There is a serial killer in Castle Krakenburg. And they're plotting to murder the Queen of Nohr.
Prince Leo is in charge of the investigation, but with no evidence and little time, he's struggling to keep his sister safe. He desperately needs help...
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So far, most of the places I'd visited had been in the left half of the castle, but Gideon lived in the area to the right of the throne room, almost at the end of the building. He had proper quarters to himself, and Leo let us straight into a small entrance hall shaped like half a hexagon. The walls had been painted white in such a haphazard way that the brush marks were startlingly obvious, and one open doorway stood against each side, creating three in total. I could hear rats squeaking.
Gideon appeared in the middle doorway, wearing his apron and leather gloves again. He was holding a pair of tongs. "Oh, Prince Leo. You didn't knock. I thought you were an intruder."
"As the entirety of the castle is my home, I didn't think it necessary." Leo's voice held a warning.
"You do usually --" Gideon looked between us and stopped. "Never mind. Just wait there a moment while I put these down, my lord."
When he'd retreated, I raised my eyebrows at Leo. Why had we barged in? Was it a display of power to make Gideon back off?
"I'm not going to get involved with him, you know," I whispered. "I thought you trusted me?"
"I do," Leo muttered. "But I didn't make a tomato pact of trust with him, did I?"
I smiled.
Gideon came back, his apron and gloves removed. He gestured to the door in the left-hand wall. "Come into my study."
That word made me think of Leo's study, piled with books and smelling of paper, so I was disappointed when we entered a cold, soulless space. An oak dining table covered in glass bottles and bowls of dark liquids stood in the middle of the room, and a bare desk and stool were in the corner. There was a bookshelf, but only one, and it was not even half full. The air smelled of strange chemicals.
Gideon fetched a book and sat down at his desk. "You look ravishing, Captain Grace."
I could still hear the rats squeaking somewhere. Flirting with Gideon was suddenly not so amusing.
I spared a glance at Leo, who had a face like thunder. "Thank you."
"I was hoping that we could discuss poison, not Grace," Leo said stiffly. "Is there any link between the poison that's been used on the victims? You've never mentioned where each of them come from, for starters. Or perhaps they're part of the same chemical group?"
"I would have mentioned a link if there was one." Gideon turned away and flipped through the book. "They all come from a different chemical group. They all come from different territories."
"And they can all be found somewhere in your quarters," I said.
"That's true," he agreed. "They're in a chest in the other room. But there's only one key, and it's always with me." He pulled a leather necklace out from under his shirt. A key was hanging on it.
