I’d met them both and made a note to look them up. “Anyone come by your apartment?”
“My neighbor Dan came to get my cat and take care of her, but that was after all this started.”
“The demon cat? Do you like Dan or hate him?” I’d met Maggie the one time I’d visited earlier that year. She’d complained a lot about my presence. Actually, it had been Sindari that she’d objected most to.
“Funny. Maggie is chatty, not demonic. And a sweetheart in bed at night. But no, nobody came by the apartment that I remember, at least not that I know of. You know I’m not there much except to sleep.” Her eyes widened. “Wait, there was one day that I came home and the door wasn’t locked. I always lock up, so I thought it was strange, but nothing was missing. I assumed I’d been distracted when I left that morning and had forgotten.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Just a few days before I started having pain.” She rested her hand on her abdomen.
“Mind if I go check it out?”
“No. Dan has a key. He can let you in.”
I tapped a key-shaped charm on my necklace. “I can unlock most doors.”
“Protection from UV radiation and lock-picking? Is there anything your necklace can’t do?”
Cure cancer, magical or otherwise, I thought glumly. “I’ve been collecting charms for almost twenty years. Some of these have saved my life numerous times.” My finger strayed to the cat figurine. Sindari had saved my life dozens of times all by himself.
Willard’s nose wrinkled. “Just don’t let your oversized cat out in my apartment again, please. The scent he leaves makes Maggie crazy.”
“Sindari doesn’t smell like a real cat. He’s magical.”
“He smells like something. Maggie wouldn’t come out from under the bed for a week that time you stopped by to drop off evidence.”
“I’ll keep your request in mind.” And ignore it. Since Sindari had a cat’s nose, I couldn’t imagine not bringing him out to help with an investigation. “You better enjoy your dinner.”
“Enjoy, right.”
I wasn’t sure if Willard’s scoff was because of the quality of the food or if she just wasn’t interested in eating because of her treatments. Thinking of all the masses on that scan, I realized I might not have much time to get to the bottom of this. Even if I found out that someone magical had poisoned her or hexed her or something, would there be a cure?
The idea of losing her was bad enough, but I couldn’t also help but think of Lieutenant Snotty and what my life would be like if I had to report to an accountant for missions in the future. Would there even be missions? It sounded like he wanted to close down the department, not oversee it. If he did, what then? The citizens of the Pacific Northwest had to hope that a snooty dragon who had called humans a verminous infestation kept the murdering magical criminals in check?
As I walked out, Willard was ignoring her food and pulling her small laptop off the side table. Judging by the determined expression on her face, she meant to do some research. I hoped she wouldn’t wear herself out obsessing over what I’d told her. And I hoped I would actually be able to do something to help.
7
Twilight fell, and the rain turned to a light mist that dampened my cheeks but didn’t soak through my clothing as I walked several blocks from where I found parking to Willard’s Roosevelt neighborhood apartment. Even though it was past rush hour, traffic was still a snarl. I watched a guy who was trying to parallel park a Hummer give up after crunching someone’s bumper, then cause a spate of honking as he rushed back to leave a note on the other vehicle’s windshield. Two smart cars that were only slightly larger than scooters zipped into the abandoned space.
I watched the situation longer than I usually would have because I’d had a niggling sense, since stepping out of the government car, that I was being watched. Since I wasn’t a novice, I refrained from glancing over my shoulder repeatedly. I took a few steps down a quieter side street and pretended to check messages on my phone, while leaning against a brick wall and waiting to see if anyone suspicious rounded the corner.
So far, I hadn’t seen anyone. It was just my instincts twanging my nerves. Considering how many times enemies had hunted me down in my life, those instincts were well honed.
Had Lieutenant Sudo ordered someone to stalk me and steal back the keys to his car? I’d expected it to have been towed away while I was in the hospital, or at least to find a police officer leaning against it when I came out. Maybe Sudo had been too embarrassed to admit to his superiors that he’d let me drive off with it, and was handling the situation in an unconventional way.
Later, I’d see if I could put the down payment on a new-used Jeep with the combat bonus money. The partial bonus money. Unfortunately, I still had a lot of payments left on the rig hanging in the branches on the Oregon coast. I had money in savings and various retirement plans, but I was always hesitant to dip into them, since I didn’t know how long I’d be able to continue the work I did.
I lived as frugally as one could in a city where the average apartment rent was over two thousand dollars a month, but my work expenses added up. The year before, I’d paid nearly ten thousand dollars for the charm that had kept me from being charred into a s’more by that dragon’s fire. It had been worth it.
Nobody came around the corner to look for me, so I put my phone away and continued on a less direct route toward Willard’s apartment.
After another block, I paused to consider the acupuncture and massage services advertised on the window of an old house converted into a business. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed someone in black pants and a black parka with the hood pulled up. When I scratched my jaw and looked that way casually but more directly, the person was gone. For a moment, I thought I sensed…
No, there was nothing.
After passing through the small parking lot behind Willard’s building—where numerous signs informed me that anyone without a permit would be towed while also thanking me and wishing me a nice day—I paused at the bottom of the exterior stairs. Nobody was nearby. I touched my feline charm and whispered for Sindari to join me.
The familiar mist formed, and the tiger coalesced on the cracked pavement.
It’s about time. Sindari swished his tail and looked straight at me. I’ve been wondering if you survived the dragon.
I’m sorry. I should have brought you back right away to check on you, but I figured you had been injured and needed time to heal. As I’d learned in the past, the magic that linked Sindari to the figurine could only keep him in this world for a few hours at a time, and if he was wounded, he had to stay in his own realm longer to recuperate. Also, the hotel I stayed at in Portland didn’t allow pets.
Pets! If tigers had eyebrows, his would have shot up higher than his ears.
I’m sorry. Are you considered more of a service animal?
I am Sindari Dargoth Chaser the Third, Son of the Chieftain Raul, Feared Stalker and Hunter of the Tangled Tundra Nation on Del’noth.
So… not a service animal?
An ambassador, if anything. Pet. His blue eyes squinted at me. I should gnaw off your foot for that.