right away. “I know the perfect wolf to ask.” When she pulled into the airport parking, she used her cell phone for a few minutes, then flipped it closed.
“Molyneux’s in town all right. Or he was. Seen in a local bar late Saturday night. My contact Pepe says Louie works for anyone who pays. And he’s worked for Sebastian before.”
“And the others? Sheila and the pack?”
“Not seen around here for weeks. According to Pepe they have their own small pack. Sheila, Louie, their various siblings, and a couple of cousins. I’m familiar with most of them. Lowlifes.”
“How big a pack?”
“Three Montgomerys, five of Louie’s family, plus the cousins. Ten at least.”
“Sounds like we have the entire clan in Riverdale.” Ari opened the VW door and stepped out. She leaned on the window frame and made eye contact with Zoe. “Sebastian was fishing back there. Wanted to know how much we knew. In my book, that says he’s guilty as hell. Watch your back.”
“And you do the same. What do you think he’ll do next?”
Ari didn’t know what to tell her. Events were rushing forward faster than she could figure them out.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Once she made it home, Ari slept until noon. She finally crawled out of bed, made the coffee, and found two messages on her cell phone: Ryan and Zoe. She called Zoe first.
“Is there a problem? Something went wrong?”
“Not in the way you mean. The Magic Council took it well—even your part—and thought it was an excellent idea you had returned to the States. They felt Sebastian might take some action if you stayed.” Zoe chuckled. “The Council already has the computer, CDs and journals in custody. Somebody on our staff was very busy last night.”
Ari let out a breath of relief. That was one major concern off her shoulders.
“But that isn’t the reason I called,” Zoe said. “Louie Molyneux’s body washed up on the beach near Lake Shore Blvd this morning. Coroner says he’s been dead less than eight hours. Thought you’d want to know.”
Speechless, Ari sucked in her breath. She hadn’t seen that coming. His death wasn’t so surprising, but the timing brought her up short.
“Ari? Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes, Zoe, I heard. How’d he die?”
“Neck snapped. No other marks.”
“Quick and clean. Vampire.”
“Like Sebastian?”
“Well, not him personally. But he ordered it. Isn’t that how you said he handles things? People disappear? I mentioned the wolf last night and now he’s gone. If Molyneux wasn’t such a dirtbag, I’d feel bad about it.”
“Yeah, I hear your sorrow,” Zoe said dryly.
In a strange way, Ari was sorry. The witnesses in this case, anyone who could explain what was happening in Riverdale, were being picked off, one by one. And whether Sebastian was eliminating competition or covering his ass, the sneaky toad was involved in this right up to his funny mustache.
* * *
The rest of the day was a lost cause. Uncomfortable or unpleasant, often both. When she stopped to let Claris know she was back, her best friend became alarmed, almost to tears, about the meeting with Sebastian—and Ari had cut out most of the details.
Even Yana scolded her for going to Canada alone. Ari would have received a longer lecture if she hadn’t mentioned the strange phenomenon, the mental gate that had blocked Sebastian’s magical assault.
“Oh, my dear, you must have been in such grave danger for that to happen! If only your Great-Gran was here to explain this.” Yana’s voice broke.
Appalled, Ari thought her mentor was going to cry. She could almost see Yana ringing her hands on the other end of the phone. “I don’t get this. You sound more concerned about this gate thing than about Sebastian. What’s wrong?”
“Wrong? Everything. No, that isn’t what I mean. It’s really good news. It was the fire spirits that came to your rescue. A fire shield. A rare protection that usually accompanies other abilities that haven’t surfaced. At least not yet. It is as I hoped or feared. Since you’re witch powers weren’t nourished in childhood, they’re emerging as you need them. Oh, dear, this isn’t how it’s supposed to happen. You need training to control these things. Do be careful, Arianna.”
How could she be careful about something she’d never heard of? Ari hadn’t heard Yana so flustered before. She demanded a better explanation, but the nymph refused until they could meet in person.
“I need time to think, Ari, and do some research. I’m not a witch. Oh, why couldn’t this have happened years ago?”