Lucky Charm (Reverse Fairytales Book 2)(63)
I knew he wouldn’t go back to Thalia. The press would be all over him there, and that was if the king and queen gave him his job back. Luca had asked that they would all those weeks ago, but that was before the Drusilla scandal. I sipped at my champagne, hoping the alcohol would make me feel better, but it didn’t. I was already numb.
The afternoon quickly turned into night, and eventually, the people began to leave. Apart from the few family members and Dean and Daniel, I didn’t know any of them. I’d have asked Luca where they all came from, but I didn’t have the energy. When it was finally late enough that I could make my excuses to leave, I told Luca I had a headache from all the champagne and headed to the marquee’s exit.
I was just about to go outside when I felt a hand on my arm.
“Leo,” I said when I saw who it was.
“Charmaine, I’ve been wanting to talk to you all day, but Elise said I should let you enjoy your big day first.”
“What is it?”
“I want you to come into the police headquarters tomorrow. We have a lead on The Regent. We think we are getting close to capturing him.”
The Regent
“How are things going?” I asked Dean who had come down to the headquarters lobby to meet me. Recruitment posters filled the entrance hall, and I was pleased to see a couple of people wearing purple taking down notes.
“It’s actually going pretty well. We’ve had nearly fifty applications for this branch alone, but over the whole of Silverwood, we are looking at hundreds. When you first mentioned it, I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it seems the Magi want some control in their own safety.”
“That’s great,” I yawned.
“Busy day yesterday, huh? Daniel told me he was so surprised. Between you and me, he expected you to end up with Cynder.”
“Yeah, well...” I trailed off. What else was there to say on the subject? “How are the current staff taking the influx of Magi?”
“There have been a number of people quitting and some low-level grumbles, but nothing we aren’t handling. Leo is doing a great job.”
“That’s good to hear. I heard he had a lead on The Regent.”
“I’ll let you speak to him about it.”
He led me to a small room with just a table and three chairs. One of which was occupied by Leo. Dean took the other one next to him, and I sat opposite.
“I feel like I’m being interrogated,” I quipped.
“This is an interrogation room, but it’s the only place I could think of that is private. I share an office upstairs, and Dean works in an office with the rest of the task force.”
“Ok,” I replied. “What is it you’ve found? Do you know who it is yet?”
“Not exactly, but we do know that it is someone high up—higher up than we thought. I think we underestimated the reach of the MDS. The Regent is someone at the very top.”
“Top of what?” I asked, confused.
“Someone in a really powerful position.”
“Could it be Pittser? He is a very well known celebrity since telling all those lies on TV.”
“No. It’s not him. He’s a member of the MDS, but he’s not the boss. We have intel that he was the one that shot at you in Thalia. But unfortunately, he’s gone underground, and we can’t find him. We don’t even know if he’s in Silverwood or Thalia, although we have men and women in the field looking for him.”
“So what else do you know about The Regent?”
“We know it’s a man and we know he has a lot of political clout. He needs it to keep his identity secret. His followers are exceptionally loyal, although many don’t know who he actually is. He’s clever because only a few select members of the MDS know who he really is. The rest only know him as The Regent. We also know he has a lot of money and isn’t afraid to spend it.”
“That doesn’t really narrow it down that much. There are many people in powerful positions here in Silverwood; surgeons, lawyers, judges, even the police.”
“That’s why I’ve chosen to speak with you down here rather than in my office upstairs.”
“You don’t think it’s Mr. Copper, surely?” He’d come across as such a nice guy, but I knew that he was the one who currently shared an office with Leo.
“Not as such, but I can’t rule him out. He’s in the perfect position. He has power and money and what better place to hide than in full view. Few people would suspect him.”
“But you do?”
“No, but I’m not prepared to make mistakes, based on a gut feeling. He comes across as genuine, but The Regent didn’t get to where he is by being anything but brilliant.”
An idea suddenly occurred to me. “What about Grenfall. He was vehemently anti-Magi and an asshole to boot.”
“I had the same thought,” replied Leo. “but he was a bit too perfect as a suspect. We think our man is keeping his anti-Magi beliefs to himself to avoid suspicion. Grenfall couldn’t keep his mouth shut about how much he despised the Magi.”
“We have been tracking him, though,” cut in Dean. “We’ve had a couple of our task force on him for days.”
“And?” I asked. I could quite imagine Grenfall heading some secret group to bring down the Magi despite what Leo said. He seemed like the type and fit the profile perfectly. Plus, I didn’t like the guy!