Death at First Sight (Spero Heights Book 2) by Angela Roquet Page B

tragic existence imaginable. How could one person have experienced so much loss, and so intimately, in such a short span of time?
    This was a question for the Fates. He wondered if the answer would present itself after his shower and morning tea—then he wondered if he should ask Zelda to stick around, just in case. He quickly decided against it. It would be too tempting to come clean with her about the Fates shunning him.
    “I better get back to the club.” Zelda stood and stretched her arms behind her head with a yawn. “The pack will be hungry when they wake up, and I promised them biscuits and sausage gravy.”
    Dr. Delph nodded. “Thanks for your help, Dr. Fulmen.” He walked her to his office door and let her see herself the rest of the way out. Then he headed for his desk. He desperately needed a shower, but there was something he wanted to check first.
    Graham had bought a small laptop for him two Winter Solstices back, and Dr. Delph only used it as a last resort. He had been relying on it quite a bit lately. He flipped the top open and punched the power button. His palms itched as he waited for the system to load.
    A quick internet search delivered equal enlightenment and dismay. The first result was a police report that labeled Lia a dangerous and delusional hospital escapee who had murdered her former doctor. Her age was listed as nineteen, but the article was a decade old.
    The picture that accompanied the report looked even younger, possibly from a high school yearbook. Lia smiled awkwardly at the camera, her hair piled in loose ringlets over both shoulders. Her wide eyes looked frightened, like she was ready to crawl back into the shadows just as soon as the uncomfortable affair was over.
    The second article was even older, dated back thirteen years. It was an obituary for David Leroy James. Lia was only mentioned briefly, as a survivor of the home, along with David’s wife, Clarissa James.
    The third and final article that came up was from a medical journal published by Aldini’s Research Hospital in Kansas. Lia was listed as a test subject undergoing experimental procedures for macabre hallucinations. A statement attached to her mother’s consent form stated that the girl was a lost cause with no hope of recovery. It was dated less than a year after her father’s death.
    Dr. Delph put his head in his hands and blew out a slow breath. This was more than he was currently equipped to handle.
    Lia saw things. That much was certain. Now it was up to him to decide if those things were real or not, and he needed to do it before she became a problem and drew the wrong kind of attention to Spero Heights.
    He thought about calling Selena to give her a head’s up, but he knew she was probably just now getting back from her wolfish run. Ben would be ready to return to his shop and water his rooftop garden. It was best to hold off until he had a chance to learn more about Lia.
    He headed for the bath attached to his private quarters and took a cold shower, willing his shot nerves to hold out just a bit longer. He was going to need coffee before his tea. Strong coffee.
    After the shower, he faced another dilemma in his closet. A suit seemed too formal. He wanted to set Lia at ease, not cause her more distress. He dug to the very back of his wardrobe before he found a dark blue dress shirt and a pair of khakis. Then he slipped on a pair of brown loafers and tucked a canister of elderberry and rosehip tea in his pocket.
    By the time he made it to the cafeteria in the south wing of Orpheus House, the day staff had already arrived. Nora and Judy were sisters and half elf. Dr. Delph had seen them in a vision, being hunted by a deranged uncle who believed in racial purity. He’d sent Graham to collect them from California. It was the way Spero Heights came by most of its citizens, though certainly not all. Word of mouth, no matter how much the council stressed discretion, seemed to be drawing in more and more