He scratched his chin. ‘I think they probably did,’ he said finally. ‘But Tarquin’s last name is Villenueve and his father has donated a vast amount to the Order. His great-grandfather was Ipsissimus. Their magic runs strong.’ He gave me a sidelong glance. ‘I’m not blind to the Order’s faults, Ivy,’ he said softly. ‘And no single person or organisation is perfect.’
I grunted. Even so, there was a warm glow inside me. I leaned into Winter, enjoying his reassuring solidity. He was a good guy. A very good guy.
Chapter Twelve
It was still light when we pulled up outside my block of flats. That made a pleasant change these days. I didn’t unclip my seatbelt immediately and I could feel Winter’s curiosity growing.
‘Is everything alright?’ he asked. ‘You should probably get inside and get out of those wet things.’
‘Yeah,’ I agreed. ‘I should.’ A shadow passed across the dashboard and I looked up, counting seven magpies wending their way over us towards the small copse of trees on the other side of my estate. No choice, then. I took a deep breath. ‘There’s something you should see first.’
‘I’ve already seen quite a lot, thanks to those wet pyjamas,’ Winter deadpanned.
I managed a weak smile. When I didn’t immediately return a saucy remark, Winter’s gaze grew more serious. ‘What is it, Ivy?’
‘It’s easier if I show you.’
We headed inside. As a measure of how guilty he was feeling for what had happened in the depths of the library, Winter didn’t comment when I veered towards the lift. Instead, he simply waited until it arrived. I had a feeling that his sudden amiable temperament was about to change dramatically.
Rather than heading for my own flat, I led him towards Eve’s. Winter raised his eyebrows but said nothing. I took out her keys and placed them in the lock. Before I turned them, I faced him. ‘This happened after that first day,’ I informed him. ‘Maybe I should have told you earlier but they’re from the Order and I wasn’t sure if I could trust you. One of them was carrying the same combination of herbs that you used in the library to evoke the past.’
Winter didn’t move a muscle. ‘Ivy,’ he said, his voice sounding strained, ‘have you killed someone?’
‘It’s not quite as bad as that,’ I replied with a nervous laugh. I unlocked the door and let Winter enter in front of me.
Harold, apparently surprised to have yet another unfamiliar intruder in his home, let out a soft growl and darted for the underbelly of the sofa. Winter paid the cat no attention; his focus was on Bell End and Fairclough. They’d obviously been trying hard to free themselves, judging by the mess they’d created as they’d shifted around in a bid to break their bonds. All the same, they remained as trussed up as before.
‘Adeptus Minor Fairclough,’ Winter said. He looked at me. ‘This is why you were asking whether I knew her or not.’
I nodded. For her part, she angled her head away as if the curtain of her hair would be enough to hide her. Bell End took a different approach. He struggled violently against his bonds, an urgent expression in his eyes. I walked over and loosened his gag.
‘Help us!’ Bell End burst out to Winter. ‘This crazy woman attacked us and is holding us hostage!’
Winter walked round, stood beside me and stared down at him. ‘Matthew Bellham.’
Bell End nodded vigorously. ‘Yes, yes! That’s me. Have I been reported missing? We’ve been held here for days against our will.’ He held up his wrists. ‘Untie me!’
‘You’re a Practicus,’ Winter murmured. ‘Although you’re clinging on by the skin of your teeth after several complaints against you. It’s been alleged that you were responsible for the attack on several young Neophytes last year.’
I watched Winter. ‘I thought you didn’t know him.’
He raised a shoulder. ‘I looked him up after your enquiries.’
I was impressed. There must be benefits to being a workhorse who jumped on every little detail.
‘So?’ Bell End yelled. ‘Those were trumped-up charges!’ He jerked his chin in my direction. ‘She has kidnapped me.’
Winter knelt down and I wondered if he was going to free him. Instead, he returned the gag to its original position. ‘He’s quite annoying,’ Winter murmured.
I could only agree. Winter straightened up. ‘So,’ I said, ‘they broke in. I went to confront them and,’ I shrugged, ‘they ended up like this.’
He nodded as if I’d just told him that it was raining outside. I let out a silent sigh of relief. I hadn’t realised how important it was that he believed my version of events until right at this moment. ‘It’s smart that you didn’t tell the police. We need to keep this within the Order.’ He looked around. ‘Where are the herbs they were carrying?’
I pointed to the side table. Winter picked up each bag and examined it carefully. A muscle throbbed in his cheek. I hoped that it wasn’t me he was angry with. Returning the herbs, he moved to Alice. She was still shying away. Winter gently unfastened her gag and tilted her head towards him. ‘You were here to bespell Eve Harrington.’ It wasn’t a question. ‘Tell me why.’
Alice wouldn’t meet his eyes; she was genuinely afraid of him. I glanced at Winter with renewed interest. Apparently his reputation was greater than that of a talented investigator who worked too hard.
‘Come on, Alice,’ he coaxed.
It looked as if she would remain as stubbornly silent with him as she had with me but then her chin wobbled slightly and her shoulders dropped. It all came pouring out. ‘It was Diall,’ she said, referring to Eve’s mentor. ‘He told us to come here and sprinkle around enough herbs to attach themselves to Eve so that she could be tracked wherever she went. We knew there was only a short window of time when we could do it.’ She flicked her eyes towards me. ‘We thought she was still out at work. Our intention was not to hurt anyone.’
Considering how much of a fight the pair of them had put up when I’d confronted them, I found that difficult to believe.
‘What reason did Diall give for this?’ Winter asked. There was a dangerous edge to his voice that made me step backwards. No wonder he was a skilled investigator; all he had to do was ask a question and his air of menace encouraged immediate and full disclosure. Handy trick.
‘He wanted to know what you were doing,’ she admitted. ‘By tracking Eve we could track you. He’d found out about the binding spell that was going to be put on you and he knew its terms. There was no chance that you’d work separately.’ She sighed. ‘I don’t know where Eve Harrington is. If you’re worried about her, I suggest you start questioning that one.’ It was obvious she meant me. I snorted. I wasn’t the evil witch around here.
‘Why, Alice?’ Winter probed. ‘Why did he want to know what I was up to?’
She looked away. ‘Diall said you were getting too big for your boots. That you had your eye on the Ipsissimus’s job and that you had to be watched. He thought maybe you were passing Order secrets to the military and that you were plotting to bring down the Order once for and all.’