Split at the Seams (21 page)

And because she’d faded, Benita wouldn’t get a chance to say goodbye.

I pressed my face against Oren’s soft shirt and smelled licorice. His strong presence was making a difference. If he wasn’t with me, I would probably have collapsed into the fetal position beside Benita’s body. I was getting pretty close to breaking point and still hadn’t come anywhere near trying to figure out how to help Mara and stop the Council.

With Oren’s help, I climbed up the stairs and made it back to my office and into my chair. When he picked up Ebony’s phone and made the call to the police, I picked up my own and dialed.

“Hey, I’m still angry with you, what do you want?” Ebony said into the phone.

Thank the heavens. I felt some of the distraught energy wisp away. “Where…?” I cleared my throat. “Where are you, Eb?”

“Just got to the Council. Why, are you still going to try and change my mind?”

I sighed. “I wish you would just listen to me. This is serious, Ebony. If they get their hands on you…” I didn’t want to think about what they’d do, because I already knew. “Turn away before it’s too late.”

“I already told you I’ll be okay. No one will even know I’m there. Besides, we have to get these in before six, or we’ll get fined.”

Procedure wasn’t high on my priority list at the moment. “If something feels out of whack or someone approaches you, just turn around and walk away, okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” she replied.

“Be careful and call me as soon as you’re done.” My heart was hammering inside my chest.

“I’ll even say hi to Roe for you.”

“Please, just be careful and listen to your instincts.”

“I promise, I will.” She disconnected.

I dropped the phone with shaky hands and leaned back into the chair, staring at Oren as he finally hung up.

“The police will be here soon.” He headed for the coffee machine.

“Did you tell them what we found downstairs?”

He nodded as he prepared a cup of coffee.

“What are we going to tell them? How are we going to explain the window?”

“Relax.” He turned to face me and carried over one of our mugs. “Here, drink this. It’ll help calm your nerves. I know how much you like coffee.” He offered me a weak smile.

“Thanks, Oren.” I took the mug and breathed in the lovely scent of it. I had no qualms about drinking a hot cup of coffee in summer. I loved it, and usually couldn’t start my day without a cup. As soon as I took a sip, I had to smile. Not as perfect as Ebony’s, but close enough. “This is good!”

He sat across from me, his eyes shiny. “We’re going to tell them we were up here discussing business when some sort of rabid dog appeared at the door. We slammed the door shut before it had a chance to enter the office, and then heard the window shatter. The less we claim to have seen, the better.” He looked serious. “We didn’t hear or see anything that happened downstairs, anyway, so we’re not completely lying. The less we say, the better and easier it’ll be for us. Can you do that?”

I didn’t like lying, but since I did it to myself so often, this shouldn’t be too hard. Besides, everything I would say to the police was true. I just had to remember not to mention the attack in my front yard, or in my office. Telling the cops everything would get me a one-way ticket to the nuthouse.

“Sure.”

“So, do you want me to teach you a few protective spells while we wait?”

I nodded, gulping down the rest of my coffee. At least it helped soothe away some of the cold settling into the pit of my stomach. “That dog tried to kill me twice. I know he’ll be back, and I’d like to be better prepared next time.”

“Who do you think sent him?”

I licked my lips, not wanting to get into another conversation that would throw us off course. I did want to share all of my theories and have Oren help me sort through everything, but right now I preferred to concentrate on spells. As strange as that seemed.

I shrugged.

“I’m starting to wonder how far the Council will go to get their hands on you.” He leaned back into Ebony’s chair. “After what Burr told us last night, it’s no wonder they’re trying to get you. If what they did to Mara is helping them pierce a hole into the ghostly patch, but their aim is to control it, you’re the perfect candidate. Your power will serve their purpose.”

“Thanks for making me sound like some sort of freaky object.”

“Sierra, as much as I wish I could sugarcoat this insane world of ours, to some people, that’s exactly what you are—an object of power. Used to manipulate and get whatever it is they want.”

I shuddered when I remembered the dog-beast mentioning Jonathan, the same way Travis had. Had he seen me as an object too? Obviously, and I’d served my purpose when sex between us had awakened a healing side of him. I felt so dirty and stupid. All the times I’d been worried about breaking a date and making Jonathan wait, I’d felt like the worst girlfriend in the world. And he’d been keeping such a huge and dangerous secret from me. What a jerk!

Yet, why hadn’t he struck when we were alone? He had plenty of opportunities. Maybe it had something to do with timing. Whoever he was working with, they were waiting for something. But what?

I stood up and headed for the middle of the room. “Let’s work on some of those protection spells.”

Chapter Ten

Oren had just started teaching me a protection incantation when we heard the commotion downstairs.

“That didn’t take long.” My stomach dropped and I suddenly felt the weight of loss on my shoulders, so I headed back to my chair. Between Benita’s death and Ebony not listening to me, I wasn’t sure if I could stay on my feet. The last thing I wanted to do was collapse while the police were here.

“It
is
a murder scene,” Oren said. “It makes sense that they would rush over.”

Two policemen dressed in the familiar blue uniform of the New South Wales police appeared at my open office door, but only one of them knocked as they both wandered inside. “Good afternoon, I’m Senior Constable Stand, and this is Constable Crewe. You called this in?” The older policeman addressed Oren and dipped his chin in my direction.

I didn’t have the energy to get to my feet at the moment. And with the
omitting
we were about to do, it was probably better to be sitting down.

“Yes, I was. My name is Oren McKee.” Oren approached them, his hand outstretched. They both shook it. “My associate, Ms. Fox, and I were discussing business when a huge dog appeared out of nowhere. We shut the door on it and then heard the sound of glass shattering. That’s when I went downstairs and found poor Benita.”

I looked at the younger cop and he caught my eye. He didn’t smile, but there was something in his stare that made me comfortable. I was hoping he was the one who I had to deal with.

“Okay, Mr. McKee, I’d like to ask you a few questions and my partner will question your associate.” The blond-haired policeman peered at my door and scrawled down what it said on it—
Sierra Fox, Spook Catcher
.

Oren followed him outside and the other policeman slowly headed my way.

He looked around the office, taking in every detail. Luckily, it didn’t look as shabby as it once had. He avoided my gaze until he sat down on one of the visitor chairs beside our desks. One was closer to Ebony’s desk, the other to mine. That’s the one he took.

“Hello, Ms. Fox,” he said in a clear and pleasant voice that seemed to match the air of serenity around him. “So, you’re a spook catcher?”

“Yes, I’m hired to catch ghosts and make sure they’re brought to justice,” I answered a little defensively. I did a lot more than that, but there was no point in going into it right now. A certain division of the NSW Police Force had been established to deal directly with the Council, but these officers were here to investigate a murder, not me.

A smile curved his full lips. “So you’re a supernatural cop, then?” The tease in his hazel eyes made him appear really young.

“Not really,” I said with a shrug, realizing that getting defensive about his question had been stupid. I was pretty sure he was teasing me.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ghost.”

“Most people haven’t.”

He looked at me for a silent moment, the smile never leaving his face. “So, can you to tell me what happened downstairs?” He pulled out a small notebook and pen from the black vest covering his torso. I could see a variety of weapons stashed in there.

“I don’t know what happened downstairs, but I can tell you what happened up here…” I repeated everything the same way I’d discussed it with Oren, which really wasn’t much. I tried to keep my voice steady but it didn’t work, emotion made me stumble and pause a few times. I kept seeing Benita lying on the floor like a discarded doll.

The police officer jotted everything down and nodded when I was done. “And did you see the animal Mr. McKee mentioned?”

Flashes of our encounter made my skin crawl—I’d seen him all right. “Just when he came to the door…”

“What did this dog look like?”

“He was black and huge, probably the biggest dog I’ve ever seen.”

Constable Crewe jotted down the description. “Did you recognize the dog breed?”

The demonic kind,
I wanted to say, but settled for, “I don’t know.”

“Did you know Benita Sorrenti?”

“Yes, we’ve both had offices here for several years. She was a nice woman, a very helpful accountant.” I felt tears well in my eyes. Benita was an innocent woman who certainly didn’t deserve to die at the hands of a nightmarish monster. Accepting ghosts was one thing, because most humans could go their whole life without being affected by one, but the creatures I’d been discovering lately weren’t fit for human eyes.

The constable took some more notes, and while he was distracted I looked at him a little closer. He was quite an attractive man with curly black hair he kept trimmed close to his head, and lovely brown skin. He had long, black eyelashes and was clean-shaven. On closer inspection, he looked to be about my age and the standard blue cop uniform suited his long, trim frame. I thought he might be of Aboriginal descent.

When he looked up, his hazel eyes pierced into mine and crinkled at the edges as he offered me another smile. “Is there anything else you’d like to add?”

“No,” I answered.

“Can I get you to read your statement and sign at the bottom?”

I nodded, and after skimming his neat writing I signed my name and handed his notebook back. Our fingers touched, and I instinctively drew my hand back. His skin was soft and warm.

His eyes strayed to the floor and he noticed my shoe. I tucked my foot under the desk, hoping he hadn’t seen the shredded fabric.

“Are you going to be okay?” He closed his notebook and tucked it into one of the pockets on his vest.

“I’m just a little shaky.” Not far from the truth. I still couldn’t believe Benita was dead. I wasn’t looking forward to telling Ebony.

He nodded, knowingly. “Seeing your first dead body is enough to shake you. You did see her, didn’t you?”

I hesitated long enough to maybe rouse his suspicion. “No, I didn’t. Oren went downstairs. I stayed in here.”

“And who is Oren McKee to you?”

My biological grandfather, teacher in the ways of witches, the strong support I find myself needing so much lately…
“He’s an associate.”

“He chases ghosts too?” He cocked a dark eyebrow.

I didn’t like the way this conversation was turning away from what we’d gone through. “Not exactly, but he does know a thing or two about them.”

“Right,” he said, sneaking another look at my foot. I expected him to say more, ask enough questions to push the truth out of me. Instead, he pulled out a white business card and held it out to me. “If you remember anything else, let me know. You can call me direct. Any time.”

I took the card with an appreciative nod. “Thanks.” I had no intention of involving the police in any of this, or of associating myself with a policeman. I might not be a criminal but I did occasionally break the law. I was inside my house when Oren served Troy with the inquisition notice and obliterated him with flames. I was also there when Papan killed the woman in the cemetery who’d shot him while he was trying to defend me.

Yeah, I had too many secrets for the police to be nosing around.

Although I brought a lot of spooks to justice, I didn’t really deal much with the police department. I’d had to attend several court cases in the past, but their specific division dealt directly with the Council.

For a long moment, Constable Crewe sat silently looking at me, almost as if he wanted to say more. Eventually, he stood up and headed for the door. He stopped and turned back toward me.

“Is it hard?”

“What?”

He took another moment to answer. “Is it hard to find these ghosts and bring them to justice?”

“No harder than you bringing criminals to justice.”

He nodded, knowingly. “Does it keep you busy?”

I’d often wondered why the Council didn’t encourage any of us girls to actually go to the police academy and become cops. Having spook catchers on the force would be an advantage for everyone. Then again, it might also cut into their profits.