Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
W e broke into a house nearby that looked as if it hadn’t been lived in for several decades. Thane carried the assassin’s body inside while I used a fireman’s lift to bring in Quack’s corpse. I was sorry about her death; she’d been stupid and na?ve, but those weren’t reasons to die. I laid her gently down on the dusty floor and mumbled a brief prayer; it invoked no god, but at least it wished her a peaceful afterlife.
‘You won’t be here for long,’ I told her. ‘We’ll get you to a proper resting place soon.’
Thane joined me. ‘I’m not sure we could have done anything differently. Even if we’d not chased her down, he might still have killed her.’
I didn’t blame myself for her death but that didn’t mean I wasn’t angry about it. ‘I don’t even know her real name,’ I said quietly.
He reached for my hand and squeezed it; his warm touch was oddly reassuring.
I allowed myself another moment with poor Quack then we left her where she was .
‘So you’re a cat,’ Thane said, when we were finally seated on the tram and heading for home.
I glanced around to make sure nobody was in earshot. ‘A cat sith,’ I corrected him. ‘And if you’re planning on any pussy jokes, I won’t be impressed.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ he protested. I eyed him. ‘I mean it!’ He grinned faintly. ‘I’ve never met anyone who could do that before.’
‘There’s not many of us around – but it’s a useful trait.’ Very useful. I didn’t miss the gleam of fascination in his eyes.
‘Do you have nine lives?’ he asked.
‘I’m a cat sith ,’ I said primly. ‘Not an actual cat.’
‘Do you like being stroked?’
I gave him a hard look. ‘Do you?’
He didn’t miss a beat. ‘Absolutely.’
I should have expected that. Fortunately, he decided to abandon his weak attempt at lightening the mood in favour of something more sensible. ‘You can transform at will?’
‘It’s a little more complicated than that.’ I explained the process to him.
He rubbed his chin. ‘It sounds painful.’
‘It is.’
Thane nodded as if in understanding, although I knew that werewolves had a far easier time even if their shapeshifting was governed by the moon. He changed the subject. ‘Do you really think Nick’s still alive?’
‘I certainly hope so.’ I eyed him. ‘You really can’t think of any reason why someone would want a lone werewolf?’
Thane sighed. ‘None that makes any sense.’
I grimaced and we lapsed into silence for the rest of the journey.
My old darling was stretched out in the garden, ignoring the tickle from some late-season daisies that were brushing her pale-pink nose. There wasn’t much sunlight for her to enjoy but she was doing her best and seemed to have located the only remaining bright patch. I glanced up at the sky. The clouds were drifting in the wrong direction; in another five minutes even this spot would be shady.
I knelt down beside her while Thane waited several metres away, sensible enough to give us some distance. ‘Hey.’
She Who Loves Sunbeams opened an eye. The tip of her tail twitched, suggesting that she already had an idea about why I was disturbing her.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said quietly. ‘I wouldn’t do this if I had an alternative.’
Her tail twitched again and her ears started to flatten. I stroked her head and tickled her chin. ‘It’s to help find Nick.’
She Who Loves Sunbeams expelled a long sigh then rolled, heaved herself up to her feet and stretched before offering me a long-suffering miaow.
‘Thank you.’ I gathered her up in my arms and stood up. ‘Much like you werewolves,’ I explained to Thane, ‘different cats have different affinities.’ I scratched She Who Loves Sunbeams behind her ears. ‘Some are strong hunters, some are better at hiding and sneaking through shadows. And some, like this lovely one here, are good at sensing the spirit world.’
Thane watched me, unblinking.
‘I take on a lot of the same characteristics of whichever cat’s fur I swallow,’ I said. ‘And the closer I am to the cat once I’m transformed, the stronger those characteristics are.’ I adjusted She Who Loves Sunbeams in my arms, making sure she was as comfortable as possible. ‘She’ll have to come with us.’ I raised my eyebrows. ‘Do you know how Nick’s parents were killed? ’
He shook his head. ‘Only that it was supposedly a tragic accident.’ His mouth flattened. ‘I’m inclined now to think there might have been more to it.’
Indeed. ‘Do you know where it happened?’
‘Somewhere close to Henderson Market. From what Nick told me, they weren’t the only ones who died. But Kit, even if they were murdered by the same people who took Nick, how does that help us?’
‘Quite often when someone dies unexpectedly, their soul lingers before departing this world for good.’
‘Ghosts?’
It was a bit more complicated than that. ‘Sort of. Regardless of the number of people making a living through exorcism and the like, these spirits are rarely malevolent and don’t do much beyond re-live their own deaths over and over again until they come to terms with their passing. They’re far less than a non-corporeal version of their living selves – they’re obsessed with themselves and pay little attention to the living. I’m not sure they think or feel anything. They’re less ghosts and more…’ My voice trailed off as I struggled to find the right words.
‘An echo of what was?’
I met his eyes. ‘Yes,’ I said. He got it. ‘An echo, exactly that. If there’s an echo of Nick’s mum and dad in the place where they died and we can find out exactly what killed them, we might get closer to finding who else was involved and why.’
‘And when we know that,’ Thane said, ‘we’ll find Nick.’
I licked my lips. ‘Here’s hoping.’
Henderson Market was a far grander affair than the small riverside market I usually frequented. It was at least five times the size and probably ten times louder. Hawkers and market sellers bawled out discounts, slogans and enticing details of their wares; the whole area was a maelstrom of noise, bright colours and strong smells.
For any normal person it was overwhelming – and for She Who Loves Sunbeams it was a nightmare. She burrowed her head into my chest until Thane, with surprising thoughtfulness, shrugged off his jacket, placed it over my shoulders and zipped it up so that the cat could enjoy some respite.
‘I was feeling too hot in this crowd anyway,’ he said when I nodded gratefully.
We passed along the main walkway. I was momentarily tempted to stop at a fishmonger’s, who seemed to have a better choice of fish than the stall I normally used closer to home, but there was a long queue of people waiting to be served. I suspected that She Who Loves Sunbeams would happily forgo a fishy treat if we could get this operation done and dusted.
‘I need somewhere to transform, ideally out of sight of people,’ I told Thane.
‘I have the perfect place. I know someone who has a small shop over on the western side. She owes me a favour.’
I frowned. ‘A werewolf?’
Thane shook his head. ‘No.’ He lowered his voice. ‘A squib.’
I was surprised that anyone, let alone a squib who possessed no preternatural powers or magic, would be in debt to a lone werewolf like Thane but I tamped down my curiosity. No doubt all would be revealed soon.
He led the way, turning left at a candlemaker’s stall towards a small pub on a corner behind a large witchery stall. He pushed open the frosted glass door to reveal a bustling bar. It was standing room only and certainly not the sort of quiet spot I’d had in mind, but before I could protest he swivelled to a door marked private and went through it without knocking.
There was nothing beyond the door other than a small, framed map of Coldstream with seemingly random coloured dots pressed onto it and a narrow wooden staircase. Thane started to climb the stairs, which creaked loudly under his weight. I followed him, my misgivings growing.
There was another unmarked door at the top of the stairs. Thane knocked sharply on it then waited. The landing was tiny and I was forced to squash against him to stand upright. Underneath the jacket, She Who Loves Sunbeams gave a chirrup of annoyance.
Before I could apologise to her, the door opened and a dishevelled woman with frizzy hair of an indeterminate shade of brown gazed out at us. She didn’t look upset at the interruption; if anything, she appeared delighted to see us – both of us.
‘Thane Barrow,’ she beamed. Her smile was sunny and welcoming and I instantly relaxed. She was remarkably petite, looked to be in her mid-thirties and appeared totally unthreatening. ‘And a companion. To what do I owe this pleasure?’
Thane raised a hand. ‘Hi, Mallory. It’s been a while.’
‘Ten weeks and three days, to be exact.’ She smiled some more. ‘But who’s counting?’
Hmm: clearly she was counting, although Thane didn’t appear bothered by her words. ‘I need to call in that favour,’ he said. ‘Right now. Time is a factor.’
Mallory didn’t appear surprised. ‘Then I suppose you’d better come in.’
We followed her into a small flat. Although the bar was directly below us, no sound drifted upwards. The place was nothing like the grand apartment where Lorna lived but its cheerful atmosphere seemed to match its occupant. Every corner was cluttered but it was very clean and, despite the bright colours and myriad items from crockery to artwork to random objects that seemed to have no purpose at all, it felt warm and inviting. Even She Who Loves Sunbeams caught a whiff of the welcoming air and poked her head out from underneath the jacket to look around.
‘A cat!’ Mallory clapped her hands with delight and pointed to a squashy armchair draped in a lurid purple throw where a large ginger tomcat was curled up and snoring gently. ‘Bert, look who’s come to visit!’
Bert clearly wasn't his real name, and he didn’t bother to open his eyes, but I knew from the faint twitch of his ears that he was aware there were visitors and one of them was another cat.
‘He’s new,’ Thane said. ‘I didn’t realise you were a cat person, Mal.’
‘I’m a cat person, a dog person and a person person, Thane,’ she said, gently chiding. ‘But Bert is only a temporary addition.’
Thane stilled and his voice altered. ‘A favour?’
‘Yes.’ Mallory linked her fingers together and smiled benevolently. At my curious glance, she said, ‘I’m a broker.’
I was willing to bet the contents of my bank account that she didn’t mean a stockbroker.
‘I broker secrets,’ she said. ‘And favours.’
My back straightened. Now that was interesting.
She gestured to Bert. ‘This is an easy one. I’ve agreed to look after this fellow while his owner recovers in hospital from a nasty accident. In return, I will receive a favour to be delivered at the time and in the manner of my choosing. It’s a simple transaction – some of my deals are considerably more complex.’
I stared at her, fascinated.
‘It’s a living.’ Mallory gave a relaxed shrug. ‘Although I have to admit it’s rare for me to owe someone like Thane a favour – usually it's the other way around. I’ll be glad to get this off my books. What do you need? ’
Thane didn’t beat around the bush. ‘Your flat.’ He glanced at me. ‘For … four hours?’
That was more than enough time. ‘Three will be fine.’ If I couldn’t locate the lingering spirits of Nick’s mum and dad in that time, they weren’t going to be found.
Mallory glanced at Thane; it was obvious that whatever Thane had done for her she was getting the better end of the deal. ‘You want me to leave?’
‘Yes.’
‘Can Bert stay?’
Thane looked at me and I nodded.
‘Very well,’ she said. ‘Give me a few minutes to grab my things and the place is all yours.’ She went into the next room.
I leaned towards Thane. ‘What did you do for her?’ I whispered.
‘I saved her life.’ He said the words without any trace of pride or ego; he was simply stating a fact.
‘And this is what you’re asking for in return?’
His response was ambivalent. ‘This is what we need. What else would I ask for?’
Fair question, but something about Mallory’s capable aura suggested that she could offer Thane a great deal more than the use of her flat for a few hours. However, the deal was already done and I wasn’t going to argue.
A moment later she returned with a bag over her shoulder. ‘The place is yours for three hours,’ she said. She curtsied and walked out, leaving us alone: no questions, no caveats, no trouble. My fascination with both Mallory and the bargaining process hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
‘There is always something new to learn about Coldstream and its inhabitants,’ I murmured.
I unzipped the jacket to allow She Who Loves Sunbeams to hop out. Mallory was more than interesting, but she wasn’t my priority.
The cat jumped onto the burnished coffee table and sniffed, then circled the room to inspect every inch of it. I reached out to Bert and offered him some attention. He opened his eyes, raised his head and let me stroke him; he seemed content enough and even gave me a brief purr. He was entirely unfazed by She Who Loves Sunbeams.
Satisfied for now, I prepared for my transformation. It felt strange to complete the process while Thane was watching. His gaze wasn’t judgmental, merely curious, but I turned my back on him, suddenly shy.
‘I can wait in the other room,’ he said, sensing my discomfort.
‘No, it’s okay. I’m not used to an audience but it doesn’t really matter.’ I bent down to She Who Loves Sunbeams. ‘Are you ready?’ I asked her.
Her whiskers quivered, which I took as a yes. I calmed myself and plucked the fur I needed from her body. ‘Thank you,’ I told the cat. ‘I appreciate your help more than you know.’ Then I swallowed it down and opened myself up to the change. Thankfully, it happened quickly.
Bert was as fascinated by me as I had been by Mallory. Once I was on all fours and stretching out to become accustomed to my feline body, he jumped off the armchair and came towards me. With a surprising burst of speed, She Who Loves Sunbeams inserted herself between us and hissed in warning. I nudged her gently and crooked my head up towards Thane.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said, ‘I’ll make sure they behave themselves while you’re gone.’ He paused. ‘Unless you want me to come outside with you?’
No: this would be easier if I were alone. I managed to shake my head to convey that, and he seemed to understand. He walked to the door of Mallory’s flat and opened it so I could sidle out. ‘Take care,’ he said. ‘Watch out for dogs.’
Yeah, yeah. I padded down the stairs just as an inebriated punter from the pub lurched for the front door and opened it, allowing me to escape into the outside world. It was time to find some ghosts.