While the rest of the Defenders waited in the van, Roland accompanied Carter and Fen into the police station. He needed to lean on Carter’s shoulder, but he pointed out that as the head of Protection, Inc: Defenders, he’d have the most credibility. Fen had dreaded having to tell the police their story, which was bizarre even when you left out the magical animals, the shifters, the wizard-scientists, and the Dunkleosteus, but it was much less intimidating when she knew she had Carter and Roland to back her up.
But when they arrived, it turned out that Fen was the key person. Unlike Carter, she was not in the habit of randomly vanishing without notice, so she’d been reported missing within hours of not showing up for work. Also unlike Carter, she had no history of disappearing and then returning with some implausible explanation. When she told them she’d been kidnapped, they believed her. Carter and Roland, in the guise of a security consultant who worked with Carter, were just the icing on the cake.
There were so many interviews done and reports made that all three of them were still at the station when a squad of officers came in with the mighty hunters, all of them drenched in swamp water and babbling about swamp sharks. Fen stared as hard as she could at Bill, trying to telepathically convey,Confess or I’ll feed you to the swamp shark.
“Eldon McManus told us to do it!” Bill said, avoiding Fen’s gaze. “I can prove it! I have emails!”
“He led us on!” Horace babbled. His eyes were haunted; she could practically see Norris’s reflected teeth in them. “It was all Eldon!”
“Step this way and tell us all about it,” said a detective.
Carter, Fen, and Roland took the opportunity to flee to the van.
“Do you want to find some place to clean up, then drive straight back to New York?” Roland asked.
Fen and Carter looked at each other. She was certain he was thinking the same thing that she was.
“Actually,” Fen said, “Why don’t you all go ahead, and we’ll meet up with you later? We have some things we should probably discuss. We’re in quite a complex situation here when it comes to business.”
“And financial matters,” Carter added.
“Legal matters too,” said Fen.
“Not to mention law enforcement,” said Carter.
“And publicity,” said Fen.
“Right.” Roland seemed to be repressing a mischievous smile. “Business and finance. Of course.”
“And legal matters.” Merlin winked at them.
“There’s some kinds of publicity you definitely don’t want. So here.” Ransom presented them with a small suitcase. “For Precious.”
Fen and Carter stepped out of the van, waved, and watched it drive away. They had Precious in the suitcase, and Sugar down the front of Fen’s blouse.
“You know what I really, really want to do?” Carter asked.
“Probably the same thing as me,” said Fen.
“But I want to have sex afterward,” he assured her.
She laughed. “I was going to say, but I want to shower first.”
They caught a cab—they had to bribe the driver with double the fare to get him to agree to let them in, as muddy as they were—and directed him to take them to the fanciest hotel in the city.
He looked deeply dubious. “They won’t let you in smell—uh, looking like that.”
“That’s our problem,” said Fen.
The driver shrugged and drove them to a hotel that, she was pleased to see, looked more than fancy enough to turn away muddy, swampy people without reservations…
…unless those muddy, swampy, reservation-less people happened to be Carter Howe and Fenella Kim.
Together they swept into the lobby. The doorman stared at them. The guests side-eyed them. The receptionist glared at them, pointed to the door out, and said, "There's a motel right around the corner. It has showers."
Carter slapped his drivers license down on the counter. When the receptionist looked at it, then at him, he said, "Yes.ThatCarter Howe."
Fen followed it with her own. "Yes. I'm back. The police are aware. And if you'd like this to continue to be a five-star hotel with a good reputation, you'll give us a suite and not tip off the paparazzi."
