Turning Tides (15 page)

Simon winced. “You want me to use the rowboat?”

“Of course. How else have you been getting back and forth?”

He tensed, and I recognized the expression. It was the look of a cat that fell off a piece of furniture and was trying to recover its dignity. “Simon?”

He sat up perfectly straight, willing his faux dignity to become the real thing. “I had a ride over.”

Sera studied him through narrowed eyes. “So what’s the problem with using the rowboat now?”

“I didn’t ride a boat. I rode an otter.” He met our gazes defiantly, daring us to make any comment. “It was faster, and I wanted to spend as little time on the water as possible.”

I was too busy picturing how freaking adorable they must have been, a nervous black cat clinging to the back of a river otter, to have anything insulting to say.

Sera grumbled, and it wasn’t difficult to read her frustration. She needed something to do. Anything.

“Check with Vivian again,” I told her. “See if she’s learned anything else from that list of names I gave her.”

“If she answers.” Sera and Simon spoke together, in the same irritated tone.

“Yeah. If.”

I nodded to both of them and headed for the shower, needing five minutes of quiet time with my element before facing the day’s growing list of ifs and maybes.

I had less than twelve hours to figure out how to save Sera and keep myself from being drugged. It was time for my favorite investigative technique: throw everything at the wall and see what stuck.

Chapter 15

When I emerged from the
shower, clean and dry and almost ready to face the day, Simon and Sera’s long faces told me Vivian was still ignoring calls.

We couldn’t afford to wait any longer. We needed to do this without our earth friend’s help.

There was a second option. It wasn’t ideal, partly because no one else could dig up information like Vivian could and partly because I was still giving the second option the silent treatment.

To be fair, he did kill Mac. I had good reason to be mad at him.

The phone only rang once before he picked up.

“I’m prepared to offer you a deal. I’ll forgive you shooting and killing my sort of boyfriend if you help us solve this new case.”

There was silence on the other end. I suspected Carmichael was taking several long, controlled breaths. I did have that effect on the man.

“Aidan?” He knew it was me. I just didn’t think he believed it. We hadn’t parted on the best of terms, what with the aforementioned boyfriend killing.

“Yeah. Look, we’re kind of at loose ends here, and we need your help.”

“Does this mean we’re good? He didn’t stay dead, after all.”

“It means we need your help. Beyond that, I have no idea. But let’s start here, okay?”

I’ll give Carmichael this—he doesn’t waste time on pointless questions, particularly when a shiny new case is waved under his nose. “Fill me in.”

Sera watched me. I thought she was trying to determine if contacting the man who shot Mac was a sign of increased maturity or decreased sanity.

I covered the mouth piece. “I’m taking the high road,” I informed her, doing my best to look like the saint I obviously was. She snorted and sat next to me, close enough to hear Carmichael’s end of the conversation.

“Are you talking to Sera? Is she there?” He sounded almost hopeful.

Last I checked, he and Sera were self-declared nemeses, so I tucked this aside for future teasing possibilities. “Yeah. She was accused of murder.”

“Again?”

“Hey, you were the ones who accused her the first time, and you were wrong. Show some faith.”

“I have plenty of faith. I just have no idea how you two manage to find death and destruction wherever you go.”

“It’s a gift. You ready to hear the details or what?”

“Yeah. No, wait.” The background noise changed. “You’re on speakerphone now. Johnson is here.”

“Hi, Aidan.”

I returned his greeting with none of the ambivalence I felt for Carmichael. After all, Johnson hadn’t shot Mac. “I’m doing the same so Sera can hear.”

We spent the next thirty minutes explaining the case. Carmichael and Johnson mostly listened, only asking questions when a point needed clarifying. They were thoughtful men, and I could practically hear their brains churning as we spoke. Simon listened to the entire conversation but remained silent. I thought he might also harbor a grudge against Carmichael.

“Who are your suspects?” Johnson asked.

“That’s the problem. We have one possible revenge killer, but that’s it. No one else seems to have a motive. I’m guessing Robin died to cover something up, probably someone coming to or leaving the island, but I have no real idea why Edith is dead.”

He grunted, and I assumed that was agreement. “What about your family? Are any of them like you?”

I shook my head before remembering they couldn’t see me. “No. Dual magics are quite rare. Even if any of them were like me, they’re all so old they would have given themselves away by now. It’s not easy to hide.” Because madness will out, I silently added.

The pen stopped moving and Johnson spoke up. “You’re forgetting what we taught you.”

I worked to remember our previous conversations, but Sera got there first. “Motive doesn’t matter.”

“Exactly. People have all kinds of reasons for killing, and you’d be surprised how rarely they make sense. Follow the evidence. Follow the clues. What do you have there?”

It probably would have been more impressive if we hadn’t answered that question with complete silence.

Carmichael’s response was bone dry. “Well, I suggest you work on that. Find whatever clues you can, then put them together. You’ve done it before, so just do the same thing again. Call us tonight and let us know how it went.”

“I can’t.”

“Oh. I understand.”

“No, I mean I can’t. I have plans. I’m either helping Mac or I’ll be on the run with Sera, evading a bunch of elementals who want her dead. So, you know. Busy. But I’ll call when I get the chance, okay?”

We started to say good-byes, but Carmichael interrupted. “I am sorry, Aidan. I already said it to Mac, but you warned me before I went in. You told me I was out of my depth, that I had to be careful, and I ignored you. I shouldn’t have done that. I am, well, I’m sorry,” he repeated. There was no doubting his sincerity.

“I know.” There didn’t seem much else to say, but just before I hit the end button, Carmichael spoke again.

“Wait, one last thought. You’ve been looking for a dual magic like you, right? Someone who can control both water and fire? Is it possible you’re looking for someone in disguise? A fire who has disguised themselves to look like a water?”

Sera smacked herself on the forehead. I leaned toward her, letting her smack me next.

“That’s not a bad idea, Carmichael. We might let you back in the gang after all.”

“Do we get satin jackets this time?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

We hung up, and Sera and I stared at each other, considering the possibilities Carmichael’s words had raised.

“It can’t be one of the waters,” I said. “They’re all too tall and skinny, too blond. Any fire trying to disguise themselves would need a mountain of bleach for both skin and hair. Also, stilts.”

She stood, already reaching the same conclusion I was. “But a stone isn’t too far off from a fire. A few months of hard work in the gym, some hair dye…”

“Colored contacts,” I finished. “And a crazy water girlfriend you have nothing in common with who can provide access to the water council.”

Her excitement fell, though only slightly. “But why? What vendetta could a fire possibly have against a member of the water council?”

“Hell if I know, but we should go with Johnson on this one and say screw the motive.”

I didn’t even bother to say goodbye. I just wrenched upon the front door and rushed out, ready to discover if a stone was really a stone.

While we’d slept,
the weather decided it wasn’t fully ready to commit to summer. The sky was filled with charcoal clouds promising rain, and I
smiled to see it. The more water that surrounded me, fueling the happy, non-murderous side of my magic, the safer we all were.

I paused on the stairs just long enough to pull on a hooded sweatshirt. As my head popped out, I squawked.

David stood right in front of me.

“Did you teleport?” I asked, calling to the water to calm my nerves.

“I didn’t mean to surprise you. I was standing next to the stairs. You’d be surprised how often that happens with stones. People just don’t notice us.”

I grumbled, not ready to accept his explanation. “What are you doing here?”

“Lana and I had a fight. I thought you might be able to help.”

“I’m kind of busy right now, David,” I stepped off the stairs and headed for my mother’s, expecting he would follow. I’d planned to check in with my mother and investigate David. If he was going to throw himself into my path, I could do both at the same time. I was on a tight schedule that day, after all.

He kept up with my long strides, though he never seemed to rush. Everything he did was slow and steady. We followed the canal that led to the northeast side of the island.

“I understand. But Lana seems to like you. I thought you might convince her to see things my way.”

I stopped. “And what way is that, David?”

If he noticed the bite in my voice, he gave no sign. “We need to get off the island. One body was bad enough, but two? It’s not safe. And I know there’s a ban on travel, but Lana could get us to Friday Harbor, at least. She’s strong enough. But she refuses, says she won’t leave in the middle of a crisis.”

I thought of several choice words for his cowardice. I only shared a few of them out loud.

“It’s not about me,” he insisted. “I don’t mind being in danger. But Lana…”

“Can handle herself, and she knows her own mind. Hell, she’s probably the only one who does.”

His jaw locked. “You know she didn’t do it. There’s no reason for us to stay.”

“Do I? Maybe. I don’t know about you, though, and the fact that you’re so eager to run really isn’t helping your case.” It probably wasn’t a good idea to antagonize our number one suspect, but as usual, the words were out before my brain had a chance to approve them. “Why are you here, David?”

“I told you. To ask for help with Lana.”

“No, on the island. Why did you come here?”

His forehead creased. “You know this already. Lana and I are traveling together. We’ll go to my family’s home next. What’s this about, Aidan?”

“It’s about you being a stranger who showed up the day before my best friend was accused of murder.”

“That’s been true since Edith Lake’s death. Why are you only acting suspicious now? I don’t understand where this is coming from.” Though his tone didn’t rise above mildly curious, his enormous muscles tightened until he looked much like a slab of granite.

I wasn’t ready to accept that, not yet. I had a perfectly good theory I still wanted to explore. “At the moment, I’m suspicious of everyone on this island, David. Particularly those with some physical similarities to fires.” I winced, fearing I’d said too much.

He laughed, an incredulous sound rather than an amused one. “Are you asking if I’m a fire in disguise? Do you seriously think that’s a more likely explanation than the obvious one? Everyone on this island knows who’s responsible, Aidan, and you’re just too loyal to see it. Has it never occurred to you that Sera did it? She is Josiah’s daughter, after all.” His mouth snapped shut, as if he hadn’t quite planned to say so much, either.

“What, exactly, does that mean?” I ground out.

“Never mind.” he said.

“No, finish. When you installed the camera, you said something felt off. You thought Sera might be innocent. What changed?”

“What changed? A second body. Learning who her father is. Look, it’s not my business, Aidan, but you should take a close look at the Blais family.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. One single astonished snort, followed by a handful of chuckles that led into an outright guffaw. He wasn’t wrong, I’d give him that. He was just looking in the wrong direction.

David’s eyes hardened, becoming the flint from which he took his name. His fists clenched at his side. “What’s so funny?”

With effort, I suppressed the laughter, though a few giggles still snuck out. “You had to be there.”

“You think this is a joke?” The words came out on a low hiss, and that’s when I knew how to find the answers I needed.

It was a bad idea. Sera, Josiah, and my mother could all yell at me later. For now, I had an enraged maybe-fire before me, and one surefire way to confirm what he was.

I reached my magic toward him.

No fire could be as angry as he was without accessing their magic, without risking the fingertips sparking.

I wasn’t used to controlling the fire. I asked it to seek out David’s magic, and it ignored me, choosing instead to reach toward the trees, imagining how pretty a burning branch would look.

I yanked it back, and I swore it laughed.

This magic was different than the water, wilder. It had little interest in polite requests.

This time, I ordered it, forcing it toward David, wrapping it around his arms and legs, outlining each finger.

“It’s here!”

“What?” My voice was thick and dull, all my attention on the magic, looking for the familiar touch of fire on David’s body. I snapped back to reality right about the time David tackled me to the ground.

“The fire. I think it was here. I felt warmth on my hands. Are you okay?”

I blinked into his concerned face and watched a perfectly good theory go up in smoke. He hadn’t budged, still protecting my body with his own. I almost felt bad for thinking he was a coward earlier. “Yeah. You?”

“I’m fine—” He didn’t finish the sentence. It’s hard to speak when an otter shifter emerges from the canal next to you and hauls you to your feet.

“Now this just isn’t right, a big guy like you attacking Aidan. You’ve noticed she doesn’t have any actual muscles, right? If you want to pick on someone your own size, hey, I’m right here.” Miriam grinned, altogether too pleased at the prospect of a fight. David was stronger than she was, but she was several inches taller, and I suspected she fought dirty. I would never bet against her.

David looked like he was coming to the same conclusion. He tried to speak at least three times, unsure how one was supposed to react when a naked woman appears out of nowhere and offers to deliver a beatdown. At last, he gave up and turned to me for aid.

“It’s okay, Miriam. He wasn’t hurting me. Let him go.”

She did, quite slowly, daring him to give her any excuse to change her mind.

“So, are you one of the shifter-deniers?” I asked. “Cause if so, your reality is about to get messy.”

“What? Um. No. My mother spoke well of them, so I guess I wasn’t raised like other elementals.” He paused. I thought he might still be recovering from being threatened by the one of the cutest women in the world. “After she died, I guess I just never thought about them much.”

“Not even when Lana told you about the horse?” The devil made me say it. That was my excuse, and I was sticking to it.

“The what? No, that’s not… Look, can you not mention this?” With one last uncertain look between me and Miriam, David turned and walked away, bound for my mother’s and Lana.

“I think you broke him,” I told Miriam.

“Brook, if I’m going to break a man, we’re both going to have a lot more fun getting there. Speaking of which, if he wasn’t attacking you, why were you lying underneath him?”

“Long story. You didn’t actually have to assault him, you know. He was trying to protect me, I think.”