Shadow of Doubt - Hailey Edwards Page 0,16
I would dump this case in his lap in a heartbeat if he were here, and he would let me. Justice before pride, always. If I let myself start to doubt, there would never be an end, and that alone got my fingers moving over the screen.
We have more victims.
The pause between me hitting send and him replying never ceased to amaze. He rarely slept for reasons above my paygrade, and so he replied within seconds.
>>How many?
The number has yet to be determined.
Until all the pieces fit together again, we could only guess, but eight was a start.
>>Can you handle it?
A tremor shook the phone in my hand. Yes.
>>Are you certain?
Nerves jittering, I forced myself to seal my fate. Yes.
>>All right.
The first victim was gwyllgi. For that reason, Midas Kinase assigned Ford Bentley to act as my temporary aide and represent the pack’s best interests. The other victims have yet to be identified. Until such time it is determined the first victim is their only casualty, I felt accepting Midas’s offer was prudent.
>>You mean he left you no choice but to accept oversight or surrender the case.
Pride stung, I deflated on the spot. I like how I said it better.
>>Our alliance with the pack is critical to maintaining the balance of power in the city. Accepting Midas’s offer tells them that you’re willing to cooperate in the gray areas where our laws overlaps theirs. You made a judgment call, one I happen to agree with under the circumstances.
Relief sang through me upon reading his validation. I’ll keep you updated.
>>Please do.
“Checking in with Linus?”
I sent Bishop the same update then pocketed the device. “Is it that obvious?”
“You scrunch up your face when you text him. If you were one of us, I’d say you were baring your teeth.” He shrugged. “Makes sense, really. He’s your superior, and you’re looking to move up. If you were gwyllgi, you’d probably be at his throat.”
“If I were gwyllgi,” I said, willing to be distracted. “Who do you think would win?”
He didn’t hesitate. “You.”
“You would bet on me against the POA?” I barked out a laugh. “You are insane.”
“Linus has a home, a family, a fiancée, a whole other life south of here. For all that he does his job and he does it well, his heart hasn’t been in Atlanta since Grier Woolworth put that ring on his finger.”
“Award me a sympathy win, why don’t you?”
“Let me finish.” He shushed me with a raised hand. “You’re hungry, and you’d have to be blind not to see the chip on your shoulder. You walk lopsided because of it. You’ve got something to prove, and you believe this is the place to do it.”
“I don’t have anything to prove to anyone.”
“Not even to yourself?”
A pang resonated through me when his jab landed too close for comfort, but I ignored the hurt. I was an old pro at that. “Can you pick up the scent of whoever—or whatever—did this?”
“I’m not a bloodhound.” He pushed out a long sigh. “But yes, I smell it. That is to say I smell something. I’m not sure what. The rot and the water make it hard to parse the individual strands.”
“So,” I nudged, “you can’t tell if it’s the same as what you scented on Shonda’s remains.”
“No,” he said patiently. “I don’t have the best nose, and I can only do so much with it in this form.”
Before I goaded him into shifting forms, which may or may not do us any good since he had been on two legs then as well, I flexed my toes on the slick rocks and considered other options.
“The predator scent is hours old.” He filled his lungs, humoring me. “The killer isn’t here.”
A shadow on the water confirmed his assessment with a wavering nod, but Ambrose had already told me as much. I just had no way to convey that information to Ford without telling on myself.
Potentates were expected to bond with a wraith or even multiple wraiths, if they had the power to leash more. They used them as backup on the streets, but—as Bishop had pointed out—Ambrose was no wraith. Until I earned the title, I couldn’t afford to take any chances.
“I’m getting pruney.” I started back. “I’ll go sit with Bonnie until the cleaners arrive.”
There was nothing more for me to do here, and I bet questioning her woman to woman would go over better.
“I’ll wait here.”
I could have told him the dead didn’t need him to stand watch, but gwyllgi