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“Without being insulting, Teddy, I’d prefer not to be counted among your lads. I find myself very much against sharing at the moment,” Lords says. “However, I willreluctantlyagree to involve the four of you in my investigation on theabsoluteandunequivocalproviso that you tell me everything you learn, refrain from investigating anything on your own, and if you find yourself in a situation involving either Klotho or the Vitrim, you Earth-Walk here and stay put until I or another crow come for you. Am I clearly understood?”
“Goes both ways, right?” Charlie asks, before washing down a mouthful of ham and cheese with the builder’s tea we’re both drinking.
Lords slants him a glance. “No, it does not. It is my job to put myself between Bevington students and danger. That includes Klotho and the Vitrim. It is not onlynotyour job, but I absolutely forbid you from doing anything that puts you in their path again.”
“How will we know what’s important and what’s not if you don’t share shite with us?” I ask.
Lords glowers at me. “What do you think you need to know?”
“Who the suspects are, for starters,” I say.
Lords glances at the fae prince sitting on Gabe’s far side.
“Oh, come on. You can’t possibly still believe Darwin did it,” Gabe says.
“I haven’t ruled it out.” Lords sighs. “But I’ll admit it seems less and less likely.”
Darwin hums but doesn’t look too fussed one way or t’other. Either he knows Lords can’t touch him or he has an ace up his sleeve.
“Do you have any real suspects?” I ask.
“I have several people of interest,” Lords answers. He manages to do it without fidgeting, but there’s no question he’s just as aware as I am of how lame-arse that sounds.
“So, nowt,” Charlie says.
“I’m pursuing several leads but I haven’t been able to find any real connections thus far.”
I rest my head on Gabe’s shoulder while I think. “Mebbe we should approach this backwards. Confluences are an axiom of chronomancy, right? So, we’re looking for people who have been brought together in the different timestreams around Jade’s death. You. Us. Evanda Hale. Now we know about Dean Gravka and O, as well.”
“You seriously think O had anything to do with Jade’s murder?” Gabe asks.
“No,” I say quickly. “And I don’t think O had anything to do with Jade’s death in the future, either. He was involved in the frame. And who set it up? Dean Gravka.”
Lords shakes his head. “That’s a dangerous line of thinking, Teddy.”
“Because he’s a dean?”
“Yes, and because your animosity toward him is already well-known. Be very careful who you say his name to. I don’t think it should go beyond the five of us.”
“But you will investigate him?” I ask.
Lords blows out a breath. “To be honest, I already am. I’ve considered all of the male faculty who were here over the summer. I’ve ruled many of them out, but there are a few who remain on my short list. Dean Gravka’s one of them. He was here all summer, he’s a member of the Silver Star, and was seen there many times, including the week of Jade’s death. He interacted with a large number of students, although I can’t find any direct connection between him and Jade. Nor can I find any connection to Evanda Hale.”
“Who else is on your short list?” I ask.
Lords drums his fingers on the table. “These aren’t suspects, per se, just people of interest. And I’d prefer if you thought of them that way to avoid tipping them off or coloring your relationships with them.”
He pauses and waits until we all nod.
“Professors Flynn, Dantel, Merriam, and DeWinter. They were all here over the summer and are all members of the Silver Star.”
I glance at Charlie, remembering too well the voice behind the mask sitting next to Doctor Prince at the Evanda Hale fundraiser.
“Professor DeWinter’s Evanda Hale,” I say.
Lords nods. “I’m aware. As is Professor Merriam.”
Professor Merriam? The slightly dotty, gray-haired man who got so excited about Hog hatching? No, he can’t possibly have had anything to do with Jade’s death.
