Page 51 of Mardi Gras Murders & Midnight Masquerades
"He’d need to be connected to the leaders of the factions in some way," I replied.
Dea pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side. “He isn’t one of them now. We would have detected that. Right?”
“You would have picked up the power,” Adèle confirmed.
"At one time, he might have become one of them, but he's connected to them. Through Alexis, for sure," I mused. "I can't see Keryth being involved. If we can discover the others he has close ties to, we might be able to find a property where he has kept the bulk of his work."
Jeff appeared in the doorway, holding a stack of papers. "I pulled every building permit, renovation record, and historical document related to the council headquarters," he announced. "As you know, the building was only recently purchased."
"Yeah, we found the building after we spurred the formation of the Aegis council. What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's not as if it’s where he keeps his actual work," Dani interjected. "We've renovated several sections already and found nothing suspicious. Just the usual remnants of magic that you'd expect."
"I wouldn’t be so sure. A guy like Delacroix would keep things well hidden," Jeff countered as he dropped the documents onto the table. "The building has undergone seventeen 'structural reinforcements' in the past century. They've all been requested by different individuals, but all featured the same distinctive signature."
He handed me a series of forms. Each bore a different name, but the handwriting on the request notes was nearly identical despite obvious attempts to disguise it. “Why the hell would he want the council so close to what matters most to staying alive? I mean, we could have stumbled across his shit while doing renovations.”
Lucas leaned forward to examine the papers. "With everything we have learned about Delacroix, I can easily see him influencing the purchase of his own headquarters. Think about it. It’d be the perfect way to keep a finger on the pulse of everything happening within the council. Plus, he could get a good feel for the six of you."
Lia gaped at her mate. “He had no idea we were the ones he needed back then.” Lucas gave Lia a look that told her to think about it. It hit her at the same time it did me, and she said, “He had to suspect when six sisters suddenly became magical and started handling all these crazy cases. Shit.”
"We need to warn the council," Dre blurted. “And check the building for his base of power.”
"Wait," I said, something nagging at my instincts. "We need to be careful about this. If Delacroix has infiltrated the council so thoroughly, who's to say he hasn't compromised its members? Even those who aren't Society affiliates could be under his influence."
Dani nodded in agreement. "Elspeth mentioned his puppet-marks. The magical signatures he leaves on people to subtly influence their thoughts and decisions. They're different from those he gives his actual essence."
"Perfect," Lia muttered sarcastically. "We can't trust anyone on the council. We don't know who Delacroix is currently inhabiting. And the masquerade is tomorrow night."
"We've dealt with worse odds," I reminded her.
"Actually," Phi said, pulling out the modified tracking device Elspeth had enhanced, "we might have a way to identify him. Elspeth altered my tracker. I think we can distinguish between puppets and loyal followers. If we’re lucky, we will be able to locate him."
"Gold signatures are his true essence," Dani reminded everyone as she pointed to several concentratedpoints on the display. "And there's a strong one near the council headquarters. Maybe that’s him."
"Only one way to find out," I said, pushing back my chair and standing with a stretch. "Who's with me? Sisterly field trip to the council headquarters?"
Five pairs of eyes locked on me with a duh look. "As if that is even a question," Dre said. "We're stronger together. Always have been."
"We should bring the full arsenal," Phi suggested as she grabbed her crossbody bag. "If we're walking into Delacroix's lair, I'd rather not go in naked. Magically speaking."
"Speak for yourself," Dea drawled. "Some of us do our best work naked." But even as she joked, she slid her dagger into the custom sheath strapped to her thigh. The blade glinted with the special enchantments Bas had worked into the metal.
Dani tossed each of us a small cloth pouch as we walked down the hall to the backdoor. "Kaitlyn made us some new masking charms. They'll hide our magical signatures for about an hour, so we can't dawdle."
"Since when do we dawdle?" I asked, catching mine and tucking it into my pocket.
"Since always," Dre replied with a snort. "Especially when we get distracted by shiny things. Or a new blanket for your living room. Or food."
"Priorities," Lia said with a wink as she jangled her keys.
We piled into Lia's SUV. "Why are we always stuck in the third row?" Phi complained as she wiggled to find a comfortable position in the cramped back seat. "I swear my hips will never be the same."
"Right?" Dea agreed, shoving her bag under her feet. "It's like some unwritten rule that we get relegated to the back every single time."
"It's because you're the babies and most flexible," Drecalled back from the middle row, not even attempting to hide her smirk.
"Being youngest doesn't mean we should always get the worst seats," Dea protested, kicking the back of Dre's seat. "And Phi's taller than Dani, so that flexibility theory falls apart pretty quickly."
