Unhallowed (Rath and Rune #1) - Jordan L. Hawk Page 0,84
had a gun.
Waite leveled a glare at Sebastian, then at Ves and Noct. “I’m trying to clear my name, you idiot. But perhaps you’re the one who should be explaining himself, given you’re consorting with otherworldly horrors.”
“You poisoned me!” Ves exclaimed. Noct let out a gasp, and his tentacles tightened.
“I most certainly did not,” Waite snapped back. “Of course I wanted the position for my cousin, but I wasn’t about to start murdering people over it. Though obviously I didn’t know you aren’t a person.”
“How dare you?” Sebastian took a threatening step forward.
Waite ignored him. “And I’d never heard of this Book of Breath until Mr. Quinn ordered us to search the library for it.”
Ves grabbed Sebastian’s arm, holding him back. “I poured my coffee myself. I brought it back to the bindery and put it down. The spirit conveniently caused a disturbance in the staff room, drawing me out of the bindery, and when I returned you were there waiting.”
“And you had rat poison in your desk.” Sebastian folded his arms over his chest. “How do you explain that?”
Wait rolled his eyes. “Obviously I was framed. Do you really think I’m stupid enough to hide a murder weapon in my own desk? And as for being in the bindery, I got there only moments before you returned. If you were gone long enough, someone else could easily have slipped inside, poisoned your coffee, and left.”
“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” Ves asked Sebastian. “Or is he just trying to trick us?”
“To what end?” Waite demanded. “It isn’t as though the police are going to arrest me. Unless you want to appear in court and explain why the poison didn’t so much as inconvenience you.”
“He has a point,” Sebastian said reluctantly. “But the engagement with Irene…”
“If I’d actually done what I’m being accused of, I’d be trying to convince her of my innocence, not you lot.” Waite’s lips curled in distaste. “Instead I’m following Sebastian around town, trying to find some way to exonerate myself.”
Ves came to a decision. “All right. We need to get to the library as soon as possible, and Waite has a vehicle. If he tries anything, I can just strangle him from the back seat.”
It was an empty threat, but Waite didn’t know that. He went pale, but didn’t object when Sebastian climbed into the passenger seat in the front, and Ves and Noct piled in the back.
They sped off down the street. Ves gripped Noct, and his brother held him in return, their tentacles intertwined. It was unspeakably good to have Noct back with him, safe and sound.
Even if they were heading into danger.
Meteorites streaked the sky above, flaring bright for a few seconds as they tumbled toward earth. Auroral colors licked the northernmost edge of the horizon, there and then gone.
“It’s starting,” Ves said.
The museum at last came into view. The auto slowed as it approached the marble stairs and the main entrance. Light streamed from within, and the banner announcing the comet lecture and fundraiser flapped in the wind. Attendants helped men and women into and out of carriages and autos. The male guests wore fine tuxedos, and the women dripped with diamonds and furs. Ves couldn’t even imagine what their lives must be like.
“We can’t go in that way,” Sebastian said. “We’ll need to use the staff exit.”
“It’ll be locked,” Waite pointed out.
“Then I’ll break it down if I must.” Ves met Sebastian’s gaze. “Fagerlie had to get in somehow. He wasn’t exactly dressed subtly, so I’d guess he didn’t use the main door.”
Waite guided the auto around the side of the museum and down an alleyway mostly used for service. The staff door swung open in the breeze, creaking back and forth.
Waite brought the automobile to a halt and shut off the engine. Ves got out and waited while Noct clambered on his back. Sebastian led the way to the door, and the rest followed.
The corridor beyond was plain in appearance and lined with specimen cabinets along the walls and pipes on the ceiling. “Is this the storage area?” Ves asked.
“One of them.” Sebastian started off confidently down the hall. “We shouldn’t run into anyone at this time of night, with the comet lecture confined to the front of the museum. If we do, I’ll signal you to hide while I deal with them.”
They made their way through a bewildering maze of stairs, halls, and doors. Though the layout of the library had a known purpose now, there was