Free Lasting Fury (Hexing House Book 2) by Jen Rasmussen Page A

do you mean, an official explanation?” she asked. Then she remembered something he’d said, in Alecto’s office.
    The IRS has never heard of you any more than the FBI has, or Homeland Security. Pretty much every Federal agency I can think of laughed me off the phone today when I checked with them.
    It occurred to Thea for the first time to wonder what this investigation looked like, from his end.
    “Holgersen, are you the only one there who even believes in us?”
    “Oh, I’m sure there are plenty of others who believe in you. Plenty who know all about you, in fact. But they’re not people someone at my level has access to.”
    Thea bit back a smile. So Alecto’s comment had gotten to him, then.
    “And if you go to the ones you do have access to, like your actual boss, for example, with a story about flying purple people…”
    “Exactly,” Holgersen said. “My immediate superior does not want to hear about furies. The consensus among most rational people is that the picture— your picture—is a hoax. That whatever happened at Hemlock Heights was some kind of chemical leak, or something.”
    “That’s what Laurel Bowman thinks,” Thea said. “She’s Boyd Lexington’s sist—”
    “I know who she is. I interviewed her.”
    “So take more pictures,” Thea said. “You know where the colony is. You could find a way to show him the truth.”
    It would do Holgersen no good to try to show his boss Hexing House directly. Being a stranger, the man would see nothing but ruined buildings and kudzu. But Holgersen himself had been invited onto the campus once before, which meant he would always see the truth. And presumably be able to photograph that truth, although Thea wasn’t absolutely sure whether the enchantment allowed for that or not.
    “As a matter of fact, I showed him a picture.” Holgersen sighed. “He was not inclined to pursue that avenue of investigation. I don’t even know if that’s an order from above, or he’s just being pigheaded.”
    “He just what, told you to forget about us?”
    “Pretty much. It doesn’t matter if a dozen protesters were standing right outside your gates the other day. Or that your picture is all over the internet. Or that I have Alecto’s fucking business card . Officially, you guys don’t exist.”
    “Which is why you’re talking to me. Even though the other day you were treating me like a suspect and refusing to discuss anything you knew at all.” Thea finally put it all together, the reason for his call, why he was being so open with her about his problems.
    “Your hands are tied.” She tried not to laugh as she said it. “If you want to investigate anything fury-related, you need me to do it for you.”
    “I wouldn’t go that far,” Holgersen said. “But if what you told me was the truth, if Hexing House is being blamed unfairly for this other colony’s actions, then you have just as much of an interest in resolving this matter as I do. We’re sort of…”
    There was an uncomfortable pause, which Thea made no attempt to fill.
    “On the same side,” Holgersen finished finally. “So maybe we can help each other.”
    “And right now, you want to know if Seth Bates was hexed,” Thea said.
    “I do.”
    “Well, you’re in luck. Because I want to know the same thing. I’m looking into it.”
    “You keep me in your loop and I’ll keep you in mine,” Holgersen said. “How’s that for now?”
    “Works for me.”
    But for the moment, she had an even more urgent matter to attend to. One that couldn’t be put off any longer.
    As soon as Thea got back to Hexing House, she flew to the Wellness building, where she drove Darnell so crazy with her pacing that he got her in to see Langdon within the hour.
    “That’s not going to do you any good.” Thea nodded at the blood pressure cuff around her arm. “This isn’t a physical problem. Langdon, I seriously think I’m going crazy. Is there such a thing as a sin disease?”
    Langdon laughed at