Now we were all sitting in the vehicle almost exactly where Jim had parked his car, watching the front of the house. I’d already slipped in to make sure the garage was still full of boxes and no trace of recent activity. I wasn’t as good at seeing auras as Danzig, but even I would pick up if the casket druid had been there.
Bec was right, someone would show up. The stuff in there was too valuable. The question was when. I was torn. I didn't want tospend the night in the car, but I also didn't want the casket druid to show up.
If we ever found out where he lived, I'd be gathering the most powerful creatures I knew before facing him. Mom, Ysabella, and maybe Sopek if he was willing. Only then would I feel confident enough to deal with that damn druid.
The best thing that could happen was that Leif and Gale showed up. We could make them tell us everything. Then I could expose them to a soul gaze and know they'd never hurt anyone ever again.
It was about noon, but no one showed up. Still, the time had flown by. We talked and laughed the entire time, enjoying ourselves and getting to know each other better. I found out that Bec liked broccoli but hated cauliflower. She found out that both of us liked spicy food but couldn't handle horseradish.
The whole thing made me think of going to the drive-in movies when they’d been the height of fun. Bec had been on her phone or tablet almost the entire time, contributing to the conversation without looking up.
If stakeouts were always going to be like this, I was in!
“I think I figured it out,” Bec said, looking up with a triumphant grin.
“Figured out what?” I asked.
“Connections,” she said. “I’m only on PixUs right now, but there are a lot of other social media sites out there, so I started looking for Gale or Leif. I found Gale on a couple, but she doesn’t post anything except the properties she’s trying to sell. Guess what I found?”
“This place is one of those properties?” I asked. “But why isn’t there a sign or something? Don’t they always put up signs?”
“Maybe, but if she’s using it for illegal activity, then she probably didn’t want to draw attention,” Danzig said.
Bec nodded. “And this one is in escrow right now. No one would be coming to look at it and I don’t think the buyers are allowed inside. It’s the perfect place to hide illegal goods. I think there are at least two more houses besides this one because the pictures of those don’t have signs either.”
“You have to wonder about a woman who doesn’t want to draw attention to her activities but still posts about them,” I said.
“It’s got to be an ego thing,” Danzig said. “She wants to show off how many houses she can sell.”
“That tracks because she didn’t post the address of a few of the properties, just pictures,” Bec said.
“That’s some good detective work,” I said.
“Thanks,” she said. “But I actually feel a little stupid. When I looked Gale up I took the first address and didn’t bother to check any further. The database Jim uses is good, but it can get confused. Now I know why he always says to verify.”
“This is your first case,” Danzig said. “There must be a learning curve to investigation.”
“That’s the reason I feel dumb,” she said. “I should’ve started doing the social media search earlier.” She turned the tablet around so she could show us the screen. “Does this guy look familiar?"
“That’s Leif,” I said.
“No, that’s Lars,” she said. She tapped the tablet a few times then showed us a different account. “This is Leif.”
“They look like the same person,” Danzig said. “Is one of them a fake identity?"
“Nope, they’re brothers,” she explained. “There isn’t much on Leif’s social media, but Lars posts a lot. I don’t think he’s very bright and he’s definitely an asshole. He posted a homophobic joke and Leif commented saying Lars should take it down. That was helpful because another guy named John Hill also commented on the post, agreeing with Leif.”
“Why does the name sound familiar?” I asked.
“Because that was the guy who owned the house where we found the three bodies turned to dust,” Danzig said. “You’re brilliant, Bec. You might’ve started off a little slow, but you’re making up for it now.”
“Is John a friend of Leif?” I asked. “Or a member of the family?”
“I’m pretty sure they were dating,” Bec said, her expression turning glum. “There’s a picture on John’s account of them kissing. It’s super sweet and makes me really sad for them. I think they got targeted because of Lars and Gale.”
We all fell silent for a few minutes.
“We’ll make sure the casket druid pays for what he did,” I said.
