Page 42 of Half Dead

The chief eyed me suspiciously. “But you already know some of it.”

“Like I told you, the crows brought her a cufflink the other day. It’s possible that whoever killed her was unaware she’d already passed it along to me.”

“Hang on,” Leo said. “If Birdie had information, that’s unfinished business. Why wouldn’t she have stuck around in ghost form to tell you? She knows who you are, I assume.”

“Only Birdie can answer that, and as we’ve established, she isn’t here to explain.”

“Maybe she hasn’t separated from her body yet. Is that possible? Should we chase the ambulance?”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t work like that. Anyway, I think she was gone before I arrived.”

“I want to know why you’re tiptoeing around the identity of this undesirable,” the chief said. “It isn’t like I’d recognize the name. I’m not as knowledgeable as you when it comes to this stuff.”

“You’ll recognize this one.”

“Tell us,” Leo said. “Whether you take the lead or not, we still need to know what we’re up against.”

I rubbed my cheeks. “You won’t like the answer.”

“One of my people has been murdered, Lorelei,” the chief said. “I already don’t like the answer no matter who it is.”

I swallowed the lump that was still in my throat. “Lucifer.”

Chief Garcia started to cough, prompting Leo to pat her between the shoulder blades. She shook him off. “As in the devil?”

“That’s one name for him. He’s a demon from hell.”

Her gaze slid to the spot on the lawn where Birdie’s body had been. “Why would he want to silence an old, defenseless woman? What could she possibly have known about Lucifer that he deemed a threat?”

“That he’s on his way to Fairhaven,” Leo offered.

“Or worse,” I said. “That he’s already here.” If he’d been counting on a sneak attack, Birdie would’ve ruined the element of surprise.

“Who does he want to attack?” Leo asked. “You?”

“Kane.”

Leo tipped his head back, processing the answer. “Right, that makes sense. Two demons from hell. They probably butted horns back in the day.”

“Something like that,” I said.

The chief waved a hand at the charred house. “Well, this isn’t exactly subtle. If I was trying to avoid detection, I’m not sure I’d kill the witness and set fire to her home.”

“According to Kane, he has a flair for the dramatic.” After all, he’d declared himself the supreme ruler of hell at a time when the highest rank had been ‘prince.’

Chief Garcia typed a few notes on her phone. “Should we speak to Kane about this?”

“I’ll handle it.”

“If you’d like a word with me, I’m right here.”

The sound of his voice triggered a fresh flow of tears. I jumped to my feet to embrace him. “I’m so sorry, Kane.”

He held me tight. “How did you know to come? The smoke?”

“The crows found me. I’m sorry I didn’t call you. I’ve been trying to find the words…”

He pressed his cheek against mine. “You don’t need to explain. I understand.”

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