Josh wrapped his hands around the steering wheel, turned to me, and let his jaw drop. “Why the hell didn’t you mention this before?”
I stiffened. “There wasn’t a chance—”
“This is directly related to the police’s investigation, Beth. By withholding it – you’re obstructing justice,” he said, his cheeks pale.
“I… I know that.”
“Do you? Do you know what will happen if you’re found to be obstructing justice, Beth? There’s only so much I can protect you against.”
“My opportunity magic told me not to tell the police, okay?”
He looked at me seriously. He shook his head. “No, that’s not okay. I don’t care what your opportunity magic tells you, Beth – we still have to operate within the law.”
I locked my hands in my lap. I half closed my eyes. I’d waited until we got back to the car to tell Josh about the spell I’d found in the ladies stalls.
I hadn’t expected him to react like this. Or maybe I had expected him to react like this. Because maybe this was exactly how any ordinary person should react.
I squeezed my eyes closed as I once more remembered my insight into Max. Once upon a time, I’d thought he was bad. Now I understood him – because now I understood what it was to be an opportunity finder. I pressed a hand into a fist and patted it on my chest, then I finally opened my eyes. “Look, Josh – something huge is happening here. And I’m not entirely unjustified for not trusting the police. All the shit I’ve been hearing about them and Internal Affairs—”
Josh looked at me sharply. “There’s a difference between being suspicious and doing this. Beth,” he looked at me seriously, “if anybody finds out that you knew about that symbol and you didn’t tell the police, you’ll… you’ll be taken off me,” he said as he closed his eyes.
“But I won’t be put in prison, will I Josh? I’m too useful for that,” I said quietly.
Josh frowned hard, his cheeks paling even further. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I shifted forward, straining against my seatbelt, my gaze widening. “That something terrifying is happening here, Josh. I wasn’t lying before,” my lips parted hard around each word. “I recognized the emotional signature of that heat elemental back there. He was definitely the same guy we tracked down and captured yesterday. But now he’s back with a different face. How the hell is that possible?”
Though I could tell all Josh wanted to do was discount my theory, at the same time, he was obviously having trouble ignoring my passion. He latched a hand over his mouth, then let his sweaty fingers drop as he glanced at the road. He was driving, and it was only his considerable warlock skills that allowed him to negotiate the thick traffic while at the same time having a hell of an argument with me. “… You know what I told you before?”
“When?”
“During the case with Frank. Remember… what happened with Jeremy Rodriguez?”
I straightened. Though I’d told Josh about Jeremy – and the fact I knew for certain that he’d disappeared for 15 minutes before heading to remand, neither of us had put it into the report. And the reason we hadn’t put it into the report was that Josh had told me to leave it out. He’d promised me no one would believe it.
Now he was mentioning it again.
“Josh?” My voice shook.
“The same thing could’ve happened.” He swallowed.
“But that elemental wasn’t a criminal like Jeremy. That heat elemental had been suspected of murder. You’re not telling me that someone like Peter could pull the strings of the Justice Department and get that heat elemental out, right? Plus, we would have been told, right?”
Josh’s back stiffened. “Not necessarily. It depends on how high up the chain of command it went.”
I shook my head. There was strength behind it. “I’m not entirely sure who the two warlocks were who came into the bathroom – but I’m pretty sure they were from the Warlock Division.”
“What’s your point?”
“That they’re both higher up than you and I are. If Peter or one of the other kingpins had negotiated for the release of the heat elemental, they would know. The way that female officer was talking… it was like she thought warlocks were being taken right out from underneath the police’s noses. It was like she suspected a much bigger conspiracy was going on. Now, can you really sit there and scream at me for not sharing evidence with the police when they’re under that much suspicion?”
Josh looked at me. I’m not sure if it was a patient look or angry – or somewhere in between. “Firstly, Beth – I’m not screaming at you. And secondly… it just makes this hard, okay? I… I guess I understand why you didn’t share this with the police. But at the same time, we have to be careful.”
“… Wait, there’s something else going on here, isn’t there? What?” I demanded.
Josh shook his head. “You’re doing it again,” he said under his breath. “Finding out things you shouldn’t. But fine,” he turned to me as we paused at a set of lights, “something else is going on. I have… been questioned,” he said with a sniff.
“About what?”
“You.”
“What do you mean?” I became cold.
“It hasn’t escaped the Justice Department’s attention that I have… potentially failed to protect my PO on several occasions now. If it weren’t for mitigating circumstances, we might’ve lost you.”
I stared at Josh in dumbfounded shock. “You mean they’re thinking of taking me off you?”
“Don’t look like that, Bethany – you almost look disappointed. I remember when I first took you back to Max’s house – you told me point-blank that you’d find a way to work for someone else. Well maybe you’ll get your wish. Especially if they find out that you’ve been keeping information from the police. I doubt they’ll use it against you. You were right about that – you’re too valuable to put in prison. They’ll just use it against me.”
I sat there and stared at Josh with a half-open mouth. I shook my head. “This isn’t fair.”
Josh snorted softly. “Of course it isn’t fair. This city isn’t fair. And as someone with the Zero Prophecy hanging over your head,” he added quietly, “I wouldn’t think this was the least fair thing in your life.”
I didn’t know if he’d mentioned the Zero Prophecy by chance or on purpose, but it quieted me.
I sat further back in my seat, finally releasing my grip on my seatbelt. I kind of slumped as if someone had taken all the life out of me. “What do we do now? Should we go back to the police, and should I reveal what I saw? I mean, it’s not too late, is it? I can just say that, with one thing and another, I plain forgot. They’d believe that, wouldn’t they?”
“Didn’t you say you took a photo of that symbol?” Josh asked.
I nodded.
He appeared to think. He shook his head. “We’re not going to tell them.”
“But you said—”
Josh took a steadying breath. He swiped his tongue over his teeth, and he shook his head once more. “I’m going to trust you on this one, Beth. Despite the fact this might be the wrong thing to do – and you might be taken off me – I’m still… going to trust you. We’re not going to tell the police.”
“You think they’re just as dodgy as I do, don’t you?” I read between the lines.
Josh took a moment, then nodded. “They’ve been dodgy for years. Or at least parts of them have been. But—” he finished abruptly.
I felt the emotion shifting within him, and I knew for a fact he was thinking about his sister.
I straightened. “I wasn’t kidding back there, Josh. I’m gonna do everything I can to help you find your sister’s murderer.”
“I’d be going against Jason,” he said softly. “And if I keep going against everyone in authority, I’m gonna lose.”
My mind whirled. “Jason told you not to let me investigate your sister’s murder directly, right?”
“Do I really need to repeat that?”
“Those were the exact words he used, right?”
Josh obviously realized I was onto something, and he frowned at me. “What are you thinking?”
“That we don’t investigate your sister’s murder – we investigate Olivia. The cases are connected. They have to be. I don’t… know how or why yet, but they must be. My opportunity magic sent me to that restaurant. It sent me to that symbol, too. And in solving this case, maybe we’ll accidentally find your sister’s murderer. Jason won’t be able to complain about that.”
Josh shot me the kind of look that told me Jason could complain about anything. But he didn’t tell me that we weren’t going to do this. He winced. “Okay, Bethany Samson. We’ll go through with your plan. That being said, we still have no clue where Olivia is. Nor do we know why she became an Internal Affairs informant, and nor do we know what her affiliation with that restaurant was. In other words, we’re fresh out of real evidence.”
“We still have that symbol, though.” I shoved a hand into my pocket, brought out my phone, and made it dance from side to side. “Why don’t we just figure out what it’s a symbol for? And, I don’t know, maybe you can do some kind of forensic warlock spell thing on the image to try to figure out what the spell was?” I tried.
This elicited a full-bellied snort from Josh. “Forensic warlock spell thingy? What have I taught you, Bethany? You sound like a preschooler who’s just found out magic exists, and not like the sidekick of one of the most powerful warlocks in Madison City.” Josh must be calming down now to not only insult me, but to refer to himself as powerful once more. His confidence in his own abilities seemed to swing back and forth with his mood. Now he sat straighter, and he looked at me defiantly.
I shrugged and rolled my eyes. “There’s still plenty I don’t know. Point is – there’ll be something you can do, right?”
Josh shrugged. “Maybe. But show me the symbol first. I haven’t even seen it.”
“We’re driving. It’s illegal to look at your mobile.”
Josh shot me a look.
I shook my head. “It’s still illegal, Josh. Even if you’re a warlock.”
“This coming from the woman who obstructed justice only about an hour ago. You know which crime comes with a heftier sentence?”
“One’s a misdemeanor and the other’s a crime,” I pointed out.
Josh snorted. “Did you really just reinforce my point for me?”
“Just pull over,” I said.
Josh rolled his eyes. He pulled over, and I handed him my phone.
As soon as he locked eyes on the symbol, I felt him tense up.
I opened my eyes wide and leaned toward him. “What is it? I can sense your emotions have changed.”
Though the symbol was obviously important to him, at the admission I was sensing his emotions, he turned slowly to me and arched an eyebrow. “You do know how invasive that is, right? That’s pretty much like reading someone’s mind.”
I shifted back, suitably remonstrated. Then I looked excitedly at the phone once more, albeit under a wincing, crumpled-eyed look. “… You do recognize the symbol, though, right?”
“A similar symbol was drawn into the wall of the theater where my sister was murdered,” he said. All defense was gone from his tone. All defiance, too. He sounded like a weak little boy.
I took a harsh breath. “Have you seen it elsewhere? Is it… I dunno, a gang symbol or something?”
“Not that I know of. No – I haven’t seen it anywhere else before. Just in the theater.” He started to get a far-off look in his eyes.
“These cases really are connected, aren’t they?” I said, either for my benefit or his.
Josh was starting to get angry. I could sense that emotion welling in his chest. It was as if he’d swallowed fire, and second by second, that fire was starting to burn through him. He clenched his hands tighter around the wheel. “The two elementals who murdered my sister were dirt and heat,” he said, his voice halting.
My cheeks paled as I realize what he was thinking. “I… don’t know if we can conclude that the guys in the restaurant were the same men who murdered your sister,” I said, and it was my turn to be devil’s advocate.
Josh didn’t look convinced. In fact, Josh looked like a man on the edge. He tightened his fingers around the wheel until I could sense a charge of magic start to pick up within them.
I didn’t know if Josh was emotional enough to start attacking his car, but before he could, I leaned over, strained against my seatbelt, and placed a hand on his.
It was enough of a distraction that he looked down at me.
“Josh, we can figure this out. We will find the murderers, and we will find the truth. But… I don’t think we can jump to any conclusions. I think it’s too dangerous to do that.”
Though he looked angry, soon enough, he shook his head, and the faintest smile crept across his lips. “That’s pretty rich coming from you, Beth. I’m always the one telling you that there’s a difference between evidence and supposition.”
Sensing that Josh’s anger had subsided – or at least enough that I knew he wasn’t going to tear through the car – I shifted back. I shrugged. “I’m getting the impression we have to do this right. I’m getting the impression that we really only have one option through this situation,” I said with a shiver. “It’s like,” I opened my hands, placed them on my thighs, and dug my fingers in until they left marks across the fabric of my pants, “forces are coalescing, all trying to fight us at once.”
“That’s a cheery image,” Josh managed. “What else are you sensing?”
“That it’s time to head to the theater,” I said as the words jumped into my head.
Josh didn’t look happy. He shook his head. “You know before how you told me the only way to get around Jason’s warning was to investigate this case and not my sister’s murder? Going to the theater would be investigating my sister’s murder.”
“Not necessarily. We’re investigating the symbol.”
“But to admit to that would be to admit to the fact that we’ve seen the symbol and not shared it with the police.”
“Think of who Jason is for a minute. He’s Internal Affairs. He investigates the police.”
“That is not a convincing argument. The Police Department certainly have their troubles at the moment, but so does Internal Affairs.”
I sighed as defeat welled in me, pulled my shoulders down, and made my mouth drop open. Before I could shut down and give in, I shook my head. “Leave Jason to me.”
“Yeah, because you’ve been so good at dealing with him.”
I arched an eyebrow at that particular bitter and hurtful statement. “I’ve done my best. You try navigating your feelings for a man you hate and yet one that circumstances keep pushing you into the arms of.”
Josh frowned. “You’ve been in Jason’s arms already?”
I blushed. “No—” I blurted. I shook my head. “I mean yes. Only a couple of times, though.”
Josh narrowed his eyes. “A couple of times? You’ve had time—”
“No!” My voice went up high. “It was just when he was saving me from things, that’s all. And that’s not my point. My point is neither of us knows what’s going on here. Hell, I’m starting to wonder if anyone has the full picture. The only thing that matters now,” I looked right at Josh, “is doing our jobs. We can’t rely on the police to do it, and I don’t think we can even rely on Internal Affairs to do it. But, Josh McIntosh, I know you’re good, and I think I’m good too. Maybe we’re all the city has right now.”
Josh swallowed. He had an odd look in his eyes. Then, abruptly, he started to laugh. “Not the most eloquent speech ever, but effective.” He looked at me for a few seconds, then pulled out. “You’re right, Bethany Samson. Out of all the people in this city at the moment, I guess we are the two most trustworthy. Maybe this is obstructing justice, and maybe this will ultimately lose me my contract and get you taken off me and given to the government.”
“But maybe none of that matters – maybe the only thing that matters—”
“Is solving this case. It’s finally time to do my sister’s memory justice,” Josh said as his face stiffened. He gunned the engine and headed to the theater.