“I can’t say anyone has asked me that type of question before,” Emmit said.
When he didn’t add anything else and Oracle had gone quiet, Mira felt the need to fill the silence. “I think people are fascinated by the Harker name. It could be that they don’t feel comfortable asking.”
“I’m not sure fascinated is the right word,” Emmit mused.
Mira grinned. “Maybe not.”
“Yet, you don’t seem to mind requesting details,” Emmit said. “And last night you told me to ‘chill out,’ I think was the phrase.”
Mira couldn’t help but laugh. There was something about his tone that she couldn’t place, but hearing him say chill out in his distinct British accent was something she’d remember for a long time to come.
“I probably wouldn’t have asked it quite like that if not for the spell,” Mira said. “But I’d like to think that I would find this out on my own as we get to know each other.”
“Perhaps,” Emmit said.
“You don’t think so?” Mira asked, puzzled by his response.
“It’s not in my... nature, as you say, to let people get to know me.”
“Well,” Mira said, trying not to feel rejected, “this will be a new experience for you, then.”
“We haven’t discussed what you want in return for this endeavor,” Emmit said.
“What do you mean?” Mira asked.
“Remuneration,” Emmit said. “Payment.”
“Oh. Of course,” Mira said, feeling like she was slow on the uptake. “I don’t know the cost of materials yet. I’ll let you know when I have a better idea of what the spell will be.”
“And your time?” Emmit asked.
“I don’t charge friends for spells.”
“This is a big undertaking, and we’ve only known each other a short time. I really must insist—”
“I don’t charge friends for spells,” Mira said, more adamant. She winced at her own tone and tried to lighten it. “It’s not like I’ve ever charged Tyler for a spell, and he’s never charged me. It’s not the way things are done.”
“I thought you and Tyler were... very close,” Emmit said, using that same careful tone.
“Tyler and I aren’t seeing each other, if that’s what you’re suggesting. We’re friends.”
The heavy atmosphere started to lift, but Mira still found it hard to breathe. It took her a moment to realize it was because she was holding her breath, waiting for a response from Emmit.
“Is your spell with Detective Burke working well?” Emmit asked, changing the subject.
Mira let out the breath. “The spell has settled in, but as you can tell, he isn’t too happy about it.”
“If you find yourself in need of assistance with him, please call on me.”
“Thank you. I’m sure he’ll come around.”
“Do you have protection of some sort?” Emmit asked.
Mira blinked, wondering how she should take the question. She was pretty sure Emmit’s thoughts weren’t surging toward the bedroom.
Although, she most likely wouldn’t mind if his thoughts wandered in that direction at some point.
“To protect me from Ian?” she ventured.
“If necessary. There is, in fact, a killer in our midst.”
“Oh,” An odd sadness fluttered by when she realized the direction he was thinking. “I have a ward.”
“That you created?”
“No. It was created for me.” Mira wasn’t sure how much Emmit really knew about wards, but the best ones were created by someone else that wanted to keep you safe.
“The fact that you will be working with the police is bound to attract attention. If possible, I think that you should wear your ward for the duration.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll get it out tonight.”
Emmit seemed satisfied. “I really must be going.”
“Will I see you tomorrow?” Mira asked.
“I would love to, but Tyler and I have some business to attend to tomorrow.”
“The day after?”
Emmit gave her a small smile. “I will ensure that I’m available.”
Chapter 12
Mira wasn’t sure if Ian was trying to make things difficult on her by picking her up at seven am, but it looked like he was only hurting himself. Usually she opened the store sometime before seven, and she was relieved to hand off that responsibility to a trusted employee.
Aside from a few yawns and a begrudging ‘good morning,’ Ian didn’t have much to say on the way to the office. Once there, his partner proved to be a morning person, much like Mira.
Ian and Detective Flint had a small conference room set up with files to go through. This morning, however, Mira was mentally prepared to go through the photos. She studied the pictures she had already reviewed and added more detail, picking up where she left off last time.
The next set of pictures showed a scene covered in graffiti of strange symbols. It took Mira a while to wade through, but she pointed out the discrepancies in what she saw. She recognized some of the Germanic runes and Druidic runes, at least enough to discern their origin. She had no idea what any of them meant. There were Celtic symbols thrown in the mix, along with other markings. One or two symbols she thought looked like Native American pictographs.
Detective Flint was being personable to the point that Mira was asked to use his name, Gabriel. Not Gabe, like Ian used, but it was a step in the right direction. He was excited that they had a direction to turn to, even though they had more research ahead of them.
Once Ian was fully awake, he took notes and asked questions right alongside of his partner.
The third set of pictures was truly strange.
“It’s like they were trying to be eldritch, but had no real knowledge of the occult.”
“They have the spirit board and a crystal ball,” Gabriel said.
“Exactly, it’s like something a teenager would throw together at a slumber party. The spirit board is store bought and the crystal ball looks like it’s glass.”
“Aren’t they usually glass?” Ian asked.
“If they needed something that large, glass would be the least expensive. Someone who uses this stuff regularly would prefer to spend the same amount on something smaller, but made out of crystal. Depending on the vein of occult belief a person follows, they may even prefer something that isn’t completely clear.”
“What’s the difference?” Gabriel asked.
“Something about the cracks confusing spirits.” Mira rubbed her temples and studied the pictures further. “A crystal ball that large would be expensive. Was there a bag or wrapping for the tarot cards?”
“There was a velvet table cloth, but it looked way too large for a simple deck of cards,” Gabriel said.
They discussed the scene a little longer before turning to a much simpler set of pictures.
“What is this?” Mira asked.
“There were only a few items that appeared significant. These pictures were taken here, not from a crime scene,” Detective Flint said.
That didn’t add up for Mira. “You didn’t get pictures of the scene?”
“We do have pictures of the scene,” Gabriel said. He glanced at Ian before continuing. “But these are what you’ll work with.”
“Are you sure you would know everything that could be important?” Mira asked.
“No,” Gabriel said.
“Just work from these for now,” Ian said.
“Okay. You have a stick, a stack of bullets, and a cross, in addition to what looks a glass bottle half filled with clear liquid. I don’t think there’s anything here that you all can’t guess for yourselves.”
“The bullets are silver and the liquid is water. Medical-grade water, but it’s still only water,” Ian said.
“And I think we’d consider the stick as a stake,” Gabriel said. “As in, a stake through the heart will kill a vampire.”
“A stake in the heart would kill almost a
nything,” Mira muttered.
“Almost?” Ian said, looking quizzical.
Mira flashed a glare in his direction before turning back to the pictures. “Are the bullets really silver?”
“They are,” Gabriel said.
“Where do you even get something like that?” Mira asked. And why? Mira kept that thought to herself. Werewolves don’t have an issue with silver specifically. Everyone in the supernatural community knew that, unless they lived under a rock. A silver bullet was like the wooden stake—it would kill just about anyone.
“The lab believes they were homemade,” Gabriel said.
“So whoever did this had someone make them?” Mira asked, staring at the close up of a bullet
“If the perp hired someone to make them, he didn’t hire a professional,” Ian said. “According to the lab, they were poorly made. They’d fire, but not well.”
“I don’t know what that means,” Mira said, rubbing her temples again.
Ian gave quick overview of muzzle flash burns and bullet impacts. He also mentioned the fact that silver bullets were less accurate, even if they were well made, which meant to hit someone in the heart, the killer would have to be close.
“Did they teach you about silver bullets in your Criminal Justice courses?” Mira asked.
Ian blushed, “Ah, no. Actually, it came from an episode of MythBusters. Gabriel brought up a clip on his phone.”
“MythBusters? Who knew,” Mira said, dropping the picture.
“Is there anything else you can tell us from these items?” Gabriel asked.
You mean, like the fact that it’s all fake? Instead, Mira said, “There’s nothing else I can tell you.”
“You’re sure?” Gabriel asked.
“I’m sure,” Mira said.
“Nothing about the bullets?” Gabriel asked, focusing hard on Mira.
“Nope.” Mira tried to hide her irritation.
Gabriel began to glare. “The stake?”
“No.” She vaguely wondered what type of wood it was made of, but it didn’t really matter. She wondered briefly if she should give Lance a heads up.
“The water?” Gabriel’s agitation was rising.
“I assume you were supposed to think it’s holy water,” Mira said.
“There’s nothing else you know about any of these items?” Gabriel asked again.
Mira rubbed her temples. There was so much she wanted to say, or even to yell, but she held her tongue.
“Why don’t we take a break?” Ian suggested.
“I think we’ve done all we can, anyway.” Gabriel stood. “Thank you for your help in this matter.” Each word was stilted, as though he were reading the words and having a hard time with them.
Mira was glad when he left the room.
“He’s under a lot of stress,” Ian said.
“So are you.” Mira shook her head, deciding she didn’t want to have that conversation. “What is the plan for the day?”
“Wait here,” Ian said, “let me talk with Gabe.”
Mira was just starting to get comfortable again when Ian returned.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“What about your partner?” Mira asked, while following Ian back out to his car.
“He’s going to run down a few leads on his own. I let him know that you offered to introduce me to other subject matter experts.”
Mira grinned. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
“For now.”
Once they were safely ensconced in Ian’s car, Mira felt free to talk a little more openly.
“I’ve never done anything like this,” Ian said, “obviously. Who am I meeting today?”
“Well, Sally was human, so she was close to other humans. I thought we’d start there,” Mira said. She gave Ian an address for their first stop.
“I thought she was a supernatural,” Ian said.
“She was, but she was also human.”
Ian looked uncomfortable. “You’re saying that you’re not human?”
“It’s more complicated than human or not. Some humans, like Sally and some of the other people we’ll meet today, have abilities. As I mentioned, Sally was clairvoyant. There aren’t races of people that are clairvoyants. It’s a trait.”
“So, as a witch, you’re human, but a different race?”
“Again, it’s not as easy as that.” Mira struggled with a way to explain things to Ian. “It’s almost like we’re on a different wave length. Witches and humans look alike, but the energy around us is different.”
“I think I understand,” Ian said, looking as confused as ever.
“It’ll become clearer with time,” Mira suggested, trying to sound more confident than she felt.
“Who are we seeing first?”
“I thought we’d start with the people who knew Sally best. Barney is first on the list. He’s a seer.”
“Should I know what that is?” Ian asked after a few moments.
“Seers can stare into the veil between the Ether and our world. From there, they pull out the future.”
Ian sighed. “The Ether?” he asked.
“It’s not important,” Mira replied, trying to pull back the flow of information. “But you often see seers staring off into space. When they do that, they’re looking into the future.”
“They see the actual future?”
Mira shrugged. “They see a future. Most seers go off their rockers or need medication to survive. From what I understand, they see what might happen. They aren’t always right, and they don’t always know when or where the visions are supposed to take place. Mom really knows more about it than me. She had a friend when she was younger that was a seer.”
“So they see things that may or may not come true, either here or somewhere else? That sounds—” Ian broke off, taking a moment to pick his words. “It’s awful to say, but it sounds like he’s schizophrenic.”
Mira nodded in agreement. “Barney stays at home mostly. I’m not sure what he does for a living. He may be on disability or something.”
“Can he tell which visions will definitely happen, and which are only probable?” Ian asked.
“I think you need an Oracle for that,” Mira said. “And as far as I know, we don’t have any.”
“Okay,” Ian said, “Barney knew Sally, but did he know any of the others?”
“I’m sure he knew Helen, at least in passing. I’m not sure about the others, since I don’t know them myself.”
“How do I know that you aren’t handpicking people for me to meet?” Ian asked.
Mira hadn’t expected that change in thought, so it took her a moment to answer. “I am. I’m introducing you to the ones that Sally knew. Starting with the humans.”
“How do I know that you’re not hiding someone from me?” Ian said.
“We want to find out who did this,” Mira said. “That’s the whole reason you were brought in, so you could find out who did this. We aren’t detectives.”
“Okay. Fair enough. Since you aren’t a detective, though, how do you know you’re taking me to the right places?”
“I’m hoping you can find that out by talking to people. Isn’t that how you normally do things?”
“Yes, but there’s too much here that I don’t know. What are the politics like? Who hates who? How do you all know each other? What goes on in your lives that I, as a normal human, wouldn’t know about or guess?”
“I see your point,” Mira said. “I’ll answer what questions I can.”
“If you don’t mind, can you also let me know if I’m doing anything wrong? Discreetly, that is. There are questions I’m going to have to ask, even if it’s considered bad mannered or whatever.”
Mira grinned. “No problem.”
Ian pulled up to an apartment complex. The street looked like one they wouldn’t want to drive down at night. They were at the edge of the city where it began to spill out into suburbs.
“There’s one more thing,” Ian said.
“Yes?” she said.
“There are things you’re going to learn about Sally.”
Cold was already starting to spread through the car now that it wasn’t pumping out heat.
“Okay,” Mira said carefully.
“The others, too, but Sally was your friend.” Ian frowned and looked around the neighborhood. “There are things about her that I don’t think you know. That I hope you didn’t know and keep from us.”
“You’re making me nervous,” Mira said. “I’m sure Sally wasn’t perfect, but I’m also sure that whatever she did couldn’t have been too bad.”
Ian said nothing.
An unsettled feeling began to rise up in Mira. “What—”
“Tell me what I should expect from Barney,” Ian said.
Mira pursed her lips together. “Just go slow with him and let me introduce you.” She wondered if she should push to find out about Sally, but did she really want to know?
Maybe it was better to remember her the way Mira had known her.
She got out of the car and waited for Ian to do the same. Putting her hand to her chest, she felt the metal of the pentagram necklace she was wearing. It was lying against her skin, close to her heart, to make it more affective.
Ian looked around, eyeing the windows suspiciously before combing the landscape. It’s true it wasn’t the best neighborhood, but Mira had no idea what it was Ian had expected to see.
Inside the building, their eyes had to adjust to the dimmer light. Smells lingered in the communal hallway. The patchouli scent was thick enough that it almost covered the scent of rotten eggs and... coffee?
An odd mixture, but then, you get that in some buildings.
Mira led the way and knocked on Barney’s door.
There was no answer. Knocking hard a second time, she heard movement inside.
Ian moved to knock, but Mira held her finger up, silently asking him to wait. After almost a minute, she knocked again.
“Barney, it’s Mira,” she called. “Mira Owens.”
Someone muttered behind the closed door, but it was just low enough that even if Mira strained, she couldn’t quite make out the words.
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