That explained why she knew about the jailbreak. She’d distracted him from asking, but if Chronos’s escape was part of her plan—
No, stop.
That wasn’t right.
She’d promised. She’d said she hated lies. He should trust her.
_____So why is this phone in my hand?
On the tenth ring, the doors opened. He leaped outside…
“Hello?”
A girl’s voice echoed from the phone. A blast of downdraft made him squint. The handrails were shaking.
“What’s this about? Not like you to call at this hour.”
“……We…”
“Mm?” the voice asked. “I can’t hear you over the wind. Maybe try somewhere else? You’re rather—”
“We found Chronos’s body.”
The wind died.
The railings stopped rattling.
“A ghoulish sight, yes?” The voice on the line was unperturbed.
He didn’t understand how she could take that tone. Why wasn’t she wriggling off the hook like she always did? At least try! If she merely implied that she wasn’t responsible, Rogue would believe her.
“………Did you do it?”
He was hyper focused on his ears.
No voice came from the phone. All he heard was his racing heart.
“Why? Why…?”
The ground was rocking.
“You said you wouldn’t sin—you promised! Why turn right around, and…? Why?”
_____Answer me!
But no answer came.
He felt like the object he was desperately clutching to his ear had been reduced to a slab of metal scrap. Or perhaps he just wished it had. If only she’d never picked up. He’d rather smash his phone than be in this fix.
She hadn’t hung up on him.
So he couldn’t hang up on her. As long as there was the slightest chance that she’d start laughing and insist it was all a sick joke… Was there one? Or was that just his wishful thinking, what he wanted this witch to do?
Please.
Then he spotted a white figure.
On the roof of the building next door.
By the fence, a phone to her ear, white hair tied up and swaying behind her.
How long has she been there?
He gaped, and her lips moved in sync with the voice from the phone.
“Rogue, let me just say this…”
“…It’s none of your business.”
He gritted his teeth so hard, the muscles in his jaw bulged.
“………”
He couldn’t swallow this. There was no way could he swallow this.
“Prove you didn’t do this!” Rogue yelled. “Miseria!”
“You could have turned away.”
With that, the girl spun on her heel, marching off toward the doors. Rogue watched her vanish into the building—and the line went dead.
His phone hand went limp, dangling uselessly.
He could just see her getting on the elevator. He could run after her, but he couldn’t convince himself he’d get there in time. She’d have accounted for his potential pursuit. She’d be long gone by the time he reached ground level.
But he had to try.
He got on the elevator, taking it down.
Leaving the church grounds, he arrived at the intersection and saw white hair mingling with the throng.
“…Miseria!”
Several pedestrians turned to look at him—but the girl was lost in the crowd.
“You are to remain on standby until the envoy from the Two Great Houses arrives. Do not leave the scene until the body is transferred to them. Do I make myself clear?”
There was no trace of Velladonna’s usual syrupy tone.
Shit must be going down on her end, too.
“…Can I ask one question, Chief?”
“Yes?”
“Does this mean the case is ‘done’?” he asked.
He heard a sigh on the other end of the line.
“It does. We won’t be reopening the investigation on the crimes Chronos committed, and I doubt they’ll even do an autopsy.”
“And why is that permissible?”
“Rogue, the nobility want to be in charge, but they shun the limelight. They don’t want to leave a single blot on their reputations.”
“And Chronos was a blot?”
“Apparently so. They’ll be going through anyone involved in this, controlling the message. Perhaps that won’t affect you, however.”
That sounded like a loaded statement.
“……Meaning?” he asked.
“The Two Great Houses ordered you to bring Chronos back ‘alive.’ Which means odds are high you’ll be penalized for failing to do so. At the very least, we’re looking at a suspension—a month or more. But it could be far stiffer than that.”
“……I ain’t making excuses, but they’re handling this all wrong.”
“Well, I’ll cover for you as best I can. I’ll prevent them from getting you fired, at least.”
“……Thanks.”
He barely managed that.
“The envoy should arrive within the hour. Handle things then.”
“Got it, Chief.”
He hung up and fought off the impulse to throw his phone at the ground. Barely managing it, he spent a moment catching his breath. Then he called for the witches to come wait with him on the first floor.
“Detective, are you doing all right?” Catherine said the moment she got there.
“……Sure.”
Humafu yawned. “That lady’s a piece of work. She lay some bullshit on you?”
“……Not this time. Better back off a bit,” Rogue added.
He’d just seen a luxury car pull up. It stopped out front, and four men got out—along with a knight in armor and a woman in a suit.
The woman—Auroch—came over to Rogue, the others in tow.
“Where is Chronos Drakenia?”
“In the ossuary below. With the other bodies.”
The four men went into the bell tower, hauling black body bags.
“What’ll happen to his body?” Rogue asked.
“I’m not at liberty to disclose that,” Auroch said, a particularly fishy smirk on her face.
“There’re fifteen other bodies down there. Melded with the spell. What about them?”
“Hmm, I haven’t heard a thing. I suspect they’ll be passed along to the Third Precinct.”
“Despite the meld?”
“No one can tell the difference. Detective Rogue, I hear you’re getting penalized?”
“……So what if I am?”
“Don’t look so resentful. I’ll be getting one myself. We’re in the same boat—that’s all I wished to say.”
“……”
They stood in silence until the four men emerged with the full body bags. They opened the back of the car and dumped them in like they were garbage.