It was a code, but what the hell did it decipher?
I had no idea.
I grabbed my phone, took a photo, then carefully tucked the paper back into its hidey-hole and placed the hair and the teeth back in. I needed somewhere safe to store the box—somewhere it was unlikely anyone would think of looking. After a moment, I rose and walked into the bathroom, pulling out a drawer that still held all Mom’s bits and pieces, hiding it right at the back. Then I did my teeth and went to bed.
The building’s song woke me who knew how many hours later, warning me Mathi was in the building. I scrambled out of bed and hurriedly chucked on sweats and a hoodie.
“You up?” he called out as he ran lightly upstairs.
“Sadly, for you, yes I am. Is that bacon I smell?”
He laughed. “Your sense of smell is sharper than a bloodhound’s.”
“Only when it comes to bacon butties.” I shoved on my slippers, then walked out. “Did you manage to get hold of Macsen’s loot?”
“I certainly did.” He placed a tray containing the butties and two coffee cups on the table, then tossed me a small backpack. “It’s mainly property deeds, birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and a couple of passports, but there was also an oddly large number of personal items.”
“Jewelry?”
“No. Mainly hair and toothbrushes, some of them obviously ancient, and most of which came from the security box.”
Confusion flitted through me. “Why on earth would she be holding on to things like that?”
He pulled the cups and the butties from the cardboard tray, then sat down opposite me. “While a multishifter can take on the form of anyone they touch for a reasonable amount of time, it’s often necessary for them to have some form of their target’s DNA if they wish to reflect that person’s image for extended periods of time.”
“Does us having her collection mean she’ll have trouble maintaining some forms long term?”
He nodded. “We—or rather, the IIT—should also be able to use them to match any Jane Does they’re holding in the morgues.”
“Until we’ve actually neutralized the bitch, I’m thinking it’s best not to give anything to the IIT right now.” I opened the backpack and peered inside. “Did you also get the necklace?”
“Yes. It’s at the bottom of the pack, in a leather pouch.”
“Ah, good.” I dropped the bag onto the table then reached for my butty. “I’ll contact Margaret Falconer when I get the?—”
“The woman who was working with Loudon and Gannon?” he cut in. “Do you think that wise, given they were both connected to the Ninkilim?”
“They were; she’s not. I’m sure of that. They tried to kill her, remember.”
He grunted. It wasn’t a convinced sort of sound. “Cynwrig did give me the details of a tracer in Liverpool. Highly recommends her services.”
“Yeah, I just bet he does.”
Mathi’s eyebrows rose. “Is that a bit of jealousy raising its ugly head?”
“Of course it isn’t. He and I are not, and never will be, exclusive.”
“A statement that does not void my question.”
“Your question is irrelevant.” I unwrapped the butty and bit into it. “By the way, someone tried to knife me last night.”
“What?Why didn’t?—”
“The knife protected me. I’m fine, obviously.”
“Do you think it was Carla?”
I grimaced. “The hand holding the knife was dark skinned, but given she’s a multishifter?—”
