“What’s that?” asked Eli.
“Leviathans were ancient sea monsters,” Selene answered before Paul could. “They’re nearly extinct now. Magickind used to hunt them down to make armor out of their scales. Leviathan scales are impervious to magical attack.”
“They made a lot of ancient weapons out of them, too,” Paul said.
A memory popped up in my mind. “You’re talking about the garrote that Marrow used to kill Rosemary, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Paul dropped his gaze to the floor. I couldn’t tell for certain in the weak light, but I thought his face looked flushed. If this was an act, then he’d been taking classes.
Eli scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. You were there when Rosemary died.” He pointed at Paul. “So either you already knew your uncle purchased that chain or you’re making this up.”
A vein pulsed in Paul’s temple as he gritted his teeth. “I’m not lying. I had no idea where Marrow got that chain. That’s how he works. He always deals with his followers individually, never more than two or three at a time. It was the only way to safeguard his identify until he was ready to reveal himself as the Red Warlock. I knew about Bethany Grey, and she knew about me, but that was it. Everyone else was kept secret.”
It made sense, in an odd mafia boss, Godfather kind of way. “How do you know that your uncle purchased the chain for Marrow?”
“I didn’t for sure. Not until later. But that’s a specific kind of item and not something most people could afford. Culpepper’s records said my uncle paid thousands of dollars for it. It’s possible he wanted to make a talisman out of it for protection. I’ve heard of people doing that. But I don’t think he did. It was too much of a coincidence to be anything else.”
I let out a humph, in complete agreement with him on this point at least.
Selene wrapped her arms around her chest. “But how did you find out for sure then?”
Paul’s lips peeled back in a smile so cold it made me want to shiver. “My uncle came to see me when I was in jail, wanting to know all about the reckthaworlde website and how much I knew about the members. His nervousness was all the proof I needed. I didn’t even have to tell him about Culpepper’s records. The second I threatened to expose him to the senate as one of Marrow’s supporters, he was willing to deal.”
“Holy shit.” Eli slapped the top of his leg. “Your uncle’s the one who got you off.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I shook my head. It was incredible. In every news report I’d come across, Titus Kirkwood had been the most adamant about his nephew’s guilt. His performance was so believable he’d even convinced Lady Elaine and Sheriff Brackenberry he couldn’t possibly be involved.
I swallowed, forcing my eyes to Paul. “Why should we believe you when you’ve lied so much before?”
Paul flinched, but he held my gaze. “Because liars deal in truths. It’s the only way we can get away with it.”
Nobody spoke for a moment, all of us digesting this awful reality. Not for the first time in recent months, I wished the world were more black-and-white, right and wrong easy to distinguish.
Selene broke the silence first. “Assuming you are telling the truth about everything, why would your uncle bargain with you? If he’s the kind of man who would attack an innocent girl like Britney, why wouldn’t he just kill you?”
“Just so we’re clear,” Paul said, motioning to the three of us. “The only time my uncle gets his hands dirty is in the privacy of his own house. Someone else attacked Britney, but they were following his orders. Several someones, most likely. It’s the only way he could’ve pulled it off both at Arkwell and Vejovis.”
I was about to ask him why, if he knew so much, he hadn’t done anything to stop it. Then I remembered that he had tried. I just hadn’t listened. I cleared my throat. “That still doesn’t answer her question. Why didn’t he send someone to take care of you?”
Paul sat up straighter. “Because I have something he wants.”
“And what’s that?” said Eli.
“I’m the only person around who can identify all of Marrow’s followers.”
My temper flared. “You just said that Marrow kept everybody secret from each other.”
Paul didn’t squirm as I thought he would when caught in a lie. Instead he remained steady. “Just hear me out. I don’t know who all the followers are, but I have a list of all the member information of everyone who ever joined reckthaworlde.com. I’ve never read it, but I have access to it. I made a backup copy of the reckthaworlde.com database from just hours before the website went offline.”
“How’s that possible?” I said, thinking back. “Sheriff Brackenberry said they searched Marrow’s apartment, your dorm room, and your uncle’s house for the servers and didn’t find them. And I know that database servers aren’t small enough to stuff under the floorboards in your bedroom.”
Paul snorted. “True enough. But the servers were kept somewhere else. I don’t know where. Marrow had me set up all the hardware at his apartment, but then he moved it. The sheriff was wasting his time looking for them at my house. Someone else besides me took the website offline. Obviously, since I was in jail at the time.”
“Oh. Right.” I puffed out my cheeks.
“But once Marrow moved the servers,” Paul continued, “I administered everything remotely. All it takes is an Internet connection and an administrator account.”