“So, you’re annoyed with Captain Bains because he was human?” Viktor’s quirked eyebrow was so sexy, Ant would have to be blind not to notice. But Ant was still caught up in his tangle of emotions.
“Not all humans throw away their reputation, their marriage vows, or their respectability at the sight of a flash of thigh. Barely any of them would. I wouldn’t do something like that. Ever.”
“Neither would I, now I’m mated.” Ant didn’t realize how much he needed to hear Viktor say something like that until he did. “You’re a unique individual who is human, and yet not. Feeling any level of anger when people let you down is understandable. Anger itself isn’t a bad emotion – it’s how people handle their anger that causes the problems.”
Ant nodded. He’d seen far too many examples of mishandled anger in his scene readings.
“Facing the fact that Bains and Hammond let you down and treated you poorly is a good thing. Accepting that Bains and likely Hammond, too, are fallible people who made mistakes they’re now paying for is a factor in this investigation. But your mentor was right in a way. You’ve now become too focused, too fixated on one part of a huge picture, and that’s not a good idea in this case.”
Now Ant was confused. Focusing on his situation was how he did his job as well as he did. Perhaps Viktor was talking about something else. “I’m not sure what you mean by that,” he said slowly. “My main focus is finding out who killed Carol Doukas.”
“I think we can both agree Carmine was responsible for the death of his sister.”
“No.” Ant shook his head. “Carmine might have instigated the death, and that’s only rumor at this point, but he didn’t commit the acts that led to Carol’s death. He wasn’t there, or I would’ve seen him. The man who died in jail – Frankie – we know he didn’t kill Carol, either. Neither Carol nor Frankie killed themselves, so I need to find those middle people – the people I saw killing Carol and whoever killed Frankie. Then I can use that information to trace that link back to Carmine – if that’s where it ends up.”
Viktor winced and then shook his head. “Do you remember back when we first discussed Carmine, and I said he couldn’t be trusted?”
“You’ve said that repeatedly, for what feels like ages now, but…”
“No, Ant. I need you to listen this time.” Viktor sat up, leaning in Ant’s direction. “Babe, you’ve fallen into Carmine’s web – he’s stirring you up, making you feel things you’re not used to dealing with. He’s isolating you from people you respected and making you wonder if anything you’ve ever known as a certainty is even real. It’s what Carmine does.”
“But…”
“I asked you to listen to me, babe. Hear me out. Carmine has had at least two decades, from what I’ve heard, to set up a hugely complex and intricate network. Think of it like a giant spider web made up of countless other smaller spider webs all within the whole. Different people, different organizations, differentsituations, but Carmine has a hand in it all. That hand isn’t seen every time, or all the time, but it’s always there.
“His specialty is people’s weaknesses – particularly people in power or in positions where they might be beneficial to him in the future.” Viktor pointed a finger at him. “You said yourself when we left the police station that there was a Carmine connection. You were referring to those two officers who were pounding on the captain’s door, because you’d temporarily suppressed the bugs in his office. Wasn’t that right?”
Ant had almost forgotten that after his dealings with Hammond. “Yes,” he said. “I touched them and saw similar scenes from both of them. They’d been paid off, envelopes of cash. That’s why they were at the captain’s door. I couldn’t see much, but Carmine was definitely present when that happened in both cases.
“But when I thought about it after, I reminded myself I didn’t know the true context of those moments in time. Maybe the cash was exchanged for goods sold – something Carmine wanted at the time. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that they both arrived at the captain’s office door while we were there. It’s not an admission of criminal activity.”
“Oh, Ant.” Viktor was smiling at him, but Ant got a flutter in his belly, as if he’d just missed something important. “Technically, you’re right. Perhaps Carmine was buying a car from them, or a batch of cookies. I can see why you’d say that. But to me, a person from the shadows, what you saw is another example of Carmine pulling strings.
“The thing is, you probably think that money exchange was a recent thing, and it might be. But those two officers wouldn’t have taken money from Carmine as part of his plot to recruit you. Neither of those officers was young. They’ve probably been working as officers for five to ten years, give or take.”
“What would that have to do with Carmine?”
“Remember what I said about Carmine finding people’s weaknesses? Those two officers will most likely be the people who became disillusioned with their job, who were sick and tired of seeing the bad guys that they catch being set free every five minutes, because sometimes the court systems just don’t work properly. And face it, Carmine is one of those people behind the scenes making sure that the court system doesn’t work the way it’s meant to.
“A man who had no relation or connection to Carol Doukas at all ended up dying in jail after being sentenced for her murder. Can’t you see? It’s all part of Carmine’s web of lies. Everywhere he goes, every person he touches. Carmine can be the type of man who’ll buy you a five-course dinner one minute because you mention you’re hungry, and then three years later turn around and tell you that you owe him a favor. And because of his reputation, and because of the type of person he is, people believe him.”
Ant believed every word Viktor was saying, but if that was the case, then…
“Feeling anger toward Bains and Hammond is a waste of time, because they are just more pawns in Carmine’s game. He’s got you focused on the murder of his poor sister. But by focusing on that, you’re not seeing the bigger picture. Think of that giant spider web. Can you see it? Can you admit at least that everything in Carol’s case so far could be a means of confusing the hell out of you, so you’ll end up under his control without even realizing it?”
Ant’s magic responded to the passion in Viktor’s voice. He could see it – the way Viktor was angry and worried on his behalf. As Ant focused on the imagery Viktor suggested, his magic gave itform – a giant spider web over the whole town. Barely seen, not noticed by most people, but Ant knew that a spider’s web was far stronger than its thin strands suggested.
“I’m being manipulated,” Ant said as his stomach churned, and his magic sparked. “I’m being manipulated, just in a different way than Bains and Hammond.”
“That’s because you’re a good person who wouldn’t chase a flouncy skirt.”
Ant barely noticed what a person wore, let alone the body underneath. “It’s still manipulation. You were right all along. Carmine used his sister’s death to pull me into his web.”
“Actually, there’s a good chance you were on Carmine’s radar well before he gatecrashed our lunch,” Viktor said. “Were you working for the police as a consultant when Carmine was dating Bridget?”
“I’d just started with them, I think.”
“That’s the connection. You’re a powerful person, in an important position not only at the Mage Academy, but with the justice department as well. Carmine has likely known about you all this time and was probably thinking of how he could control you through your sister back then.”
