“It’s not an interrogation, Kara,” the chief replied. “However, until we can get this whole mess cleared up, I think it’s best if you go on administrative leave.”
Even though I was half-expecting it, the news was still a punch in the gut. “I haven’t done anything wrong, sir,” I managed.
“That we know of,” Fussell said with a dubious sniff.
Chief Turnham shot him a quelling glance, then gave me a more reassuring look. “It’ll be with pay, and it’s in your best interest. This way there can be no question of impropriety in the investigation.”
“Yes, sir.” I understood it. I really did. But I didn’t have to like it one bit.
“Stop coddling her, Turnham,” the mayor sneered. “Get a search warrant for her house, and get the evidence you need.”
I leveled a black glare at the mayor. “You don’t have the probable cause for a search warrant.”
He sat forward. “Then sign a consent-to-search and prove you’re innocent.”
“Not in this lifetime,” I shot back.
He laughed and looked over to the chief. “See? She’s obviously hiding something. You could fire her for insubordination for refusing to follow an order.”
“Oh, for God’s sakes, Peter,” the chief muttered.
“Mayor Fussell,” I said as I fought to remain calm, “with all due respect, just because I’m a city employee doesn’t mean that you or anyone else has leave to trample all over my civil rights. And if you insist on having me fired for refusing to consent to a search of my private residence, you and this city can most certainly brace yourselves for a lawsuit.”
“It won’t come to that,” Chief Turnham said, voice sharp and firm. My respect for my chief soared.
I gave him a polite nod. “And I appreciate that. Am I to assume that my leave is effective immediately?”
He sighed, deep regret in his eyes. “I think that would be for the best.”
I stood and gave him a grateful smile, then gave the mayor a slight, mocking bow. “Y’all have a Merry Christmas!” I turned and left, and even resisted the desire to slam the door behind me.
But once I was out, the smile slid off my face as I strode quickly down the hall to my office. True, it could have been worse. Administrative leave was a shitload better than a suspension. Basically I’d just been given a paid vacation. But I still felt as if I’d been hamstrung.
No one else was around, which was a relief. I didn’t feel like going into an explanation of the whole thing for anyone right now. I ducked into my office and quickly gathered up the few personal items I gave a damn about, just in case this whole situation turned to even more shit, and I couldn’t get back here for a while.
On my way home I called Jill. “Guess who’s a murder suspect!”
She groaned. “Please tell me you’re not in jail.”
I laughed. “Not yet. But I am on administrative leave. Paid!”
“Woohoo! Vay-cay!”
“Yeah, under any other circumstance it would rock. Anyway, I’m headed to the house. The mayor was in there with the chief when I was given the lovely news, and he’s seriously gunning for me. Wanted me to sign a consent-to-search form to let them rummage through my house.”
I heard her suck her breath in. “Yikes. I’m assuming you told them to get stuffed?”
“Pretty much. But I have a bad feeling that the mayor’s gonna be pressuring Chief Turnham to scrape up enough probable cause to get a warrant.”
She made an unpleasant sound. We both knew that there were ways to get around the strict legalities of search and seizure. All they had to do was come up with a “confidential informant” to attest that I was hiding evidence of my dark deeds in my house. “You’re still planning to summon tonight?”
“Hell, no,” I said. “I’m summoning as soon as I get home.”
“Good plan. You need something to cart your demon around in once you get him here?”
“Crap. I might, depending on which demon I summon. I’ll need to go rent an SUV—”
“No, you won’t,” she interrupted. “We can put him in the back of the van.”
It took me a couple of seconds to process what she meant. “Wait. Your crime scene van?”
“That’s the one!”
I burst out laughing. “This is yet another reason why you’re my best friend.”
After I hung up with her I called Roman, spun him a fiction about needing his signature on a witness statement so that I could close out the Barry Landrieu case, and could he possibly meet me at Grounds For Arrestin say, two hours?
He agreed without hesitation. I breathed a sigh of relief. I still figured it was a long shot, but even eliminating him as a suspect would be progress. And since my progress thus far had been zilch, I’d take what I could get.
Eilahn was waiting for me on the porch with the cat on her lap when I pulled up. I had absolutely no idea how the demon managed to be everywhere I was, but I wasn’t going to complain.
Fuzzykins eyed me balefully as I climbed the steps. I reached to give her ears a scratch, and she gave me a dubious sniff. Well, at least it was an improvement over the usual hiss/snarl/claw reaction.
“I’m on administrative leave,” I told Eilahn.
“I know,” she said. “I listened in on your meeting.”
Again—no idea how she managed that. Did she hide in the air ducts or something?
“Any suggestions for demons to summon who can do a discreet assessment of Roman?” I glanced at the sky and scowled. “In broad daylight?”
She thought for a moment. “A nyssorwould be the most prudent choice.”
I bit back a groan. She was likely right. But a nyssor…ugh. “They can assess for summoning ability?” I asked, hoping she’d respond with something like, Oh, wait, my mistake, you don’t need anyssor after all.
“Yes,” she said, dashing my brief hopes. “And it would only need a heartbeat or two of contact.” Her lips twitched. “You do not care for the fifth-level demons?”
“They creep me the fuck out,” I confessed, adding a shudder for emphasis.
She laughed, a crystalline sound. “You are not the first summoner to say so.”
“There’s a reason for that,” I said sourly. “Do we have any bacon in the house?”
“Second drawer in the fridge,” she replied as she stroked her fingers through the cat’s fur.
I stood and headed inside, shedding the cuff and pulling my cell phone out as soon as I was through the door. While I walked to the kitchen I typed a text to Jill, then retrieved the bacon from the fridge, kicked the door closed, and walked back down the hallway to the basement door.
Yes, you really do need to summon this demon, I told myself firmly as I hesitated. I didn’t really like summoning during the day, but the use of the storage diagram made it easier. Muttering something nasty, I set the package of bacon down, stripped off my clothes, retrieved the bacon, then headed down the stairs to get garbed up for the summoning. The sooner I got this over with, the sooner I could dismiss it.
Chapter 16
I’d just finished changing back into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt when Jill entered the front door. She flashed a smile at me, then stopped dead at the sight of the demon waiting patiently in the living room.
“Good, you brought the stuff,” I said, moving forward to take the bag from her hand. “I appreciate it.”
“Sure thing,” she replied unsteadily. She swallowed, frowned. “Is, um, this the demon…?” She wrenched her gaze over to me, and I couldn’t tell if the pleading in her eyes wanted me to say yes or no.
Exhaling, I nodded. I totally understood her reaction. Nyssorlooked almost exactly like human children. This particular one looked like a little boy, perhaps four years old, and utterly beautiful, with flaxen curls and an angelic face. The “almost” part came in when you looked at their eyes, which were a little too large and had sideways-slit pupils. And the features were a little tooperfect. They definitely fell into that “uncanny valley” territory. Creepy.