Arrest, Search and Séance : Book 1 of the Fringe Society R.D. Hunter (pride and prejudice read .TXT) 📖

was right. If Trisha and the Things had gotten the better of me, (which, let’s face it, they almost had) no one would have known what had happened to me until they had had more than enough to enact some sweet payback. I didn’t even want to think about what that might have entailed.

Bill was my partner, and, more than that, he was also a friend. Ever since I’d arrived at the S.C.C., he’d treated me as a peer and an equal. I shouldn’t have left him in the lurch like that.

True, he might not have been able to come inside the Candle with me, but I could have made an excuse to get him to sit in the car while I went in and poked around. I wasn’t overly worried about him knowing where the place was. It had enchants laid on it so that normal folk forgot it’s location almost as soon as they looked away.

No, the real reason I didn’t want Bill to come along was because I didn’t want him to know about that side of me. Witchcraft was a useful tool to have in my belt. And casting a successful spell never failed to spark a feeling of exhilaration and excitement. It could be powerful and terrifying all at once, and allow you to experience things outside of space and time.

But it also made me…abnormal. The vast majority of the population can’t utilize the inherent forces of creation and destruction that held our reality together. And the ones that can leave themselves open to fear, persecution and sometimes violence by those who can’t. I didn’t want Bill to look at me differently if he suspected there was something strange about me. I’d had enough of that in my life.

But, if we were going to work together, I also couldn’t leave him in the dark. He would stand for it and he didn’t deserve it. I had to do what I could to make sure he was included from here on out, even if that path took us into the territory of the Fringe.

“It’s a deal,” I said, looking him in the eye. He nodded once, taking me at my word. And that was it. The matter was behind us. I’d given him my word and he expected me to honor it.

“Got any background on Darren Hawkins?” I asked, as we went in the front of the building and waited on the elevator.

“A little. No formal investigative training…”

“Shocker.” He made a face.

“Joined the military right out of high school. Served six years before being discharged. Worked as a local bondsman for a couple of years before coming into some money and opening up his own investigative business.” We got in the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor. It lit up briefly, then faded to black and the doors closed with a lurching crunch.

“That’s not much,” I remarked. Bill shrugged.

“Guy doesn’t have a social media account or do any kind of advertising. He isn’t even on Yelp. Apparently, everything all his clientele come from world-of-mouth alone.”

“Not exactly high-end.”

“You never know. He might be exactly the kind of investigator some high-end clients need to conduct low-end business.”

“Let’s see what kind of ‘business’ brought him to Nichole Barret’s neighborhood.”

The elevator opened with a groan and we stepped out into a dingy hallway, peppered with glass doors that led into various offices. Hawkins’ was all the way down at the end, but when we got there the door was locked with a sign on it saying he’d be back soon.

“Probably following up a lead on the Maltese Falcon,” Bill quipped. He was uneasy. Bill hardly every quipped.

We waited outside his door for roughly twenty minutes before the elevator groaned again and a man in his mid-thirties with thick arms and slicked back hair stepped out. He was glaring at his phone and didn’t look up until he was halfway to us. I glanced at Bill.

“That him?” He nodded without ever taking his eyes off him. “Mr. Hawkins, we need to speak with you.”

He turned and bolted.

I took off after him, my legs moving before I even told them to. Behind me I heard Bill yell, “I’ll cut him off.” I didn’t waste time nodding.

Hawkins was fast. Despite looking like someone who skipped leg-day at the gym with religious fervor, the man made it to the emergency exit at the end of the hall in record time. But I wasn’t too far behind.

It’s important for cops to be in good physical shape, and I was no slouch. In addition to my Krav Maga training, I try to get in a good workout at least three times a week. Because of my size and stature, I’ll never be as strong as most of the men I might have to throw-down with on the streets, so instead I focus on speed and agility. I depended on both of them now as I chased after the only lead I had in Nichole Barret’s death.

Hawkins had already made it to the first landing by the time I burst through the push doors. I took the steps two at a time, ignoring the twinges in my knees and ankles from the beating I’d suffered earlier. I hoped they wouldn’t buckle under me, but Beth had done her job well.

There was a loud BANG as Hawkins burst through the doors leading outside, and I followed hot on his heels. In a foot chase, there’s no time to think. You’re not going over plans in your head or looking around for anything you can use to cleverly snag a villain, and you certainly can’t use magic. All your attention is focused on coaxing more speed out of your legs to overtake your quarry. After that, the real fun begins.

To my surprise, Hawkins didn’t head for the parking lot. Probably