Despite how late it was and how emotionally drained I felt, I couldn’t leave everything on the table for just anyone to traipse in and find, especially not before I’d talked to Finn.
So I slid the two letters from Fletcher in between the pages of a copy of Diamonds Are Forever, the latest book I was reading for the spy literature course I was taking at Ashland Community College. Then I gathered up the photos and mementos and placed them all back inside the casket box. I crossed the den and crawled into the empty fireplace. I stood on my tiptoes, hefted up the box, and shoved it onto a secret ledge high inside the stone column.
Once everything was secreted away, I headed upstairs to take a shower and wash off all the blood and grime. By the time my head finally touched the pillows, it was after two in the morning, but my sleep was fitful, and I spent the rest of the night tossing, turning, and worrying about how Finn was going to react to all of this.
In the morning, I got up and went to the Pork Pit. I might be the head of the underworld now, but like Don the grave robber had said, all the other criminals were still plotting against me, so I did my usual checks to make sure that no one had planted any deadly surprises inside the restaurant.
Once I had determined that everything was clean, I started getting ready for the day. Normally, wiping down the tables and booths would have brought me some kind of peace.
Not today.
Instead, my stomach churned in time to my quick swipes as I mopped the blue and pink pig tracks that covered the floor and worried about how to break the news to Finn. Regardless of how I did it, Bria was right—he was going to be hurt that I hadn’t told him right away.
Maybe I would feel better when I had talked to Finn, and we could get on with the business of tracking down Deirdre and finding out what she had been doing all these years. Or maybe the answers would make me feel even worse—not to mention what they might do to Finn.
Damned if I did, doubly damned if I didn’t. Yeah. I had a bad feeling that’s how this whole thing would ultimately play out.
The bell over the front door chimed at exactly eleven o’clock, and in walked Silvio Sanchez, my personal assistant. The middle-aged vampire looked quite dapper in a dark gray fedora, overcoat, and matching suit. A small spider rune pin winked in the center of his silver tie.
Silvio nodded in greeting, took off his hat and coat, and arranged his smartphone and tablet on the counter. Soft chimes rang out as he fired up his electronics.
“Are you ready for the morning briefing, Gin?” he asked.
I barely heard him. Instead, I stared at a photo on the wall close to the cash register, one of a young Fletcher standing with his friend Warren T. Fox during a fishing trip. Fletcher seemed plenty happy in the photo, but his smile was dim and faint compared with the big, beaming grins he’d worn in the pictures of him with Deirdre. The way he’d looked at her . . . it was like she had been his whole world. I wondered just how badly she’d broken his heart—and why.
“Gin?” Silvio asked. “Are you okay?”
I turned away from the photo. “Forget about the morning briefing. I have someone I need you to start digging into. Her name is Deirdre Shaw. She’s an Ice elemental.”
I reached down, grabbed a copy of Deirdre’s file from a slot under the cash register, and passed it over to him.
Silvio stared at the icicle-heart rune I’d inked on the folder tab. “And what is so interesting about Ms. Shaw?”
I couldn’t tell him the whole truth. Not when Finn deserved to hear it first. So I went with the next-best thing. “She’s the one who was friendly with Raymond Pike. I think she’s the person Lorelei Parker did business with.”
Silvio’s eyebrows arched. “You mean the person who revealed Lorelei’s real identity to Raymond? The person who pointed him at Lorelei so he could try to kill his own sister?”
“Among other things.”
“Have you talked to Lorelei about this?” he asked. “If she’s had dealings with Ms. Shaw, then she might have some insight into her. Mallory might too.”
It was a good point and one I’d thought of myself, although I’d wanted to confirm that Deirdre was actually alive before I started asking questions about her. But I couldn’t keep this from Finn any longer, so I might as well use all the resources at my disposal.
“Please add Lorelei and Mallory to my to-do list.” My voice took on a snarky note. “Exactly how long is said list today?”
Silvio perked up, completely missing my sarcasm, and started swiping through screens on his tablet. “Well, it’s actually a light day, since you haven’t let me schedule anything for this week, but I can make some calls, and we can squeeze in a few pertinent last-minute meetings . . .”