“The stone does nothing for any of us because we don’t have it,” someone else complained.
“That stone could be our ticket to the top of the food chain.” Byron jabbed a finger in the air to emphasize the point.
I looked more closely at him. His thick brown hair covered his head like a helmet and his nose was wide and flat like he’d pressed his face against a window too long and it stayed that way.
“Not anymore,” Susan said. “House Lewis will make sure that stone never sees the light of day.” She laughed at her unintentional joke.
“What do you know about the stone?” I asked.
Their gazes turned to me. “It brought back Damascus steel,” Byron said.
“I know it expanded a magic user’s elemental powers, but what about the bigger picture? Where did it come from? Are there more?” I didn’t want to specifically ask about Friseal’s Tower. I needed to research on my own first.
Byron itched his nose. “If there’s more than one elemental stone, I hope it turns up soon.”
Brown Cloak balled his hands into fists. “If only we’d gotten our hands on that one at St. Paul’s. Would’ve changed everything.”
An image of Callan making short work of Yardley’s companions flashed in my mind and I lowered my head.
“I should go. It was nice meeting you.” I turned toward the exit and Yardley fell in step with me.
“I see the sorrow in your eyes. What happened at St. Paul’s was unfortunate but understandable. You were hunting a murderer. You didn’t realize our interests were aligned.”
I pivoted to face him. “I’m still not certain they are.”
Yardley flinched. “Surely now that you’ve listened…You must realize it makes sense to join us.”
I folded my arms. “And what happens if I don’t? Will you really decide I’m against you?”
His expression darkened. “Let’s hope we never have to find out.”
16
I left the meeting feeling slightly uneasy thanks to the Green Wizard’s parting words. As I started in the direction of the bus stop, my phone buzzed with another incoming message from Kami.
“Hey. Sorry, I meant to call you earlier. What’s up?”
“Where are you?”
“The Barbican. Why?”
“Damn. I thought you might be home.”
“She’s still closest!” Briar’s voice rang out.
“Closest to what?”
“Can you head over to Hampstead Heath?” Kami asked.
I groaned. “Gerald Latham again?”
“He said he’s trapped the monster behind his house and wants us to come dispose of it.”
I could practically hear the air quotes around ‘dispose.’
“Trapped it how?”
“I don’t know, but take a picture when you find out. I want to experience it like I was there.”
“Why can’t you?”
“Briar and I are dealing with a family of centaurs who enjoyed too many mimosas at brunch. The owner of the restaurant offered to pay double our fee if we get them out before the lunch crowd wanders in.”
“Have fun with that.” Drunken centaurs were tough to corral. I discovered that the hard way when a bachelor party spilled into Hole one night.
Two short bus rides later and I was at Hampstead Heath standing in Gerald Latham’s backyard.
“Up there in the tree,” the old man said, pointing to a branch.
I turned on my phone’s flashlight app for a better view. Sure enough, an unusually large fox stared back at me.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” It wasn’t a kitten but close enough.
“Can you shoot it from here?” Gerald asked.
“Not even if I had a gun on me. It’s just a fox.”
His eyes rounded in disbelief. “Just a fox? Have you ever seen a fox that size? Besides, I think it has rabies. I saw it shaking and foaming at the mouth. That means you have a civic duty to get rid of it.”
“I don’t think a fox that’s shaking and foaming at the mouth would have the wherewithal to scramble up a tree and hide,” I pointed out.
“I’m telling you, it did. It only stopped shaking when I threw a rock at it. Then it ran up the tree. I don’t know why it keeps coming back. We secured the bins.” His arms flailed. “Oversized rats and foxes. Missing kids. Vampires moving in. If I could afford to move, I’d be gone already. This city is nothing but a rat-infested cesspool.”
An oversized fox behaving erratically.
A missing kid.
New vampire neighbors.
Gods above.
I sucked in a breath. “Mr. Latham, do you happen to recall exactly when the girl went missing?”
“I don’t remember offhand. It was the day my new teapot was delivered. Maybe two or three weeks ago?”
The gears in my mind continued to click. “And the vampires next door…By any chance, did they move here from Devon?”
He tugged his earlobe. “You’ll have to ask them yourself. It’s not like I’ve invited them ‘round for tea and biscuits.”
I glanced at the neighboring house. If I was wrong, the worst that could happen was the vampires complained to Mitchell Dansker. He was a powerful vampire, but I doubt he’d care about a random knight casting aspersions on his tenants.
I turned away from the tree and felt Gerald’s fingers clutch my sleeve. “Hey, where do you think you’re going?”
“To solve your problem.” And quite possibly mine.
He jabbed a finger skyward. “My problem’s right here in this tree.”
“Leave the fox alone, Mr. Latham, and let me do my job.”
I stalked across the yard and knocked on the door. The house was similar in appearance to Gerald’s red brick Edwardian house. They were likely built around the same time.
The door opened and I smiled at the stout woman who answered.
“Hello. My name is London Hayes and I’m from the Knights of Boudica.”
Despite her frown, her expression remained friendly. “Oh, are you soliciting? I thought that was prohibited here.”
“I’m not soliciting. I’m investigating a case and…Did your family move here from Devon, by any chance?”
Her friendly demeanor evaporated. “I knew it. What has Trevor done this time?”
“Trevor?”
“My son. Sixteen. Brown hair. Attitude bigger than the Atlantic Ocean.” She licked her lips. “You’re not here about Trevor?”
“I’m not sure. I might be. May I come in?”
Two minutes later Trevor’s mother—Anna—and I were in the living room. I declined her offer of a drink so she popped open a bottle of O-negative for herself and slumped in the chair across from me with a weary sigh.
“Trevor’s always been a troublemaker, from the time he was old enough to walk.” Smiling, she shook her head. “His father can be a handful and my mother-in-law said he was a dreadful little boy.”
“And that’s why you left Devon?”
“Trevor was getting a reputation and it started to suffocate us. We decided it was best to start fresh somewhere new. It’s not easy to move between territories, as I’m sure you know, but Mitchell Dansker is my husband’s cousin and he was able to secure our paperwork and find us this place to live.”