72 St. Margaret’s Way Chapter 16
Even though nobody mentioned it, James knew they had worked the case without him. That the mystery of the strange behaviors and events linked to the wellness fair – no, to Adele – still had to be solved and settled without James. And there were other cases pouring in, he was sure of it, even if things seemed quiet. But nobody had said anything about it to James yet.
After a visit from Jolene and another dose of strawberry hell, he woke up alone and unrestrained in the darkened bedroom. The window was slightly open, letting in fresh, cold air. And he had no idea what to do.
For a little while, he stayed where he was, too afraid to even get out from under the covers. But eventually James sat up. He was still in a t-shirt and everything still felt too exposed. Anywhere that skin was showing was a possible infection site. And they still weren’t sure what-
“Hey James.”
Amelia had opened the door and he didn’t even hear it. James nodded, glancing around for anything to cover his arms. There was a sweatshirt sitting on the other bed and he pulled it on with shaking hands. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“It’s about three in the morning,” Amelia explained. “It’s just me on right now.”
“Am I on?” James asked, his voice hoarse. “I can-”
“No, you’re not,” Amelia said. “It was me and Graham, but I told Graham to go get some sleep, since he’s working tomorrow during the day and will probably take the overnight.”
James nodded again, guilt squirming in his stomach. Now they were even more understaffed than usual because of him.
Amelia stood awkwardly by the door for a moment, the same way Bradley had. “Are you feeling up to talking?” she asked.
No. “Yeah,” he lied.
In the glow of the nightlight by the dresser, Amelia’s face looked grim. James waited with dread. He was fired. No, he’d actually hurt someone. More details had come to light and that was why he’d just woken from a dream about killing her, Madelyn, and Bradley yet again.
“We know what happened,” Amelia said quietly, sitting on the other bed and facing him. She moved like she was about to take his hand, then thought better of it, to his relief.
“Bradley managed to get a sample,” she continued. “He’s been working on it for a couple days and figured out her marketing. It was like something that Polly Grace lady does, like a code word. And he posed as a customer. I can update you on the whole case when you’re feeling better.”
“He can’t go near her!” James exclaimed, startling them both. “Where is he? He can’t do that, she’ll get him too.”
“He’s fine,” Amelia said as James tried to fight the urge to press his hands against his pounding head. “I promise, he’s fine.”
“I thought I was fine,” James insisted. “He’s not fine, you have to-”
“James,” Amelia said gently. “We planned it all out. He had protection, Jolene’s been checking his blood, and he took a dose of the antidote just to be sure. He’s fine.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. He said to tell you that the antidote is horrible and he’s sorry you had to drink it for three days.”
“Where is he?”
“He’s here. He’s sleeping in the back bedroom since he’s in charge tomorrow morning. You should go back to sleep too.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “What happened?”
Amelia sighed. She looked exhausted. “We knew it was her, obviously.”
Obviously. James swallowed hard, but nodded. “And you might not remember, but you told us about her business selling love potions and all that shit.”
He didn’t remember that at all, and now felt cold in a way that the blankets wouldn’t touch. “But we weren’t sure how she was getting her customers,” Amelia continued. “Because those people that forced the others into marriage, they were definitely customers. And possibly the fight was too. We’re still not sure about the ghosts. But then Bradley told us about something you said once, about how Polly Grace got customers using a code word.”
“Embroidery,” James whispered, his throat dry.
“Yeah,” Amelia said. “So we looked through the case file and there was something similar. It took some digging, but we were able to find the password. We basically set up a sting. He contacted her from a false email sent from a library computer, he wouldn’t even tell me which town. But it worked. And it turns out that the compound was disguised among her products. He got a sample and the Foundation lab tested it. She uses a chemical that soaks in through the skin and just adds it to her products for these specific customers. It wasn’t food at all. Was there, like, a soap or cream or something that maybe got on your skin somehow?”
James started to shake his head, then stopped. The wallet had been wet. He’d thought it just landed in something, he’d even thought it was gross as he tried to wipe that slight dampness off his hands.
There was a small bottle of sanitizer on the dresser. He looked at it. It wouldn’t do any good right now, of course not. What was done was done. But James just wanted to bathe in it, even if the one in his car hadn’t been able to save him. He’d let that stuff touch his skin and it had soaked in and taken control.
Amelia moved and sat next to him, leaving a small amount of space. That wasn’t normal, Amelia had no qualms about draping herself over James if she wanted to. She was doing this for him.
“I let it happen,” James said, not looking at her. “There was a wallet and I thought someone dropped it. So I put it on the table. I told her…” He took a ragged breath. “I said it fell. She took it and I had no idea it was a setup. And then I went back the next day and I just told her everything. I should have been careful, I knew people were acting weird there, but I was thinking about food, not soap. God, I’m so fucking stupid.”
Amelia was silent. “It’s not your fault,” she said finally. “And we’re pretty sure it’s nearly gone. Do you remember Jolene taking blood?”
He’d been awake for that part, watching dully as the vial filled with his contaminated blood. It looked so normal as it dripped down the tube.
“You should go back to bed,” Amelia said. “Rest and water will help it flush out faster. It’s like a virus.”
“That’s what Bradley said.”
“And Mr. Bedside Manner was right.”
She smiled at him and he forced a small smile back.
“I also have your money,” Amelia said. “You had a backpack and I assume the money in it was yours. About ten thousand dollars in cash. It’s safe, I locked it up.”
He’d pulled all his savings and was going to give them to Adele. But he’d been so preoccupied threatening his disabled tech expert that he’d forgotten to grab it. James nodded, knowing he should thank her, but the words weren’t there.
“It’s in your office,” she said. “And, um, I cleared out everything that was under your desk.”
Under his…his confusion must have been obvious, because she grimaced. “Do you remember? It was…some supplies?”
The weapons. And rope. And had he brought in bleach? He couldn’t remember, but he could picture them under there. And remember how it felt so reasonable to think he might have to kill his friends. “Sorry,” he whispered, since there was nothing else to say.
“It’s not your fault,” she said.
It was. She just didn’t realize it.
“We also found most of the people impacted,” Amelia continued as James stared up at the ceiling again. “The ones who had been hallucinating ghosts were already fine and had been since before we got the case. A couple of the women dosed didn’t have the, um, the…” She waved her hand near her ear the way Bradley had earlier. “The thing keeping it there. It wore off enough for them to report it, but they needed some help. The two who were forced into marriages are being helped by the Foundation now.”
That was good. But if it was all good news, then why did the tone of her voice right now fill him with dread?
“But there’s another man who’s missing,” she continued. “And his girlfriend said that before he left he was acting erratically. He said he needed to find someone named Adele.”
James wouldn’t have thought he had anything left in his body to throw up, but his body didn’t seem to agree with him on that. He grabbed frantically for the bin she’d left beside his bed earlier, nearly falling off the bed in his desperation. Amelia swore and moved forward to help him. He knew it was to help him, but he still jerked away without thinking about it.
There was nothing in him. Of course not, he’d barely eaten anything that wasn’t fruit sludge for a week. “Where’s…” He tried to say her name, but everything in him fought against it. It didn’t matter, because of course Amelia knew what he was asking.
“We’re not sure,” she admitted. “Gabriella chased her off and she was pretty scary about it. But we haven’t seen her and her booth was empty today when Bradley went back.”
Her booth. Where he’d gone and given her a key to headquarters. And he couldn’t remember…
James didn’t even realize he was crying until Amelia apologized. “I shouldn’t have brought this to you,” she said. “I’m so sorry, you’re not on right now and you shouldn’t be thinking about work.”
He tried to tell her it was fine, but choked on a shuddering breath instead.
“This was a mistake,” Amelia said. “I’m so, so sorry. You should go back to sleep. I’ll…I’ll leave it alone.”
She hesitated as she stood up. “Do you want me to stay?”
He honestly had no idea, but he wasn’t sure he could talk anyway as he wiped his eyes, then finally nodded.
She cautiously sat down on the other bed and he laid back down and closed his eyes, doing his best not to think.
***
James woke up around nine the next morning and laid in bed for a while, with no clue what to do. He wasn’t strapped down, so he could leave any time he wanted. He knew he wasn’t safe to drive, not after the past few days, but his house was right down the street. Maybe he could go home.
To where Adele could get in because he gave her his house key. Did Graham know? He couldn’t stay in here staring up at the ceiling if Graham might be in danger.
James stood up and caught his balance as the room predictably lurched. He knew he looked awful, but visions of Adele laying in wait in their apartment as Graham minded his own business were crowding out all the rational thoughts that might have kept him in this room, including the deep, deep shame that he couldn’t address until he knew that Graham was safe.
He hurried out of the bedroom, a hand against the wall for support as he moved down the hall to where Madelyn was doing comms and Bradley was on the couch, scowling over something on the laptop sitting on the coffee table. Both looked up in alarm when James knocked over the folded privacy screen over on his way into the living room.
“Where’s Graham? He can’t go home.”
“James-”
“Is he here?” James gripped the back of the closest chair as Bradley got up and moved toward him. He vaguely registered that Bradley was limping. “I gave her a key. I- I think I gave her our home key too, but I don’t- I don’t remember. Where is he?”
“Right here, man.”
Graham’s voice crackled over the comms as one of James’s knees buckled under him. He steadied himself on the chair, which wobbled slightly. “Graham, I’m so sorry, you can’t-”
“I took care of it,” Graham said as Bradley silently steered James into the chair he was gripping for dear life.
“I don’t know what she’ll try to do to you,” James said.
“I swapped out the locks,” Graham said, his voice too understanding and calm over the comms. “And put in a new deadbolt. The apartment’s fine, she didn’t go in.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
James’s stomach went cold with dread as he realized what Graham had said. “She was there.”
Graham was quiet over the comms for a second. “Yeah,” he finally admitted. “She tried to get into the building yesterday, but the main door was closed. Late last night she did get in. I think behind someone else coming in the front door. But she couldn’t get into our apartment and I knew she was there. I’m alright, James.”
“You’re sure?” The walls were getting closer and the sounds of birds and traffic behind Graham seemed to be getting louder.
“I’m sure,” Graham said. “I’ve been using Bradley’s bird feeder cameras the whole time and they’re still there. They’re nice, we’re getting some. Have you seen some of the robins starting to show up on our balcony? I’m looking at them right now on my phone.”
Graham laughed and James knew that this was meant to calm him down, and he had to admit it was working slightly. “I’m so sorry,” he said yet again.
He barely saw the other two exchange a look. “It’s okay,” Graham said. “Man, you weren’t…I have a key for you.”
Now that the adrenaline spike of terror was gone, James realized his legs were jelly. “Landlord is gonna be pissed,” he murmured, leaning forward and covering his face with his hands.
“I told him it was a break-in and I’d take it off the rent,” Graham said easily.
“I’ll pay you back.”
“The Foundation covered it as part of the protocol.”
“There’s a protocol?” James asked, looking up.
“Jesus Christ,” Bradley muttered.
“Please don’t go home,” James said.
“Ten-four, good buddy.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said again, both to Graham and whoever else was listening.
“Hey, James?” Madelyn said, and he couldn’t look her in the eye. “Let me wrap this up, then you should eat something. What do you want?”
“I’m not hungry. Can I help with anything?”
He knew protocol must mean that compromised agents were permanently off the team, and he wondered if they could get in trouble for having him in here at all. What if he told their secrets to Adele?
The name sloshed in his head and an unpleasant prickle crept across his chest. “James,” Gabriella said over the comms and he wanted to die of shame. “We’re going to pick up lunch at Samuelson’s on the way back. Want chicken salad?”
Normally he loved their chicken salad, but the thought made his head hurt right now. “I’m not hungry.”
“Get the chicken salad,” Bradley said to Gabriella.
“I just said-”
“Or grilled cheese or whatever the fuck else five-year-old food McManus likes.”
“You eat grilled cheese all the time,” James argued. “I’m not hungry.”
“You haven’t actually eaten in days.”
“You can’t just make me eat.”
“Fucking watch me.”
“You should take a shower too,” Madelyn said.
“Right, yeah.”
He didn’t move. As he glanced over at the bathroom, the sensation of drowning came back and he knew there was no way he’d be able to get under the shower spray.
“Or later,” Madelyn added. “Sorry, that came out wrong. You don’t smell.”
Doubtful. Bradley walked back over to the couch and yeah, there was a definite limp. “What happened?” James asked.
“I got hit by a car.”
He’d fucked his knee back up tackling James, hadn’t he? Before going to Adele undercover and then dosing himself with the same horrible antidote just in case, all to keep James safe and solve the case. But before James could say anything, Bradley was working again, seemingly ignoring him.
Madelyn was trying to make eye contact, but as he looked in her direction, he realized she’d moved one of the computers over to her usual comms station to replace the one he’d shattered after attacking her.
How long had he been here? James stood up and walked out of the room, passing by the bathroom and going into the gray bedroom. He fell back on the bed and stared up at the all-too-familiar ceiling.
