Page 48 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
I wet my lips. Not the time, Kit, I told myself. And definitely not the place.
‘Of course,’ Thane mused, ‘we still don’t know Jackson’s motive.’
I dragged my eyes back to his face. He was right: what on earth did a highly placed witch like Daniel Jackson want withthe likes of a grungy druid like Knox Thunderstick – or with Rory Taggert, for that matter? There were still a lot of unanswered questions.
I pointed to the glove. ‘He was wearing that in the mortuary this morning. Between that and the blood, there should be more than enough to make sure he’s arrested.’
‘We’ll have to wait until morning when Montgomery finally drags his arse here. I wouldn’t trust any of these other MET goons with that glove.’ He glanced at the bed. ‘You look done in, Kit. We should get some sleep. There’s room on that thing, even if it’s not exactly a feather mattress. We can both fit on it if we snuggle together.’
It would be a tight snuggle. My mouth was suddenly dry in a way it hadn’t been for years.
‘You can rest easy,’ he said gently. ‘You’ll be able to sleep well now you know that Harriet will have the closure she deserves. Her brother’s killer is about to be brought to justice.’
Uh-huh: if only that had been what I was thinking. ‘Small mercies,’ I whispered. My stomach tightened with guilt and Harriet’s grief-ravaged face flashed into my head.
I unlaced my boots and kicked them off while Thane lay down. He scooted back against the wall leaving me more than enough space, and placed Tiddles carefully beside him. As soon as I tried to lay down, the little ginger cat hissed at me. ‘Tiddles! Stop that!’ he admonished.
I smiled. ‘I guess she’s jealous.’ The demon cat had no problem offering up her fur so I could affect a transformation, but sharing Thane was a different matter. I didn’t blame her. ‘Don’t worry,’ I said to her softly. ‘We’re only going to sleep. You’re still number one.’
Tiddles growled faintly. I blinked at her slowly and, after a huffy moment or two, she blinked back at me. It was an agreement of sorts. I lay down, far more aware of Thane’sbody against mine than the thin mattress or Tiddles’ irritation.
‘Relax,’ Thane murmured in my ear and pulled me closer until we were spooning. I was enveloped by his hard body and his heady vetiver scent. ‘She won’t bite.’
What Tiddles might or might not do was the furthest thing from my mind but I took his advice. I was desperately tired. I closed my eyes, regulated my breathing and passed into a deep sleep within seconds.
Captain Wilberforce Montgomerygazed impassively at the glove which was still on the floor of the cell, untouched since I’d dropped it from my feline jaws. ‘Where did it come from?’ he asked. ‘Did it materialise out of thin air?’
‘In a manner of speaking,’ I said.
He folded his arms. ‘You’ll have to do better than that, Ms McCafferty.’
The fewer people who knew what I was, the better. I had no reason not to trust Montgomery – but neither did I have any reason to trust him. ‘All I can say is that I have some special skills that enabled me to bring it here,’ I replied.
‘You used some form of enchantment,’ he said flatly.
‘Yes.’
‘But you won’t tell me what enchantment it was.’
‘No.’
‘Then how can I trust it?’
Thane stepped forward. ‘Test it. You won’t find my fingerprints on it, or Kit’s. That glove is covered in Knox Thunderstick’s blood, and the last person who wore it was Fetch Daniel Jackson. What more do you need?’
Montgomery gave him a long, irritated look. ‘Before I bringa Fetch in for questioning?’ he asked. ‘Goodness, I can’t begin to imagine what other information I might require.’
He had a point; even if he could prove that Jackson had tortured and killed Knox Thunderstick, the witches’ council would swoop in and take control. It would be out of the MET’s hands before Montgomery could say, ‘You’re under arrest.’
‘This is all linked to the John Doe who was pulled out of the Tweed yesterday,’ I said. ‘Fetch Jackson identified him as Rory Taggert but…’ My voice faltered when I saw Montgomery’s face. ‘You don’t know anything about him, do you?’
‘I know Quentin Hightower fell into the Tweed. As far as I’m aware, there was nobody else in the river that day.’
Somehow Daniel Jackson had hushed it up. ‘You need to talk to Jackson sooner rather than later,’ I said.
Montgomery lifted his eyes heavenward. ‘You seem to be under the impression that I have power here. I do not.’ He pointed at the glove. ‘You also seem to think that item will be enough for me to let you both waltz out of here.’
Thane spoke calmly. ‘You don’t have to arrest Jackson. Just bring him in for a few questions.’
