‘She’s a wolf. As much as you might want to knock politely and walk her out in handcuffs, she doesn’t come under human law. The best we can do is restrain her, extract a confession and hand her over to Clan Sullivan to deal with.’
‘She killed Tony.’ I folded my arms. ‘She killedme.’
‘Even more reason to proceed very carefully indeed,’ Lukas returned.
‘She deserves to feel the full weight of the law.’
‘She will.’ He glanced at me. ‘But it will be werewolf law. If you want to back off now and let me—’
I interrupted him. ‘No.’ That was most definitely not an option. I wanted to look Butch Cassidy in the eye when she was brought to account. ‘There must be another entrance round the back that leads to the flat. Let’s try there first.’
Lukas inclined his head. ‘As you wish.’
As the building was part of a terraced row, we skirted to the end of the street before doubling back. The rear of the property boasted a small garden, which was fenced off from passers-by. There weren’t any more signs of life at the back than there had been at the front.
With my heart in my mouth, I reached round to unfasten the latch on the gate, wincing when it creaked open. Then Lukas and I sneaked in and headed for the back door.
There was only one button, positioned directly under the small intercom box. That was good; it meant that, assuming Cassidy did indeed live above the shop, hers was the only flat. The last thing we needed was to deal with a group of irate, sleep-deprived werewolves on the cusp of the full moon.
I sucked on my bottom lip and considered. We could break down the door as Lukas had suggested, but I was certain there was another way. I looked around and spotted an upturned plant pot by the side of the path. I scooped it up, holding it triumphantly in Lukas’s direction.
‘Nice work,’ he said, seeing the key taped to the inside of the pot. ‘But given your status as only an almost detective, why don’t I do the necessary?’
I shrugged and passed it to him. He placed the key gently in the lock and turned it. There was a quiet click. He shot me a grin and pushed open the door. We were in.
Stairs led directly upwards. There was only one door on the ground floor, which presumably led into the shop. With his tread as silent as that of his shadow, Lukas inched up the steps. I followed at his heels. I was beginning to see why the recidivism rate for burglary was so high; there was something remarkably thrilling about sneaking into someone else’s property.
Lukas paused at the top of the stairs. He cocked his head, listening hard. ‘No-one’s home,’ he said, no longer attempting to stay quiet.
‘Are you sure?’ I whispered, unwilling to give up hope.
He raised his foot and kicked open the inner door. The sound was deafening as the wooden door split and then thudded against the wall. I tensed – but Lukas had been right. Nobody sprang forward to meet us. The place was empty.
I cursed and pushed past him to get a better look. ‘Maybe this isn’t her flat,’ I said.
He picked up a photo frame from a side table and held it up. I squinted at it. ‘Is this her?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’ I grimaced. If Cassidy wasn’t here, then where the hell was she? Perhaps she’d left a helpful clue. I wasn’t defeated yet, not by a long shot.
Leaving the lights off so that we didn’t alert a passer-by to our presence, I scoured the flat. It was very tidy – in fact, compulsively so. I trailed a finger along the bookshelf and glanced at the titles, then rummaged through the wastepaper basket for any useful notes or receipts that she might have discarded. I even lifted the sofa cushions in the vain hope that something might be wedged down the back. There was nothing.
‘D’Artagnan,’ Lukas called from the kitchen. ‘Come and take a look at this.’
I gave up my search and joined him. ‘What is it? What have you found?’
He held up a small vial of liquid. ‘Check this out,’ he said grimly. He pointed to an open cupboard. ‘She’s been stockpiling it.’
I took the little bottle from him and read the label. ‘Xylazine.’ I frowned. ‘This must be what she used to poison the sandwich meat and to inject into Tony and probably Becca. It says it’s for animal use only.’
Lukas’s jaw was set into a tense line. ‘We’ve got the proof. Now we need the wolf.’
I pursed my lips. ‘This is her home and her place of work. It’s her safe place. There’s no reason for Cassidy to have gone anywhere else.’
‘It’s almost the full moon. She might be out enjoying herself.’
‘Except all the werewolf haunts were shutting up early. It’s only a couple of hours until dawn. None of them will be open now. She doesn’t strike me as the type who’d slink over to Soho and hang around your vamp places.’
‘No,’ he agreed. ‘But she doesn’t seem the type who has friends or family to meet up with either. So where has she gone?’
