Chapter Fifteen

Lukas and I headed down to the DeVane carpark. ‘Here,' he said, tossing something at me.

I caught it and looked down. A car key. My head snapped up again. ‘What's this?'

‘It's for Tallulah.' He ambled over to the pillar where my crossbow bolt was still embedded, reached up and yanked it out as if he were sliding a knife out of butter.

‘Where did you—' I frowned at the key. ‘You took this from Tony's hotel room?'

He shrugged. ‘He doesn't need it any more.'

‘I told you not to touch anything. I thought we were coming down here because you had a car of your own parked here.'

‘I do,' he answered smoothly. ‘But Tallulah is better.'

‘Tallulah smells funny,' I muttered.

Lukas stilled and gave me a long look.

‘What?' I asked.

‘What is it exactly that you smell?'

‘Tony told me it was a blend of verbena and wolfsbane, but I get patchouli too.'

Lukas absorbed my words for a moment then passed me the silver bolt. ‘Careful with that,' he said. He continued walking.

‘Wait.' I caught up to him. ‘What's the big deal with the smell?'

He put his hands in his pockets. ‘Did Tony tell you why it smells like that?'

‘Not exactly. It's the same as inside the Supe Squad building, though.'

‘Indeed it is.'

Becoming frustrated, I nudged him. ‘So?'

‘So what?'

‘The smell. Why is it a big deal?'

‘I'm not sure that you really want to know the answer to that, D'Artagnan.'

I ground my teeth. ‘Tell me.'

‘The quantity of herbs burned to release the smell is miniscule. Far less than a human nose could detect.'

‘Bullshit. It was so strong the first time I walked into the Supe Squad building that it made my eyes water.'

He gave me a sidelong look. ‘I told you that you wouldn't like the answer.'

‘You're saying that because I can smell it, I'm a supe,' I said flatly.

‘Pretty much. You're not a vampire or a werewolf. You're clearly no gremlin or pixie, either. You, D'Artagnan, are something new.'

The back of my neck prickled uncomfortably. I couldn't pretend that this was news; it wasn't as if normal people had their throats slit and woke up twelve hours later in a burst of flames. And I'd not even mentioned the flames to Lukas.

‘In theory,' he continued, ‘Brown used the herbs to root out any supes who are hiding their identity. It's a technique Supe Squad have used for decades.'

‘And in practice?'

‘Could be habit. But it's probably for the tourists.'

I frowned. ‘To impress them?'

Lukas laughed. ‘No. To ward off all those idiots who appear at the door convinced that they themselves are supes. People who pass by a vampire in the street and think that they've been turned because they've breathed the same air. Or the people who think that they're werewolves because they enjoy their steak rare.' He grinned. ‘Humans are far crazier than supes will ever be. And if they can't smell the herbs then they ain't supe, no matter how much bloody meat they consume.'

‘I'm vegetarian,' I informed him snippily, as if that meant I couldn't possibly be supernatural.

He glanced at me, still amused. ‘Good for you.'

We reached Tallulah. I did my best to repair the black plastic sheeting then got into the driver's seat. Lukas had to all but fold himself in to fit inside next to me. I snickered slightly at his discomfort. ‘I thought Tallulah was better than your car. What do you drive? A Little Tikes Cozy Coupé?'

‘I'm not an entirely selfish bastard,' he said, shifting himself around. ‘Driving Tallulah makes you instantly recognisable to any supes. It means you won't be treated as a tourist and you'll be taken more seriously.'

‘Like Tony was?'

Lukas didn't answer.

I clipped in my seatbelt and turned on the engine. I was briefly tempted to head back to Tony's flat and see its now unblemished state, but that was pointless and would only waste time. I already knew what it looked like, and there was no chance there would be any new evidence lying around that would help us.

‘You said only a few people know about the plans for Supe Squad to become more active,' I said to Lukas. ‘Do you happen to have a handy list of these people? Specifically werewolves?'

He sighed. ‘It's a fool's errand. This is not why either you or Tony was killed.'

I waited.

Lukas clicked his tongue. ‘I don't have a definitive list. But I assume all four werewolf clan heads and their immediate deputies are aware of the plans.'

I glanced at my watch. It was already one in the morning. ‘Will they still be up and about?'

‘Probably.' He crossed his arms over his chest, indicating that it was a pointless effort. I ignored him and released the handbrake. Werewolves, here we come.

***

Taking a leaf out of Tony's old playbook, I parked Tallulah smack bang in the centre of the wolves' quarter, ignoring the fact that there were no others cars and the streets were teeming with people.

Lukas sniffed. ‘It's always so much quieter here at this time of night than in Soho.'

I stared at the crowds and wondered just how busy the vampires' quarter got. ‘Four clans. Sullivan, McGuigan, Carr and who?'

‘Fairfax.'

‘Anything important I need to know about them?'

‘They're werewolves.'

I rolled my eyes. ‘You know what I mean.'

‘I wasn't being facetious. No matter how friendly – or human – they might appear when they're in human form, werewolves still possess an inherent wildness that can make them wholly unpredictable and incredibly dangerous.'

‘Unlike vampires, who are warm and cuddly?'

‘Werewolves are governed by the moon,' he responded without rancour. ‘They are less in control of themselves than we are. And full moon is only a few nights away.' He waved a hand. ‘The closer it is, the longer the wolves stay out for. They sleep less. From tomorrow, they'll start fasting in preparation. A tired, hungry animal should always be approached with caution.'

Point taken. ‘Is that why Tony and I were killed?' I asked. ‘Because a werewolf gave in to their inner animal?'

‘No.' Lukas was silent for a moment. ‘Those murders were planned. Nobody walks the streets at night with a sharp dagger like the one used to cut your throat unless they intend to use it. And everything we've seen so far suggests that Tony was stalked before he was killed.'

A shiver rippled through me and I rubbed my arms. ‘Where to first?'

Lukas nodded towards the line of people queuing up outside some sort of club. ‘Lord Fairfax will be holding court in there.'

It was as good a place to start as any. I nodded and began to get out of the car. Before I could, Lukas leaned across and placed a hand on my arm. The touch of his skin seared into me.

‘Tread carefully,' he warned. ‘And leave the crossbow in the car. You won't be in any immediate danger in this place, but these are still powerful people. If you start flinging around accusations, it won't go down well. Especially when there is no chance that these were alpha-sanctioned kills. You don't want to start a war, D'Artagnan.'

It was on the tip of my tongue to snap that I wasn't stupid even though I was a trainee, but I knew that he was genuinely trying to help. ‘I will be careful,' I promised. ‘But don't you do anything stupid either, like telling them that I was killed too.'

‘I give you my word that they won't hear it from me,' he promised.

Good.

I stepped onto the street, very aware of the wide eyes staring in our direction. He'd been right about Tallulah.

The last thing I was prepared to do was join the back of the club's queue. I strode to the front with my head held high, ignoring the well-dressed people waiting behind me. The heavyset bouncer didn't hesitate; he simply unclipped the rope and allowed both Lukas and I access. I could get used to this.

As soon as we entered, I realised this wasn't a head-pounding nightclub filled with sweaty bodies and thumping tunes. On the contrary, despite the long queue of people waiting hopefully outside, it was more like a sedate gentleman's club. Round tables dotted the main room, each one lit with a small lamp, the green glass shades giving off an intimate, warm hue.

A group of classical musicians were performing on a small stage. I recognised the music as Wagner and glanced at Lukas. ‘I suppose these tunes are from your era?'

He snorted. ‘I'm not that old, D'Artagnan.'

I smiled and continued to look around. ‘Can you tell who's wolf and who's human?'

‘Here everyone is wolf,' he told me.

A young woman walked towards us. She was wearing the uniform of service staff the world over: a plain black skirt and starched white shirt. Both were immaculate and, even from a distance, I could tell the material was expensive. I supposed it paid to be a supe.

‘Good evening.' She inclined her head and flicked me a look of unashamed curiosity, even though most of her attention was on Lukas. ‘May I get you a drink?'

‘No,' I said, at the exact same time as Lukas answered, ‘Whisky on the rocks.'

‘Very well. Please follow me.'

She led us towards an unmarked door at the rear on the opposite side to the musicians. I felt a tug of anxiety that we were leaving the safety of the crowded room and snuck a look at Lukas. His expression was bland, his smile disinterested. At least it was until a wiry man at one of the tables nearby got to his feet and swaggered over to us, his arms swinging by his sides like he was preparing for a fight. At that point, Lukas bared his teeth and displayed his fangs for all to see. The other man immediately thought better of his approach and faltered. Neither Lukas nor the woman missed a step.

We passed through the door and walked down a short hallway into another room that boasted even greater splendour. There were only three tables but the decor, from the lavish oil painting depicting a naval battle to the lit fireplace and the huge Chinese vases flanking it, suggested the owner had incredible wealth. Either that, I mused, or it was designed to advertise wealth and intimidate guests.

The waitress, if that's what she was, gestured at the nearest table and left. I remained standing. ‘What's this about, Lukas?' I asked. ‘Nobody has asked us who we are or what we're doing here. Why are we in this room?'

‘Just relax,' he advised. ‘Everything will be fine. Although, if I can ask a favour, don't call me that while we're here.'

I blinked. ‘Don't call you Lukas?' Surely that was just his nickname? I stared at him. Had he given me his true name?

‘If you wouldn't mind.' He offered me a gentle smile. Taken aback, I nodded agreement.

He pulled out one of the chairs for me, an action that made me surprisingly uncomfortable. I sat down gingerly, my back straight and my feet flat on the carpeted floor. Lukas sat opposite, leaned back and rested his feet on one of the other spare seats. He stretched out his arms, linked his hands behind his head and yawned. Any second now, I thought, the man would be taking forty winks.

The door opened again. A man in his mid-thirties appeared with two others behind him. I stood up to greet him. Lukas remained exactly where he was.

‘Good evening. I am Lord Fairfax.'

He was so finely dressed that I almost curtseyed. Instead, I stuck out my hand. Habit told me to give him my real name; instinct told me otherwise. ‘You may call me D'Artagnan,' I said. ‘I'm on temporary assignment with Supernatural Squad.'

Fairfax smiled. ‘What a lovely coat you're wearing,' he murmured, even though the puffy jacket swamped me and would have looked more appropriate on a mountain hiker than a city copper.

‘Thank you. What a lovely … cravat you're wearing,' I said, returning the compliment. Two could play at that game.

I waited for Lukas to introduce himself, or for Fairfax to speak to him. When that didn't happen, I sat down again. Enough fannying around. I had questions that needed answers. ‘I appreciate you taking the time to meet with us,' I said. ‘I'm afraid that I'm here on official business. A serious crime has taken place.'

Fairfax sat down, leaving his two colleagues standing. They took up positions on either side of the room, poised for action. I couldn't imagine what they were expecting would happen.

‘A crime involving Supernatural Squad?' Fairfax enquired with a disbelieving tilt of his head.

‘Unfortunately, yes.' I watched his expression closely. ‘DC Anthony Brown has been murdered.'

Lord Fairfax didn't flinch, but I was certain that I briefly registered shock in his eyes. Alas, I didn't get chance to confirm it. There was a knock at the door and the woman entered again carrying a tray of drinks. She handed them round and moved to back of the room. We were now effectively surrounded by werewolves.

Fairfax sipped his drink. ‘I won't pretend to be devastated by this news,' he said. ‘Brown and I were never great friends and he owed me several favours, which he was in no hurry to pay back. However,' he glanced at Lukas, ‘I'm not pleased either. This will have consequences for us all.'

‘Happy consequences?' Lukas drawled, speaking for the first time since Fairfax had entered the room.

‘Certainly not. As you well know.' Fairfax swirled the clear liquid in his glass and placed it on the table. ‘Have you apprehended a suspect?'

‘No.'

‘Do you have a suspect?'

I chose my words carefully. ‘There is no specific suspect as yet. However, there's evidence to suggest DC Brown's killer was a werewolf.'

Fairfax's reaction was instantaneous: he stiffened, his entire body went rigid and his cheeks suffused with red. ‘That is not possible.'

‘It is perfectly possible,' Lukas said. ‘As you well know.'

I stared at Fairfax. The flesh on his hands was twisting, his fingers curling and growing long claws in front of my eyes. Wiry dark hairs were springing out along his jawline. I'd assumed that someone of his stature and bearing would be in full control of his wolf, but I'd assumed wrongly.

The door opened yet again. This time, it wasn't a member of staff on the threshold, it was Lady Sullivan. Her icy gaze swept over all of us. ‘Well, well, well,' she murmured. ‘Isn't this cosy?'

I was confused. If this was a Fairfax club, what was she doing here? I watched as she glided in and stopped in front of an empty chair. Then she waited. Lord Fairfax rolled his eyes and nodded at the wolf standing nearby who sprang forward and pulled out the chair. Lady Sullivan didn't acknowledge the gesture; she merely shook out her long heavy skirt and sat down. ‘Tea,' she said to no one in particular. ‘Darjeeling.'

The waitress looked at Fairfax. He sighed. ‘Fetch Lady Sullivan a cup of tea,' he said. ‘And you might as well arrange for an Appletini and a beer while you're at it. I don't expect the others will be far behind.'

Sullivan examined her fingernails. ‘It was a rather conspicuous entry.'

I glanced at Lukas. He hadn't moved an inch. My eyes narrowed at him; it was our entry that Lady Sullivan was referring to. He must have known this would happen: four birds with one stone. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing – although I'd have appreciated a warning first.

I realised that Lady Sullivan had looked up from her manicure and was staring at me with an openly speculative and rather suspicious expression. I folded my arms across my chest and stared back at her. She allowed herself a tiny smile then blinked, and broke contact.

We didn't have long to wait. Within minutes, the door opened and another couple appeared – a burly male with heavy jowls and a broad chest, and a slender woman who was his complete opposite. She looked like she might snap in a strong breeze. She gulped at the beer that was placed in front of her, while the man curled his squat fingers round the delicate Appletini glass and lapped at the drink with his tongue like a cat. I goggled at them both.

‘Lady Carr,' Fairfax said by way of introduction. ‘And Lord McGuigan. This is … D'Artagnan, the latest addition to Supernatural Squad.'

Neither of them raised an eyebrow; either the two clan heads already knew of my arrival or they didn't care.

Lord Fairfax drained his glass, smacked his lips and looked at me. ‘Perhaps you should start from the beginning.'

An unbidden image of my own corpse engulfed in flames rose up in my mind, but I quashed it. Not that beginning. ‘I am here,' I said baldly, ‘because I believe my mentor, Detective Constable Anthony Brown, has been murdered. His body was discovered a few hours ago at the DeVane Hotel. There is evidence outside his room that a werewolf was involved.'

All four werewolf leaders looked at Lukas. He leaned forward, picked up his whisky and took a drink.

‘What evidence exactly?' Sullivan inquired.

‘His fourth-floor room was accessed via the window,' Lukas said. ‘There are claw marks in the stone work outside. Wolf claw marks.'

McGuigan started to splutter. ‘Preposterous! This is obviously some ploy on the vampires' part to make us look bad. None of us wanted Brown dead. Quite the opposite, in fact!'

Lukas finally removed his feet from the chair and sat up straight. ‘I can assure you that no vampire wished for anything other than for Brown to continue in his position. If you doubt that it was a werewolf who killed him, then you're more than welcome to visit the crime scene yourselves.'

Lady Carr wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. ‘How did Brown die?'

‘The cause of death has not yet been determined,' I said. ‘His body is only just being transported to the morgue.'

Her nose wrinkled. ‘Yes, yes, but you must have some indication about what happened. Was his throat torn out? Was it a head wound? Blood loss? What?'

‘His body,' Lukas said, ‘was made to appear as if he'd hanged himself.'

I breathed out. I was both surprised and grateful that Lukas had chosen not to reveal all the salient details. I might not have known Tony well but the least he deserved was some scrap of dignity in his death.

‘Made to appear?' Fairfax inquired. ‘Or did he actually hang himself? He lost his wife recently, remember.'

I cleared my throat. ‘The pathologist will be able to confirm what actually happened, but there is other evidence to suggest foul play.' I outlined what I'd seen at Tony's flat and its subsequent clean-up.

I expected further dissent from the wolves; instead, they gazed at each other. The atmosphere in the room changed from suspicion to worry.

‘What does this mean for us?' McGuigan asked. ‘Are we to expect a sudden influx of police?'

‘Bound to.' Carr's mouth turned down. ‘They might have no legal authority, but they could easily use Brown's death as a way to force their position. We need to be prepared for a fight. We should put out a statement to the press straight away. Then we need to find the fucker responsible for this, and rip their heart from their body.' She licked her lips and I suddenly understood that she wasn't speaking metaphorically.

Fairfax nodded. ‘I'll contact the Prime Minister's office and reiterate our loyalty.'

‘Right now, the police are keeping the matter quiet,' Lukas interjected,

Lady Sullivan's eyes narrowed. ‘Why? Is Barnes going to use this as an opportunity to send in more troops? More than this girl here? Whoever she really is?' She hissed. ‘All that money we spent trying to keep Brown in place. We might as well have pissed it up that damned wall.'

I blinked, surprised at both her vehemence and her language. ‘What money is that?' I asked.

The four werewolves, who I sensed didn't necessarily like each other but who were in agreement, didn't answer. Realisation hit me; now I got it. ‘The police wanted him to retire,' I said. ‘They wanted him out of the way so that different detectives with different agendas could be moved in. You wanted him to stay. His attitude was exactly what you wanted. You were all bribing him.'

Sullivan's lip curled. ‘It was not bribery. He was free to act however he wished. We simply enhanced his earnings. He performed a difficult job, and we were happy to help him.'

The worst thing was that I believed her. And I believed that Tony would have argued that he wasn't in any way compromised, and that he was still doing his job. But even he would have known that he couldn't continue as the sole Supe Squad detective indefinitely.

DSI Barnes seemed to think Tony had sanctioned me as his replacement. Was that because Tony had thought I'd be happy to take the same kind of backhanders? Or was it because he knew I wouldn't? I shook my head; either way, it didn't matter. The four clan heads were desperate for damage control. They hadn't wanted Tony out of the way, they'd wanted him to stay exactly where he was.

Lukas had been right; whichever wolf had killed Tony, their motive wasn't anything to do with police politics, or to prevent humans from taking a greater interest in supe affairs. This was something entirely different.

I stood up. ‘I'm only in Supe Squad for the next twelve days. After that, I don't know what will happen. Frankly, I don't care. What I'm going to do, however, is find out who killed DC Brown. I will do that with or without your help. I suspect that your cooperation will make whatever comes next easier on all of you – but that's up to you.'

A deep grumble sounded in McGuigan's chest. ‘We can't be seen to be helping the police. Most of my wolves have no idea what's going on behind the scenes, and it's better if it stays that way. I have too many hotheads to deal with as it is.'

Fairfax agreed. ‘I have the same issues.' He met my eyes. ‘We will not stand in your way, however. We need the killer found – assuming, of course, that it really was a werewolf who did this.'

Lukas spoke up. ‘It was.'

‘The last thing we need is for others to find out that a werewolf might have killed a police officer. Even if turns out not to be true, the rumour could be our undoing and the tiniest leak could spell disaster,' Sullivan said.

I lifted my chin. ‘I have reasons of my own for keeping this as quiet as possible. I will find out who did this.'

‘And I,' Lukas smiled, ‘will help.'

Carr gave him a hard look, but Lukas pretended not to notice. He got to his feet and extended his hand to me. I ignored it; I was perfectly capable of walking out of here without his assistance. Fairfax snickered but Lukas looked more amused than offended.

‘When we find the culprit,' he said to the clan leaders, ‘I'll let you know so that you can deal with them in your own way.'

Like hell. I'd sort out the bastard on my own terms. Wisely, I kept my mouth shut. Nobody had bought my soul – and nobody would.