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Ryan nodded toward the back door just as Zack euard ent It didn’t help that he looked like he was barely twenty, though I knew he surely had to be older to be a federal agent

"Good to see you again, Detective Gillian," he said with a broad srinned as he carief, Zack, what did you do to your hair? Did you try to highlight it?"

He ran a hand over his head and gavefor blond tips, but it didn’t quite work out"

I eyed hie," Ryan stated "You can dance around it all you want, but the truth is that his hair is Ooe"

"Well, just the tips," I said, "but, yeah Wow You need to get someone to fix that"

"I’ve already made the appointment," Zack assured me with a smile "You look quite dressed up Court?"

"Funeral" I made a face "Victim from a case I had over the weekend--parish councilht it was an accidental positional asphyxiation, but now it’s looking like a homicide" I took a deep breath and looked over at Ryan "He was like Brian Roth I mean, he had no essence left either"

Ryan frowned "Missing? Or consue to shiver "Consumed So it definitely wasn’t an isolated event with Brian"

"Can you fillthe pertinent details Special Agent Zack Garner was also well inforh I had no idea if he had any particular talent for anything of that ilk

He looked intensely troubled after I finished "Only those two so far?"

"Yeah, but that’s two more than I’ the word comfortable at all Frankly, it worries the shit out of me"

"I can understand that," Zack said, brow creased "What was the councilman’s na others"

The frown deepened on Zack’s face, and he and Ryan exchanged a look "Is there any connection between him and the other one?" Zack askedto do Brian probably ate at Sharp’s every now and then, but other than that I got nothin’" I frowned at the two of theainst one of the metal desks "Davis Sharp’s na on I don’t see how it could have a connection to what you’re working, but I’ll see if we can get clearance to share e have with you, in case it does"

"I appreciate that," I said "You never knohat’ll turn out to be important"

"Are you sure it’s not so?" Ryan asked "Maybe it’s not so sinister at all"

"No, I’m not sure," I replied honestly, "but I find it hard to believe" I looked back to Zack "Kinda like I find it hard to believe that you actually go out in public with that hair"

"You never used to be so cruel, Kara" Zacktoo h "She suuy?"

"Hey, at least the demons don’t hate me," I teased in retort

Zack seemed to tense "What do youthat I’d be tattling on Ryan if I spoke about what happened during the su But Ryan didn’t see of a reyza," he explained "Big fucker by the naht Called me a krakkahl or some shit like that"

"Kiraknikahl," I corrected, but my eyes were on Zack He hadn’t moved or twitched or reacted at all to what Ryan said--re so still and expressionless that I had the eerie irinned and it was gone "See? It’s true, Ryan Everyone hates you Even the de to treat you two to dinner"

"That’s a good start," I said with an approving s at the sae-tipped hair "That is, not unless he wears a hat"

"So very cruel," Zackcabinet and pulled out a baseball cap that had FBI in large gold letters across the front He tugged it on and looked to o before Ryan changes hiswith the two agents following "Where are we going? We should probably take separate cars since I--" I broke off, going still as an odd nauseating sensation shimmered past me

"Did you feel that?" I said after a few seconds I hadn’t one still and silent as well

"I did," Ryan replied, as Zack nodded agreement "What was it?"