I curled my lip and looked down at my empty hands. I’d feel a lot more confident if I had my wand and powers back to be able to at least attempt to defend myself. I sighed and resigned myself to the less than ideal situation.
I thought back to the other night when I’d been marched through the sewer by a different set of three men. I’d survived a visit with Ludolf, which had to be worse than working with the police chief. I’d get through this. Cops just put me on edge.
We marched across the empty deck, and Taylor used his spell to open the cabin doors. During the policeman’s ball, golden candlelight had spilled from the large room out onto the deck, but now, the only light came from the eerie blue glow of the fish tank across the room. Round tables still dotted the space, but without their white tablecloths, the chairs flipped upside down on top of them.
I shivered. The last time I’d been here, it’d been full of music and people and light. It now felt empty and creepy. And this silence was getting to me.
I shrugged. “Think that legend about the ghost captain is real?”
The two buzzcuts, who now stood shoulder to shoulder blocking the doorway, sniggered.
The taller one smirked. “That was us. We were just pranking the rookie.”
I frowned. So reassuring.
I licked my lips and tried again. “I can uh, double-check with the fish in there, see if anyone remembers something from the other night?” I pointed at the massive, glowing tank.
Chief Taylor smirked. “Yes, that sounds like a good plan.” He jerked his head at the buzzcuts, and they fell in step behind him as we all threaded our way through the tables to the far wall. I wasn’t sure if they were aware of the door hidden behind the tank, or if it’d even be unlocked, but I felt a little better being closer to an exit.
I stopped right in front of the tank, and the cops all stopped behind me. It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck to have my back to them, but I forced myself to stand tall. Not wanting them to overhear me speaking to the fish, I put my face right up to the glass and made some bubbling “bwab blab bob” noises—fish language.
A crab scuttled over—it looked familiar. It clacked its claws. Hey. You’re the witch from the other night.
I raised my brows. That’s me. Tapped my fingers and thumbs together. I wanted to ask if you remembered anything else from the other night, when there was that party—
I froze, my lips nearly touching the cold glass, when Chief Taylor stepped up beside me. I leaned back and shot him a forced grin.
“Hey there, Chief….” Had he overheard?
He glared at me from under his bushy brows.
The crab pointed its claw at him and clamped it shut. Oh! That’s the other cop we saw with the one who died.
I flashed my eyes at the fish tank. The other night, the crab had told that it’d seen Davies talking with another officer. And that other officer had dragged him outside.
I darted my eyes toward Chief Taylor, then widened them at the crab. I nonchalantly pinched my hands together. You sure? You saw this man drag the other guy away?
The crab scuttled closer to the glass, eyed Taylor, then turned to me. Yep. One hundred percent sure. I think.
Panic flashed through me. Oh now you’re sure?! You think?! I slowly spun to face the chief, who glowered at me with those intelligent, glittering eyes. That intelligence could easily be the glint of cunning, too. I took a step away from him.
The crab could have remembered wrong, and maybe him dragging Davies away didn’t automatically make him the killer, but it didn’t look good. Peter had suspected corruption within the department… could it go all the way to the top?
I bit my lip as I remembered Emerson threatening to tell, not Peter’s immediate boss Bon, but Chief Taylor. Were Emerson and Taylor in on this together?
My throat was so dry I could barely speak. “I, uh—suddenly remembered an appointment I have to get to.”
I thumbed over my shoulder and backed away, but Chief Taylor smirked. “Afraid this is the end of the line for you, Ms. Hartgrave.”
Ice flooded through me as the buzzcuts edged apart until they had cut off my escape through the hidden door behind the tank and the main doors from the deck. I was surrounded, without magic, and outnumbered. Looking good, Jolene.
34
PROTECT AND SERVE
Chief Taylor slowly drew his wand. “You and Flint just couldn’t leave well enough alone.”
I glanced to my side and behind me. The two buzzcuts drew their wands as well. The shorter one shifted on his feet.
“What’ll the story be this time, Chief?”
I raised a brow. This time? Snakes. They were a well-oiled corruption machine.
Taylor looked me over, then shrugged. “Let’s say she brought us down here, claiming she had evidence, then snapped and went crazy.”
The corner of his mouth twitched toward a smirk as he eyed the messy bun on top of my head, then scanned downward over my ratty band tee and torn jeans. “Look at her.”
Hot anger flashed in my chest. He said it as if that was evidence enough.
“Hair’s a mess, dressed in rags—”
I scoffed. My tee was vintage, thank you very much.
“—rambling about being a pet psychic.”
Taller buzzcut snickered, and I spun around to shoot him a dirty look. He sneered back.
Chief Taylor stepped a little closer, and I inched back. “No one was going to take her seriously, but I, out of
