Phantom’s Kiss – Sneak Peek
Two men are already seated at the table when Bridget enters the interview room. She takes a seat opposite them, placing some papers and a recording device on the table in front of her. She presses a button on the device, then says the date and time the interview starts. “Which one of you is Marco Bruno?”
The one on the left, with dark wavy hair, wearing a denim jacket, says, “That’s me.”
Bridget looks at the man beside him. The one with lanky black hair and sky-blue eyes. “You must be John Davis. Nice to meet you both. I’m Detective Campbell. Are you aware that a suspicious death occurred in a condo on the Lakeshore while you were cleaning the windows?”
Davis shifts in his chair. “Do we need a lawyer?”
“Not at all,” says Bridget. “You aren’t suspects. I just want to know what, if anything, you saw the morning of the eighth. As window cleaners, you must see a lot of things.”
“We don’t spy on people,” says Bruno.
“Sometimes we can’t help seeing things, though,” says Davis. “Can I get some water?”
“Of course.” She turns and nods to the mirror.
“Did you see anything in unit fifteen-twenty-three on the morning of the eighth?”
They look at each other and shake their heads.
Ranjit comes in with two glasses of water. He places one in front of each man, then leaves.
Bridget consults the papers in front of her. “According to your timesheets, you would have been outside the condo early in the morning after the death.”
Davis chews a thumbnail. He taps a foot under the table. He’s nervous, but then Bridget thinks most people are when they’re being questioned by police. When they’re not nervous, that’s when you need to be suspicious.
“We didn’t see anything unusual that day,” says Bruno.
“No, we didn’t,” says Davis. He moves a hand and bumps the glass of water.
As Bridget watches, the glass teeters on its edge, then rights itself. Spilled water pulls back, landing in the glass instead of all over the table, as it should have. She studies Davis’s face for signs of a high. His pupils, clearly visible against his blue irises, are of normal size. He’s not sweating. Not high, at least not at the moment. That doesn’t mean he’s not using.
“Is that all?” asks Bruno. “Can we go now?”
“Yes, you can.” Bridget speaks the time the interview ends, then stops the recording. She walks the men to the door, allowing Bruno out first. She closes the door before Davis can leave. “Have you ever heard of the SoulFire app?”
He furrows his eyebrows. “No.”
Bridget lowers her voice. “Perhaps one like it, that gives you temporary magical powers.” It does that and produces addiction. In the worst-case scenario, it can cause spontaneous combustion. It was among the apps trafficked by magic cartels. She and Moric put a stop to it, at least they tried. Organized crime never really goes away, not in this realm and not in the Otherworld.
Davis’s eyes flash, but he recovers quickly and assumes a dazed look instead. “Are you okay, detective? Having some kind of mental breakdown?” He scoffs. “Magical powers.”
Bridget nods. “Fine. But if you have a problem, I know people who can help.”
He bites his lip. “Sure. I’ll keep that in mind.”
