Page 28 of Roses and Murder
“What do you mean he’s going to strike tonight?” Lance asked.
“The murders always happen after a Day of Respect.Always.They started further apart, but he’s escalating. If I’ve profiled him right, he’s going to strike again tonight, but I couldn’t tell you where or who his target is.”
“It’s going to be someone with a pretty young girl of marrying age,” Lance said.
What the fuck? That was a theory, but I hadn’t confirmed it. Lance seemed sure.
“I need a drink for this,” Trevils said, knocking back his Bloody Mary.
Fuck, I did, too, and Lance’s new drink was potent.
“So, I refuse to tell either of you who or how because they are under my protection. The Ghoul has what we’ve managed to narrow down to Black Paranoia, and he spent a lot of time in the bedroom that had to belong to a teenage girl. He also rolled around in their bed and he didn’t do that in any other room.”
The only person I knew who was under Lance’s protection was his new cook, who was also undermyprotection for helping Momma. I had a lot of questions about the Whispering Raven’s new cook, but I also knew Lance wouldn’t be protecting him unless he had a very good reason. So, even if I had a million questions about how he figured all of that out when he shouldn’t have, I could let it rest.
And even thoughIhad no idea what the fuck was going on, Trevils seemed to. Which annoyed me because I hated being in the dark.
“Say no more,” Trevils said. “I might not have a name or face, but I know why you are protecting them. I’ve done similar in the past, but it’s not an option right now. What else did they find?”
“The Ghoul is pissing in the house,” Lance said, wrinkling his nose.
Gross. And I couldn’t tell someone pissed in the house over all the gore. Trevils couldn’t, either. Unless it was on cloth, most people couldn’t.
“Did he piss the bed?” I asked.
“Dunno. Does it matter?”
“Has your friend considered they might be the same?”
“He’d find that offensive since he doesn’t piss in the house. And he’d be able to tell.”
What was happening right now? Why wasanyonepissing inside?
“Yes, of course. I shouldn’t have even thought that. Don’t tell them.”
I heard someone laugh from the kitchen and Trevils looked panicked.
“Fuck, he’s here?”
“I’m not saying a damned thing,” Lance said. “Could be Ollie making jokes.”
Yeah, Ollie wasn’t nearly as funny as he thought he was. That answered one thing. Lance’s new cook was pretty good at digging into crimes. I just really didn’t need him looking into mine because he helped my family.
“And you shouldn’t,” Trevils said. “We know the Ghoul strikes after the Day of Respect and he’s hitting families that aren’t at a wedding. I took the liberty of sending men to the merchant district and Lower Cutwart to find out who has wedding and name-day celebrations planned as well as who isn’t invited.
“There are six in the Merchant District and five in Lower Cutwart. If we’re narrowing it down to homes with girls of marrying age, it’s going to be three in the Merchant’s District and four in Lower Cutwart. I hate saying this because it makes me feel disgusting, but if we’re going to go further and do houses with girls that would get the Barons to overlook the fact that theydon’t come with land and money, we’re down to four potential targets. Two in the Merchant District and two in Lower Cutwart.
“I’ve only got a limited number of men I trust. The rest of them would walk in on an active murder and then turn around and walk out as soon as they realized they were dealing with a Baron. They’d completely bypass me and tell the Barons for coin. I’m going to need your help to cover a house and I still don’t know what to do when we catch him so he actually pays for it.”
“Well, I’m Guttertown born and bred, so I know howwe’dhandle it,” Lance said.
What? I was also Guttertown born and bred and the only solution I’d had was figuring out how to get away with slitting a Baron’s throat without an innocent person going down for it.
“I’m listening,” Trevils said.
Lance told us his plan. It was actually genius. If we did it just right, the Ghoul would meet the same fate anyone else would and the Barons couldn’t lie or pin it on anyone else. I wouldn’t be the one to kill him, but I didn’t need to killeverysingle arsehole in Nestran that needed to be squashed like a roach.
I just needed to figure out how I was going to be in two places at once. I didn’t want Lance alone with the Ghoul out there. The brothel and the tavern were always packed after the Day of Respect because people always acted like one day off a week from fucking and drinking lasted longer than it did.
