Page 384 of Castings & Curses

"I understand," I replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Do you?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Vividly."

It wasn't that complex a situation to understand. Besides, I liked women too. I also liked men. I just appreciated some people more than others.

* * *

Raphael had beenquiet ever since we'd agreed to give Melinda a chance. I wondered if he might harbor some resentment, but I didn't sense that from him. If anything, he seemed contemplative.

He was a more powerful being than I was, so he could disguise his feelings from me. I waited until we had some time alone to talk.

"You seem like something is on your mind," I said, wondering if it would encourage him to speak of it.

"It is. You shouldn't have left when I was with Riga. It was reckless to go into Lucia's home alone, just as it was to speak with Melinda and bring her to Enchant. You should've called me, and I have to wonder why you didn't, Aurelia."

My brow furrowed at his words, but I appreciated his directness and honesty.

"I'm sorry, Raphael, and I understand why you feel the way you do," I said. "I wanted to know if Lucia was pregnant, because it was the next logical step, given the relevance of Nephilim to our investigation. I also reasoned that it might be where Melinda was heading. I'm sorry I didn't consult you first, but it turned into a more complex situation than I'd anticipated."

Raphael studied me with a long glance, and then shook his head. "You would make a good politician, Aurelia. So Lucia isn't pregnant?"

"No, she isn't," I said. "I think she could be a target though."

"That's unlikely, given that she isn't expecting," he said. "Anyone as powerful as the killer could detect the truth as easily as you or I. I think if it becomes clear that Melinda isn't going to be arrested, then Melinda is likely to be targeted."

"It seems likely she's the intended scapegoat, but I'm having trouble seeing a pattern. Maybe it's that there haven't been enough incidents yet to get to the heart of why this person is doing what they're doing."

"Almost certainly," Raphael agreed. "And yet, the crime against Misha Drake speaks clearly of the killer's reasoning. They attacked someone who was powerful yet vulnerable. It might be why they attacked an angel on Earth instead of heaven. It could also have been easier for them to access the victim. If the killer was preventing the birth of a Nephilim, perhaps they sought to uphold the status quo while breaking its laws on a personal level."

"Why would they do that?" I asked. "I suppose people don't always need a concrete reason for the things they do. Some people harbor perspectives that aren't in most people's best interests."

"They could be trying to alienate beings of non-angelic heritage from being part of the hierarchy. While Misha did have an angelic heritage, the crime could be used as a means of making suspects of those who the killer believes have no place being a part of it."

"Like me? That's possible," I agreed. "Then again, maybe we're interpreting it this way because it's a situation we know a lot about. The killer could be a complete stranger to such things."

"If there's no easy way to find out, perhaps we could do the next best thing… and set a trap for them," Raphael said. "With Melinda as the bait."

I almost laughed at his suggestion. I was starting to feel sorry for Melinda.

"I'll talk to her about it," I replied. "I suspect she'll go along with the plan. I think she's a far better choice for it than Lucia. When I looked in on Lucia, she was just so… broken. I'd like to do more for her to ease her pain. In a way, I feel glad that she doesn't know the full truth."

"I'll see what I can do to help her," Raphael replied, sighing. "Keep an eye on Melinda."

When he was gone, I was left alone, so I made my way back to Riga's room. We weren't keeping such a close eye on Melinda any longer, but then we knew we could find her now that her pin was gone.

I gave Riga's door a knock and Melinda opened it.

"You can come in," Riga called out from across the room.

It was like a hotel room, only with better facilities and more of Riga’s possessions in view. I wondered what arrangement Riga had with the owners of the premises, unless of course she was the owner. She acted like it, and I was starting to wonder.

"Where's your friend?" Melinda asked as she ground salt over a meal of pasta she'd made, and sat down at the table.

"He had some business to attend to."

I could've told her more, but it seemed better not to, in case she wanted to intervene or influence the situation. I wondered if the 'trap' would be a harder sell for Melinda when Riga was here.

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