Argus plucked the piece of paper from under my fingers and held it over the candle flame, high enough that it wouldn’t burn.
“Too slow.” His gaze flicked to Vivian. He hesitated before schooling his features, then lowered the paper into the flame. It caught fire and blackened to ash.
Dipping into my pocket, I pulled out another square with the same seal and Jane’s handwritten name. Vivian tossed up her hands and pulled a copy from her pocket as well, waving it in the air.
Argus bared his teeth in a harsh smile. “Nice trick, witch.”
“We can go all night. You’ll probably find a copy or two in your henchman’s pockets, possibly a few in the pockets of people we passed on our way here. Who knows, I like to leave breadcrumbs. But will you find the real one?” I turned to Vivian, and she shook her head. “Yeah, probably not. Let’s skip to the part where you cooperate and tell me what I want to know. We’re busy ladies, so get to the point.”
Argus stood and refilled his glass. He sipped the bourbon slowly, accompanied by the snap and crack of the fire in the hearth. Finally, he rubbed a hand over his brow and walked toward a shelving unit, from which he retrieved a ledger and returned to his seat.
“Just because I’m answering your questions doesn’t mean we’re becoming friendly. You still owe me every bloody coin of your agreement.”
I nodded, excitement humming through my body. My spell had worked! We had the upper hand for now.
Argus opened the ledger and found the section on Jane. “You’re right, Jane did owe me money, but she was also working for me to pay off her debts.”
“She worked for you? I thought she served drinks at the Laughing Raven.”
“Who do you think owns the Laughing Raven?” He turned to Vivian and winked. “I own quite a few establishments.”
She rolled her eyes. “Will murderers never cease?”
“I’m a businessman, love. Take note.” He leaned back in his chair. “Jane was ambitious. She wanted more out of life than slinging ale. She fell on hard times, and I offered her a solution. Men talk when they’re drunk, especially to beautiful women.”
Vivian grunted, making Argus’s smile widen.
“I don’t make the rules, and Jane didn’t mind. She spied on them and reported back. She was good at her job, maybe too good. I was having a problem with someone who thought they could sell illegal substances in my territory and not pay for the right. I wanted a name, and Jane went after it. She ended up dead in an alley for her trouble.”
“So, the person selling in your territory was Ironhazel?”
“I didn’t know that at the time. Jane was killed before she gave me a name, and then, after her death, the seller vanished. Jane’s room was trashed. Her things were taken and burned before I got there. All I found was a charred note with the lettersI-R-O-N-Hwritten on it. I didn’t know what it meant, wasn’t even sure it was related to her murder, until one of my men reported back about your visit to Flamelock Den. I had a talk with your friend Charlie, and he revealed what he told you.”
“Then it’s possible Ironhazel was the one who killed Jane?” I asked.
“That’s what I want to find out. It may surprise you, but I don’t like it when bad things happen to my people. Someone has to pay for Jane’s death. The authorities don’t care about a barmaid murdered in an alley, but I do.”
“That’s not true. It’s important to me too.” I paused, debating whether to ask my next question. “Is there any way Jane might’ve crossed paths with Prince Marcus?”
Argus chuckled. “In this part of town? No way. She was seen with a young man before her death, but it wasn’t the prince, I can promise you that.”
“Who was the young man?” Vivian asked.
Argus shrugged. “Not sure. Maybe family or a friend. They appeared fairly close, but she didn’t mention him to me, and no one claimed her body after she was found. I paid for her burial expenses through an anonymous donation.”
“Derrick said Jane didn’t have any family.”
“We all come from somewhere. Maybe Jane had a reason for staying away from hers. I know I do.” Argus swirled the bourbon in his glass, his eyes darkening.
A loud crash erupted through the tavern, and footsteps raced down the hall. One of Argus’s men pounded on the door.
“Boss, get out now! There’s a raid. We’ll hold them off.”
I pushed out of my chair, sending Vivian a panicked look. She scrambled to her feet, and we watched Argus stuff a handful of papers into a bag and pull open his desk drawer. He rifled through its contents, placing more items into the bag, then slung it over his shoulder. He was deadly calm even as shouts from the authorities grew louder. They’d breached the first door.
Terror seized me. If we were caught, we’d be hauled off to prison. But it wasn’t the dark, rat-infested cells that made my legs buckle—it was knowing Derrick would find me there before I could tell him the truth.
“What do we do?” I hissed, searching for something to block the door. “Quick, help me with the cabinet.”
