Vision in Silver

by Anne Bishop

  “He couldn’t be. Lieutenant Montgomery hasn’t been off duty enough consecutive hours to make the trip to and from Toland.”

  “You said he’d taken personal time.” Scaffoldon had latched on to those words.

  “Which began after his shift ended yesterday.” Burke got tired of dancing. “He’s taking personal time because his daughter arrived for a surprise visit.”

  “She . . . She’s there? How?”

  The surprise in the voice wasn’t genuine. Scaffoldon, or someone he’d talked to yesterday, suspected Lizzy was in Lakeside.

  “She had a ticket and got on a train,” Burke said.

  “No.” Scaffoldon’s denial bordered on vehemence. “Celia Borden, Elayne’s mother, told me Montgomery had been making threats, that Elayne feared he was going to forcibly try to take her daughter. If the girl is there, it’s because Montgomery took her and Elayne was killed when she tried to stop him.”

  “Montgomery couldn’t have made the trip,” Burke insisted. “If I were you, I’d be looking at the man who moved in with Elayne shortly after Lieutenant Montgomery moved out. He’s an unsavory character living under an assumed name.”

  “What name?” Scaffoldon asked warily.

  “Nicholas Scratch.”

  Silence. Then, “Do you know who Nicholas Scratch is?”

  Burke heard fear as well as hostility in Scaffoldon’s voice. “No. That’s the point. If I were you, I’d see what kind of alibi he has for the time of the murder.”

  “You impugn . . .”

  While he waited for Scaffoldon to regain some control, he looked toward his door, waved Kowalski and Pete Denby into his office, then held a finger to his lips to indicate he wanted them to be quiet.

  “You have no proof, none at all, that Nicholas Scratch was associated with Elayne Borden, let alone living with her,” Scaffoldon snarled. “You’re trying to smear a man’s reputation by connecting his name to a murder inquiry.”

  “Isn’t that what you’re doing by trying to drag Lieutenant Montgomery into this? My man is a seven-hour train ride away from the crime scene. Your man is in the same city. I know who I’d be talking to.”

  Silence.

  “Mrs. Borden has custody of the child,” Scaffoldon said. “We’ll arrange a police escort to bring the girl back to Toland. If she was with her mother in the train station, she’ll need to make a statement.”

  If the first gambit doesn’t work, try another, Burke thought. “Once again, you’ve been given inaccurate information. Lieutenant Montgomery has custody of his daughter. She will be staying here. We’ll take Lizzy’s formal statement later today, and I will send you a copy of the transcript. Good—”

  “Wait! What about the bear?”

  Burke gave the three men listening to his every word his fierce-friendly smile. “The bear?”

  “Mrs. Borden mentioned a stuffed bear. The girl’s favorite toy. Took it everywhere. Is it there?”

  “Most of it,” he replied pleasantly. “Little girls can be careless, and Wolves have sharp teeth.”

  Scaffoldon sucked in a breath. “It was destroyed?”

  “It lost an arm and a leg but is otherwise intact.”

  A hesitation. “Where is it now?”

  “I tucked it out of harm’s way here at the station and was going to have it mended as a surprise for Lizzy. But I can box up the pieces and send it to you if you think it will help your investigation.”

  “No,” Scaffoldon said sharply. Then his voice shifted to something that might be mistaken for courtesy. “There’s no need to do that.”

  “If you change your mind, you just let me know.”

  “Montgomery is the only one with a motive to kill Elayne Borden. If you try to shield an officer who already has a serious blotch on his record, you’re going to step on some important toes, Burke. That won’t be forgotten.”

  “You ever do a tour of duty in the wild country, Scaffoldon?”

  “It’s a punishment assignment,” Scaffoldon snapped. “No sane police officer volunteers for it. So, no, I’ve never done that kind of tour.”

  “I have. Twice. Learned a lot from the experience. That’s why I’m not intimidated by government officials or businessmen with deep pockets . . . or motivational speakers claiming to come from a wealthy family who conveniently lives on another continent. I’ve seen some of what’s out there in the dark. Those are the toes I don’t want to step on.”

  “I guess Montgomery fits in well there.”

  “Yes, he does.” Burke hung up. He rubbed his hands over his face before sitting back.

  “I guess I’d better get those custody papers processed before someone asks to see a copy,” Pete said.

  “I know a judge who owes me a favor.”

  To his credit, Pete didn’t say, Of course you do. At least not out loud.

  “Problems?” Louis asked.

  “Oh yeah,” Burke replied. “More than a few—including a CIU captain who most likely belongs to the Humans First and Last movement. He did not want Scratch connected with Elayne Borden in any way.”

  “Not surprising he belongs to the HFL,” Pete said. “You’ve got to figure some cops are going to like that tune.”

  “The shortsighted ones.” Burke looked at Kowalski. “Anything to tell me about the lieutenant?”

  “I went to his apartment last evening and packed a bag for him, brought it back to the Courtyard. Also brought him my sleeping bag. Only one single bed in those efficiency apartments. Figured stretching out on the floor might be more comfortable than sleeping in a chair.”

  He studied the young man. “What else?”

  Kowalski hesitated. “Have you heard the Others are looking to buy a couple of apartment buildings across from the Courtyard?”

  Burke tipped his head toward Pete. “I have heard that.”

  “Do you know anything I should know about those buildings?” Pete asked. “I’m the Courtyard’s attorney when they deal with human things like the purchase of a building.”

  Kowalski eyed Pete. “Simon Wolfgard asked me if Ruthie and I would be willing to live in one.”

  “It’s my understanding that you do need to find another place to live,” Burke said mildly.

  “Yes, sir, we do. But it’s the offer of a share in the gardens that has me wondering.”

  “Wolfgard called Eve yesterday evening and told her a share in the gardens would be part of her wages,” Pete said. “Then he hung up before she could ask him what that meant.”

  “I know they bring in things like beef and eggs from farms that are controlled by the terra indigene,” Kowalski said. “But it sounds like the Courtyard residents grow some of the fruits and vegetables they need. And this year human employees are being given a choice to have a share of the harvest if they help with the work.”

  “That could mean exposure to more of the Courtyard and interacting with residents who have little, if any, contact with humans,” Burke said. “How do you and Ruth feel about that?”

  “Excited. A little scared. Simon Wolfgard said the terra indigene haven’t tried to make a bargain like this with our kind of human, but he indicated that the Others do work cooperatively with Intuits and Simple Life folk. We’re willing to try.”

  “All right. Pete?”

  “The woman who owns the double wants to sell,” Pete said. “After doing a bit of research to get an idea of the asking price of other houses in the area, I made her an offer yesterday evening. I went over her asking price. Not by a lot but enough to sweeten the deal. She accepted, so I’m going over to the Courtyard this morning to explain what paperwork needs to be done in order for the Business Association to purchase a house in the human part of the city.” He turned to Kowalski. “I don’t want to appear too inquisitive about the Courtyard, but I would like to know more about this share in the garde
ns, especially because I’m not sure working for the terra indigene will qualify me or Eve to receive a family ration book.”

  “Ruthie will be able to find out more,” Kowalski said. “All the girls are meeting up this morning for a nature walk or some such thing.”

  Burke pushed back from his desk. “It sounds like several of us have business with the Others this morning.” He eyed them. “Something else?”

  “Not from me.” Louis stood up. “I’ll stay at the station and answer Monty’s phone until you say otherwise.”

  “There is something else, but I’ll wait outside,” Pete said, giving Kowalski a look before walking out with Louis.

  Burke studied the young officer. These past few months of working around the Others had seasoned Karl Kowalski in ways most cops wouldn’t experience. In some ways, working around this Courtyard was similar to a tour of duty in the wild country, except here you had a better chance of coming out of an encounter alive.

  That was the kind of seasoning Burke wanted more of his men to have.

  “What’s on your mind?” he asked.

  “Captain Scaffoldon asked about the bear, but he didn’t say anything about the jewels?”

  “No, he didn’t.”

  Kowalski was one of a handful of people in Lakeside who knew about the jewels in Boo Bear. But word would get out. With a fortune sitting inside that bear, and the death of a police officer’s former lover added to the mix, word would get out.

  “Do you think he knows?” Kowalski asked.

  “He knows. He’s not interested in the bear . . . or the child. Elayne Borden got tangled up in some kind of mess, and I’d bet a year’s salary that it’s connected to Nicholas Scratch and the HFL movement.”

  “She’s dead?”

  “Yes.”

  Kowalski nodded. “Hoped I was wrong, but I kind of figured . . . Lieutenant Montgomery asked me to check his messages when I went to his apartment. There wasn’t anything from Lizzy’s mom. You’d think, if she could, she would have called to make sure Lizzy got to Lakeside all right.”

  “With the woman dead, the child is now in the middle of this. Until we have a better idea of what’s going on, we all need to stay sharp. You’re going to the Courtyard?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Then you tell Lieutenant Montgomery to keep his mobile phone turned off. I don’t want him hearing about Elayne from anyone but me. Tell him we have to take a formal statement from Lizzy, and I need to talk to him beforehand, so he’s to wait in the Courtyard until I get there. And find out if Vladimir Sanguinati will be available to talk to me.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  When Kowalski walked out, Pete walked back in.

  “You think that Toland cop is compromised in some way?” Pete asked.

  “Nicholas Scratch is linked to the Humans First and Last movement. Smear the reputation of one and you damage both. If Scaffoldon does belong to the HFL, I think he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure Scratch’s name isn’t connected with Elayne Borden.”

  “Humans First and Last is a seductive idea. To have everything you need and also not be afraid of what’s out there because it isn’t out there anymore.”

  Burke snorted. “You lived in a small town in the Midwest. How many terra indigene did you interact with?”

  “You still know they’re out there.”

  “You know there are human muggers and rapists and killers out there too. But you still leave your house and go to work. Eve is out running errands. The kids are in school. Some of the people you see in courtrooms are far more dangerous to your family than a Hawk soaring overhead looking for his dinner or a Crow perched in a tree, curious about something it spotted in your yard.”

  Pete gave him a crooked smile. “It’s still a seductive idea.”

  “The first humans and the last humans,” Burke said grimly. “The last humans in a city, in a region, on a continent? In the world?”

  “That’s not what Humans First and Last means.”

  Burke came around the desk and indicated that Pete should precede him out of the office.

  But Pete stopped at the doorway and studied him. “That’s not what it means.”

  “I think the meaning depends on whether you’re human or one of the terra indigene.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Watersday, Maius 12

  Monty jackknifed to a sitting position, his heart pounding as he tried to shake off the dream that had scared him out of a fitful sleep.

  Hearing the toilet flush and water running in the sink, he ran his hands over his head and tried to steady his breathing.

  Safe. His little girl was safe. But Elayne . . .

  He dreamed Boo Bear had shifted into a terra indigene Grizzly who wanted the bag of jewels for some weird dream-logic reason, and Elayne wouldn’t give it up. They struggled, she got slashed in the belly, and the Grizzly grabbed the bag and swallowed it, turning back into Boo Bear before Lizzy came out of the stall and saw him for what he truly was—a killer hiding behind the mask of something she trusted.

  Or someone she trusted?

  Gods, Monty thought as he got up and looked at his mobile phone. He should have called Elayne’s mother or her brother, Leo. Burke didn’t want him to make any calls, but surely it wouldn’t hurt to turn on his phone and check for messages.

  As he reached for the phone, someone knocked on the apartment’s door—a quiet yet urgent sound.

  Monty glanced toward the kitchen. No gun safe in the efficiency apartment, so he’d put his weapon on the highest shelf in the kitchen. Now it felt so very far away.

  But who would know he was here? And who could get into the building without raising an alarm from the terra indigene on watch?

  He unlocked the door and opened it.

  “Morning, Lieutenant,” Kowalski said.

  A look in Karl’s eyes, confirmation of what he’d figured out for himself, even if only in a dream.

  “Elayne’s dead, isn’t she?” he asked.

  Kowalski hesitated. Then he nodded. “I’m sorry, Lieutenant.”

  Monty felt a stab of grief. “Me too. Things were . . . strained . . . between us these past few months, but we were a family up to that point. She was the mother of my child.”

  “I know.” Kowalski shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Toland police called this morning. Captain Burke will be here soon. He wants you to keep your mobile phone turned off until he talks to you.”

  Burke wanting him to stay unavailable after the Toland police called made Monty uneasy. “Any message on the answering machine at my place?”

  “No, sir.”

  Monty looked toward the bathroom. Water was still running? What was the girl doing in there?

  “Well. I’d better get dressed. Call the captain and tell him there’s no reason for him to come to the Courtyard. Lizzy and I can meet him at the station.”

  “He said you should stay here.”

  “Call him.”

  “Yes, sir. Lieutenant? If there’s anything Ruthie and I can do, you only have to ask.”

  “You’ve done plenty already, but I’ll keep it in mind.” Monty forced his lips into a smile. “Thank you.”

  As he closed the door, he heard the water shut off. Then Lizzy came into the living area, dressed in her pajamas. Looking at her bare feet, he noticed that her toenails were painted the shade of red that Elayne had preferred.

  Odd thing to do if you were running away from something or someone. Then again, Elayne hadn’t been home the night he called—the night before she’d gone to the train station. Where had she and Lizzy stayed? Had painting nails been a way to pass the time and distract a young girl?

  He and Lizzy would go to the Chestnut Street station and make a formal statement. After that, he had to consider the practicalities of having her here. He had a one-bed
room apartment, and his rent had been based on one occupant. With the price of water being what it was, his landlord was bound to raise the rent since Lizzy wouldn’t be a guest who was staying for a few days. Sure, he could squeeze enough out of his paycheck to pay the extra rent, especially since he’d now have the money he’d been sending Elayne for child support. Sure, he could give his little girl the bedroom and sleep on the couch, but that was a temporary arrangement, just like staying in this efficiency apartment was a temporary arrangement.

  “Daddy?”

  How long had he’d been staring at her, lost in his own thoughts?

  Monty kissed her forehead. “Morning, Lizzy girl. Did you sleep well?”

  She nodded, but she looked toward the bed, where Boo Bear should have been.

  “You hungry?” Monty asked, wanting to avoid her questions for a little while longer. Wanting to avoid telling her about Elayne a little while longer. “Let’s see what Officer Karl and Miss Ruth left for us.”

  There were eggs in the fridge, as well as bread, milk, butter, and a small jar of grape jelly. The box of cereal in the cupboard wasn’t the sort that would tempt a child. Wouldn’t even tempt him. So he scrambled four of the eggs and toasted the bread. And since he didn’t find any coffee, they both had a glass of milk.

  Why make coffee up here when you could go downstairs for Tess’s brew? Would she be open at this hour?

  “Can you watch TV or read a book while I take a shower?” he asked as he quickly washed the dishes.

  “Okay. Are we going to work?”

  He looked into those big dark eyes and felt his heart stutter, sure that no man had ever loved a child more. And sure no child should face what Lizzy would have to face today. “Yes. We’re going to sit down with Captain Burke, and you’re going to tell him everything you remember about going to the train station and riding the train to Lakeside.”

  “Then we can get Boo Bear?”

  Monty dried his hands and hung up the dish towel. “No, honey. Boo Bear has to stay at the station to help the police.” And between the jewels hidden inside the bear and the blood on the bear, it wasn’t likely that Boo Bear was ever coming back.