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As usual, I had more than enough questions to last me a lifetime and no answers whatsoever.
Fear for her was a tornado spinning through my head, scattering thoughts like debris when I needed my focus on the poisonings.
“We’re here.” Asa parked at a coffee shop with a frilly pink sign. “Ready?”
Behind him, Arden tracked incoming flights to Charlotte on her cell to give me a false sense of control.
The Mayhews, meanwhile, were engaging in an energetic thumb war over an airport brownie.
Sensing my attention, Arden glanced up at me. “The longest delay is fifteen minutes.”
“Thanks,” I rasped, my throat tightening at her kindness.
“I see Londis.” Asa peered through the windshield at a lean man in a CPD uniform.
“Then it’s showtime.” I exited the vehicle, Asa beside me. “Do I look trustworthy and professional?”
I hadn’t showered in what felt like years, I hadn’t brushed my hair, and my clothes were rumpled within an inch of their lives. I didn’t have to see my reflection to know my eyes were bloodshot from stress, lack of sleep, and my earlier crying jag.
“You’re beautiful.” He held the door to the coffee shop for me. “Always.”
“You’re a liar, but I love you.”
The sergeant, who had been nibbling on a black and white cookie, lifted his head as the open door swirled our scents to him. He sipped his coffee and moved to join us, his gait cautious but confident.
Nothing about him screamedBigfoot is on my Christmas card list. He looked perfectly ordinary, perfectly human. Looks, as I well knew, could be deceiving.
“You must be Rue Hollis and Asa Montenegro.” He offered us each a cookie from a large white bag, which improved my opinion of him on the spot. Even if he had dropped our titles. “I’m Bryan Londis.”
The choice to ignore his rank convinced me he wasn’t impolite, just informal.
“That’s us.” I toasted him with my cookie. “Thanks for making time for us.”
“You can eat that, by the way.” He demonstrated with gusto. “They don’t offer delivery.”
To be polite, I bit into the treat, which was a buttery shortbread under sweet royal icing.
Clay would have approved.
When Asa indicated he would fetch us hot drinks, giving me a moment alone with Londis, I nodded. “I take it that means you’ve read our files on the troubles in Boston.”
Londis indicated a table, and we sat across from one another, leaving room for Asa at my elbow.
“I have read your files, thanks to a fellow named Fergal, and we’ve already isolated footage that leads us to believe the unsub has stuck with what works.” He placed his palms on the table. “Level with me here. This Luca. What do you know about her?”
Not much that wouldn’t cast Black Hat in a bad light. This was our dirty laundry coming out in the wash.
“She’s fae.” I started off easy. “She comes from a region of Faerie that grows king killer.”
“So, she’s got an endless supply then.” He cursed then reached for another cookie. “Please continue.”
“She’s holding a grudge against the former director.” I rolled around other possible details to share in the spirit of cooperation. “We believe that’s why she’s targeting humans.”
“Black Hat is dedicated to concealing the existence of supernaturals from human detection.” He chewed thoughtfully. “I could see how she might want to subvert that mission to spit in his eye.”
I waited a beat, certain the accusations would begin, but he simply reached for another treat.
“I apologize for bringing this to your door.” I was thrown off balance by his calmness. “A local black witch coven spreadthe poison in Boston. I would start looking for her accomplices among any dark practitioners in your city.” He kept right on snacking. “You, ah, seem very chill about this.”
