“Get off your ass and we’ll get you a meal,” he said. Thea didn’t countermand him, probably realizing this would help get him to talk. Graden eyed Benen with open suspicion. “We got shit to ask you. Could help clear Evander’s name. Remember him?”
“What shit?” asked Graden.
“Shit he’d be sentenced to die for,” said Thea. “So how about a cup of tea and a hot meal?”
They persuaded Graden into the back of a little restaurant. Thea ordered, playing her part of someone from Graden’s past come to get something from him while Benen kept an intimidating posture and watched the room for anything that could prove problematic. Graden fidgeted, hands darting to the packets in his pockets, eyes boring into Benen. He licked dry lips and fell to the soup, bread, and tea like he was starving. He probably was. Benen was suddenly glad Evander was not here to see Graden—first the news of his father’s murder, then to see an old lover like this, well, it’d be hard to deal with on top of being arrested.
“This is costing me dirt on Evander?” asked Graden as he dunked some bread in the broth. “Don’t know where I’d start, truly.”
Thea looked smug. This was not helping. Benen focused his glare on a man passing by their table.
“Start with this: you think he could murder anyone?”
“Murder? A bit of poison in a drink, or an outright stabbing?” Graden paused to cough, long and dry. “I think the stabbing’s a little messy for him. Of course, what do I know? Haven’t seen him in months. Years? What day is it?”
Thea gave him the date. He drained his tea and shook his head.
“I can’t remember, maybe a year. All the little secrets I know on him are old.”
“Here, I’ll bring you up to date: Josen Nevgeradel, the man who was blackmailing your family, was murdered two nights ago.” When Graden looked up, she added, “He was blackmailing your family, right?”
“It’s why they kicked me out, ultimately,” said Graden, and scowled. He mopped up the last bits of liquid in his bowl with the bread, scrubbing at it, then went for the breadcrumbs with a dirty finger. “We would have bought him off, but he wouldn’t tell us what sort of evidence he had. I was supposed to make something of myself. Well, here I am.”
“I’ll get to the point. Alasdair Fergus was murdered last night, same weapon, same way. Were you aware the Fergus family was being blackmailed for what you did, too?”
“Evander’s not any more innocent than I am, and it doesn’t surprise me.”
“That’s all you got?” asked Benen in a growl. Graden actually looked afraid of him.
“Look, I don’t know whether he would have murdered this blackmailer or his family. I wouldn’t think it of him. He’s…gentle. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” said Benen. It didn’t surprise him, but it did make him want Evander more. Shit.
“So not the type, according to you,” said Thea. “You sure you haven’t seen him recently? Not covering for him? Where’d you get all the crystal?”
“I’d rather not discuss that. I’m here to talk about Evander.”
“You’re here to answer my questions. We found the murder weapon where he was staying.”
“You’re saying he did kill people?” Graden began fidgeting more, but between Benen and the table, there was no way out. “I…guess it’s possible. I mean to say, most of our time spent together was, well, occupied by specific pursuits. His manners for those…I knew he wasn’t on the best terms with his father or brother.”
“Are you amending your opinion of him?” asked Thea.
Graden swallowed, nodded. Benen exchanged a glance with Thea. He didn’t like this. Something felt off about it, and it wasn’t just that this was only going to sink Evander further. He couldn’t have done it. Benen didn’t believe it of him. He was with Evander in the maze.
“Speak,” said Benen. Graden cringed.
“Look, I…I did see Evander recently, but I don’t remember when, and it wasn’t here. It was—I had met my mother for tea downtown, he and I by chance shared a cab. I asked him for money—he looked like he was doing well. He turned me down, told me to get clean first.”
Benen didn’t like this, but it wasn’t as though Evander had any reason to have told them this. Already Benen figured Evander had been scoping out a place to rob—possibly even getting information on Josen Nevgeradel’s orb. Graden confirmed that moments later.
“Any idea what he was doing?” asked Thea.
“He was meeting with someone. About an item, I can’t remember what. I can’t remember. I assumed he’d gotten into trade. Word about me must have gotten around, though, because his brother sought me out and offered me the money Evander wouldn’t.” Graden sighed, put his head in his hands. “That’s where the sugardream came from. I was not about to question it.”
“His brother paid you.”
“Evander could have told him to do it, I suppose. To save face, or so his father wouldn’t find out. Did he? Is that what this is about? The money I took…”
“No,” said Thea, and stood. “Care to mention where you were the past two nights?”
Graden laughed until he coughed and his nose started bleeding. He pulled out a stained kerchief and held it to his face while they waited.
“In the alley. Have a guess what I was doing.”
They left him in the restaurant and returned to Evander’s attic, Benen leading them along a route that would make them seem the least conspicuous. His stomach hurt. None of this looked particularly good for Evander, and Graden’s inability to do much of anything not only ruined Thea’s current theory, but pinned everything on Evander now.
“Well?” asked Raldina when they returned. Evander sat propped against the far wall, dozing. He opened his eyes when Thea and Benen entered, and watched Benen silently as he changed back into his police clothes. Benen focused on what he was doing, determined not to be turned on by Evander watching him.
“I very much doubt he was capable of doing it,” said Thea, shaking her head and crossing her arms. She stared at Evander. “He could barely walk.”
“What’s wrong with him?” asked Evander, though by his tone, his expression, Benen could tell he already knew. Anger rushed up from someplace Benen hadn’t realized was hurt. He still wanted to trust Evander, but this…
“You know, don’t you?” he asked, not caring that Thea probably had wanted to handle this one. “You saw him recently. You could tell he was hooked.”
Evander scowled.
“I have no idea what he was on. But really. He was so sickly, and those eyes…”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” asked Raldina.
“Because it was just a few minutes in a cab!” Evander looked to Benen, but he turned and buttoned up his shirt. “I had no idea where he was going, I left first.”
“And your business?” asked Thea.
“I was confirming the orb’s provenance,” Evander mumbled. “Items are worth more validated. And Josen Nevgeradel was…an individual of whom many were suspicious. It checked out, therefore I planned to steal it.” He paused. “I’m likely the source of any expensive missing items you have on file.”
“Great. We’ll haul your ass back to the station and you can confess to those, too. Fiyor, grab the weapon. Trelayne, you have our murderer.”
* * * *
Evander didn’t try to talk on the ride back to the station, didn’t even try to meet Benen’s eye. Benen wanted desperately to touch him, reassure him, but couldn’t. He had no idea how to get Evander out of this mess—he still didn’t want to believe the man guilty—and it made him feel sick to see Evander looking so miserable. The man didn’t even complain when he was shoved back down in the chair in the interrogation room.
“You want me to bring him a cup of water?” asked Benen as they all had another round of wakeleaf tea. “He’s been here since last night with nothing to eat or drink, and it’s almost noon.”
“That’s why I’m so hungry,” said Raldina.
/> “Food after questioning,” said Thea. “It’ll make you sharp. And go ahead and get that cup of water, but give it to me. We’ll see if it’ll tempt him. I want you to wait outside this time.”
“But—”
“Trelayne. You’re obviously too worked up over this one. We’ll handle it. You get the information in order on this end, see if you can piece together the events as they occurred. We’ll get the confession and compare. Should be straightforward enough.”
She and Raldina entered the interrogation room, leaving Benen to worry. Evander hadn’t been looking so good, run down both physically and emotionally. Benen began to wonder what would have been different had they stayed in the maze longer, maybe gone farther. Probably little would have changed—everything was leading back to Evander at this point.
Benen went to evidence storage, pulled out the orb, felt the weight of it in his hand. This was where it had all started. Part of him was tempted to trap them all inside—Raldina and Thea, Evander and himself—and see what they could work out. He stared at it for long minutes, until there was a knock on the door. In that moment, instead of pocketing it, he returned it to the drawer, slid the wood shut.
The answer wasn’t here.
Bethann stood in the doorway, several sheets of paper in her hand. The doctor cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at him, but Benen returned a scowl and crossed the room to meet her.
“That the autopsy?” he asked, and followed her out into the corridor.
“Yes. Bludgeoned, like Nevgeradel, and I’d say by the same person. The cane you brought in looks like a match, but I’ll put it through a few tests, the blood, too. He was struck from behind. Probably never saw it coming. Would have died fast, without too much suffering, if that helps, assuming the first blow knocked him out.”
“And when was he killed?” asked Benen, taking the papers she offered. His gut squirmed. Her answer would tell him whether believing Evander was a mistake or not.
“Late, around midnight I’d guess. Well, that’s a sigh, Benen.”
They stopped in front of the office and Benen had to work hard to hold back a smile. Relief rushed through him. Midnight was too late. He and Evander had been inside the maze for hours at that point. This cleared him.
“I was just wondering…The main suspect was stuck in that magic maze with me then. We got sucked in less than an hour after George left at seven. Puts him solidly in the clear for the murder, but if he didn’t do it…”
“No other good suspects?” asked Bethann, then, “Anyone else at risk?”
“Maybe,” said Benen, thinking of Graden. His parents had been in a similar position as Evander’s father. They could be targets.
“I’d get that to Thea then.” The doctor nodded at the papers. “She’ll be pissed if there’s another murder that could’ve been stopped.”
Benen nodded. Thea hated being interrupted in the middle of questioning someone, but this changed everything, and Benen didn’t want Evander falsely confessing to something he didn’t do. He stared blankly at the papers, relief he could keep his promise already fading to worry that it was too late to regain whatever trust Evander must have lost in him.
“I’ll come with you. You’ve been annoying her enough this case, I hear.”
Benen shook himself, nodded. Evander had as good as said he’d loved someone else, anyway, so Benen didn’t know why he was trying so hard. And the fact he hadn’t even met the man a day ago…Benen tried to be annoyed with himself he was so taken by Evander already, but as he followed Bethann down the corridor he could only be tense about Thea’s opinion on all this, and vaguely hopeful for a positive reaction from Evander.
He knocked, entered, forced himself not to glance at Evander, but he could see from the corner of his eye the man was slumped in his chair, distressed. Only Raldina turned to look at Benen.
“What?” she asked.
“Alasdair’s autopsy,” said Benen, and held up the papers. “I think you’ll want a look at them, Lister. Before you continue.”
“That juicy, is it?” Thea leaned forward toward Evander. “This’ll only take a moment. If I was you, I’d consider making a complete confession. Maybe with your wealth and family, you’ll only get locked away for life.”
As she stood, Raldina smirked at Evander.
“It’s up to you, of course. If you don’t want to spend the next five decades in prison with the sorts of people you find beneath you, we can press for an execution.”
“You cannot have evidence I killed my father,” said Evander, words weak. “I didn’t do it—whatever proof you have is incorrect.”
“Yeah, you know we can’t overlook the murder weapon under your bed.”
Thea raised an arm to usher Benen out and then closed the door behind them. She gave Bethann a smile when she spotted her, but Benen lowered the papers, crossed his arms.
“You think he’s the kind of person to put something as disgusting as a bloody murder weapon where he sleeps?”
“He said that himself, but we go with the evidence here, Trelayne. So what is it?”
“If you’re looking for one person for both murders, it isn’t him,” said the doctor. Benen passed Thea the papers as she frowned. “Alasdair was murdered in the middle of the night. Had alcohol in his stomach, not much else. Time of death around midnight I’d guess, with a window being somewhere from ten to two.”
“And Evander was definitely with you at that time, Trelayne?”
“Yes.”
“Damn.” Thea passed the papers back to him. “You pull up any other leads?”
“No staff switched positions. But considering who’s been murdered, it’s possible the Fallswennes are next, isn’t it?”
“If blackmail is the motive. Do we have any others?”
Benen stared at her. No, they didn’t. Thea swore again and turned back to the interrogation room, yanked open the door. At some point, Dr. Davies had disappeared; Benen followed Thea back inside the room and watched her toss the papers on the table for Raldina to have a look at.
“Take him back to his cell, Trelayne. Fiyor, have a look at that, we need to confirm motive or find another.”
“You’re shitting me. He didn’t do it?”
“As I’ve been saying,” said Evander, not looking at Benen as he crossed to him, “I have not murdered anyone. Certainly not my father. Why would I? I have nothing to gain. He was the one being blackmailed apparently, and it was not as though I was in line for an inheritance.”
“You still have all your thieving to answer for,” said Thea. “Your brother won’t pay to release you, in the cell you stay.”
Benen froze with a hand on Evander’s shoulder, about to pull the man to his feet.
“Isn’t that strange?” he asked no one.
“What?” asked Raldina, frowning at the papers.
“Someone of the Fergus family’s station not being bought out of jail immediately. Scandals and shit. I thought they protected their own.”
“As you have likely noticed, I am already mired in a bit of a scandal,” said Evander. “I suspect Alasdair is aware this won’t be the sort of thing to make the rounds immediately.”
“Even so,” said Thea, crossing her arms and considering. “This isn’t typical. Does he expect Marla to handle it, I wonder?”
“Certainly not. My brother is thoroughly intimidated by her. Marla’s politically clever and has independently created wealth. Alasdair keeps his business as far away from her knowledge as possible.”
“She’s coming down from the capitol, I’d expect,” said Raldina, shuffling the papers back together and standing. “I had George send word, in case it was overlooked otherwise.”
“Hmm.” Thea uncrossed her arms, gestured to Benen. “Uncuff him.”
“Oh, thank the—” began Evander.
“What?” asked Benen, shocked, but Thea smiled.
“I want to talk to the brother again,” she said. “Let’s see how he reacts to this one being returned to h
im.”
* * * *
Evander complained about the stiffness of his limbs the entire time they rode over to the Fergus mansion, hurriedly eating cheese sandwiches. The cheese was hard and the bread stale, but Benen was so hungry he didn’t much care. He sat across from Evander, in charge of keeping watch over him, which was easy enough to do. Benen liked looking at Evander, the precise way he held himself, his smooth, pale features. Well, he was getting a smattering of stubble now—in a pattern that showed he couldn’t grow a full beard, and Benen only realized he was smiling at that when Evander looked over and raised an eyebrow at him.
Benen stopped himself. Evander stretched a leg toward Benen, tapped Benen’s foot with his own. Benen kicked it.
“For fuck’s sake,” he growled. Thea was sitting right there, watching them.
Raldina breathed out in a half laugh.
“Telling you right now, Fergus, that’s not going to distract Trelayne enough for you to run off,” she said. “You don’t get to be Assistant Detective as young as him without being able to withstand a few temptations.”
“Is that so?” asked Evander. He leaned forward, looked straight into Benen’s eyes, making Benen uncomfortable. “Tested him, have you?”
Benen’s pulse jumped. His fears about Evander being pissed at him seemed completely irrational now—unless, of course, Raldina was right and Evander did just want to slip away. Still, the chance to grab Evander around the middle should he try to bolt would definitely be enough to keep Benen’s attention on him.
Evander apparently decided to push his luck. He raised a hand, reached out as though to put it on Benen’s leg.
“Go ahead and assault my officer,” said Thea. “I’ll just add that to your list of crimes. Feel free to give him a bloody nose if he touches you, Trelayne.”
Evander withdrew his hand, leaned back in his seat to sulk. As they approached the Fergus mansion, Thea explained to Evander he was to stay quiet and follow orders, nothing more. She suggested Alasdair might arrange to have Evander stay now he was here, but the expression that crossed his face made Benen think even Evander thought that was unlikely.
The Officer and the Thief Page 8