Lupi 09 - Mortal Ties

said. You know what Brian Nelson did.”
    “Yeah.” He scowled. “Goddamn copycats.”
    That echo of her own thoughts creeped her out. “That’s right. He and three of his
     gang wanted to raise death magic, so they captured two young women and slit their
     throats. They’d heard about what your pal Chittenden did. They were copying him.”
    His expression shut down. “You want me to tell you I was wrong?”
    “Oh, I figure you know now that you were on the wrong side. What I want to hear is
     that you’ve changed your mind about magic and the people who use it.”
    He was silent.
    “That’s what I thought.” She started walking again.
    “Okay, so we won’t be partners. I’m still a resource, and you’re wasting me. I’ve
     got twice your experience. You can’t ignore that.”
    He was right. That, too, was annoying. She stopped and looked at him. “Mostly you
     haven’t hung around long enough to be much use. You pop in; you pop out.”
    “I…can be more available now.”
    She waited. He didn’t elaborate, so she asked, “Is the ‘why’ to that one of those
     things you can’t explain?”
    “Since I don’t understand it myself, the answer would be yes.”
    “You told me you never met Friar.” Robert Friar, who’d started a war—or was resuming
     one begun over three thousand years ago. Robert Friar, who’d seen the slaughter of
     hundreds of people on his own side as a great way to take down the lupi, the Gifted,
     and everyone else who stood in the way of the one he served. Like the U.S. government.
    “Just his buddy, Chittenden.”
    “But you researched him. If you dug into my background, you must have checked him
     out, too, before throwing in on his side.”
    “Sure, but I doubt I know anything you don’t. I used the Bureau’s files, talked to
     a couple people.”
    “I’m asking for your professional opinion, not the details of your background check.
     Given what you learned then and what you know now, would you say he’s a sociopath?”
    “Huh.” He thought that over, frowning and silent for a long moment. “Could be. There’s
     no record of the usual markers, like torturing baby bunnies when he was a cute little
     toddler. But sociopaths aren’t identical. Could be he’s what they call
high functioning
.”
    “Really good at hiding what he is, you mean.”
    “That, yeah, but also with better impulse control. Most sociopaths aren’t good at
     restraining themselves.”
    “Most of the ones we know about. The ones who get locked up.”
    “True.” He cocked his head. “You’re trying to get to know Friar better.”
    She nodded and started walking again, but slowly. “Him and the one he serves.” The
     Old One who wanted to take over the world and remake it according to her standards.
     The one they never named, because that could draw her attention. The Great Bitch had
     to act through local agents because she was barred from their realm, thank God. Or
     thank the Old Ones who’d opposed her, like the lupi’s Lady, who’d shut the door on
     themselves in order to lock
her
out.
    “That’s why you came here.” Drummond sounded pleased, like he’d turned a puzzle piece
     around and finally saw where it fit. “Not to poke around in your own psyche, but to
     try and dig into hers. Helen Whitehead’s. Whitehead belonged to that Old One you told
     me about.”
    “She did. And she seems to have been a sociopath, too.”
    Drummond’s eyebrows lifted. “Yeah?”
    “As was, possibly, one Patrick Harlowe…the other agent of
hers
that I know about.”
    “That doesn’t say good things about the Old Bitch.”
    “It doesn’t, does it? If—” A muffled gong sounded in her purse—the ringtone for calls
     forwarded from her official number. She dug out her phone. “Agent Yu here.”
    It was T.J., aka Detective Thomas James, the man who’dtrained Lily when she was a shiny new homicide cop. As he talked, Lily gave her watch
     one wistful glance. She owed T.J. a lot more than one delayed supper, though, so she
     spoke briskly enough when he paused. “Sure. I’ll be there in fifteen.” She put her
     phone away and glanced over her shoulder at Scott ten feet behind her. “Did you hear?”
    “Only your side, and that your caller was male.”
    Had Scott been a bit closer he’d heave heard T.J. just fine, but there were limits
     even to lupi hearing. She was gradually learning what those limits were. “An old buddy
     of mine from Homicide has a