Nelson nodded. “We’re combing through recordings from cameras in the neighborhood, but we’re not exactly hopeful.” He waved his hand to encompass the trees on either side of the road. “No cameras out here. Probably why they chose it.”
“What happened to Douglas Wills’s phone?” I asked.
“Cooked.” He contemplated me. “You want it?”
I let out a sigh. Even the cops knew about my power. Evie gave me a sympathetic look before wandering away to examine the spot next to the little yellow markers where Douglas’s body had been found.
“Yeah, I want it. Chances are, I won’t get anything off it, but I may as well try.”
He nodded. “Handy power you have.”
I gave him a look. “How many cops know what I can do?”
“Not that many.”
I stared at him, and a hint of color traveled up his tanned cheeks. “A few,” he admitted.
My life was getting more and more complicated every day.
When I didn’t say anything, Nelson cleared his throat. “The phone is in evidence right now, but I’ll let you know when you can come down to the station and take a look.”
“Why are you being so cooperative with us? Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it, but we don’t exactly have badges.”
He loosened his ugly brown tie, rolled his shoulders, and glanced over at where Kyla was sniffing at something on the ground. “I figure if I were high fae and my girlfriend was taken, I’d be more likely to trust those of my kind. Paranormals. It’s nothing personal. Besides, my superiors are finally considering setting up a task force here in Durham. An offshoot that would work with all factions, solving crimes that would otherwise be unsolved.”
“And you figure this is a good opportunity to demonstrate just how well you can work with paranormals.”
He nodded. A strange light appeared in his eyes, and it took me a moment to realize what it was.
Passion. This was histhing. He truly believed this would help.
“I know it sounds stupid,” he started. “But—”
“I think it’s a good idea.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
We both watched Evie as she crouched to examine a bloodstain. The wind picked up, and I grinned as her dress stayed exactly where it was tucked under her butt, instead of flying up and giving the cops a free show. Now that was a handy spell.
“I’ll be reaching out to Evie to do some consulting for me on future cases,” Nelson said. “I’d like to ask you to do the same.”
I chewed on my lip. This was not how you stayed off the radar when you had my type of magic.
He studied my face. “If you’re worried about people running their mouths, most cops know better than to talk about what different paranormals can and can’t do. Sure, most of us are impressed by your tech stuff, but we’re not going to shout it from the rooftops.” He nodded toward Kyla, who was currently loping toward us as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Besides, something tells me your friends have your back.”
I forced a smile. Kyla met my eyes and jerked her head. She’d found something.
We all followed her over to the spot, and I felt it. Black magic.
“Looks like an old piece of gum,” Nelson said.
I shook my head. “It’s not.”
Evie crouched, examined the sticky gray substance, and glanced at me. “Is this what I think it is?”
“Yeah.” I swallowed. “It is.” I glanced at Nelson. “It looks like this when it’s inert. Once the spell has been used, it’s useless. Luckily, Kyla was here.”
