Banshee Charmer (Files from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, #1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

will surprise you.”
    “Try me.”
    “Nothing other than what the coroner said. No obvious cause of death on the first victim or the second. They both had sex before they died. No DNA left from her attacker. No identifiable poisons in her system. No drugs, only a small amount of alcohol. Looking at the body didn’t tell me anything new.” As Lisa approached with my Coke, I straightened my posture, embarrassed that I hadn’t noticed I’d leaned toward Aidan as I spoke.
    “Hi there,” she said, giving Aidan a smile. “What can I get for you?” She bent over, putting her hand on the table, her back to me. More specifically with the way she rested, her backside.
    I frowned. She made the simple question sound like an invitation. What was it with this guy anyway? I cocked my head to the side and raised an eyebrow at Aidan.
    “Iced tea, please. No lemon.”
    “Sure thing.” I couldn’t see the expression she wore when she sashayed away, but it was probably pretty damn welcoming.
    “Anyway,” I said, more loudly than I needed to. Aidan was staring, not at the waitress, but at me. The annoying grin stuck to his face. “As I was saying. We haven’t found anything that you probably didn’t already know.”
    “What about oh-dubs?” He flashed a quick smile at Lisa as she dropped off his drink but didn’t move his eyes from my face. Looking miffed, Lisa sauntered away. Probably to spit on my cheeseburger.
    “They didn’t run any OW measures on the first vic. They’ll run them on the second, or I’ll be kicking someone’s ass.”
    He grunted and took a long drink of his tea.
    Lisa showed up with my cheeseburger and fries. She gave Aidan a long look as she walked away, nearly running over another waitress. I checked my watch. Twelve thirty.
    “Guess your partner isn’t coming.” He stared at me with his dark blue eyes and a shiver ran down my spine.
    Get a grip, Mac . I looked at my burger, removing the top bun. It appeared saliva-free.
    “I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
    “I’ll bet you are,” I muttered and then took a big bite of my burger.
    He coughed and covered his mouth with a fist. It sounded suspiciously like a muffled laugh. He set a white business card next to my plate. It was blank, save for his name and a phone number. “So you can contact me.” He sipped his iced tea.
    The number was from out of state, but I didn’t recognize the area code. This seemed like as good a time as any to ask what kind of otherworlder he was. The question was rude, but I needed to know who—what—I was dealing with. Warming him up with small talk seemed best, so I took a stab at it. “This your first time in Chicago?” I took another bite of my juicy burger, catching a bit of the grease with my tongue as it tried to dribble down my chin.
    “Nope,” he said.
    My cell phone began vibrating, and I glared at Aidan while I reached for it. The caller ID listed Amanda’s number. About time. I flipped the phone open a second too late, so I hit the send button to call her back. I muttered another expletive when her automated message blared in my ear, and then pressed the end button without leaving a message.
    “Your partner?”
    “Yep,” I said.
    My cell beeped and an icon flashed on the screen. Great, she was leaving me a message as I was calling her. I hit the button to listen to my voice mail and put the phone to my ear.
    “Hey Mac, it’s me.” Amanda sounded tired. No doubt from a night of witchery. “Won’t be able to meet you today. Following up on that sample. Can you go interview the vic’s boyfriend?” She rattled off the guy’s information. “I’ll be in touch.”
    I snapped the phone shut and cursed under my breath. Could she have been any more vague?
    “Going to see a man about a girl.” I took a long drink from my straw. “Latest vic’s boyfriend. Want to come?”
    …
    The apartment complex wasn’t in thenicest part of town, but it didn’t scream projects either. The door