It would have been a whole lot easier if I’d done as he requested and given my best impression of a low bow, but I knew that wasn’t what he really wanted. It wasn’t what Lady Sullivan really wanted, either. Maybe I was better at understanding supes than I’d given myself credit for.
‘I’m honoured to be here and very grateful for your time,’ I said. ‘However, as a member of Supernatural Squad – whether my role is temporary or not – I am not obliged to bow to you, Lady Sullivan.’
‘Bow, Emma,’ Robert ordered.
I didn’t move an inch.
Lady Sullivan’s gaze slid momentarily to Lukas. If she was surprised that I’d not complied with the order, she didn’t show it. Lukas didn’t react; he merely watched me with expressionless black eyes.
‘Emma Bellamy,’ she said. ‘Bow.’
This time I felt her power. A faint buzz zapped along my spine and itched at the base of my skull. I wanted to do as she’d commanded; the authority she’d exerted by using my real name made me desperate to obey. I resisted it and remained upright – but only just.
Lady Sullivan’s expression flickered. ‘I see.’
I swallowed. ‘I trust you now have the answer you were looking for.’
‘Not even close.’ She leaned forward and examined me intently. ‘Lord Horvath, is this why she was chosen? Is this why DSI Barnes sent her to Supe Squad?’
Lukas folded his arms. ‘I have no reason to believe that any member of the Metropolitan Police Force is aware that Emma Bellamy has any special power or authority,’ he said stiffly.
I hated being spoken about when I was standing right there. I pointed at him. ‘What he said.’ I tapped my foot, my impatience growing. ‘Now, can we get to the reason why I’m here?’
Lady Sullivan waved at me dismissively. ‘Carry on.’
Finally. ‘Last night, I informed you about the murder of DC Tony Brown. You know that we suspect a werewolf is the perpetrator, and that his death was made to appear an accident gone wrong or a suicide. So why,’ my voice hardened, ‘did you not tell both us and the other werewolves present that one of your own died yesterday morning, too? And that her death was also apparently suicide?’
Although I searched every inch of her face, I saw no reaction on Lady Sullivan’s part. ‘I take it that you’re referring to Becca,’ she said smoothly. ‘I fail to see any connection, remote or otherwise, between her death and DC Brown’s.’
‘Do your werewolves often commit suicide?’ I asked.
Her mouth tightened. ‘No,’ she snapped, ‘they do not. But Becca was under considerable pressure after the disappearance of her sister. You saw for yourself how close to the edge she was. She attacked another wolf without provocation! She was no pup – Becca was a delta. She might not have been born a werewolf, but she chose to become one. She passed all of our threshold tests and was deemed strong enough and intelligent enough to be one of ours. As such, she was held to higher standards than street brawling. Unfortunately, despite her other qualities, her state of mind was obviously fragile.’
Lukas scratched his chin. ‘If that were so,’ he said, ‘then why didn’t you have someone watch over her? Why didn’t you find her the help she so desperately needed?’
Lady Sullivan’s face spasmed into something very ugly. ‘As if hindsight hasn’t suggested other avenues to you in the past, Lord Horvath! I should have acted faster, but I do not require further censure. Believe me, as Becca’s alpha I feel the weight of guilt. And yet, however unfortunate her death was, she killed herself. She had nothing to do with DC Brown. I doubt she’d ever spoken to the man!’
Seeking to calm matters, I took another tack. ‘You said she chose to become a wolf? When did that happen?’
‘Six years ago. She recommended her sister for conversion three years after that.’
‘Why would she recommend her sister if she was having trouble adapting to the change herself?’
Lady Sullivan looked away. ‘We didn’t know she was having trouble. You have to understand, Ms Bellamy, that there are strict limits placed on how many werewolves can exist at any one time. We do not turn humans without first being confident that they can adapt to an entirely new way of life. We receive thousands of applications. We can afford to be picky.’
Not picky enough if Becca really did commit suicide. ‘How?’ I asked quietly. ‘How did Becca die?’
Lady Sullivan sighed. ‘She didn’t hang herself, if that’s what you’re asking. She slit her wrists in the bath and bled to death.’
My fingers went involuntarily to my throat, touching the spot where the knife had first slid in. ‘What did she use to cut herself with?’ My voice suddenly sounded weak.
She gave me a strange look. ‘A knife. One of her own kitchen knives, in fact.’
Lukas glanced at me, concern in his gaze. ‘You’re sure?’
Lady Sullivan rose to her feet. ‘What exactly are you trying to tell me? Are you suggesting that Becca didn’t do this to herself?’
‘I don’t know.’ I licked my lips. ‘I need to see her body.’
‘Is that completely necessary?’ she enquired.
‘Yes,’ Lukas said.
Her lips tightened. ‘No matter what dormant power this one might have within her, she is still part of the human police force. Are you prepared to pass on the reins of this investigation to her? I’m certain, Lord Horvath, that you are more than aware of the repercussions that might have.’
‘I’m certain, Lady Sullivan, that you’re also aware of the repercussions of a werewolf in your clan killing a member of the human police force. This is about damage limitation.’
‘Their deaths are not related.’
‘You don’t know that,’ I said, more loudly than I’d intended. ‘Nobody does. To find out for sure, I need to see Becca’s body.’
Lady Sullivan sighed, then she looked at Robert and gave him a tiny nod. I breathed out. I didn’t thank her, however; she was only doing what she should have done in the first place.
‘I will take you to her now,’ Robert said, stepping forward. I had no idea whether he agreed with the order or not; his expression was inscrutable.
I didn’t move. ‘I’m not finished yet.’
Lady Sullivan clicked her tongue. ‘What else do you want?’
I ignored her exasperated tone. ‘Anna. Becca’s sister. What information do you have on her disappearance?’
‘She spent the night with Gregory. She left his house to return home and somewhere along the way she vanished.’ She shrugged in a bored fashion. ‘What else is there to know?’
‘You don’t seem very concerned about her disappearance.’
‘I’m the girl’s alpha, not her mother.’ Lady Sullivan folded her arms; she was making a very obvious production of her apparent boredom. Far too obvious.
‘What has been done so far to locate her?’ I asked.
For a moment, I wasn’t sure she would answer then she cleared her throat. ‘Trackers have been out searching for her scent,’ she said finally. ‘They think they picked her up on the fringes of St James’s Park. Becca was a rising star and progressed rapidly through the ranks. We had been hoping for the same from Anna, despite the fact that she lived in her sister’s shadow. However, she only made zeta three full moons ago. Sometimes young wolves find the process of being ranked too much to handle and they snap. I suspect that is what happened to Anna.’
‘Zeta is the lowest rank?’ I asked, confirming what Lukas had told me.
‘It is. But many wolves don’t even achieve that.’
I sucked on my bottom lip. ‘How?’ I wanted to understand as much as I could. ‘How do they achieve a rank?’
‘It only happens during the full moon. Non-ranked werewolves may challenge ranked werewolves during the lunar change. If they win the fight, they take their opponent’s rank.’ Lady Sullivan regarded me coolly. ‘You may think it’s a barbaric process, but we need to ensure we have the strongest wolves in the best positions. Clan Sullivan is not a place for weaklings.’
‘All the clans work like this?’
‘Yes.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s a far better system than written examinations and letters of reference and approval that you use for promotion.’
I wasn’t in a position to argue with that. ‘Fair enough. I want to see Anna and Becca’s house as well.’
‘We have already searched it, but very well. Do as you will. I can assure you, Ms Bellamy, that there is no evidence of foul play in either of their cases. And there is nothing to tie DC Brown to them. Equally, whether he’s a convenient suspect or not, Gregory is not involved.’
‘On that last part we are agreed,’ I said equably. I smiled. ‘Thank you for your time. I’m finished for now, but I may return with more questions later.’
She looked at Lukas. ‘How about you, Lord Horvath? Do you wish to interrogate me further?’
‘I do believe,’ he said, with a tiny grin, ‘that everything has been covered.’
‘Good.’ Her gaze hardened. ‘Now the two of you can fuck off out of my house.’ She raised a long finger and pointed it at my chest. ‘But you should know that I’ve got my eye on you, Emma Bellamy. You are not normal.’
That was hardly news. I gave her an ambivalent shrug and turned away.
Chapter Twenty-Two
‘As I’m certain Lord Horvath is already aware,’ Robert intoned, ‘all werewolves, regardless of their clan and whether they are dead or alive, are cared for within these walls.’
I gazed round the stark clinical décor of the building he’d led us into. It contrasted strongly to the other places in Lisson Grove that I’d visited so far. It had obviously been purpose built and was far more utilitarian than the grand buildings with their elegant stone facades and high-ceilinged interiors. I preferred it; somehow it seemed more honest. ‘So this is a hospital for wolves, then?’