Page 15 of Shapeshifter's Vengeance

I move to look over her shoulder. “What do they say?”

Ana scrolls through the notes, her eyes narrowing. “It looks like they were working on a powerful spell. Something to protect the town from dark forces.”

“That’s it,” I say, feeling a spark of hope. “Someone didn’t want them to complete the spell. It must have been a threat to whoever is behind this.”

Ana nods, her fingers flying over the keyboard. “We need to find out who knew about this spell and who would benefit from stopping it.”

We spend the next few hours digging through the notes and cross-referencing them with other files. It’s slow, painstaking work, but we’re making progress. The pieces are starting to come together.

But then, as the morning wears on, I feel my energy waning. I rub my eyes and lean back in my chair. “I’m exhausted, Ana. I need a break.”

Ana looks up, concern in her eyes. “You should rest, Evelyn. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard.”

“I can’t afford to rest,” I say, shaking my head. “Not until we find the truth.”

She reaches out and squeezes my hand. “We will, Evelyn. But you won’t be any good to Alexei or anyone else if you collapse.”

I sigh, knowing she’s right. “Okay. Maybe just a short nap.”

Ana helps me to the couch, and I lie down, the events of the past days swirling in my mind. As I drift off, I think about Alexei, locked away and waiting for me to clear his name. I won’t stop until I do. But for now, I need to rest.

I wake up a while later, the sun now fully up. Ana is still at the table, surrounded by papers. She looks up as I sit up, rubbing my eyes.

“Feel better?” she asks.

“Yeah,” I say, stretching. “Thanks. Any more progress?”

“A bit,” she replies, pushing a stack of papers towards me. “I’ve been looking into anyone who might have had a motive to stop the spell. There are a few names that keep popping up.”

I take the papers and start reading through them. “Good work. Let’s see if we can narrow it down.”

We spend the rest of the day going through the names, looking for any connections to the murders. It’s tedious work, but we’re making headway. Every now and then, I glance at my phone, wishing I could speed-dial Alexei like in the past and tell him all about the tough cases, but it’s impossible now. I push down the worry and focus on the task at hand.

As night falls again, we finally have a list of suspects. It’s not much, but it’s a start. I look at Ana, who’s slumped over the table, clearly exhausted.

“We’ve done good work,” I say, trying to sound hopeful. “We’ll follow up on these leads tomorrow.”

Ana nods, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. “Yeah. We’ll get there, Evelyn. We have to.”

I gather the papers and get ready to leave. “Get some rest, Ana. We’re going to need all our energy for this.”

She smiles faintly. “You too, Evelyn. Take care.”

As I drive home, the streets of Harmony Grove are quiet, the town unaware of the supernatural forces at play. I think about Alexei and the promise I made to the children. I won’t let them down. We’re getting closer, and I won’t stop until I find the truth.

I park outside my house and sit in the car for a moment, gathering my thoughts. The night is still, the stars shining brightly overhead. I take a deep breath and step out, ready to face another day. We will get to the bottom of this. For Alexei, for the coven, and for the town of Harmony Grove.

I arrive at the sheriff’s department early, hoping they have made significant progress in my absence. The team is already gathered, and the air is thick with tension.

“I’m sorry for my absence, I just needed to take the time off as all of this is overwhelming,” I say as I get to them, and murmurs of support fill the room. They understand the pressure of everything on me.

“Sheriff, we’ve got another lead,” Sam says, handing me a file. “Surveillance footage from a nearby street camera.”

I open the file and see grainy images of Alexei’s car driving away from the bar. My heart skips a beat when I notice Alexei in the passenger seat. The driver’s figure is indistinct and shadowed. Alexei doesn’t look lucid, slumped against the window.Boom!!This is big; it proves he was not alone going to the deserted house where the witches were found and that he was blacked out!

“Who’s driving?” I ask, flipping through the images.

“We can’t tell,” Sam admits, frustration in his voice. “The angle and shadows make it impossible to identify the driver.”

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