Chapter 2: Juniper and Taka

"Let me get this straight." Hugh O'Conner adjusted his glasses and gave her a skeptical stare. "We're going to the courthouse . . . because Athena Cykes has a sick bird? Why am I here, again?"

Juniper opened the passenger side door of his sedan. "Because you have a car."

He grumbled and got into the driver's seat. "You weren't interested in my car before."

"I've known about it for what, a week?"

"I thought you enjoyed the walk." He started up the engine.

"I can't walk all the way home with a sick bird in my arms."

"We're driving the bird back here?"

She made sure she had her gloves with her and nodded. "If he's sick, he'll need me to take care of him for more than a few minutes." She laughed. "Shouldn't a genius have figured that out?"

"Heh. A true genius would have kept the bird from getting sick in the first place."

A poor comeback, but since the trial, it was harder to banter the way they used to. With the truth out in the open, he seemed uneasy with keeping up his pretentious airs. In a way that was good, but on the other hand, she wasn't sure what she'd do with a humble Hugh.

"How's the studying going?" she asked.

He shook his head as he pulled away from her house. "First I have to unlearn the things I thought I knew because of my test scores."

"If you ever need any help—"

He snorted.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying, I'm there for you if you ever need my help."

"Let's get this adventure over with first."

#

Hugh parked alongside the curb by the courthouse. Thena stood near the building. She paced back and forth.

"Thanks so much for this." Juniper grabbed her gloves and got out of the car. "Thena!"

Her friend waved and ran to hug her. "Thanks for coming."

"What else could I do?"

"Well, this really isn't your problem . . ."

"You're my friend, and you've done a lot for me. Besides, I couldn't sleep if I knew I could have helped this little bird and didn't." Her heart clenched whenever she thought of the poor creature. "It's nothing, really."

Thena's chuckle sounded more than a little nervous. "Don't say that just yet."

"Why?" She covered her mouth. Maybe the bird was sicker than she mentioned on the phone. Maybe he was near death.

Hugh rolled down the car window. "Would you two just get on with it? I haven't got all day."

Juniper groaned and made sure her voice was loud enough for him to hear. "He's a jerk, but he's got a point." She put on her gloves. "Let's see this bird."

Thena nodded and led her away from the road.

Toward the courthouse.

Strange, there weren't any trees that close. He had to be sick enough that he couldn't even get into a tree, and he just lay on the ground. No wonder she was so—

Thena opened the door to the courthouse and walked inside.

Juniper slowed, then ran to catch up with her. "The bird is inside the courthouse?"

"Yep."

Oh no. No way.

"Thena! This poor little sick birdie . . ." She covered her mouth as she coughed. "You don't mean Prosecutor Blackquill's killer attack hawk!"

Thena stopped and folded her arms. "He's not that bad."

"Which one?"

She glared. "Both of them. Look, if you don't want to help Taka, you can at least take a look at him and tell me what to do. Prosecutor Blackquill isn't allowed here to help him, and he doesn't want Taka being taken care of by strangers, so I'll do it if no one else will." She quickened her pace and hurried through the halls of the courthouse.

Juniper lagged behind. It was pretty clear Mr. Wright and Apollo didn't know whose murder Blackquill was convicted for, or that he knew Thena at all. She'd taken that to mean Thena no longer believed in his innocence. What she'd heard with her special ability could have been anything-regret, fear, delusion-and she chose to hear it as innocence rather than accept someone she trusted betrayed her. Meeting him again as an adult could have convinced her he really was guilty.

Apparently not.

She caught up with her at the door to one of the lobbies. The question was on her lips, but she closed her mouth. The detective from her case and a few police officers were in the lobby, by a ladder. No matter why Thena kept her connection with Blackquill a secret, it wasn't their business.

One of the cops looked thoroughly annoyed. "I think we should shoot it. Why should we do anything for that creep?"

Widget blazed red, and Thena looked ready to lunge at the man.

Juniper grabbed her arm, although she felt the same way, if not for the same reasons. No matter what Blackquill did, the hawk shouldn't have to suffer. And he wasn't an "it."

Fulbright turned toward them and saluted. "Ms. Cykes! Ms. Woods!" He pulled out his badge. "In justice we trust!"

At least Thena looked calm again. "Juniper is here to see Taka."

"Yes," she said, without much enthusiasm. If she'd known it was a hawk, she would have worn thicker gloves. The thin things she brought wouldn't be too much protection if Taka was in his usual mood.

"Why is there so much fuss about this bird?" muttered the cop who thought Taka should be shot.

"Blackquill has a lot of influence," said one of the others.

"It's downright scary," said the third.

As if Taka didn't exist outside of Blackquill, as if no one could be concerned for him alone.

The detective just looked alarmed. "But Ms. Woods has a health condition. I'm afraid I cannot allow this, in the name of justice."

Okay, enough was enough.

"I live in a forest," she said. "I'll be fine." Just in time to ruin her dramatic declaration, a cough welled up in her throat. She tried to mask it by clearing her throat loudly.

Even Thena looked concerned.

"I just don't get why we're all trying to help an inmate," the first cop said. "And anyway, Blackquill's a freak."

Juniper grabbed the ladder. Better to be up in the air with a crazy hawk than down on the ground when Thena throttled a police officer.

Taka's eyes were closed, and he only stirred slightly when she reached his nest. His feathers were disheveled, and his posture suggested he'd been dropped in a heap. Even his scarf looked more pathetic than usual. Her heart melted.

"Aw, you are a poor little birdie . . ."

The hawk's eyes snapped open and he made a hoarse croak, not at all what a hawk should sound like. He definitely wasn't well.

Her gloves weren't enough to protect her hands from his beak, but all she had to do was think of the nasty cop who thought Taka's illness was best cured with a bullet, and she endured the pecks.

She never thought she would want Prosecutor Blackquill anywhere near her, but Taka's attacks were born from desperate fear, not malice. He would trust the prosecutor to handle him. From what Thena said, though, it would be futile to ask anyone to bring Blackquill to help.

"Shh . . ." She thought back to the trial and tried to stroke Taka's head the way the prosecutor did. "Poor baby, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

Whether her attempt to soothe him worked or he was too exhausted to fight any longer, he stopped. She continued to murmur reassurances as she scooped up the entire nest with him in it, even though it wasn't clean. Taka panicked and lashed out at her with his talons, and it was another round of calming him before she felt safe enough to move.

She descended the ladder one rung at a time. She balanced herself with one hand on the ladder, but stopped after each step to ensure Taka was nestled securely against her chest.

Fulbright's voice rang out the moment she reached the floor. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"I'm taking Taka with me."

"He didn't attack you?" The cop who spoke up sounded stunned.

Her gloves were filled with tiny holes, and thin lines of blood trickled down her wrist and hands, but she wasn't about to admit that to them. "I know how to take care of him. It's all right." She willed Taka to not prove her a liar in front of them, for his own sake.

"But you can't do that," Fulbright said. "He lives here!"

"We'll discuss it with Prosecutor Blackquill," Thena said.

Juniper shot her a look. Dealing with Taka was all the violent excitement she could take for one day.

"But first, we'll make sure Taka is secure. That's the important thing, after all." Thena grinned and put her hands on her hips. "Sound just, Detective Fulbright?"

He still looked a little put out, but he laughed. "Indeed it does."

"Come on, Junie."

Taka remained still as they left the courthouse. She held him close and worked through all the things she'd need to take care of. She was good with animals, but she wasn't a professional. They would have to stop to see a veterinarian. There were a lot of things she'd need, too. He wouldn't like a cage, but he'd need it for his own safety until he was strong enough to move around without hurting himself.

Food would be another issue. Taka was probably used to hunting live meals.

"Thanks," Thena said.

Juniper blinked at her. "I already told you, there's no need to thank me."

"Even though it's him?"

"He needs me."

Thena smiled.

When they reached the car, Hugh got out and gaped at them. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope," Thena said.

"That's a hawk!"

"You've met him before," Juniper said.

"I've met—no way. Blackquill's hawk? You want me to drive around with Blackquill's hawk in my car? Are you both off your rockers?"

"Hey, leave me out of this." Thena lifted her hands into the air. "I didn't ask her to bring you."

"We need to stop at the vet's office," Juniper said. "We'll get a cage there. Now, could someone open the back door for me so we can get inside."

Thena opened the door just as Hugh moved toward them.

He gave her a flat look. "What are you trying to do, prove you're more of a gentleman than I am?"

"What are you even talking about?"

As they argued, Juniper slid into the backseat. The change in motion disrupted Taka, who once again tried to attack her. "Shh, shh, it's all right, baby, don't be afraid."

"Baby?" Hugh got into the driver's seat and twisted around to stare at her. "When did that thing stop being 'oh God it's attacking me' and become 'baby'?"

"Don't talk so loud," Thena said, as she sat beside him. "You'll agitate Taka."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I am the only sane person in this car. Yet I'm still going to drive you and the little demon home. What's happening to me?"

"You're a great friend," Juniper said. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

He muttered under his breath, but started up the car.

#

"What the heck is all this stuff?" Hugh carried a large box, with a smaller box resting on top of it, out of the vet's office.

Beside him, Thena held two medium-sized boxes and a bag.

"That's a nebulizer," Juniper said with a nod toward the smaller box. "And those in the bag are the drugs I'll need. And that's—"

"Did you say a nebulizer? For a bird?"

Thena kicked him. "Stop it, she looks upset."

"The nebulizer is just for the initial treatment." Juniper did her best to keep her voice steady, although she knew it wouldn't fool Thena. "After that, I'll switch to oral medication." She slid into the back seat with Taka held close. They'd given her a better cage to carry him in, as well as the supplies to set up proper mews at home.

"Hey." Instead of getting into the passenger side, Thena joined her in the back. "Is everything all right?"

"When you see Detective Fulbright, you ought to punch him in the nose."

Thena's jaw dropped, and Hugh tripped over his own feet getting to the car. "Okay," he said, "Juniper promoting violence? What's going on?"

"Whatever Taka got sick with two weeks ago, it wasn't this. But not being treated properly led to him contracting something worse." She swallowed. "Thena, you know Detective Fulbright better than I do. Work on him. Convince him to let Prosecutor Blackquill come visit Taka."

"Wh-what?"

Her shock was warranted. Juniper never planned to extend invitations to convicted murderers to come to her house.

"Taka doesn't know me," she said. "This is going to be really difficult. Everything will be easier if there's someone there he trusts."

"A-all right." Thena continued to stare at her.

Juniper offered her a tight smile. "I'm a little nervous. If anything happens to Taka, Prosecutor Blackquill will probably break out of jail and kill me."

"And me," Hugh said, as he started up the car. "Why did I ever get involved with this?"

Only when she was sure neither of them was looking at her did she take a shuddering breath and wipe her eyes. She didn't want to tell them the other thing the vet told her, the other reason she was upset, the other reason she wanted Blackquill to see Taka at least once.

The recovery rate.

25%.