a whisper, but it vibrated through her body as if he’d screamed.
Talia sucked air into her too-tight throat and lungs. “I’m okay.” She stepped up to him and opened his torn and bloody shirt. His chest had already started to heal. “How about you?”
Jean Luc closed his eyes for a moment, and when they opened again, they had returned to their brown color. “I will be fine. I am going to the car to gather some equipment. We have much to clean up before the police are called in.”
* * *
The flickering red and blue lights were giving Talia a headache. She wanted nothing more than to be away from the scene, breathing in the cool night air. Misha had shown up right before the ambulance and cops, cursing that he had missed all the fun again, and simultaneously taking care of both Simon and Deanna with amazing aptitude.
Misha helped the paramedics load Deanna into the ambulance. He gave Talia a big smile. “I’m going to follow them to the hospital. I have always wanted to watch a baby being born. Maybe I’ll get lucky.”
She chuckled, headed back into the building, and plopped down into the receptionist’s chair to wait for Jean Luc. It wasn’t long before he walked into the room with the medical examiner and a plain-clothes policeman. He looked strange in the gym logo T-shirt Talia had found for him to wear, but they had not wanted the police to see the blood on his shirt. Jean Luc wouldn’t have been able to explain how he had healed so quickly.
“So you’re telling me that was the killer?” the cop asked.
“Yes.”
“And you tracked him?”
“We followed a pattern. The Fitness Club was the connection.”
The medical examiner held up an evidence bag. In it was the metal, claw-like tool Jean Luc had planted next to the body. “This guy had to be pretty twisted to use a sharpened gardening hook.” She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and smiled at Jean Luc. Was she flirting with him? Here? “Promise me you’ll stop at the station tomorrow morning and give Charlie your statement.”
“You have my word, Muriel.”
* * *
Talia led the way into the house. Jean Luc dropped his car keys on the table, and the jingling scraped across her nerve endings.
“Are the cops really going to buy that David was a serial killer who used a gardening hook to kill his victims…because he thought he was some sort of animal?”
“They will do whatever is necessary to close the case. All they want is for the killings to stop.” He held up the notebook from David’s apartment. “Without this, they won’t be able to connect him to supernaturals.”
“Why do you think he killed Peter and Tony and tried to kill Deanna?”
“The notebook does not explain why. It just states his job was to eliminate the humans who glow.” Jean Luc’s mouth quirked up slightly. “I had hoped to find out more, but you smashed him over the head just when the conversation was getting interesting.”
Her mouth fell open. “What? Excuse me for saving you from a demented demon.”
“I told you that you were stronger than you realized. And you also saved that young girl and her baby.”
Warmth blossomed in Talia’s chest at his praise. “Well, you were the one who stopped him from hurting anyone else.” She frowned. “Wait a minute. What about his body? You can’t honestly think the M.E. won’t notice anything weird when she cuts him open. And what’s with her, is she an ex or something?”
“Muriel is scheduled to complete the autopsy tomorrow morning. Tonight, there will be an administrative screw-up, and the body will be cremated.” Jean Luc smirked. “And she is not an ex anything. She is simply a bit forward.”
Talia chuckled. “Right. How are you going to pull off the cremation?”
“We have supernaturals working in the police department and the morgue.”
She let out a deep breath. “Wow. I have no idea what to say. My brain is on overload.”
“It has been a long day.” Jean Luc’s gaze
Talia sucked air into her too-tight throat and lungs. “I’m okay.” She stepped up to him and opened his torn and bloody shirt. His chest had already started to heal. “How about you?”
Jean Luc closed his eyes for a moment, and when they opened again, they had returned to their brown color. “I will be fine. I am going to the car to gather some equipment. We have much to clean up before the police are called in.”
* * *
The flickering red and blue lights were giving Talia a headache. She wanted nothing more than to be away from the scene, breathing in the cool night air. Misha had shown up right before the ambulance and cops, cursing that he had missed all the fun again, and simultaneously taking care of both Simon and Deanna with amazing aptitude.
Misha helped the paramedics load Deanna into the ambulance. He gave Talia a big smile. “I’m going to follow them to the hospital. I have always wanted to watch a baby being born. Maybe I’ll get lucky.”
She chuckled, headed back into the building, and plopped down into the receptionist’s chair to wait for Jean Luc. It wasn’t long before he walked into the room with the medical examiner and a plain-clothes policeman. He looked strange in the gym logo T-shirt Talia had found for him to wear, but they had not wanted the police to see the blood on his shirt. Jean Luc wouldn’t have been able to explain how he had healed so quickly.
“So you’re telling me that was the killer?” the cop asked.
“Yes.”
“And you tracked him?”
“We followed a pattern. The Fitness Club was the connection.”
The medical examiner held up an evidence bag. In it was the metal, claw-like tool Jean Luc had planted next to the body. “This guy had to be pretty twisted to use a sharpened gardening hook.” She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and smiled at Jean Luc. Was she flirting with him? Here? “Promise me you’ll stop at the station tomorrow morning and give Charlie your statement.”
“You have my word, Muriel.”
* * *
Talia led the way into the house. Jean Luc dropped his car keys on the table, and the jingling scraped across her nerve endings.
“Are the cops really going to buy that David was a serial killer who used a gardening hook to kill his victims…because he thought he was some sort of animal?”
“They will do whatever is necessary to close the case. All they want is for the killings to stop.” He held up the notebook from David’s apartment. “Without this, they won’t be able to connect him to supernaturals.”
“Why do you think he killed Peter and Tony and tried to kill Deanna?”
“The notebook does not explain why. It just states his job was to eliminate the humans who glow.” Jean Luc’s mouth quirked up slightly. “I had hoped to find out more, but you smashed him over the head just when the conversation was getting interesting.”
Her mouth fell open. “What? Excuse me for saving you from a demented demon.”
“I told you that you were stronger than you realized. And you also saved that young girl and her baby.”
Warmth blossomed in Talia’s chest at his praise. “Well, you were the one who stopped him from hurting anyone else.” She frowned. “Wait a minute. What about his body? You can’t honestly think the M.E. won’t notice anything weird when she cuts him open. And what’s with her, is she an ex or something?”
“Muriel is scheduled to complete the autopsy tomorrow morning. Tonight, there will be an administrative screw-up, and the body will be cremated.” Jean Luc smirked. “And she is not an ex anything. She is simply a bit forward.”
Talia chuckled. “Right. How are you going to pull off the cremation?”
“We have supernaturals working in the police department and the morgue.”
She let out a deep breath. “Wow. I have no idea what to say. My brain is on overload.”
“It has been a long day.” Jean Luc’s gaze
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