Gavin grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back. She struggled for freedom, even delivering a punch to Gavin, but he never loosened his grip and finally she tired out, resting her head on his shoulder and sobbing. He ran his fingers through her hair, treating her as tenderly as he would a lost child.
River grinned at the doctor. “So,” he said, waving the blade in front of Dr. Rangarajan’s face. “Admit you work for Anima.”
A tear rolled down Kat’s cheek.
I found my feet moving forward of their own accord. Cole placed a hand on my shoulder in an effort to stop me, but Kat batted it away, and I kept going. I gently pushed River aside and faced the doctor.
Silently he pleaded with me.
What the heck was I going to do?
“Ali?” Camilla said.
“I—”
Helen appeared just in front of me. I gasped, and behind me, several people demanded to know what had happened.
Cole did his thing and jerked me behind him.
“Cool down on the protection detail,” I said, moving around him. “Nothing happened. Nothing’s wrong.”
He grudgingly returned to Kat and Frosty, and I scanned the crowd. No one seemed to realize Helen stood next to the doctor. She was cloaked.
Facing Helen, while seeming to direct my attention to Dr. Rangarajan, I said, “Can you help us?”
“I lost track over the years,” she said, “but since the first night of the attacks, I’ve been researching, just like Holland. Here’s what I’ve learned. Dr. Rangarajan works directly under Rebecca Smith. I know her, worked with her. She is now the one in charge, the one you want. Her father started Anima, and when he died two years ago, Rebecca took over. If ever you meet her, trust nothing she says. Dr. Rangarajan’s colleague, Dr. Wyatt Andrews, is the one referred to as Hodad.”
“Dr. Wyatt Andrews,” I said loudly. “That’s who we need to look for next.”
Dr. Rangarajan widened his eyes. “H-how did you know that?”
Rustling clothes behind me, footsteps. Clearly, someone had decided to search now.
Helen continued, “Justin is still alive, but not the other boy. He died last night.”
With a heavy heart, I made the announcement.
Curses. Cries. Jaclyn’s sob of relief.
Dr. Rangarajan struggled against his bonds. Did he assume I could read his mind? Fear me more than River’s blade?
“Anima wants you, Ali,” Helen said. “They took your blood when you were captured last month and ran some tests. You might have killed the guy responsible, but you didn’t destroy his samples. Anima knows who you are. They know you’re my daughter, the girl with the special zombie-destroying spirit. They want you back, and they’ll stop at nothing.”
I announced most of the rest, and Helen vanished. Gone as quickly as she’d come.
I was about to turn, when a thought occurred to me. The moment I was gone, Dr. Rangarajan was going to be killed. We couldn’t afford to let him run to Anima and tattle on us, and that’s exactly what he would do if we allowed him to live.
Could I live with his death? Especially when I could save him and stop him with my new ability.
An ability I’d yelled at Helen for using.
Did I really have another choice? I was backed into a corner, and I knew it. As she must have been.
Licking my lips, I placed my hands at the doctor’s temples. He thrashed in an effort to dislodge me, but I held steady.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
Helen said all I had to do was wave my spirit-hand across his mind. So, I did it. And it was...weird. Not cold, not hot. But warm. Little zaps pricked against my fingers—electrical?
He stilled, frowned. Intelligent eyes glazed over.
I jerked away. Had it worked?
“What’s your name?” I asked.
His frown deepened. “I—I don’t know. Why don’t I know?”
It had. It really had.
Behind me, the slayers went quiet.
I faced my audience, shoving my hands in my pockets.
“How did you learn that stuff?” River asked. “What did you do to his mind?”
My gaze locked on Cole. Curiosity stared back at me—maybe a hint of anger. Did he suspect the truth?
Shifting guiltily, I said, “A Witness told me. And I used an ability.”
Different reactions. Shock. Confusion. Only Cole’s mattered. A magnification of the anger.
Oh, yes. He suspected.
A kid came rushing through the crowd and stopped at River’s side. “Two detectives are here, and they want to speak with you and Cole.”
“Again?” River groaned. “This is becoming tiresome.”
Cole massaged the back of his neck. “How did they know I was here?”
Everyone came to the same conclusion. They had followed us last night.
I stiffened. Last night, we’d seen no sign of them. So...what had they seen us do?
“Get rid of Rangarajan,” River instructed, “and tell the underage to hide. The rest of us will go have a chat with the detectives.”
Chapter 24
ZOMBIES WERE PEOPLE TOO
Could this day get any worse?