"It did," he said, and I shrugged.

"They sent my check back," I complained. "Can you see if they will take it? Use your connections to get it in the system? I don't want to have to pay the late fee."

Nodding, he folded the envelope over and slid it into a back pocket to look at later. Brow furrowed, he leaned back in his chair, thinking. "You want some soup?" I asked, and Marshal smiled.

"No, thanks," he said, then his eyes brightened. "Hey, I've got tomorrow off. It's a teacher workday at the university, but it's not like I've got any papers to grade. You want to go do something? Blow off some steam? After I get your check in, that is? I hear they opened up a new skate park on Vine."

Whereas two months ago the offer would have tripped all my warning flags, now my lips curled up in a smile. Marshal wasn't my boyfriend, but we did stuff together all the time. "I don't think I can," I said, annoyed that I couldn't say yes and go. "I've got this murder I'm working on…and my sign to clean…"

Jenks's wings clattered. "I said I'd help you with that, Rache," he said brightly, and I smiled and curved my hand around him.

"It's too cold, Jenks," I protested, then turned back to Marshal. "Then I've got to pick up my brother at the airport at three, talk to Ford at six, and then go back to my mom's and do the good-daughter thing by having dinner with her and Robbie. Saturday I'm in the ever-after with Al…." My words trailed off. "Next week, maybe?"

Marshal nodded in understanding, and suddenly seeing a golden opportunity to avoid being badgered at my mom's, I blurted out, "Uh, unless you want to come with me to my mom's for dinner? She's making lasagna."

The man laughed. "You want me to play boyfriend so your life doesn't look pathetic, right?"

"Marshal!" I gave his shoulder a smack, but I was red-faced. God, he knew me too well.

"Well, am I right?" he needled, his eyes glinting under his hat-flattened hair.

I made a face, then said, "You going to help me here or not?"

"You bet," he said brightly. "I like your mom. Is she making pi-i-i-ie?"

He stressed the word as if it meant the world to him, and I grinned, feeling better about tomorrow already. "If she knows you're coming, she'll make two."

Marshal chuckled, and as I sipped my coffee and smiled back, content and happy, Jenks flew out of the kitchen on quiet wings, a green trail of dust spilling from him to slowly fade to nothing.

Six

The FIB's lobby was noisy and cold. Gray street slush had been tracked in, making a soggy mess of the rug and creating a slowly diminishing black path to the front desk, set back from the twin glass doors. The FIB emblem in the middle of the room was dingy from a hundred footprints. It reminded me of the emblem on the floor of the demons' law offices. A joke, Al had said, but I had my doubts. I shifted nervously in the nasty orange chairs they had out here. Saturday, and my teaching date with Algaliarept, always seemed to come up too fast. Trying to explain to Robbie and my mom why I was going to be incommunicado all day would be tricky.

I had cheerfully strode into the FIB about ten minutes before—my mood excellent since Alex had brought my car home—my snappy boots leaving prints on their emblem as I went to the front desk to announce who I was—only to be asked to take a seat, like I was some weirdo off the street. Sighing, I hunched over with my elbows on my knees and tried to find a comfortable position. I wasn't happy about being asked to wait. If Ivy had been here, they would've fallen all over themselves, but not for me—a memory-challenged witch they didn't trust anymore.

Ivy was currently out on the street trying to pick up the sixth-month-old trail of Kisten's killer. Guilt for not having done anything sooner had gotten her up long before me. Jenks had come with me today in the hopes that we'd stop at a charm shop on the way home. He wasn't interested in a charm, but the stuff that went into making them—things that a garden-loving pixy cheating hibernation can't get in December. Matalina wasn't doing well, and I knew he was upset, ready and willing to spend some of the rent money he got from Ivy and me on his wife. Sitting here in the FIB's lobby was a poor use for both our days. Not to mention that it was cold.

I straightened to swing my bag between my knees to try to burn off some irritation, and snuggled into my scarf, Jenks wiggled to life. "What's up, Rache?" he asked, landing on my hands to get me to stop swinging my bag.

"Nothing," I said shortly.

His brow rose, and he gave me a look. "Then why did your pulse quicken and your temperature rise?" He made a face. "Your perfume stinks. God, what did you do, bathe in it?"

I stared at the receptionist, avoiding Jenks's question. I couldn't tell him I was worried about his wife not making it through the winter. He buzzed his wings for my attention, and I tapped the banshee report on my knee. I had written it for Edden this morning—which only made me madder. I was here to help, and they left me waiting with distraught parents and thugs cuffed to the walls? Nice.

"Lookie here, Rache," Jenks said, not a speck of dust falling from him as he flew heavily two seats down and landed on a discarded paper. "You made some print."

"What?" Expecting the worst, I leaned over and snatched it up. Jenks laboriously flew back and settled on my hand as I held the paper up, scanning the picture. This was all I needed, but my worry eased when I found it was just a shot of the Tilsons' house with a crowd and a news van out front. The caption said YEAR-END BRIMSTONE BUST GONE WRONG, and you couldn't even tell it was me unless you knew it.

"Gonna save it for your scrapbook?" Jenks asked as I quickly read the article.

"No." I tossed the paper back where it had been, then stretched to turn the picture side down. Drug bust, eh? Good for them. Keep it that way.

Hands on his hips, Jenks flew into my line of sight, but I was saved from whatever smart-ass remark he was going to gift me with when the doors cycled open and two uniformed FIB guys roughly escorted in a thin Santa. The man was shrieking about his reindeer. The cold draft hit us, and Jenks dove for my scarf.

"Tink's titties, you think you could put a little more perfume on, Rache?" he complained, and I shivered as his wings brushed my bare skin.

"It's from Ivy," I said.

"Oh."

I sighed as I settled in to wait. I'd found the new bottle of citrusy scent on the kitchen table this morning. I'd known what it meant and had immediately dabbed on a splash. Apparently, after yesterday, Ivy thought it prudent to reinstate our practice of trying to muddle the mixing of our natural scents. We hadn't had to resort to chemical warfare on her instincts for a while, but we'd been trapped in the church with the windows closed for months.

The Santa broke from the officers and bolted for the door. I jerked upright, then relaxed as the two officers fell on him. All three slid into the doors with a thump. The guy was cuffed. How far was he going to get? "Damn," I swore softly, wincing. "That's going to leave a mark."

A presence of old coffee tickled my nose, and I wasn't surprised when Edden appeared at my elbow. "The one on the bottom is Chad. He's new. I think he's trying to impress you."

My irritation at having to wait returned, and I looked up at the squat FIB captain. He was in his usual khakis and dress shirt. No tie, but his brown dress shoes were polished and he held himself with his familiar uprightness. His eyes, too, looked more determined. Tired, but the fear was gone. Glenn must be doing better.

"I'm impressed," I said, catching the drama out of the corner of my eye as Chad dragged Santa into the back. "Can't you bring the loonies in the rear door?"