Page 43 of Deadly Lineage
“I…” My eyes tingled with unshed tears, and I had no idea where the sudden emotion sprang from. “No. Not really.”
“But you’re thinking about it now,” Franklin guessed correctly.
“Yeah, I suppose I am. I mean, not seriously, or not immediately, just…maybe in the future. If Telane managed it, then perhaps it’s more possible than I thought.” I considered what that might mean, not only for me, but for my parents. Momma would love a grandchild to spoil and Pops… Maybe that would soften the blow my death would inevitably cause. There was a reason warlocks abandoned their necromancer children. Pops hadn’t said it in so many words, but it was emotional self-preservation. The loss of that child, knowing the clock was ticking and wouldn’t be kind, was too much for them to bear. Pops chose a different path—one that would eventually lead to heartache and heartbreak. Would my loss be lessened if there were little mini-me’s running around? Would it be a legacy, a family, that Pops could continue watching over, loving, and caring for?
I didn’t know. I’d never truly considered it. Maybe that was why the tears came. It was the lack of consideration and the sudden realization that came with knowing Telane walked that line, that he’d found a way to integrate into human society.
Turning my back on Franklin, I furiously wiped the wetness from my eyelashes while forcing my runaway emotions back into their locked closets.
“Boone, are you—”
“We need to expand our search. We need to find out what happened to Leo and Catlin. Like you said, there might be morethan just them. There are a lot of documents and since I don’t see a brownie around or have a fancy witch charm, it looks like we’re down to good old-fashioned grunt work. Come on, O’Hare. Let’s get busy.”
I didn’t wait for Franklin to answer. Instead, I quick stepped to another aisle and began shuffling through documents. Twenty minutes later, my brain caught up to my actions and created a better plan than random questing. Franklin was way ahead of me. He was also silent. We worked quietly for the remainder of the morning and into the afternoon. By the time the Ocean Spring’s Historical Society closed, our fingers were tired and stank like moldering paper.
Chapter
Fourteen
Franklin
I reached a familial dead end in 1977. That was when the last known descendent of Telane Winston had died. The damnable part of the puzzle was that I wasn’t certain that trulywasthe end of the line. Boone and I’d searched the records until our fingers were numb and our eyes had crossed. We’d never found reference to more than the twins. That didn’t mean thereweren’tother children, only that we had no proof. Those records could have easily been lost, or perhaps never kept. Not all of Leo and Catlin’s children stayed in the Ocean Spring area, but I’d been able to track them down through the years. The closer we got to modern times, the easier it became.
Unfortunately, all known roads dwindled down to a single male who’d unexpectedly died in a traffic accident on the icy roads of Michigan.
Tossing my pen onto my desk, it skirted a couple of files before banking off my computer screen and settling behind the keyboard.
Rubbing my dry eyes, I leaned back into my chair and tried concentrating on the case. It should have been easy. It wasn’t. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Boone’s shimmeringgreen ones. I knewwhatBoone was, but that wasn’t the same as understandingwhohe was. We lived in an age where an individual’s species immediately defined them. The wordpixiebrought up a stereotypical image. The same could be said for all the species. Not all of those images were favorable, and I knew all too well what the other species thought of humanity.
“O’Hare!” Captain Cicely’s voice sliced through my silent musings.
My head whipped around so quickly that it would have flown across the room had it not been physically attached.
I started to rise, but the captain’s drawn face and tight posture kept me rooted in my chair. Instinctively, I knew whatever she had to say wouldn’t be good. Unfortunately, the captain didn’t prove me wrong.
“Detective Harrison just contacted me. She’s got a new victim and thinks it might be related to your shredded soul case. Call Harrison and get over to the drop site. While you’re at it, reach out to Boone and see if he can meet you there. We need verification.”
Captain Cicely was halfway back to her office when I asked, “What makes Harrison believe this is related?”
The captain twisted enough for me to see a narrowed eye. “It’s a shifter.”
My finger hovered over Boone’s contact information, ready to hit send when Captain Cicely’s words registered. “We’ve had shifter deaths before. What makes this one different?”
“I’ll let Harrison explain but honestly, once you see the body, I think you’ll understand.” Captain Cicely walked back to her office, shutting the door forcefully.
A few seconds later, my finger descended. Boone answered on the fourth ring.
Heavy clouds loomed overhead. Thunderstorms rolled through the area off and on, leaving rainwater-filled potholes and heavy, damp air in their wake. The scent of rain-soaked urine assaulted my nose when I stepped out of the car. Clogged rain sewers slowly drained the stench, or at least tried to.
Abandoned homes lined the dilapidated street. Overgrown weeds and unattended lawns filled the street’s edges, and cracked and crumbling sidewalks warned bikes away, waiting to trip those who either weren’t paying attention or who were physically impaired. Broken glass bottles and drug paraphernalia completed the neglectful scene, along with a stray cat or two and a barking dog in the distance.
Police cars parked haphazardly along the street. It was doubtful anyone lived here who needed road access. Yellow hazard tape cordoned off one particular house. The house didn’t look any worse or better than those around it.
“Johns,” I greeted as I walked toward the crumbling porch. “Looks like you can’t catch a break either.” I attempted a little levity even though the situation already appeared grim.
“Nope,” he agreed quickly with a congenial grin and a hook of his thumb in the house’s direction. “Harrison’s inside. She told me to usher you in that direction when you showed up.”
I stared at the questionable porch and asked, “Is that thing safe? I’m a little bit bigger than Detective Harrison.”
