Witch Confidential

by Lily Harper Hart

  Rather than preen under the statement, Ofelia rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t owe me anything. I was doing the right thing.”

  “Yes, but you seemed to understand what the right thing was when the doctor didn’t. Why is that?”

  “Because I’ve seen it before.”

  “Uh-huh.” He waited for her to expand. When she didn’t, he prodded her. “I might’ve seen it before, too, although I can’t be sure. I need you to tell me what you suspect we’re dealing with so we have a jumping-off point.”

  “It’s a ghoul.”

  He blinked several times. “I don’t ... understand. Like a ghost?”

  “No. Ghosts and ghouls aren’t remotely the same thing. Ghouls have physical form. They come back from the dead — sort of like ghosts I guess but not really — and they feed on the living.”

  “So ... like zombies.”

  “Except they’re not mindless.”

  “I’m completely lost.” Sully rubbed his cheek. “What should I tell the uniforms to be on the lookout for?”

  “That’s just it,” Ofelia hedged. “You need to keep your officers away from this thing. We need to take it down.”

  “That’s all well and good. I still don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

  Ofelia let loose an exaggerated sigh. “Okay, basically ghouls are people who died but were reanimated. They’re not dead, like zombies. They’re not mindless. They can think, although their needs and mindsets have changed from when they were alive.”

  “I guess I’m following. How are ghouls created?”

  “It varies. Sometimes talismans are used. Sometimes ghouls create other ghouls, although not through bites or anything like zombies. It’s a pointed ritual that involves chants ... and blood ... and eating human flesh.”

  Sully made a face. “Thank you for putting that lovely picture in my head. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.”

  His squeamish reaction was enough to make Ofelia smile. “You asked.”

  “It was the yellow eyes that tipped you off, right? That’s how you knew what Bernie saw.”

  “It was the yellow eyes,” Ofelia confirmed. “That’s a telltale sign of a ghoul. It also explains another odd thing about our case.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “The length between kills. I think it’s entirely possible that we were dealing with a man before Katrina. Now we’re dealing with something more.”

  Sully tilted his head, considering. “You think our killer died and somehow someone brought him back as a ghoul.”

  “That makes the most sense to me. Killers don’t just change their ways because of a storm.”

  “I thought we agreed it was possible our killer moved. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced after Katrina. Some opted not to come back because the memories were too painful. Others simply couldn’t come back. It makes sense that our killer moved on to one of the evacuation locations. I have feelers out with various departments.”

  “It is possible,” Ofelia agreed. “I think it’s unlikely, though. Most serial killers prefer familiar stomping grounds. The original killer covered up what he was doing by hiding bodies in the walls. How are things going with the search of the other walls inside that space, by the way?”

  “We have a team going through today,” Sully replied. “If there are more bodies to be discovered, they’ll find them. Honestly, though, I think you would’ve found them already if they were there. You seemed to know exactly where to go that first night.”

  “Because they called to me in unison. If there’s only one stashed here or there, they might not be strong enough to make me listen. That doesn’t matter, though.” She shook her head in an effort to return to the here and now. “We need to find our killer from back then because I’m certain that somehow in the intervening years he became the monster we’re hunting now.”

  Sully studied her strong profile for a moment and then nodded. “Fine. I actually have a lead on that.”

  “You do?” Ofelia was hopeful. “What is it?”

  “The building was never zoned as a residential property. That doesn’t mean someone didn’t live there. In fact, one person did. A janitor.”

  Ofelia was officially intrigued. “What’s his name?”

  “Garth Johnson.”

  She probed her memory for a niggling of recognition as Sully lifted his phone to show off a mugshot and came up empty. “He has a record. What for?”

  “Sexual battery.”

  Her stomach shifted as discomfort rolled through her. “Oh. I ... huh.” Honestly, it made sense that the person they were looking for was a sexual deviant. All the victims had been female and instances of serial killings without a sexual component were rare. Still, the notion made her uneasy. “He lived in the building and worked as a janitor?”

  Sully read her unease and instinctively reached out to collect her hand. They weren’t technically dating yet — although they were both relieved it was officially coming — but he wanted to comfort her. In fact, that was an overwhelming desire he couldn’t shake. Instead, he opted to embrace it. If she had a problem, she would tell him. She wasn’t the type to hold her tongue. “He did. He wasn’t listed on the original files because I think they were paying him under the table. Basically I only found him on subsequent searches because I dug deep.”

  She mulled the information over. “Was he in the building until Katrina?”

  “Yes.”

  “And then what?”

  “Then he evacuated to Houston. As far as I can tell, he was there for six years and then fell off the map for a bit.”

  Ofelia pursed his lips. “Maybe that’s when he became a ghoul.”

  “Is it possible he was always a ghoul?”

  “I guess. Why?”

  “Because Bernie mentioned seeing a shadow back then, too. I think he was running from the same thing fifteen years ago.”

  “I forgot that part.” She rolled her neck. “Well, we need to find him. I should be able to tell relatively quickly if he’s the guy we’re looking for.”

  “He’s in the Lower Ninth Ward.”

  Ofelia grimaced. That could be a rough area. “How long has he been back?”

  “It’s hard to say. His name just popped up at a residence three months ago. So ... sometime before then.”

  “The timing is right.”

  “It is.”

  “So ... I guess this means we’re going out to the Lower Ninth Ward.”

  Sully hesitated. “I would prefer you stay here, where it’s safe. I think I’ll be able to tell if he’s a monster without your help.”

  Ofelia immediately started shaking her head. “You said we were in this together.”

  “I know but—”

  “No. You said.” She wagged a finger. “I’m going with you whether you like it or not. We’re a team.”

  Sully considered pushing things further but ultimately acquiesced. In truth, he preferred having her with him rather than running around the city poking her nose into danger when he wasn’t present to serve as backup. “Okay, but I’m in charge. If I tell you to do something, you do it.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Ofelia offered up a haphazard wave. “We’ll discuss that when we get there.”

  “No, we’ll discuss that now.”

  “I think later is better.”

  Sully bit back a curse and held her gaze. “You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?” He was more resigned than accusatory.

  “On the contrary, it’s going to be fun,” she reassured him, clapping him lightly on the shoulder. “Trust me.”

  THE HOUSE GARTH JOHNSON WAS staying in was relatively new construction, but it looked old. It was obvious whoever had been maintaining the house — perhaps Garth himself — wasn’t putting in maximum effort.

  Sully’s eyes were keen as he parked his car on the opposite side of the street. He glanced between curious faces as he moved to Ofelia’s side of the vehicle, sending pointed
looks toward those who sent his protective nature into overdrive, and put his hand to the small of her back to herd her as they crossed the street.

  “You don’t have to worry about me,” she reminded him, her gaze speculative. “I can take care of myself.”

  “I’m sure you can.” He finally risked holding her gaze rather than watching their backs. “I can’t help that I want to make sure you’re okay. Sue me.”

  His reaction was enough to make her smile. “I guess I’ll let it slide for today. Just for the record, though, I don’t need protection. I don’t like the whole ... alpha ... thing.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Well, I don’t like people I care about getting hurt. We’re going to have to come to a compromise on some of this stuff, because I don’t see either of us giving in.”

  “Maybe I’m not good at compromise.”

  “Maybe I’m not either, but I don’t see where we’re going to have a choice.”

  She sighed, the sound reminding Sully of a petulant teenager. “Fine. I guess I can learn to compromise.”

  “That’s all I ask.”

  Sully didn’t hesitate when knocking on the door. After three brisk raps, he sat back and waited for someone to answer. It took almost a full three minutes for it to happen, but when the door creaked open, he was rewarded with a view of the same face he saw in the mug shot he showed Ofelia earlier. There were more lines in the face now, but it was definitely the same man.

  “Can I help you?” His voice was ragged and raspy.

  “New Orleans Police.” Sully held up his badge for the man’s perusal, bracing himself should he try to run. The heat wasn’t yet overbearing, but he was in no mood to get sweaty during a chase. “We have questions about your former place of business.”

  “You’re going to have to be more specific than that,” Garth drawled. If he was bothered by the badge, he didn’t show it. “I’ve worked a lot of places.”

  “The old Windsor building, over on Conti.”

  Garth frowned. “That dump? Why do you care about that dump?”

  “Because we found a bunch of bodies there the other day and, from what I understand, you used to live there.”

  Garth’s already pale face drained of what little color was left. “I heard about that on the news. I guess I didn’t realize it was the same building.”

  “A building you used to live in,” Sully stressed. “We have a few questions.”

  For her part, Ofelia was busy staring at the man. In the harsh light of day, he looked a little rough around the edges. He was obviously hung over — and maybe coming down from a drug high or two — but he wasn’t a ghoul. He was a normal human.

  “He’s not our guy,” she said before Garth could respond. “We should look elsewhere.”

  Sully pinned her with a dark look. “Thank you, but ... I still have a few questions for him.”

  “Yeah, but he’s not our guy.” Ofelia was adamant. “He’s human.”

  Garth, who looked to be glacial on the uptake, slowly shifted his eyes from face to face. “Wait, did Crazy Willy put you guys up to this? If so, that’s freaking epic ... and beyond annoying. I’m totally going to kick his ass for this.”

  “I don’t know Crazy Willy,” Sully drawled, turning his full attention back to Garth. “We’re here on an official case. Six sets of bones were found in a wall in the building where you used to reside. A fresh body was found, too. As you can probably guess, I don’t particularly like dead bodies on my turf.”

  “I can see that.” Garth was solemn. “I didn’t kill anyone, though, so you should probably move on to whoever is next on your list.”

  Sully had to give the guy credit. He was bold. This was hardly his first time dealing with someone who thought he could manipulate police interest, though. “Oddly enough, you’re the only person on our list.”

  Garth balked. “That doesn’t seem like good police work to me ... especially because I didn’t do it.”

  “He didn’t,” Ofelia agreed, her eyes narrow as she read Garth’s surface thoughts. “He’s an idiot — and a drug addict — but not a killer. If you want to arrest him, he’s got meth stuffed in his underwear and an illegal gun hidden between the cushions of the couch. He’s not our ghoul, though.”

  Garth’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t have a gun. How dare you!”

  Sully had to hide his amusement at Ofelia’s bold pronouncements. “Maybe you should invite me in so I can take a look around. You know, just to prove that you’re right.”

  Garth worked his jaw. “I don’t think I can allow that,” he said after a beat. “It’s obvious you want to pin me for a crime I didn’t commit. My lawyer would say that only an idiot would invite you inside my house given those circumstances.”

  “Really?” Sully didn’t miss a beat. “Who is your lawyer? I would like to talk to him.”

  “I represent myself. I’m good at it, though, so don’t test me.” Garth shifted his eyes to Ofelia, who was steadily staring. “What is this chick’s deal? I don’t like her. Make her stop looking.” He moved to shove Ofelia away, but she easily swatted him back with a small burst of invisible magic.

  Despite the ease of her response, Sully found he was agitated at the thought of Garth putting his hands on the feisty witch. “Don’t touch her,” he warned, taking a menacing step forward.

  Garth was a big man — a good two inches taller and fifty pounds heavier than Sully — but he swallowed hard at the look of grim determination on the detective’s face. “I don’t want to touch her. Trust me when I say that. She’s being weird, though.”

  “I don’t care,” Sully shot back. “Don’t touch her. I’ll break your hand if you try again.”

  “That’s police brutality.”

  “I don’t care about that either.” Sully was firm. “I need information about that building. You’re the only one who resided under the roof. You have to understand that makes you a suspect. At least six girls died there fifteen years ago. You didn’t leave until Katrina forced you out. That makes you a suspect.”

  Garth rolled his eyes. “Oh, I hate cops. I mean ... I really hate you guys.” He was clearly at the end of his rope as he looked between Sully and Ofelia. “I swear I didn’t kill anyone. I might be a lowlife, but I’m not a killer. I don’t even know why you’re looking at me. What would I have to gain by killing people and leaving the bodies in my own home?”

  “Technically they weren’t in your unit,” Sully countered, something occurring to him. “From the information I’ve been able to glean, your unit was on the third floor. The bodies were on the second floor.”

  “In what room?” Garth challenged. “I mean ... there were a lot of businesses in there over the years. They never lasted long. Maybe if you tell me which room, I can help you narrow it down.”

  “I honestly don’t know which room. It’s hard to tell given the way things have fallen into disarray. It looks as if it was a lounge at some point maybe ... or an office with a kitchenette.”

  Garth’s forehead wrinkled. “Did it look like an apartment?”

  “Kind of, but other than your unit, there were no living quarters listed in that building.”

  “That’s not true. Windsor had an apartment in that building.”

  Sully stilled, taken aback. “Robert Windsor?”

  “I don’t know. It was the older Windsor. I think his kids run the business now.”

  Sully slowly tracked his eyes to Ofelia. “Did you know he had an apartment in that building?”

  She shook her head. “No, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I was a kid at the time. I couldn’t have picked that guy out of a lineup. I’m not sure I ever met him. I mean ... I guess it’s possible if he knew my father and stopped in for a drink. I never had any specific interaction with him, though.”

  Sully tapped on his bottom lip as he absorbed the information. “What about your father? Will he know?”

  “We can ask. I honestly don’t understand why Windsor would have an a
partment in that building, though. He had a mansion to live in. Why keep an apartment there? Besides, he’s gone. He died. He’s not the person we’re looking for.”

  “Unless he is,” Sully countered. “You said it yourself. We’re looking for a ghoul.” He ignored the peculiar look Garth shot him. He wasn’t particularly worried about the man ratting him out to his superiors for talking about paranormal hijinks on the job. “Maybe he died and came back. Maybe the reason we didn’t hear about girls going missing around him is because he got sick or something.”

  “Maybe.” Ofelia wasn’t convinced. “What if it’s not him, though?”

  “Then we’ll keep looking. Right now, he’s our only lead. You say Garth isn’t our guy. He just handed us a man who might be our culprit. I say we have to look.”

  “I guess.” Ofelia rolled her neck and blew out a sigh. “How would Robert Windsor hide the fact that he was still alive, though? People would recognize his face.”

  “I don’t know. We’ll have to add that to our list of things we need answers to. For now, I think this is the only option we have.”

  She nodded, resigned. “Okay. I’m with you.”

  He flashed a genuine smile. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

  Thirteen

  They returned to Ofelia’s apartment for research purposes. Sully sat at the table and used her laptop to log in to the police database and start his search while Ofelia fed the kitten and paced.

  “You’re going to wear a groove into that floor,” Sully warned, his attention still on the computer. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking, huh?”

  Ofelia slowed her pace. “Maybe I’m not thinking anything. Have you ever considered that? Maybe my mind is a complete and total blank slate and I’ve ceased being able to think.”

  Amused, Sully slid his eyes to her. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s the case.”

  “You don’t know.”

  “I know enough. I think you’re gnawing on something potentially big, but you don’t know how to broach it. You’ll feel better if we talk it out.”