by Jayne Faith
“But I didn’t touch the door, I swear,” I continued quickly. “That’s not from me. My trail is a good deal more faint than the other, so it’s actually fairly easy to tell them apart.”
“Show me where,” Johnny said. He flipped a switch on the box, and it stopped beeping. He shoved it into his bag and then pulled out the familiar souped-up tablet he’d used to scan me earlier. He powered it on, and his face lit in the cool glow of the screen.
I pointed, tracing the maroon path along the patio, and then to the door. The shadows were going wild in my periphery, and the center of my forehead throbbed as if something inside were fighting to escape the cage of my skull.
“There’s also a trail around the side of the house,” I said. “Not the side we used, the other side.”
He shook his head and looked up at me. “My scanner senses supernatural energy but can’t identify it.”
“Hey,” Jennifer said to me. “Could you move across my ward? I want to check something.”
I walked several steps away from them until I was outside the magenta ring.
“What the . . .” Jennifer followed me to the edge of the ward, staying just inside. “Cross it again?”
I did as she asked.
“You’re not tripping it, Ella.” She looked up at me in confusion.
Wards weren’t barriers, but more like magical doorbells that alerted the owner to different things that passed through them. Jen should have felt a magical ping when I walked across her ward. One of her wards was a sort of all-purpose alert system, and any human or supernatural creature should set off the alarm. It was the first and most basic ward that was typically used around a home. She had other wards as well, probably designed to signal with more specificity, such as the level of magical ability of a crafter who crossed it.
“Let me try,” Deb said, and she passed through the magical bubble.
“Yeah, I felt that,” Jennifer said.
Even I saw the flicker of disturbance when Deb crossed the circle. My stomach gave a little twist. How could I not be tripping the ward?
“You’ve always had this ward set, right?” I asked. I was thinking of the first time I’d been here. I hadn’t been able to see the ward then. Actually, I hadn’t seen it when Johnny and I arrived tonight, either.
I pressed the heel of my hand to my temple.
“Yeah, I’ve had wards set since the day I bought the house,” she said.
My heart lurched uneasily in my chest. Something was shifting within me, and it was happening quickly. My ability to sense magic seemed to be changing, and I already knew the reaper soul had devoured more of me.
Returning my attention to the maroon smears, I lifted my palms and looked at Johnny, hoping he had some knowledge from a scene he’d worked or buried in the recesses of his considerable expertise that would help explain what we were seeing—or not seeing, as the case was.
“I’m not exactly sure what’s going on, but all I can think of is to state the obvious,” he said slowly. “If I had to guess, I’d say the thief and Ella have something major in common. Something unique, a rare type of magic.”
My pulse seemed to stutter. Was there really someone else out there like me? Someone with a tethered reaper soul? A tiny point of hope sparked in the middle of my chest. If there was someone like me, maybe they’d figured out how to live with it, how to keep the reaper from killing them.
“I hate to be the one to bust up this party, but I can’t wait any longer to report the stolen scrying mirror. I need to call this in,” Johnny said.
Jennifer cursed softly under her breath.
“Sorry,” Johnny and I both said at the same time.
She planted her hands on her hips. “Go ahead, I’ll get over it. I’d appreciate it if Deb and Ella could help me take one last look around inside before anyone else arrives.”
“If you don’t mind using the front door, I’ll do some more scans back here. I’d like to collect additional data,” Johnny said. He had his phone in his hand.
Jennifer nodded, and Deb and I followed her back around the side of the house.
“I don’t mean to be such a bitch,” the vampire witch said with a sigh.
“I’m sure he understands,” Deb said. She shot me a sly look that I caught even in the dark. “And Ella can do her part to help soothe any hurt feelings.”
“I’ll mesmerize him with my endless reserves of feminine charm,” I said. Deb snorted a laugh before she could control herself, and I smacked her shoulder with the back of my hand. “Hey, it’s not that funny.”
We moved swiftly to the front, our shoes brushing against the grass and scattering a few fallen leaves. Once inside, I blinked a few times in the light. Jennifer’s trashy magazines had been scattered around, her balls of yarn and knitting needles spilled from their basket, sofa cushions were askew, and a potted plant lay on the floor in a mess of dirt and broken pieces of its ceramic container. It looked as if a tornado had whipped through the set of a shabby-chic interior design photoshoot.
The blood-red magic overlaid much of the room, while the distinct smell of sulfur and burned leather hung in the air like a sinister mist. It was similar to what demons smelled like if you got close enough to them, but there was an additional note of spice and rot.
“You see it, don’t you? The maroon magic?” Jennifer asked. One of her hands was aglow with yellow air magic, and in the other she held a lavender crystal on the end of a thin chain, which I assumed she would use to try to pick up traces of the intruder.
“Yeah,” I said. I glanced down to see a faint tinge of maroon around my boots. “Do you want me to stay outside? I don’t want to contaminate things here.”
“Nah, that’s okay.” She was focused on whatever she was trying to detect with the pendulum.
I made my way to the back door, picking up the trail of maroon, intending to try to follow its path through the house. It seemed to have gone first to Jennifer’s bedroom, and when I flipped on the light, I found the mattress tipped onto the floor.
Vampires, even dociles like Jennifer, didn’t need sleep the way humans did. The bed and nightstand were more of an homage to her human beginnings than any sort of necessity.
“It’s just terrible,” Deb said quietly behind me. “I would feel so violated if someone did this to my home.”
A fist pounded on the front door, and we jumped and whirled around.
“Supernatural Crimes, please open up!” a voice bellowed.
Jennifer went to answer, and Deb and I trailed after her.
A woman with a blond pixie cut, dressed in crisp dark jeans, a white button-down shirt, and a navy blazer held up a green glowing SC badge. I sensed she was a low-range Level III on the Magical Aptitude Scale, which was expected for SC personnel. Impressive, but nowhere near Damien’s level.
“Lead Detective Arianna Barnes,” she said brusquely, looking around at the mess. Two men and a woman wearing green SCSI jackets—the Supernatural Crime Scene Investigation—crowded behind her. She finally turned to Jen, and flipped a glance at me and Deb. “The three of you should have stayed outside. Now your fresh signatures are all over the crime scene. Come with me.”
Chapter 3
DETECTIVE BARNES WASN’T a large woman, but she was clearly used to being in charge, and her demand that we follow her left no room for protest. Outside, two SC officers fell in step behind us as Barnes led the way to an SC van the size of a food truck.
I glimpsed Johnny off to one side, speaking with a man who, judging by his badge and blazer, was also a detective. There weren’t any sirens, but the SC cruisers, detectives’ cars, and van were enough to draw attention. A couple of neighbors had emerged to get a closer look at the commotion.
At the open door of the van, Barnes stopped. “We need full scans of the three of you so we can cancel out your signatures in the crime scene readings. Has anyone else been in the house?”
“No. And I really don’t think all of this commotion is ne—” Jen star
ted.
“A stolen scrying mirror is a serious matter,” Barnes cut in. She squinted at Jen, giving her a hard look. “I can see you have some magical ability, so your mirror was no prop. You should be at least as concerned as I am that it’s missing.”
The detective’s piercing look turned suspicious.
“I am concerned. I just didn’t want to make a fuss.” Jen glanced around, and tucked her chin as if she wanted to hide. Her usual confidence had evaporated.
The van’s door opened, and a SCSI tech beckoned us up the two steep steps. The inside of the vehicle looked like a surveillance unit from a futuristic movie, with monitors and control panels everywhere. The tech asked for our I.D.s, passed us tablets with waivers to read and sign, and then used a handheld device to scan each of us.
Supposedly, according to the paperwork, the scans recorded only our aura signatures, a sort of energetic fingerprint that all people, supernaturals and normals alike, give off. But I suspected Supernatural Crimes gathered additional information. Regardless, it didn’t take any special scan to see that Jennifer was a vampire, and Barnes had already commented on Jen’s magical aptitude. The vampire witch looked dazed and unhappy, as I was sure all of this was running through her mind as well. As for myself, I had no idea what I registered on the scan—they were tight-lipped about all their technology. I was getting more and more concerned about what Supernatural Crimes would be able to pick up at the crime scene. Could they detect my strange blood-red magic in their crime scene scans and link it to something that showed up in my signature? There was nothing I could do about it now—I was officially in the Supernatural Crimes database
Barnes and two other detectives were waiting when Deb, Jennifer, and I exited the van. For a moment I scrutinized the people scurrying around and in and out of Jen’s house, watching for any telltale reactions that might mean they’d uncovered something about me. I looked around the dark sidewalk and driveway for Johnny, but he was nowhere to be seen. I realized his car was gone from the curb.
“We need to ask you some questions. The homeowner will go with Detective Davis. You’re with Detective Lagatuda.” Barnes nodded at Deb. Then the Lead Detective’s gaze drilled my eyes. “And you’re with me.”
I wanted to ask why we were being treated like criminals, especially poor Jen, but it was obvious I wouldn’t do myself any favors by getting combative with Barnes.
I followed Barnes’s blond head to a sedan, pulling out my phone to see if Johnny had at least sent a message.
They asked me to leave the scene. Text me when they’re done and I’ll pick you up.
I frowned. Leave the scene? Maybe they were trying to keep his professional neutrality.
Barnes opened the back door and waited for me to get in and then climbed in after me, forcing me to scoot across the seat, as if she thought I might try to escape. She grabbed a tablet from the center console and powered it on.
“I’ll be recording our conversation while I take notes,” she said crisply.
“That can’t be legal,” I burst out, unable to contain my irritation any longer. I wasn’t completely certain what was within the bounds of the law. We didn’t do things like question suspects on Demon Patrol, and I wasn’t trained in SC protocol.
“You think I’m breaking the law?” She fixed me with a challenging look, and I felt myself bristle even more.
I was tempted to argue but refrained from responding. I just wanted to get the hell out of here.
“Let’s just get this over with as quickly as possible,” I said evenly.
“State your name, your date of birth, and your connection to the homeowner.”
I did so, figuring they already had that information anyway.
“What time did you arrive here tonight?”
I hesitated. Johnny and I were here for quite a while before he called it in. “I don’t know, I didn’t look at the time.”
“Why did you come?”
“Deb and Jen asked me,” I said.
“Why?”
I decided the briefer my answers, the better. “For support. They were alarmed.”
“Why didn’t they call Supernatural Crimes first?” Barnes asked.
“You’d have to ask them.”
“You arrived here with John Beemer?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your connection to the individual who allegedly broke into this home?”
I pulled back, my pulse tripping at the unveiled accusation. Was she serious or just trying to trip me up?
I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t know who it was, so therefore any connection is unknown to me.”
She’d been flipping her gaze back and forth between the tablet’s screen and my face, but then her gaze settled on me. She just sat there, staring at me. I knew she was trying to make me nervous, to rattle me into saying more. I returned her steady stare, refusing even to blink.
“Seems like we’re finished,” I said, when I was satisfied she knew she wasn’t going to get anything more out of me. I didn’t wait for her to answer, but reached for the handle and got out of the car, and quickly slammed the door behind me.
With a slow breath, I mentally shook off the claustrophobic sensation the interview had left me with and looked around for Deb and Jen. They were both standing in the driveway with one of the Unit investigators. When they saw me, they came out to meet me at the sidewalk.
Jen looked as if she’d swallowed something sour.
“What a mess.” She shook her head. “These people need some fricking sensitivity training, for one. And they’re tracking dirt and shit all over my carpet.”
I was glad to see some of her fire had returned.
“How were your interviews?” I asked, flipping a glance around to make sure no one was within earshot.
Deb shrugged. “Just standard stuff. It was fast. Why, what did she ask you?”
“She asked, and I quote, ‘What’s your connection to the individual who allegedly broke into this house?’”
Deb and Jen both looked at me in dumb silence for a moment.
“Wow,” Jen said. “What a bitch. How did she justify that?”
“She didn’t,” I said. Mentally kicking myself, I realized I should have challenged Barnes on that point. “I had nothing interesting to give her, so the interview pretty much ended with that.”
Deb’s brow furrowed. “That’s not good. Do you think she knows something about the—” She paused and lowered her voice to a whisper. “The magic you saw?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what she knows. But I think I need to make my exit before she gets any new bright ideas about me. Will you guys be okay? You’re welcome to come stay at my place.”
“We’ll be fine,” Jen said. “As soon as everyone clears out, I’m going home with Deb.”
I nodded. “Good. Call if there’s anything I can do.”
“What happened to your ride?” Deb asked, looking around.
“They made him leave, apparently.” I pulled out my phone and sent Johnny a quick text. “I’m going to walk down the street and have him meet me.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Deb said.
Jennifer went back to her house, and Deb and I set off down the sidewalk.
“She’s right,” I said. “This is a mess.” I huffed and swore under my breath.
“Don’t worry about Jen, she’ll be fine. I’m more concerned about what Detective Barnes said to you.”
I blew out a breath and pushed stray strands of hair back from my forehead. “Well, I was with you guys all evening before we came here, so I have an alibi.”
“How are things going between you two?” she asked.
“We’re not, you know, exclusive or anything at this point. But it’s been good,” I said. “Taking things kind of slowly.”
“Turning over a new leaf, eh?” she ribbed.
I shot her a wry look and then my feet scuffed to a halt. “Damn, I left the demon.” I looked at Jen’s house. I couldn’t go back to ge
t it. Walking out with a sedated demon in a net would just raise a dozen more questions.
“Johnny grabbed it and put it in his car,” Deb said.
My shoulders sagged with relief. “That’s the first good thing I’ve heard all evening.”
Headlights rounded the corner ahead, and I recognized the purr of the Mustang’s MagicBoost engine.
Deb stepped close and rose to her tiptoes to give me a quick hug.
“Try not to worry about any of this,” she said. “Hopefully it’ll all just blow over.”
Right. There was the scrying mirror that would announce my necromancy talent, reaper soul, and who knew what else to anyone who knew how to use it. The detective who apparently thought I had something to do with the break-in. Someone out there with rare magic like mine, who could sneak past wards undetected . . . And those were only the major points of concern.
But I appreciated Deb’s intent.
“We’ll talk tomorrow,” I said and climbed into the passenger seat of Johnny’s car.
“How’d it go?” he asked, wheeling around in a U-turn and driving under the arch that marked the main entrance to Sunshine Valley.
The quicker we could get out of here, the better.
I scrubbed one hand down the side of my face and gave a short laugh. “You’re gonna love this.” I quickly filled him in on everything.
He didn’t respond right away, and I watched his jaw muscles flex in the red gloom of the stop light in front of us.
“Well, I can vouch for you, so that’s something,” he said. “And, I’ve got your little buddy in the trunk.”
“Thank you for grabbing the net,” I said. “I’d probably still be there trying to explain that.”
“Strange night, huh?” he mused after a few seconds.
“Like you said, never a dull moment.”
He reached over and squeezed my hand, and my shoulders loosened the tiniest bit. “At least you’ve still got one more day off, right?”
I nodded. On Demon Patrol, officers were scheduled in shifts of four days on followed by three days off. The ten-hour days on foot felt long at times, but regular three-day weekends helped make up for them.