Winter's Reckoning: (A Witch Detective Urban Fantasy Novel) (Seasons of Magic Book 4)

by Sarah Biglow

  “What did you find?” I blurted before the door could close behind me.

  She looked up at my entry and shook her head. “I don’t know why you get all the cases with the unexplainable evidence, but … just look.”

  She pointed to the screen of the computer behind her. I studied the swirl of a partial fingerprint. “It’s a partial print.”

  “On the bullet they took from Desmond,” she said. “I don’t know how I missed it before. I swear I examined it thoroughly and didn’t see it before. But then I just got this feeling that I should look again and there it was.”

  “You haven’t by chance run into a hipster chick with blonde hair, glasses and perpetually wearing headphones, have you? Or noted the smell of cinnamon somewhere it didn’t make sense?” I told Avery not to do anything illegal, but nudging the ME along sounded right up her alley.

  She wrinkled her nose. “What? No.” After a beat, she continued. “I found the print and ran it through the database, not expecting a hit honestly. I mean, it would mean whoever shot Desmond wasn’t wearing gloves when they loaded the gun. But then it found something.”

  I tried to temper my excitement. “Was you realizing you missed the partial print the weird thing, because I agree, you are usually way more thorough than that.”

  “I’m going to ignore that dig, because I kind of deserve it. No, the weird thing is it came up with a possible match. Except the match doesn’t make sense, because it belongs to a deceased victim from a past case of yours.”

  “What case?”

  She tapped a few keys and a photo of Adrian came up on the screen. “You’re right that doesn’t make sense, because he was very much dead … way before Desmond was shot.”

  “We confirmed it with dental records, because of the fire damage.”

  An uneasy thought occurred to me. “Are you sure it’s him and not a relative? I mean, both of his parents are still alive.” Could Belladonna have acted out from her own grief?

  “It is only a partial print so it’s possible the system got it wrong and it’s actually a familial match. That would be more plausible.”

  More plausible, yes, but it doesn’t explain why one of Adrian’s relatives would take out Desmond. Unless reason wasn’t driving them. “Thanks for this. I need to follow up on it.”

  “I hope you catch whoever did this. I hate not being able to really close out the case, you know?”

  More than you know.

  “I do. Thank you for this, Tricia. I really appreciate it.”

  I had one foot out the door when she spoke again. “Spearmint.”

  “What?” I turned back to look at her.

  “I don’t why you thought I smelled cinnamon, but it made me realize I think I remembered the scent of spearmint when I found the print. I was probably chewing gum and forgot or something.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  I managed to get back to the car before breaking down. The tears are hot against my cheeks as I rested my head against the steering wheel. I half expected Grandma to show up and tell me to stop being such a wuss, but no one came.

  “Des, I hate you right now, you know that?” I say to the empty interior of the car. “I don’t know what I did to make you so mad at me, but I’m trying to get answers. I want to put you to rest, because I know I can’t face this thing without knowing what really happened. And I know you want me to come to realizations on my own, but haven’t we found out that you keeping shit secret from me ends badly?”

  Despite the anger starting to tighten my throat, a sense of relief warred for dominance. He’s still out there in some form, guiding Tricia so she could point me in Adrian’s direction.

  Wiping my eyes with the back of my hand and taking a few sobering breaths, I pulled up Jacquie’s number on my speed dial. I was about to hit ‘Call’ when her name flashed across the screen.

  “I was just about to call you. We need to find Belladonna Montes.”

  “That’s going to have to wait. Dominic Janty and two other people are being rushed to the hospital in comas after an apparent suicide pact.”

  I arrived at the hospital and raced into the ER just as an ambulance came screaming in off the street. The driver climbed out, barreling to the back door and flinging it open.

  “Dominic Janty, fifty-six-year-old male, intubated in the field, suspected drug overdose,” the medic announced as his partner rolled the gurney out.

  “J.T.?” I blurt as my fiancé appeared, one hand pumping oxygen into Janty’s body.

  “Ez, what are you doing here?” He moved into the ER proper and I followed after him.

  “He’s a suspect,” I said vaguely.

  “Well, we’ve got two more coming in behind us. I’ll catch up with you later. And whatever this is, it better not interfere with our afternoon plans.”

  “Nothing is going to stop me from marrying you today,” I called as he disappeared with Janty.

  I ignored the bemused look from his partner and moved out of the flow of incoming traffic from the ambulance bay. Jacquie pulled me aside and we sat in a pair of chairs pressed up against a wall.

  “So, what do we know about what happened to Janty?” I pressed; my own news forgotten.

  “Just that it appeared he and two others ingested some sort of toxin.”

  I flashed back to when Lola Cox had tried to take her own life using her magic, turning it against herself. I’d managed to get some answers out of her before she flatlined, but I didn’t know if this was the same situation.

  “Why do we need to find Belladonna?” Jacquie’s voice drew me out of the memory.

  “Tricia found a partial print on the bullet that killed Desmond and it’s at least a familial match to Adrian.”

  “She told us two days ago she had nothing else in the way of evidence,” she hissed.

  I sighed. “It sounds like Desmond may have nudged her along or something. She mentioned smelling spearmint when she found the print. Maybe I’m reading into it too much, but it feels like he wants me to find the answer and not the easy way. Which, let’s be real, is kind of Des to a T.”

  “That does sound like him,” she agreed. “You don’t really think Belladonna had something to do with it, do you?”

  “I don’t know. It would make more sense than her son who’d already been dead three months to do it.”

  Before Jacquie could respond, J.T. appeared at the other end of the ER. He weaved through nurses and doctors making rounds on patients. He stopped when he was standing less than six inches from me.

  “They’re trying to get him stable, but it doesn’t look good.”

  The doors of the ambulance bay burst open and two more gurneys rolled through. I caught enough from the medics sharing information with the triage team to know it was our other two Order members.

  “Do you think they turned their own magic against themselves, like Lola did?” I whispered.

  “It’s possible. My nose isn’t as good as yours at picking up magic when it’s been used. But if you’re right and that’s what happened, why would they do that?’”

  “Because they made the decision to not feed the beast,” I muttered. “I need to know when he’s at least stable.”

  “You aren’t going to get anything from him,” J.T. said.

  “Not verbally, but there are other ways of communicating.”

  “He’s going to be in a coma, Ez. He’s not talking to you.”

  “I have had practice talking to people in comas,” I reminded him. If I just went in by myself this time, there was less of a chance I’d destabilize his grip on life quite as quickly as I had with Lola.

  “That’s too dangerous. Besides, aren’t you relieved there are three less Order members roaming around?’

  I didn’t want to argue with him. “While I’m happy there are less people luring kids to the Dark Side, that doesn’t stop the death monster that’s trying to rip apart the world. And Taggart all but confirmed that if it took Wickham’s magic like I think it did, it�
��s just getting stronger.”

  “You saw Taggart?” He demanded.

  “Didn’t I mention that?” He shook his head. Oops. “I had to know what he knew. Turns out, not as much as I hoped. The whole resurrecting the druids thing had been Wickham’s brainchild. Guess that backfired on him in a big way.”

  “I still don’t know how trying to talk to a coma patient is going to help you stop this thing,” Jacquie said.

  “I’m not sure it will, but I have to try. In the meantime, we try to track down our wayward mother. She and I are going to have a long chat.” Assuming I don’t get stuck in Janty’s head, if and when he kicks the bucket.

  “All of this saving the world better not get in the way of our very important date this afternoon,” J.T. said, pulling me to my feet and wrapping his arms around my waist.

  “I will be there. I swear.” Despite the fact we were standing in the middle of a busy hospital’s ER, I kissed him and held on tight.

  “If you two love birds are done, we’d better get going if you want to fit in all of these heroics before your vows,” Jacquie prompted.

  I pulled myself out of J.T.’s arms and followed Jacquie out of the hospital. Belladonna had fallen off the map since Desmond’s death. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t connect it sooner. I just had to hope I could still hunt her down before time ran out.

  Thirteen

  “So where do we start?” Jacquie followed me out of the hospital and toward my car.

  I hadn’t stopped to ask how she’d ended up here or who’d even notified her about Janty and the others before. “How did you find out that they’d all tried to commit suicide? We don’t have an active case with them …” She arched a dark brow at me as my brain filled in the rest. “But Molly does, and she gave you the head’s up.”

  “See, isn’t it better when branches of law enforcement can work cooperatively,” my partner replied.

  “I hope this hasn’t completely torpedoed her case.”

  “Sounded like there were more players involved than just Janty, so she’s got enough leverage to keep her case moving. But you really think they tried to take the coward’s way out rather than succumb to this monster they helped bring back?”

  “Honestly, I wouldn’t blame them if they did. This thing has been popping up in my head for months now and whenever it damn well wants. I can feel its power, even when it’s not physically near me. I won’t lie, it’s scared me enough that I’ve considered whether I’m the right person to face it.”

  “Come on, let’s go find Belladonna so your fiancé doesn’t murder me for keeping his bride-to-be from getting to the altar on time.”

  “It’s a clerk’s desk at City Hall, but the sentiment is appreciated.”

  “Speaking of finding our missing mother, any thoughts on how to do that?” She repeated.

  “Avery’s less pissed at me today … I think anyway. If anyone can track someone down, it’s her.”

  I checked the clock on the dashboard of my car as we made the trip out to Authority Headquarters. If we didn’t find Belladonna by noon, I’d have to put it off until the morning. I refused to let my friends and family down by missing my own wedding.

  Entering the building didn’t feel quite the same anymore, I’d been staying away, but even when I did come by, I half expected to see Desmond waiting for me. I shook off the wave of sadness as I left the meeting room behind, Jacquie right behind me and slipped into the tech hub. As I’d hoped, Avery sat there in front of the computers, fiddling with more photos of her and Desmond.

  “Hey,” I said and rapped my knuckles against the doorframe. Jacquie hung back, giving us privacy.

  She spun in the chair to face me. Unlike when I’d shown up with video footage of her husband’s murder, she looked less like she wanted to rip my head off. “Hey.”

  “I know I don’t have any right to ask you this, but I need you to find someone for me.”

  “That’s not really what I do,” she replied.

  “It’s a lead and I think … as weird as it sounds, Desmond sent it.”

  Her eyes widened behind her glasses and she slid the headphones off her neck. “What … How?”

  “I think he might have guided the medical examiner in finding some new evidence they’d missed before. It’s a little thin, but we need to find Belladonna.”

  “She fell off the grid after Desmond died. Like she just took off, abandoning her seat on the Council.”

  “I figured as much. But, if digging into family history showed me anything, it’s that she doesn’t have much family left. She may not be in the city anymore, but we still have to look. If Des is giving us this clue, we have to follow it as far as it will take us.”

  Avery pivoted the chair to face the monitors again. “Let me get some other guys I know on this. Don’t worry, we can trust them. How much of a time crunch are we working under?”

  “Well, I’d kind of like to put this to rest before I have to fulfill another prophecy in less than twenty-four hours.”

  “As soon as fucking possible. Understood.” I was about to leave her to her tech wizardry when she reached out and grabbed my hand. “I’m sorry … I sort of lost my shit on you before.”

  “You had every right to hate me for what I made you do.”

  “You were looking for help anywhere you could, and I just let my grief get in the way of that.”

  “Avery, really, it’s okay. We all miss him and what’s done is done. I have to believe this new evidence came to light, because it’s right up your alley.”

  She smiled, but it was merely a shadow of the ones I’d seen break out on her face when Des was alive. “You know, you’ve kind of got this whole hero thing down. Weirdly uplifting speeches and all.”

  “Thanks, I think.”

  In that moment, my phone blared with an obnoxiously sad tuba. J.T. had gotten hold of my phone, reverted to his stupid teenage-boy brain and messed with all my ringtones and alerts. I smiled in spite of myself and checked the message.

  I looked at Jacquie over my shoulder. “Guess we’re heading back to the hospital. They’ve stabilized Janty, but we won’t have long. J.T.’s managed to persuade one of the nurses in the ICU that he’s friends with to take a little longer on rounds.”

  “Go, be the hero.” Avery waved me out of the room. As I descended the steps out of the building, I couldn’t help, but wonder if this was one of the last times, I’d see this place.

  Walking back through the ER doors gave me a weird sense of déjà vu. I scanned the people waiting to be seen lining the hall we’d waited in earlier until I spotted J.T. He waved us toward a set of stairs and only once we were there did he speak.

  “Carlotta is a friend from a long time ago. She doesn’t know about magic per se, but she’s sympathetic. Also, when I impressed on her that my police detective fiancée needed a little help, she jumped at the chance. He’s upstairs on the second floor.”

  “I remember the way,” I replied and led the way up.

  The last time I’d made a similar trek, it had been in the middle of the night with Molly and I cloaked in Kayla’s Whisperer invisibility. What I wouldn’t have given to have some of that now. I didn’t need people wondering why the police were going into his room. After all, Janty probably didn’t know he was in the FBI’s crosshairs.

  I nudged open the door after getting a hit from the hand sanitizer outside—a girl couldn’t be too careful—and stepped inside, leaving Jacquie to stand watch. I was about to address the unconscious man when I heard the squeak of shoes on the linoleum. I spun, hand moving on instinct to my gun, and my magic bubbled to the surface, ready to strike when Molly stepped out of the bathroom.

  “Jeez, you nearly got yourself shot,” I huffed.

  “I figured you’d be showing up sooner or later to question him. He doesn’t have any family to notify so no one was suspicious that I’ve been waiting.” She glanced at the man in the bed. “I don’t know that he’s in much of a state to talk like this though.�
��

  “Same deal as with Lola,” I said.

  “You think you can try not to make him have a heart attack or whatever happened to her?”

  “Can’t make any promises. You have anything you want me to ask him about that might help your case? I figure turnabout’s fair play.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but I think I’ve gotten all I can out of him. I’m guessing you don’t want any passengers along for this ride.”

  “That would be correct.” I glanced toward the chart hanging off the foot of the bed.

  “He and the others have the medical staff baffled. No evidence of a toxin in their body, but they clearly all fell into comas at the same time.”

  “Definitely sounds like the Order’s go-to move to keep their people quiet.”

  “Don’t take too long, Ezri.” She gave me a pat on the shoulder before stepping out of the room.

  I could hear her exchanging pleasantries with Jacquie as I slid off my jacket and laid it across the back of the solitary chair in the corner. I unhooked my gun and set that in the chair as well. I didn’t need him having some weird involuntary spasm, getting his hands on my weapon and getting off a shot.

  Perching on the side of the bed, I took in his appearance. He’d been assured of himself at the bar only a few hours ago. Now, he looked frail, pallid and almost lifeless. The pillows and blankets appeared to have a brighter glow to them than he did. The machines beeped in steady rhythm, keeping him alive, even if his mind was already gone.

  “Let’s hope you’re still in there,” I whispered and took his hand.

  I poured my own magic into his hand, letting it connect us. The beeping of the machines dimmed to my hearing and my vision tunneled so all I could see was him. It wasn’t as jarring this time as it had been with Lola. I tried to file that away for later contemplation as the hospital room faded away, replaced by a dim grey void. Janty stood at the center of it and he looked … relieved to see me?