Page 30 of Deadly Avarice
The inside of Leander’s home was warm and far more welcoming than the necromancer himself. While the main room was on the smaller size, it was cozy and I could easily see how it served its purpose. Well-used dog beds littered the floor around the main loveseat, and the two opposing chairs were covered in fur.
Propping the shotgun against a nearby wall, Leander sat his heavy frame on the loveseat and pointed to the two remaining chairs. “Sit if you want. I won’t apologize for the fur. This is their home as much as mine.”
“I don’t mind fur,” I easily answered. I wasn’t allergic, and to my knowledge, Franklin wasn’t either.
Perching myself on the edge of the chair, Franklin eased down into his, filling the space with his larger body.
Three dogs jumped onto the couch with Leander, and he somehow managed to show each of them a little love. The others found solace on their beds, and one of the dogs who’d flanked Leander when we pulled up hesitantly sniffed my leg.
“Don’t try and pet her,” Leander warned. “Just let her sniff you and don’t make any sudden moves. If you do that, you should be okay.”
“Should be?” Franklin questioned.
Leander shrugged. “They’re dogs. Animals. There are no guarantees when it comes to species with so-called higher intelligence. She’s a dog and instinct is a powerful thing. So is fear.”
I nodded with understanding. “We’ll try and be model guests.”
Leander snorted and rolled his eyes before jerking his head in Franklin’s direction. “You the cop mentioned in the news?”
“I’m a homicide detective, yes,” Franklin answered.
I wasn’t entirely certain what Leander thought of that. “You two looked pretty cozy in the vehicle.”
While I wasn’t entirely certain where Leander was going with that, I wasn’t ashamed and said, “Franklin and I are together as a couple.”
Leander shifted, his eyes fixed on Franklin. Head tilted to the side, he finally said, “And you know what he is.”
Franklin stilled. “You mean do I know that Boone is the kindest, most generous, intelligent, loving, and wonderful soul on the planet? Why yes, I do.”
Leander’s slow blink gave nothing away. The lazy grin barely lifting his lips was a bit more telling. “You don’t say. I supposestranger things have happened than a human falling for a necromancer. Not many things, but still, it’s possible.” Leander shrugged. “Odd though.”
I couldn’t totally disagree. “It was surprising to me too,” I finally managed. I could tell Franklin wanted to argue but I reached across the space separating us and squeezed his wrist. Now wasn’t the time.
One of the dogs sitting next to him tried to crawl into Leander’s lap. “Not now, Princess.” He gently pushed her away and gave her exposed belly a good rub. Princess was a scraggly-looking gal with as many bald patches as fur. Her skin was scarred and she was missing an eye. I didn’t know what her story was, but figured it followed the Grimm fairytales and not the Disney versions.
Silence surrounded us until Leander finally said, “So, you’re in my house. Now, what the fuck do you want?”
Pulling my hand back from Franklin’s body, I leaned my elbows on my knees, clasping my hands between. “Like I said before, I’m not entirely certain. I… That is to say, I’ve only met a few other necromancers. The most recent one is named Navarre, and he’s…” I struggled to find the right words.
“Nutty as a fruitcake?” Leander supplied.
I pursed my lips and shook my head. “I don’t think so. He’s…”
“Confused,” Franklin offered. “I don’t really understand it all, but from what I do get, Navarre has a whole bunch of ghosts camped out around him. According to Boone and the medium, he—”
“Medium?” Leander asked, finally sounding interested.
I picked up the thread. “It’s a long story, but the short of it is that Franklin and I were asked to go to the Chicago area last month. Navarre had been found wandering the streets, covered in blood. He was suspected of murder and—”
“Of fucking course he was,” Leander angrily huffed.
“Yeah, well, we proved he didn’t murder anyone. There was a whole big thing,” I flapped my hands in the air as if that explained everything when it explained absolutely nothing at all. “In the end, I finally got the Magical Usage Council to get off their asses and get Navarre the help he needs.”
“And that help is a medium?” Leander asked.
I vigorously nodded. “Her name’s Tabitha Clark and trust me, she’s the real deal. I’d hoped she could remove all the dead spirits haunting Navarre, but it’s taking a lot longer than I imagined.”
“She has to go slow,” Franklin explained. “Tabitha Clark is afraid if she removes them too quickly, the effects will be negative.”
