“Would you like anything to drink?” he asks me.
“No, thank you, Lieutenant.”
Only in my head do I call him Blade. He’s a good man, a solid soldier. I sound cocky even to myself as I say this. He’s old enough to be my father, after all. His experience is invaluable to us all. But he gave a lesson at the academy once that has stuck with me through the years.
“No Keeper is infallible,” he said. “Suspect even the least suspicious and the most distinguished. Because the higher a Keeper climbs, the more there is to lose. This makes him more open to corruption than the lowest ranking Keeper. So keep your eye on your leaders, just as much as we keep our eyes on you.”
Ever since then, I’ve been keeping an eye on him. Just for fun at first. But lately, he’s been acting strange. He’s careful with what he says and accusatory towards Savvy members. He has the air of someone who now sees the world differently, and thinks everyone else thinks the same way too.
Evil men believe everyone is corrupt.
That’s what the book of Rules and Morals says, just before it advises us to beware of evil among us.
“I’ve called you here for a specific reason,” Blade is saying.
I nod and listen intently.
“I would like you to investigate something. It has to be you, one of our best men.”
“Alright. What is it you’d like me to investigate?”
“An anonymous source has come to me and told me that there has been some illegal activity in the forest lately.”
“What kind of illegal activity?”
“One of our own was seen hiding something there a week ago. I’d like you to find out what it is.”
“And you’d like me to handle it alone?”
“Yes,” Blade says with conviction. “This is a sensitive issue. It might have something to do with the recent lack of rain and the rotting of vegetation where the Keeper hid whatever is down there.”
“I’ll go there at dusk. No one will be out in the forest at that time unless they’re doing something they shouldn’t be doing.”
“Good. You’re dismissed.”
I bow my head slightly and find my way out of the castle. So that’s why Blade has been wary of everyone. Someone has broken a Rule. And now I’ve been entrusted with the duty of finding out who this culprit is. Not bad, John, not bad at all.
As I make my way back to my apartment, I can’t help but think about Dana. She’s probably gone by now. It’s not like her to hang around doing nothing. She might be at the training arena. Or in the library. But I hope, for some reason, she’s still waiting for me.
I arrive home, unlock the door and swing it open. And there she is. She’s wearing nothing. A warm, sweet-savory aroma floats around us as I walk into the room. So she’s made dinner, too? It’s my lucky day. I didn’t even know she could cook.
Something about this picture seems skewed. How odd that I get a great assignment from Blade the same day that Dana springs a surprise dinner on me. Do good things ever come in pairs? But right now, I can barely think straight. Dana’s walking towards me -hips swaying invitingly. Her black hair is wrapped in a bun on her head. I’m tempted to untie it and let it fall on those alabaster shoulders. But then that would hide that glorious long neck.
I take her into my arms, burying my head in the crook of her neck. She smells so good.
“Not so fast. You have to eat first,” she says as she pushes me away.
I wish this night would never end.
Chapter 10
Dana was sleeping when I left. Fitfully. As if she was worried about something. I don’t quite understand what it is about tonight. I’ve been uneasy too.
I drive down to the forest with the shovel in the trunk. I could just use my abilities but it’s not necessary. I could do with some exercise after all the sleeping I did today. I know from intuition where the rotting portion of earth is. Keepers are bestowed with an internal compass that leads them to whatever point on the earth we need to get to. We don’t need ‘directions’.
I shine the headlights on the, now, yellow rectangle on the ground. It lies under a diseased tree that stands out from the rest of the lush greenery of the forest. As I take all this in, my worst fears churn inside my stomach. There isn’t just ‘something’ hidden here. There’s a body. The body of a Journeyman. Growing up, we all learn about Keeper-killers. Keepers who kill Journeymen. The Journeymen learn about them too. These are the classic signs of one such grave site. A travesty has been committed.
I drop to my knees to honor this sacred site, horrified at what has happened. As I bow my head in reverence, I feel the heat of an angry Keeper’s eyes boring through me. And then I feel it again but from a different angle this time. Then again. I raise my head and realize that I am surrounded.
“Sergeant Howard, get up and move toward my voice,” I can hear Blade saying to me.
He moves into the white of the headlights and my eyes fall on his.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” he asks me.
“What’s going on? What are you doing?”
“Drop the act, Howard. We know what you’ve done,” a familiar voice answers.
He’s a member of Savvy, a good friend of mine. My mind is racing. I can’t digest the reality of what’s happening to me.
They think I killed the Journeyman.
As my friends shove me into the backseat of my car and drive me back to Espérer -the Bureau of Corrections, no doubt- I remember what Dana said to me this morning.
“John, you would never lie to me, would you?”
“I never have and I never will,” I told her.
“So I can trust you?”
“You know you can.”
“Have you ever been in a situation where there are two people you love and you have to decide who’s lying to you and who’s not?” she asked me.
“The one who really loves you wouldn’t put you in that situation.”
I thought I saw tears in her eyes then. But maybe I was wrong because Dana doesn’t cry.
“Promise me you will always tell me the truth, even when it might cost you everything,” she said.
I promised her. I hope she believed me.
PART IV
THE DECISION
Chapter 11
Sophie shook herself out of her boots and put them away in the closet near the front door.
“I can’t believe I have an entire closet just for putting my coat away as soon as I get home.”
Her daughter was sitting on the sofa, watching the news.
“I can’t believe they’ve got the guy who killed Dad.”
“I thought I’d be first to tell you.”
“They held a press conference as soon as you left the police station.”
Rosie looked over at her mother.
“Are you ok?” she asked.
Sophie hadn’t been herself ever since Maximilian’s disappearance and Rosie was beginning to understand her mother would never be the same again.
“I’m fine, Rosie. Don’t worry about me. Simone isn’t doing so good. She keeps forgetting things I taught her ages ago. I don’t think she should go back to school next year. I’ll apply for a homeschooling permit under special circumstances.”
“You can do that?”
“I’m not sure. I heard such a thing exists. If I apply now while people remember what’s happened to us, maybe we’ll get it.”
“It’s worth a try,” Rosie said.
She didn’t know how to say it but she knew she had to tell her mother. At the same time, how would that help? Who would believe them if they told the world a decorated Great Keeper, second-in-command to Captain Dana Reeves had done it? She’d have to find another way.
Sophie sat down next to Rosie and took her hand, “It’s over. They’ve closed the case.”
Rosie expected that some form of relief would accompany those words but her mother’s voice had a hollow ring to it instead.
“Yes, Mom
. It’s over.”
She would have to solve this herself. She picked up the phone and searched for Joseph’s name in her contacts.
***
“Missing Outer Metz yet?” Joseph joked as he walked through the front door.
“Nope,” Rosie laughed. “How about you? Are you liking your new home?”
“It’s heaven.”
“We’ll be in the study, Mom,” Rosie called out to her mother, leading Joseph down to a room filled with sunlight and books.
“I can’t believe it,” Joseph said. “We should have told them who we saw.”
“That wouldn’t have made a difference. They’re just as corrupt as everyone else,” Rosie answered bitterly.
“You don’t know that. Maybe they made a mistake during the course of their investigation. It’s our fault they got the wrong guy.”
“I don’t think it’s that simple. I called the detective assigned to our case in Metz. Guess who was involved in the investigation on the Keeper’s end.”
“Lieutenant Blade.”
Rosie nodded.
“But I thought they have a representative from the Bureau ---.”
“Blade took over from the representative claiming he wanted to personally make sure justice was done.”
Joseph was pacing the study floor, like he always did when his mind was working.
“What? What are you thinking, Joseph?”
“I’m thinking that there’s one person who will definitely care about the truth. It’s what he does with it that I’m afraid of.”
Chapter 12
Joseph and Rosie arrived at work even earlier the next day, knowing that the man from Finance always came in two hours before everyone else. He liked to order a coffee whenever he was near the food court, but that was rare. Usually, food was brought up to the offices of higher level employees. The man was the only member of top management that showed his face at the food court. He wore tailored navy blue or grey suits that showed off his athletic figure. He had a compelling face that made you think he was somebody even before he introduced himself. His brown hair curved into loose curls that gave his serious demeanor a fun edge. Women could barely contain themselves when he was near and men made way for him as he passed. He walked slowly and deliberately, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Even though he worked harder than most, he left the building at the end of every day. He seemed to have a life -which added to his intrigue.
As the man from Finance walked into the Biolance building, Joseph retrieved a clean cup and filled it with the man’s favorite brew.
“Good morning, sir,” Rosie said brightly.
“Good morning. How are you today?”
“I’m very well, thank you. And… um…,” Rosie suddenly didn’t know how to proceed with their plan.
Joseph stepped in, “We’ve come across some information that we thought you might find useful.”
“You get straight to the point, don’t you?”
“Well, we thought you might not have time…,” Joseph’s voice trailed off as he grappled for the right words.
The man looked from Joseph to Rosie and shrugged coolly.
“What information do you have? And what does it have to do with me?” he said.
“Uh, it’s… sensitive,” Rosie explained as he handed him a folded piece of paper.
The man took the note, unfolded it succinctly and looked back at his new friends. Rosie could feel the sweat running from her armpits as she returned the man’s stare. Glancing at the note one more time, the man nodded and walked away.
***
The 118th floor of Biolance headquarters was renowned among the employees as the most frightening place in the building. It was where careers were made or broken. Today, it was also where Rosie and Joseph were headed after their shift. As the elevator climbed to the 118th floor, Joseph glanced at Rosie. She returned the worried look before going back to concentrating on the climbing red numbers on the panel above the elevator doors. As soon as the elevator pinged ‘118’, they stepped out and were greeted by a well-groomed man sitting behind a counter. He immediately stood up and led them to a door marked ‘1’.
‘1’, Rosie thought, not Dr. Temba or Dr. Zack Temba. Just ‘1’.
The well-groomed man knocked briefly on the door and then opened it.
“Dr. Temba, your five-thirty appointment is here,” he said, then waved them in, closed the door behind them and disappeared.
Rosie looked around at the white office, her hands shaking as she twisted her fingers into knots. The desk -behind which sat a tall, white-haired man dressed in an expensive black suit and white shirt- was carved out of marble. In fact, that seemed to be the theme for the entire room. Everything, even the stationery, was in white. Dr. Temba waved the two caterers to two white chairs at the other side of his desk and opposite him.
“Please. Sit,” he said as he motioned to the chairs.
Joseph and Rosie sat down quietly, not wanting to speak until they were allowed to.
“I’m Zack Temba,” the white-haired man said. “Tell me who you are.”
Rosie stuttered as she tried to remember her own name. Thankfully, Joseph was already saying his name and reciting his genealogy.
Zack Temba raised his hand to stop Joseph’s rambling, “Just your name, please. And you are?”
“Rosie. I’m Rosie.”
“Well, it’s lovely to meet you both,” Zack Temba said cordially.
A smile spread across his face, knitting his white brows together.
“And what brings you to the 118th floor?”
Joseph was about to say ‘you called for us’ when Rosie started, “We have something you might be interested in. We know who really killed Maximilian Moreau.”
“Do you? And Maximilian Moreau is… was your father?”
Zack Temba gestured towards Rosie. The whole thing seemed to amuse him in some way, as if he was watching a delectable drama unfolding before his eyes.
Rosie swallowed her pride and continued, “Yes. He was murdered by a Keeper as you know. But not by Sergeant John Howard.”
“Really?” Zack Temba raised an eyebrow. “Then who dunnit?”
“It was ---.”
Zack Temba held up his hand, instantly silencing Rosie.
“That’s not how you negotiate, young lady.”
He paused and folded his hands on the table in front of him.
“You want something from me, don’t you?”
Rosie cast a sideways glance at Joseph, who nodded.
“Yes, I’d like something from you,” Rosie admitted.
Zack Temba nodded, “Then you should tell me what it is first before you lay all your cards on the table. Once I know what you want, I can tell you whether I care enough to exchange your information for that price.”
“I’m not talking about money,” Rosie said.
“Neither am I,” Zack Temba smiled mysteriously.
Rosie couldn’t decide whether he was joking or not. But she leaned towards ‘not’ -just to be on the safe side.
“Ok. Well, I want to punish the man who killed my father.”
“And?”
“That’s all.”
“That can’t be all. You’re asking for too little. If your information is valuable, why wouldn’t you ask for more?”
“I don’t want anything else.”
“Then leave my office right now.”
“But ----.”
“Little girl, do you really think revenge is enough?”
“It’s enough for me.”
“Will it bring your father back?”
“N-no.”
“Will it restore your mother to how she was before all this happened?”
“How do you know she’s ---?”
“I’ve lived many lives in one, little girl. I know what death can do to people. Now answer my question.”
“No, it won’t take her back to being who she used to be. Nothing will ever be the same again.”
“And for all that pain, you want to punish one man? And only that?”
“No.”
“No? What else do you want, Rosie?”
“I want you to help me punish the Keepers. I want to expose them for the useless frauds they are. I want to show the world that Purpose can be found through taking the opportunities given to us, instead of wishing upon some supernatural beings to save us ---.”
Only then did Rosie notice Joseph gripping her wrist below the desk. But Zack Temba was already smiling his approval.
“For that price and that price alone, I am willing to hear this… information.”
As Rosie released herself from Joseph’s grip, she said, “Lieutenant Nick Blade killed my father.”
Chapter 13
Blade raised the teacup to his lips and sipped thoughtfully. A sense of calm enveloped him as he thought about how well his plan had worked out. Even if John tried to contest the murder charge held against him, no one would listen to him now. It was done. Sergeant John Howard had already been branded a traitor and there was no coming back from that. Blade had personally stripped John of his position and rank, holding back the pangs of guilt that threatened him. But now, as he sat in his home, peace reigned supreme.
He leafed through his copy of the book of Rules and Morals, the handbook all Keepers lived by.
Thou shalt not smite a Journeyman, the act of which shall result in exile, the stripping of abilities and shame for all eternity.
The words swam in front of his face, seeming unreal and unrelated to him. He had solved his predicament but he did not know what would happen to him now that they had an innocent man in custody. He knew that the elements would gradually turn on the Keepers in a bid to give the culprit an opportunity to come forward on his own. But no one had ever told him what would happen if the culprit still chose not to come forward. And no Keeper had ever been stubborn enough to try and find out what would happen -until now.
Freeze: A Dystopian Urban Fantasy Military Romance (The Great Keeper Series Book 1) Page 4
