Page 10 of Death and Do-Overs

“May I?” Andrew asked.

I gestured for him to help himself.

He still didn’t touch the box, but he did step closer as he continued his observation of the exterior.

Since he was here, I had an idea. It relied on both Andrew’s alchemy and Wendy’s lych magic.

“Do you have a potion that can regrow missing bodies?” I asked Andrew.

Wendy barked a nervous laugh.

As our eyes met, a flush of red flooded up her neck. Had she guessed what I was thinking?

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any potions like that,” Andrew said.

Unfortunate indeed. Without Nie having a body attached to her head, it didn’t matter that Wendy’s magic was reanimation. There was no Nie to revive.

“Thatwouldbe really cool to regrow a body,” Imogen said. “And way useful in very particular circumstances probably. But I think Nie would still be dead now, right? Even with a torso and limbs and everything?”

Rose touched Imogen’s arm. “Probably.”

Definitely.

I returned my attention to Wendy. Her face was still red. She definitely knew what I was thinking.

“The cardboard is dry,” Andrew lifted the box to check the bottom. “No blood.”

“Should I get Brock in on this?” Imogen asked, in reference to her significant other. “Generally when there’s a murder, you should call the police.”

Andrew set the box down and opened the top.

“Marnie’snot dead,” Rose said. “There’s legally only the one of her. That’d be hard to explain to the police. And we don’t want The Library involved either. They’re liable to lock us all up, no questions asked.”

Rose shivered.

She’d had a less than pleasant experience dealing with both the police and their magical equivalent, The Library, not so long ago while hiding the corpse of her ex-fiancé in her basement freezer. I hadn’t thought about the similarity of our situations before now.

“I don’t mean to disrespect your experience,” Imogen said. “It’s totally fair for you to feel that way, Rose. I probably would be hesitant in your shoes. But I have to say, I’ve had really positive experiences with The Library. There’s some super nice and helpful people there, too. And if we’re trying to avoid Library involvement, Lily isn’ttechnicallywith The Library anymore…ish. We could call her?”

I didn’t know Lily particularly well, but I’d sat near her at a few social events. She seemed peculiar, competent, and a skilled liar. I wasn’t sure what to think about bringing her in.

My instinct was to keep my privacy and make as few people as possible aware of my struggles.

Rose pressed her lips together, suggesting she wasn’t sure talking to Lily was a great idea. No one else commented with words or body language about Imogen’s suggestion.

I decided it was best to make a mental note that contacting Lily was a possibility, but perhaps not an ideal one.

“Did you try touching Nie’s cheek?” Wendy asked me. “Like when Imogen killed her before?”

Imogen’s eyes went glossy. She stuck out a pouty lip, probably not even realizing she was doing it.

I knew she was as much a victim in those circumstances as Nie and I had been. There was no need for her to dwell on the past.

Wendy gave Imogen a side hug, flowing skirt whipping over her legs. “It was the reaper’s fault, not yours.”

Imogen nodded, but her lip stayed out.

“Nie disappeared when I touched her before.” I wasn’t entirely sure that was why I hesitated this time. I should say so. If anyone could understand the fear pumping through my veins, it was the women standing in the room with me. They’d all died before, or gotten close to it. Still, I held back.

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