AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Ash Aspen,’ the young man said with a faint smirk.
‘You killed Jingo?’
‘Yeah.’
‘How?’
He gave a shrug. ‘With an ogre’s mace.’
‘Why did you use that?’ I asked curiously.
He shrugged again. I was itching to arrest him but it wasn’t appropriate in the circumstances. I hated the eye-for-an-eye rule. ‘Do you intend to kill anyone else?’ I demanded.
‘By this grove, I do not intend to harm another living soul.’ His eyes glinted.
Something in me didn’t believe him. ‘This vendetta is done,’ I said firmly. ‘Do you hear me? Not further retribution will be sanctioned or condoned.’
‘Try telling that to Jingo’s men,’ Ash laughed.
‘I will,’ I said firmly. ‘But for you, this is done. If not, I’ll be back and you’ll be in cuffs quicker than you can say “perennial flowers”. Are we clear?’
‘Yes, Inspector Wise,’ he responded, but his eyes were still mocking me.
I let it go with an effort. ‘The vendetta is done,’ I repeated, this time meeting the gazes of the elders.
‘So mote it be,’ Lily responded. ‘Good day, Inspector.’ With that, the elders sank back into their trees. After a beat, Ash Aspen followed suit and was slowly subsumed into the bark behind him.
I turned to Bird. ‘Was that him? The killer?’
Bird cocked his head. ‘Was,’ he confirmed. ‘And was not.’
‘What? What do you mean?’ I demanded impatiently. ‘Did Ash Aspen kill Jude Jingo?’
‘Yes,’ the bird confirmed.
‘Okay. Well then, you’re free to go.’
‘Bye, Pigdog.’ Bird leapt into the air and did a bunch of aerial acrobatics that made me smile despite myself.
‘Bye, Bird,’ I murmured quietly, watching him fly away.
As he fluttered out of the clearing, I suddenly tensed as I saw two figures beyond the grove. One had a net which she used to flaile at Bird as she tried to capture the magical creature. Bird gave a cawing laugh and easily dodged his pursuers. Caladriai are rare, and I guessed they were used to being hunted. Bird launched himself up and away and in moments he was gone from sight, leaving his would-be capturers swearing loudly, holding nothing but empty nets.
Chapter Ten
I typed up the last of my report. I’d already asked to be put in charge of Sam’s scissor case, the murder of Ivy Blossom. Thackeray would see it was transferred to me and then I could tie up both cases with a fancy bow. The Common police would simply mark the file as closed and confidential, and it would be stored with the highest level of security. If hacked, it would simply say: Refer to the Other file.
After I’d finished, I showed Channing how to submit the reports to Thackeray then I cut him loose for the day. Next I searched out an address for Reed. The vendetta might be over for the dryads, but there was little chance that Jingo’s men felt the same – my visitors this morning had confirmed that. If Channing had been a little less green, he’d have known what was coming.
I clocked off and walked to Reed’s last known address. Reed was a siren: he could make men and women throw themselves at him with a perfectly practised smirk. Luckily I have some immunity to sirens. My skills as a sub-wizard mean I have well-constructed mental shields that give me an element of protection. The rest of my protection comes from my badge.
Unlike Krieg, Reed wasn’t king of anything and he wouldn’t get away with my murder. Harming me would come with a hefty price tag.
I surveyed the property for an hour but saw no signs of movement. Finally, a familiar Range Rover appeared and pulled up next to me. Krieg wound down his window. ‘Reed’s not here. Get in and I’ll take you to him.’ I didn’t like the idea that he was keeping tabs on me, even if his motivation seemed to be to assist me.
‘Why?’ I asked bullishly.
‘Maybe I just feel like a drive. Get in, Inspector.’
