Henry continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “You knew Lord Anghau had a party that evening, and that you’d have Etta — and what luck, it was a holy night, as well! You crossed between the cities easily with Etta by your side, but when you sent her in to kill the child, Hathaway got in the way. Finding herself shot at, Etta retaliated in self-defense. Did you call her back when you heard the gunshots?”

Brona nodded, sullen.

“After that, you panicked. Not knowing about Ms. Evans’ arrest, you believed the crime scene would lead to the cú sídhe. You asked for help from one of the other negotiators — you forged the contract and borrowed his hound for the evening, and then Lord Anghau surprised you by leaving you Etta, as well. You were certain you’d succeed.”

Taise blinked, surprised. “You had me leave Etta with Brona on purpose.”

“Yes,” Henry said. “That’s why I was surprised when I saw Furze, earlier. I had been expecting Etta.”

Brona glanced between Henry and Taise, then slumped in her seat. “Cian and I had been close under the previous Lord’s tenure. I also knew he shared my opinion on the current Lord. When I explained what happened, he promised to help me.”

“And you both fell right into Henry’s little trap,” Saoirse said, delighted. “Well done, Detective Bell.”

“Yes, you did well, Henry,” Inspector Zhou said. “But there’s one thing I still don’t understand: how did the dog get into the nursery to kill Hathaway in the first place? It couldn’t have left down the hallway, and the window was barred with iron.”

Henry shivered, remembering Etta’s ghostly form and shifting limbs. “They can change size, I think,” he said, then asking Taise, “Right?”

Taise shrugged. “They can do whatever’s needed to reach their targets, changing size included.”

Henry nodded. “I saw paw prints outside Camberley Hall — they were clearly from one creature, but grew bigger and bigger as the dog walked away. I told you, Inspector — the bars on the window were wide enough for something small to squeeze through.”

“I guess you did say something like that,” Inspector Zhou admitted. He sighed and shook his head. “Fine. If that’s all, then, I think it’s time we took Ms. Anghau away. Mrs. Hathaway, you and Ioanna should be safe now, but we’ll keep a guard with you until Cian has been apprehended, just to be sure.”

Inspector Zhou nodded at his constable, who hauled Brona out of her seat.

“Actually, Inspector,” Taise said, climbing to his feet, “I believe you’ll find that per Section IV, Article ii of The 1810 Treaty of Tamar, the Uí Anghau have exclusive jurisdiction over our own descendants. And as Ard Tigerna Anghau, I get to choose the punishment for any member of the family who violates the laws of the house.”

Inspector Zhou frowned. Beside him, Brona began to struggle with her bindings again, the constable only just managing to grab her before she tried to run.

“No!” she cried. “You promised to keep him away from me!”

Taise didn’t react to the woman’s protests, only pulled a book out of his inner coat pocket. “I thought this might come up, so I brought a copy of the Treaty with me.”

He passed the small cloth-bound book to Inspector Zhou, who checked the first few pages for their authenticity before flipping to the statute Taise cited. He read for a minute, then frowned at Taise. “You could have told me this before I made my promise.”

“I could have,” Taise conceded with a wicked smile, “But then she wouldn’t have answered Henry’s questions.”

“What are you going to do to me?” Brona asked.

Taise’s smile fell when he looked at her. “You’ve broken the gravest laws of the Ui Anghau. You’ve solicited deals without the rights and title of the negotiators, you contracted for an infant’s life, and you commanded the cú sídhe to kill outside of a contract. I think you’ll find that, per the terms of your own employment contract, violating any one of these rules forfeits your life.”

While Brona begged and pleaded, Taise turned to Helena Hathaway and bowed. “I apologize for the suffering you’ve experienced at the hands of my former employee. We are in your debt. If you ever need anything at all from the Ui Anghau, if we can give it, it shall be yours.”

Helena’s eyes widened. Any sídhe declaring a debt owed was no small matter, and that was even more true when it came from the Ui Anghau.

Inspector Zhou sighed. “We’ll have to go to the station first and get the custody change documented. From there, we can escort you both to Customs.”

“Much appreciated, Inspector Zhou,” Taise said. At a gesture from Taise, the two cú sídhe rose and ushered Brona out of the house, Taise, Inspector Zhou, and the constable following. Taise hesitated and gave Henry a quick, searching look. “I’ll see you around, then, Henry?”

“Of course,” Henry said. “Don’t forget, we have a deal.”

The crease between Taise’s brows smoothed as he smiled. “I never forget my deals,” he promised, waving once before following the procession out of the house.

With final goodbyes to Mrs. Hathaway and Mrs. Raptis, Henry and Saoirse excused themselves as well, emerging into the cool night.

“That was a lot,” Saoirse said as they walked.

“That’s certainly one way of putting it,” Henry agreed.

“I can’t say I’m upset about Ms. Anghau’s punishment,” Saoirse announced. “Sorry if that makes me a bad person, but she almost ruined a lot of lives. I mean, she did ruin a lot of lives. I’m sure Helena and Ioanna will never be the same. But if she’d succeeded, it would’ve been even worse.”

“No, I’m inclined to agree with you,” Henry began, then hesitating. “Perhaps that makes me a bad person as well. So many times, I reach the ends of these cases pitying the criminal I was supposed to hunt. Our world is unforgiving and our circumstances inform our behavior in ways we often don’t even realize, but when people let jealousy and bitterness and greed build to the point where they’re okay harming other humans, then I think…I think that’s unforgivable.”

Saoirse nodded. “Right, right. That’s all true, and all, but I’m mostly just mad Brona got me in trouble.” They neared Henry’s street, and Saoirse slowed at a crossroads, nodding down a side street. “My place is this way. I don’t want to disturb Alice this late, so I’ll come around to get her tomorrow morning. Thank you for all of your help, Henry. I really don’t have words to say how much it means to me.”

Henry smiled at her, warm and gentle. “I’m glad I was able to help. Of course, there is still the matter of my fee.”

Saoirse’s eyes widened. She pulled her watch from her pocket and glanced at it only briefly, exclaiming, “Oh, look at the time! I really must be going if I want any of my usual beauty rest. Even powerful sídhe like me don’t wake up looking this way, you know. I’m sure you understand. Goodbye, Henry! Goodnight!”

Henry laughed as she left, taking a moment to appreciate the cool night before turning and heading home.