Read Online Paint it Black: 4 (The Black Knight Chronicles) by John G Hartness - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: John G Hartness
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Lilith chuckle, which made Sabrina elbow me in my broken ribs, which made me collapse face-first onto the polished oak table, which made Ogg look even more confused.
Sabrina was the first to regain control of herself, probably because she never truly lost control. “Ogg, you can’t leave this room until you answer my questions.”
“Which means you shouldn’t pee, either,” Lilith hastily added. She looked at Sabrina and shrugged. “Troll urine is harder to get out of a carpet than blood, and there’s no ScotchGard-ing that crap.”
Sabrina’s shoulders sagged as she saw yet another interrogation veering into territory never mentioned in the police academy, but she took a deep breath, set her shoulders, and soldiered on. “Ogg, what do you know about the death of Teresa Chapin?”
“Nothing,” the troll replied.
“What about the disappearance of Veronica Moore?”
“What about it?” came the sullen reply.
“Where were you on the night of March 17th?”
“Here.”
“Can anyone verify your whereabouts?” Sabrina was up now, prowling the room like a mountain lion, all lean muscle and danger.
“What’s a whereabout ?” The troll’s head was on a swivel trying to keep Sabrina in his sight.
Lilith cut in. “I can verify that Ogg was here all night. Saint Patrick’s Day is one of our busiest nights, and Ogg is one of my best bouncers. I’d never give him that night off.”
“Sorry, Lilith, but you’re not the most trustworthy alibi. Is there any proof that what you say is true?” Sabrina turned her attention to Lilith, and I reminded myself to be somewhere else whenever these two finally threw down. Lilith sat at the head of the table, all calm reserve and inscrutability. Sabrina stalked the room like a predator. It was a classic spider versus scorpion matchup, and I wasn’t really sure who was who.
“I’m pleased you hold such a mediocre opinion of me, Detective. Of course there is video of the evening’s activities. Would you like the entire club, or just the VIP rooms?” Lilith gave Sabrina a nasty smile that implied all sorts of naughtiness.
“I’m not interested in voyeurism, just proof that Ogg was on the premises all night.”
I raised my hand and said, “If I could get a copy of those VIP-room tapes, it would be great.”
Sabrina said, “Crap.”
I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Ogg was our best lead, but not only did he have an airtight alibi, I actually believed it.
Greg raised his hand, and Sabrina nodded to him. “Not to be stupid or anything . . .”
“Not that you’ve ever let that stop you.” I couldn’t resist.
He went on after taking a moment to pause and flip me off. “But isn’t there a different question we’re all forgetting to ask?”
“Yes. Feel free.” Sabrina made a confident “go ahead” gesture with one hand as if she was two steps ahead and already knew what Greg would ask.
“Ogg,” Gregg started. “Why did you have human jawbones in your possession?”
“Ogg bought them,” the troll replied.
The non-trolls at the table exchanged confused looks. The troll’s answer, while probably completely honest, didn’t clear anything up. Greg followed up with the next logical question. “Why did you buy jawbones?”
“Ogg wanted teeth.” An apt statement, since getting any information out of the troll was like pulling teeth. I gave Greg my best “let me hit him” look, but he just waved me off.
“Why did you want teeth, Ogg?”
“OggMarie make necklaces and earrings out of teeth. Sell for big money. Ogg trying to save up for place in the suburbs to make OggMarie happy, so we pinching pennies. Pennies scream if you pinch hard enough.” The troll actually chuckled at that. I got just a hint that there was something buried deep behind that stupid demeanor. But just a hint, then he was back to being stupid.
I sat back down at the table and put my head in my hands. “So we’ve got a crafty yet fiscally
Sabrina was the first to regain control of herself, probably because she never truly lost control. “Ogg, you can’t leave this room until you answer my questions.”
“Which means you shouldn’t pee, either,” Lilith hastily added. She looked at Sabrina and shrugged. “Troll urine is harder to get out of a carpet than blood, and there’s no ScotchGard-ing that crap.”
Sabrina’s shoulders sagged as she saw yet another interrogation veering into territory never mentioned in the police academy, but she took a deep breath, set her shoulders, and soldiered on. “Ogg, what do you know about the death of Teresa Chapin?”
“Nothing,” the troll replied.
“What about the disappearance of Veronica Moore?”
“What about it?” came the sullen reply.
“Where were you on the night of March 17th?”
“Here.”
“Can anyone verify your whereabouts?” Sabrina was up now, prowling the room like a mountain lion, all lean muscle and danger.
“What’s a whereabout ?” The troll’s head was on a swivel trying to keep Sabrina in his sight.
Lilith cut in. “I can verify that Ogg was here all night. Saint Patrick’s Day is one of our busiest nights, and Ogg is one of my best bouncers. I’d never give him that night off.”
“Sorry, Lilith, but you’re not the most trustworthy alibi. Is there any proof that what you say is true?” Sabrina turned her attention to Lilith, and I reminded myself to be somewhere else whenever these two finally threw down. Lilith sat at the head of the table, all calm reserve and inscrutability. Sabrina stalked the room like a predator. It was a classic spider versus scorpion matchup, and I wasn’t really sure who was who.
“I’m pleased you hold such a mediocre opinion of me, Detective. Of course there is video of the evening’s activities. Would you like the entire club, or just the VIP rooms?” Lilith gave Sabrina a nasty smile that implied all sorts of naughtiness.
“I’m not interested in voyeurism, just proof that Ogg was on the premises all night.”
I raised my hand and said, “If I could get a copy of those VIP-room tapes, it would be great.”
Sabrina said, “Crap.”
I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Ogg was our best lead, but not only did he have an airtight alibi, I actually believed it.
Greg raised his hand, and Sabrina nodded to him. “Not to be stupid or anything . . .”
“Not that you’ve ever let that stop you.” I couldn’t resist.
He went on after taking a moment to pause and flip me off. “But isn’t there a different question we’re all forgetting to ask?”
“Yes. Feel free.” Sabrina made a confident “go ahead” gesture with one hand as if she was two steps ahead and already knew what Greg would ask.
“Ogg,” Gregg started. “Why did you have human jawbones in your possession?”
“Ogg bought them,” the troll replied.
The non-trolls at the table exchanged confused looks. The troll’s answer, while probably completely honest, didn’t clear anything up. Greg followed up with the next logical question. “Why did you buy jawbones?”
“Ogg wanted teeth.” An apt statement, since getting any information out of the troll was like pulling teeth. I gave Greg my best “let me hit him” look, but he just waved me off.
“Why did you want teeth, Ogg?”
“OggMarie make necklaces and earrings out of teeth. Sell for big money. Ogg trying to save up for place in the suburbs to make OggMarie happy, so we pinching pennies. Pennies scream if you pinch hard enough.” The troll actually chuckled at that. I got just a hint that there was something buried deep behind that stupid demeanor. But just a hint, then he was back to being stupid.
I sat back down at the table and put my head in my hands. “So we’ve got a crafty yet fiscally
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