Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
I changed out my casual clothes into a fuzzy jumper with a loud geometric design, a long flowing skirt and sensible shoes. I was tying my laces when I heard a loud feline yowl followed by a canine howl. I sprang up and pounded out of my bedroom down the hallway.
Thane was clutching his face – and the door to the back room where I’d confined She Who Hisses was lying open. ‘Whoever said curiosity killed the cat,’ I spat, ‘hadn’t experienced the nosiness of your average werewolf!’
Thane pulled his hand from his face to reveal a nasty scratch down his cheek. ‘There was a strange noise,’ he said stiffly. ‘It seemed prudent to investigate under the current circumstances.’ He straightened his shoulders. ‘And I am not your average werewolf.’
Yeah, yeah. ‘You’re just not like the other boys?’ I said in a faintly mocking tone.
Thane held his ground and sent me a challenging look. ‘Exactly.’
I sighed, abandoned the conversation and ducked into the room. I didn’t need to search behind the cardboard boxes to know that She Who Hisses had gone. Hopefully her wound had healed enough; the most I could do now was hope she was alright. At least she was a survivor who could defend herself. She'd probably be fine.
I tidied up the food and water bowls then turned around. Thane was staring at me with a strange expression on his face. ‘If you're looking for sympathy for that scratch,’ I said, ‘then don't look at me.’
‘I’m not bothered by it.’ His voice suggested mildly wounded pride. ‘Although I apologise for opening the door and letting that cat out.’
As he should do. I sniffed. He was still staring at me. ‘What then?’
He waved a hand up and down my body. ‘What on earth are you wearing?’
I knew what he meant but my lingering irritation about She Who Hisses made my answer cranky. ‘You're commenting on my fashion choices? You? The man who's been living out of a backpack?’
Thane waited. I rolled my eyes and explained. ‘It helps to present myself as a harmless, middle-aged woman. People judge by appearances. Folk are more willing to yield their secrets to a cat lady than a hard-arse assassin.’
He nodded, conceding the point. ‘Which side of you did Nick see?’
‘Cat lady, of course.’ I paused. ‘With a touch of hard arse.’ And then, to prove that I was both, I made him wait while I ambled around and spoke to each cat in turn.
It was at least another twenty minutes before we left the house. At my insistence, we sought out Lorna first. I was inclined to believe Thane when he said that she couldn't have been involved, but I wanted to rule her out for certain before we confronted Quack. For one thing, Lorna would be easier to track down; for another, taking on Quack might antagonise the entire MacTire pack. I didn't want the most powerful werewolf clan in the country baying for my blood unless it was absolutely necessary.
Thane huffed some more about my lack of trust in his judgment but yielded quickly enough, suggesting that he wasn't any keener to piss off the MacTires than I was. I also suspected he was hoping that I'd agree with his assessment once I'd met Lorna because he wanted to prove himself to me. Strangely, that thought warmed me to him – despite what had happened with She Who Hisses.
Thane called ahead to confirm Lorna was at home and would see us before we jumped on the tram and headed off. We ended up in a surprisingly nice part of the city. I’d half-expected to find her hanging around one of Coldstream’s homeless shelters or squatting in an empty building like Thane had been doing, but her flat was in an expensive-looking, low-rise building in one of the gentrified areas. Perhaps being a lone werewolf wasn't so bad after all.
Thane sensed my thoughts and smirked. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘She's done well for herself.’ There was a touch of pride in his voice as if her success reflected on him. Perhaps it did.
‘Is this where she was attacked?’ I asked. I wondered about the security and eyed the small red graffiti tag etched onto the corner of the building. It was a circle with a slash through it and it had been sprayed with precision, as if the artist had been preparing his artwork for an exhibition rather than being worried about getting caught in the act.
Thane's mouth flattened. ‘No. They came for her when she was out.’ He gestured upwards. ‘She'll tell you herself.’
We were buzzed in quickly and took the lift up to the third floor. A woman was standing by the front door of one of the flats. Much like this building, Lorna wasn't what I'd expected. She looked to be in her early fifties and was stunningly beautiful. Her ash-blonde hair was immaculately coiffed in an elaborate chignon, her skin was clear enough to be used in any number of beauty cream advertisements and her clothes were an understated but obviously expensive shade of beige.
‘You two are friends?’ I asked Thane dubiously in an undertone.
‘Great friends,’ the woman responded. Damned werewolf hearing. She held out her hand. ‘I'm Lorna Minton. It's a pleasure to meet you.’
I plastered on a friendly smile. ‘I’m Kit. Thank you for agreeing to talk to me.’
‘Anything for the great Thane Barrow,’ she said.
I glanced sideways at Thane. Barrow? That was a small detail he'd failed to mention. I didn't get any chance to comment, though, because Lorna was already ushering us into her flat.
The décor matched both the woman and the building. There was very little clutter, only a few artful objects placed in carefully painted alcoves and a neat array of glossy magazines splayed out on the stylish coffee table. I eyed the most visible title: Cat Care Monthly . I raised an eyebrow. ‘You like cats?’
Thane snorted.
‘I love them,’ Lorna declared, ignoring him completely. ‘Unfortunately pets aren't allowed in this building so I have to content myself with magazines instead of the real thing.’ She smiled. ‘Would you like something to drink? A cheeky afternoon gin and tonic, perhaps?’
I declined, keen to get down to business. Now that I'd met her in person, I had the sense that my befuddled cat-lady routine would be useless so I got straight to the point. ‘Tell me about the attack,’ I said without preamble.
Lorna moved away from the elaborate drinks trolley she'd been hovering over and perched on the sofa opposite Thane and me. ‘She doesn't waste any time, does she?’ she asked Thane, who simply shrugged.
She folded her hands in her lap and looked down, then raised her head and gazed at me with cool blue eyes. ‘There's not a vast amount to tell,’ she replied. ‘I don't remember it.’
I waited. Successful feline hunters are well-versed in the art of patience. You don't catch a mouse by leaping in without hesitation, and assassinations are also a waiting game. You need the right moment before you act and I was prepared to wait for Lorna’s real story if it meant I'd get to the truth.
For several moments none of us spoke. Finally Thane cleared his throat and broke the silence. ‘Lorna,’ he growled, ‘just tell her so we can get out of here.’
She raised a plucked eyebrow. ‘You never change, do you, darling?’
I glanced between them. Ah, there was some sort of intimate history here. I wouldn't have put them together as a couple but I guessed that anything was possible. No wonder his trust in Lorna was absolute.
‘It was a long time ago,’ Lorna said and I knew she wasn't talking about the attack. ‘We were different people then.’ A ghost of a smile crossed her face. ‘Well,’ she amended, ‘ I was different. Sweet Thane here is the same as ever.’
Sweet? That wasn't the adjective I'd have used to describe him. He was far more like He Who Crunches Bird Bones than She Who Loves Sunbeams.
‘Sweet,’ Thane growled again and Lorna got to the point. ‘Fine,’ she sighed. ‘I was attacked about four months ago.’
I needed specifics. ‘ About four months?’
‘January 26th.’
That was better. I nodded.
‘It was a Friday. I always go to a Pilates class at the gym up the road on Fridays. I left home just after eight in the morning. That's the last thing I remember until that afternoon.’
I leaned forward. ‘You were attacked on your way to the gym?’
‘No.’ Her eyes remained clear. ‘I spoke to several people who'd been at the class and I checked the gym records. I signed in and completed the class as usual. I just don't remember being there.’
Whatever version of the forget-me-not spell had been used on her had been backdated so she’d probably been followed to the gym by her attacker. There was no other rational reason for why her memory had been wiped so significantly.
‘Do you always take the same route to and from the gym?’ I asked.
Lorna nodded. ‘It's not far from here so there's only one logical route.’
I tapped my mouth thoughtfully. A regular appointment and a regular route were an assassin’s dream because they made any planned attack far, far easier. But if she'd been followed on her way to the gym, her attacker had either been stupid and not scoped her out in advance, or it had been an unplanned attack. Assuming, of course, that Lorna was telling the truth. So far I believed her.
‘Okay. Then what?’ I asked.
She shrugged. ‘The next thing I remember I was lying on my bed with lacerations to my face and hands. And my right arm was broken,’ she said matter-of-factly. ‘There was a trail of my blood leading from the front door of the building into my bedroom and no signs of any disturbance in here.’
Which was why she believed she'd been attacked on her way back from the gym. ‘Any witnesses?’
‘I asked around. Nobody saw anything. ’
I considered that then asked, ‘Who's the better fighter? You or Thane?’
Lorna looked amused but Thane was pissed off, which was answer enough in itself. ‘Why is that relevant?’ he asked.
‘He's the better fighter,’ Lorna replied, surprising me. At my reaction, she gave a small, musical laugh. ‘You're not asking the right question.’
I gazed at her askance.
‘I don't see what our abilities have to do with anything,’ Thane objected.
‘She was attacked once,’ I responded calmly. ‘You were attacked twice. Nick was attacked once and abducted.’
He drummed his long fingers on his leg. ‘So?’
‘If the same person is responsible for all four attacks, it seems likely that abduction was their goal. It's easier to kill someone outright than to snatch them away.’
‘Should I ask how you know that?’ Lorna enquired.
‘No.’ I smiled; I could also be sweet when the situation called for it. ‘But they only attacked you once and they went after Thane twice. That suggests they thought they had a better chance of defeating Thane rather than you.’ I gave him a sidelong look. ‘At least until Nick came along. An inexperienced teenager would be easier to grab than either of you.’
Thane’s nostrils flared. ‘Whoever is behind this wants an unbounded werewolf. Alive.’
‘That's my theory,’ I said.
‘Why would anyone want a lone werewolf?’
I had no answer for that. Yet. There were several seconds of silence before Lorna spoke again. ‘I'm faster and stronger than I look, and I fight dirty. I might not remember what happened but I know I'd have fought tooth and nail against anyone who came for me. Thane is far stronger than me and more skilled, but he'd have held back. ’
I looked at him again. ‘Because you're that Barrow werewolf,’ I said softly, finally understanding. No wonder he’d seemed so certain about how difficult it was to murder your own alpha. Thane Barrow hadn’t done that, but he had killed the beta werewolf of the Barrow pack – and he’d only been a kid when he’d done it.
‘He's that Barrow werewolf,’ Lorna answered. ‘The one who flew into a rage, killed his uncle by accident and was thrown out of his pack as a result.’
‘That was twenty-odd years ago,’ I said, morbidly fascinated. ‘I thought that boy was dead.’
‘Twenty-seven years ago,’ Lorna said. ‘He was fifteen at the time and has reined in his temper – and his natural abilities – ever since.’
‘And I'm definitely not dead,’ Thane added.
No wonder he'd been so keen for Nick to join the MacTire pack and swear allegiance to them. Thane hadn't had a choice; he'd been summarily thrown out of his pack at a similar age. He might not have wanted me to know but that information certainly filled in a lot of gaps. It wasn’t the sort of thing that happened often with the wolves; truthfully, I didn’t know of any other werewolves who’d suffered a similar fate.
I stood up. ‘Thanks for your time, Lorna,’ I said briskly.
‘My interrogation is over?’ She looked amused. ‘You've cleared me as a suspect?’
I nodded, but then I pointed at the cat magazine. ‘You don’t really like cats, do you?’
‘I can't stand the little bastards.’ She shrugged. ‘But Thane told me about you and I thought it might be wise to ingratiate myself. I’ve survived this long on my own for a reason.’
Given my strategy in dressing the way I had, I couldn't blame her. I wondered what her story was and why she was alone, but it was none of my business and it wasn't relevant to Nick’s kidnapping. ‘What else did Thane tell you about me?’ I asked with narrowed eyes.
‘Nothing,’ he muttered tightly.
‘All he said was that you liked cats.’
They both seemed to be telling the truth. Just as well. ‘We'll take our leave,’ I murmured, relaxing slightly. ‘We've got other wolves to talk to.’
‘Come back for that G&T anytime.’ Lorna’s tone was warm.
I smiled. I reckoned I might take her up on that.