Page 100 of Sigils & Spells

“But she can talk to the dead, right?”

“Yes, if the person hasn’t passed into the next realm and if they aren’t in death shock, she can talk to them. Why?”

“I can’t feel Jonah.” He scraped his fingers through his hair, shoving it back. “There’s no magical spark. No pull. I’ve lost my connection to him. His parents want to know if he’s dead. Can she tell them?”

“It depends.” I held up a hand at his grunt of exasperation. “She’s told me spirits do one of three things if they don’t move on. They either stick close to their body or to the place where they died, or they attach themselves to a loved one. If he is dead …” A deep sadness pierced me at the thought of Jonah’s death. I looked up at the sky, blinking back a sheen of tears. I took a moment to collect myself then said, “If he’s dead he might cling to one of his parents.”

“Do you think she’d meet with the Budneys?”

“Possibly.” I swiped at my eyes. “I’ll give you her number and you can ask her.”

“Thank you.” A fleeting smile curved his lips.

I rummaged through my purse until I found my cell, then opened my favorites contact list. “Here.” I turned the screen to Aidan.

“Read it off to me, please.”

After he read the number back to confirm it, I said, “I’ll text and give her a heads up.”

“I appreciate that.” He slid his phone into the inner pocket of his suit coat.

“Can you tell me anything? Was there anything else in the room? I know there weren’t cameras on site, but did anyone else’s security feed catch the man with the suitcase?”

“Go home, Marin.” His expression shuttered into a no-nonsense cop demeanor. “Or go back to Besoins. I appreciate you’re upset. But is it for Jonah and Raven? Or for yourself? If you really want to help, you can do that best by staying out of police business.”

Stunned by the verbal slap I stared at him. Yes, I was worried about my business. Was that a crime? I also wanted to help—both to locate Jonah and find justice for Raven and Clancy. The two things weren’t mutually exclusive. At least not in my mind.

I squared my shoulders, plastered on my best the-customer-is-always-right grin, and managed a civil, “All right.”

Detective Kelley headed back to the Mission. I genuinely hoped the Director could shed some light on his cases.

The “don’t walk” signal flashed in warning. I crossed against the light.

CHAPTER6

I walkedinto Besoins still fuming over my conversation with Detective Kelley. It took a moment for my brain to process the strange tableau before me. My father stood between a blond-haired man, wearing a knee-length black frock coat, embroidered vest, and charcoal gray trousers, and Scarlett, who’d gone with a silver theme today for her hair and clothing. I tried to puzzle out why my father was here when he should be at the University. And why was Scarlett here? She wasn’t scheduled to work today. The employees whoshouldbe here, Priya and Stella, were nowhere in sight.

Movie star handsome, the Victorian-garbed stranger had wavy blond hair that brushed his shoulders. He canted his head, politely listening as Dad chatted with Scarlett. As I approached the group I realized Scarlett wasn’t talking. She looked like a freaked-out cat pinned down by hungry wolves. What on earth—?

Dad caught sight of me. “There you are.” He waved me over. “I want to introduce you to my esteemed colleague, Franz.”

Colleague? A sense of foreboding crept over me.

Franz flicked his blue eyes toward me. My heart skipped in my chest. A thin ring of gold surrounded his pupil.

My father had brought a vampire into Besoins.

Merciful Lady preserve us.

Old witches’ tales claimed the ring of gold thickened as a vampire’s hunger grew. How thin was thin enough? I frantically tried to remember what Miles’ eyes looked like.

The sound of bottles clinking startled me. I wrenched my gaze away from Franz and scanned the room. My father’s faith in his scholarly friend behaving himself notwithstanding, if a witch saw a vampire in my store it would spell disaster.

What had my father been thinking?

If my hands weren’t jittery from fear mixed with a dash of desperation I could cheerfully strangle the man.

“Franz, this is my daughter, Marin.”

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