Skulduggery Pleasant: Raising Cain

Chapter 168 - Interrogation

Chapter 168

Taking their three new captives to their own house was a necessary risk. They couldn't take the chance of a Sanctuary spy getting in their way. Only three people outside of their household knew where they were, and they hoped to keep it that way.

Their house had a basement so they were taken, bags over their heads and still unconscious, down there and tied to chairs. Hands around the back in magic-restraining handcuffs, ankles and shoulders duct-taped to keep them upright and incapable of almost anything. Just to be sure, they also wrapped duct-tape around hands so they were stuck in a fist position to prevent any funny business where they couldn't be seen. They removed their bags only after that.

"Wake up," Valkyrie commanded, patting Lilo's face none-too-kindly. "Time to give up your secrets."

Smith started to frown before Lilo. Valkyrie went to her and patted her cheek too and her eyes opened quickly. "What–?" She started, looking around with wide eyes before suddenly glaring. "Aw, man."

"Anti Smith," Valkyrie started, towering over her. Smith looked up from beneath her eyelashes to glare. She was a good looking woman but her glare wasn't pretty. "You are under arrest for multiple homicides as well as working for high profile criminal organisations, and for kidnap, property damage and aiding in the kidnap of an infant. We are willing to bargain for information on Samuel Grievers criminal organisation as well as any high profile or lucrative criminals you know the whereabouts of that lead to an arrest, and more importantly, we would like to know more about any Children of the Spiders in America at this time. Are you willing to cooperate?"

Smith looked at her for a moment and then went to spit. Valkyrie slapped her, hard, before she got the chance to. By this point, Marvin and Lilo were starting to wake so she roused them and repeated herself for them.

"No way!" Marvin said immediately. "I'm not getting bossed about by some stupid, entitled, Irish kid! You don't have any authority over me!"

"Would you rather I make Anton stand up just for you? He would be pretty angry if he had to do that. He woke up on the wrong side of the bed today and hasn't had lunch yet," Valkyrie told him, raising an eyebrow. "We're only bargaining because there's a slim chance you can help us with bigger things. The moment you become useless to us we'll treat you that way. If you think that you and Smith will get away with helping Mr Quanta take over Grievers mantel then you're sorely mistaken."

Marvin wet his lips and glance behind Valkyrie towards where her family were sitting on benches waiting for results.

Valkyrie turned to Lilo. "Well?"

He was definitely the brains of the bunch. He glared at her but sat as high as he could in his restraints. "People are expecting us. When they realise we aren't coming, they'll come looking."

"Look where? At a small mortal worksite with, oh, no wreckage or cars at all? They'll look where you were when we started tailing you in town, or perhaps at any point over the last six days? How long do you think it'll take them to find you? By the time they work out that the Dead Men are even in the area, we'll have already left and you'll be rotting in prison. The question is, do you want a reduced sentence or not? Any one of your friends would rat you out in a heartbeat to help themselves."

"I don't name names," Lilo sneered.

Valkyrie punched him. His lip spit and he blinked a few times. "I think it's time we split you up and started our interrogations if you're not going to play nicely. Tanith?"

Tanith got up and practically skipped over to drag Smith from behind by her chair out of the main area and into one of the bare basement rooms. Anton also got up and took Marvin off since he seemed easily scared by the large man, and he'd have the patience to get around all his idiocy. Dexter and Saracen would be helping her. Tanith had already requested to be alone with Smith and they didn't ask questions.