Page 52 of Lion's Share
Well, do what you can.
Ben pocketed his phone and tried to look like a casual observer as he moved closer to the parking area. Every so often, he would pause and peer in a store window, doing his best to seem as if he was interested in everything except the goings-on in the parking lot behind City Hall. The team was working with quiet efficiency, setting up what looked like a mobile command center in the back of the van. He caught a glimpse of monitors, communication equipment, and several devices he didn’t recognize but which looked expensive and sophisticated.
“Excuse me, sir?”
Ben turned away from the hardware store’s window to see a young agent standing a few feet away. He had short brown hair and wore an earnest expression that suggested he was new to whatever agency he worked for. “I’m Agent Collins,” the kid said. He barely looked old enough to drink, and Ben couldn’t help wondering who had thought it a good idea to give him this assignment. “I’m going to need you to move along, sir. This is a restricted area.”
“‘Restricted’?” Ben repeated, putting on his best impression of a befuddled Silver Hollow resident. “This is public parking.”
“Not today, sir. We’re conducting a federal investigation that requires a secure perimeter.”
Before Ben could figure out how to respond to that statement, the gray-haired woman approached them. Up close, she was shorter than she’d seemed at first glance, but her dark eyes possessed the kind of sharp intelligence that Ben had been expecting…and which put him immediately on his guard.
“I’m Dr. Sonya Rosenthal,” she said, extending a hand. “You must be Ben Sanders.”
Ben shook her hand, noting that her grip was firm and her gaze uncomfortably direct. “That’s right. Should I know you?”
“Agent Morse mentioned you in her preliminary reports. Local YouTuber, recently arrived in Silver Hollow, claims to be researching regional folklore.” Her tone made it clear she found his stated reason for being in town less than convincing. “I understand your friend Sidney Lowell has been quite helpful to her investigation.”
Obviously, Agent Morse’s reports had been detailed.
“I guess so,” Ben said carefully. “Sidney hasn’t told me much about it, to be honest.”
“Wise of her.” Dr. Rosenthal looked away from him, toward the dark blur of the forest about a half-mile distant from where they stood. “Tell me, Mr. Sanders, in your folklore research, have you spent much time in those woods?”
“Some,” he admitted, thinking he knew exactly where this was going…and trying to come up with the best way to avoid letting slip any information that might prove damaging.
The lines around the woman’s dark eyes deepened for a moment as she gave him a small smile. “Excellent. Then perhaps you can help us.” She gestured toward the mobile command center, where agents were connecting cables to an array of monitoring equipment. “We’re planning to conduct a thorough investigation of the electromagnetic anomalies in this area. Your local knowledge could be invaluable.”
Good thing it was a cool, overcast day. Less chance of any nervous sweat appearing in conditions like that. “What kind of investigation?” he asked, trying to sound genuinely curious.
“We’ll be setting up monitoring stations throughout the forest, with particular attention to areas where the readings have been most intense.” Dr. Rosenthal’s smile broadened, was still polite but now seemed almost predatory at the same time. “We should have our first team in the woods by tonight.”
Great. Ben tried to keep his expression neutral, even as his mind picked through a number of possibilities, each of them worse than the next. If DAPI agents with sophisticated monitoring equipment went into the forest after dark, they were probably going to encounter a lot more than electromagnetic anomalies. Shadow stalkers, possibly the griffin, maybe even the portal itself if it decided to appear at an inopportune time. With everything so unstable, it was almost impossible to say what might happen.
“That sounds like dangerous work,” he said. “Those woods can be tricky at night, especially if you’re not familiar with the terrain.”
“I appreciate your concern, but my team is well-trained for night operations in difficult conditions.” Dr. Rosenthal’s tone suggested she didn’t welcome criticisms from civilians, although her expression remained almost too pleasant. “However, if you’d like to contribute to our investigation, I could arrange for you to accompany one of the survey teams. Your YouTube audience might find the footage interesting.”
The offer sounded reasonable on the surface, but Ben could hear the implied threat underneath. Sonya Rosenthal wanted to keep him where she could watch him, probably because Agent Morse must have flagged Sidney…and, by extension, the man Sidney was dating…as people who knew more than they let on.
“That’s very generous of you,” Ben said, attempting what he hoped was a winning smile, “but I actually have a Zoom call with a friend this evening. Maybe another time.”
“Of course.” Dr. Rosenthal handed him a business card. “Feel free to contact me if you change your mind…or if you remember anything that might be relevant to our investigation.”
Maybe he nodded. Then he pocketed the card and walked away with what he hoped looked like casual speed rather than barely controlled urgency. Once he was out of sight of the DAPI team, he pulled out his phone again.
They’re going into the forest tonight with monitoring equipment. Big problem.
This time, Sidney’s response took longer to come back.
Customer here. Can’t talk. Meet me at my place at 5:45?
I’ll be there.
He put his phone back in his pocket and continued toward his house.
These were going to be the longest two hours of his life.
