Kinya’s eyes widened. She looked genuinely shocked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. There was no spell, just a little come-on, that’s all.”
“You’re lying,” Butch said. “You admitted it already!”
“No! There was no spell. I already told you, I agreed to show you a good time, but that was it. I draw the line there. I don’t know what happened to your fiancé, but it wasn’t me. I’m sorry.”
Butch was glaring at her, clearly not believing a word of it. I sized her up, considering everything she’d said. I knew better than to trust her, but I was having trouble seeing a motive for her to lie. She’d already admitted to seducing Butch. Why lie about the rest of it?
“Who paid you?” I said.
“I don’t know. Some guy I’ve never met before. He was older. I assumed he had a thing for your fiancé.”
“So you really were trying to break us up?” Butch said. “You and this other character, you were trying to destroy my marriage!”
His hands tightened on his crutches and I could just imagine him hefting one of them up and using it as a weapon. I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. “Easy,” I said. “I promised we’d get to the bottom of this. That’s what we’re doing.”
I turned my fierce gaze on Kinya. “If you don’t start spilling the beans I might just leave Butch here alone with you for a while. Got it?”
Kinya looked worried. She bent forward sobbing, and dropped her head into her hands. “I don’t know what else you want. I already told you everything.”
“Tell us more about this character, the guy that paid you,” I said. “What did he look like? Where did you meet?”
“He came up to me at the coffee shop,” she said. “He’d been watching me and I thought he was some sort of creep, so I told him to get lost. That’s when he said he had a job for me. Said he’d pay me five thousand bucks for one day’s work.
“Naturally I thought it was something awful. I said I was going to call the cops, but he assured me it was nothing like that. He said he wanted to stop something bad from happening. Said a friend of his was getting married to the wrong girl. He just wanted me to throw a monkey wrench into the works. I didn’t even know it was you, Butch, until I saw you.”
“So you’re saying it was just a coincidence that you went to school with Butch?” I said. “This guy that hired you didn’t even mention the connection?”
“Not a word. I don’t know if he knew, but he didn’t say anything to me about it. I just figured it’s a small world, right?”
“Yeah, maybe,” I murmured. “Tell me about the guy.”
“I already told you what I know. He was a dwarf. Older, well-dressed, looked like he had plenty of money.”
“What kind of car did he drive?”
“I didn’t see.”
“What about his name? He must have said something.”
“Nope, he never said his name and I never asked. He paid up front, in cash. Said if I took the money and then didn’t do the job, I’d be sorry. I believed him.”
I took off my hat and scratched the back of my head, considering it all. I could see the pieces of the puzzle falling into place, but I didn’t like the image I was getting. I suddenly hoped I was wrong.
“What do you think, Boss?” Butch said.
I stared at him, considering whether I should tell him what I really thought. I decided against it. “I think she’s telling the truth,” I said. “There’s one thing I’m not totally clear on yet, though. The spell.”
“I already told you there was no spell.”
“Tell me about that bandage,” I said. “What happened to your hand?”
She held her palm out; staring as if she’d just realized the bandage was there. “I forgot!” she said. “That was how we sealed the deal. He said he needed three drops of blood. That was how he’d know if I lived up to my end of the bargain.”
“I don’t know much about magic,” I admitted, “but that sounds like a spell to me. Whoever hired you, he used your blood to cast a spell on Butch’s fiancé.”
“What about the witch?” Butch said.
I sighed. “I don’t know. Siva said the apparition we saw may have been part of the spell.”
“You mean she wasn’t even real?”
“We’ve seen stranger things, haven’t we?”
He stared at me. “I suppose you’re right. So how do we find him, then? How do we find this character and make him undo the spell?”
“We don’t have to. Siva can undo this without him. It’s the blood she’s after, remember?”
We turned our gaze on Kinya and she shrank fearfully. “Relax,” I said calmly. “It won’t hurt. She’ll just need a few drops.”
“No way,” Kinya said. “I’m done with this… I told you everything I know.” She snatched up the cordless phone from the end table next to the couch and held it out threateningly. “I have 911 on speed dial. If you two don’t get out of here now, I’m calling the cops!”
I leapt forward and grabbed her by the wrists. “No, you don’t!” I said angrily. Fear washed over her features. People don’t realize how fast I can move when I want to. I put a little pressure on her, and the phone fell to the floor.
“You can’t do this!” she screamed. “I’ll… I’m going to…”
And with that, her eyes rolled back in her head and she went limp, collapsing into the chair. I stepped back, looking down at her. Butch was smiling appreciatively. “Ah, what a gift you have,” he said.
I didn’t bother pointing out that my “gift” was the reason that almost every fae creature out there thinks I’m a complete imbecile. I checked my watch. “We’d better get moving,” I said. “Who’s getting her dressed?”
“Not me, I’m married!” Butch said emphatically. “If Talia found out, she’d skin me alive.”
I stared down at Kinya’s limp body. The bathrobe didn’t seem uncomfortable. It looked heavy enough to keep her warm. “We’ll take her like this,” I said, bending over to lift her off the chair. “Let’s get moving.”
Siva wasn’t thrilled when Butch and I showed up at her house for the second night in a row. I could tell her patience was wearing thin, so I got right to the point. “This is the girl,” I said, gesturing to Kinya. “Her name is Kinya Fairweather, and it was her blood that put the curse on Talia.”
Kinya was standing there in her bathrobe looking absolutely terrified. Waking up on a boat deep in the Canals had been bad enough, but when we got to Siva’s place and Kinya saw the zombie-dwarf butler, she nearly became hysterical. I told her to keep her mouth shut and take her medicine, and if she did, she’d be back safe back at home in an hour. I guess she believed me because she got very quiet. Or maybe she had just gone catatonic. I didn’t care much either way, as long as she was behaving.
“I see,” Siva said, looking her up and down. She had the look of a wolf eyeing a lost lamb, and Kinya definitely had the look of the lost lamb. She was out of her environment in the worst possible way. “What say you, girl?”
“I did it,” Kinya said. “Kind of, anyway. I’ll undo it if I can… I’m just not sure how.”
“Come to me,” Siva said with a smile. She reached for Kinya’s hand and then quickly pulled off the bandage. She inspected the wound. Kinya looked away as Siva pressed her lips to the cut on her palm. It was all over in a moment, and Siva went into a quiet trance with her eyes closed.
After a few moments, they snapped open and she gave us a mysterious smile. “It is done,” she said.
“Done?” Butch echoed. “Just like that?”
“Your bride is freed of the curse,” Siva said. She turned her gaze on Kinya. The poor girl looked like she was about to have a heart attack. “Let this be a lesson to you,” she said.
Kinya nodded fearfully. At that moment, Butch’s cell phone started ringing. He snapped it open. “Yes? She is? Tell her I’m on my way! I’m leaving right now!” He looked like a completely different man as he h
ung up. “That was Talia’s father. She’s awake! Thank you, Siva!” He jumped forward and threw his arms around her. “How can I pay you back? Just tell me.”
“I’ll tell you when the time comes,” she said thoughtfully. I grimaced, wondering what her price might be. Dealing with fairy creatures is bad enough. Dark fae… that’s a whole different story. If Butch had been smart he would’ve said “thanks” and let that be the end of it.
“Now, go to your bride!” Siva urged. “Go on.”
Butch stumbled toward the hallway with Kinya at his heels. I watched them disappear around the corner and then gave Siva a knowing stare. “Don’t think for a second that I don’t know who cast that spell,” I said. “I know it was you.”
She smiled wickedly, licking her bloodstained lips. “You distrust me so, and yet you’ve brought sacrifices to me twice,” she said cleverly. “I don’t know what to think of you Steward.”
“Doesn’t matter much what you think of me,” I said flatly. “Just don’t think I’m a fool.”
She reached out to take my hand. I pulled it away, but she grasped it again just as she had on the day of the wedding. I stared at her, confounded. I’m not used to fae creatures who can touch me. It somehow seems wrong.
“You see to the heart of things, Steward,” she said, staring into my eyes. “Do you know why I did it?”
“Because you were paid to, I assume,” I said. “That is what you do, isn’t it?”
Her gaze strayed, as if she felt a moment of shame. Instantly it was back, fierce as ever. “I make no apologies for what I am,” she said.
“You don’t have to. But you could have told me the truth from the beginning. You’ve known who did this all along and you didn’t say a word.”
“It is not my place to interfere. And it would not have been right to expose a client publicly.”
“I suppose not,” I said. “That would have been humiliating for him, right there in front of everyone.”
“Indeed.”
“It still will be,” I said. “He won’t be able to keep this a secret.”
“It is often so.”
I was frustrated, angry at the fact that Siva had let Butch and me go through everything we had, when she’d had the answers all along. I pulled away from her, turning to go.
“Don’t forget my warning,” she reminded me as I crossed to the doorway. “Remain vigilant, Steward.”
She turned away from me and returned to her desk. She lifted the quill pen and began writing, just as she had been when I’d first arrived the previous night. There was nothing else to say. I stepped into the hall and followed after Butch and Kinya.
I wasn’t ready to admit it to myself yet, but I’d had a growing sense of unease for weeks, a sense that things were going to change. At first, I’d chalked it up to my own moodiness, and to too much human food and alcohol. Then I told myself it was the situation with Flick’s murder, the complication of Talia’s curse and the fact that Butch had decided to retire. But I felt things coming to a close now, and the feeling of dread was stronger than ever.
I considered this for a few minutes as I made the trek back to the boat, and then I pushed it out of my mind. If Siva was right, there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Bad times happen. You can try to prepare, but the odds are you’ll prepare for one thing and get hit with something completely different. Devoting my thoughts and energy to some future event that may or may not happen seemed silly. I had plenty to deal with in the now.
Back in the boat, Butch seemed to notice my dark mood. “Everything all right?” he said.
I shrugged. “Right as ever. Let’s get you back to your wife.” I fired up the engine and hit the throttle.
Chapter 13
We dropped Kinya off at her apartment and I drove Butch back to his in-laws’ place in Sonoma. Talia rushed out to meet us as we pulled into the driveway. She looked frail and unsteady after having slept for so long, but she was none the worse for the wear. Butch was beyond ecstatic. Dwana hovered in the background, watching the happily reunited couple. She seemed pleased for them, but I couldn’t be sure how much of that was genuine. Knowing her, she’d be plotting to split them up again before the honeymoon was over. The rest of the family was there also, including Butch’s parents, and all seemed equally pleased.
It was nice to see Butch and Talia together again and so happy, but with that parting scene I couldn’t help but sense changes in the wind. Butch was retiring. He’d been a valuable asset to me over the years, especially when he was sober. And a good friend, too. But those days were over now. Butch was moving on. Within hours, he’d be on his way to some exotic locale for a long-awaited honeymoon and I’d be without a partner.
I couldn’t help but feel in some small way that while Butch was taking a step forward with his life, I was stuck in the same eternal quagmire. Even as I watched the two of them with a smile on my face, the sense of isolation I felt was growing around me. Talia gave me a quick hug and I shook Butch’s hand, quite hastily of course. The last thing I wanted to do was leave him in a coma after all we’d done to get Talia out of hers.
“I best get back to the city,” I said at last. “I hope you two have a wonderful honeymoon.” I turned to leave, but Butch called out after me.
“Hey, Hank! What about the guy who paid Kinya? Don’t you want to find out who was responsible?”
I shot a glance at Butch’s parents. They were standing arm in arm, smiling as they watched their son reunited with his bride. When Butch asked the question, I noticed the smile on his father’s face waver. I stared at him for a second. “I don’t think it’s necessary,” I said. “What’s done is done. I don’t think you two will have any more trouble.”
I crawled back into my Blazer, pretending I didn’t see the look of relief that swept across Butch’s father’s face. Butch was too distracted to realize it, but he should have known me well enough to realize that I wouldn’t walk away from a case without all the answers. He should have known that I already knew who the culprit was. If he’d been thinking more clearly, he may have even figured out that it was his own father.
As I drove down the hill and saw the lights of Sonoma sparkling across the valley, I knew in the back of my mind that it was just a matter of time until Butch figured things out. He was distracted with his wife, and with his upcoming honeymoon, but eventually he’d have the time to reflect on this little adventure. I wondered how he’d feel once he realized it was his father who had perpetrated the whole thing. Would they fight? Would Butch forgive him? I suspected he would, since I knew as well as anyone the reason behind his actions. He’d done it for his wife. She hadn’t approved of Talia and she was worried about Butch’s future with the wild young elf.
Knowing this, and loving his wife as much as he did, and wanting to keep her happy, Butch’s father had gone to Siva for advice. It was she who had planted the seed of deception in his mind. It was Siva who had suggested that he find one of Butch’s old girlfriends, and it was Siva who’d offered up the spell. In the end, Siva got everything she wanted and more. She been paid to cast the spell in cash. She’d been paid with the blood of a naive young woman not once, but three times. She’d profited both in wealth and power, and that was exactly the sort of thing that made Siva dangerous. That was the nature of dark fae.
I couldn’t help but note the irony of the fact that it had all started as an act of love. Butch’s father had loved his wife so much that he would have done anything to keep her happy, even at the expense of his own son. It’s a story as old as time. Romeo and Juliet didn’t die because of a cruel villain, but because of their own inescapable passion. Sensible people have abandoned their families, turned their back on their responsibilities, and even committed murder, and done it all in the name of love. They say money is the root of all evil. That may be true, but if it is, love comes in a close second.
Sometime during the drive back home, the twinkling stars vanished behind a thick marine-layer and the fog closed in a
round me, smothering the hills like a familiar old blanket. By the time I reached the Golden Gate, I couldn’t see more than ten feet in front of my Blazer and the mist on my windshield was thick as rain. I’d reduced my speed to about twenty miles per hour. The red marker lights of the bridge were barely visible overhead, casting an ominous glow through the mist.
I rolled down the window and sucked in a deep breath of the misty ocean air. At last, the adrenaline was fading. A calm sense of satisfaction washed over me. All things considered, I felt pretty good about how things had turned out. I’d found Flick’s killer and brought him to justice. I had uncovered the conspiracy between the Kevyles and the corrupt Detective Malone, and I’d even managed to lift Talia’s curse (with a little help of course).
And suddenly, finally, I had absolutely nothing to do.
I inhaled the salty smell of the bay and smiled, savoring the moment. Tired as I was, I couldn’t help myself. I took the long way home. I had the quiet dark city streets all to myself and I was like a ship in the night, passing through the fog completely unobserved, and for the moment, unconcerned.
When I finally returned to the Treetop Apartment building I stopped by the jailhouse to check my messages before going to bed. I found the place dark and quiet. In fact, the entire atrium under the Mother tree was like a ghost town. It was as if the entire fae community had somehow realized that I had finished my job, and they were all basking in the glory of a cool, foggy night. Nights like that are opium to the fae. Even as an ogre I can’t help but feel a stirring in my soul when the city is quiet and the mist washes everything out into a murky haze and the land looks like it must have a thousand years ago, when men still believed in us and we still believed in men.
I took a minute to clear the junk mail out of my computer and listened to the lone voice mail on the answering machine. It was a telemarketer. I hit the DELETE button before he got to the third word. I saw the shot glasses sitting on my desk and I was tempted to have another drink before bed, but I knew the alcohol would interfere with my sleep and probably give me heartburn to boot. It was time to clean my system out for a few days, maybe even go vegetarian for a while.
Death in the Hallows (Hank Mossberg, Private Ogre Book 2) Page 19