Page 79 of A Skirl of Sorcery
Thirty-One
Isuspected Captain Montgomery was standing stiffly to one side because he was worried about getting cat hair on his smart clothes. I didn’t take offence; I simply signed my statement and handed it to him.
‘The sphere,’ I said. ‘The … thing that Leighton used to extract magic. Where is it?’
‘It’s been destroyed,’ Montgomery said. ‘It’s too dangerous to keep around even as evidence. We’re looking into how he created it in the first place. We can find nothing to suggest there are any other such spheres in existence and we don’t expect any further occurrences of magic soul theft now he’s gone.’
‘I certainly hope not,’ I murmured. ‘I suppose it helps that Jimmy Leighton has taken the secret of the sphere with him to his grave.’
Montgomery eyed me. ‘Indeed. Although it’s interesting that dead bodies seem to accrue when you are around, Ms McCafferty.’
I tried – and probably failed – to look innocent. ‘If you want to arrest me for my actions, Captain, I understand.’ I held out my hands to indicate I was ready for his handcuffs. Both Thaneand Keres stared at me. Fortunately they were too sensible to say anything, although their expressions spoke volumes.
‘That will not be necessary, Ms McCafferty.’ He paused. ‘This time.’
I blinked in mock disbelief at the implication that there would be another time when our paths would cross. Then I thought of something else. ‘Captain,’ I said, ‘if someone were to seriously consider becoming an adjunct to the MET, would any training programmes be available?’
Thane’s eyebrows shot upwards though Montgomery only looked mildly amused. ‘An adjunct? One is either in the MET or is not. There is no such thing as anadjunct.’ He folded his arms. ‘Certainly not anofficialadjunct. The Magical Enforcement Team must abide by very strict rules, you know that. There are limits to what we are allowed to do and many areas where we cannot tread.’
I held up my hands in mock surrender. ‘I was only curious.’
His eyes gleamed. ‘Of course, there are many reasons as to why anunofficialadjunct might be useful. I’ll look into training programmes. It might not be a bad idea.’ He produced a sheet of paper. ‘To illustrate my point, this is a list of recent burglaries and home invasions in Coldstream. I’ve cross-checked it against those who have also reported the violent sundering of their magic souls.’
‘Let me guess,’ Thane said. ‘No matches, no connections, No links.’
I grimaced. In my previous career mistakes were never an option, but as far as Bin was concerned I’d made several, and I’d probably done the same with Tobias Hollow. Only time would tell with that ornery bastard.
‘Nary a one.’ Montgomery pursed his lips then his eyes crinkled kindly. ‘In my experience, investigative failures and mistakes narrow down possibilities and help lead to eventualsuccess.’ He waved the list of names. ‘You have a way of looking at situations that can shed new light on old problems, Ms McCafferty.’
I tilted my head. ‘Was that a compliment, Captain?’ From the kitchen table, He Who Crunches Bird Bones purred loudly.
Montgomery sniffed. ‘Don’t let it go to your head.’ He nodded. ‘I’ll take my leave. For now.’
I walked him to the door and smiled as he veered around She Who Loves Sunbeams, who had elected to take advantage of the morning sunshine and plonk herself in the middle of the garden path. Then I turned to Keres. ‘Are you ready to go?’
She shouldered her bulging bag. Thane gave her a tight hug. ‘Stay safe,’ he murmured. ‘And stay in touch.’
‘You’re not coming?’ she asked.
He sent me a brief sideways glance and shook his head. ‘No. I’ve got to find a new place to stay. My old flat is … unavailable. I need to find somewhere new that will suit Tiddles and me.’
I frowned. I hadn’t seen Tiddles for a couple of hours and I suspected that meant trouble, though Thane’s ginger cat had proved she could take care of herself. Most of the time.
‘Come on,’ I said to Keres. ‘Let’s make a move. Would you like me to help you with your bag?’
Her expression softened. ‘No, I can manage it, Kit. Thank you.’
Fair enough. Not every facet of our character was open to change and it appeared that Keres was still struggling to accept help, but we were all works in progress in our own way. I stepped back and allowed her to take the lead.
Dave was waiting by the gate with a scowl on his face. ‘You’re leaving, then?’ he asked gruffly, even though he knew the answer.
‘It’s time,’ Keres said. ‘Thank you so much for all you’ve done for me, Dave.’
His scowl turned ferocious but, unable to stop himself, he reached forward and pulled her into a bear hug. ‘You look after yourself, you hear? I’ll come over to Barton Street next weekend for a visit but if you need anything in the meantime, you get in touch.’
Keres sniffed into his chest. ‘I will.’
Eventually, they parted. Dave’s bottom lip jutted out and the creases in his forehead were deeper than ever when we turned away and walked down my narrow street. I suspected he would stay by the gate until long after she had disappeared.
