Touching Evil (The Leila Marx Novels Book 1)

by Amber Garr

  “Mac?” Atticus asked with a defeated sigh. “Can you at least tell us what you found?”

  Before we’d arrived, the four of us agreed we’d wait until everyone was present to tell the whole story about the safe, the body in the basement, and the hidden room. It would be easier to tell it once instead of repeating the story when too many other ears could hear. This had been Mac’s idea, and seeing the way Leanna now behaved, I couldn’t help but wonder if he expected her to be a spoiled brat and just wanted to have some fun. The more I watched their interaction, the more I thought that might be exactly what was happening. Still, I stayed out of it.

  In response to Atticus’s question, Mac shook his head. He mimed pulling a zipper over his mouth and threw away the key beyond his shoulder. I laughed quietly to myself.

  “This is not the place to discuss such matters,” Gallus said.

  “He’s right,” Conner agreed.

  Everyone stared at the cambion. Not because of what he said, but because he actually agreed with Gallus. Out loud. In public.

  Continuing as though no one reacted, he finished, “We have a plan. Let’s stick to it.” Looking around the table, he finally settled on Leanna. “Did you get in touch with Terez?”

  “Yes,” she said sharply. I began to see why everyone had little tolerance for her. “She wants to meet at Mac’s in two nights.”

  “Then that’s the plan.” Conner pushed back from the table and looked around the group again. Before he could say whatever he wanted to proclaim, my cell phone rang. The theme from Pulp Fiction got louder as I fumbled through my giant snack bag. I mumbled an apology, and once I had my phone in hand, excused myself to step outside. I knew who it was without looking at the caller ID.

  “Hey, Garrick,” I answered at the last second.

  “Hi, Leila. Is this a bad time?”

  I thought about the repetitive arguments, circular discussions, and canine stench waiting inside and said, “No, not at all.”

  He paused. It was after eleven and I thought perhaps he’d hoped to get my voice mail. Or maybe he was more concerned that I’m up and out on a Friday night. Wishful thinking on my end, but I smiled anyway.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Well, first I wanted to let you know we’re trying to get Jake Montgomery.”

  This surprised me. “What do you mean get him?”

  He laughed and my mood began to lighten. The smile on my face grew as he explained. I think I felt a tad excited to hear from him so soon, regardless of the topic.

  “We’re trying to bring him in for questioning. But since his family has connections, we need to make sure we do this by the book. Dot the I’s and cross the T’s and such.”

  “Well, that’s good I guess,” I replied. I didn’t really know what to say to that. The detectives knew how to do their job and I’m sure they would see it done well. Another long pause drifted by before I remembered what he said before. “And… what’s the second thing?”

  “Second thing?”

  “You said first which implies there is something else you want to tell me.”

  “Oh, right. Yes.” Another lull in conversation passed and I began to think I needed to return to the guests inside the diner.

  “Okay. Umm…so, I have these tickets to a show Sunday night,” he finally continued. “Danny thought I should ask you, but I didn’t know if you’d be willing,” he rattled on. His words ran together because he spoke so fast. “But they’re good seats. It’s an off-Broadway cast, and I thought maybe you’d want to go with me?”

  I didn’t say anything. He seemed so cute when flustered. Plus, I hadn’t been asked on a proper date since, well, since Russ. I wanted to make sure I enjoyed this. Before I could reply, he jumped in again.

  “If you don’t want to go, it’s okay. I can give the tickets to Danny. He could definitely use some culture in his life and I’m sure Mimi would force him to see a real show instead of their usual date at the discount movie theatre.”

  I’d actually like to see that conversation, but decided to let Garrick off the hook. “I would really like to go myself, Garrick.”

  “You would? Okay, great. That’s great.” I had to smile again as I imagined the tension in his shoulders slipping away. “Well, the show starts at seven, but I thought maybe we could grab a quick bite to eat first? Not like at a quick place, but at a nice place downtown. Somewhere near the theatre maybe?”

  I had to laugh at his renewed discomfort. “That sounds perfect. You pick the restaurant. Anything but Chinese.”

  “Yes. Good. Why not Chinese?” he asked but quickly continued. “Never mind. Not important. We can discuss that on Sunday. So someplace fancy that’s not Chinese.”

  “I didn’t say it had to be fancy.”

  “Right. You didn’t.” He let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I sound like a floundering school boy.” Another pause to compose himself. “Leila, I’ll pick you up at five on Sunday for dinner and a show.” His voice held steady and I envisioned him standing up straight with a purpose.

  “It’s a date,” I answered.

  “Yes. Okay. I’ll see you then and I’ll call if I have any updates on Jake.”

  “Thank you and I’m looking forward to Sunday. Talk to you soon, Garrick.”

  He hung up as I stared at the cell phone in my hand. I’d accepted my first date in years. A wave of guilt washed over me, but I pushed it back down inside. I had nothing to feel guilty about. Russ had been gone for almost a year. Going on a date with Garrick didn’t mean we’d get married and have a life together and that I would forget about Russ and what we had. Accepting this date meant embracing me and moving forward with my life since it was now the only one for me to live. I’d been pleasantly surprised at the amount of fun I’d had last night at Garrick’s birthday party, and I looked forward to spending more time with him.

  Although Russ’ murderer had never been caught, both of the detectives handled the case with professionalism along with a personal touch that let me know they wanted to find his killer as much as I had. Danny was the senior detective, but Garrick was the one with the heart. Too many years on the job had hardened Danny, and he’d let the younger one handle the emotional aspects of the victims left behind.

  Garrick had been nothing but sincere in his promises to solve the case and to assist me with whatever I needed. Only in the past few encounters did I realize how much he meant the words he said to me all those months ago. He was a good person with honest intentions and a true passion for his career. I found it admirable and attractive at the same time. I suddenly recognized that Garrick was exactly the type of person I could date. The kind of person I would have dated had we met earlier in our lives. Now, here we were, brought together through one person’s death, only to find an interest in each other. I promised myself I would give this a chance and go into our date with an open mind and a partially healed heart.

  “Why are you nodding?”

  Pulled from my epiphany by the voice behind me, I turned to find Conner leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. He looked so sleek and suave, but he’d startled me. Again.

  “Didn’t anyone tell you not to sneak up on people? It’s rude.”

  He laughed and I became enraptured by his demeanor. The crime-crazed, demon-faced man I’d witnessed earlier was gone, and before me stood a person who looked like he’d walked out of GQ magazine. The wind caught a dark curl on the top of his head, and he brushed his hand over his hair to put it back in place.

  “I didn’t sneak up on you. I was standing here the whole time.”

  “What do you mean the whole time? How long have you been there?” Remembering what he’d told me earlier in the night I panicked. “How much of my conversation did you hear?”

  He shrugged his shoulders but didn’t move any closer. “I stepped outside to see if you were all right. I didn’t hear anything, I swear.” I looked at him with a skeptical eye and saw his lip turn up. “How is Detective Pearson?”


  “What?” I stomped over to him and shoved his shoulder. “You said you didn’t listen!”

  He laughed and guided me away from the diner with a quick hand on my back. “I didn’t hear anything, Leila. I promise. It was the ringtone.”

  “Huh?”

  “Pulp Fiction? Who else would you give that to? I figured it had to be a cop.” We walked to his car where he opened my door. “Which other cop would you have been talking too?”

  I sat down but didn’t move my feet inside. “It could be anyone. You don’t know who all of my friends are.”

  He leaned down and guided my legs and feet into the car. The feel of his hands send electricity through my body. With his head practically inside the door, I could see his bright blue eyes glimmering with amusement. “You’re right. I don’t know all of your friends. My apologies.”

  He brushed the side of my cheek then stood to close the door. I shivered with that touch, but it had nothing to do with my visions. As soon as he sat down in his seat and started the car he asked, “So what’s my ring tone?”

  I smiled with wickedness and stared out the front window. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  Seventeen

  Even though the silence grew uncomfortable, I didn’t indulge Conner’s question. Halfway to my house, I finally gave in. I told him about my conversation with Garrick, leaving out the part about our planned date of course. Trying not to smile proved difficult at first, but when Conner expressed interest in the detective’s plans to question Jake Montgomery, I instantly forgot about my excitement.

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he said.

  “Why? You guys are the ones who wanted me to tell the police about my vision.”

  “I’m worried about their safety. They don’t know what they’re up against.” He paused and reconsidered. “Maybe, I’m being too cautious. I’m sure the detectives know what they’re doing.”

  He didn’t speak the rest of the way, but I swear I could see him think. I wasn’t sure what he pondered, and we arrived at my house before I asked. Conner reminded me about the meeting at Mac’s store in two days and said someone would let me know what time. I almost told him I wouldn’t be available in the evening, but thought better of it at the last moment. If the meeting took place earlier in the day then there was no reason to let everyone know about my personal plans.

  I stood on the sidewalk and watched Conner drive away in his BMW. Something was going on with him, but I didn’t feel like I knew him well enough to push. Although tired and glad that the night was over, I felt slightly disappointed he hadn’t asked to come inside or even offered to pick me up for the meeting.

  In digesting this I, rather solemnly, realized I’d spent more time with Conner than with Garrick over the past few weeks. We’d gone on two group dates, broken into a house, and he’d saved me from a certain death at the train tracks. What kind of sane women wouldn’t be attracted to that?

  Immediately, I felt guilty again. Not because of Russ. Well, not entirely because of Russ. I felt guilty for being attracted to Conner at the same time I’d accepted a date from Garrick. Was this wrong? I’d enjoyed Garrick very much the night before and I had always thought him handsome. I guess it’s just been so long since I’d been single, I forgot it’s possible to be interested in more than one person at a time.

  Recognizing that I was acting like a fool, I turned to walk inside. It was late and it was dark, and I had a giant bag over my shoulder. I dug through it again, this time looking for my keys. I could hear them jingling at the bottom but each time I thought I had them, they escaped my grasp.

  Swearing to myself, I walked up the outdoor stairs without even looking above me. Surely something a self-defense guru would punish me for, but my logical mind drowned in stupidity. A dark shadow blocked the light from the first door, and when I lifted my head, I stifled a scream as someone approached me.

  Jake Montgomery raised his hands, looking more like the young man instead of the evil being in my vision. The keys I’d finally found dropped from my hand and I backed up into the railing. Jake bent, picked up the keys, and tried to hand them to me.

  “Ms. Marx. Please don’t be frightened.” His voice sounded weak but calm.

  I snatched the keys away and palmed it so that one point poked out between my middle fingers. If he came at me, I would shove this in his eye. I mentally prepared myself for that attack.

  “What are you doing here, Jake?” How far was my door? Maybe ten steps with a kidnapper blocking the way.

  “I need to talk to you…to tell you something.” He backed up a little, but did not give me room to pass him. Apparently I waited too long to respond so he continued.

  “I know who you’re working with. And I’m not talking about the cops.” He started to reach in his back pocket and without thinking I raised my hand with the miniature key sword, pointed it at him, and readied my stance. A slight grin flashed over the corner of his mouth and he slowly brought his hands back around to the front.

  “It’s okay. Look.” Uncurling his hand, I saw a piece of paper folded into a small square on his palm. He reached toward me again. “Here, take it.”

  “No.”

  “Come on. It’s a piece of paper.” He took a step forward and I pushed my keys closer to his face. Stretching his hand a little further, he pleaded. “How can this hurt you?”

  “I’ve seen a lot over the past week and I’m learning something new every day. I’m not touching anything from you. Not after what I saw.” The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

  “Saw?” He looked at me like an antiquities dealer inspecting a new find. In a flash, understanding passed over his face. “So I was right, wasn’t I?” He dropped his hand. “You’re a psychic.”

  “No, I’m not.” Even though he relaxed his position, I held mine.

  “Fine a…” he waved his hand around trying to recall the right word. “…a clairvoyant, right? You get visions?” His demeanor quickly changed from obstinate teen into concerned brother. “Have you seen anything about my sister’s murder?”

  I couldn’t believe the nerve. He’d probably been an integral part of his sister’s kidnapping and subsequent death, and here he was, acting like an innocent bystander.

  “How dare you?” I chided. “I should be asking you that same question.” I took one step to the side, closer to my door. “But more importantly, I should ask you about Angela Stillwater. Where is she, Jake? Is she still alive? The police want to talk to you. Did you know that?”

  With each statement I’d moved another inch closer. We’d changed positions in the hallway so my back faced my door. And now that I didn’t feel so trapped, I found the nerve to keep pushing him.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he whispered.

  “Oh, come on, Jake. Even someone untrained like me can tell you’re lying right now. I saw you in her bedroom, Jake. And I told them too. Everyone knows, so if something happens to me, it’s too late to help your case.” My hand brushed the doorknob.

  He froze, head down and shoulders slumped. When he finally looked up, I couldn’t interpret the expression on his face. He threw the paper at me and it landed next to my feet.

  “You should read that. People aren’t always who they claim to be, Ms. Marx.” He put his hands in his pockets and began to walk away. A few steps later, he stopped and slowly twisted back to face me.

  “You still have a chance to save Angela and protect yourself, but don’t get too involved. There are people out there willing to sacrifice every soul on Earth if that would get them what they want.”

  “What are you talking about, Jake?”

  He shook his head then pointed his chin toward the note on the floor. “Look at that and share it only with someone you trust.”

  Walking away, he lifted one arm up and twisted his hand a few times. The lights above my head came on and I belatedly realized it had been darker than normal. Maybe that’s why I hadn’t noticed him.
By the time my eyes focused back on the stairwell, he was gone.

  I let out the breath I’d been holding. Tonight had been overwhelming and now this, Jake Montgomery on my doorstep warning me about the group of supernaturals trying to find his sister’s killer. I looked at the paper on the floor. What secrets rested in there? What was I supposed to be scared of?

  Bending over, I snatched it off the ground. Remnants of Jake’s emotions seeped out of the note, but nothing strong enough for a clear reading. Unlocking my door, I went inside and thought about my next step. He told me to share it only with someone I trusted. Considering the company I’ve kept recently, that list remained quite small. Without even opening the paper, I knew I couldn’t call Garrick. Jake had made it clear this was a supernatural matter and Garrick was not allowed to know about that part of society. So my list got cut in half and it left me with only one choice.

  I called Conner.

  While ringing, a thought passed through my mind. What if this note was about Conner? What if he was the one Jake had been talking about? Although I still didn’t know him very well, our conversation in the car earlier tonight lead me to believe he’d been honest with me. The rest of the group seemed to like him, well, aside from Gallus but I think that was another matter all together. I didn’t have any more time to speculate because he answered the phone.

  “Leila? What’s wrong?”

  “Why would anything be wrong?” Okay, it seemed a bit snarky.

  He sounded puzzled. “Well…why else would you be calling me?” Why did I expect him to assume anything otherwise? It’s not like we normally chat on the phone.

  “Sorry. Look, someone was waiting for me when I got home--”

  “Are they still there? Are you safe?” He cut me off.

  I let my hair down in an attempt to relieve some tension. “No. I mean yes. He was outside but he’s not here anymore.” I paused, deciding how to proceed. I sat on the couch and readied my story. “Conner, it was Jake Montgomery.”

  “What?”

  “I know. But he gave me something and I think I should share it with you.”