Page 81 of Grave Beginnings

“Yeah, maybe. I don’t have either of those,” Angel said.

“Uh, youaremuscly, and tall.”

He snorted. “That’s not the main problem.”

I knew it wasn’t, and it didn’t mean that I was unbothered by it, but expressing my irritation at other people’s racism was hardly going to fix our current problem. I started to say ‘sorry,’ as if apologizing for the shitty world, but the tiny grin on the edge of his lips made me stop. I studied him. “You really believe me? That I’m seeing something we need to follow?”

“I’m completely serious.” He pointed to his eyes. “Your eyes shift when you see something. Remember?”

“Oh,” I said, hit hard by the sudden realization that he had good reason to believe me even when I doubted myself. “I don’t understand how this is necromancy related. Is a purple line related to dead people somehow?”

He stared at me for a long moment, like some battle went on in his head that he wasn’t certain he wanted to win, before he finally said. “Your eyes went black. Not red. Black.”

I glanced at my armband, the subtle undertone of black looking more ominous. “Are they still black?” I whispered, half afraid of what he’d say.

“No. Baby blue.”

I let out a long breath and let the tension slip away. “Okay. If you call the team, can they be subtle, or is this going to be a sledgehammer that might turn out to irritate everyone over nothing?”

“If I keep it to our team, yeah. We can always drag in the rest if we need them.”

“I’m on board, then. What do you want me to do?”

“Wait here with me while I call?”

“You need me to hold your hand?” I teased, knowing that wasn’t what he meant.

“If it keeps you from running off after something I can’t see, then yes,” he said, offering his hand.

I laughed, and slapped his hand away, folding my arms across my chest, “I have a strict ‘no hand-holding while hunting forinvisible, possibly demonic, crayon lines’ policy. Page eleven, section two of the supernatural partner contract.” I leaned against the wall of the locked storage area to wait.

“There was a contract?” He asked, a smile on his lips, and dialed Wade.

“Not my fault you didn’t read the fine print.”

27

The team arrivedin an unmarked van, parking next to us in the designated police spots near the inside ground floor door. I thought the apartment manager was going to go into shock over the group arriving in their SED vests with their equipment, but Bobby took over, smiling at the lady and speaking calm things to her while Wade made his way to us for more intel. Ezra kept back, studying the lobby, the handful of occupants, and likely assessing who he might talk to first.

“I’ve got Bobby’s scanner,” Wade said. “We have three new settings to try. You think this is a DV thing? I can call Kerry in. Her nose isn’t good, but she sees Veil shit better than most.”

Angel shook his head. “I’d like to keep it to us right now. Until we have more.” He looked over at me. “Can you describe what you saw to Wade?”

I glanced up, searching for the purple spread I’d first encountered in the lobby when we entered, but it was gone. Sighing, I tried, “It sort of looked like purple smoke? Or a crack. It didn’t move like smoke, but was puffy like smoke.” Fuck, how did I describe something that I didn’t understand myself?

“Can we find any of it that might be lingering and see if we can play with the scanner?” Wade offered.

“If we go back to the Thayersons’ floor,” Angel said. “Was it pretty strong there?”

“I saw it in their apartment.” I hesitated, as it had been here in the lobby and then on the wall of the hall upstairs first. “First, it was up toward the light.” I pointed. “But it’s not there now. Then it was on the wall when we exited the elevator, and in their apartment.”

“Did it come from the kid?” Ezra asked, appearing at our side.

“Yeah, and he got really creepy. Spoke and everything,” I said.

“He’s non-verbal,” Ezra said.

“I’m wearing my camera. Check, if you don’t believe me,” I said, irritated. Obviously, Ezra was not going to play nice even if Angel and Wade seemed to like me.