dark faerie 06 - ever dead Read Online Free PDF Page A

his hand cupped over the rounded end.
    Feet together, Hank bowed stiffly toward the dummy as if it were a respected foe.
    Feeling slightly better, he moved across the dojo and sat on a bench on the side of the room. Taking up a towel he started drying his sweat-soaked hair, carefully avoiding the throbbing bump on the back of his head.
    He lost his cool today in the face of the unexpected.
    He was not happy. Not one bit.
    Staying calm in the face of adversity was a hallmark of his training, and today he failed at it…big time.
    He gingerly felt at the knot, wincing at the touch. It stung and made his entire head swim.
    It was what he deserved.
    Reaching to his right, Hank rubbed Lucifer’s head. “That was certainly strange, wasn’t it girl?”
    Luci’s eyes were locked on him as he spoke, seeming to understand.
    He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. Reliving the unusual events of earlier, he once again tried to make sense of what had happened:
    A large man had suddenly appeared on the street.
    Another was suddenly behind him, asking him pointed questions using terms that Hank had never heard before.
    Luci seemed to not recognize him during that time.
    And it all seemed to revolve around him placing the stone around his neck.
    Opening his eyes, Hank stood and quickly moved across the floor. Picking up the green stone, he stared at it intently before taking a deep breath and dropping the chain over his head.
    Turning quickly, he readied himself for what was to come, ready to react at a moments notice to whatever happened next…
    Nothing.
    Glancing over at Lucifer, he noticed that she was just watching him, her tongue out in a comfortable pant.
    It would seem that she recognized him.
    Warily looking about the room, Hank could discern nothing out of the ordinary.
    Letting out a breath, he removed the stone with some embarrassment.
    Maybe it wasn’t the stone after all.
    Shaking his head, he lowered the stone back onto the table, giving it a distasteful glare.
    “Maybe I’m just going crazy girl,” he spoke to Lucifer as he walked back toward the dog.
    “Maybe I just need some rest.”
    Picking up his towel, he led the red dog out of the room.
    “A warm shower and some shuteye, yeah, that’s what I need.”
     
     
     

Chapter 7
     
     
     
     
    Hank and Lucifer were an unlikely pairing on the PPB. Never in the history of the Portland Police Bureau had a homicide detective been paired with a K9.
    Five years before, Hank had just been elevated to Homicide after several years on the force, drawing a grizzled old detective as his partner, Amos Langtree.
    Their very first investigation was also on the south side of town. Down a long, dark alley, a homeless man had been murdered. Old Amos was fit to be tied. Known as Moss to most in the unit, he was lamenting the fact that they had assigned him to investigate one of the homeless.
    “There are thousands of them,” he grumbled as he drove to the scene. “Who gives a shit if someone thins the herd a little?”
    By contrast, Hank believed that everyone deserved to have their life protected, no matter how decrepit that life may be. Once a murder had been committed, it was their duty to find the murderer.
    But Hank was new to Homicide, so he kept his opinion to himself for the moment. He was hesitant about rocking the boat on his first day at work.
    Exiting the car, they walked toward the prone figure, Moss grumbling with every step as he stared at his feet. Hank was more alert however, eyes forward, watching two of the patrolmen beside the body. He immediately recognized that they were not just standing there, waiting for Homicide to arrive.
    They were tense!
    “What’s going on fellas,” Hank asked as he came upon them.
    “Damn devil dog!” one of the officers exclaimed, “Won’t let us near the body.”
    Hank spotted her then, a red puppy, not more than six months old by his reckoning, baring her teeth and growling at anyone that approached. He