Page 17 of Lovely Violent Things

The intensity of the moment strains my defenses, and I’m the one to look away.

“But what I appreciate most,” Kallum says, his tone turning seductive, “is Heraclitus’s theory on the fire of the soul, how the mastery of our desires purifies us.” His fingers trace the side of my palm to pull my attention back on him. His gaze heats as he stares into me. “I can think of at least three different ways we can master our desires right now and save our damned souls, sweetness.”

My heart pounds in my chest. “Go to hell, Kallum.”

His smile is wicked. “Obligingly. But only with you by my side, angel.”

A hot coil of irritation twists my nerves. “None of what you said pertains to that scene.” I point toward the marsh. “Where does the Harbinger killer fit in to your deduction?” I challenge him.

Kallum runs a bandaged hand through his dark hair. “You’re always looking too closely to truly see,” he says. “Is it more likely the Harbinger killer needed a scapegoat, or the Overman?”

I fold an arm over my midsection, a cramp twinging my stomach. “I don’t understand. What does scapegoating have to do with the murder?”

He moves closer. Too close, forcing my head to tip back. “We need to talk about this in private.”

A breathless laugh slips free. “Of course we do.”

As Alister turns his attention on us, he releases a curt breath. “Whatever the issue is, drop it.” He steps between me and Kallum and crosses his arms. “With two psychotic killers in this town, we’re working together and pooling resources to recover the victims alive.”

I lift my chin, remaining silent as Alister moves in closer to me and drops his voice. “I meant what I said before. I’d like it if we could work closely on this.”

I lock my frame in a defiant stance. “Yes. I rememberexactlywhat you said, Agent Alister.” Stepping around him, I add, “My initial observations have been given to the local department to share with the task force. You can request all my reports from Detective Riddick.”

Tension arcs through the boggy air. I sense the volatile shift in tide as Kallum first gauges me curiously, then traps Alister in a fierce glare. “Did I miss something important here?”

Alister ignores Kallum outright. “I’m not disputing the locals keeping you on the case, St. James. But that means you still answer to the task force that has jurisdiction. Which means, you answer to me.”

The weariness creeping into my bones steals some of my indignation. I chew back my retort. “Understood, sir.”

Alister’s mouth thins and a muscle twitches in his jaw. “What I need to know is if there are any marked differences between the Harbinger scene here and the others you’ve worked. Any deviating details.”

Despite my tunnel vision on Kallum and my desire to put Alister in his place for the lewd and degrading pass he made at me the day before, I’m still a professional. And there’s still a victim that deserves justice, along with thirty-two other missing victims who need to be recovered.

Glancing over my shoulder, I try to see the crime scene through a fresh lens. The intricate weaving of yarn to create a web where thirty-three partial tongues are displayed like shriveled trophies. Erected central to the first scene is the headless body of the victim—the decapitated head placed near the feet.

Since I arrived on site, I’ve been detangling the two scenes from each other. Teasing apart the knotted details. One a sacrificial offering made by the Overman, and the second the victim of the Harbinger.

The task force has escalated the Harbinger case to priority.

They put roadblocks up around the perimeter of town, checking all vehicles coming and going. In the letter discovered on the body, the Harbinger made a threat to the victims. He specifically called out the Overman, threatening to take out every “higher man” until the Overman “shows his face”.

I look at Kallum, again questioning just what the letter means, if it means anything at all, or if it’s only meant to derail the investigation.

The logical choice is to focus all efforts on first capturing the Harbinger. I support this. Because, while there is another threat to the victims, the fact is, the Harbinger has proven he can locate them.

And, according to the time of death of the victim here, he can locate them alive.

Relaxing the tightly threaded muscles around my spine, I take a fortifying breath and say, “Besides the fact that this is the first time the Harbinger has invaded another scene, the most obvious deviance from the other Harbinger cases is the antlers on the victim. The letter from the Harbinger was vague. I can’t glean his intent, his motive. Yet,” I add, directing a stern glare at Kallum, “it’s only a matter of time. The Harbinger was rushed. If there was a mistake made, we’ll uncover it.”

I’ll uncover it.

Alister nods confidently. “I agree. But what made this guy show up here? He’s been dormant for over half a year, now this.”

I brought him here.

The words burn at the base of my throat as I hold them back. There’s been a question plaguing me since I first glimpsed the Harbinger scene, and there’s only one person who can answer it.

If I wouldn’t have resisted Kallum at the ritual site, if I wouldn’t have refused to play into his delusion of the sick and twisted connection he believes we have, if I would have accepted him, accepted us together… Then would there be a victim at all?

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