Page 56 of Veiled Justice
‘No, he is not. Which means he is falsifying the books.’
‘Couldn’t he have been in Southampton and travelled up to Chester today?’
‘The books includes geolocation information – and because of the situation with Helga, he was supposed to notify me when he was moving towards home.’
‘And he didn’t?’
‘No, he didn’t.’ Krieg’s nostrils were flared and his fists were clenched. He had reached the same conclusion as me: if Einar had forged the contract, there was a very good chance that he had been the ogre hired to kill Helga.
‘Not here,’ I said hastily. ‘Not now. There are too many people and we haven’t finished looking at the rooms. Take a deep breath and count to five.’ The absurdity of my advice was enough to make him turn to look at me. I stood on my tiptoes and reached up a hand to touch the side of his face. ‘Not here,’ I repeated. ‘Please.’
Heheld my eyes and, as he turned his head slightly, his lips brushed over the palm of my hand. He didn’t kiss it, but it was a distinct nuzzle. My heart was back to pounding – but obviously that was a result of the tension of the situation, not because of the press of his lips against my skin.
‘That is not how I envisioned you saying “please” to me for the first time,’ he rumbled.
‘No?’ I said faintly.
‘No. Come then.’ For a moment, I thought he was talking dirty but then he gently took my hand, lowered it and laced his own thick fingers through it. He tugged me out ofWrathand walked me straight into the green-coloured room ofEnvy.
Envywas divided into two sections: one side was lined with mirrors, above which was a sign sayingMeet your perfect self.I grimaced and steered clear of that; the last thing I wanted was to stare into an enchanted mirror and see a version of me I could never attain. Obviously not everyone felt the same way because the room had plenty of patrons staring into their mirrors with self-important smiles. This room was the darkest we’d been into; it was a place that would ultimately incite misery as people failed to achieve the perfect self they saw here. No, this was definitely not the room for me.
The other side ofEnvyhad rows of comfortable chairs and a stage where a handsome man was presiding over an auction.
‘A rakshasa,’ Krieg hissed in warning.
I had never seen a rakshasa before but I knew enough about them to be wary. Little was known about their powers, save thatthey were secretive and dangerous. They grew their powers by consuming feelings of greed and envy; if this one worked here regularly, he would be very powerful indeed.
‘How badly do you want it?’ the rakshasa tauntingly asked the crowd. ‘Focus on your desire to have it,’ he instructed as he held up a vase. ‘It has been known to improve the fortunes of its owners. Who needs a lift in their fortunes? How much difference would this make to you?’
He drew the moment out, showcasing the vase. ‘Going … Going … Gone! Sold, to the woman in the green dress who wants this vase so very, very badly.’ He smiled, but there was something dark and predatory about it. ‘Come and see me to claim your prize.’
I’d seen enough and I pulled on Krieg to get us the hell out of there. Together we faced the entrance to the last room:Pride. The letters were written in purple and should have looked welcoming, but instead they felt cold and impersonal.
‘Comes before a fall,’ a voice murmured from behind us. We whirled around and met Verona’s eyes. She was dressed like she belonged in theLustroom but I was more interested in the triumph that appeared in her eyes when she saw us standing there. ‘Follow me,’ she said happily and led us inside.
The room was dark. There were several spotlit pedestals and on each one was a book. There was only one other occupant and he looked up as we walked in.
Jude Jingo winked at me then turned back to his book. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ I demanded of the doppelganger.
‘Seeingif you put together the crumbs I left for you, Inspector.’
‘Don’t fuck about with this Hansel and Gretel bullshit. If you know something, tell me.’
He smiled. ‘I know a lot but I think you’re a woman who needs to find her own way. You don’t strike me as the silver-platter type.’ Giving me a slight bow, he turned and left.
‘Pride.He’d know all about that,’ Verona spat as she watched Jingo walk away. She led me to a stone pedestal and patted the book on it. ‘In these books you can write your secrets, your boasts. The books are spelled so only the truth can be written in them. To learnwhowrote each boast, you must pay the premium – of which the house takes a cut, of course. The remainder of the sum goes to the person whose boast or secret it is.’ She smiled ‘And the catch is that there’s a deadly secrecy rune. You can read the boasts, but if you try to reveal them to another person you’ll die.’
‘This whole place is sick,’ I muttered. Well, apart fromSloth; I could get behindSloth.
‘This room isn’t for the faint-hearted,’ Verona confirmed. ‘But you’ll want to see this. Volderiss has been keeping tabs on Quintos and knows that he comes here. After what I saw yesterday, I looked in the books. All of them.’
She took us to one and flipped to a page. The boast was written in glittering gold and said simply:I’m rich enough to get away with murder. Price for the name: ten million.
Verona turned the page,I’m so rich, I could get a crowd to applaud murder. Price for the name: fifteen million.I recognised the curlingwriting of the second boast: Louisa Carnforth dotted her I’s with little hearts like she was still a teenage girl.
Anger surged through me and I wasn’t the only one raging; next to me, Krieg clenched his fists.
I didn’t need to pay the premium to know who had made these boasts. Two parties, two deaths, two hosts. Two killers.
