Moody, with a notation, “Ask him if you have any questions.” The other file documented the monthly bills, including utilities, insurance, and Ragnar’s tuition.
Runa raised her head. “She knew she was going to die. That’s why she moved the files where I would see them right away.”
“It looks that way,” Bern said.
“I don’t understand.” Runa leaned forward, her hands rolled into fists. “Why didn’t she tell me? All she had to do was pick up the phone. Why didn’t she hire somebody? Some sort of bodyguard?”
Those were all good questions. “There is more.”
Bern reached over and tapped a couple of keys. A video filled the screen.
“Your mother recorded this on the day of her death just before midnight,” Bern said.
“We haven’t watched it,” I said. “Would you like some privacy?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Bern and I stepped out into the hallway and I shut the door behind us.
“That financial summary bothers me,” I said quietly. “Sigourney dumped a two-million-dollar investment with Diatheke, Ltd., on the day she died.”
“I saw that,” Bern said. “That’s a large amount.”
“It was also Sunday. What sort of investment firm or bank is open on Sunday?”
“A good question.”
So far, we had this mysterious payment and Alessandro. Those were our only leads. If only I had gotten to Conway in time.
“Did you have time to look into Conway?” I asked.
Bern frowned. “I pulled his credit report. He has a line of credit from Texas State Employee Credit Union. Most likely, his accounts are there. All the first responders, cops, and firefighters bank there. They shell out the big bucks for online security. The guy who set up their system is a Significant cryptomage. It will take days to break, if I can do it at all. Not only is it illegal, but they’ll come after me. Do you still want me to do it?”
Too risky. If they caught Bern, they would make an example out of him. He would be the dirty hacker who compromised the hard-earned money of Texas heroes. Bern would serve real time and we would be done as a firm and a House.
“No,” I told him. “Conway is a dead end. It’s not worth it.”
“Okay,” he said.
The door swung open. Runa stood in the doorway. Tears wet her face. “You need to see this.”
Bern and I followed her into the conference room. She reached toward the keyboard with trembling fingers and pressed enter. Sigourney Etterson filled the screen. She looked like an older copy of Runa: same wild red hair, same almost translucent skin, and same sharp green eyes.
“Hi sweetheart,” Sigourney said. “I’m afraid this isn’t a happy message, but I don’t want you to be sad. Sometimes bad things happen. I don’t regret my actions. I did what I felt was right. I love you so much. I’m so proud of you. You grew up to be a great person. You’re kind, and responsible, and so smart. I couldn’t wish for a better daughter.”
Her words were like claws scratching on my heart.
“If I don’t make it, you have to take care of your brother and sister. You have to be the Head of the House. It’s a lot, but you can do it, darling.”
A dark shadow moved behind Sigourney, approaching from the depths of the house, little more than a silhouette.
“I’ve named you as the executor of my estate. There will be a sharp learning curve. Dennis can answer some of your questions, but the primary burden will be on you. I don’t trust anyone else enough to put them in charge of your inheritance.”
The shadow glided forward.
“I’m sorry—” Sigourney fell silent in mid-sentence. Her gaze turned blank. Thick red drops slid from her eyes, ears, and mouth, painting crimson tracks down her pale face.
A gloved hand reached over Sigourney’s shoulder to the keyboard. The video stopped.
He’d killed her. I couldn’t explain how I knew it was a he, but I felt it deep in the pit of my stomach. He’d murdered Sigourney and he hadn’t bothered to delete the video. The brutality of it was shocking. He just erased her like she was never there. Without laying a finger on her.
If he came for my family and I wasn’t here, he would slaughter everyone.
Runa wiped her tears with her fingers. Her words came out sharp, as if they cut her mouth. “What kind of magic is that?”
“Probably a carnifex mage,” I said. The instant internal injury fit their MO. Carnifexes normally went for the heart, not the brain. Anything protected by bone presented