Aphrodite’s eyes snapped toward me. “Why not have Kate do it?” My stomach dropped. “Back in the day she was famous for being able to read the signature off any potion.”
Morales’s gaze snapped toward me, but he covered his reaction to this news smoothly. “Detective Prospero’s talents not withstanding, the testimony of an Adept gathered through Arcane means won’t hold up in court. We’ll need the ingredients for our forensics wizard to be able to prove the potions are yours.”
She sighed. “Fine. All of my potions contain fiery cinnamon and virgin copulins. Surely your agents are capable of doing simple chemical tests to detect those ingredients.”
Morales glanced at me for confirmation. “I’m pretty sure our team wiz can identify cinnamon and copulins, but there’s no test to confirm they were extracted from a virgin.”
“If your wizard is any sort of professional, he’ll know how,” she said.
Morales raised a hand. “Dare I ask what a copulin is?”
Aphrodite raised a brow in challenge, but I nodded to her to go ahead. “Copulins are pheromones.” She looked at Morales with a black widow smile. “Did you know a woman’s pussy contains magical properties, Special Agent?”
I squirmed on the inside. I don’t care if you’re a seasoned cop or a rode-hard-and-put-up-wet prostitute, there’s something electrifying about hearing that word spoken aloud. She knew it, too, which was why the Hierophant’s gaze stayed on Morales’s face when she enunciated it.
But Morales, God love him, did not even blink. “I’m well acquainted with the magical powers of pussy, ma’am.”
I bit my lip to cover my amusement. Aphrodite laid her hands on the armrests and leaned back, eyeing my partner like a Serengeti lioness watches a juicy gazelle.
“Have you had any personnel problems lately?” I asked. “We’ll need to see those files, too.”
Aphrodite looked up sharply at me. I simply raised my brows.
Something in her face changed. As if the power center of her being shifted from left to right. Her shoulders squared and her jaw muscles engaged, as if the body instinctively felt the need to take up as much space as possible to command more authority. That sly smile dissolved into a neutral expression that gave nothing away. And when the half-painted mouth opened to speak, the voice that emerged was no longer the seductive purr of a madam, but the baritone of a pimp. “My files are not public record, Detective.”
This wasn’t the first time I’d seen the Hierophant morph between genders, but I’d never get used to the unsettling shift. “They could be with a simple phone call, Mr. Johnson.”
When I didn’t back down, that mouth tightened into a thin line, and that’s when I knew I’d made it onto his shit list. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last time.
“Surely you keep some sort of information on your followers,” Morales said, playing the mediator.
“I’m not the MEA, Agent Morales. I don’t keep dossiers on my congregation. They’re not criminals. I’ve already said all this to officers who responded last night. So if there’s nothing else I am quite busy—”
“Keep your wig on,” I snapped. Not my coolest moment ever—the Hierophant would see any reference to the feminine when the masculine was in charge as a direct insult. “For someone who was robbed you’re awfully reluctant to help.”
The wig comment earned me a death glare, but the implication got me a dismissive snort. “Why would I rob my own temple, Detective?”
“Beats me,” I said with a shrug, “but if you continue to stonewall us it’s an option we’ll be forced to investigate further.”
He squinted at me and sucked his teeth for a moment. He was wondering if the years had dulled the infamous Prospero stubbornness out of me. I smiled to let him know they had not. If anything, being on this side of the law had only solidified those tendencies.
“Now that I think about it,” Morales said to me conversationally, “Mr. Johnson does seem awfully composed for someone who was just robbed of thousands of dollars’ worth of potions.”
I crossed my arms and glanced at him, playing along. “You may be right. Maybe we should call Judge Dread after all and ask for a search warrant. I bet we’d find all sorts of interesting things in those files then.”
The Hierophant cleared his throat. “What do you want to know?”
I was impressed at how smoothly Morales digested the victory. His face betrayed none of his emotion, didn’t give anything away that Johnson could use against us. Like it or not, the guy was a pro. “For starters you can tell us which of your enemies was most likely to do this.”
He pursed his lips. “It could be any of a dozen wizards.”
“The report the officer filed said there was no sign of forced entry,” Morales said. “Any idea why?”
He shrugged his right shoulder. “Beats me.”
I leaned forward. “Look, if you’re concerned about us arresting any of your girls for solicitation, don’t. We’re just here to find the thief.”
“Detective, most of the girls and boys that find their ways to my door are trying to escape something.” His voice lowered even further into what I assume he felt was a sincere tone. “Abuse, poverty, discrimination. I give them a safe place to practice their skills and find a higher purpose. Very few happy individuals walk away from their lives for this kind of tough spiritual work.”
Morales’s brows shot up. “I’m surprised to hear such a fatalistic summary of what you do.”
“I may be a believer, Agent Morales, but I’m also a realist. We do real work here. Work that helps people. But I am not in the business of selling sunshine and rainbows.”
“Understood,” Morales said.
“What I don’t get is why you called the BPD in the first place if you’re so set against helping us find the thief?” I asked.
“I have to provide a police report to give the insurance company.”
My eyes narrowed. “Ah. I get it. You’ve got your own people on this, right? Guess finding out the MEA was getting involved put a crimp in your plans.”
“The MEA is way more than a crimp, but as it happens, yes, I do have some of my personal security team investigating the matter. If they find anything, I’ll be sure and pass it on.”
I laughed. “Don’t bullshit us. If I find out that you’re keeping evidence from us, you’ll be in jail alongside the asshole who robbed you.”