by Helen Harper
Monroe’s expression was taut. ‘She told him to stay and fight,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘And meanwhile she saved herself.’
‘Was anyone else hurt?’ I asked.
‘Andus was shot twice,’ Alora said coolly. ‘Is that not enough? Far more would have been hurt if Malbus hadn’t been nearby and heard the shots. He was able to flank him and take him down, otherwise things would have been far, far worse.’
I sneaked a look at Malbus. He was stony-faced and I suspected that the incident had shaken him more than he was letting on. Killing someone, even in self-defence, would probably do that to you.
‘Flip him over,’ Alora instructed.
Two of the bogles lurched forward and grasped the corpse, turning him unceremoniously onto his back. I ignored the wound at his neck where he’d bled out and focused on his face. I thought I knew him, although what his name was I couldn’t guess. What I did know was that he’d come late to the south, arriving only a few weeks ago after hiding somewhere else in the city. I’d spoken to him briefly at the time and he’d seemed more shell-shocked and scared than anything else. The idea that he could be a threat hadn’t crossed my mind.
‘You know him,’ Alora said, reading my expression.
‘Not well,’ I admitted. ‘But yes. He’s one of mine.’
A strange rumbling sound reached my ears. At first I couldn’t work out what it was, then I realised it was coming from several of the bogles. They were growling. Uh oh. That didn’t bode well but frankly I didn’t blame them. Fury mixed with guilt rushed through me. This human had come here to kill. He lived in my community; he was a part of me and mine. And he’d come to this place armed with guns and grenades.
‘I don’t know his name,’ I said in a strained voice. ‘Or his history. I have no idea why he did this or who the woman was. I will find her,’ I promised. ‘I will deal with this. And it won’t ever happen again.’
Alora’s eyes met mine. ‘You can’t guarantee that,’ she said simply. ‘Don’t make promises you can’t keep.’
I drew myself up. ‘I will find her,’ I repeated. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I now had not one but two murder investigations to deal with. ‘And I swear on my own life that I did not breathe a word about your existence to anyone.’
Alora gazed at me for a long time. Eventually, she gave a curt nod. She believed me, which was something; whether she believed that this would not happen again was a different proposition.
‘You weren’t the target.’ Monroe’s words were so quiet that I barely heard him. I turned towards him and blinked. He repeated himself. ‘You weren’t the target. Charlotte is not a liar and I did not tell anyone about you either. We have had other … issues on our plate.’ He looked at me. ‘You said that you did speak about Nimue. You told others about the mermaid.’
I stiffened. No. Oh no.
‘Nimue was the target,’ I whispered. ‘They were heading for Boggart Hole, not here. That dead bastard and his girlfriend were taken by surprise. They weren’t expecting anyone to be here. That’s why she ran and why Malbus managed to sneak up on him so easily.’
The bogle in question folded his arms. ‘I am good at sneaking,’ he asserted.
‘I don’t doubt it. But we’re close enough to your neighbourhood for anyone with this amount of firepower to have been prepared for someone like you beforehand. They would have been ready for an ambush – but they weren’t expecting you to be here.’ I felt an odd measure of relief but it was short-lived.
‘Who did you tell, Charlotte?’ Monroe asked. ‘Who knew about Nimue?’
I didn’t want to answer. I didn’t want to say the word. But I didn’t have a choice. ‘Julie.’ I closed my eyes, feeling a throb of pain. ‘I told Julie.’
Chapter Twenty-One
We took the nameless man’s body with us, folding him into the back seat of the car like an unpleasant gift.
I smacked the dashboard over and over and over again as we drove away. ‘This was my fault. I should have listened to you from the start. I welcomed Julie in, even though I knew what she’d done before. I welcomed that man in too. They were with me. They were fucking with me. I let this happen.’ I raised my hand to punch the window.
Monroe slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a screeching halt. ‘Stop it.’ He didn’t raise his voice but his words were imbued with command. ‘You didn’t do this. You didn’t encourage it. You weren’t the one who came here with those weapons. This is not your fault.’
‘You said it.’ I shook my head. ‘You said that to invite all and sundry into the same community was to accept that bad things were going to happen. I was prepared to deal with those consequences – but not like this. Not someone I thought was a friend coming to a peaceful group of people and opening fire on them! Not hunting down a mermaid for no apparent reason! This isn’t like Philip or Maggie, this isn’t the magic affecting someone’s base instincts. This is someone coming out here with guns and grenades and planning to kill.’
A muscle throbbed in Monroe’s jaw. ‘They’d have done it anyway. Whether they were a part of your community or not, they’d still have done this. You’re the one who keeps talking about free will. This was the result of their free will. If Julie did this…’
‘If?’
‘So far the evidence is circumstantial. Maybe she mentioned Nimue to someone else. Maybe this wasn’t her.’
I stared at him. He hated Julie; he always had. A single tear leaked out of my eye because even now Monroe was trying to make me feel better.
I desperately wanted to cling to the thought that Julie was innocent. I desperately wanted someone else to be responsible for this, but I knew the odds. If I were going to gamble on who was responsible, I’d gamble on it being Julie.
My head dropped. Vampire or not, I’d thought I could trust her. ‘She almost destroyed the whole world,’ I mumbled. ‘Why wouldn’t she try and destroy everything else we’ve been working for?’
Monroe grabbed my hand and held it. ‘Whether this was her or not, it doesn’t make it your fault. You’re not responsible for her actions.’
I felt responsible. ‘You knew this would happen. You saw it coming a mile off.’
‘No,’ he said, ‘I didn’t.’ He sighed. ‘Let’s find Julie first and see what she has to say. She deserves that much.’
I looked at him balefully. ‘Fine,’ I said eventually. ‘Drive. Drive as fast as you fucking can.’
Monroe did as I asked and we made it across the city to the south in record time. People were standing in the streets, eyes wide, as Monroe stopped the car and we jumped out.
Lizzy and Anna wasted no time in pushing through to us.
‘What happened? What on earth’s going on?’ Anna asked.
‘Are you alright?’ Lizzy’s nostrils flared and she glanced at the car. ‘Jesus. Is that a dead body?’
‘It is.’ I smiled grimly. ‘He deserved it.’ I looked at the crowd. ‘Where’s Julie?’
Anna frowned. ‘I haven’t seen her today.’
‘Me neither,’ Lizzy said. ‘But I think Cath said something about getting hold of her in the north for a tour. She spends enough time there that she knows the place inside and out.’
Cath. I had a flash of freezing terror that Julie would hurt her. No. Julie had made considerable effort with the bogles to run away and keep her identity hidden. She wouldn’t hurt Cath, not when other people knew they were together.
I clambered on top of a car that formed part of our makeshift barricade and raised my voice. ‘Listen up!’ I yelled. ‘Something terrible happened this morning. Another community was attacked…’
Almost immediately my words were drowned out by gasps and calls of dismay. ‘Are we in danger?’
‘Who was it?’
‘It was the vampires!’
‘It was the werewolves!’
I didn’t have the patience for this. ‘It was us,’ I yelled. ‘People from our community did this! People we know went out with the sole in
tention of hurting others!’
The crowd fell silent, shock written across many of the faces that I knew well – and many of the faces that I didn’t. Some seemed disbelieving, others merely horrified.
‘We’re supposed to be pulling together!’ I yelled, my frustration and anger overtaking me in a tsunami of emotions. ‘We’re supposed to be looking out for each other! Not killing! Not hurting! Things are hard enough as it is, without us turning on ourselves!’
A woman piped up from the back of the crowd. ‘But nobody’s died here. It’s the other communities that have had deaths – the ones where those magical freaks hang out. Maybe they deserved it!’
A strange stillness overtook me. I swivelled round, picking out her face. She whitened slightly but held her ground. Part of me admired her; at least she was saying what she thought. Judging from the expressions on some of the other faces, there were plenty of people who agreed with her. This was what people did. They told themselves what they needed to hear in order to believe that they were right. The trouble was that there was nothing more dangerous than the delusions of the self-righteous.
‘I’m magical,’ I said. ‘Am I a freak?’
The woman swallowed then she lifted up her chin. ‘Maybe,’ she said.
She had pluck, I’d give her that. By my side, Monroe growled out a warning. I didn’t know if it was for me or for the woman but I didn’t care.
I smiled slowly. ‘In that case,’ I said, ‘you’re a freak too. In fact, you’re all freaks.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ someone called.
I laughed humourlessly. ‘This city is filled with magic.’ I raised my hands and trailed them through the air. ‘It’s in the air we breathe. It’s in the water we drink.’ I took a step forward then thought better of it as I nearly toppled off my perch. But I still grinned. ‘I gained magic through sleeping next to a powerful object. I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t know I was doing it. But I still did it. Did you all really think you could stay here and not be affected by magic in the same way?’
Several people exchanged glances, their bafflement growing.
‘That’s right!’ I shouted. ‘We’re all magical freaks now!’
Until Monroe and I went up City Tower, I hadn’t fully realised that the blue aura surrounding Monroe’s community was only slightly stronger than the blue aura here. The people here had magic running through their veins now, just like I did. Cath’s actions the previous night had confirmed it.
My smile grew even wider until I probably looked like some kind of crazed creature. ‘It turns out magic is like the common cold. And, like the common cold, there’s no cure for it.’
The muttering grew. ‘She’s nuts. She’s finally lost it.’ Then one of the younger men flicked out his hand. A bolt of something green shot up into the air and exploded into a cascading rainbow of colour over his head.
‘She’s right,’ he said. ‘I thought it was only me but I can do magic. I can do … things.’
A few others nodded. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who’d been experimenting.
‘You see?’ I said. ‘By choosing to stay in Manchester, you’ve chosen to accept the consequences – and the consequences are that we’re all enchanters. We’re all witches and wizards or whatever the hell you want to call us.’ My voice hardened. ‘We’re in this together, no matter who or what we are.’ I glared. ‘Unless you try to hurt or maim or kill another person. Do that, and I will find out who you are and there will be consequences. This might be a magical society but it’s not a lawless one. Justice will be dispensed.’ I wasn’t sure anyone was paying much attention; they were all too flabbergasted by the revelation that they had their own magic.
Monroe reached over and squeezed my hand. ‘Go on,’ I said to him. ‘Say it.’
‘Say what, sunshine?’
‘“I told you so”. Say “I told you so”.’ I looked down at him.
His blue eyes crinkled at the corners. ‘I wouldn’t dare,’ he smiled. ‘You’re pretty scary when you get going.’ His expression altered and his gaze dropped. ‘If I wasn’t such a dangerous person to be around, we’d be good together.’
I pulled my hand away. ‘So now we can’t be around each other because of one daft theory? Because you might not be able to contain your wolf? Monroe, if that was an issue, it would have already caused problems. It’s not the issue. I was wrong.’
‘I told you. I have too many deaths on my conscience. I won’t put you in danger too.’
I opened my mouth to continue arguing when there was an inarticulate shout from near the car. It was Anna – and from her tone it was important. I hopped down from my vantage point. All around me, people were buzzing, staring at their fingers, trying to get magic to spout forth. Some were successful; others needed more practice.
I ignored them and pushed my way through. ‘What is it?’ I asked her. ‘What’s the problem? Do you know him?’
Anna’s body language was stiff and unyielding and her lips were pressed together in a thin, taut line. ‘I vaguely recognise his face. But that’s not it, Charley. That’s not the problem.’
I stared at her. ‘Then what?’
She pointed down at the corpse. The car door was open and one of his arms was dangling out of it. It wasn’t a pleasant picture – I’ll give you that – but I still didn’t see what the problem was.
‘His tattoo,’ Anna said. ‘Look at his tattoo.’
I glanced down at the body’s bare forearm. It wasn’t a large design but it was certainly distinct: a dagger wrapped in barbed wire and dripping blood.
‘It’s the same,’ Anna told me. ‘It’s exactly the same as the doodle in Valerie’s diary. This is the third man she was sleeping with. The one I couldn’t find.’ Her face was pale as she paused so we could consider the ramifications. ‘What are the odds that these deaths are unconnected?’
A grim darkness descended on me. ‘Not good. Not good at all.’ Just how much blood and sorrow was Julie responsible for? I shook my head. We had to find her before anyone else got hurt. I didn’t know what she was doing or how she was doing it, but she was involved. She had to be.
I spun round again and started marching in the opposite direction, ignoring the bustle of excited people. Yeah, they had magic – but we also had a murderer in our midst.
‘Where are you going?’ Lizzy asked, catching up. Anna was right beside her.
‘Julie’s house,’ I bit out. ‘Even if she’s not there, there might be some clue or some evidence about what she’s done. These deaths are tied together. I can’t see how or why, but they’re linked somehow.’
Monroe joined us, his features as dark as my thoughts. ‘You think she might have persuaded Philip to go after Valerie?’
‘Perhaps. Maybe she helped him and that’s why every last drop of Valerie’s blood was gone.’
‘There was only one set of puncture wounds,’ Anna reminded me.
I shoved my hands into my pockets and walked faster. ‘Perhaps it was all Julie. Perhaps she killed Valerie and pinned the blame on Philip. He was a loner. He would have been a convenient target to take the fall.’
‘And the scratches on Philip? What about those?’ Monroe asked. ‘Or Maggie? What about her?’
‘Maybe Julie manipulated Maggie into killing Philip. Julie is an actress – and a very good one. Maybe she managed the crime scene and planted the idea of the scratches into our heads.’
‘And then,’ Monroe questioned, ‘she manipulated that guy back there to go with her to Boggart Hole to kill Nimue? She’s on a random murder spree and is getting others to join her as she goes along?’
I stopped suddenly in my tracks. Damn it. There were far too many leaps of logic. ‘It doesn’t make any sense,’ I admitted.
‘No,’ he agreed. ‘And people don’t like Julie. They hold her responsible for a lot of what’s happened. You’re just about her only friend. To imagine that she managed to get these others on her side and follow her into commit
ting these crimes … it doesn’t seem credible.’
‘It doesn’t fit together, either,’ Anna interjected. She looked at me sternly. ‘The first rule of any investigation is to focus on the hard evidence, not to fill in gaps with ideas and conjecture. Stop speculating. Let’s focus on what we know and use that as the basis to work out what we don’t know.’
I passed a hand over my face. That made sense. ‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Okay.’ I was letting my wild thoughts take over and joining dots where perhaps there weren’t any dots to join. I sighed. Jumping to conclusions wasn’t going to help anyone. But unfortunately neither could we ignore what facts we already had. ‘Right now, it looks like the deaths are connected. Julie is the only suspect we have who’s alive, other than Maggie. We have to find her.’ I glanced at Anna. ‘Agreed?’
She smiled at me. ‘Agreed. You’ll make an excellent detective yet, Charley.’
I certainly bloody hoped not. I never thought I’d miss the day when all I had to deal with were petty squabbles and complaints over gluten-free cereal bars. I managed a smile. Just about. ‘At least we’re getting somewhere,’ I said. ‘We have more information now than we had an hour ago. Whatever is going on here – and whatever we’re dealing with – we have more of the puzzle pieces.’
‘That’s my ray of sunshine,’ Monroe murmured. He smiled at me but I could see the sadness in his eyes. Once this was done, I knew with absolute certainty that he would cut all ties with me. He’d already decided there wasn’t any choice. I reckoned I only had until these deaths were solved to change his mind.
I set my jaw. I wasn’t alone. I could do this. All of this. The alternative wasn’t worth thinking about.
Chapter Twenty-Two
There was nothing to go on in Julie’s house: it was empty of both the vampire actress and any clues that she was involved. Unless vast quantities of gin could be counted as a contributing factor to murder.
I wasn’t sure whether I should be relieved or dismayed at the lack of hard evidence. ‘Monroe and I will have to go to the north and see if we can find her there,’ I said decisively. ‘Maybe she’s still with Cath.’
