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His broas furroith concern, and I kneas thinking of Sorcha

Although we’d stopped her o Police Department Two er of the ical alar But it was hard to shake the feeling that ere just biding our time

I put a hand over his "There’s no point in worrying about eWe’ll see e see"--I linked our fingers together--"and we’ll deal with it"

We always did

• • •

The neighborhood was dark It was residential but rural, at least by Chicago standards, and there were no streetlights Clouds obscured what littlean odd pool of shadow not far froest cities in the world That didn’t make me any happier about our current task; ce

Annabelle’s car was parked at the curb outside the ceainst it, and looked up from her phone at the sound of Ethan’s car The movement rustled the shimmery dark tunic she’d paired with loose silver pants and sandals Her skin was dark, her hair in braids she’d piled into a complicated knot

"Merit, Ethan," she said "I sorry I interrupted your evening"

"Think nothing of it," Ethan said with a smile and a touch on her arm "We were already in the car, and we’re happy to see you, if under unfortunate circumstances"

"How are Marley and Maddy?" I asked her

Marley was Annabelle’s four-year-old daughter Maddy, the newest addition to her family, was alood," she said, grinning "Hard to leave Maddy at her age, but duty calls"

She led us to the gate in the rusted and wavy chain-link fence that surrounded the graveyard We’d visited ceardens of roses andsecret andurns of flowers No fuss, no orna the transition between life and death

The gate was closed and locked, bound to its post with a thick silver chain Annabelle pulled a necklace over her head, inserted a key into the lock, and when it unsnapped with an audible click, pulled the chain free and pushed the gate open Magic flowed like water through the gap, perhaps released by the gate’s opening or drawn to Annabelle and her connection to the dead

The energy of the deceased was unique aicks, or at least those I’d experienced so far It was thicker and, when it brushed against skin, felt tangible But unlike the last tiic was sharply cold--potent pepper then, the temperature already cold, so I probably hadn’t noticed the difference Noascontrast to the warht air

Goose buhost is still here," Ethan said