Page 19 of Veiled Justice
She waved it away. ‘The little love was being dramatic. He’d pinned me in a corridor on the way to the loo and was groping me through my dress, which I objected to – loudly. I was about to knee him in the groin when good old Helga hauled him off and did a rather brilliant growl. She said something that made him go quite pale.’ She fluttered her eyelashes at Krieg. ‘I’d pay to have you growl at me like that.’
‘I don’t need your money,’ he said, keeping his tone perfectly even. I suppressed a sudden smirk. He was trying his hardestnotto growl at her.
Louisa ran her eyes over him, assessing his clothing right down to his boots. She zeroed in on the fancy watch peeking out of his jacket. ‘No,’ she purred. ‘I can see that you don’t.’
‘You didn’t mention the incident to Detective Channing. Why not?’
‘Darling, it was 4am! I was ready for my bed. I needed my beauty sleep for my gala! If I’d mentioned I’d spoken to the poor girl, I would have been there all night.’ She rolled her eyes.
‘So you lied.’
She bristled. ‘I didn’t lie, darling.Ididn’t stab the poor girl. Honestly, the Squidsy incident just didn’t cross my mind. He gropes me at every opportunity. It’s nothing new.’
‘You didn’t think of pressing charges?’ I asked primly.
‘Gosh, no. What girl doesn’t put up with a grope now and again? If we all made a fuss every time it happened, there wouldn’t be a man left who wasn’t in prison. And then who would rule our patriarchy?’ She laughed at her own joke.
I folded my arms and glared. ‘Or perhaps behaviour would change.’
‘You’re one of those “climate-change” people, aren’t you? The ones that think we can actually stop it?’ She half-laughed, half-huffed. ‘Anyway, sometimes I quite enjoy it when Squidsy gropes me. But I wasn’t in the mood yesterday, I had bigger fish to fry. Besides, I couldn’t press charges against him without rocking the boat. His daddy owns my favourite club.’ She shrugged like that was far more important than standing up for herself and her right not to be casually fondled and sexually assaulted.
‘Anyway, as I was saying, you simplymustcome tonight.’ She sent us both a saucy grin. ‘If only to watch the steam coming out of my darling father’s ears. It’ll give the party a real edge.’ She pushed the stylist and makeup artist aside, went over to a desk and pulled out a plain cream card on which she wrote:Louisa says to let them in. LC.
‘Here.’ She handed it to me and I studied the writing; she must have been in her late twenties yet she still dotted her ‘I’s with little hearts. She was frozen in adolescence, stuck in her teenage rebellious years even though the teens had left her a decade ago.
‘Your father wouldn’t want us attending?’ I asked lightly.
Louisa laughed. ‘He’s not a fan of creatures or the Connection so it’d be a real one-two. Your presence would definitely add an element of drama.’ She pursed her lips then said in a wheedling tone, ‘Much the same crowd who came to Quintos’s masquerade will be here … lots of opportunities for questions.’
She waggled her eyebrows up and down and her makeup artist sighed. Louisa shot a glare at the young woman, who wilted and offered a simpering smile instead.
‘We’ll think about it,’ I interjected. And honestly? I would consider it. It would be a good opportunity to question people when their guard was down. Nothing they said would be admissible in a court of law – but the Other frequently dispensed with the courtroom.
Our justice was rough and ready. And usually permanent.
Chapter 11
Thinking about justice and lawyers made me think about my younger brother, Rupert. He was an associate lawyer working at a prestigious firm called KHR Law, and his job was to help Other realmers who got themselves into a Common pickle. He did a tap dance with the law every day as he looked for loopholes to squeeze through. He usually had a ready smile, but I wondered if he was okay having found a body the night before.
‘I’m just going to call my brother,’ I said brusquely to Krieg as we got into the car. Loki flittered in discreetly after us.
Rupe answered on the second ring. ‘Yo.’
‘Hey, how are you doing?’
There was a long, pregnant pause. ‘I’ve been better,’ he said finally. ‘Ava is trying to persuade me to go to another shindig tonight, get back on the horse, you know?’
‘The Carnforth event?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, that’s it,’ he said, surprised.
‘I might come. Apparently a lot of the same people will be there.’
He snorted. ‘You bet they will! Ava was telling me there's a huge rivalry between the Carnforths and Quintos, a total pissing contest in party form. That’s the only reason I want to be there. The ArleyHall event was pretty cool with the peacocks and the costumes and the dancers – though I could have done without the death.’
‘As could we all,’ I murmured.
I heard my mother in the background.
