"I know I have to get rid of her," he said quietly. "Perhaps when this is over;"
"Yes," said Hawk. "Perhaps. We'll talk more about this later. In the meantime, I want you to do something for me."
"If I can," said Gaunt. "What is it?"
"I want you to set up a truthspell."
The sorcerer frowned. "Are you sure that's wise. Captain?"
"You can do it, can't you?"
"Of course I can do it," snapped Gaunt. "It's not exactly a complicated spell; in fact, it's something of an interest of mine. But the spell only lasts for a limited time, and if you're not very careful about the questions you ask, the answers you get will be worthless. There are all kinds of truth, Captain Hawk. And I should point out that some of the people here aren't going to take kindly to the idea of being questioned under a truthspell;"
"I'll deal with that," said Hawk. "All you have to do is set up the spell. I take full responsibility."
"Very well," said Gaunt. "Where do you want the spell cast?"
"In the parlor," said Hawk. "Why don't you go on in and break the news to them? They might take it better, coming from you. Fisher and I will join you in a minute."
Gaunt bowed politely and left the library. Hawk waited until the door was closed, and then sank tiredly into the nearest chair. Fisher pulled up another chair and sat down beside him.
"A succubus;" said Hawk slowly. "I'd heard about such things, but I never thought I'd actually meet one."
"Right," said Fisher. "I feel like I want to take a bath, just from being in the same room with her. All right, she was beautiful, but she made my skin creep every time she looked at me."
"Yeah," said Hawk.
They sat in silence a while, thinking.
"Hawk, do you really think Gaunt let the succubus loose in the Hook?"
"It seems likely."
"The bodies you found there; you said they'd been ripped apart. Like Bowman?"
Hawk frowned. "Not really; the Hook was much worse. But I see your point, Isobel. The succubus has to be a suspect, either as the murderer or the murder weapon. Gaunt can let her out of that pentacle any time he likes. At the time of the first murder Gaunt said he was in the kitchen, but he could easily have slipped out long enough to release the succubus. All he had to do was go via the library, and we'd never have seen him. The succubus's powers are probably limited in the house by the sorcerer's wards, but she could still have killed Blackstone and Bowman while Gaunt remained in plain view, giving him a perfect alibi."
"Except he wasn't in plain view during either of the murders," said Fisher. "Besides, could something like a succubus prowl around the house without Visage detecting it?"
"I don't know," said Hawk. "She sensed there was something nasty in the library, even though the demon was shielded by the pentacle. But then again, she's not in the same class as Gaunt;"
"A succubus," said Fisher. "Just what we needed. Another suspect with magical powers."
Hawk laughed. "It's not that bad, lass. If the succubus had intended to kill someone, I really can't see her stabbing them neatly through the heart and then scurrying back later to steal their wineglass. It doesn't make sense."
"When has this case ever made sense?"
"You might just have a point there," said Hawk. "Come on, let's get back to the parlor. Maybe the truthspell will help to sort things out."
"We're going to have some trouble there," said Fisher. "They're really not going to be happy about the truthspell."
"I don't give a rat's arse," said Hawk. "One way or the other, I'm going to get some answers out of them, and to hell with the consequences."
Fisher looked at him fondly. "What the hell; we're still young. We can get other jobs. Let's do it."
They left the library and went into the parlor. The guests were arguing furiously with Gaunt. Hawk raised his voice and called for everyone's attention. There was a sudden hush as everyone turned to stare at him. He looked about him, taking in the silent, hostile faces, and knew that Gaunt hadn't been able to persuade them. Not that he'd expected it for one minute.
"Just in case there's any doubt among you," he said steadily, "Edward Bowman is dead. From the nature of his wounds, it's clear it was a frenzied and vicious attack. This second murder means that I have no choice but to proceed with the official investigation now, rather than wait for my superiors in the morning. I have therefore instructed the sorcerer Gaunt to set up a truthspell."
Instead of the babble of outrage he'd expected, Hawk found himself facing a stubborn, unyielding silence. They'd all clearly decided they weren't going to cooperate. <em>That's the trouble with politics</em>, thought Hawk sourly. <em>Everyone's got something to hide</em>.
"I'm sorry," he said firmly, "but I have to insist."
"You can insist all you like," said Lord Hightower flatly. "I won't answer any of your damned questions."
"The law is quite clear, my Lord;"
"To hell with the law and to hell with you."
Hawk sighed quietly. "In that case, my Lord, we'll just have to do it the hard way. I will instruct the sorcerer Gaunt to prepare a truth drug. I will then knock you down, and Fisher will kneel on your chest while I feed you the drug."
Hightower's jaw dropped. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh, yes he would," said Fisher, moving forward to stand beside Hawk. "And so would I. One way or another, my Lord, you will answer our questions, just like everyone else. I'd advise you to settle for the truthspell. It's so much more dignified."
Hightower looked at Hawk and Fisher, and saw that they meant it. For a moment he considered defying them anyway, but the moment passed. He held his wife's hand tightly. There were ways round a truthspell. To start with, it couldn't compel him to talk.
Hawk took Hightower's silence for assent and looked round to see if there were any further objections. Lady Hightower was glaring daggers at him, and Stalker was frowning thoughtfully, but nobody had anything to say.
Gaunt stepped forward. "Everything is ready. Captain Hawk. We can begin whenever you wish."
"I'm not too clear on what a truthspell entails," said Dorimant hesitantly. "How does it work?"
"It's really very simple," said Gaunt. "Once the spell is cast, no one in this room will be able to tell a lie for a period of about twenty to twenty-five minutes. The duration of the spell is limited by the number of people involved. You can of course refuse to speak, or even evade the question, but that in itself tells us something. For as long as the spell lasts, nothing can be said but the absolute truth."
"If we're going to do some serious talking, how about a little wine to wet our whistles before we start?" said Stalker. He held up the bottle of white wine he'd been using to fill his own glass.
"Hold it," said Hawk. "I'm not too keen on wine at the moment. Gaunt, can you check it hasn't been tampered with?"
"Of course," said Gaunt. He gestured lightly with his left hand, and the wine seemed to stir briefly in the bottle. "It's perfectly sound, Captain. Not one of my better vintages, but;"
Stalker shrugged. "With your taste in wine, it's hard to tell. Now, who's for a drink?"
It seemed everybody was. Gaunt passed round the glasses, and Stalker poured the wine. People began to relax a little. Stalker left Hawk to last, and gestured with his head that he wanted to speak privately with him. They moved away a few feet.
"Just a thought," said Stalker quietly, "about the locked room. You staked a vampire earlier today, right?"