The Spectral City. Leanna Renee Hieber
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Название: The Spectral City
Автор: Leanna Renee Hieber
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Историческая фантастика
Серия: A Spectral City Novel
isbn: 9781635730586
isbn:
“Antonia, just let me do the talking,” Eve explained. “Let me be the front of this.”
Her dark eyes flashed defensively and she opened her mouth as if to retort but closed it again, a pain crossing over her olive complexion. Eve, trying not to tread upon anxiety regarding presentation, clarified gently. “Please don’t misunderstand me. I want no one to feel hidden behind me for any reason. But I must bear the brunt of scrutiny—that’s what being the director means.”
Antonia’s brow remained furrowed. “You are all my charges and my responsibility,” she added. “I asked for this; to make sense of my life and to retain my sanity. Let me be what I am made for and support me as is needed. I have armor that won’t be pierced; it was forged in childhood when I had to decide if the gifts would kill me or make me their soldier. Let me fight for all of us.”
Her colleagues each nodded.
A rough knock on the door. Eve answered it and a barrel-chested man in uniform entered, his actions suiting his frame as he strode into the room. Vera wafted towards the wall, hovering in the same dimensions as a file cabinet and watched.
“I don’t give any part of a rat’s anatomy what you ladies think you’re doing in this fanciful department,” the short-haired, burly man stated, “but if you send your spooky minions into good people’s fine homes, you’re going to find the full weight of the NYPD against you—certainly not behind you as our former chief would like to have you believe.”
“And you are?” Eve prompted.
The man pointed to his badge.
“Sergeant Mahoney. Yes, I can read,” Eve replied. “I just assumed you’d do us the courtesy, as your colleagues, of introducing yourself like a gentleman.”
“You want manners?” the gruff man frowned. “Why’d you join a bunch of officers? Go have a séance in a lady’s parlor and be done with wasting our time.”
“Who complained to you to warrant this?” Cora asked, her nostrils flaring. Her light brown face was flushed with frustration. Eve held out a hand.
“We don’t know anything about the nature of your complaint,” Eve clarified, trying to keep an edge from her tone.
“That’s not germane to the discussion.”
“Of course it is,” Eve countered, stepping forward. “How can we avoid something if we know nothing about it?”
“Of course you know about it, you sent a ghost in to go snooping.”
Eve cocked her head to the side. “To be fair, Sergeant, only a fraction of the city’s ghostly goings on have anything to do with us. It is a very big city. A very haunted big city. We work with some seven to at most ten of the thousands that float about the boroughs.”
“The Prenze family is off-limits,” Mahoney declared. “They are boons to the Police and we owe them our thanks. Consider this a warning with no second chances.”
“Barging in, demanding, accusing and threatening, all with no proof nor details, and all in one breath,” Eve said, in awe of the confidence it took to be so rude.
“Like I said, you don’t like it—”
“Leave the force, yes, I heard you the first time. I’ll have you know I’ve not authorized anything related to the name Prenze. We’ll be sure not to trouble such a helpful family with any of our direct actions should they come to our attention. However, if their house is just simply haunted, don’t rush to accuse us. Take that up with an Exorcist. I know two, I can make a referral if you like—”
He harrumphed and exited.
“Good day, Mister Mahoney,” she called after him.
All the girls’ fists were clenched. Vera cursed after him in Spanish with a wide, emphatic gesture, wafting forward to Eve’s side and making the papers on her desk float away with the breeze of her gesticulation. It was clear Vera hadn’t been noticed by Mahoney, but per Eve’s orders, as none of them knew how much the spirit world affected everyday folk, when their office had company the ghosts were to keep their profiles low.
“So how do we surreptitiously spy on this Prenze family? No one is that threatening who’s doing the right thing,” Antonia stated.
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