Eye of the Beholder (17 page)

“Your lab fucked up?”

She took a deep breath. “Three times?”

He frowned.

“It seems Mr. Grimm also was not human.”

He snorted. “I could have told you Val wasn’t human. Hell, I’m not sure he hits ape some days.”

“Not Val Grimm. I mean, him too, but also Oliver Grimm.” She leaned across the desk, her eyes diamond bright. “Explain to me how I have three non-humans, one dead, two living, in this file folder.”

“You’re really good at Origami.”

Her hand slammed down on the table. “Mr. Rudiger.”

“
Yardley
-Rudiger.”

She sighed. “You’re going to be a hard-ass about this, aren’t you?”

“It’s hardly my fault if your lab screwed up.”

“Then you don’t have a problem giving us a blood sample?”

As long as Jamie has gotten to Logan, no.
“Not a—”

There was a knock on the door just as Detective Mancinelli stood. She opened the door, frowning at the man on the other side.

Shock raced through Travis’s system.
What the hell?

“Detective, I believe you’re questioning my client.”

What was Nik doing here?

“Who the hell are you?”

Nik held out his hand, those strange silver eyes of his flashing. “Niklas DeWitt, Mr. Yardley-Rudiger’s attorney.”

Travis stood. “Glad Jamie got a hold of you.”

Nik’s lips quirked. “She’s quite…vocal.”

Travis bit his lip. “Having a fit, is she?”

“You could say that.” Nik’s expression turned dreamy, but Travis knew he was anything but. “I bet right now she’s giving Logan and Kir a hard time.”

“That’s my Jamie.”

“Ugh. Can we end the love fest?” The detective looked disgruntled. “You promised a blood sample before your lawyer showed.”

“He’s not giving it. You already have a sample. Use that.”

She growled at Nik, earning a glare from the other man. “The samples showed Mr. Rudiger isn’t human.”

“It’s not Mr. Yardley-Rudiger’s problem if your lab is full of incompetents.” He took Travis’s arm and guided him from the room. “Bail has been posted.”

“I can get a court order… Hey!” Nik led him from the room into the hallway, the detective following them. “How can bail be posted? It hasn’t been set yet.”

He smiled and handed her some papers. “I think you’ll find that Judge Crosby disagrees with you.”

He could actually hear Mancinelli’s teeth grinding together.

“I’ll also be representing Mr. Grimm.” Nik handed her another set of papers. “Please see to it that he’s brought to me.” Nik turned his back on the detective with a sniff. “We’ll have you out of here momentarily.”

She handed Val’s bail papers to a hovering officer and waved him down the hall. “We have reason to believe your client killed a man.”

Nik turned back and just stared down at Mancinelli, those cold eyes of his sending chills down Travis’s spine.

“Nice to know a real shark is representing him.”

Nik glared. Mancinelli smirked. Travis was impressed. It took a lot to get a rise out of Nik these days, but somehow the good detective seemed to do it without even trying.

“I didn’t kill Oliver Grimm. How many times do I have to say it?
I didn’t kill him.
”

“Then how do you explain your hair and carpet fibers at a scene where someone had obviously cleaned up a large amount of the man’s blood?”

“First off, how do you know it was
his
blood? You had his DNA on file?” Nik folded his arms across his chest.

“Mrs. Grimm was able to supply us with a sample. It matched that recovered from the floor of that fucking fun house.”

Nik nodded. “I’ve seen the timeline you have for the murder. How do you account for the fact that Val Grimm was seen at the hospital, admitting Ms. Grimm, who’d been tortured right around the supposed time of death?”

Mancinelli blinked. “We believe the time of death was some time
before
Ms. Grimm was admitted.”

“How do you account for the technician’s report that Val Grimm was at the hospital at the exact time Mr. Grimm was allegedly killed?”

“My partner and I believe he was incorrect. We’re in the process of verifying that now. Besides, his partner, Mr. Rudiger, was
not
at the hospital making sure his sweet fiancée was all right, was he?”

“Ah. Tell me, did you find Ms. Grimm’s blood there?”

“Yes.”

“did you ever speak to Ms. Grimm about her ordeal?” His statement made it clear he already knew the answer.

“I’ve read the report.”

“Do you know what Mr. Oliver Grimm is accused of?”

“I’m well aware of it. Are you saying your defense will be that Oliver Grimm staged his own death?”

“Not at all.”

“Because no one could lose that amount of blood and live.”

“Of course not.”

“Evidence was found at the scene that points directly at Mr. Rudiger and Mr. Grimm.”

“But Mr. Grimm worked there as head of security, so how can you prove that his fibers weren’t there long before the crime was committed? There was a long-standing association between Guardian Investigations and Grimm and Sons. Three of Oliver Grimm’s grandchildren work for Mr. Yardley-Rudiger.”

“It also means that, as head of security, Val Grimm was probably well aware of the fun house. With their hair and fiber all over the place? Mr. Rudiger must have known too.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Frankly, if someone had done that to my niece I might have done far worse than stab him multiple times. I
know
why he felt he had to do it. But I believe he needs to stand up and take responsibility for murdering his own father.”

“Oh, believe me. The man who murdered Oliver Grimm will pay.”

Her expression blanked. “Do tell.”

Nik merely smiled and leaned down. He whispered something in Mancinelli’s ear that had her eyes going wide.

“You’re freakin’ kidding me, right?”

Nik shook his head.

“You better not be pulling my leg.”

Nik looked at something over her shoulder as he replied, “Trust me, it will be worth it.”

Travis saw the male detective, Solberg, leading Val toward their group. He looked terribly angry. “How could they have made bail this quickly? They haven’t even been in the fucking jail yet.”

Mancinelli waved at Nik. “Ask him.”

Solberg paled when he saw Nik, then turned back to Mancinelli. “All the paperwork is in order?”

“Yup.” Unspoken was
unfortunately
. They could all hear it in her voice.

Nik took hold of Travis’s arm. “Are you two ready to leave?”

“More than,” Val growled.

Mancinelli put a hand on Travis’s arm as he tried to move past her. “You’re still under arrest.” She let go. “And I’m watching.”

They followed Nik out of the police building, but Travis knew it wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

Grimm watched as Heimdall took Tyr and Vali out of the police station. He could barely contain his fury at the sight.

Beside him, Mancinelli shivered. “Is something wrong with the air conditioner?”

How could it have gone so wrong? Who could have expected Nik to show up and take custody of Tyr and Vali? “I have to go.”

Mancinelli turned back to him. “We have to figure out how they managed to get Judge Crosby to post bail. There wasn’t a hearing or anything.”

He barely heard her. He was practically trembling with rage. Frost began to coat everything around him. “I have to go, Mancinelli.”

She gasped, and he wondered what had made her do that. Not that it mattered anymore. He’d soon be back, erasing this incident in the minds of all those who’d witnessed it.

Since he couldn’t erase his partner’s mind, he’d erase her life.

Grimm strode out of the building, his mind whirling. As he climbed into Solberg’s car, he knew what he had to do.

There was only one way to get Tyr and Vali out in the open now. And he would take great delight in implementing it.

Chapter Ten

“He will
kill them
. Don’t you get that?” Jamie paced back and forth, trying to get through to her brothers-in-law. “We have to save them!”

“I agree with Jamie. We need to move.” Jeff had his arms crossed, watching her pace back and forth. “Let me go get my stack of dynamite and we’ll be all set.”

Jamie flipped him the bird.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun. Just like a Bugs Bunny cartoon.”

Jamie rolled her eyes and did her best to ignore Jeff. “Are you sure that Nik will get them out of jail?”

Kir shrugged absently, his expression intent as he stared at his laptop. “He said he would, and so far Nik has never failed at what he set his mind to. If anyone other than Logan can do it, it would be Nik.”

“I’m going to change the lab reports so that the evidence points elsewhere.” Logan ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m just not sure who to point the finger at.”

“What about Grimm? Can’t we make it look like he staged the whole thing?”

“There was an awful lot of blood.” Jordan tugged at her earring. “I’m not sure we’d be able to pull that off.”

The doorbell rang, and Jamie raced toward it. She flung it open, ignoring the warning shouts of both Kir and Logan.

“Travis!” She flung herself into his arms, holding him tight. God, it was good to see he was all right.

“I need to show you something.”

“I bet you do,” Kir muttered, laughing when Jordan smacked him upside the head.

“All right. Let me get my keys.” She grabbed them off the side table and, taking Travis’s hand, waved goodbye to her family. “See you tomorrow.”

She walked out with Travis to a chorus of goodbyes, her heart skipping happily as she strode next to her man.

He led her to the elevators and she frowned. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

She stepped into the elevator. “I thought we weren’t supposed to leave the building.”

The doors shut.

“Travis?”

She shrieked. The man whose hand she was holding was a stranger. He held something up against her neck.
Taser!
“Surprise.”

Excruciating pain. Everything went dark.

“What do you mean she left with
me
?”

Logan shared a look with Kir while a terrified Jordan looked on. “Grimm.”

Jeff was already on his way out the door. The expression on his face was one that Travis had never before seen. “Jeff.”

The other man barely broke stride. “Don’t say it.”

“We don’t know where he took her.”

Nik’s expression was dreamy. Heimdall was seeing somewhere else. “The torture chamber.

Val grimaced. “Where else?”

Travis nodded, his heart in his throat. “He wants us to find her.”

“And we’ll give him what he wants it if means saving Jamie.” Jeff’s hands were clenched at his sides, but his face was almost serene.

“Or so he thinks.”

Jeff didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.

Travis strode through the doors, the others on his heels.

“Get Magnus and Morgan here, Jordan. I don’t want you unprotected.”

“Fuck no, Logan. I’m going too.”

Logan grabbed her by the arms, sat her in a chair at the dinette set and waved his arms, drawing runes in the air.

Jordan gasped as two bands of fiery light wrapped around her wrists and two more wrapped around her ankles. She glared up at Logan.

“I will not lose you or our children.” He placed a swift kiss on her lips. “Please trust me. I swear I’ll save Jamie.”

Jordan stilled. “Like you did last time.”

Thunder sounded. Rain poured down the window. Kir fingered the necklace Gungnir hung from, the pupils of his eyes turning white as snow. “Not like last time.”

Morgan and Magnus raced into the room, looking disheveled. “What’s going on?”

“Grimm has Jamie. Stay with Jordan, make sure she’s safe.”

The twin brothers nodded at Travis, moving toward their sister. “We’ll take care of her, hothead.” Morgan slapped Logan on the shoulder. “Go save our sister.”

Logan gave Jordan one last, hard kiss before striding toward the door.

“I love you.” Travis turned to see Jordan glaring at Logan. “But I’m still kicking your ass for this when you get home.”

Logan snorted, blew her a kiss and walked out the door. Kir, smiling but shaking his head, followed, Travis and Jeff right on their heels.

The elevator was cramped, but not one of them chose to get out. Logan cuddled back into Kir, seemingly content, but the heat in the elevator was rising steadily.

The doors opened silently and the men headed out. Travis headed straight for Logan’s SUV. They all climbed in and Logan took off, heading straight for Grimm’s old stomping grounds: Grimm and Sons.

“We’re being followed.”

Travis turned in his seat to look at Nik. Nik was smiling one of his enigmatic smiles. “Who?”

“Detective Mancinelli.”

“Want me to lose her?” Logan jiggled the steering wheel.

Travis frowned. “No. Let her follow.”

Nik’s eyebrow quirked, but that was the only sign of an expression on his otherwise blank face.

Kir, on the other hand, was looking at Travis like he’d lost his mind. “Why?”

Travis turned around. “Don’t ask me why, but something tells me she’s going to be part of this.”

“The part that wants to save Jamie or the part that’s the God of Justice?”

Travis thought about that for a few seconds. “Yes.”

Kir shrugged. “Okay.”

What the hell are they up to? She’d been following them since Danny’s little meltdown in the precinct, curious to find out what the fuck was going on. Nik’s little whisper in her ear insured it.
“You know something isn’t right. Follow me. You know you want to.”

But it wasn’t just DeWitt’s little whisper that had her following them. No sirree. It was Danny-boy who’d set her on the path to stalkerhood. No way had she seen what she thought she saw. Not only did Danny somehow know the lawyer, a man she’d never seen around the precinct, but he’d reacted all out of proportion to bail being posted. His face had been filled with rage, his body practically trembling with it. She’d been close enough to see it.