My blood ran cold. “Probably not.” But that begged the question, what species could?
“Witch?” Becks threw out.
“Possibly. We can ask the captain to see if that’s possible.”
Becks nodded and then shivered. “Oracle? Honestly, I’ve never heard of a sane one, but from what I understand, they’d conceivably be able to tell.”
I cocked my head as I contemplated the idea. “I find it odd that they’d have enough clarity to kill the victim’s murderer but not stop the original murder before it happened.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. My understanding is that oracles see different possible futures. Could be they didn’t know it would happen, and when they found out, they sought vengeance.”
It was a stretch but worth considering. What also bore considering was the manner the women were killed. I thought of something else. “All the female victims appear to have been murdered in the same manner. I find it awfully hard to believe six different men from six different areas of the country independently murdered six different women by the same means.” I blew out a deep breath. “I need to speak with Captain Cicely.”
Becks checked her watch. “You do, but not tonight. She’s at a coven meeting. She probably wouldn’t mind if you interrupted her, but—”
“But it will keep until tomorrow.”
Becks grimaced. “As callous as that sounds, it will.”
I stood, my legs only slightly shaky. Leaning forward, I placed a grateful hand on Becks’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thanks. I owe you.”
She waved me off. “You don’t owe me shit, O’Hare.”
I glanced at Becks’s waiting purse and her stowed laptop. “You were on your way out.”
“It’s fine,” she reassured me. “It’s what we do.”
I inhaled, drawing that cleansing breath deep into my lungs before echoing, “It’s what we do.”
Chapter
Seventeen
Erasmus
Gaia, people were horrid.I couldn’t shake the ick-factor that coated my insides. It wasn’t Opal’s soul that caused the foul feeling. It was knowing what herlovinghusband and stepson had done.
“I still think you should have let Leon rip their heads off,” Phlox said as we pulled into my drive and got out of the vehicle. “At the very least I could have clawed their faces.” Phlox’s fingers transformed into claws, and he swiped the air. “Mauling those two would have been beyond cathartic.”
While I understood the sentiment, that wasn’t my job. “The police can take it from here.”
“The human police.” Leon didn’t sound terribly confident.
“Sheriff Andrews worked hard to get to the truth. She won’t let Jackson and Devon Alcott off easy.”
Phlox lifted off the ground, spreading his wings and dust. “The wheels of human justice are incredibly slow. Mauling or decapitation would have been much quicker and far less costly.”
Again, I couldn’t really disagree.
Fatigue pulled at me as I trudged up the stairs, my footfalls heavier than typical as I strode across the porch. I was reachingfor the door when it opened. Franklin stood there. Dark circles discolored the skin beneath his eyes. His features were drawn and his skin paler than usual. He still took my breath away and settled the ache in my chest.
“You’re home,” Franklin greeted as his thick arms wrapped around me, pulling me in close. I inhaled his freshly showered scent.
“I’m home,” I echoed, relaxing into his strength.
“I missed you,” Franklin said before pressing his lips against the crown of my head. “God, how I’ve missed you.” His arms tightened, and I squeezed him back with just as much need.
“I’ve missed you too.” Both of us knew we weren’t just talking about the last few hours. While I loved bathing in Franklin’s affection, the desperation he clung to me with was concerning. “What’s wrong?” I softly asked.
