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Well, that sucked ass. Too bad we didn’t still have the arcane-dampening cuff that I’d used to keep Mzatal and Idris from summoning me. I could have plowed through the wards with that. I retreated from the house, noting without humor how the desire for waffles faded with each step away from the aversions.
“I think it’s the same all the way around,” I told him, “but you might as well check.”
Idris began a slow perusal of the perimeter. I watched him until he disappeared around the corner of the house, then nearly startled out of my skin when the porch light flicked on and the front door creaked open. My hand flew to my gun, but I relaxed as Tessa’s boyfriend stepped out. “Carl! You scared the shit out of me.”
“Sorry about that, Kara.” Lanky and soft-spoken, with short, near-colorless hair, Carl seemed an odd match for my petite and flamboyant aunt. Yet I’d always felt he understood her far more than most people—including me, at times.
I managed a weak smile. “It’s cool. Your car wasn’t out
here, and I didn’t see any lights on. Had no clue you were inside.”
“Come on in,” he said then looked toward the corner of the house where Idris disappeared. “Where’d your friend go?”
“Checking out protections,” I said, remaining where I was. Carl had a talent of arcane immunity which allowed him to slip through wards as if they weren’t there. Unfortunately, that didn’t help me one bit. “I was hoping to get a few books from the library and check the valve at the same time, but I can’t get through the protections.” I proceeded to give him a quick and dirty update on my condition.
“That’s rough,” he said, expression barely twitching from its usual impassiveness. “You want me to get the books for you?”
After brief consideration, I shook my head. “Thanks, but I don’t have specific ones in mind. Besides, the valve is the most important project.” I faked a casual shrug. “We’ll come up with a new plan.”
Carl closed the door behind him and took a seat on the steps. “Seems as if quite a bit is going on,” he said calmly. Not that I’d ever seen Carl anything but calm. Ever. As a morgue assistant for the coroner’s office, he handled all manner of dead bodies and bizarre crime scenes with cool aplomb and a dry-as-the-desert sense of humor. “If you need any help, I have time on my hands.”
“Because Tessa’s out of town?”
“Because I retired last month.” A whisper of a smile passed over his mouth.
“Nice,” I said with what I hoped was the right amount of enthusiasm to cover my surprise. He couldn’t be older than mid-forties and hadn’t worked at the coroner’s office that long. Then again, he might have added the time to a previous pension. “What on earth is Dr. Lanza going to do without you?”
“Curse a lot,” he replied.
“I don’t doubt it,” I said with a brief laugh, but I quickly sobered. “Thing is, Tessa went off with her old teacher, and it has me pretty worried. Did you know about that?”
Carl shrugged, an almost imperceptible gesture. “Doesn’t much matter one way or the other. We’re not together anymore.”
“Crap. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Tessa sure hadn’t mentioned a breakup. Tilting my head, I peered at him. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but if y’all aren’t together anymore, what are you doing here?”
“Like I said, I have time on my hands. I come by every few days and check on the place. Fix what needs fixing.” One side of his mouth twitched. “What Tessa doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
I wasn’t so sure. Intruding on Tessa’s affairs was a dangerous game at the moment. I knew that all too well. “Be careful,” I said. “All you need is one neighbor to call the cops, and you’re hosed.”
He remained silent for a moment. “I’ll keep that in mind, and you keep me in mind if you need anything. I’m handy. Painting. Cleaning gutters.” He paused. “Other tasks.”
“I appreciate the offer,” I said. With Steeev gone and me next to useless for arcane projects, we were at a severe disadvantage. I’d never thought of Carl as a resource, but we were desperate, especially for anything in the other category. “We could sure use the help.”
Idris rounded the corner, frowning.
“What’s wrong?” I asked after he reached me.
Idris flicked a questioning glance at Carl then gave me a head shake. “Nothing.”
“Oh, sorry,” I said. “Idris, this is Carl. He used to date Tessa, and I’ve known him for years. He’s cool. He, ah, knows we mess with arcane stuff.”
Idris lost a measure of his wariness and gave Carl a nod. “Warding is wicked all the way around the house,” he told me.
“Figured,” I said. “We’ll find another way to get in to deal with that valve.” Maybe Idris could summon a demon to take down the wards. “We have to get going,” I said to Carl. “You need a ride?”
“I’ll walk,” he said. “Thanks anyway.”
I let out a low whistle. “You must have titanium skin to be willing to brave miles in mosquito paradise after dark.”
