Catherine and Evie agreed to do so and Catherine led the way to Liz’s room. Since she was mainly here for observation, she was in a regular, though private, room, and not the ER or ICU. Beeping machinery greeted us. Liz didn’t look bad; she really did look like she was just sleeping, if not for the few wires monitoring her status.
“Should we wake her?”
“No need, Evie,” answered the woman in question. She opened her eyes and smiled weakly at us. “I’m awake. Thanks for staying with me Catherine.”
“I didn’t know you knew I was here.”
“I did.”
A moment passed. Liz knew we were not there just to check on her, but she’d clearly decided to let us direct the conversation.
“Jacob is going to want to talk to you,” I started. She nodded. “He thinks I’m working with Jena.” Her eyes widened at that. “I was hoping that when you speak with him, you can straighten that misperception out.”
“How do I know you aren’t working with Jena?”
I gaped at her. “I’ve been working with you the whole time!”
“You’ve kept secrets from me the whole time.” One hospital gown clad shoulder lifted. “How do I know you weren’t hiding that too?”
I turned to Catherine and Evie for help. They looked stunned. Catherine was the first to jump in to defend me. “Liz, you haven’t known Mia that long, but I can personally assure you that she’s not a killer. In any way, shape, or form,” she emphasized.
Liz’s lip curled. “That and a couple of bucks will get me a cup of coffee.”
“How could you think she’s a killer?” Evie asked. “Aren’t you a better journalist than that to be taken in?”
Risky to insult the woman whose cooperation we wanted, but when Liz’s cheeks reddened I realized Evie took the right approach.
Liz sighed. “I know she’s not involved,” she allowed. “I’m just pissed you guys didn’t tell me about the paranormal world.”
“You’ll tell Jacob I wasn’t involved?”
“Yes, Mia, I’ll tell Jacob you weren’t involved.” She paused. “If you do something for me.”
“You’re going to extort Mia? For you to tell the truth?” Evie sounded pissed. I didn’t blame her; I wasn’t feeling too charitable.
I headed off the ensuing battle. “What do you want?”
“Information.”
We didn’t have to ask what kind of information; we all knew what she wanted to know. “I can’t give you what you want,” I said.
“Then I can’t say what you want.” She pointedly closed her eyes. “You can go.”
“We’re doing this to protect you,” Catherine insisted.
Liz opened a single eye. “Go on.”
“We can confirm the paranormal underworld exists, but most of us want to keep it that way,” Evie explained.
“And?”
“If you threaten to out us, you’ll be killed,” Evie responded simply.
“Us?”
I was really hoping that Liz would have missed that pronoun, so of course she didn’t.
“I’m a vampire.”
Liz stared open-mouthed at Evie. “A what?”
“You heard me. And my people will kill you without hesitation if you try to tell the world about us.”
“You’re a vampire?” Liz repeated.
“Yes. Keep up,” Evie snapped.
“Okay.”
“That’s it? Okay?”
“What more do you want, Mia? I’ll inform Jacob that you were not involved in any of the murders. I will also not disclose the existence of a paranormal underworld.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“For now,” Liz continued.
“For now?” Catherine questioned.
“There’s an echo in this room,” Liz retorted.
“Don’t be a bitch,” Evie snapped.
“Evie!” Catherine exclaimed.
“Sorry,” Evie said, not sounding sorry.
“What do you mean, for now?” I redirected.
“Well, Mia, I want the whole story. I want Jena and the paranormal underworld.” She smiled shrewdly. “If I wait for Jena to be caught, then I can have both. So, I’ll wait,” she concluded.
The three of us goggled at her.
“What about the risk to your life?” I had to think that self-preservation would be high on Liz’s list of importance.
“Once I actually out all of you,” she said, and I sensed that Evie wanted to knock the smug look off of Liz’s face, “nobody would dare kill me.”
Evie snorted. “Like my people care. You’ll just have an ‘accident’,” she explained, putting the last word in air quotes.
“I’ll take that chance.”
This was probably the best we were going to do tonight. At least Liz wasn’t going to say anything more about us right now and she’d clear things up with Jacob. We’d have to be satisfied with that.
“Thank you,” was all I said.
Liz gestured for us to leave. “I’m tired. We’ll talk later.”
“Actually, Liz, now that I know your full plan, I don’t think it’s in anybody’s best interest for us to continue to work together on this story.”
“So be it, Mia,” she answered and closed her eyes.
We took that as our unsubtle cue to leave and did. We remained silent walking down the hallway away from her room. I noticed an empty darkened room to our left and ducked inside. Catherine and Evie followed.
“What do you guys think?” I asked.
“We probably should report her.” Evie said this but I could tell her heart wasn’t in it.
“If we do, she’ll be dead within twenty-four hours.” Vampires had Cleaners for exactly this sort of job.
“I know.”
We considered our options. We were all uncomfortable with the idea of signing Liz’s death warrant.
“What happens if you don’t?” Catherine asked.
“If the Family finds out after the fact, and they believe we knew, we’re probably dead for not saying anything.”
I expected this answer but Catherine clearly didn’t. “You’re kidding.”
Evie and I shook our heads no.
“Well, dang, what do we do?” Catherine asked.
“If I may give an opinion?”
We turned as one to face the woman who had entered the room.
“Robin?” Catherine asked in distaste.
“Hello, ladies,” Robin Landon addressed us. “I couldn’t help but overhear—”
“Because you were eavesdropping,” Evie interrupted.
“—your quandary,” Robin continued as though uninterrupted.
We stared at her for a beat.
“And you have an opinion?” I asked.
“I do. I wanted to let you know not to worry so much about this,” she said easily.
“Really? What does the councilwoman have to do with this?”
“Tsk, tsk, Mia,” Robin scolded. “You know I won’t answer that question. The councilwoman simply wanted you to know that she would take care of it.”
“Take care of it,” Catherine gulped. “Is she going to kill Liz?”
Robin laughed. “Not at the present time.” We stared at her when she didn’t continue. She sighed. “You’re still on the right path. Liz is playing her part.”
And with that, the demon’s minion exited the room. We stood in silence for a moment.
“Okay, what do you guys think?” Catherine finally asked.
“Not to give Robin or Barbara too much credit, but my vote is we don’t say anything. The Councilwoman told me before that I was on the right track. And now Robin says not to worry about it. Regardless of their involvement, I won’t be able to sleep knowing I had a hand in someone’s death,” I finished and the other two nodded.
“Besides,” I added with a hopeful smile, “maybe Liz is right. Maybe they won’t kill her if she goes public, since she i
s a celebrity of sorts, and not just a random fruit loop on the internet.”
“That is optimistic,” Evie said, sounding doubtful.
“Yeah, I know, but what else have we got?”
“Maybe Barbara really will keep her safe?” Catherine asked.
“If that’s actually what Robin meant,” I countered.
“Maybe we can talk Liz out of it,” Catherine offered.
“Unlikely, but there’s no harm in trying,” I agreed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Back home, I was debating whether or not to slip into the lake or the pool when my house and mind filled with all-too-familiar popping sounds. I froze in my living room, head swinging side to side to see where Jena would materialize.
Next to my glass topped wicker breakfast table, I saw the shimmer in the air that preceded Jena’s arrival before. I braced myself, wondering inanely whether or not she was coming in peace. Like she was an alien or something.
Jena appeared before me, her black eyes flashing like obsidian glowing from within. She glared; I remained silent. Waiting.
“How did you find me?”
No small talk for the genie I gathered. “You were captured on a vacationer’s video; from there we found you on security footage at a casino.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Mia. I’m a movie producer. You killed,” I swallowed audibly, “one of my actors. Chad Johnson.” No reaction. “I’m also a nixie.”
“Why did you want to find me?”
Her monotone voice unsettled me. “I wanted to help you.”
“Help me how?”
“You can stop doing this.”
“Why would I stop?”
Unsure what to say, I shifted. “How did you start?”
She stared as if trying to determine whether or not to tell me. If she wanted to kill me, she probably could before I could react.
“A year ago, my sister Juni Jawahir was killed by the human, Roger Miller.”
“It was an accident.”
She glared at me for the interruption. “I waited for the human system to bring him to justice, but they let him go.” Her body hummed with hatred.
“I knew I had to have patience. I waited for a sufficient amount of time to pass. Even though I wanted revenge, I did not want to unduly bring attention to our kind,” she anticipated my question.
“After a year, I decided enough time had passed and I exacted my revenge.” She stopped like that was the end of the story.
“What about Chad? And Bradley Reese?”
“People like Roger care only for themselves. They care only about what other people can do for them. The fewer of them that exist in the world, the better the world will be.”
“That’s why you targeted actors? Because you think they care only for themselves?”
“Yes.”
I was silent and she continued. “Once I killed Roger, I searched online for an actor promoting an upcoming Facebook Live streaming video. After I found Chad, I searched for him in person, followed him off and on. I decided he was the one. I waited for my moment.”
Nausea bubbled up and Jena must have seen something in my face.
“Roger, Chad, Bradley. They’re all the same. They wanted internet fame. I gave it to them.”
Her complete lack of remorse unnerved me, but I pressed forward. “Not all actors are like that. Chad was a young man doing what he loved. Wanting to share that with the world.”
A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face. “No.”
“Yes, Jena. Even Roger’s involvement with Juni’s death was a horrible, horrible accident. He was devastated by her loss. He loved her. Surely you saw his social media posts when you were—” I paused to find another word for stalking “—gathering information.”
Jena didn’t respond.
“Jena, you can stop. Your existence can go back to normal.”
“I don’t want to.”
Stunned by her admission, I struggled to find anything else to say. My secret goal, once I knew that the killer was a supernatural being, was to find out why and possibly help him or her without resorting to killing the being. And once I knew she was a djinn, I immediately recognized either she stopped or she was killed. I still didn’t see another possible outcome. She was too powerful. I had to convince her to stop killing men.
“Why?”
“Because it’s fun. These men don’t deserve the life they’ve been given. I’m solving that.”
“I can’t let you keep—”
Jena laughed, an unearthly sound. “Let? As if you could do anything to stop me.”
“I’m going to try.”
“Don’t make me kill you too.” She dematerialized.
I collapsed on the couch, my heart racing. I failed. Other men were going to die unless I found a way to kill her. Dawn was a few hours away. I curled up on the couch for some relaxation before making another move.
The next morning, my heart in my throat, I called Jacob. It went to voicemail and I wondered if he was there and choosing not to answer.
“Hey, Jacob,” I started, after the beep. “If you have some time, I’d really like to talk to you. It’s important. It’ll answer a bunch of your questions.”
I ended the call. I didn’t say I’d answer all of his questions, but maybe it was time to tell him at least a little bit more. If Jena wasn’t going to stop, then anybody chasing after her was in danger.
My phone trilled notification of an incoming call. Jacob.
“Hey, Jacob.”
“Hi, Mia.”
Silence.
“You left me a voicemail.”
“I did. Um.” I paused.
“Mia, I don’t have time for this.”
The coldness in his voice hurt. “Can we meet?”
“I’d rather you tell me over the phone.”
My eyes filled with tears. “I’d rather tell you in person.”
“Fine. Text me where and when and I’ll be there.” He ended the call.
I held the silent phone in my hand, in shock. He hung up on me. I decided my place gave us the privacy I wanted given the subject matter. Hands shaking, I texted him my address to meet in one hour. I didn’t know where he was in the city right now and I didn’t want to be difficult.
Wait a minute. He was the one freezing me out. He wanted to keep it professional, I could keep it professional. A wave of sadness crashed over me at the thought of not touching him again or seeing his smile.
Whatever. He made his choice.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Exactly an hour later, my doorbell chimed. I opened the door and our eyes met. His were hard marbles in a granite face. He followed me to my breakfast nook.
“Please sit,” I said and gestured to the wicker chair opposite me.
We sat simultaneously. He removed a small notebook and pen from his sports jacket inner pocket. “What do you have for me?”
“Jena appeared in my home,” I started without preamble and that got his attention. I saw the worry in his eyes for a moment before the shutter dropped again.
“Appeared?”
“Yes.” I explained to Jacob exactly what a djinn was and Jena’s connection to Juni, as well as her admitting to me that she was the killer. “I am not working with her,” I added.
“I know. Ms. Addison confirmed that when I spoke with her this morning.”
My breath whooshed out in relief. “Okay, good.”
“Is that it?”
“No. You may be in danger.” I explained Jena’s threat to harm anyone who got in her way.
“Can she be stopped?”
That was the million-dollar question, right? “Probably not,” I admitted. “Not without killing her.”
“How do we kill her?”
“Just how Juni died; her heart has to be pierced.”
“How do we get to her?”
I chuckled. “You don’t.”
“That’s not helpful.”
My voice rose. “Well, forgive me for not wanting to be so quick to kill her.”
“She’s a murderer. And you just said the only way to stop her is to kill her, Mia!” His voice had risen to match mine.
“She’s hurt because Roger killed her sister,” I tried to remind him. “She’s acting out of a weird warped grief.”
“Are you seriously making excuses for the monster serial killer?”
I recoiled as if slapped. “Monster?”
Guilt clouded his face. “That isn’t what I meant.”
“Sure, it is.”
“Mia—”
“You see me as a monster,” I whispered.
“I don’t know what to see you as,” he argued. “You won’t tell me who you are!” He stood and strode from the table toward the kitchen. He gripped the countertop with both hands. I stood and took a few steps toward him but stopped.
“Why does it matter so much what category I am?”
He faced me, anguish warring with anger on his face. “Because I don’t understand. Any of this.” He raked his hand through his hair. “What if you become like her?”
“Now I’m not just a monster, but you think I could be a killer?!”
“You tried to justify her actions and you don’t want her to be harmed!”
We were yelling at each other when we both heard a popping noise. I scanned the room and, over the kitchen passthrough, I saw the shimmer in the living room. Jacob drew his gun as Jena completed her materializing.
“Jacob, no!” I shouted, but I was too late.
The shot rang out. Jena jerked backward against the couch. The anger in her eyes scared me. The popping increased exponentially in volume. Jacob covered one ear while training his gun on her figure by the couch. A second shot rang out. She reappeared between me and Jacob.
“I won’t let you hurt her,” Jena told Jacob. She stepped toward him, arms outstretched.
“Jena, no! He’s not trying to hurt me!”
Jacob raised his gun again. Jena had reached him, grabbed him around the throat. His face mottled as he failed to draw in air.
“Jena, no!” I screamed again. I took several steps toward her. She whipped her face around to glare daggers at me.
“It’s better this way. He’ll only hurt you in the end.”
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