"Are you sure she's gonna be here?" Ellie asked, checking her watch.

"She said nine 'o' clock sharp, so she'll be here... Well, she'll be here by nine-fifteen," Kaz said with a chuckle.

They stood just off the main road that ran between the witch village and Boone, near the murder scene. Charlie and Luna followed along with their pups, wrangling the little ones into an oddly orderly form that looked a bit more like ducks than dogs as they sat patiently near their parents. The little ones stayed warm by their mother, who didn't seem to be affected by the cold at all, but Ellie and Kaz's breaths came out in foggy clouds of steam as they waited.

It was two minutes past nine, and Ellie was already twitchy. According to Kaz, Harper wanted to meet them down on the trail to avoid explaining her presence in the witch village. Ellie agreed that it was a good idea to keep newcomers out of the village as much as possible, if for no other reason than to avoid suspicion, but there was no sign of her yet. It was almost pitch black outside, but they'd opted not to bring a lantern in hopes that it would draw less attention. That was fine for the hounds and Kaz, but Ellie was a little nervous not being able to see very far in front of her.

The same little pup who seemed to cling to Ellie inside nudged at her foot, and Ellie knelt down to pet her, noticing she was shivering just a little in the cold night air.

"Can I pick her up?" Ellie asked, looking between Charlie and Luna.

"Go ahead," Charlie said.

"Hey, honey," she murmured, gently scooping up the puppy. She yipped happily as Ellie slightly unzipped her jacket, tucking her inside the left side and against her chest, just over her heart. The little ball of fluff calmed almost immediately, front paws and head resting on her shoulder, and little damp nose touching Ellie's neck.

"Warmer in there, huh?" she asked softly, cradling the pup like a newborn.

"She'll fall asleep on you like that, and you'll never get rid of her," Luna said softly, giving a whuff that sounded a little like a laugh.

Ellie thought she'd be just fine with that outcome, but a puppy was certainly a big commitment. It's what kept her from getting a pet in the first place, despite feeling the cold of crippling loneliness sink deep into her bones after losing Ben. She'd take the time with the little one while she had it, though.

"Ah, there's our assistance," Kaz said suddenly, gazing off into the night past the point where Ellie could see. "Right on time, five minutes late. As usual."

"Now, you know well an' good that is no way to talk to a lady, Uncle Kaz," came a voice from the darkness. As she drew closer, Ellie could finally make out the shape of who was talking.

She was just as tall as Ellie, but lean and muscular where Ellie was softer and curvy. Golden blonde hair hung in loose, gentle curls around her shoulders, a sharp contrast to her entirely black lace dress and the black parasol in her hand. She looked like she'd dressed for a party more than a hike, even down to cute, black kitten heels peeking out below her tea-length dress.

"Took you long enough, Harper," Kaz said with a snort, but he stretched out an arm and gave her a quick hug, regardless.

Though the cold air made Ellie shiver and hold the pup in her arms a little closer, Harper seemed entirely unaffected. She wasn't even wearing a thick coat, opting for a lightweight peacoat instead. Her skin had an eerie not-flush to it, looking human and not human all at once, and her irises were as red as her deep burgundy lipstick.

When she smiled, she showed pointed fangs where human canines would be.

"You must be Ellie," she said happily. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Nice to meet ya. Georgia?" Ellie asked as they shook hands, referring to her accent.

"Lilburn," Harper said, grinning. "Born and raised. My momma was pregnant when the Appearances started, so they settled in the first place they found."

"I knew her parents from... before," Kaz explained with a shrug. "We got stuck together. I go back to check on them now and then."

Ah, that would explain "Uncle" Kaz, then.

Harper knelt to say hello to Charlie and Luna, taking a moment to pet the pups (minus the one soundly asleep in Ellie's jacket) before she turned back to the woods, squinting into the darkness between the trees.

"This is the place, then?" Harper asked, and both Kaz and Ellie nodded. "Lemme give a listen."

Ellie looked at Kaz strangely, but she only shrugged and motioned for her to wait a moment. Harper, on the other hand, closed her eyes for a long moment and cocked her head to one side. She seemed to be concentrating intensely, but Ellie couldn't tell on what.

"I don't know about this one," Harper muttered, nose wrinkling as she looked over the area. "I owe ya for sure, but two years is a long time, and who knows how much animal blood has overlaid it since then."

"Can you see in the dark like Kaz?" Ellie asked. She couldn't see for shit out in the dense, foggy woods. If she wasn't careful, she'd run smack into a tree and end up with a bloody nose.

"Certainly can," Harper said, smiling in a way that flashed her fangs. "Wouldn't be genetically fair to expect me to avoid all sunlight if I couldn't, I don't think."

"Harper is a unique vampire," Kaz explained quietly. "Most Others have a semi-standard subset of abilities, but with vampires, it's a like a random lottery. From what she tells me, Harper hit the jackpot. Night vision is the tip of the iceberg."

"To be fair, I got the worst of the sun sensitivity to balance it," she said despondently. "I pretty much have a permanent parasol attached to my arm."

"Not like you need it now," Kaz muttered.

"Is it bothering you?" Harper asked, twirling the umbrella handle as she batted her lashes at him.

"N— no...?" he said slowly.

"Then hush up, I got work to do," Harper said with a bright smile. She tapped him on the nose gently and Kaz grumbled, rolling his eyes. Ellie bit back a laugh, making a mental note to try that later.

Parasol in hand and dark skirts swishing, Harper sauntered off into the woods. She seemed to float more than the walked, like it was impossible for her to trip even among tangled roots and underbrush. As she stepped farther and father from the path, she tilted her head this way and that, listening for something Ellie couldn't hear.

"I hear it... There's a lot out here, but it's mostly animals," she murmured, twirling her parasol as she spoke. "But there's one..."

Harper closed her eyes, turning in a circle where she stood like a compass needle trying to find North. She took one step forward, then two. More turning in circles. Finally, perhaps ten feet away from the spot where Ellie and Kaz stood with the hounds, she stopped.

Eyes still closed, she bent to the leaf-covered forest floor and worked her hand under the first layer of debris, pushing past twigs and stones, carefully digging her hand into the soft ground, until she suddenly stopped.

"Here."

Cradling the pup close, Ellie took a few steps out into the woods towards Harper, looking through the shadows to see what she was holding. If it was buried in the ground, it was a small miracle she found it amongst the underbrush, leaves, and general debris in the area.

Maybe it was a coin? Maybe a lost possession from Ben's body? Ellie tried to think if there was anything noticeable missing, but there was no evidence he'd been robbed at all. Maybe it was a pin or a button from the killer, or a—

"Holy shit," Ellie muttered, looking at the long, thin, and wickedly pointed bullet between Harper's fingers.

"We got lucky," Harper said, brushing the dirt off the object as she examined it. "Normally the trail goes cold after the blood is washed away, but I think it reacted with the bullet and preserved the bloodsong. Bonded with the metal or some such. It's not unheard of for weapons."

"Is this... I mean, you're sure this is his?" Ellie asked carefully.

"To tell ya the truth, I can't be absolutely sure without the body," she admitted. "I can tell you that's not animal blood, though. This bullet went through a human body."

"If you went to the grave, could you tell me for sure?"

She paused, pursing her lips, blonde hair swishing as she tilted her head in thought. "Maybe. Some bodies sing more than others after death, and the burying makes it muffled, but it's worth a shot."

Kaz picked his way through the trees and plucked the bullet from Harper's hand, turning it over and over in his fingers. "Ellie... Does this look like the kind of bullet that a hunting rifle would use?" he asked pointedly.

Ellie pursed her lips. "Yeah, it's about the right size for one. I know where you're going with this, though, and I'm not sure it'll help," she sighed, petting the sleeping pup behind the ears.

"Why?"

"Most people own some kinda huntin' rifle around here. Those that don't can borrow one, easy. It won't be that easy to track down where this came from, or who was shootin' at us in the woods that day."

"Dammit..." Kaz sighed. "Can we match bullets?"

"Did you find any other bullets?" Ellie raised an eyebrow.

"We could look."

"Decent idea, but seems like a futile effort," she sighed. "It would be hard to figure out exactly where shots went. Ya know, considering we were pretty preoccupied with not gettin' shot at the time. Or gettin' shot, in your case." She shuddered at that, frowning. The sight of the bloodstain on Kaz's shirt still haunted her.

"I could probably locate them," Harper said thoughtfully. "If everyone has a firearm around here, though, it wouldn't stop the same person from shooting two different guns to throw us off. It might be better to chase the symbol on the bullet."

Ellie blinked.

"The what now?" She asked, bending close to the bullet in Kaz's hand.

"She can't see in the dark like we can," Kaz reminded his vampire friend.

"Right, right," Harper sighed. "Sorry. You'll have to take a look at it in the light, but there's somethin' carved into the end of it."

Kaz placed the bullet in Ellie's palm, and she ran her fingers over the flat end of the bullet. Sure enough, she could feel the indention of a crude carving in the metal, but there was no way she could see it till they were back at the house and in decent lighting.

"Let us know if you need anything else," Harper said. "Or if you change your mind and wanna go bullet scouting. We'll be in town for a little while. The cool weather suits me," she said with a peaceful smile.

"Thanks for your help with this. It means more than you know," she said sincerely, looking back and forth between Charlie, Luna, and Harper.

"Happy to help," Harper said. "The hounds prob'ly told you I like to travel, and Kaz is an old friend. Family, basically. The way he talked about you sounded like he was head over heels, and I wanted to see it in person. Gives me blackmail material," she said with a wink.

"Oh, I like you." Ellie gave her a Cheshire Cat smile, laughing.

"I did not sound—"

"Don't you even deny it, you grumpy ol' demon," Harper said, wagging her index finger at him. "It's cute. You can be a demon and be cute."

"I am over four hundred years old," he said through gritted teeth. "I am not cute. I am deadly and imposing."

"I think you're cute," Ellie said, nudging him gently. Kaz's mouth opened and closed like a fish for a moment, sending Harper into a fit of giggles.

"I'm afraid I'll be... limited on my movements during the day," she said once she stopped laughing. "Charlie and Luna know they're free to come and go as they will, though, so you might see 'em around a little."

"Our runt has gotten attached to Miss Ellie, it seems, so yes. I think they'll see us often," Luna said. Ellie just smiled down at her.

"I'll be happy to see y'all whenever you want to stop by."

"We'll see y'all soon, then," Harper said, smiling.

Early the next morning, Kaz and Ellie knocked on Granny's front door.

When she was able to see it in the light, it was clear that the bullet did have a symbol carved into the end, but it wasn't one Ellie had ever seen before. Still, it was something to look into, and she wanted Granny to know that they'd found another piece of evidence... however small it might be, literally or figuratively.

"We got news," Ellie said softly. "Kaz?"

"On it," he said firmly. Within moments, Ellie could feel his warding magic take over to shield the building. It was a necessary precaution considering the sensitive material they were about to discuss.

"Well, don't keep me waitin' over here!" Granny insisted, eyebrows raised.

Fishing in her pocket for a moment, Ellie's fingers finally landed on cool metal. She put the rifle cartridge on the wooden table with a soft clunk, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"We found this," she said, trying and failing to keep her voice from shaking a little.

"A bullet?" Granny slipped her glasses on and peered down at it through the thick lenses, holding it between her thumb and index finger.

"Can confirm it went through a human at some point. Working on confirming if it..." Ellie trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Granny just nodded.

"Do you recognize the symbol on the base?" Kaz asked.

Granny turned the bullet over to check the flat base, squinting at it. "My eyes are better than they were before the Appearances, but I can't say I know it. I can see it's silver capped. I'd say it's a witch hunter bullet, but..."

"But?" Ellie prodded.

"Why would a witch hunter put a sigil on the back of their bullet?" Granny murmured, running her finger across the small, carved design. "Why use witch magic on witches?"

"You're sure it's a sigil?" Kaz asked.

"I know a sigil when I see one," Granny said firmly. "Even a tiny one."

"Witch hunters ain't exactly known for being the most straightforward," Ellie mused, tossing her long braid over her shoulder. "They hate magic, but some of 'em use magic to catch magic, weird as it sounds."

"And yet no witches are dead," Granny said slowly.

"If it's a sigil, what does it mean?" Kaz asked. "It has to have some kind of function, right?"

Ellie and Granny exchanged glances in a way that made him sorry he'd asked.

"It's possible to figure it out. That's the good news," Granny said with a sigh. "Any witch worth their salt writes down a sigil once it's been used, even if it's just stuck in a book and never used again. You don't want to leave your work lying around all untied and unidentified like that."

"I'm almost afraid to ask what the bad news is..." Kaz said, grimacing.

"Ain't worth a hill of beans havin' the sigil 'less you know either the witch who made it or the method they used to make it," Ellie groaned, resting her head in her hands. "Think of it like a padlock with four digits, and we have zero for clues. We'd have better luck huntin' down the grimoire at this point than trying random combinations."

"Four digits would be easier," Granny snorted.

"Thank you for that uplifting reminder, Granny," Ellie muttered without looking up, voice muffled.

She felt utterly defeated. She didn't want to believe it was a witch who killed Ben, much less someone in their village, but the signs were starting to point that way. Their only real evidence was a sigil, the police records, and a scrap of fabric and wire—

Wait.

"That wire," Ellie said suddenly, sitting bolt upright. "Kaz, that wire you found. Was it buried?"

"It's been two years, of course it was buried," he said, as though it should be obvious.

"No, I mean... I'm not askin' if it was covered with dirt, I'm askin' if it was intentionally pushed into the ground."

Kaz pursed his lips, nodding slowly. "Probably. I had to push apart tree roots to get to it."

"Fuck. I'm an idiot. Fuck," Ellie hissed, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment before she turned to Granny. "Wire and burlap scraps buried in tree roots."

There was a slight pause while Granny's eyes widened, but to her credit, it only took a few seconds for that implication to process.

"A poppet?" Granny asked, brow furrowed. "You think you found a poppet?"

"It was fallin' apart when Kaz dug it up. There's no way to trace what plants were inside it or what could'a been the tag lock, or even if it was a doll at all, but... why else would wire and fabric end up at the base of a tree?"

"Wire and fabric that held on to a lot of rage," Kaz said slowly.

"Is there any reason that land would be used for workings besides Ben's death?" Granny asked carefully.

"No," Ellie said, shaking her head. "It's a random patch of woods."

"I didn't see any other evidence of magic, and Harper didn't scent any other human blood there," Kaz confirmed.

"Then I think we better find out who's responsible for that sigil," Granny said firmly, but then she sighed. "That's gonna be like lookin' for a needle in a haystack, though, even if we narrow to only this village."

"There has got to be a way to trace that," Kaz grumbled, running a hand through his hair.

Ellie just shook her head. "Not really. Sigils leave evidence because you gotta write 'em down to make 'em work, but they don't leave a lot of ties to the witch who made it."

"I have the family book here, but I've never seen one like that," Granny said, pulling a thick, battered volume off the shelf. "You're welcome to double check, but it's likely something designed for this in particular. Makes it harder to trace in case... Well, in case somebody tries to do exactly what we're doin'."

Kaz flipped through the book, scanning page after page, but Ellie was fairly certain it was a useless pursuit.

"I hate to break it to ya, but no witch is going to show any random person their grimoire without a whole lotta questions at minimum. We'll be settin' off alarm bells from here to Tennessee," she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she tapped her foot absently.

"So we don't tell them," Kaz said simply, shrugging like it should be obvious.

Ellie and Granny exchanged glances.

It... was a fair point, she had to admit. She wasn't incredibly comfortable with the idea of breaking and entering, but they wouldn't be stealing anything, and this was information they needed if they were going to solve the case. At this point there were too many loose ends. Even if the answer was that the sigil wasn't from anyone in their village, it would still be a step forward in the investigation.

"Okay... I'm not good at sneaking around, though," Ellie said, shaking her head. "And it's too cold for anyone to be out at night much."

"The spring bonfire's in a few days," Granny said. "Whole village'll be three sheets to the wind and the weather'll warm up, too, if we're lucky. It's a good time to poke around where you can."

"You think Harper would be willing to help?" Ellie asked, turning to Kaz. "It's a lotta houses to search, and I have a feelin' somebody is gonna notice if I just up and disappear for too long."

"I'll ask," Kaz said with a nod. "It seems like the best shot we have to find a solid answer, though."

"I agree," Granny said. "They'll notice if I'm missin' from the bonfire, too, even stone cold drunk, but I'll try to help with keepin' everybody distracted while y'all look around."

"Okay," Ellie said, nodding. "Seems like the best we've got for now."