Page 82 of Deadly Lineage
“O-okay,” Boone stuttered before shivering. Without thought, I shrugged out of my suit jacket and draped it over his shoulders. Boone had arrived wearing his typical worn t-shirt, cargo shorts, and tennis shoes. At least he wasn’t in flip-flops. The morgue was chilly, but I wasn’t sure that was the only reason for his shaking.
“Mr. Boone, is there a reason you believe this case may be related?” Captain Cicely asked, her arms crossed and gaze sharp.
Scratching the back of his neck, Boone gave a curt nod. “The soul doesn’t feel right.” He frowned before adding, “Not quite like the others, but similar. I…I’m not really sure what I might bring back if I try.”
Captain Cicely blinked and said, “Care to explain that?”
“I’m not sure I can, not until I bring Bart back.” Boone’s head was down, his gaze fixed on the area under the sheet where Livingston’s head should be. “I can still do it, if you’d like. I’mjust warning you that it feels wrong and I’m not sure what’s going to happen.”
Captain Cicely hummed and her fingers danced along her arm. Charmed rings caught in the fluorescent lighting, shimmering as she drummed them. “It’s your call, Detective Harrison. The case is yours.”
Harrison looked from Boone to me before she asked, “Will doing this cause you injury?” she asked Boone.
He shrugged. “Nothing permanent.”
“I don’t like this,” I said, unable to keep my professionalism intact. Right now, I was the concerned boyfriend. “You still haven’t fully recovered from the others, and you’ve been pushing yourself with your typical clientele. We’ll figure this out the old-fashioned way.”
“O’Hare.” Captain Cicely’s tone was cautious. “There’s another angle to consider here.” She inhaled and dropped her arms to the side. “Some might say that Mr. Boone is hedging because he knows if he brings back Livingston’s soul, it will say something he doesn’t want known. Something incriminating.”
My fingers painfully clenched as I attempted to reign in my fury. “You can’t be serious.”
“I can and I am. You know how lawyers are. It will be a legal loophole. One a defense lawyer won’t be afraid to happily jump through.”
Boone cut off my building tirade. “She’s right, Franklin.” His fingers gripped my shoulder, squeezing and grabbing my attention. “You know she’s right.” Lips tilted in a soft grin, Boone leaned into me and added, “Although I appreciate your consideration. You don’t know how much it means to me.”
Probably not, although I had a semblance of an idea.
Quiet descended until Captain Cicely said, “It’s still your call, Harrison.”
“Yippee,” Harrison muttered before her apologetic gaze landed on me. “Sorry, O’Hare, but the captain’s got a point.” Inhaling, she turned to Boone and said, “I’m sorry to ask, but I think we need to you to bring back what you can. We need to document what happens.” To that end, Harrison opened up her tablet and hit record.
Stepping away from me, Boone’s eyes slid closed and a moment later he said, “Bartholomew Wesley Livingston, I call your soul back to—” Boone crumpled, bent over and gasping.
I lunged, grabbing him by the shoulders and holding him up. “Boone? Erasmus, what’s happening? What’s going on?”
Boone was shaking so hard I thought his limbs might fly apart. He wasn’t the only one shaking.
Captain Cicely and Harrison took two steps away from Livingston’s body as it convulsed. The sheet tumbled to the ground, revealing Livingston’s remains. He lay there, flopping on the gurney like a landed fish. It was macabre. There was no screaming, no coherency at all.
Boone’s weight pulled at my arms as he gave in and sank to the ground. The sound of retching reached my ears before the smell of Boone’s sick hit my nose. I knelt beside him and carded the sweat-soaked hair from his face.
“Let it go,” I urged, voice soft but firm. “Let him go, Boone.”
Between gasped breaths, Boone stuttered, “R-relea-se.”
Livingston’s remains twitched before stilling. His arms hung akimbo, and one leg flopped over the edge of the table, bare toes dangling to the side.
Captain Cicely scrambled around the gurney, squatting beside Boone. I was impressed with her ability to valiantly ignore the stench coming from nearby.
“What happened? Necromancer Boone, tell me what the hell just happened. I’ve seen you bring souls back before and I’ve never witnessed anything like that.” Captain Cicely hadn’t beenpresent the last three times, although I had to agree, even those hadn’t been as bad as this. At least there hadn’t been any screaming—from the corpse.
Swallowing thickly, Boone gently shook his head before leaning heavily against me. I easily took his weight, steadying his still-trembling body. His hair was thick with sweat and I slicked it back, pushing the strands out of Boone’s pale face.
“Harrison, could we get some water?” I asked.
“On it.”
I barely registered her leave the room. She was back within a matter of seconds. “All I could find were these tiny cups.”
