exactly?”
He had the car door open and was halfway in. His tight expression made it clear that he wasn’t used to someone questioning his decisions or authority. “The necromancer iswith a sibling or other family member. Didn’t you hear Nana?”
I had, but I’d noticed something else as well. “She also said he could be with a mouse.”
“I’m sure it will all make sense in time.”
I cleared my throat. “
And
she read Devon’s fate in those spatters, so how do we know she’s tracking the necromancer?”
Stone, who was opening the back door for Devon, paused to give her partner a meaningful look.
The muscles in Jones’s jaw flexed, as he asked, “What do you suggest we do?”
“Can we go back to his apartment? I’d like to take a look around since I missed it this morning. We could look for an address book or something that would give us a clue what family members he’s still in touch with. And a mouse? Did she mean a computer one or a furry one? He could have contacts on his laptop, if it’s still there.”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Stone said quietly.
Not a bad idea? It sounded like routine police work to me, and I only had a crumby degree in forensic science.
Precinct 13 must have some seriously weird protocols, if this was business as usual. I waited to see how Jones would react.
“Fine,” Jones said finally. Dropping into his seat, he shut the car door hard. It wasn’t quite a slam, but it had a very similar quality.
When I ducked under Stone’s arm to slip into my own seat, she said, “It’s a good suggestion. He’ll be all right.”
Despite Stone’s assurances, it was a tense ride to the necromancer’s apartment building. In particular, Devon seemedto revel in Jones’s discomfort. He leaned right up against the bulletproof Plexiglas and said, “Real police work…are you sure you remember how to do this sort of thing, Spense?”
My ears pricked up. So I wasn’t the only one who thought maybe Jones had gotten sloppy.
At Jones’s growled response, Devon tipped his head back and laughed wickedly. At that angle, his canines were noticeably pronounced.
Stone turned around and pointed a finger at Devon. With a deliberate motion, she tapped the glass. It cracked with a pop, like a bullet. Both Devon and I flattened ourselves against the backrest in surprise. “Holy crap!” Devon shouted.
I stared in horror at the spot where a finger-sized dent bowed out the safety glass. A spiderweb of cracks spread out around it.
What kind of strength would you need to be able to do something like that? And she’d done it so casually.
Jones, whose lips twitched with a suppressed smile, said, “Damn it, Stone. That’s the third one I’m going to have to get replaced.”
“Sorry, boss,” she said, though clearly without any remorse.
“Someday, Golem, someone’s going to wipe that word right off your forehead,” Devon sneered.
She just smiled at him and said, “I’d like to see you try,
noshech kariot
.”
Devon’s eyes narrowed. It was clear he’d been insulted, but the confusion about what exactly she’d called him rippled across his face. “Oh yeah? Well, same to you.”
Stone laughed and turned her back to him. The mark her finger left in the glass remained, hanging there ominously.
I looked at Stone with renewed interest. What the hell was a “golem?” The only Gollum I knew was a creepy, cave-dwellinghobbit with an invisibility ring. Stone certainly didn’t look like that creature from
The Lord of the Rings
, and he always seemed sort of scrawny and weak. Stone was clearly as powerful as her name.
No one had much to say after that. I desperately wanted to know more about Stone, but it was clear that this was not the time to ask. Pulling my phone out, I Googled “gollum,” but all I got were pictures and articles about the movie version. Perhaps I was spelling it wrong?
I didn’t have a chance to try alternate spellings because we’d arrived.
Before
He had the car door open and was halfway in. His tight expression made it clear that he wasn’t used to someone questioning his decisions or authority. “The necromancer iswith a sibling or other family member. Didn’t you hear Nana?”
I had, but I’d noticed something else as well. “She also said he could be with a mouse.”
“I’m sure it will all make sense in time.”
I cleared my throat. “
And
she read Devon’s fate in those spatters, so how do we know she’s tracking the necromancer?”
Stone, who was opening the back door for Devon, paused to give her partner a meaningful look.
The muscles in Jones’s jaw flexed, as he asked, “What do you suggest we do?”
“Can we go back to his apartment? I’d like to take a look around since I missed it this morning. We could look for an address book or something that would give us a clue what family members he’s still in touch with. And a mouse? Did she mean a computer one or a furry one? He could have contacts on his laptop, if it’s still there.”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Stone said quietly.
Not a bad idea? It sounded like routine police work to me, and I only had a crumby degree in forensic science.
Precinct 13 must have some seriously weird protocols, if this was business as usual. I waited to see how Jones would react.
“Fine,” Jones said finally. Dropping into his seat, he shut the car door hard. It wasn’t quite a slam, but it had a very similar quality.
When I ducked under Stone’s arm to slip into my own seat, she said, “It’s a good suggestion. He’ll be all right.”
Despite Stone’s assurances, it was a tense ride to the necromancer’s apartment building. In particular, Devon seemedto revel in Jones’s discomfort. He leaned right up against the bulletproof Plexiglas and said, “Real police work…are you sure you remember how to do this sort of thing, Spense?”
My ears pricked up. So I wasn’t the only one who thought maybe Jones had gotten sloppy.
At Jones’s growled response, Devon tipped his head back and laughed wickedly. At that angle, his canines were noticeably pronounced.
Stone turned around and pointed a finger at Devon. With a deliberate motion, she tapped the glass. It cracked with a pop, like a bullet. Both Devon and I flattened ourselves against the backrest in surprise. “Holy crap!” Devon shouted.
I stared in horror at the spot where a finger-sized dent bowed out the safety glass. A spiderweb of cracks spread out around it.
What kind of strength would you need to be able to do something like that? And she’d done it so casually.
Jones, whose lips twitched with a suppressed smile, said, “Damn it, Stone. That’s the third one I’m going to have to get replaced.”
“Sorry, boss,” she said, though clearly without any remorse.
“Someday, Golem, someone’s going to wipe that word right off your forehead,” Devon sneered.
She just smiled at him and said, “I’d like to see you try,
noshech kariot
.”
Devon’s eyes narrowed. It was clear he’d been insulted, but the confusion about what exactly she’d called him rippled across his face. “Oh yeah? Well, same to you.”
Stone laughed and turned her back to him. The mark her finger left in the glass remained, hanging there ominously.
I looked at Stone with renewed interest. What the hell was a “golem?” The only Gollum I knew was a creepy, cave-dwellinghobbit with an invisibility ring. Stone certainly didn’t look like that creature from
The Lord of the Rings
, and he always seemed sort of scrawny and weak. Stone was clearly as powerful as her name.
No one had much to say after that. I desperately wanted to know more about Stone, but it was clear that this was not the time to ask. Pulling my phone out, I Googled “gollum,” but all I got were pictures and articles about the movie version. Perhaps I was spelling it wrong?
I didn’t have a chance to try alternate spellings because we’d arrived.
Before
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