Page 20 of Deadly Deception (Necromancer Tales #2)

Chapter

Twenty

Franklin

Vanja. A female. I shook my head while staring down at my phone, waiting on a text reply from Tompkins. I shouldn’t be so surprised, but statistically, females weren’t responsible for organized criminal activity nearly as often as their male counterparts. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of women killed, but not like this.

My phone lit up with Tompkins’s latest text. Navarre is about the same. Tabitha has cleared half a dozen spirits, but she says that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I deeply exhaled, my attention turning to Boone. He was still dead asleep. I’d already fielded a call from his momma, and could only hope and pray I didn’t have to do the same with his pops. I could handle Lydia. Warlock Holland was trickier.

Thanks for the update , I quickly sent back to Tompkins. I’d thought about letting him know what we’d found out yesterday, that Vanja was female. I didn’t see what good it would do, and didn’t want to rehash everything right now. My calves and thighs were killing me. Indiana dunes were no joke. Walking through them was great cardio, and evidently an excellent workout for the legs.

Standing, I arched my back. Pops and cracks sounded. They were satisfying, but a little alarming too. Time didn’t stand still, and it was marching across my given allotment of years. Much to Warlock Holland’s dismay, Boone and I sailed the sea of aging together.

Gathering fresh clothes, I made my way to the shower. The warm water felt good against my aching muscles. I thought about asking Boone for a pain charm, but didn’t want to use one up for something like this. I’d powered through muscle strain before. There was no reason an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory wouldn’t work well enough. Boone might need those pain charms later.

Dressed in comfortable jeans and a henley, I walked back into our shared space. Boone hadn’t so much as twitched. We’d need to leave at some point today so the cleaning service could at least vacuum the floor. We’d tracked sand all over the place. I’d already shaken out my shoes, but wondered if they’d ever be totally clear of sand again.

Sitting at our two-seater table, I pulled up Officer Ebony Becks’s number. Mississippi and where we were staying in northeastern Illinois were in the same time zone. Becks should be at work by now. She answered on the second ring.

“O’Hare? Is that you? How the hell are you?” There was genuine curiosity and affection in Becks’s tone.

“I’m good,” I sort of half-ass lied. I wasn’t exactly bad , but saying I was good was stretching things.

“Bullshit. If you were good then you wouldn’t be calling me. What can I help you with?”

Warmth suffused my chest. This was what it was like to implicitly trust your colleagues. It was a feeling Sheriff Henson was currently unfamiliar with. Thus, the call to Becks.

“You’re not wrong. I’ve got something I’d like you to look into. Boone brought a soul back last evening. Daisy Maria Vasquez. She was something of an amateur journalist.”

“I take it since Erasmus was involved, Daisy is no longer living.”

“You take it correctly. She was able to give us a lot of information, but Miss Vasquez also said she kept her notes on the cloud. I’ve got password information. I’d appreciate it if you could do a little cyber digging.”

“You know my love language well, O’Hare.” Becks chuckled. She was our department’s go-to person when we needed something digital. “Hit me with it.”

I rattled off what we knew, and the password and username Vasquez gave us last night. I’d promised Henson I’d use resources outside his department to look into things, and I was a man of my word.

“I’ll see what I can find,” Becks said. “When are you headed back south? Captain Cicely said you had to extend your stay.”

“Hopefully soon. Honestly, I’m not sure what more Boone and I can do here. I’m going to follow up on a couple of things today, but my hope is we’ll be on a plane back by tomorrow, the next day at the latest.” I really hoped that was true. Halloween was right around the corner, and Boone needed to get back to fulfill his obligations. He also needed time to reboot after what he’d pulled yesterday.

“Okay. You two stay safe. We’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks, Becks.” I ended the call and stared at my phone. I wasn’t sure if Becks would find anything useful or not. But at least with her on the case, none of us had to worry about a dirty cop.

Boone’s phone rang and I cringed, expecting a call from his pops. I was cautiously optimistic when Tabitha Clark’s contact information showed on the screen. Without hesitation, I answered for Boone.

“Ms. Clark, this is Franklin O’Hare. I’m afraid Boone’s still asleep.”

“Is he not a morning person?”

“Yes and no, but in this case, it wouldn’t matter. Boone used up too much of his energy yesterday. I’m afraid he overdid it.”

“Ah, now that’s understandable. I’m certain you’re taking good care of him.”

“I’m certainly trying.” Boone just made it difficult sometimes to perform that duty as well as I’d like. “Would you like me to have him call you when he wakes up?”

“Only if he’d like. I trust you to pass a message along.”

“Of course. What do you need?”

“Nothing. I only wanted to let Erasmus know that I’ll be taking Navarre back to Minneapolis.”

“ Minneapolis ?” I sat up straighter. “Why?”

“It’s one of the Magical Usage Council’s hubs. It will be quiet, someplace I can work with Navarre that isn’t rushed. I promise he’ll be safe there. The more I delve into this poor necromancer’s condition, the slower I believe we should go. To do that, I need time. I will be pulled away to attend to other cases along the way. To be honest, Navarre will be an ongoing project. He’s the first necromancer we’ve had the opportunity to aid.”

I wondered what Boone would think about that. Most likely the Magical Usage Council had plenty of opportunity over the years and not a lot of will. “Will Boone be able to visit?” While I couldn’t question him directly, I knew my man well enough to understand he’d want to check in.

“Of course.” Tabitha Clark’s tone implied it was a foolish question. “Why on earth wouldn’t he be able to visit?”

I wasn’t sure, but thought the question had been valid. “When are you leaving?”

There was a sigh. “I’m afraid I’ll need some help with transport. Given Navarre’s current condition, I’m not sure I’m comfortable navigating the road with him by myself. A plane ride is definitely out of the question. Backup should be here tomorrow afternoon. Mr. Tompkins has been gracious enough to allow me to stay in his home with Navarre. We should be fine until then.”

“I’ll let Boone know. I’m sure he’ll contact you later if he has questions.”

“Thank you. I will let you know if there are any further updates or breakthroughs.”

I stared at the darkening phone. Boone’s soft snuffles and gentle puffs of air lulled me back into slumber. Using the other chair, I propped my feet onto the cushion, laid my head back, and took a nap.

“ I can’t believe it’s after two p.m.” Boone was hunched in the passenger’s seat. He was still paler than I’d like, and couldn’t seem to get warm, even though I’d turned the heater on full blast. Sweat trickled down my spine but I didn’t care. I just wanted to get Boone warm. Despite the heat, he shivered. “Damn, I miss Mississippi.”

“Me too,” I answered honestly. Chicago and its surrounding areas would always feel like home, but I had a new place to lay my head and rest my soul, and that was in a state miles away with a necromancer cuddled up by my side.

“You think this is our last trip?”

“To the sheriff’s office?”

“Mm-hmm. It’s not a bad place, but still.”

I checked the rearview mirror along with the side mirrors before I answered, “I think it could be. I’m not sure what else we can do. You exonerated Navarre, and it looks like the Magical Usage Council is finally getting their shit together and stepping up, at least where Navarre’s concerned. You brought all the souls back from the bodies on hand. Henson’s got the interview evidence. I don’t know that we need to keep our boots on this particular piece of ground.” If Becks came up with something later, I could always relay this to Tompkins from the warmth of Mississippi.

“Would you like to stop by and see Ms. Violet again before we leave?”

I nodded. “I would. I can always go by myself if—”

“Don’t you dare. A woman like your nana would never let me live that down and as soon as Momma caught wind, she’d scold me just as badly. Besides, I like Ms. Violet.”

I’d yet to tell Boone about my sister’s outrageous demands. I didn’t plan on crossing that bridge until it was absolutely necessary. I’d need to speak with Nana before she saw Boone again to let her know I was keeping mum regarding Lynn’s idiocy. Nana wouldn’t say anything out of spite, but if our earlier conversation was anything to go by, she’d apologize half a dozen times for Lynn’s behavior. Boone didn’t need that.

“I would like to meet this Nana .”

I jumped and the SUV swerved. Boone simply hung his head and whispered, “Why, Gaia, why?”

My eyes connected with Aurelia’s Caribbean-blue ones via the review mirror. She was leaning against the back seat, making me concerned about her latest pet . “Aurelia, please tell me the kitten isn’t being squashed against the back seat.”

Boone immediately sat up, peering around the passenger’s seat as he eyed our latest djinn guest.

Arms crossed under her ample chest, Aurelia’s lips tilted into a frown. “Little Fang is not currently with me.”

I shared a quick glance with Boone and asked, “ Little Fang ? Is that what you named the kitten?”

“It seemed appropriate. Lucroy simply calls her Fang. I do not have an issue with shortening it, although her fangs are small, thus the descriptive addition.” Aurelia spoke matter of fact.

Boone coughed to hide his chuckle. “I think that’s an excellent name.”

“It is very wise,” Aurelia deadpanned, not a hint of humor in her tone.

“Yes… Well…” Boone struggled, and I decided to take mercy on him.

“That it is,” I answered, placing a lot of conviction into those three words.

“So, uh…where is Little Fang?”

“Peaches believes lessons are needed.”

“Lessons?” Boone asked, looking at me questioningly. I wasn’t sure why. I had zero idea. “What kind of lessons?”

“Peaches is attempting to teach Little Fang that sprites are not food.” I could tell by Aurelia’s disinterested tone what she thought of that. “Little Fang is a carnivore. It goes against her instincts not to hunt them. I believe it is a futile endeavor. But if Peaches wishes to waste his time on such nonsense, then so be it.”

Sprites were small and flew through the air. They probably looked a lot like a bird to a hungry cat. I couldn’t really disagree with Aurelia.

“I suppose if anyone can accomplish that, it’s Peaches,” Boone said. “He’s kind of used to dealing with bitey carnivores .” When I glanced Boone’s direction, he shrugged and said, “He’s bonded to a vampire.”

“Ah.” I understood where he was coming from now. “You may have a point.” We were almost at the exit to the sheriff’s office. No evidence remained of the shoot-out that had taken place a little over forty-eight hours ago, but I was still twitchy and so was Boone. Aurelia either didn’t pick up on our discomfort or didn’t care.

“This is exceedingly boring,” Aurelia stated. “You should return to your primary place of residence.”

“Mississippi?” Boone asked.

“Do you have another primary residence?”

“Nope, that’s it. I’m not going to apologize about being boring. Right about now, boring sounds excellent to me.”

“Me too,” I easily agreed.

Aurelia huffed before she disappeared. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” I said.

“I’d worry if you did. I can’t figure out if being boring is better or worse when it comes to the all-powerful djinn.”

“I wish we had some type of manual when it comes to dealing with Aurelia.”

“Same. I can’t figure out if it would be horridly long or insanely brief. ‘Don’t order a recovering djinn to do anything’ might be the one and only piece of advice.”

“Well, it’s certainly the only piece of advice we’re confident about.” I parked the SUV and got out. The cold air immediately entered our warm haven. The cold felt good to me, but I saw Boone shiver. “Come on, let’s get inside.” Wrapping my arm around Boone’s shoulders, I guided us inside.

For once, Sara wasn’t behind the reception desk. This time, unfortunately, it was Officer Jerrod Simms. The man barely looked up and absolutely refused to make eye contact with Boone. “Can I help you?”

I wanted to reach across the desk and smack some sense into this moron but held back. “We’re here to see Sheriff Henson.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

I inhaled, begging the universe for an ounce of patience. Did we have an appointment ? Fucking Henson was the one who asked us to stop by. I was just getting ready to say that when Boone went up on his tiptoes, resting his elbows on the desk surface as he leaned toward Officer Simms, invading his space. Simms backed up until he was flush against the wall.

Boone’s grin was comically wide and nowhere near friendly. “Good afternoon, Officer Simms. I believe the sheriff is expecting us. Now, if you’d be so kind as to let him know we’re here, or maybe we could head back to his office? It’s up to you. Personally, I don’t mind hanging out in the waiting room while you figure things out.” Boone started picking up objects on the desk, fingering them and then setting them back down, getting his necromancer cooties on everything in the process. It was brilliantly devious retaliation. I agreed wholeheartedly.

“He’s in his office. Go.” Simms’s grimaced, his lips pulled painfully taut. I heard the hiss of disinfectant spray as we walked away. The sound was slightly obscured by Boone’s soft chuckles.

I knocked on Henson’s door and heard his gruff, “What do you want?”

I took that as an invitation and pushed the door open, stepping aside and allowing Boone to enter first. Henson glanced up and leaned back into his chair when he saw it was us. “Thanks for stopping by,” Henson said while tossing a pen onto his now cluttered desk. That surface had been immaculate the first time I’d seen it, as had the sheriff sitting behind its width. Both were a little worse for wear.

“No problem,” Boone answered. “Any word regarding Dr. Scott’s condition?”

Henson’s features relaxed and the barest hint of a smile twitched his lips. “She’s awake. I visited Emily this morning. She looks like hell, but her doctors expect a full recovery.”

“That’s good news,” Boone answered.

“It certainly is,” Henson agreed.

“Does she remember what happened?” I asked.

Henson shook his head. “No. Emily said she was taking notes on one of the corpses when there was a sudden explosion of pain in her head. The next thing she remembers is waking up in the hospital.”

I nodded. Truthfully, I hadn’t expected much different. “Do you still have security on her room?”

“I do. No one knows if Emily will remember more or not. Given the extremes this Vanja has gone to, I don’t trust she’s safe.”

“Reasonable,” I agreed easily.

Boone covered a yawn, but Henson saw it and asked, “And you? How are you feeling, Necromancer Boone?”

Boone shrugged. “Tired, but I’ve certainly felt worse.” I cringed, distinctly remembering that time. “Franklin fed me, watered me, and put me to bed.”

“Christ, that makes it sound like you’re a pet or a plant.” Henson didn’t seem overly impressed with Boone’s assessment.

“It is what it is. Franklin took excellent care of me. He always does.” Boone shot me a grateful smile I wasn’t sure I deserved. Taking care of Boone was my pleasure and privilege.

“Glad to hear you’re on the mend.” Henson sat forward, leaning his forearms on his desk and clasping his hands. “I know you’re probably anxious to get back down south, so I appreciate you coming in today.” Inhaling deeply, Henson got down to the reason we were here. Again. “I’ve either done something remarkably stupid or helpful. I suppose time will tell. I sent a message to the Midwestern Vampire Queen.”

Now, that got my attention. “Queen Millicent?” Boone asked.

“I don’t know of another,” Henson snarked. “It’s been brought to my attention that Necromancer Boone has had some interaction with the Southeast Vampire King. My vampire experience is very limited. I would appreciate any advice you can offer.”

“I—” Boone cut off and stared at me, his green eyes shimmering with questions I couldn’t answer. Boone turned his attention back to Henson and shook his head. “I’m not sure I can be a lot of help here. From my understanding, King Moony isn’t like most other vamps in similar positions. I can tell you that my experience with him was positive. He is devoted to his beloved, a pixie named Peaches. King Moony cares for his nest. I’ve heard he doesn’t even make them pay tithes. My personal conversations with him have been…pleasant. I’m not sure that’s the right word, but he doesn’t make me want to shit my pants.”

Henson chuckled. “Yeah, that’s kind of what I’m afraid of with Queen Millicent, and that’s assuming she answers my missive at all. Hell, she might ignore it completely.”

I scooted forward and asked, “I take it you wrote her regarding our Vanja impersonator.”

“I did. I can’t imagine Queen Millicent will take kindly to that. Bringing vampires into the equation might be insane, but right now, I’ll take what help I can get. I need to put a stop to this new Vanja before anyone else dies. The citizens of LaPorte County elected me as their sheriff. They expect me to protect them and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. One way or the other.” Henson grimaced at that. “Contacting the local vampire queen might lose me the next election. If that’s the case, so be it. I’ll make peace with it when the time comes.”

“She won’t follow human law,” Boone said. “You realize that, don’t you?”

Henson cringed. “Honestly, that’s sort of what I’m counting on. That might make me a horrible cop, but it’s the truth.”

“You’ll get no judgment from me,” I answered. Human law was all well and good, but it was more gray than black and white. The wheels of human justice didn’t just grind; some days, they barely moved. Other species didn’t have that issue, and Fairy law typically backed their swift justice.

“If you’d like, I can call King Moony and ask what his experience has been with Queen Millicent,” Boone offered. “I honestly don’t know if it will help, but I don’t mind.”

Henson perked up and sat higher in his chair. “You have King Moony’s number?”

Boone nodded while pulling out his phone. “I’ve got Peaches’s number which is just as good. I’m not sure if King Moony will be awake or not.”

Henson checked his watch and gave Boone an incredulous stare. “It’s the middle of the afternoon. I think it’s safe to say he’ll be asleep.”

Boone grinned. “You say that because you don’t know your vampire/pixie bonded information.” He held the phone out, speaker on while it rang. Peaches’s bright, sunny voice answered “Erasmus! How are you?”

Boone’s grin widened. It was difficult not to feel joy when speaking with such a happy pixie. “I’m good. I’ve actually got a question for your beloved. I don’t suppose King Moony’s up yet.”

“He is, although he’s still a little sleepy. I don’t think he’ll mind speaking with you. Is it okay if I listen in?”

“That’s fine. Please let him know he’ll be on speaker phone. I’m in the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office, said sheriff sitting across from me. Franklin’s here also.”

“Ohh, Franklin.” Peaches’s voice perked even higher. “Aurelia’s told me so much about you. I’d love to meet sometime and if not in person, maybe we can FaceTime soon.”

My cheeks flushed for reasons unknown. When I glanced at Boone, he was grinning like a loon. “Franklin would love that,” Boone answered with a saucy wink.

As we waited for King Moony to get on the line, Henson asked, “Who’s Aurelia?”

Boone opened his mouth, answer at the ready before snapping it closed and looked at me. With a shrug I answered, “Aurelia’s complicated.”

Boone gave a firm nod and said a quick, “Agreed, she—”

“Necromancer Boone, how may I be of assistance?” King Moony’s voice was liquid smooth and sent a shiver down my spine. Henson’s cheeks paled, but Boone didn’t so much as bat an eyelash.

“Thanks for taking my call, King Moony.”

“There is no need for honorifics. You may call me Lucroy.”

“Same on my account. Erasmus is fine.”

“Excellent. Now, what can I do for you, Erasmus?”

Boone reiterated that Henson and I were listening in, which King Moony seemed okay with, before he asked, “What can you tell us about the Midwestern Vampire Queen, Millicent?”

The pause was telling. “May I inquire why you desire this information?”

Boone gave me a slightly worried glance. “Long story short, Franklin and I are in the Chicago area and the local sheriff in a nearby county needs to speak with her. We were just wondering what we could expect and if there’s anything that will, uh…trigger her, I suppose. I’m not sure if I’m phrasing that correctly.”

“It is appropriate enough.” King Moony paused again before answering, “Queen Millicent and I have very different ideas of how to care for a nest. I have not spoken directly with her for one, maybe two, centuries.” King Moony threw out those dates as if time were meaningless. I suppose to a several-centuries-old vamp, that was accurate. “From my limited interactions, I would recommend extreme caution. Millicent is beyond vain, so it may be wise to play into this personality flaw. She will seem kind. Do not be fooled. Millicent is nearly as old as me and twice as vicious. There is a reason she has retained control of her nest for this long.”

I swallowed hard, and when I glanced Henson’s direction, the man’s complexion had a sickly green quality to it.

“Erasmus.” King Moony’s tone deepened, drawing all our attention. “Should you become entangled in Millicent’s mechanicians, I cannot guarantee my intervention will help. Vampires respect others’ rule and their territory. If we did not, there would be chaos. Vampire wars are bloody affairs that lead to prosperity for few and damage many. Do you understand?”

Boone’s smile was grim. “In other words, if I get into trouble, I’m on my own.”

“You have always struck me as an intelligent creature, Erasmus Boone. I am pleased you have not disappointed me this day. Is there anything further you wish to discuss?”

“With you? No. But would you mind placing Peaches back on the phone?”

“Of course not. My beloved enjoys hearing your voice.” The intention was clear. If Peaches didn’t like speaking with Boone, then King Moony would have ended the call.

“I’m back, Erasmus,” Peaches said happily, nearly negating the heaviness surrounding King Moony’s discussion.

“Hey, I just wanted to know how it was going with, uh…Little Fang.” Boone shot me a questioning glance and I nodded. Sure, now might not be the best time, but I was just as curious.

“Oh! She’s doing well. I’m not sure the sprites would agree, but I do think she’s starting to get the idea that they aren’t toys or food.” Peaches huffed. “Honestly, it’s not as if she’s starved now. Fang doesn’t need to hunt for her food. Aurelia’s being very diligent feeding Fang at the appropriate times and keeping her tummy full.”

Boone chuckled. “Peaches, I think you just might be a genius.”

I could practically hear the blush in Peaches voice as he stammered, “W-well, I don’t kn-know about that. I—”

“Take the compliment,” Boone teased. “Thank you for your help and please thank your beloved as well.”

“It’s no problem. Please don’t hesitate to call if you need anything else. Be careful. I heard what Lucroy said, and this Millicent vampire sounds like bad news. She’s nothing like my Lucroy.”

“That’s a fair statement. Thanks again. We’ll talk soon.”

“And FaceTime!” Peaches reminded us.

“And FaceTime,” Boone unfortunately agreed.

They both said their goodbyes, and Boone hit the end button. With a heavy sigh, Boone leaned back into his chair and said, “Not very encouraging, but also not unexpected.”

Henson didn’t really answer. He simply stared at something on his desk. I imagine he was more staring through the desk.

“It might not be so bad,” Boone tried to console. “Like you said, Queen Millicent might not even—”

“The other necromancer is gone.” I jumped half a mile, but it was nothing compared to Henson’s response.

“Jesus Christ.” Henson leaped from his chair and immediately reached for his gun. I could relate. It was my instinct the first time Aurelia popped into my world.

Standing, Boone raised a halting hand in Henson’s direction and foolishly placed his body between Henson and Aurelia. “What do you mean?” Boone asked Aurelia, fear leaking into his tone.

Aurelia didn’t so much as glance Henson’s direction. “You were very dull. I had hoped the other necromancer might be more entertaining.” Aurelia didn’t sound nearly as alarmed as I was beginning to feel.

“And he wasn’t there? Where you expected him?” Boone asked, sounding confused.

“He was, and then others came and removed him from the home. They took a woman also.”

My mouth dropped open. It took me a few moments to form words. “And you just stood there and let them be taken?”

“Why would I interfere?” Aurelia’s eyes slightly widened and for the briefest of moments, she appeared na?vely innocent.

Boone’s arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed. While I didn’t know what to make of Aurelia’s odd little puppy dog eyes, Boone clearly wasn’t buying it. “But you’re here now, letting us know. Why?”

That hint of innocence vanished, replaced by a smirk that barely exposed Aurelia’s white teeth. “I am no longer bored.”

While I incredulously stared at Aurelia, Boone’s arms dropped and his hands fisted at his sides. Boone’s neck and cheeks reddened with his burgeoning anger.

“What in the hell’s going on? And who the fuck is this?” Sherriff Henson’s outraged cry cut through Boone’s rising rage.

“This is Aurelia,” I answered. “As for what’s going on, that’s what we’re going to find out.”

Aurelia’s smirk morphed into a wicked grin. “This is far more entertaining,” Aurelia stated. Hanging my head, I rubbed my temples. So much for getting back to Mississippi anytime soon.