*
The brushes, rags, polish and other items lay in a neat semicircle around the spot where Katryn was kneeling. Her eyes ran over them one last time, checking that nothing was missing; then she picked up a cloth and pulled the first saddle toward her. She was just starting her search for dried mud when she was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps and voices. She looked up to see the members of B Patrol entering the stables, with Tina in the lead. Jan Sivarajah was also present, but fortunately, not Sergeant Ellis.
“How’s it going?” Tina asked.
“Just started.”
“I could give you a hand.”
Katryn was taken by surprise at the offer. “I…er…thanks. But Ellis has threatened to stop by later, and she wouldn’t be pleased if she found you helping me.”
Tina shrugged. “Tough. She’s never pleased about anything anyway.”
“Well…” Katryn looked at the pile of saddles and harnesses; then she shook her head. “No, it’s okay. My free time is canceled, so I can’t leave the barracks. I might as well have something to do to pass the time. But thank you.”
“If you’re sure,” Tina conceded.
The other members of B Patrol filed through the open doorway. Nikki and Pat moved farther in and went to check their horses in the stalls while the rest gathered around the spot where Katryn was kneeling. Their faces held a range of expressions from supportive grins to awkward sympathy, but none held any hostility—at least, none directed at her. They all clearly felt that Ellis had treated her badly and were prepared to make a token show of solidarity with her. However, they were not at ease. Alliances within the patrol were shifting, and no one was too sure where things were heading.
“You’re going into town?” Katryn asked. It was not a serious question, just words to demonstrate friendly interest—something that had been lacking in the past.
“Thought we’d check out a tavern or two,” Sal answered.
“Just one tavern, and not for long,” Jan said firmly. “We don’t want to be tackling cats with hangovers tomorrow.”
“I didn’t know the cats drank alcohol,” Bo joked. Sal barged her with one shoulder.
The foolery softened the tension. Tina grinned and flexed her shoulders as though she were adjusting the weight of a rucksack. Jan picked up a rope that had been dropped just inside the door and began to coil it. Pat left her horse and came to stand in the doorway, resting her back against the frame and staring vacantly at the roof of the smithy.
“Did we decide where we’re going?” Nikki called over.
“Someone said the White Swan,” Tina replied.
“Why there?”
“Not so far to stagger home,” Bo joined in again. “Always assuming I can get something to drink,” she added thoughtfully.
“Is that in doubt?” Sal asked.
“Could be. I’ve just realized that I’ve left my money in my locker. My purse was on my knife belt. I forgot to keep hold of it when I took the belt off,” Bo explained.
“Clown! Go and get it.” Tina shoved her toward the door.
“Right. I’ll meet you by the gates in a couple of minutes.” Bo jogged away.
Nikki wandered over. “I don’t like having to leave my trail knife behind. I wonder if I could hide it inside my jacket. Will they really search us on the way out?”
“That’s what Bergstrom said. And a knife isn’t easy to hide,” Sal spoke up.
“I could slip it down my neck so it lies against my spine.”
“That’s an old trick. You can guarantee that the sentries will pat your back to check.”
“And why are you so keen to take your knife?” Tina asked dryly. “You’ve already carved your initials on the wall of every outhouse in town.”
Nikki grinned awkwardly “It’s just...supposing that someone has a grudge against Rangers? The sentries search us on the way out to make sure we’re not armed, but no one is searching the townsfolk when they leave home. It puts us at a disadvantage.”
“Another good reason for the White Swan. It’s got two exits,” Tina said.
“All taverns do, if you talk nicely to the bar staff.” Pat’s voice came from the doorway.
“And we won’t ask how you know.” Jan grinned and held up the neatly coiled rope. “This belongs in the stores. I’ll just go and see if the door’s open. Adebayo might be working late.” She trotted off and returned a few seconds later. “No, I’ve left it by the door. The next person in should see it.”
After further shuffling around, the Rangers exchanged expectant looks. Nobody seemed sure what to say, but eventually, Sal spoke. “So are we ready to go?” She smiled apologetically at Katryn to show that there was nothing personal in her desire to leave the stables. There were a few grunts and nods of agreement; then the Rangers headed out. As each one left, Katryn smiled or waved goodbye.
Alone once more, she sat staring at the open doorway. It was the friendliest exchange she’d had with her patrol comrades since the night she had joined the 12th. She thought of the dozens of times she had watched the others set out for an evening of drinking. For the first time, she wished she were going as well.
*
Katryn was halfway through the eight saddles when she heard footsteps. She glanced up as Sergeant Ellis appeared at the entrance to the stables. Katryn started to scramble to her feet. “As you were,” Ellis snarled.
“Yes, ma’am.” Katryn dropped back to her knees. Her lips tightened in a line. It was unclear whether the order also meant to continue working. Of course, she would be wrong either way, slacking if she gave Ellis her attention or ignoring her superior if she concentrated on the saddles. After a second’s pause, she picked up the polishing rags. Seeing that she could not win, she might as well look at Ellis as little as possible.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
“No, ma’am.” Certainly not since you arrived, Katryn added to herself.
“Put that cloth down and pay attention to me when I’m talking to you.”
Despite the aggression in Ellis’ voice, Katryn had to fight to keep the smile off her face. The petty vindictiveness was quite predictable. “Yes, ma’am.”
Ellis leaned against the doorjamb and studied her. For a long while, the only sounds in the stables came from the horses. Then Ellis’ lips pulled back in a parody of a smile, and she took a key out of her top pocket. “I’ve borrowed the key to the stores from the quartermaster. I thought I’d have a little look around in there.”
That will be nice for you, ma’am. Katryn bit back the words. From Ellis’ tone, she was clearly supposed to deduce something, although she did not have a clue as to what.
“Do you think you’ve done well for yourself today?”
I’ve saved Tina’s life, and I’ve started to make friends with the rest of the patrol. Aloud, Katryn said, “Obviously not, ma’am.”
“Obviously?” Ellis’ tone made it a question.
“If I’d done well, you wouldn’t have canceled my free time, ma’am.”
A flush of anger darkened Ellis’ face, but there was nothing in the words that she could object to, and Katryn was careful to keep any sarcasm from her voice. Ellis glared. “It takes more than a few lucky shots to make a marksman.”
“I know, ma’am.”
“And it takes more than a gray and green uniform to make a Ranger.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You’ll never be a proper Ranger. You should have stayed in the Militia.”
Katryn clenched her jaw. At last, there was something that she and Ellis agreed on. The sergeant left her position by the door and crouched down so that her face was scant centimeters away from Katryn’s. “Why did you leave the Militia?”
“Personal reasons.”
“And you wouldn’t like to share those reasons with me?”
“No, ma’am.”
Ellis nodded as though the answer was significant. “You weren’t running away?”
“From what?” Katry
n’s anger started to kick in.
“You tell me.” Ellis moved back slightly. “You turned down promotion. You must have been frightened about something catching up with you.” There was gloating in Ellis’ eyes. She stood up. “Carry on with your work. I’ll talk to you again later, after I’ve checked the stores.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Katryn watched Ellis’ back disappear down the passageway between the storeroom and the rear of the mess hall. Anger gave way to confusion and apprehension. The sergeant had been hinting at something. But what?
*
The daylight faded into a gentle dusk. Katryn considered fetching a lantern to finish her work, but she had little left to do—just one final set of reins. So instead, she opened the other half of the doorway and sat in the entrance with her back to the light. Ellis had not returned, and Katryn was not complaining. She felt quite happy. The work had been therapeutic, allowing her time to think, but not as tedious as sentry duty.
Allison had occupied a fair chunk of her thoughts. Now that her heart was starting to heal, Katryn knew that she had been overly hasty. She should have listened to Captain Kalispera. Katryn winced as she remembered their last, uncomfortable conversation. Kalispera had made no attempt to hide her resentment. Joining the Rangers had been a mistake. It was not the life Katryn wanted, but perhaps it would be possible to fit in and make a place for herself in the patrol—after Ellis had gone.
Finally, Katryn put down the polishing cloths and held up the harness to catch the last of the light. The leather was clean and supple. It would not satisfy Ellis, but there was nothing Katryn could do about that. Ellis would be able to find fault with the work of the Blessed Himoti herself.
The sound of footsteps made Katryn flinch, but she immediately realized there was more than one set of feet making the noise. This was confirmed by the chatter of voices. B Patrol was returning from the tavern. She looked over her shoulder to see the strung-out group walking toward her. Tina and Sal were the first to reach the stable.
“How’s it going?” Sal called out while she was still a few meters away.
“Just finished.”
“Good timing. We can help you tidy up.”
Katryn smiled and got to her feet. She felt numb from sitting on the ground so long. Her hands were sticky from the wax polish, and she restrained the impulse to scratch her nose.
Tina bent down to pick up one of the saddles. “I hope you got mine nice and shiny.” Her tone was deadpan, but Katryn could tell that she was teasing.
Jan, Bo and Pat strolled in next. They also lent a hand with the job of placing the saddles and harnesses in the tack boxes. Everything was done by the time Nikki arrived, breathing heavily, as though she’d had to run to catch up. Mainly out of habit, they checked the state of the horses; then they swung the stable doors shut and began to wander back to the bunkhouse.
Katryn was passing the mess hall when a voice from the rear called out, “Hey, isn’t the door to the stores open?”
Katryn and the others backtracked slightly and peered up the alleyway. It was hard to be certain in the poor light, but the door did seem to be ajar.
“Perhaps Adebayo had to get something in an emergency?” Bo suggested uncertainly.
“Such as?” Pat asked.
Jan took the lead. She squeezed past the knot of women and walked the few meters to the doorway. Pushing it open, she stuck her head in and called, “Is everything okay? Do you—” Her voice cut off so sharply that it brought the rest running.
They crammed through the entrance. It was even darker in the storeroom than outside, but not so dark as to hide the sight of Ellis lying on the floor at the other side of the room, a dark patch of blood staining the flagstones under her and the hilt of a knife protruding from her back.
Everyone froze.
“Go get Lieutenant Bergstrom,” Jan snapped at Nikki. The sound of her voice lifted the paralysis.
Bo stumbled forward and crouched to check for a pulse in Ellis’ throat. After a few seconds, she stood up and shook her head.
Tina moved to the rear of the stores and rattled the door violently. “Locked,” she called back.
Katryn stared at the body in horror. Now that her eyes were adjusting to the light, she could tell that the handle of the knife was unmistakably that of a Ranger’s trail knife. A cold, dead weight formed in her stomach. In her ears, she could hear her own words from the morning: I’ll kill her. I swear it. I’ll kill her. She did not need to check to know that the others were already casting sideways looks in her direction.
A bustle at the entrance announced Nikki’s return, accompanied by both Bergstrom and the quartermaster. “By the Goddess.” Adebayo’s muttered oath was the only sound.
Bergstrom stepped forward. “Have you sent for a healer?”
“No, ma’am. There’s no pulse. Hassan checked,” Jan replied.
“It might be an idea to see whether they can learn anything. Panayi, go summon one from town. And somebody get a lantern.” Bergstrom crouched beside the motionless figure, waiting until yellow lamplight blossomed. “Have you seen anyone hanging around the stores this evening?” She threw the question over her shoulder.
“No, ma’am.” Jan hesitated for the briefest moment. “We’ve been at the White Swan. Private Nagata is the only one who’s been in the barracks.”
“And you, Nagata. Have you seen anything?”
Katryn took a deep breath. “No, ma’am. I’ve been working in the stable. Sergeant Ellis came to see me about an hour ago. She said she was going to the stores. I didn’t see or hear anyone else until the rest of the patrol returned.”
“It’s a Ranger’s trail knife in her back,” Bergstrom acknowledged the obvious. “And there’s no sign of a fight or a break-in. I’m afraid that leaves us with limited suspects. Quartermaster, if you stay here, Corporal Sivarajah and I will see if we can find out whose knife is missing.”
The atmosphere in the storeroom was ominous. Nothing was said; most of the Rangers simply stared at the body on the floor. Katryn could not bring herself to meet the eyes of the others. She did not want to know which of them had murdered Ellis. She certainly could not find it in her to blame the culprit. She only wished it had happened while she was somewhere else. It occurred to her that she was probably the last person, apart from the murderer, to see Ellis alive.
The fact that the murder weapon was left behind was an absurd blunder on the killer’s part—a blunder for which Katryn was very grateful. Without its evidence, things would have looked awkward for her. She had left her own knife hanging in her locker. It had to still be there, but her nerves felt frayed as the wait for the lieutenant’s return dragged on.
At last, they heard footsteps. Bergstrom strode through the door. Jan slipped in behind her. The lieutenant’s eyes flitted quickly over everyone there and finally came to rest on Katryn. “Private Nagata, can you explain why your knife is missing?”
Katryn opened her mouth, but no sound came out. I’m dreaming, she told herself. It’s a nightmare, and I’ll wake up in a second. Every eye in the storeroom fixed on her. “No…no, ma’am. I left it in my locker when I went to the stable. I don’t know where it’s gone.”
“Oh, I think we know where it’s gone.” Bergstrom’s gaze shifted purposefully to Ellis’ back. “And unless you can tell me different, it would appear that nobody apart from you had the chance to put it there.”
“No, ma’am. I didn’t do it.” Katryn barely kept the panic from her voice.
“Really?” Bergstrom’s tone was grim. “Well, this is definitely something for the captain to deal with. Hopefully, she’ll be back soon. You can save your story for her. Sivarajah, Agosta, escort Private Nagata to the lockup.”
Chapter Fifteen—The Evidence
The lockup was small, barely three meters square, divided into two unequal sections by a heavy iron grill with a padlocked gate. In the larger section were a pair of narrow bunks and a piss-pot. In the smaller section we
re a barred window and the door. There was not enough floor space between the beds for two women to pace up and down simultaneously. By midmorning, jokes about timetables were wearing thin, and the temperature was rising.
“Wait until afternoon. Then it really warms up in here,” Zoe said cheerily.
Katryn sat cross-legged on her bunk, resting her back against the wall. She tried to smile, but her mood was despondent. The other woman seemed not to notice. Having spent two days alone in the lockup, Zoe was overjoyed to have company and rambled on without any need of encouragement. The stream of chatter was wearing thin with Katryn.
“I hope I get out soon.”
Katryn nodded. Such a banal sentiment did not need a reply.
Zoe stopped talking long enough to study Katryn’s expression. “You know, I don’t blame you for stabbing Ellis.” She paused. “That’s if you did.”
Again, Katryn did not speak; she had given up protesting her innocence.
After a few seconds of silence, Zoe went on. “I’m glad I didn’t end up in Ellis’ patrol when I joined the squadron. Takeda’s a proper sergeant; she sticks up for her patrol. I mean, she was mad at me the other night, but she was still ready to listen to my side. And when I told her—you know that bitch was coming for me with a broken bottle in her hand? I used my knife in self-defense—something her friends forgot to mention when they called the Militia. Takeda came to see me yesterday. She’s spent hours tracking down independent witnesses and has all their sworn statements. There’s no way Ellis would have put herself out like that for a member of her patrol.”
“Certainly not for me,” Katryn agreed.
“Takeda has passed all the evidence on to Bergstrom. The lieutenant won’t stick her neck out and risk upsetting the mayor by releasing me, but once Dolokov gets back, I’ll be in the clear.”
Katryn tilted her head up. A large flying beetle bounced its way in circles across the ceiling, hitting the stone surface with audible cracks.
Rangers at Roadsend Page 18
