“…in connection with other high-profile cases. Believe me, sir. We are quite familiar with Draegan Caldwell.”
Ah, yes. Mydearfriend Grant Reedsy, cocaine aficionado, taker of bribes, unfaithful spouse, abuser of sex workers, and award-winning neanderthal. Also happens to be lead investigator among the half-dozen federal agents who’ve been up my arse for months, salivating for an opportunity to bag themselves one of the infamous men of shadow and stone.
So the Archmage wants to play hardball? Fair enough.
“Sugar or cream, sir?” The servant’s back with my tea, the cup and saucer trembling in his hands.
“Just tea, thank you.”
“The Archmage will be with you soon.”
As soon as he’s out of sight, I drop a tiny tablet into the teacup, waiting to ensure the liquid doesn’t turn red—another of Rook’s handy tricks for ferreting out assassination attempts.
Certain the tea hasn’t been poisoned or spelled, I take a sip and await my host.
Moments later, he emerges into the foyer, rushing over to greet me. His face is drawn and pale, his eyes rimmed in red, his normally crisp black robe wrinkled and stained. He looks as though he hasn’t slept in days.
“I see you’ve already got your tea.” He forces a smile. “Good, good. Let’s have a seat in the study, shall we?”
“Lead the way, Lennon.”
I follow him into a large, oak-paneled study, unsurprised to find Reedsy sprawled out on a leather sofa with a glass of whiskey in hand—clearly not his first of the evening.
“Agent! What a pleasant surprise,” I say unpleasantly.
“Caldwell.” He nods toward the chair across from him. “Have a seat.”
I take a seat right next to him instead, more than happy to make things awkward. Glancing up at Lennon, I say, “If I’d known this was a party, I would’ve brought a dish to pass.”
The normally stoic and commanding Archmage wrings his hands, tongue darting out to moisten his thin lips. “I… I apologize if it seems I’ve brought you here under false pretenses, Draegan, but I wasn’t sure you’d come otherwise.”
Keeping my tone light and my smile firmly in place, I say, “What a hurtful assumption, Lennon. But now that we’re all together, let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we?” Then, clamping a hand down on Reedsy’s thigh, “Agent, I presume you’re not here on a social call?”
He rises to his feet, then turns to peer down at me, as if the new position might intimidate me into cooperating.
“Let’s skip the bullshit, Caldwell. Your name has come up in seven separate federal investigations in as many months. Extortion of public officials, multiple counts of stolen evidence, murder, missing persons. Now I’ve gotanothermissing person on my hands—Westlyn Avery—and yet again, your name’s on the list as a person of interest. Coincidence?”
“Huh.” I cross one leg over the other, balancing the saucer and teacup on my knee. “You’d think in a city of nine million souls, that wouldn’t happen.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Perhaps you should cast a wider net?” I offer an amicable smile. “Not that I would presume to tell you how to do your job, agent. I’m sure you’re quite…competent.”
“Mycompetenceis not the issue. The issue is your pattern of—”
“Your division is tasked with investigating high-profile missing persons cases, yes? Considering my firm owns a great many properties that host a great many events attended by a great many high-profile individuals, it’s not entirely unreasonable to assume that I would have connections to some of them—connections that have nothing to do with any of the myriad crimes committed in this city each and every day. In this particular case, I was attending the Forsythe-Avery wedding as Mr. Forsythe’s guest after offering him the Thornwood Cathedral for his event, a fact he’s certainly already shared with you.”
Forsythe, who hasn’t moved from the doorway, nods. “I’ve shared all the relevant details.”
Reedsy shoots me his best bad-cop stare-down, but the effect is somewhat undermined by the white dust caked around his nostrils.
“Where were you when the ceremony began?” he asks.
“Seated with my associate, eagerly awaiting the bride’s arrival.”
“So you admit to seeing her that night?”
“Indeed. Lovely girl. Stunning, actually. I would’ve liked a proper introduction, but I didn’t get the chance. I was called away on urgent business just as the ceremony began. I stepped out before she’d even reached the altar.”
