Page 27 of Sweaty Nights & Gator Bites

Dre frowned, tapping her fingers on the table. “But why target these places? What's the end goal? Just to get more power? I guess I don’t understand people who have to have more because I don’t get it.”

Adèle jumped onto the couch. “You have to crave more to understand the motivation to kill for it. Thankfully, none of you have that problem. Consider the magical residue left behind. It's unique, suggesting a ritual that draws power from these sites. Garrick might be trying to amplify his strength or open a gateway to something far worse.”

Dea made a humming noise. “And the victims... they were all involved in protecting the bayou. I was right. Garrick istargeting those who are connected to the land, those who would stand against him.”

“So, he's eliminating obstacles and using their deaths to fuel his magic. It's a dark, twisted cycle,” Phi added as she continued typing.

Kota's eyes narrowed as she examined the maps and reports. “So, we need to find a way to disrupt whatever he is doing. The easiest way to do that would be to see if there is a pattern that can help us predict his next move.”

I looked at the evidence again with this new sense of clarity. “Adèle mentioned something about the language in the tipster's message. There was a pattern there too, something we might have overlooked.”

“The phrasing was deliberate and pointed toward history.”Adèle's voice echoed in our minds.

Lia’s phone buzzed this time making us all look in her direction. “What is it?” I asked.

Lia pursed her lips and shook her head, “It’s Terrance. He wants us to go down to the new office. They just got the body back, and they have questions.”

“We should have gone right there,” Kota grumbled as we stood and headed for the door.

“Where would the fun be in that,” Lia teased her.

It wasn’t even three in the afternoon and I was exhausted already. We’d worked two full-time shifts since the night before. Dea and I were used to working the night shift and had been up sorting the balloon colors we would use for the arches we were planning for the family reunion. Every one of our stands would be used for this one given the space we planned to utilize. It wasn’t often that we had events set up on the patio, the lawn, and in the gazebo.

“You ready to go in, Dani?” Lia prodded as she looked at me in the backseat.

Holy crap, I hadn’t realized we were already there. I wasso busy thinking about balloons and lack of sleep. “Oh, yeah. I was thinking about balloon arches.”

Lia laughed, and we caught up with the others waiting for us at the entrance. The building looked like any of the others surrounding it in the warehouse district. It was set a block over from the trendy restaurants and hotels. There were three plastic chairs and a desk where a woman sat reading her cell phone when we entered. The secretary barely glanced up when the bell over the door chimed.

Terrance stuck his head out of an office down the hall. “In here,” he called out to us.

We stepped into the austere meeting room of the magical law enforcement headquarters in New Orleans. The fluorescent lights cast a harsh glare on the sterile, white walls. I noted the faint hum of magical wards buzzing in the background.

“Thanks for coming so fast,” Terrance began. “Given how much activity happens here, I got the approval to hire additional staff. That’s Inspector Harris. We wanted to discuss the recent string of murders in the bayou. We know there's a significant supernatural element involved that needs immediate attention, and I felt bad after the fact of putting it all on you six. I realized this might not be your area of expertise since you aren’t the targets of these attacks.”

I glanced at my sisters and each of us reflected the same caution. “We appreciate the offer, Terrance,” I began, choosing my words carefully. “But we’ve already invested a significant amount of time and resources into this investigation. We’ve gathered evidence and identified patterns that we’re actively working on.”

Inspector Harris leaned forward with sharp eyes. “What kind of patterns are we talking about...?” He was clearly addressing us and silently asking for an introduction.

“It’s Dani,” I answered his unasked question. “And that’s Dea, Lia, Dre, Kota, and Phi.”

Lia pulled out her notebook and began summarizing our findings. “We’ve identified symbols and magical residues at each crime scene that correspond with the grab for power. These rituals are designed to funnel magical power from the land. It seems as if each victim was strategically chosen and killed in places of power within the bayou. We aren’t sure if it is related to the old Voodoo temple or not. That’s on our list to investigate.”

Terrance nodded thoughtfully. “That matches some of the initial findings we’ve been hearing about. What else do you have?”

“We’ve also discovered that Melanie's murder wasn’t random," Dea added. “She was chosen for her connection to the bayou. She steadfastly fought to keep pollution out of the swamp.”

Harris raised an eyebrow. “There’s a correlation between toxins and depleting magic. Her death makes more sense now. Do you have any idea who is behind this?”

I exchanged a glance with Dre before answering. “We’ve encountered this entity before. It calls itself Garrick. He’s incredibly dangerous, and we believe he’s using these rituals to increase his power.”

Dre lifted her hands with her palms up. “We cannot provide information beyond that except to say we found other leads that suggest there is more than one involved.”

Kota nodded in agreement. “We’ve had a confrontation with Garrick. He’s not going to stop unless we find a way to neutralize him.”

Terrance sighed, rubbing his temples. “I see. This is more complex than I initially thought. Inspector Harris and I were prepared to take over the case, but it seems you’re already deeply involved.”

Harris crossed his arms, looking between us. “We can’t afford any more lives lost. Are you sure you can handle this on your own?”

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