‘You have such a beautiful home,’ I told Kate, gently easing her into the interview. Channing might have spoken to them already, but there was no way I wasn’t dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on this one.
She tucked a coil of hair behind her ear. ‘Thank you. I’m just sorry you’re seeing it for the first time under these circumstances.’
‘It can’t be helped. I’m sure I’ll be back on a more fun occasion.’ I turned my attention to Troy and offered him a warm smile. ‘Inspector Wise, nice to meet you, Mr…?’
‘Fairglass. Troy Fairglass.’
Witheffort, I kept the surprise off my face. The current king of the merpeople was a Fairglass. The man who sat so casually against the gingham pillows was a prince. I hadn’t realised Kate had such fine taste. It seemed I wasn’t the only one dating royalty.
I got out a pen and my PNB. ‘Can you talk to me about your movements today, Mr Fairglass?’
‘Sure. I was in the sea until midday. I came to land around lunchtime – 1pm-ish, perhaps. I went shopping, bought a new shirt for tonight. I wanted to look my best.’ The shirt he wore was crisp and white, with faint creases from having been folded. Fresh out of the packet, yes, but he’d not had the time or inclination to iron it.
Troy looked at Kate and gave her a warm smile, which made her cheeks redden. ‘I grabbed a quick dinner in my flat, and then I came here to meet Kate for our movie date.’
Next to him, Kate went still at the word ‘date‘, and I had to work hard to keep the smile off my own face.
I knew it!
‘What time was the date planned for?’
‘I said I’d come for 7pm. I arrived a little early, maybe 6.45? I parked a couple of houses down and sat in my truck for five or ten minutes. Father thinks being overly punctual is as rude as being late,’ he explained with a self-deprecating smile.
‘Which house did you park outside?’
‘Number fourteen, I think. On the street, obviously, not on the drive.’
I nodded, noting the house number in my PNB.
‘When I decided it wasn’ttooearly, I climbed out of the truck and walked to Kate’s. I—’ He broke off, then cleared his throat. ‘I saw his foot first. Thought he might be drunk or something. I started to go over to see if I could help, but then I saw the blood and his head. It was at such a funny angle. I knew then. That he was dead, I mean.’
‘Did you check the time when you realised he was dead?’
A faint frown creased his forehead as he thought. ‘I—no, I don’t think I did. Didn’t think to, sorry.’
‘Did you touch him at all?’
‘No. I didn’t want to disturb anything. I could tell straight away there was nothing I could do. His chest wasn’t moving. His neck was …’ He paused, looking at Kate. ‘Well, it wasn’t nice to see.’
I suppressed a smile at the idea that he was being modest with his description so that he wouldn’t distress his date. Kate was anME;she’d seen more death than he ever would.
‘Did you notice anything near him? A weapon, maybe?’
His gaze turned inward as if hewere replaying the scene. ‘Nothing stood out. I wasn’t really looking for a weapon. I was just … shocked, I guess.’
‘Did you hear or see anything before you saw him? Shouting? Movement?’
‘It was quiet. Well, I mean, I could hear the dogs once I got closer to the house.’
‘Could you smell the blood before you saw him?’
He hesitated for a fraction of a second. ‘Yes. A bit. I think so. I’m not sure. Sorry. I went straight to Kate’s, knocked on the door, and told her to call the Connection.’
‘He did.’ Kate nodded. ‘That’s why I called you directly. I hope that’s okay.’
‘Of course,’ I reassured her instantly.
A brown mackerel tabby cat padded into the room without haste, hopped onto the sofa, and wedged himself between Kate and Troy. He settled there with a low, satisfied huff, back to Troy, claiming the space like it had always been his. He sat with his head pressed against Kate’s leg, tail flicking once in quiet warning. He stared straight ahead, pointedly ignoring Troy’s existence, as if a line had been drawn. Cats.
