‘Did anyone other than your boyfriend see you there? Were there any visitors to your home who can attest to your alibi?’ Katling asked.
‘It’s a vampire-owned building. Several of them saw us enter.’
Katling’s lip curled. ‘Several vampires.’
‘Yes.’
‘Who work for Lord Horvath.’
‘Yes.’
‘Who’s also your boyfriend.’
I sighed. ‘Yes.’
‘What about any humans? Did any humans see you?’
Barber stepped in. ‘Detective Inspector Katling, you seem to be suggesting that any supes who confirm my client’s whereabouts cannot be trusted simply because they are supes. Are you aware that prejudice against supes is illegal in this country?’
I didn’t miss the flash of fury in Katling’s eyes. ‘I am not suggesting prejudice against anyone, supernatural or otherwise,’ he spat. ‘This is about Emma Bellamy’s relationship with a supe which might encourage him to lie for her – and encourage him to compel others to lie for her.’
I glanced at Barnes. ‘Sounds prejudicial to me.’
DSI Barnes didn’t miss a beat. ‘Let’s move on, shall we? Where were you this morning, Emma?’
‘At the hospital, waiting for news about Fred and Owen.’
‘You left there not long before seven and you didn’t arrive here until four hours later. You’re still wearing last night’s clothes, so you didn’t go home to change. Where have you been in the meantime?’
‘I tagged along while Lukas and a werewolf known to us both visited a property on the outskirts of London. They’re looking into the disappearance of a gremlin, and the murder of a werewolf and a vampire several years ago. These are all supe cases. They don’t involve human police.’
‘Supe Squad would have been involved.’
My response was stark. ‘Supe Squad is dead in the water.’ I lifted my chin. ‘In any case, I believe that Lukas is making a report at his nearest police station to ensure that correct procedures are followed.’
Barnes didn’t miss a thing. ‘Why is he making a report, Emma? What did you find?’
‘A dead body.’
Katling rose out of his chair. ‘Another body? Another person is dead?’
I stayed where I was. ‘He’s been dead for a long time. And he’s not human.’
‘You’re suspended,’ Barnes reminded me. ‘You cannot take an active role in any investigation.’
That was where I was on shaky ground. ‘By law, the Supe Squad fire isn’t a supe concern and neither is what happened to Grace or Fred or Alan Cobain. None of those matters have anything to do with supes, as you have already pointed out, ma’am. In this case, the reverse is true. The body discovered this morning is not a Met problem, it’s a supe problem.’
Katling bristled. ‘We’ll need a post-mortem to confirm that.’
‘And that is why Lukas is reporting what was found,’ I said.
‘Is this body related to the fire or what happened to Fred and Owen?’ Barnes asked quietly.
I prevaricated. ‘The body has been undisturbed for many years. Whoever it is, their death is not a new development.’
Barnes would have asked for more detail but Katling was already jumping back in and changing the subject, as if attempting to throw me off balance. ‘Did you kill Alan Cobain?’
‘No. As I have already stated, I never met Alan Cobain.’
