“Grier wouldn’t leave me for him.” The uncertainty in his voice would have earned him a solid pinch from her, so he tried again. “Grier loves me.” The darkness in him snickered, but he ignored its taunts. “She won’t leave me for Boaz.”
At last, his mother nodded reluctant acceptance. “See that she doesn’t.”
A rueful smile tilted his mouth. “I’ll do my best.”
“I expect grandchildren, Linus.” Her gaze softened. “Grier was a lovely girl, and you were such a handsome boy. Can you imagine how beautiful they’ll be?”
Even with the weight of the ring around his finger, he didn’t dare study the future that closely. “I’ll make your request known.”
“You do that.” She tossed her napkin onto her plate, signaling the end of lunch. “Did you need something, darling? You never said.”
“I had time on my hands and thought I would visit my mother. There’s no crime in that, is there?”
“I’m sure if there is, your fiancée will think up a way to punish you.”
“Yes, well.” The twinkle in her eyes disarmed him, as did the innuendo. The Siege had altered many things, including their relationship. “I’ll see you later, Mother.”
Bowing her head, she resumed her work, and he took the elevator up to city hall.
The pointed questions about Boaz had left him too raw to remain in her company. He would brief her on Lethe’s condition later, in case the Atlanta alpha decided to have words with Mother about allowing her daughter to be harmed while in close proximity to a necromancer…again.
Once he stepped out, Morrison abandoned his task of buffing a smudge off the hood to open his door.
“Where to, sir?”
His inflection never changed, and Linus found the routine settling. “Back to Flower Power.”
This time, the trip doubled in length thanks to a collision between a frazzled tourist in a rental car and a street artist who attempted to save a dog from a tour bus but got a broken leg out of the bargain.
“I’ll walk the rest of the way.” Linus let himself out before Morrison could throw the car into park. “At this rate, I might be finished by the time you reach the shop.”
He shut the door and hit the sidewalk, taking his time walking past the touristy kitsch. He reached the florist by four on the dot and was greeted by a tall boy with dark hair plastered to his head wearing a soggy tee with the Flower Power logo on the front.
“I wasn’t playing in the water.” He dropped the hose in his hand like it was a snake come to life. “I was spraying the plants and—”
“The hose attacked you.” Linus nodded with all seriousness. “Clearly you were wrestling it when I arrived to prevent it from assaulting any customers.” His lips twitched. “I appreciate your efforts on our behalf.”
The boy flushed a shade of red to match the walls as he studied Linus’s very wet, very expensive shoes.
“Your grandfather told you to expect me.” That would explain the rambling excuses. Law enforcement made guilty people nervous. Even if the crime was rolling through a stop sign or running a red light. “I need to ask you a few questions about an arrangement you delivered to Woolworth House yesterday afternoon.”
“Granddad told me. I should have known it wasn’t glitter.” He smoothed his hair back and flung the water off his fingers. “This guy, he gave me a packet of coppery-looking glitter and paid me fifty bucks to sprinkle it over the flowers.”
“The same guy who purchased them?”
“Yeah.” He exhaled quick and sharp. “I wouldn’t have done it for a stranger. I’m not a total dork.” He glanced down at his soaked clothes. “Most of the time.” Cheeks hot, he kept going. “He met me out on the street. I was about to get in my car when he came out of nowhere with the packet. He said he meant to drop it off when he placed the order but forgot. Then he saw me and hoped it wasn’t too late. He said it was for the bride, that she loved glitter. It’s a big account, and Granddad is being so extra about it. I wanted to get it right. For him.”
More than likely, Volkov had read the florist as the type who wouldn’t appreciate the implications his bouquets weren’t adequate. Far easier to bribe the delivery boy with a generous tip for a perceived favor.
“Do you have any glitter left?”
“Nah. I used it all. He told me to sprinkle it on in my car. It was kind of windy yesterday, and he didn’t want it to scatter.” He thought about it. “The packet he gave me is still in the passenger floorboard. I can get it for you.”
“I would appreciate that.” Linus called Gilly while the teen got his grandfather out of the back to mind the store. Once she arrived, they followed the teen up the incline to his car. After strapping on nitrile gloves, she accepted the baggy with shiny particles clinging to the plastic for processing, sealed it within an evidence bag, and made her exit. “Can you give me a description of the man who placed the order?”
“Oh, sure.” He scratched behind his ear. “Tall. Built. You could tell he works out. Like a lot. Black hair and weird eyes. Intense. Yeah. He was intense.” He snapped his fingers. “He had an accent too. German or—”
“Russian.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Thank you for your time.” Linus passed him a card with Detective Baker’s forged credentials. “Call me if you think of anything else, or if Mr. Volkov visits the shop again.”
“I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?” He leaned against the rusted fender. “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
There was no point in admitting that yes, someone did get hurt. The boy would beat himself up over it more than enough without Linus heaping more guilt on him for a crime he couldn’t explain.
“In the future,” he said instead, “I would suggest running special requests by your grandfather first.”
“I’ll do that.” He sagged on his bones. “Please. I have to know. Did I hurt anyone?” He wet his lips. “You’re a detective. You wouldn’t be here if something bad hadn’t happened.”
“A friend of the woman who received the bouquet had an allergic reaction.” He stuck close to the truth to make remembering the lies easier. “She’s recovering, and neither she nor the recipient hold the incident against you.”
“Good.” He exhaled. “That’s good.” He jolted. “Not good I’m off the hook, but good she’s okay.”
Aware the boy’s reaction was likely a combination of both, Linus left the reprimand at that.
“Thanks again.” Linus stepped up to the curb and dialed Morrison. “I’m ready for pickup.” He gave the location and waited on his ride. This time when Morrison asked where to, he was glad to say, “Home.”
Proving he earned every penny of his salary, Morrison took him not to Woolworth House but to the Woolworth heiress herself.
Four
Moonlight slanting across my face in the wrong direction woke me, and my heart gave a solid kick at my surroundings until I registered a familiar smell. Turning my head, I found Linus propped against the headboard while highlighting passages in a book thicker than my wrist.