Page 6 of A Shade of Myself
“Not yet, but I doubt you’ll be arrested,” I said, “especially if an investigation proves this man died from something other than your attack, like you claim. You were enthralled. I’ll testify to that, and it should mitigate you being held accountable for your actions.” I narrowed my eyes. “You were enthralled when you…got up close and personal, right?”
He nodded, doling out more food and looking miserable enough that I believed him.
“Do you have your phone on you?” I said.
“Yeah, why?”
“Can I see the text you sent Tatiana?” I was grasping at straws but maybe Davide had included something that could help me find the stranger since I didn’t have a name or physical description.
He unlocked the phone and tossed it over to me. “Dude, I was so far gone I don’t even remember sending her anything.”
I scrolled through his texts with a sinking heart, checking once, then twice for the message. Nothing. No text requesting Tatiana’s assistance, none providing Davide’s address, not even her number saved under another name.
I handed him back the phone and exhaled. “That’s because you didn’t.”
Davide showed the empty deli meat bag to the dog, then frowned at me. “I don’t understand,” he said as the dog licked the dirty bag. “Who would want to hurt me like this?”
“No one.” I clenched the phone in my hand, looking outside. Whether or not the stranger had been following me, he hadn’t lucked into a display of my magic tonight. “This attack was never aimed at you. It was a test. For me.”
