Muses, Mishaps, and Murder!

Chapter 14 Masks

Muse Paisley

Mason's mother, Agent Lace, walked in and out of the cabin, and the guards rose to attention whenever she entered.

Tolbert kicked Holbrook. "Child, you don't know the hundreds of ships Deb-Dagger controls. You tore a piece of my beautiful mouth because I was cutting you. Baby girl, you have no right to protect yourself."

Holbrook pointed to her scarred ear. "You deserved it."

"I did you a favor and made you realize no one loved you except my brother. You're not worth loving unless you join me. Deb makes the world shine."

Holbrook showed no emotion, and I wish I could read her thoughts. She talked to her birth father about all kinds of weird things, such as puddings and TV shows. Why did she keep talking to him, whispering pointless information? Was she goading him into talking? I didn't know. I hate not knowing. Why can't I be omnipotent and control everything?

Zander and Mason's mother, Lace, dragged Tolbert off to take him to a cell.

Lace walked back, her eyes searching around. "Please, unmask," she said.

Four guards removed their masks, except for one man. He hid behind others and inched toward the door. Mason watched him closely as Holbrook talked to her birth father.

The fake guard shot at General Allen and Commander Nickel.

Mason kicked him and ripped off his mask. I tried to remember who this man was and searched my notes, and I realized he was the man who attempted to bully Mason in the cafeteria.

"You idiot," Zander said.

"No, unlike Tolbert, I'm a paid employee. And I've earned millions from the smuggling operation? Deb-Dagger could eradicate entire planets, and I'd scream for joy. I have more than enough money to buy my freedom."

I didn't think the coward was a member of Deb's Light. My hands trembled, and I fumbled for the emergency button.

The night supervisor walked quickly, turned off the projection, and blocked Mason from spying on my thoughts completely.

"Why are we interested in a cult in another universe?" I asked.

"You figured it out sooner than we thought. Deb's Light plans to attack our world if Mason doesn't discover their leader. She's a better escape artist than Carmen Sandiego," Apollo said from behind my supervisor.

"What did I figure out?" I asked.

Apollo wore a fancy suit, and I hoped he forgot to invite me to whatever party he was planning. "After he survived, we realized that while Mason isn't super gifted or chosen, he is key to our planet's survival. The old Apollo bragged about their plans on a messaging board under a pen name. She could never keep off social media."

I spoke. "Muse Silver-Green breached protocol. Muses give brief safety warnings, but that is not what Muse Silver-Green did. The key is brief warnings, not ideas on elaborate training regiments."

"Honesty was for the best. Mason can read his lead Muse's thoughts, even when we are not speaking directly to him. Usually, we go in with a ton of information."

"Yes, but Muse Silver-Green changed everything." I walked over and sat on the cot. "I don't see the night shift Muse, who is here to replace me. So, I'll take a two-hour nap."

"Silver-Green is replacing you for a couple of shifts. Go home and rest," Apollo said. "But your notes will only be seen by Green and myself from now on."

"Green is a traitor, and he sabotaged our equipment, so Mason could read our minds."

"No, the traitor was caught, and Green had to be reinstated. The retired Apollo was a cultist."

I turned to leave, but I didn't.

Mason checked over his phone and read the lab results for Shanna and Nickel. His face was blank, and his hand partially covered the results. 'She lied to me,' he whispered.

I wondered if I'd ever know what the results were.

Mason's phone vibrated, and he picked it up. "High Tricia."

Only I could hear both sides of the conversation. Mason used earbuds and spoke softly.

"If you didn't text me weekly, I'd think you were dead. Some weirdos shot up your room, and I found something weird and ran a toxicology report."

"On what?"

Tricia's voice shook. "Agency-14 told me to dispose of the bottle used to drug you, but my team found another in the trash. The full bottle had enough chloroform to kill you twice. I think the killer mixed them up by accident. Please, be careful."

"Anything more?" he asked.

"Nickel's fingerprints were all over both bottles. And, Mason, I won't tell the agency the results of her DNA and fingerprints. That is up to you, but I'm shocked she's still alive."