Page 62 of Veiled Justice
‘Already?’ I was impressed.
‘I put her to the top of the pile.’
‘I really owe you one. Thank you.’
‘Chuck me a bottle of bubbles and we’ll call it quits.’
‘Deal. What have you got for me?’
‘The blade the perpetrator used was unusual – long, serrated and hooked. Hunting knives are often hooked to help pull out the animal’s guts, but it’s not normal for them to have a serrated edge. It rang a bell, so I looked up an old case. Same thing –exactlythe same thing. I’d bet good money your killer is the same person because the similarities were striking – I’m talking right down to the location of the wounds. I contacted the Inspector on the case – she was thrilled to be woken, by the way – but she knew the case I was talking about. It was a dryad-hired assassin called Kane.’
I could have kissed her. Now I had evidence to hunt down Kane that didn’t consist of illegal memories yanked from someone’s mind. ‘Fantastic work. Can you send me the details of that case and the Inspector’s details?’
‘You got it. One other thing. Alice had imbibed Imbarum too, just like Helga.’
‘Kate, I appreciate the hell out of you.’
I could feel her grin. ‘Yeah, yeah.’
‘Go, relax.’
‘I wish,’ she snorted. ‘Apparently I have another body coming in. Some rich old guy has died and someone is pulling strings to have me deal with it. Apparently the nurse flagged the case and the guy’s daughter isnothappy. I’ve been told to do an autopsy by yesterday,’ she huffed.
‘Grab some sleep before you start,’ I recommended. ‘Power naps work miracles.’
‘I hear you.’ She paused. ‘So does champagne.’
I laughed.
‘I gotta go, but I thought you’d want to know about Kane ASAP.’
‘Absolutely. Thanks, Kate. Speak soon.’ Then I hesitated as Krieg’s questions about the friends in my life flashed into my mind. ‘Maybe we could drink that champagne together one day?’ I asked.
Kate’s voice was warm. ‘I’d like that, Stacy.’
We hung up and I put my phone on the table. Things were moving along nicely. Kate had certainly earned the promisedbubbles: now I had a concrete link between the two cases. The rare Imbarum was hard to source and the killer had a distinct MO.
A yawn cracked my face and I pulled a soft throw over me. I’d rest my aching eyes, just for a moment.
‘Wake up, Kærasta.’ A hand was gently stroking my hair. I opened my eyes, momentarily disorientated as I took in the unfamiliar surroundings. When I saw Krieg kneeling before me, I realised where I was. ‘Hello,’ I said dumbly.
He smiled. ‘Hello. I’m sorry to wake you but I know you’re up against the clock.’
‘Right.’ I stretched, only then realising I was still wearing the lace dress I’d worn to the Nocturne Circle. I grimaced: I needed to go home and change, which would waste time I didn’t have. I seriously contemplated wearing the dress to the office; if I punched DS Roberts in the face when he inevitably sassed me, no one else would dare comment about it.
‘If you’d like to shower, I have some fresh clothes for you,’ Krieg offered. A black suit and white shirt were laid out on his bed together with a brand-new set of underwear, all still on hangers from the shops.
I stared at them. ‘Did you buy those?’ I asked incredulously.
‘Not me personally – I stayed with you. I couldn’t risk leaving you alone in the den.’
I didn’t have the bandwidth to dig into that. ‘What time is it?’ Iasked instead.
‘Just gone 7.30am. I let you sleep – I figured you couldn’t do much before morning.’
‘Right.’ My head felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool. ‘Thank you. I’ll shower.’ I suddenly recalled my conversation with Kate. ‘Alice Rose was also subdued with Imbarum. Did you hear anything from DeLea?’
Krieg frowned. ‘No, but I’ll call her while you shower.’
