Page 8 of Mystic Justice
She slammed the van door shut. ‘I’ll get started right away. I’ll ring if I find anything unusual but I’m confident that the cause of death is drowning.’
‘Thanks, Kate.’
She pushed her clear-rimmed glasses up her nose, gave us all a wave and drove off.
With the MOPs gone and the body disposed of, there wasn’t much for me to do other than let Sam crack on. He’d marked up everything obvious and now it was time to comb the ground for hidden clues.
‘Got a hit!’ Channing said suddenly. ‘Moss Hollings, reported missing almost four days ago. Twenty years of age, part of the Sefton Park grove.’
‘Good work,’ I said gruffly. I cleared my throat and looked at Sam. ‘Right, well. We’ll head off,’ I said to him. ‘Pass the death message.’
‘Right. I’ll let you know if I find anything of note.’ He didn’t look up.
‘Great.’
It stung more than a little to have a month’s worth of canoodling on the couch erased like it had never happened. Sam might not have had a chokehold on my heart but that didn’t mean his complete and utter lack of interest didn’t hurt a little.We’d been friends before we dated – at least I’d thought we were. Maybe he’d been sharking me the whole time.
I walked away. ‘Asshole,’ Loki said in my ear, making me grin. The bird was smart: Samwasan arsehole.
When I reached Channing’s black Ford Fiesta, I looked at Krieg. ‘Lovely to see you,’ I said awkwardly, ‘but I have to go and tell some nice people that their daughter is dead. So … catch you later?’
He frowned. ‘Inspector, I said I was making the stars align, not just watching a shooting star. I’ve cleared my diary for three days so I can ride shotgun and I’ve cleared it with Thackeray. I’ll drive you, and Channing can drive his car and meet us at the parents’ grove.’
‘You cleared it with Thackeray that…? What?’ That my kind-of-boyfriend was going to hang out with me at work? That seemed more than a little insane: it wasn’t take-your-boyfriend-to-work day.
‘I’ve offered my services as a consultant to the MIT on condition that I assist only you.’
Despite myself, I was amused. ‘And you assisted me at the scene, did you?’
‘Didyouknow what sort of knot that was?’
‘No,’ I admitted.
‘Then I helped. Come on, climb in.’ He opened the passenger door of the Range Rover.
‘I can’t just abandon Channing!’
‘No, no. That’s absolutely fine,’ Channing said hastily. ‘You two … catch up and I’ll meet you there. I’ll text you the address.’ He messaged it immediately.
If I’d known how to navigate SPEL I could have found it myself but this was quicker all round. ‘Thanks,’ I muttered a shade sheepishly.
‘Sure thing, boss.’ Channing climbed into his car and drove off, gravel flying in his haste to not get involved in an argument between Krieg and me. He already knew me well enough to recognise that there would be one.
Once there were no witnesses, I narrowed my eyes and put my hands on my hips. ‘You can’t just speak to my boss then commandeer me for the day!’
‘I agree,’ Krieg said levelly. ‘You do important work and I would never dream of commandeering you. But Icanact as your chauffeur for a couple of days without getting in the way. I want to get to know you properly, Inspector. Phone calls can only do so much – I want to spend time with you.’ His eyes softened. ‘Please.’
Oh hell. The High King of the Ogres was asking me nicely. My outrage melted away. Only an idiot would have refused his offer and I prided myself on my lack of idiocy. Besides, Krieg had resources and connections that I didn’t, so maybe hecouldbe an asset.
I climbed into the damned car and he had the grace not to smirk in triumph. I pressed my lips together before I said firmly, ‘I want to be clear. The second you’re a hindrance, you’re out.’
He held up his hands. ‘I’m just here for the ride. You call the shots.’
I wasn’t sure that I did, but I appreciated the words all the same.
Chapter Five
‘So,’ he started. ‘What are you thinking?’
