Moon Sworn (Riley Jenson Guardian 9)

He pulled some bread and sandwich fillings out of the fridge and dumped them on the table, then grabbed the coffees and some knives, and brought them over.

"Help yourself," he said, handing me my coffee before sitting down opposite.

I raised an eyebrow. "No plates?"

"The table's clean and it saves washing up."

I snorted softly. A man after my own heart. I grabbed the bread, slapped on some butter, then added several thick slices of beef and cheese. It was the best thing I'd tasted in ages.

"So," he said, once I'd demolished the first sandwich and made inroads on the second. "Have long have you been able to see souls?"

I shrugged. "I can't say, simply because I can't remember."

"Really?" There was disbelief in his voice again.

"Really," I echoed, trying to control the sweep of irritation. "I can't actually remember anything before my accident. I didn't even know my name until Evin told me."

His gaze rose to my head. "That sort of memory loss is extremely unusual. And I can't see a wound that would indicate extreme trauma."

And yet Evin had said there was.

"No." I finished the second sandwich and wrapped my hands around the mug of coffee. "Bits and pieces are slowly coming back, but nothing major. It's frustrating."

"I bet." He took a drink of his coffee, then said, "So this soul talked to you?"

"It did. You were there early enough to hear my end of the conversation, though."

He nodded. "How did you know his name was Marcus?"

"He told me. Marcus Landsbury. He was apparently jailed for a long period for the rape and torture of a couple of teenage girls." I paused. "But I guess you know all that."

"I do," he said. "And I suspect his crime had a lot to do with the method of his demise."

You didn't have to be a cop to figure that out. "Yeah. Only he said he didn't do the crime alone, and if his partner is also in town, you'd better find him. He's probably next on the list."

"His partner hasn't been sighted in town, nor have we had any notification that he's coming." Harris studied me for a moment. "What makes you think his partner is next? This might just be a random murder."

He didn't believe that any more than I did. I shrugged and said, "I have a feeling I've seen something like this before."

"Back in the past you can't remember?"

Again the suggestion that it was a little too convenient - not that I could really blame him for thinking that. I took another sip of coffee and didn't bother answering.

He smiled, but it didn't reach the blue of his eyes. "What else did he say?"

"That the man who attacked him used some form of immobilizing spray that made it impossible to scream, and that he was wearing a costume. A red devil costume complete with cloven hooves."

"So you saw the tracks?"

"Yes. And I've seen them before."

"Where? Wait, you can't remember, right?"

I lowered my cup and stared him straight in the eye. "Either boot me out or arrest me if you don't believe me, but don't sit there making snide remarks. I'm trying to be helpful."

"I'll reserve judgment on that." He reached forward and snagged a slice of beef, munching on it as he studied me. "Tranquilizers can act that quickly, but I've never heard of a spray capable of the same thing."

"Well, they're out there." I grabbed another piece of bread and rolled it around a bit of cheese. "What's happening with the autopsy?"