Chapter 6 part 2
When I finished, Xen asked, "If he's getting out, do you think his cronies have been getting out, too?"
"I haven't seen any evidence of them. But I wouldn't rule it out. Would you mind if I reinstated your bodyguard?"
The look she gave me needed no interpretation.
"Xen," I pleaded, "it's for your own safety! I don't want him getting his hands on you again!"
She still looked unwilling. I leaned my forehead against hers, staring deep into her eyes.
"Please?"
She rolled her eyes, but I followed the plea with a kiss. When it ended, she muttered, "I'll forgive you. Eventually."
I chuckled at the running gag statement. Then I asked, "How's Calla been?"
"Very quiet. I checked her a few times, before I dozed off, and she's still sleeping. I put some sweat on her bruises, so they should start healing up quickly enough. But the real trouble is in here," she pointed a claw at her head, "and here." She pointed at her heart.
"I know," I sighed. "Believe me, I know."
After snuggling for a while longer, Xen made dinner, we ate, snuggled (among other things) some more, and then she went back to her apartment. She needed to go to bed, and I needed to think. It was now 8:05 pm, and I could feel the backs of my eyes stinging, begging for sleep. I went to the bathroom, and woke myself up more by splashing water on my face. Then I retrieved a notepad and pen, and made a list.
Things I Know
- Jessup has gotten out of prison at least once, as is evident by the tracks on Senator Skald's lawn, and the pieces of grass and dirt on his feet.
- Mrs. Skald was not faking her distress; therefore, her husband must really have vanished.
I wondered whether to actually count that point, since it was based on guessing, but since I think myself a pretty good judge of character, I was sure it was genuine. I wracked my brain for another certainty, but came up with nothing. So instead I wrote questions.
- Was Senator Skald kidnapped, or did he go into hiding, or did he leave of his own free will?
- Why has nobody reported seeing him vanish, other than his wife?
- Has he been taken by a political enemy?
- How did someone take him, anyway? Even if he’s an old troll, he’s still got to be pretty strong.
- How did Jessup get out of prison, and back in, with nobody noticing?
- Why would he be involved in the senator's disappearance?
- What do those bits of magical residue do?
I groaned inwardly when I saw all the things I would have to find out, but steeled myself. I had taken on this case of my own free will; I owed it to the clients to get the answers. Besides, a detective's got to do what a detective's got to do.
I looked at the kitchen table, where I had placed the evidence baggies so they wouldn't interfere with my Xen-time. In order to distinguish the ones with the magic from each other, I had used different colored markers to place a dot on each. The one I had found on the senator's property had a pink dot, the one in the elevator a blue dot, and the one in Jessup's cell had a black dot. Other than that, the magics looked about the same.
If only I were a mage or an alchemist right now! I thought. Then I'd be able to figure out, just by holding them, what they- I stopped, and looked over at the room where the girl slept. It was worth a shot. I was desperate. The odds of her being able to help weren't thoroughly high. But I'd be turned to stone and smashed before I asked that irritating Fleming for help.
Chapter Six
I gain some assistance, and a visit from Freaky Zealot Girl
When I got back down to the front desk, I requested that the imp give me a copy of the security tape I had seen in Jessup's room (Did I mention that? I don't think I did. Sorry.). The tape would show whether or not he had gotten out- or if anyone had gotten in. She seemed startled by my request, but yet another hundred to both she and Flavius removed any lingering doubts they might have had in cooperating with me (thankfully the last, there wasn’t much money left). Soon, the tape was in my pocket (my shirt pocket this time, as my pants pockets were bulging with baggies), and I was out of there.
I approached the mirror, which was still waiting for me. Where to go now? Common sense decreed I take the evidence to the station, let the magic people and forensics examine it, watch the tape. My heart wanted to be back with Xen, and maybe check on Calla. Heart won. You saw that coming, didn't you?
Upon rematerializing in the bathroom, I very nearly lost my lunch. However, I stubbornly choked it back down again, which I count as one of the top ten most disgusting things I have ever done in my life. Even more disgusting than the time when I had to claw open the corpse of a giant carnivorous slug in order to find a piece of vital evidence, so I could clear up a (totally different) missing person case. Then, when the last wrenching of my guts dissipated, I went into the living room and found Xen. She was stretched out on the sofa, fast asleep.
It was quite understandable, since typically, she was nocturnal (though she had been trying to adjust her schedule so we could spend more time together). It must have been a great effort for her to have stayed awake for so long. I crossed the room softly, and knelt by her side, staring at her. Like all gargoyles, Xen turned to stone when she fell asleep. But because she was half fae, she had some oddities in slumber. For one thing, she breathed. Her chest rose and fell, and I could hear her quiet exhalations. Sometimes she would murmur to herself, or twitch. She was a statue come to life. And, even in stone, she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.
Hey, have any of you readers noticed that I never mention turning on any lights in my apartment? If so, bravo! That's because I don't. Gargoyle eyes can naturally see in the dark, and electric light hurts anyway, so I hardly ever use them. Just checking your skills in observation.
Watching Xen sleep, I could feel my anger and frustration melting away, leaving me at peace. She looked so sweet and perfect...my mind was dripping with mushiness. If you are easily disgusted by mushiness, I would advise that you not read the rest of this next paragraph, and perhaps not anything until the end of this page. I caressed her face with my thumb claw; it was cold and hard, of course. But as I did so, it warmed and softened. That meant she was waking up. Color crept back into her hair, and her eyelids flickered. She inhaled deeply, and then her small mouth lifted in a smile. Xen recognized me by smell. I leaned down, and gently placed a line of kisses up her throat, over her jaw, and ending at her mouth. I felt her fingers entwine in my hair, and warmth flooded my system.
When I finally pulled away, I looked at Xen. Her eyes were open now, bathing her face in a soft lavender hue. She grinned widely.
"Hi," she whispered.
"Hi, honey," I replied. Normally, I avoid mushy sentiments like that, but at the moment I felt the need to be more affectionate than usual. Noticing this, she frowned.
"What happened?"
"It's been a very rough day," I replied.
Xen sat up so that I could join her, and get up from my crouching position, which was starting to hurt.
"Why did you go see him?" she asked, referencing Jessup. She's known me long enough to recognize the signs. Draping my arm around her shoulders, I explained everything.
