Heart of Gold

'Oh yes.' Aubrey explained about the questing powers of the Faculty of Magic.

'Ingenious,' Caroline said when he'd finished.

Aubrey couldn't believe it as his face began to glow. He thought he had better control than that. He crouched and stroked the cat to hide his blush.

'Good Lord,' George said. 'I thought you hated cats.'

'They're useful, sometimes.'

THE AREA THAT LED TO INSPECTOR PAUL'S OFFICE WAS partly a waiting room, partly a clearing house. Police entered by one of five doors, consulted with the sergeant at the raised desk, then hurried out again, usually by a completely different door. The desk was in the middle of the room and loomed like a pulpit over the benches against the walls. The red-faced sergeant behind the desk was as bald as an egg. He'd apparently decided to make up for this deficiency by growing an immense black beard that draped over his chest like a wall hanging. 'Inspector Paul is conducting an investigation,' he told Aubrey after glaring at the ledger in front of him.

'Where?' Aubrey replied in Gallian.

The sergeant drew himself up. 'I cannot tell you that.'

'We have important information for him.'

'Such as?'

Aubrey mentally shuffled his list of important items, guessing which would be the most urgent to the police. 'About the Sons of Victor.'

It was enough. The sergeant squinted. 'The Bureau of Exceptional Investigations called him to the Middle Bridge.'

WHILE THEY CROSSED THE CITY, AUBREY TOOK THE CHANCE to tell Caroline about their encounter with the Sons of Victor and about the brick from the Faculty of Magic. Her questions were incisive and made Aubrey carefully consider the events.

They arrived at the Middle Bridge in time to see the operatives from the Bureau of Exceptional Investigations conduct a revelation spell.

Aubrey stood behind the barriers that the police had erected near the Middle Bridge and watched with a professional eye, closely following the technique of the Gallian magicians.

They worked as a team, creating a large circle – ten yards or more across – on the embankment, just below where the Middle Bridge gave out onto Charity Avenue. Some of the cobblestones had been dislodged in the flood and made stable footing difficult, but eventually one of the five green-uniformed operatives cast a handful of powder into the middle of the circle.

'What are they doing?' Caroline asked.

'It's a way of seeing what happened in a location. It's difficult. There are many temporal parameters to work with, and spatial drift is a problem.'

'Aubrey's done it before,' George put in. 'When someone was trying to shoot Prince Albert.'

Caroline glanced at Aubrey curiously. Aubrey did his best not to notice her regard, instead concentrating on the unfolding scene in front of them.

A bubble appeared, as high as a lamp post and ten yards or so across. Dim, blurry figures flitted inside it. The vision shifted and wobbled, however, with two of the operatives moving their arms in agitated fashion. Suddenly, sharp, rainbow-coloured streaks slashed across the surface of the bubble. They writhed, jagged and disturbing, twisting the surface of the bubble and distorting the figures inside. Despite the efforts of the operatives, the bubble tore itself apart and disappeared in shreds.

Aubrey caught sight of a familiar figure standing, hands behind his back, smiling at the Bureau magicians as they began to argue. 'Inspector! Inspector Paul!' he called.

Inspector Paul recognised Aubrey's voice. He strode to the barricades, waving away an anxious constable. 'Miss Hepworth. Fitzwilliam, Doyle,' he said in his accented Albionish. 'What do you think of our experts?'

Inspector Paul had difficulty keeping the satisfaction from his voice. 'They seemed competent enough,' Aubrey answered carefully. 'I thought they were going about it the right way.'

'You could have done better,' George muttered.

'They failed,' Inspector Paul said. 'The Bureau said they sent their best, yet they failed.' He rubbed his hands together, then seemed to realise what he was doing and clasped them behind his back again. 'They say they can't determine the origin of the anger spell.'

'Not enough residue?' Aubrey asked. 'Or was it of an unknown type?'

Inspector Paul was impressed. 'You know something of forensic magic?'

'A little.'

'It was, indeed, an unknown type of residue. They say they want to investigate it back at their headquarters.'

'I don't suppose there's a chance I could examine it?'

Inspector Paul snorted. 'I doubt it. The Bureau is very protective of what it sees as its jurisdiction. When it deigns to work with police, it is always as if it is doing us a great favour.'

Aubrey considered this for a moment. 'Have you made any progress on the sabotage at the dirigible works?'

Inspector Paul looked to either side. 'Come this way.'

He moved the wooden barrier to allow Aubrey, Caroline and George through. He took them to a place halfway between the barricades and the Bureau operatives, who were discussing matters in low voices with furtive, accusatory gestures.

'A special force is dealing with the matter at the dirigible works,' Inspector Paul told Aubrey and his friends. 'It has representatives from the military and the police force. Some very senior men are involved.'

'They think it's too important for the regular police?'

Inspector Paul shrugged. 'It is the way of things.' He regarded Aubrey. 'Can you tell me any more? Do you have sources?'

'I've learned nothing new about the dirigible sabotage.' Aubrey was aware that this may not be the whole truth, but he didn't want to reveal everything he'd learned. In times like these, information was currency – and he didn't want to spend it all at once. 'But I have another matter I wish to ask you about.'

Aubrey was aware that involving Inspector Paul was a risk. But the Inspector had shown his basic honesty. Besides, Aubrey needed an ally, a Gallian ally, if he was to make progress with his enquiries. Without Gallian support, he was an outsider no matter how well he spoke the language.

'I was with the Sons of Victor yesterday,' he said. 'There was a raid. A police raid.'

Inspector Paul frowned. 'I was not aware of this. On what grounds? The Marchmaine movement is not an illegal organisation. It may be inconvenient to the government, but every Gallian assumes that it is his duty to be inconvenient to the government.' He paused and held up a hand. 'Forgive me, Miss Hepworth. Or her duty.'

Caroline nodded, acknowledging Inspector Paul's apology.

Aubrey grimaced. 'The Marchmainers did seem surprised when the police arrived.'

'I would have heard about any raid,' Inspector Paul said. 'I should have been told. Who was in charge?'

'We didn't linger and exchange names. He was a captain, grey-haired. He had a patch over one eye.'

Inspector Paul shook his head. 'There is no-one of that description on the force.'

'Then someone has access to police uniforms and police vans. Or very good facsimiles thereof.'