Grave Witch, page 4
"Is Rue here?" Marrone's voice was clipped, and Gilbert snapped his mouth shut. Shit, they weren't supposed to be talking about Rue. He wasn't registered. Every record of him said he was human.
"Peas and other cold-hardy crops." He focused on Gertrude and hoped she'd save the situation.
"Great! Peas will be most welcome come winter. You can make the split pea soup Chaton gave everyone for Christmas. Loads of protein."
Gilbert nodded. Yeah, maybe he should fill all the beds with peas. Shifters needed a lot of protein, and with the meat deliveries no longer coming from Oakmouth, he should prioritize legumes. "Yeah, maybe I should focus on peas."
"Are you growing for yourself, or are you trying to get out of guard duty?" Gertrude smiled, but there was something off about it. Was she trying to distract Marrone, so he wouldn't ask about Rue again?
"First, we have to see if I can grow anything. I have my tomatoes--" He gestured at the porch. "--and figured..." Shrugging, he gestured at the bare soil. "If there are a lot of peas, I'll give them to...Asher." Asher was a safe name. Gertrude had mentioned Chaton, but were they allowed to talk about Chaton? He wasn't sure anymore. At first, no one was allowed to go near the blood slaves. Now they were the core of the community, and he wasn't sure what was safe to share with strangers and what wasn't. He met Oscar's gaze and got a nod in reply. Good enough.
"Sounds good." Gertrude smiled, but it was strained. "The police decided to renege on their word."
Cold slithered through him. He would not go to the station. He sought Oscar's gaze again and was met with what could only be described as an apologetic expression. Fuck.
"Interrogations weren't enough. Now they want to go through your things." The edge in Gertrude's voice would've made him smile if it hadn't involved him.
"My things?" Gilbert slid his gaze over Oscar and Marrone. Oscar looked exasperated, and Marrone was a mix between angry and embarrassed.
"They're searching for the motorcycle." Gertrude crossed her arms over her chest, and Dov snorted from behind Gilbert.
"Within the walls?" Gilbert was confused. There were no vehicles within the walls. If someone had anything run by an engine, it was in the garage outside the gate.
"Yes."
"But that's stupid." Gilbert looked between Oscar and Marrone.
"I know." Oscar nodded at him. "Can we check inside your house and your garage?"
Gilbert gestured at the garage first. All he had in there were a few spades, a rake, and a few baskets. During winter, he stored his porch furniture and pots there, but now they were on the porch.
Everyone, including Dov, walked into the garage. Marrone looked around with a look of disbelief, and Oscar smiled. "Thank you. And now the house."
Dov went back to measuring the walkways through the garden beds, and Gilbert walked ahead toward the house. He had some dirty dishes in the sink, and there was a stack of laundry on his living room table he had yet to put away. He guessed he should be happy it was clean and not a basket of dirty clothes.
They walked through the one-story house. It was small. A kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom with a washing machine and a dryer. He didn't need more. The garden was big, which he liked, and he lived alone and rarely had people over.
Oscar hummed approvingly at the living room. "Cozy."
Gilbert looked at the dark blue walls, the bookshelves, the couch, and the coffee table. He might not have much, but he liked what he had. Apart from the laundry basket on the table. "Thanks."
They checked the kitchen, the bedroom, and lastly, Oscar gestured for Marrone to check the bathroom. He and Gertrude stayed where they were, hovering between the hallway and the living room. Gilbert stayed too. There wasn't anything to see in the bathroom.
"Want me to pick up dried green peas at the shop?" Oscar spoke low, but his gaze was intent on Gilbert. "I did for Chaton. He says they're much cheaper than if you order from a seed company, and while it's not a fancy variety, they do the trick."
Gilbert nodded. Since he hadn't worked since The Virgin Drop closed, he liked cheap. "I'd appreciate it."
"If I get off before they close, I'll get them tonight."
"Thanks."
Marrone walked back to them, his steps louder than necessary, but Gilbert ignored him.
"Thank you for your time." Oscar smiled before turning toward the door.
"Good luck."
Marrone glared at him, which was...It wasn't Gilbert's fault they were searching the community.
* * * *
Chapter 5
Kage walked through one house after the other, checking one garage after the other. There wasn't a single vehicle. Not a single fucking car, motorcycle, or moped in sight. Not so much as a lawn mower. There were a few toys, telling him there were children around. He hadn't spared children a single thought.
He was well aware it wasn't Christopherson's fault, well aware he was the one who'd made this day happen, but for each house they went through he resented Christopherson a little more. Why hadn't he told Kage there were no vehicles within the walls?
Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't Christopherson he resented but himself. He'd been so focused on his mission, he hadn't cared what they did during work hours, which had turned him into Hamilton's tool.
This was a waste of time. A waste of Christopherson's and his time, a waste of Gertrude's time, and a waste of everyone they encountered's time.
When they only had a few houses left to check, Gertrude was called away, and all she did was squeeze Christopher's arm and told him to call her if there was a problem.
When they reached a garden overflowing with plants, Kage slowed his steps. "What's this?"
"No one lives here." Christopherson glanced at him. "It's where most of the food in the community comes from. It's crate day today, which is why there are so many people."
There were people, and everyone leaving was carrying a wooden crate. "What's crate day?"
"The things being harvested in the garden are divided among the inhabitants and handed out."
Something clicked in Kage's mind. "Gilbert."
Christopherson nodded, and for the first time since they'd arrived outside the gate, he gave Kage something resembling a smile. "Everyone does what they can. Miles Parrow resents it. He doesn't know this is what they're doing, but everyone does what they can to buy as little as possible from the grocery store in Myrfolk. It's hard during winter, of course, but they can't afford the extra fees he adds. Since Esme moved in--" He gestured along the road ahead of them. "--there's been even more trouble. He adds a fee to everything going to the community, but she's human, and other companies don't penalize her when she buys from them. Which, of course, has led to her doing so, and buying a little extra for her neighbors, so they don't have to buy from the Myrfolk store either."
Kage groaned. "And Miles Parrow is our witness of the vampire stealing the motorbike."
Christopherson looked at him for a long time before speaking. "Correct."
"And there are no motorized vehicles within the walls."
"Correct."
"And you've allowed me to make a fool out of myself all day knowing we won't find shit here."
Christopherson's gaze hardened. "No. I did what I could to avoid this. These people don't deserve to have their privacy invaded. There is enough of that going around as it is. People surveying their every move."
Kage was aware. It was one of the reasons he wasn't registered. He should do what he came to Myrfolk to do, then get the hell out of here before anyone found out what he was. "Where is Rue?"
Christopherson's eyes widened. "Rue? Why? We've already checked his house."
They had? "Where does he live?"
"One of the stone cottages by the square."
Oh, they had checked those houses. They were cute. Kage looked around. It was a nice community. He might not have wanted to live smack dab in the middle of Wolf Street, where the gardens were small, and the houses all looked the same, but in the western or the northern parts? Yeah, he'd have loved to have a house here. What would it be like to live in a community? To not have to hide what you were.
Though people tended to dislike grave witches.
"What do you want with Rue?"
Kage took a deep breath. He owed Christopherson. He didn't know why, but lying right now felt wrong. "It's an old case, from before I moved here." It wasn't an official case, but he didn't need to know. "A missing person, and the trail leads to The Virgin Drop." And died there. He couldn't raise anyone without knowing where they died.
Many called his kind grave witches, but it wasn't true. He didn't raise people from their graves. He raised them from where they had died.
"Name?"
He wouldn't find her name in any reports anywhere. "Pomona Felicia October."
Christopherson's eyes narrowed. "Never heard anyone mention a Pomona."
Right then, the door of the house opened, and Gabriel, one of the vampires they'd interviewed the night before, exited together with a dark-haired man who glared at them. Yikes.
"Zeeve." Christopherson took a step toward him, and the man, Zeeve, ground to a stop.
"I have an uncomfortable question." Christopherson spoke softly, and Kage could practically see Zeeve's hackles rising. Gabriel flashed fangs and shifted his hold on the crate he was carrying, but Christopherson didn't so much as flinch. He must be used to vampires showing off their teeth.
"About?"
"A name." Christopherson gestured at Kage. "Have you ever met or heard of someone called Pomona Felicia October?"
Zeeve shook his head, then stilled. "Pomona?"
Kage's heart almost stopped. The way Zeeve tasted the name made him believe he'd heard it before.
"Yes, Pomona. Any mention of her?"
Zeeve looked back toward the house. "I never met a Pomona, but I think...maybe I've heard the name? Ask Chaton. He was there longer than I was."
Kage could hardly breathe. Was there? Where?
"Is he inside?"
Zeeve nodded. "In the kitchen. Don't know if Asher will let you speak to him, though."
"Bad day?" Christopherson tilted his head to the side.
How well did he know these people?
"Don't know, but Asher is grumpy and Chaton is hiding, so..." He shrugged.
"And it isn't because we've been here stirring up shit?"
"I don't think so, but who knows?" He made to leave, then focused on Christopherson again. "If she was there, it was before I arrived."
"Thank you." Christopherson reached out as if to touch him but pulled his hand back at the last second. Then he turned to Kage. "Unless you're in a hurry, I'd suggest we wait for a day or two before asking Chaton."
Kage wanted to argue. He wanted answers now, but for once, he nodded. Christopherson knew Chaton way better than Kage did. Kage didn't have a clue what Chaton looked like, so maybe it was time he started trusting Christopherson, despite him being an obnoxious human.
"Did Zeeve work at The Virgin Drop?"
Christopherson stared at him as if he'd lost his mind, then he shook his head. "He was a blood slave."
Kage turned to look, but Zeeve and Gabriel were already so far away he couldn't make out more than their shapes. "Oh...And Chaton?"
"Was a blood slave."
"And Rue." Kage nodded before Christopherson could say anything.
"And Namir."
"Jinx's mate?" He'd met Jinx on his first day here in Myrfolk. They'd gone to a community in Oakmouth. It had been chaotic.
"Yeah. He and Ty have the chickens. Eggs for the crates." Christopherson gestured at the house.
"But we don't ask him?"
Christopherson grimaced. "A little less than a year ago, Hamilton sent a group of uniformed cops here. They shot Namir."
What the fuck?
"He survived. Eir was here, thankfully, so she healed him, but cops aren't his favorite people."
Kage stared at him. "Fucking hell."
"They could've stopped us at the gate today. It's their right to do so. But they also know it could mean Hamilton sending people to the gate waving guns around and pulling triggers. It's safer to allow us to have a poke around." He was quiet for a heartbeat. "Next time, they might not be as forgiving."
Kage nodded. No more talking to Hamilton about warrants. "I'll try my best to listen in the future."
Christopherson grinned. "Let's go talk to Miles Parrow."
* * * *
Gilbert was on the porch enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning sun. He only allowed himself one cup these days. Coffee was too expensive. He should look into getting a job of some kind.
Some of the others did data entry jobs. Boring, low-paying jobs, but his savings were dwindling a little too fast for his liking, and yet he didn't do anything. Food was shockingly expensive.
"Gilbert!"
Gilbert looked up, and there were Oscar and Marrone. He groaned before he could stop himself. He didn't have anything against Oscar. They weren't close, but he liked Jasper, and Oscar had never done anything to make his life harder. The opposite. He tried to help the community.
"Officers." Reluctantly, Gilbert put his cup on the table next to his chair and got up. Oscar and Marrone walked up the flagstone to meet him.
"Peas." Oscar held out a bag from the Myrfolk grocery store. It looked heavy, and Gilbert accepted it with a mumbled thanks.
"They had way more split peas than whole ones, but it said sproutable on the back of these, so I hope they work. I don't know how tall they'll be. Does the food industry use vining peas or bush peas?"
Shit, were there different kinds? "Eh...how do I know?"
Oscar shrugged. "Ask Chaton. I think it was these I got for him too."
Marrone was watching them with interest, and Gilbert wondered if they gave too much away. "I will. What do I owe you?"
Oscar waved a hand. "Nothing."
"Oscar." He spoke with exasperation, and it wasn't until he saw Marrone's widened eyes, he realized he might have fucked up.
"It evens out over time."
Except, Gilbert never gave Oscar anything. Though if he grew peas for the community, Jasper would get some in his crate, and since he assumed he and Oscar ate together...yeah, maybe it would even out over time.
The image of Oscar and Jasper eating together made his mind jump to Jasper eating Oscar, and his stomach cramped. He had to get some blood soon. Like yesterday. He pressed his lips together as his fangs tingled. He hoped Marrone wouldn't notice. Would he try to arrest him if he did?
Gilbert would not leave the community, not without a fight.
He inhaled only to sneeze. He didn't have the sense of smell the shifters had, but not only did they smell of Oscar's cologne, but Marrone smelled of lemon. So much lemon, he must've bathed in lemon juice.
"Thank you. I'll...eh..." He rubbed his nose, and Oscar grinned at him. He knew full well what he was doing to their senses. "I'll go find Chaton right away." Then he hesitated. "Or did you want to check my house again?"
"Nah, only came to leave the peas. We're also looking for Chaton."
Gilbert tensed. "Chaton would never steal a motorbike. He never puts a toe outside the walls."
"I know." Oscar raised his hands, and Marrone was studying them. "It's about an old case."
When Gilbert narrowed his eyes at him, he sighed. "Marrone has an old missing person case, and we think Chaton might know something."
Gilbert shifted his focus to Marrone, who shrugged and gave him a tentative smile. Handsome. Dark hair, dark eyes, smaller than Gilbert, but most people were unless he hung out with the bears. "Someone from France?"
"France?" Marrone looked surprised. "No, not from France. Why?"
Had he messed up again? "Since he lived in France before he was sold into slavery."
"Oh..." Marrone glanced at Oscar. "No, all traces lead to The Virgin Drop, then nothing."
"You think they got out?"
Marrone met his gaze head-on, then gave a slight shake of his head. "No, I think she died there, or if not right there, then at least because of what they did to her there. If she were alive, I think we would've found her by now."
"You're looking for a body?"
Something flickered in Marrone's eyes. Was he looking for the body? He guessed her family deserved to know what had happened, but if she was dead..."You're looking for her killer?" How the hell would they know who killed her if she was--"Was she a blood slave or did she work there?" If she had worked there, she might still be alive. The Red Thirst, the vampire clan who'd owned The Virgin Drop, had left town, but it didn't mean they hadn't set up shop somewhere else. "Have you tracked The Red Thirst?"
Marrone smiled. "What do you know about them?"
Gilbert shook his head. "Nothing. I've never had any dealings with them, but vampire clans can be...complicated."
"Complicated how?"
Gilbert shrugged. "I was part of a group for a while. I wouldn't call us a clan, but the members in vampire groups stick together." They might fight like siblings behind closed doors, but they stood united against the outside world. "Was she human?"
His gaze jumped away from Gilbert's. "Yeah."
Gilbert wasn't sure he believed him. "If you haven't found any evidence of her being dead, they might have turned her."
Marrone's eyes widened. "Turned her?"
Didn't he know vampires were made? "Shifters are born, but vampires are made."
Marrone nodded. "Yeah, I know, I only...To be honest, the thought has never crossed my mind. I know she came here. I know she was held captive at The Virgin Drop, and I was sure it was where she died. I've looked there, but I haven't found her. Them turning her never occurred to me. Would they, though?"
Gilbert had only wanted to help, but now he was confused. "No idea. Vampires growing attached to their pets and turning them isn't unheard of. If she were a blood slave, I doubt it was what happened, though. They don't care about those."
"Pet." Disgust dripped from Marrone's voice, and Gilbert regretted speaking. This was how people most often reacted to vampires.
