My phone rings, and I go back into the kitchen to answer it. It’s work, and I debate not answering. I don’t want to deal with anything else right now. Work has always been my first priority. It’s always been the most important thing in my life. And now…now it’s taking a back seat.
“Bisset,” I say into the receiver.
“Hi, Detective. It’s Deena. We got the DNA results on the bat.”
I can tell by her tone of voice it’s not the results we were expecting. “And?”
“It’s human blood, as you already know. I was able to get hits on three different sets of DNA, and none were from our victims.”
“Three?”
“Yes. I’ll send the official report to your desk.”
“Thanks,” I say, and it looks like I’ll be going into work today after all. I’m at least waiting a few hours to make my food poisoning story believable. I hang up, sticking my phone in my back pocket, and go back to the porch to check on Jared.
Was the baseball bat used to murder three others? If Josh’s blood had been on it, I’d be more likely to say yes. But given the fact I was called out and hexed, I’m more inclined to say it was planted. The bat had a lot of blood on it. Itlookedlike a murder weapon.
Just like the basement looked like a crime scene.
I need to talk to Mrs. Green, the woman who owns the house and the one who discovered the basement. If someone wants to get my attention, that’s one thing. But messing with a real investigation crosses the line.
Unless the two are connected. And if they are, I’ll figure it out.
“Can you hold this?” Jared asks, and I snap my attention back to the present.
I put my hands on a piece of wood, holding it in place as he plugs in a nail gun and pops a few nails into the frame.
“It’s not perfect,” he says almost apologetically. “But it’ll keep wildlife out.”
“What about curious teenagers?” I tease, and actually get a smile out of him. He looks away so I don’t see it.
“I think it’s strong enough to hold them off,” he replies. “Though if they’re really curious, I’m sure they’ll find a way in.”
“Good thing I’m installing motion sensors and cameras this weekend.”
Jared packs up the tools. “You might want to tape plastic around it or something to keep bugs and rain out.”
“Will do. Thanks again.”
He nods, stopping on the steps to look at Thomas and Gilbert.
“Go ahead,” I say, knowing what he’s thinking. “They’re just stone.”
He sets the tools down and touches the statues. The first time I felt the gargoyles, before I knew who they really were, they were warm to the touch. It threw me. Scared me a bit, even though I didn’t want to admit it to myself.
“Just stone,” Jared echoes, patting Thomas’s chest. He grabs his bag and walks down the cobblestone path, stopping abruptly as he looks at something on the ground and then tipping his head up to Jacques.
“If they’re just stone, then why is that one bleeding?”
16
“Sure it is,” I deadpan, staring at Jared with a straight face. Inside, I’m freaking the fuck out. Because Jacques was bleeding when he turned to stone. I don’t know what actually happens to them when the transformation is complete, and that terrifies me even more.
“See for yourself,” he says, waving his hand up. Swallowing hard and forcing myself to move slowly, I go down the porch steps, across the path, and shield my eyes from the sun as I look up.
A few drops of blood rolled out of the crack in Jacques’s chest, leaving little streak marks on the gray stone. I continue to stare, heart racing, and realize the blood is hours old and dried, and he’s not actively bleeding. Jared noticed a dried stain, something easily overlooked by most of the world. This kid is good, and I hate it.
“That looks like dew or something,” I tell Jared, crossing my arms over my chest. “Statues can’t bleed.”
