Page 7 of Shadow Dreaming

I eased to a stop at a red light. When it turned, I hung a left. Another five minutes and we pulled into the parking garage below the apartment building. The garage was underground, and I wasn’t sure how they managed it, but the water didn’t roll in to form deep puddles during the rain. They must have had a good drainage system.

I parked in visitor parking, and—carrying our gear—we headed for the elevator. Dante lived on the fourteenth floor and even I didn’t feel the need to run the stairs. Especially with Carson being human. While he was trim, he wasn’t a powerhouse athlete. In fact, he was lanky thin and, while he knew some martial arts, he was far more of a thinker than a fighter.

The Tremont Arms were luxurious and the view from Dante’s apartment never failed to awe me. He could see out to the waters of Puget Sound, and the floor-to-ceiling windows gave the illusion that if you took one more step, you’d drop off into the glittering streets below. Dante had lived here for eight years, and he had no plans on moving anytime soon. He wasn’t the backyard-grill type of guy.

As we stood outside the door marked 1438, Carson flipped on a switch on the dampener. A moment later, a green light blinked on the sensor.

“We’re good to go,” he said. “Let’s get in there.”

“Won’t she notice something odd if the camera cuts off for thirty minutes?” I asked. It might be a little late in the game to worry about it, but the thought had just occurred to me.

“No, because she’ll see the same image she was seeing before we flipped the switch. Since Dante isn’t usually home during the day and he doesn’t have any pets, she shouldn’t notice anything odd about it.” Carson stood back as Dante unlocked his door.

“Okay, we’re good to go,” he said, cautiously opening the door. He flipped on the light and we entered the living room.

“Well, the fact that you’re a minimalist should help us,” Carson said. “There aren’t a gazillion places for her to have hidden a camera. If she did hide anything. She might not be smart enough to have thought of it. You should talk to your landlord about getting new locks, and a good deadbolt that she can’t pick.”

“How did she get into your apartment?” I asked. “You said you didn’t leave the door unlocked, and she doesn’t have a key, does she?”

“Not that I know of,” Dante said. “You and Carson are the only ones that have keys to my apartment, besides the management. But you’re right about installing new locks and a deadbolt. I’ll talk to Reicher today—he’s the landlord.”

We moved as a group, staring with the living room. Carson had been correct when he said searching for bugs would be quicker thanks to Dante being a minimalist. Ten minutes later, we had combed the room and moved onto the dining room and kitchen. By the end of thirty minutes, we had finished the entire apartment and had found nothing.

“You’re sure we couldn’t have missed anything?” Dante asked.

“I’m sure—” Carson started to say, but Dante suddenly let out a loud curse.

“Damn it to hell, she did steal something.” He walked over to his dresser. A glass etagere sat atop the dresser—about fifteen inches tall with a series of glass shelves. “It’s gone—she stole my Aunt Tilly’s china figurine of a wolf.” After another second, he sputtered. “My hairbrush is gone, too. I used the one in my bag this morning since I was coming from the hotel, but I have a Renoir brush and comb set that I usually use, and they’re gone.”

Dante had shaggy blond hair that reminded me of David Bowie’s Labyrinth goblin king haircut. In fact, Dante looked a lot like the goblin king, right down to the guyliner.

“Are you sure they’re gone?” I asked.

He pulled open several drawers on the dresser. “Yeah, the only other place I would have put them is in the top drawer and they’re gone… What the hell? My heart boxers are gone, too. They were right on top of the stack.”

I raised my eyes. “Heart boxers?”

“I bought a pair of boxer shorts that were pink, covered with red hearts?—”

“So you could have a heart-on?” I snorted, but quickly sobered as he scowled.

“Yeah, yeah, that would be funny if some pervert hadn’t stolen them. What does she want with my brush?”

“You said she’s a witch,” I said. “There’s always hair stuck in a hairbrush, right? That she took several extremely personal items, like the shorts and brush and comb, and a figurine of a wolf which happens to be the type of shifter you are, tells me that either Rowan wants something that’s part of you. Or…”

“Or what?”

“Or she’s going to try to cast a spell on you.”

“Double crap,” he said. “We have to put a stop to her. Hey, while we’re here, let me run down and tell the landlord about this. I’ll ask him to bring in a locksmith today, and also ask security to keep Rowan out, if she tries to enter the building again. They have a picture of her in that footage from last night.”

“Good idea,” I said. “Go on, now.”

As Dante headed out the door, I walked over to the bay window and stared out at the storm. It had ramped up and thunder and lightning rumbled through the skies at an impressive rate. Carson joined me.

“So, now may not be the best time,” he said, “but I was wondering if I could have Friday off? My sister’s coming into town for a visit and I’d like to show her the sights.”

I glanced at him. “Maya? Of course you can have Friday off. I’d like to meet her, though, if you want to bring her by the office.” I’d never met her in the ten years I’d known Carlson. She’d stayed in California for the most part, and the times she had been in town, I’d be busy.

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