“Yes.” Ant nodded. “That’s what I mean. She knew the men who were there with her. They were laughing and joking. Did you see the bottle of whiskey? They were passing it around and having a good time like any group of friends might do after a night on the town.”
Viktor had missed the whiskey bottle. He stroked his hand up and down Ant’s back.
“She was laughing and making jokes about how her brother would never know, and how mad he would be if he did. One ofthe men agreed how furious Carmine would be if they knew that she’d been out with them, whoever they were. No one mentioned any names.
“But I could tell by the way they were acting with each other that they were all anticipating sexy times. I’ve seen flirtatious behavior like that so many times. There was no reason why the mood changed so fast. It was almost as though the men were acting in accordance with a predetermined schedule or something.
“I could see absolutely no reason why they chose that moment to kill her, or why they killed her at all. I also don’t understand. If there were two men involved, how did only one of them end up in jail, or was that honestly the wrong guy? That doesn’t make sense, either.”
Viktor carefully cradled his mate’s face, stroking up behind his ears, weaving his fingers through Ant’s blond waves. “Can you trust my judgment now?” he asked, staring deep into Ant’s eyes. “Can you believe me when I tell you that Carmine cannot be trusted?”
“I’ve trusted you since the moment I met you,” Ant said, not flinching from Viktor’s scrutiny. Viktor couldn’t help but notice how sad Ant looked. “It’s not a question of trusting you. It was a question of trying to do the right thing by Carol. None of this makes sense to me, and I’m concerned that the only one who can shed any light on this is Carmine himself.”
“We’ve been over this,” Viktor insisted. “I don’t think Carmine is capable of being truthful to his own mother, let alone anyone else.”
“That means I need to touch him,” Ant said simply. “It’s the only way we might ever find out the truth of what happened to his sister.”
“You can’t,” Viktor said, and then remembering what had happened when he’d said the same thing earlier that day, he added, “it’s really not a good idea. Whether Carmine is actually implicated in his sister’s murder or not, the fact still remains that it was ten years ago. Carmine’s been around for at least twenty. If he were involved in her murder, that wouldn’t be the only one.
“How could you guarantee that the visions you might pick up from him, or the impressions you get from him, are actually going to have anything to do with his sister’s case at all? You could be looking at a dozen murders and not know the details behind the scenes. I’m just throwing spit balls here, but it has to be said. It’spossiblethat if Carmine could be implicated in the murder of a family member, then there was nothing stopping him from murdering a dozen other people since then. You might not have the time to wade through all his crimes to get to Carol’s demise. I think we should come up with a different plan.”A safer one.
“There might be a way where I could find the time I need,” Ant said, his hands landing on Viktor’s chest. “I don’t think you’re going to like the idea, though.”
“Then you’d better tell me what it is.” Viktor sighed. “At least that way I’d have time to get used to it, because we all know you’re going to do it anyway.”
A glimmer of a grin hovered around Ant’s lips. “See how well we’re getting to know each other?”
But then Ant was serious again. “I always hear you. Don’t ever doubt that. I do factor in your concerns with my thought process. But, when I think about this situation logically, I believe it’s time to play Carmine at his own game – tell him a few lies of our own.”
Frowning, Viktor said, “Not that I’m opposed to the idea, but how is that going to help in this case?”
“What if we told Carmine that the scene of Carol’s murder had been contaminated by the magic we found there?”
“Aha.” Viktor nodded. “As we assume it was Carmine who arranged for the magical trap that almost severed my leg from the knee down…”
Ant fake coughed, looking up at him. “Is that honestly how you’re going to tell that story?”
“It could’ve happened. I couldn’t get out. But anyway,” Viktor hurried on, “if you told Carmine about the magical contamination, and that you couldn’t read the scene, then Carmine is going to think that he’s pulled one over on you.”
“Giving him a sense of invincibility.” Ant nodded. “Assuming that mood will hold…”
“Which, in Carmine, it would because it’s his natural state.”
“Exactly. What if I told him that the only way to find out what happened the night Carol was murdered was to hold a séance and speak to her spirit?”
“A séance?” Viktor was sure his shock was showing on his face. Perhaps his sweet mage needed a sugary tea or something similar. “Are you talking about one of those staged scenes you used to see on low-budget television in the eighties, where people sit in a darkened room while someone in a robe interprets knocks on a table? Since when does a level twelve mage conduct a séance?”
“The appearance of a séance in this case is a tool to make my job a lot easier,” Ant said calmly.
I’m never going to be able to work out how my mate’s mind works.
“I can summon Carol to talk to her, but it would be a lot more effective and easier to do if a contact of hers – like a blood relative - was in the room with us.”
“I’m still not seeing how this will work. Carmine’s not going to be able to see Carol’s spirit, so even if you say you’re talking to her, he’s not likely to believe it.”
“I know, and that’ll work for me, too.” Ant was grinning. “Carmine has already said he doesn’t believe in magic as such. By using the word ‘séance,’ I’ll actually be playing into his idea that most magic is trickery or plain not true. There’s a good chance he’ll think that I’m clutching at straws trying to find out something about Carol’s murder to prove my worth to him.”
“We already know what happened.” Viktor flicked his hand in the direction of where Ant had fallen to his knees. “Wesawit happen.”
