Victoria took some more time to observe the agent. He looked to be in his mid-forties, that could have been due to how tired he looked. She noted that his suite was loose and ill-fitting. She guessed it was off the wrack instead of a custom fit. “Osgood, I take it this is something to do with your group?”

“That is what we are trying to determine.” The older man replied as he looked at the agent then back to the young woman at the table. “However neither of us has a clue as to what the nature of the situation. Sargent Charles has intimated to Ms. Leighton that she is to be charged with murder?’

Agent Kerr grunted and sighed.”Yes,” Victoria took it as an indicator that the agent was naturally laconic. He thumbed through the folder once more. Then turned it around. It consisted of the pictures she had already been shown. “Do you recognize this place?” He said as he laid out one of the photos.

“Yes, office Charles showed it to me when he was questioning me.”Again the agent grunted. As he lay down other photos.

“And the rest of these?” he asked.

“I think these are the rest of the pictures that I was shown. Why?”

“Yes, agent I am curious about this also,” Osgood said giving the man a hard look.

He looked at them then replied. “I’d like you to come with me to the murder scene.”

"Why?" Victoria asked in surprise.

"I've been at this a long time you can call it a hunch maybe,” The agent shrugged. “Maybe it's all the profiling I’ve had to do. But there is no way that you murdered anyone." Agent Kerr said.

"I don't think that Sargent Charles feels the same way." Victoria replied." In fact, I think you'd like to put me under the jail if he could."

Osgood nodded to the young girl's words. "And whatever paperwork are we going to have to be able to get her out of here usually that takes quite a while."

Agent Kerr raised a hand and shook it in the air. "If she had been booked, yes. However, I think the dear Sargent thought it was more important to get a confession out of her. Then to follow procedure."

"Is that why he never got me an attorney?" Victoria asked the agent. Anger showed on her face like a thundercloud. "That jackass, if I had been guilty. I would have guaranteed me an acquittal."

"No, Victoria I don't think he cared. He will never realize one important thing. He isn’t dealing with normal police work anymore. You and yours deal with most abnormal things that happen in the world."

"What about you what you deal with?" She asked the agent. He closed his eyes as a muscle started to jump in his cheek.

When he opened them he looked at her, a stern expression on his face."For the past decade, I have dealt with the worst of the worst. What people don't realize is the police, the FBI, we really aren’t here to protect you. If we save a life that's all to the good. We’re more of the garbageman. W are here to pick up the mess, sweeping the streets clean. Every year it gets harder and harder." Victoria tried to use her charisma and pick up on the man's cues. She saw a tired man who didn’t believe in what he was doing anymore. She wondered if he ever had. It dawned on her that he was just trying to serve out until retirement.

He eyed her thoughtfully. “Do you have a gun?”

She shook her head in the negative as she replied. “No. This may be Texas Agent Kerr. But it’s a little hard for an underage teenager to get a hold of a firearm.” Her words brought a weak smile to the man's tired face. It nearly even reached his eyes, then he looked at Osgood.

“Can she handle herself?” The Agent asked the older man.

“We can always find out.” He replied. The agent gave him a quizzical look before he opened the door for them. He glared at the officer on the other side of the door.

“Charles, you’re sloppy but lucky.” He said giving the man a glare. “This time.”

“What about my suspect?” Officer Charles whined.

“Not her.” Osgood replied with a small smile. The officer gave the small group an unsatisfied smile then he muttered to himself

X X X

Victoria eagerly got in the car with Agent Kerr. She saw it as an opportunity to gather more intelligence. “So guns?” She asked him. He looked at her with a grunt.

“Yeah, as has been explained to me a firearm is a good weapon against a true flesh and blood monster. But what you guys deal with are made up of Mana.”

“Right,” Victoria said. “But I’d think a bullet or several would do that well enough.” The teen replied. She was noticing a difference is driving styles between Sunny and Agent Kerr. She was fast and prone to suddens tops where he was more professional and deliberate.

The agent continued to speak in a dry monotone lecture voice. “For monsters, we use either a steel core lead ball round or a silver core ball round.” He said briefly looking at her as checked to see if she were listening. “The cold iron, steel, and other ferrous materials draw the mana and magic out of them and will give time kill them.”

“You mean like the stories of the Fae?” She asked.

“Yes. So we find that the more humanoid monsters are unable to use firearms, except a few models which have predominately non-ferrous materials.” He said with a grimace. “The other aspect is the instincts of monsters is to tear and rend its prey. Then there are the physical aspects. A monster with four or five-inch talons on its hand will not be physically able to hold a weapon.”

Nodding Victoria listened to the man's lecture and learned more than she ever wished to find out the fine art of munitions. Agent Kerr’s example was a badger turtle. “So the turtle burrows under the grounds and makes a den. Normally that wouldn’t be an issue except it breathes fire? We were ordered in and our rounds were ineffective as these things skin and shell were tougher than the bullets. It was effectively impervious to them. We finally killed it when a guard pulled out his sword from is cosplay outfit and attacked it from the rear.” The agent stated. “The blad was broad enough and long enough to ground out the mana after it had been thrust through the rear of the beast and under its shell.

“This is it.”

“This sure is a creepy place,” Victoria said as she stepped out. Looking behind the car she saw an older chevy pickup pull in and Osgood stepped out.

Agent Kerr nodded in agreement. “Yes, it does.” On that, he slowed and pulled up in front of a house. Twilight had already set in the house was gast in the shadows of the old pine trees that surrounded it.

“I believe that Victoria has a spell that may help in this situation.” The old mage said as he pulled out a rod from the back gun rack.

“I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to cast spells around normal people,” Victoria said hopefully.

“Most of the time the mana will remove the memory from them.” She shrugged. “But even then the Human mind will seek to block out the strange and unusual. The human mind is a strange and wonderful thing letting us forget what may be dangerous to the person.”

Nodding Victoria stepped up. Then cast her detect monster spell. She was rewarded with a notification.

Monster detected west-northwest

The teen pointed in the indicated direction. “There's something there.” She said as the agent eyed her. “What?” She asked defensively.”

“I really could use you on clean up.” He replied as he opened the door after cutting the police seal. He drew his weapon and advanced through the door. The teen behind him, the big bear of a man Osgood in the rear.

“Again Victoria,” Osgood said as they entered the kitchen. She caster her spell and once more pointed in what appeared to be the general direction of the enclosed Garage. They followed Agent Kerr as he entered and without being asked she cast the spell once more and then pointed into the corner. An ancient refrigerator sat in the corner, the cord dangling from the front.

“Get ready.” the agent whispered as he advanced “it must be hiding inside the fridge.” Reaching out for the handle the agent grasped it then quickly threw the door open. The inside was bare. “What?” he asked in surprise.

Victoria paled and cast her spell again. As she did so the agent turned and glared at the young girl. “ I thought you sai…” his words were cut off as the refrigerator moved the open maw of the interior grew teeth and lunged at the unsuspecting agent Kerr.”

“Mimic!” Osgood yelled as he whipped his rod up at the beast. It had clamped down around the upper torso of the unfortunate agent Kerr and had hauled him up off his feet. Victoria stood transfixed then she cast her energy bolts at the beast. In the commotion, she noticed that the agents' hands were clasped down around his waist as the thing danced around waving his legs in the air. She noted her spells landing and damaging the beast but also how the agent spasmed as if he were in pain. “Back girl fight it from a distance.”

He said even as he advanced. She saw the rod blast out a beam of energy that struck the monster. Then he was on it as a shining blade materialized in his large hands. She kept moving and firring her energy bolts hoping that they wouldn’t Kill Kerr in the battle. Osgood fought it with rod and sword. For a moment she thought it was deja vu and then her last spell struck the creature and it fell. As it lay on the ground it started to dissipate. The stunned agent Kerr lay helpless. Victoria quickly moved up to the man and tried her first aid to assess him. Noting the puncture wounds he had suffered she cast healing on the man after her third spell his wounds had stopped healing but she noted that his suit was ruined. Puncture wounds, blood and monster secretions permeated it.

“What the hell?” The agent asked and glanced at what had been the monster.

“A Mimic, they can look like anything,” Osgood said.

Victoria bent down and picked something up. She held them up to the two older men. “Teeth”? She asked.

“Loot,” replied Osgood. “I can teach you to identify them later.”