possibility that I was going to be prosecuted for the various things that I had done. There was also the much smaller possibility that they were just going to make me disappear for being a general nuisance. My gut feeling told me that was unlikely though. If the government ever decided to just pop me, I knew that they would just send Franks.
Myers had requisitioned an office near the courthouse during his stay in Montgomery, and the receptionist pointed me in the correct direction when I got off the elevator. There was a single chair outside the office, and it was occupied by a fidgeting Grant Jefferson.
I paused, waiting.
He stood, adjusting his suit, which was much nicer than mine. He looked a little nervous, which was understandable, despite the fact that I'd had to go through a metal detector in the lobby. 'I wanted to talk to you before your meeting.'
I waited. I didn't really have anything I needed to say to him.
But he apparently felt the need to get something off his chest. 'When you asked me why I came back, I wasn't lying when I answered.' I didn't respond, so he gradually continued. 'I did feel like a failure. I hated knowing what was out there, and I felt like a coward for not fighting anymore. I was bitter. I felt like MHI had let me down, not the other way around. When Myers approached me, I saw a way that I could do the right thing. I could protect people, serve my country.. I saw a way that I could make a real difference.'
A difference? Hiding the truth, killing people who talked too much? All while deluding yourself that you're a hero? 'Why are you telling me this?'
He shook his head. 'I… I don't really know. I just thought you should understand.'
'You done?'
He stuck his hand out to shake. I just glanced down at his waiting hand. It would be a cold day in hell before I accepted his pseudo-apology. Finally, awkwardly, he lowered it back to his side. 'Never mind then.' He brushed past me and walked quickly down the hallway, footfalls echoing on the granite. I put my hand on the doorknob. Grant paused and glanced back. 'One last thing, Pitt.'
I waited.
'Be good to her. She deserves the best.' Then he walked away.
Agent Myers was waiting for me on the other side of a desk. He had a file with my name on it sitting open in front of him. His fingers were steepled together and his elbows were resting on the desk. His cheap suit was wrinkled and I was willing to bet that he hadn't gotten much sleep over the last few days. 'Have a seat.'
I pulled up a chair.
He got right down to business. 'The necromancer is dead. His plot to utilize the Arbmunep weapon, defeated. All of our intel indicates that the Condition is collapsing without him. There are a few splinter groups holding together, and one young woman claiming to be his successor-'
'His daughter, Lucinda.'
'Correct. But we will find her before she causes too much trouble, so don't worry about that. I'm not too worried about a teenager with one hand and a shattered organization. That's not why I called you in here.' He lifted the top page in my file. 'In the last week, you've threatened one of my agents with lethal force, failed to cooperate in a federal investigation, lied to investigators, and hindered an ongoing operation. These are all very serious charges.'
'I also killed one of your agents with a grenade launcher,' I pointed out, 'which I think I should get bonus points for, and not to mention that Franks and I blew up the Dread Overlord itself.'
'I'm aware of that, and Agent Franks will be reprimanded accordingly. He was not authorized to enter another universe or to attack an unknown entity. The Congressional Subcommittee has ruled it an act of self- defense, however, so Franks will not be terminated.'
Did that mean fired or dismantled? 'You know that's absolute bullshit, right?'
Myers, unfazed, continued. 'Even more troubling is that it seems like you've been keeping secrets from me. I have evidence here that you have some sort of psychic powers and that somehow you are the only person in recorded history to have survived a zombie bite.'
'That's impossible,' I said with no inflection.
'Indeed,' Myers said. 'Because that would mean that your continued existence could prove to be an important national security issue.' I did not respond. If Myers wanted to just make me go away it was certainly within his power. 'But I'm really doubting the accuracy of this report,' he said as he waved the paper.
'Why's that?'
'Because this same intel indicates that the Condition's Shadow Lord was really a man named Martin Hood, who died quite some time ago. See, I happened to know Martin Hood, we were actually close friends, and I would hate to see his good name slandered.'
I nodded. 'And it would also call into question the judgment of the interim head of the Monster Control Bureau if it turned out that one of his oldest friends was really the leader of an evil death cult.' Myers was concerned about his association with Hood coming back to haunt him…
Unless…
Could Hood have also approached Myers about working together, like he had with Carlos? It was a definite possibility. They had been best friends. Had Myers known just what kind of craziness Hood had been dabbling in? Had he known about Hood's father's book? Had he known, but protected his friend anyway?
I had to know. 'Can I see that report?'
Myers extended it to me and I reached out and touched his hand instead. It wasn't so difficult to use the ability this time. After all, the memory was just sitting there, floated to the top by the pressure of Agent Myers' buried guilt.
Ray Shackleford was furious. His face was turning a shade of red that was normally reserved for when he was chainsawing a monster in half. He shoved the chubby Hunter against the wall, enraged. 'Damn it, Marty! What the hell were you thinking? I told you not to screw around with this stuff anymore!'
Ray was such a brute that Marty's feet dangled a few inches off the floor and the big man didn't even notice that he was holding him up. But the smaller Hunter was undaunted. 'Don't you get it? I figured it out! I've learned the language of the book. I've read the entire Skia Thanatou! I can control the dead. There's no limit to what we can do now,' Hood gasped, trying to breathe past the meaty hands clamped around his throat. The wall of Shackleford family portraits was at his back. The family estate was packed with Hunters but we had this room to ourselves.
'You were animating zombies, you idiot, and Carlos found out, and in the morning when Earl wakes up human, he's going to know too.' Ray let go and Marty dropped, gasping. 'I got you transferred so you would quit dinking around with the magic shit in the archives. You weren't supposed to sneak the evilest book down there with you!'
'It was my book to take,' Marty snapped. 'It belonged to my father, and his father before him. You didn't think it was such a bad idea when I used it back here and was making us millions in bounties!'
Ray rubbed his face in his hands as he stomped away. 'What are we going to do? Does Carlos know anybody else helped with your research?'
'Of course not,' Marty snapped. 'You think I'm stupid? Now lower your voice, or the whole house will know. I'll handle this. I'll tell Earl that it was all me. I'll take the heat. What's he going to do? Kill me?' Marty snorted.
'Yes,' Ray snapped. 'My dad and grandpa are a lot of things, especially old-fashioned, but they've got principles. They won't tolerate a Hunter using dark magic. One of these days, I'll be in charge, and that'll change. We all know that this stuff can be harnessed for good, but until then, we were supposed to keep our mouths shut.'
Marty's fat face opened in a wide grin. 'Don't worry, mate. I'll handle this. If there's one thing I can do, it's keep a secret. Nobody ever has to know who helped me.'
'Damn right,' Ray snarled, poking him in the chest. 'We're done tonight. In the morning, you'll come clean and beg Earl for forgiveness. You're going to take your lumps. Earl will probably fire you, but at least he won't eat you, and it beats all of us going to prison, right, Myers?'
'Agreed,' I said, speaking up for the first time. I hated myself for ever getting involved. It had been stupid, playing with evil for the greater good, and my best friend had taken it too far. We had been fools.
But I did know how to keep a secret.
