Kasper’s brow creased in bewilderment. “That is rather strange.”

“Yeah, I thought so too,” I agreed. “Apparently, he’s the acting ruler now.”

“What?” Kasper appeared as surprised as I’d felt when I found out. “I thought Lisbet was gonna get that.”

“I don’t know exactly what happened, but Kennet is the King now.” I shook my head. “He got rid of Bayle, which is good, but the trial with Mikko is still on, which seems bizarre to me. I mean, if Kennet is in control can’t he just make it go away?”

“Yes, unless he doesn’t want to make it go away,” he replied.

I chewed the inside of my cheek, taking in Kasper’s response. “He gave Mina a necklace of sapphires.”

“Buying her loyalty?” Kasper asked, and I nodded. “The exact same way someone bought Cyrano Moen’s.”

The way Kasper said that made something click in my brain. Pieces that hadn’t fit together started falling into place.

“When Ridley and I went down to find Linnea before, Mikko barely spoke to us,” I remembered. “Kennet worked as his liaison, and he kept saying that all the attempts at blocking the investigation were coming from Mikko, but how would we know that? Kennet could’ve just as easily been doing it himself. And Boyle refused to let anyone look at the records, so he could’ve easily fabricated evidence to frame Mikko.”

“He planned the kidnapping of Linnea, and then he was involved in the investigation, so he could shift the blame however he wanted.” Kasper straightened up. “And he wanted to shift it onto his brother.”

“He wanted Mikko in jail so he could get the crown,” I said, thinking aloud. “First he hired Konstantin to kidnap Linnea and make it look like Mikko either kidnapped or killed her. I don’t know how he got in touch with Konstantin, but if Konstantin and Viktor Dålig are working some kind of operation with hired hands and weapons, they needed financing.”

“And we saw how well Cyrano Moen was paid,” Kasper added.

“Kennet told me that after he fired Bayle, Bayle had run off,” I said. “But if Bayle has been working with Kennet this whole time to make it all happen, it would make sense for Kennet to send him away before they could question him and find exactly how he was tied to this whole mess.”

I’d been suspicious of Kennet since I met him, but I’d also been suspicious of Mikko and nearly everyone else I met in Storvatten, so it had been hard for me to decide how culpable he might have been.

I looked over at Kasper. “Kennet did it all, didn’t he?”

“I don’t know if we can prove it, but yes. I think he did.”

“He’s here right now, celebrating with Evert and Mina,” I said. “And they should know. They probably can’t do anything, but they need to know they’re aligning themselves with someone who has connections to Konstantin and is helping to finance the attacks on our kingdom.”

“Holy shit.” Tilda expressed my sentiments perfectly. “Evert is gonna be pissed when he finds out. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he declared war on the Skojare.”

She was right, and while that would have very negative ramifications for the Skojoare, it didn’t change anything. The King needed to know the truth.

“I have to tell him, and it’ll be better to do it before Kennet leaves,” I said. “Maybe he’ll just lock up Kennet, and we can avoid an all-out war.”

I started to make my way to the door, since I didn’t have time to waste.

“Wait. I’ll go with you,” Kasper said, then he looked over at Tilda. “I mean, if it’s okay.”

“You don’t have to.” I shook my head. “I can do this alone.”

He turned back to me. “I know you can. But we worked in Storvatten together. This is kind of our job, which means I should be there too. I want to help you make this case.” Then he looked to his new wife. “As long as it’s okay with Tilda.”

“The bed and breakfast will still be there in a few hours,” Tilda told him with a smile. “You should go and do this. It’s important. And besides, I wouldn’t mind a little more time to make sure I’ve packed everything.”

“Thank you.” Kasper went over to her and kissed her quickly. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She watched us go with an anxious smile, and as we walked out the door, she added, “Good luck.”

FORTY-ONE

recrimination

We stood inside the meeting room, under the cold gaze of King Evert’s coronation painting. Kasper stood rigidly beside me like a true member of the Högdragen, even though he was wearing a T-shirt and jeans instead of his uniform.

I had taken to pacing and chewing absently at my thumbnail. In my head, I tried to organize my thoughts and the best possible way to tell Evert about what was happening. It was important that he believe me, but it was also important that he didn’t react rashly and attack Storvatten.

When we’d reached the palace, Elliot Väan had been standing guard at the door. Fortunately for us, Elliot had been Kasper’s best man and was a good friend. Kasper managed to convince him to let us in and request that the King come and meet us.

The door opened behind us, startling me because I’d been deep in thought, and I turned to see Elliot holding the door open. A few moments later, almost as if she’d been deliberately trying to make an entrance, Queen Mina walked into the room. Elliot closed the door behind her, standing guard inside the room.