Page 21 of Deadly Lineage
I stared down at the body. Only half Noland’s fingers were covered in rings, another indicator as to just how young he was. With a deep swallow and heavy heart, I answered, “I can’t say for certain, but it’s looking that way.”
“Shit.” Johns summed up the situation. “Serial killer?”
It was a term every cop was reluctant to use. “Could be.” If the MO was the same as the Rebecca Mosely murder, thenchances were high. Unless we could connect the two victims. “I need to see if there’s a connection between Warlock Phineas Noland and Witch Rebecca Mosely.”
“Sounds like a case for the Magical Usage Council,” Officer Danube said. “Have they been called in yet?”
I didn’t know how much to share and when that was the case, I found silence the best answer.
“Has anyone had time to call Dr. McCallister?” I asked instead. I’d been a little preoccupied with Boone earlier.
“He’s on his way,” Danube answered. “He’ll need us to load up the body.” Danube frowned.
“Yeah, the doc’s not a lot of help in that regard,” Johns easily agreed. “Just don’t tell him that—Doc McCallister’s got a chip on his shoulder.” Johns shrugged. “Not sure why. So he’s kinda small and weak. Who cares?” Johns’s tone made me think he truly believed that and wasn’t just spouting shit.
Not wanting to delve into this conversation further, I walked away and pulled out my cell. Captain Cicely answered on the second ring. “What have you got, O’Hare?”
With a pit of dread building in my stomach, I filled her in.
“Sweet Gaia, what’s going on?”
“I hate to admit it, but I’m not sure yet. I need to look into Mosley and Noland’s backgrounds. Maybe they were seeing each other or—”
“Not likely. Relations have thawed some between witches and warlocks, but not that much. It’s not impossible, just highly unlikely.”
“Understood. Have we heard from the Magical Usage Council?”
“They only know about Rebecca Mosely. I’ll fill them in on our latest victim as soon as I get a preliminary from Dr. McCallister.”
“What do you want me to do in the meantime?”
“Keep investigating. Chances are the Council will take over, but I want to give them as much information as possible. Do your due diligence, O’Hare.”
“Understood,” I answered before ending the call. The rumble of the coroner’s vehicle could be heard coming down the road. McCallister would be here soon. Maybe then we’d get some fucking answers. Then again, maybe not.
“The Magical Usage Council will not be taking over the case,” Captain Cicely informed me. Fingers intertwined, the captain’s rings tapped together.
I didn’t try and hide my surprise. “Any reason why not?”
“Apparently, they are currently short-staffed and can’t spare anyone. Agent Frost is who they would typically send to our area, but he has recently become a vampire’s beloved. The bond is new, and they don’t want to separate the two.” Captain Cicely leaned back in her chair and blew out a breath. “That’s the second pixie claimed as a vampire beloved. I expect there will be more.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Pixies and vampires?” My working species knowledge had holes and gaps you could drive a semi-truck through, but I distinctly remembered that vampires didn’t feed from pixies.
The captain waved me off. “It’s been a recent development. The vampire and pixie communities are keeping it hush-hush for now. I think that’s as much for pixie safety as anything. Anyway, the point is that we’re on our own. The Council believes that since I’m a witch and in charge of the case, I’m more than capable of handling the situation.” Captain Cicely grunted. “It’s not that I disagree—it’s just that the council has moreresources than I do. They’ve also got more species on the payroll. Considering we’re not certain who’s behind this, that leaves me understandably concerned.”
Unsure what to say, I remained silent.
“What did you find out from Erasmus’s father? Could a warlock do this?”
I relayed the information I’d learned from Warlock Holland. Captain Cicely listened intently, her eyes scrunched up in thought. “That’s disturbing.”
I swallowed before answering. “Not as disturbing as a djinn.”
Captain Cicely’s dark skin paled, turning ashen. “A djinn? What? I mean, why would you say that? Djinn are…”
“Apparently more than myth.”
“They were never myth, Detective. Djinn were all too real. But they’re gone now. No one has seen a djinn in over—”
