The sonar pulses didn’t find a thing, not even a speck of pod.
“Most bizarre,” the doctor said.
Once the pathologist was done, finding nothing else, we headed outside.
“This has been a most interesting autopsy,” Dr. Geels said, “though I wish we could have yielded better results.”
Lars joined us and got the low down. He turned a sickly shade of green. “Excuse me,” he said. “I need the toilet.” He made off quickly.
“Some people cannot deal with the gory reality of life,” the doctor said.
“I think this might be an exceptional circumstance,” I replied. Poor Lars. He was normally okay with blood and guts.
“Now, I must have that pastry.”
“You’re still hungry?”
“My dear boy, I have been doing this job for many years. Do you think anything can put me off my food?”
“I guess not, with all your experience.” Still, I’d expected a window of not being in the mood for anything other than fresh air and a mental bleaching.
At least twenty minutes.
“I will send you a copy of my report later today. I will have the results from her blood and DNA tests back by then. I may even run another scan. Farewell for now.”
You had to admire someone who was so unbothered by their work but also reserve some pity for them. Is that what years of experience did, condition you against the horrors of the world?
Would that be me in another twenty years?
Eight
Jake
There’d been no sign of that creepy Parker bloke on the way home. For that, I was glad. I didn’t want any bullshit going down while my little girl was in tow.
We’d spent the afternoon making pepernoten, as well as Sinterklaas-shaped meringues of pink and white to go with them. The sun had now gone down, all our festive lights on and doing their sparkly thing.
“They look so yummy,” I said.
“Shall we have one, Daddy?” Lou asked.
“Well, we have to try one. That’s all part of the process.”
“Yep.” She helped herself to a cookie. “Mmmm.”
I took a bite. “Mmmm.”
A knock at the front door. I went to answer it. Was probably Sophie or Luuk. When I opened the door, there was no one there.
“The fuck?”
Lou hadn’t heard that one.
“Hallo?” a female voice said from the street. I could see her silhouette behind a tree.
I reached behind the door for my spear, the white smoke coming to life in an instant, curling up the weapon.
I took a step over the threshold. “Who’s there?”
The woman walked out from behind the tree. Strange. She’d made the effort to walk up the two steps of my stoop to knock on my door but then go and hide.
“Hallo,” she said.
“Who are you?”
She was tall, olive-skinned, and green-eyed, her raven-black hair in a ponytail. Probably about my age—thirty-one. She was casually dressed in jeans and winter boots, with a warm-looking beige coat. She was also friendly-faced, which immediately got my back up.
The woman stopped at the bottom of my stoop. “Hallo.”
“You’ve already said that.”
“Apologies, but I must talk to you.” I couldn’t place her accent. She certainly wasn’t Dutch, and she did look Italian. Her accent, though, didn’t say Italy to me.
“Why?”
“You are Jake Winter of Jake and Dean investigations, are you not?”
“Who’s asking?”
“I am. My name is Tessa.”
“You need to leave, Tessa.”
She titled her head. “But why?”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“But why? I thought you helped with any paranormal problem.”
She needed to move ASAP. “You need to call my office and arrange an appointment.”
“But I have your attention now. May I come in?”
“You’re not getting in this house. Why were you hiding behind that tree?”
“I was scared of what reaction I’d get.”
Nice try. “You don’t look so scared to me.”
“Is this how you conduct business?”
“I don’t conduct business from my home. Most people call my place of fucking business.”
“I do not care for your tone.”
“I don’t care for your face. Get the fuck away from my house.”
She snarled then, completely transforming her friendly demeanor. “I’d be very careful how you tread, Jake.”
“Fuck off!”
“Daddy?” Lou called.
She hissed at me, then took off down the street.
“Bitch!”
I closed the door as Lou came out into the hall. “What’s wrong, Daddy?”
“Nothing, sweetie.”
“I heard you swear.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll pay some money into the box. It was just some stupid person trying to sell me things.”
“You look upset, Daddy.”
“I’m fine. Don’t you worry about me.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “I’m gonna play my game. Need a break.”
“Go for it. I’ll make the rest of the stuff later.”
Lou gave me a quizzical look and went into the living room.
I grabbed my phone and headed to the kitchen. The white walls suddenly felt too bright. Who the hell was that bitch to come to my house? First, my moment with Parker, and now this Tessa? At my house! I tried to steady my breathing as I held the phone in a trembling hand.
“Jake?”
“You free to talk?”
“Yeah,” Dean replied. “Looks like the bones were sucked out through her stomach.”
A wave of nausea passed over me. “Oh, shit. That’s fucked up.”
“What’s wrong? You sound off. Are you and Lou okay?”
I sighed. “Some woman came to the house. Called herself Tessa. Wanted to talk to me about a paranormal problem, to come inside and chat.”
“What? Where is she now?”
“I told her to fuck off.”
“Tessa?”
“Doesn’t ring any bells. She was all jolly until I mouthed off at her. I’m freaked out, Dean. There was something wrong about her.”
“You sound it. Breathe, baby.”
“What the fuck is this shit? Two encounters with two strangers in one day? That’s not right. Something’s going on.”
“I’m coming home.”
“No, don’t. You—”
“I’m coming home, Jake.”
“Dean—”
“Do not answer the door, no matter who it is.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
He hung up.
Fuck this shaking, the knots in my stomach. Bloody Tessa hag and that
