Grimoires and Where to Find Them by Raconteur, Honor (ebook reader for laptop .txt) 📕

Yeah…okay, nice to know people were selfish no matter what universe they were in.

Many reporters stood in the mix because, of course, they’d caught wind of this and wanted the story. I recognized a few faces in the crowd and gave them a wave. I’d tell them what was going on, but hopefully we could keep the Reaper’s Set thefts under wraps a little longer.

I’d barely breached the front door when Captain Johnna spotted me, and her face lit up in relief. She went straight for me, elbowing people out of the way to get there, and snagged my arm, pulling me in close. If she was trying for a confidential conversation, she failed immediately. There were too many people talking over each other to try for a whispered conversation.

“Detective,” she greeted, her greying blonde hair frizzing out of its bun, a sort of desperate look on her face, “can I put you on the spot?”

“Uh…how?”

“People are trying to sneak out and get back to their shops, and they’re not really taking no for an answer. But if you say not to go…”

Ahh. Because if the Shinigami Detective said not to go, it might mean something. Aish. I hated using my fame, but I saw her point, and we couldn’t afford to have people going back there. You know what, screw it. Let’s do this thing.

“I’ll take care of it.”

She lit up in relief. “Thanks so much. Climb on a table if you wish. Also, I have the landlady of the apartment building in my office for you to interview.”

“Oh, yeah? Great, that’s helpful. I’ll talk to her in a sec.”

At least I didn’t have to hunt for the lady in question in this crowd. That would have taken all day. I spied a table nearby that wasn’t being used, and with an easy vault, got myself on top of it. That attracted some attention, but the far corners of the room didn’t notice.

I clapped my hands loudly above my head to get more attention, turning in place as I did so, my feet making a tight circle. People generally quieted, orienting themselves so they could see me better. Okay, I’ve got most of the bullpen’s attention now. I sucked in a breath to speak loudly, as this had to carry to every corner.

“Everyone! I’m sure you’re wondering what to do and what’s happening. Let me fill you in. I’m Detective Jamie Edwards, and you probably know me as the Shinigami Detective.”

A wave of murmurs accompanied by some sharp inhales followed that announcement.

“I was called in by RM Sherard Seaton to help with a very dangerous situation. Here’s the gist—some moron thought it a great idea to store a bunch of unprotected grimoires all in one place. The apartment building on Denton Street was full of grimoires, stacked tightly together.

“Any magician worth their salt can tell you that’s a really bad idea. The magic in that apartment has become volatile and dangerous. It’s not only threatening the integrity of the building, but it’s spreading in all directions. So far, we’ve had multiple reports of people becoming violently ill, hallucinating, and one person was so unhinged they were attacking people with a butcher’s knife.”

“She’s not exaggerating,” Captain Johnna threw in loudly, backing me up. “We’re still dealing with those poor souls who were too close and got directly exposed. They’re all in the hospital right now.”

Thank you, Captain. And good to know. I’d need to check on those people after this.

“It is very, very dangerous for you to go back in before we’ve cleared the air. You’ll become ill. Violent. Start hallucinating. You will do NO good trying to go back in early. Rest assured, we want this cleaned up more than you do, and we’re tackling it with all speed. Multiple kingsmen and two magical examiners are working right at this minute, and RM Seaton is doing everything in his power to make sure this doesn’t go from bad to worse. What I suggest you do is find somewhere else to go. Friends, relatives, take a mini-vacation—go somewhere. I imagine this will take several days.”

A woman at my feet timidly asked, “Do you have a timeline?”

I smiled down at her, assuring her silently that it was fine to ask. “No, ma’am, I’m sorry. Not at this moment. I was dispatched to help clear the area, and I haven’t spoken with the team inside in about four hours. I imagine this will take a few days, but I could be wrong. It depends on how bad the situation is inside that building.”

A reporter’s hand in the crowd shot up. “Detective, is this something like a magical gas leak?”

“That’s a really excellent way to look at it.” I approved. The metaphor was sound. “You can’t see or detect it, but it might well kill you. Please let the experts handle it. I’ll take one more question.”

Another hand shot up, but two people asked in near unison, “Do you know who’s responsible for this?”

“I can’t disclose anything else at this point. It’s an ongoing investigation. No more questions, please, I’ve got a lot to do if we’re to get people back home sooner rather than later. Also, clear out of the station if you can. We don’t have enough room in here, and you want us to work so we can get you back to normal quickly.”

That worked, and they started filing out and dispersing. Phew. Okay, that was done. Next.

I hopped off the table lightly, glad the cats had decided to sleep in this morning. They normally weren’t enthused about going in if I was just doing paperwork, and that had been my agenda for today. They were safely home and not in the middle of this madness.

Captain Johnna led me through the throng and into her office. The building was an old one and clearly renovated—it had likely been an apothecary or something, as it didn’t look like a police building. Her office