Chapter 10 Keelan
At the end of the fourth day following the visit to Tiana’s infirmary, Ridley trotted up to me on my walk home. “Lieutenant, have a minute?”
I turned and crossed my arms. “Please tell me you’re not hurt again.”
“You wish.” Ridley laughed. “I saw how you looked at Miss Ti. Doesn’t take a world-class investigator to know what’s going on there . . . uh . . . sir.”
My jaw flexed, and I glared at Ridley, but the color crawling up my neck and into my cheeks spoke of how close my friend had come to the mark.
“Yeah, yeah. What was it you needed, cadet?”
“Well, sir, it’s actually about Miss Ti. I went by the infirmary a couple days ago to thank her for helping with my leg, but the place was empty. Tried again yesterday and this morning, and it didn’t look like anybody had been there since.”
My attention sharpened. “I don’t think Miss Ti’s ever taken a day off, much less three in a row.”
“No sign on the door? No note about being away?”
Ridley shook his head.
I gazed across the yard. “I haven’t seen her since the day she treated your leg.”
“You stayed after I left, didn’t you?” Ridley asked.
“Yeah. I left about an hour after you did.”
Ridley’s brows rose.
“Stick to the present, cadet.” My half grin belied my stern tone. “Tiana makes rounds in the countryside every four or five weeks, and that’s probably where she is, but she’s not usually gone very long. Did you talk to people in the area? Has anyone seen her this week?”
“Yes, sir. I checked with every house and business near her building. No one’s seen her. I walked around the infirmary and found a couple of packages in the post bin but couldn’t tell how long they’d been there.”
“I’m sure everything’s fine, but I’ll sleep better if we take a look. Why don’t you get us a couple of horses and meet me at the south gate? I need to run up to my house for a minute. See you in ten.”
“You got it, Lieutenant. Two horses coming right up.” Ridley offered a quick salute, then turned and jogged toward the stables.
By the time Ridley and I trotted toward the infirmary, the moon had risen and clouds obscured the starry sky. We dismounted and tied our horses to the railing on the side of the infirmary, and I strode to the front door.
“Come, look at this.” I bent to inspect the bottom of the entryway.
“Bits of wood?” Ridley asked.
I nodded.
I stood and checked the sides and top. Finding nothing, I turned to get a view of the walkway that led up to the building. There were no marks, no scuffs. Nothing.
Other than the slivers of wood at the foot of the entrance, nothing was out of place. Still, something didn’t feel right.
I had learned to trust my gut in my years with the Guard—and it was churning like an angry ocean.
I leaned back against the door, my gaze sweeping over the path, when the door swung inward.
I tumbled and had to catch myself against the frame to keep from falling.
I motioned for Ridley to stay quiet and follow me in, drawing the dagger I carried at my side.
Moonlight streaming through the open door provided the only light in the foyer.
I paused and listened, then crept through the foyer into the exam room.
After a quick search, I straightened and said, “We’re clear. The place is empty. Light some lamps, and let’s look around. Check the door again while I search the back.”
“You got it, LT.”
I froze the moment a lamp flared to life.
Shards of glass lay scattered about the floor. More than one bottle. The closer I stepped toward the storage room door, the more unbearable the odor became.
I rejoined Ridley in the foyer.
“Come look at this,” Ridley said, motioning with a hand without taking his eyes off the doorframe.
He held a lamp close and pointed to the inside edge. “See those chip marks around the door lock’s latch?”
The latch itself now dangled freely and appeared newly scratched and dented.
“There’s more of the same on the strike plate.”
I straightened, and my voice lost the last of its humor. “Go back to the compound and let the duty watch know there’s been a break-in. Have them send men to Tiana’s house to make sure she’s okay. And Ridley, tell them I said to keep this quiet.”
“On my way, sir. Do you need anything here?”
“No. I’ll check out the rest of the building and head back. Until we hear what they find at Tiana’s house, there’s not much we can do here.”
I found a cloth on a side table in the exam room, covered my mouth and nose, and stepped into the storage closet. Earlier in the week, when I had last seen this room, everything had been meticulously organized. I had wondered then at how Tiana kept everything in such perfect order.
Now, the room was in disarray. A couple of shelves were nearly empty, with most of their contents scattered across the floor. A strange odor rose from several of the now broken jars and bottles whose contents had mixed.
I stepped back.
As I turned for the front door, something caught my eye.
Stuck in the corner of the exam table, where the metal joined but didn’t meet perfectly, was a small piece of brown cloth.
The thumb-sized scrap was silky and held an unusual sheen that reflected the lamp light.
I stuffed it in my pocket, gave the other exam room one last scan, then headed back to the Guard Complex.