âWho? You mean Dru? Sheâll be along.â
âIâd think sheâd be first out to this nanty narking, what with all her enthuzinuzzy.â
âUh. Yeah. That part Karma ripped from you hasnât found its way back yet, eh?â
âWhy would you say that? And mind your sauce-box. Iâm still your lieutenant, no matter what that skilamalink hedge bird did to me.â
Leery scratched his head. âRight. Thatâs what I was just thinking, although I have no earthly idea what most of that means.â Leery peered around in the darkness. âUh, where are you, Lieu?â
âWhy, Iâm right here, Leery. You donât expect me to flash me heavers out here in Pavierâs workshop, do you?â
âEpatha, are you sure youâre okay? Thereâs no shame in stayingââââ
âKnife it, Oriscoe, before I cap you in your box oâdominoes.â
âErâŚokay. Anyway, Iâm sure Dru will be along any time now.â Leery stood for a moment, waiting for another peculiar string of seemingly unrelated words from the darkness. When it didnât come, he turned and peered into the shadows, looking for any luminesces that might give away Van Helsingâs location. âUh, Lieu?â
âTalking to yourself again, Argos?â
Leery grinned and turned around. âThe Odyssey, Hinton? Pretty high-brow for a girl with such big feet.â
âIs that all youâve got, Oriscoe? Big feet jokes?â
âThat wasnât a joke, nemesis. Hey, I got one for you, though. Want to hear it?â
Jenn sighed and dropped her shoulders. âIf you must.â
âHow do you tell the difference between a bigfoot and a yeti?â
âIs there a difference? I donât thinkââââ
âThereâs snow way to tell!â
Jenn took a deep breath and puffed out her cheeks.
âCome on, Hinton. Iâve been waiting nearly two weeks to trot that one out. Thatâs pure gold, and you know it.â
âWhat is?â asked Dru as she circled down the steps to join them.
âOh, donât ask him that! Donât you know better by now?â asked Jenn.
âMy, arenât you in a frisky mood?â
Though the words seemed friendly, Druâs tone wasnât, and Jenn dropped her gaze. âSorry, Princess.â
âEnough of that!â snapped Dru.
âHey, take it easy, Dru,â said Leery.
She turned a cold stare on him as her only reply.
âWell, letâs go see what Papa River brought us for Christmas.â He gestured for Hinton and Nogan to precede him, all while darting quick peeks into the shadows.
âWhatâs got you so jumpy?â asked Dru in a warmer tone than sheâd used with Hinton.
âWho me? Jumpy? Nah.â He flexed his biceps. âThis is how I keep in such marvelous shape.â
Dru paused to fall in step with him, her elbow brushing his. âWhat didnât she want you to repeat?â she whispered.
âA bad bigfoot joke. Donât worry, you didnât miss a thing.â
âOh. You two at it again?â
âAlways, Dru. Always. She is my nemesis. Canât let her forget that.â
âAh.â
They followed Hinton to the crime scene tape, where a short cop with a broad smile was manning the clipboard. âHey there, Sergeant Hearne. Howâs that dog of yours?â
âOberon? Heâs infatuated with the poodle next door.â
âAn Irish wolfhound and a poodle? Thatâs cruel.â
âThe heart wants what it wants, Oriscoe.â
âCanât you talk some sense into him?â
âHave you ever talked to a dog?â
âHey, Iâm a werewolf, remember?â
Hearne looked startled. âOh, right. I forgot. Sorry.â
âBut I get your point,â said Leery. âWant me to talk to Oberon?â
âNah. Let him have his fantasies.â
âRight.â
âIf you two dog-lovers are finished?â Hinton reached for the clipboard.
âThatâs it, Hinton, put your best foot forward.â
âHar-har, Dogbert.â She scratched her name on the clipboard, then ducked under the tape, shoving the clipboard at Leery.
âNot sure I know that one,â he muttered.
Hinton rolled her eyes, shook her head, and turned away.
âFrom the Dilbert comic strip,â whispered Hearne.
âThanks, Kevin,â said Leery. âYouâre okay. I donât care what the MorrĂgan says about you.â After he and Dru signed in, Leery held the tape up, and she ducked under it with a warm smile.
Jenn stood down at the edge of the water, looking down at a water-bloated corpse with a grim expression on her face. A man with the lower body of large, torpedo-shaped fish floated in deeper water a few yards from shore.
As he approached, Leery lifted a hand to the man in the water. âAhoy, Artie.â
The merman raised his hand. âOw-ooooh, Leery.â
âDru, meet Arthur Curry, the head of our amphibious division. Donât let the tail fool you; heâs a therianthrope, not a mer. Artie, meet my new partner, Dru Nogan.â
âPleased to meet you,â said Artie.
âYou, too.â
âArtie, you sure you should be swimming there?â Leery eyed the outflow pipes.
âItâs treated, Oriscoe.â
âYou obviously donât have my sense of smell.â Leery shrugged.
Artie glanced down at the water with suspicion. âHey, Hinton⌠Whyâd I get called out for this? The guy was in like thirty-six inches of water.â
âProtocol, Arthur,â said Jenn. She squeezed her eyes shut and fluttered her hands out from her sides.
âProtocol. Iâll just bet. Didnât want to get your waders all smelly is more like it.â
âFind anything with the body, Artie?â asked Leery.
âNo, just like the other two. Pants, shirt, socks.â
âOther two?â asked Leery.
âNo shoes?â asked Dru at the same moment.
âNo shoes,â said Artie. âAnd, yeah, this is the third floater in the past twenty-seven days.â
Leery shrugged.
âIs that unusual?â asked Dru.
âMaybe,â said Hinton in a distracted voice.
âWeâve had them closer together,â said Artie. He rolled in the water, then submerged with a splash.
âWhatâs up, Jenn? You havenât been this quiet sinceâŚwell, ever.â
âIâm trying to work!â she snapped. âI canâtâŚâ
Leery glanced at Dru and rolled his eyes. âLetâs check his pockets.â He walked over to the body and bent, his knees popping like a cap gun, and patted the victimâs pockets.
Out in the river, Artie surfaced with a fish in one hand and a dead cell phone in the other. âBet this was his,â he called.
âNah,â said Leery. âThis guy looks like a bacon cheeseburger connoisseur.â
Artie grunted and tossed the phone to Dru, who grimaced but caught it out of the air and held it out from her body while the water drained from the charging port. âProbably canât get anything off of this.â
âGive it to Hinton. She can do magic with those things.â
âVery funny, Alpo-breath,â muttered Hinton. She sighed and opened her eyes. âI canât find any trace of his spirit.â
Leery made a moue. âSo? Iâd be traumatized even sticking a toe in the Hudson, let alone going for full immersion. And look at where he fetched up.â
âItâs not that, Leery. It isnât that our friend here has moved on or is off in the mists sobbing and rattling his chains. I canât find him. At all.â
Dru frowned at him. âSo, his soul is missing?â
âThatâs right.â Jenn nudged the corpse with her foot.
âWhat about the other two?â
âYouâll have to ask Hendrix about that. I wasnât called out.â
âGreat,â said Leery. âLet me guessâcause of death was suicide.â
Jenn shrugged and turned. âYou donât need me here. This isnât a crime scene, and thereâs no spirit.â She stepped to Druâs side and held out her hand. âIâll take the phone, though. Despite what Fang wants you to believe, I am really good with tech.â
âHey, I said you can do magic with them.â
âYeah, I get it, Oriscoe. Iâm a demon whoâs a witch. I can do magic with anything.â
âSheesh, Hinton. Youâre in a mood. Dogs acting up?â
With a roll of her eyes, a shake of her head, and a flip of her illusory hair, Jenn turned and walked away.
âHey, Kevin!â Leery called. âBetter call the meat wagon.â
âAlready on the way,â said Kevin Hearne.
âI always liked you.â
âHey, Iâm Irish. Whatâs not to like?â
Leery cocked his head to the side. âCome on, Dru. Thereâs an emergency at the Starbucks on Broadway and 168th, and Iâm buying.â