Page 18 of Dead Air
“Thanks,” Shelby said, sliding it into a pocket on his vest. He was still suspicious but he was more concerned with what was going on between Cenn and Niall than the dead poacher. There was no logical reason to doubt Niall or Cenn and Al was only making himself seem more unstable by insisting that Dr. Curn “came inside him” right before he made Al shoot Buck. “Is there anything else you can think of that might explain this?” Shelby asked but Cenn shook his head quickly.
“Our gear and my notes are still where we left them, when we heard the gunshot and Niall took off like the Devil was after him.I could barely keep up and I was almost too late. In fact…” He turned and stared in the direction of the creek.
Shelby gave Cenn’s arm a tap with his phone. “What?”
“I wonder if…” Cenn paused again for dramatic effect. “If I caused Mr. Wilton to shoot the wrong man when I interrupted them. He said they were only expecting one ranger and that he wouldn’t give them any trouble. What if he panicked because they weren’t expecting another witness?”
“It’s Wallace, not Wilton. But that does make more sense than…whatever he’s raving about,” Shelby said, giving his head a baffled shake. He believed “Dr. Curn” but Shelby sure as hell didn’t like or trust him. Oddly enough, Shelby was relying on his instincts, not his jealousy. The agent’s stoic professionalism impressed Cenn, even more oddly, because Shelby was certainly jealous. Cenn would have to do something about that. “I’ll find some way to write this up,” Shelby eventually muttered.
“I don’t envy you. Is it alright if I take Niall back to his place and try to get his mind off of this? He’s pretty shaken, especially after finding that body… Was it ten days ago?”
“It has been…tense around here lately. Especially for Niall,” Shelby agreed but he hesitated, staring in Niall’s direction. He was so torn between his duties as the only ISB agent in the park and his desire to comfort Niall.
“We already had dinner plans so it’s no trouble.” Cenn smiled, pretending to be oblivious to the other man’s regret andnowvibrant jealousy. “I should probably stay the night, in case the shock wears off and he needs a shoulder to cry on.”
“Good idea.” Shelby nodded, then set off to talk to the deputies. “You’re both done here,” he said to Niall with a dismissive wave.
Niall popped up and spun around. “Are you sure?” he asked Shelby, receiving only a faint grunt as his focus returned to the deputies and the two dead bodies.
“Let’s take off, Niall,” Cenn said as he held out his hand. “We were having a beautiful day before it turned into a horror movie. Maybe we can salvage it.”
“Sure…” Niall nodded but frowned at Shelby, uncertain.
“They know how to find us,” Cenn said and Shelby gestured for them to take off but didn’t spare them another glance.
“Call me if you needanything,” Niall said, jogging to join Cenn and taking his hand.
“Good boy,” Cenn whispered and gave Niall’s hand a squeeze, causing him to trip.
He laughed nervously, blushing as he allowed Cenn to lead him through the forest, the way they had come. Instead of returning to their gear, Cenn guided Niall to the cabin, insisting he could manage on his own and find his way back easily. Niall was obviously dazed and the adrenaline had fully worn off, leaving him drained and a little unsteady so Cenn sat him down on the bed with a mug of water.
“I keep all the important coordinates saved on my phone. Your secret spot and your cabin are at the top of my list, after my campsite,” Cenn lied as he held up his phone. “Keep taking small sips of water and see if you can get some rest. I won’t be long at all, I promise.”
“Are you sure? Something could happen to you or?—”
Cenn hushed loudly and cradled Niall’s cheek, willing him to relax and soothing his fears. “Nothing will happen to me. I want you to lay down, close your eyes, and clear your mind,” he commanded in a soft, even tone, lulling Niall.
He nodded loosely, taking a sip from his mug before setting it on the bedside table. “I’ll lay down and clear my mind,” he mumbled, yawning as he lowered onto the pillow and closed his eyes.
“Good boy!” Cenn whispered as he smoothed the hair away from Niall’s face and made him drowsier.
A crooked smile tugged at Niall’s lips. “I like that,” he confessed before he drifted off.
“I thought you might.”
Cenn rose quietly, then vanished as he backed through the shadow behind the cabin’s door. He flew to the outcropping and retrieved their gear and his notes from the lower ledge. It only took Cenn a few moments so he left their things on the cabin’s porch and sped off to Shelby’s office to wreak a little havoc.
Located in a tidy one-room cabin, about a mile south of the park’s main entrance, Shelby’s office was surprisingly well-appointed for a rural outpost. But being the only ISB agent meant he was solely responsible for 311 square miles of federally protected land. That land was a jurisdictional gray area that came with unique investigative challenges and required access to various agencies’ resources.
First, Cenn changed Shelby’s passwords foreverywebsite and database the agent might need to do a background check on a certain mysterious biologist. He used Shelby’s laptop and accounts to purchase some very interesting toys and subscribed to some questionable websites, ones the FBI was certain to be monitoring. Several inflammatory emails were sent from both Shelby’s personal and work addresses to everyone in his chain of command, up to the President of the United States.
Once Cenn was sure that Shelby’s access to the internet was completely compromised he meddled with the good agent’s bourbon. He kept a flask in his desk drawer and a bottle in his filing cabinet.
Cenn raised the flask in the direction of the creek. “Bottoms up, Shelby!” A healthy sip from each and a simple demon’s charm would add a hallucinogenic kick to Shelby’s evening tipple, his lone vice. “What else…?” Cenn turned and searched the small, yet neatly organized office around him. “Ah!”
He danced across the room to the long leather sofa and lowered, sniffing and grinning. His arm straightened, his finger aiming at the narrow closet behind Shelby’s desk. Cenn opened the door and clicked his teeth at the pillow and sleeping bag on the shelf.
“Rog the Rapist was your first case in two years, so we know you aren’t sleeping at the office because you’re overworked. There can’t be problems at home because you live alone.” Cenn recalled how desperately Shelby wanted to comfort Niall and the agent’s incandescent jealousy. He’d behaved stoically and quickly regrouped, but Shelby had forgotten about the case and had worn his heart on his sleeve for a few brief moments. “You do it to be closer to your crush, you sad sap. Let’s see what we can do to twist the knife a little more. We want you too fucked in the head to think straight.”
