Chapter 71 #7
“Tell him…Tell him I didn’t see him officially.”
“I’ll tell him. Let’s walk a bit more, then head back to the library to catch the shuttle.”
After walking for a few minutes, Beth said, “Not much vehicular traffic.” None, in fact.
“Not many vehicles,” Lucas replied. “Most people walk or ride a bicycle—or take the bus.” He pointed to a small horse-drawn double-decker bus coming toward them.
Life here moved at a different pace than in towns across the river. “How did you get all the copies of Rachel Nightingale’s books?”
“She had extra copies in storage and offered some of them for the libraries.”
“You can speak lark?”
Lucas just smiled.
42
“Forrester.”
“This is Jack Frost. Check your e-mail.”
Charles closed his eyes for a moment before opening his e-mail program. He could deal with Lucas, but Jack scared him to the bone. Lucas was a predator—and a ruler. He was also a civilized man in his own way. Jack was a stone-cold killer.
He opened the attachments and studied the photos of a man. “Who is he?”
“His name is Richard. He was at the hotel this morning sniffing around Detective Fahey. He said he was a private investigator and was just hitting on a pretty woman. We think his claim of being an investigator is true. His reason for targeting Beth? That lie will cost him. Things are in motion, Captain. We thought you might like a photo of this man to show around her apartment building, see if he’s been stalking her. ”
“You think that’s likely?”
“We do.”
That wasn’t good any way he looked at it. Someone stalking a cop? That was pure trouble. Someone foolish enough to cross the river and attract the attention of an Arcana like Jack Frost? That was a death wish.
He’d promised Aisha and Jazz time away from Penwych.
He couldn’t back out of that. “We’ll look into it.
Could you tell Lucas that I will be on vacation starting next week?
My family needs some time away from…everything.
Tom Castelletti will be in charge of the team while I’m away, if there’s anything you need from us. ”
“I’ll tell him.”
Charles ended the call, printed several copies of the photo, and handed them to his team.
“This isn’t one of the people who went walkabout in Wyrd,” Ian Kuhn said. “We’re coming up blank on all of them, including Detective Kali’s husband.”
Tom Castelletti looked uncomfortable. “Maybe Fahey could ask for advice about finding these people since she’s over there already.”
Charles nodded. “I’ll check with her before she catches the ferry back to Penwych. This man”—he pointed to the picture—“is possibly stalking Detective Fahey. I believe her apartment building is in Amanda Gibson’s precinct, so check with her people before you start knocking on doors.”
“Ex-boyfriend?” Kuhn asked.
“Jack Frost think he’s a PI.”
“Nothing we can do about the missing people, so we might as well talk to Detective Gibson about this mystery PI,” Castelletti said.
Once his men were on their way, Charles returned to his office and called Beth Fahey—and received no answer.
43
No internet, no Wi-Fi, and no cell phone service in Wyrd’s Teeth, Beth thought as she listened to the two voicemail messages from Captain Forrester. The first one was a “call me” message. The second held a sharp edge of concern.
“Captain?”
“Are you all right?”
Whoa. “I was in a part of Wyrd that doesn’t have cell phone service.
I checked my messages as soon as I got back to the hotel.
” Technically true. After leaving Lucas Frost, she’d stopped at one of the food stands and enjoyed coffee and a meal while she thought about what she’d seen—and about Lucas’s job offer.
It wasn’t until she’d gone back to the hotel room to pack her things that she thought to check her phone, since she was still off duty. “Did something happen?”
“Do you know the man who is stalking you?”
Beth frowned. “Have you confirmed that he’s stalking me? I’m pretty sure he’s a PI. I’m not sure he has a license. He came across as sleazy.”
“A couple of people living in your apartment building recognized him, said he’d been hanging around for a few days. There’s a community playground nearby, and one of your neighbors did report him to the police, thinking he might be too interested in the children.”
“I didn’t see him until this morning.” Beth exhaled slowly. “I think he was hired by Bonnie Wilson. She wants money and threatened to cause trouble if I didn’t pay her.”
“So he followed you to Wyrd. That was a mistake.”
Beth wondered for a moment if the police somewhere along the Fate River were going to find another body. “I’ll catch the next ferry back and report in.”
“No, it’s still your day off. Just be careful. Don’t second-guess your instincts if something feels off.”
In other words, consider Richard NoLastName a threat.
“I just said it’s still your day off, but I’d like you to do something officially. Detective Kali’s husband, Yaron, went exploring on Wyrd and is missing. When I tried to ask Lucas Frost about him yesterday, Frost’s response was cool bordering on cold. Maybe he’ll be more forthcoming with you.”
“I’ll ask him.” Feeling the call was about to end, Beth weighed what she could say without saying too much. “Sir? I met someone this morning who saw Colin recently.”
“Someone at Destiny Park saw him?”
“No, not at the park. She runs Wyrd’s mobile library, and he’s staying at one of her stops.”
She listened to Forrester breathe as the man tried to sort out what he could say in return. If someone had a vehicle that could reach that place, why couldn’t Colin come home? Well, he was coming home soon. But how soon was soon?
“Did this person say anything about him?” Forrester finally asked.
“He’s doing all right.” She hesitated, then added, “He’s learning how to weave and is making place mats for his mother—but that’s a surprise.”
She heard Forrester’s strangled laugh. “He’s having what he would call a Star Trek adventure.”
“Yes, sir, I think he is.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll ask about Yaron Kali.”
“Let me know when you’re on the ferry. I’ll send a car for you.”
He ended the call before she could say it wasn’t necessary. Maybe it was necessary—or at least prudent if the man who approached her that morning really was a stalker or someone sent by Bonnie to keep tabs on her.
Beth finished packing, then went down to the reception desk. The woman on duty assured her that the room was hers for as long as she needed it.
As she walked back to the pavilion, Beth scanned the area around the food stands, then the dock.
If she worked on this side of the river, would she be the one standing at the dock assessing the people getting off the ferry?
Seeing Lucas would have more impact, but maybe that was the point of his making the job offer.
Maybe he needed to step back and be more remote in order to do his job of protecting everyone in Destiny Park.
And everyone in the Teeth? And how many other places in Wyrd?
She walked past the archways for the diviners of one kind or another and heard someone call her name. Beth approached an archway, then stepped inside the room when Ashley Laxton gestured for her to come in.
Katherine Rose sat behind the table, studying the cards.
“You didn’t ask for a reading, but I was curious,” Katherine Rose said.
“I’m guessing those cards confirm what I was told yesterday: my life is about to be torn apart.”
Katherine Rose nodded. “Someone will begin the destruction of your life with the destruction of things you value. Move them. Hide them.”
“How soon?” Ashley asked.
Katherine Rose turned over another card, then looked at Beth. “You have a protector on the other side of the river. It will begin when he is out of reach.”
“Captain Forrester is going on vacation next week,” Beth said. She couldn’t think of anyone else in Penwych who would qualify as a protector.
Think. Think of Gerry Palowski and the possible life he could have had—the life that had vanished because he chose to use the ghost gun.
She had been warned by the Arcana that her life would be torn apart and items she valued would be destroyed.
But no one had taken action against her yet.
There wasn’t one concrete piece of evidence that she was in physical danger, despite the certainty that Bonnie would be the reason this chapter in her life would end.
Until some action was taken against her, she wasn’t going to be a coward and flee.
Moving to Wyrd was going to be a choice to move toward a new life rather than running away from her old one.
“These things that are important to you,” Ashley said. “How soon could you get them packed?”
“I never unpacked most of my things when I moved to Penwych. I just stacked the boxes against a wall.” She tried to smile. “No room for extra stuff in a furnished studio apartment.”
Ashley stared at the cards. Then she nodded. “A couple of hours during the day would be enough time. We’ll call in a favor and get the use of a van. There are storage facilities in Penwych where…”
Beth shook her head. “Things can be stolen from storage facilities if someone follows me and knows which lockup I rented. Could those boxes be stored over here?”
Ashley and Katherine Rose exchanged a look. “You’re going to take the job?” Ashley asked.
“Yes. Until I move to Wyrd, I’d like to store my things where they will be within easy reach for me and not within reach for anyone else. I guess I should talk to Lucas about that.”
“No need.”
Meaning Lucas had already given his people instructions where she was concerned.