Page 44 of Waifs And Strays
That was where he was wrong. ‘This guy is a druid, or at least he appears to be. He voluntarily went to his death muttering something about a sacrifice that would be rewarded, which suggests some sort of warped religion or cult.’
‘That doesn’t narrow things down. Not in this city.’
‘Perhaps not. But we can still learn more from him. He’s got very small feet, which don’t match the imprints left in the rug in Nick’s living room. This isn’t the person who took Nick but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved.’ I held up the watch. ‘They’re not separate crimes because the last time I saw this it was around Nick’s wrist.’
Thane sucked in a breath and stared at it. ‘You’re sure?’
‘Yep.’ I pocketed it. ‘Our killer definitely had something to do with what’s happened to Nick. If it weren’t for the attacks on you and Lorna, I’d assume that the MacTires are the main target but we need to look at these crimes from a different angle.’
‘Go on.’
I stood up. ‘Nick is the target because he’s a lone wolf like you. The people who wanted Alexander MacTire dead – and by extension Quack – are the people who kidnapped Nick. We both know that if MacTire discovers his nephew has been abducted, he’ll turn this city upside down to find him and the whole of Coldstream will suffer as a result. Somebody wants to stop that from happening by killing MacTire first and sending his pack into disarray. Everyone would forget about Nick in the chaos.’
I paused. ‘We’re looking for a team of people, not a lonepredator who saw Nick as an easy target. This team think he is important enough to risk provoking the anger of the most powerful werewolf pack in the city and their recent actions suggest they’ll do almost anything to ensure Nick isn’t found. Which strongly suggests that he is still alive.’
Thane’s eyes widened. ‘In that case, it begs the question of whether we go to MacTire and tell him what’s happened. He’s going to find out eventually – that’s his dead werewolf back there.’ He nodded towards the place where Quack had died. ‘He’s going to miss her sooner or later.’
I didn’t see how Alexander MacTire could help us at this stage and I was sure we’d have more chance of finding Nick if we sneaked around on our own. Thane and I could keep our investigation clandestine but Alexander MacTire didn’t do sneaking; I didn’t have to read the man’s secret diary to know that much about him.
‘I think we should give it another twenty-four hours,’ I suggested. ‘If we’ve not found Nick by then we’ll have to tell MacTire, but let’s hold off for now and continue with our own investigation. There’s something else we can try first.’
Thane raised an eyebrow. ‘What?’
I met his gaze. ‘Nick’s dead parents. You said that you don’t believe it’s a coincidence that they died last month. If we seek them out, maybe they can help us pinpoint who’s taken Nick.’
This was the first time I’d genuinely shocked him. He took a step back and held up his hands. ‘Seek them out? I want to save Nick and find answers as much as you do, Kit, but necromancy is a step too far. I can’t go there and neither should you.’
‘I’m not talking about necromancy,’ I said. ‘I have another plan. It’s a long shot but it might work. Let’s get these bodies out of the way so nobody finds them for a day or two, then we need to goback to my house.’
For this, I was going to require the services of She Who Loves Sunbeams.
Chapter
Eighteen
We broke into a house nearby that looked as if it hadn’t been lived in for several decades. Thane carried the assassin’s body inside while I used a fireman’s lift to bring in Quack’s corpse. I was sorry about her death; she’d been stupid and naïve, but those weren’t reasons to die. I laid her gently down on the dusty floor and mumbled a brief prayer; it invoked no god, but at least it wished her a peaceful afterlife.
‘You won’t be here for long,’ I told her. ‘We’ll get you to a proper resting place soon.’
Thane joined me. ‘I’m not sure we could have done anything differently. Even if we’d not chased her down, he might still have killed her.’
I didn’t blame myself for her death but that didn’t mean I wasn’t angry about it. ‘I don’t even know her real name,’ I said quietly.
He reached for my hand and squeezed it; his warm touch was oddly reassuring.
I allowed myself another moment with poor Quack then we left her where she was.
‘So you’re a cat,’ Thane said, when we were finally seated on the tram and heading for home.
I glanced around to make sure nobody was in earshot. ‘A cat sith,’ I corrected him. ‘And if you’re planning on any pussy jokes, I won’t be impressed.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ he protested. I eyed him. ‘I mean it!’ He grinned faintly. ‘I’ve never met anyone who could do that before.’
‘There’s not many of us around – but it’s a useful trait.’ Very useful. I didn’t miss the gleam of fascination in his eyes.
‘Do you have nine lives?’ he asked.
‘I’m a catsith,’ I said primly. ‘Not an actual cat.’
