Dragos Goes to Washington (Elder Races #8.5)(35)

Concentrating on his small task, he said, “This meat was refrigerated, so it’s a little stiff, but it will still show you want I want you to see. If you look closely at the marks I just made, you’ll see there is a bit of tear to them. The edges are jagged. It’s hard to kill someone like this. It’s messy. Likely as not, you’ll tear out chunks of flesh when you do it.” He looked up and met Johnson’s sharp gaze. “Colton’s wounds are not like this, Ben. They’re surgical. The edges of the cuts are sharp. They were made with blades, not talons.”

“Why are you telling me this, now?” Johnson asked. His shock and fear had receded, and he studied Dragos with his arms crossed.

“Because this is the single piece of evidence I have that will be the most compelling for you,” Dragos told him. “The killer might have been cunning, but aside from being stupid, he was also bigoted and insulting. He believed the first thing anybody would think when they saw Colton would be that a Wyr had killed him. In my house, Ben. With my handpicked staff, my highly trained and reliable security. With my wife present. He believed that everybody would think the Wyr were that stupid. And he ignored the fact that none of us have any motive to commit this crime.”

Only then did Dragos let his rage show. Pia swallowed hard, and Johnson’s gaze flickered, but he didn’t flinch or back down like he had a few moments ago.

A knock sounded at the door, and a man called out, “Mr. President, are you all right? The first lady is asking after you.”

Johnson raised his voice. He sounded strong and steady. “Yes, Brock. We’re all safe in here. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

“Very good, sir.”

Johnson said to Dragos, “So the wounds are the most compelling piece of evidence, you said. What other evidence do you have?”

“Other than Colton’s blood and Pia’s scent—she was the one who found him, by the way—there were no other scents. The killer was wearing KO Odorless Odor Eliminator. Only deer hunters wear the scent blocker, or Wyr criminals—and of course now anybody who is involved in the Right to Privacy movement is wearing it too.” Dragos gave him a cynical smile. “But only the Wyr would know that or be able to make that claim, and nobody would be listening if we were the suspects. And the only people wearing KO Odorless Odor Eliminator here tonight are human. Your killer is one of the humans.”

Johnson drew in a sharp breath. “Do you have any idea who the killer might be?”

Dragos shook his head. “No, and I don’t care. At first I trapped myself into thinking I had to find the killer before Colton’s murder was discovered, but then I realized—this isn’t my problem. I’m insulted that the killer did this in my home, and I’m offended, but this is a human issue. And the fact that it happened during the one week when humans and the Elder Races were making an active effort to maintain good relations is disturbing. Aside from whatever the killer had against Colton, someone doesn’t want us to get along, Ben.”

“My God, what a bloody mess,” Johnson muttered. He rubbed his face and looked at Dragos over the tops of his fingers. “Okay, I believe you.”

Dragos relaxed slightly. “Thank you,” he said. “I appreciate that. My staff has been looking for the murder weapon, but they have instructions to take photos only and not to disturb anything if they find it. And security has been reviewing recordings of who disappeared from view from the cameras placed in the rooms during the time that the murder took place.”

“I need that list,” Johnson said. “Along with footage of the recordings to back it up.” His somber expression turned sour. “And I would appreciate a list of all the people who came here wearing that scent blocker. Up until now, I’ve ignored the Right to Privacy movement, as I thought it would blow over once we got things on a better footing, but not anymore.”

Johnson might have the luxury of ignoring it up until now, but Dragos, for one, wouldn’t be ignoring anything to do with the Right to Privacy movement. In fact, he planned on investigating it thoroughly and having extensive dossiers created on every prominent person involved.

“Of course,” Dragos told him. “You’ll get the full list of everyone I noted, so you can compare it with the shortlist compiled from the security footage. Your killer will be one of the humans on the shortlist. And naturally, we’ll open our home up to your people for a thorough investigation.”

“Thank you.” Johnson stepped forward and extended his hand. Dragos shook it. “And thank you for your calm and incisive thinking, and for your help as the authorities resolve this matter.”

“You’re welcome,” Dragos told him. When Johnson made as if to withdraw, he maintained his grip until the other man met his gaze. “It’s important to me that we remain allies, Ben, just as it is important to every other demesne leader here, which is why we’ve all come. But make no mistake—we’re not here because we’re apologetic. We’re here because we’re concerned about Elder Races violence, just as we’re also concerned about human abuses and violence—the hundreds of people killed in school and theater shootings, and the thousands killed in terrorist attacks. Violence against police, along with police bigotry and brutality, and the tragedy of what happened at Devil’s Gate. We’re willing to work together with you as partners to lessen these incidents, but none of us are willing to become scapegoats.”