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“We didn’t attack the fairies,” I said. “Lulu and I went to the castle to talk to them—just to talk.” I pointed to the fading bruise on my face. “They took a different position.”
“Why did you need to talk to the fairies?” My mother’s eyes had silvered with emotion.
“Because of this.” I pulled out the handkerchief and the pin and handed them to my father. His eyes widened.
“Fairy made?”
Of course he’d know that,I thought ruefully, wishing I’d shown it to him first. “As it turns out,” I said, then pulled out my screen and showed him the still I’d saved yesterday. “Worn by a fairy at the reception. I found it near the patio after we talked yesterday.”
My father’s expression didn’t change as he tucked the handkerchief away, handed the pin to Yuen. But my mother’s went thoughtful. “You inspected the crime scene.”
“Sentinel,” my father warned, probably detecting the hint of approval in her voice.
“Yes,” I said, looking back at him. “I found it, and we found the fairy wearing it in the video.”
“And you didn’t report this because?”
“I didn’t know if it had anything to do with the murder. He could have been at the party as a guest, and it happened to fall off. We wanted to see if it meant anything first.” I glanced at Yuen. “Especially if the Ombudsman’s office already thinks Riley’s guilty.
“We decided we’d ask them about it,” I continued. “So we drove out there. And they were... less than accommodating.”
My mother snorted a laugh, then covered her mouth at myfather’s glower. “Sorry. Inappropriate. That was just... such a Sullivan thing to say.”
The glower deepened. “Sentinel.”
“And so is that,” she said, and made an effort at a serious face.
“They attacked you,” my father said, looking at me again.
“Yeah. We didn’t see Claudia, but Ruadan was there.”
“What instigated the violence?” Yuen asked.
“They’re sociopaths?” Connor said dryly.
“They were fine at first,” I said. “Ruadan seemed interested that we were there. But we asked about Tomas, if they had any information about his death. It went downhill from there. I asked about the pin, and they attacked.”
“They attacked you?” Yuen asked.
“They made the first move. Lulu and I defended.”
“Lulu?” my mother asked.
“Wakizashi,” I said. “Catcher trained her.”
“Of course he did.” I could tell she wanted to ask more—probably about her skills, the dance of the battle, and how I’d handled myself. But she managed to hold her tongue.
“We fought,” I said. “And we were outnumbered. And then Connor showed up.”
“That’s awfully coincidental,” my mother said, glancing at him.
“Right place, right time,” Connor said.
My mother looked dubious, but didn’t object.
“You could have been killed.”
I looked at my father. “I’m fine. But Riley’s in a cage.”
