Owen stiffened, but he didn't respond to the other man's taunt.
Bria glanced at the two men, then at me. I shrugged my shoulders, indicating to her I didn't know what they were talking about either.
"Why do you think Dubois killed Katarina Arkadi?" Bria asked Kincaid. "Why do you think she wants to kill you?"
His mouth twisted. "You'll have to ask her that. I never did understand what Salina was thinking. Or some other people, for that matter. "
Owen glared at Kincaid, but he still didn't respond to the mocking tone in the casino boss's voice.
Bria looked back and forth between the two of them once more. Then she sighed and shook her head, as if she knew that this night was just getting started.
Chapter 11
Bria had us run through the story again and asked Kincaid several more questions, but he claimed not to know anything useful, like why Salina had killed Arkadi, who she might go after next, or what else she might be up to. He didn't mention that he thought Salina wanted to murder him so she could take over his business interests. I supposed Kincaid wasn't any more comfortable sharing information with the po-po than I was.
Despite his lack of answers, Bria did the good-cop thing and offered the casino boss police protection, which he declined. Couldn't blame him for that. Most of the cops would have sold him out in a second to his enemies, if the payday were big enough.
Finally, Bria declared that she was done with Kincaid and headed over to see if the coroner was finished examining Antonio's body yet.
Owen pulled his keys out of his pocket and handed them to his sister. "Eva, go on down to the car. You too, Violet. "
"Packed up," Sophia murmured, pointing to the supplies she'd managed to salvage.
I nodded at the dwarf. "Thank you. "
Eva shot Kincaid a sympathetic look, but for once she didn't argue with her brother. The girls grabbed a few of the lighter supply boxes, while Sophia carried the heavier ones, and the three of them walked down the gangplank and out of sight. Owen turned to me, but I beat him to the punch.
"Go on ahead and look after the girls," I said. "I want to talk to Kincaid for a minute. "
Owen stared at the other man, then at me. "Gin, I can explain all of this. It's not what it seems like. Whatever he's told you, it's a lie. He hates Salina. He's had it in for her for years. Even if she really did try to kill Phillip tonight, well, it was no less than he deserved after what he did to her. "
"And Antonio?" I asked in a soft voice. "Did he deserve what Salina did to him too?"
Maybe me questioning a murder was strange, given all the people I'd killed myself. But when I went after someone, I put him down as quickly as possible. No drawing things out for my own amusement. No toying with my targets. No torture. But Salina had done all those things tonight. I wondered how long she would have played her choking game with Kincaid if I hadn't frozen her water noose. I was willing to bet she would have made his death throes last as long as she could.
Owen looked over at the dead giant. The coroner had removed the tablecloth and was trying to figure out some way to lift Antonio's slack, floppy remains into a black body bag without spilling him everywhere. Owen's jaw clenched, and he didn't say anything. He didn't have an answer for that one.
"Just be careful, okay?" he said. "Kincaid fooled me for years, and it looks like he still has Eva fooled. "
I nodded. "Don't worry. I can handle myself. "
Owen didn't like it, but he headed across the deck and trudged down the gangplank. That left me and Kincaid standing by ourselves while the cops milled around Antonio's body.
"Well, that was just as unpleasant as I thought it would be," Kincaid murmured. "And here I am without my drink to console me. "
I didn't respond. Instead, I leaned back against the railing, more than willing to wait him out. Ten seconds passed as we looked at each other, then twenty . . . thirty . . . forty-five . . .
Kincaid had more patience than I'd imagined, because he made it to the ninety-second mark before he opened his mouth again. "So what was it you wanted to speak to me about?"
I cocked my head to the side. "You are one clever bastard, aren't you, Philly?"
A humorless smile lifted his lips. "I can't even begin to imagine what you're talking about. "
I held my hands out. "I'm talking about this, tonight, and this little spectacle you engineered. "
"Please," Kincaid sneered. "Enlighten me once again. Because I am not in the business of engineering spectacles of any sort. "
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down. "Here are the facts. Four days ago, Katarina Arkadi was murdered, most likely by your mysterious water elemental friend, Salina Dubois, for