Page 90 of Soul Sucker

“Green, short and spiky.”

“That’s interesting.” Vadim looked at Ella, his eyebrow raised. “What do you think, Ms. Walsh?”

Ella stood up. “I think you might be on to something, Mark. I know it’s still busy, but can we go into the kitchen now?”

* * *

Vadim followedElla and Mark into the surprisingly modern kitchen at the back of the diner. All the surfaces gleamed either white or silver. The staff moved in a blur of speed and efficiency watched over by a small, loud-mouthed man at the pass. It was a kitchen even he would be happy to eat in.

The short, gray-haired man stopped shouting out orders and came toward them, his expression fierce. Mark held up his hand.

“These are the folks from the SBLE, Uncle Roberto.” Roberto wiped his hand on his apron and stuck it out. “You are like theX-Files, yes?” His gaze slid down over Ella’s baggy overalls. “Although you are no Scully.” Vadim fought a smile.

Ella shook Roberto’s hand. “I don’t want to get in the way, but can I ask you a couple of questions?”

He nodded.

“Firstly, can I view your security camera data, and secondly, did you recently update your kitchen?”

“Mark will show you the camera tapes, and yes, we did update the kitchen. This building was constructed not long after the last big earthquake in the 1900’s. The plumbing and ventilation were no longer up to current Californian health and safety standards. We had no choice.” He frowned. “Why, is it important?”

“Sometimes when renovations are made on a building, the inhabitants don’t like it.”

“The ghosts, you mean?”

“Maybe, but that’s not all that might live here.” Ella smiled. “Let me check the security data, and then I’ll be more certain of what we are dealing with.”

Mark took them through into the back office, which smelled deliciously like cinnamon buns, and showed Ella how to work her way through the security camera data. He went back to the front of the house, leaving them alone. Vadim stood behind Ella and watched the screen intently.

“What do you think it is, then?” he finally asked. “I’m not sure, but green, short and spiky doesn’t sound like either poltergeist activity or a ghost.”

“It sounds like something from Otherworld.”

“Yeah.” Ella froze the picture. “Do you see that, Morosov? That thin trail of mist rising up from the floor?” He leaned in closer and breathed in the scent of fried onions. He’d never thought it was attractive before…

“Yes. Where is it coming from?”

“Let’s back it up a few frames. Look at where the water is pooling on the floor.”

He saw it then, the beginning of the mist seeping out in a thin trickle from between the cupboards below the three industrial-sized metal sinks. “It lives under the sink?”

“In the plumbing probably. I should imagine that remodel must have destroyed whatever it calls home. No wonder it’s mad. I’ll let the film run on a bit longer now, and see if we can actually identify this thing.”

“There it is.” Vadim pointed at the screen and Ella stilled the footage. “Definitely green and pointy. What do you think it is?”

She leaned back and almost collided with his nose. “I’m thinking some kind of small Fae. We’ll have to come back tonight and catch it in the act.”

“And what will you tell the Bonettis?”

“The truth.”

“Is that wise?”

She regarded him steadily. “I always tell Otherworld victims the truth before I replace the memory. I think they deserve to know.”

“Even if they won’t remember it?”

“Absolutely.” She must have sensed his confusion because she continued. “I think the mind remembers everything, and even if I do my job, there is still a remnant of the truth left in a human’s subconscious.”

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