Five

Besides the two suspensions on her school record (one of which was for her less-than-subtle disagreements with a teacher), Lilith Johnson's history was clean. As a result, the fact alone that she was considered a murder suspect was almost outlandish.

One strike against her was that, due to the amount of psychologists she'd visited, it was hinted in Oliver's workplace that Lilith was at the risk of facing debilitating mental issues. The second strike was the frequency in which she changed therapists. Aside from the newest one, a woman named Anika Longsly, Lilith left each therapist after having visited them once.

So what changed?

Oliver reclined in his chair, biting the tip of his thumb and raising Lilith's folder to eye level. Seeing his younger sister's sullen frown made his stomach turn.

What are you getting in to?

He sighed and set the file down, turning next to the one beside it. The folder he'd asked for that morning. The one on Anika Longsly.

Oliver flipped through the folder almost absent-mindedly. Nothing really set Anika apart from the other therapists Lilith had visited. Rather, while still being more stable than Erik Carter (and really, who wasn't?), there was nothing about her that would've tempted Lilith Johnson to stay.

But then, why had she kept jumping ship in the first place?

Oliver switched again to Lilith's file, read it through for the fifth time that day, and finally set it back down.

This doesn't make sense.

He looked up only when Arthur stood before him and rapped his knuckles against the desk.

"Morning, Sully."

"Hard at work?"

Oliver shrugged. "You could say that."

Arthur looked to the pile of folders on Oliver's desk. "I see you've been doing some reading."

"Indeed."

"Anything interesting?"

"Only the confusion."

"Ah." Arthur took several steps back, coming to a stop against Rei's desk. "Of what sort?"

"Things aren't adding up," Oliver replied.

"Oh?"

Oliver handed him Lilith's file, then Anika's.

"Switched between six shrinks, leaving the first after only one meet and going to the next. In one case, the therapist died a week after their visit, so that one is justified. Otherwise, the only person I could see her leaving was Erik; he was an outlier. But then there's Anika Longsly. There's nothing that set her apart from the others, so why has Lilith stayed?" Oliver shook his head. "It doesn't make sense..."

"How many times have they met?" Arthur asked.

"Twice. And if the schedule is to be believed, they met earlier today as well."

"That's not unusual. Maybe she likes this one. Or maybe she was forced to stick with her."

Oliver arched an eyebrow. "My father has us well off. Money isn't an issue."

"You mean he has her well off. And that's not what I meant."

"Lilith's temperamental, but there had to have been a reason..." Oliver trailed off, his thoughts taking him elsewhere. It was only when Arthur snapped his fingers in front of Oliver's focus that he came back to.

"Johnson. Focus." Arthur set the folder. "The general diagnosis was, what, depression? So she's upset. Okay. Maybe these last five people had an approach she didn't like. God knows why she would've like Erik's... And Sonya died the week after their meet."

"Maybe... Maybe Lilith saw it coming..." Then Oliver shook his head. "But she hasn't used her powers for the longest time..."

Now it was Arthur who arched an eyebrow. "Powers?"

Oliver glanced up and only then realized what it was he'd said. He swallowed hard.

"Er..." He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Yeah. She had some... abilities."

"Like?"

"...Like telepathy. Nothing major. She dabbles in magic sometimes. I know she celebrated Samhain, but that's a Pagan holiday and is more of a religious stroke than a magical one." He paused and stared harder at the manila folders. "It was never strong, anyway, and she's barely aware of them."

As soon as he said the words, he saw her in his mind's eye. She was on her knees, sobbing. He could still smell burning plastic, the remnants of her "awakening".

Arthur arched an eyebrow. "How do you know?" he asked.

Oliver leaned back in his chair, mind wandering.

Oliver... there's something wrong with me. I-I can do things. Things I shouldn't be able to... Then the voice faded away again and Oliver shook himself.

"Johnson?"

He blinked. "She told me about them, after she found out. She was just zoning out in class, she said, when she heard the thoughts of the kid sitting in front of her. They were about the teacher and pretty vulgar to boot, but it was all completely accidental."

The smell of burning plastic grew stronger, until Oliver's stomach roiled. She had told him sooner than that, when she'd set her bedside table on fire.

"And how do you know?"

Oliver snorted. "Sully, I don't know if you ever had a sibling, but they can be close. She told me everything, pure and simple."

"Everything?"

"Everything. Which is why..." he trailed off, bringing himself forward again and picking up the file closest to him. "Why this situation isn't making sense to me. I know how she's like. This wouldn't be like her."

"If you say so—"

"Look alive, gentlemen." Rei Himura marched straight for them from the elevator, steps heavy. She held a red file in her hands, at once prompting Oliver's surprise. The folder could only mean one thing: someone had been murdered.

"Johnson, I think you'll find this one especially interesting." She came to a stop beside Arthur and handed the file to Oliver. The moment he took it, she pushed her glasses up her nose.

"What is it?" asked Arthur.

"Another therapist. Anika Longsly. She was found this afternoon after closing up her office, just down the street from her workplace. She had her throat slit in an alley."

Oliver paused. "Wait... Longsly?" He looked to the file in his opposite hand. Anika Longsly. "You're kidding."

"Let me guess, she tended to your sister."

Well, she tried to. "Yeah."

"So it's safe to assume we're going to have to crack down on this."

"Yeah." Oliver's voice sounded hollow to his own ears. "That's the goal, anyway."

"I see."

Arthur gave an awkward cough and tension filled the air. Oliver stared at Anika's name for several moments. Then he stood, pushing his chair back. He looked to Rei.

"Shiro, want to go investigate with me?"

"Wha-Oh." Rei pushed at her glasses again. "Wait a bit. Gonzalez didn't officially assign the case to you and I didn't ask; the last time I tried, he bitched a lot about conflicts of interest. I don't want to sit through that again." Oliver raised a hand and she shot him a stern look. "No, really," she insisted. "I don't." She coughed into her fist before continuing. "He's bound to assign it to you anyway."

"Then let him do so. I still want to look, in case he doesn't."

Rei narrowed her eyes. "That's not wise," she said. Despite being a full half a foot taller than she was, Oliver suddenly found himself intimidated by the look that Rei gave him.

"I... Fine." Oliver growled and clenched his jaw, averting his gaze to the trashcan under his desk. He reached into his jacket and pulled a cigarette from the box inside. When Arthur gave him a quizzical look, he shrugged and said, "I'm going for a smoke." He swept past Arthur and Rei and headed for the elevator. His mind spun as he got inside and pressed the button for the ground floor.

#

Approval to investigate the crime scene came two hours later, at eight at night. Oliver sat behind his desk and read until Rei returned with the letter granting him permission to go to the crime scene. Then, when Rei came by, he looked the letter over, nodded, and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair.

"Come on," he said. Rei stared at him and blinked.

"...What?"

"You heard me. We have the approval. Gonzalez said I can go to the scene. So, Shiro, let's go." He whirled his coat around and stuffed one arm into the sleeve, never breaking eye contact with the vampire before him. She gave him a once-over.

"Why now?"

Oliver grunted and slid his other arm through the sleeve. "Because if I wait any longer, I will go ballistic and burn this office to the ground. I'm not kidding. Let's go." He took heavy strides for the elevator doors, leaving Rei to rush after him.

"Don't you think that's a bit rash?"

"No. What's rash is considering my sister for murder. This time, the trail is fresh. I have a chance."

Rei murmured something under her breath, but Oliver disregarded it with a shrug. The elevator doors opened up in front of them and Arthur jumped back from inside. Oliver vaguely wondered just how crazed he came across in that moment.

"Hey."

"Johnson. What's going—"

"Investigation," Oliver replied. "You should join us."

"But—"

"But nothing." Oliver stepped inside and jammed his thumb into the button signaling the first floor. Arthur made to leave, but Oliver grabbed him by the back of his coat.

"I'm moments away from going on a full-blooded rampage and killing everyone in this office... which would be quite troublesome considering we're all already legally dead. If you want to avoid being ripped apart and shoved down a paper shredder, I suggest you follow along."

Oliver gave a heavy exhale, blood singing. He let Arthur's shirt go just in time to see the elevator doors open again. Together, the three detectives stormed from the small metal box and into the lobby, prompting the concerned looks of the night-shift secretary. Oliver looked over to her and smiled as maniacally as he could.

#

Grass crunched underneath their feet. Oliver held tight to Rei's hand as they walked. Beside them, Arthur walked with his hands buried in his pants pockets.

A ghoul, a demon, and a vampire all walk to a crime scene...

It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke. Oliver sighed and shook his head, stopping only when the sharp tang of metal – no, blood – filled his nose. He came to a halt, jerking Rei back with him.

"I smell blood," he said. He felt the pulse on Rei's wrist quicken. She looked to him, then Arthur, then nodded.

"Sully," Oliver said. Arthur paused mid-stride and looked back.

"There's blood," said Rei. She tightened her grip on Oliver's hand.

The scent was nothing unusual, especially not for the part of town they were in. In the semi-darkness, Oliver could make out the police tape across the street. He tapped a foot on the ground, grinding the tip of his boot into the dirt. When Arthur set his foot down, gravel crunched.

"Oliver." Rei shook their clasped hands. Oliver didn't reply.

Cold air nipped at his face and neck. A streetlamp flickered a few feet away, casting shadows that seemed to stretch for eons. A shiver crawled up Oliver's spine and he let his hold on Rei drop. He inhaled again and caught the undertones of death, earthy and faint. On top of it all, there was something else... something that made the hair on his arms stand on end.

"Oliver."

"Wait."

He stepped forward, snapping on his gloves as he did so. The latex bunched up at his wrists and filled him with mild discomfort, but he shrugged it off and carried forward. The smell of blood filled his nose and his claws extended.

"Sully, do a quick parameter of this block. Rei, find a vantage point and keep an eye on the area for me."

Rei nodded and launched forward, zipping past him in a blur and into the alleyway. He heard her nails catch on the stones and could barely see her scaling one wall to get to the top. As he approached the mouth of the alleyway, Oliver saw her perched on the roof corner of the building to the left. She waved down at him before looking out into the night.

Police tape separated the crime scene from the rest of the area. Oliver stepped over it and into the alleyway, scanning the darkness with red-tinted vision. His Demon Sight was starting to take effect.

There was a faint chalk outline, all but erased in places from the amount of feet that had stepped on it. The ground was stained red from where blood had been spilled. Didn't mean it was all Anika's, though.

He pulled out his cell-phone and dialed Rei.

"Hey." Her voice echoed around the alleyway.

"Hi. Do we know anything about Anika's cause of death?"

"Autopsy hasn't come back."

"No, I know that. But what did the police report say?"

Rei sighed into the microphone. "Didn't you read it?"

"I did. Doesn't mean I remember it."

"Ah. She had her throat slashed, so it was probably that. Not entirely conclusive, though."

Oliver paused. "...What about her face?"

"What about it?"

"Sonya and Erik had their faces bashed in. So what about Anika?"

"Not a clue, Ginger. I didn't read that far."

"Right." He snapped the phone closed and knelt in front of the chalk outline, scanning the darkness for anything that could help. All he saw was blood and shadows.

There was, however, a sharp scent that caught him off guard. It wasn't metallic or earthy, like blood and death were. This was more acrid. Not quite revolting, but definitely not pleasant, either. It was also fresh, meaning whatever it was had been here recently. He raised his nose to the air and inhaled again.

Sulfur.

What he was smelling was the scent of another demon.

This doesn't make sense... The Supernatural division doesn't get called out until the humans do... and not until we're approved. The approval came not even an hour ago and I'm the only demon that should be here; Shiro and Sully smell different from this. So who...

"Hey!" Rei called. Oliver rose from his crouched position and looked to the skyline, just in time to see Rei pointing at the figure that stood at the other end of the police tape.

"Knew I smelled something off," Oliver murmured to himself.

The figure rose, its shadow spreading, and approached. Its boots crunched against the pavement. Oliver raised his face to the wind and sniffed. Now he could tell where that scent had come from.

A demon. Not one I've met before.

"It took you long enough to arrive," the demon said. He stepped closer, coming to a stop just in front of Oliver, and cocked his head to the side. "But I suppose I expected nothing less."

His coat was buttoned up to his throat and came to a stop mere inches above the ground. A Magistrate coat.

"I was beginning to wonder when I'd see you," Oliver replied. "Though usually, there has to have been something wrong first."

"Ah, but there is." The man clucked his tongue and shook his head, gaze falling to his shoes. His hair swayed around his face, but there was no mistaking the red eyes that stared back at Oliver.

"So then... what? You come here to take me away?"

"No. I came to offer some guidance. See, we have a problem. Two." The demon pulled one hand free of his pockets and lifted a finger into the air. "Problem one: you seem to have a conflict of interest. Your human sister is suspect in these recent cases. I'll tell you right now that she's not the culprit." Oliver's heart skipped a beat. "She will, however, be a victim if you aren't quick. Which leads me to problem two." He raised a second finger. "Your culprit is a Supernatural, and they're going to be hard to trace."

Oliver folded his arms, fingers flexing. "How do you figure?"

The demon looked up. "So you haven't heard."

"Heard...?" Oliver's chest tightened and his stomach clenched. Classic signs of fear, his subconscious told him. He almost felt human again.

"Just know you're starting in the wrong place. Wait for the autopsy report to come back and... I think you'll find some interesting results."

"I see."

The demon looked to the side and spat. "Gonzalez was wrong to let you out here."

Oliver arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"The Supernatural. Strong enough to possess other Supernaturals. They're susceptible. You're susceptible. So I suggest you find the criminal quick and catch him – if you can."

Oliver pondered this before looking up. "A Scourge."

The man gave a minute tilt of his chin. "Quite so."

"Fucking hell... Three victims and a Scourge to tie it off." Oliver murmured. "Interesting."

"Indeed. I do hope you're quick on your feet, Oliver Johnson." The man chuckled, almost to himself, before turning and walking away. His footfalls faded to silence before long.

Oliver's phone buzzed. He flipped it open and held it to his mouth, not once taking his eyes off the place where the Magistrate member had once stood.

"What?"

"What was that about?" Rei asked.

Oliver closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "I honestly have no idea." He looked back to the blood-stained alleyway, gaze locking on the chalk outline where Anika Longsly had lay hours before. "Call Sully. The Magistrate just sent someone by. We're not looking in the right place... He also said some other things that you shouldn't hear over the phone."

"What sort of things?"

"Just... call Sully and get down here. Neither of you are going to like what I have to say."