Page 67 of Mystic Justice
He looked amused at my order but nodded agreeably, retrieved a mace from the car boot and zipped up his leather jacket. I guessed he was good to go, no Kevlar needed.
We waited for the others to vest up then entered the graffitied tower block and ran up the single flight of stairs to bring us to the second floor. Jane’s was Flat 2B. The apartment block wasn’t in the best area and the dimly lit halls smelled faintly of urine. She’d downgraded her digs significantly when she’d gone from trainee solicitor to waitress. Saving money for what? My bet would be the illegal potions she’d no doubt used to subdue Moss during the kidnapping. A drugged prisoner was easier to manage.
I swallowed hard, pushing aside the harsh memories; now was not the time to stroll down memory lane.
I stood to one side of the door with Krieg behind me, and Elvira and Bland crouched on the other side. Some wizards had an affinity for one element over another; mine was air so I released a small breath and used it to create a sharp blast of air that I targeted at the door lock. Over the years I’d learnt to channel the perfect amount of air to break a lock and open a door but not blow the bloody door off.
It flew open and Elvira took point, crouching low with Bland following. The curtains were closed so it was dark inside. The apartment was a bedsit; bedroom, kitchen and lounge in one space. The only door led to the bathroom.
It took less than a minute to clear the whole place and ascertain that Calder wasn’t there. I’d been expecting it but it still sucked.
We donned gloves and started searching. I hit pay dirt when I saw a photograph on the bedside table because I immediately recognised the man in it. Several dots connected at once and I closed my eyes. ‘Well, shit,’ I murmured.
‘What?’ Elvira called from the other side of the room.
I picked up the photograph and held it out to her. Her mouth tightened. ‘Shit,’ she echoed.
‘What?’ Bland demanded. ‘Who is it? I don’t recognise him.’
‘It’s a griffin,’ Krieg said darkly. ‘His name was Harbinger.’
‘Was?’
I sighed. ‘He died about six months ago. Goddamn it, I should have made the connection. A couple months ago I was investigating two grave robberies, a wizard’s and Harbinger’s.’
‘What was taken from the grave?’ Bland asked.
‘The bodies,’ I said grimly
‘So we could be looking at three assailants?’
I shook my head. ‘The wizard’s body turned up later, newly beheaded. At the time I just thought it was some sicko, but now I’m thinking he was a test run. Jane Calder raised him from the dead and when she’d succeeded, she killed him again.’
‘And then she raised her lover,’ Elvira muttered.
‘Precisely.’
Griffins were one of the deadliest species roaming the planet and now we had an undead one to contend with. If Amber was right and Calder completed her four-stage elemental ritual, Harbinger would move from deadly and difficult to kill to impossible to kill. We needed to stop her before body number four hit the earth or we’d really be knee deep in kelpie waters.
‘At least that answers the question of who dropped Bogan,’ Bland mused.
‘Yeah,’ I groused. ‘That’s a real silver lining. Scour the flat. Calder and Harbinger aren’t here so we need to know where the hell they’ve gone to ground.’
We had a handful of hours to find them or they’d get a fourth death under their belt and the ritual would be complete. And then we’d be totally fucked.
Chapter Thirty-Two
‘Got something!’ Elvira called, holding up a book. ‘Oh boy, do I have something! It’s Jane’s journal and it details their plans. They’re planning on taking Sandra Jaxim tonight.’
I pulled out my phone and dialled Frost. She answered. ‘Ma’am?’
‘I need you to get Sandra Jaxim into protective custody. Now!’
‘We’re already en route, ma’am. When we were interviewing the staff, I spoke to Miss Jaxim about her fears and she said she had a recurring nightmare of being buried alive. I wanted to secure her as soon as possible.’ Her tone was apologetic because she hadn’t already notified me. ‘We’re five minutes from the station.’
‘You did the right thing. Good work.’ I hung up. ‘Frost has Jaxim and they’re heading to the station,’ I told the others.
‘That’s one less thing to worry about,’ Elvira said.
