I frowned. “Why would they make an approach if they don’t own the land?”
Stane snorted. “Why would they waste millions without at least investigating whether a rezoning application would go through?”
Unless they were idiots, they wouldn’t. “So I guess that begs the question: What else is here that they’re willing to go to such extremes for?”
“An intersection of several major ley lines,” Azriel said softly.
I swung around to face him. “What?”
“Ley lines are powerful sources of magical energy—”
“I know what ley lines are,” I interrupted testily.
Azriel gazed at me. “Then you are aware that their intersections can used be to manipulate time, reality, and fate?”
No, I wasn’t. “Are all intersections that powerful?”
He shook his head. “But this is one of the strongest in Melbourne.”
“So it makes sense,” I said softly, “that a practitioner after power would want to control the area in which such an intersection sat.”
“Wouldn’t the Brindle witches be aware of something like that happening?” Tao asked, confused. “I mean, they’d have to know that there was an intersection sitting here.”
“That’s a question for Ilianna, not me.” I rubbed my aching head wearily. “I’m guessing that Hanna Kingston’s parents own either the milliner’s or the general store. If they did refuse an offer on their property, then maybe Hanna’s death was the hammer blow to budge them.”
“Now, that is something I can check. Their names?”
“Her name is Fay, his Steven.”
“I don’t recognize either, but I’ll run a quick search.” Stane turned around, his fingers speeding over light screens and sliver-thin keyboards. After a minute or so, he said, “No Steven or Fay Kingston listed with either the Australian Business Register or the local land office, but there is a Fay Bruner listed as the owner of the milliner’s building.”
“If you check the marriage certificate, I’m betting that was her maiden name.”
He didn’t answer for a moment, then said, “Yep, you’re right.” He faced us again. “So if they’re going after relations or employees to scare owners into signing over the properties, why haven’t mine been attacked?”
“Possibly because most of them are interstate,” Tao commented. “And few people here in Melbourne actually know we’re related. They just think we’re friends from the same pack.”
“Then why kill Handberry?” I asked, confused. “He can’t sign anything over if he’s dead.”
“No, but if he has no heirs or kin, the government will take his assets and sell them off,” Tao said.
Note to self, I thought. Do a will. I glanced at Stane. “Have you actually received any purchase offers yet?”
“One,” Stane admitted. “I haven’t gotten around to reading it in detail yet, and told them as much when they called. And if they kill me off, then everything I own goes to my pack.”
“Meaning this attack was probably nothing more than a hurry-up,” Tao commented. “These people are truly twisted.”
“Totally,” I muttered.
“Is it possible to uncover the names of the people behind the land purchases?” Azriel asked. “We’ll need to interrogate them in order to ascertain the witch’s location.”
I wondered what passed as interrogation in the world of the Mijai. And whether it involved the sword that screamed.
“I’ve been trying to uncover that for a while,” Stane said heavily, “but there’s a mountain of misinformation and government tape to wade through.”
“So how long?” I asked.
He looked at me and shrugged. “The program is running. It could be minutes, it could be days.”