by T. G. Ayer
“I didn’t enter immediately. I was outside the door. To be honest, I was thinking of leaving. I’d begun to assume Marsden was having an affair and that whatever was happening in the room was something I didn’t want to see.” More lies, but Murdoch smiled at that then waved me on. “I probably would have left had I not seen the woman’s face. It was Stella Alvarez. She works for us at our house. And she was agitated. Which is why I stayed.”
“Did she see you?”
“No. Neither of them saw me. Not until the gun went off. I rushed inside and saw Stella on the floor. Marsden was standing over her. He wasn’t helping her or anything, and I assumed he’d shot her. I applied pressure to the wounds, but it was too late. Stella died within a few minutes. And that was when the gun dropped from her hand.”
“What was Marsden doing?”
“He’d been standing and watching, and going on about how Stella was unstable and that she’d shot herself. And with the gun dropping from her hand, I had to wonder if he’d been honest about it. But as soon as I picked it up, he moved toward me. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do, and I was shocked when he grabbed my gun hand. He pointed the gun at his chest and said I was going to go away forever. And then he pulled the trigger.”
“So he shot himself just so you would go to jail?”
I glanced up at Murdoch, but he didn’t appear incredulous. Just curious.
I nodded and drained my mug. I set it on the coffee table and said, “I don’t believe he wanted to kill himself. But we struggled. He was forcing me to pull the trigger and shoot him, and I was trying to pull the gun away from him. It was stupid, come to think of it. Either one of us could have had our heads blown off. But I wasn’t thinking straight. It was just so unbelievable that anyone would do such a thing.”
“What did you do then?” he urged.
I rolled my shoulders. “I tried to stop the bleeding, but I think he hit something vital because the blood was just gushing out of the wound. Both the back and the front.”
“So through and through,” Murdoch said as he nodded and wrote something down.
“Yeah, the front of his chest was a mess. It was too close I think. Probably what caused so much of the damage.” I sighed and pressed my fingers against my forehead.
“How long after that did Marsden’s men arrive?”
I let out a soft laugh. “Probably seconds. I was still putting pressure on the wounds when the two men arrived. I didn’t even know they were there until someone punched me in the head. I fell to the side, and of course, Marsden’s wound began to bleed again.”
“Did the two men do anything to help the victim?”
“Stavros was yelling, asking me what I’d done. He barely gave me a chance to respond. Punched me in the stomach and then in the face. He was so fast I was barely able to defend myself.”
“Were you armed at the time?”
I began to shake my head then stopped. “I had two knives, one in each of my boots.”
“Did they see the knives when they walked in?”
“No.”
“So when they walked in they saw an unarmed woman, stemming the bleeding wound of an injured man.”
I nodded. “He was prepared to hit me again. Would have had Justin not walked into the room.”
“And this was?”
“Justin Lake. He’s a friend of the family.”
“Any idea what he was doing with Stavros?”
I shook my head, deciding ignorance was better than conjecture. “No idea but I was damn glad he got there. He warned Stavros to stop, but the man was brutal. He kept punching me, threatened to shoot Justin who just said he wasn’t afraid of being shot. Then Stavros threatened to shoot me in the head.”
“And Lake was forced to watch.”
I nodded, swallowing at the memory, the stench of blood and feces and sweat filling my nose.
“And what happened next?”
I cleared my throat. “The ambulance arrived, and the two medics came up to tend to the wounded. They checked Stella, but she was already gone. The male paramedic attended to Marsden and the female, Donna, she came to attend to me. Stavros stopped her, but she was persistent. The cops arrived then, and Stavros was forced to step aside while she ascertained my condition.”
“Which was what?” asked Murdoch. “Could you describe your condition?”
“Fractured cheekbone, laceration to the scalp that needed six stitches, fractured arm, a broken rib and internal bleeding.”
Murdoch’s eyes widened as he stared at me.
“The paramedics’ report should confirm.”
He shook his head. “That’s ok. It’s not that I don’t believe you.” Then he took a deep breath. “I’m sure we already have the paramedics’ and the hospital’s reports filed. We’ll wade through the paperwork in a bit.”
I took a deep breath and sat back again, tilting my head left to right to crack the tightness. “I can’t think of anything else. Do you want to throw some questions at me?”
Murdoch sighed and closed his notebook. “No. I’m not getting into Walker Council territory. I don’t know how to explain those issues to the detectives, but I’m sure they are going to be asking some sensitive questions. I just don’t know how Trapper and his team are going to run this without endangering the supernatural community. They’re treading a very dangerous line here.”
I let out a long breath. “I’m not sure they even care anymore. To be honest, I have no idea what their agenda is.”
Murdoch grunted and then got to his feet, grabbing the pen and tablet as he straightened. “I meant what I said you know,” he said, pausing to look at me. “Witnesses and suspects accidentally disappear all the time. A mixup in paperwork could be arranged. All I’d need is a nod from you.”
I remained silent, a little nervous that this could be a way to trap me. But I trusted the chief and so I took his offer the way I believed he’d meant it. “I can’t see myself going that far. It’s an option, yes, but I want to see if Trapper and Wade will show their hand. They will slip up. I’m sure of it. We just need to be ready for them.”
Murdoch nodded. “Okay. That’s a smart choice. But the offer stands indefinitely. He paused for a moment then tapped the pen against the paper and scowled. “Have you spoken to Horner?”
I shook my head.
I hadn’t had time, and I hadn’t been sure what I was supposed to say to my handler. Sorry sir, can you bail me out, please? That was too pathetic.
“Past time you should, Kai. You need all the aces under your sleeve that you can get.”
Murdoch gave me a sad smile and then headed for the door. I rose and took the empty mugs to the sink, then washed and dried them.
I knew he was right, I wondered if the Walker Council already had too much of an advantage.
They were playing with a stacked hand, and I was all out of aces.
Chapter 31
After taking a few minutes to clear my head—and partaking of an order of a BLT and ginger beer sent to me by one of Murdoch’s team—I rang Horner, part of me hoping that he wouldn't answer. But, as expected, he picked up on the second ring.
“Agent Odel? I believe we need to talk.” Horner’s tone was ominous, and I paused as I wiped my mouth with a paper napkin and tossed the wrappings and bottle into the trashcan near the kitchen sink.
I wasn’t entirely sure how to answer him. Was he upset that I’d brought disrepute to the Elite? Or was he expressing his disapproval of the methods and actions of the Walker Council?
I cleared my throat and leaned against the kitchen counter, my fingers drumming the edge. “Yes, sir. There’s been a development.”
I had to remind myself that Horner’s knowledge of what had transpired yesterday might only be cursory. How much did the Supreme High Council know about the goings-on of each of the individual ruling councils? The organizational element had made sense when they’d attempted to create some form of governing order centuries ago.
Now, of
course, many of those councils no longer believed that they answered to the Supreme High Council. Which often caused mismanagement and ended in a lack of transparency among the various sub-councils. I couldn’t imagine that the Supreme High Council Representative to the Walker High Council had any true knowledge of the details of the plot against the alphas. They’d keep her in the dark for sure.
Horner’s tone was low and filled with concern as he replied, “I don’t believe this conversation is appropriate for a phone call, Agent Odel. I shall be right over, and we will talk in person.”
“Yes, sir.” I raised my eyebrows, a little surprised at his directness, and his need for a face-to-face. My fingers kept drumming, the pattern now losing its rhythm. I had to wonder if that meant an in-person dismissal. I shook my head. It didn’t really matter. What would happen would happen, and I’d have to deal with it either way.
I cleared my throat. “I’m at—”
“I know where you are, Agent Odel. I will see you in a few hours. Is that okay?”
My fingers paused in their tattoo, and I hesitated, still more than a little surprised. “Yes, sir. That’s fine,” I acknowledged.
“Oh, and Agent Odel?” came Horner’s voice.
“Yes, sir?”
“Be very careful what questions you answer. And how you answer them.” Not what I’d expected him to say. But then again, in the last two days, nothing had gone as expected so why would this conversation be any different?
I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that, but I had never intended to be too forthcoming in the first place. Even with Chief Murdoch, I hadn’t revealed Justin’s role in the disappearance of Stella’s gun.
“I will sir,” I said, relieved that he was coming. I didn’t need a minder, nor did I need someone to hold my hand. But with the absence of so many people whose shoulders I would have leaned on, I didn’t have much of a choice.
A year ago, it would have been Storm, marching into the police station to bail me out. But a lot could happen in a year.
I cut the call and took a deep calming breath. Even though Horner was coming to see me, I wasn’t about to sit here waiting for help. I had to come up with some kind of plan just in case.
I tapped my phone on my palm, pacing across the floor as I considered my options. Mel was one of them, but she hadn’t responded to my last text. Cassie and Nerina were options too. So was Tara but she was only ever going to be a Plan Z option.
Logan had only just woken up, and I was yet to speak to him since the whole ordeal began, what with the whole being beaten half to death and being set up for murder. It was odd that he hadn’t called. Even though Sienna had assured me that he would when she’d come to the hospital. I still felt a stab of hurt at his failure to call. Just to hear his voice would have brightened my mood.
Whatever Chloe had done had begun to fade, and my anxiety had spiked in the last few minutes. I needed to make a decision fast.
That decision was made for me when my phone buzzed to announce an incoming text. Cassie was checking in after my last message to her that I’d be happy to meet.
I responded by ringing her back immediately. “Hey.”
“Kai? Is everything okay?”
“Not exactly,” I said, my voice dry.
“You need me to come over?”
“Perhaps that would be a good idea.”
“I’ll be right over. Where are you?”
I smiled. “I’m at the Chicago PD. Ask for Chief Murdoch, and he’ll send you through. Or bring Nerina and you can avoid the paperwork at the front desk.”
“Paperwork? What’s going on?”
“I’ve been arrested on charges of double homicide with intent.”
“What the actual fuck.”
“You said it.”
“I’ll be right there.”
True to her word, Cassie arrived within five minutes, using Nerina’s steam of course. Both the women’s expressions were incredulous as they materialized inside the room where I’d been pacing the floor again.
Nothing to do, nowhere to go, nobody to talk to. One tended to want to pace.
“Hey, guys.”
“Don’t hey guys us,” Cassie snapped and stepped closer. “Are you okay? What the hell is all this about being arrested?”
I sighed and sank down onto the sofa, waving at the two of them to join me. Nerina was silent, having not even greeted me when they had arrived. Her eyes had an unusual caramel hue, and beneath her cloak, she wore a pair of torn jeans and low-heeled boots. Her usual gray on gray look seemed to have faded, and I made a mental note to ask her about it.
“Anjelo’s mother is dead. She shot herself yesterday.” The two women were silent, allowing me to continue without interruption. I gave them a detailed rundown of everything that had happened since I’d taken Logan’s bike to head into the city. When I described Marsden’s crazed attempts at shooting himself using my hand, Cassie got to her feet and began to pace.
Her white-blonde hair shone under the light, and she looked almost as though she wore a halo. I shook my head and smiled. “I’m fine. It’s just that what happens from now onward might be a problem.”
“I can’t believe you’re being so calm about all of this,” said Nerina, her eyes flashing.
I shrugged. “There isn’t much of a point in getting hysterical. I saw a woman kill herself and I couldn’t save her. A man tried to force me to shoot him in some crazy attempt to put me behind bars, but it backfired on him, and he ended up dead. People who are supposed to be looking out for our community are now focused on destroying me and are now charging me with double murder.”
“This is so very fucked up.”
Chapter 32
Nerina and I looked at Cassie. Her accent was so formal that even her swearing came off as elegant, but I didn’t comment on it. “Trapper and Wade are coming to interview me regarding what happened at the house.”
“You know what they are going to do right?” I nodded, but Cassie continued, ignoring the fact that I’d just confirmed I was well aware. “They’re going to try to trick you into saying something to incriminate yourself.”
“I know that, Cassie. What I need from you and Nerina is a safe backup plan just in case things go to shit.”
“And what would that be,” Nerina asked, her voice even as if she was forcing herself not to lose her shit.
I looked over at Cassie. “I want you to be me.”
“What?” asked Nerina.
Cassie, on the other hand, was beginning to smile rather widely. “I like your plan.”
“What is this plan?” Nerina asked, a little sharply now that we’d ignored her.
“I’m going to be Kai,” said Cassie. “It’s going to confuse the Walker Council people. Make them go a little batty when they think Kai isn’t here in custody where she should be.”
“And what is that going to achieve.”
“Not much other than shake the tree. People will get angry, lose their shit. People tend to say things when they are angry.”
I nodded. “Yeah. But I don’t want you to just run out of here and start being Kailin 2.0. What I need is a way to warn you so that you can be me when things get hairy and I have no other choice.”
“So how do we maintain contact with you to know when you need us. What if you don’t have a phone to call us?”
“Maybe we can get Mel to track me every hour? Just to be sure I’m okay?”
“Are you expecting to not be okay?” asked Mel as she materialized just inside the door.
I got to my feet and hurried over to her. “How did you know where I was?” I asked, giving her a hug.
“Chloe rang me and told me to get my ass over here if I knew what was good for me.” She made a face. “And I was about to call you to A, tell you I’m happy to help with your request, and B, to ask you for your help with something super urgent, but I see that that’s going to be a bit of a problem.” Mel laughed and glanced around me at the other two women in the room.
Nerina got to her feet. “Mel, good to see you,” she said giving the tracker a hug.
Cassie smiled and gave an awkward wave. “Been a while,” she said.
Mel smiled at the shapechanger and then glanced over at me. “What’s going on?”
“Kai needs a diversion if and when the time comes. She’s likely in huge danger, so we need to formulate a plan to keep an eye on her without phones or tracking devices.”
Mel nodded. “So tracking is our best option. I can do that. So when is this going down?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure. The Walker Council people are coming over to talk to me in an hour. After that, there will be an arraignment, and then a date will be set for the case. The thing is, I don’t trust them to not try something before that. Either to incriminate me further or to get rid of me completely.”
“Surely you don’t think—”
“They’ve already threatened to behead me for cohabiting with a human.”
The room fell silent for a few moments, then Cassie snorted. “Cohabiting? What century do these people live in? And what does it matter to them who you cohabit…cohabitate…ugh, whatever. Why should they care?”
“Because the Walker Council is on a cleansing mission. Interbreeding with non-walkers if you are an alpha is punishable by death.”
“This is bullshit. I feel like I’m living in the twilight zone.”
“The DarkWorld is the official Twilight Zone, Cassandra. This crap is worse.” Mel’s voice echoed around the room, and we all looked over at her. “So there is clearly no way to be sure when they will make their move.”
“What about when they move you after the arraignment?” asked Nerina. “Bail is unlikely so they’ll move you to a more secure holding facility. The nearest one is a thirty-minute drive south. And I believe that’s an all-female facility, so the likely place to send you.”
I nodded. “Most likely time for something to happen.”
“So Cassie is going to impersonate you, which will at least confuse the heck out of them. But surely we have a more concrete plan for you to get to safety?”
