This Mess We’re In
MORGANA
O f all the things I expected to get a message about, another death on campus was not on the list. It’s made worse by virtue of who this is—something I’ll need to get a lid on quickly or we’ll have another swarm of reporters on-site.
I take a deep breath, then let the calm, professional side of me slide into place.
“Slade, I need you to text Channing again. We need her here working on this immediately. Lucas, neither of you touched him, right?”
“No, ma’am,” he says with a firm head shake. “Slade and I mused about who it is because of the telltale blood, but we haven’t moved a centimeter closer than we are now.”
That’s good news—it shouldn’t have even a speck of a trace on it that belongs to them unless it was planted.
“Does this place have cameras?” I ask before I look around the ceiling carefully.
“I know the system here isn’t as robust as it should be for fear of leaked footage to the human world, but I can’t imagine they wouldn’t have them in places frequently visited by the public. Liability alone would demand it.”
Slade shrugs, his pretty face marred by concern. “They have recording equipment, but it wouldn’t have been on while the theater was empty, only during a performance. I’m not sure about actual campus security cams.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I pause as I calculate how much worse it will be if I involve those traitorous canines in security versus finding another route to that information.
“Okay. Have Channing call Eli and get him to hack into the school system to find out. Also, Jackson needs to boogie his ass back here if he’s away. I have a feeling we’ll need him.”
Lucas slaps his palm over face in agony, but he knows I’m right.
My mate has been at two crime scenes in the past few months, near two bodies of well-known supes.
That mustachioed idiot at the station will use this as proof that he’s guilty of the first death by declaring it a ‘pattern’.
It doesn’t matter that he wasn’t even supposed to be here, or that Slade technically found it first.
Though, I imagine two students being accused of murder will not help my rep at all.
“We need the police here, but I’d prefer to know if Jax is in town and can beat them to the punch before I call.” I look at Slade, who’s furiously texting while I talk, then pace down the aisle towards the stage and back as I think. “Let me know when you do.”
“Morgana, you don’t think that someone is… aiming at you versus us, right?”
I blink at the polar bear, then shrug. “It’s not impossible , Lucas.
My appointment here was very controversial, and I haven’t made a lot of friends amongst the staff and alumni because I’m shutting down their shit.
The bigger picture we’ve talked about could be involved… or not. Right now, it’s hard to tell.”
Slade looks up from his phone, murmuring, “Because they don’t have all the info, yes?”
“Correct. There’s a lot people do not know about me, my life, my plans, and the things Channing and I are working on. We don’t document everything in places that can be breached by someone like Eli for a reason.”
Other people would wonder if my new assistant is a leak, but I don’t. I know with every fiber of my being that Channing is firmly on our side.
“Chan says she’s on her way, and Jax is coming with Kendrick and Rainier.
Eli is on the keys, and he’s sending Foley out to do his thing—whatever the hell that is.
” Slade pushes his glasses up, looking so stressed that I want to cuddle him.
I can’t, though, because they can’t move at all until the cops arrive.
“Slade, it’s going to be okay. No matter who did this—and the LaMount murder—will be found.
You and Lucas will be fine; it may not be comfortable for a bit, but you won’t be imprisoned or anything.
” I give him my best soothing expression and calmest voice, knowing he’s so sensitive that if he doesn’t feel my assurance, he won’t believe it.
“Lady M, I know you’re good, but you can’t guarantee that,” Lucas says softly. “We know there are shadowy folks poking their noses in—that’s why Li had to bust me loose with the lawyer.”
I shrug, not letting his logic faze me. “True, but we haven’t even tapped the most powerful folks we have access to. I won’t hesitate to bring in heavy hitters if need be, nor with Jax. You are both safe, and I will fight to the top of every chain to keep that promise.”
Before they can respond, the doors creak open, and I whirl around, then catch my breath when Channing enters. Her hair is askew, and she looks ten times more rumpled than when I saw her last, but she’s here quickly enough to let me know she definitely used supe powers to do it.
“Thank fuck. Will you look at this shit? What the hell is going on here?” I cry as she bustles down the aisle to get a better angle on the stage.
“I can’t tell if it’s good or bad that anyone with access to the theater when it’s locked could have stumbled on this.
Slade was setting up for the run, so it could be about him, but they think the dead guy is the one who set the rehearsal time. ”
Channing swallows hard as she realizes what I’m saying.
“The Beauregards have many enemies, Morgana. Rialto was not well-loved, and the last heir they had go through here wasn’t favored, either.
Antigone is currently in residence in Whistler’s Hollow, according to Jackson, so she’ll come running once she’s notified.
I should note that she is definitely worse than her younger sibling, and her ethics are… questionable doesn’t really cover it.”
Putting my hands on my face, I groan. “That’s fabulous. Big-name family, huge contributors, assholes by genetics, and the greater evil will be the one who shows. We really drew the short straw on this one, Chan.”
She nods, her brow furrowing. “It’s going to be a media circus, and we will have a much worse time than with LaMount.
He was a dirty player and a bad guy. Rialto is one of those rich elites with followings all over despite his shitty behavior, and his sister will milk it for everything it’s worth.
The matriarch of the family lives in Zurich, so it’s unlikely she will show, and the father’s dead.
There are more siblings, though, and a lot of tangential blood and bastard relatives of that family who will want to capitalize on his death. ”
Someone had to kill a fucking Kennedy, didn’t they? Hera’s pissy peacocks, this is going to suck.
“I think you should consider an outside PR firm. Let the lawyer pick it,” Lucas says, bringing me out of my internal pity party.
“Nana always did that when the parentals did something egregious enough that it would affect the day-to-day running of the businesses. Pros will handle this so much better because they’re not emotionally connected; plus, if you do it before the board does, you can control the narrative. ”
“That is excellent advice,” Channing murmurs. “I’ll text Eli now and have him look into options for Jax. That way, he can have everything ready once we’re able to strategize.”
Blowing out a long breath, I look around the theater.
There’s not a damn thing out of place besides the lump on the stage covered in cloth.
Slade brought the house lights up, and I assume that’s when he found the corpse.
But as for clues? I don’t see a damn thing that would give us a hint about who did this.
The scene on the stage isn’t even that messy—it’s contained in a way that screams precision.
“If you’re wondering why I didn’t see this before I came up here, it’s because everything was off,” Slade says suddenly.
I blink, wondering if he read my mind, and he winks.
“I was focused on getting the pit and the rest of the theater ready for the musicians, then the crew, and finally, the cast. This rehearsal was scheduled very last minute because of Rialto’s supposed use of the shortcut spells.
We all received the same email simultaneously declaring it—as far as I know. ”
“And you’re early, right?” I say as I add that to my list of things that seem awfully convenient. “You came to prepare as much as you could given the short notice.”
“Yes,” my siren agrees. “I prefer orderly set-ups, and Rialto has been… trying as the producer and director. He’s mercurial and uses his wealth and connections to force things to move more quickly than I would like.
However, I’m not the only person who has publicly expressed their frustration with his methods.
The stage manager, the choreographer, the vocal coach…
hell, even the costumers. No one likes what he’s done to the production. ”
Too many suspects is worse than none because the gomers at that local cop shop will focus on the easiest one to close this fast.
“Channing, you said the Beauregards have a lot of enemies?”
“As a family, a business, and individually, yes. Like most obscenely wealthy supe families, they control much of the influence in the arts in the state and throughout the world. Their charitable contributions aside, they’ve done everything from union busting to venture capital buyouts to further their reach.
However, their rivals will be extremely tough to accuse without a lot of suits showing up.
Likely, it won’t even be explored as an option out of fear of reprisal. ”
Again… fucking. rich. people.
“Great. That makes it even more appealing to hang this on Lucas somehow. Detective Pastrami will foam at the mouth when he arrives,” I grumble. “How are we controlling the press on this?”
Channing grins as she holds up a finger.
“Eli sent a message through the radios pretending to be from a board member instructing them to seal the campus because of a bomb threat. He also told them not to notify anyone, as they’ve hired private contractors to figure it out.
That’s how Jax and crew will get in. It will also keep those slavering dogs from hitting the leak sites. ”
“Ingenious,” Slade says, finally cracking a tiny smile. “That guy is fantastic. No wonder Jax keeps him close.”
I arch a brow, snorting. “I doubt that’s entirely why, but yes, he’s fucking amazing. We could use one of him here if he has a sibling who is just as talented.”
“Pretty sure he’s one of a kind, but I’ll inquire,” Channing replies with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t disagree with having someone skilled in high-tech and loyal only to your office, though. It feels like our IT department is as woefully staffed as the security—probably to help Magnus with his schemes.”
“Everything bad comes back to that fucker.” Lucas frowns and shakes his head. “I can’t wait until you two clear every trace of him from this place. It pisses me off that we can’t kill him again.”
I grin and duck my head for a moment, hiding my pleasure behind my hair. When I feel less exposed, I nod. “You and me both, Lucas. Trust me.”
Looking at my watch again, I worry about the time.
I know time of death isn’t an exact science from the trial.
But the longer we wait for Jax and put off calling the cops, the worse their response will be.
Luckily, just as I’m fretting, the object of my concern pushes open the double doors hard, slamming them against the walls as he strides in with his big minions in tow.
“ Tell me you know for sure that body is Rialto Beauregard. I could not be more excited about this mess.”
I blink at Jackson Thorne in confusion. “Why in the hell would you be excited about this? They’re going to pin it on Lucas and maybe Slade.”
“Oh, darling, I can handle that . What I really want to do is take that nasty witch Antigone to town for her role in hurting someone else I care about. If it’s Rialto, she’ll be here tout suite, and I get to wreak havoc on her. It’s like karma smiled at me today!”
And this is what happens when your lawyer is a complete psychopath—a blessing and a curse.