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Next I called Gwen "You want to come into Boston for lunch on a Sunday?" I asked That was usually a fa Maria and Zack to a community basketball tournament," she said "It’ll last all day That leaves me with the baby, and I’ll call his sitter You and I didn’t haveGasn’t in the reed to ot a cotton ball fro the blade of the Old One’s sword Brown Robe had sawed at Juliet’s leg with one edge of the sword; I was careful to take the sae The cops had a sample of Juliet’s DNA on file--as they did for every resident of Deadtown--and I didn’t want to hand the Goon Squad any leads in their search for her I dropped the cotton ball in a plastic bag, sealed it, and put it in ed through the iven me I removed the lid and sniffed the contents It had a deep, earthy scent, overlaid with lighter notes of herbs and some kind of flower--lilac,This salve had helped me recover from a Morfran attack without a scar The attack had been bad: dozens of de at my flesh with their beaks and talons Yet the salve had led with thecoolness I hoped it would do the same for Juliet

BACK AT CREATURE COMFORTS, I STOOD OVER JULIET’S bed She lay still, no rise and fall of the chest to suggest she’d ever open her eyes again She looked so vulnerable I thought of all the horrorinnocent, eager to do hared to find her--Goon Squad cop, Old One, even a Huhtover Juliet’s bed But I was here to help her, and she’d givenso as she slept, completely dead to the world I did it, anyway

I studied the wound, looking for any sign of healing, but I had to ad ollen and purple, still hot to the touch If nothing else, the salve should cool it I scooped soently as I could

Juliet didn’t move, didn’t even twitch

I watched for a few rew a shade pinker Orsome improvement I spread on another layer of salve, then covered Juliet’s leg with the cohtstand where she could reach it

"Sleep well," I said softly before I clicked off the light " ‘Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast!’ "

Daood Shakespeare quote--from Romeo and Juliet, no less--and Juliet wasn’t awake to hear it Sometimes Juliet wanted to conduct whole conversations in Shakespearean When she did, I could never cough up any apt lines She wouldn’t believe me when I told her But that didn’t matter Shakespeare or not, the words expressed what I wanted to say

WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE PRECINCT A FEW MINUTES BEFORE ten, Daniel was already waiting in the lobby He looked restless, running his hands through his blond curls and checking his watch Although we’d spoken on the phone a few times, I hadn’t seen hio I was shocked to see how haggard he looked: his ed with dark circles The Reaper case ed Still, he sht back the old Daniel, the one whose sht tooutside"

"All right"

It was a nice day I’d been so worried about Juliet that I’d barely noticed Bright sunshineair feel al loudly enough to be heard over the passing cars But even though he’d suggested the walk, Daniel didn’t seeid, and a one half a block, he looked et out of there My new partner is drivingout of the routine and he goes running to Hampson"

Fred Hampson, Boston’s police cos paranor member of Humans First, and he’d publicly endorsed Seth Baldwin, the anti-paranorovernor in the last election

"Your partner knows I’m a shapeshifter" I was pretty sure he didn’t like otten into an ill-advised wrestling match with a zombie in Creature Comforts I’d rooted for the zombie

"And there’s no reason Ha to you It’s none of his damn business who ain "I can’t stay out long Everyone’s working around the clock on these damn Reaper et results, and fast Nobody’s happy when there’s a serial killer on the loose" His fingers combed his curls "And I want to catch the bastard before there’s another killing"

I was glad I had so Daniel a favor "That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about I don’t know if this will be any help, but my aunt Mab told me that serial killers are usually possessed by the Morfran"

A crease appeared between his eyebrows "You iant crows that attacked the crowd at the Paranormal Appreciation Day concert?"

"They’re not really crows They’re a spirit, a demonic spirit But yes, that’s what I mean"

Daniel stopped in his tracks A woman behind us bumped into hireat!" He grinned, and I wondered why he seeain "I sahat you did that night, how you used your black dagger to get rid of thee to kill out of the Reaper"

"I wish" It was a good idea, but it wouldn’t work "The Morfran has to be loose--a free-floating spirit--for that ritual to imprison it When the Morfran possesses someone, it becomes part of that person"