A Handful of Skulls (Here Witchy Witchy Book 9)

by A. L. Kessler

  He let go of my wrist, and I jerked it out of the circle. “You’re not giving me all the information.”

  “You’re asking about things that are none of your business,” I growled back and rubbed my wrist. Don’t touch me again.” I kept my voice even when I really wanted to lash out at him.

  He watched me for a moment. I shook my head and motioned to the desk. “Your rune, please.”

  He wiped it away with a swipe of his hand. “The King’s guard has refused to give approval for the file. My request to speak to the King directly was denied. He’s hiding something.”

  “I imagine he’s hiding quite a few secrets,” I countered. “Look, this case with Grayson is going to go nowhere.”

  “You know what happened to him though.”

  I nodded. “He crossed the wrong people. He delivered me to Ira.”

  He sat back in the chair. “He betrayed PIB.”

  “Yes.” And his King, but I couldn’t add that in because then Porter would ask how.

  “What is the King hiding?”

  “I can’t tell you that. I don’t know him personally.” I tried to make it sound legit. “Why are you alone Porter? Where’s Agent Crawford?”

  He shrugged. “I got a message saying he had to deal with some pack stuff.”

  Well shit, someone knew where he was. Hopefully I didn’t become a suspect for that too.

  “Lucky him. I would have hated to have him see you manhandle one of my team members.” Liz stepped up. “Are we done here?”

  He nodded and stood. “I am. Now I have to decide where I need to go from here.”

  I sighed and closed my eyes as he left the office. “This isn’t going to end well.”

  Liz nodded. “I don’t see it ending well either.”

  I sat back down. “So now that someone else knows the truth about the case, what are the chances of it getting unsealed?”

  “I think you gave him just enough information to satisfy him. We should be okay.” She didn’t look too sure though. “Want to tell me about why you’re missing your gun?”

  I didn’t get a chance to answer before there was a knock at the door.

  I closed my eyes and prayed it wasn’t someone else who wanted to interrogate us.

  Liz went to the door and opened it. Mason stepped in. “I need to see your guns, please.”

  I stared at him for a moment, and he sighed. “The victim was shot very recently. If your guns haven’t been fired recently and security can prove that neither of you took a detour to drop a gun off, then I can clear you.”

  I went to get mine out, as did Liz. I paused as I felt the empty holster. “Um, mine’s in the trunk of my car. In its safe.”

  Mason stared at me. It wasn’t normal for me to go without my gun at all. “I’d explain, but then I have to explain a bunch of other things.” I sighed. “We can check security cams. They’ll show that I didn’t do anything with my gun.”

  Mason gave a grim nod and then held his hand out for Liz’s. Liz handed it to him by the grip. Mason took a moment to look it over and then handed it back to her. “I’ve already checked security.”

  I glared at him. “Then what the hell?”

  “Just covering my ass, Collins. You two are free to go. We haven’t found anything supernatural about his death yet. Except for why no one heard a shot recently.”

  I thought for a moment. “Magic can do that. Dampen noise.”

  “Well, maybe I’ll call you in on the case later.” He smiled. “Now go. I’m sure you guys have your hands full.”

  I glanced out the window. “We have places to be, people to talk to, but…”

  “We can take a PIB car,” Liz stated. “And I’m driving.”

  I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t my fault, and it wasn’t just my car.”

  “Cursed,” Liz said, and Mason chuckled.

  I glared at him.

  “You have to admit, Abby, it’s a possibility.”

  I rolled my eyes and shooed them. “Out of my office. Let’s get going. I want to be back in time for dinner tonight.”

  “Hot date?” Liz asked.

  I snorted. “Simon’s got his hands full right now. No, it’s time for my monthly dinner with my uncle.”

  She didn’t say anything about it like I had expected her too. She kept moving out of the office and toward the stairs.

  Mason followed us. “So your gun in your car?” he asked again.

  I sighed. “I went to pack land earlier, and they don’t allow guns. I locked it up, came back here, and honestly forgot to grab it. Lately I’ve been relying on my magic more when I’m in danger.”

  Mason made a hmm sound, almost like he didn’t approve. I let it be, and when we got to the stairs, he went upstairs, and Liz and I went down.

  Liz and I walked out into the crowd of gathered PIB employees. Between the agents and the desk staff, there was a good amount of gawkers. “Oh, Agent Collins! Agent Collins!” A shrill voice cut through the crowd and headed right toward Liz and me.

  I put a hand on Liz’s shoulder. “Run.”

  “Run?”

  “Yes, it’s—”

  “It’s me, Stephanie, I’d like to ask you some questions regarding current events.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t have the time, I’m on a case.”

  “Would it be the bombing case? The one that landed you and your partner in the hospital?”

  I turned around to face her. She’d colored her hair recently to some shade of red that looked like it had faded already. It was piled high on her head in a tight bun. Her thin-rimmed glasses sat at the tip of her slim nose so that she peaked over them. The red on her lips matched her crimson suit perfectly. I hated this woman so much I wanted to see if I could shove her over on her stiletto heels.

  But that would be wrong of me. “No, a different case. Again, no comment. Have a good day, Stephanie.”

  “It’s rumored that you killed the King of Vampires, is that true?”

  Even Liz turned around at that one. I stared at Stephanie. I wasn’t even sure what to say to that. “I haven’t killed anyone.” I held my hand up. “Good day.”

  I turned away and ignored the rest of her calls. Liz and I walked quickly to the side parking lot where the fleet vehicles were. She unlocked one, and we both got in without a word.

  Liz looked out the window where Stephanie waited near the building, writing something down. “Holy shit, Abby. Did you kill the King of Vampires?”

  “What? No!”

  “You admitted to knowing who the king was because of the truth spell.”

  I nodded. “Yes, but I can’t say who it is, Liz. I have enough shit on my plate as it is.”

  “So, he’s not dead?”

  “Nope.” I buckled myself in. “Very much alive. He doesn’t attend scenes, and he doesn’t take visitors very often. He works through his guards and his council.” I glanced at her. “Can we drop it now?”

  She nodded. “I can’t wait to see Stephanie’s headline.”

  “I can. I don’t want to hear it from Levi. Every damn time I end up in that woman’s paper, I get yelled at.”

  “Ah, the problem of being the adopted daughter of the territory leader.” She snorted and started the car. “Come on, let’s go talk to our little seer, shall we?”

  I nodded and settled in for the long drive to the PIB academy.

  CHAPTER TEN

  We pulled up to the gate and handed the guard our badges. He looked at them, held his finger up, and went to talk on his radio.

  “Agent Collins and Agent Jefferson are here again.”

  Again. Like we’ve been a huge bother.

  “We’re not here about the bombing, but rather the body that we were in charge of before the explosions.” Liz smiled. “Promise we won’t go anywhere near the bombing sights.”

  I couldn’t tell if she was lying or not. If she was, she was damn good at it.

  He repeated what she said into his radio, and then he nodded and han
ded the badges back. “Just a reminder that you need to stay off the site.”

  “Yes sir, we’re just here to ask some cadets some questions.” Liz drove through the gate slowly and then headed toward the dorms.

  “What on earth did you do last time that they are reminding you not to go near it.”

  She shrugged. “Nothing. I just took a little stroll and tried to gather some soil so that I could possibly use it in a spell.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “I didn’t get any. I didn’t think it was a big deal.” She shrugged and parked the SUV. “Okay, so it was Scott’s roommate, right?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, so let’s go pay a visit and see if he’s seen anything else.” I climbed out and headed to the dorms. Something dodged into the shadow of the building, and I stopped in my steps.

  What on earth?

  Liz stepped up next to me. “I saw it too.”

  Without saying anything else, we both darted in the direction of the movement. She went to the left of the building and I went right. When we met on the other side, we found a cadet standing there, staring at us both. “I swear to God I didn’t do it.” He wrapped his arms around himself. “I just…I wanted to make sure I was going to pass the test.”

  “Okay, well, running into the shadows is not a way to make you seem innocent. What did you do to pass the test?” I asked calmly, holding my hands up. I still didn’t have a gun, but the gesture never really hurt.

  He sighed. “I broke into the science lab to steal the test answers.”

  Liz laughed. “Wow, stealing lab answers.”

  “But there was a body in there. So I ran because I didn’t want people thinking I killed him.”

  Aw fuck. I sighed. “Come on, show us where.” I put my hands on my hips. “PIB agents, current or future, don’t run from dead bodies.”

  “Well, unless they’re zombies,” Liz mused, and I cut her a glare.

  “Once, one time I’ve dealt with a necromancer.”

  The cadet made a short laugh. “Did you run?”

  “Nope, I drove a Hummer through a horde of zombies. It was kind of fun.”

  He didn’t look like he believed me, but I let it go. “He’s in Professor Conally’s office.”

  I glanced at Liz. She shrugged. “You go look, I’ll talk to our cadet here.”

  I nodded and started the hike to the science lab. Part of my brain was having flashbacks to the explosions, but I pushed it off.

  But dread filled me as I passed one of the buildings that had exploded. Crews were working on clearing the debris with a couple of PIB agents on scene. I kept my head down and kept trucking towards the science lab.

  I got to the front door, and the doorknob had been busted. Breaking and entering was probably the least of that cadet’s worries right now. He’d found a body, fled the scene, and had no intention of telling authorities. I opened the door with my foot and walked in.

  The lights were off, and I didn’t hear or sense anything that was a danger to me.

  My footsteps echoed off the polished concrete of the hall as I made my way down. The sun cast eerie glows across the floor leading up to the open door.

  I assumed it was the office, and I assumed correctly. I walked in and found a body covered in ballistic gel laying in the middle of the room. In front of the desk.

  I pulled out my phone and called Mason. “I have another body covered in gel at the academy. Whoever our killer is, he’s still around.”

  “Not even a hello, right to the body.” He sighed. “You and Liz take point. I’m still trying to wrap up here.”

  “Rodger that.” I disconnected the call and called Liz. “We have another body, I’m going to secure the scene. You call Jason, talk to the cadet, and then head over.”

  “I’ll be there soon. I’ve already talked to the cadet, he’s now with Agent Ridgeway.”

  “Perfect. I’ll see you soon.” I hung up and pulled gloves out of my bag. I put them on and flipped on the light switch. The fluorescent lights flickered to life and gave me a better view of who I was looking at.

  Male. White. Cornelius Davenport.

  His rat-like face looked worse than any other time that I’d seen him. His hair was still slicked back, but instead of a business suit, he wore PIB black, with his badge around his neck.

  I stepped back away from the body and bowed my head. We’d found our missing person.

  I gave Boss Man a silent moment of respect before I knelt down by the gel. There wasn’t anything I could tell from him laying there. I needed Jason to open the gel and examine him.

  Standing, I walked around the office, trying to find anything out of place. No signs of struggle, nothing. I sighed and stepped out of the room to keep guard.

  Liz showed up not long after. She looked at me and then to the room. “Victim?”

  “White male, approximately fifty years old, maybe late forties.” I tried to keep my voice even. “Victim is known as Boss Man, legal name, Cornelius Davenport.”

  “Oh shit,” she whispered. “No way.”

  I nodded. “They’re going to pull us off the case. Internal affairs is going to be brought in.”

  “Internal affairs is already here.” A woman came down the hall. “My name is Special Agent Landry. You are?”

  “Special Agent Collins, and this is Special Agent Jefferson. We’re with the Black Magic Task Force. We’ve been investigating the disappearance of Cornelius. Our investigation led us to the academy before the explosions, there was a—”

  “I’ve read the report Agent Collins. A young male died in a similar fashion. I’m assuming you already called the correct people?”

  I nodded. “Detective Mason will be here after he finishes up at another scene. Jason, the medical examiner, will be here as soon as he can. Agent Jefferson called him on her way over to the science building.”

  “Good. Agent Ridgeway called us to tell us about the cadet that found the body. I was on scene working through the rubble of the explosion, so I thought I’d come take a look.” She bent down near the body. “Just like the last one you found?”

  My phone rang, and Liz stepped up so I could step out of the room. I walked down the hall before answering it. “Special Agent Collins speaking.”

  “Abigail, where are you?” Levi’s voice nearly blared over my speaker.

  “The academy, why?” My mind scrambled for why he’d be calling. It was before dusk, so I didn’t think it was about the car. At least not just about the car.

  “Hold on, Mario, I’m talking to her now.” His voice was softer for a moment and then came back at normal volume. “Who’s with you?”

  “Liz and one internal affairs agent. All three of us are in a building with a dead body, but there’s a ton of agents and cadets wandering around.” I tried to keep my paranoia at bay. “What’s up?”

  Levi was silent for a moment. “You need to come home.”

  “In case you didn’t get my text, I have no car right now. Liz and I are borrowing a PIB car. Will you please tell me what is going on?”

  “Yes, Hannah has a hit out on you. I want you home.”

  I snorted. “Is that what the creepy doll and phone calls were about? No one has tried to kill me…” I looked out at the collapsed building. “You don’t think?”

  “The bombing? I have no idea, but I have no doubt that she killed the nurse that released you. Abigail…”

  I sighed. “She’s working for Samuel, I know.” I closed my eyes and tried to push out the image of Levi’s maker in my head. The vampire was creepy, sadistic, and not someone I wanted to face any time soon. “I have to finish this case up. I still have my protection at home.” I swallowed. “We found Boss Man dead.”

  “Cornelius is dead?”

  “Yes.”

  I heard Liz call for me down the hall. “I have to go. I need the Hummer tonight, please. I have dinner with Oliver, and after that, I will come and discuss this development with you and Mario.”

 
; “That sounds like a good compromise. Thank you.” He disconnected, and I sighed.

  Liz came down the hall. “Hey, Agent Landry would like to speak with you.”

  “Sorry, I had to take the call.”

  “Everything okay?”

  I shrugged. “I’ll let you know when I figure out how things are connected.” I started walking back toward the office with her. Agent Landry was standing out in the hall with her arms crossed.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting. I just needed to step away for a moment.” I put my phone back in my pocket.

  “Case related?” She met my gaze.

  “Vampire King related.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. What the hell?

  I looked down and sighed. I’d stepped on a truth rune. I glanced at Liz, and she cringed. “Sorry, Abby, I swore I wouldn’t warn you.”

  Luckily for me, I seemed to be subconsciously protecting Levi.

  “Agent Collins, did you have anything to do with the death of Cornelius Davenport?”

  I shook my head. “No, we’ve been trying to track him down for the last two weeks.”

  She nodded. “Did you move the body?”

  “No. The only thing I did was turn on the lights and look around the office.”

  “Thank you.” She moved her foot over the rune and broke the spell. “Sorry for having to use the rune, it’s standard for an internal investigation.”

  I shrugged. “No big deal. The last truth rune someone used on me I was manhandled. So at least you were gentle.”

  She laughed it off. “Look, I would like to work with you on this case. Let me finish up what I was doing at the blast scene, and we can talk while we wait for forensics to get here.”

  I had expected her to take the case away from us the moment she stepped on the scene. But maybe she didn’t actually want it. “Okay,” I agreed. “We’ll wait for Jason, you go ahead and finish up.”

  She nodded and walked back down the hall. Liz raised a brow. “Vampire King business?”

  “Yeah, a king’s guard wanted to warn me that there’s a vampire after me. Really nothing new.” I sat down in the hallway and pulled on my laptop.