We rode the elevator down. “Fine. Then who knows enough about your security warding to get all the way into your bedroom?”
Keeva didn’t slow down as we walked through the main lobby. “Whoever it was got lucky, Connor. Leave me alone.”
I grabbed her arm. “Okay, then what about me? You set up the security in my apartment. Are you confident I’m protected?”
A sneer curled on her lips as she looked at my hand. “Is the great Connor Grey afraid?”
I let her go and threw my hand in the air. “Play it your way, Keeva. You get overconfident, you get killed. Sorry I was concerned for both of us.”
“This isn’t your problem,” she said. She pushed through the revolving door and jumped in a cab. By the time I hit the curb, the yellow car had pulled away. Murdock’s car rolled up from the fire lane, where he had been waiting for me. I slouched in the passenger seat without bothering to toss the newspapers. He edged into traffic.
“She didn’t look bad. I’m glad I didn’t bring flowers,” he said.
I snorted. “She’s in denial. All the damage is on the inside.”
“How’d it go down?”
I briefed him on her attack.
“We should put protection on Ardman and Meryl,” he said.
“You think it’s related to Viten?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Just covering the bases. That’s four attacks related to the case.”
“I count only three, assuming Keeva’s is related.”
He gave me his oh-so-patient look. “Did you read the Guild file on Ardman?”
“Of course,” I said. He looked doubtful. “Okay, I read most of it.” He gave me the look again. “Okay, okay, I skimmed. I was bored. It was financial crap.”
He sighed. “Josef Kaspar needed independent verification that Viten was fey; otherwise, the Guild would have dismissed his complaint. He tracked Viten for a few days and made a connection. Your buddy Belgor.”
My mouth dropped open. “Belgor ratted Viten out to the Guild?”
“Hard to believe from such a paragon of virtue,” he said.
I let the comment go. Murdock used snitches as much as I did, but Belgor annoyed him. Since the elf didn’t traffic in the kind of stolen goods the human-normal judicial system cares about, it was a waste of time for Murdock to charge him with anything, assuming he had something. Belgor knew it and didn’t deal him any dirt. “He’s been working on something for me. This sounds like a good time for a visit.”
Murdock made the quick turn onto the elevated highway that would loop us back to the Weird. We pulled onto Calvin Place. The plate-glass windows of Belgor’s shopfront had been replaced. Fingerprints and streaks covered them and would probably never be cleaned if Belgor kept his usual standards. I was surprised he didn’t spray dust on them to fit the rest of the décor.
The little bell above the door rang when we entered. To all outward appearances, the shop seemed the same room full of oddities. While a certain amount of ambient essence filled the space-the echoes of times past in used wands or ward stones, the vibrant hint from a sealed jar of strange herbs used in potions-none approached the level of potency that normally lurked in Belgor’s merchandise.
The old elf stood behind the counter at the rear, leaning meaty hands palm down on the countertop. He didn’t look happy to see me. He never did. The feeling was mutual. We weren’t friends and never would be. Despite helping each other on occasion, our entire interaction was based on friendly opposition.
“You’ve cleaned out the place,” I said.
He worried his thick lips. “I cleaned up, Mr. Grey.” So his recent slip-up with the museum goods was forcing Belgor to be careful. He was immortal. He could afford to lose money for a while. That should mollify Murdock.
He hit me with a sending. They are listening. His eyes shifted to the curtained door to the back room. My sensing ability got an immediate hit of a Danann fairy signature, a Guild security agent judging by the strength. I caught Murdock’s eye and nodded toward the door.
I leaned against the counter. “We thought we’d stop by and see if you remembered anything more about your attacker.”
His neck wattles gave a little shimmy as he shook his head. “Unfortunately, no, Mr. Grey. My mind has been quite occupied with repairing the damage.”
I have learned that the gentleman who acquired the museum merchandise and the courier who brought it here were both paid by an Inverni fairy.
I trailed my finger through the dust on the counter. “Maybe you screwed her out of a deal?”
Belgor glowered. “Occasionally, my needs do not coincide with my clients’ needs, Mr. Grey. But I do not believe I’ve ever done anything to provoke anyone to kill me.”
Murdock snorted at that. If he hadn’t been a cop, he probably would have taken a shot at Belgor himself. I wrote “Viten” in the dust. “Maybe you ratted on someone, and a little revenge came into play?”
His ears flexed down, long, pointy hairs sticking out the ends. He looked at the name for a long moment before wiping it away. “A much more likely scenario, though I prefer to use the term ‘information-sharing.’ ”
Interesting. I did not find a name, but perhaps you have, he sent.
There weren’t many Inverni fairies in Boston, and Rosavear Ardman was the only one related to the Viten case. The idea that she was involved in attacking a slovenly stolen goods dealer in the Weird made my head whirl. “Maybe I have.”
I realized I had responded to his sending by Belgor’s nervous glance at the curtained doorway. I mouthed, “Sorry.”
“I assure you, Mr. Grey, as soon as I remember anything more, I will contact you or the Guild.”
I dropped a five-dollar bill on the counter. “Thanks, Belgor. Sorry to bother you. We only stopped in because Detective Murdock wanted a lottery ticket.”
Belgor waved a hand toward the thick roll of scratch tickets for the state lottery. “What would you like, Detective?”
Murdock shot me an annoyed look. He’s not a fan of gambling, even if it is state-sponsored. He pointed at one of the numbered rolls. Belgor tore off a ticket and slid it across the counter. “Good luck, sir.”
We returned to Murdock’s car. He tossed the ticket at me. “The Guild’s got a babysitter on him?”
“Danann security agent,” I said. “Belgor came through with some interesting information, though. He said an Inverni fairy paid for the museum heist.”
Murdock pushed his lower lip out. “Ha. I knew something was up with that Ardman woman. After we interviewed her, I double-checked the Viten files. Viten used a different alias and glamour to hide his identity in New York. The Guild made the connection through financial records.”
I thumbnail-scratched at the silver patches on the ticket. “So?”
A sly look came over him, the one he gets when something clicks. “According to the file, Ardman didn’t know about the affair with Powell, but the other day she said she did. I thought it was odd but didn’t have a reason to follow it up.”
“Huh. I’m still not seeing a motive for the murders. What’s Ardman get out of it?”
“Maybe we need another visit with her, too.”
“I hope we have better luck with her,” I said. I held the scratch ticket up. We didn’t win the lottery.
CHAPTER 20
A surprised Sophie Wells answered the door when we rang the bell on Pinckney Street. “Is Lady Ardman expecting you?”
“She should be,” said Murdock.
Wells looked like she was trying to decide whether that answered her question, but she did let us in. She led us into the parlor, then knocked on one of the pocket doors at the back. At a muffled reply, she slid a door open and leaned her head into the next room. I couldn’t hear the exchange, but Wells turned to us with a professional smile and pulled the door open all the way. In the next room, Lady Ardman rose from her desk.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
I kept my tone neutral. “We’ve re
ceived some new information we’d like to talk to you about.”
Ardman glanced at the secretary, who nodded and left the room. “What can I do to help, gentlemen?”
“It concerns the Met robbery in New York. We were hoping you might be able to shed some light on the situation,” I said.
The pleasant cooperative expression slipped off her face. “I thought you were here about Lionel. What would I know about a robbery in New York?”
I slid my hands into my pockets to look relaxed. Keeva was right about one thing when it came to dealing with fairy royalty — an aggressive stance rarely worked well. “The two seem to be connected. Some of the stolen items turned up here. The information we have is that the thieves were working for someone else. That someone paid a large sum of money for the job, and we have a strong lead on the source.”
Ardman sat on the couch. Turning away and not meeting the eyes is always a good sign I’m on the right track. “I don’t see how this involves me, Mr. Grey.”
I pursed my lips a moment. “Lady Ardman, two people are dead. A murder attempt was made last night on Keeva macNeve. You don’t seem the type to let people die who are only trying to help you. If you know something, you have to tell us.”
She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know anything.”
Murdock stepped closer. “Why didn’t you mention you knew about Viten’s affair with Rhonda Powell?”
Ardman looked at him in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“Last time we spoke, you said the affair was a private pain for years,” he said. “According to the case file, the Guild uncovered the affair through financial records. You told the Guild back then you didn’t know about the affair until after Viten was arrested.”
Ardman’s hesitation confirmed that Murdock had hit on something. The Inverni woman stared at her hands. “This is extremely embarrassing, but I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore. I discovered the affair and confronted him. He told me he would break it off. I never met that woman, but I knew her name.”
She didn’t look embarrassed. She looked nervous.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked.
Tears welled up in her eyes. “Fear, Mr. Grey. I suspected Lionel was having an affair. I’m embarrassed to say I went through his things. I found a soul stone that wasn’t mine. Lionel had a protection charm on it, because he knew I touched it. We argued, and his lies poured out. He told me he would take care of the situation. That’s how he put it. ‘Take care of the situation.’ I didn’t think anything about it at the time. But that phrase came back to me when I read that Rhonda Powell had been murdered. I feared for my life if I were to say anything after that.”
I could buy that. Finding out a husband’s mistress was shot dead right after an affair was discovered would spook anyone. “Do you know if he had accomplices other than Powell?”
She paled. “I didn’t think so. Lionel trusted no one. Not even his mistress as it turns out.”
Her voice was soft. I crouched in front of her. “Lady Ardman, who did you pay for the Met robbery?”
The tears began to fall. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I put my hand on hers. “Lady Ardman, financial transactions can be tracked. If you tell us what happened, we may be able to stop more murders. Please tell us before it’s too late.”
She sobbed and fumbled with a handkerchief. “I don’t know who she is, Mr. Grey, but she knows everything about me. She has my soul stone and would give it to me if I gave her money. She said if I didn’t give her the money, she would destroy the stone.”
“Did she give it back?”
Ardman shook her head. “She said she’s not ready yet.”
“Ready for what?”
“I don’t know! All I wanted was the stone. I didn’t know anything about murders,” said Ardman.
“Why is this stone so important?” Murdock asked.
I shook my head at him to let it go for now. I dropped my voice. Meryl told me once that I lose sight of the human emotion of a situation when I’m investigating. “Rosavear, she’s killing people connected to Viten. You’re more connected than any of them. I don’t think she’s going to give your stone back.”
She hit her knee with a clenched fist. “I knew it. I knew it wasn’t over.”
“We need you to help us catch whoever this is. Can you do that?”
She nodded vigorously. I gestured for Murdock to join me in the foyer.
“We have to bring the Guild into this,” I said, when we were out of earshot.
“I’m not going to argue,” he said. “What the hell is a soul stone?”
“It’s an old custom between fey lovers. They give their souls to each other. It takes a lot of ability. You branch off the soul and infuse a ward stone with it.”
Disbelief swept Murdock’s face. “The fey have detachable souls?”
I kept my eye on Ardman. “I doubt it. If I understand the theory behind the spell, it’s not really a soul like you think. It’s more their basic life spark, the core of their essence.”
“And Viten made one for Powell and Ardman,” he said.
I nodded. “Right. Only lovers do it because it’s an enormous trust issue. If you crush a soul stone, it’s like physically crushing someone’s heart. The person dies.”
If anything, Murdock looked even more stunned. “Are you kidding me?”
I held my hands up. “That’s what I’ve heard. It may or not be the soul, but it’s one helluva powerful spell.”
He shook his head with an odd look of anger. “That’s bullshit. Souls don’t work that way.”
I was about to say something flip but stopped. Murdock’s Catholic. Talk of using a soul in a spell was treading way too hard on his theology. “Think of it as essence, then. Here’s the key part, though. Whether it’s the soul or essence or whatever, if you fatally injure the body of someone who has a soul stone, the soul stone can revive the body.”
Murdock shook his head several times before speaking. “God, I can’t believe this.”
I nodded. “Viten shot Rhonda Powell in New York while her soul stone was in Boston. She’s not dead.”
CHAPTER 21
Things moved quickly once Ardman agreed to cooperate. Given her history with the case, the Guild allowed Keeva’s participation in the investigation. I suspected it was to keep her out of the way with a crime the Guild thought was unimportant. Ceridwen had bigger issues to worry about.
Sitting in Keeva’s office and planning a Guild surveillance operation after so much time was surreal, yet oddly comfortable. Keeva had been surprisingly compassionate in debriefing Ardman. Caring on her part made red flags go up for me, but then the cynic in me found a reason for her kindly attitude. When all else fails, royalty closes ranks, even if they’re not of the same line.
“It’s a huge leap to think it’s Rhonda Powell,” Keeva said.
“It fits,” I said. “No one else is alive. No one else knows what she knows.”
“Correction. No one is alive. Powell is dead,” she said.
“I guess we’ll have to see who’s right,” I said.
She smiled. “I guess we will.”
Ardman had a prearranged signal with her blackmailer for setting up meetings. We had her send the signal. The idea was to stage a meeting, keep Ardman protected, and trap Powell — or as Keeva would have it, whoever — before she had a chance to escape. After going over the security plan for the umpteenth time, I stretched in my chair and exhaled loudly. “You still haven’t told me where you are going to be in all this.”
She compressed her thin lips into an even thinner smile. “Monitoring everything. That’s all you need to know.”
I shrugged. “Be that way. Just remember what Gillen Yor told you.”
“I can take care of myself, Connor.”
Dylan stuck his head in the doorway. “Can I steal Connor for a minute?”
Keeva shooed me out the door with a flutter
of her hands. If anything confirmed why I’d rather jump off a bridge than work for her, that gesture did. I joined Dylan in the corridor.
“Follow me,” he said. He kept his head down as we made our way across the department. When we reached his office, he checked the hallway, then closed the door and leaned against it. “Meryl’s been arrested.”
I pinned him against the door. “What are you pulling, Dylan?”
He tried to push me off, activating his body shield, but I clung to his jacket. I shook him. “What did you do?”
He released his shield and raised his hands to the sides. “We’re not going to get in a fistfight, Connor. I didn’t do anything.”
We stared at each other. I knew him like I knew few people, the way he looked when he lied, when he was afraid, and when he was telling the truth. I dropped my hands. “What the hell is going on?”
He straightened his jacket. “I’m not sure. Remember that knife we found at Belgor’s?”
“The Breton dagger?”
He nodded. “It wasn’t the mate to one here like you thought. It was the one here.”
I frowned. “I don’t understand.”
He held his hand up to silence me as he tilted his head to the door. He waited a moment, then continued. “I asked Meryl to bring me the other dagger you saw in the storeroom. When she released the essence field on it, we discovered it was a counterfeit. The dagger from Belgor’s was the original.”
“So why is Meryl under arrest?”
Guilt crept over his face. “She says someone else switched the daggers. I had the logs checked, but Meryl is the only one who entered that storeroom. When Keeva and I were called down to the Weird because of Carmine’s attack, someone entered my office and took the knife.”
“And what has any of that got to do with Meryl?”
He compressed his lips a moment. “Meryl’s the only person who had high enough clearance for the storeroom and access to the department floor. She was seen on the floor that afternoon. I was debating what to do when Ceridwen caught wind of what was going on. She’s charging Meryl with theft, tampering with evidence, and assaulting Belgor.”
Unfallen Dead cg-3 Page 18
