As soon as we were all inside, Paul pulled the door closed, the ancient wood groaning in protest. Then he faced us. The light from the torch cast long shadows across his face, giving him a sinister look.
“What’s this all about, Kirkwood,” Eli said at once.
Paul didn’t look at him, but kept his gaze fixed on me as if I were the only person present. “I know who attacked Britney Shell.”
Eli folded his arms across his chest, the gesture emphasizing the breadth of his shoulders. “So we guessed.”
Again, Paul ignored him.
Selene let out an annoyed sigh. She waved at Eli and then Paul. “Would you two like to just have it out right now and get it over with? Because I’m not going to sit here and watch you stomp around each other like a couple of gorillas. So either put up or shut up. Which will it be?”
I held back a smile, enjoying the way both boys squirmed at Selene’s scolding. When neither of them said anything, she sighed again. “Thank you.” Then she turned her gaze back to Paul. “So who was it?”
For the first time since I’d stepped inside the burial vault, Paul looked away from me. Then with absolute certainty in his voice, he said, “My uncle, Titus Kirkwood.”
Nobody spoke for several seconds. My first reaction was to believe him. I’d seen enough evidence in the past to know that at a minimum Magistrate Kirkwood was physically abusive. He’d once put his nephew in the hospital with a broken cheekbone and ankle after a punch to the face and a push down the stairs.
Except … Paul was the source of that evidence. Paul who had lied to me, who had been working with Marrow all along.
“Is that so,” Eli said. “Now, why would he?”
Paul took a deep breath, turning to Eli. “I’m not sure why. At least not yet.”
“Of course.” A smirk spread across Eli’s face.
Selene leveled her fiercest glare at him. “Drop the attitude. It’s not going to help us get anywhere.”
“Selene’s right.” I said.
I faced Paul, trying to make my expression as neutral as possible while inside me a private battle ensued. On the one hand, I knew not to trust him, that everything he said could be a lie, but on the other, my gut instinct—the same one that Mr. Deverell had been so insistent we follow—was telling me that Paul wasn’t lying this time. That he would never lie when it came to his uncle. He hated the man far too much for that. Even more, his uncle hated him. “Why do you think he’s behind it?”
Paul visibly relaxed. He turned, walked to the nearest tomb, and then hopped on top of it. “It’s probably best if I start at the beginning.”
“Novel idea,” Eli said. Then he too turned and climbed up onto one of the tombs. Selene and I exchanged a look. Neither of us would be jumping on that bandwagon. Ew.
“It actually starts back on the night that you defeated Marrow,” Paul began. “Do you remember when we found Mr. Culpepper’s client files where he kept records of all purchases?”
“Yes,” Selene, Eli, and I said almost in unison. There’d been a file on my mother and more than half of the faculty at Arkwell in there.
Then I remembered. “There was a file on your uncle.”
Paul nodded. “Believe me, it was a shock to find out that someone as hard-nosed about rules and traditions as my uncle would purchase black market items from someone like Culpepper.”
“What was in it?” Selene asked.
Paul started to swing his legs back and forth as they dangled over the side of the tomb. “Not much. Made it easy for me to get through it all before Culpepper chased us out. The only significant item was a chain made from the scales of a Leviathan.”
“What’s that?” asked Eli.
“Leviathans were ancient sea monsters,” Selene answered before Paul could. “They’re nearly extinct now. Magickind used to hunt them down to make armor out of their scales. Leviathan scales are impervious to magical attack.”
“They made a lot of ancient weapons out of them, too,” Paul said.
A memory popped up in my mind. “You’re talking about the garrote that Marrow used to kill Rosemary, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Paul dropped his gaze to the floor. I couldn’t tell for certain in the weak light, but I thought his face looked flushed. If this was an act, then he’d been taking classes.
Eli scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. You were there when Rosemary died.” He pointed at Paul. “So either you already knew your uncle purchased that chain or you’re making this up.”
A vein pulsed in Paul’s temple as he gritted his teeth. “I’m not lying. I had no idea where Marrow got that chain. That’s how he works. He always deals with his followers individually, never more than two or three at a time. It was the only way to safeguard his identify until he was ready to reveal himself as the Red Warlock. I knew about Bethany Grey, and she knew about me, but that was it. Everyone else was kept secret.”
It made sense, in an odd mafia boss, Godfather kind of way. “How do you know that your uncle purchased the chain for Marrow?”
“I didn’t for sure. Not until later. But that’s a specific kind of item and not something most people could afford. Culpepper’s records said my uncle paid thousands of dollars for it. It’s possible he wanted to make a talisman out of it for protection. I’ve heard of people doing that. But I don’t think he did. It was too much of a coincidence to be anything else.”
I let out a humph, in complete agreement with him on this point at least.
Selene wrapped her arms around her chest. “But how did you find out for sure then?”
Paul’s lips peeled back in a smile so cold it made me want to shiver. “My uncle came to see me when I was in jail, wanting to know all about the reckthaworlde website and how much I knew about the members. His nervousness was all the proof I needed. I didn’t even have to tell him about Culpepper’s records. The second I threatened to expose him to the senate as one of Marrow’s supporters, he was willing to deal.”
“Holy shit.” Eli slapped the top of his leg. “Your uncle’s the one who got you off.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I shook my head. It was incredible. In every news report I’d come across, Titus Kirkwood had been the most adamant about his nephew’s guilt. His performance was so believable he’d even convinced Lady Elaine and Sheriff Brackenberry he couldn’t possibly be involved.
I swallowed, forcing my eyes to Paul. “Why should we believe you when you’ve lied so much before?”
Paul flinched, but he held my gaze. “Because liars deal in truths. It’s the only way we can get away with it.”
Nobody spoke for a moment, all of us digesting this awful reality. Not for the first time in recent months, I wished the world were more black-and-white, right and wrong easy to distinguish.
Selene broke the silence first. “Assuming you are telling the truth about everything, why would your uncle bargain with you? If he’s the kind of man who would attack an innocent girl like Britney, why wouldn’t he just kill you?”
“Just so we’re clear,” Paul said, motioning to the three of us. “The only time my uncle gets his hands dirty is in the privacy of his own house. Someone else attacked Britney, but they were following his orders. Several someones, most likely. It’s the only way he could’ve pulled it off both at Arkwell and Vejovis.”
I was about to ask him why, if he knew so much, he hadn’t done anything to stop it. Then I remembered that he had tried. I just hadn’t listened. I cleared my throat. “That still doesn’t answer her question. Why didn’t he send someone to take care of you?”