Page 71 of Brimstone Bound
I leaned back. If what he was saying were true, then Anna would be at St James’s in two nights’ time. Assuming she was still alive. Maybe nobody had thought to tell me that because they believed I already knew. My lack of knowledge of the supernatural world was proving an insuperable barrier in this investigation.
‘I’ll never learn everything there is to know about supes,’ I muttered, as much to myself as to Kennedy. ‘We speak the same language, we live in the same city and we breathe the same air. And that’s about as far as it goes.’
‘The greatest enemy of knowledge isn’t ignorance, it’s the refusal to do anything about that ignorance. That’s what we should really be afraid of. At least you’re trying.’
I hadn’t expected to find a philosopher in Crystal. ‘Why are you here?’ I asked curiously. ‘Why come to a werewolf nightclub?’
‘Our kinds are very different,’ he told me simply. ‘Everyone focuses on the vamps and wolves because they’re the largest groups with all the power. The Others, like me, are often overlooked – but that doesn’t mean there’s not the potential for a lot to go wrong between us. Spending time with the clans helps me understand them better. And it’s only through true understanding that we can have peace.’ He met my eyes. ‘I think Tony was just beginning to realise that for himself. Not many humans do.’
I gazed at him. And then, because it seemed the right thing do, I said, ‘You know, I think I will have a drink with you after all.’
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kennedy aside, the rest of my evening at Crystal was a bust. It wasn’t that the people I spoke to weren’t friendly or forthcoming – quite the opposite, in fact. I got the impression that, after my little chat with the two out front, the other werewolves had been instructed to speak to me if I approached them. A few even approached me first, but I learned nothing that I didn’t already know. Those who had witnessed the hook-up between Gregory and Anna confirmed it was just as he’d described; those who’d spoken to Tony had little to tell me except that he’d been looking for her.
When I asked why they thought he’d cared about Anna’s disappearance, most of them shrugged and told me he was a good guy who would have cared even though it wasn’t his job to investigate it. In fact, the likes of Lady Sullivan would have actively campaigned against his involvement. I couldn’t help thinking that the pressure from Lucinda Barnes to do more had pushed Tony into it – and he’d been killed in the process.
The warmth of the booze and Kennedy’s friendly company meant that I was far less on edge by the time I tripped back to the hotel. I still had the crossbow, but I wasn’t jumping at every shadow. It wasn’t night time that I had to be afraid of –although maybe that was the vodka talking.
Perhaps that was why, when the grumpy bellman barely managed to speak to me without spitting, I turned on him. ‘What exactly is your problem?’ I demanded. ‘I’m a paying guest like everyone else. There’s no need to be so rude to me. I can’t believe you treat other hotel residents like this.’
‘Paying guest?’ he snorted. ‘Sure, that’s how it starts. I remember how it went with your boss. First, he was just like everyone else – the odd night here and there. Nothing too unusual. Then he started demanding special treatment – guaranteed anonymity, use of the rear staff entrance, breakfast delivered next door. He didn’t want any member of staff to breathe a word of his existence. My taxes pay your wages, and you spend those wages getting all hoity-toity and licking supes’ arses instead of getting them off the streets.’
I froze. ‘Wait. What did you say?’
‘What?’ he sneered. ‘Do you want me to repeat it so you can record me and write a shitty review on TripAdvisor?’
If he kept this up, I’d do more than that; I was tempted to punch him. ‘About my boss. What did you say about my boss? Do you mean Tony? Detective Constable Anthony Brown?’
‘Who else?’ The bellman’s lip curled.
‘He stayed here? When? How often?’
‘Whenever he couldn’t be arsed to walk home to his flat.’ He glared at me. ‘Which I know for a fact isn’t more than fifteen minutes away.’
I ignored his aggression and focused on what was important. ‘And he demanded anonymity?’
‘Yeah, like he was some sort of precious bigwig.’ His features spasmed with distaste. ‘Fucking pigs.’
Maybe the bellman was an ex-con, or he had an ex-wife in the force who’d left him to become a vamp. There had to be some underlying reason why he despised the police so much – and specifically Supe Squad. Whatever his beef, it wasn’t my problem. Whatwasimportant was the sudden knowledge that, if Tony stayed here from time to time and his identity and presence were kept secret, he had no reason to decamp to the DeVane Hotel. Unless he was staying there because he wanted to be in close proximity to another guest.
I spun round, damning myself for drinking alcohol and now being unable to drive legally. I needed to get back to the DeVane and I needed to get there now.
Lukas’s dulcet tones drifted out of the shadows. ‘Is everything alright, D’Artagnan?’
I all but jumped out of my skin. ‘Are you still bloody following me?’
He stepped forward until he was bathed in the soft glow from a lamppost. His skin gleamed in the light, but darkness still glittered in his eyes. ‘Yes. Until we find the killer, you are still in danger. It seemed prudent to ensure your safety. It won’t go down well with the public if another Supe Squad detective is murdered.’ He twisted his head towards the bellman. ‘Although given the viciousness of the argument I just witnessed, I think we already have a prime suspect.’
‘You … you…’ The bellman’s skin turned from pure white to violent puce. ‘Lord Horvath.’ He dipped his head. ‘My apologies.’
‘It’s not me you need to apologise to.’ Lukas’s expression remained bland.
‘I don’t need you to stand up for me,’ I snapped.
‘I know that. But until your killer is caught, or you learn how to use that crossbow properly, youdoneed me to protect you.’
I really wished that he wasn’t right.
