Holiday frowned. “Burnett said the DNA came back positive on the suspect. He’s there now to present the case to the FRU board to get Billy sentenced.”
“All in one day?” Della asked.
Holiday nodded.
“What happened to having a trial and being judged by twelve of your peers?”
“It doesn’t work that way with the FRU. When someone is arrested, their case goes before an FRU board and they are sentenced almost immediately. And … the bad news for Billy is that getting a sentence overturned is practically impossible.”
“Then we have to stop it.” Della snatched her phone from her back pocket. Seeing her hands, she recalled the vision she’d had.
“The ring?” Della said.
“What?” Holiday asked.
“In class, I…” Jeepers, would Holiday think she was crazy? Then Della remembered Kylie had those types of visions all the time. Oh, fracking hell, Della didn’t want to go down this road. But she’d worry about that later, too. “I had this vision, I…”
“What vision?”
“I saw my hands with blood on them and I was wearing a ring. An engagement ring. I was … repulsed by it. I wanted to take it off, but I couldn’t.”
Holiday stood there rubbing her stomach.
“Do you think that means anything?” Della asked. “Is she trying to tell me something?”
“It always means something. The tough part is figuring it out. The dead suck at communicating.” The fae reached to the back of her chair to get her purse and slung it over her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
“Go where?” Della asked.
“To see Burnett. You’re right, we have to stop this.”
“We can’t just call?” Della held up her phone.
“Nope. Love that man, but he never listens to reason on the phone. Frankly, he doesn’t excel at listening to reason in person. Not when he thinks he’s right. And he’s pretty certain Billy is guilty.”
“Then what are we going to do?” Della asked, following Holiday out.
“Convince him that he’s wrong.”
“How?” Della asked.
“I’m hoping to figure that out on the ride there.”
They came up empty, but that didn’t stop them from charging into the FRU building. Well, Della charged. Holiday, wearing a long-sleeved yellow dress that hugged her round belly, wobbled in. She reminded Della of a pudgy duck. A beautiful pudgy duck with red hair. If this weren’t so serious, Della would have found it funny.
“Hi, Mr. Adkins,” Holiday said to the man at the front desk, granting him a big smile. “I need to speak to my husband.”
Mr. Adkins, who didn’t smile back, probably because he was a werewolf—Della had checked out his pattern—stared at Holiday. “I’m sorry, Mr. James is in a meeting with the Judging Committee.”
Holiday made a pleading face. “It’s important.”
“So is the meeting,” he said.
Holiday reached out to touch the were, but he backed up. “Fae influence isn’t allowed in this building.”
Holiday shot Della a quick glance and cut her eyes toward the hall that led to the back. Della couldn’t be a hundred percent sure, but her gut said Holiday meant for Della to make a run for it.
Della didn’t need to be told twice.
“Now, you wouldn’t want Burnett upset with you for not informing him that his pregnant wife is here, would you?” Holiday asked, drawing the man’s attention.
“Sorry, the rules are the rules.” The voices echoed behind Della as she hotfooted it down the corridor .
She tuned her ears off them and listened for voices coming from a room at the end of the hall.
Unfortunately, she heard the were yelling out for her to stop. Which meant she ran faster. Hearing footsteps, she hit the doors a little hard. The heavy oak panels slammed against the wall and one fell from its hinges.
Oops.
One swift glance around, and Della counted fourteen figures in the room. All men. But she knew she was in the right room when she recognized one of those figures as her badass camp leader. But wow, all men! She knew the FRU was chauvinistic, but damn, what century was this?
Thirteen of those men shot up from their seats.
The one who remained seated was another she recognized. Billy. Shoulders slumped, he held his head down, staring at his lap, as if his fate had been sealed, as if not one person in the world cared.
Della cared. Burnett cared. If she could just make him see reason.
Heavy breathing sounded behind her. “I’m sorry, I’ll remove her immediately.” The were came storming into the room.
“No,” Burnett demanded. “Let me handle this. She’s harmless.”
Just in case the dirty dog didn’t listen to Burnett, Della shot around and gave him a peek at her canines. When he took another step forward, she added, “Touch me and I’ll hit you so hard in the balls you’ll wish you’d been neutered as a pup.”
Burnett cleared his throat. “Okay, she doesn’t sound harmless, but she is.” Burnett’s glare said he’d be the one doing the harming if she didn’t behave. “Della, this is not a good time!”
“Yes, it is,” a voice came from behind her. Holiday’s voice.
Della loved it when things came together so perfectly.
Burnett’s eyes widened at the sight of his wife. He looked at the others in the room, then back at Holiday waddling up the center of the room. “I think you all have met my wife,” Burnett said, not looking happy.
“Yes,” one man said, sounding annoyed.
That was all it took for Burnett to give him a scowling look. “Is something wrong?” Burnett asked, his harsh look fleeting as he watched his wife.
“Yes,” Holiday said. Burnett looked ready to run to her, no doubt fearing for his child. “Billy Jennings is innocent.”
Burnett’s shoulders sank with relief, but Billy’s posture finally showed a backbone and he glanced up. The boy looked condemned, lost, and he had tears in his eyes, but for one second there was a flash of hope.
“And how have you come to this conclusion?” one of the Judging Committee, a blond vampire, asked Holiday.
“Lorraine Baker has proclaimed him innocent,” Holiday stated with pride.
“I didn’t think I did it,” Billy said. “I told them I didn’t think I could do it. I just didn’t remember everything. It’s all a blur.”
“I’m afraid you are mistaken,” said the older vampire in the room with a holier-than-thou attitude. “Lorraine Baker is one of our victims. She could not proclaim anything.”
Burnett’s shoulders flexed. “My wife is seldom wrong. She’s a gifted ghost whisperer.”
Della wondered why Burnett hadn’t shared this information with his agency.
But in the next few seconds, she knew why. All twelve men of the committee looked a bit shocked, or maybe scared was a better word.
What a bunch of wimps, Della thought. Sure, ghosts scared the crap out of her, but she wasn’t some bigwig on the FRU judge-and-jury committee. And how strange was it that they were on a committee to judge others, but feared the dead and the death angels judging them?
Another of the men, this one a warlock, spoke up and directed it to Burnett. “And you expect us to take the word of your … very pregnant wife, over a DNA test? No offense, but pregnancy tends to lower a female’s IQ.”
Burnett turned to the warlock, but before he could add his two cents—which didn’t look as if it would be pleasant—Holiday added her own. “That’s funny,” she said, but without humor. “I’ve heard it also makes us vicious if provoked. And for your information, I’d be happy to put my IQ up against yours, pregnant or not.”
“And I’d have to agree,” Burnett seethed, glaring daggers at the warlock. “I would also add, she’s helped me solve several cases. Before and after she was pregnant.”
Go Burnett! The way he defended his wife was the most romantic thing Della had ever seen. There was no question where his loyalty lay.
“So, if my wife says Lorraine Baker told her Billy wasn’t her murderer, then I recommend we take another look at the case.” Burnett turned back to Holiday. “Exactly what did Lorraine Baker tell you?”
Oh, shit, Della thought. It was time to come out of the I-talk-to-dead-people closet. She stepped forward. “Lorraine didn’t tell Holiday. She told me.”
“Enough of this,” said another man, this one a redheaded fae. “You’re vampire. We all know that ghost whispering isn’t a gift given to your species. This is ridiculous.”
“I sort of feel the same way,” Della said, realizing that Burnett hadn’t informed them of his own abilities. But if she had to work with these jerks, she wouldn’t tell them shit either. “I don’t understand it, perhaps she just attached herself to me because I was at the crime scene.” She said it honestly, hoping it was true.
Another one of the twelve, a were with graying temples, shook his head. “We simply can’t take the word of some misfit vamp to decide the fate of a murderer.”
“She’s not a misfit,” Burnett spit out the same time as Holiday. Warmth spread through Della knowing they were both in her corner. But that thought led her back to Billy, who felt he had no one. And Della knew his main champion wasn’t her or even Holiday, but Lorraine. Della’s respect for the girl grew.
Burnett focused on Della. “Do you have anything to offer us in the way of evidence?” And she could tell from his expression that he was hoping she’d come through.
But Burnett wasn’t the only one hoping—nor the one with the most to lose. A storm of emotion filled her chest as she looked at Billy, his pale blue eyes staring at her with faith. And she’d give up her best bra if she had something to offer.
But she had nothing.
Chapter Thirty-three
Della’s stomach clutched. “I’m sorry. I…” Lorraine’s voice echoed in her head and she felt a chill tiptoe down her spine. The engagement ring. “The engagement ring,” Della said, not knowing what it meant, but praying it was the answer.
“What engagement ring?” the warlock of the bunch asked.
“This is ridiculous,” another man, a shape-shifter, said.
“Maybe not so ridiculous,” said another vampire, standing beside Burnett. “I received a call from the family this morning. I didn’t mention it because it seemed irrelevant. However, the parents went through Lorraine’s belongings and said there was a ring in the box of items that didn’t belong to her. Or rather, didn’t belong to her anymore. It was the ring given to her by her prior fiancé. They wanted to know how it had gotten in with her belongings.” He hesitated a second. “The report said she was wearing it.”
Della felt a wave of relief. “His name is Phillip Lance,” Della added. “He’s her old fiancé. I believe you’ll find he belongs to the Crimson Blood gang. From what I heard, they hang out at a bar called the Hot Stuff.”
“I think I met him,” Billy said, hope resonating in his voice. “I was with that gang at the bar. I almost joined them, but … I don’t know what happened. Most of it is all a blur. But I remember a Phillip. I think we fought.”
“Which would explain how the DNA evidence got transferred,” the gray-haired were, who looked to be the leader of the committee, said. He glanced around at the others. “It appears this whole case needs to be reviewed again. And I won’t deny…” His gaze locked on Burnett. “… that I’m disappointed in this investigation.”
Burnett didn’t blink. “Actually, sir, the only thing I’m disappointed in is that we almost convicted an innocent boy. And frankly, while I can take no credit for it myself, this is the investigation at work.” He motioned to Della. “I’d like to introduce you to Della Tsang. She was the undercover agent you approved to help us on the case. As well as the one who led us to the arrest of Craig Anthony whom we sentenced yesterday. I think she’s done an excellent job here.”
“Agreed,” said the older were. “We’ll be using her for future projects.”
Della wanted to smile, but contained it. Face it, weres didn’t do “happy” often.
The were glanced back at the door. “However, would Miss Tsang and your … lovely wife…” He nodded at Holiday. “… be so kind as to leave while we close out this case? As pleasant as they both are, they are disrupting our meeting.”
“We’ll go.” Holiday winked at Burnett, and oddly her gaze shifted up toward the ceiling.
As Della walked out, Billy smiled at her. She saw gratitude written all over his face. Waiting until they were out of earshot, she looked at Holiday. “Does it take a degree in asshole-ism to be considered for the Judging Committee?”
Holiday laughed.
“And not one woman in the bunch,” Della said.
“I think you might change that someday,” Holiday said.
“I’m tempted.” Their footsteps echoed down the marble tile. Della reached up to rub her temple, noticing the headache again, but too happy to care. She’d practically been told she had a future in the FRU. “We did good, didn’t we?”
“Yup,” Holiday said. “Especially for one misfit vamp and an IQ-impaired pregnant woman.” She laughed and then flinched, putting her hand on her huge belly. “And if that kick was any indication, I think my daughter agrees.”