Page 52 of The Dragon's Captured Heart
I looked at him narrowly. “So, you finally believe I didn’t kill her?”
Cleye chewed on the heavy question. “I accept you didn’t murder her,” he said at last. “I may still harbor feelings toward you, but I’m willing to put those aside to ensure the investigation is completed properly and the guilty party is properly punished.”
“Well, that’s something,” I said in a slow response, not sure where to go from there. “I think.”
Maddie elbowed me in the ribs, and I glanced down at her, confused. “Accept his help,” she whispered, using a hand to block her mouth as if that would prevent Cleye from overhearing. “It’ll be good. Help mend things between you and his family, if nothing else.”
I stifled a groan. Why did she have to phrase it like that? Now, I couldn’t say no. Not because I liked him but because I knew Noa would appreciate the gesture.
Besides, I could use the help. Maybe Cleye would have better luck with the records department.
“Okay,” I said. “Fine.”
“Thank you,” Cleye said, nodding at Maddie and me. “So, where are we at in the search?”
I glanced at Maddie. “We were actually just on our way to interrogate the guard who found her body,” I said, gesturing down the hall. “Care to join?”
“Yes, of course,” Cleye said as we started walking again. “But I thought there were two guards that day, no?”
“There were,” I said. “Conveniently, one of them has disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” Cleye asked. “Suspicious timing, don’t you think?”
“Very,” I agreed. “We’ve been thinking the same thing. Unfortunately, even assuming that this means he’s guilty, we haven’t come up with a breakthrough. The guard is from your hometown, but as far as we know, there’s no other connection. Are you aware of one, perhaps?”
I filled Cleye in on Dyson as we walked, including all we’d learned, but he had no more ideas than we did about what might have prompted such an action.
“Well, maybe our other guard will have more for us,” I said as we arrived at the guard barracks, where Felix was waiting for us to interview him in one of the conference rooms.
“Let’s hope,” Cleye agreed.
Maddie waited outside on her own decision, saying that putting a human in there would distract more than help. It didn’t feel right to exclude her like that, but I couldn’t argue the logic. So, accepting her choice, Cleye and I went inside, where Felix was sitting at a desk, waiting.
“Finally,” he muttered. “What’s this all about?”
“Where’s Dyson?” I asked, feigning ignorance.
“I don’t know,” Felix said of his guard partner. “He’s late.”
“Is he usually late?”
“Never,” came the response immediately. “Dyson is a stickler for that sort of thing. I figured you had him elsewhere. Are you saying you don’t know where he is?”
“Nobody knows where he is,” Cleye said, crossing his arms.
“Nobody?” Felix’s face scrunched up. “That’s not like him. At all. He loves his job.”
“Maybe he stopped loving it after he killed my sister,” Cleye snarled.
I put a restraining arm against his chest.
“Dyson? Kill someone?” Felix shook his head. “I don’t believe it. Who are you anyway?”
I explained to him why he was there. I had him walk us through what he remembered that day, but there wasn’t much to it. Felix and Dyson had been on patrol in the Meadow of Martyrs in the mountain high above the palace. They’d stumbled upon Noa’s body. She was already dead when they got there. A scale-blade had pierced her heart, stopping it instantly. There was nothing they could do.
“You found no evidence nearby? No sign of who’d done it?”
“No,” Felix said. “I’m sorry. I wish we could’ve been more helpful. But she was dead when Dyson found her.”
