Chapter 16 – The Tattoo
Kairo and I were surprised to find Jen in the office.
“Good, you’re here,” he said, slamming the door.
“You don’t sound pleased,” I commented.
“I’m not.”
I let the thought process and gave up promptly. His logic was beyond my comprehension.
“If you must know, Kai, I’m here about the case. I need to make sure that you are, in fact, going to investigate. It is urgent, you know.”
“I know. I’m starting later today. I have to wrap up a case that I got this morning.”
“Why’d you take on another case this morning if you knew you had the one I told you about?!” she asked, exasperated.
“Because I need to train my new assistant,” he answered with a careless wave of his hand. “Like I said, I’m starting later today.”
I watched Kairo with interest. The way he kept three different cases going at the same time, without any knowing of the others was fascinating. I wondered how many other cases he was investigating without me even knowing about.
“I suppose I’ll have to just accept that. Parliament won’t be happy.”
“It was a police case – I had to take it. Besides, when is Parliament ever happy – especially with me?”
That made Jen smile. Her mood lightened.
“Good point. What is this other case, anyway?”
“I wouldn’t normally involve you – but I think you can help me explain things to Maya. You’re a lot better at making things clear.”
Oh, I loved how they were able to carry out conversations and casually forget that I was in the room, even when they were talking about me.
“Okay, fill me in.”
Kairo told her about the girl in the field, the tattoo on her arm and the explanation Hana gave of its meaning.
“I see. Simple enough – the tattoo killed her, obviously.”
“Would you mind telling me how you two got to that conclusion? Since Kairo already ruled out my poison theory.”
Jen smiled,
“He didn’t tell you how our magic works, did he?”
“Not a word.”
“No wonder you are confused, Maya,” she turned to Kairo. “How do you expect her to be of any help if you don’t tell her the basics?”
He shrugged,
“She’s smart – I thought she’d start to figure it out.”
“Tell me what you know so far.”
I closed my eyes, tilted my head and thought over the past few days. Anna, Jared, Kairo, Jen...The tattoo. Anna scribbling all over herself. The fire she started with a pen. Pages lying on Kairo’s desk, covered in weird symbols. There was a pattern swirling about somewhere, an undercurrent that I could sense but couldn’t place.
“I don’t know what I know. There are some things...I can’t put them in order, but I know that there is something.”
“Do you read much, Maya?” he asked.
“Not as much as I used to...Why?”
“Because words have power. More power than you might have otherwise thought. Normal people like you, they don’t have the ability to use that power to its full extent...But I can.”
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The Raven Conspiracy
Teen FictionThe Raven Conspiracy The thefts, murders and secrets are only the beginning “It was only my first day, but I was ready to quit.” Working as an assistant to an investigator is so much more than Maya thought it would be. Where fetching coffee leads t...
