“A suicide, an accidental overdose, a gang-related shooting, and Quentin Devereaux was found on the side of a road. And it’s only nine in the morning.”
I gave Nergal his three cupcakes in a little box and pulled him aside. “Tell me about Devereaux.”
“He was gutted, but all of his organs had been shoved back in. And that wasn’t the way he died. It happened some time after death.”
“His last thoughts?”
“?‘Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.’?” Nergal gave me his credit card. “Sometimes last thoughts don’t make a lot of sense.”
I gave the card back to him. “No charge for the cupcakes,” I said. “I owed them to you.”
“Thanks. It was nice seeing you again. Let me know if you ever want to see an autopsy or go out to dinner or something.”
I returned to my cookie making and was about to slide the first tray into the oven when Rutherford knocked politely on the side door, and let himself in.
“It’s gone,” he said. “Poof! Gone!”
He was pacing back and forth, wringing his hands. Everything was perfectly ironed and in place. His hair was slicked down. His pants had a razor-sharp crease. His tie was expertly tied. His expression was sheer panic.
“I went to check on our guest, Mr. Hatchet, last night. I had to make sure he had enough oxygen, and he wasn’t there. Nothing was there! The door was locked. The vault was locked, but nothing was there. How could that happen? I went back this morning to see if anything had changed, but it hasn’t. It’s all gone.”
“And?” I asked.
Rutherford stopped pacing. “It had to be magic. There’s no other explanation. Mr. Ammon and I were the only ones who knew the combination. Mr. Ammon is in the hospital. He’s hooked up to tubes and things. He never left. And I’m pretty sure it wasn’t me who opened the vault. I guess I could have had a moment, but I don’t think that’s it.”
“You think it’s magic?”
“Yes. So of course I thought of you and your friend. She could have put a spell on the vault.”
“Did the vault growl at you?”
“No.”
“Then it wasn’t Glo.”
“I see your point,” Rutherford said. “Then it must have been Mr. Hatchet. He clearly has a strong magical component.” More pacing. “This is very bad. Mr. Ammon is in the hospital. The Prince of Avarice is waiting at the threshold. And I’ve failed them. This happened on my watch. They’re going to be very disappointed in me.”
Glo had come into the kitchen. “What happens when they’re disappointed?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Rutherford said. “I’ve never disappointed them at this level. This is big. I think something catastrophic might happen. Biblical even.”
“Wow,” Glo said. “Biblical is huge!”
Rutherford nodded. “I would prefer to avoid it.”
“I can ask Hatchet,” I said. “I might be able to talk him into making a deal.”
Rutherford looked like he might explode with happiness. “Really? What kind of deal?” He leaned forward and whispered at me. “I would be willing to do anything. Anything.”
“That covers a lot of ground,” Clara said.
“Would you have something to trade for the treasure?” I asked Rutherford.
“I have a car. It’s a Ford. Very reliable.”
“Hatchet might not care about a car. Hatchet lives to serve his master, Wulf. He would want something that would make Wulf happy. It would have to be something unique. Something Wulf might desire.”
“Gosh, I don’t know,” Rutherford said. “I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Wulf.”
“What about the stone?” I said to Rutherford. “It’s not nearly as valuable as the treasure, but Wulf might like it.”
“The Avaritia Stone? The Stone of Avarice? The stone that will set Mammon free?”
“You don’t really believe all that, do you?” I asked him.
“I don’t know. Mr. Ammon believes it.”
“Yes, but so far it hasn’t done squat for him. I mean, let’s face it, it’s just a stone.”
“Maybe.”
“Do you know where the stone is hidden?”
“Not exactly. We put it in a safe place, but it isn’t there anymore. I think Mr. Ammon re-hid it.”
“Do you know where he re-hid it?”
“I have my suspicions.”
“Which are?”
Rutherford smiled his big, wide Rutherford smile. “Lately, since Mr. Ammon is…sometimes doglike, he likes to dig in the flower beds at Cupiditas.”
My first reaction was to burst out laughing, but I checked it and simply nodded at Rutherford. “If you could find the stone I think I might be able to get the treasure back into the vault before Ammon realizes it was stolen.”
“Oh wow,” Rutherford said. “That would be amazing. That would make Mr. Ammon very happy.”
“And the Prince of Avarice,” Glo said. “He’d be happy, too.”
“Yes, yes,” Rutherford said. “It would be excellent. The Prince of Avarice is very big on treasure.”
I gave Rutherford a chocolate cupcake and ushered him out the door. “Let me know when you find the stone, and I’ll get in touch with Hatchet.”