by Gina LaManna
Crushing disappointment fell on my shoulders, collapsing my resolve to remain stoic and firm. I could barely shake my head and nod for the chief to continue his explanation in a drawn-out drone I couldn’t decipher.
“What do you think of the terms?” the chief asked a few minutes later, watching me carefully. “Full time pay and benefits, though we will only call you in for special cases. You’d essentially be a consultant with a continuous full access pass and all the perks of an employee. We want you, Dani. We’re willing to work with you on the terms to make it appealing for you.”
“I don’t know, sir. I’ll need time to think about it.”
“Of course,” he said, “though I’ll need an answer by the end of the week.”
“I understand.” I stood, my fingers trembling. I was still stuck on the bit about Matthew’s hope for us fading, and I wondered if he’d viewed last night entirely different than me. Had I seen it as the beginning of something fresh and new and beautiful, while he’d seen it as a sunset to all we’d been? “I’ll, ah, let you know.”
“You’re certain that working with King wouldn’t be a problem?”
I gave him a false smile. “Perfectly sure.”
“Fantastic. Well, I must get back to my training sessions, but I want to assure you that we would appreciate having you back on the force, Dani.”
“I do have a new business venture to consider, and...” I trailed off, the argument sounding weak.
“DeMarco,” the orc said, his voice soft and understanding. “It was a distraction. You are not meant to be slinging pizza slices, however noble of a profession it might be. You are destined to be great. You are destined to save lives.”
“Why does saving lives get so complicated?” I blurted out. “Since when are there a hundred shades of gray instead of simple black and white?”
“It’s always been like that, Dani. Some things never change.”
“But—”
“Think about it,” the chief said gently. “I believe after careful consideration, you’ll find our offer more than fair.”
Then he exited the room, leaving me alone with a pile of sludge in a stupid white cup. I tossed the liquid into the sink and crushed the Styrofoam between my fingers. It felt good, this small act of destruction, as the conversation with the chief replayed in my mind. The offer of a prestigious job with the NYPD? Most people would kill for it. Reporting to the best captain of Homicide the department had ever seen? The best of opportunities.
Hearing that the man I loved more than everything saw no hope for us in the future?
Now that sucked.
“URSULA!” I STUMBLED almost head first into the odd-looking monster on my first step out of the breakroom. “What are you doing here?”
“We’re on a break,” she said, gesturing toward the conference room behind her. “Narcotics quarterly training. Sienna already took care of hers while I watched the morgue. We switch off.”
“Actually, I was looking for you,” I said, thumbing over my shoulder at the breakroom. “Do you have a second to chat?”
“About what?”
“An investigation.”
Ursula followed me unenthusiastically into the breakroom where I offered her coffee much in the same way the chief had tried to butter me up with the liquid. Ursula was smarter than me and wrinkled her nose.
“That’s not going to win you any favors with me,” she said. “It smells like a sinkhole.”
I shrugged in agreement and turned to face her. “I need you to alibi Sienna for me. It would help clear her name from a little snafu we have on a case.”
“Sure,” Ursula said easily. “I know her schedule like the back of my hand. Try me.”
“Where was Sienna the day the bodies disappeared?”
Ursula didn’t seem to suspect anything as she thought back. “That was a weird day. Actually, Sienna wasn’t around all that much.”
“Can you give me specific details?”
“Well, she showed up to the office early—let’s say around six thirty? She did some work in the morgue while I set up shop out front.” Ursula closed her eyes as she spoke, as if picturing the morning. “Because she had to leave for training, she had me come back and help her lock up.”
“Right,” I said. “So you locked up—and the bodies were there at that point?”
“Of course. Otherwise we would have called y’all about some missing dead people, don’t you think?”
I took a deep breath and channeled the most Zen attitude I could find. “Sienna didn’t go back into the morgue until that evening, correct?”
“I didn’t say that,” Ursula said with a frown. “She went in once during the afternoon.”
My body froze, my blood turning to ice. I couldn’t let it show, however. I’d purposefully allowed Ursula to think she was helping Sienna by offering her an alibi—not disproving one. I knew that Ursula was incredibly loyal to her snarky necromancer boss, and if I approached her looking for dirt on Sienna, she’d block me so hard I’d be spinning for days.
When I continued, it was with careful consideration. “That’s right—I forgot. What time was she back at the lab? This is the part that’s important.”
Ursula snorted as if unsurprised I would forget the most important part of an investigation. “It was around two in the afternoon. Actually, it was right about now.” She glanced down at her watch. “Yep. She was back on break for all of ten minutes.”
“Was she alone when she entered and left the lab?”
“Yep.”
“Did she say anything to you?”
Ursula frowned, the beginnings of a shiftiness in her gaze cropping up. “No, but that’s not unusual. You know the boss—she’s quirky. If she’s in a mood, she might not talk for hours.”
“Not even a hello or a goodbye?” I asked, feeling a lightning strike niggling at the back of my brain. “Was she carrying anything?”
“No. She just marched right past as if she didn’t see me. Again, not unusual. Plus, she was in a hurry—she had to get back to class.”
At once, it clicked. The Invisibility Incantation. Maybe she’d used it on herself and thought she’d been invisible—but it hadn’t worked. It would explain a lot. Just like the Residual Remover charm she’d tried to use and failed. Necromancers weren’t known for their abilities to cast spells, so it was an entirely reasonable explanation.
Under most circumstances, it would’ve given me a laugh—Sienna behaving as if she was invisible when really, she was just as visible as ever. This time, however, it provided a pit of disappointment that caused my stomach to sink. None of this was making Sienna look good. In fact, I could make a very solid argument that she’d thought her class would alibi her out, but she hadn’t counted on Ursula remembering—or seeing her, for that matter—during the break. That one little mistake had been her downfall.
“I’m going to ask you one more question,” I said gently to Ursula. “And I need you to answer me honestly. If you do, we can help you. I know Sienna has magicks and powers only the rest of us can dream of, and if she tried to influence you in any way, I need to know.”
“What are you getting at, Detective?” All signs of pleasantry vanished from Ursula’s face, and she growled as she spoke, the monster in her inflating to epic proportions. “It sure is sounding like you set me up to get Sienna in trouble, and I don’t like that one bit. You tricked me.”
“I didn’t trick you; I asked you for facts, and you gave them to me.” I pointed out firmly, reaching a hand around to my Stunner just in case. I hadn’t considered the fact that they were in this together, but it wouldn’t be the first time a man or woman had used their power to rope underlings into a nefarious plan. “Did Sienna take the bodies from the morgue?”
Ursula exploded with rage, her eyes bulging and her face turning shades of purple that were entirely gross. Her skin took on a translucent sort of sheen that left every vein visible. “How dare you!”
I took a step back as
she approached me, pulling the Stunner out and shielding it behind my back. “I just asked a question—I’m not accusing her of anything.”
“Is that how broken you are?” Ursula glared at me with a surprising infusion of pity. “Are you so shattered from your stupid ex-boyfriend that you have forgotten how to trust anyone? Even your friends?”
“This has nothing to do with trust—”
“Sienna is your friend. You had dinner plans with her, or was that just a ruse to question her integrity some more? Thank goodness she Commed me this morning to let me know it was cancelled. Sienna is an esteemed member of the NYPD—she would never do anything to tamper with an investigation.”
“She is also a necromancer with unique abilities to make bodies vanish,” I said, gritting my teeth. “I’m looking at the facts. Sienna lied to me about where she was. She said she hadn’t been back to the morgue all day, yet here I find out she did slip back in and probably thought nobody had noticed.”
Ursula looked blindsided. “She said that? Why would she say that?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” I said, bursting to tell Ursula about the Residuals, but knowing it wasn’t my place to share that information. It could only hurt the investigation if, after all this, Ursula decided that she still trusted Sienna and went back to spill the details. “I need your help. Why was she lying to me? Did The Farmacist get to her? Bribe her? Where are those bodies?!”
Ursula grew perfectly still, her eyes pinning mine like laser beams. “She is innocent. Why did she lie to you? I don’t know. But I do know she probably had a damned good reason for doing it because I trust her. Sienna would never betray me or the department. She would never do this to you.”
Ursula gave me one last disappointed stare before whirling around and trundling from the room. Due to her size and frustration, it wasn’t a graceful exit, but it made her point.
Meanwhile, I was left standing next to a pot of sludge staring after the back of a retreating part-monster, wondering why—despite all the evidence piling up against Sienna—I felt like the evilest monster of all.
Chapter 18
“Oh, Detective! I was looking for you!
I glanced up, ambushed for a second time as I stepped out of the conference room by a surprise visitor. “Hey, Helena—how are you? I was looking for Matthew. Have you seen him?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, briefly.” Matthew’s assistant, Helena, beamed up at me with a big smile behind thickly-lensed glasses. She’d always seemed like a pleasant person, which was somewhat of a miracle considering she had to deal with Matthew day in and day out. “I actually received a Comm for you from Anita.”
“Nurse Anita?” My heart pounded. “Why did she Comm you? Is it Willa or Kady?”
She cleared her throat. “She was in a rush and she was under the impression you were with Matthew, and people often Comm me to get ahold of the captain. I told Nurse Anita it would be no bother to track you down and let you know she called. Apparently, there’s a development over at the hospital, and she needs you there ASAP.”
“Did she say what it’s about?”
“No, and I didn’t ask. Apologies.”
“Don’t apologize—I appreciate it. I’ll head over there now.” I paused. “As a matter of fact, I was supposed to be meeting with Matthew for a case. Could you tell him to go straight to the hospital?”
“Absolutely, Detective. He’s just finishing up with Captain French, so he should be along shortly.”
We said goodbye, and I quickly left the station and went next door to the hospital. Someone had been thinking ahead during city planning, putting the two buildings next to one another; it seemed like more often than not, officers were popping in and out of the hospital to interview patients, take statements, or get treatment for on-the-job injuries themselves.
I blitzed passed the front desk and went straight upstairs to find Nurse Anita. Because Nurse Anita was a badass nurse and one of the only hospital staff members impervious to the surly attitude of injured cops, by default, she was the unofficial go-to nurse for all law enforcement personnel.
“Ah, there you are. Come with me.” Nurse Anita grabbed me by the arm, swinging me into the third room on the right. The curtain was pulled across the bed, shielding the patient from view. “She’s been asking for you.”
“Me?” My heart pounded. “Is it my mom? Willa?”
“No—none of the DeMarco clan,” Anita said with a grim smile. “Though it wouldn’t be the first time I took a look at one of you. Between you and your father and Nash, I swear you’ve earned me half my salary over the years.”
“Who is it?”
In answer, Anita moved to the curtain and gently pulled it back, leaving me with a clear view of a pale faced beauty currently in a peaceful-looking sleep. For a moment, I studied her, not able to put a name with the face. It wasn’t until I glanced at the chart above the bed that everything crashed together.
“Renee,” I whispered, moving closer as I studied the elfin beauty. She wore white again, at least everywhere I could see not covered by bedsheets. Even her eyelashes were tinged silver with some sort of gunk that gave her an ethereal appearance. “What is she doing here? Where is her husband?”
“I didn’t get a last name before she conked out,” Anita said in her calm, soothing voice. “I take it you know her?”
“Sort of—we’re acquaintances,” I said. “I just met her through a case. I can’t imagine why she’d ask for me and not for her husband.”
Anita crooked one eyebrow. “I can think of one reason why.”
I felt the gears churning in my brain. “No,” I said, shaking my head as I understood where she was going. “You don’t think Sanders put her here?”
“Sanders—Lupis?” Anita asked, leaning over the chart to jot it down. “Not related to the lawyer by chance, is she?”
“She’s married to him,” I said. “Why? You know him?”
Anita gave me a dark look. “He’s brutal in the courtroom, the boardroom...possibly the bedroom.”
“Renee didn’t tell me anything about that when I saw her,” I said. “She sounded pretty happy in her marriage. The only complaint she had was of necromancy magic, but I don’t think that was accurate. I think there was something else going on.”
“Mr. Lupis came after the hospital in a lawsuit last year,” Anita said with a grimace. “It was a mighty murky case, but he won millions for his clients. When I say it was questionable, even that is generous. Most think he stole from us.”
“The hospital?! Why?”
“Malpractice,” she said. “But the conditions, as I said, were mighty flimsy. If anything, it’s a testament to Sanders’s tenacity more than it is of the facts of the case.”
“You don’t seem to hold a high opinion of him.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Anita said dryly. “A woman who’s barely conscious in the hospital manages to mutter the name of a detective she’s just met before she speaks her husband’s name? Color me suspicious. That is not the sign of a happy marriage if you ask me.”
“Unless she knew I could help with something specific—something her husband might not be able to do.”
“Yes, about her husband,” Anita said. “I’m telling you, there’s something fishy going on here. It’s not my realm of expertise, so I’ll stop giving my two cents. I hope you’re right. After all, there are no obvious signs of physical injury—so I could be wrong.”
“How long until she wakes up?”
“Give her half an hour, and I’ll wake her and see if I can get some food into her system.” Anita gave a sigh, rubbed her temples, and stepped back. “While I have you here, there’s someone else you should see.”
“Seriously, Anita—when did you become the bearer of bad news?”
“I don’t know if it’s bad,” she said, hesitating. “In fact, I’m not sure what the hell is happening on my floor. Fix this, Detective. Things aren’t right. Something’s in the water.”
<
br /> Before I could question Anita further, she pushed through another curtain and exposed a room full of sunbursts. I could hardly see the patient for all the flowers; blooms sat on every spare surface, huge, enchanted ones that smelled like fresh air and a plethora of real, unmagicked varieties hanging, standing, lying across every surface.
“There’s the sunshine of the floor,” Anita chirped happily. “How are you, Ms. Bloomer?”
“Call me Kady!” Willa’s mother gave a faux-pout at the nurse before spooning another gulp of Jell-O down her throat. She spotted me mid-bite, giving a funny little snort as she raised her hands for a hug. “Dani! How are you doing, honey?”
“I’m great, Ms.—er, Kady,” I said, wading over a few potted ferns on the floor. “It looks like you have plenty of admirers.”
“Oh, just one,” she said smiling fondly. “But one is enough when they really matter to you, isn’t it?”
“Willa did all of this herself?” I asked in awe. “Wow!”
“Well, no,” Ms. Bloomer said with a mischievous sort of smile. “That brother of yours seemed keen on helping her out. He stayed here with her all morning until the pair had to get back and open the pizza shop.”
“Jack did something that wasn’t selfish?” I tried to bite my lip, but an awkward grin broke free. “Let’s pretend I didn’t say that aloud.”
“I know how brothers are,” Kady said kindly. “I have one myself.”
My gaze swept around the room. “This must be the most festive room I’ve seen.”
“All the cut flowers are from my garden,” Kady said proudly. “I’ve gotten bored being stuck home all of these years, so I’ve taken to working outside in the gardens as much as I can. I grow most of our fresh produce, you know!” She glanced happily around at her flowers. “I’m feeling much better today—not sure if it’s the flowers or the nurse, but it’s nice.”
I stepped closer, folding my hands before my body as I debated how to break the news to Willa’s mother about the curse. Matthew had hinted she’d been aware the meds she’d been taking weren’t all they were cracked up to be, but I doubted she’d known the extent of it.