Page 76 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
‘Very clever,’ I murmured.
He inclined his head, accepting my praise as his due. ‘I arranged to meet Campbell at the riverside market to inspect his wares. I brought along several trustworthy witches from my coven who would remain anonymous until I’d confirmed the scam. Their remit was to take Campbell into custody afterwards and hand him over to the council.’
My eyes narrowed. ‘You work for the witches’ council?’
He barked a humourless laugh. ‘Goodness, no. They think I’m a fool. But the council has its uses and it is their job to maintain law and order among witches. Sometimes they simply need a push in the right direction from the right person.’
‘And that’s you?’
He shrugged. ‘I am but one man, but I am capable of achieving a great deal. The Campbell matter appeared a fait accompli. He was a confidence trickster who would be brought to task.’
‘Except he wasn’t,’ I said.
‘Indeed. It appears that even I can make mistakes and Isuppose it is good to admit that I can be wrong from time to time. Nobody is infallible, not even me.’
‘You’re very humble,’ I told him.
‘Humility is the beginning of wisdom,’ he intoned.
He Who Guards huffed from his position by the door. I wasn’t sure why the tabby cat was so disdainful because most cats were experts in displaying superiority over others. He should have been applauding, not rolling his eyes.
‘I can learn a lot from you,’ I said admiringly. He Who Guards huffed again. Yeah, yeah.
Hightower patted my arm. ‘It didn’t take my quick brain long to realise that Campbell was being truthful. He needed my protection, not my censure or to be arrested. He came to me because I am Quentin Hightower and I had it in my power to help him. I could save him. Heneededsomebody like me.’
I strongly suspected that it was Hightower’s wallet and bank account that Campbell had needed but I didn’t interrupt. Quentin was on a roll.
His voice dropped. ‘I am afraid that I failed. I met Campbell at the market where he gave me a sample of silphium, five dried leaves sealed into a container. Five perfect silphium specimens.’
He shook his head in amazement. ‘I still find it extraordinary that he had them in his possession. He told me that he had seeds that would produce more plants but there were other bidders. I had twenty-four hours to make a sealed bid for all of the seeds. If I was successful, I would be the only person capable of growing more plants. As I was examining the sample, Simon Campbell walked away.’
He gazed into the distance as he remembered. ‘When I looked up again, I couldn’t see him. I started to search to tell him I’d give him whatever he wanted for all of the seeds and then…’ He gestured helplessly. ‘I spotted him in the water. He was in the River Tweed.’
His hands tightened in his lap. He Who Guards watched him, tail flicking. The cat would have known Simon Campbell and was probably grieving as much as Adrienne.
‘You didn’t fall into the river, did you?’ I said. ‘You jumped in. You were trying to save Simon Campbell.’
‘Of course I jumped in. I’m a strong swimmer – and I almost got hold of him. I was so very, very close.’ He frowned. ‘I don’t know what happened.’
He was swept away by the currents and was in shock from the cold; that was what happened. I touched his hand. ‘You did your best. Even if you’d grabbed his body, it wouldn’t have made any difference. He was already dead.’
He blinked in surprise. ‘What?’
‘The post-mortem showed that he was stabbed to death before he entered the Tweed. While you were checking the sample, somebody slipped alongside Simon Campbell and thrust a blade into his chest. Even if you’d seen it happen, I doubt you could have done anything. He died instantly.’
Hightower sucked in a breath. ‘So I didn’t fail. I was already too late.’
‘There was nothing that you could have done,’ I agreed.
‘I almost drowned, too,’ Hightower sniffed. ‘After I recovered, I investigated Campbell. The silphium was real. When I learned there had been more deaths of people close to him…’ He shook his head. ‘I confess I assumed you and the wolf were responsible.’
It didn’t help that we’d been arrested because of those suspicions.
‘Dearest Kitty,’ he said. ‘I can only apologise. Nobody like you could be a stone-cold killer.’ He pointed to He Who Guards and smiled. ‘You’re a cat lady, a caring person.’
The cat’s ears twitched and I did my best not to let my thoughts betray me. ‘Absolutely,’ I murmured, glad Hightowerwas looking at the cat and not me. ‘A caring cat lady couldneverbe a killer.’
‘I am deeply sorry.’
