SeductiveTracks (3 page)

Matt had never thought about how they must appear to the few
humans who, one way or another, had learned that a magical world lay all around
and underneath the more regular one they inhabited. One of the weaknesses many
wizarding folks had was that they were so used to their talents and magic, it
didn’t cross their mind that, to others, it was a whole unknown universe they
lived in. Wizards and witches largely did not cross paths with humans—their
mingled team was, to date, unique.

Matt nodded.

There were rarely bells and whistles to indicate when they
were performing magic—their talents were innate. Many humans had never
knowingly witnessed magic being performed. And they would have no reason to
suspect they were witnessing something like that.

“When I sat back and thought about it,” Julian continued,
“it struck me that it could fill in many of the gaps we have surrounding
Shadow. I mean, I’ve seen and know of any number of humans who are obsessive
about not leaving clues behind, but no one lives in a vacuum. There are always
fibers, threads, microscopic forensic evidence. These files are so thin because
even after vacuuming there is rarely more than a few pieces of pollen or dust
particles lying around, and those we can’t even positively associate with
Shadow. A magic user had never really been on my radar as a suspect until I
observed the Enforcers.

“When Julian made the suggestion to me, it ticked a lot of
the boxes we’d been puzzling over. If her magic presents itself as an ability
to cloak herself, cover her tracks and be super-stealthy, that could easily
explain how she manages to get away with it.”

“But she couldn’t necessarily use magic to hack these
security systems,” Matt answered. “That would take more than magical ability.
She might have a knack for these systems, a keener understanding of how they’re
set up, but it’s not like waving a magic wand. She would still need to have
honed her skills.”

“Absolutely.” Will nodded. “But there’s no denying that this
woman has a talent for it. And if that comes from her magic, then you can pick
up on her essence and Track her, right?”

“Yes, definitely,” Matt agreed, his curiosity piqued. “Are
you thinking of having me look at evidence? From what I can gather, she pretty
much doesn’t leave anything behind. And any of the security systems Shadow has
hacked in the past will have had so many people muddying the waters that any
essence she did leave behind will be gone by now.”

Will and Julian exchanged a meaningful look and Matt felt
his interest deepen. Obviously there was even more going on here beneath the
surface than he had suspected. Will reached into his breast pocket and removed
a thin silver-and-pink crystal-beaded rosary. Matt could feel the faint glow of
frequent handlings pulse from the rosary. It didn’t take a genius to realize
that this was a well-loved item, often brought out and handled.

“This was my mother’s,” Will started. “When she passed away,
my sister inherited it. She’s married to a very high-powered city attorney.
Real old money. An absolute jerk. Two years ago their place was hit—nearly
killed myself laughing over it. A few priceless pieces of art were taken, and a
few of the bastard’s ‘family heirloom’ antique silver sets. The blow to my
brother-in-law’s ego was far worse than the actual loss of items. My sister
didn’t know until later, but this rosary had been misplaced inside one of the
silverware items by a maid earlier in the week, before the heist. She didn’t
even realize it might be missing until she went to mass later that following
weekend.”

Matt felt his eyebrows soar in surprise. “The thief got it
back to you?” he clarified.

Will shook his head.

“Retrievers located it and, through a network of
back-channels so complex and convoluted I still don’t fully understand it, this
made its way back to me. So much of this case is classified—this witch and
especially those channels—that I can’t even return this rosary to my sister for
a little longer, until I can explain how I got it back without my brother-in-law
jumping down my throat about his precious paintings and opening a can of
worms.”

Will chewed his cigar silently for a moment, then looked up
to catch Matt’s eye. Will sent him a very firm man-to-man look before holding
out the rosary. Anticipation mingled with wariness, but Matt reached out to
take the rosary and cradled it in his hand. The long chain of delicate beads
and crystals threaded through his fingers and, with unconscious reverence, Matt
fingered the delicate religious item.

Focusing on the chain, he toyed with it for a moment and let
the different essences wash over him. A strong, firm essence Matt already
associated with Will was the strongest on the rosary. It wasn’t something
substantial he could Track, indicating that it was human. Only the strength of
will residing behind the essence let it be felt at all.

Despite Will being human, he held a power all his own. It
was not magical, not essence in the manner Matt had been trained to Track and
understand, but it was there nevertheless. Will’s “essence” being present on
the rosary made sense, as it had obviously been in the Captain’s possession for
a while. Underlying this was…Matt could only describe it as an echo, a sense of
emptiness.

Matt had never experienced anything like this. Since his
teenage years he had known his talent was as a Tracker. Being able to sense the
magical essence in people, being able to gauge where individuals were and—in
rarer instances—even what moods they might be in had become as natural and
commonplace as being able to see colors or smell scents in the air.

By focusing only on the essences he needed to Track, Matt
had learned how not to become overwhelmed or bombarded by too much information
and go crazy. His parents had hired another Tracker to tutor him, both in how
to erect inner shields to block the extraneous data hitting him constantly and
how to fine-tune particular information, laying the groundwork for his own
education in Tracking.

Matt had promptly learned how to keep his focus on the big
picture and not the minutiae that hammered at his magical senses. From
necessity, he had managed to learn control very young.

Deeper beneath this curious emptiness lay a softer, placid,
female sense. Only Matt’s strength of magical talent allowed him to pick up
this final “essence” at all. It was more a vague feeling than an actual,
tangible essence. Wispy and faint, rather like mist dissolving in the early
morning sunshine, it left an impression rather than a signature he could have
hoped to follow had he wished to. Matt hazarded a guess that this imprint was
what remained of the sister—or possibly the sister mingled with Will’s elderly
mother—and not the thief at all.

Understanding dawned that the thief had left no remnants of
a signaturebehind. He’d never come across a magical person who didn’t
leave behind a trace of themself, but the fact Shadow obviously had…that
intrigued him deeply. Her power was strong enough that he couldn’t find a trace
of it—that alone proved she was a strongly talented witch. The void wasn’t like
a weak, human essence, thin and vague—this was as if someone had taken an
eraser and removed the signs that should be there. The gaping hollow was in
itself as individual as any other essence.

It just wasn’t something he could Track.

Matt didn’t feel his jaw drop open, but nevertheless found
himself having to close it as his mouth dried out. His eyebrows furrowed and he
stood up straight, bending over the thin silver-and-pink crystal rosary as he
opened all his senses wide and delved into it. Feeling his way through the
layers once again, Matt ignored the lock of dark-brown hair that fell over his
eyes as he sifted a third time through the different essences clinging to the
tiny item.

Drawing in a deep, cleansing breath and slowly replacing the
medium-level barriers he erected for his regular life, Matt blinked his eyes as
the outer world came back into focus, only to find Captain Will and Julian
regarding him closely. Matt smiled a little self-consciously before fingering
the rosary one last time and holding it out to Will.

Without a word the older man placed it in his breast pocket
again and raised an eyebrow at Matt. Always one to have a glib, ready answer,
Matt found himself stumped for a moment. Julian, who had spent many hours on
duty with him, looked nearly floored that Matt had not responded.

”Well.” Matt cleared his throat and wondered for a moment if
his face was turning pink. A faint heat of embarrassment crawled along his skin
as he struggled to find words to suit his lack of knowledge. “That was
certainly…different.”

He held up a hand as both Julian and Will opened their
mouths to speak, and tried to gather his thoughts to explain what he had
sensed. Or, more accurately, what he
hadn’t
sensed.

“If you spend enough time with anyone, you can get a feel
for them—their essence or soul or what have you. When it comes to magical
people, it’s like that only magnified. Everyone’s magic is individual, innate
only to them. Even twins frequently have similar but still completely unique
talents and signatures, much like when it comes to any other personality
trait.” Matt licked his lips nervously and took a breath as he looked from
Julian back to Will again. “You know I can Track. I have a special affinity for
these sorts of things, and even on really flimsy readings I can often at least
get an idea of where someone is, even if it’s not as accurate as I’d usually
like. I’ve never come across anything like it, but this woman, this thief,
leaves
no
essence to track.”

Matt found himself astonished by what he had just said. Had
anyone told him not an hour earlier that there would be such a talent as hiding
your essence and making it naturally untrackable, he wouldn’t have believed
them. Yet he could not deny what he had perceived…or
not
perceived.

“What the hell—”

Matt cut Will off with a curt, sharp nod. “I know. I know it
goes against everything I’ve ever said about Tracking. But it’s true. I could
sense you—I’ve worked enough overtime hours with you this last month to know
the vague feel of your human essence, Will. I can sense you there. And I can
get a partial sense of your sister, possibly even mingled with your mother.
It’s far weaker but still there. But with Shadow, there’s just this…emptiness.
It’s as if…” Matt frowned. What he wanted to say sounded bizarre even in his
own head.

“As if what, dammit?” Will snapped, not impatient but
clearly frustrated by this turn of events.

“As if her essence disperses to mirror its surroundings,”
Matt finally said as the words came to him. The explanation felt a little like
a cliché, but it would suit well enough to explain what he was not truly
certain could be made clear.

“Shadow’s essence uses your and your sister and mother’s
residual emotions and vibrations to mask itself.” Matt spoke carefully. “I
can’t sense her essence because she is using yours and the others around it as
a natural camouflage. It makes her effectively untrackable. By masking herself,
she is not giving me anything to Track her with. I’ve never come across this
before. It’s unusual but you have my undivided attention, Captain.”

An essence he could not track
. Matt rolled the
thought over and over in his head, curious, intrigued, mystified and, deep in
the most hidden part of his soul, beguiled despite himself. He had never
experienced anything like this, and the challenge of it tempted him to see if
he could beat it. He wanted to know if he could Track an untrackable witch.

“Now ain’t that a pain,” Will grumbled as he chewed on his
cigar. Matt’s attention was drawn back to the two other men in the room and he
straightened up and pressed his hands deeply into his pockets.

“What did you have in mind once I find her?” he asked
curiously. Matt knew from the disdain that had dripped from the captain’s words
about his brother-in-law that he was not angling to arrest the witch because
she had stolen art from family.

While Matt would never assume Will didn’t want to see
justice done, the man had a big-picture style of outlook. Matt would lay heavy
odds on Will bringing this all up and explaining what had occurred and what
they suspected more because he felt it relevant to something he wanted rather
than just to track down a single lady thief.

Matt’s eyes roamed from Will to Julian and back again. He
returned the smirk Will gave him with a grin.

“Can’t count the number of times these last few years we
could have used someone like her on our operations,” Will finally divulged.
“You know how frequently stealth gets us more results and information than
barging in like uninvited heathens. It’s not common to use turned criminals to
our own advantage, but I’ve never been one to shut down a useful talent.”

“The captain thinks she might be a wise person to recruit,”
Julian added.

Matt felt his eyes widen and he caught Julian’s gray gaze.
“Recruit her?” he repeated, feeling as if he had missed part of the
conversation. “A thief? A witch who, more likely than not, is addicted to the
thrill of breaking and entering?”

Matt let the idea digest for a few seconds before turning
back to his partner and friend. “Julian, you’re almost as cautious as I am
professionally—surely you don’t agree she’d be an asset to any team?”

Julian shrugged. “I might be the back-up man, but that
doesn’t mean I’m not open to possibilities when it comes to weird talents,” the
man replied carefully. Matthias noted that Julian didn’t outright state he
thought it was a good idea either.

“We might not be gung-ho point people,” Julian continued,
“or the kind who burn or explode every other building we enter like others we
work with, but if I’m open enough to learning magical powers exist and am
prepared to work with them, why not a thief too?”

Matt frowned as he sorted through his emotions. Surprise was
the overwhelming response, but as he thought deeper he realized he also felt
excited. As the Tracker of any unit he’d worked within, he was used to being
the cautious one who covered asses, thought of contingencies and nitpicked
details—assuming there was time to do so. All too many times his pre-mission
planning had saved asses and lives.

In the heat of the battle, he knew one had to be open to
anything, but as a rule Matt liked to think his actions through carefully.

“The level of stealth and the security knowledge and skills
she has alone would be invaluable,” Will agreed, his tone commanding once again
and effectively cutting off any further rumination on Matt’s part. “Often our
cases are already shot to hell and that’s why we’re called in to clean up in
the first place. Who cares if she’s an adrenaline junkie? We all are in our own
ways. I still think that more often than not we could really use someone like
her.”

“And she’s never been violent,” Julian reminded him. “None
of us are exactly pure as the driven snow. An ex-thief who uses her skills when
they can be helpful would not really be that strange around here.”

Matt thought about it and could see their point. Convincing
her, on the other hand…he didn’t think would be quite as simple as they
assumed.

“If she’s managed to be so successful for so long, I would
assume she has sources of information as well, contacts that we could use to
great advantage,” Matt added. He remained unconvinced that this thief would
entertain the faintest notion of joining the police—or the Enforcers, for that
matter—but he began to see where his friend and the Captain were coming from.

“Damn straight,” Will agreed. “She studies her opponents
thoroughly, does her research on her designated project, is organized and only
takes calculated risks she has fully thought over. In her own way, she even has
morals—that rosary is the only intensely personal thing she has ever stolen,
and from the information I have it was an accident. I’d even go so far as to
hypothesize that she might have started the chain of events to have it
returned, though that might be optimistic.”

“Each one of these cases the victims could afford to lose
what she took and were covered at least to some degree by insurance,” Julian
finished. “We can’t prove that she hasn’t done other heists or never
intentionally steals from people of lesser standing, but it fits a solid
pattern and is a risk we’re willing to take. Plus we could use someone like her
on the team. She’d be an asset, no question about it.”

“I presume now we know I can’t Track her the regular way
we’ll be doing it the old-fashioned way?” Matt grinned wryly.

“Yup.” Will indicated the pile of folders. “I’m sure you and
Julian will have a fun time with it.”

Matt shook his head and picked up the folders as Julian made
his way toward the door. Will chewed thoughtfully on his cigar and seemed to
stare off into the distance. Matt frowned, his instincts humming. “Is that all
you’re after her for? Just as a new addition to your crew? Or is there
something more specific you have percolating in the back of your mind?” Matt
asked, staring hard at Will.

Matt noticed Julian had paused at the door. His partner’s
brows were furrowed for a second, surprise clear in his gray eyes. Julian
looked from Matt to Will, and Matt could see the gears turning in his head.
Matt felt proud for a moment that he’d managed to flush Will out, and his
partner hadn’t even thought about it.

Both Matt and Julian looked at Will, whose frown had
deepened as he chewed pensively on his cigar. After a moment Matt could see in
the clear blue eyes of their Captain that he’d come to a decision one way or
the other.

“Too damn perceptive,” Will groused good-naturedly, “that’s
the problem with you wizards. It’s not natural that a man should have so much
instinct. Then again, it’s the sign of a good operative to be able to think
outside the box and see the missing pieces of the puzzle.”

Matt stood still as Julian came to stand next to him and eye
Will warily.

“I know that look. I’ve seen it all too often on you over
the years I’ve been under your command,” Julian said quietly. “What’s happened?
You’ve learned something new? Something that made you decide to rush this
recruitment of Shadow?”

“Word has come to me over the last couple of days that there
might be a new designer drug making the rounds, one that acts as semi-antidote
to Jolt,” Will said. “It supposedly acts as a buffer to the high created by the
enhanced magical abilities and also helps to stem the addictive qualities of
Jolt.”

Matt felt his eyebrows rise in surprise. His curiosity
piqued, he shared a look with Julian—who appeared startled but intrigued—then
gave voice to his thoughts.

“Isn’t this a good thing?” Matt clarified. “I mean, anything
that will help keep kids from dying has to be a positive thing. Not to mention
much of the sting of Jolt will be squashed if this is true.”

“Don’t get me wrong, boy,” Will replied, “Jolt is still a
serious problem in the small, contained circles where it’s still active. No
so-called antidote will change that. Jolt, even with this new drug, gives users
the high of faux magical abilities and a crash of depression and after-effects.
They might be dulled partially, but as long as Jolt is being produced out
there, we’re going to have problems.”

Matt nodded and waited for Will to continue.

“Right now my priority with this information is to confirm
whether or not it’s true, but also to try to obtain a sample. Our laboratory
people are excellent, some of the best in the field, but that doesn’t mean they
are miracle workers.” Will sighed.

Matt hazarded a guess. “With a sample of even a partial
antidote it will help them jump to steps in the procedure that they might be
currently stuck on?”

Will snapped a quick nod agreeing with him. “Absolutely. Not
to mention possibly point them in new directions. Being given half an answer is
a big leap forward to trying to nut out your own response. This could be vital
in closing this case completely and neutralizing any further threat Jolt might
become in the future.”

“With the extra knowledge this could give us even if the
antidote is legitimate, we could still save ourselves weeks or months of study
and testing,” Julian interjected. “We could test for ourselves potential side
effects or long term issues. And we could flood the market with it and negate
much of the damage Jolt can do. As soon as it wasn’t profitable, the industry
would move on to something else, and we would have a weapon to use against what
remains on the streets.”

“So we’ll indoctrinate Shadow by getting her to steal the
antidote and help the good guys win for a change?” Matt replied half
sarcastically. Will nodded, his expression sober.

“A person like her,” he commented, “is certainly stealing
for the thrill. She isn’t prolific enough to be doing it for the money, nor is
she big on taking risks. The only logical solution left is that she’s doing it
simply for the pleasure of doing it. We could use her skills, and she might be
surprised by how the excitement of thieving for the good guys left her with a
satisfied feeling as well as her endorphin high.”

Matt held private doubts about that, but he was not about to
contradict Will without evidence. Nor was he at all sure someone who performed
breaking and entering for the cheap thrill of it was someone who would
willingly turn to law enforcement and the white hat crew just for the warm,
fuzzy feeling it might give her.

Matt caught Julian’s gaze and his partner gave a very short
nod.

Matt took a deep breath. “Well, if we’re going to do this
the hard way we better get cracking,” he said. He checked that he had all the
folders as Julian opened the flimsy door to Will’s office. Will rose behind his
desk and nodded to Matt and Julian.

“Keep me posted, you two—I want to know how everything is
going.”

“We’ll find her,” Matt replied firmly, sounding a lot more
certain than he felt. “I’ve always said there is no such thing as a person I
can’t Track, and I refuse to be made a liar now. I’ll find a way to bring her
in. Then we can let Julian sweet-talk her into joining us.”

Will and Julian both chuckled and slanted him telling
glances. Matt closed the door behind him and left the main precinct area,
striding along next to Julian. His partner turned to give him a half smile as
he shook his head.

“I’ll find a way to bring her in?”
The blond man
mimicked Matt’s earlier words. “You’ll not let some thief best you and your
Tracking abilities—and you think
I
’
ll
be the one to sweet-talk
her? Man, you’re already as curious as hell about her. You’re deluding yourself
if you think otherwise.”

Matt opened his mouth to deny it, but Julian turned his head
to face him. One hand brushed his short blond hair back, mussing it, and his
piercing gray eyes nearly seared through to Matt’s soul. Matt frowned as a
telling silence fell between them, and probed his own reaction, analyzing it
for the first time.

He felt curiosity about Shadow, that much was true. He had
not been intrigued by someone in that way for a while, but that was natural,
surely? How often did you come across proof that something you hadn’t thought
existed was real? He’d held the rosary in his own hands, had sensed the
dichotomy of emptiness and her evident power. It wasn’t something he believed
could be fake and the potential repercussions of others out there who could not
be Tracked blew his mind.

The very fact you’re going to give yourself an aneurysm
thinking about it proves my point,” Julian commented wryly. Matt had to laugh.

“I reserve the right to not incriminate myself until I meet
this so-called thief with no essence,” Matt insisted.

Julian jabbed him on the shoulder as they headed down the
stairs and out onto the street. “Yeah, sure,” he replied sardonically. “You
keep telling yourself that and I’ll remind you of it later.”

“So where are we heading?” Matt asked, eager to change the
topic. He didn’t want to think too hard about what an interesting mental puzzle
he found the idea of a witch who couldn’t be Tracked. How tempted he was,
rather like the way a child is drawn to a flame even when he knows he might get
singed.

“I figure since we’ll need to sift through every single iota
of information in each of these files it might be best if we go back to my
place, maybe order some pizza for lunch on the department,” Julian replied as
he led them both down into the parking garage.

“You know me—I never say no to free pizza,” Matt laughed as
Julian de-beeped the alarm on his car. Matt pulled his keys out of his pocket
and nodded a few bays over to indicate where he had parked. “I’ll follow you,”
he said.

Julian smirked at him. “Try to keep your mind on the road
and not the girl,” he taunted him.

Matt flipped him the bird. “I’ll see you there in fifteen
minutes,” he replied, ignoring his friend as he crossed the distance to his
car. With one last smirk, Julian climbed into his own, started the engine and
left.