Page 70 of Cold as Hell

He turns slowly, his expression impassive. “You have been with your husband too long. You are starting to sound like him, all profanity and empty threats.”

“You think that’s an empty threat?” I stride closer. “Try me, Mathias. I understand you’re protective of Sebastian—”

“I am not ‘protective’ of anyone. I am angered that you are the victim of very obvious framing and do not see it.”

I plant myself in front of him. “Do you honestly think I’m not very aware that someone seems to be framing Sebastian? If I wasn’t, he’d be coming south with us. His medication was used to dose Kendra. His lure was found in Lynn’s drawer. And an eyewitness claims to have seen him with Lynn during thestorm. I would be a shitty detective if I didn’t suspect he’s being framed, and I’d be an inept one if Ipresumedhe was being framed and didn’t question him. Now I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I need you to stand down.”

He crosses his arms. Then he says, “How are you feeling? I know it has been a difficult pregnancy.”

“If you are implying that baby brain is affecting my ability to investigate, just say so. If you are implying that hormones are making me blow up at you, go to hell.”

“I am simply asking after your health,” he says mildly.

“Yeah? Then you’re trying to lower my guard. You don’t give a shit.”

“Non,Casey,” he says. “I do give a shit. I also give a shit that someone seems to have…” His gaze flits about. While we’re speaking French, that doesn’t mean a passerby couldn’t hear and understand our conversation. There’s no one around—I made sure of that—but when he checks, I wave toward the butcher shop.

“Go inside,” I say. “I have something to discuss with you, and it seems you have something to discuss with me.”

Mathias takes me up to his apartment. “Sebastian is out,” he says before I can ask. “He is with the boys and Gunnar, playing some sort of board game in the community center.” He glances back. “I presume he is still allowed around children.”

I don’t even dignify that with a glare. We head inside, and he waves me to a seat.

“You first,” I say. “You said you give a shit that someone seems to have…”

“Do you think Sebastian was targeted at random, Casey?”

I ignore the patronizing tone. He’s still in a mood, and if he pokes me any more, I’ll switch to English. That’ll teach him.

“No,” I say. “I have two leading theories on that. The main one is that he was targeted by someone of a roughly similar build, so that if the killer is seen with a victim, while wearing winter garb, Sebastian will fit. Considering that’s exactly what happened—someone resembling Sebastian was seen with Lynn during the storm—that’s a strong theory. My second possibility is that he was targeted because of the temazepam. If the same person who killed Lynn also dosed Kendra’s drink, then it’s likely they heard something to suggest Sebastian had strong sleeping medication. Once they stole that, Sebastian became the patsy, who would continue to be framed.”

Mathias’s grunt allows that this is decent detective work. Then he says, “And the third theory? There is another, perhaps stronger. Something that makes Sebastian the perfect target.”

“The fact that he’s a convicted killer? Or the fact he’s a diagnosed sociopath?” I adjust my posture as the baby decides now’s a fine time to start punching me. “I’ve considered those, but I can’t think of any way for someone to get that information. Core staff knows it, but that’s a very limited number of people. There’s no record of it for someone to stumble over. Sebastian’s not going to raise it in conversation. Neither are you. So unless you’re telling me you got drunk and told someone… or let it slip in pillow talk…?”

He only gives me a hard look.

I throw up my hands. “Then since that’s clearly your theory—that someone knows he’s a sociopath—how do you envision someone getting that information?”

“Too many people know.” He crosses his arms again. “I do not like it.”

“That was Sebastian’s choice.”

“Perhaps someone wrote it down.”

“Wrote down that Sebastian is a sociopath? Someone needed to make a note because they were liable to forget it? Also, except for Will, Eric, and me, the staff only know about the sociopathy. Not the murder conviction.”

Mathias leans back in his seat. “I am only asking.”

“There’s one person who might need to write something down about Sebastian. You, Mathias.”

Silence.

I lean forward. “Do you have notes on Sebastian’s past? His condition?”

“Non.” Another hesitation, and I let it drag on until he says, “I have some treatment notes, but nothing that would clearly state his condition or his crime.”

“Could they be inferred?”

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