“That’s wonderful. I have a niece who loves your musical group and would love to watch you perform, so I’ll let her know.” He waved. “I’ll see you later.”
As soon as he was gone, I sat in the chair across from Darcy. “The killer is fae.”
The fire crackled as if reacting to my revelation. Darcy stared at me, paling slightly. “How do you know that?”
“Lydia cast a spell that told us the species of the killer. And before you assume it’s a fae turned vampire, it’s not. Lydia’s magic distinguished the culprit as a fae that’s not a vampire.”
“I don’t understand—”
“What’s not to understand? Someone wants a vampire to appear guilty, and they want to out me.” I shook my head. “Hold us accountable for our crimes, fine. But blame vampires for fae crimes—that’s something only a fae could get away with.”
“But why? If they’re fae, why not tell the police what you are?”
It was strange, but sitting here talking to Darcy reminded me of the time in high school when we’d watchedMurder on the Orient Express.We’d sat on his large plush couch with blankets and spiced tea and spent the entire movie debating who the culprit might be.
“You’re right. This has to be a bigger statement against vampires in general. They don’t just want to put me away, they want everyone to know that I’m dangerous.” I pushed a hand through my hair. “What did you find out about Albert Jones and John Rittle?”
Darcy frowned and leaned back in his chair. “Not much. John Rittle was the only contact that Albert Jones had in town, and the two were close. John also has a pretty airtight alibi. He was in a meeting with my uncle, the king, at the time that Albert would have been killed. My uncle attested to it himself.”
“What if he hired someone to do it?” But that would mean that I’d had contact with whoever he’d hired. That was the stipulation for Lydia’s potion to have worked.
I didn’t go around making friends with hitmen. Besides, there still was the question of how a fae would drain a subjectof blood and make it look as if a vampire did it. Fae powers couldn’t do that.
There were too many unanswered questions.
Darcy lifted out his phone and pulled up the newest vlog from Pam Smoot. “There’s another option. Pam has gotten big in the past few days since they found the vampire body.”
“You think she’s causing drama to go viral and to get revenge for you putting her brother out of business? By stoking fear and rage toward vampires?”
“Seems like a stretch. But could be.”
“They tried to take Lydia.”
Darcy’s hands curled on his armchair. “What do you mean?”
“They attacked Cupid’s Confections. They—”
Darcy was on his feet. “Is Lizzy—”
“She’s fine. Everyone is fine,” I said reassuringly. “The attackers pretended to be vampires, though they obviously weren’t, and one was glamoured to look like me. They must understand I can’t avoid accusations if Lydia ends up…” My stomach churned. I couldn’t say it.
Darcy still appeared on edge, but he nodded and sank back into his seat. “All the more reason to get that annulment.”
Something angry and protective rose in me as I pictured that fae going for Lydia. “Don’t talk to me about annulments when you can’t keep your own people in check. Besides, an annulment now won’t protect her. It could only make it appear as if we weren’t getting along and make things look worse.”
Darcy was quiet for a long moment. “You’re right.” He ran a hand over his face. “This is a mess. Where is Lydia now?”
“The Bennets are rallying to protect her. We need to bring this to a close. Soon.”
Darcy nodded. “Any ideas how?”
“Not one. I—” My phone rang in my pocket. I frowned when I pulled it out and saw who was calling. “It’s Lizzy.” I immediately picked it up. “Hello?”
“Wickham? Oh, thank you for picking up. Is Lydia with you?” Lizzy’s worried voice sounded in my ear.
“Lydia?” I said, bewildered. “Why would she be with me?”
“She was in her room. We’d just put an extra safety spell around the house to guard against intruders. But now I can’t find her. The protections will do little good if she’s not here.”
