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"And you think they’re the ones who blew up the community hall?" Claudia bit her lip

"The explosion was caused by a sorcerer with ingredients from Otherworld, as far as we can tell" Chase cleared his throat "Whichto be hard to trace What we need fro a lot--is that you co that ers who your loved onesthat seeht be an important clue"

Claudia frowned "It’s so hard to think…"

I could feel the weariness flowing fro down And when Weres broke down, it was never pretty I motioned Chase to followin soothing low tones while we slipped out of the rooainst the wall

"Chase, we can’t push them Trustin there--probably at each others’ throats since ehtened--then I advise you to let the to learn anything right now"

He crossed his arht All right, we’ll give theet on top of this But the fire marshal probably won’t be done until tonature, we’re not going to be finding much in the way of typical evidence Even if we do, I doubt if it will be useful"

I nodded "Give theht and by toht now the shock is playing havoc with their e his foot on the floor "I just don’t want to deal with the afteroing to be co from all sides in the Supe Co and we find out sooing to be looking at another whole can of wor between a vocal minority of society and the Supe Coths?"

Chase flashed o a lot further Look at my history--at the history of mortals Look e’ve done to each other in the naion, in the name of moral superiority, in the pursuit of els or the Church of the Earthborn Brethren would toss a boed a lot since we first ant and totally by-the-book detective with a stick up his ass to soet his hands aze away froot hold of me I’ve never told anybody what happened Chances are, I never will But it --how you and your sisters are right Sometimes you have to skirt the rules" He paused, then added, "Everything shifted again when you gave oing on inside ht in a whirlpool Or like I’ out of control, and I have no clue where I’ look and I could see the flurry of e within him I reached out, put htly on the cheek

"I’m sorry We really haven’t had much of a chance to sit and talk about your transformation, but we need to Chase, Caes you’re going through Sharah can help you learn to cope with the changes you’re undergoing, but…"

"Yeah, I know You don’t have to say it Now that she and I are dating, she h to pick up on potential proble time and the incident with the Elder Fae--the spider freak--sealed the deal I know things are happening to ure out Hell, I can barely explain them That’s why I asked Camille to make me an appoint for them to contact me with soical connection had sprung up between Chase and Ca and ical energy or so deeper, eren’t sure

"So you really think you ht be able to helpwe can to try" I paused, not knohether to say sohts Chase and I hadn’t really spoken about our breakup, either It was alh--once it happened--we’d pretended like it was over and done with, a blip on the ht decision, I wanted to be able to talk about our tirets

"Chase…"

He gaveand wasn’t ready to go there hi Let’s get back inside"

We headed back in, and I slid intohis papers He folded his hands on the table and leaned forward

"We know this is a rough time for all of you, so we’ll be in touch Please, think about e asked Delilah and I will be dropping over to your hoht help us Meanwhile, if you’d like, we’ll have an officer escort you home"

Marion and Claudia stayed, but Geraldo and Shane were up and out the door before Chase could say another word

Claudia stared at her hands, spread out on the table "Before I go…I just re with a new client as interested in booking the hotel for a convention, but that he’d declined He said so felt off about the man"

"When did this happen?" I leaned forward as Chase jotted down the inforo? Sometime the past week I know because when Exo told ument I said it was foolish to turn down that kind of ood people I…I…"

She sed, hard, and stared at us like a deer caught in headlights far too bright and blinding "I told hi his ethics ahead of our welfare Exo tried to talk things out, but I pushed hiht me roses before he went to work and toldmad yet--I didn’t say it back! And now…and now I’ll never have the chance He died thinking I stopped loving him"

As Claudia crumbled before our eyes, Nerissa was beside her, ar in her ear

I glanced at Chase This was too intirief and regret to which no one should be privy As Nerissa cradled the fragile woman, we quietly walked out of the roo her own trauood ter plans for her upcoed in that resigned sort of way that tells you soiven up hope "When I heard about the explosion on the radio…I knew She was going to help plan out the spring dance and had gone down to the hall todance--Viva la Priht after the equinox, but those plans had been blown sky high I draped my arm around Marion’s shoulders