Even Heroes Fall

22. Ghoul

Violet text me a little after six saying she was going to be late meeting me because the funeral arrangements were taking longer than expected. I spent the majority of the afternoon shaking up the last of Castlemain's known contacts and avoiding the police. What puzzled me was why Castlemain had gone after Theodore in the first place. If he wanted to frame me for murder he could have chosen to kill anyone. I had to hand it to him, framing me for murder was a smart move, I was surprised it took him this long to think of it. With the police looking for me all over London I was having to lay low wherever possible and it was making my job harder. Whatever big thing he was planning was probably going to happen soon now I was "out of the way", but I still didn't know what it was, and I was still no closer to locating his hideout. Although I had narrowed it down to the north side of the Thames, but in London that  was still a large area.

The city hall was still on lockdown so I spent some time observing the Norton Rose Fulbright building next to it. Getting inside would be easy provided I had a decent disguise, I could then use the roof the Norton Rose building to get across the city hall. The jump would be easy for me... not so much for Violet. 

It started to rain that evening and the police officers keeping the perimeter around the building were not impressed, I could tell. I wondered why they were still there, did they expect the murderer to return? Something did not add up.

'Hi.' Violet slid down on the bench next to me where I had been waiting for the better part of half an hour. She gave me an appraising look and I realised she was observing my new outfit. As my Ghoul outfit was ruined beyond repair I was now dressed in black trousers, black boots, black hoody, and black gloves. I also had a black mask but that was stashed in my pocket for now so I wouldn't draw too much attention to myself. 'I like the new look,' she said.

'It's temporary until the new one is delivered.' Before I'd set off on my bad-guy hunt that day I'd logged onto the website where I bought my original costume and ordered a replacement for priority delivery. The new costume was going to be a bit less flamboyant than the white and black striped one, which I was secretly happy to be rid of it. For delivery address I had to use the shop over the basement where I kept my gear, since my flat was compromised and there was no way I could go back there. I hoped the shop owner wouldn't mind.

Violet turned her attention the city hall building ahead of us, surrounded by yellow tape and guarded by the disgruntled officers. Her attire was similar to mine, from under the hood her face peeked out, dark circles under her eyes. She was exhausted, not that she would admit it. I wanted to ask about her mother but it would be uncharacteristic of me to start caring about other people's families. Especially not with Castlemain out there. 

'Did you speak to Reed?' 

She grimaced at my question, then told me about how she caught him snooping through her dad's things in his office and how he had seemed really shifty about it. 'All he told me was he and Theodore arranged to meet that night because Theodore had something he wanted to show him. He didn't get a chance to before he died.'

'Interesting.' I turned over this new found information. Whatever it was Theodore had wanted to show Reed seemed to be important. And maybe that would explain why the police were still outside the city hall. 

'You think Castlemain killed him for whatever he wanted to show Marshall?' Violet asked, breaking through my thoughts and eerily voicing what I had just been considering. If that was true then I needed to get my hands on whatever Castlemain was after, and quickly. It would make more sense, why he killed Theodore, rather than just a random attack to frame me.

'It's possible,' I agreed, 'all the more reason to get inside Reed's office.'

Violet cast her stare across the city hall. 'It's gonna be hard to break into,' she said after a brief pause. 'Climbing the side of the building is hard enough but with all that extra security there is no way we can manage it.'

I blinked at her, momentarily surprised by her words. I always assumed when she was Justice she entered the city hall the civilian way, since she couldn't jump from great heights like me. I thought about her scaling the side of the city hall and had to admit I was impressed. Not that I would ever admit that to her.

'I have a plan,' I said, 'but you might not like it.'

'Tell me.'

** ** **

If it was possible the rain was harder on the roof of the Norton Rose building. As suspected the security inside had been minimal with the focus being on the city hall next door. We managed to slip in through the delivery entrance and take the fire escape stairs right to the very stop. Standing on the edge of the building looking over at the city hall with the rain driving against me I was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea after all. 

Why did Reed's office have to be in the most awkwardly designed building in the whole of London? OK, I should be grateful it was not in the Shard at least. At least I knew Violet had some experience climbing the side of it otherwise this idea would definitely not work. She was standing next to me looking as grim as I felt inside.

I turned to her. 'I can go alone,' I said suddenly, as the thought of her life in danger churned up something deep inside me unexpectedly. If something went wrong I would survive a fall from this height but Violet would be a splatter of broken bones on the ground below. 

'Are you joking?' she said, her eyebrows raised and that stubborn expression I knew so well on her face. 'I know Reed and my father better than you. If anyone is going to find whatever Castlemain was after it will be me.'

'But-'

'Just do it, idiot,' she snapped, looking down at her hands and adjusting her gloves.

She had a point and I knew that. Even though I hated the fact she was right, and the thought of the risk to her was making me feel nauseous, I nodded. Without another moment's hesitation I lifted her easily into my arms and walked back a few paces from the edge of the roof. To me she weighed nothing, taking me back to the night I saved her from that drunken idiot. 

'Ready?' I asked her, ignoring the beating in my chest due to her sudden proximity to me. 

Her hands tightened around my neck. 'Ready,' she replied.

With Violet in my arms I ran towards the end of the roof and then when I reached the edge I jumped, using all my strength to propel us through the air. We reached the side of the city hall and I managed to grab onto a bit sticking out with one hand, pushing Violet out of arms so she could grip the wall as well. 

I paused as we both hung there suspended over the long drop down, just a few meters from the balcony into Reed's office. Violet moved before I did, expertly climbing along until she could drop down onto the balcony. It was very obvious she had made the climb before. I followed after her.

Reed's office was all in darkness as I pressed my thumb-print to the scanner just outside the balcony doors and it slid open admitting us both inside. Although the body had been removed the smell of blood and death still hung in the air and I saw Violet freeze as she smelt it too.

I wanted to put my arms around her and tell her it was OK but I knew that was stupid. It was not OK, her father was dead, a killer was loose, and if I showed any weakness or any hesitation then her faith in me would be shattered. No, it was better to focus, to keep going.

The entire office had been turned upside down, papers, books, files scattered across it completely. Whole drawers ripped out of desks, shelves torn out of the bookcases. Whilst Violet took this in I checked the door lock on the inside, running through the last time it was used, which was four days ago.

'Castlemain walked in through the front door,' I said to Violet. 

'Security didn't stop him,' said Violet, 'there was only one body found and no one reported anything suspicious.'

'Exactly.' I was liking this less and less. 'He could have come in with Theodore or just after him. He probably knew his face.'

'Theodore... my father, knew a lot of people,' said Violet tilting her head to one side. 'We should check out the security footage from that evening, just to be sure.'

'I agree.' I hesitated. 'I can look at the footage whilst you look around the office, see if you recognise if anything is missing.' I didn't want to leave her alone in the place where her father died but Violet just nodded. 

'Yeah, go,' she said, 'and watch out for patrols.'