Free Strong Mystery: Murder, Mystery and Magic Books 1-3 (Steampunk Magica) by Raven Bond Page B

gravely. He continued to address Mi-Ling, while he looked a question at Owen.
    “Are you certain that you wish
to do this? I have cared for the body as I may, but still it is not for the
delicate of constitution.”
    “I was just off ship when I
heard the terrible news,” Owen said mournfully. “I gathered Mi-Ling and came
here directly. I wonder if you can tell us how Uncle Brandon passed on.”
    “Heart attack,” the doctor said
with conviction. “The poor soul was found collapsed in the front foyer of the
Embassy. I assure you, Milord, that we did all that we could.” He sniffed
dismissively, “We even called in the Embassy Sorcerer, but there was nothing to
be done.” Marston glanced at Owen’s electrum cane and his face stiffened as he
thought better of his last words. Some Sorcerers were very touchy about their
powers, and only too happy to prove them.
    Owen gave his most charming
smile to the man. It was clear that the Doctor was one of those who distrusted Sorcerers,
despite their having been part of British culture for centuries. Some people
naturally distrusted what they could not have themselves. Owen didn’t blame the
man. He distrusted Sorcerers as well, only for very different reasons.
    “Yes, well,” Owen drawled. “I’m
sure you did everything you could. Whole thing would have been a bit above me,
being only an apprentice Fire caller.” He hefted the cane carelessly. “Still,
it’s a bit of tradition on our side of the family, you see; must keep up appearances.” 
    Owen watched the Doctor’s face
relax. Fire callers were a penny a dozen, as most could barely light a lamp,
and thus were unlikely to either take offense, or be a serious threat.
    “The Secretary here tells me
that the body is to be shipped home tonight,” Owen continued, “so this may be
Mi-Ling’s only chance to say good-bye.” Owen managed to look both sincere and
bothered at the same time. Clearly he was only attempting to do the family
duty, and wanted to be done with it as soon as possible.
    “Please,” Jinhao stood by the
table, her eyes fixed on the sheet. “Please, may I see him?”
    The Doctor stirred himself,
coming over to the table, and then took a firm grasp of the sheet covering the
body.   
    “Of course,” he said quietly.
“Please be brave.” He pulled back the sheet, and Jinhao gave a great keening cry,
collapsing on the dead man’s chest with intense bouts of sobbing.
    Owen had to marvel again at her
acting ability. He wondered, not for the first time, what Jinhao had been
before that fateful meeting of theirs on the border with China proper. The
other two men in the room looked away, embarrassed at her display.
    “Please, gentlemen,” Owen asked
gently, gently patting Jinhao’s shoulder as if in comfort. “Might we have a
moment of privacy?”
    The doctor and the Secretary
were only too glad to leave the room to the wailing lover and the younger
relative. As the door clicked shut, Jinhao stopped crying.
    “Good job,” Owen said, squeezing
her shoulder. “You almost had me believing you there for a moment. Help me get
this sheet off, I need to see the whole body.” 
    Jinhao smiled at him.
    “Western men are so hopelessly
romantic about a woman’s tears,” she said happily. They wrestled the heavy
sheet to the floor.
    Owen’s original plan had been to
present himself at the Embassy as a distant relative on a Grand Tour. That was
not unreasonable, as many younger nobles made a journey around the world,
pestering their relatives as they went.
    He only needed a few minutes
alone to examine the body. While he could simply have presented his carte
blanche and demanded to see the body, gossip about a highly-credentialed Sorcerer
snooping about would have spread through the colony like the plague, alerting
the assassin, if there was one.
    To that end, he had dressed in a
rather modern suit in the Connolly house colors of emerald green and gold. He
had been pleasantly surprised when Jinhao