Eye of the Beholder

She smiled, a gotcha expression if he ever saw one. “Step outside please, Mr. Rudiger.”

Jeff stepped forward. “Let me see the warrant.”

She raised her brows. “You are?”

“Jeff Grimm.” He waved. “Those two bookends are Morgan and Magnus Grimm, my brothers.”

When the detective held out the warrant all of them studied it. It was legit, which didn’t leave Travis much choice. Travis exited his house with a grimace as a team of techs rushed past him. He wasn’t certain what they hoped to find in the waterlogged mess, but he wasn’t too concerned considering there was nothing there. He avoided the brothers as they stood near the entrance of his house, watching the technicians and cops with suspicion and concern. Instead he waited near his car and answered questions put to him by a detective he’d had dealings with in the past. The man was all business, though, asking his questions with no sign that they’d helped each other on several occasions.

He frowned when he saw Detective Mancinelli exiting the house with a smile. She was chatting with one of the other detectives who held several evidence bags in his gloved hands and looked like he’d found the lost city of gold. She sauntered over to where Travis was answering questions. “I need an address where I can reach you.”

He rattled off, again, Logan, Jordan and Kir’s address and gave the cops his cell phone number.

She closed her notebook with a snap and a smile. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Rudiger.” She turned to leave. “Oh, by the way? Don’t leave town.”

“I hadn’t planned on leaving town for a few weeks.”

“Oh, really?” She turned back. “Where were you thinking of going?”

No way was he planning on telling her that he was going out of the country to set a werewolf free.

“I’m planning on asking my girlfriend to marry me. I wanted to take her to Vegas, possibly elsewhere for a honeymoon.”

“Who’s the girlfriend?”

He wouldn’t bother trying to hide it. If she didn’t know already she’d soon find out. “Jamie Grimm.”

She raised both her eyebrows. “Jamie Grimm?”

He nodded grimly. If the detective tried to mess with his woman, she would be in for a world of hurt.

Something of what he was thinking must have shown in his eyes, because hers narrowed. “I’d like to speak with her.” She checked her notebook. “She’s staying with her sister, Mrs. Saeter, right?” She looked up at him. “Same address as you?”

Again he nodded. Shit. If the detective got one look at Jamie she’d know something weird was going on. How would they explain the healed wounds?

She turned. “I’ll be in touch, Mr. Rudiger.”

I’m sure you will, Detective.

He watched as all of the cops pulled away, but not before putting crime scene tape over his front door.

Great. Just great. Now his house got to become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Thanks to that tape he couldn’t even call in a crew to clean the damage up. It would sit, moldering, until the cops were done their investigation. By the time they let him back in the house would probably be unsalvageable.

“Well. That sucked big hairy moose balls.” Travis sighed as the brothers joined him, Jeff leading the way. “They wanted to know why Morgan and Magnus were working for you instead of Grammy. She practically accused them of helping you kill Grimm.” The men exchanged a look. “Now what, boss?”

“We go home.” He got into his car and hoped Jeff wasn’t in a chatty mood. Jeff climbed in and, seeming to sense his mood, kept quiet all the way back to the condo.

He hoped that Jamie was in a more receptive frame of mind when he got to her. He needed her after this shitty day, even if all she allowed him was a hug.

Toni drove away from Travis Yardley-Rudiger’s house. What the hell happened to that man’s house?

The water damage had been extensive. As near as she could tell, several pipes had burst, flooding the house with water and eliminating almost any forensic evidence. They’d gotten carpet fibers, hair from his hairbrush for DNA to cross-check against what they’d found at the murder site, but that was it.

It was as if the man knew he was under investigation and had somehow rigged his pipes to blow. But how? They’d found no signs of explosion, and she’d brought in a bomb expert just to be sure. It looked like the pipes had frozen, then burst. Which was impossible, considering it was friggin’ June and a steamy eighty degrees.

It was one hell of a puzzle, and one she had every intention of solving.

She swung by Pete’s place, hoping he’d be able to give her some insights into what was going on. An hour later she was still confused. Pete hadn’t been able to tell her much of anything. She’d done something she swore she’d never do. She’d told Pete details of the Grimm murder that were supposed to remain confidential.

If she couldn’t trust Pete, she didn’t know who she could trust.

Still, Pete had read her the riot act before buckling down and going over the evidence with her. He’d promised that if he thought of anything he’d contact her, but she didn’t hold out any hope.

She swung off by the market on her way back to her house. She’d finished off the Chunky Monkey the night before and she had the feeling that she’d need more.

Besides, tonight was the Top Chef marathon.

Jamie jumped as the front door of the condo slammed shut. Travis stomped in, ignoring everyone in the living room as he headed for the kitchen. She heard the fridge open and some glass bottles banging together. She bit her lip, looking around the room at her family, wondering what had driven Travis to head straight for the beer.

He flopped down on the sofa next to her, beer in hand. His head dropped onto the back of the sofa, his arm going around her shoulders. “God, what a shitty day.”

“What happened to your house?”

“Grimm. He froze all of the water in the pipes until they burst. Water all over everything, ankle deep before Morgan opened the front door and let it all out. Morgan shut the main off, but the damage was already done.” He took a deep pull on the beer bottle, his throat working as he swallowed. Jamie cuddled up against him, stroking his chest, trying to soothe him. The stress in his voice was hard to bear. “That’s not all.” He sat up, pulling her even closer. “The cops came with a warrant to search my house.”

“Why?”

“They were looking for evidence in the murder of Oliver Grimm.”

“What? ” Jamie sat up, pushing against Travis’s hold. “What would make them think you murdered Grimm?”

He shared a look with Logan that she didn’t like. “Grimm will make it look like we killed him.”

Logan nodded. “Damage control?”

“Not sure. We don’t have a clue where he is. If we did, things would be different.”

“Hugin and Munin give him an edge we just don’t have.”

The names sounded vaguely familiar. Where had she heard them before? “Who are Hugin and Munin?”

Travis smiled down at her, but it was grim. “Thought and Memory.”

Of course. Her father had told her tales of Odin’s constant companions. “The ravens?”

“They’re actually an item created for Grimm by the Dokk Alfar before the war broke out.”

“The statues on his desk?” Jamie remembered seeing Grimm stroking the paired raven statues that sat on his desk in his office. She also remembered playing dolls at his feet while he wheeled and dealed on the phone above her. She shook the memory off. “They’re his ravens?”

“Yes. He has complete control over them. No one else can control them. They were created just for him.”

“So going and taking them wouldn’t do us much good, would it?”

“It’s not a bad idea. If he doesn’t have access to them, he’s weakened even further.”

“I’m sure he’s managed to get the ravens by now. If he hasn’t he’s a lot stupider than I thought.”

She sighed. “He’s got them.”

A knock sounded on the door just as Travis nodded. Magnus went and let Uncle Val in.

“Guess what?” He headed right into the kitchen, grabbing a beer.

“The police had a warrant to search your house for evidence in the murder of Oliver Grimm?”

Val stopped. “You too?”