“I’m not sculpting any other woman’s tits.” Alaric folds his arms. “I am a man of honour.”
“Give me that.” I yank the chisel from his hand. “I’ll do it. It will be more personal if it comes from me, anyway. Besides, it’s just a hunk of rock. How hard can it be?”
21
Arabella
Celeste:I’m checking in on you – are you sure you’re okay with this whole “pretend you’re okay with Gideon to get close to him” plot? I want to find the killer as much as anyone but not if you have to do something you’re uncomfortable with. The others would agree if you needed to back out. Know that I’m always here if you need anything.
“MAYBEICAN SNEAK OUTa couple of the larger coffins without him noticing. Or at least get you to help me sort through the chest of gold jewellery…”
I tap out a text to one of my coin merchants while I half-listen to Winnie talking through her issues with Alaric’s surprise antiquities collection. When Winnie is struggling, she doesn’t require a solution, just a warm body to help her work through her anxiety about towers of mummies falling on top of her. Her one-sided therapy session is preferable to her abominable heavy metal decluttering playlist, and gives me a chance to consider my options for taking Sanctus from Gideon.
The most logical course of action is to secretly alert the authorities to the definitely-not-legally-acquired artefacts hitting the antiquities markets. Itwouldbe nice and neat to get Gideon sent to prison for antiquities trafficking, but does run the risk of bringing down mynetwork of contacts (and possibly me by association). I prefer this idea to spying for the Conclave, but that has—
“Arabella. You need to look at this.”
That sounds bad.I rise and pick my way through clear storage containers filled with coins to where Winnie is working. She’s started on the second row of coin sacks, but I can tell from the furrow in her brow that something’s not right. She holds up one of the sacks and dumps out the contents.
It’s filled with plastic packing beads.
“According to the manifest Gideon gave us, there are supposed to be two hundred and eighty-eight sacks of ancient coins of various denominations,” Winnie says, her voice grave. “As far as I can tell, at least fifty of them have been emptied and filled with…notancient coins. And that’s not all. Most of those chests on the wall are empty. Gideon has a thief.”
It takes me and Winnie hours to conduct a full inventory of the treasure vault. The results are as shocking as a villain dispatching a hero without a dramatic monologue.
Millions of pounds of treasure is missing.
Either Gideon hasn’t been checking the treasure as it comes in, which doesn’t seem like him, or someone on his staff has been ripping him off.
Winnie simmers with all the excitement of a volcano that’s just discovered caffeine. “This could point us towards our killer. Perhaps Danny and Patrick caught the robber, who then killed them to keep their secret. Or… how about this? I wouldn’t put it past Danny to be involved in this plot somehow. Wait until the other Nevermore Coven members hear about this.”
As Winnie dials Mina and shouts her theories down the phone, I hide my smile behind the inventory list. What Winnie doesn’t know is that her discovery has just handed me exactly what I wanted – a way to take Sanctus for myself.
I have you now, Gideon Blake.
Text Messages Between Komal and Maisie
Komal:You will not BELIEVE what Councillor Durant has done now.
Komal:He says that as tourism board director, I’m representing the council, so I’m not allowed to be involved in the variety show.
Maisie:What? But we need you to do the marketing. Otherwise, the audience will consist only of the Naughty Knitting Club and James Pond’s duck friends.
Komal:No can do. Lord Future Mayor has handed down his decree. He’s determined for this show to fail.
Maisie:That bastard! He’s the reason we need the show! If he would just give the paper a proper budget, we’d be fine. I think he wants the Argleton Gazette shut down.
Komal:And that’s not all. He’s going to PERSONALLY oversee the chosen acts, and if there’s anything too “licentious”, he’ll shut the whole thing down to preserve village “decency”!
Maisie:I’ll give him village decency! And who even says “licentious” anymore?
Komal:Augustin Durant, and no one else. I can’t believe he’s going to be the mayor. He’ll be terrible for the village, but there’s no one qualified to run against him. I’m so mad. I’m going to fill his gym bag with onion bhajis. Want to join me?
Maisie:Hell yes.
22
Gideon
