Any Other Name (The Split Worlds) - By Emma Newman Page 0,51
the end of the corridor. “My boss will be in the office by now.”
Max observed the continuation of the décor in the apartment and how the bands of metal crossed the door with only a millimetre’s gap where it sat flush in the frame. Taking out his knuckle-duster, he reached up and scored into the plaster work near the top. As he’d suspected, there was a strip of metal sunk into the wall and covered over, meaning the metal continued unbroken around the doorway and down the other side of the hallway.
He confirmed it was present in all the rooms as he listened to Sam stumbling over an excuse to his boss. In the bedroom Max noted a large metal light-fitting hanging over the bed and suspected it was connected to the rest of the metal.
Max switched on the light, moved behind the bedroom door to a place where the rail wouldn’t be in constant view and scratched the layer of copper and lacquer off a small section. He rummaged in his backpack – it was hard to find his tools when they weren’t in the correct pockets on his person – and found his mini-screwdriver kit. The magnetised tip was enough to confirm his suspicion that iron lay underneath the copper.
After dropping the tool back into the bag and checking for mundane bugs and cameras, Max went to the living-room window and examined the gap between the triple glazing and a fine mesh laid between the inner two panes. It was only noticeable at a certain angle thanks to the sunlight breaking through the winter clouds. “Very subtle.”
He sat on a chair opposite Sam, plucked a small notebook from the depths of the rucksack and pulled out the pencil tucked into the spine.
“So how does it look to you?” Sam asked, trying to see what he was drawing. “Anything dodgy? Cameras hidden in the bedroom?”
“There are no hidden cameras,” Max said.
“Well, that’s something,” Sam said. “You checked everywhere, right? And you know what to look for?”
“I did and I do. Who does your wife work for?”
“Pin PR. They do all the communications and marketing for loads of different companies. She’s not one of those PR bunnies though. Leanne’s high up and runs international campaigns.”
Max flipped onto a new page in the notebook.
Wife works for Pin PR
High up in company
Who do they promote?
No rabbits
Then he went back to the original page. “And you’re certain her boss recommended the forge where you made your wedding rings?”
“Positive. He told me himself. He said he used it for his own wedding. So what’s with all the questions? Is there something else wrong with it?”
“Is there anything about her work that makes you uncomfortable?”
“You know you’re starting to freak me out now, right?” Sam moved to the edge of the sofa.
“I’m sorry,” Max said, “I need a little more information before I can decide what to share with you.” He tried to look reassuring, but as it always had with any innocent, it just made Sam squirm nervously. Max let his face fall back into its natural position.
“Anything about her work… Well, they make her work crazy hours, but she enjoys it. This apartment is top-notch but she pays a tiny rent because it’s subsidised by the company.”
Apartment provided by employer
Max added to the list. “Go on.”
“Her boss is called Marcus Neugent. Look, you said you’re not a private eye, but you know how to investigate people, don’t you? I mean, you do that to protect innocents, right?” When Max nodded, Sam leaned forward. “Then I think you should look into Neugent. I’ve never liked him.”
Max added his name to the list. “I’ll do that. What does he look like?”
“He’s in his fifties… greying hair, really blue eyes. So is there something weird about this place?”
Max jotted down the description and then looked up at Sam. “This apartment has been warded.”
“Warded? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s protected against other influences. Now, I don’t think they’ve warded it specifically against sorcerous magic, I don’t see any of the markers for that. It seems to be warded against the Fae.”
“Eh?”
“The copper strips, the horseshoe design on the door… copper renders the Fae’s minions inert if they come into contact with it, and the Fae themselves hate it.”
“That’s why you put on those weird plated gloves before you went through to grab Lady Rose that night we got Cathy’s uncle back?”
“Yes, it makes them weak. The copper design here is only plating though. There are bands of