Beings in thirteen realms would have known that howl, in their blood and bones if not their conscious minds. And feared.
"That's right," Roberts said again. "I assume someone in the judge's office tipped you. I wonder who that was?"
Browning continued as if the other man hadn't spoken. "You persuaded Judge Walker to issue a warrant for her arrest based on that witness's testimony. But you screwed up. Aside from the sheer lack of evidence - "
"I've got plenty to link her." Roberts leaned forward now, his eyes glowing with suppressed excitement. "Delia Rodriguez - the first victim - lived just two doors down from one of Michalski's patients. The second victim used to date another of her patients."
"Good God, Doug, this is Midland. Half the people here have some second- or third-hand connection to one or more of the victims."
"But half the people here aren't witches. She is."
"No," Nathan said, his voice steady. "She isn't. Not that it would be an indictment if she was, but you've got your facts wrong."
Roberts's gaze flickered to Nathan - then darted away. Probably hadn't liked what he saw in Nathan's eyes. "She sure as hell is. Michalski is friends with that witch out at the college. And don't tell me Ginger Hemmings isn't a witch. She's open enough about her perversions."
Nathan kept his voice from descending to a growl. "Wicca is a recognized religion. Ginger is Wiccan. Kai isn't."
Roberts had decided to pretend Nathan didn't exist. He laced his fingers together on top of his desk and spoke to Browning. "We've learned that they had one of their coven meetings last night. Held it at Michalski's apartment just a few hours before she picked Shaw up at the Bar. That's when they prepared for their black rites, when they drained Shaw of blood."
Browning shook his head. "That's all assumptions based on prejudice."
"Don't you accuse me of prejudice. No one has a better record of hiring and promoting - "
"Prejudice against the magical part of the population! Dammit, Doug, you and I have had our differences, but you've always been a good cop. You're so far off base this time you can't even see the base!"
"It isn't prejudice when it's based on facts. I know they met at Michalski's place last night. I know Shaw was later drained of blood. I know Michalski left The Bar with Shaw shortly before he died."
"No," Nathan said. "You don't."
Roberts still wouldn't look at him. "I've got a witness who ID'ed her and three more who gave a good description."
"Mistaken identity."
"What the hell is your man talking about?" Roberts demanded of Browning.
Nathan had had enough. He didn't change position or offer threat openly - but he used a voice the other man would not be able to ignore. "Kai Tallman Michalski was with me at the time your witness claims to have seen her at The Bar."
Roberts jerked. He narrowed his eyes and for the first time looked directly at Nathan. "You're lying."
He was, actually, but the chief had no way of knowing that. "She was with me the rest of the night, too. You think you can get a conviction with an officer of the law swearing he was with her all night?"
The man's lip lifted in a sneer, but underneath it Nathan saw the fear. Smelled it. "You think a jury's going to care what you say? I don't know what you are, but you aren't human." Relief shaded his voice when he turned back to Browning. "That's going to cost you in the next election, Randy. Keeping this - this man, for want of a better word - on as a sergeant even though you have to know that..."
Nathan didn't hear the rest. He was already out the door and closing it softly behind him.
He stopped at the desk where Roberts's secretary sat and forced ease on his voice and body. He gave himself a moment to appreciate the soft floral scent of her perfume so he'd have a reason to smile at her. Humans smiled when they didn't feel it, but, that trick was beyond him. "While my boss dukes it out with yours, I thought I'd see if I could catch up with Knox. Maybe if I'm in on the arrest, the sheriff won't take it so hard. Do you know if Knox has served his warrant yet?"
She tapped her pen against the desk, then said, "Guess it won't hurt to tell you. I haven't heard from him, so he probably hasn't."
He thanked her and left, taking the stairs, urgency riding him and instinct guiding him. Thoughts floated on that sea of need and knowing, crisp and useful.
Knox didn't know where Kai was. Chances were he'd go to the clinic, then to her apartment - and she wasn't either place. Nathan scented her as much closer. Downtown. He could get to her first.
He didn't ask himself what he would do when he found her. He had no plan, felt no need for one. He knew enough: Knox and Roberts intended to arrest her, to lock her away. It didn't matter at this moment if conviction was likely. The arrest itself would damage her. Jail would damage her. A trial would damage her.
So he would prevent the arrest. She was his. His. No one was allowed to harm her.
Chapter 9
"Keep talking," Kai said.
"This haunt has been trying to get my attention since last night." Jackie grimaced. "I should have listened, I guess. When I gave up and let him in, he didn't have much to say. Not even his name, which is weird. They're usually eager to give me their names, their stories. He did give me a picture - this place, filled with people like it is now. So here I am."
"He?" Maybe the message was from her father. A twist of longing tugged at her, because she wanted that to be true.
"Definitely he, though that's about all I know about him. 'Get her out of there,' he said."
"Who?"
"I don't know. Dammit, you'd think... but it's got to be either you or Ginger. I don't know anyone else here well."
"If something bad is going to happen - "
"See, that's just the thing. People think those on the other side have all this insight into events here, when half the time they don't have a clue. But... well, if a message is really specific, there's usually something to it."
Charley stepped up to the mike. His soothing voice drifted out over the crowd as he welcomed them, and the colorful soup began to settle.
"I take it this one's specific?"
"As such things go, yeah." Jackie chewed on her lip. "I'd better tell Ginger, too. Do you know where she is?"
"Up at the front. She's supposed to speak."
"Shit. She won't want to leave."
"I'll go with you."
"No, you won't. You'll leave, then I'll have one less to worry about. Go on." Jackie gave her a little push. "Go."
But once she was turned around, Kai saw what Jackie had come to warn about. Though the colors around the crowd had canned, a small group of men - maybe twenty - kept to themselves off to one side. Kai didn't like the look of their thoughts or the murky swirl they swam in.
"Jackie," she started, turning around - but her friend was gone, swallowed up in people.
It was Kai's turn for some lip chewing. Earlier she'd seen a couple of police officers over by the Midland Center, the brick building whose wall made one boundary for the plaza. Maybe she should find them, see if she could persuade them there was trouble brewing. Or maybe... no,, dammit. Don't even think about it.
Telling herself not to think about something was hopeless, of course. Don't think about an elephant inevitably conjures the image of an elephant. Once it occurred to Kai that she might be able to stop the ugliness before it erupted by calming those thoughts, she couldn't banish the idea by telling herself to drop it.
Okay, then. Consider it logically, pros and cons, she told herself as she began weaving through the packed bodies, heading for the Midland Center.
The pro was that she might be able to prevent violence. The con was - well, there were several. First, ugly thoughts didn't necessarily lead to violence. Second, she had no idea what she might do to any minds she tampered with. That was a good reason, an excellent reason, not to interfere. Third, she didn't even know if she could do it.
"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!" someone yelled from the back of the crowd.
Kai turned - and those thoughts were roiling now, seething with colors that made her think of storms and blood. There were more shouts, the volume and venom in them mounting every second.
Someone cried out in startlement or fear, someone else in anger. Kai couldn't see what was happening, but the people near her started moving - most trying to get away from the commotion at the rear, some shoving their way toward the trouble. She heard Charley's amplified voice telling everyone to stay calm, stay calm, but no one was listening.
She heard screams.
And the patterns - ! The air was thick with the bleached yellow of fear, rippling with electric green and swirls of dark ocher, darker gray, mud brown. The wrongness of the patterns sucked at her. Kai breathed in raggedly - and let herself go, falling into fugue. She had to try -
Someone bumped her, hard. She fell against another someone, which kept her from hitting the ground, and found herself engulfed in a moving knot of people. An elbow jabbed her ribs. She heard screams, cries, yelling., Panic sent her heartbeat rocketing. She fought to keep her feet.
Suddenly she found herself in a pocket of space left inexplicably open in the shoving crowd. She started to reach again for fugue - then saw the body lying on the ground.
It was Jackie.
Kai threw herself to her knees beside her friend. Terror keened her senses, drowning the immaterial in a flood of physical. She shivered as she reached for the pulse point on Jackie's throat... strong. Jackie's heart beat strongly.