Winter's Reckoning: (A Witch Detective Urban Fantasy Novel) (Seasons of Magic Book 4)

by Sarah Biglow

  “Who showed up this time?”

  “Theodora. She thinks I’m distracting myself with chasing down Des’ killer to avoid what’s coming. I can’t say she’s entirely wrong. But, if this prophecy is as big as it feels, I may not have another chance to do right by him.”

  He set his fork and knife down and reached across the table to hold both of my hands. “I won’t lie, I’ve been working more to try and distract myself from the fact that the Solstice is only two days away. I don’t want to lose you.”

  Tears welled up behind my eyes again, but I refuse to let them fall. I can’t promise him everything will be fine or that I’ll come home to him when all of this over. “I don’t want to lose you either.”

  I could give him a little bit of happiness before everything went to shit. So, I gave his hand a squeeze before diving into the pile of seafood on my plate and focusing on our date.

  Ten

  With my belly full of expensive food and wine, I made my way to Notre Dame to meet Jacquie. I didn’t know if Dominic Janty would be present, but if he was, I wanted to have a chat with him to see what he knew about Reuben’s whereabouts the day of Desmond’s death. I spotted Jacquie standing near the front entrance, chatting with the burly bouncer.

  “You’re like a damn bad penny,” he barked at me when I was within earshot.

  “I’m just here for a girls’ night,” I add and looped my arm through Jacquie’s. Thankfully she rolled with it.

  “I’ll call you,” Jacquie said as she led me into the bar.

  “Were you seriously flirting with that guy?” I said just loud enough for her to hear me over the music.

  “If I wanted to get in here tonight, you bet I was.”

  I relaxed a little at her statement. “So, uh, before we go hunting for bad guys, are you busy tomorrow afternoon? It’s for a personal thing.” I propped myself up against the edge of the bar scanning the crowd.

  “I don’t know, depends on if the bad guys decide to take a day off. Why?”

  I fiddled with the engagement ring on my finger. “J.T. and I are going to City Hall to get married … and I was hoping you’d be there.”

  She spun around to stand on my other side, and I could see the sparkle in her eye. “I thought you were waiting for all of this magic shit to blow over.”

  “We both kind of figured, what’s the point in waiting. Neither of us wants a big thing so this just makes sense.”

  She beamed at me. “Of course, I’ll be there.” She turned to look around the bar when I heard the sound of a glass clinking against the bar behind me. I pivoted, ready to feed Jonathan another line about it being a free country so I could frequent his bar if I wanted. Instead though I found Missy standing opposite me.

  “Oh, hey,” I greeted.

  “Did that thing I mentioned work out?”

  “Still a work in progress,” I said cagily.

  “Oh ...” She cast her gaze down at the bar. “Sorry I couldn’t help more.”

  “Hey, you helped quite a lot. In fact, I’m here hoping to meet with a friend of his, Dominic Janty. Do you know him?”

  Missy nodded toward a high-top table across the dance floor where a blonde in a low back dress sat beside a man with a drink in his hand.

  “I finished checking accident reports and there’s no evidence Reuben was in one,” Jacquie said in my ear just as I got within an arm’s length of Janty’s table. I could still see the Order brand on the side of his neck. Good, he still had his memory, then.

  “I’m serious, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he told the woman on his arm, his voice carrying over the music.

  My stomach dropped. He’d been at the restaurant earlier. The woman laughed and turned just enough for me to catch her face in profile.

  Agent Cartwright?

  She turned just enough to see me and the fake smile she had plastered on her face vanished instantly. She mouthed, “What are you doing here?”

  I just shook my head, having no response. I didn’t want to announce myself as police if other members of the Order were around. Not without any magical back-up. Besides I couldn’t count on Jonathan to step in and lend a hand like last time. From Molly’s other side, Jacquie took an aggressive step forward. Somehow, spilling a drink I hadn’t even noticed she’d picked up all down the side of Molly’s dress.

  “I am so sorry,” Jacquie professed, setting the glass on the table. “I just ruined your dress. Here, let me help. Or can I buy you another drink?”

  I had to hand it to my partner she was damn good at undercover work. Molly, to her credit, didn’t lose a beat. “I don’t want your apology. How about you pay for my dry cleaning?”

  She stomped off in the direction of the neon sign denoting the restrooms with Jacquie hot on her heels, still apologizing profusely. I kept my head down and stepped into the bathroom just in time to see them facing off. Molly pressed a wad of paper towels to her dress.

  “What are you two doing here?” She demanded.

  “Us? It’s a magical bar. I’ve got magic,” I answered. “What are you doing here talking to our mark?”

  “Dominic Janty is under federal investigation for money laundering and tax fraud,” she answered.

  I couldn’t say I was surprised by that revelation and it explained why she was there chatting him up. Except it did complicate matters, especially since I needed him to tell me what had happened to Reuben Wickham.

  “He’s involved in the Order,” I said, my voice modulating up in pitch. “That spiral and scythe brand on his neck proves it.”

  “The same guys you said were behind the kidnappings? Just like the guy we could never pin to those kidnappings?”

  “Yes. And the ones who were stealing magic. Except it seems like whatever monster they’ve created is getting greedy. At least one of their top rank players, who not only no longer has his magic, but has no memory whatsoever about the magical world. It was just stripped out of his head.” A thought occurred to me. Jonathan had said more mundane people had been frequenting the bar lately. Had the creature been siphoning magic and memories from the lower ranks, too?

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. But I bet you Janty can fill in some of the blanks. But he’ll know my face and he’ll know I’m the Savior. He won’t talk to me.” At least I assumed he would know me. Taggart had and I very well doubted that he wouldn’t have passed on the information to his buddies in the time since he’d abandoned the Authority’s ranks.

  “And I doubt he’ll be eager to open up to the woman who just ruined his date’s dress,” Jacquie added.

  Molly looked at each of us in turn before she sighed and pulled out her phone from the tiny purse on her wrist. “Get ready to listen in ladies.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” I said, silently doing a happy dance that she was ready to jump in and help us out.

  “We’re both after the same bad guy. If I can help you get answers before we bring him in, I’m game. Besides, now I’m curious.” She dialed my number and then stowed it in her purse. “Make sure you’re on mute.”

  I pulled out my phone, answered the call and showed her that I’d hit the mute button. I eked out a little will to amplify the sound so that we wouldn’t have to worry about all the background noise. Doing it here would ensure Janty wouldn’t catch on.

  At the door to the bathroom, she turned and addressed Jacquie. “I think you missed your calling. You’d make one hell of an undercover agent.” She left us standing in the bathroom in stunned silence.

  “We should wait a few minutes before we go back out there. We don’t want Janty to be too suspicious,” Jacquie said.

  “Right. You know, she’s not wrong, you would make a badass undercover officer. How come you never went that route?”

  “As a detective I don’t need to pretend to be someone else to do my job. I earned this badge by upholding the ideals of this department, by being fair, and protecting and serving this community. I did that by being someone
people could trust. Undercover work, it’s not for me.”

  “Agent Cartwright seems to disagree. But you’d never jump ship, right?”

  Jacquie clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re stuck with me, partner. For better or worse.”

  I snickered at her choice of words. My phone picked up the ambient noise of the bar beyond the bathroom and I could hear Molly return to Janty’s table. “You all right?” His voice came over the line. My spell was working.

  “The dress is probably ruined, but our night doesn’t have to be. Before we were so rudely interrupted, you were telling me about that guy you used to work with. I think you said he had a massive personality change out of nowhere?”

  “You don’t want to hear about that stuff,” he said brushing her off.

  “I’m a sucker for the dramatic and this sounds like it should be extra crazy. Come on, what’s the harm? It’s not like he’s going to find out, right?”

  Jacquie and I left the bathroom and settled at the far end of the bar, the phone set between us on the counter. I pulled out a pair of Bluetooth headphones and passed one to Jacquie, syncing them and securing one in my ear. We didn’t need Order members or anyone else around us hearing the conversation. I caught sight of Jonathan at the opposite end, his handsome features were hard to miss even with the magic keeping the rest of his physique hidden.

  “I thought we had an understanding,” he said as he approached.

  “I’m here on police business and I’d really appreciate if you could back off so you don’t blow our cover,” I said, irritated that he was disrupting my ability to pay attention to every word coming out of Janty’s mouth.

  “That pretty blonde over there, she showed up the last time you damaged my establishment. This some sort of sting?”

  Jacquie fixed him with a pointed look. “You are a civilian. You don’t get to know the details of police operations. Now, do everyone a favor and go wait on your patrons.”

  “Fucking cops,” he muttered, but returned to his post at the opposite end of the room.

  “I wasn’t there mind you, but this business associate of mine was always pretty full of himself. Like he couldn’t ever lose. You know the type,” Janty continued.

  “Oh, I do,” Molly agreed, egging him on.

  “Well, a few months back he stops coming around and when he returned it’s like he’s a whole different person. I mean I suppose some traits are hard to get rid of. He’s still kind of an asshole and thinks his shit doesn’t stink. But it’s like he forgot everything he’d ever done before.”

  “You think he’s faking it?”

  “Hell no,” Janty responded. “It’s too good a job for him to be faking it. He says he was in a car accident that totaled his car, but I did a little digging, due diligence and all, and there’s nothing about it anywhere.”

  “So, what, are you saying he lost his memory by … magic?” She added a hint of disbelieving laughter into her voice on the last word.

  Damn, she’s good.

  “There’s a reason I said you wouldn’t believe me.”

  “You’re serious. Magic made him lose his memory? I’d love to meet the magician who can do that. I’ve got some years in college I’d love to forget.”

  “It’s not what you think.” His voice dipped in volume and I strained to hear it over the phone line and the ambient white noise of the bar.

  “I’m a big girl, you know. I can handle it,” Molly goaded.

  “Ah, what the hell!” I watched him down the rest of his drink and set the empty glass on the table. “Magic’s real. But if you aren’t careful, it can disappear just like that.” He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

  “What, someone just says a magic word and poof it’s gone? What’s the point of having magic if it can just be taken away so easily?” Molly pressed.

  “It didn’t used to be that way. Times are changing. There’s a shift of power and it’s not in the favor of the law-abiding citizens of this city.”

  “So, you’re not one of those law-abiding citizens, then?”

  “Sure, I am,” he quipped. “But there are people who think just because they won the fight centuries ago, that they get to dictate how we live. History being written by the winners and all. We’ve been punished long enough for just living.”

  All he’d done so far is confirm that the death creature took Wickham’s memory and his magic. I needed to know more. I needed to know why and what he knew about Wickham’s involvement in Desmond’s murder. Only I couldn’t just go up to him and ask. Not without risking blowing Molly’s cover for her own case.

  “You have that look that says you want to spring into action,” Jacquie said just loud enough for me to hear.

  “She’s not asking the right questions,” I grumbled.

  “She’s doing the best she can without risking everything,” she reminded me.

  “So, what’s the one thing you’d love to forget about with all this magic stuff?” Molly prodded, her voice coming in over the phone line.

  “That even the side that thinks it should be used however you want is subject to bureaucratic bullshit.”

  “Uh oh, sounds like someone doesn’t like their boss?” She teased.

  “Let’s just say I’m not a fan of hostile takeovers. I prefer my merger and acquisitions to be mutually beneficial.’

  That’s an interesting perspective I hadn’t considered. I’d assumed that this death creature had been the brainchild of the whole Order, or at the very least most of their leadership. Except, then most of their plans hadn’t gone the way they’d anticipated. They’d failed to raise the creature into a proper body back in March. I might not have been able to prevent the kidnappings six months ago, but at least I’d found out about the prophecy they’d been after. I’d even ensured that they didn’t strip all of the Council of their magic. And yet, they were still coming. This Death’s child was still haunting my dreams and invading my mind. Had it been Wickham’s plan and it had just gotten away from him?

  “You think this hostile takeover is the reason your buddy doesn’t remember how to tie his own shoes?”

  “It’s a lot more complicated than that, but yeah, I’d say so. He thought he knew what he was getting into, then it came out of nowhere and ripped it all away,” Janty answered.

  The conversation stopped and I glanced over my shoulder to see Molly studying Janty in the strobing lights from the dance area. “You scared you’ll be next?”

  He laughed, but it came over the line as a hacking sound. “It’s only a matter of time.”

  “He knows more than he’s saying,” I said and was off the bar stool before I realized I’d made the decision to move.

  Jacquie snaked her hand out to catch me and hold me back. My sudden movement was enough to draw Molly’s attention. “Get him to admit Wickham killed Desmond,” I stage whispered at her.

  “I don’t blame you for being scared. I mean, I guess I can see how it could be scary losing part of yourself. Did you ever try to talk to your buddy about what had happened, maybe try to jog his memory?”

  “What’s the point? He doesn’t know anything. Not about magic or our boss. None of it.”

  “I guess I see your point. It’s not like he murdered anyone,” Molly offered.

  “No, he’s a bastard, but he’s not that evil,” Janty commented.

  My heart plummeted into my stomach and I sunk back onto the stool. It wasn’t the answer I’d wanted, but it was an answer. It didn’t explain how his magic got on the bullet, but then again … maybe it had? I’d been assuming this death creature didn’t have a physical form, but what if it had found a body? It could wield Wickham’s magic and use it as if it belonged to the creature. At least, it sounded reasonable in my head. Despite that there was one person who might be able to fill in some of the blanks.

  “I have to make a trip to see Taggart,” I told Jacquie as I leaned my head on the bar.

  “You can’t trust him.”

  “I know, but he’
s connected to all of this. If he was involved in trying to bring this creature back six months ago, then maybe he knows more about it. Believe me, he’s not the person I want to be spending time with on the day I’m getting married. Yet, if he can help me put this to bed, I have to try. Besides, if I’m facing off with whatever this thing is in two days, I’m going to exhaust every avenue I can to get Des justice.”

  “You want backup?”

  “I appreciate the offer, but this is between him and me.”

  I ended the call with Molly and slid a twenty on the bar as a peace offering to Jonathan. As I left the bar, I tried to remind myself that tomorrow was going to be a better day. After all, it was my wedding day.

  December 20, 2017

  Eleven

  Morning dawned and I blinked at the light filtering through the windows in the bedroom. J.T. was already gone, pulling an early morning shift to ensure we’d be able to get to the courthouse with enough time to actually get married. I lay there in the stillness of the condo and let the realization that I was getting married today settle over me. Reaching for my phone, I dialed my dad’s number, not caring that it was too early.

  “Ez? Is everything okay?” Dad sounded more awake than I expected.

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. Do you have plans this afternoon?”

  “Not really, no. What’s going on?”

  “J.T. and I decided we’re going to City Hall to get married. I want you to be there.”

  I could hear the smile in his voice. “I knew it! I’m so happy for you, sweetheart. Of course, I’ll be there. Just let me know what time.”

  “We’re thinking two o’clock. I know you probably were hoping to walk me down the aisle and give me away, but this just feels right.”

  “I had my chance to get married how I wanted. This is your marriage, Ezri. You get to decide how it happens.”

  “I know I’ve said it a lot lately, but I’m sorry I was so terrible to you for so long.”