Episode 40: Ice Cream and Elementals

Aubrey Lance, S.S. (Supernatural Sleuth) -- Season 1, Episode 40: Ice Cream & Elementals

“Before you go talk to Devin,” Trenchcoat Man said, “I should brief you a bit further.” 

I drew a breath. “Probably a good idea.” 

Collin ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, shoot. What are we about to walk into? What kind of magic does this guy have?” 

“If we’re correct about his lineage… elemental,” Trenchcoat Man said. “Possibly fire.” 

My dad had mentioned Devin came from a line of fire magic earlier, but I hadn’t mentally connected that with elemental magic. That somehow made it sound scarier.

Lockley’s eyebrows rose. “Elemental, like Mr. Pierce? Now I’m sure it can’t be a coincidence.”

“It technically could be a coincidence,” Trenchcoat Man said thoughtfully, then shook his head. “But no, it’s likely not. We were keeping tabs on Devin for a while simply because of his family line, but nothing ever popped. It’s incredibly rare for elemental gifts not to show some amount of traceable residue. We assumed it had skipped a generation, as with Aubrey’s family.” 

“Is it possible he’s using a dampener?” Collin asked. “Like Mr. Pierce?”

Trenchcoat Man looked at him. “Up until a few hours ago, I would have said no. Dampeners were hard to come by even when Madame Sava was still alive. She only made a few… or so I thought. But given that Mr. Pierce has somehow procured one, I must now assume there are more in circulation than we realized.” 

“So the ProScoop guy could be an elemental?” I asked.

“It’s possible, yes,” Trenchcoat Man said. 

I stared at Trenchcoat Man. “Why didn’t you look more closely into whether he was involved with Chloe’s disappearance, before now?” 

Trenchcoat Man returned my stare. “We did look into it. But as I said, he’d shown literally no signs of magic, no connection with the supernatural community, and his behavior up to and after Chloe’s disappearance never deviated from his normal routines. Every indication was that he simply worked at ProScoop. His proximity to Chloe’s disappearance seemed to be a coincidence. Now, however, we have to reconsider. We’re painfully short on other leads, and the fact that he was a particular vulnerability for Chloe is reason enough for deeper investigation.” 

“A vulnerability?” I asked. 

“Yes,” he said. “You told your dad she liked the boy, right? That she might have been willing to go off alone with him, if he approached her under the guise of flirtation or interest?” 

“Yes,” I whispered. A fluttery, anxious feeling took over my chest. “What does this mean?” 

“It means right now, Devin is our only definite lead,” Trenchcoat Man said. “You are known to frequent ProScoop, and you’re a known entity to Devin. You could easily make conversation without drawing too much suspicion. You should be the one to question Devin.”  

“I thought the opposite,” my dad said. “Devin knows Aubrey as Chloe’s friend, so if he does have any involvement in her disappearance, that will put him on high alert. We were planning to have Collin talk to him.” 

Trenchcoat Man shook his head. “Someone unfamiliar who’s asking pointed questions related to Chloe’s disappearance is more likely to cause Devin to clam up, since he’ll be uncertain of the motive for asking.” He looked at me. “You’re a known entity. He knows you’re Chloe’s friend, and he likely knows you know ProScoop was the last place she was seen. Questions from you would be expected. Sure, he might be on guard if he is hiding guilt, but he won’t know how much you actually know. Poking around with questions that hint at his involvement should garner some kind of reaction from him, and we’ll be watching. How he reacts will tell us a lot.” 

“Hold on,” my mom said, glancing between Trenchcoat Man and me in alarm. “Are you sure it’s safe for Aubrey to go in there? What if he doesn’t react well? If Devin really is an elemental—that’s a whole other level of magic. It’s dangerous to send Aubrey in there alone. Besides, even if Devin isn’t involved in any of this, ProScoop is the last place Chloe was seen. The people who took her could be watching it.” 

“Most likely they will be watching it,” Trenchcoat Man said, “but it’s also a teen hangout, and one Aubrey frequented. It’s one of the least suspicious places for Aubrey to go. As for the magic… Simply having magic doesn’t make a person dangerous. That all depends on how well he controls it and how he chooses to use his magic. Remember, whether he’s an elemental or not, we don’t know for sure he was involved in this. He could be an innocent teen, even if he does have magic. He could be completely harmless.” 

“Could be?” my mom said. 

“We’ll be cautious,” Trenchcoat Man said. “But if Aubrey is willing, I still believe she’s the best one to go in without raising too much suspicion. We’ll be in position to protect her from outside.”

Dad turned to me. “I know I was on board with Collin approaching Devin earlier, but I had my qualms even then, and plenty has happened since to deepen them, especially when it comes to putting you out in the open when we highly suspect you’re a target. You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to do it,” I said. It was our best lead—pretty much our only lead, at this point. I had to try. 

“We’ll go with her,” Lockley said eagerly. “Collin and I won’t let Aubrey out of our sight.” 

“It still doesn’t seem safe,” my mom chimed in with a worried look.

“None of this has ever been safe,” I protested. “Emery is gone, now Chloe’s missing, my teacher is an elemental, and we were just attacked by a monster on the beach this afternoon. When has any of this been safe?” I stared at her, pleading. “We’re so close to a big break, to figuring out what’s going on. I can feel it. If there’s any chance that Devin has information on Chloe, or even on anyone suspicious he saw hanging around…” 

“I know you’re nervous,” Trenchcoat Man said to my parents. “But even if Aubrey just pokes around with seemingly innocuous questions, if the girls and I are nearby watching, we might be able to read something from his reactions. If he is involved, this could be the next break we’ve been seeking.”  

“You could say something to him about Chloe,” Tory offered. “He probably noticed you coming in with her, so it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to mention her and how you’re worried about her. Then slip in some mentions of magic or fire just to see what he does. If he is an elemental and involved, then once you’ve already got his guard up about Chloe, even just saying the words magic or fire might spike a deeper reaction.”

Trenchcoat Man looked at my dad. “She’s got a point. Aubrey doesn’t need to be overt in her questioning, she just needs to poke at the issues. If she can get him outside or at least near a window so the girls can watch him, their hawk senses will help them pick up on any micro-expressions, vocal shifts, even changes in the pace of his breathing—they’re quite trained at this. Aubrey can make a swift exit if the conversation seems not to be going well, and the girls and I will be nearby to help if needed.”  

My dad sighed. “Okay.” He turned to me. “Go ahead, Aubrey, but you and Collin and Lockley stay together. Try to be inconspicuous, like three kids just hanging out. Get that boy to a quiet place before you start asking any suspicious questions, just in case others are watching. Understand?” 

I nodded. 

“Alright,” my dad said. ”Your mom and I will be close, too, watching from outside.” 

“Won’t that just draw more attention?” I asked. “If these people have been watching us, they’ll recognize you and Mom.”

My dad gave me a sly smile. “I’ve learned some things these last two years, about going unnoticed. We’ll be fine.” 

That was mysterious… but I sensed it wasn’t the time to press him for more information. 

“It’s settled, then,” Trenchcoat Man declared. “Aubrey’s team will investigate what the boy at the ice cream place knows.” He looked at my parents. “The girls and I will return briefly to the beach to check on the elemental and see if there’s anything we missed, then we’ll be right behind Aubrey’s team to have their backs at the ice cream place, and the two of you can be stationed nearby.” 

I stared at him. “Do we need that much backup just to talk to the ProScoop guy?” 

He gave me a somber look. “With these things, you just never know.” 

I tried to ignore how unsettling that was. The more I thought about our plan, the more nervous I was that I had no idea what I was walking into with Devin… but I was definitely happy not to be on the team that was visiting the elemental. 

Lockley turned to me. “Let’s go. I’ll drive.” 

“We’ll be close behind,” my dad said. 

“And we—” Trenchcoat Man said, then clapped. A blinding light flashed, and when it faded, he and the cheer hawks were gone.

“Why didn’t we just ask him to take us?” Lockley said, staring at where they’d been. 

My dad shook his head. “Even after all these years, I still sometimes forget he can do that.” He shrugged. “But it’ll seem more normal if you drive, anyway.” 

“True,” I said, then looked at the others. “Are we all ready?” 

“I’m ready,” Lockley said.

Collin nodded. “Ready.” 

“We’ll be right behind you,” my dad said. 

Mom squeezed my hand. “We’ll be close the whole time, just in case.” 

I drew a breath, then nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

***

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