is not returning my calls, though I have spoken with his staff about the imprudence of such charges without sufficient evidence. I do not believe that Catriona Doyle is a death witch. However, with several people in the hospital, and the beginning of a national antiwitch, antiparanormal hysteria, it would be wise to do everything in our power to find the perpetrator and wrap up this case quickly. Jones,” he said to JoJo, “you contacted the paranormal ward at UTMC and offered them the null room at HQ and any assistance we might provide. What was the response?”
“The person I spoke with said they had the patients stabilized but they’d let us know if they needed to bring anyone to the null room,” JoJo said. “She was not enthused at the prospect, but she said thank you.”
FireWind said, “You were on scene all day, Occam. Thoughts on the suspect’s methodology?”
“At this point,” Occam said, “I think someone got into the house and set the trigger into a box of shirts—assuming it was a trigger—with the intent of killing whoever opened the box.”
“Not Stella Mae specifically?” FireWind asked, leaning forward and holding Occam’s gaze.
Surprised, I said, “Why would anyone think Stella would open a box of swag?”
“An assistant or a grip or a low-level flunky would open boxes,” Occam said, agreeing. “Stella was the star, not the paid help.”
“Hmmm. Indeed.” FireWind sounded surprised. “And the shirts?”
“Somehow missed or simply not taken on tour because the buses were full?” Occam suggested. “I talked to the driver of Stella Mae’s personal RV. He said every square inch of space in both vehicles was packed the day they left. He said he saw several boxes still in the swag room.”
“Everyone I spoke with said the shirts look like real tour tees, not some fake batch put there just to load up a spell or a curse,” I said. “And with the construction, the trigger had to be set in the last two weeks.”
FireWind propped an elbow on the chair arm and rubbed his chin.
I swiped through the still shots of the swag room taken by the first LEOs on the scene. “There were open shipping boxes containing promotional material when the deputies got there. Two had been open long enough that there was dust on the contents.” I pointed to a photo indicating dust. “The tape on the box of shirts was freshly cut. Monica Belcher had been putting away things, opened the T-shirt box, grabbed some shirts, and fell.” I pointed at a photograph I had taken and said, “I didn’t notice it until later, but that looks like the handle of a box cutter in Monica’s hand. It’s mostly hidden by her body, but it’s the right shape.” The others leaned as I expanded the image to show a rounded handle.
“The tape could have been cut at some point previous and reapplied when the witch trigger was set,” T. Laine said, leaning to get a better look at the photo of the box, “assuming it was a witch trigger, assuming this was a murder, a designation we have yet to officially make.” Her face said she was tired of dancing around making this a murder scene, was prepared to call it a witch trigger and start looking for suspects. “But FireWind didn’t call it that at the five p.m. press conference and”—she looked at the big boss—“you kept the sheriff and chief of police from doing so too. That was some impressive dancing you and the press did, by the way.”
“It kept SAC Smythe from saying things he might have regretted and it bought Catriona Doyle another day without charges. I’ve read over Ingram’s data,” FireWind said. “She has specified where everyone was today at the farm, when, and for how long.” He looked at me. “Good work getting so many of the social media links for everyone too.”
I felt my face warm. I wasn’t used to praise.
FireWind leaned forward and clasped his hands together between his knees. “I want a level three background check on every single person who had access to Stella Mae’s basement for the entire duration of the tour and level four checks for everyone the two days Stella was in the house after the tour, followed by in-depth interviews, with a close emphasis on the last two weeks. Concentrate on the dead and work out from there. We are looking for a witch, a magical practitioner, or someone with the funds to hire such. We are looking