Broken (Otherworld 6)

My cell phone vibrated, spooking me enough to jump. I pulled it out, thinking--hoping--it was Jeremy.

"Elena? It's me. Rita."

"Oh. Um, Rita. Right. Can I call you back?"

"If you do, you'll regret it. There's been another murder."

That stopped me. "You mean from last night? They found another--?"

"Body. And this just happened. Broad daylight. Downtown, a few blocks from the last one. Near Regent Park."

For a second, I couldn't speak. Then I thanked her and hung up.

"Another one," Clay said before I could speak. "Right here. Right now."

"Maybe it's a coincidence--"

"It isn't. It's a message."

Tee had completely retreated, pulling herself into her cocoon and going silent.

"We should check it out right away," I said after telling Jaime and Zoe about the call. "While it's still fresh. Maybe see if we can pick up a scent this time."

Jaime nodded. "I'll stay here--" A quick look over her shoulder, into Tee's corner. "See if I can get her talking..."

"We'll need you there," I said. "In case the victim's ghost is still around."

Relief flooded her face. "Yes, of course. I'll come."

"I'll work on Tee," Zoe said. "I still need to--" Her gaze flicked to the crate with the penknife. "--give her what I promised. If I get anything from her, I'll call you."

Negotiation

CLAY HAD INSISTED ON MEETING THE OTHERS HALFWAY, mumbling something about being careful with his arm. In other words, if it was a setup, he didn't feel comfortable protecting me alone.

I took Jeremy aside and told him what happened with Jaime.

"I'm really sorry," I said. "If I'd known this woman was a necromancer--"

"You couldn't have. Even if you had, I doubt we could have dissuaded Jaime. She's--" He brushed back his hair. "She wants to help, and the uglier it gets, the more insistent she becomes. I'll speak to her. The rest of you continue on to the crime scene."

Fifteen minutes later, we were huddled a half block from the crime scene, waiting for Jeremy, having seen and heard all we needed.

"I'm sorry," Hull said as we huddled to the side of the scene. "I've tried to keep quiet, but I cannot. This--" He waved an agitated hand toward the taped-off alley. "Surely, I can't be the only one who sees this for what it is. The girl in there, the pregnancy, the physical resemblance--"

"We saw," Clay said.

"Then you understand the significance--"

"I said--"

"We understand that it's a message," Antonio said slowly.

"Could it not be more than that? The resemblance, the location, the timing." He looked at Clay. "If Shanahan sent this beast here, on orders, knowing your wife was near, and he saw that young woman, is it not possible that he mistook--"

My knees buckled, and only my grip on Clay's hand kept me steady. What if that woman died--her baby died--because I'd been near, only a block away?

"Enough," Antonio said, voice hard.