Page 37 of Veiled Justice
‘I’m aware, sir, and I’ll get it closed. It’s already been confirmed by an oath-bound witness that multiple killers were involved.’
‘Fucking oaths,’ he swore. ‘Can we press it?’
‘The woman who is oath-sworn is one of Lord Volderiss’s people. He made it clear that she is under his protection.’
Thackeray’s face clenched with annoyance. ‘All right, don’t question her any further. What are your next steps?’
‘I’m attending a ball at the invitation of Louisa Carnforth, one of the partygoers at Quintos’s event. Many of the same crowd will be there, so I can make enquiries in a more relaxed atmosphere.’ Without the need for evidence to put before a jury in the Other, there was less pressure for it to be gathered under due process. If my witnesses had taken a drink or two to loosen their tongues, it wouldn’t be a problem.
‘One ball right after the other?’ he said in surprise.
‘There is a long-running rivalry between Mr Carnforth and Mr Quintos and they like to hold the events close together so they can have a pissing contest. Miss Carnforth confirmed in an interview that they take turns going first because they think that the second party has an advantage.’
‘No doubt,’ he said drily. ‘Okay, circulate and question people when they’re relaxed. See if someone slips up so we can kill or cage them.’
‘Yes,sir.’
‘And High King Krieg?’ he asked pointedly.
I winced. ‘He has asked to join my investigation. Under the circumstances, I didn’t think it wise to say no.’
He snorted. ‘I suspect it would have been deadly, not just unwise. Very well. Keep him in the loop and hopefully you can ingratiate yourself so he’ll provide assistance in the future if we need it.’ He paused. ‘Play nicely, Wise. He’s not a man to make an enemy of.’
‘No, sir.’
‘All right. Good work so far, Wise. Catch our killers – and fast. There’s pressure on this one,’ he repeated the warning.
I understood what he wasn’t saying: if I didn’t find the killer someone would be framed and we both knew who it would be. ‘Yes, sir,’ I repeated more forcefully. ‘I’ve got them in my sights.’
‘See that you have.’ He turned back to his computer. ‘Dismissed.’ Then he added without looking at me, ‘And Wise? You’re going to need to clean yourself up if you want to fit in tonight.’
‘Yes, sir,’ I repeated, trying not to growl.
I left his office and headed home. His little face-to-face had cut into my precious napping time, but if I jogged I could still get a solid hour in bed before I needed to start getting ready.
If an hour was all I could get, I’d take it with both hands. Tiredness killed – in more ways than one.
Chapter 19
After a one-hour power nap, the fog in my brain lifted, and I felt far sharper and ready to roll. A strong dose of coffee cemented the effect. Once fully awake, I showered perfunctorily and gave my shoulder-length brown hair a brisk towel-dry.
Choosing an outfit proved trickier. The dresses I’d fibbed about to Krieg? Technically, I owned a dress but it was long, respectfully black and edged with lace. It was funeral attire, not fit for a glittering charity ball thrown by the elite. I grimaced. I’d stick out like a sore thumb.
With my underwear on and a light dressing gown preserving my modesty from my resident ghost, I was contemplating my options – or lack thereof – when a knock at the door interrupted my clothing-related quandary. I grabbed my extending baton from my backpack and made sure my dressing gown was tied tight. Just in case.
I summoned up my magic, holding my intention ready to blast a shot of air at the person behind my door, then opened it. Some might call it paranoia but a girl can never be too careful.
I recognised the ogre on my doorstep. ‘Hanlon,’ I greeted him coolly.
He was close to eight feet tall and the tusks growing from his head were far bigger than Krieg’s. I wondered if that signified age because it clearly didn’t relate to seniority. He was dressed from head to toe in black and his face was poker-player blank. In his arms were a number of white boxes.
‘Inspector,’ he responded evenly.
‘Thank you for typing up my notes.’
He simply nodded and thrust the boxes towards me. I took them and he turned on his heel and left. ‘Goodbye!’ I yelled passive-aggressively at his retreating back. He didn’t acknowledge me; he was a real charmer and I was clearly one of his favourite people.
I shut my front door, locked it, then carted the boxes over to my small dining room table. Okay: fingers crossed this was a dress. On this occasion, I’d be more than delighted if Krieg had chosen to ignore my instructions.
