Papan shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean—”
“You mean he smells like vampire because you think he was marked by one,” Saul said.
He nodded.
“Wait a sec, after what happened with Cam, the other vamps submitted to Conrad. He practically runs their undead lives.” Why would someone challenge him after all the carnage? Did they have an undeath wish?
“Which doesn’t sound like vampires at all,” Saul said, scratching his chin while he considered me. “Did you notice a bite?” he asked Papan.
“No, but I know what I smelled.” When he looked up, his eyes were a mossy green. “Actually, I think it’s a familiar scent but I can’t pinpoint it.”
“Okay, this complicates things.” Saul looked thoughtful. “Listen, we’ll have to deal with him later. Now, you need to tell me what happened when you were arrested—where you were, what you were doing, all of it.”
“That bastard smells like vampire, and the scent belongs to someone we know!”
“Calm down,” I said, placing a hand on Papan’s thigh. “We’ll figure it out.”
“It’s right there. So close I can taste it… I know I recognize that smell.”
“Jason, if you don’t focus, you’re going to rot in a cell for the rest of your life.” Saul slammed his palms against the table. “So forget about some fucking vampire and concentrate on what’s important.”
“This is important.” Papan’s voice had a deeper timbre to it.
“Not as important as figuring out who framed you.” Saul’s tone was stern when he added, “Talk to me.”
Papan pushed the chair back and stood. His breathing was too heavy, his shoulders shaking and I could tell he was barely holding on to whatever shred of control he had left. If we didn’t steer this conversation in the right direction, we might end up dealing with a wolf instead of a man. I doubted werewolves reacted favorably while trapped within such tight walls.
“When Shapiro arrested Papan, we were in his office.” I turned to Saul. “They caught us in a compromising position.”
He arched an eyebrow, and eyed my trench coat. “What were you doing?”
I made the mistake of meeting his eyes and saw the amusement. He knew exactly what we were doing, and heat rose to my cheeks.
“Saul, don’t be a fucking smart-ass.” Papan pushed both hands through his hair. I’d never seen him so on edge, but who could blame him? He’d only been awake from a coma for a few days and was facing multiple murder charges. At least his voice was back to normal.
“I’m serious. I need to know what happened.” He pointed to the chair Papan had vacated. “Take a seat.”
Papan reluctantly returned to the chair beside mine. He dragged me closer and I gripped his hand, offering a small smile. This was hard on all of us, but him most of all.
“Fox and I were in my office when Shapiro and Burns barged in and arrested me for murder,” Papan said. “That’s how it happened.”
“What were you still doing in your office?” Saul was staring at Papan with an intensity that didn’t make sense to me. “When we finished up, you mentioned you were heading home—”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t realize I had to tell you where I was going to be every minute of the fucking day.”
He hadn’t told him because this was supposed to be our day together, no one else’s.
Saul studied Papan for a few moments before directing his focus to me. “Ah, I get it. You missed out on your birthday celebrations, and Sierra is wearing a trench coat—”
“Cut it out,” I snapped. He could sense just about everything else, so why was he pretending he hadn’t read this? What had started as a brilliant plan and an overdue birthday surprise had morphed into an embarrassing nightmare. This wasn’t where I’d wanted to end up. I pulled on the coat’s hem, wishing I could cover myself completely.
“In spite of how it might sound, I’m trying to make sense out of what happened,” Saul said, sitting forward. “If you two don’t tell me everything, it leaves all of us vulnerable. Now, stop being immature and coy, and tell me exactly what happened.”
Papan’s shoulders were tense, but he sat back in his chair with his hand still in mine. He stared at his friend for what felt like ages before saying, “After you left, I decided to stay in my office to catch up on some paperwork. Fox surprised me, and while we were minding our own business, Shapiro and Burns charged into the office with a few uniforms.”
Saul opened his briefcase and pulled out a notepad, flicking pages until he reached a blank one. I noticed some were torn at the ends like he’d cut away strips. He clicked a silver pen and held it poised above a blank page. “And that’s when he arrested you?”
Papan nodded. “Well, there was an incident before the arrest.”
“And by incident you mean that the building blew up?” He raised a dark eyebrow, glaring at me. “I suspect that’s more your department since I overheard a few officers talking about glowing spheres.”
“Three orbs and one wraith were thrown through the office windows. When the wraith came into contact with me, she overheated. The orbs are like the detonators—three orbs, three explosions. It’s why there’s practically nothing left of the building.” My heart sped up when I thought of my crushed whale of a car. I was going to miss it. Sorry Grandpa. “There weren’t any casualties, were there?”
“The only damage reported was structural.” Saul wrote something down. “So this was an attack on you, not Jason?”
“The wraith was a catcher I knew from my days with the Council. She called me a few days ago…” How much of this did I need to share without going off course? “Lee wanted me to come to the Tower because things were getting pretty bad.”
“How bad? You need to elaborate on what that means.”
“The energy levels are getting dangerously high, and Lee said there were a bunch of catchers trapped inside.”
Saul shook his head. “The SCC was thoroughly searched months ago. What makes you think there are any girls still inside?”
“That’s what Lee said.”
Saul dropped the pen and sat forward. “So you spoke to this girl a few days ago, and now she’s dead.”
“She’s been dead for a while.” I looked at Papan. He knew some of this, but not all of it. “I went to the Tower last night to help Lee.”
“I thought you said she was dead.”
“I didn’t know that until I got there.”
“Go on,” Saul urged.
“Instead, I found three dead councilors in the boardroom. It looked like they’d been dead for a while.”
“Do you think there are girls trapped inside that building?”
“I believe Lee.” And I have to check.
Saul considered me. “Just so you know, the cops searched the building again, and didn’t find anyone—or anything—inside. It’s indefinitely closed for business.”
“I’m not surprised.” The catchers would be hidden. Lee had said as much.
“Did you go alone?”
I shook my head. “I went with Gareth.”
“That’s your police officer friend?” He glanced at Papan.
“Yes, we went into the building and when we found the bodies, Gareth covered for me. I got out before anyone saw me, or even knew I was there. And I got the chance to rescue some earthbound spirits and put them back in their rightful place.”
The two men didn’t say a word, simply looked at me.
“That’s not the worst thing,” I whispered. My throat felt tight, my lips dry. “When I saw the dead councilors, I spotted a black gun on the floor. But I didn’t recognize it.” My eyes blurred when I focused on Papan. “If I’d picked it up and taken it with me, none of this would have happened. I’m so sorry. It’s not the gun you usually use, I didn’t know.”
“Hey, don�
��t lose it on me now. I need you to be my anchor.” Papan caught the stray tears from my cheeks, cupping my face. “I have several guns, and I haven’t paraded them in front of you. How were you to know?”
“He’s right, it’s not your fault,” Saul said with a nod. “Besides, we can’t dwell on regrets. What we need to do is work out how this all fits together, and who would frame Jason. If someone sent a wraith to destroy you, we need to find out who that is and why they did it. I think this is all connected, somehow.”
“This seems like something Mace would orchestrate, but he still needs you for the ritual, so why would he want to blow you to smithereens?” Papan frowned, tightening his fingers around mine.
Nothing from my last encounter with Mace indicated he wanted me dead. As far as I could tell, he’d never wanted me dead. He wanted to use and recycle me for his own crusade. So why try to kill me now?
“This sounds like him, but it can’t be,” I said. Even after considering Mace’s threat about taking everyone I cared about, trying to kill me didn’t make sense. Not now that I knew his real connection to Legion. I found it hard to believe he’d jeopardize getting the demoniacs over by ordering someone to blow me up.
Saul scrawled a few things in his notebook before dropping his pen and crossing his arms. “There’s a lot to consider, but we need to concentrate on you, Jason. So they think you killed these four councilors?”
Papan nodded.
“Did you have any associations with these people?”
He hesitated. “Yeah, I was hired by them a while back to spy on Fox.”
“And did you?”
“I took the contract and provided minimal, bullshit information anyone could’ve found themselves.” He sighed. “I just wanted to know why they were so interested about how she conducted her business and who she associated with.”
I already knew about this. Besides, he’d hinted as much months ago when the Council first hired him.
Saul nodded, looking thoughtful. “So they think you killed them because your gun was found at the scene?”
“Bingo,” he said.
“When were they killed?”
“No one’s told us,” I said. “But Vixen shot Henry last Saturday while we were at Monster Coffee Break. Judging by the stench and the condition of the bodies, Gareth mentioned they’d been dead for several days. I think they were killed on the same night by the same person.”
Saul turned to Papan. “That should make it easier for us to figure out where you were without having to delve into what happened at the estate.”
“I don’t have an alibi,” Papan said. “It happened shortly after I left this very station when I identified my father’s body.”
“So they might try to reason that you ID’ed your father, lost it and shot up four councilors. It’s not going to fly.” His brow furrowed. “When was the last time you used that gun?”
“Years ago.”
“Are you sure?”
Papan nodded. “Positive.”
“Where did you store it?” Saul pressed.
“Inside the safe where I keep all my weapons and ammo.”
“And no one has access, right?”
“No.”
“Then how did someone else take the handgun?”
“I didn’t do this, Saul. I was framed and Shapiro’s not going to give a shit about—”
“Relax, I know that,” Saul said. “I’m just trying to reason this out the way they would. At the moment they’ve got evidence against you, and you have nothing to disprove it.”
“That’s not the only problem. Shapiro’s so hung up on destroying me that he’ll do whatever it takes to make these charges stick. And if I’m right and some parasite sunk their teeth into him, who knows what he’s capable of?”
“I realize that, but he can’t ignore facts and evidence,” Saul said. “A personal vendetta won’t trump good, honest police work. Besides, his weakness has always been Burns. Detective Burns acts like an asshole, laughs at his jokes, and is a bigot when it comes to anything of a supernatural nature, but he won’t break the code.”
“I hope you’re right,” I said. I looked at the corner of the ceiling and spotted a camera. “By the way, should we be talking so openly with a camera pointed our way?”
“CCTV doesn’t work properly when I’m around,” Saul said with a smile.
“What about before you got here?” Papan and I had shared plenty of personal details.
“Sierra, I suspect you have the same effect on them.” He shrugged. “Can you tell me a bit more about what happened when you met with Henry last week?”
I hesitated.
“You can trust me.”
Funny enough, I did. It wasn’t because my grandmother had ritualistically connected me to Saul, or even that she told me I could trust him before moving on—it went a lot deeper. We were both children of the Goddess Hecate and he’d done a lot to prove his allegiance and worth during the last week. Not to mention that both Papan and Lavie—two people I trusted with my life—had expressed faith in Saul before I’d even met him.
I leaned on the table. “I met Henry at the Monster Coffee Break diner because he wanted to tell me what was really going on inside the Tower. He told me the energy levels below the building were reaching dangerous levels and that the spooks we captured weren’t being sent to their rightful place. He wanted me to help him solve this problem and was going to secretly sneak me inside, but Vixen shot him between the eyes.” I paused, sitting back. “She ran, and one of the waitresses—Sheila—said she’d take care of his body. Later on, Gareth told me Henry had been found dumped behind the Spook Catcher Council Tower. Looks like Vixen took care of the other councilors as well, but with all the crap that’s been going on, I’m not surprised it took this long for anyone to discover them.”
“I’ll speak with Sheila.”
“You know her?”
“Everyone in the supernatural world knows Sheila,” Saul said with a mischievous smile. “Her diner is a safe haven for all of us—whether predator, hunter or visitor.”
“Vixen’s dead, so she’s not going to be any help.” I’d killed the bitch and didn’t regret it. Not after everything she’d done. Besides, she’d bitten my sister, and the only way to beat the infection was to end her life.
Saul looked at Papan. “When do you think she got her hands on your weapon?”
“No idea.”
“She could’ve done it any time during the last six months,” I said. “She was pissed with Papan for being with me and felt ignored by him. I mean, why else would she team up with Mace and then wind up helping a couple of demented werewolves? She wanted me dead and turned against you because we’re together.”
“Vixen was crazy,” he said, squeezing my hand.
“This is going to be a total clusterfuck without an alibi, but I’m sure I can get you out on bail.” Saul made another note. “Your gun will have your fingerprints all over it, and I doubt Vixen was dumb enough to touch the weapon without gloves so things can’t be proven without a doubt. This’ll probably end up going to trial.”
“Don’t be so sure about Vixen’s intelligence,” I said. “She wasn’t as smart as she thought she was.”
“And I’m pretty sure the gun was spotless,” Papan added.
“What do you mean?” Saul held his pen poised over his notebook.
Papan shrugged. “Like I said, I haven’t used that gun in ages and I like to keep my weapons clean. So, her prints might end up being the only ones on there.”
The demon lawyer scribbled something on the open page. “That would certainly help with ballistics.”
“Do you know if they’ve checked my place yet?” Papan asked.
“They’re probably working on getting a warrant as we speak.”
“Saul, tell us what the worst-case scenario
is. They can’t keep him in this room forever.” I didn’t even want to think about what they would do if Vixen had successfully planted more evidence against him. She was still screwing us around from beyond the grave.
“Shapiro can hold Jason for four hours without charging him. They’ll also work hard to convince the magistrate that bail isn’t a good idea.”
“Now isn’t the best time to be away from Fox.” Papan glanced my way. “Not after what happened at the estate. Mace is watching her from the shadows, so I don’t want to leave her vulnerable to attacks. You have to do whatever it takes to get me out of here.”
“I can take care of myself,” I said, squeezing his hand. “But after what happened to you, I don’t want to be away from you either.”
“Jason, she’s not as vulnerable as you think,” Saul said. “With the Hecate Ritual complete, she can overcome any threat in this patch and many others. Besides, she won’t be alone. I intend to stick to her like superglue, and by being open to Hecate, there are others who will be on the lookout.”
Diana claimed all of Hecate’s children could feel each other when they were in trouble or in need, and so far both she and Saul had proved the theory.
“Don’t worry about me,” I said. I was glad I’d been the one to tell Papan all about the Hecate Ritual my grandmother conducted and how the results manifested while inside the shadow patch.
“She’s in good hands,” Saul said, rubbing his palms together.
“Don’t ever rub your forced metaphysical connection in my face again.” Papan’s eyes flashed to amber. “I appreciate your willingness to keep her safe, but remember your place.”
“Now that she knows who I am, I’m sworn to protect her. It’s what her grandmother intended, but you shouldn’t suspect any bad intentions on my part. My interest in Sierra isn’t a romantic one.”
“Hey guys, thanks for talking about me like I’m not even here.”
Papan’s frustration was so strong I could feel it vibrating. He leaned closer, staring into my eyes. When I spotted a dimple and the quirk of his lips, I knew our bond was affecting him. “I know what your connection is,” he finally said, but didn’t get a chance to say anything more because the door opened behind Saul.
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