isn’t that damn big that a little girl can be hidden forever.”
“ Thanks.” I swallowed hard.
Mikhail said, “I’ll hold the fort with you, Joan. No one should stay alone in the castle.” His eyes lifted toward mine. “You’re going somewhere, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“ With Ambra?” he asked.
“ If she’ll come with me. I haven’t asked her yet.”
“ It’s not a secret vampire hunting mission, is it?” Mikhail asked.
“ I know better than that,” I said. “This is much safer. I’ll fill you in later, after I talk to her.”
After everyone ate—Ambra never showed up for the meal, but I figured she was having her usual pre-sunset ski—I put the dishes in the dishwasher and turned it on.
I looked at my watch and suddenly realized I was late for an important meeting. With her.
Chapter Six
Ambra was the first one to show up in the library at the one-on-one meeting I had called. As usual, she was early. She was sitting in the guest chair in front of my big desk, a desk that I hadn’t even looked in yet, because everything in the drawers had belonged to Lucas. All of his spaces and material things were now mine, as well as the oversight responsibility and management of both Brotherhood of the Blade and Sisterhood of the Scythe. I could still smell a hint of his aftershave in the room and wondered if his ghost was nearby.
“Hello, Rand. You should know the police contacted me because I am the owner of the house that Nina was renting. And because her new husband supposedly died in an accident at which I was present when it happened…well, they aren’t dumb. They made a connection.”
She hasn’t even spoken to me for days and this is what she says to me?
“Ambra, it’s good to see you, too. What did you tell the police?”
“ Not much. I can’t get into the house right now. They are combing it for clues to her death and trying to figure out if we chased Linus from the scene of the crime and ran him off the road. The road is covered with ice right now, and also was that night, so it is unlikely they are going to find any tread marks or things like that.”
“ Damn it. I am sorry.”
“ There’s no evidence, according to Jade, who hacked the police server. I am not likely to be charged with anything at this time. And they didn’t find Linus Ankeny’s body, so they are of the mindset that he killed Nina and faked his own death somehow by sending his car off the road without a driver in it.”
“ Good theory, I like it. Did they recover the car?”
“ It’s winter. And there’s no way to get down there, not even by helicopter and there is no hiking access to the bottom, or even skiing. So, they’ll probably close the case or shelve it.”
“ Are you in trouble?”
“ I doubt it. I’m just as cool and collected as you would expect. And I have nothing to hide. We told the truth. Mostly.”
I let out a relieved sigh.
“They hardly asked me any questions about Nina. They saw the email that she sent me about Linus, so he’s definitely a murder suspect. My understanding is that they will charge him, if they find him alive.”
“ Oh, my goodness. I am so sorry for this horrible aftermath.”
“ Moi, aussi. I’m not worried that much about the police. I will miss her.”
“ Did you ever talk about vampire hunting in your emails to her or in texts?”
“ No, never. I told her how Pieter died, in person.”
“ Good. Are you going to rent out your house again?”
“ No. It’s my family home, but I think I’ll sell it. I can’t go back, other than to clean out Nina’s things when the police are finished. Even then, I will likely hire a service to do it for me and box up everything and deliver it here.”
“ That might be best.” I paused and changed the subject. “Don’t think I’m weird, but I smell Lucas in this room.”
“ Me, too,” she said.
“ Ghost?”
“ Don’t think about it,” she said. “If you don’t think
“ Thanks.” I swallowed hard.
Mikhail said, “I’ll hold the fort with you, Joan. No one should stay alone in the castle.” His eyes lifted toward mine. “You’re going somewhere, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“ With Ambra?” he asked.
“ If she’ll come with me. I haven’t asked her yet.”
“ It’s not a secret vampire hunting mission, is it?” Mikhail asked.
“ I know better than that,” I said. “This is much safer. I’ll fill you in later, after I talk to her.”
After everyone ate—Ambra never showed up for the meal, but I figured she was having her usual pre-sunset ski—I put the dishes in the dishwasher and turned it on.
I looked at my watch and suddenly realized I was late for an important meeting. With her.
Chapter Six
Ambra was the first one to show up in the library at the one-on-one meeting I had called. As usual, she was early. She was sitting in the guest chair in front of my big desk, a desk that I hadn’t even looked in yet, because everything in the drawers had belonged to Lucas. All of his spaces and material things were now mine, as well as the oversight responsibility and management of both Brotherhood of the Blade and Sisterhood of the Scythe. I could still smell a hint of his aftershave in the room and wondered if his ghost was nearby.
“Hello, Rand. You should know the police contacted me because I am the owner of the house that Nina was renting. And because her new husband supposedly died in an accident at which I was present when it happened…well, they aren’t dumb. They made a connection.”
She hasn’t even spoken to me for days and this is what she says to me?
“Ambra, it’s good to see you, too. What did you tell the police?”
“ Not much. I can’t get into the house right now. They are combing it for clues to her death and trying to figure out if we chased Linus from the scene of the crime and ran him off the road. The road is covered with ice right now, and also was that night, so it is unlikely they are going to find any tread marks or things like that.”
“ Damn it. I am sorry.”
“ There’s no evidence, according to Jade, who hacked the police server. I am not likely to be charged with anything at this time. And they didn’t find Linus Ankeny’s body, so they are of the mindset that he killed Nina and faked his own death somehow by sending his car off the road without a driver in it.”
“ Good theory, I like it. Did they recover the car?”
“ It’s winter. And there’s no way to get down there, not even by helicopter and there is no hiking access to the bottom, or even skiing. So, they’ll probably close the case or shelve it.”
“ Are you in trouble?”
“ I doubt it. I’m just as cool and collected as you would expect. And I have nothing to hide. We told the truth. Mostly.”
I let out a relieved sigh.
“They hardly asked me any questions about Nina. They saw the email that she sent me about Linus, so he’s definitely a murder suspect. My understanding is that they will charge him, if they find him alive.”
“ Oh, my goodness. I am so sorry for this horrible aftermath.”
“ Moi, aussi. I’m not worried that much about the police. I will miss her.”
“ Did you ever talk about vampire hunting in your emails to her or in texts?”
“ No, never. I told her how Pieter died, in person.”
“ Good. Are you going to rent out your house again?”
“ No. It’s my family home, but I think I’ll sell it. I can’t go back, other than to clean out Nina’s things when the police are finished. Even then, I will likely hire a service to do it for me and box up everything and deliver it here.”
“ That might be best.” I paused and changed the subject. “Don’t think I’m weird, but I smell Lucas in this room.”
“ Me, too,” she said.
“ Ghost?”
“ Don’t think about it,” she said. “If you don’t think
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