Free Blood Magic by T. G. Ayer Page B

loose floorboards creak. Inside the room, he kept one ear out on the drone of Fulbright's voice and the short, sharp answers of the Reeds. They'd taken an instant dislike to the detective. Must be his interrogatory demeanor.
    The boy's room screamed 'boy .' Dark blue curtains, a rickety bookshelf stacked with comics. A football lay in a corner, an old computer sat at the desk beside the window. The bed was unmade, the sheets thrown off as if he'd risen in a hurry. The window sash was raised, the curtain shifting in the breeze. Saleem wanted to rule out anything paranormal from this possible abduction. He couldn't sense any spells here either. And if there had been a paranormal presence like demons or wraiths their scents would certainly have faded over the last few hours. They really should have been on the scene this morning.
    There was nothing in the room. Nothing to indicate anything unusual or abnormal had happened. Nothing to indicate anything paranormal either. Saleem was disappointed to leave without any clues , but from the rising voices in the sitting room, it seemed Fulbright was ending his interview. And any detective worth his salt would head down for a thorough inspection of the boy's room so Saleem needed to get the hell out of there.
    Just as he was about to transport himself back to the car , his eye caught something strange on the windowsill. He grabbed his phone and stepped closer, then snapped a couple of pictures and disappeared in a flash of orange sparks just as the parents entered the room with Fulbright close on their heels.
    Saleem reappeared in the interior of the car, his phone in hand. He stared immediately at the screen. The image chilled his blood. Although the windowsill had appeared clean, Saleem was blessed with a secondary sight courtesy of his demon blood. And Dark Sight allowed him to see the demonic sigil drawn on the sill. Saleem felt his gut clench. There was more to these kidnappings than met the eye. He held in his hand proof demons were involved in this particular boy's abduction, but what about all the other missing persons Fulbright was investigating. Were they demonic as well? And what, if anything, did Mel Morgan know about it?
    He glanced over at the house, wondering for the first time if Fulbright had really been onto something. Maybe he was on a slightly wrong track with shadowing Mel Morgan , but nonetheless, he had known there was something more to these disappearances. Saleem shook his head, trying to absorb the turn this case had taken. This information would be valuable to Omega, but for once he hesitated to pass it on. He had his own problems and to solve them, he planned on looking to the sexy Ms. Morgan. If anyone could help him, she could.
    Fulbright left the Reed's house and hurried down the path to the car, almost tripping over the uneven concrete. He threw himself into the car, waves of negative energy rolling off him as he gunned the engine.
    "What's wrong? Find anything?" Saleem knew he was expected to ask something. He was slowly learning more about the way the man worked. He liked to trail information like little crumbs.
    "Nothing." Fulbright grunted. "I searched the room and came up with nothing. How is that possible?" His eyes glittered with fury and his fingers tightened dangerously on the steering wheel.
    "So you think he's a runaway?" Saleem offered the option.
    The detective glanced at Saleem, irritated. "He didn't take anything with him. Not even his wallet or his money. What kid runs away without at least taking something with him?"
    Good question. Fulbright wasn't stupid. So he knew it was mostly likely an abduction. "We need to keep this under wraps. I don't want that Morgan woman finding out about it."
    "How would she find out?" Saleem asked, curious as to how the man came to his conclusions. Why would he immediately focus on Morgan?
    "Who the fuck knows. Every case I investigate , she's there afterward, doing her own little investigation." Bitterness