Page 69 of The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid

‘Sure. How can I help?’

‘You came in and cleaned – was it a day you normally worked or were you called in specially?’

She was quiet for a beat. ‘Mr Robertson called me in. I usually work two days a week but he was upset about the state of the house, said it was a mess and he wanted the whole place cleaned. I didn’t mind – he paid me extra.’

‘Does he do that often? Call you in for extra days?’

‘Not often, but I’ve done it a few times before. He always pays me those shifts in cash, which is handy.’

‘Do you recall anything else?’ It didn’t hurt to ask.

‘Now that you mention it, there were some muddy footprints in the entryway and I’m not sure, but I think that the window in Kate’s room was definitely open a crack – but that could have been the day before, during my normal scheduled clean.’

‘That’s fine. If you think of anything else, please call me.’

‘I will.’

Gunnar looked at me in the rear-view mirror and quirked an eyebrow in question. ‘The maid,’ I confirmed. ‘Mr Robertson called her in for an extra shift after the girls had been kidnapped.’

‘He was getting rid of the evidence,’ Sidnee murmured. ‘What a cold bastard.’

‘It’s all stacking up against him but we want him wrapped up tighter than a mummy,’ Gunnar said. ‘King MacKenzie is going toseize on the flimsiest reason to cast doubt on our case and free the bastard.’

The thought of Robertson going free burned. ‘You think he will?’

Gunnar snorted. ‘Oh yes. Whatever he did to piss off the king and earn babysitting duty here, it won’t be enough for Hamish MacKenzie to risk his secrets being exposed. He’ll hire a fancy lawyer for Mr Robertson. We can’t put a step wrong.’ No pressure, then.

When we arrived at the Robertson’s house, we all gaped. The drive was full of cars and trucks. ‘What the hell?’ I exclaimed. ‘Connor’s truck is here.’

‘And Margrave’s.’ Gunnar pointed at another truck. He turned to me, his eyes soft. ‘Now Bunny, don’t get mad…’

I folded my arms. ‘That’s never the best start to a sentence.’

Sidnee squeezed my arm. ‘Honey, Connor is taking matters into his own hands.’

I blinked, not quite following. ‘Talk to me like I’m dumb.’

‘As the head of the vampires, he's within his rights to step in when one of his own wrongs another, or if a vampire damages the reputation of the rest. It's part of his role as their leader.’

‘Think of all the scuffles Stan deals with,’ Gunnar pointed out. ‘It’s no different.’

‘Except here,we’rethe law.’

‘We are,’ Gunnar agreed. ‘But sometimes human laws are treated more like guidelines, and today is one of those days. Connor is trying Robertson in the vampire court.’

I stared at him. ‘You said that if Connor took matters into his own hands, he’d risk pissing off his father.’

‘He must have an ace up his sleeve. Connor isn’t stupid, he wouldn’t risk his father’s wrath.’

He was right: Connor was smart and logical, and he genuinely feared his father. If he was trying Robertson in the vampire court, he had a plan. I just wished it didn’t sting so much that he hadn’t told me what it was.

We let ourselves in. There was a whole graveyard of vampires in the pristine lounge; I didn’t know what the collective term was for vamps but that seemed appropriate, particularly with all of the faces around me looking about as cheery as the dead.

Faye Robertson was slumped at her husband’s feet, sobbing into her hands. Cobalt Robertson was sitting on a dining-room chair. A pristine white cloth had been placed over his dining table. If it hadn’t been for the silver chains around his wrists, he’d have looked like he was sitting down to a civilised dinner but I could see his flesh burning and bubbling under the silver. That had to hurt, but it was hard to dredge up any sympathy knowing how many families this man had destroyed.

Connor was standing nearby. When our eyes met, shock swept through me. Gone were the jeans and plaid shirt I was used to; instead he was wearing a sleek black suit and a matching black shirt.

But what truly stunned me was the gold crown resting on his forehead.

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