Lupi 08 - Death Magic

Because I so much don’t want Croft to be one of them.”
    He squeezed her hand. “Even if Drummond’s involved, he might not be the only one.”
    She swallowed. Nodded.
    He shifted the subject. “I keep wondering why they went after Anna. What did she know or guess that made her a threat?”
    “They didn’t just want her. They wanted something at her place, too.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    “Why else were so many surfaces wiped clean? They were looking for something. Plus there’s the amount of blood in the carpet. It wasn’t a spurting type of injury. To get the carpet soaked that way, they must have left her lying there awhile. There are other possible reasons for that,” she added. “Maybe they didn’t go there expecting to have a body to remove and needed some time to arrange things. But the likeliest reason is that they left her there while they searched for something.”
    For a moment he could see it—Anna’s crumpled body bleeding into the carpet while her attackers went through her things. Anger rose. “She was alive still,” he said, his voice rough. “When they searched, she must have still been alive to have bled so much.”
    “Yeah, I think so, too.” She was silent a moment. “I even wondered for a bit if maybe it wasn’t Sjorensen who called me. What if it was her dopplegänger, and they had to get rid of Sjorensen so no one guessed? But the blood spot was still damp in the middle. She was attacked in the last twelve hours or so. If they’d made a dopplegänger, wouldn’t they want to get rid of the original sooner than that?”
    Rule frowned. “Maybe not. If Anna didn’t call you, she’d deny having done so. But they would expect that, wouldn’t they? Both sets of ‘them’—the authorities and our enemies. Our enemies might have used a dopplegänger to call you, but not seen the need to remove Anna until something else happened.”
    “Whoever called used Sjorensen’s phone. But maybe . . .” Her fingers started tapping on her thigh. “Maybe they snitched it from her, then planted it on her again. Maybe that’s what tipped her that something was wrong, and she started digging. Maybe she learned something, or they were afraid she did.” She sighed. “That’s a whole slew of maybes, and they don’t get us any closer to finding her.”
    Rule didn’t respond. Lily knew as well as he did that it was unlikely they’d find Anna. Her body, perhaps, if they were lucky. And patterners tended to tip luck their way.
    Scott turned onto their street. It occurred to Rule he hadn’t prepared Lily for what awaited them at the house. “I sent for more Leidolf.”
    “You mentioned that.”
    “I’m afraid it will mean decreased privacy for you. Some of them will be sleeping in the basement. It’s uncomfortable in its current state, but at least there’s a sink and toilet. They’ll have to shower in the first-floor bathroom, however, as will those bunking in the garage.”
    Her head swung toward him. “You’re putting them in the garage and in the basement?”
    “Most of them. The shift leaders and José will sleep in the front bedroom. José texted me that the bunk beds have been delivered. Did I tell you that I named Scott José’s second?”
    “No.” There seemed to be a lot he hadn’t told her. Had he arranged all of this while they were at the ESH building? “Ah—congratulations, Scott.”
    He nodded, facing straight ahead. “Thanks.”
    “José will need a second, given the number of guards now in his charge. We discussed this and agreed on Scott. It helps that he’s Leidolf, but the promotion is based on ability and temperament, not clan.”
    “How many guards are you talking about?”
    “Twenty in addition to those already here.”
    “You’ve got to be kidding.”
    “Ruben isn’t the only one who can have a hunch.”
     
     
    THEIR little parlor was wall-to-wall lupi. They didn’t really fit. Lily stood beside Rule facing the sea of lupi and wondered why she was there. Sure, she had to meet them, but she didn’t think she could memorize everyone’s names this fast.
    Rule had told them all to sit and was giving them a truncated version of what they were up against—not everything, but he told them about dopplegängers, and that they were to watch for the scent of death magic, which should distinguish the fake from the real. José and Scott were at the back of the room, the only ones standing other than Lily and Rule.
    “As for your immediate