Chapter 6: The Ledger

"Don't touch it," I said, and Bram's hand stopped on the latch.

He didn't argue. He stepped back into the hall and said, "I'll get him."

I walked into the room.

The ledger had six pages before the one I was reading, each with names, dates and sums, all in the same black ink.

Six women. Six lines of money.

Each line had a set of initials, a date and a sum, from 90,000 to 150,000.

And at the top of the newest page, in a hand that never wavered: Thackeray, W. Hollowmere. 200,000.

Costa came in without knocking, and he stopped when he saw what I was holding.

"You paid for me," I said.

"I paid a deposit."

"Three weeks ago."

"Yes."

"You paid Odette Slocumb's people, three weeks before Dean put silver in my cup."

"Yes."

I closed the ledger very carefully, so I wouldn't throw it.

"You said you broke the deal."

"I did break it. I didn't pay the rest."

"You were always going to take me out of that cellar. Dean was always going to hand me over to you."

He said nothing.

"Say something."

"I'll say it all when you ask me about the river," he said. "Not before."

"I gave you my word at the gate, and I won't lie to you."

"But if I tell you everything tonight, you'll leave before the seven nights are up."

"Is that supposed to make me stay?"

"No. It's supposed to make you angry at the right thing."

I stared at him.

"The six women," I said, and my voice was too high. "Who are they?"

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