Burn Mark (37 page)

‘More than just friends, I reckon.’ It was Troy, who’d been standing unobserved in the doorway. ‘I saw Rose down in the hall. She’s Uncle Vince’s kid, isn’t she?’

The red hair, Glory thought. Charlie had even hinted at something of the sort, back in the Radley.

‘She’s not Vince’s, she’s mine.
My
crime.
My
guilt.’

‘You’re not the criminal,’ said Glory hotly. ‘It was the crooks what did the experimental psycho stuff.’

‘Speaking of crooks,’ said Troy, ‘I’d like to have a chat about His Lordship.’ He shut the door, and moved towards Serena. ‘Circumstances have changed since you went to my father. The Wednesday Coven is ready to offer you its support. But when it comes to identifying the guilty parties, we need more than just your word for it.’

‘We’re out of time.’ Her eyes darted to the clock on the wall. It was quarter to nine. ‘I already told Charlie all I knew.’

Troy wasn’t about to back down. ‘You did your own investigating, didn’t you? There must be some kind of paper trail. This witch they’ve imprisoned –’

‘Don’t worry, darling.’ Serena gave an off-key laugh, and ran her finger around her iron collar. ‘The only captive hag around here is me.’

‘I don’t see why Lord Merle married you, if he hates witchkind so much,’ said Glory.

She laughed again. ‘He hates witchkind because he envies us. Ironic, isn’t it? Godfrey’s got prestige, wealth, influence. But he hasn’t got the fae. The one power he doesn’t have! It eats him up, the bitterness. It’s his obsession. He’s even got a collection of witchwork objects. He keeps them in his den: all polished up, under lock and key. Just like his wife.’

Suddenly she gripped Glory’s wrist, breathless with urgency. ‘
Don’t trust them
. They hate us, and they want us. They fear us even as they despise us. That will never change.’

Glory shrank back. She didn’t know if Lady Merle was talking about non-witchkind, or men in general, but she was frightened by the mad light in her eyes.

Troy had had enough too. ‘All right. Tell us where your hubby’s office is, and how to get into it. Then we’ll go.’

‘So masterful!’ Serena mocked. ‘Just like your father. In the old days, mind you, it was Vince who had the sex-appeal . . . I always had a weakness for dangerous men. But really, you mustn’t worry. Silas won’t get away with it, and neither will Godfrey.’

‘What d’you mean?’

‘I mean that I’ve made my plans. You’ll understand later. That’s why you have to leave – it’s for your own good.’

But when she went to open the door, she reeled back. Lord Merle was glowering at the top of the stairs.

‘Godfrey! You’re – you’re early. I asked you to meet me at nine.’

‘It’s my own damn house. I’ll come and go however I please. Besides, you’re the one who made all the fuss about saying goodbye to Rose. Pointless as that’ll be.’ He shouldered his way past, and saw Troy and Glory for the first time. ‘Who the hell are you?’

‘They’re nobody, nothing,’ Serena said agitatedly. ‘Just some guests who wandered up here by accident. They’re leaving now.’ She tried to smile at him. ‘Please, Godfrey. Have a seat. The clinic collected Rose earlier, but . . . I . . . I still need to talk to you.’

Lord Merle turned back to Troy. ‘Do I know you? You look familiar.’

‘I don’t think we’ve met,’ Troy said impassively.

Godfrey looked from him to Glory to Serena again. Serena was white-faced and twitching. Glory was staring at the floor. From the folds of her cashmere wrap, which she’d put down on a side table, a hank of brown wig was showing. His voice sharpened. ‘What’s going on?’

Serena took Troy and Glory by the arm and tried to hustle them out of the room. ‘I warned you already.
Go
.’ She turned back to Lord Merle and smiled brightly. ‘See – they’re leaving! Just like you wanted! Everything’s fine!’

‘I don’t agree. In fact, I’m calling security.’

He marched to the door.

‘No,’ Serena burst out. ‘Don’t – you mustn’t!’

She turned to Troy, and threw her arms around him. ‘Make him stay,’ she pleaded. ‘You have to.’

Troy tried to push her off. She clung on, babbling.

Her husband stared at her in disgust.

‘Get a grip of yourself, for Christ’s sake. Or take another damn pill. Maybe then you’ll turn into as much of a vegetable as your daughter –’

Crack.

Glory didn’t understand what had happened at first. Even when Lord Merle fell to the floor she didn’t quite believe it. Then she saw the gun Serena had pulled from Troy’s holster, and the blossom of red on Lord Merle’s shirtfront.

‘Oh God,’ said Serena. ‘Oh God oh God.’ She began to shudder all over. Quickly, brutally, Troy wrested the gun out of her hands and shut the door. Then he knelt by the body.

‘Is he dead?’ Glory asked, forcing all her strength into her voice to keep it firm. She mustn’t be weak. Troy mustn’t know.

‘Almost.’

Serena collapsed into Rose’s chair. She put her face in her hands.

‘Should we get a doctor . . . or . . . ?’ Glory asked.

‘It’s too late for that. Still, we might be able to get something out of him.’

Troy put his hand on Lord Merle’s shoulders and shook him. The dying man made a clotted, choking sound. A bubble of blood oozed from his lips. Glory had to look away. ‘Jesus, Troy,’ she muttered.

‘This isn’t the time to be delicate,’ Troy snapped, putting the gun back under his jacket. ‘Go outside and check no one heard the commotion. We can’t have anyone coming up here.’

Glory took a final look at the scene. Serena was quaking and gasping. Troy had blood on his hands and shirt. He shook Merle again. ‘Look at me,’ he hissed. ‘
Look at me
.’ Merle groaned. There was a faint, acrid smell of gunpowder.

At least there were no sounds of alarm or activity from the rest of the house. Out on the landing, all Glory could hear was her own heart, banging against her ribs. She closed her eyes. Then she got out her mobile.

There was little or no reception in the attic. She had to go down to the shadowy corridor below before she got a signal. In one of the bedrooms off the hall, she dialled the number Lucas had given her.

‘Connor,’ said a voice the other end.

‘Hello? Hello?’

‘Who is this?’

‘It’s Glory. Glory Starling. Lucas gave me your number – I didn’t – I didn’t want to call you. But it’s an emergency. We’re at Lady Merle’s country place. It’s all kicked off. She – he – I think he’s dead. We’re going to –’

She froze. Someone was climbing the back stairs. A voice called out, ‘Serena? It’s Silas. Am I going the right way?’

Chapter 32

Gideon snapped iron cuffs around Lucas’s wrists and yanked him to his feet. They stared at each other through the swirling dust. Gideon’s pale eyes were cold, amused.

‘Well,’ he said. ‘This is interesting.’

Lucas gathered together the shreds of his story. He began to say something about the Hammers, about having a few too many, taking a wrong turn –

‘Indeed you have.’ Gideon smiled with real pleasure. Then he spoke into his earpiece. ‘Alpha One to Alpha Two. Protocol Six security breach in one-oh-nine, requesting back-up.’

The fae-dust was already fading away. Soon there would be no trace of it. Lucas knew, however, that there was no hope of denying what Gideon had witnessed. It was witchwork of a very high order. He cast around for an explanation, however hopeless.

‘There was an intruder in the office,’ he said. ‘I saw them from the courtyard. I wasn’t thinking clearly but I thought I should . . . y’know . . . chase them off. But as I was coming through the window, the dust appeared. I think whoever it was must’ve been a witch. I mean, that fog stuff wasn’t normal, was it? Anyway, I never got a proper look at the person. As I was trying to get in, they fought to get out. Then you arrived – it all got confused – and –’

‘So how did this other intruder get in and out?’

‘Um, the same way I did, I guess. Through the catacombs. I found the door in the cloister already open. You know, someone should probably go and search the place.’

There was a knock on the door. Lucas was relieved. If he was lucky, it would be an officer he knew. He must stick to his story until the proper authorities took over and his father or Jonah were brought in.

But the newcomer was not an inquisitorial guard or even a directorate worker. It was Zilla, the inquisitor playing the witch at the Hammers’ mock-trial. She was wearing her costume under her coat, but there was no sign of the flirtatious party-girl of before. If this was ‘Alpha Two’, then Lucas was in serious trouble.

‘Watch him,’ Gideon told her as soon as she arrived. ‘And check this.’ He tossed her Lucas’s rucksack, then made a call on his phone. ‘Hello? It’s Hale . . . I’m sorry to disturb your evening, sir, but there’s been a break-in at your office . . . yes . . . I think so . . .’ He glanced at Lucas. ‘There’s something else . . .’ He went out in the corridor and shut the door.

It didn’t take long for Zilla to find and confiscate Lucas’s torch, phone, keys and gloves. She had brought along gloves of her own and an evidence bag. The hacksaw went in along with the rest.

Lucas watched from a chair. He tried to look tipsy and confused, a guilty schoolboy who’d been caught where he shouldn’t be, but he knew it was probably too late. The call to Paterson was a bad sign. The correct procedure was to summon the officer of the watch. They should all be in the custody suite, filling in paperwork, by now.

‘Good news,’ Gideon announced, when he returned to the office. His phone call had taken some time. ‘The Colonel has authorised us to make further enquiries and you, Lucas, are going to assist me. Together, we’re going to get to the bottom of who broke into this place. Maybe we’ll even find the witch responsible. I’m sure you’ll find it very enlightening. I know what an eager student of the Inquisition you are.’

‘Sure, yeah, I’m ready to make my statement. If you’ll take me along to the guard room –’

‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.’

Zilla hauled him to his feet.

‘Where are we going?’

‘Somewhere we won’t be disturbed,’ said Gideon. ‘We can’t be too careful: there are witch-terrorists on the loose.’

Lucas licked his dry lips. ‘OK, it’s just that people are going to wonder where I am. Jeff Buller knows I’m here, and Rory Dixon. Then there’s my dad, of course. If I don’t sign out soon, they’ll start to worry.’

‘There’s nothing to worry about, Stearne. Colonel Paterson and I have been working together
very
closely, you see. I have his full confidence.’

Gideon was smiling as he stepped forward, his hand flicking out to pull down something that had been hidden against his wrist. Lucas jerked away from Zilla’s grip, but it was too late. He could already feel the sting where the syringe had pierced his inquisitor’s cloak, driving through to his skin.

Lucas tried to kick, to wrench himself free. Instead, he sagged. His body was like that of a puppet whose strings had been cut. He tried to shout that Gideon and Zilla were traitors and criminals; that the integrity of the Inquisition was under threat. But when he opened his mouth, the only sound to come out was a drooling bray. ‘Wha – wha – whaa –’

Zilla and Gideon took him between them and half carried, half pushed him down the corridor, and out through a side entrance. His limbs were ridiculously floppy. His sense of direction had gone too, but he could feel the cobblestones of Kindle Yard underfoot. A couple of Hammers were walking ahead, on their way home. Zilla returned their banter.

The trio approached the security gate. It wasn’t Jeff Buller on duty. Gideon’s voice was confident, capable. ‘I’m afraid young Stearne’s taken the celebrations a bit too far.’

The guard tutted. ‘These young lads just don’t know when to stop.’

‘It’s nothing a few pints of water and an aspirin won’t cure. Don’t worry; Zil and I will see he gets home safely.’

With monstrous effort, Lucas tried to work through the drug, forcing his tongue to retrieve the shape of words. All he came out with was a garbled slur. Even looking the guard in the eye was impossible, when his own were rolling all over the place. There was more laughter, and remarks about the morning after. Gideon’s arm squeezed him fondly.

The three of them walked out of the Inquisition, Lucas with legs of rubber and a head full of fuzz. Locked in the other two’s supportive embrace, he was taken along the street and round a corner to where an unmarked van was waiting. And for the second time that day, Lucas found himself cuffed in iron, and bundled into the back of a moving vehicle.

Chapter 33

Silas Paterson reached the corridor just as Glory switched off her phone. He didn’t seem in a hurry. He opened the first door he came to in an exploratory sort of way. While his attention was turned, she darted out of the bedroom and back up the stairs. She shut the attic door as gently as possible. ‘Silas Paterson is on his way,’ she said. She was light-headed with the unreality of it all.