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‘So if they killed the gargoyle, they were protecting someone?’
‘If they’d been hired out. If they killed the gargoyle of their own volition, it could just be because he looked at them in the wrong way. They can be testy. Their king tries to keep them on a short leash, but some of them like to shuck their restraints.’
‘Could you get me a meeting with them?’ I didn’t want to rely on Bastion’s help unless I had to.
Greg ran a hand through his hair. ‘Could I? Yes. Should I? Probably not. As I said, they’re testy. They’ve been known to kill people whose job offers they didn’t like.’
‘That must put some people off hiring them,’ I observed drily.
‘You don’t hire an ogre unless you’re pretty desperate. They’re expensive and volatile. If we ask for a meeting, the only way we’ll get one is if we’re trying to hire them. And if we thendidn’thire them … things could get dicey.’
‘So we hire one to parade around here for a day.’ I shrugged. ‘We can use it as an opportunity to ask some questions.’
‘They have a rule about client confidentiality so they won’t tell us anything. A meet will be a waste of time.’
‘Huh. They sound worse than lawyers,’ I muttered.
He flashed me a grin. ‘I’m just saying. They may have killed the gargoyle, but if we’re looking into his death then first we need to find out who he was.’
‘Bob is being close-mouthed.’
‘Then let’s find some looser lips,’ Greg suggested.
‘Where would you—’ I trailed off as my office door banged open.
Sonia ran in, her hair dishevelled and her face red from crying. ‘He’s gone!’ she wailed.
My stomach sank. ‘Who?’
‘Bobby! I dropped him off to school this morning, but they said he never arrived at class. He’s gone!’ She was on the verge of hysteria and I couldn’t blame her; I felt pretty hysterical myself. Missing kids were out of my ambit and I had no idea what to do.
I shot Greg a panicked look. He stepped forward, put an arm around Sonia and settled her into a chair. ‘Has Bobby ever played truant before?’ he asked gently.
‘No, never. And he left the alpha’s office this morning talking about how excited he was to be in school, how hard he was going to work to be an asset to the pack. He’s not playing truant, he’s been taken! I’m sure of it!’
‘Does the school have security cameras?’ I asked, relieved that my brain was finally engaging.
Her eyes welled up again. Her desperation and helplessness were infectious, and my heart ached for her as I struggled to think.
‘Are there any shops in the immediate area that might have cameras?’ Greg queried.
‘No, the school is on a residential street.’
‘What about friends or family? Anyone Bobby would go with voluntarily?’
‘No one locally, other than the pack. We’ve talked about stranger danger, and he’s a sensible kid. I swear he wouldn’t wander off with someone he doesn’t know – not voluntarily.’
‘Have you noticed anyone hanging around you lately? Anything unusual?’
‘No, nothing.’
‘Is there a park he goes to regularly? Any friends he hangs out with a lot?’
‘He wouldn’t play truant,’ Sonia insisted again. ‘And I drove by the local park where we go and he wasn’t there. Both of his best friends at school were in school today. The head teacher spoke to their parents and they didn’t have any idea where Bobby was. Everyone assumed he was off sick and I’d forgotten to notify them.’
‘Has he been ill lately?’ Greg asked.
‘No, he doesn’t really get sick.’
