Page 44 of Secrets of the Forgotten Heir

‘What about Toby? What about the stepmum, Angelica?’ I insisted.

‘We’ll talk to them. Just because we have Mrs D in custody doesn’t mean the investigation has stopped. But Toby sounds like he has a solid alibi, and from what I saw of Rory’s message Angelica’s alibi seems good, too. Regular dance classes in the non-magical world where she can cheat and use her powers? That sounds exactly like the type of thing Angelica would do. We’re speaking to her today. It’s on my to-do list.’

As she spoke, the phone started buzzing. ‘You need to answer that,’ she said. ‘That’s your official job, remember? And if you’re not careful, it’ll be youronlyjob.’

I gave a frustrated huff and picked up the phone. ‘Witchlight Police Station,’ I said.

‘Beatrix? That is Beatrix, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, this is she. Who is this?’

‘It’sSelena Brown, Toby’s mother.’

‘Hello, Mrs Brown, is everything all right?’

‘No. It’s not all right.’ Her voice wobbled. ‘Toby didn’t come home last night.’

Oh, shit. Just what we needed. Should I schedule a village-wide panic for later, or were we already booked up?

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Yanni didn’t bother telling me I couldn’t go with her because I was standing next to the police car with Eva at my heels before she’d even picked up the keys. ‘Just let me do the questioning, okay?’ she said, sounding resigned.

‘Absolutely.’ I paused. ‘But you have to admit this makes him look guilty. Toby had to end his affair with the woman he loved because her father said so. Who wouldn’t be angry about that? And then, when he knew we were onto him, he fled. That’s what’s happened here.’

‘We have no idea what’s happened here apart from a woman’s son going missing. Can you remember that, please?’

I thought back to my initial impressions of Mrs Brown, how warm she’d been and how I’d assumed her son would be the same. Had I jumped to conclusions back then andmisjudged her? Or was I jumping to them now simply because I wanted to clear Mrs D’s name?

Annoyingly, I knew the answer: it had also been naïve of me to think that the measure of the mother made the son. Apples could fall far from the tree, and sometimes they rotted right next to it – usually when you were hoping for cider. I needed to put my emotions aside.

When we pulled up at the Browns’ house Selena was waiting outside, her eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot. ‘This isn’t like him,’ she said. ‘I’ve been calling him all morning, and he’s not responded. I mean, he’s had some late nights before – he’s a young lad and he enjoys a drink or two at Shady’s, and he used to stay over at Jennifer’s cottage when they were together. But he’s never missed work with his dad. Not once.’

Yanni rested a hand on her shoulder. ‘When was the last time you heard from him?’

‘Last night, after you left. He got my message saying you wanted to speak to him and he texted back that he’d ring you in the morning before work. He was going for a drink. He even sent me a picture of his kill – two hares with only a bow and arrow.’

‘Bow and arrow?’ I frowned. ‘I thought Toby was a bear shifter.’

‘Oh, he is. He has no problem catching game in his shifted form, none of the shifters do. That’s why he chooses the bow and arrow – it shows he has a bit more skill than the average shifter out there.’ She smile weakly.

Ah yes, the old ‘look how competent I am at murder’ tactic. Classic.

I connected the dots. Bows and arrows, guns – both were man-made weapons. Even so, it was a big leap to make from one to the other.

‘Can I see that photo, please, Mrs Brown?’ Yanni asked.

Selena handed over her phone. The photo showed a young man with a bow and a sheaf of arrows slung over his shoulder and two hares in his hand. He was a good-looking lad, dressed in a red plaid shirt; he and Jennifer must have made an attractive couple. His face was split by a broad, carefree smile. I didn’t immediately look at him and think ‘killer’. Then again, I hadn’t thought that when I’d met Grandma, and she was as deadly as they come.

Rather than looking at Toby, Yanni was focused on the trees in the background. I realised that, as a shifter, she was more likely to recognise the woodland location than I was. ‘I don’t recognise the coppice,’ she muttered, as much to herself as to me or Mrs Brown. ‘I don’t suppose you know exactly where he went?’

Selena shook her head and took her phone back. ‘I don’t know exactly where but it would be inside the barrier. That was my only condition. If he was hunting on his own, he had to be inside the barrier, but other than that I don’t know where he was. I’m sorry. I should have asked him. I should have, I should—’ She dissolved into tears.

‘I know this is difficult.’ I tried to use the same calm compassion I’d seen Dove demonstrate when she was talking to Mrs D. ‘But right now, he hasn’t even been missing for twelve hours. You weren’t expecting him back until late last night, were you?’

Selena nodded reluctantly and Yanni shot me an approving smile. Apparently, I’d done that right. She took over. ‘Which means he hasn’t been gone long. I’ll put out notices, see if we can get any sightings of him, okay?’

Selena nodded again as she continued to sniff and wipe away her tears. ‘Warren was a shifter, too. I know he was a water shifter, but even so… Do you think someone’s going after shifters?’

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