“I’m more pissed than frustrated,” Carson shot back. “This religious claim is utter bullshit, and you know it.”
Sheriff Andrews’s lack of response was agreement enough.
Carson wasn’t done. “I’ll bet you Jackson Alcott hasn’t walked through the door of a church in decades, and now he’s claiming…” Deputy Carson let loose something closer to a growl than verbiage.
“Why don’t you call into the office and let the others know what’s going on while I speak with Necromancer Boone?”
Carson blew out a heavy breath before giving a nod and walking off. His footfalls were heavy as the deputy took out his frustration on the ground below his feet.
Sheriff Andrews watched her deputy walk away before turning back to me and leaning back down, her arms resting on my car as she peered through the open window at me. “Sorry about Carson. He’s still young.”
“But that doesn’t make him wrong,” I answered.
“No. No, it doesn’t.” The sheriff inhaled deeply. “He’s actually very right.”
I offered a commiserate grin. “He just has the luxury of spouting off his frustration while you’ve got to be the adult and swallow down the rage while projecting a professional image.”
Sheriff Andrews’s lips twisted into something akin to pain. “That about sums it up. There’s something off about Opal Veronal’s death. She was scared.” Sheriff Andrews’s voice had an icy edge that wasn’t there before. “That woman suspected her life was in danger. That’s why she changed her will—not five days before her death.” The sheriff shook her head. “From what I understand, Opal’slovinghusband is challenging the new will, which, of course, left him and his children with absolutely nothing.”
I wasn’t surprised. “Does he have a leg to stand on?”
Sheriff Andrews shook her head. “I hope not, but I’m no lawyer. Opal had money—lots of money. Her lawyer is one of the best. Not a fairy lawyer, but as good as human law can provide. I can’t imagine it will be an easy road for Jackson Alcott to haul.”
Humans typically used human lawyers for their legal needs. The rest of the magical world often chose a fairy lawyer if the occasion called for it. I hoped and prayed I never had such a need. Once Fairy was involved, all bets were off.
The sheriff blew out another heavy breath. “Honestly, I suspect it will be more difficult for Jackson to get his hands on Opal’s money than it will be for him to stop her exhumation. The law is on my side, but that doesn’t mean much when someone cries desecration of religious beliefs. This is Mississippi after all.”
While Mississippi was in the heart of the Bible Belt, I figured other states had similar issues when religious beliefs were brought into the mix. The fact was that most mainstream human religions had a major beef with necromancers and what we coulddo. Not that all necromancers were created equal. As a matter of fact, it was looking increasingly likely that I was in that special unicorn division of necromancers. As long as I had even a single piece of ash from a body, I could bring their soul back from beyond the veil. That didn’t sit well with humans of faith.
“I suspect it’s going to be a long, legal haul to get Opal Veronal’s body exhumed.” Sheriff Andrews flinched. “Just thinking about the paperwork gives me indigestion.”
“But you’ll do it,” I confidently stated.
“You’re damn right I will. Opal deserves justice, and that man she married deserves what’s coming to him.” There wasn’t a shred of doubt regarding Jackson Alcott’s guilt in the sheriff’s voice. “I’ve got enough to warrant exhumation. I just don’t have enough to nail this fucker.”
I hated to rain on Sheriff Andrews’s justice parade but felt I needed to make sure she understood a couple of things. “There’s a good chance that Ms. Veronal won’t be able to say exactly how she died. She may not know how…or possibly who killed her. At least not for certain or anything that will be solid proof.” The dead were like that. It wasn’t like death gave them a different perspective than life had. Sure, if someone saw their murderer, that was a slam dunk. More often than not, it was little hints. Pieces of evidence the police hadn’t known or perhaps needed corroborated to track down.
“Trust me, I get that. And I’m not saying I wouldn’t be horribly disappointed if that winds up being the case, but I’ll say this much: as hard as Jackson Alcott is trying to keep Opal in the grave, I have to think she knows something that he doesn’t want me—or anyone else—finding out.” Sheriff Andrews’s eyes narrowed while her lips curved into a devious smirk. “I might be frustrated as hell regarding the delay, but one thing Jackson’s actions have proven is that there is something to find, and he doesn’t want me digging up his dirty secrets.”
I made a mental note never to cross Sheriff Andrews. “Let me know when you get the go-ahead.”
“I’ll see what I can do about compensating you for your time today.”
I waved her off. “Don’t worry about it.”
“But you traveled all this way and—”
“And we’ll worry about payment when I do my job. It’s really okay.” I wasn’t just blowing smoke. My father, Warlock Nikodemus Holland, would tell me I was a bleeding-hearted fool. Maybe I was, but I didn’t absolutely need the money. Not that I was financially wealthy, but I was comfortable, and I liked helping out when I could, especially the police. I agreed with Sheriff Andrews. Justice was important, and if I could aid in that quest, then all the better. Payment wasn’t always monetary. Sometimes it was emotional. And emotional payment was often more satisfying than increasing my bank account.
“If you’re certain.”
“I’m positive.”
“Well, then, all that’s left is to say a heartfelt thank-you and that I will be in touch. I appreciate your time and patience, Necromancer Boone.” Sheriff Andrews didn’t try and reach through the open window to shake my hand. I would have been shocked if she’d willingly attempted to touch me. Regardless of species, most didn’t want to touch necromancers. I still wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like they’d get infected with my necromancer cooties if our skin made contact.
My fiancé wasn’t like that. Detective Franklin O’Hare loved touching me. Every single inch of my skin. My cheeks flushed as memories from last night flooded my mind. My ass was still a little sore after the work out Franklin had put it through.
Pushing sexy thoughts of Franklin away, I said, “I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”
