Free Band of Demons (The Sanheim Chronicles, Book Two) by Rob Blackwell

said.
    “Anyway, the case is solved already,” Stu said.
    “You found the murder weapon?” Quinn asked.
    “Huh?” Stu replied.
    “The murder weapon?”
    “Oh, the guy was a gun nut,” Stu said, but he looked flustered. “He has dozens of weapons.”
    “You do know this couldn’t possibly be caused by a gunshot, right?” Quinn said, pointing to the bloodstain on the floor. “The pool of blood on the carpet, nothing splattered on the walls, no traces of gunpowder, etc. If she had been shot, the entire scene would look different.”
    Stu looked momentarily horrified but quickly recovered.
    “I know all that,” Stu said. “I was just saying that…”
    For once, Quinn decided to be charitable.
    “He’s a gun nut so he’s probably into knives as well?”
    “Right,” Stu said, and he actually looked relieved to be offered an explanation. “Totally.”
    “Gotcha,” Quinn said.
    Stu’s radio squawked. He started to answer it but looked at Quinn suspiciously and then moved out of the room.
    Whoever did this knew Madame Zora, Kate thought in his head.
    Why do you say that? Quinn replied.
    Just a hunch. Let’s assume for a moment the mess of the kewpie dolls did come from the guy the police have in custody. That means whoever killed her showed up, didn’t stay long, and completed his or her mission rather quickly. That’s someone with a strong motive.
    Like what ? he thought back.
    Not sure, she said. From what I could tell, Zora was the real deal. An actual psychic.
    Like you , Quinn thought.
    I guess, but we don’t know what I am, remember? I could read Kyle’s mind, but I’m still not sure I can read anyone else’s.
    Can you try it now? Quinn asked.
    There was a long pause.
    Nothing, she said.
    Maybe our powers come back gradually? Quinn said.
    Let’s worry about it later.
    So the real question is why someone wants to kill a psychic , Quinn thought.
    Take another spin around the room , she replied.
    Quinn again carefully stepped around the bloodstains and tried to focus on the details of the room. As Kate had noted two years ago, the office itself had a clinical feel, as if Zora wanted it to seem more like a medical office than a psychic parlor. The sole exception was Zora’s room, which seemed more in character. The kewpie dolls were on a shelf in the back. Quinn looked through them, trying to see if anything unusual jumped out at him. They were old dolls—with oddly large heads. It looked like the kind of thing you won at a carnival. Aside from being incredibly creepy, however, he didn’t see any clues.
    Madame Zora’s table was decorated with various trinkets: several crystals, a pack of Tarot cards and some wooden carvings of several animals.
    Spirit guides , Kate said in his head.
    Did she really believe in that stuff? Quinn asked.
    Asks the person communicating telepathically with his girlfriend, Kate said.
    Good point , he replied.
    Satisfied there was nothing of interest on the desk, Quinn looked around the room to see if there was anything else he missed. Aside from a bookcase in the corner, though, he had already looked through everything. He walked over to the books and quickly browsed them. They were exactly what you would expect a psychic to have on hand: “The Healing Crystals,” “Finding Your Inner Aura,” “What Happens After Death,” etc.
    Look on the far left , Kate said.
    At the end of the bookshelf was a single, slim hardbound volume. It was sticking out slightly, as if someone had just put it back. It had no title but Quinn felt strangely drawn to it. He pulled it off the shelf and examined it. The book looked old. The leather was stiff and cracked and the writing on the front was worn and faded. Quinn could just make out what it said: “The Collected Writings of Robert Crowley.”
    He felt rather than heard Kate’s surprise.
    Crowley , she said.
    Another Prince of Sanheim , Quinn replied. Like us.
    Last year, neither Quinn nor Kate had ever heard of Robert Crowley.