Page 77 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
I patted his hand. ‘Don’t worry about it.’ And then, before my poor ability to lie became obvious even to Quentin Hightower, I changed the subject. ‘So after you recovered from your dip in the Tweed, you did some investigating?’
He nodded. ‘I was too late to get to Ravensheart and Thunderstick. By the time I learned of their existence, they were already dead.’
‘Fetch Jackson,’ I began. ‘I suspected him but?—’
Hightower interrupted. ‘Daniel Jackson? He knew about the silphium seeds and was desperate to get his hands on them on behalf of the witches’ council, but it’s ridiculous that anyone ever thought he was the killer.’
Mmm. ‘His clothes were covered in Knox Thunderstick’s blood.’
‘He found Thunderstick’s corpse after you and the wolf left the property. He raised the alarm anonymously because he didn’t want to answer any questions. The witches’ council couldn’t risk any whisper of silphium’s existence getting out. Jackson’s clothes were covered in Thunderstick’s blood after he tried to revive the man, but even a fool would have known the Fetch wasn’t responsible,’ Hightower said dismissively.
Shit. Thanks to Harriet I knew that Jackson wasn’t the culprit, but Hightower’s easy dismissal of his involvement was painful. ‘He died for a reason,’ I said weakly.
‘He was competition. He knew a lot, and he was getting close to the silphium. Maybe he’d even worked out where the seeds were, though probably not. He was not nearly as clever as me. If I didn’t know their location, I doubt that Fetch Jackson did.’
Daniel Jones’s dying words to Harriet echoed in my head.Ididn’t kill Knox. I’m sorry. It was…Maybe it wasn’t the silphium seeds he’d discovered; maybe it was the killer’s identity and that was why the Fetch also had to die.
‘My present concern is the nymph,’ Hightower said. ‘Adrienne McDonald is the only survivor of that group of friends who knew about the silphium. I have puzzled over the problem and my sleuthing brilliance has come up with the only possible answer:shewill be the next target.’ He eyed me. ‘I know you came to the same conclusion. We were both at her house for a reason.’
‘Adrienne is fine,’ I told him. ‘She’s with my friend Thane.’
‘The wolf? That’s good. Does she know who is behind this?’
‘No.’
‘Vampires,’ he muttered. ‘It has to be vampires.’
‘There’s nothing to connect vampires to any of this,’ I said gently.
He grunted, and I wasn’t sure whether he believed me or not, then he went on, ‘Does the nymph know where the seeds are? Those are what the killer is after and I have to stop them from getting hold of them. Once I locate the bastard who is responsible for all this, I will make them regret the day they were born. I will bring them to justice! I will avenge those who have been killed and I will save the day! The killer underestimates my brilliance.’ He grinned widely. ‘People usually do.’
I couldn’t begin to imagine why. ‘Perhaps we should join forces,’ I suggested. ‘We both want the same thing.’ Thane would understand that Hightower had his uses. I hoped.
‘Good thinking.’ He gave me a paternal look. ‘You’re not completely useless, Kitty. You’ll make an excellent sidekick.’ He paused. ‘With the right training from me, of course.’
I glanced at He Who Guards, who was watching me with narrowed eyes, and shrugged. If I didn’t kill Quentin Hightower by the end of all this, it would be a miracle.
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Four of us sat in my small kitchen. Sun was streaming in from the window, suggesting that both the outside temperature and the outlook for the future were warmer than they really were.
We were doing a great job of eliminating suspects and we were doing an even better job of finding more amateur detectives to join our ranks. What would the collective term for our little group be? A symposium of sleuths? A network of Sherlocks? An assembly of misguided fools?
The one thing of which I was certain was that combining four minds was not helping our situation. None of us had any idea who the killer was or where the silphium seeds might be hidden. None of us could agree what to do next – although we all agreed about how serious the situation was.
There wasn’t just a killer to worry about. I’d gotten enough of a whiff from Adrienne’s dried leaves to know that Quentin Hightower’s concerns about who owned the seeds was justified. Silphium’s magical power was extraordinary. Of course, that just gave us something else to fret over.
At least the cats were happy. He Who Guards had curled upon Adrienne’s lap, delighted to be reunited with her. He Who Must Sleep was nestled against Quentin Hightower’s arm, and She Who Loves Sunbeams was enjoying a spot by his feet where a golden shaft of sunlight had fallen. She Without An Ear was providing some much-needed warmth and comfort to me, while He Who Crunches Bird Bones was with Thane.
‘I should go and get Tiddles,’ he murmured. ‘She’s missing all the fun.’
From what I’d already learned about Tiddles, she was probably off somewhere making some fun of her own.
‘There’sanothercat?’ Hightower asked, genuinely astonished.
‘Technically another two,’ I said. ‘Thane’s cat is called Tiddles and my other cat is He Who Roams Wide. I don’t know where he is right now. Then there are the feral cats who arrive every day for food – three or four of them usually gather in the garden. I’ve offered them the chance to stay permanently but they are free spirits.’
