Page 14 of The Vampire and the Case of the Baleful Banshee

Gunnar had already told me off for leaping to conclusions but I was learning that ignoring my gut was often to my detriment.

I saw the Sullivan women out and quickly searched the area where they’d been sitting before the next interviewee came in. They weren’t under arrest and I didn’t have a warrant to collect a hair sample, so if I could find a hair or two from them it might be helpful. I looked around: with two heads of long, loose hair, surely I’d find a few? I shed my long hair like crazy – it was everywhere.

Sure enough, I collected five long white hairs that I bagged, tagged and prepared for the lab. The chain of evidence was vulnerable; I’d been interviewing people all day and I hadn’t seen the hair fall from either Nora’s or Aoife’s head – but now there was something to compare the other hair to. Better than nothing.

I finished the rest of the interviews, but the two women remained my main suspects.

Gunnar strolled in from speaking to the council. ‘How did the protestors’ interviews go?’ he asked me. I filled him in about the hair and my potential suspects. ‘All banshees have white-blond hair like that,’ he explained.

Damn it. ‘I’ll ring Kostas and see if he’s friendly with any banshees. Even so, Fluffy definitely pointed to the Sullivans.’

‘It’s still not much to go on.’

I sighed. ‘I know. We’ll find more evidence.’

‘We’ll have to,’ he said firmly.

‘How did it go with the council?’

It was Gunnar’s turn to sigh. ‘Not great. Everyone is antsy and there were lots of accusations thrown around. A fair amount of blame was laid at Connor’s door for not doing more. Apparently the vampire on the watch shift was on his phone and Connor’s not pleased about that. Still, everyone’s on high alert now so our thief won’t find it so easy to steal another gemstone.’

I bit my lip. ‘Should we put some surveillance on Aoife and Nora?’

Gunnar shook his head. ‘What have I told you about assumptions? You can’t fixate on them as suspects until we have more to go on because it’ll close your mind to other possibilities. Besides, we don’t have the resources.’

‘We could draft in some shifters or vampires,’ I suggested. We often borrowed shifter or vamp bodies when we were stretched thin. Both groups had helped to watch the Nomo’s office around the clock when it had been holding a load of the dangerous fisheye drug.

‘No. If they learn we’re looking at the banshees there’ll be repercussions. The banshees already have a target painted on their back – vampires, especially, don’t like them.’

His lingering gaze told me he was wondering if my suspicions were due to my race. But I hadn’t known I wasn’t supposed to like the banshees, and I certainly didn’t plan on inheriting any problems with any of the supernatural factions. They’d have to piss me off themselves.

Gunnar continued, ‘If some factions learn that the banshees might be behind this…’ He trailed off. ‘Just keep your suspicions to yourself, okay?’

I bristled a little, but before things could get prickly Sidnee came in for her shift. Thank goodness: I was tired, cranky and ready for a cup of tea and some trashy TV.

The phone rang. Since Sidnee hadn’t even shucked off her coat, I answered. ‘There’s been an explosion!’ the caller started right away. ‘I’ve called the fire department already but you’d best come too.’

‘And you are?’

‘Henry Davenport. I’m a neighbour. I live opposite the house that exploded.’

‘Was the house occupied?’ I asked tightly. Please let it be empty…

‘Nah, it’s empty.’

Thank God. ‘You got the address?’ He gave me an address on the other side of town. ‘Thanks, we’re on our way.’

I guessed that cup of tea would have to wait.

Chapter 8

The heat from the fire was broiling but some part of me almost basked in it like a cat curling up and purring. The sensation was unsettling. The urge to add to the flames rose up and almost took me by surprise. I gulped down a breath and focused on the earth in front of me.

Gunnar looked at me with concern. ‘Okay?’

‘Sure,’ I lied, wrestling with the urge to burn shit down. ‘Totally fine.’

He didn’t look convinced but he turned back to the house that was on fire. The red light lit up the dawn sky. We’d arrived after the fire officers, but they were still battling the flames.

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