Free The Secret Dead (London Bones Book 1) by SW Fairbrother Page A

Spiderman mug and held it with both hands, warming his fingers. ‘What happened to your face?’
    ‘Harpies.’
    ‘Oh.’
    Adam gave me an appraising look, probably as the realisation I wasn’t completely human dawned on him.
    I ignored his suddenly speculative expression. ‘So the NRTs were here? I assume they didn’t find him.’
    Obe’s lower lip wobbled like a toddler’s under his beard. ‘No. They just dragged me out like I was a criminal. I had to wait outside. This is my space. My office. It’s private. It’s not right, Viv. You’re not allowed to treat people like that.’
    Beside me, I felt rather than saw Adam’s body stiffen. I thought of Jillie and little Finn. Yes, you were. It wasn’t right, but it was allowed.
    Obe pushed a piece of paper towards me—some sort of warrant. I wasn’t an expert, but it looked legitimate. Malcolm’s computer, his address book. Miscellaneous files.
    ‘Miscellaneous?’
    ‘They took everything in his filing cabinet.’ Obe shook his head slowly. ‘Malcolm had client files in there. Confidential files. And they wonder why non-humans don’t trust the police.’ Obe rubbed his temple with a grimy finger. ‘They could have just asked nicely.’
    ‘Why did they even want them?’ Adam asked. ‘He’s not hiding in a piece of paper.’
    ‘To try to track the source of infection, for one thing,’ I said. ‘And because they found bodies at the house.’
    Adam made a choking noise. ‘What?’
    I described the parcels in the freezer and the bodies at the abandoned car dealer. Adam’s pale skin flushed redder and redder as I spoke.
    ‘There’s no reason to think the bodies in the cars have anything to do with Malcolm,’ Obe said in a small voice.
    ‘And the one in the freezer?’
    ‘They’re mistaken. It can’t be human,’ Obe said.
    I didn’t think so. A cat’s nose was never wrong.
    Adam’s long frame shifted in the chair. His legs were long enough that he couldn’t unfold them without hitting Obe’s desk.
    ‘My uncle would never murder anyone. They’re wrong about the meat. You watch. Soon as it’s properly verified in a lab, they’ll look a right bunch of numpties. And the dealership closed before I started secondary school. It’s been empty for a long time. Anyone could have dumped bodies there. I’m more worried about my cousin. If Uncle Malcolm...’ He broke off, looking for the right words.
    ‘If Malcolm loses control, Ben’s in trouble,’ I said for him. He didn’t meet my eyes.
    ‘Maybe Ben’s flying home?’ Obe suggested.
    Adam shook his head slowly. ‘You mean to St Kilda? Over a thousand miles? In sub-zero temperatures? Carrying a full-grown man? Have you seen the boy? He’s skinny as a rake. I’d be surprised if he could go a half mile.’
    ‘Okay, maybe not,’ I said. ‘But what was he even doing in London? I thought he was supposed to go home on Boxing Day.’
    Adam leaned back in his chair. The plastic wobbled under his weight. ‘He did. I took him to the airport myself.’
    ‘When was this? Did you see him get on the plane?’
    ‘No, I said goodbye at the gate,’ Adam said. He swore softly. ‘He can’t have got on the plane. I don’t get it. Why wouldn’t he? And if he wanted to stay in London, why not just tell me?’
    Because he knew Malcolm was dead, I thought. ‘What about Ben’s mother? Surely she noticed when he didn’t arrive?’
    Adam picked up his mug of tea then put it down again immediately. ‘I don’t know. Annie would have called Malcolm, but he didn’t say anything to me. But more importantly, where the hell is he now?’
    I thought about it. About what Haddad said. People tend to go to family when they’re in trouble. ‘Any other family?’
    ‘No. My grandparents are dead. I don’t have any siblings.’
    ‘What about your father?’
    ‘God no. They don’t get on. Dad would turn them both in in ten seconds flat.’
    ‘What about your mother?’
    There was a moment’s silence, then