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“Blimey,” Nigel whispered as he stepped beside me.
Gary snickered. “Blind.” I shot him an irritated glare, but he only shrugged.
Nigel ignored him completely, and told me, “She was alive when her eye was removed.” To prove his point, he gestured towards Margot’s hands, and the scratch marks her fingernails had cut into the chair’s armrests. Just like my brother, she must have been partially if not fully paralyzed by a magical spell.
“And get a load of this,” Gary said before removing his wand from his pocket and giving it a gentle flick, filling the room with a purple glow; a blacklight. It illuminated the blood on Margot’s body, along with what had splattered onto the walls and floor when her throat was cut.
While gruesome, it was pretty standard, so I asked, “What am I missing?”
“It’s not what you’re missing,” Gary replied, “But what’s missing from the room.”
Of course he’s speaking in riddles. I looked around once more, and finally understood. “There’s no footprints.”
Gary nodded. “Or hair, or fingerprints…nothing.” With the amount of bloodshed, the perpetrator should have left behind some sign of his presence.
“So, he…floated?” I asked skeptically, making Gary chortle again. “Or was he just really prepared?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Gary shrugged. He flicked his wand again to extinguish the light before replacing it into his pocket. “Either way, you’d think this fortune teller could have…seen this coming.”
“Come on, man, a lady died,” I admonished him. I knew it took a dark sense of humor to make it in his line of work, but that comment was too over the top. Gary only shrugged again.
“She should have seen this coming,” Nigel repeated, and Gary scoffed.
“That was my joke!”
“Am I talking to the fucking wall?” I huffed, angry that everyone was poking fun at this poor woman.
“No, no, no,” Nigel defended, holding up his hands and giving me a pleading look. He obviously didn’t want to upset me, which softened my anger. “I was thinking about something I read a long time ago. I was working on a case involving very dark magic, and in my research, I came across an incantation or potion or…something. I can’t remember exactly, but I do recall it involved the collection of body parts.”
My face scrunched up in disgust as Nigel further explained, “Gary’s words reminded me that it called for an eye of the all-seeing. I don’t remember it in its entirety. All I know is that it called for an eye…” He paused to swallow hard before giving me a sympathetic smile and finishing, “And a heart.”
My heart dropped into my stomach and sudden dizziness made me wobble on my feet. Nigel quickly stepped behind me and supported me with his arms around my waist.
“He needs some air,” Nigel said, assumingly talking to Gary. “Is there a back door?”
A moment later, Nigel half-guided, half-dragged me through the house and out a different door than before. The rain had thankfully stopped, leaving behind the cool, crisp autumn air that caused my brain to defog a little.
Nigel led me into the small grassy yard and sat down, pulling me back onto his lap. My cheeks reddened at the contact, but I was quickly distracted when I realized we weren’t sitting on the damp grass; we were hovering a few inches above it. Maybe it wasn’t so far-fetched that the culprit floated after all.
Nigel’s hand disappeared momentarily before wrapping back around me while holding his wand. After a quick flick, a breeze conjured up around us, cooling my clammy face and bringing me back to myself.
“I’m sorry I freaked out again,” I offered. “You must think I’m a terrible cop.”
“I promise you I don’t,” Nigel replied quietly into my ear. “You’ve been through something traumatic and heart wrenching, but you are still out here trying your best to find justice for your brother while helping others. That’s the furthest thing from a terrible cop in my book.”
I sighed as a small smile tugged at my lips. Nigel’s words settled my nerves and cleared my mind. I could be very hard on myself, and his assurance helped more than he could know.
“Thank you,” I told him seriously, and he gave me a gentle squeeze.
“And I truly want to apologize for what I said earlier in Captain Mullins’ office. I was being my normal pissy self and spouted my mouth off when I shouldn’t have. It was just my emotions bubbling out, not my true feelings. I hope you can forgive me.”
“I do,” I replied without having to think about it. “My emotions have been crazy lately too, so I understand. Hell, that’s probably why I reacted the way I did. I apologize for that, by the way; I promise I’m not normally such a dick.”
“I wish I could promise the same thing,” Nigel teased, making me chuckle. I appreciated his honesty, and his desire to cheer me up.
