She nodded slowly. Seriously, she looked like a druggie coming down from a high.
I was really getting concerned, here. She had been at ground zero, after all. “Ma’am, have you been looked at by a healthcare professional?”
“Oh. Yes. They treated me and gave me a potion to take to purge…all that. They said it would take twenty-four hours before it all left my system.”
Ah. That would explain it. “But you’re clear to be out like this?”
“I don’t know. Probably not. But I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
No family, from the sound of it. And her friends were likely her neighbors. I saw the problem. “After we talk, I’ll help settle you into a hotel for the next week, okay?”
Her expression lifted a bit. “Oh. That would be nice. I could sleep.”
She so needed to sleep this off. I was perfectly good with this game plan.
“Yeah, you can. Let’s talk quick so you can do that. Now, right at this moment, we’ve got a team of people in the building trying to sort all of those grimoires. A royal mage, kingsmen, two magical examiners, and an expert on grimoires are all working in there. I don’t know how long it will take for them to get it cleared, but they’re working as fast as they can. Once they’re done, I’ll see about a remedial team going in after them and renovating the building so it’s back to normal.”
Her smile this time was genuine, and much happier. “Can you save my building, then? It’s not lost?”
“Ma’am, we’ll certainly try. Have you got insurance on the building?”
“I do. I’m not sure if it’ll cover this.”
“It’ll cover it,” I promised her firmly. “I will not let them finagle their way out of this. It might take some time, but you’ve got multiple experts trying to sort out this mess and make it safe for you to go home again.”
Tears burned in her eyes, and she gave a shaky nod. “I’m very grateful to them. When it first started, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.”
That was a good segue. I leapt on it. “When did it start? What was the first sign?”
“Well, I suppose in a way it first started about three months ago.” She paused and looked at me. “It’s probably been three months. I’d have to check my records. But that’s when that man came and asked to rent an apartment.”
I pulled my notebook out of my pocket, ready to jot things down. “What was his name?”
“Samuel…Samuel Laughlin.”
Not the name of our thief. Alias? Or a different person? “Can you describe him to me?”
“He’s soft-spoken, very polite. Not much taller than me, thin, with a charming smile. Human, with a sort of plain look to him, but not ugly.”
That helped but didn’t. “What’s his hair color? Skin color? Anything distinctive about him?”
“Brown hair…I think. His skin was a little tanned, but more on the pale side.” Her brow furrowed as she struggled to think. “I didn’t see anything different about him. He looked like a normal man.”
So nondescript that he didn’t really stick in the memory. Like our thief. Coincidence? Or was she having a hard time recalling because she was under the effects of a pretty serious magical cocktail right now? I’d definitely need to follow up and interview her again later, see if her story matched up.
“Okay, and this man, Laughlin, he came to you to rent an apartment three months ago. Did you see him often? Did he pay on time?”
“He always paid on time, once early by several days. I saw him perhaps two, three times a week, and at all hours of the day. He rarely stayed for long, as far as I could tell. And he was always bringing in a box, or a book, or something. And not taking much of anything back out. The first day he moved in, all I saw were bookcases coming up the stairs. I thought him a well-read gentleman and assumed that meant he’d be on the quieter side, not one to cause trouble. I was relieved.” She snorted in dark amusement. “More fool me.”
“Yeah…no way of predicting this kind of madness. Trust me. Okay, so you saw him, but he wasn’t doing anything to raise suspicions. So, what was your first clue something was going wrong?”
“It was the smell, I think.” She frowned down at her hands again. “The building started to get this humid, damp sort of smell. Like the air before a mother storm sweeps through. I was concerned, thought a pipe might be leaking somewhere, but I had a plumber in and he couldn’t see anything wrong. That was about three weeks ago. And then I noticed the roof on the side of the building was sagging badly. And I thought, oh no, it’s the roof. The roof’s letting water in. So, I called in a roofer, but he couldn’t come in until early this week.”
Of course, pros were busy, that made sense. “So, you didn’t suspect it was anything magical. What did the roofer say?”
“He said it was a problem but couldn’t figure out the source. He suggested I call in one of those reno-wizards.”
Ahh. Now, that was a good suggestion. I didn’t know any of them personally, but I’d come across the term before. Reno-wizards—formally known as renovation wizards—specialized in performing a scrying spell on buildings to determine issues. They could tell you if there were plumbing issues, dry rot, infestation, etc. all without needing to open up the walls.
“And you did?”
She nodded, upset again.
“I didn’t want to. They’re pricey, you know. But I’d already called in two other professionals, and they couldn’t tell me what the problem was. So, I thought, I’d better, as the building was becoming unsafe very quickly. People were telling me they felt ill. I couldn’t afford to lose my tenants, and I was feeling ill myself. Something was very wrong.
“After the roofer left, I found someone I thought could help. I called in a reno-wizard and she made room for me in her schedule, as she said it did sound problematic, and she could at least take a quick look and tell me who to call in to fix it. She came in early this morning, before business hours, and bless her for it. She didn’t even do any spells. Just took one look at the building and told me to get everyone out, now.”
I bet, to a reno-wizard especially, it would have been obvious at a glance.
“She was so panicked, so frantic, and I didn’t even think of disobeying her. I immediately cleared all my tenants out, and she demanded to know where the nearest phone was. I told her, the pharmacy lets people borrow theirs, and she went across the street and placed a call. I don’t know who she called, but not ten minutes later, I had a royal mage on my sidewalk, swearing like a sailor and putting a ward up over my building. I assume she called him.”
“There’s a hotline for reporting magical issues,” I explained patiently. “It’s rather new, about a year old, but if you see something that’s magically dangerous, you can call it in. I bet, because she’s a reno-wizard, that she was able to escalate the process, which is why you had a royal mage pop in like that. I’d very much like to talk to her. What’s her name?”
“Oh…it was Naomi. Naomi Maslin. I don’t think I paid her.”
“You won’t need to. We’ll pay her for her services.” I wrote that name down, with a note to pay the lady. “You absolutely did the right things, trying to sort this out, and I will make that clear to your insurance company. Now, one more question, and I’ll take you to a hotel. Do you have any information on file for Laughlin? Any references you took for him?”
“I, uh…” she struggled to think. “My application form has them jot down a person to contact in case of emergency.”
“That’s great. I’ll need that file. Is it alright if I take over your office for a bit and look through your files?”
“Yes, of course, whatever will help.”
“Good, thank you. Alright, let’s get you up and to a hotel.”
Johnna cleared her throat. “Detective, you’ve got enough on your plate already. Why don’t I get Miss Orton settled in a hotel?”
I was chomping at the bit to go and see how everyone was faring at the apartment building. So, I wasn�
�t inclined to turn down the offer.
“That’s kind of you, Captain, thanks. Just tell me which hotel you put her in, as I’ll have follow-up questions.”
“I’ll note it in the report for you,” she promised.
“Thanks.” I gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go. “I’ll be in touch shortly, Miss Orton. You sleep things off today. I’ll try and speak with you tomorrow.”
“Alright, Detective.” She gave me a spacey smile, a glazed look in her eyes. “Thank you.”
I gave both women a quick smile before extricating myself and slipping back out. When I reached the bullpen, I saw that most people had left, with only a few stragglers. Foster, Gerring, and Niamh were waiting outside, and they perked up as I exited the office.
“Oh, good, you guys caught up.” I joined them and gave a quick recap. “I just spoke with the landlady, got some info. A reno-wizard looked at the building this morning. She’s the one who reported the problem. I want someone to interview her and get what she saw all neatly written up. Also, she needs to be paid, and since she reported an issue to the Crown, it’ll be a government check. Her name is Naomi Maslin. Follow up with her, please.”
Foster gave me a sharp nod. “On it. What about you?”
“The person who is renting the apartment is named Samuel Laughlin, and there’s an application somewhere in that building that lists not only his info, but an emergency contact. I want to get that info and see if we can’t track this guy down.”
Foster asked the obvious question. “Is this the same thief? Searle Massimo? Since he’s collecting grimoires.”
“That is the million-crown question, isn’t it? I want an answer as much as you do. Miss Orton, the landlady, described him as a very nondescript man, which raises my suspicions. Let’s see if we can verify it, one way or the other. Meet me back at Denton Street when you finish interviewing Maslin.
“Niamh, Gerring, I want to play a hunch. Hit up the hospitals, see if anyone by the name of Samuel Laughlin or Searle Massimo was admitted. If he’s been in and out of his apartment, he’d have been hit with a strong dose of magic cocktail before anyone else. Surely he’s suffering from side effects.”
Gerring let out an ooh. “That’s a great idea. We’ll see if he’s gone to any of the hospitals.”
“Thanks. Disperse, and report in regularly.”
Gerring and Niamh gave a nod before they were out the door. I paused a moment to message Sherard, Colette, and Henri, figuring I needed to give them a head’s up. They might or might not want me in the building. Depends on how bad it was inside.
Coming your way.
My pad beeped with a message that Jamie was downstairs. I was heartily glad to take a break, and we all trooped down the three flights, weary beyond belief and absolutely famished.
My better half, bless every strand on her head, had grabbed us all lunch before coming to meet us. After using our magic for four straight hours, trying to mitigate the effects of the room, we were all drained and in need of refreshment.
Jamie had snagged a table from somewhere and spread our lunch out on top of it. Sandwiches, chips, cookies, glass bottles of water—it all looked splendid. I greeted her with a smile.
“Thank you, my dear.” Oh, dear, my voice sounded froggy. Was I that dehydrated?
She gave me a once-over, then did the same to the others. “Yeah, you guys could definitely use a break. Why don’t you sit in the cars, give your feet a rest?”
“Sounds like heaven,” Colette sighed.
We lined up at the table, selecting food to take with us to the cars. As we did so, Jamie asked the group in general, “How much is left?”
“Half the room,” Seaton answered, the exhaustion evident in his voice. “We had several volumes so volatile that we couldn’t just cram them into a bag. Jere and I were forced to stop and craft something stronger to hold them before we could trust them in one of his temporary holding boxes.”
Jere grunted sourly. “Even the Reaper’s Set wasn’t this bad. And they were in poor condition when I first laid hands on them. I think the problem children are the oldest of the collection—the ones that have been together longest. That’s why they’re bleeding into each other so badly.”
A guess that was probably not far off the mark. “I wish dearly we had found the Reaper’s Set up there.”
“I looked very carefully at every grimoire and didn’t see them. Unless they’re buried in a stack somewhere, I don’t think they’re up there. RM Seaton even threw out seeking spells, and they still didn’t show up in the flat, so I really don’t think they’re there. And I’m honestly rather glad, as I shudder to think of what they’d have done in that insanity.”
I grunted in agreement. He had a point there. Although, I still wished we’d managed to lay hands on those missing grimoires.
A problem for a different day. Certainly not today. I collected my sandwich, chips, two cookies—I had more than earned my sugar—and a bottle of water before heading to the passenger seat of my car.
I let Jamie catch up with the others as I ate. I did feel slightly better but not replenished. The magical drain of working in that apartment was not so easily restored. Between bagging up grimoires and maintaining my protection hex, I had very little magical power at this point. My magical core was smarting, in fact, from the constant drain over the past four hours. Really, all I wanted was a nap.
And a bath.
I, in fact, fantasized about the bath.
Oh, but nap. Nap sounded quite appealing as well.
“Henri. Henri?”
Someone’s calling me. I turned my head a little and smiled at her, this beautiful woman whom I loved, and who loved me. Why was she looking at me in concern, though?
“Is something wrong, my dear?”
“You are really out of it,” she informed me.
“Out of what?”
“I mean, honey, that you are at zombie stage. I think if I let you sit for five seconds, you’re going to fall asleep on me.”
I blinked at her, the thought crystallizing. “Oh. Can I have a nap, then?”
“You’re at that stage, huh?” Shaking her head, she turned and called, “Sherard! I think we better do an exchange of the guard. You guys are wiped.”
Seaton didn’t trot over (no one had the energy for that), but he did come to stand at her side, looking at me, the person slowly becoming fused with the car seat. He seemed ready to object until he saw me, then his lips pursed.
“You see?” Jamie responded as if he’d said something aloud. “And the others aren’t much better. You’re looking like you want a nap, for that matter.”
“Don’t bring up naps,” he whined at her. “Gods, I’d kill for one. But I am worried about Davenforth and Colette, especially. They’ve been pushing themselves to keep pace with us, and they just don’t have the magical power to do that. But…we’re halfway done.”
“Like I said, change of the guards,” she repeated patiently. “You guys are seriously done-in. You are all so tired at this point you’re likely to make mistakes. Let me call in Jules, yeah? And some of the other kingsmen. We’ll switch you guys out, let everyone here rest. I think that’s a better option than running you into magical exhaustion or making a serious mistake that blows the building up.”
I may have wanted a nap, but I was still awake enough to take in her point and agree with it. “Seaton, she speaks sense. I honestly don’t know if my legs will carry me back up those stairs.”
“Yes.” He sighed heavily. “My own are protesting just as loudly. I hate leaving matters half-finished. And Jules Felix couldn’t move fast even if a meteor was heading for him.”
“I’ll ride herd on him,” Jamie promised soothingly, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “Trust me, I’ll make sure people keep up a good clip and help out here. Why don’t you guys take all of these books to the station, yeah?”
“Station’s Evidence Locker doesn’t have room for all of this,” I protested.
Gibson spoke up from the vehicle behind me. “That should have enough room for this first round. And we can call in people to help us offload. Jere Mortimer’s truck, especially, as he’s got more grimoires than the rest of us in those staging boxes and we’ll need to take the boxes out entirely.”
Excellent. I did appreciate delegation in moments like this.
Jamie turned to see the people in both directions. “Then, do we have a game plan? Cool. I’ll call Jules. Gibs, you call some more kingsmen in.”
“Done,” he assured her.
Smart of her to call Jules Felix herself instead of having Seaton do it. Felix was far more likely to respond positively to the request if she was the one asking.
If we were moving, then I needed to switch to the driver’s side. It was too much effort to get out and walk around, so I slid over, grunting as I did so. I could hear Jamie speaking to Felix as I moved.
“Hey, Jules. I’m pulling you in for an emergency. No, I’m serious, it’s an actual emergency. How does a room full of unprotected grimoires leaking into each other sound to you?”
I couldn’t hear much of his response, but there was a high-pitched note, like a tea kettle going off.
“Yeah. Yeah, it’s that bad. We’ve already had one round of people in here trying to mitigate the damage and clear the apartment, and after four hours, they are exhausted. I need you to come in, now, and take over. No worries, Gibson is calling in other kingsmen to help, but trust me when I say, it’s taking an RM’s power to keep the building from caving in. That’s how bad this is looking. It’s on Denton Street, you know where that is? Yeah? Awesome, see you in a few.”
Of course Jules Felix came running when she called. I shook my head, amused but not surprised.
Jamie jogged over to the driver’s side, opening the door and leaning in a little. “What do I need to tell the people coming in, anything?”
“We’ve had to do repair work to the floor every thirty minutes,” I relayed to her, the memory of almost falling through the wood replaying in my head. “The floorboards are so fragile they’re either warping or breaking.”
Grimoires and Where to Find Them Page 18
