Page 49 of Gray Dawn

“We had a wig with a chauffeur cruising around Dallas, and this is what stretches your imagination?”

“Fair point.” He cleared his throat. “What would you like me to do?”

That was the tricky part. I wasn’t sure. But I didn’t have the luxury of meditating on it.

“Take Arden and return to Boston.” I turned it over in my head. “Find a black witch who specializes in mental manipulation. There should be plenty on the payroll.” Abuse of that knowledge was usually what landed those witches in the Bureau. “Get them to sweep Isiforos, see if they detect any abnormalities.”

“All right.” Fergal hesitated. “Are you sure you want me to bring Arden?”

For him to ask, she must not be on speaking terms with him again.

“We’re about to set a trap for the director. I would consider it a personal favor if she wasn’t here.”

Besides, the forced proximity would leave Arden no choice but to engage him. A much healthier solution than him leaving her behind to stew over the sharp reminder of his nature.

“Will you fetch Miss Colby, or would you prefer I escort her?”

“Miss Colby, huh?” I smothered a snort. “That kid works fast.”

Already, she had Fergal wrapped around her little finger.

“She’s a remarkable child,” he huffed, clearly affronted. “What would you have me call her?”

“She responds well toCaptain,” I teased, enjoying someone else being in the dark for once.

“I’ll gather thecaptain’s things and see you shortly,” he said dryly.

As I tapped the cell against my chin, I couldn’t stop myself from making a leap that explained alot.

Angling my head toward Asa, I had to ask, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That Isiforos was the one who put the phone in the director’s hand?”

“Yes.”

“Assuming he was compromised, and his actions weren’t his own, who got to him?”

“I’m not sure.” I folded my arms across my middle. “I’m more concerned aboutwhen.”

The knowledge I had reached out, finally trusted someone, and ended up here sat heavy in my gut.

Isiforos wasn’t to blame, but that didn’t change the fact he was a threat to us until we figured this out.

“Do you think Luca orchestrated it?” Asa vibrated with tension. “The director’s escape?”

“We can’t afford to rule it out.”

“We need to find out who called Isiforos. Colby can handle it while the Kellies recover.”

The phone connection bugged me, seeing as how that was how Clay got snared. But he was a golem. He was bound to his master’s wishes. Which, now that I thought about it, could explain Isiforos’s behavior if it was a verbal command that activated him.

“I wonder if Nan told her. About the Kellies. Nan was her right-hand woman, so she would have noticed when the Bureau’s database went from flatlining to active.” I let my head fall back. “If Luca was behind Isiforos putting the phone in the director’s hand, I could see why she sent him after the Kellies. She had to be worried how much they knew and chose to take them out before they could be used against her.”

“Without Nan, Luca won’t be able to track the Kellies moving forward.”

“Chances are Luca won’t know if the hit on the Kellies succeeded either. If the commands on Isiforos are voice activated—” I shared my new theory with him, “—she could have called to tell him what to do, but she would have no guarantee he followed orders.”

“The way she used Nan as an errand girl, Nan might have been the one in control.”