As I tried to crawl along the wall toward Quoth, Christina spun away from Morrie, leapt up on the bed, and thrust her sword at the professor. The blade sliced through Carmichael’s shoulder, sliding into her flesh with ease. Christina whipped out the blade and Professor Carmichael screamed, clutching at the wound. Blood leaked through her fingers, splattering across the front of her muslin dress. An acrid scent stained the air. Heathcliff rushed forward, sword raised to her throat. Christina parried his blow and lunged at Quoth.
“If you love that bird so much, watch me gut him!” she yelled.
“No. Quoth!” I flung myself to the floor, spreading my body over him.
Christina raised her sword. “Fine. You’ll die, too.”
Morrie and Heathcliff slammed into Christina at the same time, sending her sailing across the room. She hit the heavy wooden bed with aCRACKand crumpled to the floor. Her head lolled to the side, blood trickling down the side of her face. I waited, hovering over Quoth, my heart in my throat.
Christina didn’t move.
“Are you hurt?” Heathcliff held me under the shoulder, his touch gentle. “Did she cut you?”
“I… I’m fine, but Quoth…” I reached for his body, but he was no longer beneath me.Where did he go? Is he…?
Morrie cradled Quoth to his chest. “Poor, poor birdie. I’m so sorry we doubted you.”
“Croooooooo—” his faint cry tore at my heart.
“Yooooo hoooooo, Mina? Morrie? The surly one?” Lydia cooed from the hallway. “That stupid bird led me up here, and I brought the nice detective with me, just in case there was an incendiary device, whatever that is—”
Hayes started as he stepped into the suite. He flicked the rest of the lights on, revealing Carmichael on the bed, clutching her bloody shoulder, Christina slumped, unmoving, on the floor, swords scattered everywhere, and Morrie hugging a raven. “What happened here?”
“What does it look like? Christina stabbed me, you idiot!” Carmichael yelled.
“We’re fine,” I croaked out, clutching Heathcliff. “We’re just shaken up. Christina and Professor Carmichael need an ambulance.”
“Christina needs an undertaker.” Morrie nuzzled his face into Quoth’s feathers.
Hayes scratched his head. He tore a walkie talkie off his belt and sent a message to Wilson. “We’ve got paramedics here, but we can’t get you to a hospital right now. The whole building is still in lockdown—”
“Just get someone up here with medical supplies and some drugs, stat. I fear I might be able to go into shock.” Professor Carmichael balled up a section of the duvet and pressed it against her wound. “Why are you hugging that raven?”
“Croak?”
“Because,” Morrie said. “Because he’s family, and I love him. I can say that now, because I’m in touch with my feelings. I love this strange little bird, and I love Heathcliff, and I love Mina, and I even love you, Detective Hayes. Would you like a hug, too?”
Even with the horror of the situation, Morrie’s words made my heart swell with love. I sank against Heathcliff, wrapping my arm around Morrie so that I could stroke Quoth’s neck and feel his tiny heart beating furiously beneath his feathers.My family. We are all safe.
Morrie’s admission of love to me, and the way he held Quoth, healed something inside me. It was the final puzzle piece falling into place, revealing an image more radiant and real than I ever thought possible. I knew that all three of my guys cared about each other in the same way they cared about me.
A corner of my father’s letter scraped against my chest. In all the excitement, I’d hardly thought of him or it the entire weekend. Which was exactly what I’d wanted, but also… it didn’t matter anymore. Whatever his reason for doing it, the reality was that my father abandoned me. But Quoth, Heathcliff and Morrie – they were here for me. They were my family now.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“Another day, another murder solved,” Morrie said, leaning against the side of the building and tapping away on his phone. “If I wasn’t still trying to run a criminal empire, I might consider hanging our shingle out as consulting detectives.”
Heathcliff shoved the shop door open. A ball of fur launched itself from the blackened depths and wound around Heathcliff’s face. “Meeerrrroooww!” Grimalkin howled, letting every resident of Argleton know just how abominably treated she’d been, locked up in the shop for a night and a day.
“All right, all right.” Heathcliff tore her off his face. “I’ll get you some food.”
Grimalkin’s ears pricked up. She immediately jumped down and trotted off in the direction of her food bowl.Cats really are nature’s master manipulators.
I went through the shop, flicking on lights and lamps as I went. Outside, the sun had already sunk below the horizon, and I could barely see a foot in front of my face. We’d been such a long time at Baddesley Hall, filling Hayes and Wilson in on what we’d uncovered. They found David tied up and stuffed inside Christina’s closet, his own silk stocking shoved in his mouth as a gag. It appeared she cared enough for him not to kill him. He confirmed our story – he knew Christina was seeing Alice in secret, and he’d been escorting Christina through the garden before the memorial when she had him stop to eavesdrop on Alice and my conversation.
Murder thus solved, we then had to wait for the police to figure out the bomb threat was a hoax and let us all go. I felt terrible about that, but if I hadn’t done it, we wouldn’t have caught Christina in time, and Professor Carmichael would’ve been her next victim. Lydia didn’t get a pony, which was at least one upside. I couldn’t imagine how we’d keep the thing at Nevermore.
“Stop lighting this place up like the Blackpool Illuminations,” Heathcliff muttered as he slumped behind his desk. In retaliation, I flicked the Snoopy lamp above his head. He waved a hand in front of his face. “Gross. This place smells like customers. How many people did you let in this weekend, Quoth?”
