Chapter 37
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 … We interrupt this program to inform you of the breakout of a woman from the Whitefish police station. The woman is said to be dangerous and a kidnapper of children. Below is a picture of her. If you see her, please call…

Andrew groaned when he saw Mary’s picture. He was back at the hotel. Erin had tried to get him down to the pool for some fun, but Andrew’s nerves had been too uptight.

He had tried to take a nap after he called Mr. Hawk, but sleep didn’t come to him. Erin turned to look at him.

“Isn’t that the hag you caught?” He asked, and Andrew nodded.

“Well, Andy, you must have overlooked something,” said Daphne. Andrew sighed.

“She won’t be taking any more children. She can’t cause blizzards. A struggling child during fair weather can’t be overlooked like a child in a blizzard,” at least, that was what Andrew hoped.

“Well, we were going to go in the park anyway. Sure, it is her turf, and so more dangerous, but, there are more signs that a hag is near than discolored skin. If we go in a meadow and the birds aren’t singing, we will know,” Daphne stretched and stood up. She looked at Erin pointedly, who cleared his throat.

“Andrew, I’d like to ask you something,” Erin played with the box that was in his jumper’s pocket. His palms sweated, and his voice had hitched in his throat. He cleared it again, only to see Andrew stand up.

“There are two other women I know of that had lost their children. A Beth and a Dorena. I will ask in the police for their addresses. Perhaps they saw in which direction the hag took their kids,” and Andrew turned around and left. Daphne snorted when the ginger closed the door.

“Erin, really? Indecisive much?” Erin bowed his head.

“This is a hard question to ask. I mean, he could say no,” that was Erin’s greatest fear. After all, Andrew liked him, but did he like him enough to spend the rest of his life with him?

“He won’t say no. He loves you. But, one thing I can’t understand. How did the hag get away? I mean, Andy had the key to her cell, and he sprinkled the bars with the spray we were given,” Erin couldn’t wrap his mind around it, either.

“Do you think she could still be in town?” He asked and Daphne shook her head.

“If I was a hag and knew that there was someone after me, I’d skip town for the national park. That place is huge. I don’t know if we can find her,” that was true, and Erin worried. After all, if they didn’t complete the case, then, it would be an operational table for him and prison for Andrew and Daphne.

“We can’t leave all the work to Andrew. Come on, we need to ask at the police station what happened,” Daphne nodded, and they dressed and left. They made it to the police station in half an hour and, when they entered, there was confusion everywhere.

The officers were running around and checking papers and video feeds. No one paid them any attention. Erin and Daphne went to the sheriff’s office and Erin knocked. He was let in.

“Who are you two?” The two showed their CIA badges.

“Ah, you are with that other one. He came, asked me about addresses, and went out again. Got the entire department to check what the cameras had recorded about the disappearance of that woman, Mary, I believe her name was,” Erin nodded. That was good thinking on Andrew’s part.

“And what have you found by now?” Asked Daphne as she sat opposite the desk. Erin sat by her and the sheriff sat behind it.

“Nothing much. She was in her cell, then, she smiled and puff! Gone,” the officer looked shaken. Erin and Daphne shared a look.

“Can we see the cell?” Asked Erin, and the sheriff nodded. He led them there and left them before it. Erin ran a finger over the bars. His fingers burned slightly, so, the silver coating and chemicals were still on them. Then, he chuckled.

“Really now, waiting for someone to open the door? Andrew took the only key,” Daphne looked inside the cell and smirked.

“Clever, really clever,” there was a slight discoloration in the air, and they heard a huff, but the hag didn’t show herself. Erin pulled out his phone and dialed Andrew.

“Andy, the hag was in the cell the entire time. Meet you back in the hotel,” he said with a chuckle.

“She was? How?” Andrew sounded like he couldn’t believe it. He had been there, before the cell, but it had been empty.

“She can turn invisible,” supplied Erin, and he heard a groan from the other side.

“Of course, she can. Anyway, I got new orders. We will still need to find her hut. Agent Hawk wants us to find her Grimoire,” Erin groaned. The national park was acres upon acres of wilderness. It would take them forever to search for it.

“Meet you at the ranger’s place, then. We might have luck finding her hut or whatever with satellite photos,” said Erin, and Andrew cut the call.

“I don’t suppose that you can spare us the trouble and tell us where your hut is?” Asked Erin, and he heard a snort.

“I do hope you know that no one is going to bring you food until the agency arrives,” said Daphne, and the two left. The hag remained stubbornly invisible.

They let the police officers believe that Mary was still gone. It would be for the best. Then, they piled in the car and went to the town’s ranger office. Andrew was already there, looking at a computer screen.

“Any luck?” Asked Erin, not expecting much.

“The ranger told me that there weren’t any huts, cottages, or houses in the park,” said Andrew. “But, she must be living somewhere. So, I am looking around. So far, I have found some caves. I printed their coordinates.”

Andrew pointed at a sheet of paper and Erin took it, adding the coordinates to his phone. The place was kilometers from the town. Great, it will take them more than a day to find it.  

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