Page 23 of The Vampire and the Case of the Baleful Banshee

Sidnee and I watched him leave the office. ‘Was that a good idea?’ she asked. ‘Just letting him stroll out?’

‘Maybe not, but he didn’t know anything. I’m hoping he’ll convince Aoife to bring us the gem and he can’t do that from behind bars. In the meantime, we watch him and find out where she is.’

‘How? We’re short staffed as it is.’

‘I’ve asked Thomas Patkotak to follow him.’

Sidnee looked at me approvingly. ‘Huh. You can be real sneaky, Bunny.’ I winked.

My case had become more complicated. Yes, I knew who the thief was and it was only a matter of time before I brought her in, but who was trying to destroy the barrier gems – and why? There was no point in restoring the gem to its rightful place only to have it stolen or destroyed days later.

Sidnee yawned. ‘I’m going home for real this time. No more calling me in.’

‘Sorry,’ I apologised.

Looking more like her old self, she cracked a smile. ‘I’m teasing you. Tell Gunnar I’m heading out.’

‘Will do. Be safe.’

‘You bet.’

I watched her leave, then I sighed and went to chat with Gunnar.

Chapter 13

Before I could say anything, Gunnar said, ‘There’s been another fire.’

I groaned. This was my fault. ‘For fuck’s sake! I had Aoife inches from my grasp. Was anyone hurt?’

‘Thankfully not. Another empty property.’

‘Small blessings.’

Gunnar looked at me expectantly, so I laid out everything that Luke and Aoife had told me. ‘Dumb kids,’ he muttered under his breath. ‘Aoife believes there’s a credible threat to the barrier, but Luke doesn’t know who from except those who hate the barrier – including Aoife’s mother. Is that the gist?’

‘More or less.’

‘Well, we have about thirty protestors to watch and that’s more than the three of us can handle. We’ll need to narrow this down. Take that list of protestors and cross-reference it with the database. We’re looking for any previous arrests for theft, destruction of property, violence – anything really.’

I nodded. He opened his mouth to say something but his phone rang. He stared at the tiny screen. ‘Goddammit, it’s Liv.’

‘Do you want me to leave?’ I offered. Sometimes witnesses were the last things you wanted.

He shook his head, swiped the screen and hit the speaker button. ‘Liv, how can I help you?’ His voice was polite but distant.

‘Have you found the fire gem yet?’ she demanded.

Gunnar looked up at me and I wondered for a moment if he was – rightfully – going to throw me under a bus. ‘We don’t have it yet but we do have a good lead,’ he said instead.

‘That doesn’t help. We need it back in place immediately.’

My blood ran cold. I squeaked out, ‘Why?’

‘Bunny?’ Liv asked.

‘Yes, it’s me.’

She harrumphed but continued. ‘There’s been another tear reported. It’s small, but we can’t seal it permanently without the gems in their places.’