Dance with Darkness - Ghost Dance

Chapter 10

The next day I arrived at the Hearne Hunting House an hour before I was scheduled to show up, intent on asking Hearne about the progress on my sister’s investigation.  However, I was first met with Kaden as he left the library, frowning and deep in thought.  I hoped I could avoid him, but my best attempts at channeling my inner-ninja failed almost immediately.

“Lynnette!  Hey!  How’s the investigation going?” Kaden called out when he saw me, just as I was trying to sneak past without him seeing.

I turned around and faced him, trying not to look too guilty.

“Oh, hey Kaden, I didn’t see you!” I lied, dreading having to make polite conversation when I was really just itching to talk to Hearne.  “We’re making a little progress, I think.”

“Cool,” was of course his reply.  “Where are you headed?”

“I’m going to Hearne’s office,” I said, my foot edging in that direction as I spoke.

“Cool, me too,” Kaden said, and I sighed inwardly.  Just my luck.  “I was just going to ask him about some information I couldn’t find.  For some reason the book on elemental binding properties is on the wrong shelf and History of East Asian Demons is missing.  We really need someone to keep the books in order.”

This time I sighed aloud, wishing that Hearne had given me the job of librarian instead of demon-hunting ghost accomplice.  “Maybe Nakoma’s been looking through the books?” I suggested.  “She’s been trying to find out more about the weird slime stuff on the bodies from the Decayer victims.”

Kaden looked confused for a moment.  “Well, ghosts can’t really hold a book unless they’re possessing someone,” he said.  “Besides, I don’t really see what East Asian Demons have to do with a copycat vampire murder case from the Revolution.”

I frowned, having to admit that he was right.  “What do you need the book for?”

“What, the one on demons?  It’s got an index of claw patterns.  It’s for your sister’s case.”

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to face him slowly.  “You’re investigating Rachel’s disappearance?” I asked.

Kaden smiled.  “Yeah, Garnet Team’s been assigned the case.”

The expression on my face must have shown that I didn’t trust the laid-back Kaden to find my sister’s kidnapper, because his smile dropped a fraction of an inch.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find her,” he said.

“How will looking up claw marks from East Asian Demons help find my sister?” I asked, a bit harshly.  “I thought the scratches on the cabinet were from a werewolf or something and last time I checked my fairy tale book, werewolves aren’t from Eastern Asia.”

“The correct term is lycanthrope,” Kaden said.  “And they originated in Eastern Europe but have spread across the world and, just like many creatures, there are different breeds.  It never hurts to check in case the marks are from an East Asian lycanthrope, or a completely different species instead, like a gumiho, or a dragon king.”

I fumed silently all the way up to Gregory Hearne’s office, feeling that Kaden was wasting his time.  What else could it be, besides a wer—lycanthrope?  And how was establishing what the creature was any help, when all I really wanted to know was where?  If they found where it was, they would find my sister—simple as that.

“Come in,” Hearne said after I had knocked on his office door impatiently.

“You go ahead first, I’ll wait to talk to him after you,” Kaden said with an uncomfortable smile, apparently having sensed that my patience was wearing thin.  I didn’t even bother to reply before storming through the door.