“It is. I’ll explain why later. Listen, I imagine Ray is a busy fairy. I don’t want to take up more of his time than necessary. I’m going to put you on speaker, and you can ask him your questions.” I didn’t wait for Franklin to answer. I simply pulled the phone from my ear, hit the right button, and said, “You’re on speaker.”
When I nervously glanced at Phlox, he had a shitty little grin on his face. I wasn’t sure if he was enjoying my discomfort or simply found the whole situation humorous.
A few undecipherable noises came across the line. I thought Franklin might be shifting some papers or maybe just trying to collect his thoughts. Maybe I should have texted him first.
“Um… Mr. Rayburn—”
“You may call me Hellfire or Ray.” Ray calmly sat across from me, hands resting in his lap and expression set in perpetual resting bitch face.
Franklin cleared his throat. “Thank you…” He hesitated and settled on “Ray.”
“How may I help you, Detective?”
The question seemed to pull Franklin out of his stupor. Again, I wasn’t certain if Franklin’s hesitancy was due to exhaustion or the fact he was speaking with a fairy. I was willing to give him a pass either way.
“Long story short, I’m working a case involving multiple homicides. Skeletal remains are all that were found and our ME tells me that shouldn’t be the case given the more recent deaths of some of the victims. I want to make it clear that I’m not accusing anyone or any particular species. I’m just exploring every possibility.”
“As any good detective would,” Ray graciously replied.
“Thank you, that’s… Anyway, what I would like to know, if you’re willing to answer, is if there are any fairies whose natural affinity might allow them to remove the flesh from a body without leaving any trace behind.”
As a necromancer, I dealt in death. Some would say I waded neck deep through death on a daily basis. However, my dealings with death were far different than Franklin’s. I didn’t envy him his job and cringed at the reasoning behind his question. Ray’s answer only added to that unease.
“There are several,” he calmly answered.
“Several?” Franklin, Phlox, and I asked in unison.
Ray seemed emotionally unaffected by our surprise and disgust. “There are several ways in which it could be accomplished. I can think of at least five off the top of my head and several fairies who could exact such punishment. However, should something like that occur, the deed would not be hidden from humanity.”
Franklin was quiet. I had no such malfunction. “It wouldn’t?”
“No,” Ray answered without any further explanation.
Phlox was the one who enlightened Franklin and me. “The gruesome death would be the point. Fairy wouldn’t hide it because if it were authorized, then there was a specific point to be made.” Phlox crossed his arms over his chest, chin tilted down. “You’ve gotta admit, that kind of thing would get everyone’s attention and bolster fearful respect.”
“Oh.” I had absolutely nothing more to say.
“Phlox is correct. I can speak with Queen Silvidia and ask if any such show of force was recently authorized, though I find that doubtful.”
“I would appreciate any assistance and information you can provide,” Franklin diplomatically answered.
“You will be notified soon. Are there any other inquiries?” Ray asked.
“No. That’s more than enough,” Franklin answered.
“Then I must be on my way.” Ray stood and opened a dimensional rift. The tear no more than formed when Ray walked through, and it closed behind him.
“Asshole,” Phlox mumbled. “See how easy that was.” He looked at me, eyes narrowed and Pallas’s cat amber peeking through. “I’m still going to have a talk with Wendall. He’ll get Ray to agree.” Phlox’s lips twisted into a parody of a grin.
“Do I want to know?” Franklin asked, still on speaker phone.
“You really don’t,” I answered. “You really, really don’t.”
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Franklin
