“Right now, I don’t care. What’s the plan? We didn’t get to discuss details before I got dragged away by the police.”
“You’re going to wait right here for our friend to show.” Morrie patted my shoulder. “Heathcliff, Quoth and I are going to hide amongst the shelves. We’ll ambush the guy when he shows up.”
“Why do I have to be the bait?”
“Three reasons. Because this guy’s expecting to see a woman. If he knows Ashley, he probably knows you. I’m the criminal mastermind, so I don’t do bait. And also, because Heathcliff and Quoth are never going to be convincing as fashionistas.”
“True enough.” I waved my hand at Heathcliff. “Out of that chair. You need to hide and I need to look like I belong here.”
“If you ruin my arse groove, I’m firing you,” Heathcliff shuffled off toward the Ancient Languages room across the hall.
“Be safe, Mina.” Quoth’s piercing eyes bore into mine. He bent down and brushed his lips across the top of my head. The feather-light touch reverberated through my whole body, piercing my core. “I won’t let you out of my sight.”
He slumped to his knees, holding his head as his body contorted into the raven. My heart wept for him. He’d transformed so many times tonight. His body must be screaming with pain, but he showed nothing.
Quoth fluttered up onto the chandelier, folding his wings away and sinking into the shadows. No one would see him there unless they were looking for him.
Morrie placed a finger under my chin, tilting my head up. “You’re the hottest bait I’ve ever used.”
“Thanks, I think.”
He pressed his lips to mine, devouring me in his chaotic energy, feeding me the strength I needed to get through this.
Morrie drew away, his sweetness lingering.
I sat behind the desk, touching my lips. I pulled a book from the top of Heathcliff’s stack. To my surprise, it wasWuthering Heights.Why’s he reading his own story again? Surely that’s just torturing himself?I shuffled through the stack until I found an Agatha Christie book, and opened that. After I read the same page twelve times without comprehending a word, I closed the book and settled for checking my watch every twenty seconds.
I didn’t have to wait long. The door creaked open, setting my heart a-pattering. I leaned over the desk and squinted into the darkness.
A dark figure appeared in the doorway.That’s him. That’s the guy who killed Ashley.
“Hello,” I said, holding up the drawing. “I’ve got something I think you want. If you step this way, I think we can make an arrangement.”
The figure stepped forward, under the shaft of light beaming from the chandelier. His features leapt out in stark profile, and I jumped in surprise.
“Darren?”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Darren stared at me from the other side of the table. “Hi, Mina.”
I quickly shoved the drawing under the stack of books, my mind whirring. Darren must have seen me at the doorway and come to talk to me about Ashley some more.I’ve got to get him out of here before the killer gets here.
“Hi Darren. I’m sorry, I can’t talk now. The shop’s actually closed. I’m just doing some accounts and I want to finish up.”
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
His eyes unsettled me.Why did he come in the shop, then?“Who did you expect to see, Darren?”
“Ashley, of course.”
“Um… why would Ashley be in the bookshop?” A nervous tickle prickled the back of my neck.
“This is the last place I saw her,” he said, shifting his weight to his other foot. “I thought… I thought I’d lost her forever, but when I got her message I realized that she wasn’t really dead, so I came to see her. I came to see if she’d accept my offer.”
Darren’s words sunk into my mind.The last place I saw her.
Darren had been in the shop that night.
