“Will the ghouls be able to see through what you’ve done?” Gil asked. “We were told that they would be able to do an autopsy.”
“My daughters and I will follow them over to Celik Funeral Home and break the illusion for them.” Her dark eyes dropped to the rug, which the fox magic had rendered seemingly beige and unmarked again. “Remember that once we do that, everything will break. You’ll need a carpet steamer, and definitely get a new cover for that ghastly chair.”
Dahlia nodded, her mouth pressed into a thin line. “We can manage, thank you.” The sirens were nearly at the house. “If you’ll excuse us—”
“Of course.” Chiyo motioned her daughters into the kitchen as the bears went out to meet the owners of the siren. Suze caught my wrist and towed me along.
The kitchen was, unsurprisingly, beige, with a few touches of dark wood trim that matched the cabinets. The three kitsune collapsed into the chairs that ringed the small breakfast table. I couldn’t help but notice that Takara was still completely naked.
She looked mentally fried, and I wondered whether she needed a reminder about her state of nature. “Um, Takara . . . the police are here, you know.”
Suzume snorted and leaned against the counter. “Don’t hassle her, Fort. A naked girl in the kitchen is the last thing the police or the paramedics will expect to see. I could pull this trick in my sleep—all they’ll see is yet another group of grieving relatives.”
“That’s very helpful of you, Suzu-chan,” Chiyo said in a tone that suggested that Suzume was often much less than helpful. “Speaking of helpful, I wish you’d do something about Keiko. It’s silly of her to extend her pregnancy like this. I can’t imagine why she would go nine months on two legs instead of seven and a half weeks on four legs.”
Suze darted me a quick look, and I suddenly realized that Keiko’s aunt apparently knew less about what she was actually up to than I did. “It’s hard to say, Auntie. Maybe she saw Yuzumi recently.” Suze’s voice was completely serene.
And apparently effective at muddying the conversational waters. Chiyo’s eyebrows knit together in irritation. “Suzume, really, how can you even—”
Takara’s head was cushioned in her arms, but she jumped in. “I don’t blame her. The triplets are about as destructive as the German Luftwaffe. Saving seven months can’t be worth eighteen years of that.”
“I was talking with Hoshi last week,” Midori added. “She thinks that Keiko has the right idea—she’s considering staying two-legged for her pregnancy. Thinks it’ll be easier in the long run, even with the cost of maternity clothes. Or maybe spending just two days a week on four feet—cut the pregnancy down a month or two, maybe just end up with a set of twins, max.”
“Hell, yeah,” her sister agreed. “Have you seen those stupid booster seats Yuzumi has to use? They wouldn’t all fit in my car when I was watching the girls, so I had to drive them in fox. Riko peed in a cup holder.”
Their mother now looked defensive. “Staying fox doesn’t always mean triplets.”
“Except for Yuzumi. And you. And twice for Kanon-obasan.” From Midori’s expression, these were some rather significant exceptions.
“Do you see what your sister has started?” Chiyo demanded of Suzume, apparently tired and aggravated enough to miss the slight gleam of satisfaction in her niece’s eyes at how well she’d distracted her aunt from the original topic. “I expect this kind of thing from you, not Keiko.”
“What kind of thing? Kits? Is that what you expect from me?” Suze sounded amused.
Her aunt shuddered dramatically. “Don’t even say such a thing, Suzu-chan. I don’t want to imagine the kind of demon-spawn you would produce.” She focused on me, and said, “My poor sister had to call the fire department three times before Suzume was six.”
I had no difficulty at all imagining that. The conversation lagged after that—Chiyo and Midori were both tired after hiding the body, and after a few minutes they were clearly struggling to keep up with a basic conversation about whether we could expect any snow this year before Thanksgiving. Takara was apparently given more slack as the youngest, because she simply shifted back to her fox form and took a snooze on the floor.
After forty-five minutes, Gil appeared in the doorway, his wide face bearing an expression of semi-appeasement. “You were right—they’re convinced,” he said bluntly. “One of the officers is staying around until the body is taken away, but it just looks like a courtesy thing. I called the ghouls, and they said they’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Excellent,” Chiyo said, collecting her purse. “My daughters and I will meet them at the funeral home. No reason to continue cluttering up your kitchen.” Midori reached down and scooped her four-footed sister off the floor. Takara didn’t even wake up, but simply made a small whuffle in her sleep.
Gil focused on me. “And you?” There was a distinct challenge in the way he was looking at me, and I could feel my temper rising. For just a moment I pictured myself grabbing the other man by the throat and tossing him against the wall a few times, but even as my fist clenched in anticipation, I realized that this wasn’t normal. I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to hurt, and my temper receded. Gil’s uncle was dead, I reminded myself, and I was the person he had to trust to find out who had done it. I probably wouldn’t be happy in his shoes either.
I should’ve fed from my mother yesterday, I realized grimly. Transition was bringing my heritage closer to the surface.
I pulled myself back together. “I have everything I need here for now. I’ll consult with my family this evening, and then I’ll begin investigating.” I also planned to feed while I was home.
Clearly reluctant, but having no other options, Gil nodded. “You will keep us informed, though, right?” Temper made his face flush darkly. “If it were up to us, we’d be finding the killer ourselves—”
“Gil.” Dahlia’s voice cracked from the doorway, interrupting her brother. He clenched his jaw, shot me one last searing look, and walked stiffly out of the room. Dahlia watched him leave, then turned her head just slightly to meet my eyes. “Please pass our thanks along to your mother, Fort. We appreciate your time.” Then she also turned and left.
“My, how deliciously awkward,” Chiyo said. Gleeful amusement fought with exhaustion on her face, and momentarily won out. “No wonder Matias passed over the brother. That one has no love for the vampires, and he’s not bothering to hide it.”
“It’s a difficult day for deference, Oka-san,” Midori said, with a bit more compassion. “If someone killed you, I would be pretty angry if I was robbed of the chance to rip that person’s belly open with my own teeth.”
Her mother gave a flashing smile. “Another reason to be grateful that we are kitsune, then, and not some half-rate were.” That brought a round of smug agreement from the other foxes. I hoped desperately that the bears had all been occupied and not bothering to listen—apparently Suze came by her attitude of superiority honestly.
We all slipped out of the beige house together, past the grim-faced metsän kunigas who once again filled the living room.
Outside, I took a deep breath, grateful for the cold air after the stifling emotions roiling inside. The sun had set while we were inside, but the karhu had been a fan of those nice little outdoor solar lights, and the curb and driveway were lined with soft blue glows. Suze gave my sleeve a tug, demanding my attention. Looking down, I could see from her expression that my brief struggle for control in the kitchen had not gone unnoticed. After a considering moment, she let it drop, and instead said, “If you’re going down to see your mother, Fort, I’ll go with them over to the ghouls.” She nodded to her family members, who were walking very slowly in our wake. “I’m probably a better driver right now.”
Chiyo and Midori expressed their happiness with the plan. Takara was still a bundle of sleeping fox, and had no opinion. Suze walked with me to where the Fiesta was pulled to the curb, and made a show of leaning against the car while I rea
ched inside to fish out her duffel.
“So, what are you thinking?”
“Gil seems pretty set on the Ad-hene theory,” I noted. “What do you think?”
“The last time they got the attention of the Scotts, Prudence eliminated twenty percent of the remaining full-blood population. If I were them, I’d think twice about doing something that might bring the one-woman extinction event knocking on my door.” Suzume’s eyes gleamed. We’d both had a front-row seat when Prudence ripped the head off Shoney, a creature who’d been old during the Bronze Age.
“No one has ever accused the Ad-hene of being reasonable. I’ll get in touch with Lilah and see if she’s noticed anything.” After our encounter with the Ad-hene had ended with bodies on the ground, I’d made a battlefield appointment of the half-elf as the official liaison between the Neighbors and my family. I considered what we’d learned so far about the murder. “All you smelled was bear?”
“Nothing but.” Speculation was clear in her face. “Thinking that it might’ve been one of his loving subjects? The daughter looked broken up, the nephew was pissed off, but that niece was cold as ice.”
“Definitely something to keep in mind. There wasn’t even an attempt to cover this up, and the Ad-hene might be crazy, but they aren’t stupid.”
Suzume snorted. “Life is always easier when your opponents are idiots.”
We exchanged good-byes and parted. I turned on the Fiesta and headed south for Newport.
Chapter 4
I arrived at my mother’s mansion just before nine, and a bit of a surprise greeted me. All of the outdoor lights were on, and the parking area was absolutely cluttered with cars. I stared for a moment, the Fiesta idling loudly, and wondered what exactly was going on.
A sharp rap on the window startled me, and I saw the comfortably weathered face of James, one of my mother’s staff.
“Quite a to-do tonight, Mr. Scott,” he said with a broad wink. He’d known me since I was in diapers, and every time he looked at me, I had the impression that he was remembering wiping my nose or confiscating my crayons. “A few of the boys and I are valeting the cars, so we’ll tuck yours away where it won’t be a bother.”
“A bother or an eyesore?” I asked, shifting the car into neutral and getting out.
James smiled widely, showing teeth browned by a lifetime of black coffee and lack of fluoride treatments. “Now, now. I have a snug little spot where it’ll be nice and safe. You have to be careful with a car like this—one tap and the bumper will probably come right off.”
He wasn’t wrong. Last year I’d spent a month and a half with the Fiesta’s bumper attached by wire ties following a low-speed bumper collision. I’d been short on money at the time, and it had taken a while to save enough to get my mechanic to spot-weld the bumper back where it belonged. I’d left the wire ties on, figuring that it could use the help.
Inside, the house was bustling with women in a mixture of sleek evening wear and professional business dress. Madeline’s staff cruised among them in black-tie tuxedos, male and female, holding trays full of wineglasses or hors d’oeuvres.
Prudence appeared at my elbow, looking smug. Her crutches were gone, replaced by a rather dapper ivory cane that she leaned on heavily. Her matching dress was long, and the fabric was stiff enough that I couldn’t be sure of what kind of bandaging was currently on her leg. “Why, hello, Fortitude. I see you’ve come to admire my ladies’ networking party.”
“Is that what you’re calling it?”
“Yes, it seems to be quite popular.” She linked her free arm with mine and tugged me toward a quieter part of the room. As we crossed, I noticed Chivalry standing in a knot of women, listening politely as one of them was saying something about how the artwork on the stairway reminded her of some fancy house she’d seen in France. The interest in her eyes as she flirted at my brother was clear, and at a casual glance, Chivalry seemed to be responding. But his eyes were just a little too bright under the light from the chandelier, and there was a keen, assessing look on Chivalry’s face that flicked from the woman speaking to the others surrounding him. The situation should’ve been annoyingly reminiscent of a sultan checking out new applicants for the harem, but instead it reminded me very uncomfortably of Discovery Channel footage of a wolf inspecting a deer herd.
Prudence followed my gaze and gave a very satisfied smile. “This has been quite a successful evening. I’m thinking of throwing a few more of these this week—of course it’s so short notice, but I’ve gotten compliments from the ladies all night, saying what a lovely idea it is to bring together so many clever and successful women to network.” To my relief, she slipped her arm out of mine, snagged a wineglass from a passing tray, and took a sip. Then she shot me a calculating look. “Do you remember any lady professors from Brown who would be suitable? Very few women in this day and age seem capable of turning down a couriered invitation.”
“Um, one, we just call them professors now. Two, I’m not getting involved, and neither should you.”
Prudence rolled her eyes, though whether it was over my correction of lady professors or my very deep discomfort over the thought of having any part in Chivalry’s dating process was unclear. “Don’t be such a child. Whoever Chivalry selects and weds will be in our lives and home for years, and I refuse to suffer through the fiasco of Sybil again.”
“Sybil?”
My sister took a longer drink of her wine and her face darkened. Apparently this memory still had the ability to nettle her. “1909. She was an anarchist, a follower of Emma Goldman. Constant rallies and arrests. We couldn’t get through a single meal without being lectured about the ravages of capitalism. I thought the woman would never die.” Prudence shuddered. “She actually lasted for fourteen years, wretched thing. Constitution of a rhinoceros.” Her expression lightened as she reflected on the past woman’s death, then finished her wine again and surveyed the room, looking more pleased. “The trick of the thing is to make sure that Chivalry is given enough of a selection. For years I kept trying to surround him with debutantes, but that was a mistake. No, he needs a variety of women—professions, ages, backgrounds, interests, all of that. But it’s just important to screen out the ones who would be a bother to sit across a dinner table from.”
That my brother was busy reenacting his personal Bluebeard routine was bad enough, but the idea of trying to steer certain women toward him for the sake of pleasant dinner conversation while they slowly expired was fairly awful. “I’m not getting involved,” I repeated bluntly. “Now listen, Matias Kivela was just murdered, and I’d frankly really prefer talking about that for a while.”
That was finally enough to break Prudence’s focus on her creepy party, and very effectively. With a few muttered excuses and a promise that he’d be back shortly, she extricated Chivalry from the situation that frankly made me suspicious about her previously professed disgust with dating-themed reality shows (or perhaps she was actually disgusted, but at the same time took notes), and the three of us quickly relocated to my mother’s sitting room.
Madeline was ensconced in her favorite padded sofa, and from her elaborately brocaded robe to her Turkish slippers (complete with little curls at the toes), it was clear that she had planned a very quiet night away from the fuss downstairs. Upon seeing the three of us, she immediately turned off the TV (some CNN exploration into the latest scandal of a senator who liked his power to come with a side order of illicit sex) and motioned us to sit. Prudence and I settled on opposite settees, the heavy silk of my sister’s dress rustling against the upholstery, but Chivalry began to pace around us. It was a strange inversion—usually Prudence was the one who acted like a large cat on a leash—but I found myself unable to look away from him even as I brought everyone up to speed with the metsän kunigas situation. His clothing was loose, even though I knew that every item he ever purchased went straight to his personal tailor, and there was a prominence to my brother’s cheekbones that hadn’t been present a week ago,
suggesting that he’d dropped weight.
My mother’s brilliant blue eyes narrowed in irritation when I finished my summary. “Inconvenient, this. Matias was steady, and could’ve easily ruled another ten, perhaps even twenty years.”
“Disruptive,” Prudence noted. “We’re still mopping up after the elves had their little rebellion, and now a murder like this?”
Madeline gave a small wave to indicate that Prudence was deviating from the topic at hand, but that she didn’t disagree with my sister’s underlying point. “It needs to be handled, and quickly.” She turned to me, and the iron in her voice brooked no disagreement. “Fortitude, you will look into this, and you will find the culprit.”
I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous, here. After all, to this point I had, with Suzume’s help, managed to solve a grand total of one murder. “I’ll work on it, but—”
“No, not work on it, find it.” Madeline’s annoyance was clear. “This won’t be like those times you’ve gone Nosy Parkering with that fox and fallen rump over teakettle into a palaver. You’re my agent in this, Fortitude, working in my stead. You have resources, for heaven’s sake, and a responsibility.” There was a very icy practicality and ruthlessness in her voice, one that she usually hid behind her silly little-old-lady act. But there was no mistaking how seriously she was taking this situation. “You will find a perpetrator promptly, my son. And if you do not, you will find an acceptable scapegoat.”
My mother in these moods scared the crap out of me, but my head was shaking immediately. “I’m not going to railroad anyone,” I said.
Prudence couldn’t contain her reaction to my statement. “Oh, for the love of—”
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