Page 34 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
Harriet started to lift the knife and her fingers tightened around its hilt.
‘That’s why you relaxed when I told you why I was here,’ I went on. ‘That’s why your questions have been so specific, and that’s why this place is called Pork Pies. It’s not because of the menu, it’s Cockney rhyming slang – pork pies means lies. You can tell every single time when someone is lying.’
Harriet’s face was white and there was fear in her eyes. Truth Seekers were rare – and coveted; there were plenty of powerful people in Coldstream who would try to use Harriet for their own ends if they knew what she was capable of. She wouldn’t be left in peace to run her little café, that was for sure.
‘I won’t tell anyone,’ I said quickly. ‘I won’t breathe a wordto a soul. I give you my word.’ In Coldstream, that was practically sacrosanct; only a true fool would break such a freely given vow.
Her shoulders dropped. ‘It’s not as much fun being a Truth Seeker as you might think,’ she whispered. ‘People often lie for the most ridiculous of reasons. Knox knows what I can do and he still lies to me all the time.’
‘Ido not lie!’ Lady Agatha declared.
Neither Harriet nor I glanced at her. ‘I suppose you’ll find him sooner or later.’ She sighed. ‘He’s never missed a gig before. If I give you his address, will you check on him and make sure he’s alright?’
I nodded and she shot me an impatient look. ‘Yes,’ I said, realising I had to speak aloud for her tainted gift to work.
‘Will you hurt him?’
That was harder. ‘I won’t hurt him unless it’s by accident or in self-defence. And I won’t let anyone who’s with me hurt him unnecessarily,’ I added, thinking of Thane. ‘That’s the best I can do. I don’t know Knox. I don’t know how he’ll react when I track him down.’
Harriet seemed to accept this. ‘Sometimes he’s his own worst enemy, but he is a good guy at heart and I do love him.’ I believed her. ‘Thirty-two Glade Cross,’ she told me. ‘That’s where he lives.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I hope I won’t regret telling you.’
I met her eyes again. ‘You won’t.’
I foundThane not too far from the Pork Pies’ entrance, kicking his heels against a wall. He looked none the worse for being thrown out of the café but three werewolves, including thewoman who’d called him out for his ridiculous complaint, were hovering nearby and watching him with narrowed eyes.
‘Making friends and winning hearts all over the place, Thane?’
He grinned. ‘It’s all in the name of your murder investigation, Kit.’
‘Ourmurder investigation,’ I said lightly. I wanted him to stick around so I might as well admit it aloud. That didn’t mean I’d tell him about Harriet; I could still keep a secret when I had to.
‘Was it worth it?’ he asked. ‘Did you get an address for Knox Thunderstick?’
‘I did and we’re in luck. He lives only a few streets away.’ I pointed left. ‘It’s this way.’
We set off immediately and trotted in the direction of Knox’s home. I kept an eye on the three werewolves, but thankfully none of them chose to follow us. Not all wolves were that smart; in my experience far too many of them acted first and thought later. And if they’d been aware of Thane’s identity, we might have had even more of a problem. Thane Barrow’s name had been mud amongst werewolves for many years, although recently that appeared to be changing.
‘That woman,’ he said. ‘The café owner. She knew immediately that my complaint wasn’t genuine.’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘She seemed more concerned about the Blue Tattoos than my tastebuds.’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘She went into the back. Unless the building’s far bigger than it looks, she must have seen you.’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘But you won’t give me any of the details, will you?’
I smiled. ‘Nope. She’s a nice lady.’
‘She’s banned me.’
