Murder by Magic Read online

  “Okay. There was something…odd…at the scene. It was just a feeling, but it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.”

  He stood so still for so long, she wondered if he’d heard her. She was on the verge of saying his name, when he spoke.

  “Did you feel the same at Parnell’s? Anything at all?”

  She nodded. “Yes. Not as strong. It made me dizzy…like I’d inhaled helium, or something.”

  He went silent again, and she half-expected him to tell her she was crazy. Hell, she thought that about herself.

  “This is where I need you to trust me, okay? I need to take you somewhere that’s going to help explain this. Or at least I hope it’s going to help.”

  The desperate sound of his voice didn’t reassure her at all. “Euros, you’re scaring me. What do you know? And what did I…what was it?”

  “Magic.”

  The word hung between them in the dank air. This was getting to be too much, the word foreign in the context of what she did, her job. Being a detective. Crimes were supposed to be solved through logic and reason, not by listening to someone talk about magic.

  “You were at the scenes, right? I mean, not just out on the street with the reporters?” That pissed her off, that he’d snuck into her crime scenes. “I swear…if you…”

  His hand was on her arm, fingers tensing against her jacket. “No. Never. I was outside. But what you felt inside was magic…”

  “But I’m not…”

  “Yes, you are. You can sense magic. You’ve always had that ability.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? If you’re magic, then why didn’t I ever sense it in you?”

  “Because I kept you from it. I can do that. I…it wasn’t something I thought you needed to know, and then it got more difficult to bring up. And then…” Then it hadn’t mattered anymore.

  “So who’s lacking in trust here, you or me?” She jerked her arm out of his grip. “I’d say we’re even.”

  He was shaking his head. “There’s too much for me to tell you now. I need to take you with me, to show you…my world. The Other world. And you’ll understand more when we’re there. I don’t want to stand in a filthy alley and argue with you.”

  “You’re the one who brought me here.”

  She could tell he was reaching the end of his patience. He was like that; patient and calm, until he wasn’t. Until something tipped over, and he lost all semblance of his usual self. This time, he grabbed both of her arms, almost, but not quite shaking her.

  “I’m not here to argue with you. I’m here to help you, and get your help.”

  “Euros, let go.”

  Instantly, he let her go, took a step back. “I’m sorry. This isn’t how I wanted this to be. Will you let me do what I need to do?”

  “You keep telling me we need to go somewhere. So, let’s go.”

  “Be ready. This is going to be like nothing you’ve ever experienced, Jess.”

  He pulled her into his arms, and all her instincts went on high alert. Hugging Euros wasn’t what she wanted, but this wasn’t a romantic hug. He was hanging on to her like he was afraid she’d fly away.

  “Á sealladh a hic; Siubhal; Nochdaidh ut ibi.”

  “What the hell are you saying…”

  Her world exploded in a flash of blinding white light. In one second, she was there, in the alley, and then the next; she felt like she was everywhere, rising between the buildings, up into the sky. The only thing that stayed the same was the touch of Euros’ arms wound tightly around her back. But she didn’t know how that was possible because as far as she could tell, she was moving fast, the city spread out beneath her. A scream rose in her throat, but it was muffled; the helpless soundless scream of a nightmare.

  Her feet touched the ground, and even with Euros’ arms around her, she fell to the ground. It felt safer here, hands on the ground—dirt, with grass and damp leaves—head down, eyes closed. Nothing felt broken, but nothing felt right either.

  “Are you alright?”

  Euros’ voice was distorted, coming at her from different directions, close or far, in her head, from across the alley. She lifted her head, and saw his feet. They weren’t in the alley anymore, but she knew that. Somewhere deep inside her, she knew they weren’t anywhere she’d ever been before. She was in a totally different world. Slowly, she uncurled her fingers from the earth under hands.

  “I’m going to be sick.”

  “Take a deep breath.” She felt his hand grip her upper arm, felt him pulling her to her feet. It was the hardest thing she’d ever done, but she got her feet beneath her and stood up. The world went spinning around her again, and she turned into his arms, her face against the wool of his coat. Slowly, the rolling in her stomach slowed, her head stopped that infernal spinning. She took a breath, inhaling a bewildering array of scents: clean air, fallen leaves, something tantalizing and ephemeral, familiar enough to make her frown. It escaped her. She drew another breath.

  Then her head was filled with an achingly familiar scent, warm and rich. Euros’ unusual scent. Just a hint of soap, but no cologne or aftershave. Euros, who never used anything besides some strange yellow soap, delicately scented with patchouli and honey. He said he got it at an obscure shop in a forgotten corner of an old neighborhood. He’d promised to take her, but they hadn’t lasted together long enough for him to do that. But that scent brought a flood of memories crashing through her mind. It was too much, too soon. And it was not the right time or place.

  Place. What was this place? She had no idea where she was.

  Roughly pushing away from him, she brushed at her cheek with one hand, hoping he didn’t see her tears. She didn’t stumble as she turned away, but she came up short as she looked around.

  “Where the hell is this?”

  “This…this is my world. My home.”

  The world around her was familiar in some way, with trees and grass and a stone wall. But the colors were off; no, not off. They were green and brown and black, but they were richer somehow, deeper, more saturated. Yet there was an ethereal quality to everything, like the world was glazed with a faint coating of…

  “Pixie dust.”

  “What?”

  She had to laugh, or cry. Laughing was easier, and she turned back to Euros. “You heard me. Pixie dust. It’s all…”

  “Jessica, if you say this world is sparkly, I’m going to…”

  Her laughter trailed off, but she smiled at him. She felt better, stronger. Clearer headed. Whatever this place was, his home or something else, underneath the strangeness, she felt safe. It was like… It was like being a child again, playing in her yard, in her red wool sweater, buttoned up against the fall chill, the sky overhead that brilliant blue that only comes to the Midwest in October. Playing a secret game, making up a world only she could see, enlisting her black cat as a familiar friend, and losing herself in that world. Time stood still, and as far as she was concerned, she was invisible to the world.

  “No, not sparkly. Different.” She stepped away from him, down a path that stretched into the distance. She blinked in surprise, turning to face him.

  “This is Brooks Park? How can this be…”

  “Your world and mine are the same in many places, where the portals connect the two worlds. We didn’t come through the portal though. I used a spell to bring us here.”

  “A spell? Like real magic?”

  His brows drew together, and she thought she was going to get another reprimand for saying the wrong thing. “I mean, not like at the coffee shop, with the spilled coffee.”

  His expression darkened further. “Jessica, it’s all real. There are no parlor tricks for one thing, and ‘real’ magic for another. It’s all magic. And for me, it’s my life.”

  “Don’t give me that look, Euros. This might all be familiar to you, but until this morning, I had no idea about any of this. Or about you.”

  He took a breath, his expression relaxed, but only slightly. “I’
m sorry. This…you…I never thought I’d see you in this world. Never thought I’d have the need to bring you here.”

  “So you were going to keep this part of yourself secret from me, never tell me anything about this? How much more don’t I know about you?”

  For a moment, they stood face to face, her with her hands on her hips, him looking down at her a bemused expression.

  “Would you have believed me if I’d said this was my world? If it’s where I came from? And if I’d done tricks for you, parlor tricks, made quarters show up behind your ears?”

  The edge to his voice was one she rarely heard, one she didn’t like at all. For a minute, she thought she’d hit a nerve, touched on something sensitive. It occurred to her they were having an argument in the middle of some other world or dimension, or maybe in some other time. And the only person she knew in this strange new world was Euros. And the only person to get her back to where she belonged was the last person she wanted to argue with. With an effort, she let her arms fall to her side, and unclenched her fists.

  “Look. I’m sorry for questioning all of this. But you must admit, this whole thing is a bit surreal for me. I was in an alley and then you…did…something…” The words magic and spell refused to form on her lips. “You did something, and now I’m here.”

  “Euros. What have you done? Who is this?”

  She whirled around, instinctively reaching for her gun. But Euros only grunted.

  A thin white-haired man had appeared apparently out of thin air. At least she hadn’t heard him approach. With the practiced processes that she’d learned at the Academy, she took in everything that she could about the man in a glance; height, weight, long robes. But she kept coming back to his face, the high forehead, long straight nose, thin lips. His blue eyes were locked on hers, startlingly bright against his pale skin. Images of monks and Tibetan temples flashed through her mind.

  “Mixt. It was unavoidable.”

  The other man sniffed, lifting his chin, fixing her with a glare. “I should hope so.”

  It took her a second to realize that she was the ‘it’ in Euros’ sentence. She opened her mouth to explain she wasn’t an it, she was a Chicago Police Officer, but Euros cut her off.

  “Mixt, this has to do with the dark magic, and the issue with the portals.”

  The man—Mixt—straightened, his expression losing some of its suspicion. But what replaced it was something that chilled Jessica’s blood. The man looked completely alarmed.

  “Then speak.”

  “Mixt, this is Jessica Sharpe. She’s the officer working on the murders.”

  Mixt’s eyes went side. “There was another murder?”

  “There was. Another prominent person. With just as much magic on the scene as there was at the first. Even Jessica felt it.”

  She thought about saying she hadn’t felt anything, but she knew in her heart she had, that what Euros was telling Mixt about her, was true. She had felt something. That, she couldn’t deny.

  Mixt turned his dark eyes on her, and for a blinding disorient second she felt something brush against her mind, an utterly invasive sensation that sent her staggering back a step. Her hands came up in a gesture both defensive, and entreaty.

  “Mixt, stop. Do not read her mind.”

  “I am just…”

  “You will not.”

  Jessica blinked, and the insidious tendrils vanished from her mind, leaving behind no trace. It wasn’t clear what had just happened, other than Euros and Mixt were glaring at each other.

  “You don’t need to read her mind to know she’s telling the truth. She’s perfectly capable to explain what she sensed, what she felt.”

  Mixt sniffed again, and Jessica decided she didn’t care much for him. “Then have her speak. If this has progressed to a second murder, we do not have much time.”

  Both men turned to her, and she looked between them. Mixt looked dubious, but Euros smiled. “Tell us again what you felt, the things you think were unusual at each scene.”

  She went through it again, telling them how the scenes made her feel. “The hair stood up on my arms, not like I was cold, but like something had touched me. Nothing physical, but like something in the air, something palpable.”

  “Did you have any images, any flashes in your mind? Even if it was just for a moment.”

  “No, I don’t think…” But then it was there, the memory complete, and just as vivid as if she were seeing the image on a screen.

  “Oh! Wait. The CSI guy was in the backyard, taking photos. I was thinking he was going to have a lot of shots of footprint, human footprints, in shoes, you know?” Her words were slower than her thoughts. “Damn it. I saw the image of an animal print, something small, like a little dog. But then…” The image was still there, but it made no sense. “I’d forgotten about that, completely slipped my mind.”

  “Did you see the photos from the crime scene?”

  “I looked through them, but I don’t remember if I saw that particular one. Until now, I’d forgotten all about that…whatever it was that had happened.” The memory of standing by the window, the sudden image so clear in her mind, left her unsettled, confused.

  Euros threw a look at Mixt, something passing between the two men that made her shiver. “What? What is it?”

  “I don’t know. But I want to see the photos. Can you get them?”

  She shook her head. “I’m off the case. I didn’t get a chance to do anything before you whisked me here.”

  “Off the case? As of when?” She heard the shock in his voice.

  “This morning, right before you showed up. Ross said I’d dropped the ball on the Lansing case, and I was in over my head on this whole thing. He gave the cases to Fisher, one of the senior detectives. Derek’s working second. I’m on desk duty.” She glanced at her watch. “As a matter of fact, I’m late for getting back to the office. If I’m not there…

  Mixt laughed and she frowned at him. “You think that’s funny? I’m in enough trouble now without being late.”

  “She’s cute, this mortal. I see why you like her so much. Such an innocent.”

  “Cute? Now wait…”

  Euros raised his hand, then pointed his finger at Mixt. “Stop. She doesn’t know anything about how this works, or what you mean.” He turned to her, and she saw his expression soften. “There is no time here, or not as you know it. When we go back, it will be the same time as when we left. I promise, you won’t be late. No one will know you were even gone.”

  “Oh. That must come in handy.”

  For first time since they’d arrived in this Other place, he gave her a genuine smile. It made her feel close to him, closer than she wanted to at this moment. But that little moment faded as Mixt spoke.

  “So what significance is the footprint, Euros? What are your thoughts?”

  Euros shook his head. “I don’t know yet what this could be. Magic at a scene, a dog’s footprint…”

  “Fox fur.”

  They both turned to look at her with identical expressions of shock. And as if one, their expressions closed, both going opaque.

  “Fox? Are you sure?” Euros’ voice went dead cold.

  “Yeah. The forensic guy called, said they had found fox fur at the scene. I thought it was a coat Mrs. Lansing owned, or something. But she’s a member of PETA…so I ruled that out. Then I didn’t follow up, or didn’t have time.” That sounded lame, like a bad excuse for not doing her job. Maybe Ross was right to take these cases away from her. But then Parnell’s murder had happened, and then Euros…twenty-four hours wasn’t enough for anyone to process all of this.

  “What does a fox have to do with magic?”

  “Jessica, I need to see the crime scene photos.”

  Euros’ voice startled her, and she blinked in the strangely soft light. “I can’t do that. I don’t have access to them anymore. And besides, Ross threatened to have you arrested for trespassing if you ever showed up at the precinct again. Even if he thin
ks you were right, that I shouldn’t have gotten promoted, your article really pissed him off.”

  Euros scowled. “And I can’t cloak myself and go in unseen because there are too many people to focus on staying invisible from. Dammit.” He blew out an exasperated breath. She could almost see the wheels turning behind those dark eyes, and for a minute she wondered how hard it was to read minds. I know what you’re going to say, Euros. Bet my career on it.

  “Then I need to see the crime scene. I need to get into Lansing’s house.”

  Bingo, one mind read, and without any damn magic.

  “That’s putting my whole career on the line, you know. I’m supposed to be making phone calls, tracking down evidence…and I’m supposed to be doing that from my desk, not from the scene. If someone sees me there…especially with you. And what do you mean, cloak yourself?”

  “I can make it so I’m not seen. And I can make those that are there believe you’re supposed to be there.” He took a step closer. “Jessica, I need this. We need this. If I can find out what the motive was, I can figure out who was behind Lansing’s murder. And from there, we can figure out if there’s a connection with Parnell. Or if that was just an unhappy coincidence.”

  “I’m not holding my breath that it wasn’t.”

  Mixt had been quietly watching them, but now he stepped forward. “I do not believe this is a good idea, Euros. There is nothing to be gained by enlisting her help.”

  Euros spun around, coming face to face with Mixt. For a moment, she felt what could only be magic crashing against magic, saw the shimmer in the air between them. That little ripple washed against her, and she shivered.

  “If there is anyone in either world who can help solve this, and help us prevent anyone from entering the portal that shouldn’t, it is Jessica.”

  Mixt’s features froze. Jessica couldn’t tell if it was in fury, or embarrassment. Set against the pallor of his skin, his eyes looked like coals. Burning, but coals nonetheless.