Page 25

Chapter

Seventeen

I didn’t pause during my return journey, not even to check what I’d nabbed from the laundry tub. It was small and I suddenly had the horrible thought that I was carrying Fetch Jackson’s underwear in my mouth, even though the material felt unusual for that sort of thing.

There were only a few lights on inside the MET building, which was a good sign; if anyone had noticed my absence, there would have been far more activity.

The ball of tension inside me dissolved when I saw that the window was still open.

I bounded up to the sill, this time nailing the jump with the ease that I usually displayed: better late than never.

I hopped onto the floor and slid through the gap in the cell bars. Home sweet home.

Thane sat bolt upright and stared at me through the gloom. Tiddles’ eyes were shining at me from the pillow beside him. ‘You’re back,’ he breathed. ‘Thank goodness.’

I purred in response and spat out the piece of clothing. It was time to find out what I’d been carrying. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that it was a glove and not a skid-marked pair of underpants .

I moved back to avoid touching it and hawked up my usual hairball.

While I jerked and twitched my way back into my human body, Thane crouched down and sniffed the glove, taking care not to touch it and contaminate it.

‘That’s blood,’ he muttered. ‘Knox Thunderstick’s blood.

’ He raised his eyebrows, then waited until I was able to speak.

As soon as I’d regained control of my vocal chords, I told him what had transpired.

He listened carefully. ‘You’re a wonder, Kit McCafferty,’ he murmured when I’d finished.

‘It had occurred to me that Jackson could have been the killer, but it didn’t seem possible.

You not only believed it was possible but you found the evidence to prove it. ’

I’d only found that evidence because I’d been stymied by the witches’ security and I hadn’t wanted to face Thane without something to show for Tiddles’ sacrifice.

The laundry had been a long shot; I’d thought that if Daniel Jackson was the culprit, he’d be arrogant and lazy enough to drop off his bloodied clothes for someone else to clean.

He’d used that godawful aftershave to disguise the scent of blood and assumed that would be enough.

‘I got lucky,’ I said.

Thane disagreed. ‘If I’ve learnt one thing about you, it’s that you make your own luck.

’ As he picked up Tiddles and cradled her against his chest, a zippy kick of unexpected lust tightened in the pit of my belly.

Men and kittens, that was all it took for me.

The fact that he was a ginger man with a ginger kitten somehow added to the allure.

I wet my lips. Not the time, Kit, I told myself. And definitely not the place.

‘Of course,’ Thane mused, ‘we still don’t know Jackson’s motive.’

I dragged my eyes back to his face. He was right: what on earth did a highly placed witch like Daniel Jackson want with the likes of a grungy druid like Knox Thunderstick – or with Rory Taggert, for that matter? There were still a lot of unanswered questions.

I pointed to the glove. ‘He was wearing that in the mortuary this morning. Between that and the blood, there should be more than enough to make sure he’s arrested.’

‘We’ll have to wait until morning when Montgomery finally drags his arse here.

I wouldn’t trust any of these other MET goons with that glove.

’ He glanced at the bed. ‘You look done in, Kit. We should get some sleep. There’s room on that thing, even if it’s not exactly a feather mattress.

We can both fit on it if we snuggle together. ’

It would be a tight snuggle. My mouth was suddenly dry in a way it hadn’t been for years.

‘You can rest easy,’ he said gently. ‘You’ll be able to sleep well now you know that Harriet will have the closure she deserves. Her brother’s killer is about to be brought to justice.’

Uh-huh: if only that had been what I was thinking. ‘Small mercies,’ I whispered. My stomach tightened with guilt and Harriet’s grief-ravaged face flashed into my head.

I unlaced my boots and kicked them off while Thane lay down. He scooted back against the wall leaving me more than enough space, and placed Tiddles carefully beside him. As soon as I tried to lay down, the little ginger cat hissed at me. ‘Tiddles! Stop that!’ he admonished.

I smiled. ‘I guess she’s jealous.’ The demon cat had no problem offering up her fur so I could affect a transformation, but sharing Thane was a different matter. I didn’t blame her. ‘Don’t worry,’ I said to her softly. ‘We’re only going to sleep. You’re still number one.’

Tiddles growled faintly. I blinked at her slowly and, after a huffy moment or two, she blinked back at me. It was an agreement of sorts. I lay down, far more aware of Thane’s body against mine than the thin mattress or Tiddles’ irritation.

‘Relax,’ Thane murmured in my ear and pulled me closer until we were spooning. I was enveloped by his hard body and his heady vetiver scent. ‘She won’t bite.’

What Tiddles might or might not do was the furthest thing from my mind but I took his advice. I was desperately tired. I closed my eyes, regulated my breathing and passed into a deep sleep within seconds.

Captain Wilberforce Montgomery gazed impassively at the glove which was still on the floor of the cell, untouched since I’d dropped it from my feline jaws. ‘Where did it come from?’ he asked. ‘Did it materialise out of thin air?’

‘In a manner of speaking,’ I said.

He folded his arms. ‘You’ll have to do better than that, Ms McCafferty.’

The fewer people who knew what I was, the better. I had no reason not to trust Montgomery – but neither did I have any reason to trust him. ‘All I can say is that I have some special skills that enabled me to bring it here,’ I replied.

‘You used some form of enchantment,’ he said flatly.

‘Yes.’

‘But you won’t tell me what enchantment it was.’

‘No.’

‘Then how can I trust it?’

Thane stepped forward. ‘Test it. You won’t find my fingerprints on it, or Kit’s. That glove is covered in Knox Thunderstick’s blood, and the last person who wore it was Fetch Daniel Jackson. What more do you need?’

Montgomery gave him a long, irritated look. ‘Before I bring a Fetch in for questioning?’ he asked. ‘Goodness, I can’t begin to imagine what other information I might require.’

He had a point; even if he could prove that Jackson had tortured and killed Knox Thunderstick, the witches’ council would swoop in and take control. It would be out of the MET’s hands before Montgomery could say, ‘You’re under arrest.’

‘This is all linked to the John Doe who was pulled out of the Tweed yesterday,’ I said. ‘Fetch Jackson identified him as Rory Taggert but…’ My voice faltered when I saw Montgomery’s face. ‘You don’t know anything about him, do you?’

‘I know Quentin Hightower fell into the Tweed. As far as I’m aware, there was nobody else in the river that day.’

Somehow Daniel Jackson had hushed it up. ‘You need to talk to Jackson sooner rather than later,’ I said.

Montgomery lifted his eyes heavenward. ‘You seem to be under the impression that I have power here. I do not.’ He pointed at the glove. ‘You also seem to think that item will be enough for me to let you both waltz out of here.’

Thane spoke calmly. ‘You don’t have to arrest Jackson. Just bring him in for a few questions.’

‘Or I could charge you both with murder.’ Montgomery bared his teeth. ‘It’d be cleaner and easier. Less paperwork.’

I dropped my head and affected my meek cat-lady routine.

‘All we’ve done is try to be good citizens.

We’re only trying to help you.’ I sneaked a look at him.

‘But of course, we should have realised that you’re capable enough without our help.

You’re a busy man but we thought we could be of service.

Why don’t you check the timeline, then you’ll see that we couldn’t possibly have killed Mr Thunderstick.

’ I shuddered delicately and placed my hands on my cheeks as if I were horrified. ‘The idea is abhorrent.’

Unfortunately Captain Montgomery still looked sceptical; very sceptical .

I sucked in a shaky breath. ‘We went to check on Knox Thunderstick. He’s a lovely young man and we wanted to make sure he was alright.

We arrived at his door fifteen minutes after we left Pork Pies café – lots of witnesses saw us leave and Knox’s neighbour saw us arrive at his house.

We only broke in when we heard a gunshot.

We found Knox dead and set off in pursuit of the killer. ’

‘I’m a werewolf,’ Thane offered, though it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he possessed lupine powers.

‘I followed his scent. It led us to a Turkish bath where we believe the killer cleaned himself up and stole a fresh set of clothes. More witnesses saw us at the baths. There is nothing to suggest we’re responsible for what happened to Knox. We didn’t do this.’

Montgomery flicked his eyes between us.

‘Don’t you want to solve the murder, captain, instead of running around Coldstream investigating petty crime? Don’t you want to be proud of yourself for once?’ My prim, cat-lady voice held a hint of admonishment.

‘Don’t try and manipulate me, Ms McCafferty.’

He was getting smarter. I met his gaze. ‘Then please,’ I wheedled with what I hoped combined innocent haughtiness and well-meaning desperation, ‘do your job.’

Tiddles miaowed from behind Thane. I appreciated her support but this wasn’t a good time for her to make her presence known.

Montgomery stared. ‘Is that a cat?’

There wasn’t much point in denying it. ‘Emotional support cat,’ Thane said smoothly.

I nudged him. ‘Kitten, really. She’s barely five months’ old.’

He nodded. ‘Kitten. I hate being confined in small spaces and I needed some help to stay calm.’

Montgomery sighed heavily. ‘How did she get in here?’ Neither of us said anything. ‘I suppose,’ he continued sarcastically, ‘ that she’s the one who found the glove.’ He was closer to the truth than he realised.

The captain looked exasperated. ‘Since when did werewolves like cats?’

‘Oh, I love cats,’ Thane responded. ‘Always have. Always will.’

There was a deep answering warmth in my belly. ‘Please, captain,’ I said, ‘speak to Fetch Jackson. See what he has to say for himself.’

He shook his head, but it was in resignation rather than refusal. He jabbed his finger at us. ‘Don’t go anywhere.’

‘How could we?’ I asked, my eyes wide. ‘We’re locked in.’

Montgomery harrumphed – then he ordered one of the other officers to stand in front of our cell and watch our every movement.