by Ann Denton
“There won’t be anything left.” Bennett eyes the extension ladder the firefighters are using to spray the top floor.
“If she had any protective runes up, they’ll show,” I retort.
“How do you know that?”
“A firebug told me.”
“What?”
“Just do it.” I tug his sleeve. “And we all need to get back to the station.” I watch a police car pull away with Luke inside. “It’s not fair to let them harass Luke for this.”
Bennett sighs. But he complies. I see him go over to the boys in blue and chat. I look up at Jacob. “You okay?”
Jacob shakes his head no. “But this isn’t why.”
He’s still upset about his suspicions about Saffron. And now it looks like we might never know if she was really involved or not. Did someone set the fire to get rid of evidence connected to Georgina’s murder? Since the cops never got a look inside it seems likely. But was it Saffron? Or someone she hired? It looked like a man on the fire escape. Who could have done this?
“Excuse me,” a bubbly voice makes me turn.
The news reporter nymph (who has readjusted her cleavage so it’s very prominent) winks at me. “I’m Jackie Hanna.” Her smile’s as bright as the fire. Unlike the fire, which is very real, it’s very very fake. Ugh. “I hear you were one of the first people to call in the fire.” How does she know this? Does the station have video spells on all the street corners?
“Just doing what anyone would.”
“I heard you spoke to that man who attempted a rescue.” She bats her eyelashes for the camera. Gag me with a spoon. Who could stand to watch this girl? I mean, the way stupid oozes off her … I bet she reads coloring books.
“Yes.” I smile at the camera but don’t give her anything else. Until a thought pops into my head. And suddenly, talking to stupid Jackie is so much more appealing. Georgina accused Saffron of spreading rumors about her to Channel Thirteen.
“Luke used to date a girl who lived in that apartment,” I lean in, as if I’m confiding something. She probably already knows all this, but it’ll make for decent T.V. “He was getting a box of his stuff. Her dad was still in the apartment when the fire broke out.”
“Oh my gosh!” Jackie gasps. “Did Luke get her father out?”
I shake my head. “He tried. But I don’t think so. A couple fireman ran in after he’d come out. They aren’t back yet.”
Her eyes glitter. I’ve just made her night. This story is now more than a house fire. It’s a search and rescue with an outcome still pending. In other words, news-worthy gold.
She turns to the camera. “You heard it first here, folks. There’s a man trapped inside that fire. Rescue workers are on the case. Only time will tell if this night ends in triumph or tragedy. We will keep you posted as this situation develops further. Jackie Hanna. Channel Thirteen.”
The camera’s light stops blinking.
Jackie turns to me and grabs my arm like we’re BFF. “Thanks so much!”
“No problem. It’s totally scary, what’s going on.” I communicate on her level. I hope it will make her feel like we’re bonding. Encourage her to share a little. Though gossip is basically her business.
Jacob is looking at me oddly, so I link arms with Jackie and turn away from him. “So, I heard that vampire whose apartment caught fire—Gina or something—was the one that was murdered.” I act like I didn’t know that in the first place.
Jackie nods, leaning in. “Yeah. Georgina Knight. Apparently, everybody’s freaked out about that. I mean, the last vamp murder in Tres Lunas was like three years ago. Or at least, the last reported one.”
I bat my eyes. “Scary, right? I mean who could do that?”
“I know. Vamps are so fast.”
“I heard though, that Georgina was accused of some nasty stuff before someone took her out.”
Jackie nods. “Yeah. We even had some old lady come by the station and accuse her of draining.”
I gasp. “No way.”
“Yup.”
“Is it true?”
“Well, the neighbors over there said they heard weird noises in her apartment. Yelling. Clanking. Banging. They complained to management.” She jerks her head to a couple of gremlins in the crowd. “But she bit it before we could really investig—a fireman is back! Hugh!” She drops my arm and waves her camera man forward. They plow through the crowd toward a fireman emerging from the building.
So, there was something strange going on at Georgina’s apartment. I add together the few facts I have uncovered. Cherry said Georgina stopped hosting parties a couple months ago. The neighbors heard weird noises. I mean, I guess her apartment could have been haunted. But that doesn’t explain the draining accusation. Was Georgina keeping humans locked up in her apartment, so she could suck the life out of them? Literally?
I stare up at the flames, which are dying. The firefighters are winning the battle. But any evidence probably burned up tonight.
Whatever was hidden in that apartment, it was clear someone didn’t want it discovered. Georgina was involved in something shady. And she obviously wasn’t working alone. The question is, what exactly was she involved in? Who with? And was that the reason she was killed?
All I have now are questions. I see Ben making his way back to Jacob and me. Hopefully, at the station, we’ll find some answers.
Chapter 15
Dawn’s creeping over the horizon when Ben drives us to the station and pulls into the parking garage. I’ve never been in a police vehicle (unless someone tossed me unconscious into one after the Georgina thing). Part of me feels like donning sunglasses and pretending to talk into the hand-held radio. “We’ve got a 6-9 in progress on Amor Avenue. Over.” The grown-up part of me resists, however, given the seriousness of the situation. Jacob and Ben don’t look down for jokes right now. They don’t have my giddy reaction to stress. When he parks, Ben turns to us.
“No talking. No interfering.” His eyes flash to me.
“What?” I cross my arms defensively. I’m not planning to interfere. Unless the police insist on arresting Luke. Which would be a mistake.
“Wait in the lobby while I get this settled. Then, I’ll ask to use a conference room and get your statements.”
We walk inside and Jacob and I get to sit next to a pimply teenage gnome who’s handcuffed to his seat.
“Careful,” an officer calls to us across the room. “That one has sticky fingers!”
The gnome sticks his tongue out at the officer and turns his back on us.
I sit and wait. And wait. My feet start tapping the floor of their own accord. So many unanswered questions.
Jacob’s phone rings. He answers and walks away. It’s clear he’s talking to Saffron. I hear the shriek when he tells her we’re at the police station. He walks outside, trying to calm her down.
The gnome next to me starts fumbling with something. I realize the bottle cap bracelet Ben gave me is gone.
“You could keep that, but it’s got a recording spell on it. I’ll hear everything you say,” I tell the little twerp.
“You dropped it.”
“You’re lying.”
“You’re lying.”
“Guess there’s one way for you to find out. Can’t wait to hear your next convo with your girlfriend. Play it for your parents.” I wink.
He drops the bottle cap like it’s covered in acid. I lean over and scoop it up. I stare at it a second. Right now, it’s only legal to use because I’ve consented to be Ben’s informant. But that assumes people will confess the crime to me. Unlikely. How could I record them without them talking directly to me?
Ben would say we need a search warrant to plant a spelled device. But he’s so by-the-book. What if my bracelet just happened to fall off? What if I really did drop it? Into someone’s purse? Or into a box? Say a box of things from Georgina’s apartment? What if it was an accident?
I stare at the bottle cap. I’m not sure my legal argument would h
old up in court. But if I could get us a lead … now a different dilemma plagues me.
Who do I try to record? Luke? Or Saffron?
Neither of them were the man on the fire escape. But both have strong motives for killing Georgina. And Luke was leaving with a box of things from her place tonight. That makes his story about breaking up months ago seem like a bunch of baloney. But Jacob heard Saffron ask to delay a search warrant. That’s gotta be worse, right? If the draining thing is true, a vamp’s more likely to be involved than a thunderbird. But if Georgina was doing something else …
I chew my lip, debating.
Jacob walks in the front door with Saffron just as Ben walks out from the back of the station with Luke. It’s now or never.
Saffron rushes over and gives me a hug. I see Jacob’s face behind her. The pain. The distrust. The decision is easy. I slip my bracelet discreetly into her large purse. Even if it’s inadmissible, Jacob needs the truth. I can’t let him go through life wondering if his wife was involved in a murder. Heck, I need the truth.
“I’m okay.” I tell Saffron. “We just saw a fire. We’re just witnesses this time. I’ll be back.”
I head over to Luke and Ben. I ask Ben for his car keys.
“You know my policy on giving you keys.”
“I need to give Luke his box of stuff.”
“I’ll come with you.”
I roll my eyes and follow the guys down to the parking garage.
Luke hangs back so I slow my steps to walk beside him.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah. Just can’t believe it. Did they get Mr. Knight out?”
“I dunno. Not before we left. Three firefighters went in. I saw one come out. But not sure.”
Bennett shoves a box into Luke’s hands. “Hawkins.”
“Do you know if Mr. Knight made it?” Luke turns to Ben.
“Hoping he didn’t?”
I smack Ben’s arm. I can’t help thinking his hostility toward Luke is misplaced. He glares at me. I glare right back.
Ben sighs. “Channel Thirteen’s already reporting it. Knight didn’t get out. They’ll have to send in a phoenix specialist to I.D. the ashes.” A phoenix can comb through the ashes to identify other creatures. Something to do with their ability to identify one another and prevent reincarnation mix-ups. (I think I read once about some debacle with mixed up ashes. The two phoenixes involved ended up with mismatched wings when they re-formed.)
Luke’s eyes tighten with grief at the thought of losing Mr. Knight. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He turns to me. “I was wondering if I could talk to you for a sec?”
“Sure.”
Ben’s eyes snap to each of us. “Two minutes. Then I need your statement, Lyon.” He stomps off.
“Yes, dad.” I call after him. I roll my eyes. “Sorry.”
“He’s not my biggest fan I take it.”
I shrug. “He thinks you’re dangerous. Plus, maybe I’m giving myself too much credit, but I think there’s a bit of sour grapes.”
Luke’s eyes widen. “Wait. Are you saying?” He swivels to look at Bennett’s back as the other man wrenches open the station door. “Is he the ex?”
“Yup.”
Luke laughs. “No wonder he hates me.”
“Well, not like he’s got a lot of reason to. Seeing as we only went on one date and there won’t be another.”
“What?”
I lean forward. Not because I want to stare deeply into his eyes or anything. Only because I want to make a point. “You lied to me about how long ago the break up was.”
“I—I know. I didn’t want you to think of yourself as a rebound. Because you’re not. You’re amazing. That was the best date of my entire life. All one hundred and nine years. Ever.”
“Do you even understand? You lied. Relationships are based on truth.”
“I came by your place with flowers. I was gonna tell you. I promise I was. And I wanted to talk you out of waiting.”
I’m stunned. This is the exact opposite of what Bennett told me. He said Luke looked like he was about to break in. Did Ben see those flowers? Did he know what Luke was actually up to? “When?”
“Last night. I paced the sidewalk. But then I told myself I was being stupid. That you were right and I should wait. I shouldn’t bug you with this whole case going on. I should respect your boundaries.”
“So what’d you do?”
Luke gives a little grin. “I told your neighbor ladies downstairs that I’d brought flowers for them. I told them I was buttering them up. Because they should expect to see a lot of me really soon.”
“Mrs. Snow?”
He shrugs. “I think that was one of them. They were kind of hard to understand. One of them kept putting a hand over her heart and saying something odd, like, ‘Oh my dragons!’ I think she might have been on something.”
I nod, recalling Bennett’s display on the balcony. “That’s probably Tabby.”
Luke reaches out his hand but stops short of touching me. “I know. I won’t touch you. But I wanted to tell you the truth.”
I nod. But I don’t reach for him. It’s hard not to give in. But right now, he’s right. I’m in the middle of this investigation. And he’s still one of my prime suspects. Until this is over, I’m not gonna be able to tell him the truth about everything either. “I appreciate you telling me the truth.”
He sighs. “Did I ruin my chances?”
“The flowers help. God, Mrs. Snow will probably bug me about you every day now.”
He grins. “I’ll be sure to keep sending her flowers then.”
“But you’re right. I need to get this murder case off my shoulders before I can think straight.”
“So this isn’t goodbye?”
“Not completely. Not yet.”
His smile is so bright it’s almost blinding. I have to tear myself away.
But it’s time to go make a statement to my ex. A couple statements. One on and one off the record.
Chapter 16
I smack open the door to the parking garage. It’s very satisfying to see Ben jump. “Spying?”
“Making sure you were safe. Where’s your bottle cap bracelet?”
I shrug. “It fell off.”
His eyes narrow. “It fell off?”
“Yup.”
“How convenient.”
“How convenient was it when you told me Luke was looking to rob my apartment?”
He blushes.
“Yeah. I didn’t know it was common practice for burglars to bring flowers to their victims. Is that how you knew?”
“Ly—listen.”
“No. You listen. You keep interfering in my life. I don’t know why. But it needs to stop—”
“I love you.” The words spill out of his mouth. I think it’s as much a shock to him as it is to me.
“Excuse me?”
Instead of the panic I expect to see, Bennett is calm. “This is not how I wanted to tell you.”
“I would hope not.” I’m sarcastic. But inside, I feel vulnerable. Like the hard shell I built around myself after our breakup is starting to crack. “I think that phrase is the last thing in the world I expected to hear from you. Especially since after I said it to you, we broke up.”
Bennett runs a hand over his face and glances down the hallway. I’m not sure if he’s looking to escape, like he did the time I accidentally let those words slip out, four months into our friendship-turned-relationship.
Too soon? Yeah, I admit it. It was a slip of the tongue, okay? Heat of the moment. But I did not expect to get so painfully blasted for it. That night, he literally flew out my window.
Now his feet don’t move. He takes a deep shuddering breath. “I’ve gone rogue.”
I gasp. Okay. So maybe that’s the last thing I expected to hear. Like ever. Momma’s boy is rogue? Rogue dragons break from their families. From the strict hierarchy created by centuries of hiding and escaping knights and saints and kings. Rogues live a
lone. They have more freedom. But they lose the protection of their clan.
At least, that’s what I’ve heard. Every magical creature clamps down hard on the actual rules and powers of their kind. Kind of unspoken law. Don’t tell and make yourself vulnerable.
So, seems like Bennett’s finally grown a pair and left the nest.
“That’s why you moved. But, why does that excuse you being creepy A.F.?”
“It doesn’t.”
“Right. It doesn’t. And you have no excuse for standing behind doors listening to my private conversations!” I shove at his chest.
“I don’t want you near him because he’s dangerous!”
“Right now the only person in danger is you. I’m so mad at you—” But my voice cracks. My eyes are filling with tears. Dammit. He’s broken through my self-control. How can he stand there so calm and shit! Asswipe. It’s not fair. You don’t get to say all that stuff and then not even fight!
“Ly …” his voice is soft, like he’s calming a wild animal. Which he kinda is. My heart is beating out of my chest right now.
He reaches for my hand. But I back away.
“I … need to think about this.”
“Yeah. Okay. Yeah.”
The hiss of static interrupts us. Bennett’s pocket is making noise.
“What’s that?” I have never been so glad of a distraction in my entire life.
Bennett pulls out a pair of ear buds. “I thought you said you’d lost the bracelet.”
I shrug and grab an ear bud out of his hand. “I did.” I stuff the ear bud into my ear without further explanation. Let him think it’s a coincidence. Right? Plausible deniability and all that?
Saffron’s voice drifts over my ear bud and I watch Ben stuff the mate into his ear. I hear crickets chirping in the background. Saffron must be outside.
“I wanted to let you know there’s been a fire at Georgina’s apartment.” A pause. She must be on the phone. “You didn’t have anything to do with it did you? … Swear to me.”
Bennett and I stare at one another. Who does Saffron think might have burned down Georgina’s place? Unless she knows who the killer is.
