Meow

by Skye MacKinnon

  The street is mostly clean and the little front gardens are well looked after. This area isn't as posh as the one I went to last night, but it's still one of the better places to live. Not enough rich people to make it a target for thieves but also not cheap enough to attract the less wholesome parts of the population.

  Lennox is taking his sweet time. I check my knives are all where they're supposed to be. My poison darts are still in my tunic collar. I have some other supplies in my bag, but I've certainly got enough weapons on me to defend myself. Or to attack. Either is a possibility in my line of work.

  Meow.

  A small cat is hiding behind a bush in the garden opposite.

  "Hello," I whisper. "Are you one of Ryker's?"

  Assent is projected towards me. Nice to know I've got another one of my spies on hand.

  "Get some of your friends," I whisper, knowing the cat will hear me but nobody else will. "Explore the area. Check out this house. Watch if there's anything strange happening."

  Meow.

  Hunger. In response, my own stomach begins to growl a little.

  "I'll make sure you get fed when I get back home," I promise. "All of you, however many of you there are."

  The cat gives me one last look, then runs off, leaving me with a little more confidence about the current situation. Even if Lennox is hiding something, I will find out what's going on here. For him to offer me so much money, it must be something big. Something important.

  A strange urge to protect Lennox creeps its way into my mind. I don't want him to come to harm. Then I remind myself that he's done very well for ten years without me protecting him, so it's rather ridiculous of me to think that he needs me. He's a grown man, he can look after himself. He'll know when to get involved and when to stay away.

  "You can come in now!" he shouts from inside the house, and I gladly follow his voice. I hate waiting.

  * * *

  He's in the living room, together with a man who's got his back to me. I sniff the air. Something is familiar about this man, even though I can only see him from behind. His smell... I've met him before, but not long enough to properly remember his scent. Having a human mind and access to the senses of a panther means that I often get messages from them both, but I don't always have time to connect them. In this case, I know the scent, but I didn't get a chance to connect it to a memory. It happens to me a lot. Sometimes, I wonder if we're supposed to be like this. Shifters. Part human, part animal. Not quite either. Maybe we're really a mistake of nature, as some of the teachers at the Pack used to say. Not just an accident. A mistake. Something that can only be corrected by force.

  "Meet my friend," Lennox says, a slight hesitation before the last word. Does that mean this is his boss, perhaps?

  Slowly, the man turns around.

  "Lovely to see you again," he says with a warm, pleasant voice. Fuck. It's the man in the top hat. My anonymous benefactor. The man who saved me.

  When I first met him, he was wearing a hat and a waistcoat. Now, he's dressed in a simple but expensive suit. His hair is almost entirely white save for two black strands loosely pulled back. His eyes are just as intense as I remember. The scars on his cheekbones don’t seem as pronounced now that I’m not in a dark room with him.

  "You," I stutter, completely taken aback. I didn't expect this, not in the slightest. I only saw him once, all our communication since then has been by letter. Sometimes, he sent me details of jobs he wanted me to do - people he wanted me to kill - and once he even sent me a warning about the Pack being active in the area. In a way, I knew he was watching me from afar, but he never seemed interested in meeting me face to face again.

  "You two know each other?" Lennox asks in confusion.

  I nod, still rattled and a little confused. "He's-"

  "A friend," the man interrupts. Shit, I don't even know his name. I never told Lennox about my mysterious benefactor, right? Did I? We talked about so many things, and I was so lost in memories...

  "We've met before," he adds. "But why have you brought her here?"

  Oh, so Lennox hasn't told him yet. What did they talk about while I was waiting outside? The weather? Cloudy with a chance of murder.

  "She's investigating a murder case that involves Mr Kindler," Lennox says. "I thought you might have some information for her."

  The man smiles. "Mr Kindler, yes, I heard about that. My granddaughter used to go to his shop a lot. Until the rumours started, then she stopped, obviously."

  "What rumours?" I ask immediately.

  "That his sweets contained certain substances," he replies smoothly. "Things you wouldn't want your child to eat."

  "Like sugar," Lennox quips but it's clear the mystery man doesn't find it funny.

  "Is that what this is all about?" I ask, realising the implications. "Someone killed Winston Kindler to stop him from doing that? Or for revenge?"

  The man's eyes meet my own, unblinking, so intense. I make my panther rise to the surface, and for a moment, I know that my pupils change colour. His eyes widen, then he gives me a small smile.

  "I know who killed him. I also can't tell you who did it because I support why they did it. All I can advise is that you stop investigating and leave these things alone."

  I frown. "Are there going to be consequences if I continue?"

  "Not from my side, no," he says, surprising me. "But you're walking on dangerous paths. There are people involved who you don't want to be noticed by, my dear. If I were you, I'd stay away from them. Especially with your history."

  Until now, Lennox has stayed quiet, but now he asks, "What did he sell? What was in the sweets that would make someone want to kill him?"

  The man turns to Lennox, his expression hard. "I shouldn't tell you this, but it may persuade our friend here to keep her nose out of it." He sighs deeply. "I don't need to tell you this, you already know how more and more shifters have been born over the past decade or so. Humans and shifters procreate, knowingly or not. Even if not all children are born shifters, they may carry the genes and pass them on to their offspring. Some people are scared of that. They want humans to stay pure. They don't want evolution, they want control. Having the Pack is one way of them to keep a tight leash on shifters. Pardon the pun. But the problem with children is that they don't always shift until adolescence. There's no way of knowing whether they have the genes or not until then. So instead of waiting, someone has come up with a new way to make sure shifter children don't grow up into shifter adults."

  "The sweets," Lennox gasps, echoing my thoughts. "They're poisoning them."

  The man nods, a sad frown appearing on his forehead, making him look older. "They've found a poison that only affects children with shifter heritage. I don't know what it does. It doesn't seem to kill them outright, but maybe it will over time. Or maybe it will turn them infertile. Anyway, it's not something I would want my granddaughter to eat."

  I nod. "Is she...?"

  "Her mother. My daughter in law."

  Now it makes sense. The reason why he helped me. The reason why he's telling me all this. He has shifters in his family, even though he isn't one himself. By helping me, and Lennox, he's trying to make this town a better place for his granddaughter.

  "That's why you don't want me to investigate. Mr Kindler was one of the bad guys. He was trying to hurt shifters. Whoever killed him did something good. His killer is one of us."

  "One of us?" Lennox snorts. "In this business, there are no bad and good guys. We're all bad, remember? We kill for money. When did that stop being bad?"

  I shrug. "Technicalities. Just because I'm an assassin doesn't mean I can't have morals. I would never hurt a child or an animal. I don't like to torture my victims, unless they deserve it. I make it quick and painless. I'm basically a nice assassin."

  Mystery man laughs, although there's still a certain sadness reflected in his eyes. "Nicely put. But you were not quite correct. Winston Kindler didn't have much choice in the matter. He was coerced int
o doing it by the same people who I regularly have to fight against. Something your young friend has been helping me with."

  I look at Lennox, who seems a little uncomfortable with being called 'young'. I grin at him. I'm going to call him 'my young friend' a lot from now on. If there is a now. Will we stay together after this? Meet regularly? Or will this be our last meeting? Will we go our own ways, accepting that life has pulled us apart?

  I think about everything I know by now. "The hand. It was a threat."

  "Huh?" Lennox asks eloquently.

  "I found a note in the sweet shop that led me to a flat near the market. They had a female hand in the fridge. I assume it was a message to Winston Kindler. He either knew the woman, or it was to tell him that this would happen to him should he not do what he was told." Then I remember another thing. "The note mentioned 100 children. Maybe that meant that Kindler was supposed to poison at least 100 children?"

  I look at Lennox, realising something important. "I found four bodies yesterday, one of them was the woman whose hand had been cut off. A man came to that basement and I followed him to the house where you... where we met. That means the man will be involved in poisoning the children."

  Lennox cringes. "He arrived about half an hour before I found you?"

  I nod.

  "Then he's untouchable. I know him. Nobody would ever dare to attack him. My employer works with him and even he is scared."

  Interesting. That means mystery man isn't Lennox's boss. Then how do these two know each other?

  "As I said. Leave it alone," the man says, giving me a grim frown. "Don't worry, things are being done about it. Go back to your business. I can provide you with some new marks, if you're bored."

  I shake my head. I don't want his help. I don't need it. I have enough contracts to last me for months. But it doesn't feel right to just stop here. I'm so close. Now that I have this vital information, more and more things are beginning to make sense. Why all his sweets were given away for free after his death. What quicker way to distribute them to children from all across town than by basically throwing them at them. And Caitlin, the girl from the shop, maybe she's involved somehow. She said her family was poor; she'd be an easy target to bribe and manipulate. Perhaps she spied on Mr Kindler.

  "And now I really must continue my work," the man says, making it very clear that this conversation is over. "Don't try finding me here again. I don't live here, and neither do I usually work here. If you need me, you know how to contact me, but keep it for emergencies. I don't want to hear about this Kindler affair again."

  "Yes, sir," Lennox says and I nod. Maybe that nod is a lie, maybe it isn't. I haven't decided yet. I'm going to have to think about it all, at home, with the rest of Meow and with the cats.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I don't take Lennox home with me. It's still too fresh, and there's too much work to do. We're going to meet again tomorrow, though, to talk it all through. Without me being his kidnapping victim. We've chosen a neutral turf, a cafe in town, and we're going to have a lovely tea and maybe even some cake. And no, it's not a date. That's what I keep telling myself as I run back home, using the roofs as my street. Definitely not a date. I've known him since I was three or four, so no, how could it be a date? It's not like we've only just met.

  I'm glad when I get back to the Meow headquarters and can fill my head with other thoughts. Lily and Beth are lounging in the living room.

  "Benjamin is outside, feeding the cats," Lily greets me. "Where the fuck have you been?"

  I shrug and throw myself onto one of the sofas. "I've been kidnapped. Nothing special. I also got lots of new information on this case. If anyone wants to hear it, you'll need to provide me with some food. I'm starving."

  Beth throws a pack of crisps at me, and I lazily catch it with one hand.

  "I was thinking of proper food, but this will do for now," I mutter, my mouth watering as I rip open the bag. I've not had anything to eat all day, and I'm famished.

  "So, what was that about kidnapping?" Lily asks. "Who do I have to kill?"

  "A boy from my past." I sigh. "Man, actually."

  Lily whistles. "Is he hot?"

  "If Kat has noticed that he's a man, he must be," Beth grins. "Tell us all about it."

  Since when has Meow turned into a horde of gossiping women? We're never this relaxed and we certainly don't talk about boys. Men. Whatever. The opposite sex.

  "I know why Winston Kindler was killed," I begin but Bethany interrupts me.

  "Boooring! Tell us about your lover!"

  I groan, hiding my face behind the crisp bag. "He's not my lover. I shouldn't have mentioned him. He's just a guy who kidnapped me and then had tea with me and then let me go."

  Lily laughs. "Are you letting him kidnap you again?"

  "No," I snap. "I'm not into kidnapping. But I am going to meet him again tomorrow. To talk about the case."

  "Suuuure," Beth chuckles, drawing the word out like chewing gum. "Just about the case. Then I'm sure you don't mind if we join you?"

  What have I done to deserve this? I thought I was the boss, but it seems I've now been turned into a... well, a what exactly? Woman to gossip about? A friend? I'd not anticipated that.

  Luckily, Benjamin saves me by entering the room, his black jumper covered in cat hair. He has a cheesy grin spread across his face. He must have been spending a lot of time with the cats. I'm glad. I'd felt a little guilty about not being there to feed them. After talking to my humans, I'm going to have a chat with the cats, see if they've found out anything new. And tell them to spy on both the house I met mystery man in and on Lennox. Just in case.

  "What have I missed?" Benjamin asks, leaning against the doorframe. Seeing him like this, it's easy to compare his boyish frame to Lennox's masculine body. I've been honest with Lily when I said that Ben is far too young for me. He's still a kitten, in a way. He doesn't even have a beard yet.

  "Kat's got a boyfriend," Lily replies immediately, and I throw a cushion at her. Sadly, her reflexes are almost as good as mine, and she catches it before it can hit her.

  "Winston Kindler poisoned children," I snap before this can get even worse. Immediately, I have the silence I wanted.

  "What?" Beth asks, her smile gone. "How?"

  I give them a quick summary of what mystery man told me.

  "So that's why he didn't have to pay his bills in full," Benjamin mutters, taking a seat next to Beth. "And why he was getting extra payments. They were either bribes or to pay for the materials needed for the poison."

  I nod. "It all fits together. Finally, most of our findings make sense. My biggest question though is whether he wanted to do it or whether he was coerced. Or whether he started as a supporter of the idea but then changed his mind, and to stop him from defecting, they threatened him."

  "Cutting off a dead woman's hand is a rather intense way of threatening someone," Beth says, more serious than I've ever seen her. "But there are some questions that haven't been answered yet."

  "Why don't you summarise," Lily suggests, and I nod in agreement.

  Bethany seems almost surprised that we're both encouraging her, but then clears her throat. "Well, we don't know who slept in the storeroom at the sweet shop. You have some keys we haven't found locks to yet. Same with the number you found in Kindler's shed. And what about the Fangs? Are they the ones who came up with the poisoning? Are they the ones pulling the strings? Or is there a different connection to them?"

  "All very valid points," I say, and she smiles. "The question is, are we going to continue investigating? I know none of you is a shifter, so maybe you have a different opinion on this, but-"

  "They need to be stopped," Lily interrupts me. "We can't let people like that continue. Killing adults, sign me up, but poisoning children, doing who knows to their health? No, that's just wrong. I may not have a moral compass, but I do have a heart."

  I smile at her. That's exactly how I feel. There are some things that cross a line even assa
ssins like us wouldn't cross.

  "The man you met told you that he's working against them, right?" Benjamin asks, and I nod. "Then maybe we should switch sides. Stop investigating Kindler's murder. Stop treating him as the victim, and start looking for the killer not as someone to fight, but to ally with. They killed Kindler because of what he's done. That means they're against it and are on our side."

  "Unless," I interject, "it was his own allies who killed him. The way he was stabbed, it was quick and efficient. The way you'd do it if you were either a professional, if you didn't have any emotional attachment to them or if you wanted to make it quick because you knew them. We can't assume that his killer was trying to stop the poisoning. Maybe Winston had become a liability and needed to be stopped before he told someone about what he was doing."

  "Basically, we still need to find the killer," Lily sighs. "And then decide whether to kill them or work with them. Which means we're not really that much further at all."

  I shake my head. "No, we've made a lot of progress. We have new angles to look at. Benjamin, I'd like you to find out who's bought the sweet shop. Maybe they're part of it, maybe they're going to continue the poisoning. Beth, you take a look at the powder I brought home from the market place flat. Maybe you can find out how exactly it works and if there's an antidote."

  "I've already started while you had fun getting kidnapped," she tells me with a small smile. "It's nothing that I've come across before. I'm going to have to borrow some books from friends to see if I can find anything mentioned."

  "Friends?" Lily teases. "Since when do you have friends?"

  "I have more than you," Beth snaps. "I've actually got a social life."

  I want to laugh, but to be honest, Beth doesn't deserve to be teased. I don't know much about her previous life, but nobody here at Meow has had it easy. If she has friends, good for her. I wish the rest of us had, too. Especially Benjamin. He could do with some social interaction. I grimace mentally. Am I becoming a mother cat, making sure all my employees have a good work-life balance? Not really what you'd expect in a business that has the tag line 'We kill so you don't have to'.