“Sir.” Agent Nori stood straighter, her wings flaring behind her. “I believe this . . . person . . . should be detained and transported to Faerie immediately,” she said, and then repeated the scenarios and reasoning she’d given me a moment before, though this time the tone of her delivery held no threats—it was just the facts of her case.
Falin listened to her recitation and my pulse beat double time despite the exhaustion and chil as he nodded at several of her points. If she hadn’t been talking about me or suggesting the gross violation of personal freedom, I’d have thought she made a compel ing case, which wasn’t reassuring. When she final y finished, Falin rubbed his chin for a moment, as if weighing the decision.
He won’t really let her cart me off to Faerie, will he? I didn’t actual y know.
I glanced behind me at the cops who were processing the crime scene. I spotted several familiar faces working the site, John among them, which was a relief. The NCPD
wouldn’t interfere if Nori arrested me, but she couldn’t just make me disappear into Faerie. I was a legal citizen and I had friends who would make sure I was granted due process. Of course, that relied on someone knowing what had happened to me. I took a step back, closer to the gate, and prepared to cause a scene if it came to that.
Thankful y, it proved not to be necessary.
After a moment of deliberation, Falin shook his head. “I think taking her to Faerie now would be premature.” He turned to me. “Miss Craft, you are appearing too frequently in this investigation. If you value your time in the mortal realm, I suggest you consider your actions very, very realm, I suggest you consider your actions very, very careful y.”
I nodded, trying to look properly admonished and frightened, which considering that the idea of being dragged to Faerie scared the crap out of me, wasn’t hard.
Besides, the pompous delivery of Falin’s threat might have been for Nori’s benefit, but I knew ful wel that he meant every word of it.
A film crawled over Nori’s multifaceted eyes from the outside toward her nose and back— a blink? —and she said, “Sir, I’d like it on the record that I think it is in the best interest of the queen, the fae, and even Miss Craft herself if she were removed to Faerie.”
“Duly noted, Agent. You’re dismissed.”
She stared at him, that keening sound issuing from her wings, the disharmonious notes rising in decibels until the sound grated in my head like nails down a chalkboard.
Falin turned his back on her, accenting her dismissal.
“Miss Craft, since you are at the scene already, there are a few matters I’d like to discuss with you,” Falin said in the same professional but antagonistic tone he’d been using since he interjected himself in the situation, but as Nori stormed off his voice dropped. “She’s going to cause trouble,” he muttered, shaking his head.
He ran a hand through his hair, the movement stiff, jerky, and I frowned as I studied the exhaustion written across his face. I myself felt ready to drop, and while he’d gotten a few more hours of sleep than I had, he was also healing from a nearly fatal wound.
“You okay?” I asked as I touched his arm. Why do people do that? Touch people they’re concerned about? What comfort or reassurance can it real y give? But I didn’t even think about it; I just flowed into his space and reached out as if we had some sort of history instead of an acquaintance that would equal less than a week if al the moments we’d actual y spent together were added up.
Falin looked at where I touched his arm, and a smal Falin looked at where I touched his arm, and a smal smile crooked one edge of his lips. The expression didn’t change a single line of the exhaustion in his face, but it did make him look less haggard, not quite so worn down. He covered my hand with his gloved one and squeezed my fingers gently. Then he stepped back out of reach and straightened, becoming once again the no-nonsense FIB
agent in charge.
“Come on,” he said, turning toward the gate. “You came out here to walk this scene. Your presence has already done al the damage it can, so let’s check out this ritual and get out of here.”
Chapter 20
I signed in with the uniformed officer manning the gate. I sure as hel didn’t have clearance to cross the crime tape, but there were so many different agencies on the scene, I don’t think the harassed man knew who was supposed to have access to where. I had an FIB escort, and that was good enough for him. Preventing the scene from being contaminated was a lost cause anyway. With the skimmers, Bel ’s security and lawyers, Lusa and her cameraman, the paramedics and healers, and the magical scuffle that had occurred, the week-old murder scene was a mess. I didn’t envy John his job.
And speaking of... “Hey, John,” I said as I approached my favorite, but currently very exasperated, homicide detective.
“Alex?” He cocked his head to the side, which, considering that he was the lead detective and I’d just walked into a crime scene, was a better response than I’d expected. Then his gaze landed on Falin and his posture stiffened. “Detective Andrews, this is a crime scene.”