count to climb exponentially, we need to stop them. Pronto. I'll tell you on the way."
"Look, I have no way to tell if you're lying or if I'm dreaming here. I should call this in." Tess reached for her radio.
Shondeen puffed out a sigh that turned into a cough. She cleared her throat and spat out a gob of mucus when she finished. "I can show you my badge if that will help."
Tess bit her lip. "How do I explain you? You aren't exactly normal, human, you know."
"Your ancestors were Irish, right? I'm guessing you inherited more than just the red hair from them. The Irish were always close to the fey, fairyland citizens. They can see us, talk to us, even travel to Fairyland with no problems. Every one else should just see me as a normal human. But just to be safe-" She tapped herself with her stick. A faint shimmer of silver light slid over her skin. She seemed less substantial than before. "Take me back to the other crime scene. I need to see what they wrote. And if we're lucky, we'll stop them before they strike again."
Shondeen's hand was cool and smooth on her arm. The silver glow tickled, like fizz in soda. Tess found herself nodding, trusting this creature of the fey. She shook herself free of the spell, stepping back.
"Don't use that glamour on me, my grandmother used to tell me about it," Tess said. Her hand rested on the butt of her gun.
Shondeen rolled her eyes. "Sorry, but I don't have time to build a relationship with you. I need to stop those redcaps and get them back into their fey sanctuary before they hurt anyone else. Can we just agree to trust each other for now?"
"Answer two questions first."
Shondeen nodded, but pursed her lips impatiently.
"Why did you ask about silver?"
"It's the only thing that can hurt the fey in your world. Even a tiny scratch is enough to incapacitate one of us. Sulfur and red phosphorus can be used to put us to sleep. Now I've given you the two ways to defeat me. And the redcaps."
"Speaking of them, what are redcaps?"
"That's a long answer. Let me tell you while you drive." Shondeen started up the stairs. They creaked under her weight.
"You know about cars?" Tess asked as she followed.
"I've been an agent for close to fifty years now. I used to want an Edsel, way back when I first started, but cars don't work in Fairyland. Just like magic in your world doesn't always work right, your machines don't always work right in Fairyland. I still wanted an Edsel, just to sit in. I loved those cars."
Tess shook her head as she climbed the stairs. Strange day and it promised to get weirder. She couldn't help but harbor at least a little resentment towards the fairy woman. Besides being shapely and exotic, she carried an air of superiority and competence that made Tess feel about as attractive and intelligent as a brain-damaged cockroach.
Shondeen stopped in the dusty front parlor. She cocked her head to one side as if listening. She held one hand up, signaling Tess to silence.
Tess slid her gun from the holster, her finger sliding alongside the trigger, ready to pull and fire in an instant. "What?" she whispered.
"Someone outside." Shondeen's voice was like a breath of wind, barely heard yet completely clear.
A car door slammed. "Tess? You in there?" Beavis's voice was unmistakeable, a thick country accent colored every vowel and slurred the consonants.
"Who's the idiot?" Shondeen whispered. Her attention flickered to every corner of the room, watching the shadows.
"My backup," Tess answered as she holstered her weapon yet again.
Shondeen drew in a deep breath through her nostrils. "This place reeks of redcap mischief and magic." Her voice was no longer a whisper, but still low.
Tess pulled open the front door. "All clear," she said as she stepped out onto the sagging porch.
Beavis and Roxy stood in the dried front yard. The cool autumn wind tried to stir Roxy's big hair, but her hairspray was industrial strength. Beavis's wispy combover flopped to the side, waving like a starched flag. Yep, Tess felt so much more secure with the two of them backing her up. Neither had a gun.
Shondeen brushed her arm as she passed her into the yard. "You should do something about that sarcastic attitude. Not healthy." The fairy agent held out her hand to Roxy. "I'm with the FBI. Call me Shondeen."
Like that was believable. In the sunlight, Shondeen looked even more strange. Her black skin reflected the light in weird ways, making her skin appear translucent blue over the blackness. She looked as if she stood in moonlight though it was midmorning. Her bush of green hair, tied into complicated braids and poufy knots, glowed more vibrant than fields in spring. But Roxy only smiled and shook her hand.
Beavis grinned like a kid in Disneyland. "A real fed! Pleased to meetcha."
The porch steps creaked under Tess's feet. Maybe Shondeen had something with her glamour spell. It would definitely come in handy next time Tess had to deal with the state or the big city cops. If she could convince Shondeen to teach it to her.
"We're dealing with a really nasty pair of serial killers," Shondeen said. "I've been chasing them for a while now. I need you to take me to the crime scene. It will help me track them to their next site."
"They came back here after slaughtering the clerks," Tess said. She waved at the car parked to one side of the house. The blood still dripped from the tires. That had to be magic of some kind. It should have dried a long time earlier, but the dripping symbols were what led Tess here. That and the screams reported by the farmer.
Shondeen whirled, her eyes wide. "They're here? Why didn't you tell me? Quick, follow me. You're all in danger." She took three long steps towards the car.
The explosion knocked Shondeen onto her shapely backside. The squad car burned merrily, flames dancing out the windows like naughty children. Something laughed in the bushes, a mocking trill of sound.
Shondeen spouted foreign curses as she jumped to her feet. She scratched a circle on the ground with her crooked stick. "Stand close to me. Inside the circle." She nudged Tess inside with her elbow.
The four of them stood awkwardly inside the circle, staring at the deserted farm yard. Shondeen coughed on the smoke from the car. She puffed on her inhaler. The silence stretched, broken only by the sounds of the car burning.
"Sheriff is going to skin me alive," Beavis mumbled. "Borrowed that one from the county pool only yesterday."
Tess stretched her toe towards the line scraped on the ground. They were exposed in the middle of the desiccated weeds. She wanted cover to duck behind if necessary.
"Don't touch that," Shondeen snapped. "You'll break the warding."
Tess pulled her foot back. "What are we supposed to do now?"
"They're here but they can't touch us inside this circle." Shondeen whistled through her front teeth, a shrill tuneless noise that set Tess's nerves on edge.
The bushes rustled. A knife spiraled through the air towards them. Tess grabbed Beavis by the jacket and pulled him low. The knife flickered through the air above them, brushing one side of Roxy's bouffant hair before planting itself in the sagging side of a shed ten feet away.
Roxy shivered as she patted her 'do. "I can't die today. I've got a hair appointment at four."
Shondeen spun on one foot. Her long fingers brushed through Roxy's hair. The helmet of hairspray gave her a bit of trouble, but she pulled her fingers through.
Roxy clapped her hands to her head. "I'm already having a bad hair day. Don't you make it worse."
Shondeen ignored the outburst. She held a filmy length of silver thread into the air. Light glimmered along its length. It was the most wonderful thing Tess had ever seen. She reached for it. Shondeen slapped her hand away.
"Don't touch it. The magic will kill you, but not until you've killed the rest of us with your bare hands. Nasty spell." She shook the string free. It drifted on the breeze, rising into the air. Sunlight sparkled over the length.
Tess watched it go, reaching futilely for it. She wanted to beat Shondeen for keeping it out of her reach. It was so beautifu
l, Tess wanted it so much.
Shondeen's fists knotted on her collar jerked her around, interrupting her view of the magical silver strand. The fairy shoved her black face up next to Tess's whiter one. Her green eyes glared fiercely as a tiger's. She spoke a word that sounded like a giant gargling boulders. The wondrous thread puffed into a ball of fire that dissipated as soon it formed. Tess screamed in rage. Shondeen shook her collar, pulling her to her toes.
Tess sucked in a breath as the urge to kill Shondeen faded. "That was magic?" she asked as the fairy let go of her collar.
"Horrible spell. Makes you turn on your friends and tear them into pieces. I'm not sure who they were aiming at, but if Roxy had not had such perfect hair, she would have been caught by it."
Roxy's scowl turned to a smile. "My hair is perfect?" She patted the last stray strand of hair back into the helmet. It was lopsided and stuck out funny, but Tess wasn't about to say anything. Roxy had a relationship with her hair that brooked no criticism or interference.
"Gorgeous," Shondeen said as she patted Roxy's arm. Tess caught the faint glitter of magic.
"What's that?" Beavis pointed to a large and mostly leafless bush near the porch of the house. "I saw someone in there a minute ago. I swear."
Tess studied the bush. Her hand hovered over her gun. She caught a flicker of red down low, beneath the bottom branches. She eased her gun out.
"Police! Show yourself!" Tess aimed at the red patch. Was that a face? One with a mocking, leering grin?
A short little man