“But you loved him?” I asked. Somehow I was sure this is true.
“Steffane was our darling. We adored him. His father idolized him. A daywalker son! Such an unexpected and joyous bounty. Steffane was the greatest gift I ever gave my husband.”
She stopped speaking, and I knew that she was thinking of whatever had gone wrong.
“What happened?” I said.
“He was infallible. His many gifts went to his head. He could not be controlled. And his appetites became… insatiable.” She said it all with a small smile on her face.
“You liked that about him?”
She laughed. “Oh yes. He was our joy, but such a trial to his father. It was fun to see for a while. But then he left. He rejected our world and went to live his life in the sunshine where he knew none of us could follow. Whoring and gambling and petty criminality. Associating with the most disreputable creatures. Befriending humans.” Her lip curled at that. “Experimenting with narcotics and magic, needing ever higher levels of depravity to satiate his appetites. And worse, he liked to make a show of himself. Always in the media, flaunting his sordid life. He took great joy in embarrassing his father, undoing all of Gaius’s hard work to build our prestige in this world.”
“Did Gaius want to be rid of him?”
She shot me a startled look. “Gaius adored him. Gaius wanted him home.” She smiled. “In the end he did come home. He grew wiser. He made things right with his father and his brother, and returned here. Gaius was so excited. He had such plans for extending his businesses with Steffane on board. It would have worked but for that stupid child Leonie. I knew it was a mistake to keep her here with us. So innocent and sweet as she was, such a shy little creature. Steffane always desired to corrupt the pure. She proved too much of a temptation for him.”
“Why did she live here? She was human wasn’t she? But not one of your sheep?”
“She was the niece of one of Gaius’s sheep. Her brother’s daughter. After the brother died, the girl had to come and live with her aunt.”
“But taking in a human teenager? That’s not normal for vampires, is it?”
“We are not monsters,” said Audriett coolly. “The girl needed a place to live.”
“The aunt wasn’t worried? What was her name?”
“Constance Ashbeck. Of course she wasn’t worried, or why would she have wanted the girl to stay here?”
I tried to keep my doubts from showing on my face. This aunt had either been damn careless, or there been something more sinister at play that Audriett was hiding. I couldn’t imagine any aunt wanting a teenage niece to live in a vampire nest. Surely even foster care must have been a better choice? And even if it had been innocent, why would Gaius Ronin have bothered to do such a favor for one of his sheep? Vampire’s regarded their sheep as little more than property, as mere chattel. Unless…
“Did Gaius favor Constance? Was she one of his enthralled ones? Is that why he let her niece stay here?”
“Gaius does not favor his sheep,” Audriett said icily. “The woman Constance must have begged.”
This did not ring true to me, but I could not read Audriett so I could not be sure. Like the other vampires, my psychic senses were having difficulty picking up any nuances about her at all. I wondered if Audriett’s possessiveness of her husband was what made her refuse to believe he could favor anyone but her. I glanced at Finch to see what he was making of all this. His face was carefully blank, but the quiet hum of psychic music coming from him seemed tightly wound and resentful. He did not trust these vampires, and clearly he was still obsessing over whether any of them had anything to do with Zezi’s disappearance.
Taking pity on him I asked, “Did you know a girl called Zezi Shahidi?”
Audreitt’s completely baffled expression told me everything I needed to know.
“Was she a friend of Leonie’s?” Audriett asked with a frown. “I don’t recall Leonie having any friends.”
“Not even school friends?”
“Her aunt home-schooled her with the help of a private tutor, I believe.”
“Was that because she was living here with vampires? Was her aunt worried a school wouldn’t want her or might be difficult for her?”
“I’ve no idea. The matters of Gaius’s sheep did not concern me.”
“Didn’t Leonie being here concern you given what you’ve said about Steffane’s… erm… appetites? Did you want Leonie gone?”
“It mattered little to me if she was here or not. I barely noticed her. The child stayed in her room most of the time. A loner, where Steffane was the life and soul of every party. A silly insipid thing. She had been with us for nearly three years by the time Steffane returned home. They only knew each other a few months and she was not at all to Steffane’s liking, I had thought. Had I known what would happen, I would have insisted she live elsewhere.”
I stifled a sigh. I needed suspects other than Steffane. Someone else who would have wanted Leonie dead. Or someone who wanted Steffane out of the way and had not cared how they did it.
“Rodrigge doesn’t seem to like Steffane much,” I commented.
She smiled as if this was amusing. “Rodrigge was always jealous of his brother. Rodrigge was the elder, desirous of his father’s good-will and attention, but Gaius favored Steffane. One doesn’t like to speak ill of one’s child but Rodrigge always lacking in… well… everything.”
“Like what?”
She gave a snort of contempt. “Strength, charisma, intelligence, looks, women. When he finally got that Marielle interested in him, he was desperate to keep her. She comes from the powerful Zamas line of vampires. He was so proud, flaunting her at Steffane to make him jealous. Steffane had his fun flirting with Marielle but he wasn’t interested really. He just liked to goad his brother. But Rodrigue was so afraid he would lose her that he begged for Gaius to turn him into a vampire. He thought it would solve all his problems. He thought it would make him like Steffane, poor thing. It did not.”
I frowned. “You mean that Rodrigge was still a sanguith back then?”
“Yes.” She seemed irritated, like I ought to have known this. “That night was Rodrigge’s turning ceremony. Did you not read your case file notes?”
“Apologies,” I said smoothly. “I should have recalled. Can you tell me your recollections of that night?”
She waved a careless hand. “Things fade in the memory. We had soirees all the time back then. Gaius loved to entertain. This was just another one of those.”
“But you said it was Rodrigge’s turning ceremony. Wasn’t this one special?”
She gave a contemptuous little smile. “I suppose for Rodrigge it was. Steffane spent the whole evening baiting his brother. There was much drinking and dancing. I am afraid that Steffane may have indulged a little in his magically enhanced narcotics. Otherwise I am sure he would have never have lost control of himself.”
That was interesting. That must have been why Steffane had insisted that he could not remember much of the latter parts of night’s events, including Leonie’s murder. To the investigators and court it must have seemed like he was lying. I would have liked to ask Storm about that, but I had no intention of mentioning this interview to Storm.
“Do you remember what Leonie was up to that night?”
Audriett shrugged carelessly. “She was helping the caterers as she always did during the soirees. We had human guests to keep fed, and the girl was keen to earn a little pocket money before she left for university.”
“Did you see her alive after the rest of the guests had left?”
“I don’t recall, but someone must have. The guests had definitely all gone before Leonie was murdered. Our sheep always made sure the house was emptied of guests and securely locked up at the end of our soiree events.”
“Were your family’s humans — your sheep — at the party?” It grossed me out to address people as their sheep.
“Of course not,” she said. “That would have been dis
tasteful for our other human guests.”
“Was Marielle still there at the end of that night?”
“Yes, she was staying with us for the summer ever since she and Rodrigge got engaged the month before.”
“And how did Marielle get along with Steffane and Leonie?”
Audriett pursed her lips as if remembering something irksome. “Marielle was friendly with Steffane at first but turned against him quite suddenly. Rodrigge always tried so hard but women don’t like over-eagerness in a man. Steffane was so much more desirable. I believed that Marielle might have tried to catch Steffane and he spurned her advances. He would flirt with her only to goad his brother. She turned sour on him after that. She was never good enough for either of my sons, but Rodrigge wouldn’t hear of it. I never thought they would last, but here they are, still together six years later.”
It looked like Marielle had been right about her mother-in-law not liking her much.
“Do you think Marielle might have killed Leonie?” I asked.
“Impossible,” said Audriett. “How I wish it were true that Steffane was innocent and that he could come home, but the boy always was good at playing his games with people and now he is playing one with you. Nobody else could have gotten into his chamber that night. Nobody else killed Leonie. It was him.”
Chapter 12
DIANA
Well that sucked. Even Steffane Ronin’s adoring mother thought he was guilty.
“Are you sure it couldn’t have been someone else?” I asked her, trying not to sound pleading. She’d think it was very odd that I was rooting for her son to be innocent. I had to seem completely impartial.
“How I wish it had been anyone else,” said Audriett. “It was humiliating for Gaius. You’re too young to remember, but it was heavily publicized, all over the news cycles for months. Just when Gaius had been deciding to run for public office too. If I didn’t know my son’s regard for his own liberty, I would have almost thought he’d done it on purpose to shame his father.”
My eyes narrowed. “But you said Gaius and Steffane were getting along? Why would he want to shame his father?”
“He didn’t,” she said shortly. “Gaius and Steffane had completely resolved their differences. I believe Steffane over-imbibed on his narcotics that night to the point he was unable to control himself. Constance said to the police that her niece had been afraid of Steffane. That he had been pestering the girl, and had grown obsessed with her. Constance was always a silly creature. She ought to have come to me. I would have put a stop to it.”
“How?”
“By removing the girl to where Steffane could not find her. It was all or nothing with Steffane all of the time. Once he wanted something, he was relentless. He never denied himself anything, especially anything forbidden. It was his greatest flaw.”
“Is that why your husband went into seclusion? The shame?”
Her expression turned icy. Clearly the topic of her husband was off limits. “You really know nothing of vampires,” she said haughtily. “My husband has withdrawn to reflect and gather his strength. He will emerge stronger than ever before.”
I took a look around the garden cavern. The pretty tables and chairs being arranged, the lawn freshly trimmed, bowers of flowers. Clearly arrangements for a party were talking place. “Is he coming out of seclusion soon? Is that what the party is for?”
“We are having a soiree on Saturday. I like to keep up my husband’s important business relationships. It is nothing out of the ordinary.”
I nodded. I couldn't think of anything more to ask her. She’d already given me far more than I’d thought she would. “Thank you for your help,” I said.
She nodded. “My son is important to me. If you were able to help him I would owe you a debt of gratitude, however I do not think this is anything other than a waste of your time. It is curious to me that he would have sought your help. Do you have some special skill he was interested in?”
“I doubt it,” I replied.
She leaned forward a little in her chair. “Come now. Don’t be coy. You and I both know there is more to you than meets the eyes. Your friend here has been sensibly avoiding my gaze since his arrival.” She looked at Finch who determinedly did not look back. “You on the other hand… you are immune to a vampire’s mesmerism. We both know that few creatures are. Who sent you?”
“Steffane sent me.”
“Who really sent you? Who do you work for? The fae?”
This astonished me but I tried not to look it. I noticed from the corners of my eyes that Finch had stiffened at the mention of the fae. It certainly did me no harm for Audriett to think I was associated with the the notoriously dangerous and highly magical beings. Until recently I had thought they were creatures of legend. Most people did.
When I did not reply she said, “Did they give you that sword? I have never heard of its like.” She chuckled. “Marielle will be bemoaning giving you a reason to use it for many days, if not weeks, to come. It was quite the wound it delivered.” She stared at the table beneath which I was still clutching the sword. I did not bring it out to give her a closer look. Hell if I knew where the sword had come from. I certainly did not want her examining it.
I shrugged it off. “I’d like to speak to Constance Ashbeck before I leave. Is she here?”
“She left after her niece’s death.”
I frowned. Vampires were possessive of their sheep. Despite what Audriett has said, it seemed to me that Constance had been a favored sheep of Gaius’s. Surely he would not have easily let her go?
Audriett was smart enough to read my expression. “The Agency officers took her away along with some others of our sheep during the murder investigation,” she said. “To keep them safe, they claimed. The nerve! Gaius chose not to reclaim Constance, and she did not attempt to return. Perhaps it was too difficult for her to come back after all that had happened.”
Or perhaps she had been afraid of what these vampires would do to her. Or perhaps she knew something of interest that made her run. I had to speak to her.
“How can I get in touch with her? Do you have a phone number?”
“Our sheep have no need of telephones. I do not know where she is. We probably had an address for her next of kin, her brother. But as I said, he is dead now.”
“Can I have it anyway?”
She rose in one swift motion as if she was done with this meeting. “I will see what I can find. Wait here.” She swept off without a backward glance, the back of her long blue gown trailing gracefully on the grass behind her.
As soon as she was gone, Finch leaned forward with a frown on his face. “Where did that sword come from?” he asked.
I took the sword out from beneath the table to examine it. Its blade was a gleaming dark black that seemed to absorb even this dim light, and yet how could it gleam if that was true? There was no trace of Marielle’s blood on it. It was like the blade had swallowed it up.
I ran my finger along it’s superfine edge and shivered. I knew it was sharp — that was obvious — and yet it did not cut my skin. I pressed harder. My skin dimpled beneath it, but still no bleeding. I walked over to a bush and swiped the sword at it. A couple of thumb-thick branches dropped off as if they were made of soft butter. “Woah!” I said. Now the bush was lopsided. The gardeners were not going to be pleased with me.
Finch had followed me and looked impressed. “Cool!” he said. “But I know you didn’t have it on you when you came in!”
“Didn’t I?” I replied. I didn’t know the guy. I certainly wasn't about to tell him it had appeared out of thin air as if by magic. Or that my navelstone had vibrated so fiercely when it appeared. Or that the sword was still pulsing with the want for more blood, making me increasingly worried it might make me stab someone the longer I held in my my hand. Or that I was afraid that if I let go of it, it would disappear without trace and I would never see it again.
I swooshed the sword experimentally through the air, enjoying
the feel of it. Finch jumped out of the way as it came a tad too close to him. It’s tip lopped off the head of a glorious nearby flower that looked a bit like a scarlet hibiscus, but was fleshier and deliciously fragrant.
I was about to ask Finch what the flowers were, but the words froze on my tongue. Leonie was kneeling on the grass beside the flowers. She plucked one and put it in her hair. A band was playing jaunty music and many others were dancing all around us. Leonie was humming merrily. She was extremely pretty, but her pouty smile was crooked in a way that stopped her from being beautiful. Her face was heart-shaped and her long chestnut hair tumbled in curly abandon down her back. She wore a scarlet dress topped with an extremely tight corseted bodice that thrust her small breasts up into prominence. Not the sort of thing I would have expected the catering staff to wear. The most interesting thing about her was her dancing mischievous eyes that were full of life. They looked like they held secrets and she might just tell you if you pleased her enough.
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