Page 43 of Once Upon a Curse for True Love
Chapter Seventeen
Pouts and Pasta
DONATELLO
Donatello watched Andromeda’s lower lip jut out in a challenging pout that made his entire body temperature rise by several uncomfortable degrees.The woman was a walking hazard—first with those ridiculous librarian glasses perched on her nose, then with the way she’d teased him about playing bad cop, and now this exaggerated pout that made him think of things that had no place in a police station.A wizard could only take so much before he snapped, and Donatello was dangerously close to the breaking point.
“We should go talk to what’s left of Arcanet,” Andromeda said, mercifully dropping the pout.
The mention of Arcanet—a man who’d had his consciousness sucked out of his body with the blood of an undead wizard zombie—was a bucket of ice water quenching Donatello’s inappropriate inclinations.Nothing like a brutal magical murder to dampen his inconvenient desire.
“Fine,” he agreed.“Let’s see what our binary friend has to say.”
He guided Andromeda back to the secure room where Arcanet was contained.He swiped his key card, and the heavy door slid open with a soft, pneumatic hiss.
Inside the room, the cascading alphanumeric characters forming Arcanet’s face continued their endless waterfall pattern, creating the uncanny impression of a man’s head trapped in the screen.The face turned toward them as they entered.
“Creepy as ever,” he muttered.
“It’s fascinating,” Andromeda replied, stepping closer.“Hello again, Arcanet.”
The green characters rearranged, turning into ones.Yes.
“We need to ask you about Patrick Ruescher.”Donatello lifted his tablet and pulled up the security footage.“We have evidence that might implicate him in your murder.”
Zeros filled the screen immediately.No.
“I understand your loyalty,” Donatello continued, “but we have him on video purchasing a rare ingredient used in the spell that killed you.”He turned the tablet, angling it at Arcanet’s digital head and played the recording.
The green characters swirled erratically before settling back into a flowing pattern of zeros.
“Are you sure?”Andromeda asked, her voice gentle.
Ones appeared.
Donatello gestured at the tablet.“What about this video?”
Zeros cascaded down.
Andromeda nudged him with her elbow.“Give him yes or no questions, detective.”
Even her bossy corrections were becoming attractive to him now.Donatello ran a hand down his face, wondering if he was developing a condition where everything about Andromeda Swan became appealing.
“Fine,” he conceded.“Arcanet, do you believe this video accurately shows Patrick Ruescher purchasing time-sand?”
Zeros.
Andromeda leaned forward.“You think it’s been tampered with?”
Ones flowed rapidly down the screen.
“How can you be sure?”Donatello asked.
More ones, but the pattern seemed agitated somehow, the characters flowing faster than before.
“Yes or no questions!”Andromeda reminded him again, exasperation coloring her tone.“We won’t get anywhere with him like this.”
Donatello sighed heavily.This form of communication was painfully limited.“Let’s try the alphabet method again.Arcanet, I’m going to run through the alphabet.Signal with ones when I reach the letter you want.”
