Down in Whisper (9781311456113)

by Elizabeth, Bonnie

  “It’s a good thing the military doesn’t know about Peter and Marcus,” Colleen commented. “They’d be trying to figure out how to use them and all the other creatures to their advantage.”

  “They can write Peter off,” Meg said. “He doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do and if they really pissed him off, they’d be sorry. Marcus could get in more trouble because he’s half human and can’t just disappear like Peter can. He’s also not nearly as powerful.”

  “So it’s either something you and I could do or else it has to be something that’s normally abnormal for this area,” Dillon said. “I mean if it’s like the neighbors and you know what’s happening and they don’t normally get visitors at 2 AM, you pay attention if someone shows up. But, if they’re normally up at 2 AM, you might not notice.”

  “Probably,” Meg agreed. She could feel Peter agreeing with Dillon’s premise.

  “So it couldn’t have been too strange or at least it didn’t look that way,” Dillon said. “Could an air spirit or someone like Marcus be used to help them with moving a body?”

  “I don’t think there is anyone like Marcus,” Meg said slowly. “At least not that anyone is aware of. Peter says he hasn’t really looked because Marcus’s existence is so unusual though.”

  “Can he look?” Dillon asked.

  “He’s already doing it, but I’m not sure how successful he’ll be. He’s asking air spirits to search around for another spirit like Marcus. They might have seen something but forgotten that it could be important.”

  “But in the more mundane area, it is possible it’s just a high tech type ability to get people from point A to point B,” Colleen said, ever the pragmatist. She had no real issues with working with earth and air spirits but she would always opt for the natural answer first. In many ways Meg found that far more comfortable.

  “What about some fancy GPS?” Meg asked. “Only more than that? And if the pilot was equipped with a tracker of some sort? Could the plane have had a destruct button of some sort and the pilot was trying to get away and set it off?”

  “All good questions,” Colleen said. “The fact that we’ve found nothing like a GPS unit is interesting. I’d have thought we’d see something like that either on the pilot or the plane.”

  “I did a search,” Dillon said. “Not handheld. I don’t think John found anything in the plane but he may not have examined all the instruments just yet. I mean nothing was labelled. At all.”

  “I don’t like him out there alone,” Colleen said. “These guys can come in without a sound and disappear. He might have military training but he’s not a young man anymore.”

  “And the fact is that a lot of people dealing with this case have been going missing.” Dillon held up a hand raising fingers to make his point. “The pilot is missing and who knows what was going on with the owner of the machine shop except that he wasn’t there when Rain visited. The plane held seats for up to four, so there could be three more people missing. There could be others in different places that we don’t know about at all.”

  “I think John’s fairly safe because he’s on Whisper proper. Peter will keep a close eye on him.”

  “I expect an earth spirit could be handy like that,” Dillon grinned. The top of their lean-to was done. Meg finished tying a knot while Dillon laid out some wood, carefully setting it so that it would light easily.

  “Do you think this is safe?” Colleen said. “I know it’s for our comfort but what if those folks don’t like how close we are to where the pilot was.” She looked around the area as if looking for someone that shouldn’t be there.

  “As I said earlier, better us than some unsuspecting hikers,” Dillon responded easily. “Are you going to take first watch or am I?”

  “I’ll do first watch but it doesn’t start until after you heat something up to eat. I’m hungry. If I’m living this dangerously I need food.”

  Meg smiled. She really could enjoy this woman as a friend. Meg pulled out two dried stew packets and some water. Dillon started working on lighting the fire. Colleen pulled out some peanut butter and flat bread as well as chocolate. Meg revised her assessment. She needed to get to know Colleen as a friend.

  “This doesn’t look military though,” Colleen said. “I mean, I know Rain saw the military trucks in the Valley the other day but this doesn’t smack of it. A pilot wouldn’t walk away from the plane and civilization.”

  Meg licked peanut butter from her fingers as she listened to Dillon’s response.

  “Could it be a contractor? And when they didn’t find the plane they called them in?”

  Meg filled a small pot with water for when Dillon got the fire going as Colleen shrugged. “Or, could it be that the military saw something weird on radar and is trying to find it? Maybe the contractor doesn’t want the US government to know about it.” Meg looked up at them, after speaking.

  Dillon and Colleen turned to eye Meg carefully. Dillon swallowed. “Not what I wanted to hear thank you.”

  “It does suggest that this company could be more dangerous than we’ve given them credit for,” Colleen said. “I’ve sort of assumed that they were probably working for us not against us but I shouldn’t have done so, not until finding out otherwise.”

  Dillon got the fire going but he eyed it warily. “Maybe we shouldn’t keep the fire going all night.”

  “It’s going to be cold and wet,” Colleen said. “I think it’s worth the risk so we’re not half way to hypothermia tomorrow when we go back to Whisper.”

  Meg got up, stretching and searched the area around her, but nothing seemed to have changed. She could even hear the crack of a small branch and the sudden movement that signaled a startled animal. The sounds moved away from the camp, just as they should.

  Nothing seemed out of place, although Meg was no longer certain what was in place and what was not. She continued to circle the camp until Colleen stood up to signal her that there was food. Meg returned gratefully, even as the rain started to come down in earnest.

  Rain

  “I haven’t found anything yet,” Zari said trotting in front of RaeLynn as they came out for a quick meal break. I had set everything up in the conference room because it had the largest table. Kyle was already there with his computer. Apparently he planned to eat and work at the same time.

  “I didn’t expect you would,” I told her.

  “Peter is quite puzzled about how the body disappeared, though,” Zari said.

  “What do you mean that Peter is concerned about the body disappearing?” I asked her. Kyle looked up from the sushi he was placing on his plate.

  RaeLynn also looked interested even as she bustled around making sure I had plenty of napkins and chopsticks. I hadn’t started making my choices yet, as I was getting the sashimi tuna on a plate for Zari A. I’d also grabbed some lettuce from the mushroom tempura container to add to it. She did need her greens.

  “I didn’t tell you?” Zari purred innocently, rubbing against my hand as I worked on her food.

  “No,” I said.

  “Apparently when Dillon and Meg and Colleen got to the place where Dillon left the pilot, he was gone.”

  “You mean he left?” Kyle asked.

  “It does not appear that way. Besides, Dillon was quite certain he was dead. Your dead do not normally walk, do they?” Zari asked, mentally, while her cat body let out an excited little squeak at the smells of tuna. I was much more interested in the smell coming from the tempura mushrooms. They had some sort of sauce across the top that looked divine.

  “So what do you mean?” I asked, holding the bowl away until she gave us the full story.

  “Peter is telling me what he is hearing from Meg,” Zari said, as if this made a difference.

  I continued to hold the bowl as RaeLynn put a few more pot stickers on her plate. Kyle continued to dish up his food, taking one of those marvelous smelling tempura mushrooms.

  “They think that someone moved the body. There are more fo
otprints near where Dillon left the body. The problem is that the footprints go nowhere and they did not find anyone else in the area,” Zari said.

  I placed her dish down and she started to delicately pick at her food, careful to get none on her chin or anywhere but her little pink tongue.

  “So the pilot was gone and there was no one else around, just footprints?” I clarified.

  Zari agreed.

  I started putting tempura on my plate. Raelynn grabbed one as well. She liked sushi well enough but I was finding she seemed to prefer her food cooked. I’d have to get a full order of tempura next time, especially if it included the mushrooms and that sauce.

  “So how did the people get in and out?” RaeLynn asked, clearly listening in on the conversation.

  “No one knows,” Zari said. She continued to eat. There were clearly advantages of being able to communicate telepathically, particularly if you were a cat and weren’t worried about your weight.

  “You worry about weight too much. You get yours in all the appropriate places,” Zari snorted, looking up at me for a moment.

  Kyle grinned rather suggestively, meaning Zari hadn’t just directed the comment at me. I was glad I didn’t blush easily.

  “Helicopter?” RaeLynn asked.

  “I wonder if Meg has had Peter contact Marcus?” I thought out loud.

  Zari said she had.

  We continued to toss ideas around on what might have happened until our food took the edge off our hunger. Kyle started poking at his computer, even as he continued to eat.

  “Finding anything about missing pilots?” I asked.

  “Nothing. Mostly I’ve looking at employee lists of the companies that hired Tayler and Sons to see if there was anyone that showed up on Langea.”

  “Anything?” I asked.

  “Not there. I did find that the security company involved in my case for Evans, Priory and DeCaire has a link to Taylor and Sons. Several companies that employ Taylor employ them as well. I don’t know if that means anything,” Kyle said.

  “Who is it?” RaeLynn asked. She had a tablet with her for making notes. No doubt she’d do her magic later and compare notes with Kyle.

  “Darmacci Enterprises,” Kyle said. “They’re based out of Seattle. I’ve got quite a lot on them already.”

  RaeLynn raised an eyebrow, as if she wasn’t pleased that he was questioning her ability to find more.

  “I was investigating them because they’re the company involved with my potential burglar.”

  “And you’re investigating this company why? Shouldn’t you focus on the employee?” I asked.

  “Checking on any other employee issues to make sure they don’t make a habit of hanging their employees out to dry. Also to see if there’s anyone there who might have a grudge against the defendant.”

  “What do they specialize in?” RaeLynn asked.

  “They do security for all sorts of companies. Mostly warehouse type storage but anyone who needs something on a short term basis. They have a few longer term clients, but they mostly specialize having in bodies on site rather than the whole security system with cameras and monitoring.”

  I nodded, not unfamiliar with that niche. I had thought about that model starting out but it seemed tough to make a go of it long term. Dillon brought a lot of knowledge and had suggested the whole system package with full computer monitoring for those who wanted it. He and Zari had talked about setting up a proprietary security system based on her technical knowledge. She was already making plans. Zari, of course, often came up with rather bizarre ideas as well as solid suggestions.

  “So what about your burglar?” I asked.

  “Accused,” Kyle corrected absently. “He’s been charged with breaking and entering the place he was supposed to be guarding. He admits breaking in but said it was there was something wrong inside and he needed to check it out. Instead of being rewarded at finding something missing from the company, they’re accusing him of stealing it.”

  “Interesting.”

  “I’ve already made a note to call my uncle tomorrow so I can interview this guy directly. I’ll let Chris know it’s about an unrelated case, but I might get something they can use too. If this plane is involved, our guy could be a scapegoat.”

  “Seems a little too neat that you’d stumble upon that just now.” I put another tempura in my mouth. It continued to taste as good as it had smelled. I would definitely be ordering these again.

  “Of course, it could be typical for a company like Langea or whoever their parent is,” Kyle said. “Have lots of tendrils in different places so no one really knows exactly what they’re involved in.”

  “I don’t like that people keep disappearing around this case,” RaeLynn said. “I hope Meg is okay.”

  Kyle and I nodded, thinking about it. It wasn’t just people who disappeared, now it seemed to be items. I wondered what they were.

  “Do you know what was supposed to be in the warehouse?”

  Kyle shook his head. “First they hedged. Basically just company property and bigger than a breadbox. When it looked like that wouldn’t get them anywhere they said they were storing circuit breaker parts and miscellaneous electronics. But they had to have a ton of them because they’re claiming huge damages. My first thought was some sort of drug smuggling but now I don’t know.”

  “So why hire out if they were moving drugs or anything else you want to keep secret?” I asked. “And a place that specialized in temp jobs?”

  Kyle shook his head. “See why I’m stumped? Nothing makes sense. But if they are connected to this plane somehow...”

  “I hope that when they come back Meg, Dillon and Colleen at least have some clues.”

  “I am ready to go back to work,” Zari announced as she finished licking one of her paws.

  “I am not quite ready,” RaeLynn said, taking a sip of tea. She had a couple of pieces of sushi and another pot sticker on her plate.

  “I’ll work with her while you finish,” I said. “I’ll probably be up with her half the night anyway.”

  “I won’t be too long,” RaeLynn told me. I got up and walked to the door while Zari hurried behind me. She ran in front of me and stood at the door to RaeLynn’s office looking back impatiently.

  “I’m coming.”

  “I am tired too and would like to get this done. Peter says Gaia is becoming quite concerned which bothers him,” Zari told me importantly.

  I sat down at the computer. Zari talked me through what I needed to do, rather impatient with me, although I realized she was used to working with RaeLynn who was far more adept at working the system than I was. The details of what needed to be done kept me from asking more about Gaia’s concerns.

  My mind wandered through the intricacies of the case while Zari told me what to type. I found myself looking at the faces of the pilots, imaging one looked a little like Brad Pitt and another a bit like a young Robert Redford. A dark haired man put me in mind of Johnny Depp. Yet another was more Jack Nicholson. I continued the star game until Zari stopped me.

  “Him,” she said but not with the complete certainty I was used to from my cat. Peter walked silently through the door as she said that, looking over my shoulder before I’d processed that he was around, making me jump.

  “I think she’s right.”

  I looked at the information I had, even as Zari had me open another screen and type some more.

  I pulled up our photo and matched it to the pilot. There was a resemblance, but the pilot in our photo had a narrower face. It looked like someone had taken the other photo through a photo editor and skewed the face so that it was longer and narrower. I could see a resemblance but I couldn’t be certain.

  “Really?” I asked.

  “The eyes,” Zari said.

  I looked at them. They had a similar expression, if birds could be said to have similar expressions to people.

  “Not seeing it.”

  “No, I do,” Peter said. “The photo on the pi
lot license shows a fuller face but I feel as if this is the same person. I do not understand the change exactly. It is him although there is something different about him.”

  I read quickly through the information she found. The pilot went by the name of Brendon Gaston. He started flying in the Air Force. He retired and moved into doing bush piloting in Alaska. He was only in his forties. For whatever reason he had retired from the Air Force early. There wasn’t much else on him, at least not that I found easily. That in itself was interesting. And why would a bush pilot be test flying a prototype plane?

  “Evening Peter. Did she find him?” RaeLynn asked coming into the office.

  “We did.”

  “He’s a bush pilot,” I told her. “Which seems weird.”

  “Maybe we should ask John whether that’s the sort of plane it was?” RaeLynn asked. “Maybe we’re seeing spies and military when it’s just for transport in the wild areas of Alaska?”

  “What about the weapons?” Peter asked. “The metal was used on them. I doubt moose see planes coming and fire back.”

  RaeLynn made a sigh. “I’ll see what I can find out about the guy.” She moved into the seat, examining the two photos. “You’re sure those are the same guys?”

  “Yes,” Zari said. She was much more certain now that Peter was backing her up.

  “Our dead guy looks sort of cartoonish. I wonder why?”

  I shrugged. Peter said nothing. He was leaning back against the wall, head turned to one side as if he was having a conversation with the wall. Of course, with Peter you never knew.

  “There doesn’t seem to be much here,” I said, pointing at the information.

  “There’s always something to be found,” RaeLynn smiled. “You just need to know how to ask. Zari has the computer skills but she doesn’t yet have the finesse to know exactly how to ask.”

  And of course, the implication was that neither did I. Well, after all, this wasn’t my area. I was the money girl and the administrative person. I tried not to let my wounded ego get to me, but Zari’s smirk made it hard to do.

  “I’ll go call Amy and ask her if Marcus saw anything when he gave the area a look over. I want to be sure everyone is safe too,” I said as I left the room. No one stopped me. Either my phone skills impressed them or I really wasn’t needed.