set up to identify the changes that magic produces.” Ari appealed to Ryan. “Let’s send a sample to the Otherworld Forensics Lab. Maybe OFR can confirm our suspicions.”
“How do they prove a drug’s been cursed? On second thought, I don’t want to know.” The detective looked at Ryan. “Do you deal with this kind of stuff all the time?” When Ryan gave him a crooked grin, the officer stood. “Glad there’s somebody who takes these cases. And I’m just as glad it isn’t normally me. You let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Ari doubted they’d see him again.
* * *
Two days passed without noticeable progress. Ari talked with Martin and Steffan frequently as community tension continued to rise. Rumors spread like wildfire. A lot of smack talk was going down. Name calling, finger pointing. The sale of firearms to humans jumped fifteen percent, the sale of silver bullets skyrocketed. Friends and family of the injured weretiger formed a night watch, announcing they would kill any vampires that came near their homes. The local wolves watched everyone with suspicion.
“Can you blame them?” Steffan asked during his latest call. “We’ve had two fatal fights. Tempers are running high. If we don’t get a lid on this, the community’s going to blow.”
Ari tapped a pencil on her kitchen table. She’d been writing her reports to the Council. “I wonder if the situation is as bad with the vampires.”
“Haven’t heard from Andreas, huh?”
“Not since Sunday. Doubt if I will. He was pretty pissed, only I’m still not sure why.” She’d already told Steffan about the parking lot confrontation. “I guess we have to assume Prince Daron’s got things under control.”
After they disconnected, Ari debated calling Andreas to break the ice. An update on the vampire situation would be good, but she had another, more pressing reason. With the crisis deepening, she needed to make contact with the Canadian wolves. An interview with the mysterious she-wolf seemed like the perfect excuse, and Ari still thought Andreas could make that happen. The vampire hadn’t withdrawn his promise to help. Of course, he hadn’t renewed it either. And his distrust of her couldn’t have been more obvious. She put her phone away, not yet ready to have him refuse the call. Maybe if she gave him more time.
Too restless to finish the reports, she decided to pursue another angle. While Ryan talked with the narc squad, Ari wanted to tap community sources on the drug angle. She wished she’d paid closer attention when Fantasy was all over the media. As she recalled, The Clarion had printed a series of articles. She called the newspaper’s general number. They transferred her to the crime desk to talk with reporter Eddie West.
When he answered the phone, Ari explained who she was and what she wanted. “I need to know everything you can tell me about Fantasy. Where it came from, who’s selling it. Everything.”
“Sure, I can do that,” the reporter said. “It’ll take awhile, and I’m starving. Want to meet at the Daily Diner? I’ll even let you buy. And maybe you can tell me why the Magic Council is interested in the drug traffic.”
Ari chuckled. The guy had his own style. Half an hour later, she entered an unpretentious establishment that might have been situated in any small town, USA. A dozen booths. Half as many tables. Vinyl floor. A white-haired couple drank coffee at one of the tables. A forty-something female sat alone in a booth, her attention on the door. The only other occupant was a freckle-faced young man grinning at Ari from a corner booth. He looked seventeen. He waved.
“Over here,” he said. “I’m Eddie.”
He read her surprise, for as soon as she slid into the seat, he added, “I’m twenty-four. People always mistake me for a teen. Someday looking younger will be a good deal. Right now it’s a drag.”
She grinned at his boyish admission. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t sweat it. Hope you don’t mind, but I ordered. Haven’t eaten since breakfast. You want something?”
She said a Diet Coke would be great.
His brown eyes gave Ari the once-over. A guy look. “You don’t look much like my idea of a Guardian.”
“No? What did you expect?”
“Big, tough looking. Lots of weapons. You’re just a cute blonde.”
Ari rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh. As you said, assumptions are such a drag.”
Eddie laughed. “OK, you got me. My mistake. And my turn to apologize.”
His rib sandwich, fries, and shake arrived. Ari ordered her drink and watched in amusement as