“That’s the academy librarian,” Veronica hissed in my ear. “She sounds hammered.Andshe sounds like she wants to fuck you. Gross.”
Wonderful, but being drunk did have some benefits. I could be more direct.
“Lovely to meet you,” I said. “Have you killed anyone lately?”
She threw her head back and laughed, running her hand down my chest. The lady must have a thing for chubby bald guys.
“Of course not, silly,” she said.
True.
“You’ll have to excuse me,” I said. “The bathroom calls.”
The woman pouted, but quickly became distracted by a passing tray of champagne.
“She’s clean,” I whispered once I was out of earshot. “I think that was the last staff member. It wasn’t any of them. Time for students.”
“Okay, cool.”
I scanned the crowd. The attendees were, for the most part, split up into multiple factions. Most covens stayed close together. The Freedman Academy was both a covenanda school. The students were huddled off on the other side of the room, chatting with each other as well as a few other members of other covens who’d chosen to venture out and speak with new folks.
A small group of students looked promising. A tall young man close to Veronica’s age was laughing with a few people. Thathadto be Gavin Connelly. The guy looked like the offspring of a male model and the world’s most gorgeous movie star.
“I see Gavin,” I said.
“I really hope it’s not him. He’s such a sweetheart,” Veronica said, and I had to force myself not to roll my eyes.
Moving over, I put on my used-car salesman shtick.
“Good evening,” I said, shoving my hand out to the kid. “You’re a student at the Freedman Academy, correct?”
Gavin turned to look at me, and rather than acting put-out by my abrupt introduction, grinned and shook my hand. “I am, indeed. Gavin Connelly. Wonderful to meet you.”
His teeth were pearly white, his hair perfectly coiffed, and his eyes shone with a joyful gleam. My god, I bet the ladieslovedthisdude. Though, I recalled what Veronica had told me about him, and realized it was more likely the ladiesandmen loved him.
“Terrible to hear about what happened to your dean and high priest,” I said. “My condolences.”
The smile on his lips dimmed, a sadness shadowing his eyes. “It was… a shock. A terrible tragedy to be sure.”
I made a hissing sound, blowing air out through my teeth. “Awful. Absolutely awful. Do you have any idea who might have done it?”
The smile fully vanished now. He shook his head. “They have a suspect, but I refuse to believe they’re right. I have no clue who it might have really been, though.”
True.
“Aww,” Veronica moaned in my ear. “Gavin thinks I’m innocent. He’s such a sweetheart.”
“Of course we know who did it,” a voice drawled from behind me.
True.
I spun, finding a man of about twenty with messy brown hair walking up, holding a glass of wine. He shot Gavin a rude look, then glanced at me.
“We know it was thattraitorVeronica Paolo,” he said.
Lie.
My breath caught in my throat, but I managed to keep my face expressionless. Lie? This kidknewit wasn’t Veronica. But he’d also said hedidknow who killed Balthazar, and my gift told methatstatement was true. My eyes skipped over his face, taking in the glasses, the hair, the bearing. I knew this kid, but Veronica beat me to it.
