Nightshade Cases

Chapter 7

INT. - SILVER CITY COLLEGE - AFTERNOON

Kinsey hunched over her keyboard, laptop glare giving her a headache, but she barely noticed past the buzz of far too much coffee. A cold, absent sip from her mug made her splutter and drove her back, computer chair making a crunching noise as one of the wheels crushed a fallen potato chip she'd lost track of the night before.

Ignoring the clutter surrounding her as though it was normal to have giant piles of books and boxes of artifacts mixed with heaps of unmarked papers stuffed into every nook and cranny of her small office, Kinsey stood and stretched out her tight lower back muscles, yawning as her mind wound around what she'd learned.

Most of the symbols resembled ones she knew, ancient etchings from Egypt and even as far back as Mesopotamia. But, though she was able to connect them to a few pagan religions tied to both cultures, there were enough differences in the subtle nuances she wasn't confident enough yet to share translations with Gerri.

The empty coffee pot's charred bottom made her wince as she rattled through her small cabinet for a new filter. She'd been accused of being absent minded and hated the thought. Though she had to admit, as she filled the reservoir from a mostly-full bottle of spring water, she was often guilty of ignoring the mundane for the extraordinary.

Who wouldn't? Kinsey's whole body shivered as she caught herself grinning at the dripping java, the smell about driving her mad as she tapped one foot in impatience, both in anticipation of the fresh coffee and of getting back to her research. Dr. Gant had told her long ago he'd never met anyone so clearly suited to the job than her and Kinsey had to agree.

She lived, ate, breathed, slept the hunt of information, the quiet and stealthy dig into why humans did what they did. What drove societies to flourish and collapse in sometimes grandiose ways while others sagged in slow decline. But, the best part was the connection to those things she couldn't explain.

Kinsey's fingers smarted as a drip of hot coffee scalded over the rim of her mug. With a soft curse, she licked them clean, weaving her expert way around the mess, returning to sit crossed-legged on her well-worn office chair. Two or three ginger sips and she was gulping the hot liquid while she paged through the report she'd uncovered.

Regardless of her doubts on the complete translations, Gerri wasn't going to like what Kinsey had to tell her, no matter how she broached the topic. She sighed and sat back from yet another close approximation of "paranormal", "undead", "demon" and "life after death" to savor what remained of her coffee. Gerri's reticence wasn't exactly a shock. Ever since the three friends renewed their relationships, rediscovering each other here in Silver City after almost a decade apart, the reason for their return to friendship had made Gerri uncomfortable. Kinsey's natural curiosity didn't see a problem with the possibility there were paranormal and/or supernatural happenings that literally could not be explained by logic and science. Though, she was enough of a trained mind to understand eventually even the most abnormal would be dissected and revealed through physics or chemistry. The loss of Dr. Gant to mysterious circumstances-his death in her arms proof enough to her he was more than he first appeared-led Kinsey not only to find the girls again, but awakened her long-forgotten memories of being afraid of "monsters" when she was a little girl.

His eyes. Most of all she remembered his eyes and how they'd gone from his pale blue to something so unworldly she wasn't sure she saw the change until he expired, body crumbling to dust as he did.

Any other person might have found a way to explain it, to forget or make excuses. But he taught her better than that. He'd begged her with those strange, star-speckled eyes at the end, to understand. He'd taught her to believe, to question but trust. And, in that moment of his loss, she saw enough to prove to her there was much more to evolution than what modern science was willing to admit.

And yet, it frustrated her Gerri was so stubborn about accepting there might actually be a paranormal explanation. Ray, at least, was a bit more open minded. Kinsey sighed into her coffee, the last trails of steam rising from the bottom of her cup. She knew both of them had seen things, too. Ray alluded to as much, about the night Gerri's partner, Joe Mutch, died. Gerri claimed it was a drug dealer. But Ray's version of the story involved something that made her shudder and get goosebumps.

No matter what happened, there was no way for Gerri to deny this clear evidence carved into the flesh of a transsexual dancer. She might not like it, may fight against it, but, in the end, they all knew the truth.

Paranormal creatures were real. And it was a very good possibility one of them killed Aisling.

Her door opened without preamble. Kinsey looked up to Gerri's entry and caught herself wincing. The detective looked angry, green eyes shadowed, long, red hair catching the afternoon sun coming in through the window, lighting her up like she was on fire. Kinsey always equated her tall, broad shouldered friend with an sss, a mighty warrior woman and, though Gerri would never know it, sometimes pictured her in armor with a sword in one hand and a shield strapped to her other. Kinsey had been nerdy enough in high school to be a fan of role playing games, though was pretty sure if she ever told Gerri, she would think Kinsey was a weirdo.

As if she didn't already.

Gerri pushed aside a pile of books and perched herself on the edge of the chair across from Kinsey's desk, resting her elbows on a stack of papers Kinsey still hadn't found time to grade. She caught a glimpse of Gerri's badge and gun through her open jacket as the redhead spoke.

"Think a homicide detective can get away with murder?" She had a lovely, deep voice, the kind of timbre Kinsey associated with blues singers and luscious black women. Regardless, it suited her perfectly.

Kinsey grinned, setting aside her mug with some regret her coffee was already gone. "If anyone could," she said. "I take it the new guy isn't working out?"

"How'd you guess?" Gerri groaned and leaned back, long body stretching out as best it could in the tight space. She didn't seem all that concerned she was using leather-bound books for a backrest. Kinsey winced at the thought of Gerri's weight crushing her precious babies. "He's going to turn up dead. Or something."

"I didn't hear you say that." Kinsey set aside her glasses, suddenly tired. She could go a long time on endless draughts of caffeine, but she'd finally reached her limit. Her fingers rubbed circles on her temples as she exhaled in preparation for the next phase of their conversation. "Just as long as you don't add me to the list of people you want to kill," she said. "Ready for weird?"

Gerri's whole demeanor changed. Kinsey watched with interest as she shifted from casual confidence to a visible withdrawal. She sat up straighter, brows coming together, the darkness in her eyes sparking something Kinsey didn't think was fear, per se, but came close. What was Gerri's issue? She was a detective. She should be just as curious as Kinsey about these things. Maybe there was more to the redhead's encounter with the paranormal than Gerri was telling her.

"Hit me," Gerri said.

Kinsey spun her laptop sideways, hoping the visuals might be enough to convince Gerri she wasn't full of crap. "So far, I've managed to confidently translate only two of the six symbols." She handed Gerri the printouts she'd made of the photos from the crime scene. Gerri compared them to the documents Kinsey showed her on her screen. "You see the shape is right, but the accent is different." One looked like an empty pot with waves over the top. But the symbol Kinsey had located had straight lines, not wavy ones. "I know it looks subtle, but it skews the meaning entirely, depending on what culture this came from." She'd found three separate social groups who used a similar image, though all three seemed to use it to denote life and the loss of soul. "The only one I can be definitive about is this one." A single line curved from a curl at the right, dipping down into a long, narrow line to a point then back up again, finishing with another curl. "This image, in all cultures I could find who used it, means not human."

Gerri twitched. "Like, animal?"

Kinsey's irritation showed, she was sure of it. "No, Ger," she said. "As in more than human. Paranormal."

Gerri's hand tightened on the page, jaw jumping, but she nodded.

"Keep going."

Kinsey sat back, shrugging, the tingling across her forehead, so familiar in times when she needed others to listen to her, forming a band around her head. Just a little nudge, a tiny push toward her way of thinking... Kinsey jerked herself free, sitting up straighter, as Gerri's eyes crinkled unhappily around the edges. The sigh of tension in her head, denied its target, turned into a headache. "Now, we could be dealing with some kind of ancient cult." That thought had crossed her mind, helped distract her from the lingering effects of her freaky talent. "One that believes paranormals are real." From the way Gerri uncoiled, Kinsey knew she'd diffused her anxiety at least a little. But she wasn't sure handing Gerri an out like that was the best course of action. So easy, just to nudge her... Kinsey tightened her hands into fists in her lap. This had to be up to Gerri. "If that's the case, this could be a hate crime. Or, someone thought Aisling was a paranormal and killed her for it, warding her body with symbols to keep her tainted soul from returning to haunt the living." Kinsey almost grinned to herself. She liked that turn of phrase and had to remember to write it down to use in her next book.

Her computer pinged, pulling both of their attention toward it. Kinsey clicked the new email icon and rapidly read through the info, noting out of the corner of her eye how Gerri leaned in to devour it with her.

Hey Kins, dug this up. So much for supernatural.

Ron

The email showed the symbol for "not human" next to a report. A police report. A local biker gang, the Divinities. From the details, the gang was growing in affluence and was suspected to be now working out of Silver City. Wouldn't you know, they used the same symbol for their tag.

"Biker gang affiliation." Gerri sounded relieved as Kinsey's heart sank, though she shook off her disappointment along with the remaining urge to sway Gerri to her way of thinking. A private fear whispered to her it was just her imagination, anyway, this "thing" she thought she possessed, this ability to influence those around her. She let it go as she considered the source of the information at hand. Dr. Ron Watson, a friend and fellow anthropologist in Los Angeles, was a big help with symbology, but not so much with proving her theory about paranormals. "Thanks, Kins." Gerri stood up, grinning now, at ease all over again.

"It could also be someone trying to throw you off their trail." Kinsey hated to play devil's advocate on her own theories, but it was true. She understood enough of human behavior to know if she was going to commit murder, she'd make damned sure to do everything she could to push the police off her trail. Funny how her mind worked.

"Which would imply premeditation and a hell of a lot of planning." Gerri shook her head. "It makes more sense Aisling might have had a run-in with the gang and they targeted her as a hate crime." She shrugged, as though shaking off the last of the stress the conversation caused her. "I'm going to go have a talk with the rival queen." She hesitated a moment, green eyes clouding over while Kinsey tensed, waiting for Gerri to speak again. She'd always been like this, reserved and withdrawn about certain things. Kinsey learned their first year in college together to be patient with Gerri. There were those who misread her, who saw her as a dumb athlete, a rock-hard woman with a brain to match. But Kinsey knew better. Gerri was the deepest, most brilliant person Kinsey had ever met, too smart sometimes. When Gerri spoke again, though, Kinsey couldn't hide her surprise. "I'd like you to come with me."

"Me?" Damn the squeak in her voice. Kinsey lunged to her feet, knowing she was grinning, unable to stop herself. How cool was this?

Gerri rolled her eyes, held up one hand, the other on her hip. The flash of her badge, unintentional Kinsey was sure, helped cool her jets a bit. This wasn't a game or fun or a dig into a culture for research. It was murder. And yet...

So. Cool.

"I can't take Pierce with me," Gerri growled. "He's an asshole." Kinsey nodded, keeping her lips pressed tight together to prevent an unfortunate blurt that might change Gerri's mind. "And, if there is something... weird going on," Gerri's exhale almost made Kinsey giggle, "you'd know it, right?"

How would she? But she wasn't about to say no. Gerri needed her. Sure, yeah, that was why her heart pounded in excitement at the thought of joining her friend in an investigation. "Just, keep your eyes open," Gerri said, resigned look on her face too comical. Kinsey couldn't help herself. She grinned all over again.

"You got it, partner." Kinsey grabbed her jacket, turned back to Gerri who stared out the window, lost in thought with a frown creasing her brow. "What about Pierce?" Kinsey wasn't afraid of him or anything. He barely spoke two words to her since she met him a week ago. She wasn't a fan, but had the impression Gerri was stuck with him.

"He's busy." When Gerri met her eyes, she was smiling, an evil gleam in her eye. "I hope he likes the morgue."

Kinsey winced, feeling suddenly sorry for Ray. Then shrugged it off, eagerly following Gerri out of her office while madly texting Mitchell to take over her first year Thursday intro class. Their coroner friend was a big girl. She could take care of herself.

***