A Flight of Ravens by John Conroe (thriller books to read TXT) 📗

“Question them all. Find out what alibis they have; what they were doing today in the lower level.”

“Yes, Sire.  I’ll put my best person on it,” he said with a nod toward Fontina.

“Do it now, Neil,” the king said.

“As you say, Sire.  Savid, too bad your Talent wasn’t able to sniff anything out, eh?” Slinch said to me with a mocking look.  “Perhaps the Paul should give you the nose of a woldling.”

Both Ravens left, Slinch grinning, Fontina’s expression blank.

“Keep digging, Savid,” the king said before also leaving with young Brent in his wake.

Chapter 15

“What would you even use?” Brona asked, her brow puzzled.

“What?” I asked.

“Sorry.  I was thinking of what Neil said.  If any of us could smell like a hound, what would we even smell to track the killer?  The scents in here have to be jumbled all to hell.”

Brona has a sharp intellect that loves to solve problems.  I looked at the cell again, trying to think like Jella would.

“What about the book itself?” Rose asked.  “The killer handled it when he or she ripped the page out.”

“But so have we, and a half dozen other people,” I said, studying the cell and the murder scene.

“The killer let themselves into the cell, which would be ballsy considering a Lash’s hand-to-hand combat skills,” I said.  “And it’s not like she was weakened by captivity.  Her food and water were more than adequate.”

“What if the killer was unafraid because Dominick knew him or her?” Brona mused.

“Or heard the correct response to her code phrase,” I said.  “Did she speak her phrase when her official visitors were here yesterday?” I asked.

Brona nodded, waving a hand at the end cell holding the slain jailers.  “The guard reported to me yesterday that she asked all seven of them the same phrase.  Young Grantell just laughed as if he was nervous.  Your brother Tallen joked that the best heroes never leave home, and your father just swore.  Lady Kardian asked her if it was true that she was a spy, but Dominick only smiled and wouldn’t say another word to anyone.  They first tried to talk to her, then talked about her, then left.  The whole thing took five or six minutes.”

“So perhaps our killer was one of the seven?” I surmised.

“Half of them were your family members, Savid,” Brona said.

“Yup.”

“If the guard wrote Gran or Grain, shouldn’t we look at Grantell and Grainge?” Rose asked.

“That’s an obvious path,” I said. “The main gate to the lower levels has a significant number of people going through it daily.  Soldiers headed to the armory, jailers and cleaning staff coming to these cells, government officials and High Family agents visiting the treasury at the other end of the cellars, and a few people with business on the levels below this one.  It’s not at all uncommon for either of those families to be down here.  Also, it might not refer to them at all.”

“A skilled spy leaves multiple twisted trails and back trails, much like a Drodacian Forester would.  Anything that seems obvious most likely is,” Brona said.

“Oh, like leaving evidence to frame some other gang when you steal from a High Family,” Rose said.

Brona looked around at her and Rose immediately flushed.  “Or so I’ve read in novels,” she said.

“Good recovery, country girl,” the princess said in a dry tone.

I was still trying to focus my thinking like a predator, one that hunted by scent.  An idea was tickling the back of my mind, triggered by Slinch’s parting words.  The cell door stood open, swung out fully.

“Was the cell discovered with the door open?” I asked, looking closer at the handle and lock.

“Yes, exactly as you see it.  Other than moving the guards’ bodies, nothing in here was touched,” Brona said, her brows going up in a silent question.

The heavy key was still in the lock, a corded leather lanyard hanging down from it.

“Oh, I know that look,” the princess said.  “It happens every time you are about to do something crazy.”

“Then I have to work on my game face because that’s exactly what I’m contemplating.”

“Do I want to know?”

“Nope,” I answered with a smile.  “Deniability is the word of the day.”

“Seems like it’s the word of the year for this kingdom,” she said, frowning, but she nodded her acceptance.

Chapter 16

My plan required nightfall, which dragged on my nerves.  A cold trail is much harder to pick up, especially when scents are involved.  But there were a lot of moving parts to put into place and the time flew by.  I even managed to grab another quick nap before night fell, coming early and fast as it does to Montshire in December.

The streets were mostly empty, an icy wind blowing down from the mountains, driving sane citizens into their homes early.  The wind was bothersome to my plan, but I was grateful for the lack of witnesses as my small group moved slowly through Haven in two carriages.

We met agent Fontina at the main gates of the castle.

“Where’s my blindfold?” she asked when we showed her into the first carriage.

“We’re not taking you to where Ash was,” I said.

She frowned and looked ready to argue, then stopped herself as my words penetrated deeper.

“Was?”

“Just hold on.  Drew, let’s go. Time’s wasting.”

The carriage turned and moved away from the castle and onto Brighton Street, which most of the city call the Street of the Families.  Drew trotted the horses all the way to the end of the street, then stopped and turned around, the carriage behind us doing the same.  At this point, I climbed out, Fontina following.  We walked back to the second carriage and Jella opened the window as we approached.  I reached into my pocket and pulled out a silk-wrapped bundle. The window of the seat across from Jella’s opened and Welton peeked out, saw me, and frowned at Fontina.  Then a giant furry hand, a paw really, gently moved him out of the way and Ash’s woldling snout