Page 23 of Better the Devil

Logan let all that hang there in the air between them. He wanted them to be very clear on the fact that he was not remotely intimidated by either of them.

Only then, once he felt that the message had been given time to sink in, did he answer Sergei’s question.

‘Victor’s body was discovered in his car on the A95 earlier this evening. I’m sorry to say, we have reason to believe that he may have been murdered.’

‘Unalived.’

Logan looked back over his shoulder at Eleanor. ‘Sorry?’

‘I preferunalived. Not… not that other word.’

Her expression was still completely neutral, so the statement felt like the deadpan delivery of a joke. Nobody was laughing, though.

‘Right,’ Jack said after some consideration. ‘Fair enough.’

He took a step to the side, angling himself so he could address all three of them at once.

‘I realise this is all a shock to you,’ he said, though he didn’t know if he actually believed that. ‘Rest assured, we are already investigating this to the absolute best of our ability. We will leave no stone unturned when it comes to getting to the bottom of what happened to Victor. We will find out the truth. We’ll find the person’—he lingered on the brothers for a moment—‘orpersonsresponsible. And we will make sure they are punished to the full extent of the law.’

‘No need,’ Sergei said.

Logan raised an eyebrow. ‘Sorry?’

‘We will handle it. We will find who did this.’

‘Aye. No. That’s not how it works, pal,’ Logan told him.

‘Ignore him. It’s macho posturing bullshit,’ Eleanor said, and the venom behind it wiped away any of Logan’s lingering doubts about her being afraid of the men.

She shifted the baby from one hip to the other, and looked up at the detective towering over her.

‘We’ll do anything you need us to do. Any questions you need us to answer, any information we can give. Anything to find out who did this.’

Logan nodded slowly. The speech sounded sincere. But it was still a speech, not the gut reaction of a grieving young widow. It sounded more like the prepared statement of an employer. Either she was keeping her emotions tightly bottled up, or she was lacking in them entirely.

‘Good. Thanks. Aye.’ Jack looked around at them. ‘Do you know where?—?’

‘But not tonight,’ Eleanor said, cutting him off.

Logan opened his mouth to reply, but she jumped in before he had a chance.

‘We’re upset. We’re in shock,’ she told him, though nothing in her voice or her body language backed up either statement. ‘We’ll come in for interviews and answer everything you ask of us. But not tonight. Tonight’s about family. Tonight’s about processing all this.’ She smiled. It was a politician’s smile. A serpent’s smile. ‘I’m sure you understand.’

Out in the hallway, the mini fighter jet went on another noisy bombing run. From behind his older brother, Mikhail’s knuckles cracked.

‘Fair enough,’ Logan said. He had no reason yet to haul any of them in. Nothing but a gut feeling, anyway, and Detective Superintendent Mitchell wouldn’t accept that as just cause. ‘I’m sorry again for your loss. I’ll be in touch.’ He glanced at them all in turn. ‘Soon.’

He started to head for the door, then stopped and looked at his watch. ‘No sign of your guest?’

‘Guest?’ Eleanor asked.

Logan watched her. Watched all of them. ‘Whoever it was you thought I was.’

‘Oh. No. He must’ve got held up.’

‘Aye, must’ve done,’ Logan agreed. ‘Friend?’

‘No. A… business associate,’ Eleanor said.