“Don’t be silly,” I said. “You’re not in the way.”
“Oh, good. Because I really look forward to seeing him in his boxers in the morning.”
I waggled a finger at her as I fought the laughter bubbling in my throat. “You’re a dirty old woman.”
She cackled. “Damned straight!”
* * *
Once Baba was gone, I settled myself at the kitchen table with the information from the high school and Danny’s laptop. He was at a friend’s house that night working on a project, so I had the place to myself for once.
About an hour into it, I had to admit that the Conservatory seemed like a pretty awesome place for Danny to go to high school. All of the coursework revolved around teaching the students how to cook using clean magic methods. They studied the normal subjects, too, but even those involved magic instruction somehow. Like, in History they might read the Malleus Maleficarum and discuss the way misogyny and fear of magic were used to control the masses.
In fact, the more I read about the curriculum, the more jealous I was that I didn’t have access to that kind of school as a kid myself. Of course, if they’d had schools like that back then, Uncle Abe would have just encouraged me to use my classes in clean magic to learn how to make dirtier potions.
As I read, there were only two concerns. First, it was a brand-new school. Danny would start as a junior, which meant he’d only be there for two years, and he’d have to start thinking about college a year in. That meant if he went and hated the Conservatory or, worse, failed out, it would really set him back on getting into college.
The second concern involved John Volos. Danny had mentioned that our esteemed mayor was involved in the school, but he hadn’t said that Volos Real Estate Development was a major contributor to the school. That meant his money would go to help fund Danny’s education and that his word would hold a lot of sway in the decisions of the administration. If I decided to let Danny attend, I’d need to make it clear with Volos that any meddling in my brother’s life would result in major consequences.
I threw the papers on the table and grabbed a beer from the fridge. As I popped the top, I couldn’t believe I was having to think about my little brother going to college. In less than two years, he could potentially be moving out of my house and going off to a bright future on his own. The thought both depressed and excited me. It was depressing because it meant I was getting older and so was he. Time had passed so freaking fast, I couldn’t believe it. It seemed just yesterday that he was so tiny that my hand dwarfed his. Now he was taller than me, and his hands made mine look petite.
The exciting part was that in two years, I could potentially recover the life that had been interrupted a decade earlier. The life where I was just Danny’s sister and I had a life of my own. The possibilities sort of blew my mind. I’d be able to work late nights without guilt chasing me around. Plus, even though Baba would still be around, I’d have more opportunities to have the house to myself.
I shook my head and took a very long pull of my beer. The future suddenly loomed like a big question mark on the horizon, and it would come whether I wanted it to or not. I shut the fridge and went to the laptop.
I pulled up the principal’s email address and sent her a quick note requesting a meeting. I didn’t mention the situation, just that I had some questions that would help me make a final decision.
That done, I went and grabbed my backpack. Before I’d left for the day, I stuck some old case files in there to review.
The top file contained all the information I could find about Krystal LeMay in the Arcane Crimes Database, a clearing house of information from all the Arcane crimes in the country. She didn’t have much of a rap sheet. Just an adolescent misdemeanor charge for graffiti. However, she had come up on ACD in connection with a couple of Votary Coven nasties. She’d also filed a battery charge on a live-in boyfriend. According to the file, he’d been arrested a few years before that for distributing arcane substances. The name seemed vaguely familiar, so I assumed he was Votary. Another said she was in the car when another boyfriend was arrested for DUI and possession of a deadly weapon. She also showed up in all the files connected to the arrest of Puck Simmons.
As I reread the notes on that case, which Morales had typed into the database a few weeks earlier, a plan started forming in my mind. Even though Krystal claimed she didn’t corroborate his alibi because she didn’t want a criminal living with her, she clearly had a history of cavorting with lowlifes. Morales and I had been working with the theory that she’d turned on him because with him out of the way, there was a power vacuum for her to fill in the coven. But she obviously wasn’t going to confirm that theory. Nor would she confirm the idea that the reason so much shit was happening in the coven was that she was a terrible leader.
I tapped the table with my fingers as I thought through all the angles. Once I felt confident in my plan, I picked up the phone and called Morales.
“How’s the high school drama going?” he asked.
“Turns out they were probably right, but I’m going to let them all sweat it out a little longer.”
“Remind me never to cross you, Cupcake.”
I smiled at the rasp in his voice. I imagined him sitting in the dark and easing back in his seat to talk to me. I didn’t love surveillance gigs, but part of me longed to go join him there just for the company.
“So, I’ve been thinking about Puck Simmons.”
“That’s…disappointing.”
“Why?”
“I thought you were calling to flirt with me.”
“I have never flirted with you.”
“Uh-huh,” he said. “So, what’s this about Puck?’
“I think we need to go visit him at County.”
The silence that greeted my great plan was not the reaction I’d been hoping to receive.
“Think about it,” I continued, undaunted. “He’s in County because Krystal screwed him over. Can you think of a better source of intel on her or the temperature of the coven right now?”
He let out a long breath. “Gonna be a tough sell to Grey.”
“I’m hoping we won’t need to involve him.”
“How you figure?”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aiden Grey was the prosecutor assigned to the task force. In order for him to offer a deal to Puck, we’d have to convince him that we could get enough juicy intel for our efforts to make it worth his time. But a deal would involve a lot of time and paperwork I didn’t have the patience for at the moment.
“I’m hoping Puck will talk to us if we use the Krystal angle. Revenge is a potent motivator. It’ll be a tough sell but it’s worth a try. I think.”
“Well, you did break his finger and we helped frame him for two murders.”
“The finger thing is true, but he doesn’t know about the framing.”
Truth was, Puck wasn’t innocent of all his charges. He had actually helped kill Charm Parsons. The problem was he didn’t have anything to do with the murder of Pantera Souza, his accomplice in that crime. Pantera had been murdered by Mayor Volos. We just hadn’t taken Volos down for that crime. Yet.
“I like the plan, though,” Morales said. “Puck was in the line of succession for the coven, so he’d know what was in play before he went down for Charm’s murder. Maybe he can tell us if there were plans to partner with the Chinese—or anyone else.”
“Right.”
“You have smart ideas when you take the night off.”
“That wasn’t my only smart idea.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“How about you come over after you’re done?” Earlier, he’d told me that Gardner had approved putting Shadi’s team onto the surveillance rotation. McGinty was supposed to relieve him in an hour.
“Forget smart—you’re a freaking genius.”
“Damned straight.”
“See you soon.”
Chapter Eight