Gray Witch (Black Hat Bureau 5)
“Now.” He plopped me onto his lap and locked his arms around me, immobilizing me. “Let’s get back to the case.”
“The Boo Brothers have a patron, or patrons, who may or may not be para.” I farmed my memory for more details. “They gifted the brothers magical artifacts and filled their head with stories of angels and demons. Their peak popularity was fifteen years or so ago.” I attempted to get comfy, but Clay wasn’t built for snuggles. “Do you remember the interviews? Goddess, those were the absolute best. Each a true cinematic gem.”
“How could I forget?” Clay explained to Asa, “They did talk shows, local news, commercials.”
“That’s how they came by the catchy moniker Boo Brothers. A talk show host forgot their names during a live broadcast. He blurted that instead, and it caught on. You could tell it wasn’t an act for them. They were true believers.”
“Totally cuckoo,” Clay agreed. “Viewers loved it.”
“There was cosplay. So much cosplay.” I chuckled recalling it. “Really, they were minor celebrities.”
“That will work against us,” Asa pointed out, “if they seek shelter with their fans.”
Prove to their rabid followers they spoke the truth, and we kick-started a full-scale witch hunt.
One that spawned yet another wave of talk shows, news coverage, and televised specials.
Basically, the worst of all possible outcomes, given how far technology had come since their debut.
“You’re not wrong,” I agreed. “This has the potential to out the paranormal community globally.”
Huh.
Maybe Parish hadn’t let us off as easy as I first thought.
“What happened to them?” Asa leaned forward, fully invested. “How did they disappear?”
“The Boos vanished at the start of filming a special on how to hunt demons. Everyone blamed a publicity stunt, but then word got out that the much-anticipated series was canned. Fans were not happy.” Clay pointed at his chest. “To save face, the network aired a special on hunting the Boos instead. Their disappearance was all over the news by that point, so they cashed in with everyone else to recoup their investment.”
“Conspiracy theorists were convinced demons killed the Boos to keep their weaknesses from becoming common knowledge.” I shifted on Clay’s lap, but my butt was falling asleep fast. “No one knows what really happened to them.”
Our job, it seemed, was to figure that out and then put a stop to their latest whackadoodle scheme.
“The director allowed this?” Asa rubbed his jaw. “He let them spread that much propaganda?”
“They were an overnight sensation,” Clay explained. “One day, they were just everywhere.”
“The other thing to remember is, they were really, really bad at their job. The artifacts would have killed paras in droves, if the brothers used them instead of wasting time on religious ceremonies they invented for the sake of ego. They also ‘redeemed’ more humans than paras, so they went to jail for breaking and entering, kidnapping, and aggravated assault. Their victims were branded as nonbelievers, of course.”
Yet the Boos always slipped those charges. The brothers were Teflon. Another gift from their patron.
“The director was choosing his moment to strike,” Clay added, “but they vanished before he gave the order.”
“The timing pointed toward them having an informant inside Black Hat. A high-ranking one.” I couldn’t help but add that to the reason for Parish’s assignment. We had been working rogue cases. This was starting to fit the profile. “The director was furious, but he never found a source. Not as far as I know.”
A shiver coasted down my spine at how Asa was staring at me, a glimmer in his eyes I couldn’t pin down.
“Granted,” Clay fussed, drawing my attention, “they could have taken master classes from Rue.”
“Yes, yes, I know I’m a terrible friend and unworthy of you or your wig collection.”
“Hey, you said it.” His lips hitched to one side. “Not me.”
“The director was content with that resolution?” Asa scooted forward. “He didn’t verify their deaths?”
“The downside to commercializing their work,” I said, wrapping up Asa’s debriefing, “was people viewed their disappearance as more of a series finale than an actual missing persons case. Hardcore Boo fans let their freak flags fly, but the average viewer? They flipped the channel and moved on with their lives.”
Quicker than a heartbeat, flames erupted in a fiery aura around Asa as the daemon claimed his skin.