Page 49 of Whiskers on Kittens

He would have put us somewhere closer to our target.

Narrowing my eyes, I rummaged through the receipts, attempting to locate some form of clue about where in the New York City area a trafficking ring might set up shop. If I believed the food options, they were treating the kids to middle-ranged fare, including popular chain restaurants with a few luxury places allowing children in them. That led me to wonder how they were keeping the kittens from creating a fuss. What threats were they using?

Or worse, what sort of drug?

I went through the receipts, drumming my nails in search of anything that might be associated with pixie dust or one of the other controlled substances that might circumvent someone’s will. Growling and hissing over it, I grabbed my phone, dialed Belial, and resisted the urge to transform and rip the Devil’s fancy dining room table to shreds.

“How can I be of assistance?” Belial answered.

“Can you check the records I don’t have for anything that might be associated with an order of pixie dust or other controlling substance? Even tranquilizers—anything that would keep a litter of distressed kittens calm, quiet, and well-behaved in airport and restaurant settings without tripping the triggers of any observers. I have to figure out how they got the litter through these airports without tipping anyone off they were being trafficked.” I hissed, grabbed the receipts for the ticket purchases, and relayed the flight dates and times the kittens had been transported. “Is there any chance you can get the airport footage?”

“It might be possible although it would be questionable on the legal front.”

“The cop is in the other room dealing with the murder cases so he can have some privacy. Engage in some criminal mischief, just don’t get caught doing it. You’d get more than community service for such a stunt. We’ll make the copies of the airport footage disappear afterwards. Just make sure you leave the actual footage intact; it’ll potentially be evidence. Actually, preserve a copy of the footage and hide it in the storage room for such things. I’m assuming there’s a storage room for footage. Mislabel it or just put it in the wrong box or something. They might try to erase the evidence.”

“I shall do as you ask. Anything else?”

“Can you ask that bastard if we’re going to be in the New York City area for the duration? Also, can you get a confirmation of if we’re going to be transporting these kittens in a ‘flee from the scene of the crime’ fashion to get home? If so, we’re going to need a van. A nice one that makes us look like a family rather than fugitives trying to get back to Chicago in time for Christmas.”

“I would count on fleeing across the country to get back to Chicago on time as you do not have sufficient will to take them on a plane, teleportation might traumatize them, and you love the idea of playing at being a fugitive and camping out in hotel rooms with your young charges. I expect you will bring the kittens to Lucifer’s residence to get them properly fed.”

I eyed the receipts, which had been lower than I thought it should be for anyone infected with lycanthropy. “Are they keeping them starved so they’re low on energy?”

“Yes.”

The direct, plain answer riled my virus up so much I fought to control her. To give her a little satisfaction, I hissed my discontent. With over three weeks until Christmas, a set of starved kittens to find, and an entire city to scour, I expected by the time I did get my hands on them, they’d be too weak to think about protesting. “Will that protein mixture be safe for kittens?”

“We will make sure you can provide for their needs,” Belial replied. “We’re working a miracle on His behalf, and as such, we have some leeway in how we operate. We can’t just snap our fingers and teleport the kittens to safety, but we can help smooth the way as much as possible for you—and for them. We have stolen their ability to book future flights. Anywhere they go will be on foot or by car.”

“Vehicle records,” I blurted. “Do any of these bastards have New York vehicles? Or New Jersey. I’ll take Delaware, too. I’ll take a complete list of their license plate numbers and vehicle identifiers.”

The devil gave a low chuckle. “Good girl. I’ll acquire those for you. Anything else?”

“Credit card statements showing hotel visits?”

“I am sure we can find some way to procure those for you.”

That would help. “A list of New York mafia and mobsters that would help our cause?”

The burst of laughter on the other end of the line startled a hiss out of me. “Now you’re talking business. How violent are you willing to have this go for the sake of those little kittens?”

“Ask your boss if it counts as involving the NYPD if we leave a bunch of bloody corpses in our wake. Our payment for exposing an encroaching mafia group would be for the safe return and recovery of the kittens.”

“Give me a moment, please.”

While I waited, I returned to my pile of trafficked women, skimming through the sheets for anything that might forge a connection with the New York area compared to their haunt in New Jersey. Sure enough, I found a reference to a SoHo warehouse being converted into a low-end apartment complex as a contact address for a handler.

Mobsters liked putting like with like, and the SoHo warehouse would be our next target.

“Bloody corpses are permissible under these terms. That would tip the NYPD off there is heightened mafia activity in their turf but it would not reveal that it was due to trafficking. We have some contacts who would be willing to play this game for the price you offer.”

“Get some cash rolling as compensation for their hours, and if they have jewels and other valuables that can’t be linked back to us, that might work to get those wheels greased.”

“Some of those jewels were stolen from the mafia in New York.”

“Return those as a gesture of goodwill for their assistance with this matter. I want justice, but I’ll take bodies if it means there won’t be any more victims.”

“Are you willing to meet with one of the contacts? The contact is clean and will not harm your upstanding reputation, and she might be a good way for the group to be ignored by the FBI and other groups—or possibly reform to assist the FBI.”