Chapter Text
Bess and Ryan had come to Ace for two reasons. The first was to see what, if anything, he could tell them about Bertram Bobbsey’s operation that they didn’t already know. The second, and more fruitful pursuit, was his help in tracking several of the artifact dealers they had come to be involved with.
Despite his best efforts Ryan had pulled Bess into his involvement with the Glasses, who had turned out to be far more than just a couple of mystical hobbyists. The collection they willingly put on display in their home was nothing compared to the vast amount of relics that passed through their network of dealers. When Ryan had first met Shelby and Jonas Glass and persuaded them to loan him the hatchet in exchange for time with Horseshoe Bay’s Keeper, he had expected to set them up with Hannah and a private tour of a few of the artifacts she’d be willing to discuss. Instead it was Bess standing between them and the archive boxes and since they clearly had a leg up on her despite her dedicated – obsessive – studies she and Ryan had been doing their best to placate the couple rather than provoke a battle with them head on. They’d begun not only trading what low-level artifacts they could bear to part with but also safekeeping new and stranger items for the Glasses that their varied network of malefactors brought to the Historical Society’s doorstep. Ryan had even attended to a few back-room auctions on their behalf, hoping that if he played along and kept his eyes and ears open that they’d learn enough to find a hole in their security, something he could exploit and end their twisted dealings before anyone got hurt.
And that was where Ace had come in. While Ryan and Bess had been documenting every interaction meticulously, the exchanges were always handled using numerical IDs instead of names and no physical form of payment ever changed hands. No credit cards, cash, or cashier’s checks ever saw the light of day and so they needed a digital bloodhound. By the time they’d come to Ace they had a month’s worth of documentation for him to work with. His first reaction was anger, that Ryan had dragged Bess into this mess in the first place and that his Platanchor had gone along with the scheme keeping it a secret from even him. Bess however was quick to point out that Ace had spent the same month glued at the lip to Nancy and no one had wanted to break that bubble.
Once Nancy had enlisted Bess’s help she’d procured a solution to Temperance’s curse rather quickly. The moment it was broken and they were sure Ace was safe, Nancy had told him everything. They’d spent a solid week locked away confessing every detail of their feelings and learning every dip and curve of each other’s bodies. They had earned a moment’s peace and if it was up to Bess she’d have kept that protective barrier of innocence firmly in place.
“I’m sorry.” she’d said, “but I did what I thought was best. Not only as my responsibility as Keeper but also as Platanchor. Neither of you needed to dive headfirst back into another mystical danger. Nancy still needs time, can’t you see how haunted she looks whenever something even remotely supernatural gets brought up?”
It was true, Ace had noticed a certain change in Nancy. Their new relationship was still in the early stages full of fun and eager playfulness. They’d both felt lighter, more relaxed as they settled in to their new jobs and each other’s arms. Still, Nancy had kept mostly to cases that dealt strictly with every day mortal matters and only politely listened as Bess discussed her research deeper into the town’s lore. On more than one occasion Ace had been eager to share with her the strange findings of an oddball autopsy only to have her quickly change the subject to something more mundane. The fight with Temperance had taken a lot out of her and no one blamed her for wanting to put as much distance as she could between herself and the supernatural.
So against all his better instincts, Ace had agreed to keep Nancy in the dark as he worked to help Ryan and Bess track down their black-market dealers and nail them to their crimes. Using the documentation they’d stored up, Ace had begun carefully looking for patterns and clues to unravel the winding trail of fake names and shell companies. It should not have come as such a surprise when it led him to The Holt Group, along with a handful of other corporations that all stemmed from the Icarans. No wonder there were so many dealers passing through Horseshoe Bay. The Icarans may have fled to Boston but they were still playing in their own backyard.
It had taken another solid month of careful tracing and Ace was more cautious than ever, moving slowly to keep his own digital footprint covered. A couple of times he’d even lost the trail and had to backtrack and pick it up again. He really did feel a little like a bloodhound. Finally, they felt like they had a solid lead, but still not enough to turn over to any trusted authorities. They needed more resources, more brain power. It was time to bring in Nancy.
Ace had been dreading this moment but in a strange way he looked forward to it too. He knew it would be a tough conversation to admit they’d been keeping such a huge secret, but given her recent reluctance with the supernatural he felt like she’d be able to see their side and maybe even thank them for giving her the space she’d needed. Still, he was also a little excited at the prospect of finally getting to work on a case together again. There was a fire that seemed to be missing from her usual case work and he was eager to experience Nancy in all of her glory as they worked side-by-side.
Ryan and Bess had offered to be the ones to tell her, explain how they’d gotten wrapped up in it to begin with and how they’d dragged Ace down with them. But Ace knew ultimately he’d have to answer for his own crimes. He’d been the one to look her in the eye every day, curl around her in bed and not share this huge secret. Ace insisted it would be better coming from him, let her fight and yell and accuse him tonight and then tomorrow they could get down to business together as a team.
Nancy was set to meet Ace at his place for their regular Thursday night ritual of Chinese food and shop talk. She’d catch him up on her most recent cases and he’d tell her about work life with Connor the Coroner, provided he kept to the more straightforward and definitely not mystical cases. He’d placed their usual order with Lu Chow’s and was waiting for it to deliver when Nancy arrived. She’d spent the past few days sequestering herself in Icarus Hall pouring over her latest case and he couldn’t wait to hear all about it. He hoped it would also give him some time to settle in and find the right way to bring up his own case.
Nancy walked in carrying their takeout order. “Hey, this was sitting outside the door.” She said holding up the bag. Weird that he’d never heard them at the door. Perhaps he was too wound up in his nerves.
“Great.” He tried to keep his voice even. “I’ll grab some plates, why don’t you tell me about this new case you’re on.”
They laid out their food on the coffee table and settled in to the couch as Nancy filled him in on her new client, a local pet shop owner. She couldn’t believe she was actually working on a case about missing cats, and it seemed to trace back to a series of fraternities. She was planning to take her findings to Tamura in the morning. As she talked she poked around the various containers, grazing amongst them rather equally while Ace stirred his carton of lo mein around absent mindedly. He loved how at peace she seemed, there was a lightness and humor to her voice as she talked about her case that sounded almost like a farce. He wanted more than anything not to shatter this moment. Setting down the remains of the kung pao chicken Nancy settled back against the arm of the couch and stared up at him, “So tell me about your day?” she asked, trying to suppress a yawn.
Time to bite the bullet. “Uh, well actually.” Ace cleared his throat. “I spent part of the day with Bess and Ryan over at the Historical Society.”
“MmHmm” Nancy mumbled her eyes half-lidded. “They’ve been spending a lot of time together. I think Ryan’s trying to find a way to profit off all their relic knowledge…” Nancy’s voice was hazy and Ace realized she was already half asleep. Maybe tonight didn’t have to be the night. What was one more day? It’s not like he could betray her more. Covering her with the blanket from the back of the couch Nancy curled on to her side and stretched her feet into his lap. Reaching over for his laptop Ace decided to use the sudden free time to catch up on the mountain of paperwork that he owed Connor. Moonlighting as Bess and Ryan’s bloodhound was starting to cut into his day job.
He’d gotten about halfway through his work, Nancy lightly snoring next to him when Ace stretched and checked the clock on his phone. It was 11pm and his muscles were sore and stiff from sitting in one position for too long. He decided it was time to take Nancy to bed and was debating the best way to move her when he heard the faint sounds of scratching coming from his front door.
He looked up to see a shadow across the frosted glass. Was somebody actually trying to break in?!? That would be ridiculous, he thought to himself. All his research was making him paranoid. Maybe it was just Bess and Ryan trying to leave him some new documents, or maybe Nick looking to borrow some coffee without waking him. Ace sat his laptop on the table next to the forgotten food cartons and got up quietly. Whoever it was he didn’t want them tumbling in and waking Nancy. He moved toward the door debating whether or not to grab a weapon before realizing he didn’t really have one available. Before he could make any decisions the locked clicked softly and the door swung open. Ace’s breath caught in his throat as all word and thought left him. Strolling into his apartment was Daniel West.
“Hello Ace. Good to see ya again.”