Page 48 of Hextreme Measures

Dora’s sigh was long and drawn out. “Fine, but remember you pressured me for it.” She took a deep breath. “I believe the individual who healed Ellen was a banshee.”

Ofelia’s expression turned pinched. “What? How?”

“And why?” Sully added.

“It goes back to what you said about them evolving,” Dora replied. “There are no absolute rules to this paranormal thing. We wish there were, but that’s not the way it is. There are day-walking vampires. There are dhampirs that can only eat food or blood, even though they’re supposed to be able to do both. Every rule can be broken.”

“And you think there’s a banshee out there who can control her condition,” Ofelia guessed.

“I think she can use the power of the banshee but keep her head about her,” Dora replied.

Ofelia fell into silence as she pondered it.

Sully couldn’t just let it go. “Let’s say you’re right,” he interjected. “Why did she help Ellen if she’s out there and hiding herself?”

“Because she believes that the condition shouldn’t be forced on people. Remember, banshees were born of grief. They ultimately picked their own destiny when they embraced the grief. They evolved to be able to turn people against their will. My theory has always been that this banshee believes it should be a choice, that the individuals should be able to control their own fate.”

“Any idea who it might be?” Ofelia asked.

“No, but I did look into it and have a list somewhere,” Dora replied. “I will revisit the list. Some of the people on it — a lot of them — are probably dead now. You can check out the remaining people.”

“Thank you.” Ofelia exhaled heavily. “I really appreciate you helping.”

“I’m not the siren’s biggest fan, but I know she’s important to you, and you’re important to this city,” Dora replied. “I will do what I can. That’s all I can promise.”

“We appreciate it,” Sully insisted as he stepped forward. “I’ll walk you down when you’re ready.”

“Thank you.” Dora turned back to Ofelia. “Don’t let the fact that you’re running out of time press you into making a mistake,” she admonished. “Ellen was cured days after her transformation took hold. It would be ideal to stop this infection before it completely transforms your friend. We still have time after it happens, though.”

Ofelia wanted to believe that, if only so she wouldn’t feel so much pressure. She didn’t know if she could, though. Angelique was different. She had the siren magic at the ready. What if that made for a different type of banshee? It was something she didn’t want to think about too hard.

“Thank you.” Ofelia forced a smile she didn’t really feel. “I appreciate you coming out.”

“Oh, I’m in this now.” Dora’s smile was more of a grimace. “The truth eluded me 30 years ago. I allowed myself to get distracted. That will not happen again. I want to know.”

“Well, then here’s hoping we can find our answers.”

“We will. Have a little faith.”

Unfortunately, that was the one thing Ofelia was running low on.

12

TWELVE

Sully walked Dora and Rook down to the garage.

“Thank you so much for coming.” He meant every word. “You’re giving Ofelia hope. I can tell.”

“She’s mired in despair,” Dora countered. “It’s written all over her face, and you see it too.”

Sully looked away from the witch. “She just needs some sleep. She’ll rebound in the morning.”

“Oh, she’s going to be a monster in the morning.” Dora chuckled. “She’s going to be a witch on a mission. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does.”

“I love how you approach everything as a science experiment,” Sully groused. “Our lives are not experiments.”

“It’s still interesting as long as you’re not the one being experimented on.” Dora turned serious, her smile disappearing. “I will come up with that list and get it to you first thing in the morning.”