Mary Christmas 2: Christmas in July – Chapter 13
By: lostandwhatever

Continued from Chapter 12.

Saturday, June 30th, Morning

Candice rode in the back seat of Carol’s car as Carol drove them to the Department 8 building. The bright light of dawn reflected off of passing cars, causing Candice to squint as she looked out the window. She wished she had made a pair of glamored sunglasses to hide her ears on sunny days.

Seeing Candice yawning, Carol asked, “How’d you sleep last night?”

“Not very well,” Candice admitted.

“Is the case keeping you up?”

“Something like that,” she said. “I must have a lot on my mind.”

“I know how you feel,” Carol said. “A little adrenaline and a lot of questions can mess with your sleep.”

“How do you deal with it?”

“Generally speaking, I’m too worn out by the time my head hits the pillow to do anything but sleep. Also, I’ve learned to leave work at work. Once I get home, I focus on my family. Seems to work for me.”

Candice nodded. “Yeah.”

“Did you eat?”

“Some cereal, the continental breakfast.”

“Ooh, how fancy,” Carol replied.

Candice did not mention the suspicious looks from the hotel staff or how she left with her breakfast half finished to avoid explaining why a supposed girl was eating her breakfast alone. “So,” Candice said, changing the subject. “What are our plans for the morning?”

“I thought I’d start out with a few phone calls, and then I’ll hit the road. I’ve got a few interviews I need to do and some places to check out. We need to find that cow, ASAP. You up for joining me on the trip?”

“Sure,” Candice said.

The car pulled up to the main gate of Department 8, where they were greeted by four armed guards. After a thorough search of the two of them and their vehicle, they proceeded to the building.

***

Carol worked her way through her calls, writing notes on her pad as she went. Meanwhile, Candice visited the conference room to check in on the transformed members of Department 8.

“We’re holding together pretty well considering the circumstances,” Alice said from where she stood on the table.

“I see,” Candice said.

“I mean, Ken had some trouble sleeping last night,” Alice explained. “She kept waking up and breaking into tears when she realized that all of this wasn’t a bad dream after all.”

Candice looked over at the little girl, Ken, dozing on a cot in the corner of the room.

“Can’t say much for Bill and Justin. They’ve pretty much just been standing around. They don’t seem too upset, though.”

It was true. The cow and chicken were pretty quiet for the moment.

Dr. Schultz, who had been sitting quietly in a chair near Ken, spoke up, “Are you sure this will go away soon?”

Candice could not be totally sure, but she said, “Yes. If it was the food, then it won’t last too much longer. You just need to be patient for now.”

Dr. Schultz nodded. “I’m going to get that woman,” she said as she gently brushed her hand over Ken’s hair. “She’s going down for this.”

The cow mooed and the chicken crowed loudly in response. “Damn straight!” Alice said.

“What’s all the commotion?” Carol said from the conference room door.

Candice said, “I think that was a bit of cheer. They’re all fired up to get Mary.”

“Good to hear,” Carol said. “We’re going to need you all when you’re ready.”

“Did your calls turn up anything?” Candice asked.

Carol nodded. “Grab your gear,” she said. “We’ve got some investigating to do.”

To be continued…