7
Violet insisted on following the Augusts to find out what she could. She also insisted on going alone; it wasn’t the time or place for Kade to accompany her, and he agreed. He jumped into his BMW and headed over to the Murphys. Violet was also right about keeping those boundaries solid. He needed to recognize the illusion for what it was, because his body still vibrated from the chemistry of their kiss. He had been with beautiful, sensual women before, been entirely attracted to them, then said good-bye, it’s been nice, and gone on with little more than a fond memory. Violet had him upside down in a way he’d never experienced, and that was dangerous for many reasons.
He shifted the car into high gear as he tore down the two-lane road and called Mia.
“Hey, do me a favor. Pull up Dan Murphy’s records and see if his family has reported his death yet.”
“Sure, hold on.” A minute passed before she returned. “Nope.”
Damn, that would make it harder if he couldn’t visit under the guise of following up on the report. “All right, thanks.”
He drove past a huge field of flowering shrubs, all in neat rows, ready to be dug up, potted, and sold to nurseries. He had to hand it to the Fringers; at least a handful of people in any given family worked hard to keep their businesses afloat. The troublemakers gave them all a bad rap. Unfortunately, there were a bunch of them.
Kade hadn’t had reason to come to the Fringe in years. The Murphys weren’t a family he had any direct history with, though they still wouldn’t welcome him.
As soon as he pulled up to the two-story main house, three people stepped out onto the front porch. Suspicion dripped from their expressions. Kade got out of the car and raised his arm, showing them the V symbol on his dagger. Their suspicion didn’t lessen but their fighting stance did.
“My name’s Kade Kavanaugh. I’ve got a couple of questions, and then I’ll be on my way.”
That softened their expressions a bit…the part about leaving shortly, anyway.
The older man approached after gesturing for what was probably his offspring to remain on the porch. “I’m Bob Murphy, head of this clan. What do you want to know?”
“There’s been a lot of dying going on in the Fringe. I’m not here to accuse you,” Kade added as the man’s face shuttered. “The Guard keeps an eye on irregular activity, and six murders in ten days is damned irregular. I understand you lost one of yours.”
Bob glanced away, stroking his long, trimmed beard. “My son, Danny. Sons of bitches came right onto our property and killed him, sucked away his power. Ain’t right.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Kade said, the trite and mostly meaningless phrase they were taught to say in these circumstances. Well, he was already tossing out the rules. “That ain’t right at all,” he said, pulling in the accent. “Trespassing, killing without cause. I’ll bet you didn’t put up with that for one second, did you? I sure as hell wouldn’t have.”
The man furrowed his brow in surprise.
Kade shook his head. “I know, I’m supposed to say how killing another Crescent is wrong, even out of revenge, but I get it, things work differently here. Frankly, I don’t care about the revenge part. The Castanega bastard got what he deserved, you ask me. If he was the one who did it. And no, I’m not trying to get you to confess.” He lifted his shirt to show he wasn’t wired. “Someone’s causing trouble down here. That’s the person or family I want. I’d appreciate you sharing what evidence you found so I know who to go after.”
The man considered Kade’s request, then nodded. “The Castanegas are the ones you want. I found one of their alligator foot key rings they sell at their tourist trap. I know it came from their shop ‘cause it has a little metal disk on the bottom with a C on it. Whoever done it left it right there, a few feet from Danny’s body. Like he was showing off. Or taunting us.”
Kade leaned against the car, effecting a casual pose, but he kept an eye on the man’s sons. They appeared to be about to cause some trouble of their own…in his direction.
Bob followed Kade’s gaze, and whatever look he gave them stopped their advance. To Kade he said, “They’ve been downright itchy to fight lately.”
“You think it’s the solar storm?”
“Could be, I suppose. My wife’s been taking two naps a day, and that ain’t like her. Seems to tire some out, and fire some up.”
Kade nodded toward the key ring. “How do you know a Castanega left it? Anyone could have bought one.”
“Fringers don’t buy that kind of crap. And a tourist sure as hell isn’t going to come onto my property. You saw all the signs warning people off.”
Indeed he had. Only a foolhardy Mundane would continue down that road. “What about someone leaving it there as a setup?”
The old man shook his head. “That’s not how it works ‘round here. Usually it’s a fight that grows into something bigger. I heard Jessup at Ernie’s, oh, ‘bout a month ago, saying how things are boring in the Fringe nowadays. That idjit is always spoiling for a fight.”
Kade nodded. “Jessup’s a pistol.” He’d never had reason to arrest him, but Jessup was always eager to jump in and defend Arlo. “Would he be that arrogant, that desperate for action, to start a feud?”
“Maybe. And I expect he’ll be coming for a visit now that Arlo’s dead.” He cracked his knuckles, and his eyes flared. “And we’ll be ready.”
Yeah, they were all spoiling for action. And now, blood.
“What about Violet?”
