Page 32 of Veiled Justice (The Other Detective #1)

Krieg and I waited in the darkness like a pair of hunting vampyrs. ‘This is my show,’ he reminded me. ‘This is an in-house matter and you are here against my better judgement. You are here to observe, not to participate.’

‘I’ve got it,’ I said tersely.

We were killing time waiting for Einar to return home from his fight-club experience, squatting in his home in the dark, ready to jump out and shout a sinister ‘Surprise!’.

Frankly, I was surprised to be there. I’d never heard of an ogre inviting an Inspector in-house like this, and I was determined not to squander what was starting to seem like Krieg’s trust in me.

Something was building between us – I wasn’t quite sure what – but trust was a cornerstone of any relationship and I wouldn’t let that foundation slip.

My ego had no place in this and I had no issue in letting it go. For now, my brother Rupert was my focus; I had to save him and, if possible, do so without incriminating Mum for failing to register me. If Krieg could help me do that, I’d happily sacrifice a chicken or a goat in his name.

‘Einar’s coming,’ Krieg whispered.

‘How do you know?’

‘Crows,’ he murmured.

Knowing that he was half-piper changed that old tale I’d once heard about Krieg and his birds. Had he started the rumour about his ancestors as a cover for his skills?

His murder of crows was eerily silent as Einar pulled up the drive. The birds knew we were going to rumble and they were keeping quiet for their ogre overlord. Smart.

We were on the ogre complex that Krieg had taken me to when we’d notified Helga’s parents about her death. Einar lived in one of the small houses that was set back, like Aron’s had been. Krieg had keys to them all so we’d gone inside and re-locked the door behind us.

We listened tensely as Einar put the key in his lock and turned it. Then, when he stepped into his home, Krieg exploded into movement. His mace smashed into Einar’s stomach, then he reversed the handle and knocked him unconscious.

I held my tongue with effort. This was Krieg’s show.

He dragged a metal chair from the dining-room table and shackled the still unconscious Einar to it. Next he flicked on all the lights and looked at me. ‘You can film this.’

I blinked in surprise. ‘Thank you.’

His jaw was tight. ‘This is a mistake,’ he muttered to himself and shook his head. He turned back to Einar as I fished out my phone and hit record.

Krieg slapped Einar across the face a couple of times until he blearily opened his eyes. He licked his lips then said, ‘Ahhh,’ in a tone that was too knowing.

‘Why did you kill Helga Jónson?’ Krieg snapped.

Einar shrugged. ‘I was ordered to.’

‘By whom?’

‘By my contract holder.’

‘You are aware that your vow of confidentiality does not extend to me. Who?’

Einar grimaced. ‘Caspian Katz.’

I took a sharp breath. Fuck. That wasn’t the name I’d been expecting.

Krieg showed zero surprise. ‘Why did Katz want to kill Helga?’ he demanded.

Einar glared at Krieg. ‘Because he could. Because you make us weak. Being led by a halfling – it disgusts me.’

Krieg turned to look at me, but before he could say anything, I turned off the video and pocketed the camera. What followed wasn’t going into any court of law. He nodded at me gratefully before turning his attention back to Helga’s lover and destroyer.

‘I have let your bullshit slide for too long,’ he growled, ‘and it cost Helga her life. No other ogre, contract or not, would have killed her like you did. You were dating her.’

Einar smiled. ‘It pleased me to do so, to thrust my cock into her little mouth and let her choke on it. We both knew she was envisaging you whilst she did it. She even liked to call me Your Excellence.’

Krieg’s punch threw the metal chair backwards, sending Einar to the ground with a heavy thud, but Einar only started to laugh. Krieg hauled him back upright and punched him several more times. I could see it was a real effort for him to hang onto his composure. ‘You disgust me,’ he snarled.

‘The feeling is mutual,’ Einar shot back.

‘Do you know who killed the dryad?’ I asked.

Einar sneered at me. ‘I’m not answering your questions, human.’

‘You’re answering mine,’ Krieg snarled and hit him again. He pulled his fist back for another strike but froze when I touched his shoulder. ‘I told you not to interfere,’ he snarled at me through clenched teeth.

‘I’m not interfering, I’m helping.’ I studied Einar. ‘He’s not going to live to see the sunrise, is he?’

Krieg held my gaze for so long that I started to worry that I was somehow challenging him and any minute now he’d snap. ‘No,’ he said finally. ‘He’s not.’

He looked resigned, as if he were waiting for me to recoil in horror, but I was an Inspector of the Connection: I was Judge, Jury and Executioner.

I had killed many who had fallen foul of our laws, and I wasn’t going to pretend that Krieg didn’t have the right to end Einar.

Under our laws, he did. Einar had killed another ogre; it was an in-house matter and nothing to do with me.

The problem for me was that if Einar was dead I wouldn’t have a witness to testify against Katz. Still, with the oath woven into the contract, Einar couldn’t have testified anyway. I’d have to catch Katz with smoke and mirrors; luckily, I was skilled at both.

‘Then give me a moment.’ I stepped closer to Einar and braced myself to break the vow I’d sworn to my dad. But this – this was for Rupert. I’d do anything to protect my family, including breaking my own damned rules.

I touched Einar’s skin and slid into his head.