Mark of the Demon (Kara Gillian 1)

“Nope. I was just curious about the picture of Rhyzkahl.” I glanced at the clock. Shit. I’m gonna be late again. I started gathering all of the files and notes that were strewn across the kitchen table into a stack. “Why? Do you know something that I need to know?”

“No! Oh, no … nothing like that. I was just wondering, y’know, and then wanted to see what you thought of the comic.”

“Well, I’ve been a bit busy, but I promise I’ll give you a call as soon as I get the chance to read them,” I said, frowning as I tried to unearth my notebook from all of the crap on the table.

“Oh. Okay. All right. Well … thanks.” With that he hung up. I stared at my phone for a second, frown deepening. What was that all about? Was he trying to tell me something? Or was that his way of trying to hit on me?

“I can see why you’re a single man, Greg,” I muttered as I headed to my bedroom to change clothes.

I came to the office laden with stuff—all the case notes and photos and clippings that I had at the house, which was quite a bit. I’d just tossed everything into a box when I realized that I was going to be late. Bad enough that I’d missed the morning meeting. I’d look like a complete flake if I missed another.

To my relief, the conference room was empty. I grabbed a seat, then started going through my notes, looking for anything new that could possibly leap out at me. A short while later, the door opened and the agents trooped in, followed by the sour-faced Detective Harris. I took a few minutes and showed them my notes and photos, then we each briefed the others on our progress—which wasn’t much. After the briefings, we took turns going over different sections of the case, occasionally making observations or comments.

After about an hour, Agent Garner stood, groaning and stretching his arms over his head, his back popping audibly. “My eyes feel like they’re about to fall out of my head.” His gaze fell on the box. “Hey, what’s this?” he said, pulling out the stack of comics. “Is this part of the case?”

“Oh, crap, I didn’t realize that I’d thrown those in there.” But even as I said it, I could feel a mental click, as if something had been stewing in the back of my mind and was now ready to be examined. Who is that rune of binding for? Is it coincidence that Greg Cerise is so familiar with this particular Demonic Lord? “To be honest, though, I think that maybe there is a connection, but I’m not really sure how to articulate it just yet.”

Harris glanced at me. “A hunch?”

I gave a slightly embarrassed shrug. “Well, sort of.”

To my surprise he gave an approving nod. “Hunches are important. It’s the way your subconscious tells you something needs to be looked at.” He reached over and took the top copy and began to page through it. Following his lead, Garner snagged one as well.

“Demons, eh?” Harris said. “So this goes along with your suspicion that this is some sort of ritualistic series of murders?”

I nodded, still too surprised to say anything. James Harris had not struck me at all like someone who could calmly accept the arcane. I opened my mouth to explain, but he spoke first.

“I’ve done a lot of studies on this sort of thing and been to several training conferences on ritual murder. I mean, obviously it’s total crap, but the important thing is that the murderer truly believes that this stuff can give him some sort of mystical power.”

I closed my mouth, relieved that I hadn’t revealed anything crucial. I flicked a glance at Ryan and he caught my eye, giving an almost imperceptible nod and shrug. Okay, so maybe Harris couldn’t accept the existence of the arcane, but at least he could accept the concept of it long enough to pursue leads in that direction.

“Hey,” Garner said, abruptly straightening. He pointed to a panel in the comic he was holding. “Hey, this is one of our victims!”

“What?” I straightened. “Which one? Are you sure?”

He pushed the book to the others, pointing at the top panel on the right side. “Look at this girl. Isn’t this the victim that was found out in the swamp about five years ago? It would have been his fourth or fifth murder, I think.”

I stared at the drawing. Could it be? “Are you sure?” I asked, unable to keep the disbelief out of my voice.

Garner nodded emphatically, digging through a stack of pictures, then pulling out the pictures of a clay bust—the facial reconstruction for this victim.

“Here. It’s the same girl.”

I peered at the comic and then at the photos. “Are you sure?” I repeated doubtfully. It was so hard to tell. The reconstructions were as good as they could possibly be, but there was just no substitute for a photograph of a living, breathing person—and we had those on only the few who had been identified. This girl had not been one of those few. The crime-scene pictures we had showed a young black woman with close-cropped hair, a face bloated by decomposition, eyes filled with maggots, and a network of careful burns patterned across her cheeks and throat. A significant difference from the picture in the comic, which depicted a woman dressed in flowing gowns, head adorned with flowers, lifting a hand for a small, glowing winged creature to alight upon.

“Take a look at the reconstruction.” Garner slid the photo across the table. “Take a look at the way the eyes tilt, the line of the cheekbones.”

I studied the photo carefully and then compared it to the drawing. “I … guess it could be the same. But it seems like a stretch. I mean, there’s no way to be sure.”

Garner exhaled. “Look, I know it’s hard to see. But I’m really good at this.”

Ryan nodded. “It’s true. Zack has a knack for faces.”

I looked again at the drawing and then to the photo. A sliver of excitement began to worm its way through me, and I shoved the rest of the comics over to Garner. “See if there are any others in there!”

He looked startled for an instant, then realization struck. “Oh, my God. If there are others in here—”

“Then that’s the link we’ve been looking for,” Harris finished, giving a rare smile.