“You’re wrong.”
“Of course I am,” I muttered. Along with stupid and reckless. I decided to change the subject. “How did the incubus die?”
“Messily.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“No.”
So much for conversation. I fell silent. I began to wonder who had killed the incubus and why. I didn’t know much of anything about him beyond what he looked like and that he liked fast cars and luxury, so I didn’t know if someone out of his own past had come for him or if it was about the box. If it were the latter, I wondered if the killer had taken it. If so, I’d be out the door sooner rather than later and whether or not Law and I had our little talk.
“Any evidence as to who might have done it?” I asked.
“You’ll see,” Law said cryptically.
I refused to be put off. “Did LeeAnne find the body?”
“It’s what she came to tell me in your suite, yes.”
That didn’t answer the question, but it wasn’t important. “She must be going nuts. First a poltergeist, now a murder. Whatever will the guests think?”
“She’s handling it. She’d good at her job.”
Why it bothered me that he defended her, I don’t know. I believed that he hadn’t slept with her, not that it was any of my business. Even if I wanted it to be. The bad thing was that I still ached for him. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed him in my life. It wasn’t just the sex; it wasn’t even mostly the sex. I missed his voice and the way he argued with me and the way he always thought he was right, even when he wasn’t. A tiny part of me even liked the way he worried about me and tried to protect me, whether I needed it or not. And I liked the way he talked to the ghosts.
“I have a question for you,” Law said. “Why did the little girl ghost get so worked up that you had to push her loose?”
Another reason I loved Law. He was smart and he had a knack for pulling puzzles apart and making sense of them. Unfortunately he had aimed that sharp intellect at me.
“She thought coming to Effrayant was too dangerous.”
“Why?”
We’d never lied to each other, and I wasn’t starting now. That didn’t mean I was eager to tell him. When I didn’t answer, he stopped and faced me. We’d reached the bottom of the stairwell. I stood just above him on the last step so I was practically nose to nose with him.
“Just what aren’t you telling me, Mallory?” he asked, his eyes accusing. “What scares a poltergeist so bad, she goes on a rampage in a very public place?”
Chapter 4
Part of me wanted to blink innocently and say, “Why, sir, whatever do you mean?” in one of those syrupy Southern accents from Gone with the Wind. Part of me wanted to keep living.
“I don’t know what set her off.”
Law’s eyes narrowed in disbelief. “Bullshit.”
I shrugged. I don’t know that I’d have believed it either. “It’s true. This whole job, she’s been upset, but when we got to Effrayant, she lost her marbles. Didn’t want to come in.”
“Of course you didn’t listen,” he said.
“I had a job to do. Anyhow, would you rather I had?” I asked, arching my brows.
His mouth twisted. “Honestly? There’s not a lot I wouldn’t do to get you to walk through the doors.”
“And yet you did nothing to get me here.” It bothered me. Sure, I’d walked out without a word, but if he cared for me so much, why hadn’t he at least picked up the phone?
“You made your choice. I was giving you the space you wanted.”
“Very chivalrous of you.”
He looked as if he wanted to punch something.
“Has the girl ghost told you anything more?” He asked, changing the subject.
“Tabitha.”
He looked confused.
I sighed, folding my arms. “Her name is Tabitha.”
“It would be useful to know what else she can tell us.”
I shrugged. “She doesn’t talk to me. Never has.”
“You can make her talk.” It sounded more like a question than an actual suggestion.
I shook my head. “Not unless my health is at stake.”
His eyes narrowed. I could almost see him trying to fit pieces of the puzzle together. I was the puzzle. “Like in the lobby.”
“Like that.”
“What if she knows something and not telling you is a threat to your life?” Again, he sounded curious rather than accusing.
“I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Hopefully she wouldn’t let me walk into that kind of trouble without a warning.”
I felt her flutter around me and push tight against me, almost like a hug. A thin wave of warmth ran over my skin. A ghost hug. Maybe a promise.
“Can I talk to her?”
Surprise made my mouth fall open, and Law gave me a knife-edged smile.
“Maybe I’m not the man you thought I was.”
Maybe not.
“You can try.”
“Let’s see the murder scene first. That might encourage her.”
Law put his finger on the lockpad across from the bottom of the stairs, and an oversized door slid wide. He went through first, looking up and down the corridor before he stepped out. I followed. I fed more magic into my shields as the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. I could feel the agony and fear of the incubus’s death lingering. Foreboding closed around my throat. This one was bad—really bad.
A thought struck me and I stumbled. Oh, dear lord! I hoped to hell he couldn’t become a ghost. The last thing I needed was an incubus to join my little tribe.
Law caught my arm to steady me then let me go. He had the predatory look he got when he was on the job—focused and deadly. I needed to get my head there.
Taking a breath, I forced myself to stop thinking about me and Law. I concentrated on my senses. It was quiet in this corridor. I thought we were underground in the basement, though I wasn’t sure. I could hear the muted throb of machinery running, and I felt the shuffling softness of the air conditioning across my skin. The carpet was thick green with a wide maroon border. Simple and luxurious at the same time.
Something was off. I couldn’t place it right away, but I slowed, trying to trace what I was sensing. Then I realized. It was the faintest whiff of death and magic. Law glanced at me to be sure I was catching it. He’d been here already, so this was nothing new to him.
At the end of the corridor, we went through a set of polished steel doors. The stench was strong here, and my group of ghosts condensed, one by one winking out as they returned to me. I felt Tabitha trembling.
We went down a flight of steps and through another set of doors into a wide space. Law flicked a switch on the wall, and I squinted at the sudden brilliance.
The expanse was like a giant hotel room, only it had a variety of beds in odd sizes, shapes, and heights. The ceiling was at least two stories high. All the furniture was grouped in little enclaves around the walls, and again, all of it was weirdly sized and shaped. The smell was almost overpowering here. It wasn’t just smell, I realized; it was tangible fear and a sickening sort of ecstasy. The feeling slicked over my skin and hair. I wanted to rub it away. It took most of my self-control not to try.
“What is this place?” I asked.
“Guest quarters for those who need unusual accommodations.”
I nodded, noticing a massive pool of water at the far end of the room. Trees grew along the edge in concrete trenches of dirt, and jungle greenery clustered around it. Lilies floated in the middle. I wondered how else Effrayant catered to the wealthy of the supernatural community.
“Was the incubus staying down here? Is anyone staying down here?” I asked, not seeing any evidence of current habitation.
“No to both questions. I don’t suppose you have any idea why the incubus might have been down here? How long had you been following him?”
“Almost three weeks. He stole the box in Texas. I picked u
p his trail in Vegas. He accidentally killed one of his lovers there.”
“Accidentally? How did you know that?”
“Her neck was broken. If he wanted her dead, he’d have sucked her dry while screwing her. Easier and he gets more out of it”
“Maybe he was hired to kill her.”
“I don’t think so. He wasn’t at all nervous and stayed in Vegas another couple days before moving on. I got there a week or so later. After that, he headed here by way of Salt Lake City, Omaha, Chicago, and Buffalo. He didn’t seem like he was in much of a hurry until he left Chicago, and then he burned rubber without stopping even once to eat.”
“What set him off?”
“No clue. Never saw him meet with anyone, and I was keeping a close eye out. He kept the box with him everywhere he went.” Which is why I hadn’t yet stolen it back and why there was a good chance that whoever had killed him had taken it. I’d have to call Ivan and have him get more information from his business partner on the box and its contents.
“It sure would be helpful to know what was in the box and why someone might want to kill to get it,” Law said, echoing my thoughts.
“Unfortunately I agree,” I said. “Where’s the body?”
“Over here,” he said, leading me to the right away from the pool. “You should know that ‘body’ is more optimistic than accurate.”
We came around a little wall partition and I stopped. It took everything I had not to vomit. The stench of death was thick. I swallowed hard, tasting bile. I’d like to say I’d seen worse but I hadn’t.
We faced a U-shaped couch built into the wall. It was wide on the sides, maybe ten feet or so, with the center only about five feet. The back was low. In the center of the space was a fire pit lined with beaten copper. Far above was a round copper exhaust fan. All of it was splattered with gore. Blood streaked the walls and sprayed across the ceiling and vent. More pooled on the floor and in the fire pit and drenched the cushions.
That was only the beginning. Bits of bone protruded from the center wall. Strips of skin wove between them. There was no blood or flesh on the undersides. They looked as if they’d been tanned. Taken together, the gory mural appeared to be some sort of pattern like a word or a symbol but nothing I understood.
“Christ. What the hell happened?” I asked. “Where is the rest of him?” I couldn’t see any evidence of flesh or internal organs.
I shuddered as tendrils of terror and bliss stuck to me. They whirled slowly through the air like flying leaches. Repulsed, I batted at them with my hand but to little effect.
“You feel them?” I asked Law.
He nodded. “I don’t think they are dangerous. Just a party trick. Don’t use magic,” he warned.
“I wasn’t born yesterday,” I snapped. “And I’m definitely not entertained. A bath in acid might do the trick.”
“I’ll wash your back if you wash mine.”
The idea sent a ripple of entirely inappropriate desire through me. “This is not the time,” I murmured, examining the scene to see if there was something I missed. “Who found the scene and why? You said this area wasn’t being used.”
“It seems the killer put a call in to the front desk. Said there was a mess that needed to be cleaned up.”
“Why would he want to hurry the discovery process?” I mused out loud, my mind tracking over the few facts we had. “It doesn’t make sense. He kills the incubus and reports it; that only cuts down the time he has to escape. If he has to retrieve the box, the time only gets shorter. And another thing—what triggered the shutdown shields?”
“It could have been any number of things,” Law said.
“Like?”
“Certain beings must obey specific protocols within the auberge. If they don’t, the shields trigger.”
“How often does that happen?”
“Rarely,” he admitted.
“What else?” I’d moved into professional mode, my brain trying to pick apart how the shield trigger figured into the incubus and the box. I wanted to rule out other scenarios.
Law cut to the chase.
“You’ve got a theory,” he said.
“More like a gut feeling,” I hedged. I’d never liked to throw my ideas on the table until I had something like proof.
“Your gut feelings are generally on target. Let’s hear it.”
“What if the killer triggered the shields on purpose?”
Law frowned. “Why?”
“Trigger the shields on the way out, and it gives him time to make a clean escape. Either that or it distracts us and buys time to find the box.”
“The one Ivan sent you for.”
I nodded. “Same logic. If the incubus had the box with him and the killer took it, then triggering the shields as he escapes slows me down and maybe I lose his trail. On the other hand, it might all be a play for time—keep you busy and me out of the way while he searches for the box. Then all he has to do is lay low until you lift the shields, which probably won’t be more than a few hours since your clientele will be chasing you with pitchforks if you don’t.”
Law considered. “It’s possible. Even likely. Until I investigate, I’ll have to look at other possibilities, but I’m willing to put your theory on the top of the likely list for now. The question is whether the killer left Effrayant or if he’s still here. Soon as we’re done here, we’ll go check out the incubus’s room. On the way, I’ll talk to LeeAnne. She has the power to trigger the shields as well.”
I nodded. Of course. As the housekeeper, LeeAnne would need that option at her fingertips. I considered and dismissed the idea that she’d have activated the shields. If something big enough to make her do that had happened, she’d have sent an army to fetch Law. No, this was something else.
Law glanced around one more time. “I’m not picking anything useful up here. No traces of any particular magic or ritual, aside from the leftovers of terror and pleasure. You?”
I examined the scene one more time. Nothing suggested pattern or a ritual. “What happened to all the flesh from the body? The bones look polished, and the skin looks tanned,” I said, trying not to think about the fact that only a few hours ago those bones and skin had been part of a living, breathing incubus—a man I’d never met but had come to know.
He had been handsome as sin, but that went without saying when talking about an incubus. He liked to laugh, and he liked to drink. Human food did nothing to feed him, but he seemed to enjoy it all the same. He was hedonistic. He liked pleasure in every form. I’d followed him into clubs, restaurants, a baseball game, and a museum. I have to admit that I had envied him a little. He didn’t seem to have a care in the world. Now he really didn’t have one.
“The killer couldn’t have taken very much time to do this,” Law said. “Between the time you arrived and the murder call came in, it couldn’t have been more than an hour—an hour and a half at most. In that time the incubus was lured here and this happened.” He waved, the gesture taking in the entire scene.
“The murderer would have been covered with blood and gore,” I said. “You’d think someone would have noticed that. You’d also think there’d be a blood trail. He couldn’t have done this without at least getting blood on his shoes. Unless he flew.”
“A possibility,” Law said and I could see him reviewing likely culprits in his mind. He frowned. “There aren’t any voids, though.”
He was right. Even if the murderer were hovering in the air, his body would have blocked the arterial spray and left blank spots somewhere on the walls, ceiling, or floors. Which brought us back to magic, which we already knew and told us nothing about the killer.
The only magical remnants from the murder that I could feel were the whirling confetti of pleasure-infused terror. It was deliberate. Whoever had done this wanted investigators to know that the incubus had suffered and the killer had enjoyed every excruciating moment. It was a message of some kind.
“I don’t know that there’s anything els
e to find here. Maybe we should head upstairs.”
Law nodded. “I have the incubus’s room number. I fetched you before I went to see it.”
I felt my cheeks heat as I remembered just what had happened after he’d found me in the club. He was watching me, but instead of looking smug, he looked troubled.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Whoever killed the incubus was targeting him. Finding him, luring him down here—it was well planned.”
I nodded, my brow furrowing. This was reasonably obvious. “Yeah?”
Law grimaced. “If he is after the stolen box, you’ll be going after him.”
“That’s the job,” I said.
“This thing is dangerous,” he said.
I was beginning to see where this was going, and anger rolled through me. “It is.” I offered nothing more. I was going to see if he was really going to jump off this bridge.
He was.
“What if you can’t handle it?” he asked bluntly.
It was a fair question, and if it had been anyone else but him asking, I’d probably have taken it better. As it was, all I knew was that he was doubting me, questioning my ability. Maybe because of the Ammit demon and lich incidents or maybe because I’d failed to grab the box already. Maybe the ghosts made him think I was weak. Maybe he just didn’t think I was good enough.
“I guess if I can’t handle it, I’ll end up painting the walls like the incubus,” I said. “Let’s hope I’m better than that.”
Law dragged his fingers through his hair. “Damn it, Mal! This is serious.”
“I’m well aware of that, Law,” I snapped. “I just didn’t realize that you had such a low opinion of my skills.”
He gripped my shoulders, jerking me against him. “This has nothing to do with your skills, and you know it,” he seethed. “We don’t know what this thing is, but we know it’s smart and it’s dangerous. What makes you think you can handle it by yourself?”
I shoved myself back. He extended his arms but didn’t let go. “What makes you think I can’t?” I demanded.
The Incubus Job Page 6