Page 50 of Fortune's Ashes
‘What’s your point, detective?’ Buffy sneered.
I told myself that patience was a virtue and went on. ‘Everyone who’s been targeted over the last few days has been targeted for a reason. Alan Cobain was killed because I can’t be killed. However, Icanbe suspended if I’m under suspicion for murder.’
Lukas nodded. ‘Cobain was nothing more than a convenient victim. You were the real target.’ His voice was as hard as granite.
I didn’t disagree. ‘Then Fred and Grace took up the investigation, found this place and were targeted too. These aren’t random acts of violence, there’s a very real motive behind each one.’ I sucked on my bottom lip. ‘We’re not dealing with a psychopathic serial killer who has a taste for blood, we’re dealing with someone who kills for a specific reason.’ I nodded towards the gruesome bucket. ‘Quincy Carmichael was killed for a reason. I reckon if we can uncover that reason, we can find our man.’
‘You said he was in a lot of debt,’ Lukas said. ‘If somebody was pissed off that he owed them money…’
‘No, I don’t think it was that. This killer is methodical. There’s logic behind his actions, vicious cold-hearted logic but logic, nonetheless. If you kill the person who owes you money, you’ll never get that money back. Quincy was murdered for another reason. We have to find out what that reason was.’
Buffy straightened her back and raised her chin. ‘So where do we start?’
‘You and Lukas report what you’ve found here.’
‘What? To the police?’ she asked, disbelievingly. ‘They’ll only get in our way. And it’s not like we can tell Supe Squad! You don’t exist anymore, remember?’
I wasn’t likely to forget.
‘D’Artagnan is right,’ Lukas said.
Buffy scoffed, ‘Of course you’re going to take her side.’
‘We’re all on the same side.’ He glared at her in a manner that suggested he was less than thrilled by the thought. ‘We have to report a body to the authorities and in the absence of Supe Squad, that’s the Met Police. They can take charge of retrieving the rest of Carmichael’s remains and he’ll be identified as supe. Because of the law, the police will then have to step back and not involve themselves any longer. We’ll be free to conduct the remainder of the investigation ourselves without further interference.’
His mouth thinned. ‘And that means looking again at what happened to Simon Carr and Adele Cunningham. We found no obvious link at the time but things have changed now.’
I was glad we were on the same wavelength. ‘Exactly. And while you two are dealing with that, I’ll go and take a DNA test.’
Suddenly it was Lukas’s turn to protest. ‘What? Why would you do that?’
I remained calm. Now that my stomach was no longer churning, it was easier to think clearly. ‘I can’t avoid it. If I don’t turn up to take the test, I’ll be under even greater suspicion.’
Lukas frowned. ‘And if you take the test and those damned hair strands are somehow a match for yours, you’ll be arrested and charged.’
‘But it will take a while for the results to come through,’ I argued. ‘If I take the test, either my name will be cleared or I’ll be banged up because the bastard framing me is covering all bases. If Idon’ttake the test, I’ll definitely be arrested. I need to hedge my bets. This will give us all enough time to find out who’s really behind all of this.’
What I didn’t add was that it would also give me time to say a proper goodbye to Fred and Grace, if it came to it. I prayed it wouldn’t, but I had to be prepared. I suppressed a shiver. ‘You two need to watch your backs. You’ll be targets now as well.’
‘Before the next hour starts, every vampire in London will be searching for anything they can find about Quincy Carmichael,’ Lukas declared.
‘Every werewolf too,’ Buffy added. ‘I’ll make sure of it. The bastard who hurt my Fred can’t kill all of us.’
Anxious happiness gripped at my heart. All for one. And one for all.
* * *
Using Lukas’s phone,I called Barber and arranged to meet him at New Scotland Yard, then the three of us prepared to part company. Lukas and Buffy were taking her car in one direction and Tallulah and I going the other way.
Before we drove off, we all checked our tyres. I didn’t think that Tallulah would allow anyone to sneak up and loosen her wheel nuts, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to check. We didn’t know where the bastard behind all this was, and he could still be watching us. Anything was possible.
I tried – and failed – not to smile at the sight of Lukas in Buffy’s car. He’d found it cramped in Tallulah; in a bubble-gum pink Smart car, he looked completely ludicrous. It was good to have a moment of genuine amusement amid the darkness.
I sent him a smile through the window and enjoyed his answering scowl. Then I spoke aloud. ‘Fred, Owen and Tallulah, I promise you that I’m going to find the bastard behind all of this.’ I paused. ‘No matter what happens.’
Tallulah’s answer was to allow her engine to be started without any chokes or splutters. I lightly touched my stomach. ‘You hear that, Jellybean? This is your first important life lesson. We don’t give up on our people. Ever.’
I watched Buffy’s car disappear into the distance and put my foot down to accelerate. A split second later, I was hammering on the brake. Shit.Shit.
