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  “And this is the one that knows…” John asked, trailing off.

  “Everything,” Mira said, “yes.”

  “And your, uh, spell. It’s working?” John asked.

  “Yes,” Mira said, taking another deep look at Ian and the spell. She tried not to be insulted by the question. John was only human, after all. “You’re safe to answer any question and he won’t be able to repeat anything about a supernatural aspect.”

  Ian twisted in his seat, looking agitated by the reminder.

  “I’ve been working here for the past nine years,” John said. “I’m an actuarial manager.”

  “Thank you,” Ian said. “I was just going to ask that.”

  “Sally and I had only known each other for around two years or so,” John said.

  “Um, okay,” Ian said, twisting again.

  John glanced at Mira. “I’m not sure if I should answer that.”

  “Well,” Ian said, “since I haven’t asked anything, I can understand.”

  John gave Mira a panicked look.

  Mira put a hand on Ian’s arm to stop the agitated detective from going any further. “What were the first three questions you were going to ask?”

  “How long he’s been working here and what he does, how long he knew Sally, and…” Ian trailed off, frowning.

  “Things got off track.” Mira bit her lip and looked at John. He was living in a future that hadn’t quite happened the way it was supposed to. “Go ahead and ask those questions. It’ll be easier to catch up.”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Ian said.

  “Thank you,” John said.

  “Ask the questions and leave him a bit of time for the answers.” Seeing Ian was going to argue, Mira added. “Trust me.”

  “Fine,” Ian said. “John, how long have you been working here and what is your job title?” He paused. “When did you meet Sally? Do you know if Sally had any enemies?”

  “Those were rather abrupt questions,” Mira said as she watched John move from future to present. “You can move onto the next question in a moment.”

  “But he didn’t answer—”

  “He answered everything you asked,” Mira said under her breath.

  John looked uncomfortable, but didn’t say anything. To Mira, though, it looked as if he had joined them in the present, and she motioned for Ian to continue.

  “Do you know anyone that had a grudge against Sally or Helen?” Ian asked.

  John looked to Mira, back down at his hands, and then back up at her again. “Sally was at a meeting a little over a month ago. I can look up the date if you need it, but I remember her being at a meeting. Sally said something to Emmit during the meeting. Afterward, she went up to him. She seemed to be arguing with him.” John shook his head. “That’s not quite right. Sally was upset with Emmit, but Emmit looked normal. Normal for him, anyway. He said a few words and left. I’m not sure what they talked about.”

  Ian took a few notes. “Can you look up that date?”

  “Sure,” John said. He woke up his computer and started clicking around.

  Sally and Emmit, Mira thought. Why would Sally be upset with Emmit? Emmit rarely spoke with anyone, aside from Tyler, that is. And now her.

  John gave Ian the date of the meeting and mentioned that there were more people at the meeting because it was a holiday for some of the group. Supernaturals loved celebrating with other supernaturals. It was the only place they could really be themselves.

  “Was Martin there?” Ian asked.

  John shook his head and started wringing his hands again. “It’s rare for non-supernaturals to attend. An exception would not be made for someone Sally had only known for a few months.”

  “Do you know if anyone might have had a grudge against Helen?” Ian asked.

  “I didn’t know her that well,” John said.

  “Had you ever seen Helen with Emmit?” Ian asked.

  Why focus on Emmit? Mira tried not to grind her teeth in frustration.

  “I saw them talking one night,” John said. “Briefly. I don’t know why, but it looked like they only said a few words.”

  “Did either of them look upset?”

  “Emmit doesn’t look upset,” John said. “He doesn’t look anything. Helen looked fine.”

  “Is there anything else you can think of?” Ian asked.

  John cleared his throat and looked at Mira again. “I, uh, found out what Sally was doing.”

  Not knowing where this was going, Mira said nothing, but she was suddenly glad of the Fortitude running through her system.

  Ian shifted. “Mira, would you mind waiting in the hall?”

  “I would,” Mira said.

  She almost felt bad for Ian. He looked as though he had no idea what to do with that response.

  “It looks as though John would be more comfortable with you outside at this point,” Ian said.

  There wasn’t much conviction behind the words, but Mira relented. “It was good to see you, John.” She shot a glare at Ian. “I’ll be in the hall.”

  When she was out of the office, she paced.

  Chapter 14

  Mira wasn’t sure if Ian could read the atmosphere, or if he was just tired from having so much new stuff thrown at him. Either way, he didn’t have much to say after they left the towering skyscrapers of downtown.

  Trying to put Sally out of her mind, Mira thought about the spell she was putting together for Emmit. She had started gathering cryptic notes in her notebook as new ideas came to her.

  The car stopped and Mira looked around. “Where are we?” She hadn’t even thought about introducing Ian to anyone else.

  “It’s getting late,” Ian said, “and we missed lunch. I thought we’d stop for dinner.”

  With the fortitude flowing through her, Mira hadn’t noticed that she was hungry. With any spell, little side effects could occur that you had to look out for. They were natural parts of the spell, but you had to be careful and pay attention to make sure that you knew everything the spell was doing to you.

  Which made her think about the spell she had put on Ian.

  “Food is a wonderful idea,” Mira said.

  On their way inside, Mira checked the spell. The spots where Ian struggled against it looked aggravated again, as though he was wrestling with the pressure of not saying anything. Those areas hadn’t spread, though.

  Internal struggle?

  It was hard to say, but she knew she needed to keep an eye on it. In the meantime, she’d have to make sure there were no other little side effects that would start to show themselves.

  “Have you been here before?” Ian asked. He was obviously at home in the place, nodding to a member of staff as he found his way to a booth.

  “I think so, but it’s been a long time,” Mira said.

  A waiter dropped off menus and brought them drinks. Ian ignored the menu and chatted with the man while Mira examined the selections. After they ordered, Mira noticed that Ian had shredded his straw wrapper and was watching her.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  “I need to know about your relationship with Emmit.” Ian looked uncomfortable, but forged on. “If you two are close, I need to know up front.”

  So, he was starting with Emmit. Mira looked around, noting that it was too early for dinner and too late for lunch, so there weren’t many diners and none near them.

  “There’s not much to tell, really,” Mira said. “We hadn’t even spoken until a few nights ago.”

  “He’s been at your house several times in the past few days and John said he doesn’t talk with very many people. Most of the other people he’s spoken with are dead.”

  Mira tried not to take offense on Emmit’s behalf, but Ian made that difficult. “You think that because you’ve only asked about Sally and Helen. John barely knows Emmit.”

  “But you do?”

  “We’re friends,” Mira said. “We’ve had a few conversations. He’s been to my shop; he’s spoke
n with my sister and Della. He’s spoken with you.” Mira tried to emphasize that fact.

  “Only once,” Ian said, “which is still a little fuzzy.”

  “Imagine that,” Mira said, rolling her eyes.

  “What I do remember is that there seemed to be something wrong with him.”

  “The only thing wrong with him was that he was trying to deal with you,” Mira snapped.

  Ian changed tactics. “John mentioned that Emmit knew Tyler. You’ve mentioned him a few times, too.”

  “That’s not a question,” Mira said.

  “Can you introduce us?” Ian asked.

  Mira shrugged, but before she could say anything, someone came up to their booth.

  “Mimi,” Ian said with a smile, “come sit down with us.” Ian slid over to give her space.

  Not that she needed much of it. Mimi looked like she was seeing the early sixties. She was a skinny little waif of a woman and wore the sweetest smile—like a mixture between your best friend and your grandmother.

  “I think I’ll take the time to do just that,” Mimi said, settling in next to Ian. “Who’s your date?” she winked at Mira.

  “Mimi, this is Mira Owens. Mira, this is Mimi Cantrel, owner of Harman’s. And,” he added to Mimi, “I’m not on a date.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mira,” she said, reaching out to shake Mira’s hand. Mimi had a firm handshake.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Mira replied. “You have a nice restaurant.”

  “Thank you, Dear.” She nudged Ian. “Why haven’t you asked this lovely young lady on a date?”

  “Uh, Mira is helping me out with a case. She owns the Essence of Tea downtown.”

  “Well, that’s no excuse for not asking her out. Can’t wait on things like that,” Mimi said to Ian before turning to Mira. “The Essence of Tea, I know that place. You have some wonderful tea blends. And fantastic pastries.”

  Mira’s face turned crimson, both from the compliment and from what she had said to Ian. “Thank you, Mimi. I have a business partner that does the baking.”

  That led Mimi straight into business talk. Mira could see how she remained successful, despite all the chain restaurants around. When the food came, Mimi made arrangements to call and set up a taste testing at Mira’s shop with the prospect of Essence of Tea supplying her desserts. It was a fantastic idea, one that Mira had never considered before, and she let Mimi know that she would fill in her partner right away.

  Mimi had brought a great disruption with her. Over dinner, Mira and Ian kept their conversation light. When the check came, Mira started to pull out her purse, but Ian shook his head.

  “What?” Mira asked.

  He wordlessly slid over the bill.

  It had already been paid with a note from Mimi. She told Ian that she’d see him on his next date. He left cash for the tip.

  Mira felt lighter than she had when they’d stopped. “That’s a nice place. How’d you and Mimi meet?”

  “She’s a friend of my mom,” he said. “She watched me a bunch when I was growing up.”

  “She’s really nice,” Mira said, getting into the car. “Did you want to visit anyone else tonight?”

  “Actually,” Ian said, losing his smile, “we still need to talk.”

  Inwardly, Mira groaned. More questions. “Want to talk at my place?”

  “Sure,” Ian said. “Do you think you can arrange a time for me to meet with Tyler?”

  Obviously, he wasn’t going to wait until they got to the apartment. “Okay. When would you like to see him?”

  “As soon as I can. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be pretty busy. Tonight, if possible.”

  “I think he has plans,” Mira said. She wasn’t about to bring Emmit’s name into the conversation again. “I’ll call, though.”

  Mira tried Tyler on his cell and at home, leaving a message in both places. Finally, she texted, knowing full well that Tyler would answer a text before he would a call.

  “I’ll let you know what he says,” Mira said. “You’ve met a few people today. Was there anyone else I mentioned that you want to see tomorrow?”

  “Is there someone in charge?” Ian asked.

  “In charge of what?”

  “Everything. All the supernaturals. I mean, you all have rules and stuff, so who’s in charge of it all?” Ian asked.

  She tried not to laugh. “No one is in charge. Not in the way you think, anyway.” She told him about the council and the regular meetings. She told him about the gatherings of supernaturals and she had just started in on more specific details when they arrived at her apartment.

  “Can I come to one of these council meetings?” Ian asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Mira said evenly. “Like John said, it’s rare that humans even know about them, much less attend.”

  “There has to be a better way of talking with everyone,” Ian said. “There’s still too much I don’t understand.”

  Mira hurried up the cold stairs and into the apartment, Ian tromping behind.

  “I can ask,” Mira said. “But the next meeting isn’t for two weeks.”

  “That’s too long to wait,” Ian said.

  “I know this is a lot to take in,” Mira said, greeting Alchemy and Oracle before taking off her coat. “And there’s no way to become an expert overnight.”

  “Right,” Ian said. He looked dejected.

  “Come into the kitchen. I’ll make us some tea.”

  “Got anything extra to go into it?”

  “I have alcohol if you want something stronger.” After seeing him drunk the other night, she wasn’t sure if it was the best idea, but she offered anyway.

  Ian shrugged off his jacket. “I was thinking something with a more magical kick.”

  “Really?” Mira asked, eyebrows raised.

  Ian sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe…”

  “Maybe what?”

  “The spell you used on me. Can you use that on Gabe?”

  “Oh.” Mira sat down at the table next to Ian and tried to formulate her response in a way he would understand. “What I did—with the spell, I mean—it was kind of a desperate measure.”

  “And I’m glad you did.” Ian seemed to take note of the incredulous look on her face. “No, really, I am. I’ve learned more about the world in the last few days than I ever thought possible. I can see why you hide, and this case needed someone to look at these connections.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way.” She wasn’t convinced, though it was a nice thing for him to say.

  “But the thing is, it’s always better to have two sets of eyes on this stuff, and there’s a lot here. Too much for one detective to cover and not enough time to go through everything.”

  “I get that,” Mira said, trying to sound reassuring. “And no one is expecting miracles here.”

  “So you’re saying no,” Ian said.

  “I bound you without your permission. There are consequences to that. To do it twice—”

  “Right,” Ian said. “Just think about it. Please.”

  Mira felt at a loss. “Okay. There’s other stuff to cover, though, right? I mean, there’s a whole non-supernatural side to things.”

  “Yeah. We need to talk about that, too.” Ian leaned forward. “If we move forward—”

  “If?” Mira asked. She felt like she was floating out to sea. She put her hand on the pentagram hidden beneath her shirt, as though hoping for strength from it.

  “If,” Ian repeated. “I’m not sure what I can tell Gabe about what I learned today, so I’ll be working on something in the morning. But if you and I continue, you might hear some things.”

  “About Sally,” Mira said, looking down. “That’s why you sent me out of the room so you could talk with John.”

  “Yes,” Ian said. He was trying to sound matter of fact, but Mira noted some hesitancy in his voice.

  “What did she do?” Mira asked, still unsure if she really wanted to know. She needed to know, though.
>
  “Sally was blackmailing people,” Ian said. “We aren’t sure how many yet, but there have been quite a few.”

  People don’t really do that, do they? Mira kept that thought to herself. She wanted to ask if he was sure and how he knew, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask that either. Not after seeing John’s nervousness before Mira was forced to leave the interview.

  She’d be denying the truth. Somehow, she knew that.

  When Mira said nothing, Ian tried to fill the gap. “From what I’ve learned about Sally, I think she was using her clairvoyance to find out things about people to extort money from them.” Ian waited for a moment before going on. “Even when I found out about her powers, I figured there wouldn’t be many people. But it sounded like she was blackmailing supernaturals as well as other people around her.”

  “She wouldn’t threaten to out a supernatural,” Mira said without thinking. It was a knee jerk reaction and she knew it.

  Apparently, Ian knew it as well. “Everyone has things to hide. She wouldn’t have to threaten to expose their supernatural secrets. Only what they’ve done. She’d been extorting money from people for quite a while.”

  Mira only nodded in a dull way.

  “You can see why I might need to bring someone else in on this now, right? About her powers, I mean,” Ian said.

  What could she say to that? It sounded as though Ian was having to climb a mountain on his own, with no support. However, Gabriel, who could spot lies and press hard in just the right spot, would struggle like hell against the spell. She was confident enough to know her spell would hold, but she knew the price would be higher.

  “You’ll think about it?” Ian asked.

  Mira sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

  Chapter 15

  Mira spent most of the evening with Alchemy on her lap reading Postsfromtheether.com. She spent hours looking for anything that might be related to the murders. As she expected, she found nothing. Some of the predictions were interesting, but nothing that would help them track a killer.

  The next morning, snow greeted the city. With Ian spending the early part of the day doing other things, Mira was determined to make up for missing so much work. Fortitude was doing some heavy lifting as the roads got worse and snow steadily built up on her way to the city.