Page 11 of Skulk of Foxes
‘Bogle?’
Uh-oh. Me and my big mouth. ‘Bogle?’ I repeated, as if I’d never heard the word.
‘That’s what you said.’
I shook my head. ‘No, I didn’t. You must be hearing things.’ Time to change the subject. ‘And how in gasbudlikin hell did I help him?’
A faint line furrowed her brow. ‘You really do have amnesia.’
Good grief. Why did no one ever believe me about that? I gestured irritably. ‘As I have said.’
‘His family told us what you did. His wife. And his children. They all backed it up.’
Tense now, I watched her carefully for signs of subterfuge. ‘What exactly did I do?’ I asked carefully.
‘He had cancer. You gave him something to…’ she swallowed. ‘Look, I’m not supposed to agree with euthanasia. It’s against the law here. But I don’t think you did a bad thing.’
‘That bottle I gave him,’ I said, realising. ‘Itwaspoison.’
DC Jones nodded. ‘His wife said he’d forced you into getting some. He wanted to die on his own terms. You cut off his head afterwards to make it look like murder so she could still collect on the life insurance.’
Uh…
‘Of course,’ Jones added with another frown, ‘it doesn’t explain what happened to his body. But it puts you in the clear. You didn’t force him to drink poison, he made that decision of his own volition.’
It was a strange day when the police were letting me walk free after it had been proved I’d given a man a vial of poison that had caused his death and then I’d chopped off his head afterwards. Human law was a very odd thing indeed.
‘Okay, then.’ I pointed towards Carduus, who was watching us through the glass door with narrowed eyes. ‘I don’t suppose there’s anything you can do about him?’
‘I told you I can’t. I’m sorry. I do believe you’re a good person, Ms Hatter.’
‘I’m a very bad person.’
‘You’re not. Misguided, perhaps. But not really bad.’
I put my hands on my hips. ‘I’m an evil bitch. It’s already been agreed.’ Then it occurred to me that arguing with the police about how truly villainous I was probably wasn’t a good idea, not now that my release was already happening and the sphere was relatively safe. ‘No,’ I said. ‘You’re right. I’m actually very heroic.’
‘You are to Mr Mickelson’s family.’ Jones smiled faintly. ‘Just don’t go shooting up any more of our city.’
‘I’m about to be committed,’ I told her. ‘I don’t think I’ll have the chance.’
She grimaced. ‘Yeah. Well, I’ve heard straitjackets can be quite comfortable. And at least you’ll have a nice padded cell.’
I gazed at her. She smiled back. ‘You’re all heart,’ I told her.
She curtsied in response then reached into her pocket and pulled out a small card. ‘Just in case,’ she said with a smile. ‘My number is there.’
I felt that the police had failed more than enough by now; I was on my own, whether I liked it or not. I offered her a bob of my head and waited while she pressed the door-release button. Muttering under my breath, and still not sure whether the policewoman had been trying to be nice or trying to be nasty, I walked out.
Carduus flapped towards me as if he were certain I was about to make a run for it. Given that the street outside was probably teeming with Fey loyal to Rubus, it seemed a rather pointless measure on his part.
‘Ms Hatter,’ he boomed. ‘We’ll get you back to the hospital and feeling as right as rain in no time.’
I rolled my eyes. The only person present to hear him was the desk sergeant and he looked about as interested in Carduus and me as a Goth teenager would be in a rainbow fun house. ‘As right as acid rain,’ I muttered.
Carduus chuckled and took my arm. ‘Aren’t you funny?’ Then he dipped his head toward mine and lowered his voice. ‘Where’s the fucking sphere, you bitch?’
‘My, my,’ I said. ‘Just when I thought we were getting along so well.’
