Page 18

Dead Evidence Walking

A fter the town hall, Roam and Honey carefully searched Evangelina's office, looking for any clues the dark creatures expert might have left behind.

"Tandy was definitely here," Roam said, holding up the business card she'd carelessly left on the desk. "Vampire Real Estate Queen? She wasn't even trying to hide her involvement."

Honey's fingers traced over the shattered remains of Evangelina's appointment crystal. "She destroyed something. Whatever Evangelina discovered, Tandy didn't want us to find it."

As Honey emptied the papers and remains of the satchel on the desk, a torn piece of paper fluttered to the floor. She bent to retrieve it, her eyes widening as she recognized Evangelina's elegant handwriting.

"Roam, look at this."

The note was partially ripped most likely in the chaos of her murder. Only fragments remained legible:

"...water must be freely given to maintain its power. If taken by force, the falls will turn..."

"...Ronald's previous attempt in Florida failed because..."

"...vampire coven vulnerable to the water when used with proper intent..."

"...Tandy Keyes working as inside..."

Roam's expression hardened as he read the fragments. "This confirms our suspicions about Tandy. And it gives us something else---information about the falls water."

"Evangelina figured it out before she died," Honey said softly, running her finger over the torn paper. "The water has to be freely given, not taken, and it might actually turn against the culprit."

"This changes our strategy," Roam nodded, carefully folding the scrap of paper. "Instead of just defending the falls, we can use them actively against Ronald's coven."

"We need to tell Vlad when he arrives," Honey said, a new determination in her voice. "And Maisie. If the falls water responds to intent, her connection might be even more important than we realized."

As they left the office, Honey paused in the doorway, looking back at the space that had been Evangelina's domain for over a century. "She's still helping us, even after death."

"That's Evangelina," Roam said with grim satisfaction. "Always one step ahead."