Page 57 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
Hightower stepped forward. ‘I shall take charge of this situation, detective. I know what I’m doing.’
The druid raised his fists. ‘You’re taking charge of nothing, you plank!’
Despite Thane’s efforts to keep Harriet calm, she got in on the act. ‘Daniel Jackson murdered my brother. Let me talk to him! Let me see what he has to say for himself!’ Her voice rose higher with every word, pain in each syllable. My heart went out to her but none of this was helping the situation.
I hoped that Thane had thought to check her for weapons; while I’d fully understand – and silently applaud – Harriet attacking anyone who held her back, I knew that she wasn’t a violent person at heart and she’d regret hurting anyone.
Montgomery cleared his throat; an odd glint in his eye suggesting he was enjoying the drama. That didn’t make him a bad person; his work days were probably spent clearing up the aftermath of petty crimes and filling in paperwork so this fiasco would be an interesting break from routine. However, it also meant that I couldn’t predict how he would react or what he would say.
I prepared for the worst. If I had to take my dagger out anduse it to help Harriet, I would. It would damn me in the process but it would be worth it.
‘I understand that tempers are high,’ Montgomery began. ‘But let’s all take a beat and calm down.’
‘Try telling that to my dead brother!’ Harriet snarled.
‘Exactly!’ shouted one of the druids. ‘Knox Thunderstick was tortured and killed because of that man.’
Three of the witches snorted and the fourth one smirked. ‘Knox Thunderstick? What kind of fucking name is that?’
I started to move forward before Harriet hit him and ended up being charged herself, but thankfully Thane was already there and doing his best to hold her back.
I checked the witch’s face; by the looks of things, he’d been hoping that Harriet would punch him so she’d be arrested and shoved out of his way. A council witch like him knew how to deal with druid officials and mysterious dead bodies, but angry grieving relatives who weren’t part of the witch community were another matter.
I gave him a narrow, dead-eyed look and moved forward to flank Harriet on her other side. Try to manipulate her again, I promised him silently, and you’ll live to regret it.
Captain Montgomery frowned at the three MET officers who were still in attendance but proving to be as much use as a cat flap on a submarine, then he cleared his throat again. ‘This is an unusual situation,’ he intoned. ‘Under normal circumstances, Fetch Jackson would be under the jurisdiction of the witches’ council.’
‘Exactly!’ called one of the witches. ‘Finally somebody is speaking sense. You should never have arrested him in the first place and he should never have been brought here. This is a council matter.’
Montgomery turned to her. ‘Ma’am,’ he said. ‘Right now you are undermyjurisdiction. This is my building. Interrupt meagain and you will be thrown out.’ He raised his eyebrows meaningfully at his hapless colleagues who, in a surprising display of energy, moved towards her. The witch, sensing she was losing the argument, held up her hands in temporary submission.
‘My dear fellow,’ Quentin Hightower interjected. ‘I shall?—’
Montgomery glared at him. ‘You’ll shut up. I am in charge here.’ Now he really seemed to be enjoying himself. This was probably the only opportunity he’d ever had to put both a snotty witch from the council and a high-placed witch like Hightower into their place. I applauded silently. Bravo.
‘Let us not forget that the victim here is Knox Thunderstick,’ the captain continued, ‘He is dead, and his murder deserves our full attention. I have spoken to Fetch Daniel Jackson. He is aware of the evidence against him. but he maintains that he is innocent of all charges and wishes to clear his name.’
Suspicion curled deep in my belly. I wondered if Jackson had a trick up his sleeve to absolve himself.
‘I have spoken to my superiors,’ Montgomery went on, ‘and it has been decided that under the circumstances a special team will be convened to take Fetch Jackson’s formal statement and interview him. One witch of your choosing,’ he nodded towards the council members, ‘one druid of your choosing,’ he gestured at the two tattooed officials, ‘and me.
‘In order to give everyone a chance to prepare and examine the evidence, this session will start here at 9am tomorrow. Once the interview is completed in accordance with Coldstream law, Fetch Jackson will either be released or passed to the witches’ council for trial and sentencing. That will depend on any evidence or alibi that he brings forth to confirm or deny his innocence.’
By the look of things, nobody was happy with that outcome. Hightower opened his mouth to complain then looked atMontgomery’s face and thought better of it. His mouth closed once more. Good.
It was a smart move on Montgomery’s part; he was giving every invested party a chance to be part of the questioning process, at least to begin with. It would also make it harder for the witches’ council to avoid taking action if Jackson’s guilt was confirmed, and it would give the druids the chance to represent Knox’s interests.
I glanced at Harriet. She needed to look Jackson in the eye and hear him speak for himself. ‘If I may, captain?’ I said.
‘Yes?’
The witches nudged each other. ‘Who is that?’ one of them asked. The druids looked equally baffled.
I ignored them. ‘As Knox’s closest family member, his foster sister should be allowed to attend as well.’
‘We don’t allow family members to question suspects, Ms McCafferty,’ Montgomery replied. ‘With good reason.’
‘You can put a spell of silence on me,’ Harriet said quickly. ‘I won’t say anything. I just want to be there.’ Her gaze dropped. ‘For Knox.’
