Page 19 of Mystic Justice (The Other Detective #2)

Thackeray waited until the door was shut then tapped twice on a spot on his desk so that the privacy runes flared.

Hmm. He hadn’t been worried about the rest of the conversation being overheard; I suppose setting up a task force wasn’t that unusual, and if any Common ears overhead words like ‘centaur’ and ‘dryad’, the Verdict would whisper some other explanation: for example, they wouldn’t hear ‘ centaur’ but ‘cent whore’ and assume we were discussing the death of a prostitute or something similar.

But Thackeray didn’t want to rely on the Verdict for whatever was coming next; either that or he wasn’t worried about Common ears but Other ones.

I started before he could. ‘I don’t play well in a team—’ I began.

‘I’m not asking you to play,’ he interrupted. ‘I’m asking you to lead. You can do that and do it well.’ His sharp blue eyes pinned me. ‘Talk to me about Krieg.’

I hadn’t been prepared for that question. It was an oversight on my part: Krieg had shoehorned his way into my investigation and clearly Thackeray was curious as to why. I contemplated many answers, but in the end I went with the truth. ‘He believes that I’m his fated mate.’

Whatever Thackeray had been expecting, it wasn’t that. He sat back into his chair, jaw tight. ‘I had hoped it would be a short-term interest.’

‘It doesn’t appear that it will be.’

Thackeray studied me. ‘Do you reciprocate his interest?’ He held up a hand before I could protest at the intrusive question. ‘I merely ask because I will take steps to remove him as a civilian consultant if his interest is unwelcome.’

‘I appreciate that.’ I hated talking about my private life at work, mostly because I didn’t have one and my colleagues didn’t need to know that I lived for my work – though truthfully, I expected they already did. ‘It is not unwelcome,’ I admitted stiffly.

‘He’s the High King of the Ogres,’ Thackeray started.

‘I’m well aware,’ I said flatly.

‘This will complicate your career, Stacy,’ he said softly.

‘I’m well aware,’ I repeated drily.

‘I suppose you are.’ He tapped his fingers rhythmically on the desk. ‘I’ll have to report it to DCS Faraday.’

Detective Chief Superintendent Faraday was a vampyr who’d been involved in the constabulary in one way or another for more than three centuries.

Vampyrs could choose to appear any age they wished and currently he was rocking a trim sixty years.

My dad had admired him greatly, but I’d had fewer than a handful of meetings with the man.

I had no idea how he’d feel about me dating the King of the Ogres.

‘We’ll put a procedure in place in case you ever feel that there’s a conflict of interest where you can’t remain impartial,’ Thackeray said decisively.

That was one of the things that made him a good DSU: he thought in terms of policies and procedures.

He’d be chasing Faraday’s tail feathers if the immortal ever decided to retire – or more likely die and start over from the bottom again as a fresh-faced twenty-one-year-old like Channing.

‘I will be able to remain impartial,’ I said stiffly. My job was my life and I wouldn’t jeopardise it, not even for Krieg.

‘And if one day the evidence leads to your beau?’

‘Then there will be a contract in place to absolve him,’ I said firmly.

I’d only been dating Krieg – if that was what you called hanging out at murder scenes and occasionally making doe eyes at each other – for a matter of weeks, but years in the force meant that I was a good judge of character.

Everything in me said Krieg was a good man – a clever one and a ruthless one, but one who acted in the best interests of his people at all times.

I’d seen no signs of avarice, privilege or greed.

Yes, he had wealth but he treated it like the thing it was, a tool to be used.

I honestly believed that Krieg wouldn’t accept an immoral contract just because it came with a big price tag, and that meant all of his contracts would be above board.

The Other was a murky, dangerous place and our laws were feral.

If you hired a mercenary or an assassin and they killed someone, it was the person who took out the contract who was legally responsible.

We stepped in as peacekeepers when one species attacked another, but whatever they did in-house was up to them to police.

If Krieg killed an ogre, that was outside the Connection’s remit.

As long as Krieg followed his own laws and only killed his own, or he had a contract in place for the hit – we wouldn’t run into difficulty.

Thackeray leaned forward. ‘He kills, Stacy,’ he said bluntly.

‘And so do I,’ I shot back. ‘It’s in my job description. As it is in his.’

Thackeray sat back into his chair. ‘Tread carefully,’ he said finally, tone still soft. Then he reached into his desk, pulled out a police warrant card and slid it across the desk.

I picked it up. It was a warrant card for me and the difference between it and my current one was immediately clear. My rank was no longer Detective Inspector, but Detective Chief Inspector.

‘Congratulations DCI Wise,’ Thackeray said. ‘Don’t screw this up. Dismissed.’

‘Thank you for the opportunity, sir.’

I walked out of his office without a backward glance, my brain already whirring as to my next steps.

Without a large enough office for all of us to gather in, I used SPEL to tell everyone in the newly dubbed Unit 13 to go to the refs room. We’d chuck anyone else out. Luckily, given that it was so early in the day, the room was empty when we arrived.

‘Channing,’ I said briskly, ‘close the door and keep an eye out.’ The door had a pane of glass at head height through which he could peer. The room had no privacy runes so we’d have to keep a lookout for nosy interlopers.

‘All right,’ I said when everyone was gathered.

‘I know this is a pretty big shake up. Thackeray is working on a secure facility for us but for now we’ve caught a case and we don’t have time to fuck around.

Our killers have killed twice in one day; they’ll go for a third and probably a fourth.

The killings look like they’re the work of dark witches but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Vampyrs use runes, and elves too.’

‘And so can anyone who knows the shape of the runes,’ Elvira added. ‘You only need a drop of magic for them to work. That opens the pool right up.’

‘You’re right, but it’s forbidden for witches to teach non-witches the runes of power.

Besides, most people know how dangerous they are – screwing around with them is a quick way to get your magic extinguished.

Most amateurs wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole.

Either way, we still have too many loose leads.

Elvira, Bland, see if you can follow Hollings’ dad on CCTV. Let’s rule him out.’

‘On it,’ they both chorused.

‘Great. McCaffrey, I know it’s a pain in the ass but I want you to review the CCTV for the night of the kidnapping again. Don’t use Ji-ho because he has enough on his plate, do it yourself. One glimpse of the kidnapper could crack the whole thing wide open.’

McCaffrey nodded, though she didn’t look especially happy at the idea of repeating work.

She didn’t need to like it; she just needed to do it.

‘Get yourself plugged into the SPEL system with an alert, too,’ I continued.

‘If any centaurs are reported missing, I want to know about it the second it goes live.’ She nodded again.

‘Frost, I want you to canvas the Grove where the centaur’s body was found.

I’m not taking Jingo’s word that no one saw anything.

Ask if anyone heard planes or helicopters at the time and check the local private runway’s flight records.

Let’s rule out human machines as the method of …

deploying the centaur, then we can focus on Other methods. ’

I turned to our admin assistant, who was poised with a pen and pad of paper at the ready. She looked smart and professional, but I could see the nervousness in her eyes. This was way out of her comfort zone. Me too, Laura, me too.

‘Laura, I want you to prepare a file on Jude Jingo. He’s cropped up a few times in this investigation and I need to take a hard look at him.

He hangs out at the Lion’s Nest with his man, Reed, so pull up information on both the location and his second.

Compile a report for me using the Connection system.

Jingo is using the Grosvenor grove to move something and I want to know what. ’

Laura’s pen flew across the pad of paper as she wrote down the instructions in spiky writing.

‘Frost, while you’re interviewing the dryads I want you to press them. See what they’ll tell you about Jingo.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘Channing, dig into Moss’s witchy work bestie, Lena Shaw. She was off shift at the time of the kidnapping and went out at around 10.30pm to see friends.’

‘Seems late to be meeting mates,’ Elvira commented.

‘Not really,’ Channing interjected. ‘She’s young, like Moss. The youth of today often have a drink or two at home before meeting up to hit the pubs or clubs. It saves money.’

Thirty-something Elvira looked down her nose at Channing, ‘Are you implying that I’m not part of the youth of today?’

Channing reddened. ‘Um, no. Of course you’re still young. But you’re, you know, a full woman, not a scrimping teen.’

Bland elbowed Elvira. ‘You hear that? You’re a full woman. Not even a half-woman.’ He snickered and Channing’s blush deepened.

I glared at Bland and cleared my throat authoritatively.

‘Thank you for that.’ Turning back pointedly to Channing, I continued.

‘We’ve got a list of Miss Shaw’s friends.

Run them down and see if she has an alibi.

Once you know where the ladies went, cross-check with the bars and restaurants they say they visited.

In the meantime, I’ll be digging into the remaining Botany employees we haven’t spoken to and Sandra Jaxim, our witch who lied about leaving work early on the night of Hollings’ death.

’ I hesitated. ‘I’ll also be working with our civilian consultant, Robert Krieg. ’

McCaffrey blinked. ‘Krieg as in the King of the Ogres?’

‘One and the same.’

She frowned. ‘What’s his skin in the game?’

‘DI Wise,’ Elvira snickered.

‘That’s DCI Wise,’ I corrected and the room fell silent.

‘I guess congratulations are in order,’ Bland said lightly, breaking the stiff silence as everyone studiously avoided meeting Elvira’s gaze. Elvira had been working for the Connection for more than two years longer than me and I’d just been promoted rather than her.

She was frowning, but not for the reason I’d been worried about. ‘Congratulations are in order only if Unit 13 goes well,’ she said grimly. ‘If it goes badly, Thackeray will hoist Wise up and let her swing.’

‘Indeed.’ I was fully conscious of my status as a potential scapegoat and the Connection loved a goddamn scapegoat.

I was all too aware that Thackeray’s scheme had one ready-made if he needed it: me.

‘So let’s make sure things go well. Let’s get to it.

Keep in touch via SPEL and update it as the day progresses. Unit 13 dismissed.’

‘Should we have a secret handshake?’ Bland asked Elvira as they stood up to leave.

‘Try and do a secret handshake with me and I’ll cut your hands off.’

‘And that’s why Thackeray didn’t need to tell anyone your specialty,’ McCaffrey murmured. There were snickers and smiles all round and even a self-deprecating smirk from Elvira.

‘What can I say?’ she quipped. ‘Inspector Stone was my role model.’

Stone had been the Connection’s bogeyman who had killed more suspects than the other five Inspectors put together, not because he’d been quick to kill but because that had been his role.

He’d been dispatched when asking nicely wasn’t going to cut the mustard.

In his absence, Elvira had stepped into his deadly role.

Looking at the relief in her eyes and the softness in her shoulders, maybe it hadn’t been one she’d coveted as much as she’d made out.

My newly formed team walked out of the room, talking as they went.

We’d really started something here. I hoped it wouldn’t end with the demise of my career. Or me.