Strike at Midnight(24)

“Anything unusual about him?” I interrupted her. “The way he walked, any marks on his skin…”

“No,” she replied. “I don’t think so.”

“Did he give a surname?”

“No.” She shook her head, but then she put her hand up. “Wait a moment. I do remember him having a scar on his hand. I can’t remember which one.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said as a flicker of interest triggered within me. “What did it look like?”

“It looked like a cross. Like the letter X. It was between his thumb and forefinger.”

“Thank you,” I said and got ready to leave. “A woman by the name of Rapunzel should be calling by later. If you or any other member of the staff remember anything, then let her know.” I pointed my finger at her face. “And be nice.”

“Of course,” she replied with a sheepish look on her face.

“Have a very good day,” I said, letting her have a show of the good manners I could convey every now and again. And then I left.





CHAPTER EIGHT

What's a Girl got to do to get a Horse Around Here?





The lead was a weak one, but at least it was a lead.

Once I had the list from Sir Raymond, I would be able to check if there was anyone on it who hosted a lot of balls, and I would start from there. It would give me the chance to see if someone matching Billy’s description had turned up at any point for a job.

The fact that the imposter duke had said he had paid for the privilege of being the duke bothered me. His peers had confirmed that he had looked exactly like the duke—aside from the birthmark, of course—so what were the chances that he would turn up in a kingdom where he had an exact lookalike, then pay someone so he could take over his life?

That’s why I had been leaning more towards the angle that someone had sought him out, made the offer, and arranged the kidnapping. It could have been this Billy kid, but I doubted it. This sounded like it had been carefully planned out, and by someone who wouldn’t want to get their hands dirty.

We couldn’t rule out the fact of a twin brother either, but no doubt Rapunzel would look into that angle. Not that I would expect anything to come from it. Why would someone give up one baby and not the other?

People of the nobility always liked an heir and a spare. Having twin boys would have been too convenient for them to give one up at such an early age for no one to have known about it. No. Something else was going on here, and I was determined to find out what it was.

The investigative angle wasn’t something I had to get involved in too often. Yes, I would often ask questions to find someone or fish them out, but this was stepping more into Rapunzel’s territory. Normally I would have some form of idea where someone was hiding, but this operation had happened under everyone’s noses without raising suspicion.

Sir Raymond had been an oversight, because if it hadn’t had been for him, the imposter duke would have gotten away with it and the real duke never found.

Why aren’t the dots connecting?

My head whirred all the way back to Melodies, and it was late afternoon by the time I had arrived there. I had taken another detour through the forest on the way back to cover more ground, but still found nothing regarding Rem’s brother.

“Give me food,” I said as soon as I walked into the bar to see Marcel serving someone. “I’m starving.”

“I’m not your slave, Rell,” he said as I sat down on one of the stools. “Go and help yourself.”

At that, Melody came through the door and sat next to me. She was wearing a blue dress that looked like it had been poured on every curve, and I knew she must have been getting ready to do a set. This wasn’t the kind of garb someone wore outside of the bar. Not unless they expected to be tarnished with the same brush as the ladies of The Golden Goblet of Goldilocks establishment.

“Hey,” she said, nudging me. “Bad news, I’m afraid.”

“They wouldn’t let you have the slipper?”

“That’s right. I’m sorry, Rell.”

“The clerk liked dudes, eh?” I guessed, starting to eye up Marcel to see how he would look in a dress.

“Oh no,” she said as if I had my head on backward. “He was eating out of the palm of my hand. But the guy was devastated when he said he couldn’t help me. He was under strict orders that the slipper is only released to its owner. He had a very detailed description of you, and there was even a sketch.”

“A sketch?”

She nodded. “It looked just like you, apart from the sketched version didn’t have a sneer. She looked quite feminine and pretty.”

“Thanks,” I said with plenty of sarcasm.

“You’re welcome.”

Damn it. I did not want to have to go back to the castle in yet another monstrosity of a gown. Plus those things weren’t cheap. My pay from Sir Raymond wouldn’t last forever.

At the thought of payment…

“I’ll pay you two months’ full rent if you make me some food,” I whined in Marcel’s direction. “Please?”

“Two months?” he asked with sudden interest. Money and Marcel had a very complicated but loving relationship.

“Yes, two months. But I want lots of food. Now. Please?”