“We’ll head for Coroner’s Court,” Noble murmured. “See if we can’t discover more than your brother could recall.” His tone was the tiniest bit warmer than he’d ever used with me before.
Edgar shook his head in front of us. “Won’t do you much good. They burned the body,” he said over his shoulder.
Noble stopped in the middle of the hall. “Theywhat?”
Edgar turned and nodded grouchily. “They did the examination and then got rid of the body. Fastest I’ve seen.”
Noble’s eyes narrowed. “Suspicious.”
“Nah, probably just trying to keep the masses from panicking.”
“From what? It’s not like regular folks would see it.”
“No, but the longer they drag out an investigation, the worse it will be. Clean everything as quick as they can—maybe it will pass from public memory.”
We were Kennen’s only chance.
“Frank still there?” Noble asked.
“I thought he was done with his tasks?”
“He is. Doesn’t mean I can’t pay an old friend a visit.”
Noble smiled charmingly, but Edgar just mumbled. “Better not pay me any visits once we’re done.”
Noble and Edgar engaged in a brief, coded conversation as we exited, but I didn’t listen. Couldn’t concentrate. My mind was going again at full speed.
“His groaning,” I said, when Noble rejoined me on the sidewalk. “It was Kennen who Penner heard. Not the victim. The victim was already dead.”
Noble nodded. “While I’ll agree that would match Penner’s story, the killer had no reason to leave your brother alive.”
I shuddered. “Maybe he needed someone to take the fall.”
“Perhaps.”
“You still believe Kennen guilty?”
The seconds ticked by.
“No.”
Half the fleet of ships were lifted from my shoulders, leaving only five hundred weighing me down. “Thank you.”
“I am not the one who needs to be convinced.”
“I beg to differ. You were clearly convinced of his guilt before we came today.”
“I was clearly convinced of nothing. I wasn’t convinced of hisinnocence. That is what you objected to.”
“Was not.”
“Don’t be petulant,” he said, head tilted.
I gasped. “I’m not petulant.”
Another walnut appeared from his pocket as we continued to walk. “He was only after the woman from the beginning.”
“What?” I replayed the conversation. “You think my brother was left alive because the killer was after the victim specifically?”
