Page 18 (1/2)

Soet close to his wife? I took some notes down and watched Mary Stone expectantly The woman she described had to be the one we’d seen with Nicolas and the Magister at the casino Howaround with on a regular basis?

"And there’s so else…"

"What is it?" Mason asked

"Jake ister just to complain about me He said that he knew stuff about Nicolas That he’d worked with Nicolas doing things that the Magister would like to know about I think he was going to go to the Magister with sootten Nic in serious trouble"

"Did your husband ith Nicolas? I mean, other than at the law firs and weekends Do errands for hiet h to have his he didn’t want anyone to know about Jake started getting secretive about what he was doing for Nicolas"

"But you don’t knohat he did for him?" I pressed

She shook her head

"Tell us more about the woman who took Jake" Mason’s jaitched He didn’t like this one bit, and neither did I

"Jake seemed nervous around her too, but he couldn’t talk to o out first, and when she was leaving…" The succubus sed hard, and then took a sip of water

"Yes?" I tried to keep my impatience out of et out of this house and follow it

"As she was leaving, she turned and said, ‘Nicolas sends his regards’" She shivered and ran her hands up and down her arms

"But you didn’t actually see Nicolas? Did he say anything to you at the funeral? Or anything since?" Mason asked

She shook her head, and her voice was dull when she spoke "No He’s been treatingthe perfect Magister’s son"

"Anything else you can tell us about the woht about that for a few tense seconds "Like I said, she was dressed like some kind of biker And she had this old coin that she played hile she talked Like constantly"

Blood rushed through my ears, so loudly I almost missed her next words

"I half expected her to pull it out froician"

Chapter Eleven

"We need to get out of here" I fidgeted next to Mason and blew out a gust of breath that condensed in the chill air surrounding us as we stood on the sidewalk in front of Mary Stone’s house

He glanced up froents out here to take care of her"

"Call Vasquez This is a joint investigation He can get a black and white here in five"

Mason frowned but made the call Seven o Mason, norhborhood and broke every speed law possible on our way to the Magister’s house

Except house was too co like manor or estate fit it better I’d been here before, but alith Claude And without him, it somehow felt more oppressive than normal, even with Mason’s solid presence beside me Maybe because this world--the van to him than it was to me

We strode to the front door and Mason hit the doorbell, then knocked loudly for good ainstnized hi his years of service to the Chevalier faine

I stepped in front of Mason before he could yell at the butler and de us a long wait