6. Grieving the Dead

Once we were back in his truck, he pulled a pair of brand new gloves from his glove box, put them on, and then reached for the back of my head. "There's a small knot. You still have some water in the cup. You should take a couple of those pain relievers in your backpack."

He was right. The pain hadn't faded yet, so I might as well. After I did, I pulled out my phone. "Sorry. This will take a minute."

"No problem. They've boxed us in anyway."

Smiling, I tapped the screen. "Couldn't you just pick up the truck and place it in the road?"

"I could," he said as the phone began to ring, "but I don't have time for secret government agencies snatching me up to experiment on, trying to figure out why I'm so strong. And hot."

"Yes, dear." Mom had picked up.

"Hey. I'm sorry if I woke you. I don't know if you've heard yet, but Pearl was found today. She's been positively identified."

"We know. Your gran and I are with Hester now. Elizabeth was here earlier. John and Selena will be here in the morning. Roger's on a plane. He and Hester may no longer be married but they both loved Pearl very much."

"Can you take me over tomorrow after the Council meeting?"

"Of course. Would you like me to come get you now?" Mom asked.

"No. Detective Hernández told me about Pearl and asked me to come to the morgue to read her, to try to figure out who killed her. I ended up having to read three murder victims, so my head is a mess right now. I'd rather visit tomorrow."

My mom was moving. The low murmur of voices in the background disappeared. "And what did you see?" she demanded.

Declan reached over and rubbed my thigh, listening to both sides of the conversation whether he wanted to or not.

"I just shared that with the detective, Mom. You can't say anything to the people there. It might mess up the investigation."

"I know how to keep secrets, Arwyn. I'm asking you what you saw." Sybil was tough as nails and didn't have much patience for anyone who wasn't.

As she was my mother, head of the Corey coven, and kept way too many secrets, I explained what I had seen, though in less detail than I'd given the cops.

"So she was singled out? Targeted?" Mom's heels clicked in the background. She was pacing in an echo-y room, probably the kitchen.

"That's the way I read it," I said.

"Tomorrow, when the Council convenes, we'll see if the three of us can see anything more." She let out a gust of breath. "I want this bastard found and thrown into a cell for the rest of his natural life," she hissed, trying to be quiet.

"Me too."

"I know you do. All right. I'll tell Hester you'll be here tomorrow. Now go home and rest."

Aww, she did care about me.

"We need you at your best tomorrow for the Council meeting."

Of course.

"Here they come," Declan said.

Osso jogged to his SUV, started it up, and spun it around, heading in the opposite direction.

The tap at the window made me jump. Hernández waited on the other side. I rolled it down.

"I'm sorry about that in there. We both really appreciate your assistance, but I can't help feeling horribly guilty that every time you help us, it causes you pain." She glanced around, uncomfortable.

"I appreciate that," I said. "How about as a thank you, you arrest the asshole who killed Pearl?"

She thumped the side of the truck twice. "I'm on it."

As she walked to her car, I rolled up the window. My phone buzzed in my pocket and Declan started driving.

The readout on the phone said, Sam. Why in the world would she be calling me in the middle of the night?

"Hello?"

"Hi. Sorry. I hope you weren't asleep," she said.

"No. I'm still up."

"Good. That's what she said. I had a visitor tonight. Well, she said she's been hanging around since earlier when you visited. She was with you but then—"

"Darling, just start at the beginning," a male voice said in the background.

"Right," she started again. "I have Pearl with me right now. She's afraid to move on, so she's been spending time with all of you. She said she loves your mural. What?" Pause. "Right, okay. She thanks you for singing the song of the dead for her. She felt the push to move on but isn't ready yet."

Declan had pulled over when he heard Sam say Pearl was with her. I couldn't see past the tears in my eyes. Sam Quinn, my newly found cousin, was a necromancer. She could see and speak with the dead.

I cleared my throat. "Tell her we love her and miss her so much."

"She says she loves you all too. She knows she's not supposed to hang around, but she doesn't want to leave everyone," Sam said.

"Remind her Aunt Sylvia is waiting for her with your mom, Bridget. She has two incredibly kind aunts waiting at the head of the line to welcome her and guide her through the next life."

"She's crying but says she knows. She needs me to tell you that she remembers what kind of car he drove. It was a black BMW convertible with brown leather seats," Sam relayed.

"Thank her, please. I'll tell the detective."

"What?" Sam's voice was less clear. "Huh. Interesting. Pearl says he kind of stuttered his name when he introduced himself. She says he said, D-David. Like maybe he was making it up on the spot." Sam paused again. "Oh. She said there was a leather portfolio—black—on the passenger side seat that he tossed into the back seat when he drove them to dinner. She says she's positive there was an engraved D on the portfolio."

"I'll let the detective know." I thought about her last moments, the horror that this charming young man had only pretended to find her interesting so he could get close enough to kill her. And poor Pearl, like her mother, had only weak magic at best to protect herself. "Please tell her the whole family is grieving her loss. Tell her I saw what happened. I was with her at the end. She didn't die alone."

"Oh, here. Wait." Sam's voice was distant again. "It's okay. Let's try. Sometimes this works. Come here. You need a hug." Rustling sounds. "There. That worked. You go ahead and cry. If anyone deserves a big cry, it's you." Silence. "I get it, but trusting people, wanting to see the good in them, that doesn't make you stupid." Pause. "Nuh uh. Trust me; I know from stupid, and you're not." She chuckled softly. "See, that's better now.

"Look, here's Fergus." Pause. "He is a handsome boy; you're right. Ha, did you see that? He tried to put his paw on your knee. He does that when he thinks someone needs comforting. I've always wondered if pets could see people on the other side. Maybe they can."

There was a soft jingling sound, probably her dog's collar.

"Are you ready to move on? I can help you do that," Sam said. "Oh, no. It's okay. You don't have to yet. Not if you're not ready. If you stick around, though, you have to promise to not visit me in the bathroom. That's creepy." Pause. "Oh, and definitely not when, you know, Clive and I—"

A male voice broke in. "She is trying to tell you not to watch us have sex, Pearl. And I'd like to second that request."

"Ah, there you go," Sam said. "Your eyes sparkle when you laugh."

"Darling, I believe your cousin is still on the line," Clive said.

"Oh!" Rustling. "Sorry about that. Anything else you want to tell Arwyn before we let her sleep?" Long pause. "She wants to thank you again for the song to the goddess. She felt better and stronger after you did it. She wants to thank you for enduring the pain to tell the police what happened. Hmm?" Pause. "Oh, okay. She wants you to call me tomorrow when you visit her mother. She has a message she'd like me to give her. Is that all right?"

"Of course," I said. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Good. Well, we both wish you a good night."

"And you." I disconnected and just sat there, staring out the truck windshield.

Declan reached for my hand and squeezed. "She's not alone. Sam is comforting her on this side and your aunts are waiting on the other."

"Yeah."

He started the engine again. "I know an all-night fast-food joint on the way back to your gallery. We'll get food and then you can sleep, okay?"

I nodded. I wasn't hungry, but he was right. I needed to eat something. Please, Goddess, no dreams tonight.

I ate half a burger and a few fries on the way home. Having a werewolf around was handy. No wasted food. When he pulled up to the gallery, I touched his wrist.

"I don't want any more nightmares. Can you help me sleep?"

He put his big warm hand over mine. "Of course."

We walked around the back and used the studio door, but not before I leaned over the rail to wish everyone a happy morning. It wasn't light yet, but it would be soon.

"Couch or bed?" I asked.

He scratched his beard. "I think I might just be too tired to let you sleeping next to me in a bed keep me awake." Following me up the steps, he mumbled, "Or maybe not."

I stopped and turned. He'd been eye level with my butt. "Couch?"

Nodding, he turned and trudged back down the stairs, kicking off his work boots. He slouched down on the couch, his legs straight out and crossed at the ankles, his head resting on the back cushion.

"I'm going to change into sweats and be right down."

He nodded again.

I put on my super soft loungewear, brushed my teeth, tied up my hair, and then grabbed two blankets. Before I went down, I remembered to text Hernández.

Me: Long story. Too tired to get into right now. Pearl's spirit told my cousin who's a necromancer that she remembers that her killer drove a black BMW convertible and though she's not sure if his name is really David, he did have a leather portfolio in the car that had a D on it. Okay, good night.

Hernández: Wow. Okay. Wow.

When I went downstairs, I found Declan breathing slowly and deeply. As gently as I could, I covered him with one blanket and then tried to lie down next to him, my head on a pillow up against his hip. Once I finally got arranged, my legs tucked up—I needed a bigger couch—a blanket around me, I let out a long breath. I hadn't woken him.

He pulled an arm from under his blanket and rested it on my shoulder. "That was cute," he rumbled. "Wolves don't fall asleep when someone's moving around in the den. Thank you for the blanket, though." He rubbed my arm. "Let's both sleep now."

And I did. Finally.