by Lisa Edmonds
“Can I get that number from you?” I asked.
He gave me the number and sat back down. “I don’t think he’s run off,” he said heavily. “He’s not the type to worry his mom. He knows he’s all she’s got.”
“I’m hearing he’s frustrated about money issues and he doesn’t have some of the nice things his friends have. Has he expressed anything like that to you?”
He thought about it. “Yeah, but you know kids. They’re never happy with what they’ve got, no matter how much they’ve got. He knows his mom does the best she can. He might throw a fit sometimes, but it’s not going to make him run away. Something’s happened to him.”
I didn’t want Garrett to know there was a possibility Aden might have gotten mixed up with Darius Bell’s cabal. The situation called for surgical precision and strategy, and Garrett struck me more as a wrecking ball.
“I’m going to do my best to find him. If you think of anything that might help me, please call me anytime.” I held out my business card.
He rose and took it. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.” I still had zero magic, but I was able to stand up. “We got off to a bad start, I guess.”
“Yeah. I’m not gonna apologize for nulling you since you lied to me and you weren’t going to tell me my son is missing.”
I shrugged. “Fair enough.”
He looked grim. “But now I’m regretting that you’re barely able to walk and you’re supposed to be out finding my son.”
“My ghost companion can draw what’s left of my magic from you and then channel it back to me, if you would allow him to do so and not null him. That would help.”
“He better not drain me,” Garrett warned.
“He won’t. You’ll still have all your natural magic and nulling power.”
“He might as well take my earth magic too; I can’t use it for anything anyway. I’m low-level, but it’s better than nothing.”
Malcolm touched my shoulder. You sure you want me to do this? If he nulls me, we’re both SOL.
He wants us to find the kid. It’s your call, though.
Okay, I’ll do it.
Out loud, I said, “He’s going to touch your arm. It’ll feel cold. Don’t get startled and accidentally null him.”
Garrett braced himself. “Do it.”
He twitched but held his nulling ability in check as Malcolm siphoned his magical energy.
When Malcolm let go, Garrett rolled his shoulders and addressed me. “I want to come with you to help look for him.”
It wasn’t unusual for friends or family members to want to accompany me while I searched for their loved one, but for various reasons—some of them legal, some personal—that was a no-go.
I shook my head. “Mr. Garrett—”
“Allan,” he rumbled.
He apparently wanted to distance himself from the name Preston Garrett. I couldn’t say I blamed him.
“Allan, I can’t have anyone with me for liability reasons. It’s a legal issue.” When his face darkened, I held up my hand. “But here’s something you can do. Based on where you work and what you told me about your past, I’m assuming you know people who know people.”
He eyed me. “Yeah, so?”
“So put your network to use. Make some calls, but be careful. Don’t say it’s your kid who’s missing; tell them it’s a friend’s kid. Don’t mention the kid has magic; just say he went out on an errand for his mom and didn’t come back. You probably have a good sense of who you can trust and who you can’t to help you out. Even if they don’t know anything about Aden in particular, they may know information that might help us. You can’t just go all Hulk Smash if you get a tip, though. It’s going to take cunning and finesse. Think you can do that?”
“I’ve worked for vampires for five years,” he reminded me. “I can do finesse.”
That was a fair point. Vamps didn’t suffer fools or big dumb brutes.
“If you get information, you need to tell me before you act,” I cautioned him. “Don’t go barreling into anything or anywhere without talking to me and working out a plan. I know this is your kid and you want him back safe and sound, but you have to believe me when I say one wrong move could mean we don’t get the outcome we want. Do you understand?”
He studied me. “Can I count on you to do whatever needs to be done to get my son back?”
I knew what he saw when he looked at me: a woman of average height and build with no apparent weapons other than her magic, which he’d just nulled. I didn’t look all that threatening or imposing, which was very much to my advantage.
Since the day I’d escaped from my grandfather’s compound five years ago, I’d been playing a role, pretending to be a fairly normal, well-adjusted human being instead of the killer I was. The façade had become second nature to me, but it was still a façade. Underneath, I was still Moses Murphy’s granddaughter. Alice Worth was the disguise I wore. Few people saw the real me behind the mask, and those who did usually ended up dead shortly after. Malcolm and Sean were rare exceptions. They’d glimpsed the killer within and willingly joined Team Alice anyway.
I met Garrett’s gaze and let him see Moses Murphy’s granddaughter in my eyes. “I’ll cut my way through whatever or whoever stands between me and your son,” I told him. “You have my word.”
Garrett gave me a nod. “I’ll make some calls.”
I headed for the door, my steps uneven. “Keep trying Aden’s phone. If he or anyone else answers, try to keep them on the phone as long as you can in case we’re able to trace the call or the phone. Let me know immediately if you hear anything.”
“Will do. Find Aden.” He shut the door behind me.
I sagged against the wall. “You ready to offload some of that magic?”
Malcolm became visible, hovering at my side. I had to squint to see him, since he glowed brightly with the magic he’d siphoned from Garrett. “I don’t know how you’re even on your feet,” he said, holding out his arm. “Take what you need.”
Touching Malcolm felt like touching thick, cold fog. I put my fingers around his arm and lowered my shields, sensing the hum of his power. I drew the magic into myself, slowly at first, then faster as Malcolm opened our connection wider and pushed his magic over to me.
My instinct was to take as much as I could, but I’d vowed never to treat Malcolm as a power source. The mages who worked for my grandfather sucked bound ghosts dry, draining them over and over. It was perpetual torture for the ghosts, and I’d hated that practice as much as anything else the cabal mages did.
When I sensed I’d taken as much magic as he’d gotten from Garrett and begun to tap into Malcolm’s own natural magic, I tried to close the flow of power, but Malcolm kept pushing his energy over to me.
“Stop, stop,” I gasped, fighting to close the connection. “That’s enough.”
“You need more,” he argued. “I know you don’t like to pull power from me, but you have to have enough to protect yourself until you can get home to Sean and, uh, regenerate the rest.”
Sex was a fast and fun way to regenerate magic, but I wasn’t about to hit pause on my search for Aden to run home for a booty call. Then again, Sean probably wouldn’t mind meeting me somewhere for a quick recharge—
My stomach cramped at the thought and I shuddered involuntarily. What was I thinking? I’d rather get power from Malcolm than Sean. I let Malcolm continue to funnel his energy into me.
Finally, the stream of magic ended. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. The empty feeling was gone and I felt buoyant.
“Alice, you okay?”
I opened my eyes. Malcolm looked to be at about half his normal power level. I was probably at about seventy percent, but that was a damn sight better than I’d been a few minutes ago. “I’m good, Malcolm. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He floated along beside me as I headed for the elevator. “Where are we headed?”
“To trace Aden’s steps from his house to
the library.” I hit the Down button and waited. “I’m hoping to find some surveillance cameras along his route that might have caught something on video.”
“But if he wasn’t really going to the library, what are the odds that we’ll see him on video?” Malcolm asked as the elevator arrived and I got on.
I shrugged. “It’s the best direction I can think of to go right now.”
“What about the kid’s laptop? Maybe his browser history or e-mails would help us. Sean’s off work today. Why not let him see what he can find on the computer?”
“That’s not a bad idea.” I dug my phone out and called Sean while we exited the apartment building and headed for my car.
He answered on the first ring. “Hey, babe. How’s the investigation going?”
“I just finished talking to Aden’s dad. Guess who also has magic and isn’t registered?” I unlocked my car and got in. Malcolm took his usual spot in the passenger seat area.
Sean whistled. “The plot thickens. Can he null too?”
“Yep.”
He growled. “Alice, did he null you?”
“Yes, but—”
“Where are you?” I heard rustling and the jingle of keys. “I’m on my way.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I said hurriedly. “Malcolm shared his magic with me, so I’m recovering. I could use a favor, though. Can you meet me in the parking lot at the branch library near Natalie’s house?”
“If you need me so you can regenerate your magic, I’m willing to take one for the team,” he quipped. “I’ve got a Maclin Security SUV. Plenty of room in the back if we get creative.”
My stomach cramped again. “No, no, God no,” I said vehemently. “Not that. I want to give you Aden’s laptop and see if you can find anything on it that might help us figure out where he went.”
A pause. “Okay.” He sounded surprised. “The branch library near Natalie’s house, you said? I can meet you there in about twenty minutes.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you in a few.” I ended the call.
“That was a little harsh,” Malcolm said as I backed out of my parking spot and turned onto the street.
“What?”
“The way you shot Sean down. It was kind of harsh. You feeling okay?”
I frowned. “I’m fine. I’m just focused on finding this kid. We don’t have time for distractions.”
“You’re meeting up with him anyway, to give him the laptop. Don’t you want to be back at full power?”
“I’ll figure something else out, something that doesn’t involve sex in the back of an SUV parked behind the library.”
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess it does sound kind of tawdry.” He looked thoughtful and then grinned. “Although…that would be achievement unlocked, am I right?”
“Malcolm,” I warned.
“Fine.” He crossed his arms. “Have it your way, you prude. Let’s go to the library.”
Thanks to an accident and a traffic jam on the bridge, Sean was already at the library, waiting in his company SUV when I arrived.
He got out as I parked and came around to open my door. “Hi.”
“Hey.” I retrieved Aden’s laptop from under the passenger seat and got out.
He watched me like a hawk, clearly wanting to see for himself that I was recovering from getting nulled. Thanks to Malcolm, I had enough energy to get out of the car without having to use the door for support.
Sean leaned over the door to give me a kiss. I turned my head and his kiss landed on my cheek instead. “Thanks for meeting me,” I told him, handing him the laptop.
He took it, his brow furrowed as he looked at me.
“What?” I asked.
He shook his head and glanced at the small laptop. “Nothing. Any passwords?”
“His mom says he wasn’t allowed to have passwords, but…” I waggled my hand to indicate my skepticism.
He snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure there are some, but odds are I can get around or through them. I’ll call you right away if I find anything interesting. Where are you headed now?”
“I’m going to look for surveillance cameras between here and his house. Even if he wasn’t really heading to the library, I’m hoping he at least started walking in this direction before whatever happened, happened. If I’m lucky, someone’s got video that might help us.”
“Be careful.” He caught my hand in his, his eyes searching my face. “Are you all right? You don’t seem quite like yourself.”
“I’m worried about finding this kid.” The way he was squeezing my hand made my stomach hurt. I pulled free and got into the car. “I need to get going. I’ll check in later.” I reached to pull the door shut.
He held it open. “Alice, if there was a problem between us, you’d tell me, right?”
“There’s no problem,” I said, exasperated. “The only thing I’m worried about right now is finding Aden.”
“Okay.” He let go of the door. “Keep me posted.”
“I will. Good luck with the laptop.” I shut my door. Sean stepped back as I shifted into reverse and backed out of the parking spot.
I waited for an opening and pulled into traffic. When I checked my rearview mirror, he was still standing next to the SUV, watching as I drove away.
4
It was a little over four blocks from Jana and Aden’s home to the branch library. I parked in front of their little cottage-style house and got out.
Jana’s gray SUV was in the driveway. I spotted her at the front window, peering through the curtain. She waved. I waved back, then gestured at myself and pointed down the street to indicate I was going to walk Aden’s route to the library.
She nodded and settled back in to wait for her son. At the sight of her keeping a vigil in the window, it felt as if the weight of responsibility on my shoulders doubled.
Malcolm went invisible in case we encountered anyone who was sensitive to the presence of ghosts, but I sensed him nearby as I studied the house and its surroundings. This area was quiet, but at the corner I saw cars zooming past on a busy street. The library was down that street and around a corner.
I adjusted the strap of my messenger bag across my chest and started walking. Retracing a missing person’s steps let me see things as they saw them. I tried to put myself in a twelve-year-old kid’s shoes as I headed toward the busy cross street, past four houses very like Jana’s: small, brightly painted, and cheerful. None of them had visible exterior cameras, unfortunately, but I hadn’t expected them to.
When I reached the cross street, I paused to look around. The traffic was heavy, even on a Sunday. This street intersected about ten blocks north with an interstate, so many drivers used it to quickly get to the highway. That told me it was unlikely Aden had gotten snatched or picked up on this street; there was simply too much traffic. So either something happened before he got to this street, he’d taken some other route, or he’d headed off in another direction.
For the first block, one side of the street—the one Aden was likely to have walked down—was the side yards of the houses on the perpendicular streets. The other side of the street was an elementary school, closed for the summer. No cameras or anything else that might be helpful.
The same was true of the next block, though houses lined the opposite side of the street. Small shops filled the third block, however, and a busy convenience store occupied the corner where Aden would have turned left to go toward the library. Unfortunately, only one of the shops on this side of the street had exterior surveillance cameras. The antique shop’s windows were filled with clocks of every size, shape, and design imaginable. The sign above the door read Winchell Bros.
I tried the doorknob and found it locked, even though the OPEN sign was clearly visible in the window. I noticed a smaller, hand-printed sign on the door: Ring for Admittance.
I hit the button next to the sign. Inside the shop, a loud buzzer sounded. When several seconds went by without anything happening, I peered through the window.<
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Finally, another buzzer sounded and the lock clicked. I turned the knob and stepped inside the shop.
My first impression was of utter chaos. Antiques ranging from washing bowls to kettles and oil lamps took up every square inch of space. On closer inspection, I saw not one speck of dust on any of the items or tables.
The shop would probably have been a collector’s dream, but the crowded tables and narrow aisles were something of a minefield for a mage. I sensed magic of all sorts: earth, air, fire, and water. Even blood magic tugged on my senses from somewhere in the shop. I kept my hands to myself and avoided brushing against anything. I knew very well magical objects did unexpected things when they came into contact with supes and mages.
“Hello!” A cheerful male voice called out to me. “Come in, come in!”
“Hi,” I called back as I followed the voice to a long glass counter at the back of the shop. Behind it sat a short, elderly man on a tall chair, wearing a white shirt with his sleeves rolled up. “What a beautiful store,” I told him sincerely.
“Thank you.” He rose to shake my hand. “I’m Benjamin Winchell, the owner. What are you looking for today?”
I produced one of my business cards and handed it over. “My name is Alice. I’m a private investigator.”
“Well, my goodness.” Winchell reached for a pair of reading glasses hanging around his neck, put them on, and read the card. He looked at me over the top of the glasses. “May I see your license, please?”
I showed him my mage private investigator’s license. He studied it and gave me a nod. “It seems you are who you say you are. Tell me,” he said, leaning forward. “Have I come into possession of hot merchandise? Evidence crucial to a case?” His voice dropped, though we appeared to be the only people in the shop. “A murder weapon?”