Chapter 24: The Devil Deals the Cards, Part 4

Sam transformed into a pigeon and flew out the window. He had no interest in seeing Anabelle's clumsy attempts at seduction, much less her succeeding. So if she was still at it, he would leave and enjoy the sensation of flying for a while, he supposed, but what he wanted was to watch that jerk from the air. It was a completely safe way. He couldn't maintain this form forever, but long enough for his purposes.

He didn't know how Anabelle had fared, but he didn't spot the detective on the mansion grounds. Which didn't mean Anabelle had been successful, of course. He could be snooping inside the mansion. This pigeon's body was a perfect espionage tool. There was no possibility that anyone would suspect him.

He could search for him in the mansion too, but decided he wouldn't bother after all. Flying was a pleasant sensation. And feeling so light, because he was. Right now in a body so small it would fit in the palm of a ten-year-old's hand.

An endless number of strange things had happened to him in a short time, but thinking about it was almost enough to make him dizzy.

Well, it was further proof of the power he possessed. The power to make the impossible possible.

The feeling of freedom, moreover, was intoxicating. But he couldn't forget that it was a false freedom. Now he existed as a bird. Therefore, he could fly through the sky. That was all. His world was the sky. It was no different from a human who could only crawl on the ground.

He considered entering the mansion and investigating further. Not everything could be seen from the windows, after all. In the end, he decided it wasn't worth it. Anyway, what did he expect to achieve? No matter how much he said it made no sense, Detective Adams was seriously investigating the case. But no matter how much he snooped, he wouldn't find anything. He had left no trace of his previous murders. Future murders were the only ones that should concern him.

At most he would see if Anabelle had been successful or not. And he didn't want to catch her in the middle of that, no sir.

So he went back the way he came. He entered through the window of his room and detransformed. Every time he changed shape, it was a little less disorienting. With time he would get used to it like anything else.

Sam took a deep breath. He sat on the bed and continued reading one of the books he had brought from the library. Information was power. Information was the only kind of power he desperately lacked, so it was logical to use any free time to acquire it.

——

"I was successful, my lord," said Anabelle. She had arrived, lowering her gaze submissively, to give him the report. There was also the shame of having been sent to throw herself into Adams' arms, he supposed. Well, it wasn't his concern. "Or he played along, I'm not sure. But the fact is I did it. We... slept together."

"I told you I wasn't asking you to do that."

"But not that you didn't want it, my lord."

Sam smiled. It was nice to have the help of someone who not only followed his orders, but knew how to think about them. It bothered him a little that Adams had drooled over his property, but anyway, Anabelle was nothing more than a backup toy. Yes, she was quite attractive. But old.

Maybe it was because of his new body and old hormones, but he felt more attracted to women of his physical age. He would never allow anyone to lay a hand on Christina or Violet, but Anabelle was disposable. That was her only purpose. To use her until he could discard her, probably making her pass as the culprit for everything that had happened, or most of it.

Sending her to interfere with Detective Adams' path, to distract him and spy on him, was mainly for that purpose too. He didn't expect her to find anything special. Still...

"I'm glad to hear that. Whether he knew about your intentions or not, I don't think there's a difference. Did you find or notice anything?"

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"Some things. I don't know how useful they can be."

"Tell me and I'll decide."

Sam leaned back a little. He was sitting on the bed, supported by both hands, relaxed.

"Yes, sir. He has traces of burns on his chest."

He supposed that was unusual in a world with healing magic. Assuming was dangerous, but it would be a bit shabby if it was just a replacement for modern medicine, with all its drawbacks. Well, almost all of them, in any case. They had healed the scar on his cheek without problems, but burns were something more dangerous, so he couldn't be sure.

If he was right, Anabelle wouldn't explain it to him. Anyway, it didn't matter. The interesting part could be how he had received those burns.

Asking him directly wasn't an option, neither for him nor for Anabelle. And if it was, then it wouldn't be of any use anyway. Only something he wanted to hide for one reason or another had value. That should be obvious.

"Searching through his wallet, I also saw photos of his family. He's married. He doesn't care much, for obvious reasons and because I saw his wedding ring in the wallet, not on his finger, but he is."

"Still, it might be of some use to me. I don't think he'd like me to expose what he did with you and undoubtedly others. At the very least, his reputation would go down the drain. Besides, you know how men are. Just because he doesn't want her doesn't mean he'd like to see her with another man. Maybe I can threaten him with that."

He was saying that mostly for Anabelle's benefit. If Adams left, Blake Wright would shrug and hire another. It wouldn't do any good. Although maybe it would give him a couple of days while that man tried to find another detective.

In any case, he said it so she would believe she had done something useful. So she wouldn't think too much about the real reason he had sent her after Adams. It was convenient for his servants to be intelligent, but only to a certain point.

"Maybe your father will give up, but it seems more likely to me that he'll hire another, my lord. No offense intended. I'm just trying to serve you as best I can."

"He'll probably hire another, but a few days of peace seem like a good offer to me, given how things are. Besides, at least I'd get rid of that Adams. Anabelle, that man is not only a meddler. He's smart."

"Why does he worry you? If I may ask." Anabelle made another curtsy as if to make sure he wouldn't snap his fingers and make her head explode like a ripe melon. He couldn't do that, but it was fine for her to use exaggerated metaphors. Besides, it would be cool. I wish he could do that.

"If things are as they seem, as Adams himself thinks, nothing will happen, I risk nothing. If they're not, then instead of risking I gain, because if there is a real hidden culprit, that person caused all this. The death of Evelyn and her parents, Jaiden and Ivor, everything. Yes. I understand that you don't understand."

He used the same trick as always to disguise his poor acting skills. Getting up from the bed, turning his gaze away and turning his back to her as he approached the window. She couldn't think his expression looked strange if she couldn't see his expression in the first place.

"But even if it's all advantages, I don't want him snooping around my home. I... would have been much happier if I had never known that Evelyn..."

He was hugged from behind. There was no need to say who had done it. They were the only people in the room. He had tried to seem human and vulnerable, but it hadn't occurred to him that Anabelle would dare to take that step.

Well, it wasn't a bad thing. It actually suited him.

He didn't want to make anyone feel sorry for him, but if the reason for the pity was false, then it was a success on his part. A good manipulation instead of a failure. He could accept it thinking that way.

"I'm sorry if I'm overstepping, my lord, but I thought you could use a hug. I know your mother doesn't do it very often."

Doesn't she? She had done it the last time he had seen her. Well, the circumstances had been anything but ordinary. If Mary Wright wasn't particularly affectionate, he supposed that could explain the aversion Violet felt. It could perfectly be the reason why she had tried to keep her away from him.

So she wouldn't hurt him more in a vulnerable moment.

She could, but she had acted like a model mother when he saw her in person. Sudden regret, thinking about the children she had left, about what she had been missing? It could be. Various explanations and no way to be sure at the moment. Lack of information, as usual.

"Thank you." Sam raised his hands, placing them on Anabelle's forearms as if returning the hug.

Thanks to his theatrical gesture, he found himself in the perfect position at the perfect moment to see a carriage leaving the mansion grounds.

"What's going on? Who are those?"

"Didn't you know? I didn't think you'd be interested, so I didn't tell you, but Mr... I mean, Chris Wright and his family have decided to leave. Your father was very angry and told them not to dare show their faces in front of him again, but Chris was determined."

"Ah. He also believes something is still going on, only Blake cares much less about the danger and his family."

"Well... Yes, my lord."

"Is it inconvenient for you that they're leaving?"

"No, let them do what they want. It's not like I was very close to them or anything."

Sam decided it was time to use his third power. It was too destructive, too obvious, but they had left the mansion. When they were too far away for anyone to think of the mansion's occupants as suspects, he would act.

Maybe he'd even get Detective Adams off his back, giving him some real work to do.

The Devil Deals the Cards, Part 4: END