Page 36 of Waifs And Strays
Lorna moved away from the elaborate drinks trolley she'dbeen hovering over and perched on the sofa opposite Thane and me. ‘She doesn't waste any time, does she?’ she asked Thane, who simply shrugged.
She folded her hands in her lap and looked down, then raised her head and gazed at me with cool blue eyes. ‘There's not a vast amount to tell,’ she replied. ‘I don't remember it.’
I waited. Successful feline hunters are well-versed in the art of patience. You don't catch a mouse by leaping in without hesitation, and assassinations are also a waiting game. You need the right moment before you act and I was prepared to wait for Lorna’s real story if it meant I'd get to the truth.
For several moments none of us spoke. Finally Thane cleared his throat and broke the silence. ‘Lorna,’ he growled, ‘just tell her so we can get out of here.’
She raised a plucked eyebrow. ‘You never change, do you, darling?’
I glanced between them. Ah, there was some sort of intimate history here. I wouldn't have put them together as a couple but I guessed that anything was possible. No wonder his trust in Lorna was absolute.
‘It was a long time ago,’ Lorna said and I knew she wasn't talking about the attack. ‘We were different people then.’ A ghost of a smile crossed her face. ‘Well,’ she amended, ‘Iwas different. Sweet Thane here is the same as ever.’
Sweet? That wasn't the adjective I'd have used to describe him. He was far more like He Who Crunches Bird Bones than She Who Loves Sunbeams.
‘Sweet,’ Thane growled again and Lorna got to the point. ‘Fine,’ she sighed. ‘I was attacked about four months ago.’
I needed specifics. ‘Aboutfour months?’
‘January 26th.’
That was better. I nodded.
‘It was a Friday. I always go to a Pilates class at the gym upthe road on Fridays. I left home just after eight in the morning. That's the last thing I remember until that afternoon.’
I leaned forward. ‘You were attacked on your way to the gym?’
‘No.’ Her eyes remained clear. ‘I spoke to several people who'd been at the class and I checked the gym records. I signed in and completed the class as usual. I just don't remember being there.’
Whatever version of the forget-me-not spell had been used on her had been backdated so she’d probably been followed to the gym by her attacker. There was no other rational reason for why her memory had been wiped so significantly.
‘Do you always take the same route to and from the gym?’ I asked.
Lorna nodded. ‘It's not far from here so there's only one logical route.’
I tapped my mouth thoughtfully. A regular appointment and a regular route were an assassin’s dream because they made any planned attack far, far easier. But if she'd been followed on her way to the gym, her attacker had either been stupid and not scoped her out in advance, or it had been an unplanned attack. Assuming, of course, that Lorna was telling the truth. So far I believed her.
‘Okay. Then what?’ I asked.
She shrugged. ‘The next thing I remember I was lying on my bed with lacerations to my face and hands. And my right arm was broken,’ she said matter-of-factly. ‘There was a trail of my blood leading from the front door of the building into my bedroom and no signs of any disturbance in here.’
Which was why she believed she'd been attacked on her way back from the gym. ‘Any witnesses?’
‘I asked around. Nobody saw anything.’
I considered that then asked, ‘Who's the better fighter? You or Thane?’
Lorna looked amused but Thane was pissed off, which was answer enough in itself. ‘Why is that relevant?’ he asked.
‘He's the better fighter,’ Lorna replied, surprising me. At my reaction, she gave a small, musical laugh. ‘You're not asking the right question.’
I gazed at her askance.
‘I don't see what our abilities have to do with anything,’ Thane objected.
‘She was attacked once,’ I responded calmly. ‘You were attacked twice. Nick was attacked once and abducted.’
He drummed his long fingers on his leg. ‘So?’
