Lupi 08 - Death Magic

scooped out a serving of the meaty stew topped by mashed potatoes. “His minion can’t stand me. That’s Doug Mullins,” she added, taking a bite. She paused, looked at her plate. “This is pretty good.”
    “I thought so. I was talking to Andor just before you arrived.”
    “Andor? Oh, you mean the Szøs Rho.”
    “He’s got a possible candidate for the position you’re longing to see filled.”
    Her eyebrows shot up. “Someone with Wythe founder’s blood?”
    “His mother was Edgar’s granddaughter.”
    It took her a moment to unpack the genealogy of that statement—proof, if she’d needed it, that she was tired. Edgar had been Rho before Brian. “I guess his father was Szøs. What’s he like?”
    “He’s a dominant, of course. Andor says he’s bright, self-assured, and cocky as only a very young man can be. Unemployed at the moment, but he has a degree in telecommunications. He’ll be here Saturday. Tell me about the minion.”
    She grimaced. “At first I thought Mullins was pissed because I didn’t kowtow properly to the boss—he thinks the sun shines out of Drummond’s ass—but I think it’s mostly because I’m Unit. Mullins is one of those who are deeply, personally offended by magic.”
    “A religious zealot?”
    “You could say that. A devout atheist.”
    “Atheism and the magic aren’t antithetical.”
    “You missed the devout part. With Mullins it’s a creed: thou shalt not partake of the irrational, with irrational defined as anything he can’t sense directly. Magic screws with his worldview. Aren’t you going to have some wine?”
    “In a moment.” He’d poured himself a glass, but left it on the counter to breathe. Lily didn’t object to red wine straight from the wine cooler, but Lily had very little nose.
    Silence fell for a few minutes. Lily ate. Rule thought about how foolish he’d been. He’d thought that once Lily knew about the Shadow Unit, he wouldn’t have to hide things from her anymore.
    Being wrong was a bitch.
    Mika was not Sam. He couldn’t screen hundreds of minds simultaneously, looking for a particular one, nor could he read the minds of those distant from him. Even those close to him were difficult for him to decipher. He could, however, pick up and understand Lily’s thoughts better than most. He’d flown close enough to do that several times today so he could keep Rule and Ruben informed. He’d also passed word back and forth between Rule and Ruben.
    Ruben had spent a wearying afternoon being questioned. He’d denied leaving his house that morning. Deborah confirmed that, but neither prosecutors nor juries took a wife’s word as gospel. At the moment, Ruben’s best defense was the sheer stupidity it would have required for him to commit murder in such a way.
    He had one more defense. At the moment, he didn’t intend to use it. Rule wasn’t sure that was wise, but it wasn’t his call.
    Lily was nearly finished eating. He stood and retrieved his glass of wine, holding it close to savor the rich, complex scents of the wine before sipping. Time to probe a bit. “I’m wondering if I should tell you something, or if it will just complicate the dilemma you find yourself in.”
    She frowned. “What do you mean?”
    He sat across from her once more. “You’ve talked about your superior on this case. About this Mullins person. You haven’t said anything about the investigation itself. Were you told not to discuss it with me, or is there some question in your mind about whether you can, given my connection to the Shadow Unit?”
    She put her fork down. “I hope to hell this place isn’t bugged.”
    “It isn’t. You’d know better than I if someone could eavesdrop with one of those long-distance devices.”
    She glanced at the kitchen window. “Probably not. They’d have to park in the alley, and I suspect José would notice that and check them out.”
    “He would.”
    She sighed. “I was told not to discuss the investigation with anyone not on the team. That came from Croft, not Drummond. It’s a reasonable order, under the circumstances.” She drummed her fingers once on the table. “I’m going to violate it.”
    “I don’t have to—”
    “This is about what I need. What the investigation needs. I don’t know what the deal is with Drummond. Maybe he’s obstructing me because he doesn’t trust me, given my connection to Ruben. Maybe he’s going all regulation because it’s such a high-profile case and he’s