Page 87 of Night's Reckoning
“Why would I exempt myself?” Tenzin asked. “I have killed thousands. Why would any of you assume Iwouldn’tkill this woman? You all know my reputation.”
The number shouldn’t have shocked Ben, but it did.
I have killed thousands.
She’d been alive, at his best guess, between four and five thousand years. The idea of her killing thousands would be logical. She’d killed enemies, worked as an assassin, and been in numerous wars.
“You never kill without reason,” Cheng said.
Kadek muttered, “Though her reasons don’t always make sense to anyone but herself.”
Tenzin cocked her head. “That’s fair.”
Cheng glared at his child and barked at him in a language that Ben didn’t recognize.
“He has every right to resent me, Cheng.” Tenzin knelt by Meili’s body. “If we all agree that Cheng is the least likely to have killed this woman, we should all trust him to answer. Do you scent any immortal on her?”
Cheng crouched down across from Tenzin and picked Meili’s body up. He was far gentler than Ben would have expected. He put his face in front of the bloody wound and inhaled deeply on both sides of her neck, both the bitten and intact sides.
“Nothing,” he said. “She was killed recently and her body washed in the ocean. Other than that, I sense no trace of her killer.” He rose. “Is there anything else?”
Ben said, “Yes.”
Tenzin said, “No.”
Ben turned on Tenzin. “Her killer is standing over her body right now.”
“And we have no way of determining who it was,” Cheng said. “Look around you, Vecchio. No one is going to confess, and I suspect we all have different suspects. Finger-pointing is useless. Suspicion without evidence is useless. Wasting time on an investigation is not in anyone’s best interest.”
Ben pointed to Meili’s body. “It’s inherbest interest.”
“She is dead.” Cheng’s expression held a hint of pity. “It does not matter to her.”
“Her parents then.”
Cheng spoke quietly. “No confession will bring their daughter back. And I promise you”—he cleared his throat—“that is the only thing they will want.”
Tenzin put a hand on his arm. “Leave it, Benjamin. Her soul has left this body and will be born again. Nothing is ever truly lost.”
“Unbelievable.” Ben shook off Tenzin’s arm and strode out of the room, leaving Meili with the uncaring monsters who had killed her. Maybe not all of them had drained her blood, but all of them were willing to let the perpetrator walk free.
He walked up to the top deck and searched for Fabia. She was sitting at a picnic table, drinking a glass of wine and showing notes to Professor Chou. She looked up as he approached.
“Ben!” She smiled brightly before she caught his expression. The smile fell. “What’s wrong?”
He glanced at Professor Chou and quickly looked away. “I need to speak to you.”
“Of course.” She stood. “Professor, excuse us. This is likely something regarding the night crew.”
Professor Chou smiled at Ben. “They are doing extraordinary work. I have never seen such precise excavation. Please give them our thanks.”
“Yeah.” The words tasted like sand. “I sure will.”
He and Fabia walked to their spot on the aft deck where they could speak privately.
“I’m going to tell you something,” Ben said. “And you need to not look upset.”
Her face went blank. “Is it my family?”
