by Gina LaManna
“Shut up!” Marie said. “We don’t know anything, okay? I don’t know what secrets you’re talking about. You’re imagining things.”
“Fine,” I said. “Then I guess we’re done here. We’ll write off Linsey’s disappearance as voluntary because we have no evidence otherwise. Hope your friend shows up soon!”
“But—” Claire started.
I ignored her. “Matthew—let’s go. We’ve got another case waiting for us where people want to help put the murderer away.”
Matthew’s eyes widened slightly in alarm, but he knew better than to undercut me in front of our interviewees. He stood and followed as I stalked toward the door.
“Wait!” Claire called, just as my hand brushed the knob.
I smiled. Turned around. “Yes?”
“I’ll talk,” Claire said with a guilty glance at Marie. “But I want to speak to you alone.”
“Idiot!” Marie said. “You heard Ms. Margaret! They’re just prying for information on us. If you tell, Claire, they’ll kill you!”
“Quiet,” Matthew said, his voice a deep, cutting lull. “Let her speak.”
Marie clammed up, real fear glimmering in her eyes.
Meanwhile, I perched on the edge of the desk nearest Claire, close enough to appear friendly. “Contrary to what anyone else thinks, you are safe here. Matthew and I will do everything in our power to protect you from whoever they are. But we need you to help us.”
“I’ll help you,” Claire said, “as much as I can.”
“Tell me about Linsey. Has her behavior changed recently?”
“In the past six months, yes,” Claire said. “When we found out that she was supposed to marry Harry a few years back, me and Marie were giddy for her. A prince! How exciting!”
“But she didn’t want that,” I said. “I know. Harry told us.”
“She hated his guts,” Claire said, “which I thought was unreasonable. It wasn’t Harry’s fault—he was just as trapped as her. But she didn’t care and instead tried to make his life miserable. Harry’s such a good sport; he went along with it.”
Matthew cast another look at Marie, who remained sullen and silent, staring at the floor.
“Then about six months ago, I thought she started coming around,” Claire said. “She started spending more time with Harry, and when she talked about him, it was as if she actually liked him. She would sometimes even laugh when she told us something he’d said, and she started pointing out his good qualities instead of his flaws. You know, as if she enjoyed his company. I thought she was coming to her senses finally. I mean, she was set to marry a prince, and a nice guy at that. How much more can you ask for?”
“But that wasn’t the full story.”
Claire shook her head. “I found out that the reason she liked him was because he was cool—her words, not mine. They had worked out a little arrangement where Harry snuck off sometimes, and she snuck off other times. I don’t know what it is Harry does while he’s away—apparently it’s very secret and all hush hush—but I know Linsey was just out there exploring.”
“Exploring...” I prompted. “Men? The borough? Gambling?”
“Clubs, men, drinking,” Claire said dully. “Obviously, that’s not allowed for any member of Gilded Row, especially the soon-to-be princess. She met this guy, I don’t know his name, and he was showing her around. I’m not sure it was even romantic between them. It was more...big brotherly? I know, it sounds weird. I think he owned a club or something, and they hooked up on a party circuit.”
“Our little princess was sneaking out of her fancy galas,” I said, “and heading to the Golden District or beyond for nights of dancing and drinking?”
Claire nodded. “She said she was being responsible about it, but I don’t know. I mean, she was never gone for that long, and it wasn’t like she came back roaring out of control. For her, it was about the freedom. And the dancing. She loved to dance.”
“Do you have any idea what club she went to?” I asked. “Any insights on this guy she was seeing, or tidbits of information that you could give us?”
“There’s only one sort of seedy section in the Golden District,” she said. “The elders leave it be for one reason. They don’t want elves leaving the District, and they know some of our kind have less than savory vices. They’d rather control the vices and take care of bad behavior internally than let it seep into the borough. Appearances count for a lot when it comes to the elfin elders.”
“Apparently,” I said. “Let me get this straight. The Golden District tucks all of its substandard citizens into one little corner?”
“They call it Silver Street,” Claire said. “None of us are allowed there, of course. There’s gambling, drinking, lots of clubs, and even some Silver Collar workers—you know...”
“Escorts?” I prompted.
She nodded.
“Tell me, Claire, what was different about last night? Did you notice anything off about Linsey?”
“Well, I knew she snuck out—she asked me to watch her tiara. I, uh, have it at home, but I couldn’t bring it. Please, don’t make me bring it—her family will know I’m in on her secret, and my reputation will be ruined.”
“We’ll keep it under wraps for as long as we can. We’ll get someone to pick up the tiara later and anonymously reintroduce it as evidence. Fair?”
Claire nodded, and I saw Matthew nod as he made a mental note to have someone pick it up discreetly.
“Thank you,” I said. “When did you start to worry?”
“Right around ten o’clock,” she said. “Linsey wasn’t back for the grand exit. Her carriage guy was there waiting for her, and he was asking around to see if anyone had seen her. Nobody had, obviously. Then the driver called her father, her father called Ms. Margaret I assume, and here we are.”
“What is everyone hiding from us?” I asked her. “Who is going to kill you if you tell your secret?”
“I can’t tell you that.” Claire’s voice was a whisper. “It wouldn’t help anyone, anyway. It has nothing to do with Linsey’s disappearance.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Please,” Claire murmured. “That’s all I can say.”
“In your opinion,” I asked, struggling to keep my voice calm. “What happened to Linsey?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think she ran off on her own?” I asked. “This could be very important.”
“No.” Claire shook her head, then looked down at her fingers. “I know it sounds like she was wild and free, but I think...I don’t think she could have.”
“Why not?”
Claire looked up at me, pleading. “Because I think she was falling in love with Henry Thermont.”
Chapter 6
By the time Matthew and I wrapped up our interviews at Ms. Margaret’s finishing school, it was nearing the dinner hour. We’d blown right past lunch while we interviewed several chaperones who had been called into the school for questioning. None of them had seen anything, nor did they have any clue where Linsey might have gone during the gala.
And none of them would reveal the weighty secret that was the elephant in every room on Gilded Row.
“What the hell do you think they’re hiding?” I asked. “I can’t figure out if it’s something horrible and devastating, or something that’s so precious they don’t want outsiders to ruin it.”
“Or all of the above,” Matthew said. “It could be a tradition, or something in their nature that has been kept sacred for centuries. If that’s the case, I’m willing to bet that Linsey won’t have been the first life risked keeping the secret hidden. There will have been others.”
“I wonder if we could find the others,” I mused. “We could dig through old cases, records—something that links Linsey to others like her. We could start looking for patterns between them. And speaking of patterns, are you thinking Linsey’s disappearance is related to the elfin murders?”
“I think anything’s possible.�
�� Matthew’s eyes flicked toward me. “You must be hungry.”
“Starved,” I said. “Hex Dog?”
Matthew glanced around at Gilded Row. There were no food carts anywhere in sight. “You might be out of luck.”
My mood plummeted quickly. “You know I don’t work well on an empty stomach.”
“I want to speak with Linsey’s carriage driver,” Matthew said, “and then we’ll call it a night. I have teams canvassing the Golden District, but the sun will be going down, and we can’t question anyone else. Tomorrow, we have an appointment to speak with Cynthia Nealy, the woman who was with the two elves when they were taken outside of the grocery store.”
“Fine,” I said. “Then let’s make this quick before my stomach eats itself.”
Matthew gave a dry laugh. Together, we crossed Gilded Row and returned to the front gates. The chirpy, badass elf who’d let us in had reapplied her lip gloss and looked peppier than ever. “I hope you enjoyed your stay!”
Matthew gave a wave. “We’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Friendly, much?” I growled at him. “If I had that much cleavage on display, would you be nicer to me?”
“I am nice to you.”
“When’s the last time you waved to me?”
“I’m your boss, Detective,” Matthew said with a pleased eyebrow raise. “I can’t give you special treatment.”
“I see how it is. I never knew you had an interest in elves.”
“You know damn well where my interests lie.”
That shut me up real fast.
“You seemed quite opposed to marriage back there,” Matthew said, nodding toward Gilded Row. “I didn’t know you had such strong feelings on it.”
“I’m not opposed to marriage. I’m opposed to women being forced into it before they’re adults.”
“And men,” Matthew pointed out. “Harry had no more choice about it than Linsey.”
“True. I just think young people deserve some freedom to experiment and find what works for them.”
“You don’t think parents know best?”
I gave him a skeptical glance. “Not a chance. Then again, I can’t talk. I don’t think my mom would have picked Trenton for me.”
“She wouldn’t have chosen me for you, either.”
We walked in silence as I considered.
“Look, Matthew, I’m sorry,” I said. “All I know is that—’
“All I know is that you don’t owe me an apology,” Matthew said. “Forget it. I was just curious.”
“Would you like to get married someday? To someone,” I added hurriedly. “Not necessarily me. You just never mentioned it when we were together.”
He gave a wry smile and looked straight ahead. “I was worried you’d get spooked.”
“Would you have married me?”
Matthew’s gaze landed on me, complex and pained. “I’d marry you tomorrow.”
“Oh, well.” I swallowed.
“But I know you’re not interested, so don’t worry. You’re safe, Detective.”
“How about we stop talking and focus on finding me a Hex Dog.”
Matthew raised his head, took a sniff. “Take a left here—there’s a vendor at the end of the street.”
“I knew there were perks to working with a vamp,” I said with a grin. “Where’s the carriage company?”
“Right behind the vendor,” Matthew said, raising a hand and pointing a stony finger toward the end of the street. “You get yourself fed, and I’ll get us a meeting.”
Half an hour later, my stomach was happier, and my mood was vastly improved. Matthew had secured us the name of the carriage driver who’d been assigned to Linsey Luca’s pick-up and drop-off, and we were currently sitting in a small, cramped office waiting for Jim Geronimo to arrive.
Jim eased into the room twenty minutes later, looking like a jolly old grandfather with a big round stomach. “Sorry about the wait,” he chortled. “I had a fare down by the casino and had to book it back here just as soon as I got the call.”
“No problem,” I said, gesturing to the open seat for him around the table. “We have a few quick questions for you regarding your fare last night.”
Jim’s face turned somber. “Miss Luca, you mean.”
I nodded. “Have you worked with her before?”
“No, at least not that I can remember,” he said. “Though it’s my understanding the Luca family works exclusively with our company. Our carriages are the best, you know. We ensure safety and always arrive promptly.”
“The Luca family spoke highly of the company,” I said. “Tell me about the events of the evening in as much detail as you can remember, please.”
Jim frowned, his bushy gray eyebrows crowding one another for space as he thought. “Well, I picked her up on Gilded Row at quarter to six like they requested. Linsey was there with her parents. She’s a beautiful young woman, and I remember she had on some sort of silver gown with a big crown. Really looked like a princess!”
“You dropped her off safely?”
“Of course, safety is our number one priority!” Jim said, smiling. “I waited until Miss Luca met up with her friends—one boy, two girls—and then I went off on my merry old way. I had a fare in between to bring to dinner and back. The company books us solid on weekend nights.”
“After you completed your second fare for the night, then what happened?” I asked. “You returned to the school?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “I waited in the designated pickup line until most of the other young men and women had been collected. When I didn’t see Miss Luca anywhere, I started to get nervous. I was supposed to have her home, and we were cutting it close. So, I Commed the name on the listing and reached Leonard Luca. Mr. Luca hadn’t seen his daughter—that’s when we knew something was wrong.”
“You didn’t see anything?” I asked. “She didn’t ask you to drive her anywhere, or to keep any secrets, or anything of the sort?”
“No, ma’am. You think she left of her own accord?”
“We’re just ruling things out,” I said. “Thanks for your time. If you think of anything else, please let us know.”
“Will do,” he said. “Hope she turns up. And in the meantime, if you ever need a safe and secure carriage ride, you know who to call!”
After Jim left the room, I turned to Matthew. “He’s got no clue. Didn’t see a thing.”
Matthew shrugged. “It was a long shot.”
“Nobody saw her return to the gala. If Linsey had been at the school, she’d have made it a point to show herself to everyone. She would have paraded her tiara right under Ms. Margaret’s nose because that gave her a better alibi in case her father ever got suspicious.”
“Which means she was taken either from the gala, or from wherever she’d snuck off to during it.” Matthew stood. “Do you have plans for—”
My Comm device beeped around my wrist. It was coming in from the pizzeria, and they wouldn’t be calling unless they needed me.
“Hello?” I answered. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Willa said, “but is there any chance you could swing by when you get a minute?”
“I’ll head over there now,” I said. “I’m done for the day anyway.”
Willa disconnected, and I turned back to Matthew.
“I have to go,” I said. “What else do you need from me?”
He hesitated, then gave a shake of his head. “I’ll see you in the morning. Get some rest tonight. It’ll be a long few days ahead of us.”
“WHAT’S UP?” I STEPPED into the pizzeria and let the heavy wooden door slam shut behind me. “Where’s the fire?”
Willa, the bubbly blonde spellslinger who’d taken a job at the pizzeria after I’d accidentally gotten her fired from her last position, smiled and scampered over to greet me. “Thanks for coming. I don’t need anything, but he does.”
I glanced up and my heart resumed its race all over again at the sight of Grey lounging in the corne
r. My relationship with Grey was a complicated one. He was a friend, sort of, and sometimes a partner in crime. We understood one another in ways that not many others could. We’d both lost someone we’d loved—or thought we’d loved, in my case.
“Did he say what he needs?” I asked. “Or is it a mystery?”
“Mystery,” Willa chirped. “Grey just asked me if I could give you a buzz because he doesn’t wear a Comm.”
I glanced around the rest of the booths. “Where’s Jack? Isn’t he supposed to be helping you?”
“He’s, ah...” Willa hesitated. “He’s over there.”
My youngest brother sat in a booth with his arm around some brunette girl. I watched as Willa wistfully looked his way, and I felt a bout of fury rise at my brother. I thought Jack had been in the process of falling head over heels for Willa, but apparently, it’d been nothing but a passing infatuation.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know the two of you—”
“It’s fine,” Willa said in a clipped, no-nonsense tone. “Jack asked me out, I told him no. In fact, I specifically told him to move on, so this is good for him. Really, I’m okay with it.”
I could see it wasn’t fine, but Willa was mighty testy, and she had a knife in her hands. I figured I’d let her get back to the kitchen and continue to chop, chop, chop away at the head of iceberg lettuce for now, and I’d broach a heart-to-heart conversation later. In the meantime, I had a wolf to deal with in my corner booth.
“I didn’t mean to steal you away from your vampire,” Grey said as I slid into the booth. “I told Willa it wasn’t an emergency.”
“What do you need?”
“I came here to ask a favor of you.”
I raised my eyebrow, still feeling testy from the vampire comment. “What can I do for you?”
“I have a friend who’s in trouble,” Grey said. “A friend who lost some money at a casino.”
“And that’s my problem, how?”
“He thinks there’s something fishy going on at the high stakes tables.”
“Yeah,” I said, “It’s called gambling. You lose money.”
“Look, I know this isn’t exactly up your alley, and you don’t have to help me. But this guy is good at what he does. I wouldn’t have come to you if I didn’t think he was onto something.”
