Page 60 of Tooth and Nail

“Acosta and St. Clair went to the site of the homebuilder’s murder to see the grave and talk to his workers. We later learned that when they got there, they were attacked. We’re still not sure what happened but from details we gathered, Wick was knocked unconscious, much like I was when I was attacked but Acosta was killed. He was clawed and bitten. I guess the rivals I’ve been talking about bit through his carotid artery, and he bled out before Wick woke up to lend him any assistance.”

“Maybe that’s why Wick freaked out in Ralphie’s albat cave. Do you think?”

“It’s possible. Believe me, Priest has thought about it. I have no doubt he’ll be dealing with some kind of long-term desk duty and serious counseling…that is, if he even stays with the I.S.R. units.”

“Okay, so finish your story, Eoghan. I need to know what happened.”

“Sorry, it’s really easy to get sidetracked when I talk with you.”

“I really like it,” Ari said.

Eoghan turned to look at him and immediately recognized the sincere expression on his face. His eyes twinkled. If he hadn’t been driving, he would have circled the man’s neck with his hand and pulled him in tightly for a kiss.I’m really falling for this man.

“For what it’s worth, I like talking to you too, Ari.” He reached over and took his hand, and reluctantly turned his attention back to the road.

“So, after we split up, and Acosta and Wick went to the scene of the homebuilder’s murder, we met with Oberon and Titania at a nearby deli. We’d read up on the space fairies in Tony Alvarez’s account of his meetings with them. Gladys taught me to never go into a meeting with any paranormal or alien without doing my homework and believe me, reading everything we could about them was the very least we could do. Because no one in the office other than Alvarez had ever talked to these people, we had to rely on his accounts.”

“Don’t tell me he walked into a cloud of space fairie come?” Ari asked.

When Eoghan shot him a glance, he was grinning. “Should I be sorry I ever told you that?” He stared at his partner’s dancing eyes for a moment before turning his attention back to the road. He told himself he shouldn’t like working beside this man to whom he was so attracted, but he couldn’t help it. He hadn’t had a partner he could feel himself with since Gladys died.

“Sorry,” Ari said, interrupting his thoughts. “We’re dealing with a serious topic. Please…go on.”

Eoghan cleared his throat. “Alvarez went to their house which is located in the middle of a housing tract in suburbia. In his report, he didn’t mention anything about fairie come but he did say they were a very different kind of couple. Oberon was kind of a dick, a very unfriendly type who behaved verysubservient to Titania. He mentioned that she clearly wore the pants in the family. It was Alvarez’s report that led us to believe they’re a matriarchal society.”

“Females wear the pants in a lot of cultures, even in our own culture at times, in certain situations. That’s not so odd.”

“No, but Alvarez said that Titania behaved as though the loss of one of her triplets was something she simply didn’t want to deal with. But it wasn’t in any sort of emotional way. She didn’t seem distressed or out of her mind with worry. In fact, Alvarez said she didn’t behave like she even cared about Miranda. She just wanted her loss dealt with in an expedient manner.”

“So, she was cold?” Ari asked.

Eoghan nodded. “Yeah, that’s what Alvarez said. She was cold and indifferent. She just wanted the whole matter to go away quickly.”

“It sounds like she either didn’t like Miranda or that she wasn’t grieving her loss.”

“Yes.”

“She didn’t have human emotions, Eoghan,” Ari said. “Most parents would be insane, scared shitless over a missing child. But she didn’t behave as a human would and that was strange to Alvarez. If it were me investigating, I’d look hard at that mother’s involvement in the child’s disappearance. Then again, Alvarez wasn’t investigating the loss of a human child and he wasn’t dealing with a human mother. He was dealing with something he’d never seen before and their difference from human emotions wasn’t something he could understand. His confusion is probably what saved his life because he didn’t suspect her, which she would have read in the way he questioned her.”

“That’s a very astute observation.”

“At least I know what I’ve got to look forward to.”

Eoghan smiled. “You’re right.” He took a deep breath. “Anyway, back to Gladys.”

“Back to Gladys.”

“When Titania and Oberon walked into the deli, I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t this posh looking couple who wore finely tailored clothing and shoes. Titania’s purse was Chanel and I’m absolutely certain it wasn’t a knock off. She had diamonds in her ears, on her fingers, and around her neck. The woman looked rich and loaded. Oberon wore a bespoke suit and a Rolex watch. From head to toe, the couple exuded luxury and wealth. Oh, and they drove up in a very expensive Mercedes.”

“So, what happened when they sat down with you?” Ari asked.

“We decided that Gladys would be the one who talked. It would make her seem in charge, which was true anyway. Even though I’d been with the I.S.R. for two years at that point, she would always be my training officer. I had no problem letting her take the lead in this, especially considering the whole cultural disparity which exists between men and women in their culture. Gladys introduced us and explained what had happened with the builder. She was completely honest with them when she told them that they’d found three fingered prints at the scene and that they’d been compared to the ones we already had on file.”

“How could Tony Alvarez have taken those prints when they were in human form?” Ari asked.

“Actually, he lifted them from their car doors after they’d parted that night. He went back in the wee hours of the morning when they were asleep.”

Eoghan looked over at Ari who was quiet. “What?”

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