I half smiled. “Once a cop, always a cop.”

“I think it’s more the fact you’ve a face that’s not designed for lying.”

I laughed, though it sounded a little forced even to me. “I think the person behind the break-ins is none other than Vincentia.”

His eyebrows rose again. “What makes you think that?”

“Because she’s behind this abduction attempt.”

He swore. “I’ll put out an APB immediately—”

“Do that, and she’ll know we know she’s involved. As it stands, she thinks she’s done enough to elude us.”

“That may change once we do a full interview and charge your assailants.”

“No, it won’t, because the woman I’ve frozen in place is Tia’s contact point and has been magically muted.”

“By you or by Vincentia?”

“Both.”

“Then why are you so sure it’s Vincentia?”

Bitterness twisted my lips. “Because, despite the app she was using to disguise her voice, she used one of Gran’s favorite sayings. It’s her, trust me.”

He grunted. “We’ll still need to go after whoever brokered the deal.”

“It wasn’t Kaitlyn. I asked.”

“That still leaves a handful of others.”

“Whoever it is, they won’t hand out the contract details without a court order, and that’ll take at least twenty-four hours, won’t it?”

A knowing smile tugged at his lips. “If needed.”

“Best to be safe,” I said.

“Fine but that doesn’t alter the fact that your trip to Galway might well pointless. Tia will warn her mother what’s happened.”

“That’s presuming Aunt Riayn is aware of Tia’s involvement in all this. She might not be. I have to give her the benefit of the doubt, Sgott, if only for Mom’s sake.”

They might well have drifted far apart after Gran’s death, but they’d once been thicker than thieves. Until I could prove otherwise, I refused to believe she would condone any action that would have led to Mom’s death.

Sgott studied me for a second, his expression giving little away. “You do know why Riayn left for Galway, don’t you?”

“Lugh said it happened after an argument they had—one he believed was over the book.”

“That may well be true,” Sgott said gravely, “but the fracture came when Riayn learned you’d inherit the goddess’s gifts even though Vincentia was the stronger talent.”

And at the time, she had been. Hell, she might still be given mine had only just appeared and I was very much struggling to understand it.

“Meaning it’s utterly possible Vincentia isn’t involved in the hunt for the Claws,” I said. “Maybe she’s simply trying to reclaim what she’s always been told is rightfully hers.”

There was a part of me—the same part that was locked tightly down, refusing to grieve until revenge had been had—that really hoped that was the case, and that the timing of the break-ins was simply coincidence.

“Whatever the truth,” Sgott said, “you can’t go there alone.”

“I won’t. Cynwrig’s coming.”

“Why not Lugh?”

“Not enough seating in the van we’re using. Besides, he was injured this afternoon and he’s home with Darby right now, suffering her tender ministrations.”