She and Mercy exchanged a look. A bit of a prick. Yes, that described Gavriel Morningstar perfectly.
Chapter 6
Gavriel
He ran down the witness list for the tenth time, trying to gather his thoughts. He had never needed bodyguards before and he didn’t care for it. They were a distraction when he needed all his faculties focused on the case.
At least Mercy Blackthorn looked like a proper cypher, tall and solid. But he wasn’t sure what to make of her partner, the one with the strange name.
He had to admit that Cathrynne Rowan’s silvery hair and eyes made a striking combination with her sweet, delicate features. Never before had Gavriel seen a cypher whose angel blood was so pronounced. He could more easily picture her singing in the Chorale at Mount Meru than wielding the whip and cudgel at her hip.
Against his will, he kept sneaking glances, the witness list entirely forgotten now. She wore the uniform of the cyphers, a snug bodice and breeches that revealed a shapely form. Her left hand was bandaged. He wondered if she’d lost a fight in some seedy tavern before coming here. Of course, he was recovering from an injury himself. He decided to be charitable and give Cathrynne Rowan the benefit of the doubt.
“Lord Morningstar.” Levi Bottas poked his head in. He wore a dark suit with a black cravat knotted at his throat.
Rowan blocked his path, one hand dropping to her cudgel.
“It’s all right,” Gavriel said. “He’s Casolaba’s aide. I’m expecting him.”
Bottas eyed the two cyphers with trepidation.
“This is my new security detail,” Gavriel explained. “Now, have you located the body? I shall want to examine it myself.”
Bottas grimaced as if bracing for a storm. “That will be difficult, my lord, since he’s been cremated.”
“Who ordered that?” Gavriel snapped.
“The widow, sir. She said it was the consul’s wishes.”
“Is she unaware that there is a criminal investigation underway?”
“No, sir. But no one had given the morgue any explicit orders to hold the body, so they released it to her yesterday. She was adamant that her husband didn’t want to be gawked at if he passed away. Her words, sir.”
“How convenient. Then we must confirm the account of the street sweeper, as he was the last to view the body. Yarl, I will leave that to you.” Gavriel turned back to Bottas. “What about the other witnesses? Don’t tell me they’re all on holiday.”
“No, sir,” he said quickly. “In fact, the first on your list is waiting outside. Assemblywoman Luzia Bras.”
She was the head of the Miners’ Union, the main opposition party in Kota’s Assembly. The Miners’ Union and Casolaba’s Freedom League were old foes, making Luzia Bras a prime suspect.
“Show her in,” Gavriel said.
The cyphers at the door stood back, though they looked ready to pounce at the slightest threat. Luzia Bras strode into the office with the brash confidence she was famous for in the Assembly. She wore a leather jacket and trousers and carried herself with the authority of someone used to commanding a room.
“Lord Morningstar,” she said, taking in the injured wing. “I heard what happened. It’s outrageous. Killing that pig Barsal is one thing, but now they’ve crossed the line!”
Gavriel suppressed a smile and gestured for her to sit. “For the record,” he said, “you’ve come voluntarily to discuss Consul Casolaba’s murder, is that correct?”
Her laugh was loud and genuine. “I didn’t know it was optional. But I’ve nothing to hide. Sure, I despised him. So did a lot of people. He had no friends, Lord Morningstar.” Bras’s dark eyes flicked to Bottas with undisguised contempt. “Only flunkies and rivals.”
Yarl’s pen scratched against a fresh ledger, recording every word.
“You speak bluntly of a man whose body is barely cold,” Gavriel said.
If she knew Casolaba had already been cremated, she gave no sign of it.
“And I’ll say the same over his grave.” Her lip curled with contempt. “The pig grabbed my ass right in the Assembly chamber when I first came to the Red House as a junior delegate. He treated the women staffers like concubines, and sold out the miners to the gem conglomerates every chance he got. His death improves the province.”
Gavriel did not bother to dispute this assessment, which he privately thought was accurate.
