Crowbones

CHAPTER 62

Ilya

Earthday, Novembros 4

Ilya stared at the remains of a crow. Had Jozi been taken to make everyone think she’d been killed? Or had there been a change of plans because Victoria’s unexpected invitation to Julian Farrow had complicated someone’s intentions and Crowbones’s warning rattle made killing Jozi too risky? Or had this crow been killed before the intruder invaded Victoria’s apartment?

“That’s not good,” Julian said when he reached the area where the fog was rapidly dissipating.

“Better than it being one of the Crows who work for Victoria, but, no, it’s not good.”

“I heard the warning rattle. Did Crowbones do this?”

Ilya crouched and gently examined the carcass. “The kill? I don’t think so. What could an ordinary crow do to earn such a savage killing?” He pointed to the wing that was missing three feathers. “Feathers of the fallen. From what we’ve learned about Crowbones, that is an indication that the crow was an innocent killed by someone other than the Crowgard bogeyman.”

“And the lower legs and feet?” Julian asked. “Did the killer or Crowbones take those?”

Ilya rose. “We’ll know that if or when they show up at a crime scene.”