Chapter 16 Sinclair
I held JJ while I marveled at how quickly Jayne got things done. I rocked him gently on my lap. Spider and Sugar lay on the back of the couch, half asleep.
One small requisition from her was all it took to turn our study into a situation room, complete with murder board. It was basically a giant whiteboard on an easel that was now blocking the big-screen TV in there.
My plan had been that when JJ got fussy and I was up with him at night, I could bring him in here, sit on this very couch, and put something soothing on the television to distract him so Jayne could sleep.
Then again, what did I know about newborns?
I was still learning. Television probably wouldn’t help anyway.
Jayne grabbed the red dry-erase marker and wrote Victim on one side of the board. Under that, she wrote Delton Tinselwick.
On the other side, she wrote Suspects. She turned around and looked at me. “Who do you think? JJ, Spider, Sugar, any thoughts?”
JJ and Sugar said nothing. Spider mumbled sleepily about treats.
I shook my head. “If you’re asking me for a name, I don’t have one.”
Frowning, she sighed. “Neither do I. I have no idea why anyone would kill him to keep us from getting that book. Especially when the pages were already torn out.” She capped the marker. “Do you think he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?”
“At the very least.”
“We need to talk to Crispin. See about getting a list of everyone who came into the archives in the last week or so. We can then go through those names and see if any of them might have a valid motive.”
I sat back. “Are we really just talking about someone who’s mad that our son will someday be king? Because he’s not a hundred percent winter elf?”
She took a seat beside me, her gaze on Delton’s name.
She reached up to scratch Spider, then pulled a pack of Dr Pepper licorice from the pocket of her cardigan and started munching.
“It has to be, because if it’s just about Janvier not getting to be queen, why wouldn’t they have done something when my dad was coronated? ”
I nodded. “That’s a good point. Are you sure there wasn’t any kind of protest when that happened?”
“I think my dad would have said something, but I was very young and don’t really remember.” She made a face. “I suppose that’s the kind of thing we could find out in the archives.”
“Hmm. If there was a protest against his coronation and the archives have the articles about it, would they have also been removed? We never thought to look for anything else.”
She blinked. “We need to search the archives for any mention of Janvier and for stories about my dad’s coronation.
We really need to figure this out. But Ezreal might be a good source of information, too.
He was my dad’s administrative assistant from day one.
If something happened at my dad’s coronation, Ezreal would know. ”
“So we have two jobs ahead of us then.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I feel like we’re about to take advantage of your parents and their willingness to babysit.”
I laughed. “I don’t think you understand how happy my parents are to spend time with their grandson.” I paused. “Wait. Maybe that’s what this is about.”
“Grandparents?”
“No, time. What if this is happening now because it couldn’t happen before this?”
She pulled out another piece of licorice. “Can you say that again but this time in English?”
“What if whoever killed Delton and was trying to keep Janvier’s name hidden is only doing it now because there was no reason to do it before? There hasn’t been a Naming Day since when?”
“Since I was born. Not a royal one. There are civilian Naming Days all the time.”
“So what if whoever’s behind this either wasn’t living in the NP then or they were too young for it to matter?”
“Okay, that’s good. That could be. So we’re looking at someone around my age? Or in that age bracket.”
“Might be. Just something to keep in mind.”
She set the licorice pack on the couch, hopped up, and pulled the cap off the marker. “I’m putting it on the board.”
Under Suspects she wrote, 20-40 years of age
She stepped back. “Not much to go on, but it’s a start. Crispin isn’t in the archives until the afternoon, and we don’t know what time he actually starts, so how about we have some lunch, then go see Ezreal, then hit the archives?”
“Works for me. I’ll see if my parents are available to babysit this afternoon.”
“Good.”
Spider sat up. “Mama, are you leaving again?”
“Yes, baby. I’m sorry, but Dadman and I have things we have to do.”
He looked at me. I shrugged. “Sorry, buddy. She’s right. We do.”
“Can Spider and Sugar get babysat?”
I laughed. “You want my parents to come over here and hang out with you?”
“Please, Dadman.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged.” I checked with Jayne. “You don’t mind if they babysit from here, do you?”
“Not at all. Be a lot easier for them, I’d think. No need to lug all of JJ’s supplies over there.”
“Perfect. I’ll go talk to them.”
“I’ll heat up your mom’s soup for lunch.”
I grabbed my crutches and went next door to talk to my parents, who were fine with hanging out at our place. My mom, who’d apparently been inspired by her recent adventure in soup-making, had whipped up a batch of snickerdoodles.
She’d sent me back to our place with a plate of them. Not the easiest thing to carry pinched between my fingers while also trying to work crutches. Plus, the cinnamon-sugar aroma was more than I could take. I snuck one from under the plastic wrap as I stood in front of our door.
Which, naturally, Jayne decided to open right at that very moment. “I thought you might need help with the door.”
She looked at me, looked at the cookies, then saw me chewing and started to laugh. “I never want to hear you say another word about me ruining my appetite with sweets.”
“Fair point. But these literally just came out of the oven.”
Her brows lifted. She took the plate from me and lifted the plastic wrap to try one for herself. After the first bite, she nodded. “These are good. Your mom made them?”
“She did.” I made my way past her and into the apartment. “Finding out she could order whatever ingredients she wants from the kitchen has got her excited. She doesn’t get a lot of time to bake or cook at home.”
“I wouldn’t think so,” Jayne said, following after me. “They’re too busy with the show. How’s your aunt?”
“She’s good. Now that she’s got yarn, she’s crocheting up a storm. She says she can do it all day. Oh, also, she’s found a show on the local station she likes.”
“Which one?”
“North Pole’s Got Talent.”
She shook her head. “I know the station’s been up and running for about a year, but I’m not familiar with that one.”
“I think it’s like America’s Got Talent but local.”
Her eyes widened. “I can only imagine. It must be all ice carving and kids playing recorders.”
I laughed. “I’m sure it’s more than that. Anyway, my parents are ready to babysit, and we’re set for this afternoon.”
“Perfect, because the soup’s hot.”
My parents arrived as Jayne was putting our dishes in the dishwasher. We, meaning Jayne, gave them a tour of the nursery to point out where everything was, then we got prepared to go.
I was ready first because Jayne decided to change at the last minute. While I waited for her, I talked to my dad. “If you have time, will you play with the cats a little bit while we’re gone? I think they’re feeling left out.”
He nodded. “I can do that. Your mom keeps JJ all to herself anyway.”
I smiled. My mom was obsessed with her grandson, and I wasn’t bothered by that at all. “Thanks. That reminds me—who’s looking after Aunt Zinnia’s cats?”
“One of her boyfriends. It’s either Wendell the Wonderful or Alfie Turks. Or the new guy. Honestly, son, I can’t keep up with her social life.”
I laughed. “That makes two of us. Thanks for doing this for us.” I briefed them a bit on what was going on so he knew what we were doing.
“I hope you and Jayne get to the bottom of this soon. I don’t like the thought of any of you being in danger.”
It was a sobering thought, one that took the smile from my face. “Neither do I, Dad.”