He hesitated, twirling the brandy in his glass. “It’s a report you wrote on a dam on the Erft River, built close to the town of Erkelenz in Germany.”
I hardly remembered that. The details had slipped out of my mind. Roy had asked me to gather information on what the Germans were building, and likely the dam was one of the recent constructions ordered by the Nazis. “Why is that dam important?”
“That’s one of the things I must discover.”
“Wemust discover.”
He slanted me a pointed glare. “I still haven’t ascertained if you have the skill of forcing people to tell the truth. Until that moment, you aren’t on my team.”
Bugger it. I sipped some cider to sweeten the bitter taste of his comment when my gaze dropped to Clare. Next to the buffet table, she was sipping a glass of wine close to Commander Allen.
I inched closer to Roy. “Do you want to see if my special skill works?”
He arched a brow. “What do you mean?”
“Watch.” As I strolled towards the table, I unsheathed a claw.
Clare didn’t even turn when I scratched her elbow while reaching out for a plate of finger sandwiches. It was a tiny prick, scarcely visible, but a ruby drop of blood dripped down her arm. She shot me a glare. I smiled and retreated to the other side of the room.
“Peggy.” I hurried towards her. “Would you please do me a favour?”
She gulped down her sip to answer, her eyes watering. “My word, Kristin, after you found that darn list, I’d do anything for you.”
“Go to Clare and ask her if she has any special skills.”
“What?” Her gaze shifted from me to Clare.
“Just do it, please.”
“Of course. I owe you one.” She winked, sauntering towards Clare.
I joined Roy again, pretending to be more confident that I felt. “I’ve scratched Clare’s elbow and sent Peggy to ask her a question. Let’s see what happens.” My skin tingled with anticipation.
Roy slanted his head towards Clare but didn’t say anything. I clenched the glass, watching Clare from my quiet corner. Peggy smiled and chatted with her. There were a few nods. Commander Allen said something at which Peggy’s expression became grave, and she nodded solemnly. Then she turned towards Clare. But nothing happened. I expected Clare to yell to everyone that she had the ability to paralyse people. Instead, she kept sipping and chatting.
Bugger. My stance slouched, and my confidence evaporated. “That’s so anticlimactic. Perhaps it wasn’t my secret skill that forced Nathan to spill it,” I said after minutes passed and nothing dramatic happened. “Maybe Nathan discovered he had a conscience and babbled about the bomb without my intervention.”
“I’m not sure.” Roy nudged me with his elbow and tilted his head towards Clare. “Look.”
Towering over Clare, Allen was frowning at her, the tendons in his neck standing out in sharp relief. Peggy’s mouth dropped open as she took a step back from the table. Clare kept talking, her lips moving fast, as if she couldn’t stop. She flushed a deep crimson as Allen’s nostrils flared. He put down his glass, gritting his teeth while she went on babbling. Just like Nathan, sheer horror and surprise was displayed on her face.
“Uh-oh.” I suppressed a giggle.
Allen took Clare’s elbow and dragged her away, stomping out of the crowded room in his uneven gait. She kept her gaze down, eyes wide with fear, chest heaving. Peggy turned towards me, mouth gaping wide while mutters spread, and heads turned towards Allen and Clare.
“Kristin,” Roy said, lifting his glass in a toast, “welcome to the spy unit.”