Page 78 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
‘I like cats,’ he murmured, ‘but that’s a lot.’ He Who Must Sleep opened an eye and gazed at him. She Without An Ear growled faintly.
‘There’s no such thing as too many cats,’ I replied serenely. Thankfully that was enough to calm both bristling moggies down again.
Thane grinned, his green eyes crinkling, then he focused on Adrienne and returned to the mystery we were unable to solve no matter how many cats we had to help us. ‘What about the other two Blue Tattoos musicians? Could they have the silphium seeds?’
She shook her head. ‘No. They’re fun guys, but he’d never have trusted them that much. Besides, it was Simon who kept hold of the seeds and hid them somewhere. I just don’t know where.’
‘His flat has already been searched so I don’t think they can be there,’ I said.
‘I’ve been to the place where he worked,’ Hightower told us. ‘There was nothing there, either. I searched the entire place. Nothing escapes my hawk-eyed notice.’
Perhaps we ought to take a second look. Just in case.
‘Ifyouhad something that was so valuable that people would kill for it, where would you put it?’ Thane asked.
Hightower answered immediately. ‘My family has a warded vault in the middle of our ancestral home. It has been strengthened by a range of magic users over the generations. If you’re not a Hightower, it’s impregnable.’
I believed him, but his answer didn’t help us. ‘Most of us aren’t wealthy heirs to ancient fortunes. Simon Campbell certainly wasn’t so we’re not looking for a hidden family vault.’
‘If I had something precious, I’d keep it in a safety deposit box at the bank,’ Adrienne offered. ‘But Simon didn’t trust institutions so he wouldn’t have done that.’
‘And there’s no record of him opening any accounts for such boxes in the last five years,’ Hightower said. At my sidelong glance, he nodded smugly. ‘Yes, I checked. I’m a very thorough person.’
Uh-huh.
‘I know where I’d keep it,’ Thane said.
I nodded. ‘I know where I’d keep it too.’
We exchanged glances. ‘Who else can you trust other than yourself?’ he murmured.
Adrienne and Hightower squinted at us.
‘If I owned something that valuable, I’d keep it on my person at all times,’ I said.
‘Me too,’ Thane agreed.
I tapped the corner of my mouth. ‘That’s what Fetch Jackson thought, too. That’s why he went to the mortuary – hewanted to get hold of Simon’s effects because he thought the silphium seeds would be among them. I bet Knox thought the same because he went to the mortuary, too. He was sneaking around in there like me.’
Adrienne straightened. ‘Then that has to be the place. We locate Simon’s effects and we find the seeds.’
‘Except that Simon Campbell wasn’t carrying anything with him at the river market before he died other than the silphium sample box, which he gave to me,’ Hightower said. ‘He was holding it and he didn’t have a bag. I’m not even sure he had a wallet.’ He linked his hands behind his head. ‘If he did, my eagle eyes would have noticed.’
The less said about Quentin Hightower’s eagle eyes the better.
‘When his body was brought into the mortuary, it was logged with just the clothes on his back.’ I chewed on my bottom lip. ‘And those clothes have disappeared.’
‘The seeds could have been in his pocket,’ Adrienne offered. ‘Maybe his killer stole his clothes from the mortuary and already has them.’
Thane shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. If anyone had found the silphium seeds, we’d know about it. What are the chances the seeds went into the River Tweed with Simon Campbell? His body was pulled out but they could have been washed away and lost forever.’
For a long moment we were all silent. ‘It does seem the most likely scenario,’ Hightower said. ‘In fact, I’d been about to say the very same thing myself.’
‘Of course you were,’ Thane murmured.
Quentin Hightower smiled.
‘Nobody wins,’ I whispered. ‘Nobody gets the silphium seeds, not the killer and not us.’ I smiled; that would be the best outcome by far.
