Why are you so angry, Trent? Belle said.
Because I was deceived.
How were you deceived?
Because the charm he gave me to protect me from magic somehow instead allowed him to get into my brain and make me do as he wished.
A compliance spell usually had severe distance restrictions, which meant the witch had to have been nearby watching. Unless, of course, he had an intermediary—someone he controlled, and who he could use as his eyes and mouthpiece.
Is that why you shot the shit out of this place, Trent?
Yes. Given the choice, I would have retreated the minute it became obvious Ashworth wasn’t alone. The wi
tch had other ideas.
Belle frowned. And the name of this witch?
Don’t know, and don’t want to know.
So how did this unknown witch contact you?
All communications were done through an intermediary.
And there it was. Our dark witch was no fool, but then, he’d outmaneuvered the HIC for years, so that was no surprise. His or yours?
His. He paused. Why do you want to know?
We want to track down the witch and stop him.
Kill him?
That isn’t our task, but rather that of the heretic hunters we work for.
But he will be killed?
I haven’t been told otherwise.
Good. Trent paused. My contact was Abby Jones—she’s blonde, with brown eyes and a raised mole on the left side of her face, near her lips. Probably around thirty. We met in roadside rest areas, where there was little chance of us being seen or recorded.
What sort of car did she drive?
She didn’t. She had a motorbike.
Undoubtedly the same motorbike we’d heard pulling away the afternoon we’d discovered Jonathan’s body.
Number plate?
What makes you think I got that?
Because you’re a contract killer, Trent, and I daresay that’s a job that involves a good deal of caution. In fact, I’d bet that you even know where she’s staying.
His amusement spun through the link between the three of us. IB 6T4 was the plate, and she’s staying in a house in Argyle. He gave us the address and then added, There was a car in the driveway, so it might have been the witch or it might not.
You didn’t check?
I’m not a fool. It was risky enough following the intermediary.
Did you get the plate number of the car?