“None,” I said back. And fell silent.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
“You must think I was born in the early hours of this morning if you think I’m going to believe that,” he said, and moved closer. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Remember Murphy thought that there was a traitor amongst us?” I said, staring at him.
“Yeah?” Potter said thoughtfully.
“Well, Hunt thought the same thing. It was he who first gave Murphy the idea,” I pushed.
“So that’s where Murphy got the idea from,” Potter said with bitterness in his voice. “That Doc is just an old quack. What does he know?”
“But what if he was right?” I said, still looking at him. “What if there is a traitor amongst us – reporting back to this invisible man exactly what we’re planning, where we are heading next?”
Potter broke my gaze and sat silently for a moment. Then, with his head bent low, he whispered a name. “Isidor.”
“Do you know how crazy that sounds?” I said. “I’m mean do you have any idea what you’re saying?”
“Look, like I’ve said before, there’s just something about him,” Potter said, turning to face me again. “He just turned up out of the blue like that back at the manor.”
“He saved us,” I reminded him.
“I had everything under control,” he said.
“He told me that he came looking for his sister – Kayla,” I said not wanting to believe what Potter was saying. Then I stopped, and I felt as if I couldn’t breathe.
“What?” Potter asked, eyeing me.
But all I could think about was my dream, the one where Sparky went back to the manor and killed Mrs. Lovelace, then met the man at the top of the stairs. The faceless man that helped Sparky murder the half-breed children. What if Potter was right? What if it had been Isidor at the manor and once he’d finished helping Sparky, he had come to the summerhouse? It couldn’t have been Luke, Murphy, or Potter as they were with me, fighting off the vampires. So that did only leave Isidor.
“What are you thinking about?” Potter pushed, again sounding impatient.
“Nothing,” I lied. I couldn’t share my fears with Potter as I couldn’t be sure that I was right about Isidor. Potter disliked the guy enough without me provoking him. No, I wouldn’t say anything until I was sure. However much my heart ached to even think that Isidor might be the traitor, I knew that I would have to watch him, see exactly what he was up to.
“Okay, keep your thoughts to yourself,” Potter sniffed. “I’m getting used to that these days, but I’m telling you that kid has got more fiddles going on than the London Philharmonic Orchestra.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” I said.
“What I do know for sure,” Potter growled, “is if he is the bastard that’s been tipping this invisible man off, I’m going to personally nail his scrotum to the floor!”
“You have such a wonderful way with words, Potter,” I sighed.
“Thank you,” he snapped.
“That wasn’t meant as a compliment,” I told him. “Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Didn’t we learn that in police training school? Isn’t that meant to mean something? Don’t we need some evidence?”
“I have evidence,” Potter said.
“And what’s that?” I asked. “Go on, enlighten me.”
“He’s a pain in the arse!” He snapped. “Good enough for you?”
“No!” I snapped back.
“I tell you something for nothing, Kiera,” he said. “You’re a beautiful-looking girl, but that Miss Marple thing you insist on doing don’t go with the posh French knickers you like wearing!”
“Why do you have to be so impossible sometimes?” I asked, and got up to walk away. But before I’d even reached the door, Potter had grabbed my arm.
“What about the other one?” he said.
“The other what?”
“Person hiding out in this town. You said there were two,” he reminded me.
“Nik,” I said, almost forgetting all about him.
“Nik?”
“He’s a Lycanthrope,” I told him.
“I didn’t think you were a fan of that particular species,” Potter said, drawing deeply on his cigarette.
“This one’s different,” I started.
“What do you mean, he isn’t a murdering son-of-a-bitch like the rest of them?” Potter grimaced.
“No, I think he’s done his fair share of killings, but like I said, he seems different.”
“Don’t you believe it,” Potter said, grinding his cigarette out on the office floor.
“Nik’s looking for redemption,” I tried to convince him. “He helped me, Isidor, and Kayla escape. I’m surprised you didn’t see him, he was here the day you found me.”
“Apart from Seth and Eloisa, there was no werewolf, sweet-cheeks,” Potter said.
“That’s strange,” I wondered aloud.
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” I said back. “Anyway, I thought you and Seth and what’s-her-face are the best of friends.”
“Don’t you believe it, sweet-cheeks,” Potter said, his voice low.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Aren’t I meant to be going down into The Hollows with Seth while you swan off with his girlfriend?” I said, trying to mask my bitterness.
Pulling me close, he whispered in my ear, “Seth ain’t ever going to make it down into The Hollows – I’ll see to that. And as for Eloisa, she won’t ever be coming back from that zoo, once I’ve rescued Luke.”
“What are you talking about?” I whispered confused.
“You don’t think I’ve forgotten what that scum did to Murphy, do you?” he said. Then letting go of my arm, he left the room.
“Potter!” I called after him. “What are you going to do to them?”
Without even so much as looking back at me, Potter continued down the corridor to his cell and closed the door.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
My sleep was restless and I spent most of the night rolling onto my side, onto my back, and then my side again. My stomach still lurched from time to time with hunger and my mouth and throat would turn dry. I knew it was my body still craving the red stuff – but it was easier. Would I have these cravings for the rest of my life? Potter told Isidor we would, and it would be those feelings that would keep us sharp – alive.
In an attempt to take my mind off the red stuff, I thought of Ravenwood. I had already figured out where he would more than likely be hiding out in Wasp Water. But what would happen when I found him? The man in my visions said that I would take Ravenwood to him, but how would I ever do that? I’d never lead Ravenwood and the code to my enemy. But who was that? I know Potter suspected Isidor, but I wasn’t convinced – not yet.
Rolling onto my side again, I picked up my iPod and turned it on. Closing my eyes, I started to listen to Shake It Out by Florence and the Machine and the line, ‘It’s always darkest before the dawn’, couldn’t have seemed truer at that moment in time.
I must have eventually fallen asleep, because I woke to find Kayla sitting at the end of my bed. Either my iPod had fallen out or she had taken it, because she was now listening to it. Kayla was dressed in the clothes I’d taken for her from the department store, and I could tell that she had showered and fixed her hair, as it now shone its usual brilliant red as it cascaded over her shoulders. Although her skin still looked pale, her eyes had more of their emerald sparkle and it made me feel happy to see her looking better.
Seeing that I was awake, she removed the earphones and said, “Potter says that we’re good to go when you’re ready.”
“What time is it?” I yawned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“Nearly nine,” she smiled.
Pulling myself up onto my elbows, I looked at her and said, What are you smiling at? What’s so funny?”
“You,” she chuckled. “You’ve got the worst case of bed-head ever!”
“I didn’t sleep too well last night – so give me a break,” I smiled back. “Where’s everyone else – Isidor and the others?”
“They’re in the canteen having some tea and coffee before we set off for The Hollows,” she said. “Potter’s keen to get going.”
Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I said, “I’m not going to The Hollows – not yet, anyhow.”
“But Potter…” Kayla started.
“Potter can think what he wants,” I said back, as I pulled on my jeans and top. “He doesn’t tell me what to do. He’s not my keeper.”
“Where are you going, then?” she asked me.
“To find Ravenwood.”
“Can I come with you?” Kayla asked.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said back.
“What about Isidor?”
Looking down at her sitting at the end of my bed, I said, “Sure, why not.”
“Good,” was all she said.
“You like him, don’t you?” I asked.
“Sure,” she smiled at me. “But just my luck though.”
“What is?” I frowned.
“The first cute guy to come along since, like, forever and it turns out he’s my brother,” she groaned.
“Too bad,” I grinned at her.
“Don’t I know it!” she grinned back.
Heading towards the cell door, I looked back at her and said, “Give me five and I’ll see you in the canteen – I’m just gonna take a shower. And tell Potter, I take my coffee strong and sweet!”
As I made my way down the cellblock to the showers, I could hear Kayla giggling behind me.