(eng) M. K. Gibson - Hammer of Witches 01 by She Dreams of Fire

Author:She Dreams of Fire [Fire, She Dreams of]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

Admonished Lessons & Proper Police Work

Vanessa slapped Parker across his face as hard as she could.

“I told you to shoot them!”

“I--”

Vanessa struck him again. “Why didn’t you shoot?!”

His head snapped back, wide-eyed and full of rage. “There were monsters, Vanessa! Freaking goblins, and zombie goblins, magical wind, explosions, portals in thin air, and a goddamn talking rabbit with a horn on his head! So guess what, I’m kinda freaking out here!”

Vanessa slapped him a third time. “Why. Didn’t. You. Shoot?”

Parker’s weapon hand began to rise in instinct. A whisk of metal on leather was Parker’s only warning. Fast as a viper, once again Vanessa pressed the tip of her athame to Parker’s throat.

“Holster that weapon. Now, Parker.”

At first, Parker did nothing. Vanessa couldn’t tell if Parker didn’t think she’d use the knife, or if he simply did not care. Regardless, she was impressed with his mettle.

“I told you in the car, I can’t just shoot someone in cold blood,” Parker hissed.

“You let two murderers go because you hesitated.”

“They went through a goddamn hole in space,” Parker countered.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes. “That does not excuse piss-poor police work.”

The young officer slowly nodded and complied by holstering his sidearm. He slowly raised his empty hands.

“I . . . I’m sorry,” Parker said while he absently rubbed at the spot under his chin. “It, it’s a lot to take in.”

Vanessa reluctantly nodded. “Yes, I assume it would be for you.”

“What do we say to the local police?”

“Nothing. They won’t be coming,” Vanessa replied as she picked up a hand towel by the sink. She wiped off the water and began patting herself dry. That McMillan woman . . . how did she guess about the water? Vanessa flexed her leg, testing the wound. Damn that rabbit. She dabbed at the puncture site with the wet hand towel.

“What about the gunshots? The fighting. That . . . thunder blast?”

“No noise escaped,” Vanessa explained. “My spell sealed the house.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, okay,” Parker nodded. “Vanessa?”

“Hmm?”

“When you were talking to that girl--”

“The suspect.”

“Yeah, the suspect. You mentioned names, like Cooper and Armstrong in Baltimore.”

Stepping away from the sink, Vanessa walked the perimeter of the kitchen and the entryway into the dining room. She looked at the various blood patterns. She saw the splatter, the streaks, and the places where blood mingled.

All useless.

“Cooper and Armstrong were members of my coven. It’s my suspicion that Ms. Agatha killed them,” Vanessa said as she knelt down to look at the ground in the dining room. “There’s no way we’ll get any kind of sample from in there.”

“And Alvarez,” Parker added.

“Hmm?”

“Alvarez. You said he was part of your coven.”

“I did,” Vanessa said. “Parker, hand me a sample collection kit.”

“Alvarez was a criminal. A killer. A drug dealer. A rapist.”

“Yes,” Vanessa growled, growing impatient. “The kit, please Parker?”

Parker shook his head. “Then--”

“Are you seriously going to ignore the crime scene and keep asking me questions?”

“No disrespect, but yes. I think I’ve earned some explanations.”

“Parker, I don’t have all night to explain to you a lifetime of experiences.

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