Fire Within

by Ally Shields

  “I’m surprised you allow employee dissent. I mean, this is your agency. Doesn’t that mean your policies?” She was sure he was lying.

  “We work as a team. Are we done?” He started to get up.

  “Is this office locked when you’re not here?” she asked.

  Shale’s frown was puzzled. “My personal office? Of course. There are confidential files in my cabinets.”

  “Who has keys?”

  His frown lines deepened. “Counselors, secretaries. I guess the janitorial staff. Why do you ask?”

  Ari smiled. “Thanks.” She and Shale stared at one another for a moment.

  “My appointment is waiting,” he finally said. “Ms. Binderman can help you with anything further.”

  Ari got to her feet. Shale didn’t like them being there, or maybe it was just her, but she wasn’t picking up anything more disturbing. Excellent blocking or wrong suspect?

  As she and Ryan stepped out of the agency’s front door, the early afternoon heat blasted their AC-chilled skin. Instant perspiration popped out and Ari blinked in the sun’s glare. “Wow. How high is the humidity?”

  Ryan shed his jacket and slung it over one shoulder. “You want to tell me what happened outside Shale’s office?”

  “Demon energy. I’m sure of it. But I don’t know which one.”

  “Let’s arrest all four.”

  Appalled, Ari spun to face him. “Good goddess, Ryan, you can’t arrest a demon. It would kill us and everything else in its path. We can’t make a move until we figure out how to contain it. I thought you understood that part.”

  “When this is over, I’m demanding a transfer,” he growled. “I’m sick of this mystical shit.”

  “Oh, yeah, and I’m going to take up knitting. It’ll get better, as soon as we figure out the magic.”

  “What’s next?” he asked, still sounding gruff.

  “Back to the research. Maybe I’ll catch a short nap first. I’m running low…” Ari stopped as Sarah Young exited the building and hurried toward them. Ari tensed, wary of a potential demon attack. Her witch blood stirred in response to her concern.

  The counselor walked straight to Ari. “I wanted to apologize for breaking down like that,” Sarah said, her voice loud, shrill, as she grasped Ari’s hand in both of hers. Ari felt something small, a folded paper perhaps, thrust against her palm as Sarah continued. “We need for this to be over soon. Well, ah, thanks for understanding.” Sarah turned abruptly and ran back into the building without waiting for a response.

  “That was strange,” Ryan said.

  “Not at all,” Ari murmured, closing her fingers over the object and turning toward his car. “Let’s take a ride.”

  He gave her an odd look but unlocked the cruiser. She slid in.

  Once he pulled away from the curb, Ari opened her hand and unfolded the paper. West fountain—20 minutes.

  “You asked what was next? A stroll in the park.”

  * * *

  Anyone who lived in or around Olde Town knew Goshen Park’s west fountain. Surrounded by stone benches and well-tended flower gardens, the stone swan stretched her neck toward the sky from a watery lily pad. It was a favorite place for locals. Ironically, it also had been where the third body was found. Ari wondered if Sarah knew that. She would for sure, if she were the killer-demon.

  Sarah arrived looking hot and flustered, and yet there was a definite change in her manner since the interview. She was back in control, as she sank onto one of the stone benches. Whatever had caused her earlier breakdown, she was passed it now. Or it had been faked for their benefit, which meant that Sarah might be the demon.

  Ari kept her distance, declining the seat beside Sarah. Until she knew more, Ari wanted space to use her magic, including witch fire, if Sarah proved to be dangerous. Ryan stood next to the bench, his jacket still slung over his shoulder. Too hot for formalities.

  “I don’t have long,” Sarah began. She clasped her hands tightly in her lap. “The others can’t know I’m talking to you, but this is eating me up inside.” She took a deep breath and focused on her hands. “I knew Vanessa. She and I were…more than friends.” Sarah gave Ryan a direct look, almost defiant now. “We were lovers. For almost two years. We met through the vampire shelter when I was doing an internship for school.” She moved her attention to Ryan. “I know how you cops think. You’re wondering if our relationship soured, if I killed her. I couldn’t hurt anyone, but especially not Vani. We were in love.”

  Ryan didn’t respond right away. Ari could almost hear the mental wheels turning as he processed the information and decided what line he wanted to take. Ari moved closer, feeling nothing from Sarah but a reasonable amount of psi energy and grief.

  “If you loved her, then help us,” Ari said. “Help us find this killer.”

  “Of course. I want to, but how? What can I do? I don’t have any idea who it is.”

  “You can start by telling us why you kept quiet so long,” Ryan said.

  “I wanted to tell you right away. Really, I did. I just couldn’t decide what to do. We kept our relationship secret so I could keep my job. My credibility as a counselor would be destroyed if anyone knew I was involved with a female prostitute.” Ari heard the bitterness. “I’m sure they’d claim conflict of interest when they fired me, because she was an Otherworlder, a potential client, but that wouldn’t be the real reason. The agency is very conservative. If they knew how Vani made a living…you can imagine.”

  Sarah’s face asked for understanding, but she wasn’t apologizing for anything in her life. Ari dropped onto the bench next to her. Sarah continued without wavering. “You know, it was just a job to Vani. Something she was good at. But she’d decided to give it up, so we could change our lives. Eventually, when I had enough experience, we wanted to move, live somewhere more openly.” Her words took on an angry edge. “I’m only a first year counselor, and I needed this job, so we stayed hidden.” She frowned, as if collecting her thoughts. “When Vani died, I needed my work more than ever. It was all I had left. Then you started asking questions, and I began to wonder.”

  “Wonder what?” Ryan prompted.

  “If someone I knew had murdered her. Someone at the agency. I’ve watched you, and that’s what you think, isn’t it?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “I’d die if I thought she was killed because of me. It’s been driving me crazy.” Sarah stopped, her face demanding answers. She’d finally run out of words, regurgitated all her fears.

  “We think there’s a tie to the agency,” Ari said. “But we don’t know what the tie is or who’s involved. Do you suspect anyone?”

  “No.” Sarah shook her head. “I’ve thought about it. Watched for a hint, a strange look, but nothing. I can’t imagine. I thought they were all good people. Some a little odd, maybe, but no one who could commit murder.”

  “Did you share your secret with anyone at all? In or out of the agency?” When Sarah shook her head, Ari added, “Could someone have seen you together?”

  “I don’t think so. We were careful and rarely out in public together. She came to the office a few times, when I was working late. I let her in the back door after everyone else was gone. The night girl at the front desk can’t see back there. No one saw us. Or at least I didn’t think so. Now, I can’t be sure.” Sarah looked at Ari, anguish written across her face. “Vani left my office at 5:00 the morning she died.”

  * * *

  On the drive to Ari’s apartment, she and Ryan discussed Sarah’s story. If she was telling the truth, the two women had parted at the center’s rear door within an hour of Vanessa’s death. The demon must have attacked her in the alley or followed her from there to a more secluded spot. In either case, he had been outside the building, waiting for her or simply because he belonged there. It was more proof to Ari that the demon was one of the people in the agency. She called Gillian and asked her to check the back alley and other likely spots nearby. Maybe they’d find physical evidence if she located
the primary crime scene.

  Ryan pulled to a stop in front of Ari’s apartment. “Why’d you ask about Shale’s keys?”

  “Sorry, I almost forgot. His collection. All those ceremonial knives and swords, and no locks on the cases. The killer wouldn’t have had to use a demon sword, it could have been one of those. And, there’s another possible weapon in plain sight. Binderman has a letter opener that’s a realistic replica. Small but sharp. In a demon’s hands, it might work.” Ari shook her head. “Before you get excited, you won’t find Vanessa’s blood. It would disintegrate, and fingerprints on a demon? Nuh-uh. I wish we had a way to identify the weapon. I could use it in scrying for the creature.”

  Ryan’s fist tapped the steering wheel. “Why do Otherworlders have to be so strange? Just one solid piece of evidence would be nice. Instead, what we have is all this mumbo jumbo.” He stared determinedly out the window. “I’m still getting a warrant and putting those weapons out of reach.”

  * * *

  Ari dug into the research, hoping to find something that would translate Ryan’s mumbo jumbo into a solution. She stacked the discarded books on the floor and relocated operations to the kitchen table for additional space to spread out her notes. She also hoped the harder chair would keep her awake. She didn’t dare doze off now, and the couch was way too cozy. Sarah’s confession had been interesting, but the candidates for demon still numbered six, maybe four, if confined to those in Shale’s office, or even three, excluding Sarah. Binderman, Shale, Stanley. Ryan and his officers were making steady progress on the backgrounds and alibis. Identification could happen at any moment. Ari had to figure out what to do when that time arrived.

  She returned to the phrase she’d puzzled over before, the demon’s possible vulnerability while in human form. While she was musing over this, Gillian called from the alley behind Shale’s agency.

  “Demon reading is off the chart. Your full blood theory is verified. I found a pink cell phone near the trash bins. It’s a throw-a-way, but Sarah Young’s number is on speed dial. Sorry it took so long to identify your monster type, but the creature’s behavior is abnormal. Why is he hiding and sneaking around like this?”

  “Smarter than the average demon? Who knows?” Ari shifted uncomfortably, the confirmation increasing the weight on her shoulders. “I’ve given up worrying about that. Thanks, Gillian. Can you call Ryan and give him your report? I think he’d like to hear it first hand, and I’ve got to figure out how to defeat this thing.”

  “Sure, but before I let you go, one of our scholars has been making inquiries. Of the one or two known world sightings of image changers, the demon wasn’t defeated. It left on its own, after weeks of killing. Sorry I don’t have better news.”

  Rather than lose hope, Ari immersed herself in research with renewed determination. The last doubt about the enemy’s true nature was gone. Maybe the knowledge should have scared her, but frankly, she didn’t have time to think about the personal dangers. Riverdale couldn’t endure long weeks of bloodshed.

  She concentrated on how to force the demon to vanquish itself. If she could trap it in its human form, and destroy that body by witchcraft or any other means, the demon would try to save its essence. During the last moments, it could choose to become an earthbound shade or banish itself forever to the demon realm. Either way, its reign of terror would be over.

  Freezing spells, binding potions. Ari found dozens, but all were temporary fixes and not one claimed to work on demons. Would they work on a demon in human form? Could she increase the strength? After hours of searching, she’d found nothing that gave her the answers.

  Ari’s eyes grew blurry. How long had it been since she’d slept? Blowing an exhausted breath between her lips, she collapsed facedown over the keyboard.

  “Forget it,” she mumbled into her arms, “the answer isn’t here.”

  * * *

  Ari was saved from drifting into a deep sleep by Ryan calling to complain. “How the hell am I supposed to find a demon?” he demanded. “No name, no description. It’s impossible.”

  “On a hunch, I’d guess the search has bogged down.”

  “The only good news I have is Olde Town is quiet. No fights or confrontations. At least Andreas is having more success on his end than we are.”

  “Speak for yourself. I’ve learned all kinds of things. Need your love life improved? How about good fortune? Or maybe the ideal job? The internet is full of useless spells written by amateurs. There’s a spell for everything, except vanquishing demons.”

  “Maybe you should talk with your witch mentor again.”

  “Moriana told me all she knew. Even the scholars at the research lab can’t find an instance where an image changer was defeated. I really need Great-Gran. She’d know what to do. She had centuries of knowledge stored in her head.”

  “Too bad she didn’t write it down.”

  Ari gave a weary sigh. She had. In the missing Book of Shadows. Witches were prolific recorders. Something they were taught as soon as they could hold a quill or a pen. Even Ari had a diary of her own.

  She sat up straight. The notes! Maybe the Book wasn’t her only source. She had the personal papers and letters written by Great-Gran and her mother. It was worth a try.

  Ari had used the old trunk as a coffee table for years and didn’t give its contents a second thought most of that time. She hadn't looked beneath the top tray of scrying equipment in a long time. Great-Gran had produced the trunk from somewhere after Ari’s parents died. At six-years-old, the young witch had barely understood what had happened to her parents. Great-Gran had made a ritual of storing the small mementos away. Many years later, Ari had added a new layer of Great-Gran’s things. Among the contents, Ari was sure she remembered letters, a journal of Great-Gran’s, some old photos, and miscellaneous loose papers. Ari had skimmed the papers at one time, but that was years ago, before she had given up believing The Book of Shadows would return. She’d intended to sort the contents at a later date, but like so many good intentions, it hadn’t happened. Maybe she hadn’t been ready to face the pain. Now she wondered if one of the missing women in her life might be able to help defeat the demon.

  Half-way through the trunk, she began to think this wasn’t such a hot idea. So far she’d cried over Great-Gran’s shawl and the six-inch seashell that had sat next to the old woman’s bed. From the time Ari was very little, she’d been told it was a secret portal to the ocean. She used to sneak into Great-Gran’s bedroom and hold the shell to her ear, fascinated by the sound of the waves trapped inside.

  Damn, Ari thought, wiping her cheeks, she was too tired to do this. The memories were too distracting. She re-wrapped the shell in the soft towel and returned it to the trunk for another day. Ari pushed her hair behind her ears. She was tempted to close the trunk, but something urged her to keep digging.

  Great-Gran’s journal was buried under layers of trinkets, family photos, and old books. Still sitting on the floor, Ari opened the thin brown journal, flipped through the pages, skimming handwritten notes on herbology, potion ingredients, and whatever else her great-grandparent had found noteworthy. She was amazed and chagrined at the contents. Why had she never looked here before? This was the next best thing to The Book. Field notes. Before the elder witch had transferred the information into the formal records. More cryptic, of course. Often just a word or two, but a wealth of information, if she could interpret it.

  Excited by the find, she scanned through the recipes, tempted to stop and devour every word, but knowing her time was slipping away. She read every entry that contained the word demon. About two-thirds of the way through, a written question caught her eye. Is the woman a human or demon?

  Ari’s heart beat a little faster as she read on, putting together snatches of a visit to a remote village in the hills. Great-Gran had been asked to come because three local witches had vanished, leaving no trace. Suspicion had settled on a woman, newly arrived in the community. Then came the question Ari had read. Hu
man or demon? A page later, Great-Gran had added a note in the margin. Bind it before vanquishing.

  Ari dropped the journal into her lap. If this was an ordinary demon, why the binding? She began to smile. That would only be necessary if the demon could change in some way. Other demons didn’t look human, not to Ari’s knowledge. Was she groping at straws? What else could the human or demon phrase mean? Oh, Great-Gran, she lamented, why aren’t you here?

  She thumbed through the rest of the journal without success. Bind it, she murmured. Was there some kind of binding spell for demons? If so, what were the elements, and where was the incantation? She knew where it was. The Book of Shadows.

  She was staring at the journal, willing it to give her a clue, when the phone rang. What was Ryan’s problem this time?

  “Good evening, little witch.”

  Ari smiled, and her weariness fell away at the sound of Andreas’s voice. Ordinarily she might have worried about her reaction. Not tonight. “Hi. I’m glad you called. I need a break from the research. I think I’ve found something, but I’m not sure what to do with it.”

  “You sound tired. Have you slept?”

  Oddly enough, his concern gave her a spurt of energy. “Not a lot of time for sleep.”

  “I take that to mean you have been up all night. Have you eaten?”

  “Not lately, but did you hear me? I think I’ve found something.”

  His voice was warm, soothing. “Of course I heard you. That is good news, and you can tell me all about it when I get there…with your dinner.”

  She could hear music and the sound of voices in the background. “Is the club ready to open? The kitchen’s already working?”

  “It is. The rest will be ready tomorrow night. Band is rehearsing now, and we will open on schedule. Marcus can supervise for tonight. Have you spoken with Lt. Foster?”

  She leaned back and rested her head against the couch behind her. “Yeah. I assume you did, too. He’s pretty frustrated, weeding out suspects. Did he tell you about the interviews at the agency? That Sarah and Vanessa were lovers?”