“I had no idea what was hiding underneath,” Adley continued. “Once he was captured, they took all his possessions away, the pills included. They’re in evidence lockup if you need them for anything. The prescribing doctor’s name will be on the bottle. O’Halloran can give you access.”
“Thank you for that, Adley,” Krieger chimed in. “It might be a good idea to talk to his psychiatrist back in LA… Oh, but then there’s the confidentiality issue.”
“It would be unethical, but—” Adley paused and laughed lightly. “I’m the last person to talk ethics here.”
A moment passed in silence, before Krieger spoke. “You know, Adley, I did Harley’s second Reading today.”
That got her full attention. “Oh. What were the results?”
“I went deep, this time. She’s not a Mediocre, for starters. She was fitted with a Dempsey Suppressor as an infant,” Krieger said.
Adley gasped, genuinely delighted from what I sensed. She gave me a broad smile, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “I’m glad to hear that, Harley! I knew a second Reading would shed more insight into what you are. I’m just sorry I didn’t get to be the one to deliver such news, but… I have crimes to pay for. I deserve my time here.”
“Oh, and Adley, I’ve taken over your research, as you know,” Krieger added, trying to prevent her from slumping into a sad bubble. “Fantastic work you’ve done, so far. I have a few questions, though, if you don’t mind. There are some notes that don’t make much sense to me. Perhaps you can shed some light.”
“Of course, Doctor. I’m here and happy to assist with whatever you need,” she replied, smiling. “I was never an enemy of the coven, and I will continue to help however I can, even from my little cell.” She then looked at me. “Will you go see Finch anytime soon?”
I’d thought about it, sure, but I hadn’t decided yet. “I want to, yes,” I said. “Probably soon, but I’m not sure when.”
“Well, when you do go see him, can you please tell him I love him?” she asked. “I just want him to know that.”
My heart ached with sadness and longing—all Adley’s. Even after what had happened, she still loved him. Unbelievable.
“Why, though?” I asked. “He lied to your face, for years. He didn’t even give a damn about you while you both testified in front of the California Mage Council. Why would you want me to tell him that?”
Adley smiled, wiping a solitary tear from her eye.
“You wouldn’t understand. I was with Finch for more than two years, Harley. I know he didn’t fake all aspects of our relationship. He couldn’t have,” she said, her voice shaky. “I know there’s a part of him that loves me back. I know it. Finch’s mind was poisoned by his mother.”
“That doesn’t change what he did, Adley,” I said.
“No, of course it doesn’t! But you all need to understand something. I know Finch. He’s a fundamentally good person. I never would’ve stayed with him otherwise. I might have been blinded by love, but even I have my limits. In his day-to-day behavior, Finch was wonderful. He had lapses and dark times, which I’m sure were connected to his mother, but other than that, I’m telling you, he’s a good soul. He was radicalized by Katherine. I’m willing to bet my life on it!”
Krieger hummed slowly, wearing a pensive expression. “You think he could be swayed back to a socially adjusted, non-criminal individual.”
“Yes, yes, I do!” Adley replied.
“He killed people, Adley. All he has to look forward to is Purgatory for life,” I said.
She truly believed what she was telling us. Whether it was true or not, however, remained to be seen. Though, I didn’t exclude the possibility that Finch had been manipulated by his mother. That, in and of itself, made me wonder whether she could have done the same to my father…
“True. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get him to help you,” Adley replied, smiling. “You see, there’s a soft side of him that you can reach. Just tell him I love him. He needs to know that he is still loved, Harley. I don’t know if Katherine has any way of reaching him, but I do know that love can be a powerful light in the darkness.”
“I’ll tell him,” I conceded. “I don’t think it’ll do much, but I’ll tell him in return for your help today.”
“Thank you, Harley.” Adley sighed, clearly relieved and almost serene.
“I need to go now,” I said and gave Krieger a polite nod. “I’ll let you talk to Adley about your work. I’m due to meet with Wade and the others.”
“Be careful out there,” Krieger replied.
I waved them both goodbye before knocking on the door. O’Halloran let me out with a raised eyebrow.
“Are you okay, Merlin?” he asked.
“Yes, sir!”
I wasn’t. My heart was heavy. My soul was riddled with emotions that weren’t mine. My mind was loaded with billions of thoughts and worst-case scenarios. I wasn’t okay at all. But I was determined to push through and bring the Ryder twins and Katherine Shipton to an end. I’d had enough of this nonsense.
“Good. I’ll see you in training tomorrow, then!” O’Halloran said, grinning.
“Wait… What do you mean?”
“Well, Nomura says you need a trainer for your Esprit. I’m here to oblige, Red. Six am, sharp and early in Training Hall C. Don’t be late!” he barked with his usual grumpy snap.
I chuckled. “Yes, sir!”
Sure, I had a Suppressor holding me back. But I could still learn to efficiently control my powers and get the most out of them, given the circumstances. An Esprit amplified what my Chaos could give. Until Krieger could get that thing out of me, I had my Esprit to rely on. I was training to cast magic without it, too, but I’d already made my soul connection to the object. I knew that, if push came to shove, and even without much exercise, my Esprit could still come through for me.
Nineteen
Harley
The Lee family was fairly easy to handle, even though the human parents had to deal with the news that their twelve-year-old adopted son, Min-Ho, was a magical. He’d only just begun to manifest his Herculean and Earth abilities. His mom and dad had suspected that he was different, given how ridiculously fast and strong he was for a little boy.
At first, they were taken aback, giving Min-Ho a bit of a scare. As a foster kid, he’d already been moved through several homes and was likely hoping that this might be his forever family. Wade let me do most of the talking with his parents. In the end, they were proud and considered themselves blessed to have gotten such an incredible child.
There were, of course, serious concerns regarding the Lee family. We found a Ryder twins card in the hallway, but, just like with the Cranstons, neither Min-Ho nor his parents had ever spoken to anyone named Emily and Emmett Ryder, or anyone claiming to be from the San Diego Coven. They only had the occasional visit from Social Services, but that was standard practice, due to the adoption laws in California.
Santana placed charms in every room of the house and left one in the family car for good measure. Wade got the parents to agree to bring Min-Ho to the coven every day, moving him from the human school to our custom-tailored courses and training for young magicals.
We left them in good spirits but warned them to stay away from anyone they couldn’t verify as actual members of the San Diego Coven, and Wade left them his card in case of emergency.
As we drove to the Hamms’, the next family on our list, I had a more positive vibe. I felt as though we were off to a good start to the day. I’d learned that I wasn’t a Mediocre, and I’d also spoken to Adley. The Lees seemed safe, for the time being, and other charms from the previous families we’d dealt with hadn’t gone off either.
“Are you crazy?” Wade blurted as he pulled the Jeep up the Hamms’ driveway.
I’d just told him I wanted to talk to Finch, since my conversation with Adley had given me potential leads about Katherine Shipton to follow up on.
“I’m perfectly sane, thank you,” I replied. “I don’t get why it’s a big deal! I need to talk to him. I need to find out more about Katherine Shipton, and he’s the only one who can tell us.”
“Don’t you think they’ve tried already?” Wade said, getting out of the car.
Santana and Raffe were quiet, but I could feel their concern and amusement. Wade and I had a knack for entertaining them with our back-and-forths.
“Maybe he’ll talk to me. We’re family.” I chuckled, but Wade didn’t find it funny. “It’s worth a shot!”
“Harley, Purgatory is a dark and dreary hellhole. They have ways to make people talk in that place, and trust me, none of them involve asking nicely. You’re not going. It would be useless,” Wade insisted.
Raffe cleared his throat. “She does make a point. She could play the family card,” he murmured.
Wade gave him an outraged look. “Et tu, Brute?!”
“Well, if what Adley said is true, and there is a part of him that’s not entirely evil, a blood tie might work,” Raffe replied with an innocent shrug.
“I’m confident I can at least try to reason with him. I’ll bet it’s lonely in that cell,” I added. “Wade, seriously, use your investigative brain. Finch is a viable lead. We could try and turn him against Katherine. If the Ryders are working with her, and if we take them down, it’ll give me something to show Finch that, you know, we’re not to be messed with. That he’s on the losing side. Think about it!”
Wade sighed, then shook his head. “We’ll talk about it later. Come on, we’ve still got work to do,” he muttered.
We reached the front door. Wade knocked twice.
Anna Hamm opened, and my heart instantly broke. She’d been crying, her eyes puffy and her mascara smeared. Fatigue came off her in waves, and she was wearing a stained sweatshirt. The poor woman was a broken mess, filled with anguish, grief, and despair. It tore me apart on the inside.