Hexed

with the Crüe, it’s like a religious experience, dude. I had my eyes closed. Haven’t you ever communed with the sound gods like that before, where you can feel the shredding in your bones? «
    Geffert just shook his head and flipped open a notebook. He wanted Granuaile’s name and address to confirm my alibi for last night. I told him she’d have the bats in her car but neglected to tell him that he could find her at my shop right then. Another detective walked up and said they hadn’t found a sword anywhere yet, and the blunt weapons in the garage were covered in dust and showed no signs of recent use. They shuffled everything around for another hour but found nothing that would implicate me in last night’s Satyrn Massacre. I spent the time outside, watering my herbs and giving Oberon a proper belly rub, while Hal kept a wary eye on them. I also sank my toes into the grass and finally paid attention to the lacerations and bruises the Morrigan had given me. By the time they finally drove away, asking me politely to remain in town while they conducted their investigation, I felt good as new and fully recharged.
    Hal and I popped open a couple of Stellas, clinked bottlenecks, and toasted a good bamboozle. Oberon got a few extra treats for his thespian activities, and when I inspected my DVD collection, I discovered that the female detective had actually alphabetized it for me. I got to feel good for about three whole minutes, and then my cell phone rang.
    » Atticus, any chance you can get over here now? « Granuaile said. » Those two guys are back, and they say they’re not leaving until they speak with you. «

Chapter 16
    » Those two guys are already more annoying than the police, « I said to Hal after I assured Granuaile I’d be right there.
    » What two guys? «
    I quickly related to him all the details I knew, which were few, and that I needed assistance in gathering intelligence on them. » Do you have a super-sneaky way of siccing a private investigator on these guys so that it can’t be traced back to you? I definitely don’t want any member of the Pack or friend of the Pack to get involved. I’ll pay for the investigator. «
    » Absolutely, « he said as he watched me leap onto my bike. » Mind if I drop in to take a look at them in a couple minutes, pretend to be a customer? «
    » Um. Well. If you want. «
    » You think I shouldn’t? «
    » It’s just that I seriously have no idea what these guys are, except strange. I don’t want to put you at risk. «
    Hal snorted. » Whatever. I’ll follow along in case you need my giant hairy muscles to throw them out. « He pressed the fob on his keys to make his car alarm chirp.
    » All right, « I said, unwilling to argue about it. I sent a mental farewell to Oberon as I pedaled away, pumping my legs as fast as they could go. I’d be there in less than five minutes—plenty of time for me to think about what I was heading into.
    For the same two men to return twice in the same day looking for me at my place of business told me that they didn’t know where I lived, and that was perplexing considering how much else they seemed to know about my whereabouts. And the urgency with which they wanted to see me indicated that they’d completely exploded my dumb-college-boy façade. The rabbi had already seemed to know it when they left the first time, but somehow between then and now they must have obtained proof of my magical mojo, which meant they probably realized how rare those books in my bookcase truly were. Whatever they wanted, I was already feeling like I wanted the opposite.
    It was three in the afternoon, that dead time of day, and no one was in the store besides Granuaile, Rebecca, Father Gregory, and Rabbi Yosef. It was Perry’s day off.
    » Mr. O’Sullivan, we have been waiting— « Father Gregory began, but I let him talk to the hand as I addressed my employees.
    » Both of you scoot for the rest of the day—on full pay, of course. And, Granuaile, don’t forget to stop by Target before you go home. Sporting goods, you know, « I said as a reminder. We needed to follow through on the alibi right away, since Geffert was pursuing it.
    » Got it, sensei. « Granuaile winked at me, and she quickly gathered her things and jangled out the door, a worried-looking Rebecca close on her heels.
    » What do you want? « I asked the rabbi when the door had closed. He was clearly the boss and the badass of the two; the priest was a Public