Page 42 of Deadly Lineage
“Singular?” I frowned. “That seems odd, given the times.” Families were larger back in the day. Children surviving wasn’t a given today, but the odds were a hell of a lot better than they’d been in the 1800’s. People back then tended to have a lot of eggs in different baskets, but it sounded like Lorelai had just laid the one.
“Agreed,” Franklin said. “If there were any other children, this article doesn’t mention them.”
“Male or female?” If it was a daughter, then the search was over. Procreating with a warlock only led to male offspring.
“Male.” Franklin grinned suddenly. “Telane Winston.”
“Telane?That’s an odd name, even for a warlock.” I scratched my head, my tangled hair reminding me that I should have made time for a shower after Franklin had called.
“I’ll take your word on that. You’ve got way more experience with that kind of thing than me, but what I can tell you is that the article describes Telane in some…interesting ways.”
“Huh?” I blamed my ongoing exhaustion for my less-than-stellar word choice.
“It’s a little cryptic. The article mentions Telane’s profession.”
“It says he was a necromancer?” I found that exceedingly odd, especially given the era. That kind of thing would have been viewed as heresy back then. Claiming to raise the dead was an ability that would have easily gotten Telane burned at the stake.
“No. The article describes Telane as a private investigator of sorts. It claims Telane had a knack for finding missing heirlooms, often discovering objects that only the deceased would know about.”
My grin was wide and proud. “I’ll be damned. Sounds like Telane and I have a bit in common.” If Franklin was correct and the reason behind Telane’s success was a little midnight interrogation of the dead, then he’d found a clever way to make a living while sliding under the radar.
Franklin kept skimming the article. A hushed, “I’ll be damned,” slipped into the air-conditioned atmosphere.
“Hopefully not, but why do you think so?” I teased.
Franklin gave me a side eye before directing his attention back to the moldering newspaper. “Telane married. Lorelai Winston was survived by two grandchildren—a boy and girl.”
I blinked, my eyes suddenly dry. “Telane had kids?” I tried to think of another necromancer I’d heard of having children. It wasn’t that wecouldn’tprocreate. It was more a matter of finding a necromancer of procreative age who was sane enough to engage in a relationship. Factor in humanity’s general distaste for necromancers and their even more pronounced issues around physical contact and…yeah. Those two issues didn’t typically result in offspring.
“Does it give their names?” I asked.
Franklin gave a solemn nod. “Leo and Catlin. Twins. And that was just at the time of Lorelai’s death. Sounds like the twins were just babies when their grandmother passed.”
I swallowed hard. “There could be more?”
“Very possibly.”
Suddenly, Franklin’s Hail Mary pass didn’t sound nearly so unlikely. I still had no idea if this information would hold any significance regarding Phineas’s murder. Regardless, it held plenty of significance to me. I’d never really considered being afather. If there was ever a time when I didn’t know I was gay, I couldn’t remember it. Not that I understood at the time what it meant tobegay. I only knew my emotions placed girls strictly in the friend category. Given my sexual orientation, combined with my species, I hadn’t given kids a lot of thought.
I did now.
I must have been staring into space a little too long. Either that or Franklin had been talking and I’d zoned out. My mind snapped back into focus when Franklin waved his hand in front of my face.
“Hey, you okay in there?” Franklin tapped his finger in the center of my forehead. It was such a simple gesture, and yet it meant the world to me. Franklin had seen me at one of my lowest points. He’d also seen me in full necromancer mode. The man knew what I was and didn’t shy away. He reached out and made contact as if I were an ordinary human. Pops would have considered it an insult to be thought of as human. I found it soul-soothing.
“S-sorry,” I managed to stutter. “I think I spaced out there for a second or two.”
Franklin’s lips twisted into a frown and his eyebrows pinched. “Do you need to sit down for a few minutes? Is this too much right now? I know you’re still recovering from what happened with Mosley and Nolan’s souls.”
I wrapped my hand around Franklin’s finger, pulling it down and away from my face. I could have easily released my grip. I didn’t. Franklin didn’t act like he wanted to part either.
“No. I’m fine. I just…” I pointed toward the article. “He was married. And he had kids. I don’t think you realize how rare that is.”
Franklin’s eyes pinched further. “Do necromancers not typically get married and have children?”
My hair haphazardly flopped as I shook my head and answered with a clipped, “No.”
Eyes widening, Franklin asked, “Have you ever thought of having children?”
