Fitzgibbon practically ran to the door.
“I swear, if he starts getting all bossy, I’ll-”
Ten kissed Ronan, stopping his burgeoning tirade in its tracks. “You’re all excited to get back to detective work. Let’s not start out by stomping on anyone’s good mood. “
Ronan supposed Ten had a good point. “Thank you so much for everything, Kaye.”
“Just don’t go and get yourself killed.” Kaye didn’t bother to look up from the eggs she was scrambling.
Ronan opened his mouth to object, but Ten grabbed his arm and practically dragged him out of the kitchen. He supposed Ten had another point. Arguing with Kaye was never productive. “Bye!” he called over his shoulder. He could hear Jude making his goodbyes as well.
When they got outside, Kevin was sitting in the front seat of his Yukon. Ten climbed into the back-passenger seat, while Ronan sat behind Kevin. A minute later, Jude hopped into the front seat and Kevin pulled onto the street.
“I don’t want to be a wet blanket,” Tennyson began gingerly, “but this case has been cold for thirty-five years. I can feel how excited you are, but maybe keep a lid on that for now? Skye and her family are going to need serious investigators, not a bunch of hopped-up teenagers attending nerd camp.”
“Nerd camp?” Ronan asked, a smile twisting his lips.
Ten rolled his eyes. “The last thing these people need are a bunch of Encyclopedia Browns showing up at their door.” He turned to Ronan. “Is that a better metaphor?”
“Are you getting something, Ten?” Fitzgibbon asked from the front seat.
“No, but I’ve worked these cases as an outsider. I remember my first day on the Michael Frye case. I thought I’d solve it by lunchtime, and we all know how that went.”
“I never knew you felt that way.” Ronan was intrigued. Their relationship as partners had gotten off to a contentious start. He wasn’t surprised one bit that Ten hadn’t shared that information with him.
“I might have been a bit too big for my britches.” Color bloomed over his cheeks. “I just don’t want the three of you to fall into that same trap. There’s a reason this case has been cold for so long, and Cap and Ronan are out of practice.”
“You’re right, Ten. We have been acting like excited boys. I’ll get that under control.” Over the last eighteen months, since he’d been retired, Ronan had put away his detective hat and all the emotions and procedures that went along with it. He was going to need to refocus his energy on being a detective again, and not some retired cop playing a one for shits and giggles.
“I agree, Ten. Thanks for the pep talk.” Fitzgibbon made eye contact with Ronan in the rearview mirror.
Jude snorted from the front seat.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’m the only one who came out of Ten’s little chat unscathed. A first for me.” Jude held his fists up in victory.
Ronan gave Jude’s head a shove before laughing along with him. He had a feeling this would be the last time any of them would laugh today.
6
Tennyson
Walking into the Magick shop as a member of the newly minted detective squad was weird for Tennyson. Usually, he spent his commute to the store centering himself for the readings he had scheduled for the day. Today, he’d tried to wrangle the three amigos into a more professional mindset. He wasn’t sure they’d listened, but the proof was in the pudding.
“Good morning, Ten!” Cole greeted from the cash register. He was ringing up purchases for a young woman whose eyes widened when she caught sight of Tennyson.
“Hi, Cole.” Ten saw the young woman. He was hesitant to say anything, not wanting anything to sidetrack their mission this morning. Instead of speaking, Ten waved to the woman and headed toward Jude’s reading room. As he strode past, Ten could hear Cole telling the customer about a big case the team was working on this morning. Thank God for Cole. He knew Ronan, Jude, and Fitzgibbon were behind him with the file and serious looks on their faces.
Kevin set the folder in the center of the table while the others took a seat. He seemed unsure of himself.
“Cap, you and Ten start with the folder. Jude and I will look for media reports and print articles. Fair enough?” Ronan asked. He was halfway to the door before Kevin nodded. Jude was right behind him.
“They’re gonna grab their laptops,” Ten said, feeling awkward. He knew whatever was in that folder would trigger his brain powers, as Ronan called them. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt anxiety over my gift.”
“What do you mean?” Kevin’s shoulders dropped a bit and he looked like he was starting to relax.
“Working full-time at the store, I meet with grieving parents or people desperate for a look at their future. Will they find love, happiness, money? I’m not going to run up against anything like that in the Washington case. A teenage girl is dead, and someone killed her. She isn’t going to have hellos from heaven to pass on to her family, she’s going to tell me the story of her murder. If I can get her to talk to me.”
Fitzgibbon nodded. “Why wouldn’t she want to talk to you?”
“It’s been so long since her murder. It’s possible she’s moved on.” Ten shrugged. “It’s also possible she’s a raging mass of anger which has had decades to build and fester.” Ten wasn’t a fan of either option. A third choice, which he’d keep to himself for now, was that Skye might not know who killed her. She may not have seen the person’s face, or worse, her killer could be a total stranger.
“When will you start to reach out to Skye?” Kevin asked, nibbling his bottom lip.
“Not until we’re familiar with the case and we’ve met with her parents. I want to have all the known facts available if Skye decides she wants to talk to me.” Ten knew one of them was going to have to make the call to her parents soon. He was hoping it would be Ronan or Fitzgibbon.
“What’s this?” Ronan asked. He had a cup of coffee in one hand and his laptop in the other.
“Kevin was asking about when I’d reach out to Skye’s spirit.” Ronan, more than the others, would know exactly how he worked.
“I’m guessing that means she isn’t here?” Jude asked, looking around the reading room as if he expected to see Skye.
“Right,” Ten agreed. “I didn’t think she would be. All we have here is a copy of the evidence. Nothing that belongs to her, like her clothes or personal effects.” In a way, Ten was glad. He wasn’t quite ready to face the murdered teenager just yet.
Fitzgibbon reached into the first pouch of the folder and pulled out the crime scene photos. Next was the evidence reports and witness statements. He went through the photographs before handing them to Tennyson.
Ten took them with shaking hands. Instead of fanning them out like a poker hand, he left them stacked on top of each other. He took a deep breath and stared down at the first photo. It was the one Cisco had shown them last night. Skye Washington with her blue eye shadow, purple button-down shirt, and black suspenders. She looked like an extra in a New Kids on the Block video. Her smile was bright, as were her eyes. This was a child with no worries. At least not at the moment, Ten said to himself.