Federal Discipline by Loki Renard

bed.”
    “In your bed?”
    He didn't know if she looked shocked or hopeful. All her usually so easy to read expressions were muted into a general expression of misery.
    “I have a spare room,” he said. “It's comfortable and pentagram free.”
    There wasn't so much as a ghost of a smile in response.
    “Let's go,” he said, stepping toward her front door. “You have your keys to lock up?”
    “What's the point?” She shrugged where she stood. “Someone can get in anyway.”
    “Lock your apartment, agent,” Jack said, beckoning her forward. When she still refused to move, he went to her and clapped his hand across the round of her cheek, not hard, just enough to get her moving. Unfortunately, Jamie didn't take the hint. She dug her flip flop clad heels into the carpet and refused to budge. A harder slap elicited a whine, and a general grasping at her buttocks, but still failed to elicit compliance.
    “What's wrong, Jamie?”
    “What's wrong is that something or someone was in here. Maybe something. What does that mean if there are somethings in the world?”
    “It means they largely confine their activities to smudging their ghostly fingers into mirrors,” Jack said dryly. “Don't start believing in daemons now, agent. Someone might be trying to scare you off the case, but it's not a supernatural ghostie.”
    “But why try and scare me?” Jamie whined the question. Her feet started moving as she talked, which was an improvement. They managed to get all the way out of the apartment before Jack answered.
    “Perhaps you're an easier target,” Jack said. “This building doesn't have terribly good security.”
    He didn't mention what the actual reason might be. The actual reason being that whoever was behind all this nastiness might have developed a fascination with her. It wasn't uncommon for the mentally unhinged to become fascinated by young, attractive women. She could have caught someone's attention whilst they were out questioning people. She could even have been followed home.
    Jack made sure her apartment was locked, then took her back to his place. She was too tired to argue much, she even dozed off in the car. He almost felt bad about waking her up when they got to his place, but he doubted she'd want to be carried to bed.
    Unfortunately, once she woke up from her all too brief nap, she no longer wanted to sleep. She retired to the spare room, but Jack could see that the light was still on, glowing in a thin strip underneath the door.
    He tapped on the outside and called out, “Lights out, agent.”
    There was silence. Then the main light went out. He was about to go to bed himself, but upon turning the hall light out, it became apparent that there was still a source of glowing illumination in the guest room.
    Sighing, Jack pushed the door open. He found her curled up in bed with a tablet PC beaming its glow into her face.
    “What are you doing, agent?”
    “Nothing,” she scowled. “Go to sleep.”
    “Don't you tell me to go to sleep when you're the one burning the midnight oil. ”
    “Ugh,” Jamie cast the tablet down. “Trust you to use an idiom from the 14 th century. Give it a rest, would you?”
    “I'll give it a rest when you get some,” Jack replied firmly. “We're going to have an early start tomorrow, reviewing the tape. I don't want you to be some shambling tired zombie.”
    “I won't be!”
    “Jamie,” he said. “Either you go to sleep now, or you get spanked. Which is it going to be?”
    She screwed up her face at him for a moment, then a little bit of a smile teased at her lips. He knew before she so much as opened her mouth that she was about to get herself in trouble.
    “I'll sleep when I want to sleep,” she said pertly. “And there's nothing you can do to make me.”
     

Chapter Seven
     
    Jack knew Jamie was tired. He knew she was scared. He also knew she was being disobedient and if he let her get away with even a seemingly innocent victory, her rebellion would