Salem sat behind the desk and surveyed the men before her. Bits and Bytes sat with their laptops open, eyes on her and waiting for her command. Dr. Bloom sat over on the couch, holding a folder and displaying a smug grin.
“Dr. Bloom, you have news for me?”
“Indeed, and it’s good. The DNA tests have proven beyond any doubt that you are Spencer Thorn’s only child, and therefore rightful heir to all his assets.”
“The lawyers are drawing up the papers now, but it’s a mere formality. We expect you to be fully in charge next week, not that you haven’t been for the past month,” Bytes said, blushing furiously.
Salem nodded. “Good. Thank you, doctor, that is all I need from you today.” She watched as he left the office and closed the door before she continued.
“How goes the move?”
Bits pushed his glasses onto the bridge of his nose and began to type. “As of now, half of the creatures have been transported back to their natural habitats. That includes most of the trickier species. It should all be smooth sailing from here, so no more than another couple of weeks before they are all gone.”
“Excellent. Good work. How about business, Bytes?”
“Business is booming. It’s almost as though you know exactly which moves to make and when to make them.” Bytes laughed.
“Funny how that works.” Salem regarded both men for a moment. “I’ve been thinking. I don’t believe we have been formally introduced. I’m Rebecca Grainger.”
The IT guys looked at one another and then at the hand reaching across the desk.
“I’m Ralph Butterweck,” Bits said, shaking Salem’s hand.
“Harold Higginbotham,” Bytes said doing the same.
Salem frowned. “Quite the mouthful. Perhaps we should stick with Bits and Bytes.”
Both men grinned and said, “Yes, please,” in unison.
They rose to leave, but Bytes paused. “Can I ask a personal question?”
“Of course,” Salem replied.
“Where is Raven?”
Salem spun her chair around and looked out the window to the city beyond. “She’s out there, taking care of business in the way she knows how. We’ll see her from time to time, I’m sure.”
***
Shutting out the sound of the barking sea lions, Raven turned her face to meet the sun, enjoying the warmth of the summer rays.
She sat in a wooden rocking chair outside her storefront, taking a moment to relax before the next wave of tourists arrived, desperate to know what their future held.
It was dull work, but work that served a purpose. With the death of Thorn, most of the anger and her hate fled with his soul. Still, Raven knew that the world was still a messy place. She had promised her daughter that there would be no mass killings, no revenge for a life on the run. Raven had lived up to that promise, but when the wrong person stepped into her shop and offered up their palms and their innermost secrets, she made sure that the breath they took inside her establishment would be their last.
Raven felt a shadow fall across her face and believing that the sun had gone behind a cloud, she opened her eyes. It was no cloud, but rather a massive man who totally blocked her view of the bay.
“Are you Madame Raven?” he asked in a voice that sounded as though he gargled with broken glass.
“At your service,” Raven replied adopting an Eastern European accent. “What may I do for you.”
The man looked a little embarrassed, hanging his head as he spoke. “I’d like to know what my future holds.
Raven probed inside his mind and saw a large circular clearing in the middle of the woods. She also saw creatures that she recognized as the Wenlutah feeding on innocent people strapped to a sacrificial altar while the man and his friends knelt in worship. “Of course, mister…?”
“Graves.”
“Welcome. Please step inside,” Raven said, opening the door for him.
“Thank you,” he grunted.
Following him inside, Raven closed and locked the door behind her and flipped the sign from open to closed. With a smile, she dropped the accent and said, “Let’s get started, shall we?”
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Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read even a small part of this story. I really appreciate your doing so. I don’t often drop tip style links, but I have added a couple at the bottom here. Zero need for you guys to do anything with them.