Lupi 06 - Blood Magic

and was a father, he brimmed with love, support, and hugs.
    When they broke apart Rule was grinning as widely as his father. He braced his feet - and sure enough, here came the clap on the back, hearty enough to stagger the unprepared. "Lily's good, right?' Isen said. "And Toby. I can't wait to see that boy. You'll bring him to Clanhome soon. Today."
    Isen could have come to Toby, but Rule didn't suggest it. Today's meeting was very much the exception. His father seldom left Clanhome - though that might change, with Leidolf no longer a threat. "I will. He's eager to see you and his Uncle Benedict." Rule glanced at the silent man still standing guard behind their father. "Speaking of whom - "
    Isen squeezed Rule's arm. "Leave him be. He's brooding. Always been a hell of a one for a good brood, my Benedict. Leave him be for now."
    Rule looked at his brother's unrevealing face. "I didn't expect him to object so strongly to my becoming Leidolf Rho."
    "No, no. He considers that good strategy. It's getting yourself engaged he has problems with. Now, when do I get to see my grandson? He'll stay at Clanhome for the rest of the summer," Isen announced. "Once school starts, well, we'll see how that works out. But it's summer still."
    That was all he said about Rule's upcoming marriage. They walked and talked for another half hour as father and son, arranging for Toby to spend time at Clanhome, if not quite as much as Isen wanted. And Rule's father didn't again refer to Rule's intention to break one of the strongest taboos of his people. When Rule tried to raise the subject, Isen dodged it neatly.
    It would have been nice, Rule thought as he headed for his car, if he could trust that silence meant support, or at least a lack of opposition. But this was Isen Turner. By definition, he was up to something.

 
    TWO

    Three Weeks Later
     
    San Diego slid from July into August like a baker slides a fresh sheet of cookies into the oven - quick and smooth, with the new panful of days set to cook up crisp. The weather experts muttered among themselves about the inversion layer, but no one really knew why the city was experiencing such unprecedented heat. Sales of charcoal and grill supplies were down; alcohol sales were up. So were rapes, domestic violence, suicides, and auto accidents.
    And homicides, of course. People were too hot to cook out, but they still killed one another. Lily Yu walked along the hot concrete, carrying her new patent- leather sandals instead of wearing them, and reflected on how odd it felt not to be investigating any of those shootings, stabbings, or beatings.
    She stopped short of the sticky red scum baking on the street. Her bare soles weren't picking up a thing except heat and grit, and she'd crossed the street four times now.
    One of the small gaggle of looky-loos cluttering the convenience store parking lot on the corner called out a disrespectful and unlikely suggestion. Lily sighed.
    "Hot weather sure brings out the loonies," the officer standing next to the black-and-white said.
    "That it does," Lily agreed, bending to slip one sandal back on, then the other. Her feet were filthy. She had some wipes in her purse, though, so she could clean them up in a few minutes. "Doesn't seem to be anything here for me."
    The officer who'd spoken took off his dark blue cap, dragged his forearm across his forehead, and reseated the cap. "Sorry to drag you out in the heat, but we've been told to call you people."
    "You did right. I wanted to check out one of these events right after it happened, anyway." She just hadn't wanted it to happen today, dammit.
    Technically she hadn't had to respond. It was Saturday; it was after five o'clock - no one would have minded if she'd let this wait until tomorrow. No one but her. It was annoying sometimes, being so meticulous.
    Lily looked at the twisted chassis of the little Honda. It had certainly lost the argument with the pickup. "I'll need to check her car, too. The steering wheel, the dash - all the areas the driver might have been in contact with."
    "Have at it. Guess you have to be thorough." He shook his head. "Funny job you have, though."
    "Yeah," she said dryly, and headed for the pleated Honda.
    Officer Munoz was short and solid, with a round, cheerful face that his mustache struggled valiantly to dignify. He was also young. Terribly young, to Lily's eyes... which was almost as disconcerting as checking out wacko calls instead of homicides. She wasn't yet thirty, for