Derrick sighed. “I know, but we need to tighten the flow of information. There are only a few people who know Liam approached you. He may have been followed that day. There’s already been a threat against you, not to mention the fountain incident with the prince. You said he might have been holding you under.”
“I don’t know that for sure, and he helped me get out. Don’t forget that.”
“Doesn’t matter. After this, there will be questions, and once the news is released about the additional victims, people will be scared. The fact that the king placed his son under guard means the focus of the investigation will change. It will be up to us to either clear his name or condemn it. It’s about to get ugly.” Derrick motioned toward the scene. “Are you ready for this? You can stay here while I examine the body.”
I swallowed my nerves and exhaled a shaky breath. “No. Liam came to me. I owe it to him to do everything I can to bring his killer to justice.”
“All right, here.” He handed me his notebook. “You can take notes. If you need a moment, let me know, and we’ll stop.”
“Quit worrying, I’m fine. Now, get to work. The agency doesn’t pay you to hover around me.”
“Very funny.” Derrick stepped into the clearing, noting the trampled grass. “Looks like the killer dragged the body through here—there are wheel tracks in the mud. He was likely moved to this location in a cart. We’ll need to see if we can track it down. Liam wasn’t murdered here, there’s not enough blood.”
I stayed in Derrick’s footsteps, careful not to disturb the scene. “Abrams said they didn’t find a murder weapon, but it could have been tossed anywhere in this field. The grass is high enough we wouldn’t be able to see it.”
“Good point. We’ll have to set up a grid search. Make note of that.”
“There wasn’t a rose this time either.”
“This was a different sort of killing, reactionary, not part of the original plan. The roses are personal. He selects those victims for a reason.” Derrick bent over the body. “No defensive wounds. There doesn’t seem to have been a violent struggle.”
Making a note, I studied Liam’s lifeless form. My knees felt watery, but I held my ground. Blood saturated his shirt near the wound and seeped into the grass. He lay on his back, limbs covered partially in leaves. As acid rose in my throat, I closed my eyes, unable to stare at his lifeless face. Air passed heavily through my lungs in short gasps.
“Tessa, are you okay?” Derrick touched my shoulder, his hand moving up to massage my neck. “I know it’s a lot. Maybe we should—”
I forced my eyes open and blinked away the dark spots. “Maybe there aren’t any defensive wounds because he was drugged, or maybe it was because he knew the killer. If it was someone he trusted, it’s possible he didn’t see it coming. Close range, one thrust to the chest, and it was over.”
Derrick studied me, respect gleaming in his eyes. “That makes sense. You’re good at this. I’ve seen some of the heartiest officers keel over in the dirt for less.”
His praise calmed the rest of my nerves. Estelle might have been right. Maybe I’d finally found something I was good at. Between ghosts, dead bodies, and threatening gifts, I’d certainly developed nerves of steel.
“I have an idea.” I dug into the leather satchel at my waist. “I brought supplies. A kit, actually. After we used the potion to determine Ella’s poison, I thought about how I could apply that sort of thing to other instances.”
Derrick narrowed his eyes. “Are you carrying around rosenphyn? You said it was a deadly substance.”
“Relax, Detective, I don’t plan on eating it. But maybe we can use it to test Liam’s blood? If he was poisoned, it might show up in his bloodstream. Think of the potential! I’m sure, given time, I can develop other potions that can do even more. Magic could become a new investigative tactic. What do you think?”
“I think we should try it, but not in the field. I’ll have Liam’s shirt preserved as evidence. You can perform your test back at the agency, in a controlled environment, where a rogue gust of wind won’t make your deadly powder airborne.”
I chewed the corner of my lip. “I see your point. I should pre-mix next time.” I made a note in the journal.
“Don’t write that down. That’s not what I meant.”
“Too late. Do you need my help with anything else? I should head to the agency with a sample and perform the test. The sooner we determine if poison was involved, the better. We need to get ahead of this.”
Derrick frowned. He looked a little hurt.
“You’re not going to question the witnesses with me?”
“I’m sure you can handle it. Besides, you have to speak with the king afterward. Let’s meet later. We’ll compare notes.” I packed away my kit, my mind already racing toward my next task.
***
The image of Liam’s lifeless body wouldn’t leave my mind no matter how hard I tried to push it away. The drive to prove myself useful had become an essential need. In light of his murder, I couldn’t sit through hours of idle questioning when my skills were better suited for running tests.
Moving light over the square of fabric from his shirt that I’d placed on the evidence table, I mixed the rosenphyn powder with other ingredients, then cast the spell. The liquid congealed, signaling it was ready to apply. With light strokes, I spread the substance over the stain. The metallic scent of blood filled my nostrils along with the earthy smell wafting from the mixture. Stomach churning, I placed a lavender-infused rag beneath my nose.
I knew I wasn’t directly responsible for Liam’s death, but it was hard to forget my involvement. Was this the sort of guilt Derrick lived with on a daily basis? The way he controlled his emotions and buried his feelings in order to do his job was admirable. It was one of the things I loved about him, the way he put other people first, protecting them any way he could, even at risk to himself. He could have continued to ignore me when the prince allowed me on the case, and given his history with frauds claiming to be witches, he had every reason to. I might still be sitting in some parlor detailing a guest’s every movement at the ball, but instead, he’d opened up, listened to my ideas, and even let me take the lead.
