was true. Grandma’s idle hands were, indeed, the devil’s playthings.

  “The question is—what are you doing here before sunrise? A little morning glory?”

  “I’m meeting Neville,” I said.

  She frowned. “That pudgy wizard? I know you have your father’s looks, Eden, but you can do better than that.”

  I rolled my eyes. “For work, Grandma. Not for a romantic roll in the grass.”

  “Thank Nyx for that. I know you set the bar low with that Tanner Hughes, but at least he was a good-looking kid.”

  “You only disliked Tanner because he was human.”

  “Exactly. Like I said, low bar.”

  I resisted the urge to reveal that I knew about the hex they’d placed on Tanner back in high school—the one that made him cheat with Sassy Persimmons and ultimately caused our breakup. I’d learned this nugget from Aunt Thora and had been sitting on it, unwilling to open that Pandora’s Box until I was ready to handle the inevitable fallout.

  “Neville and I are going to be doing training exercises here, so you might want to take your game elsewhere.”

  “Are you worried I’ll get in your way or that I’ll take down any demons faster than you can manage it?” She lifted her chin, challenging me.

  “I know you’re very powerful, Grandma. We don’t need a demonstration.” Grandma, along with my mother and Aunt Thora, are witches who lean more toward the evil end of the scale. I somehow escaped being a member of their coven, but only because I was saddled with tougher DNA.

  “What’s the matter, fury? Afraid of getting schooled by an old crone like me?”

  My own grandmother was goading me. What a terrific start to the day. “I just need to get through this exercise so Neville and I can tick the box and say it’s done.” As an agent for the Federal Bureau of Magic, I’m required to complete all the training exercises listed in the manual, which Neville faithfully follows.

  Grandma surprised me by tucking away her phone. “What if I observe in silence?”

  I laughed. “You wouldn’t know how to be quiet if you were hexed with a mute spell.”

  “Come on, Eden. Humor an old woman. I never get to see you doing what you love.”

  “It isn’t what I love, remember? If I’d wanted to be an FBM agent, I would have trained with them instead of the FBI.” I’d avoided using my powers for most of my life until the moment when I accidentally revealed myself as a supernatural and the FBI sent me packing to take over the FBM office in my hometown of Chipping Cheddar, a place I’d longed to escape, along with my fury traits.

  “You get to be a hero and catch villains like you wanted. Who cares whether they’re human or supernatural?”

  The sound of barking dogs drew my attention to the top of the hill. “I need to get moving. I have an appointment later and I can’t be late.” I started forward and realized Grandma was trailing behind me. “I said no, Grandma. Please respect that.”

  “And I’m your elder. Respect that.”

  I turned with a huff and veered away from the river to where Neville awaited me. It was then that I realized the barking dogs were with him.

  “Really, Neville? A dog entourage?” I regarded my assistant with a critical eye. “I’m a little shaky on the logic. Why did I have to leave Princess Buttercup at home if you were bringing an entire kennel with you?”

  Neville cast an adoring look at the three mixed breeds. “You seem to forget that Princess Buttercup is not actually a Great Dane. A hellhound would frighten my trio to their vulnerable cores.”

  “I think watching me pummel you with fury powers might have a similar effect.”

  “I’m fostering and I can’t leave them home alone or they’ll wreak havoc on my furniture.” He glanced over my shoulder. “It seems you brought your own entourage.”

  I knew without looking that my grandmother had disregarded my request. “She’s not with me. She’s an interloper. Feel free to exterminate.”

  “I heard that,” Grandma called. At least she was maintaining a reasonable distance.

  “Since when are you interested in fostering animals anyway?” That was Chief Fox’s domain. Chief of Police Sawyer Fox had increased his popularity tenfold when he started patrolling with rescues available for adoption. It didn’t hurt that he looked as hot in a uniform as Magic Mike looked in a G-string.

  “It’s the best of both worlds,” Neville said. “I have adequate bait to lure in members of the opposite sex and the dogs receive the care they need until they find their forever homes. Everyone’s a winner.”

  I shook my head with a rueful smile. “You’re using these dogs as chick magnets?”

  “You make it sound like I’m a canine-hoarding Lothario.”

  “If the leash fits.”

  Neville’s gaze lowered. “I thought it was a splendid idea. T
he dogs certainly seem happy with the arrangement. I’m providing walks and back scratches.”

  I looked at the dogs now sprawled in the grass as the first beams of sunlight reached us. “I guess you have a point. Don’t you think one dog at a time makes more sense though?”

  “That was my intention, but these three are siblings that didn’t want to be separated.”

  I scrutinized the trio. “They’re siblings?” With their different colors and features, they didn’t appear related. The first looked like a boxer mix, the middle one resembled a hairless cat, and the third one looked like Hervé Villechaize.

  “They were found together as part of the same litter. I didn’t request a blood test to confirm.”

  “Any takers?”

  “Not yet,” Neville said. “I need to parade them around more.”

  “I meant for you.”

  He cleared his throat. “As I said, I need to parade them around more.”

  “Well then, let’s get this training show on the road so you can wander around town and land yourself some lady eye.”

  Grandma cackled as she resumed her game. “An eye is about as much as he’s going to get.”

  “She knows I can hear her, right?” Neville asked.

  “She doesn’t care,” Grandma called.

  I shrugged. “She doesn’t care.” I raised my voice. “She said she intends to be a silent observer. She wants to watch her granddaughter in action.”

  Neville tried to disguise his discomfort. “I see. Then I suppose we should get on with it.”

  “Sounds like me on my wedding night.” Grandma released a wicked cackle that startled the dogs and they began to howl in unison.

  “There, there,” Neville said, motioning with his palms flat.

  “That’s how you’re talking to them?” I asked over the din.

  “Zip it,” Grandma snapped and the dogs fell silent.

  I planted my feet hip-width apart and wiggled my fingers at Neville. “Magic me, bro.”

  Neville lifted his wand and made a circle of orange light in the air.

  “You’re not opening any portals, are you?” Grandma asked. “I don’t think you can handle the wrong end of a portal, Eden.”

  “I can assure you it’s not a portal,” Neville said, his eyes still on the circle.

  The orange light began to flicker and morphed into the shape of a winged creature.

  Grandma nearly dropped her phone. “You summoned an Icarus demon? Have you lost your mind?”

  “Grandma, he hasn’t summoned anything—it’s an illusion—but thanks for the identification.” Now that I knew it was an Icarus demon, I could defeat it.

  “No fair,” Neville complained. “I wanted you to use my app.”

  “I would have figured it out,” I said. Eventually. I assessed the fake fiery demon and tried to remember its weaknesses.

  Before I could do anything, a stream of water doused the Icarus demon and the shape dissipated.

  “You have to use water magic,” Grandma said. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.”

  I turned to glare at her. “Grandma, you said you were going to be a silent observer.”

  “I know, but you were too slow. The demon would’ve attacked half the town before you reacted.”

  I sealed my mouth closed to prevent a torrent of curses from passing my lips.

  “Mrs. Pritchard, as Agent Fury mentioned mere moments ago, the demon was only an illusion. I’ve developed a demon app that I’d like her to test, so if you wouldn’t mind keeping your magic to yourself, I would appreciate it.”

  Neville had been tinkering with a phone app that identified demons and their vulnerabilities. He thought an app might help in the heat of battle if I couldn’t remember what I’d learned. Although I’d been an excellent student, I tended to block out supernatural knowledge thanks to years of effort.

  “Some agent,” Grandma scoffed. “More like a deer in headlights.”

  I closed my eyes and counted to five in my head. “Let’s try again.”

  “As you wish, O wondrous one.”

  I cringed. There was no way Grandma would let that pass without comment.

  “You’re humping the wrong leg there, Neville,” Grandma said. “She’s not into you. She told me that on the way here.”

  Sorry, I mouthed to Neville. My assistant was going to demand a raise after this morning.

  As Neville raised his wand, the ground opened up beneath my feet and I pitched forward. I clutched the toughest-looking weeds I could reach and held on for dear life as my legs dangled helplessly. A sense of sadness threatened to overwhelm me, causing my body to feel heavier.

  “Great balls of fury, Neville!” The weeds broke and I clawed at the earth to keep from getting sucked into the void.

  “It wasn’t me.” He shot an accusatory look at my grandmother.

  “Oh, come on,” she said. “You’re a fury not a fur-baby. It’s only a pit of despair. You should be able to climb out with one hand tied behind your back.”

  I was too annoyed to focus. All I wanted to do right now was manipulate a low-hanging branch to knock Grandma in here with me.

  I couldn’t rely on my strength because there was nothing that could anchor me while I pulled up my bottom half. I decided to try what I called the Willy Wonka approach and think positive. I filled my thoughts with happy memories to counteract the bleak magic at work. No surprise that my first image was Chief Fox. I pictured us on his couch cuddled together as we watched a movie. Nothing too salacious—just a brief moment in time that made me deliriously happy. I felt the weight begin to lift so I tried another memory. I conjured the memory of when I first brought Princess Buttercup home with me. The hellhound couldn’t control her acidic saliva and I’d burned through several outfits. Still, the memory was among my happiest.

  I thought I was rising out of the hole when, in fact, the ground beneath me was reforming. A couple more happy thoughts and I was back on solid ground.

  “Well done, Agent Fury,” Neville said. Relief flickered behind his glasses.

  “She’s my grandmother,” I said, dusting off my front. “As I’m sure you can imagine, I have plenty of experience with pits of despair.”

  Grandma missed the barb because she was too intent on her phone. “Yes!” She launched a triumphant fist into the air. “I’ve been trying to catch this one forever. It’s great for battles and I want to trounce that freckle-faced runt from pre-K.”

  “Grandma, please. Can we just work without interruptions?” I tried to focus on Neville. The moment the wizard raised his arm to release the magic target, the dogs began to howl.

  “Trixie, hush,” he said firmly.

  “I don’t think it was a bright idea to bring dogs to a training exercise,” Grandma said.

  “I don’t think it’s such a brilliant idea for an elderly relative to tag along uninvited, yet here we are.”

  I stifled a laugh. Neville rarely got his wand out of whack.

  “This is such a snooze. You might as well do those corporate trust exercises where you fall backward and he catches you. Where are the murder hornets or the land sharks?” She shook her head. “You chose the wrong profession, Eden. You’d get more excitement as a librarian.” She continued to tap her phone as she walked away, muttering to herself.

  Neville waited until she was out of earshot to ask his burning question. “There aren’t really land sharks, are there?”

  Chapter Two

  I made it home from training in time to shower and dress before my furniture arrived. Foster, the owner of Treasure Trove, had coordinated the delivery and showed up in person to tell the handlers where each piece belonged. He’d been instrumental in helping me pull together the barn’s decor so that it felt like home. My mother had desperately wanted to insert herself in the design process, but I’d successfully kept her at arm’s length until everything was completed by promising that she could come to my housewarming party. Of course, I didn’t promise to
actually host one.

  “I think you’ve made some excellent choices here,” Foster said as he surveyed the barn that was now officially my home.

  “That would be a first.” I had to admit, though, I was pleased with my new—old—furniture. Foster had the best antiques in town and I felt fortunate to be able to buy every piece I wanted without a bidding war. For the main living area, I’d purchased a rustic white-washed console table with a sliding barn-style door, a square coffee table with a walnut top and white-washed legs, and a set of brown leather sofas.

  “I really think you need a statement piece for that far wall,” Foster said, gesturing to the empty space between two large windows. “It’s crying out for artwork.”

  “I’ll get Olivia and Ryan right on that.” My niece and nephew would be thrilled to provide an oversized canvas of their popsicle stick and finger-painting talents.

  “You should check out my friend Nari’s gallery. She’s a gifted artist and I’ll bet she has something that matches your style perfectly.”

  “A barn chic painting? Does that mean naked cows with strategically placed fruit?”

  Foster chuckled. “Her gallery is downtown. She has a monthly exhibit with wine and cheese. You should check her schedule for the next event.”

  I perked up. “Free wine and cheese? How have I missed this?”

  “Moyer turns up on occasion. I try to make it each month because it’s a great opportunity to meet new clients.”

  I stared at the blank wall. “You really think she’ll have something appropriate?”

  “I would bet money on it. I don’t think her artwork is for everyone, but based on your purchases, I can almost guarantee her style will appeal to you.”

  I pounded a fist on the console table. “Sold.” My phone burst into song and I cringed when I recognized the screeching music from Psycho.