"Look, I don't know much about witches and vampires and shadow wars and stuff," Knox said with a deep breath. "I think Shannon's... I mean... I still think this all has something to do with the protest and with Evergreen Development."
Genie took a deep breath of her own, reminding herself of that she'd had it right a moment ago. They were investigating a murder here. In the middle of unexpected reunions and all the drama and occult weirdness that came with her friends, she needed to focus. After all, she'd come here - they'd all come here - to talk to Knox and find out what he knew.
"Knox, I know you think..." Missy said soothingly.
"No, I mean it," Knox pressed, becoming agitated. "Evergreen has got some secretive outside investors, with big money, backing this huge development project they're planning up on the mountain. They're buying up land and development rights that belonged to the Landgraab Group."
"I thought those assets were all frozen when Nancy Landgraab went to jail for racketeering," Genie said. She'd still been in high school at the time, but she remembered her mother talking about the dramatic fall of the wealthy and powerful Landgraab family.
"Not anymore," Knox insisted. "A bill got pushed through, all quiet like, permitting the sale of those assets to Evergreen. Shannon heard her dad talking about it. She said there's another bill going up soon to allow them to build on National Trust land!"
"That actually fits with what we saw," Demarco put in. "Remember, we followed that shady older guy, the one who's giving Cletus his instructions, to the Evergreen Development offices. I think he was meeting with Bess Stirling."
"Do you guys really think Bess is mixed up with this?" Missy asked. "I know you don't get along with her, Knox, but..."
"She's been involved in some shady stuff before," Knox said, though he didn't sound convinced.
"Shady, sure," Missy said. "I could even kinda believe she'd be involved with sending Cletus out to bully people... but... umm, like... murder? That's a big step."
"Even if she is involved, does any of this really sound like some kind of secret magic shadow war thing?" Knox asked.
"Actually, it does," Etta said quietly. "Like we said, both the Council and the Dark Court have people in influential positions in the government. They're able to push legislation that supports their goals. To me, this sounds more like the Dark Court than the Council, especially with them also using a bunch of criminals to do their dirty work. One of the vampire Houses could easily be the mysterious investors behind Evergreen Development."
"You'd know all about Dark Court schemes, wouldn't you," Mariah snarled.
Demarco growled at her.
"Yes, I would," Etta said calmly, opening her arms as if to acknowledge the hit.
"Ok, but why would vampires be interested in land development?" Genie asked, trying to keep them on track and keep a lid on the simmering tensions.
"Because land is wealth," Miranda said with a carefully measured calm of her own. "Remember, we're talking about centuries-old immortals here. They've got some genuinely medieval ideas about things. A big one is that owning land equals wealth and power."
"More than that," Etta explained. "We're talking about the Moonwood, which is Power. Literally. The Moonwood is one of the great places of magical power. The werewolf elders and pack leaders draw on it instinctively, extending their lives and just generally making them stronger. A witch with access to that power would be amazing..." Her eyes met Miranda's for a moment. "Or terrifying. I don't know what a vampire could do with it, but I do know that my father, who's a warlock serving the Dark Court," she added for Knox's benefit, "wants the power of the Moonwood for himself. He's tried before."
"We stopped him once," Demarco said confidently. "We can do it again."
"If this is the Dark Court, I don't think they would have hesitated to kill Shannon if they thought she was getting too close to their schemes," Miranda said. "She might have known or guessed too much about what they're planning. You know, if she did know something, she might have told her father."
"Unfortunately, he wouldn't talk to me. There's some kind of bad blood between my family and the Charms, but I have no idea what," Genie said. Her summary ejection by Baron Charm's butler still bothered her. She couldn't help but think that, despite all the sins she did know about, her family still had dark secrets she hadn't uncovered yet.
"He'd talk to me," Miranda said with her peculiar kind of mysterious confidence.
"Mia amata, we're supposed to be in hiding," Mariah put in.
"Look around you," Miranda smiled. "The cat is out of the bag. The barn door is open. The ship has sailed."
"I still have contacts in the Dark Court," Etta said quietly, as if the admission pained her. "I might be able to get something out of them."
"That sounds... dangerous," Genie said. The thankfully few encounters she'd had with vampires had been brief but terrifying.
"I'll keep her safe," Demarco said, in a tone that made her words sound like a challenge to God, or Fate, or the universe itself.
"No," Etta said gently. Before Demarco, or anyone else, could object she continued calmly. "You being there is more likely to provoke a fight than prevent one. You know it."
"You can't go alone," Demarco insisted. For a moment she looked less like that brazenly confident werewolf and more like someone worried for a person she cherished.
"I'll go," Genie said, as much to Demarco as to Etta. "I mean, I'm not a witch or a werewolf or anything, but I can at least back you up."
Demarco seemed to consider for a moment, before giving Genie a silent nod of thanks.
"Then I guess I'll go back to keeping an eye on Cletus," she added. "Maybe I can find out more about the mysterious grey-haired man and the woman in black."
"Going by what the witness said, a woman in a black hoodie might be the actual... um," Genie hesitated, glancing sympathetically at Knox.
"Killer," he supplied grimly.
"There is more than one woman in a black hoodie in the world. It guess could technically be a coincidence," Miranda said doubtfully.
"Coincidence... coincidenza," Mariah said, as if she was tasting the word in her mouth. "I've heard of those. Don't think I've actually ever seen one."
"You should go with Demarco," Miranda said to Mariah. "You've had experience with those kind of people, and you can handle yourself. If anyone can back her up, it's you."
"If you two can stop snarling at each other," Genie added, anticipating disaster.
"What, I'm supposed to let you go to Windenburg alone?" Mariah asked. "What about the Altos?"
"I can take care of myself," Miranda said confidently.
"I'll go with her," Jenny said. "I'm not just a pretty face, you know. I helped get the Altos' ledger."
"Madonna. Fine," Mariah sighed. "We good?" she added to Demarco.
"Not the first time I worked with a rival pack," Demarco smiled toothily.
"Behave," Etta admonished.
"We're good." Demarco smiled more genuinely while Knox and Missy shared a knowing chuckle. Definitely old friends, Genie thought.
"OK, I don't know anything about gangsters and witches and monsters and stuff, but I do know that my boyfriend, Clay, works for Evergreen Development," Missy said, a little wide-eyed. "He might be able to find out more about this project and its investors."
"You really think he'd help?" Knox asked.
"Come on, Knox. I know you guys argue about politics and the environment and stuff, but he's still your friend," Missy said firmly. "I know he'll help."
"We can't ask him to put himself in danger," Demarco said.
"Oh no," Missy said, "Definitely a big No to danger. We'll just ask him about what he knows and maybe if he hears anything interesting at the office tomorrow."
"Great. What could possibly..." Jenny started.
"Don't say it," the entire group said together.
