Demon's Vengeance The Complete - Jocelynn Drake Page 0,18
be the most sympathetic of the three different clans. The Winter Court was cool, distant, and definitely frightening, from my limited experience. And the Svartálfar, or dark elves, were murderous assholes looking to kill or control everyone around them. They weren’t quite as bad as the Ivory Towers, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
“Until recently, the elves have had some reproduction issues. I think Trixie’s a little sensitive about babies right now,” I said, hoping that was the reason. During my quick visit to see Mother Nature in September, I convinced the old girl to set the elves right again. Of course, there were days I still felt hollow and raw from that visit. Mother’s Nature’s home had put me at peace and holding my son had been the best experience in the world, but I couldn’t stay. There were still too many things I needed to do here.
“Do you have any more insight you can offer on the tattoo or even the killer?” Serah asked and I was grateful she dropped the subject of Trixie and the elves.
Stepping back over to the counter that held the original sketch as well as the copy used for the inking, I tucked my hands in my pockets to keep from touching anything. “Kyle reduced the size so it can easily be tattooed on an arm or just about anywhere on the body. With this potion, it would need to be on the left side. Preferably on the arm or shoulder—as close to the heart as possible for this to take effect.”
“What about on the chest over the heart?”
“Possible but less likely. Kyle hated tattooing on the chest and generally avoided it. Chest tattoos are a pain in the ass because the customer keeps breathing.”
“Anything else?”
I shrugged. “Just the basics—check fingerprints, Kyle’s schedule, phone records, and the paperwork the client had to sign before the tattoo was done.”
“Police are working on it, but I doubt they’re going to find much on the paperwork side. I’d heard there are some artists who tattoo without filing the proper paperwork,” Sarah added wryly as she tucked her notepad in her pocket. She didn’t glance up at me, but I kept my face blank and my mouth shut. Most of us took an off-the-books client every once in a while for the extra money. It was highly illegal and could cost an artist his license if discovered, but we always told ourselves that we were careful. Too few of us every caught any trouble from it. But Kyle was proof that careful didn’t count for shit in this world.
Serah’s narrowed eyes scanned the room as if she were searching for that one clue the other thirty people had missed when they traipsed through. “Nothing else?”
My shoulders lifted in a small shrug. “Sorry. I’m a tattoo artist, not a miracle worker.”
“Then why don’t you give back that bloody napkin you grabbed out of the trash?” she said as her gaze rose to my face.
My expression remained unchanged as I scrambled for a reply while silently cursing my clumsiness. I had been so focused on not getting caught by the men moving Kyle that I didn’t notice her return. Obviously becoming a thief was out of the question if the tattooing thing didn’t work out.
“The police are already checking the blood samples from the tattoo,” she continued when I didn’t speak. “They say it’s a waste of time. The soap, ink, and potion have likely destroyed the DNA. They doubt they’ll even be able to identify the species of the killer.” When I still didn’t speak, she crossed her arms over her chest, making her look like an angry marshmallow because of her puffy winter coat. “Can you do better?”
A smile finally lifted my lips. I could do better. I might not be able to get a clear image of the person, but I could get something. There was a spell or two I could use that had nothing to do with DNA.
“Listen here, Powell,” she said, poking me in the chest with her index finger. “You’re not going after this sadistic fuck because your friend was killed. This is my case, my collar. Just give me the info.”
It was interesting that she said “my” rather than TAPSS or the police. I wasn’t the only one with a personal interest in this. Sadly mine wasn’t about avenging Kyle’s death. Trixie’s tear-filled request was driving me. Of course, I didn’t think Serah’s reasoning figured justice for Kyle either.