by Tina Folsom
Hamish stopped a block away from the house and turned off the engine. Several police and forensics vehicles were still parked outside, but it appeared that they were packing up. The coroner’s van had left already.
“We’ll wait here, until they’re gone,” Hamish said. “Shouldn’t be long now.”
Wesley sat in the passenger seat and turned sideways now, so he could look at all three Stealth Guardians. “So, I take it Anton Faldo is human?”
Hamish nodded. “Was human.”
“And an emissarius, a spy.”
“He worked for us, yes,” Hamish said.
“And he knew what you are?” Wes asked.
“Faldo did,” Hamish replied.
“But not all of them do,” Enya said. “There are some whom we’ve entrusted with our secrets, mainly because they’ve stumbled on them one way or another. Others know nothing about who we are or what we do. And we try to keep it that way.”
Wesley nodded. “A bit like how we operate at Scanguards then. There are humans who know about the vampires. But we also have people working for us in our human divisions who’re unaware of who they really work for.”
Hamish turned toward him. “So how many are there at Scanguards?”
“How many vampires?”
“Yeah.”
“In San Francisco there are quite a few, plus hybrids, humans, and of course, me, a witch. But we have offices in several major US cities, though San Francisco is our main hub. It used to be New York, but since Samson, the boss, lives in San Francisco with his family, things shifted.”
“Family?” Manus piped up from the back seat. “You mean he’s married or whatever the vampires call it?”
“Blood-bonded, yes, to a human actually. Three kids, all adults now.”
Manus exchanged a look with his two colleagues. “I thought vampires couldn’t procreate.”
“They can if they bond with a human. But even between two vampires it’s possible now. Long story, but—”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to tell us some other time,” Hamish interrupted and pointed through the windshield. “Faldo’s place is clear. We’d better get going.” He motioned to Enya and Manus. “I want you two to cloak yourselves and head for the house. Wesley and I will exit the car normally, and once I’m sure nobody is watching, I’ll make us invisible. We’ll meet you at the back of Faldo’s house.”
“Got it,” Manus said.
An instant later, both he and Enya were cloaked and ready to go. Wesley heard them shift in their seats. A few seconds later, there was silence. They’d left the car without opening the doors, simply passing through them.
“That’s a freaky skill.” Wes said. “’suppose that can’t be taught, can it?”
Hamish chuckled and shook his head. “Nope. It’s just for us. And it’s come in handy once or twice.”
“I bet more than once or twice.”
Hamish shrugged. “Let’s go. See that high hedge and that tree on the sidewalk? We’ll head that way and I’ll cloak us once we’re in between the hedge and the tree. It should give us enough cover.”
“Sounds good.”
They both exited the car. It was late afternoon and the sun stood low over the horizon, throwing long shadows over the neighborhood. Wes glanced around, trying to be as inconspicuous as he could. None of the neighbors seemed to be outside.
Everything worked just as Hamish had promised. Invisibly, they reached the back of Faldo’s house. The lush yard was large and private. Double doors led from the house out onto a large wooden deck. As they approached, Enya opened them from the inside and ushered them in.
The Colonial style house was decorated in a style that could only be described as mafia-chic: gold tassels on the heavy brocade curtains and all the furnishings, gold-rimmed mirrors, pictures, and coffee tables mixed with bold color choices and eighties-style opulence.
“Whoa. This is… uh… different.” Wes exchanged a look with the three guardians.
Manus shrugged. “Just because he worked for us doesn’t mean he had good taste.”
“What did this guy do for a living?” Wes asked and followed Hamish, who was heading toward the hallway.
“Something in construction.”
“Or waste management,” Enya added. “Who cares?”
Wes couldn’t help but wonder whether that was code for organized crime. “So he had enemies.”
“Everybody has enemies,” Hamish said, looking over his shoulder, then pointing to a door. “He was found in his study.” He ripped off the tape the police had put over the door and opened it.
Wes followed the others into the room. More mafia-chic décor. More gold tassels. And blood on the oriental rug. Perfect. Wes had been hoping there’d be blood. He needed it for his spell.
He knelt down next to the large spot where Faldo had bled out and opened his backpack, taking out a few crystals. When he looked up, he found the three guardians looking at him with wary expressions.
“I could use some help here. Somebody find a bathroom and bring me some Q-tips or cotton wool to soak up some of the blood. And find the spice rack in the kitchen. I need rosemary, thyme, and verbena. If there’s no verbena, lemongrass will do.”
“What are you doing, making tea?” Hamish asked.
“You wanted to know whether any demons were here, right? I don’t question your methods, you don’t question mine.”
After a moment, Hamish nodded. “Manus, bathroom. Enya, kitchen.”
“Somebody should check all windows and doors, too,” Wes said. “The police didn’t say anything about how the killer got in.”
While Manus and Enya were already leaving the study, Hamish seemed to hesitate.
Wes rolled his eyes. “You can leave me here on my own. It’s not like I’m gonna go anywhere.”
“Better not.” Hamish turned on his heel and disappeared into the hallway.
Meanwhile Wesley spread out a black cloth with a pentagram stitched in the middle with white thread. He weighed each point of the pentagram down with a crystal. By the time he was done, Manus was back.
“Here, found some cotton wool.”
Wes took it and dabbed the dark blood stain with it, soaking the white cotton wool full with Faldo’s blood. He did the same with a second and then a third cotton ball, then placed all three in the middle of the pentagram.
“We’re really hoping this isn’t a spell for conjuring demons,” Manus said dryly.
Wes smirked, though he knew that was impossible. “Very unlikely. But in case it is, I hope you’re all armed.”
Manus put his hand on the dagger sitting on his hip. “Always ready to kill me some demon.”
“Leave me some too,” Enya said, entering the study. She was carrying several small glass containers with herbs in them. “Didn’t find any verbena, but he had lemongrass.”
Wes nodded. “Great, put it all down here next to the cloth.”
One by one he took the containers and emptied a generous amount over the center of the pentagram, covering the bloody cotton balls. He had just completed his preparations when he heard footsteps in the hallway. A moment later, Hamish re-entered the study.
“That looks creepy,” Hamish said and pointed to the pentagram.
Wes shrugged. “Did you find out how the killer got in?”
Hamish shook his head. “No sign of forced entry.” He exchanged a look with his colleagues. “And as we know, demons aren’t exactly delicate when it comes to breaking in. They don’t care what they break. It’s possible that Faldo let his killer in, or he had a key.”
“Or the killer got in the way you guys do. By walking through the walls.” That comment earned him a scolding look from all three guardians. “Just saying. Anyway, we’ll figure it out shortly.” Wes rose and walked to the massive mahogany desk. It was in disarray, but he found what he was looking for: an ornamental cigarette lighter.
“What are you doing?” Enya asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
He wi
nked at her. “Part of the spell. It needs a little heat to reveal what I need to know.”
“Mmm.”
“Wanna maybe give us a small heads-up on what we’re about to see?” Hamish asked, tossing a circumspect look at the soon-to-be little bonfire.
The lighter in his hand, Wes crouched down again. “Once I light it and the various herbs mix with Faldo’s blood, there might be just a tiny little explosion.”
“An explosion?” Manus hissed. “How tiny?”
“Just a little poof. Nothing to worry about. But the color of the resulting smoke will determine what kind of creature killed Faldo. Preternatural or human.”
“We’re preternatural too. And so are you. So it only eliminates humans?” Hamish asked.
“Basically. But if it does show that a preternatural creature was involved in Faldo’s death, there’s a way to eliminate you guys, and my own kind as well.”
“How?” Enya asked.
“By adding DNA of your kind and of mine.”
Enya narrowed her eyes. “You mean you want our blood?”
“Spit will do.” Before she could say anything else, he continued, “If the smoke turns red, it means a preternatural was involved. If that’s the case, spit into the fire while it’s still burning. If it turns black, one of your kind is involved. If it remains red, I will spit and watch for the same reaction. If it still continues to burn red, then neither Stealth Guardians nor witches were involved in his death. That would leave the demons as the most likely culprits. Got that?” He looked at all three guardians.
They nodded.
“Let’s do it,” Hamish said.
“Stand back a little,” Wes cautioned and knelt before the pentagram. Then he concentrated on the small pile of herbs and bloody cotton balls and inhaled. He’d never done this particular spell before. It had better work, or he would look really dumb.
He lit the herbs with the ornate lighter and watched as the small flame consumed the kindling. So far, so good. The flame reflected in the crystals on the cloth. Then suddenly, and without warning, the flame shot up in the air, higher and larger than Wes had expected.
A few gasps sounded around him, but Wes didn’t take his eyes off the fire.
Something sizzled loudly, and the crystals seemed to hiss in response.
The flame touched the blood-soaked cotton balls, sending them shooting up in the air like little firecrackers. The crystals hissed, and smoke rose. White smoke. Pure white smoke.
Wesley relaxed and sat back on his heels, then lifted his eyes to the guardians. “No demon activity. In fact, no preternatural activity at all. The killer has to be human.”
Hamish cursed. “That’s not exactly what I expected. Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent.”
Hamish exchanged a look with Manus and Enya.
Manus grimaced. “Doesn’t mean the demons weren’t involved. What if they had a human do their dirty work?”
“It’s possible,” Hamish said slowly. “Let’s go through the house and see whether we can find any other clues. Figure out if anything seems to be missing.”
Wes collected his crystals and the cloth. The cloth with the pentagram hadn’t burned, because it had been protected by the crystals. He shoved everything back into his backpack.
He heard footsteps; the guardians were leaving the study to search the rest of the house.
When Wes placed the cigarette lighter back on the desk, he noticed an indentation on the leather mat on the desk. He rubbed over it with his palm.
“Paperweight,” he murmured to himself.
“What?” Enya said from behind him.
He pivoted. “There used to be a paperweight there on the desk. Heavy. Probably glass or metal, not sure.”
“So?”
“Considering the amount of blood on the carpet, Faldo could have been bludgeoned.”
“You think the killer used a paperweight?”
Wes nodded. “That’s why it’s not here. The police would have taken the suspected murder weapon with them as evidence.”
“Well, mystery solved,” Enya said and turned to the door.
“Tell me something, Enya,” Wes said calmly, “if you were planning to kill somebody, wouldn’t you bring your own murder weapon, rather than relying on finding a suitable one at your victim’s house?”
She turned back to him and contemplated his words. “Pretty smart for a witch. I’ll call Logan to listen in on the police detectives, once he’s checked out Faldo’s body in the morgue.”
Enya pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts, and Wes marched into the hallway to help the others with their investigation.
20
“Here. I’ve found the person who last spoke with Faldo.”
Virginia looked over Pearce’s shoulder. “Who was it?”
“Council member Cinead.”
A man she respected tremendously. A man beyond reproach. “What was discussed?”
A frown appeared on Pearce’s face. “That’s just it. There’s no note in the log. And Cinead knows better.”
Pearce pointed to an entry on the screen, and she read it. Apart from the time of the communication it said nothing. Only that Cinead had made a call to Faldo.
Pearce shrugged. “I mean, it’s possible that because of the attack on the compound the log hasn’t been updated yet.”
As much as Virginia wanted to believe that, she couldn’t. “He spoke to Faldo several days before that. Cinead would have had plenty of time to add his notes to the log.” She tapped Pearce on the shoulder. “Log out and let me log in. If he entered a confidential note, I should be able to see it with my security clearance.”
Pearce followed her instructions, then let her take his seat. A moment later, she looked at the same screen again. There was one short note. “Settle D,” she read.
“Do you know what that means?”
She looked at Pearce. “No. But I’m going to find out.” She jumped up. “By now all council members should be back in their private compounds. I’ll pay Cinead a visit.”
“You should take Aiden,” Pearce suggested. “I’ll call him back from his perimeter watch.”
“No,” she said. “I’m going alone. I don’t think Cinead will tell me what this is all about if I bring a guardian who isn’t even supposed to know about this confidential note.”
Pearce seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he said, “You’re the boss.”
“I’ll be back soon.” She marched out of the command center, a dagger in the sheath at her hip, another one hidden in her boot.
The members of the council still hadn’t been informed that she and Wesley were alive, and she knew that by visiting Cinead this fact wouldn’t stay a secret for much longer, but it was more important right now to get the truth from the elder council member.
Fifteen minutes later, Virginia entered Cinead’s private home on the foggy coast of Northern California, in a small town called Half Moon Bay. Upon her arrival, a guard ushered her into the library.
While she waited in the large room that was both warm and inviting, with a comfortable sitting area in front of a fireplace, and thousands of volumes of books, she reminded herself that she wasn’t an enforcer anymore. She needed to be careful how she handled Cinead. He was a fine man, a staunch defender of their laws, and he’d experienced much hardship in his life: losing his only son as an infant, and his beloved wife decades later. Virginia glanced at the paintings that graced the mantel, memories of a happier life.
At the sound of footsteps, she tore her gaze from the painting of Cinead’s infant son, and turned to greet her fellow council member.
“Virginia! You’re alive!” He rushed to her and embraced her for a short moment. “When the guard said it was you, I almost didn’t believe him.”
She nodded. “Wesley and I got out just before the compound blew. Much has happened since we—”
“Wesley? The witch? Where is he now?”
“A safe p
lace.” And she wasn’t going to reveal where.
Cinead cast her an assessing look. “I thought you went after him to kill him, because you believed that he was the one who led the demons to us.”
“I did, but then a demon attacked me when I went after him in the lead cell. The witch risked his own life to save mine. Stupidly, I might add.” Because jumping on the demon’s back, knowing how much stronger their enemy had been, had been foolish on Wesley’s part. Foolish—and brave. “I had a change of mind after that.” And that was all Cinead would get out of her when it came to the subject of Wesley.
“So now you believe that he’s innocent?”
“Of leading the demons to us, yes. And that’s why I came to see you. I’ve started an investigation into how the demons could have found the compound.”
“Alone?”
She shook her head. But she had no intention of telling him who was helping her. Not until she knew for certain that Cinead had no part in the demon’s scheme.
“But you’re not going to tell me who you’re working with, are you?”
“You were an enforcer once, too. You know the rules.”
“I do. That’s why I won’t press you. Now ask whatever you came here to ask me.”
“You contacted one of our emissarii several days ago, Anton Faldo. Why?”
Cinead suddenly stiffened visibly. “It’s of no importance, I assure you.”
“I respectfully disagree. Faldo is dead.”
Cinead’s breath hitched, and his eyes widened. It was a surprise to him. “Dead? How? When?”
“Killed in his home. He was found in a pool of blood. My people are currently investigating how he was killed and whether a demon was involved. So whatever you talked to Faldo about when you last saw him, I need to know. It could be important in solving his murder.”
“I had given him an assignment and decided at the last minute to withdraw it and take care of it myself. He wasn’t involved in any business for us in the last few days. So my dealings with him won’t help you solve this case.”
Virginia crossed her arms over her chest. “Let me be the judge of that. The confidential log said Settle D, and I don’t know what it means. You know as well as I do that as a council member I have the right to know what you were discussing with Faldo before his death. So you can either tell me now and, should it have nothing to do with Faldo’s death, it will remain between us, or I can drag you before the council for an inquiry. Your choice.”
