Page 9

"Detective Pullier, do you honestly believe that Vera and Griselda went after Dottie over some high school grudge?" Toto asks, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.

The detective looks at his partner again before responding. "Ms. Eastwood is not who you think she is. From what we’ve recently discovered, she’s hundreds of years old."

I whip my head toward him. "What?"

"It would appear that she’s been living in Oz for much longer than anyone realized." Pullier hesitates briefly. "We think she's been casting immortality spells. Complicated and dangerous spells that require specific... sacrifices." He hesitates. "She has a room filled with preserved body parts, which she seems to have been collecting for years. Possibly centuries."

I glance at my mechanical arm, remembering the accident that cost me the original. Or at least, what I think I remember. I've never been able to piece together exactly what happened, and whenever I try, the memories become frustratingly hazy.

I flex my mechanical fingers, suddenly wondering how much of my past I can trust.

The detective standing by the front door speaks up. "We think she creates a new identity every few decades. The younger she is when she starts over, the longer she can live as that person before anyone starts asking why she isn’t aging."

“We believe she’s originally from Fable Forest before she found her way into Oz.” Detective Pullier stands and closes his notepad. “Fable Forest borders Screaming Woods, which would have given her access to a steady supply of victims. People come and go from Screaming Woods all the time, and disappearances aren’t exactly unusual there. It would have been easy for her to hunt without anyone noticing a pattern.”

A chill crawls down my spine.

“We’re still trying to piece together how long she’s been in Oz and how many victims there may have been,” he continues. “What we don’t understand is why she’s suddenly taking risks. From everything we’ve uncovered, this woman has survived for centuries by being careful. Something has changed.”

“And you think that something is us?” I ask.

Pullier’s expression turns grim. “Right now, our biggest concern is that she may be targeting all four of you.”

I look at Granger and Leo, and the three of us turn to look at Toto in unison.

Toto looks between the two detectives. "Why?"

"We don't know yet," Pullier says grimly.

"Detective Pullier." Granger takes a step forward. "You said Dottie is safe? Why can't she come home?"

The detective shrugs. "The Boncharme family has their private detail on her."

My eyes widen in surprise. "The Boncharme family?"

He nods. "Yes. Glinda Boncharme insisted. She's even supplied four of her personal detail to guard your home."

Granger lets out a low whistle. "Dottie's been making friends in high places."

"Detective," Leo grits out. "We’re grateful you've apprehended Griselda Westing, but do you have any clue where Vera could have gone?"

The detective shakes his head. "We aren't able to track her. Ms. Eastwood is using particularly dark magic. If our hunch is correct, we suspect she's escaped back to Fable Forest, where our reach is far more limited, as you know."

Pullier gives Toto a sympathetic smile when he sees her forlorn expression. "I said our options are limited, not that we’re powerless. We’re calling in every favor we have. Vera’s powers won’t work in Screaming Woods, which cuts off one possible escape route, and you’ll have some of the best wizards on the force camped out in your driveway tonight."

Toto nods and gives him a small smile in return, but the second the door closes behind him, her face crumples.

"This is all my fault," she wails.

Granger crosses the room in two strides, scoops her into his arms, and settles into a chair with her on his lap before Leo or I can respond.

Over the past week, he's skirted the edge of our pact on more than one occasion. I bristle at seeing him touch her, but the way he soothes her tempers my anger. He’s more loving than I could ever be to her. Sometimes, I worry I was born without a heart.

"It's not your fault, gorgeous," Granger says, stroking Toto’s back as she sobs against his shoulder.

"I-I a-asked her to c-come here," she chokes out before dissolving in a fresh wave of tears.

"So did we," Leo says gruffly. "We sponsored her. We could have—should have—refused."