Marked By Lies: A Reverse Harem Series (The Marked Series Book 1) by Paige Orr (the red fox clan TXT) 📗

“I guess so. I just didn’t want to bother her with anything else since I’m pretty sure Melissa will already have her working on this case with her.”

“Wait, didn’t she insinuate she was a supernatural when she threatened to kick your ass if we hurt Melissa.”

“Yeah, I think she did, but she didn’t exactly mention what type.”

“Then call and ask her, if it turns out she’s a Witch then she could be better suited to the job than I first thought.”

I let out a sigh as I pull my phone out and scrolling through my recent call list till I got to her number. I don’t know how welcoming she’ll be on the phone to me, but Morph is right. If anyone is in the right place to be searching about unclaimed Witches, then it would be another Witch. Dialing her number, I wait patiently for her to answer, expecting her to completely ignore me. When she answers the phone though, she sounds nothing but professional, which surprises me.

“Annika Craft, hacker extraordinaire! There’s no code impossible to break when I put my mind to it. What can I do for you?”

“Miss Craft, It’s Zaphyr. I have a few questions for you.”

“Fucking hell, I’m still working on the shit that Mel gave me to do with your case, so what could your royal pain in the ass need me for?”

“I do apologize for interrupting, but we think that we have a lead that we could use your help with. I can pay you as a client if that makes it any better.”

Morpheus turns to look at me with an eyebrow raised at the fact I’ve just offered the woman money. If I know anything about people who live and breathe their job though, it’s the fact that unless you’re a friend, they aren't usually willing to help for free.

“You can just add it to what you're paying Mel, she needs it more than me. Now, what do you need to know Z.”

I cringe at the nickname that she's given me, no doubt intentionally trying to piss me off. I can see why my little songbird is friends with the woman. All I need right now is to be dealing with two sassy females.

“It’s quite simple. When my advisor spoke with you last time, you made it obvious you aren’t human. So what I need to know is if you’re a Witch.”

“Well, aren’t you a smart boy? I don’t see why my race could be important to your investigation though.”

“We think the cultists could be behind this, but they’ve wiped all trace of their presence from the scenes of the crimes. Usually, the only people who can do so are Witches.”

“Yeah, and what’s your point?”

“I was wondering if you could hack into the child welfare system to see if there are any possible Witches who could have slipped through the cracks.”

“Sure, in fact, that job is simple. What I want to know though, is why you think it could be one of the lost?”

“You know yourself Miss Craft that some of the Witches that slip by undetected, are usually ridiculed, and when they are finally found they usually have a lot of resentment. It’s the only theory we have to go on right now,”

“Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll get back to you shortly and let you know what I find.”

She hangs up before I can thank her, and I turn to Morph in disbelief. That girl either has the biggest lady balls ever or she just doesn’t care at all about my opinion of her. I’m willing to bet that it’s both.

Chapter Thirteen

Melissa

I pull up in front of the first house on my half of the list, trying my best not to dwell on what just happened at Adelaide’s. On one hand, I was happy to see my mother, but it’s been so long since she died and I’ve done my grieving, all this is doing is dragging up feelings I can’t afford to get caught up on.

Deciding the best thing to do is throw myself into this investigation to distract me from thinking about it too much, I throw it all into a box and push it to the far recesses of my mind to examine at a later date. Getting my mind back on track with something that I can make a difference with, I slip out of the car and make my way up to the front door.

I look around, trying to see if there are any windows that I could make my way inside through. Finding none on this side, I check under the plant pots and rocks lying near the front door with no luck. Although I suppose that makes sense. Almost every time you see a robbery on the TV, the robber always uses a key that's hidden in plain sight like that.

Having no other choice, I pull my lock picking kit from my back pocket and set to work opening the door after checking that no one is around. Since it’s been a while since I’ve had to pick a lock, it takes me longer than it usually would before finally the lock clicks open. Carefully, I slip through the door, closing it quietly behind me, and turn to study the room.

In front of me, I find an open plan living room that looks like it belongs in a catalog instead of someone’s living space. There’s not a speck of dust on any of the surfaces, and everything looks like it’s brand new. Left confused about the appearance of an apartment that no one has been in for a while, I go deeper into the house.

Every room is the same as the first, and I feel like I’m viewing a show