Page 54 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
‘Financial gain is a common motive for murder,’ I mused. ‘But you’re right – a double murder of this sort would have to bring an enormous reward. The payoff would need to be worth the risk, and I can’t imagine what Knox or Campbell could have owned that would justify this. Neither of them were wealthy or particularly powerful.’
Thane tapped the photo, indicating the frozen smiles of Adrienne the nymph and Ian the troll. ‘If we can locate these two, we might find out. Let’s hope that Jackson is in custody by now and he hasn’t already paid them a visit.’
I glanced again at the photo – and my jaw dropped. Oh shit. Thane immediately registered my expression. ‘What?’ he asked. ‘What is it?’
I didn’t look up: my gaze was fixed on the troll and his drooping moustache. It didn’t suit him, but that wasn’t what was bothering me. ‘The troll, Ian,’ I whispered. ‘I’ve seen him before.’
‘Where?’
I swallowed. ‘He’s in one of the lockers at the Mathers Street mortuary. He’s dead, too.’
We wereboth sweating and breathing heavily by the time we got back to Pork Pies. There were no signs of life behind the frosted glass. I rattled the doorknob but it was locked, and a sign stuck to the door stated that the café was closed for the foreseeable future.
‘Where would Harriet have gone?’ Thane asked.
I shook my head. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Do you know where she lives?’
‘No.’
‘We have to find Adrienne. If the nymph isn’t already dead, she could be in real trouble.’
I gritted my teeth. ‘I know.’
‘If Montgomery hasn’t arrested Daniel Jackson, he could be on his way to kill her.’
For fuck’s sake. ‘I know.’ I looked at Thane; his nostrils were flared and his body was tense. ‘Don’t panic.’ I spoke the words aloud for myself as much as for him. ‘We have to stay calm and think logically.’
He grimaced. ‘You’re right.’
I looked at the deserted café. ‘Go back to the MET, find Montgomery and see if he’s found Jackson. And ask if he can help track down Adrienne.’
‘What are you going to do?’
I pointed through the glass. ‘There’s someone else in there who might be able to help. I’ll catch you up. I won’t be more than ten minutes behind.’
‘Kit…’
‘Do you trust me?’ I asked.
He didn’t hesitate. ‘Always.’
I gave him a little nudge. ‘Then go.’
As Thane took off, sprinting down the street in the directionof the MET, I dug out my lockpick for a second time. A couple were strolling towards me, hand in hand, but I didn’t wait until they’d passed by – I simply picked the lock in full view. I was no longer in the mood for trying to hide my actions now there were lives at stake.
My only attempt at fooling them was to give them a dotty cat-lady glance and mutter about losing my keys. My old boss would have been horrified; if I’d had time to stop and think, I’d have been horrified, too.
I burst into the café and the door banged behind me. No alarm squealed and there was no magic to prevent my entry; with a Cursed Portrait in residence, there wasn’t any need for them. Lady Augusta had already begun to shriek. ‘Alert! Alert!’ Her cut-glass voice was incredibly piercing. ‘Intruder alert!’
I careened into the back room. ‘Stop yelling. I need you to be quiet and focus. This is important. Knox’s friend, the nymph called Adrienne – do you know where she is?’
‘Intruder! Thief! Fire! Help!’
I marched up to the portrait and braced my hands on either side of the picture frame. Lady Augusta’s eyes widened and genuine fear flashed across her painted features. Good: I needed her to be scared.
‘I’ve already told you to be quiet.’ I didn’t raise my voice: words spoken quietly were often far, far scarier than the most screechy of shouts. ‘I’m not here to hurt you – I don’t care about you. I’m trying to help Harriet and stop anyone else from getting killed. The nymph, Adrienne.’ I held up the photo that I’d nabbed from Simon Campbell’s flat. ‘Where can I find her?’
