Amusement bubbled through me, but it didn’t last long. As the path led us into the thicker grove of blackberries, the canes closed in and their thorns were impossible to avoid.
After multiple snags and scratches, I was just about ready to call off the hunt when the breeze sharpened, rattling the canes and bringing with it an odd, metallic scent.
I knew what it was almost instantly, having smelled it on more than a few occasions since we’d set up shop in this reservation.
Blood.
I drew in a deeper breath, but there was little hint as to what else might lie up ahead. There was no sense of magic and nothing to suggest that anything living—or dead, for that matter—lay in wait. I nevertheless wove a repelling spell around my fingers and cautiously moved on.
After a few more meters, the blackberries gave way to a small cleared area. The creek bubbled along one edge, and there were several small dirt pits to my right that suggested foxes or maybe even stray dogs had been making themselves at home here.
In the middle of the clearing was a large bloodstained area.
Belle stopped beside me. “The first thing that strikes me as odd is the fact that there’s no skin or bones. Even scavengers wouldn’t erase all evidence of a kill.”
“I don’t think the blood came from a kill.”
She glanced at me. “Why?”
“Because it has the taint of darkness in it.”
Her gaze shot back to the bloodied patch of ground. “Do you think it’s from the ghoul?”
“Possibly.” I hesitated, remembering the weird images I’d gotten from the victim’s mind.
“Even ghouls can’t break the laws of life,” Belle said. “If this thing actually tore itself apart, it would be dead.”
“If it was a ghoul, yes, but we’re obviously dealing with something very different.”
She rubbed her arms. “Do you think it’ll be possible to track this thing through its blood?”
“Monty would probably know that better than I would.”
“You want me to ring him?”
I glanced at her, amusement lurking around my lips. “You’re volunteering to do that quite often these days.”
She gave me a deadpan look. One that said ‘step no further’.
My grin broke free as I raised my hands. “It might also be a good idea to ring Penny and see if she and Celia can open up for us. I’ll check out the blood.”
As she got out her phone, I walked across and squatted next to the stain. This close, it looked surprisingly fresh, which no doubt explained why darkness still radiated from it. Droplets gleamed on the tips of the grass, and pools little bigger than a twenty-cent piece had yet to soak fully into the ground.
I hesitated and then reached out to—but didn’t quite touch—the nearest pool of blood. My fingers tingled and warmed, and my psi senses stirred. This tiny patch of blood still held its secrets, but they were fading as fast as the blood was drying.
I withdrew my hand and turned as Belle hung up and shoved her phone back into her pocket. “Monty and Aiden are on their way.”
“What happened with the other murder?”
“It was a family argument that got nasty and loud, but thankfully no one was killed.”
That was at least good. “And the café?”
“No problem. Apparently, Celia’s staying with Penny until she gets enough money for a place of her own, so she’d welcome the extra shift.”
Celia was Penny’s niece and had only recently arrived in the reservation from Geelong after an apparently acrid split with her boyfriend.
“You find anything?” Belle added.