Chapter 71 #22
“If you hadn’t changed the intention to finding the diner instead of the man, I would have called a halt to the search,” Jack said. “Or insisted that we stay where we were for a day to rest.”
If they had stayed a day to rest, they would have missed Yaron Kali—and Colin. “You gave me a chance to learn in the safest way you could.”
“Yes,” Lucas said. “If you hadn’t experienced it, you might have dismissed the danger as being exaggerated.”
Maybe. She’d certainly gone out on this search unaware of the dangers she could face.
“With food, sleep, and mild exercise, you should feel normal in a couple of days,” Lucas said. “If you don’t, we’ll take you to the doctor who lives in the Teeth.”
Beth nodded. Then she narrowed her eyes and looked at Jack. “Tell the staff at the hotel that eating pizza for breakfast isn’t a mental aberration.”
Jack studied her. “Why should I?”
“Because you’re a mother hen,” Lucas said.
“Well, cluck cluck.”
“I’m going to take a nap.” Beth pushed away from the table and waited for the room to stop moving. “I can get to the hotel by myself.”
She hoped that was true, because if she landed on her face and Jack had to help her reach her room, she would never hear the end of it.
68
Charles Forrester stepped into his team’s part of the 13th precinct and stared at Beth Fahey’s empty desk.
He’d been uneasy about the Arcana’s interest in her from the start, but it hadn’t occurred to him that she was part Arcana.
Maybe it should have. However you wanted to label them, humans and the Arcana could mate and produce young.
If you met an Arcana on the street, in daylight, most people wouldn’t know they weren’t talking to another human—and when it came to seduction and sex, seeing the truth revealed by moonlight might not matter in the heat of the moment.
“Captain?”
Charles turned. “Morning, Tom.”
“We weren’t expecting you back until next week.”
“Aisha wanted to get home, so we left the resort a few days early. I came in today to review everything before we cross the river for an overnight trip to visit Colin now that he has a summer job in Destiny Park.”
“Colin is going to work across the river?”
“Yes.”
“Beth Fahey didn’t mention it when Ian and I crossed the river to talk to her about the break-in and Bonnie Wilson’s murder.”
She must have had her reasons. Since her strained relationship with her colleagues was probably one of those reasons, Charles said, “Did she come in to clear out her desk?”
“Ian packed up what we knew was hers. The box is under the desk. She still has her badge.”
“I’ll take the box and drop it off to her. And I’ll pick up her badge.” He’d also check with human resources about sending Beth her last paycheck—after he found out where they should send it.
Castelletti looked uncomfortable. “We didn’t do right by her, and I’m sorry if that helped people jump to the wrong conclusions about her.”
“The conclusions weren’t wrong, Tom. She is part Arcana. Bonnie Wilson’s accusation was the spanner in the works, and I think we’ll all feel the repercussions for a while.”
Ian Kuhn walked into the room, followed by Detectives Grace Russell and Markus Seibert.
“Charles,” Grace said with a smile. “I thought you were on vacation.”
“Keep thinking that,” Charles replied as he shook Markus’s hand. “What brings you to Penwych?”
“This morning we were summoned by Alistair Hampton,” Seibert said. “He wanted to know why we’re not making more of an effort to find his brother, Reginald—and his fiancée, but she’s more an afterthought at this point, since he doesn’t gain anything financially by making a fuss about her.”
“After talking to Hampton this morning, Markus and I agreed that he pressures us in order to go back to the people who continue to control his brother’s estate and businesses and tell them he’s still making an effort to find Reginald but needs some of his anticipated inheritance in order to continue. ”
“We also agreed that he really doesn’t want anyone to find his brother,” Seibert added. “He wants control of the Hampton money. Having Reginald return would interfere with that.”
“To appease Alistair and the rest of the Hampton family, we’re here making our inquiries in person,” Grace said.
She paused. “There’s some talk going around.
To me, it sounds more like a cautionary tale about the importance of parents not bringing children to Destiny Park.
The media is trying to rev up the anti-Arcana sentiments again, demanding that the Arcana make the island safe for children. ”
“Wyrd is not meant for children.” At least, not the ones who come from homes that don’t endanger the child’s physical or mental health. Charles turned to Castelletti. “What happened?”
“There was an incident yesterday.” Castelletti looked uncomfortable. “You might be able to get more details from your source.”
Grace glanced at the empty desk.
“Yes, Beth,” Charles agreed, seeing Grace’s look, “but also my son. Colin talked the Arcana into giving him a summer job in the park. He started working there a few days ago.”
Grace gave him an uneasy smile. “Then he’s close to home.”
“Close. What did you hear about the incident?”
“Mother lets her young son run around unsupervised while she’s getting her palm read or some such thing,” Castelletti said.
“The kid is leaning over the ornamental lake’s retaining wall, sticking his hand in the water and splashing.
A park employee passing by tells the kid not to play in the water because something comes into the lake to breed at this time of year and the hatchlings are hungry.
As two more employees approach and tell the kid to stop, the kid gives the employees a ‘make me’ grin, which you figure is exactly what he does when mommy says no, and sticks both arms into the water.
Something latches on, the kid panics, and he falls in. ”
Kuhn took up the story. “The kid is in the water for just a few seconds before the two employees manage to haul him out. But that was enough time for the whatevers to eat one of the kid’s arms down to the bone from wrist to elbow.
That’s the story, anyway. We haven’t received the official medical report, which is odd since we should be the ones investigating. ”
“Jesus.” Charles pulled out his cell phone and tapped a number from his contacts list. Three guesses who the employees were who went after the kid. “Colin? Are you all right?”
“Dad! Sure. Why?”
He put his phone on speaker so he wouldn’t have to repeat whatever was said. “The lake, Colin?”
“Oh. You heard about that?”
“Yes. I heard.”
“I got one bite while I was helping Beth—the darn hatchling just leaped out of the water and latched on to me until I smashed it against the lake’s retaining wall.
Beth got a couple little bites on her arms. I guess the Arcana don’t taste good to the hatchlings when they have another meat option.
Lucas and Jack still freaked out that she had me holding her belt while she leaned over the lake’s retaining wall and dunked the upper half of her body into the water in order to grab the boy.
He was a mess. Lots of little chunks out of his arms and legs, and I think he lost part of an ear.
The Lovecraft patrol boat came and took him to a hospital, since the park only has basic first aid stuff. ”
“And Beth?”
“Lucas said she’s stuck doing office work until she acquires enough sense to match her courage. He was steamed.”
Hearing the admiration in Colin’s voice—and certain the admiration wasn’t aimed at Lucas—Charles sighed. The boy certainly did have a crush on Beth Fahey. “We’re taking the ferry this afternoon and spending a night at the hotel. Will you be off work so that we can spend time with you?”
“Everything shuts down before dark, so we can hang for the evening. Is Jazz coming with you?”
“Yes. Why?”
“The Arcana are pissed off about the boy’s mom blaming them instead of admitting she wasn’t paying attention to her kid, so you’re going to have to sign a form before they let you on the ferry.
I heard it says that the Arcana aren’t responsible if any unsupervised child ends up being mauled or eaten by any carnivores who live in the park.
I guess the Arcana have mega-scary lawyers, because when I mentioned that humans tend to sue people when a kid gets run over or mauled or whatever, Lucas smiled and said that wouldn’t be a problem after their attorneys explained a few things about fate. ”
His boy was a bundle of terrifying information. “We’ll be over this afternoon.”
“Wicked. I have presents. Dad? Could you bring my e-reader?”
“Will I be able to find it in your room?” Charles asked dryly.
“Sure. I think. Mom will know where to look.”
“I’ll text you after we check in.” He ended the call, then looked at all the detectives staring at him.
“I guess being chained to a desk doing grunt work is the equivalent of house arrest,” Grace finally said.
“Jack was freaking out.” Seibert looked pale. “He meant Jack Frost?”
Charles nodded.
“Did you know your former detective was a holy terror when she was working here?”
“No, and I don’t think Lucas Frost knew either when he hired her. I think that aspect of her personality bloomed when she crossed the river.” Or after she’d spent a couple of days in Jack Frost’s company. Still, he hoped Colin was exaggerating about Jack freaking out.
69
Beth checked the time on the computer and pushed away from the desk.
It was time to feed the fishies. The auxiliary computer and desk were tucked into a corner of Lucas’s office and looked like they were a planned part of the space.
The industrial-sized metal cart that held a large aquarium with a sliding mesh cover had been added yesterday.
Lucas and Jack had positioned the cart so that she couldn’t ignore the aquarium’s inhabitants. They certainly didn’t ignore her.