by Mark Hayden
I opened the door to a room I hadn’t seen before. It shared the terrace with the dining room next door, but that was about all it shared. At a guess, I’d say that this was the only room where Kerenza had been allowed to stamp her mark. Unlike almost every other space in Pellacombe where the effect was furnished, this one was designed. The one room to rival it was the morning room, formerly known as the Aisling Suite.
I didn’t have time to take in anything beyond a sense of style and an overwhelming impression of cream. Perched on sofas and chairs around a truly baronial fireplace, the family were directing all their negative energy at the small but immovable figure of Mina.
Someone had lit the fire, and Mina was between the fireplace and the door, with the firelight putting her in silhouette. For a fraction of a second, I thought she had grown an extra pair of arms, truly a scary thought, then she wheeled round and they became the ends of an Indian scarf. When she saw me, she let relief dissolve her face into joy and she didn’t care that Eseld and Saffron saw it too.
Her eyes searched my face, then scanned the rest of me. She does that every time I’ve been further than the garden gate, just to check I’ve got the requisite number of limbs. Then she turned to Eseld and took in her jodhpurs. ‘I suppose you two are the cavalry.’
The Mowbray clan were on their feet and would have mobbed Eseld if Mina weren’t in the way. Ethan spoke first. ‘Have you found him? Is it true?’
Eseld nodded and tried to speak. Her throat had closed with grief and all that came out was a low moan.
Lena pushed her way past Ethan and dodged Mina with a swerve that any rugby player would be proud of. She stopped in front of Eseld and said, ‘I am so sorry. Come. Sit down.’ She reached out and took Eseld’s hand. A split-second smile creased Eseld’s face, and she let herself be led to the sofa where Lena had sat with Ethan.
‘Tell me,’ said Ethan.
‘Lord Mowbray was killed in the junction cavern,’ I said, making sure that my voice could be heard by everyone. The only one missing was little Grace. ‘It was murder, and obviously the Lab is off limits for now. I’ll give you a moment with Eseld while I talk to Ms Desai. Lieutenant Hawkins will be on hand.’
The use of surnames had the effect I’d intended. For all that most of them were grieving, I couldn’t afford to lose what little authority we had here. The downside was that I could see them about to close ranks.
‘Saff, stand by the main door, will you. I’ll go on to the terrace for a minute.’
She nodded and moved into a position where she could block them from the corridor to the Lab and still hear what they said unless they whispered in each other’s ears.
I grabbed two mugs of coffee from the large flasks on a side table and followed Mina through the elegant french windows to the terrace. I put the mugs on the balustrade and we held on to each other for a few seconds.
‘What was it like?’ she said.
I told her about Mowbray and my suspicions. I finished with the news about the division of the Mowbray Estate.
‘So that’s what they were on about,’ said Mina. ‘I gathered that Medbh had come into something, and they were starting to speculate about why she’d disappeared until Ethan put his foot down. Ethan looked at me and said, “Medbh has some questions to answer. We should wait until she can speak for herself.” As you’d expect, Kenver is convinced of her innocence but he has no idea why or where she’s gone.’
‘What happened when you roused the Daughters?’
‘When we walked through the fire doors, Erin said that we’d triggered a load of alarms. The same thing happened when you were in the Labyrinth. Ethan told me and said not to worry, Eseld knew what she was doing. The obvious implication was that you didn’t.’
‘The Daughters?’
Mina lifted her nose. ‘Sorry. I was worried about you, Conrad.’ She stared at me for a second to let me know where her priorities lay, then switched back to the guest wing. ‘We could hear movement before we’d even found the light switches.’ A strange smile flickered across her face and a glint came into her eyes. ‘Shall we just say that a naked Raven is even more striking than a fully dressed one. If she loses her magick, she has a future in niche films. Very niche.’
I tried not to let that image invade my subconscious. ‘Go on.’
‘Because they were piling out, we waited until they’d all appeared. No one was wearing blood-stained clothing. Will there be blood stains?’
‘On whoever was standing in front of him, yes. Covered in blood, tissue, bone. The lot.’
She nodded. ‘As soon as I’d told them what we’d seen, Alys took over. She thanked us formally for letting them know and said that it was none of their business and that they were leaving. Alys turned to her sister and said, “Get on the phone and have the coach brought now. Straight away.” Where is the coach?’
‘In the village. Assuming they can get hold of the driver, it’ll be here very soon. Didn’t she say anything else?’
‘To me? No. She gave some instructions to Isolde and turned away. Erin grabbed me by the hand at that point and started dragging me out of the corridor.’
‘What on earth for?’
‘Magick. She said they were doing something to lock themselves in, and unless we wanted to join them we should get out.’
‘Was Erin okay about standing watch?’
‘She was the one who offered. I told her not to do anything stupid and keep me posted. She’s messaged a couple of times to see what’s going on and tell me that nothing has happened.’
I nodded slowly and wandered along to where Eseld keeps her ashtray.
‘What next?’ said Mina.
‘You know what, love, I have no idea. Eseld seems to have calmed down, but that won’t last long. If we do nothing, it will all slip through our fingers. If we get it wrong, more people could easily die.’
She tilted her head. ‘Are you normally this indecisive? That’s not the impression that Vicky and Saffron give, or what I’ve seen with my own eyes.’
‘I’m like a foxhound: give me the scent of a fox and I’ll run it to earth. This is different – we have a whole house full of foxes, but only one of them broke into the hen house.’
She nodded. ‘Then we must start by eliminating Medbh.’
‘Bit drastic to start with elimination.’
She stuck her head out. ‘That was terrible, even by your standards. We will eliminate her from our enquiries. If she’s not guilty, she’s given the real killer amazing cover.’
I pulled my lip and thought it over. At that moment, Scout emerged from the sitting room, having presumably sniffed everyone and everything inside. ‘What do you reckon, eh boy? How do we find Medbh?’
‘Arff. Hnnnh.’
‘Sounds like a plan to me.’
I walked inside and Mina whispered, ‘Tell me you aren’t taking advice from a dog.’
‘Only when it’s useful.’
I checked with Saffron first. She gave me a discreet thumbs-up, and I turned to the youngest Mowbray present, Kenver. ‘Give me your phone, please.’
‘What for?’
‘To check your contacts with Medbh.’
‘I’ve rung her loads and messaged her ten times. Nothing. Straight to voicemail.’
I held out my hand. ‘Please.’
‘No! She’s got nothing to do with this, and it’s none of your business.’
‘So where is she?’ said Eseld.
‘I. Don’t. Know. OK?’
Eseld sat up straight. She’d been leaning back, next to Lena. ‘Then hand over the bloody phone. He’s got every right to ask, and I’m telling you to as well.’
‘Fine.’
He passed me the phone, and I lobbed it across the room to Mina. She caught it and her thumbs were soon going crazy. The last time we were at Pellacombe, Medbh had arrived with Kenver.
‘Has Medbh got a car?’ I asked.
‘She can’t drive,’ said Kenver. He stared at Eseld and said, �
��Wherever she’s been all these years, it was isolated. She’s never had to learn. She was going to ask Maggie Pearce for lessons on the estate while she sorts her provisional licence.’
‘There is nothing suspicious on here,’ said Mina.
‘Excuse me,’ I said. I retreated from the firing line and called Michael. Being a teenager, he had his phone next to his bed, and answered quickly.
‘Sir? Is everything okay?’
‘No it isn’t, Michael. I need you to get down to the jetty and see if anyone has crossed over from the big house in the skiff during the night. Call me straight back.’
Mina spoke up. ‘That reminds me, did Lord Mowbray have his phone with him?’
‘He never took it into the Lab,’ said Ethan. ‘It’ll be by his bed.’
‘It wasn’t,’ said Kerenza. ‘Was it, Saffron?’ She looked at my partner, who shook her head. ‘He went into the Lab about one o’clock,’ she added. ‘He was too wound up to sleep. I was shattered.’
I took a closer look at Kerenza. She’d been crying, and had a bundle of tissues squeezed in her hand. Her voice had trembled when she spoke. Unlike Eseld and Lena, she’d made the effort to take off her makeup before going to sleep, and her face looked freshly washed. Then again, she’d been a model: skincare was as much part of her professional life as shooting practice was mine.
There was a knock at the door, and Saffron opened it. Jane Kershaw stood there, terrified.
‘Excuse me, but I’ve had a call from the Daughters’ coach driver. He thinks he’s lost. It’s the Wards. Unless the Steward lowers them, or I get one of the other staff out of bed, he can’t find us or get in.’
‘Hang on,’ said Eseld. ‘I’ve just had a text.’ She checked her phone. ‘It’s Raven. She says we’ve got five minutes to get the coach up to the front door or she won’t be able to stop the others tearing the Wards down. The driver’s been on to them as well.’
I was tempted to force their hand, until I remembered that there were ten of them. Nor would the Mowbrays stand idle while the magick around Pellacombe was dismantled. ‘Fine,’ I said. ‘Text Raven and tell her we can’t do it in less than ten minutes, but it will be done. Kerenza, I’m going to have to ask you to comply.’
‘I … I’m not sure,’ said Kerenza.
‘I will do it,’ said Lena. ‘Fetch me the badge.’
Kerenza’s head jerked back. A woman she clearly looked down on had just ordered her about in the house that she thought was hers to command. No one spoke up for her, and she had to struggle out of the deep armchair with every eye on her. I took the opportunity to drag Jane Kershaw aside and whisper some instructions to her. She left us and got on her phone.
Eseld was about to say something when my phone rang.
‘Hello, Michael?’
‘Sir. Someone brought the skiff over in the night.’
‘Hang on.’ I muted his call and asked Saff to put a Silence between me and the room. I picked up the call in the corridor. ‘Anything else you can tell me.’
‘They weren’t an experienced sailor, I can tell you that much, sir.’
‘How do you know?’
‘They tied it tight to the jetty at full tide. The nose is sticking right up in the air now that the tide’s gone down.’
‘When was full tide?’
‘Between midnight and one.’
‘Right. Can you do three things for me? First, wake your father and tell him to get the Smurf ready. I might need her. Then bring the skiff back over here and wait. The third thing is more difficult. This must remain secret until I say otherwise. Lord Mowbray has died.’
There was a stunned silence.
‘Really?’ he said with a half-squeak. ‘Really dead?’
‘I’m afraid so, Michael. Tell your father to check with any of the family, or better still to ring Jane Kershaw if he doubts me. No one else. Understand?’
‘Yes, sir.’ He hesitated. ‘Is this anything to do with Mr Kenver leaving?’
‘He’s here. Why do you think it was him in the boat?’
‘He never liked the river, and his car’s gone from the Lamorne car park. I checked the cars before I came down here.’
‘That’s brilliant, Michael. Thank you.’
I disconnected and marched back. Saff hastily cancelled the Silence behind me. ‘Kenver, where are your car keys?’
‘In the box, like always.’
‘What box?’
‘At the Ferrymistress’s house. If we leave our cars at Lamorne, we leave the keys there in case anyone needs to move them.’
I looked around the group. While I was out, Kerenza had handed the medallion to Lena, who was now checking her watch. Every other eye was on me.
‘I now know two things,’ I said. ‘First, that Medbh was an even more accomplished liar and could drive after all. Either that or she had an accomplice who could drive but got here without bringing their own vehicle. Kenver’s car is gone.’
They were wrung out. The only one who reacted was Ethan, the corner of whose mouth gave a twitch.
I continued. ‘The second thing I know is that Medbh is innocent. She left the house before one in the morning. Lord Mowbray died at twenty to four. She was long gone by then.’
‘I need to lower the Wards,’ said Lena. Behind me, Jane Kershaw had slipped back into the room and gave me a nod: mission accomplished.
‘Do it. Jane, call the driver if you would.’
Jane waited for Lena to finish concentrating on her magick and left when she got the nod.
While that was going on, Eseld had been doing some thinking. The dangerous light was back in her eyes.
‘If it’s not Medbh, it can only be one person,’ she said. ‘The only one that Dad would meet like that, and trust, is Isolde. It must be her.’ She stood up. ‘I’m going to stop her.’
Part Seven — Dawn’s Curse
37 — Daughters, and one mother
She moved quickly. Eseld was half way to the door before the implications of what she’d said had fully sunk in. She was about to take on the Daughters single handed. Saffron reached the same conclusion and put herself in the doorway. She went slightly pale and her hand moved to the spiked chain hanging from her belt.
‘Out of my way,’ said Eseld.
‘That’s not going to happen,’ I said, belatedly moving to block the way to the terrace.
‘Why not?’ A different voice. Kenver had stood up and was about to cast his lot in with Eseld now that his full sister was in the clear. ‘Isolde’s easily capable,’ he added.
‘Stop them!’ It was Cador, and the first time that he’d spoken aloud since I arrived. He was the only Mowbray left who had any time for Isolde, and he made his appeal to Ethan.
Ethan had been standing by the fire. He stood up straight and said, ‘Eseld’s got a point. Isolde could be in on it. She has questions to answer. What do you suggest, Conrad?’
If I didn’t come up with a plan, Ethan would side with Eseld and Kenver, and we’d have a bloodbath on our hands. The moment had come for me to put up or shut up.
‘Here’s what’s going to happen,’ I said. ‘Eseld, you’re going to call Raven and give me the phone. When I’ve finished, you, Mina and I – and no one else – are going to the front of the house.’
She wavered, so (hate me if you want), I played the dead man’s card. ‘Your father would want things done properly, Eseld.’
‘He would,’ she said, ‘but that doesn’t give you the right to take his name in vain.’ Having made her point, she whipped out her phone and pressed the screen. ‘Here.’
‘What?’ said Raven in a hushed voice.
‘This is Conrad. I need your help to avoid a catastrophe.’
‘Wow. Did Eseld give you her phone or did you kill her and use her lifeless finger to unlock the screen?’
I held the phone away from me. That was a bit extreme. I have done something similar, but I didn’t kill Surwen just to get her phone.
‘Eseld gave
me the phone because she’s as anxious as I am to investigate her father’s murder.’
‘No, I’m not,’ shouted Eseld. ‘I want to avenge him.’
Raven laughed. ‘This is shaping up nicely. Sounds fun.’
‘Only if you’re the Morrigan, Raven, and you’re not. I want to talk to Isolde, and I need your help to do it.’ I stared at Eseld when I spoke again. ‘I will guarantee Isolde’s safety if she remains behind, and I’ll let Cador advise her.’
Raven chuckled. ‘How do you know I’m not the Morrigan? Or her daughter?’
‘Because I’ve met her, and the goddess of war has no child but death.’
‘Says the soldier.’
‘Airman. You’ll probably survive, but do you want to watch Eseld being the first to die?’ I left it half a second. ‘Thought not. We’re on our way.’
I disconnected the call and thrust the phone into Eseld’s hand as I walked out. ‘Come on if you’re coming.’
Mina had already taken a position by the door and fell into step with me. She didn’t ask why I’d left Saffron behind, or why I was taking her instead. She knew the answer: Saff would raise the temperature, an unarmed Mina would lower it. They didn’t know that she had a handgun under her tunic.
Mina can walk and text as easily as I can fly a helicopter. She checked her phone and said, ‘Erin says they’re coming out.’
Jane Kershaw was haunting the great hall like a ghost on the threshold, peering from the pitch blackness outside to the dimly lit staircase from the guest wing. She had her phone to her ear and was guiding in the coach driver like a seasoned air traffic controller. ‘He’ll be here in less than a minute,’ she announced. From upstairs, we heard voices.
‘Jane, wait outside,’ I said, ‘and don’t come in unless I say so. It may be dangerous.’ She nodded and disappeared outside.
I could see white shapes at the top of the staircase. One tried to descend and was elbowed out of the way by a black shadow, and it was Raven who led the Daughters down the stairs. Alys, the one she’d pushed aside followed with a face like thunder and her twin sister at her side.
With her great strides, Raven crossed the hall and pivoted in front of the door to face her fellow Witches.
