Page 19 (2/2)

"No kidding?" Annabelle said

Jeff nodded, rose froo into the Dark Web to find it, which took some time I still want to let Mallory and Catcher take a look when they’re back from the ME’s office, but I think we’re close"

"Dark Web?" Ethan asked

"Long story short," Jeff said, sticking his hands into his pockets, "the Internet’s dark and filthy alley Encrypted, unindexed, and nearly iht information and software We found a market--a darknet--where spells and charhest bidder And this one was recently sold," he said, pulling out his phone and pulling up the information

He handed it towhat looked like a pretty typical Internet product page Description, picture, cost But instead of a book or pair of shoes, the seller was offering a "Spell to Su Partial Skeleton"

"A lot of alliteration," I said, reading the description, which talked about unearthing a skull or other body part to pull the deceased’s spirit back into this world The buyer would receive a prekindled ical object, a candle, and the words necessary to initiate the ot here," I said, handing the phone to Ethan "I presuiven where it carandfather said "Even if we had a warrant for the buyer’s inforhly unlikely the seller would cooperate, and on’t be able to find the to the Order about the randfather said, displeasure clear in his voice "Very firht spell, it doesn’t say anything about the purpose of raising a spirit So what’s the point?" I looked down at the grave "What are they trying to do here? What do they ith a ghost?"

"Maybe the buyer wanted a ghost butler," Jeff said "Or to locate some kind of hidden treasure that only the deceased knows about, or to have a really kick-ass Halloween prop"

"Several ged, rin "Ghost butler"

"Maybe they did it just to prove they could," randfather quietly said, worry in the lines of his face "Tonight proves he’s still out there, still trying toWe just have to find the so found us

• • •

We drove back to the House at speeds that weren’t precisely legal Neither Ethan nor I wanted to leave it for long

Mallory and Catcher met us in Ethan’s office in front of a spread of pizza boxes on the conference table

"We have exonerated Mickey Riley!" she pronounced, slice of pepperoni in hand

"And ed dinner, apparently," Ethan said

"Malik ordered it," she said, wiping grease froers "Decided the team needed a refuel"

It wasn’t Saul’s, o chain that offered my favorite pizza--cream cheese and double bacon--but it was laden with pepperoni and still gleaer, andvampire arteries rejoiced