“But…that’s so cruel.”
“You have a girlfriend,” Emily gasped. “You’re dating Meredith.”
Igor the Vampire choked as he said, “We can never be together. I am a vampire. She is a ghost. I love her. So much. But…we can never be together. She’s my best friend. She’s why I do these stupid tours She’s… everything. But…”
“You can never be together,” Cathy said for him. She reached out a hand to cup his cheek and said, “What was done to you was so wrong.”
Igor’s eyes teared and he asked, “What did you say to her?”
This time his voice wasn’t accusatory but a little broken.
“I asked her why she kept coming back since she wasn’t going to find her love here.” Ingrid swallowed. She was such a cow-dove.
“Sweet Hecate,” Igor said, eyes tearing as he stared where Ingrid presumed that Agnes had disappeared. “Look…”
He stopped as the Presidium investigators came back.
“What is happening here,” Alois demanded while the other Igor looked menacing.
“Oh shut it,” Ingrid said. “Igor…”
“That’s enough out of you, we need to talk to you again.”
“Listen,” Ingrid snapped, standing up. Her hair was flying around her head—caused by the fury of her emotions and her magic. She had no idea how it was happening and she really, really, needed it to stop. But she was too crappy of a witch to be able to do something like control her magic while she was upset.
“Um, Ingrid,” Emily said, carefully.
But as she faced them down, she caught that flash of movement again, and things began adding up in her head. She knew who had killed the guy.
“They are harassing us. And Igor the Vampire. And poor Agnes.” Ingrid’s vision flared red but she was pretty sure her eyes didn’t shoot fire like the dead dove. “You need to do your job.”
“That is enough out of you,” Alois said, straightening his shoulders to hulk over her better. “You have been investigated in four different murders.”
“Hey,” Emily said, stepping towards Alois, “that is enough. That doesn’t mean anything.”
The other tourists were gathering around as Ingrid began shouting even louder.
“Actually, two. Harrison wasn’t murdered. And no one ever thought I killed Jill Martin. Get your facts straight. Like the fact that you’re harassing me and Em because we were sort of near the dead guy when he got killed and, in the past, other idiot cops had assumed we were murderers. Except, there is his wife. HIS WIFE IS RIGHT THERE. Right there . I haven't seen you question her yet. Why? She’s obvious. Because she's crying so hard? Please. That is hardly a good reason. I was hysterical when my husband Harrison died and I still got questioned time and again.”
Ingrid pointed at the wife. Her face was white, and she was shaking her head as if to somehow stop Ingrid from pointing out the obvious. But Ingrid had no patience or understanding for killers. Even if she could sort of imagine what had happened.
The little shapeshifter was a bird. She was prey. And she hadn’t thought twice about that when she’d married another shapeshifter who turned into a dog. Dogs were still predators. She’d been living with a predator as prey. How had that gone?
The stress around the woman’s eyes and the tight press of her lips seemed to declare that it hadn’t been good at all.
Even still, Ingrid had very little sympathy. You didn’t kill to get out of things. You just stood up and left.
“Let me lay it out for you,” Ingrid said. Supposedly she was talking to the Presidium investigators, but her gaze was on the wife. “Family or friends are almost always the killer. She’s a shapeshifter who can flash around and has been all over that crime scene with her hummingbird ways. I caught glimpse after glimpse of her in the courtyard. How long has she been eavesdropping and being hysterical?”
The Presidium investigators looked at each other and the wife. The truth was…she was prey. She
“You have a girlfriend,” Emily gasped. “You’re dating Meredith.”
Igor the Vampire choked as he said, “We can never be together. I am a vampire. She is a ghost. I love her. So much. But…we can never be together. She’s my best friend. She’s why I do these stupid tours She’s… everything. But…”
“You can never be together,” Cathy said for him. She reached out a hand to cup his cheek and said, “What was done to you was so wrong.”
Igor’s eyes teared and he asked, “What did you say to her?”
This time his voice wasn’t accusatory but a little broken.
“I asked her why she kept coming back since she wasn’t going to find her love here.” Ingrid swallowed. She was such a cow-dove.
“Sweet Hecate,” Igor said, eyes tearing as he stared where Ingrid presumed that Agnes had disappeared. “Look…”
He stopped as the Presidium investigators came back.
“What is happening here,” Alois demanded while the other Igor looked menacing.
“Oh shut it,” Ingrid said. “Igor…”
“That’s enough out of you, we need to talk to you again.”
“Listen,” Ingrid snapped, standing up. Her hair was flying around her head—caused by the fury of her emotions and her magic. She had no idea how it was happening and she really, really, needed it to stop. But she was too crappy of a witch to be able to do something like control her magic while she was upset.
“Um, Ingrid,” Emily said, carefully.
But as she faced them down, she caught that flash of movement again, and things began adding up in her head. She knew who had killed the guy.
“They are harassing us. And Igor the Vampire. And poor Agnes.” Ingrid’s vision flared red but she was pretty sure her eyes didn’t shoot fire like the dead dove. “You need to do your job.”
“That is enough out of you,” Alois said, straightening his shoulders to hulk over her better. “You have been investigated in four different murders.”
“Hey,” Emily said, stepping towards Alois, “that is enough. That doesn’t mean anything.”
The other tourists were gathering around as Ingrid began shouting even louder.
“Actually, two. Harrison wasn’t murdered. And no one ever thought I killed Jill Martin. Get your facts straight. Like the fact that you’re harassing me and Em because we were sort of near the dead guy when he got killed and, in the past, other idiot cops had assumed we were murderers. Except, there is his wife. HIS WIFE IS RIGHT THERE. Right there . I haven't seen you question her yet. Why? She’s obvious. Because she's crying so hard? Please. That is hardly a good reason. I was hysterical when my husband Harrison died and I still got questioned time and again.”
Ingrid pointed at the wife. Her face was white, and she was shaking her head as if to somehow stop Ingrid from pointing out the obvious. But Ingrid had no patience or understanding for killers. Even if she could sort of imagine what had happened.
The little shapeshifter was a bird. She was prey. And she hadn’t thought twice about that when she’d married another shapeshifter who turned into a dog. Dogs were still predators. She’d been living with a predator as prey. How had that gone?
The stress around the woman’s eyes and the tight press of her lips seemed to declare that it hadn’t been good at all.
Even still, Ingrid had very little sympathy. You didn’t kill to get out of things. You just stood up and left.
“Let me lay it out for you,” Ingrid said. Supposedly she was talking to the Presidium investigators, but her gaze was on the wife. “Family or friends are almost always the killer. She’s a shapeshifter who can flash around and has been all over that crime scene with her hummingbird ways. I caught glimpse after glimpse of her in the courtyard. How long has she been eavesdropping and being hysterical?”
The Presidium investigators looked at each other and the wife. The truth was…she was prey. She