Chapter 3 #3
Zach was creepy, but he wasn’t wrong. Unfortunately, figuring out what you loved wasn’t available to those who functioned in survival mode. When you’d spent the majority of your life at the bottom of the hierarchy of needs, it was a difficult climb to the top.
Zach tossed his napkin on the table. “Shall we?”
I followed him into the clinical section of his office where Belinda’s body awaited us. The light in her eyes wasn’t the only part of her that had faded. The scales of her fins had dulled significantly since my gruesome discovery.
“What do you believe happened to her?” Zach asked, as he slipped on a pair of white gloves and prepared his tools on a sterile side table.
“I’m hoping you can tell me.” My gaze snagged on a sparkly comb she had tucked in her hair. “Hold on. Let me move this.”
“Please do. It’s hideous.”
I disentangled the comb from her hair. “Mind if I keep it?” A personal belonging of the deceased might come in handy later.
“Only if you promise to burn it.”
I wrapped the comb in a tissue and put it in my purse.
Zach examined the body from head to toe, including her fingernail beds. “No signs of a struggle from this side.”
“We need to screen her for toxins.”
“Did that when I got back.”
“And?”
“Negative. No alcohol. Nothing of note.”
“No alcohol at all?”
“There was none in her system.”
Strange. “Will you cut her chest open?”
“Eventually. Is there something you’d like to see?”
“Her organs.”
He shot me a curious look. “The mermaid didn’t drown, Maya. It’s physically impossible.”
“I realize that, but an accidental drowning would make my life easier.”
He glanced up at me. “You know that hair’s breadth I gave you earlier? I take it back. ”
“I wasn’t really making her death about me,” I muttered. Maybe a little bit.
With great care, he rolled Belinda onto her front. “Do you suspect Judd of killing Belinda? Is that why you’re desperate for my services?”
Several parts of my body twitched in response to the reprehensible suggestion. “Judd would never. No. Absolutely not.”
“But it is suspicious that Belinda was found dead and Judd is missing, wouldn’t you agree?”
“It’s concerning is what it is.” Judd made arrows look crooked. There was no way he was involved in Belinda’s death. If anything, I was concerned he was in danger. That maybe he’d witnessed the murder and was hiding to protect himself.
Zach pointed to the back of Belinda’s head. “Looks like someone extracted a chunk of mermaid hair during the struggle.”
“You can just say hair. We know she’s a mermaid.” I rounded the table for a better view. Purple and pink strands of hair weren’t the only thing missing from the mermaid’s head. “I think her thread is missing.”
“Her fate-thread? I would think that’s normal given her current state.”
I leaned in for a closer inspection. “No, it isn’t. I should be able to see the root where it’s been snipped.”
It seemed Belinda’s fountain water just got murkier.
Zach positioned his face next to mine. “I didn’t realize fate-threads were visible to half Gorgons.”
“My father was a mage.”
“I see. That explains your talent for magic.”
I turned to look at him, and the tips of our noses nearly collided.
“What makes you think I have a talent for magic?” It was true I had magical skills, but I tried to be subtle about it.
It shouldn’t have surprised me that Zachariah noticed.
The necromancer’s attention to detail was one of his best—and worst—qualities.
“No need for modesty, Maya. I’ve walked past your patch in the community garden enough times to notice your assortment. Only a skilled magic user would have the wherewithal to plant the variety you have.”
“It beats waiting for deliveries.” The island was notoriously slow when it came to orders from the mainland.
He clucked his tongue. “And here you claimed you didn’t have any hobbies.”
I straightened to an upright position and put another couple inches between us. “I appreciate your help with this.”
His eyes glittered with enthusiasm. “Is it true, then? Are we dealing with our first murder on the island?”
“I doubt Belinda was capable of ripping out her own fate-thread down to the root.”
“Is it possible one of the Fates simply cut too close to the quick? It must happen on occasion. A momentary distraction.”
“The sisters don’t get distracted, not when it comes to fate.”
“Nonsense. Mistakes are made; otherwise, the Menders Guild wouldn’t exist.”
My eyes snapped to him. “How do you know about the Menders Guild?” The guild was comprised of benevolent fae who’d sided with the Fates during the Old War of Attrition.
These fae were dedicated to repairing destiny threads damaged by magical interference.
They travelled unseen from the Otherworld to hospitals, disaster zones, battlefields, wherever they were needed in order to fix a “snag” where a life should have ended but stubbornly didn’t—or vice versa.
A lazy smile unfurled in response. “I could ask you the same question, Maya.”
“Fate may bend, but it must not break,” we said in unison. The Menders Guild motto.
Zachariah’s smile deepened. “A shame about your personality. I generally find educated women extremely attractive.”
Possibly his one good quality.
“I learned about the Menders Guild years ago, during a ritual,” he explained. “The body on my table experienced a reversal of fortune when a mender turned up and fixed a snag. It seemed the deceased had a few good years left to live. Your turn.”
“I told you; my father was a mage. He knew members of the guild.” Not exactly a lie, but not the truth either. “I’m surprised the mender left you unscathed.” Menders despised necromancers, as well as any living creature that interfered with destiny.
“He was focused on his task. I was merely an observer.” Zach inhaled deeply. “It was an exhilarating experience, watching the mender work. Made me wish my abilities extended to fate-threads.”
“You wouldn’t want to work for the Fates,” I said, with a tad too much force. “Would you?” I added quickly.
“Three gorgeous, intelligent women with ancient power at their elegant fingertips.” He practically vibrated with sexual energy. “Imagine the possibilities.”
I didn’t have to imagine them. “I’d like to speak to Belinda now.”
Zach rolled her onto her front and snapped off his gloves. “I must admit, I’m rather curious to hear her side of the story.” He retrieved a premixed container of herbs from his refrigerator and removed the lid.
“You keep them cold?”
“I like to keep an emergency mixture on hand for moments like this.”
“How long does it keep?”
“About a week. If I haven’t used it by then, I toss it and make a new one.”
“Seems wasteful.”
“You never know when a loved one or greedy relative is going to turn up and demand one last conversation with the deceased.”
“I’m sure you’re paid handsomely for your efforts.”
He smiled. “Why do you think I can afford to play daily rounds of golf?”
I watched as he sprinkled a teaspoon of the mixture into her mouth.
“Now, don’t be alarmed if she screams,” he advised. “Sometimes that’s the first sound they make, depending on how they died.”
“Suddenly death doesn’t seem like such a peaceful slumber.”
“It’s the shock more than anything.”
We turned our attention to Belinda, waiting for signs of life. Her face remained frozen.
“Not hearing any screams, Zach.”
“I’m aware of that, Maya.” He scrutinized her head. “It must be the fate-thread. The root must be necessary to facilitate any form of communication with the deceased.”
My only good idea was now an impossibility. Terrific.
“I apologize, Maya. This has never happened before. I pride myself on my work.”
“It’s fine. You didn’t know.” I exhaled my disappointment. “Will you preserve the body in case I want to have another look at her later?”
“I’m afraid this ritual is a one-time deal.”
“I know. I mean in case I need to examine the body again for clues.”
“I’ll do what I can, but I highly doubt you’ll find anything. I’m quite thorough, I assure you.”
“I believe you. Listen, I’ll need you to keep this information to yourself. We don’t want Neighbors to panic.”
A murder was serious business anywhere; on Evermore it was the highest of priorities. The island was inhabited by powerful beings. If one of them decided to abuse their power…Well, it was a decision that could have far-reaching consequences.
I pondered the evidence, or lack thereof. The lone standout was the missing fate-thread. Icicles poked at my spine. It had been years since I’d seen anything like that.
And where the hell was Judd? If he wasn’t involved in Belinda's death, then why run and hide? Judd was a werewolf; he wasn’t capable of seeing fate-threads, never mind plucking them from a body like a wild chin hair.
I knew what I should do next, but the mere thought made me nauseated. One step back into that world and I risked discovery.
On the other hand, Belinda was dead, and the Neighbors would demand to know what happened to her, whether they should be concerned for themselves. I needed answers.
I needed Judd.
Unfortunately, his absence and Belinda’s murder were my top priorities for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, if any more witches accidentally summoned a demon, they were on their own.