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“Yeah?” I have to loosen my grip on the glass mug soon or risk crushing it in my hand.
“Son said there was no story out of town. The story isintown,” he replies, looking at me conspiratorially. “The story is here. Thesourcesare out of town.”
Not necessarily a smoking gun but still. I can work with this. “What’s the story?”
“Mages being dirty. Corrupt,” he says casually.
This alone isn’t exactly news. Witches and warlocks come in all shapes and sizes, as well as temperaments. The same goes for their beliefs and allegiances. Not all spellcasters or other magical supernaturals take kindly to being regulated. Even if the regulations are mostly in place for the greater good.
It’s partially how I slipped through the cracks. No mage dedicates his life to a craft and then wants to ask for permission to use it. At least not in my experience. A mage who works under the table isn’t necessarily a bad seed. I wonder how much Steve knows about specifics.
“Corrupt as in ‘hey, it’s Tuesday’ or ‘bow down and worship your lord’?” It’s a fair question and one he understands since he nods and sips thoughtfully.
“The boy was vague. Don’t know if he knows or not, to be honest. Didn’t want to press, either,” he replies. I didn’t knowSteve had any other setting but press. Or in dire situations, press some more.
“Is that all you got?” I ask, and he waves me off, then gestures to his thermos on the table. I nod and he pours me more.
“Nope. Son said she and another reporter took a van of equipment into Leviathsport,” Steve replies. “To interview a bunch of magic police.”
“Magic police?” He nods sagely at my question, then taps his nose.
“I don’t know what else it would be about,” Steve explains, then shrugs his shoulders. “But you can always go check and see yourself.”
“What?”
“The equipment’s still out,” Steve says. “They’ve been leaving it at the motel all this past week.”
“What motel?”
“This motel,” he says.
Steve pulls out his phone and shows me a picture of the logout book. It just says Cyella and another reporter’s name, plus a list of equipment.
I frown. “I’m looking at a list.”
Steve looks at his phone and guffaws, then slides it to the next picture. “This motel. My boy’s driving another battery pack and tripod to Cyella now.”
Three hours later, I’m sitting in a rented SUV and watching the pixie exit number seven of the Silver Fox Motel. The broad-chested and bearded werewolf she’s with is none other than Cyella’s ex, which is deliciously coincidental, considering I knew she was here for work but never thought that work would include Detective Mills.
No wonder you didn’t go into details, Cyella,I think, snapping a few pictures of the two chatting. I make sure not toget the news van in the shot. Or the other employee. Cyella didn’t lie because of the story butthe storyteller. At least partially.
Greiko hates the guy, maybe even more than he hates her choice of vocation. How much is she willing to concede if I spare her such a big fight?
10
FELICITY
“And with this last signature here, it’s all official,” Argoss’s lawyer, a swampster named Hollec, says.
Argoss signs his name first, and then I do. Hollec grins. “Congratulations on your new little girl!”
Losing control of her powers in her excitement, sparkles fly in the air as Lucy squeals and throws her arms around us in a bear hug. Tears prickle in my eyes as I hug her, acting officially as her mother for the very first time. But it certainly won’t be the last.
Argoss shakes his lawyer’s hand and sees him out. “This calls for a celebration!” he announces as he returns.
“But first, there is something we need to discuss.” He takes a knee in front of her. “Lucy, we have a cake tasting scheduled in an hour. If your mom and I can’t decide on a flavor, I need you to be the deciding vote. Not just on the cake but on everything from now on. This will be your first test of many.”
She grins happily and squirms with excitement, but he continues. “You’re the chief flower smeller, band picker, and color coordinator. One day, you will inherit my empire, so you must learn to make snap decisions, no matter how boring. It willbe hard work, but you will rise to the occasion. There is no other option.”
