Ashes(49)

Levi opened the rear door for them. "You've got me real curious about this kid. I'll come inside with you this time. There are no teens lurking about, eyeing up the Bentley."



Knox led the way up the path, and Harper then pressed the doorbell.



Wyatt opened the door after a few moments. His eyes narrowed as he took in the four of them. "Something's happened."



"Can we come in?" said Knox.



"Come through to the kitchen." Wyatt led the way into a small, bright kitchen. "What's wrong?"



Expression grave, Knox spoke, "Talia is dead."



For a brief moment, Wyatt said nothing …  as if not comprehending the words. "What?"



"Both Talia and her apartment went down in a blaze of hellfire, but the rest of the building is fine. It was clear that she alone was the target."



"Hellfire?" Wyatt's gaze sharpened. "She was murdered. Jesus."



"Someone trapped her inside and killed her. She was screaming for them to let her out, but they didn't."



Cursing, Wyatt gave a sad shake of the head. "I've watched hellfire burn people alive. It has to be a horrible way to die."



Harper was in perfect agreement with that.



Linda strolled into the kitchen. She almost stumbled to a halt as she studied their faces. "What is it? What's happened?"



Wyatt rubbed at his nape. "Talia burned to death in her apartment. Hellfire."



Linda's face went slack and she gripped the counter. "Oh my God."



"Any suspects?" asked Wyatt, shifting into detective mode.



"Some believe it may have been her dealer," began Knox, "though her partner doesn't seem to think so." 



"It's always the same with addicts," said Linda with a sigh. "If the drugs don't kill them, the dealers do. She chose that lifestyle."



Harper didn't like the bite in her voice. "Nobody deserves to die like that."



Linda blanched. "Of course not, I wasn't suggesting that she did. I just … "



She was just glad that Talia couldn't come and take McCauley away, Harper guessed.



Knox glanced at the doorway. "Where's McCauley?"



Linda hesitated to respond. "He's upstairs, playing in his room. Why?"



"Has he been there all day?" asked Knox.



She double-blinked. "Yes. He doesn't spend a lot of time downstairs with us." And that clearly disappointed her. "He likes his space. Privacy."



Harper personally didn't know a lot of six-year-olds that confined themselves to their room and didn't want attention. It would be one thing if he was in an abusive household, but it was obvious that Linda would enjoy showering him with positive attention. "We'd like to talk to him."



Linda's gaze darted from Harper to Knox. "I don't think it's necessary for you to break the news to him. He never knew about her. Maybe we could simply tell him that you've been unable to find out who his biological mother is – it would be unkind to make him lose a mother twice."



"That's not why we wish to speak with him," said Knox.



Realization flashed across Linda's face. "You don't think it was him surely? He's six, for God's sake." When no one said a word, she put a hand over her heart. "I swear to you, he did not leave this house. I would know if he had."



"Maybe you just didn't see him leave," said Knox.



Linda's lips flattened. "If he could teleport, he would probably have left his human adoptive parents long ago."



"Not if he had nowhere else to go."



"He doesn't even know that Talia was his mother."



"He could have heard you talking about it."



"But we didn't talk about it."



"That's not entirely true," Wyatt objected, ignoring his mate's glower. "He may have overheard our argument with Pamela, Talia's mother. I'm not saying he caused the fire, I'm just saying he may have overheard that conversation."



Knox tilted his head slightly. "You had an argument with Pamela?"



It was Linda who responded. "Talia must have told her about him – probably because she didn't want her to find out from anyone else. Pamela wanted to take him. She was very insistent." From her tone, it was clear that she'd felt intimidated by the woman. "We said no. She threatened to involve you, so I pointed out that it was you who left him in our care and that if she wanted that to change then she'd have to consult you."



"She hasn't spoken to me about it yet." Knox pursed his lips. "When did this happen?"



"This morning," Linda replied. "Even if he did hear the argument, it doesn't mean he did anything wrong. Teleporting isn't that simple. He'd have to have an address or an image in his mind of a person or a place he wanted to go. He doesn't know what Talia looked like or where she lived."