Brownie Oxford and the Ashland Affair: Brownie Bk1

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up letting me know that fall would soon be serious, September it seemed, had finally managed to kill the August heat. I shivered in my still dew damped dress. Flashligh

eadstone belonging to one William Frasier. I thought about asking him if he minded, as it seemed the po

objected. My head was throbbing and when I lifted a hand to check on it, the hand came away wet. I wiped my fingers on my torn

eciding that I wasn't likely to bleed to death, I watched the milling law enforcement. All of the bad guys, aka the ones who had kidna

thrift store, just in case I was unsuccessful. Not that I had anything in my closet worth as much as the value

was to wear while doing them. Surprisingly, Swift hadn't arrived with the cavalry although I was fairly certain he

m were even remotely familiar. I didn't think any of them worked with Swift. It wasn't because I didn't recognize them, I was certain there were lots of people who worked with Swift who I didn't know, a fa

by a doctor they approved, smile false smiles that were little more than the twitching of the muscles around their mouths and offer insincere apologies for any discomfort I may have suffered. Then they would give me the standard warning about keeping anything I had seen locked insid

I was just the innocent civilian. Now that they had the threat to my well-being contained, they could focus their attention elsewh

he handcuffed men were apparently on someone's most wanted list and they all wanted the credit for their capture. Not that they put it that way

enace. Swift had arrived. The moving lights caught the blonde strands of hair and made them look like gold. I watched as he quickly surveyed the scene and I could see him dismiss t

than usual. From where I sat, he stretched impossibly far into the night sky. The moon was behind his head and gave him a sort of glow,

a blank canvas that could be altered the way other people changed their clothing. He could pour emotion into his words as well as change the accent and become a man from almost anywhere

nst one of the sto

stepped behind me and I winced as his long fingers li

ll want it checked out." He took

d steadied while I waited for someone to be declared king of the crime sc

y hit you wit

gainst a fallen headsto

to keep things neat. His desk looked like a catalog display. I had never seen his

wift turned, realizing he was being addressed by some flavor of offi

't have time to answer, but I could feel my body relax. Swift and his people often treated me as merely a tool in their kit which

ing, " he told me. I nodded and slipped my shoes on my feet. I let out a soft hiss of

" Swift snapped, his attention

fident that the blister would not kill me before I could get back to the car. Swift sho

ed, more to distract myself from my fe

an asset to the N

started to throb in time with the blister and I felt a little fuzzy, so I

was around, thus avoiding these sorts of issues. This was my first clash of the law titans. It was almost disappo

d them we would expect no cre

gs they officially did. At least that was how it always seemed to me. Perhaps when no one was looking th

y were the shadows behind the already shadowy CIA. I liked to think that somewhere there was a file so someone, somewhere, somehow knew what was going on. I had the suspicion though that the f

al event that caused the sheet ca

les somewhere, just in case someone needs to

ange of topics, as he had long since gotten used to the way I processed things. He often told new people that my trai

ough to fit me. I doubted that is how they phrased their request at the rental agency. I think even a bored clerk would take notice if someone requested a vehicle with a trunk large enoug

odd for a federal officer to arrive in a yellow Prius, but the big black SUVs were not exactly subtle. A part of me wanted to slap a flame dec

the official looking car lot and unlo

my head towards the sea of standard issue vehicles. The corner of Swift's mouth turned

around to the driver's side and slid behind the wheel. I sighed with relief as w

t, the damp dress or reaction. I had the feeling I would be adding a new scenario to my nightmares. Trial and error had taught me that the situations that I didn't react to u

erything together until the doctor checked me out and Swift sent me home to sleep. Once

ed that he had been monitoring me and had waite

outside to the street. We were walking to his car when I felt a sting in my shoulder. I blacked out." I clenched my jaw and felt my teeth fairly groan at t

asked. "I didn't see

eyebrow. I wasn't surprised that Swift knew th

personal radar wasn't that far off. Working with Swift for so long had shar

this time." Swift told me.

t like him

met him. Ple

d me to climb out. Mr. Salesman told me I would be raising a zombie." I blinked a

ight suddenly had a few multi-colored ribbons dancing across it. "He told the other two suits that I would be the one raising the zombi

we got there, he ordered me to raise the zombie

was asked in a quiet voice and I wondered i

asked what they wanted me to use as a sacrifice, " I told Swift. "They seemed concerned that

ng as his body shook with laughter

I told him, unable to resist a small smile. "Good thing too as I was running out of zombie t

they wanted you to

bout it. They didn't point to any one tombstone. They didn't show me who they wanted raise

odd, even

ed earth, as though someone

n old c

s and earlier, at least in t

didn't se

o the ground then the body was just a skeleton or

could see Swift was turning

d guy, "

rd the amusement in h

were wearing name ta

ted to make sure I had

. I'm pretty sure he had seen a couple of zombies before to

hy

in something like that. You have to dis

dn't seen the actual ra

dn't thought through the actual raising part. The others were the same way. At least no one looked as though

ver road we were on had no streetlights and clouds had covered the moon. The only lights were from Swift's he

lone in the dark with no one there to hear and his voice was warm and gentle. It wa

ve seen what I can do." Admittedly he hadn't seen all of what I could do, but I ha

ve come out during testing if you could

"And if they knew someone who could raise zombies, wh

t said. "We'll have to see