Page 9 of A Match Made in Coven
It seemed the inquisitor had put Lorcan’s name on his shit list in red underlined.
His heart sank. His desperate act had been for nothing? But wait—Osric was rummaging in his briefcase, whiskers aquiver. The lawyer produced a gilt-edged certificate with a flourish.
“This attests that verdicts from the dagger are legally binding, equivalent to a solemn oath,” the otter declared smugly.
Osric tried to drop the document on the judge’s bench but was too short. Lorcan didn’t dare use his magic again, so it was Detective Callidora who, with a muttered, “Oh, for hex’s sake,” grabbed the certificate and handed it to the judge.
Judge Irving scanned the document from under his spectacles.
“As you see, Your Honor—” Osric continued.
But the judge rapped his gavel. “Enough! I’ve heard enough. Mr. Black is not the murderer. He’s free to go.” The judge fixed Sarah Michelle with a pointed look. “Should the department need to question him further, they can make an appointment with his lawyer. Now, goodnight.”
With that, Judge Irving swept out of the courtroom, robes flapping like a bat’s wings.
Osric sidled up to Lorcan. “I have a car waiting outside. Shall we?”
Lorcan hesitated, gaze flicking to Sarah Michelle and Chief King. Two stony faces, still radiating disapproval. “You go on, Osric. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Osric eyed the cops warily but nodded. “As you wish. Don’t tarry too long.” He scurried off, leaving a trail of damp paw prints.
And then there were three. They stood locked in a silent standoff amidst the wreckage of the courtroom.
Maybe he could still salvage something. An apology, an explanation, a reason for Sarah Michelle not to write him off as just another entitled hobgoblin.
He opened his mouth, a quip poised on his tongue when Chief King rounded on him with murder in his eyes. The chief stalked forward until he was nose to nose with Lorcan, the man’s breath hot against his face. “Listen closely, Black,” King growled. “If you ever threaten one of my agents again, there won’t be a judge in this realm or the next who can spare you the consequences. Do I make myself clear?”
Lorcan met the chief’s glare unflinchingly. “Crystal.”
With a final scowl, King spun on his heel and stormed out, leaving a fizz of angry magic in his wake.
Sarah Michelle lingered, arms crossed over her chest. The warm brown of her eyes had frosted over, her stare cold enough to make Lorcan forget it was only fall.
“Well?” She arched a brow. “Are you happy now?”
Lorcan attempted a grin, though it felt more like a grimace. “Not particularly.” His voice came out in a rasp, his throat still parched. “Could I have that glass of water now?”
Sarah Michelle’s lips thinned. With a snap of her fingers, a glass materialized on the defense table. “There. I hope you choke on it.”
Then she, too, was gone, the echo of her boots hitting the pavement fading into silence.
Alone at last, Lorcan sank into the nearest chair, the courtroom blurring before his eyes. He grabbed the water and chugged it down, the cool liquid not enough to ease the tightness in his throat.
As the adrenaline drained from his body, grief rushed in to take its place, a crashing wave that left him gasping. Lorcan dropped his head into his hands and cried. Soon, his shoulders were shaking with the force of his sobs.
Elijah. His best friend, his partner, the brother he’d never had, was dead. Gone, just like that. And for what? What kind of trouble had Elijah gotten himself mixed up in? He wasn’t a perfect man, sure. But who could hate him so much as to kill him?
Lorcan gritted his teeth, tears still streaming down his face. He would find out. He would hunt down the scum who did this and make them pay.
Chapter Six
Spread Your Wings and Lie
SARAH MICHELLE
At the police station, Sarah was about to call it a night, but in her haste to leave the courtroom after Black’s little stunt, she’d left her case files behind.
With a sigh, she shuffled down the corridor, her steps heavy, resigned to trudge back to the courthouse. What a night. Hex, she wasn’t even sure if she should call it morning. She rubbed her eyes, the exhaustion settling deep in her bones.
