Page 8 of Deadly Deception
Captain Tompkins scoffed. “I’m just glad you came out of it alive.”
I was glad too. I was even more glad Boone was all right.
“And you and the necromancer, are you still on good terms?” Tompkins asked.
Blinking, I stared at Boone.Were we on friendly terms?Considering we generally slept beside each other every other night, I guess you could say that. Clearing my throat, I answered a quick, “We are. What does this have to do with Necromancer Boone?” Hearing his name out loud, Boone shifted even closer. I didn’t think he was close enough to hear Tompkins’s end of the conversation, but considering the litany of charms Boone was packing, God only knew if there was an enhanced hearing one he’d just activated.
Captain Tompkins’s sigh was long and deep, the sound adding ten years to his already hefty tally. “We’ve got a…situation.”
“I think I’m going to need more information.”
“And I’ll be glad to give it to you once you’ve landed.”
“Landed?Where am I flying to?”
“Not just you, Franklin. I need you to bring the necromancer too. I need you both in the Chicago area.”
“I—” I stared into Boone’s curious eyes. They always appeared luminous. When he used his necromancer abilities, they actually glowed green. I always thought they shimmered a bit brighter than what most humans considered natural. Right now, they were filled with concern and curiosity.
“I’m not sure I can get away, Captain Tompkins. I’m in the middle of two cases and—”
“And if you don’t get your ass to Chicago, an innocent will most likely go down for murder.”
“Wait. What? What innocent?”
“Like I said, I’ll explain when you get here. Just make sure the necromancer comes too. I think he might be the only one who can get through to Navarre. I don’t care what you have to do, Franklin. Just get on a plane and head north. Call me when you have your travel details. I’ll see you soon.”
The call ended and I was left staring at a darkened screen while wondering what in the hell Captain Tompkins needed me for. No, not me. He needed Boone. While I didn’t know what this was all about, that part was perfectly clear.
The other perfectly clear point was that it didn’t matter what Captain Shane Tompkins needed me for.
Without another thought, I started scrolling for flights while asking Boone, “You feel like heading to Chicago?”
Chapter
Three
Erasmus
“It’ll be cold there,” Momma said as she watched me pack. “Do you even have the appropriate clothes?” She was fussing, just as I knew she would.
“I’ll layer,” I answered while throwing in another long-sleeved shirt. “It’s only late October, not January.” And thank Gaia for that small mercy.
“Still, it’ll be colder than here.” Momma ran her manicured nails along the side of my suitcase. She’d told me earlier the color this time was called passion pink. It matched Momma’s dark pink blazer. She had black slacks on today and matching black pumps. Momma had just come from a house showing. Lydia Boone had not passed her neatly coiffed fashion sense on to her son.
“This is southern Mississippi, Momma. Most of the United States is colder than here.” That wasn’t completely true. The Southwest and Florida had us beat a lot of the time, Florida gamely competing in the humidity category too.
“Pfft, I know that. I just…” She’d wanted to sayworry. The unspoken word was more than implied, and I stopped packinglong enough to wrap her in my arms and squeeze the life out of her.
“Franklin will be with me, Momma. You know he’ll keep me safe. Besides, it’s not like I go around with a t-shirt that says ‘I’m a necromancer’ on the front.” Physically, necromancers looked human. A lot of other species could tell us apart, but humans hadn’t been gifted with that specialty. When you came right down to it, humans hadn’t been gifted in a lot of departments. They’d won the jackpot in creativity. Pops was convinced that was the only reason the human race was still alive. They had a creative knack for making instruments of self-preservation. Of course, they also made weapons of mass destruction. Humans were nothing if not a contradiction.
“I wouldn’t put it past you.” Momma swatted my arm before walking around me and sitting on my bed. Hair down, Momma pushed a long auburn strand behind her ear. Each year brought a little more gray to those strands. But no matter the color, Momma was a beautiful woman both inside and out.
Chuckling, I threw in another pair of worn-out jeans. “It’s tempting some days.”
We were quiet as I continued packing and Momma’s gaze traveled around my bedroom. “What about your clients? This close to Halloween, you’ve got to be busy.”
“I’ve rescheduled this week’s clients. There were only a couple, and they didn’t choose the date based on the time of year. As long as I’m back by the week before Halloween, it should be fine.” I just hoped that whatever was going on could be cleared up in that time frame. Franklin’s old boss hadn’t given him many details to go on. Scratch that, he hadn’t given Franklinanydetails.
