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ringing up the goods.  Arachne held up a paper bag with the store logo across the front.
    “No thanks,” I said.
    I scooped up the herbs and dumped them into the inner pocket of my coat.  I tucked the pencils into the back of my belt, careful to keep my shirt between the wood and my skin.  Most of my visions came from touching items with my hands, but that didn’t mean the rest of my hide was safe.
    “You heading back to the kitchen?” she asked.
    “Just long enough to tell Marvin I have to bail on our candy run,” I said.  I sighed, not looking forward to that conversation.  “Later, Arachne.”
    “Safe travels,” she said.
    I shambled back to the rear of the store, not eager to disappoint Marvin.  The bridge troll was one of the few people who I cared about in this town.  Oh well, nothing I could do about it now.  Kaye had pressed the issue of time, which meant I couldn’t be wandering off to the candy store with Marvin.  Not today.
    I needed to visit the crime scenes and see if there was any evidence of blood magic.  Maybe knock on doors and find out if there were any fae witnesses to the attacks.  That kind of legwork might be safe enough if I was looking for a lost necklace or a runaway bugbear, but this time I was searching for a stone cold killer.  There was no way I’d risk taking the kid with me.
    It was the right decision, but that didn’t stop the guilt that gnawed away at my insides.  I pressed the button that unlocked the rear counter and pushed through the bead curtain into the hallway at the back.  With a sigh, I knocked on the kitchen door and stepped inside. 
    I hoped that Hob wouldn’t want another gift, this soon after my last visit, but if he required it, I’d give him one of the pencils in my belt.  The pencils were as long as his stumpy legs, but at least they were shiny. 
    “Hi Hob,” I said, looking around the kitchen.  “Where’s Marvin?”
    Hob was dusting the large mantel that hung about the hearth.  The wood shone, but Hob rubbed at the mantel like it was covered in grime.
    “Up n’ disappeared!” he said.  Hob continued to rub at the wood, but moisture shone in his eyes.  “I only ducked inta me hole for a second.  I swear eet.  But when I returned, da wee mite was gone.”
    A pile of cloth and fur sat on the floor, the costume Marvin had changed out of.  The kid wouldn’t just leave a mess like that on Hob’s floor.  He was smarter than that.  My heart sank and a chill entered the hollow pit of my stomach.  I stared at the discarded clothing and let the importance of Hob’s words sink in.  A serial killer who was targeting fae was out there somewhere and now Marvin was missing.  My hands tightened into fists, making the leather of my gloves creak. 
    “Don’t worry,” I said.  “I’ll find him.  But Hob?  Make sure Kaye knows about this and have her call me the second anyone learns anything.”
    “Find ‘im, lass,” he said.
    Hob didn’t look away from his polishing as I spun on my heel and sprinted to the door.  I ran out of the kitchen, through the shop, and onto the street.  I needed to find those clues, and the killer, now more than ever.
     
     

Chapter 6
     
    T he old brick buildings pressed together like whispering neighbors, creating a narrow alley that resembled a badger hole, effectively blocking out the night sky.  I strode forward and stopped beneath a rusty fire escape where Forneus claimed the merry dancer had met her demise.  I rubbed the back of my neck and kicked at a piece of soiled newspaper.  Not a pleasant place to die.
    Wind whistled down the alley carrying the rotting tang of garbage and the copper scent of blood.  What if Marvin lay crumpled in an alley like this?  Was he alive, dead, or injured?  The kid had been through so much already in his short life. 
    I jumped as a hand settled on my shoulder.
    “You shouldn’t let people sneak up on you,” Jinx said.
    I gasped and stepped away, letting