Page 25

Chapter 25

Ashton glared across the metal table at Gunnar and me. He’d turned up in his pyjamas: either it was sheer laziness on his part or it was a power move to show he wasn’t taking us seriously.

‘Thank you for coming in,’ I said pleasantly. Gunnar was letting me take the lead; he was mostly there to observe and intimidate.

‘You didn’t give me a choice,’ Faran bit out.

I smiled. ‘I didn’t, did I? We’re here today to discuss the murder of Alfgar Simonson.’

He stared blankly. ‘What is there to discuss? The hag killed him.’

‘That is not a foregone conclusion,’ Gunnar rumbled.

‘Well, she’s the one that keeps taking heads! And Alfgar’s head was removed. Seems a pretty obvious conclusion to me!’

‘The most obvious answer isn’t always the right one,’ I stated.

Faran snorted. ‘No, it usually is , that’s why there’s a name for it – Occam’s razor. Your education was lacking.’

I smiled. ‘I am familiar with Occam’s Razor, and my education was excellent. I have a degree in philosophy from a prestigious university in the UK. But beyond that, do you know what else I have?’

He didn’t answer.

‘I have this badge,’ I tapped it. ‘And that means you’re the one answering my questions.’ I paused a beat to let that sink in. ‘How well did you know Alfgar?’

‘Not well,’ Faran admitted grudgingly. ‘We were on different shifts. We crossed paths in the locker room is all.’

‘Tell me about your altercation.’

‘Which one?’

‘Did you have so many altercations with the deceased that you don’t know the one that I’m referring to?’ I asked mildly. He shifted but didn’t answer. ‘You had an issue with him having a human wife, didn’t you?’ I persisted.

‘Of course I did. Any self-respecting dwarf would. He was polluting the bloodline. Disgusting.’ He sneered. ‘Dwarf purity is sacrosanct. I’m not the only one that thinks that way, far from it. Alfgar was the aberration, not me. Baldred is too soft, insisting that love conquers all – including species divide.’ He snorted. ‘Things will be different when he’s gone.’ He pounded a finger on the desk. ‘Mark my words.’

‘Marked,’ I said dryly. I was less interested in dwarven politics and more focused on my victim. ‘When Alfgar was murdered, what were you doing?’

‘Sleeping.’

‘Any witnesses to that fact?’

‘No, I live alone.’

I stifled the urge to point out that he couldn’t even secure a human wife. ‘You’ve got red hair,’ I said instead.

He did a sarcastic slow clap. ‘Congratulations on your powers of observations.’

I bit back a retort; my powers of observation were top drawer. ‘A red hair was found on Alfgar’s body.’

‘So?’ he sneered. ‘He probably picked it up from his human bitch.’

‘His what?’ Gunnar growled.

Faran swallowed hard and shifted in his chair, but he didn’t dare repeat himself in the face of Gunnar’s glower.

‘Can we have some of your hair?’ I asked. ‘To cross-reference it with the one we found?’

Faran folded his arms. ‘Not without a warrant.’

Interesting. ‘It behoves you to comply with this investigation,’ I said .

‘This “investigation” is a farce. The hag is behind the murders. You’re working with the mine owners to cover it up, to force us to stay in the Chrome Mine when there’s a deadly demon stalking us! We all know the truth!’

Matilda had intimidated me a little, yes, but I really didn’t see her being a deadly demon; she’d actually seemed quite nice. A bit scary, perhaps, but nice.

‘The only thing we’re working on is finding the truth,’ Gunnar asserted. He shot Faran a hard look. ‘And you better believe we’ll find it.’

The dwarf stood up. ‘We’re done here.’ He wasn’t under arrest, so there wasn’t much we could do but watch him walk away.

‘He’s a keeper,’ I said sarcastically.

‘Not the most pleasant of fellows,’ Gunnar agreed.

‘He’s got a chip on his shoulder big enough to dive off.’

Gunnar chuckled. ‘That he does. Now, what are we going to do about my lack of lunch?’

‘Go to the diner?’ I suggested. The Garden of Eat’n catered to a paranormal town with a mix of nocturnal and diurnal supernaturals so it was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week – though it had closed on Christmas Day .

Gunnar considered the proposal and dismissed it. He picked up his phone. ‘Hey, Sig,’ he said warmly when his wife answered. ‘The damned cat did it again.’

I heard her laughter and her loving response. ‘I’ll bring something over now.’

‘And something for Bunny?’

‘You got it. See you soon, BamBam.’ They rang off.

‘I’m surprised she’s still up,’ I commented.

‘She tends to keep to nocturnal if I am so we can spend more time together. She only goes diurnal if the office needs more cover. It’s been great having April because Sig and I have seen so much more of each other.’

I smiled. ‘That’s lovely. April was a great hire. She doesn’t get intimidated by anyone.’

He grinned. ‘No she doesn’t!’

‘I’ll go type up some notes on our interview.’

‘You do that. Sig won’t be long.’ Gunnar’s tummy rumbled. ‘Luckily for that greedy feline,’ he groused.

He was right: it wasn’t long before Sigrid bustled in with an oven dish filled with hot pasta and a happy Loki at her heels. The aroma made my mouth water. ‘I love you,’ I blurted out, making her laugh.

The hearth witch gathered me into her arms, ‘And I you, Bunny Rabbit.’ I let the nickname slide since she was bringing me food .

Loki said hi to Fluffy and Shadow and then started sniffing around the office. I warmed some blood and chugged it, looking forward to Sigrid’s food. Gunnar found some bowls and we sat together, eating at our desks. We were actually way past lunchtime and had probably strolled right into dinner, but either way the pasta hit the spot.

We were all happily eating when Loki cocked his leg and peed on the leg of Sidnee’s desk. ‘Loki!’ Sigrid chastened.

‘That’s why you’re not allowed to come to the office,’ Gunnar said to Loki. ‘You’re a bad dog. Why can’t you be more like Fluffy?’

Fluffy looked pleased while Loki, totally unperturbed by his telling-off, chased his tail. Sigrid sighed, stopped eating and cleared up the puddle. ‘Let’s not mention this to Sidnee,’ Gunnar suggested. ‘She can be funny about germs.’

I grinned and mimed zipping my lips shut. Sigrid washed her hands and joined us again. ‘How’s Stan?’ I asked as I wolfed down a huge mouthful.

She beamed. ‘He’s really doing well. He’s even been on a few dates.’

‘He has?’ That was welcome news. Stan had held a torch for me for a while and it had felt awkward when I had firmly friend-zoned him. Even so, I hadn’t missed the occasional lingering glance he’d sent my way, or the way his touch lasted a beat too long. If he was moving on from me, I was all for it. ‘With whom?’ I asked.

‘With Anissa – you know, the shaman who helped us all when we were cursed by…’ Sigrid trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence by saying Liv.

Gunnar’s expression darkened. ‘Anissa!’ I interrupted hastily. ‘Whoa! That’s lovely. I know she hasn’t been with the father of her baby much beyond the conception, so he’s not in the picture. But is Stan going to be okay stepping up to that?’

Stan often seemed like the immature baby brother I’d never wanted. I knew there was far more to him than that – you didn’t get to be the leader of a faction like the shifters by being childish – and yet I couldn’t quite see him taking on the role of stepdad.

‘One step at a time!’ Sigrid chastened me. ‘They’re enjoying each other. That might be all it is.’ She paused and a smile crossed her face. ‘But I don’t think so!’

‘They’re well-matched,’ Gunnar grunted. ‘And with her magical skills, she’d be an asset to the shifters whether she can shift or not.’

‘Is that a problem for them?’ I asked, thinking of Faran and his insular thinking.

‘It can be,’ Gunnar conceded. ‘But Stan will deal with it.’ That note of pride in his voice always made me swell when it was directed at me, but now I felt a twinge of jealousy. Being an only child I’d never quite mastered the art of sharing, but I was determined to learn. Portlock Bunny was a far better Bunny than London Bunny had ever been, and I hadn’t finished growing yet. Not by a long shot.