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"I don't know, but I'm calling Chase. We have to report this, and I think we should ask him to bring in a Corpse Talker." With a sigh, I pulled out my phone and punched seven on speed dial.
While we waited for Chase, I took a closer look at Rina's body. A few minutes ago, she'd been a gorgeous woman capable of turning a King's head. Now, there wasn't much left that you could even remotely, call beautiful. Blood covered the floor from multiple lacerations covering her body and face. I averted my eyes from her midsection, which had been eviscerated, leaving nothing to the imagination. Blood and guts I was used to, but that didn't mean I had to like it.
Delilah joined me, trying not to look at Rina. We knew better than to cover the body. There would be evidence to take, and if we were going to employ a Corpse Talker, then we needed to leave as few energy imprints as possible.
"You think Bad Ass Luke was with her?" she said.
I shook my head. "I don't smell him here, but I smell bird."
To be precise, Bad Ass Luke's real name was twenty-eight letters long and almost unpronounceable. Father had told us what it really was, but Lucianopoloneelisunekonekari was just too much of a mouthful, so he'd shortened it to Luke. Bad Ass had simply been tagged on due to a well-deserved reputation.
"No, this was the harpy's work." I fingered the feather. "The coloring's right, and Rina's shredded flesh… talons for sure."
Delilah grimaced. "Dirty, filthy creatures. How the hell did they sneak through the portal in the first place? Jocko keeps a good guard on duty."
"The answer to that would be right in line with Chase's suspicion of an inside job," I said as the shop door opened. Speak of the devil, Chase peeked inside. I waved him over, and he cautiously approached Rina's body, a pained look on his face. Sometimes I forgot FBHs had weaker stomachs than we did.
"Jesus, what happened?" he pulled out his notebook, shaking his head. "She looks like she's been through a body-count movie."
"Harpy, but we'll need a necromancer to be certain. A Corpse Talker, to be exact." I handed him the feather. "This came from her attacker, I believe."
He gingerly took the feather and glanced up at me. "Where were you during this time?"
I grimaced. "Delilah and I were locked in a back room. We were waiting for Rina to come talk to us when somebody locked us in."
"You let yourselves get locked in a room? What kind of agents are you?" He stifled a snort.
"Back off, dude. Why do you think we were sent to this backwater place? Anyway, show some respect The woman's dead, and she didn't go gently." I sighed, scratching one of my ears. My earrings were silver, and I had the feeling they were only plated. "We were going to ask her some questions, but that's all moot, now. Harpies come from the Subterranean Realms, Chase. They're Demonkin." I stepped away to give him better access.
"Shit," he said under his breath. "Then you were right. A demon actually broke through. This isn't that Shadow Wing fellow you were talking about, is it?"
I shook my head. "No. Shadow Wing makes a harpy look like a child's toy. Right now, we know that three demons are running amok Earthside. They're scouts. We think that you're right, that somebody on the inside helped sneak them through the portals. Somebody who knows how to open the gates to the netherworld. Possibly a demon in disguise, or maybe just one of the Fae, acting in accordance with them. Either case spells bad news."
"Speaking of news," he said, pulling out his cell phone, "I received word from HQ today. Menolly is to take over the bar. It will officially be transferred to her name. She's the new owner of the Wayfarer as far as Earth is concerned."
"Well, that's different." I frowned. "Not necessarily good, but different. This could make her a prime target. You say this was headquarters' idea?"
"That was the directive on my desk when I got to work this morning. Oh, and there's something else you might want to know about. Somebody leaked word to the media that Jocko was murdered. There's going to be a protest marching through town by the Guardian Watchdogs."
"Are they marching by the Indigo Crescent?" I asked.
He nodded. "That, and every, other shop they know to be run by the Fae. Doesn't matter if you're half-blood or not, they consider you a threat. The police will try to corral them, but free speech and all that crap."
I frowned. Sometimes, muzzles were an attractive alternative to corral some of the more vocal backlash groups. The Watchdogs thought we were tempting people into the arms of the devil. They'd be singing another tune when Shadow Wing's troops came sweeping through, annihilating everything in their path. Then the Watchdogs would be crawling to us on their bellies, begging for our help.
Chase stood, dialing a number on his cell. "You say we need a Corpse Talker?" he mouthed to me.
I nodded. "Make sure that she's a necromancer too, or we could be dealing with somebody who isn't qualified. And we need her down here before anybody touches the body."
Within minutes he'd summoned both a Corpse Talker and the unit specially designed to clean up after OIA matters such as this. The Court and Crown had specific restrictions on how the bodies of those from Otherworld were to be handled. There were rites that could only be performed if the body had been treated in a certain manner, and while Rina was persona non grata back home, now that she was dead, the exile would be lifted, and she would be returned to spend eternity in the arms of her ancestors.
Let's hear it for hypocrisy, I thought with a shake of my head.
While we waited, Delilah and I filled Chase in on Rina's background and how she came to be living in Seattle.
"I thought that monogamy was unusual among your people," Chase said.
I snorted. "Monogamy has nothing to do with it. She disrespected the Queen—a sovereign offense. If she'd asked for permission to sleep with the King, Lethesanar would have probably given her blessing. Rina basically stole from the Crown."
