//CLARA//
"Did the authorities find out?" A cold knot of panic tightened in my chest. "Do they know you're running the syndicate?"
Casimir just stared at me, a single dark brow raised. A slow smile crept onto his face. Something flickered in his eyes, slightly being offended as if the very question insulted his intelligence. As if I actually believed he would allow himself to be that sloppy.
"Do you think I would let myself be caught that easily?"
"You know it's not like—"
"No." He cut me off with a definitive shake of his head. "The good inspector was merely asking a few routine questions regarding the ambush. And the exact… nature of the casualties left behind."
"Well, at least that's the least of our worries now."
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, nodding slowly.
"We found something."
I stepped forward until his desk pressed against my hips. "Gary and I went up to Aunt Cornelia's room to look for the ball archives. You know, just for references."
