in life that are just not done,” he said, his tone measured. “Abandoning a wife and three children after soiling the family name is one of them. I was always fond of Sigourney. She had been dealt a lousy hand and she handled it with grace.”
“Is that why you chose her as the Gold Staff?”
“Yes. It was a small thing I could do for her. So, to answer your question, Diatheke tried to hire her because if she came to visit me, I would let her in. I might share food with her, like we’re doing now. I would not suspect her. She was my friend. I take it she refused?”
“She did,” Alessandro said.
“Did she hire you?” Linus asked.
“Yes.”
Linus turned to me. “And your part in this?”
“Halle is missing. Someone, probably Diatheke, killed Sigourney and planted a second corpse at the scene before burning the house to the ground. I suspect Diatheke is holding Halle hostage, for whatever reason. Runa hired me to get her back.”
Linus shook his head. “Sigourney should’ve come to me . . .”
“She had a history with Diatheke,” Alessandro said. “Years ago.”
She might not have wanted Linus to know about it.
Linus threw the knife on the table and stepped away from it. An odd expression claimed his face, a mix of sadness and rage. He stared at the knife for a long breath, not really seeing it, then his face relaxed into his familiar friendly expression. He imposed it over his grief like a mask. The effort of will it had required must have been staggering.
“Have you made any progress?” he asked.
“We know that someone called Magdalene is involved and possibly holding Halle.”
“The name doesn’t ring a bell. What else?”
“Diatheke tried to kill you,” Alessandro said. “There is that.”
“We were hoping you could tell us why.”
Linus smiled. “My dear, on any given day there may be a number of people trying to kill me. I didn’t just put together my arsenal for your visit. It’s a necessity.”
Alessandro leaned forward, his expression harsh, his gaze focused. “Benedict operates in your city. You know him. He’s calculating and careful. Trying to eliminate you is a risky move. If he failed, it would put the firm into your crosshairs, and they bend over backward to avoid drawing official attention. The reward must have outweighed the risk. This is more than just money. What would he have to gain from your death?”
“That is the question. I’ll have to think on it. Let’s eat. The food is getting cold.”
He brought the meat to the table. We passed things around, putting together our fajitas.
“By the way,” I said, sprinkling cheese on top of the meat. “Have you ever heard of warped mages?”
Affable Linus vanished in a blink. His gaze pinned me, his eyes iced over and focused. Fear punched through my spine in an electrifying jolt. He was looking at me like he was about to hurt me. I sat very still.
“Did you kill one?” Linus’ voice snapped, harsh and commanding.
I looked into his eyes and knew with absolute certainty that I had to answer the question. “Yes.”
Magic flared around Alessandro. His eyes sparked with orange. “Don’t take that tone with her.”
“Did you take pictures?”
“No.”
Linus looked at me as if I had been unforgivably stupid.
“It was running around in ‘your city’ and we killed it.” Alessandro leaned forward, the Italian Count forgotten. “A thank-you is in order.”
We could never do this again. Putting Linus and Alessandro into the same room was like throwing a mongoose and a cobra into a pit.
“How could you not have taken pictures? Your generation takes pictures of everything.” The cold hardness in Linus’ eyes didn’t ease. It was like being face-to-face with an attack dog, expecting a charge but not knowing what would set him off. One wrong word and we would meet a hail of bullets.
“There wasn’t time. Besides, we kept his bones.” I braced myself.
Linus paused. “Where are they?”
“In the warehouse.”
“Where in the warehouse?”
“They’re in a plastic bin, locked in the weapons cage.”
“Who else knows?” Linus asked.
“Just the two of us. Well, the three of us, now.”
Some of the tension eased from his face. Linus pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number.
“Go to the Baylor warehouse. There will be a plastic bin with bones waiting for you. I need you to identify them. Don’t wait, do it there. Call me when you’re done. Once identified, transport the bones and secure them in the Scroll vault. On my authority.”