A Caress Of Twilight   ::   Гамильтон Лорел

"What?" Peterson asked.

I repeated my question.

He shook his head. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's horrible," I said.

"Yeah, it's horrible, and what the fuck does that have to do with anything?"

"You'd be friendlier if it wasn't such a horrible crime scene."

He made a sound that was almost a laugh, but too harsh to be one. "Well, hell, Princess, this is friendly. This is exactly how friendly I am to murderers like you who hide behind diplomatic immunity." He smiled, but it was a baring of teeth, like a snarl.

I'd once been suspected of killing a man who'd attempted to rape me. I hadn't done it, but without diplomatic immunity I might have gone to jail anyway. I'd have at least seen a trial. I didn't try to deny it again. Peterson wouldn't believe me now any more than he had before.

"Why are these nine bodies the only ones that went quietly?" I asked.

He frowned at me. "What?"

"Why are these nine bodies the only ones without signs of struggle on them?"

"This is a police investigation, and I am the senior officer on-site. This is my investigation, and I don't care if you are one of our civilian advisers on metaphysical shit. I don't even care if you've helped us out in the past. You've never done shit for me, and I don't need help from any goddamned faerie. So, for the last time, get the fuck out of here."

I'd tried being sympathetic. I'd tried being businesslike. When being good doesn't help, you can always be bad. I reached out toward him, as if to touch his face. He did what I knew he'd do. He backed up.

"What's wrong, Lieutenant?" I made sure to look puzzled.

"Don't ever touch me." His voice was quieter now. And, I realized, much more dangerous than the yelling.

"It wasn't the touch of my skin that drove you mad last time, Lieutenant. It was the Branwyn's Tears."

His voice dropped even lower. "Don't. . ever. . touch me. . again." There was something in his eyes that was frightening. He was afraid of me, really afraid, and that made him hate me.

Rhys stepped a little ahead of me, not quite putting himself between me and the lieutenant but almost. I didn't fight him. It's never comforting to have anyone look at you with such hatred.

"We've met only once, Lieutenant. Why do you hate me?" It was a question so direct that even a human wouldn't have asked it. But I didn't understand, couldn't understand; so I had to ask.

He looked down, hiding his eyes as if he hadn't expected me to see so far into his soul.