Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
It felt like I’d spent the day spinning my wheels, collecting information but getting nowhere fast. The business associates – Richard Ashworth and Crispin Pembroke – both had solid alibis.
My door opened with a bang and Elvira flounced in. She looked edgy, wired.
‘Sit,’ I barked.
She sat and smiled at my bird. ‘Hey Loki. How’s it hanging?’
His head tilted to the side. ‘No hang,’ he said. ‘Fly.’
She grinned. ‘Right.’
‘What can I do for you, Garcia?’ I interjected before Elvira could explain the vernacular to the caladrius.
‘You know I was dealing with the domestic abuse murder?’
I nodded.
‘Well, he had an accident. He fell down the stairs and broke his neck.’ She paused. ‘He died. It’s a real fucking tragedy.’
I pinched the bridge of my nose. ‘Elvira, did you at least get a kill order from Thackeray first?’
‘It was an accident,’ she repeated.
‘Did he accidentally run into your fist?’
She nodded. ‘Do you know what? He did. It was weird. Then he accidentally fell down the stairs. He bounced down a lot of steps.’
I sighed. ‘Family?’
‘None. His dad killed his mum and took his own life in a delightful murder-suicide. Franco was planning to follow in his father’s footsteps, only he chickened out at the suicide part.
He explained to me, very patiently, that Caroline had deserved to die and that her death was entirely her fault.
Because she made him the wrong dessert.’ Her bafflement, her fury, rode her.
‘And you took issue with that,’ I said levelly.
‘You’re damned right I did!’ She surged to her feet.
‘He was a fucking arsehole. A waste of space and oxygen, and sending him to Wraithmore would have been a drain on our taxpayers. He wasn’t going to be rehabilitated.
There was no saving his soul. He was damned.
And I sent him for his final judgement.’
‘And Bland?’
She sat ramrod straight. ‘Bland wasn’t involved. He had already clocked off when our friend did the slinky impression and wasn’t there. I said I’d do the paperwork.’
I studied Elvira, her dark eyes lined with eyeliner, dark hair falling in envious bouncy waves. She had a figure to die for, and she’d yet to work out that Bland would happily worship at her altar whenever she wanted.
‘The body?’
‘In the trunk of my car.’
‘Of course it is. Take it to the ME and see it disposed of properly.’ The ME had an incinerator in her basement for this sort of Other emergency. ‘Go,’ I said curtly. ‘Dispose of the body yourself, then clock off and unwind. I’ll see you in the office tomorrow at 8am. sharp.’
‘The paperwork …’
‘I’ll do it. Get.’
Relief coloured her features. ‘Thanks, boss.’
‘Ugh. Don’t call me that, Garcia. Just go.’
‘Arsehole dead,’ Loki squawked approvingly at Elvira. ‘Good work.’
El saluted me cheekily, winked at Loki, and left me to type out the email to Thackeray asking for a retrospective kill order.
Then I’d have to see Ji-ho about wiping our internal CCTV.
The Common police didn’t understand our particular brand of justice, and the last thing I needed was for Elvira to be fired for killing a suspect.
No doubt if Elvira had bothered to ask Thackeray for a kill order, he would have granted it. He liked to keep Wraithmore’s budget down – it meant more money for the Connection.
I wondered if I’d been in the job too long when I felt Elvira’s call was the right one.
Maybe my heart truly was dead. Then I thought of Robbie, and that cold organ swelled to life.
No, not dead, not yet at any rate. Hardened, definitely.
Would that change if I formally bonded with Robbie? Would anything change?
I added learn about ogre bonds to my mental to-do list. I’d told Robbie I was game, and I was, but I needed to go in with eyes wide open.
My stomach gurgled and I checked the time. It was just before 7pm. On impulse, I pulled my phone out and dialled Robbie.
‘Inspector,’ he answered warmly. ‘How are you?’
‘It’s been a day. I’m heading to my mum’s for dinner. You want to meet me there?’
‘Are you still at the office?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I’ll swing by and pick you up in ten.’
I smiled. ‘Thanks. I’d appreciate that.’
‘See you soon, Stacy.’ He hung up.
I texted Mum to give her the heads up that I was bringing Robbie with me, and I received a party emoji back. Mum liked Robbie.
I had some non-work clothes squirrelled away in my office, so I grabbed them and went to the toilets to change. As I stepped out of the cubicle in jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket, Laura was there, looking upset.
‘What’s up?’ I asked.
She forced a smile. ‘It’s nothing. It’s a silly thing to be upset about.’
‘What is it?’ I asked.
‘HR keeps sending me letters addressed to Mr L Bloomings.’
I frowned. ‘I’ll speak to them. It can’t be hard to fix.’
‘You’d think,’ she sighed, ‘but the HR team are still living in the Stone Age.’
I patted her shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll get it sorted. Just a little snag.’
‘Thanks, Stacy.’
I looked at Laura, her shoulders still rounded despite my reassurances. ‘We’re hoping to gain access to the new place sometime tomorrow. You want to make us all some “new office” biscuits?’
Laura beamed. She loved to bake. She wasn’t all that skilled at it, but she enjoyed it, so the rest of us choked down her offerings. She couldn’t go that wrong with simple biscuits, could she?
‘Sure! I’ll decorate them with little icing houses or something.’
‘Perfect. We can double it up for McCaffrey’s housewarming.’
‘Great idea, boss!’ She bounced out of the toilets, a woman on a mission.
I took a few minutes to straighten myself out. I had no makeup with me, but I did have some perfume so I gave myself a little spritz. My hair looked wild and untamed, but what was new about that?
Loki settled on my shoulder and we headed out of the office.
The protestors were gone, and Robbie was waiting for me, idling at the kerb. I climbed into the passenger side.
‘Hey.’ I smiled and leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek.
‘Good evening,’ he replied with a half-smile of his own. He looked in the rear-view mirror at Loki, who was settling in his usual spot on the headrest. ‘How’s it going, little guy?’
‘I good.’ Loki puffed out his chest. ‘I strong. Look.’ He tugged on my magic and made himself invisible. A moment later, he reappeared.
‘Nice.’
‘I powerful caladrius now.’
‘You sure are.’ Robbie started the car and we rolled off. ‘Tell me about your case, Inspector. Have you heard from the ME?’
I grimaced. ‘Only to say that the initial sample she took from Teddy was destroyed in analysis, but she managed to get another. She’s hoping to have answers for us in the morning.’
‘Good. Talk to me about the mace.’
Ah, the mace. I was hoping to put that off until I had a can of Dr Pepper in my hand. ‘No biggie. An ogre swung by to tell me I’m not good enough for you. I kept her mace as a parting gift.’
‘What was her name?’
I grinned. ‘She said her name was Fuck You, but I have my doubts. She got incensed when I kept calling her that.’
He looked at me for a moment, and then he signalled, pulled over, and doubled over laughing. His guffaws filled the car in the nicest way, bringing a smile to my lips and more warmth to my heart. Yeah, maybe there was still some life there.
‘You all right there, Robbie?’ I asked, grinning as he continued to howl with uncontrollable laughter. It was truly remarkable to see him let go like that. The man took poker face to a whole new level, so I loved that he was sharing the moment with me fully.
Eventually he got a grip and wiped at his eyes. ‘I don’t know why the hell I ever worried if you could handle my people.’
I appreciated the vote of confidence.
‘She tough,’ Loki chirped.
‘She sure is,’ Robbie agreed. ‘We’re very proud of her, aren’t we?’
‘Proud as fuck,’ Loki said, puffing out his little chest. ‘My bonded.’
‘My mate,’ Robbie murmured, eyes soft as he looked at me and said those words. I’d be lying if I denied that it sent a bolt of pure lust right through me. His mate. There was something so basic, so feral about the term; I liked it.
And if I were to be his mate, he would be mine, and I was very on board with that idea. Keeping a man like Robbie as my own … life would never be boring.
I started to lean forward to kiss him, but my stomach gurgled loudly.
‘Hungry?’ he asked with a smile still lingering on his too-handsome face.
‘Starving,’ I admitted.
‘Let’s get you fed then.’ Chuckling, Robbie turned the engine over and pointed us towards Mum’s house and, more importantly, food.