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But I knew that I would never see eye to eye with that man. He had his own way of doing things. Even if he liked how I challenged him, it would be a fight every damn day. I didn’t have the energy for that, even if Addie thought it would be good for me.
The next recording belonged to a higher-pitched male voice. His words wobbled with fear. He explained where he was, leaving a friend’s house party. The address was close to where we’d found the hand, but I didn’t think it belonged to him.
That meant there was something about that area that we had to look into.
Addie dragged her finger along the roads on the map laid out in front of her. When she stopped, her whole body went still. Her lips slowly twisted to the side.
I leaned in close to see what she was looking at. Addie jerked her hands back, but not before I saw where her fingers had been.
My house sat in a mid-point between where we’d found the hand and where we’d met the ghost woman. So, Addie suspected me of these murders, too. I couldn’t say that I blamed her. Though, the realization shattered my heart. It left me more disappointed than I’d expected.
Not in her, but in myself.
My beast growled at me. I should have tried to convince her that I was all right. Instead, I’d come to her door with barely any case at all just so I could relieve the gnawing hunger pinching my core tight. It wasn’t just for her arcana, but for her presence, too.
I could barely control myself, and she knew it, too.
Instead of approaching the topic, I shifted gears. “We should search these areas for more evidence. Now that I brought something to show the captain, I can have him send out more people on foot. We can systematically search the area.”
Addie pouted. She sank into her seat and glared at the spot on the map that I wanted to search.
When she spoke, her voice was low. “Why couldn’t I feel anything?”
Her eyes flicked around the room. I thought she was looking to ghosts, but when she gestured around, she said:
“No one is here, either. I don’t know what’s broken: me or the world. And that scares me.”
I scowled. “Can you ask that goddess you were talking to?”
Addie’s face paled. She shook her head vehemently.
Addie
I wasn’t aboutto go ask Hel for help. She’d made it clear that she had one expectation from me, and I had no intention of following through. The goddess would likely smite me just for my insolence. I wasn’t going to ask for her help when I wasn’t planning on giving her what she wanted.
I was struggling to keep my secrets to myself. Maddox caught what I’d been looking for on the map. I knew he had, even though I’d tried to hide it. The look on his face nearly broke me. I’d been prepared to throw myself across the table to soothe his sorrow afterwards. Somehow, I managed to keep my hands to myself.
Everything was coming apart at the seams. Glancing around, I wondered where all the ghosts had gone. Last time I’d been here, in this very room, there’d been a number of ghosts trying to get my attention. It was eerily silent now, and I couldn’t help but worry that I’d given too much of my power to Maddox.
All this time, I’d thought that was impossible. It still seemed wrong. I could feel my arcana inside me. It was there, ever billowing like a cloud of death waiting to spread out in every direction. My arcana wasn’t gone, it just wasn’tworking.
I had so many questions for Hel, but I couldn’t go to her at all.
Instead of speaking, I shook my head. Maddox studied me. I knew he was trying to look past my walls, but I kept them firmly in place. He didn’t need to know everything. The man had his own problems to worry about. I wasn’t going to add my own to the ever-growing pile.
“If this is connected, we’re going to have to consult every source we can,” Maddox said.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I pulled every string I could to get you on this case, and now you can’t speak to ghosts. I’m going to need you to ask the goddess. It’s the only source you have left.”
My chair let out a horrendous screech when I pushed myself away from the table. I stood and marched over to the door because I wasn’t about to let Maddox talk to me like I was some sort of tool that he could use.
It was bad enough that every ghost treated me like that. He wasn’t allowed to do the same.
Maddox called out for me, but I paid him no attention. He could have caught up to me with that shifter speed, but he didn’t give chase. I ignored the curious stares of all his coworkers as I stormed out of the station.
The sun outside didn’t give me the solace that I’d been wanting. Outside, I realized I was all alone once again. No one truly understood my problems. My friends were all willing to stand beside me, but they couldn’t see this web that I’d gotten caught in.
