Baxter asked me finally. “This…home-wrecker, did he kill her?”
“No.”
“You sound pretty sure. Have you arrested him? Asked him anything? Asked him what he did to take a sweet girl like Rhian and turn her into—” He cut himself off, turning his ahead away.
This was getting us nowhere. I just wanted my money and any information he could give me on Tamsin Searle. I wasn’t sure what Anna wanted out of this—if she wasn’t prepared to arrest Baxter for questioning, there wasn’t a whole lot more she could do here.
I thought she was probably thinking the same thing, because her
sympathetic cop face slipped. “There is no evidence to connect Rhian’s…lover to her murder, Mr. Baxter.”
“Then why aren’t you out on the streets looking for the bastard who did kill her?” He slammed his hands down on the table, and glared at me. “I want proof she had an affair. I’m not paying you a penny until you prove to me she cheated.”
I frowned at him, wondering if I wanted his money that badly. Nothing good would ever come of bringing Baxter and Moss together. The incubus would break him, plain and simple. “Listen man, I get how horrible this is for you. I really do.” I aimed a pointed look at Anna. I wasn’t heartless. “You’re not going to gain anything this way. Wouldn’t you rather remember Rhian as you knew her? Why chase down ugly facts that won’t help you?”
“ Don’t discourage him,” the Voice scolded me. “ His pain is so sweet. Keep him hanging on.”
I shifted uneasily in my seat. I hated myself for it, but the Voice’s happiness over Baxter’s misery made me…calmer. For the first time since the exorcism, I felt okay. Not happy, but okay. Like I wasn’t about to hit Baxter with my bottle, and then cut my throat with the glass shards.
Baxter stared at me with hatred in his eyes, and the Voice sucked that up too. “Have you ever been in love, Mr. Banning?” he asked me.
His patronizing tone hurt my teeth. “I had a hamster once that I was pretty close to.”
He ignored me. Probably for the best. He shot Anna a scornful look, finished his beer, and stormed away without a word. I guess I wasn’t getting paid tonight after all. How the hell am I supposed to pay for my protein shakes now ?
“That was a waste of time,” Anna sighed.
“I don’t know why you even came,” I grumbled at her. “What did you get out of that, exactly?”
She sat back, shaking her head. “I don’t know, to be honest.” She ran her fingers around the rim of her glass, and I watched the motion, fascinated. She had long fingers, slender and ring-free. “Since last night at Hush, I feel like I’ve lost my way with this case, Ethan. I don’t know where to go next. I feel...foggy.”
Moss’s influence ? I wondered.
“ She’s susceptible to demonic influence,” the Voice told me. “ Not everyone is. Worth knowing.”
Yeah, definitely worth knowing. “Don’t get down, Anna,” I told her. “You probably just need a decent night’s sleep and a spa day.”
She offered me a wan smile. “Chance would be a fine thing.” She finished her lemonade and stood. “Let’s go. This was a waste of time.”
I followed her out, hating how despondent she sounded. Anna was supposed to be all-action, all-authority. This downcast Anna was all wrong. To me, anyway—the Voice loved how miserable she felt.
“ She’s pining for the incubus! How terribly sweet.”
I really hoped that wasn’t true. If Anna ended up like Rhian...I shoved that thought away. She wouldn’t. She hadn’t slept with Moss, after all, hadn’t even kissed him, as far as I knew. She’d be fine. She had to be.
* * * *
Back home, I crashed on the sofa with Mutt and fired up my laptop. I felt kind of dumb googling “local witches”, but no more than I had throwing myself into Crane’s baptismal pool. I found a lot of flashy websites for palmists and tarot readers, people who could put me in touch with my departed
“No.”
“You sound pretty sure. Have you arrested him? Asked him anything? Asked him what he did to take a sweet girl like Rhian and turn her into—” He cut himself off, turning his ahead away.
This was getting us nowhere. I just wanted my money and any information he could give me on Tamsin Searle. I wasn’t sure what Anna wanted out of this—if she wasn’t prepared to arrest Baxter for questioning, there wasn’t a whole lot more she could do here.
I thought she was probably thinking the same thing, because her
sympathetic cop face slipped. “There is no evidence to connect Rhian’s…lover to her murder, Mr. Baxter.”
“Then why aren’t you out on the streets looking for the bastard who did kill her?” He slammed his hands down on the table, and glared at me. “I want proof she had an affair. I’m not paying you a penny until you prove to me she cheated.”
I frowned at him, wondering if I wanted his money that badly. Nothing good would ever come of bringing Baxter and Moss together. The incubus would break him, plain and simple. “Listen man, I get how horrible this is for you. I really do.” I aimed a pointed look at Anna. I wasn’t heartless. “You’re not going to gain anything this way. Wouldn’t you rather remember Rhian as you knew her? Why chase down ugly facts that won’t help you?”
“ Don’t discourage him,” the Voice scolded me. “ His pain is so sweet. Keep him hanging on.”
I shifted uneasily in my seat. I hated myself for it, but the Voice’s happiness over Baxter’s misery made me…calmer. For the first time since the exorcism, I felt okay. Not happy, but okay. Like I wasn’t about to hit Baxter with my bottle, and then cut my throat with the glass shards.
Baxter stared at me with hatred in his eyes, and the Voice sucked that up too. “Have you ever been in love, Mr. Banning?” he asked me.
His patronizing tone hurt my teeth. “I had a hamster once that I was pretty close to.”
He ignored me. Probably for the best. He shot Anna a scornful look, finished his beer, and stormed away without a word. I guess I wasn’t getting paid tonight after all. How the hell am I supposed to pay for my protein shakes now ?
“That was a waste of time,” Anna sighed.
“I don’t know why you even came,” I grumbled at her. “What did you get out of that, exactly?”
She sat back, shaking her head. “I don’t know, to be honest.” She ran her fingers around the rim of her glass, and I watched the motion, fascinated. She had long fingers, slender and ring-free. “Since last night at Hush, I feel like I’ve lost my way with this case, Ethan. I don’t know where to go next. I feel...foggy.”
Moss’s influence ? I wondered.
“ She’s susceptible to demonic influence,” the Voice told me. “ Not everyone is. Worth knowing.”
Yeah, definitely worth knowing. “Don’t get down, Anna,” I told her. “You probably just need a decent night’s sleep and a spa day.”
She offered me a wan smile. “Chance would be a fine thing.” She finished her lemonade and stood. “Let’s go. This was a waste of time.”
I followed her out, hating how despondent she sounded. Anna was supposed to be all-action, all-authority. This downcast Anna was all wrong. To me, anyway—the Voice loved how miserable she felt.
“ She’s pining for the incubus! How terribly sweet.”
I really hoped that wasn’t true. If Anna ended up like Rhian...I shoved that thought away. She wouldn’t. She hadn’t slept with Moss, after all, hadn’t even kissed him, as far as I knew. She’d be fine. She had to be.
* * * *
Back home, I crashed on the sofa with Mutt and fired up my laptop. I felt kind of dumb googling “local witches”, but no more than I had throwing myself into Crane’s baptismal pool. I found a lot of flashy websites for palmists and tarot readers, people who could put me in touch with my departed
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