Page 54 of Hextreme Measures

“I think it’s a possibility,” Ofelia clarified. She angled herself so she was looking directly at him as he navigated traffic. “What if the other banshees are taking their cues from her? She’s different. She can control her urges. Maybe they’re jealous of her. Maybe she wouldn’t help them the way they wanted. Maybe she tried to control them, and they revolted.”

It was that last one that gave Ofelia pause. “Maybe she was trying to make her own coven of banshees or something, and they didn’t like being under her boot, and when they gained their own sense of self, they decided to work against her.”

“Okay, let’s say that’s the truth,” Sully said in his most reasonable voice. “Why would they poke the beast? If Shirley is the queen banshee, so to speak, why would they purposely pick a fight with her?”

“Revenge maybe. If Shirley mistreated them, they might want to teach her a lesson.”

“Or?” he prodded. He loved the way her mind worked. She had more than one theory.

“Or Shirley told them to kill her husband and they’re all in this together.”

“Hmm.” He considered it for several seconds. “She has an alibi. I looked through the file. She was at the bar with a group of friends when her husband was killed.”

“Which could mean that the other banshees took advantage of her absence and killed the husband when she wasn’t around to protect him or that she set up her own alibi.”

“Which one do you think it is?”

“I don’t know. I guess I can’t know until I talk to her.”

“And what if she doesn’t want to talk to us?”

“She’s not going to have a choice.” Ofelia’s affect was flat. “She’s talking to me whether she likes it or not.”

He didn’t argue. His hands might be tied by procedure, but all that meant was he would look the other way as Ofelia got the information out of Shirley. Angelique was his friend, too. He wanted their wedding to go off as planned. That meant he was willing to work outside the confines of the law this time.

For better or for worse.

SHIRLEY’S HOUSE LOOKED QUIET WHEN they approached from the sidewalk. They parked down the street so it wouldn’t be obvious to anybody inside that they were coming.

Ofelia’s movements were furtive as she took the steps to the porch two at a time. Then she knocked loudly, before Sully even caught up with her.

“What was that?” he hissed.

Ofelia shrugged. “I’m just curious if she will check if she doesn’t see who is on her front porch.” With that, Ofelia pressed herself against the screen door so anybody trying to look from an inside window would struggle.

“You look ridiculous,” Sully whispered.

Ofelia merely shrugged.

When nobody answered, she knocked again.

Then again.

And again.

By the fourth time, Sully was at his limit. “Nobody is here.”

Ofelia wasn’t ready to admit that. Instead, she reached out with her magic and searched for a supernatural presence. There was magic in the house — something she didn’t recognize — but it wasn’t so much magic that it felt as if there was an active presence in the house.

When Ofelia turned to look at him over her shoulder, she found him waiting with his arms crossed over his chest. “I’m going inside.”

That wasn’t what he expected her to say. “Excuse me?”

“I’m going inside,” she repeated, not an ounce of give to her tone. “I’m looking around that house.”

Sully opened his mouth, then closed it. He wasn’t certain how to respond.

“I don’t expect you to go with me,” Ofelia continued. “You don’t have to wait for me here or anything. You can go to work. I’ll find my own way back.”