Time-Marked Warlock (The Chronos Chronicles Book 1) by Shami Stovall

Author:Shami Stovall [Stovall, Shami]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Capital Station Books
Published: 2024-08-20T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

TWENTY

9:32 a.m.

Finch paced the small house. He wasn’t expecting any intruders, but after they were visited by a random warlock, he didn’t want to take any chances. He closed the blinds, locked the doors and windows, and remained vigilant.

He also mulled over the details of the case.

Vera had been murdered sometime around 1 or 2am by a man who had used no magic. Vera’s husband, Liam, had been taken soon afterward, but Vera’s daughter had managed to escape.

Liam had been making necklaces. He and Vera had argued about this—Vera had wanted Liam to stop. The necklaces allowed someone to see through minor illusions and invisibility and cats were being killed to mass-produce them. Liam had done most of his work at the University of the Pacific, but it was obvious he had taken some of it home, which was likely why Vera had become upset.

Liam’s coworker, Dr. Colton, knew of the necklace production, and tried to hide it the moment he knew Liam was missing. The doctor’s actions indicated Liam’s buyer—or handler—would not be pleased if their identity was known.

Dr. Colton also wasn’t important. When confronted in the parking lot, the doctor was shot, along with Bree.

Bree…

Finch stopped pacing in the middle of the living room.

Bree was the only witness to Vera’s murder. Was that why she had been shot in the parking lot? The murderer who had gotten Vera had obviously not wanted to kill Bree—since he likely could have—but the shooter hadn’t hesitated. The shooter was a clean-up man. Someone meant to tie up all loose ends.

But there were random facts that weren’t adding up.

Who would want such pathetic magical necklaces?

Did the witches’ feud have anything to do with this? Could Liam have been working for either the Haggin Coven or the Swenson Coven? Perhaps a rogue agent for the covens was the one who had hired Liam, and become angry when Vera tried to convince her husband to stop.

That would at least be a motive for the killing…

And perhaps the murderer had left Bree alone because she was a witch. It was typically against coven law to kill young witches who had yet to drink from the moon. But then why would the shooter kill Bree?

Finch rubbed his chin.

The identity of the murderer still wasn’t adding up.

Sizzling from the kitchen caught his attention. Finch glanced at his phone.

10:12 a.m.

He crept into the kitchen, his hand poised over the butt of the handgun. Instead of an intruder, Finch found Bree standing at the stove, with Kull up on the backsplash. The little spirit swished her tail from side to side, her yellow cat eyes large as Bree stirred a pan filled with bacon.

“What’re you doing?” Finch barked.

Bree practically leapt out of her skin. She whirled on her heel, her shoulders bunched at the base of her neck. “O-Oh. Adair.” She exhaled and relaxed. “I was making food because I’m hungry. I-It doesn’t matter, right? We’re not stealing because all Dr. Colton’s food will return to him?”

Finch narrowed his eyes.

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