Free Banshee Hunt by Greg Curtis

There were limits to what he could do. “New case?” He could use a case he thought. Even though it had only been a day off so far. Too much down time was not a good thing for him. It gave him time to dwell on the past.
     
    “No. Just some concerns. May I …?”
     
    “Of course.”
     
    James stood aside and let the cowboy enter his apartment. He didn't want to. But it wasn't a choice. Will was as close a man as he had to a boss. He brought him his cases and word from the elders when he'd screwed up – which was too often. And by “concerns” James guessed that he meant he'd screwed up again. At least in the eyes of the elders. No doubt they weren't happy about how he'd let the girl be taken to the public hospital under the watchful eyes of the police.
     
    The Illuminati had many roles, only a few of which they shared with the hired help like him. After all, though he took their money and wore their mark, he wasn't one of them, let alone one of the higher ups. But one of the things they did do was hide the existence of magic from normal people. So they were happy when fake wizards showed up and made fools of themselves in public. In fact they encouraged them. And the new age “witches” too. The more the merrier. They also supported various societies like the skeptics. They even encouraged magical performers. The more fake acts they could get out there to amaze and astound with their tricks, they figured the easier it would be for others to dismiss the real stuff when it showed up. Still, when real ones started showing the world what they could do, that was an entirely different matter, and the Illuminati would stomp on it hard. The thirteen year old girl – Angie – had a gift and she had no doubt seen some things during her time with the witch. She would want to tell someone what she'd seen. That could be a problem for them.
     
    “The girl was close to death. She wouldn't have lived long enough to make it to the rendezvous.”
     
    James closed the door behind him and followed Will into the main room while repeating his defence. The apartment was too small to have a separate kitchen, living and dining room, so it had one room that combined them all. Still, it was neat and tidy.
     
    “Oh, so you're a doctor now?” Will found himself a seat at the dining table and dropped his hat on the table.
     
    “She'd lost a hell of a lot of blood, was pale and nearly unconscious. I didn't think she had a lot of time left.”
     
    “I read your report. The elders have too. And I don't think they're happy.” Will laid it out plainly. He was, despite appearances, a straight forward sort of guy. No doubt he would have called himself a straight shooter.
     
    That was probably why he'd been made point man for the state. The elders didn't want to get involved in the day to day affairs of running the Illuminati. They didn't want to be concerned with hearing all the complaints of the various witches and wizards that called it home. They dealt with the more big picture stuff. Will as point man dealt with the minutiae. So he oversaw the bureaucratic affairs of several departments, including the enforcement arm of the Illuminati. James as the hunter was the lead investigator and he sort of ran the enforcement side of things. Team leader was what he would probably be called, though without the actual title and people didn't need to ask him for permission to do anything. They all knew their jobs.
     
    “But that's not why I'm here.”
     
    “Then why? Is there another problem?”
     
    James walked past him into the apartment's small kitchen area and switched on the kettle. He had to be civil and he knew Will would expect coffee. He even scooped the good grounds into the plunge pot as he waited for the water to boil instead of giving him instant.
     
    “Not with your capture. The witch – Magda – is screaming loudly about your treatment of her, and she looks a bit like a panda at the moment. But that's normal and no one