Page 89 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
She touched it. ‘Of course it is!’
I shook my head. ‘It doesn’t match any of your other clothes. If you had the money to spend on things like silk scarves, you’d be wearing other expensive items.’ I gestured to the delicate bracelet around her wrist. ‘Like that piece of jewellery.’
‘It was a present,’ she said defensively. ‘So was the scarf.’
Uh-huh. ‘Who from?’
‘None of your fucking business.’ Her eyes darted from side to side. He Who Roams Wide stopped rolling around on his back and got to his feet. He butted his head against her hand and sat down, curling his tail around his body and watching me.
I kept my voice gentle. ‘I don’t particularly care. I know you’ve only taken items from bodies that don’t have next of kin or remain unidentified. Dr Singh told me himself that’s up to fifty people a year. I’m not judging your actions.’
‘I’m not a thief!’
‘After all,’ I continued, ‘it’s not as if they need those things any more. They’re dead so they don’t need silk scarves or pretty bracelets.’ I paused. ‘Or belts with brass buckles to hold up their trousers. I bet nobody ever misses any of those items. In fact, I reckon nobody’s even noticed they’re missing.’
Cindy stared at me. I stared back. ‘I’m not a bad person,’ she whispered.
‘You have to live with your conscience, Cindy,’ I said. ‘I have to live with mine. It’s not for me to pass judgement.’ I meant it and I liked to think she realised that.
‘What will you do?’ she asked.
‘Nothing.’ I smiled again. ‘But I do need the clothes and the belt that came from Simon Campbell’s body.’
Her eyes were wide and worried. ‘I was planning to return them when he was formally identified. Then that Fetch came, and Dr Singh found out that they were missing…’
‘And you thought that returning them might cause more problems than it would solve. I understand. Are they here?’
She bit her lip then she nodded. ‘In my bag. I laundered the clothes,’ she said, as if that might take the sting out of what she’d done. ‘They were very wet and muddy.’ She disappeared beneath her desk and rummaged around. He Who Roams Wide flicked his tail and I dipped my head in his direction to show that I understood.
After a moment Cindy re-emerged holding carefully ironed blue jeans, a shirt – and a belt. She dropped them onto the desk beside He Who Roams Wide. ‘What were you planning to dowith them?’ I asked. ‘They’re not your size and they’re men’s clothes.’
Cindy hung her head. ‘I was going to sell them,’ she whispered. ‘They wouldn’t fetch much money but I thought the belt might be worth something.’
Poor Cindy had no idea. I picked it up and turned it over. Fitz Williams wasn’t the only person with clever ways of concealing useful items.
I found the small catch on the underside of the belt buckle and flicked it. A section of the buckle fell away, revealing the tiny bag inside. Opening it, I gazed at the seeds. Seven little brown specks. A king’s ransom.
‘Wh – what?’ Cindy goggled.
‘Don’t worry about it.’ I returned the belt to the pile of clothing. ‘You should put these in the back. Simon Campbell’s family might want them.’
‘But—’
‘The filing system here is terrible,’ I said kindly. ‘I doubt anyone would be surprised if the clothes turned up unexpectedly. And I also doubt that I’ll be back, so you don’t have to worry about any more visits from me.’ Hanging around mortuaries wasn’t my idea of a good time. I raised my eyebrows at He Who Roams Wide. ‘Are you coming?’
His whiskers twitched then he stood up, gave Cindy’s hand a tiny lick and jumped off the desk before padding over to me.
‘Thanks, buddy,’ I told him. ‘You did good.’ I raised my hand in farewell as Cindy stared at me and my cat, her mouth wide open. ‘Take care,’ I told her. I glanced down. ‘Your turn.’
He Who Roams Wide miaowed.
I didn’t needto say anything to Thane when I left the mortuary with He Who Roams Wide; he could already tell from the expression on my face. ‘You know the smart thing would be to throw them into the Tweed?’
‘And what if more silphium plants appear on Myrddin’s grave when spring rolls around in a few months’ time?’
He shrugged. ‘We cross that bridge when we come to it.’
I considered. ‘I’m not a fan of the passive approach. There are better ways to deal with this.’
