Page 85 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
‘But I bet you still notice things,’ I said.
He acknowledged my words with a brief smile. ‘The victim hadn’t been attacked by river monsters in the way I’d expected. But that was because of your colleagues, wasn’t it, Mr Hightower?’
‘Yes.’ Hightower smiled. ‘It was. They are good fellows. Loyal. And strong.’
I pressed on. ‘Did you notice anything else about the body? Was Mr Campbell carrying anything? Did you find anything in his pockets?’
‘I didn’t check his pockets – that’s not what we do. We gather up bodies and transport them from the scene. It’s not our job to get involved any further.’
Hightower glanced at me, pursed his lips and nodded in an obvious fashion. ‘Excellent,’ he said. ‘Well, thank you for your time, Mr Williams. I think we have all we need.’
Not even close. ‘I believe your Redcaps also attended the scene at Knox Thunderstick’s house?’
Fitz gave me a polite smile. ‘Who?’
‘A druid,’ I explained. ‘He was tied to his bed, tortured and then shot.’
The Redcap’s eyes widened. ‘Oh yes, we were there. That was terrible. I can’t imagine who would do such an awful thing to another living being. There was a lot of blood at the scene and it wasn’t easy to free the body from its position on the bed. We were there because that street falls under our jurisdiction.’
‘That answers that, then.’ Hightower started to struggle out of his chair.
‘And you also attended the death of a troll on the other side of the city. Ian Ravensheart?’ I asked.
Fitz’s expression darkened. ‘I’m not quite sure what you’re getting at. We’ve collected a few dead trolls recently. If you’re referring to the one I think you are, that was because theRedcaps who serve Baller Mortuary were busy retrieving the remains from a house fire nearby. We are a close-knit organisation. Each team helps out others when it is called for.’
He had an answer for everything.
‘Have you ever been to the MET building, Mr Williams?’ I persisted.
‘Yes, I have.’ He held my gaze. ‘Many times. I’ve been there to collect bodies and to give statements. I know Captain Wilberforce Montgomery very well – he’s a good man.’
‘As are you,’ Hightower said loudly. ‘You have answered our questions without hesitation or prevarication. Thank you so much for your time, dear Fitz.’
The Redcap smiled. ‘Anything for a member of the Hightower coven.’
Hightower’s eyes twinkled. ‘Indeed. Tell me, have you ever considered becoming a member of the Pendle Club?’
For fuck’s sake. This was getting us nowhere. I stood up. ‘Thanks for your time,’ I said. ‘We’ll leave you in peace.’
‘No problem.’ Fitz led us out of the living room towards the front door. ‘I’m happy to have been of help and I wish I could do more, but I really don’t know anything about the bodies I retrieve. All we do is collect and transport – we’re not investigators.’
While the Redcap reached for the door latch, I stumbled and fell against Hightower. He, in turn, staggered clumsily and his shoulder hit the coat stand before knocking into the black cane propped against the wall. It fell to the floor with a clatter.
‘I’m so sorry!’ I exclaimed. ‘That was all my fault.’ I bent down and stretched out my hand to the cane.
‘Leave it!’ Fitz said sharply. ‘I’ll get it.’
I ignored him and picked it up. It was heavier than I’d expected. When I curled my fingers around itshandle and squeezed, there was an odd clicking sound. I smiled. Fitz Williams stood stock still.
‘Well, look at this, Quentin.’ I held up the long stick. ‘This is more than just a cane. You see? There’s a thin blade hidden inside it.’ The metal glinted as I pulled it free from its holder. ‘How interesting.’
Fitz Williams looked at me with flat, dead eyes. A heartbeat later, all hell broke loose.
Chapter
Thirty-One
The Redcap lunged forward, grabbed Quentin Hightower literally by the scruff of his neck and hauled him back to use as cover. He delivered a hard punch to the side of the witch’s head for good measure. ‘Drop the cane or your buddy gets it,’ he snarled.
