Page 6 of Veiled Justice (The Other Detective #1)

The male in front of me made magical beings the world over tremble in their boots; I was no exception but I made sure that my trembling was on the inside.

It was dangerous to meet and hold an ogre’s gaze for too long, so I fixed my gaze on his left ear.

‘Your Excellence,’ I greeted him calmly, even though my stomach was roiling.

I’d met him before, even got the impression that he might like me, but there was no hint of friendliness about him now. He was an avenging juggernaut, here to smash heads and exact revenge for the death of one of his people.

Around me, the room suddenly felt tense with cloying fear. Gone was the festival feeling that had lurked disrespectfully only moments earlier.

‘Inspector Wise,’ he greeted me, his voice only a shade above a whisper. He didn’t need to yell: the hall was silent, all eyes on him. ‘Where is she?’

‘Follow me,’ I instructed. It seemed prudent to lead the enraged man away from the gathered glitterati before he tore them apart limb from limb.

The assembled guests were wealthy and powerful, and in the Other realm power meant more than being able to bribe the Symposium into obedience.

Yet one of the most powerful men of all had just walked in and communicated simply by his presence that they were prey and he was a predator.

The predator. Nobody liked being reminded of their impending mortality and the tension in the room rocketed even further.

I met Channing’s eyes and nodded to the guests: he was to continue the interviews without me whilst I took Krieg outside.

He nodded briskly and turned to a woman near him, a stunning brunette with a body to die for and a dress that even I envied.

I wore dresses at weddings and funerals and that was it, but I’d be tempted if I had a dress like that with its maroon lace and intricate cutouts.

Her makeup was done to perfection and her heels skyscraper high.

As I walked out, she was draping herself over Channing like she was his coat. I waited a beat for his burst of authoritarian outrage but nothing came. He was just staring dumbly at her like Christmas had come early.

Fuck me. We’d have to have a conversation about his professionalism but I had more urgent things to deal with now, like the furious ogre next to me. I could feel waves of anger emanating off Krieg – and I didn’t even have an ounce of empathic powers.

I led him outside, down the lawn and into the ornamental gardens where Helga had been found. The ME had arrived and she and Ed were talking quietly as they worked together.

A small noise escaped Krieg’s throat, somewhere between a sob and growl; it was wholly animalistic and the hairs on my neck stood up. His strides lengthened as he made his way to Helga. ‘You’ve taken your evidence?’ he said tightly to Kate and Ed.

Ed nodded, eyes wide.

‘For now,’ Kate agreed quickly, pushing her transparent-rimmed glasses up her nose.

She and Ed scrambled backward to give Krieg space.

He inclined his head in gratitude and then sank down next to Helga and gathered her into his arms. For the barest of seconds, his face was pulled into a rictus of agonising grief, his loss raw and palpable, but in a blink it was gone.

His face was a blank mask as he pulled her onto his lap and gently kissed her forehead.

He cradled her, rocking her like a baby.

Despite his blank expression, his sorrow was undeniable.

After a few long moments, Krieg pulled the knife from Helga’s hip and cut his own palm then pressed the bloody blade into her hand and wrapped her lifeless fingers around it. He stilled as he noted her pinky finger was missing and gave a low, furious growl.

Still holding her, he turned to me. ‘This is not an in-house death,’ he snarled.

There were a couple of overriding principles for the Connection, one of which was the ‘in-house rule’: the Connection didn’t interfere with internal species’ politics unless it was asked to.

It worked to keep the peace between the different magical species, so if a fire elemental killed a centaur we’d step in, but if two fire elementals killed each other it wouldn’t be any of our business unless we were invited in.

With his words, Krieg confirmed that he believed another ogre had not killed Helga, and he was authorising me to investigate the death on behalf of the Connection. I battled to keep the shock off my face.

In all my years as an Inspector, I had never heard of an ogre requesting the Connection’s assistance. Regardless of who died and how, they usually claimed it was an in-house matter and served their own vigilante justice. There had to be a sting in the tail.

‘The ogres invite your investigation, Inspector Wise,’ Krieg said tightly. ‘But I will be assisting you with it.’

And there was the sting. There was absolutely no way I could refuse him and since I’d be locking horns with the movers and shakers of the Other realm, I could probably use his clout. ‘I appreciate the assist,’ I lied smoothly.

Krieg stood and lifted Helga effortlessly.

‘We will want her back,’ he said firmly to Dr Potter.

‘But for now you may continue your investigation. She will need a toxicology screen for potions in her bloodstream. Where shall I take her?’ He clearly wasn’t familiar with the Connection’s routine because he didn’t usually follow it.

Kate’s eyes were solemn and full of compassion.

‘Please bring her this way.’ She led him through the garden to the gravel driveway where her van was waiting.

When she opened the back doors, Krieg gently laid Helga onto a wheeled gurney and carefully strapped her down, Kate made sure the wheels were secure.

‘Don’t put her in a body bag,’ he instructed her tightly. ‘She doesn’t like the dark.’

‘I’ll keep the lights on,’ Kate promised and touched his shoulder gently. He stared at her hand as if he’d never been touched before and she hastily yanked it back. ‘S-sorry, Your Excellence,’ she stammered, her eyes wide.

He waved her apology aside and turned to me. ‘I want to kill them all, tear them limb from limb for still laughing and joking whilst Helga bleeds into the earth.’

‘I certainly understand that impulse,’ I said carefully. ‘You have my word that I will do everything in my power to find out who did this and bring them to justice.’

He studied me for a long moment. I thought he was going to say my word wasn’t worth anything but instead he asked tightly, ‘What can I do?’

Time to put him to work. He needed to feel useful, and God knows I could do with the help. ‘I need to interview all the guests, but Quintos will have been calling my bosses to let them go home. I need more time.’

He pulled out his phone. ‘You will have it. Go!’ he growled.

I went.