The Rambling Spy

by Mackenzie Morgan

  “Why? If he’s looking for Landis, he won’t find her at any of their houses.”

  “If that was his purpose, if there even was a purpose, if he’s even from Trendon. But I feel like I need to let them know someone was asking about them.” Then Kevin sat back up in his chair. “What’s next on our agenda?”

  Chapter 27

  The Chapel in Bridgeport

  The men of Bridgeport finished moving the furniture into the newly finished chapel during the first weekend of November, but Marcus couldn’t make it up there to help Hayley move until the second.

  Shortly after breakfast Marcus pulled Thom’s wagon up to Morris’s back door. When Hayley stepped outside, he asked, “Do you want to move the stuff here first? Or start with the stuff at my house?”

  “Everything here’s packed and ready to go,” Hayley said. “Let’s load it first so Gloria can have her house back.”

  Half an hour later, Hayley’s and Sherri’s stuff was on the back of the wagon and Gloria’s house was back to normal. Hayley climbed up on the seat beside Marcus and asked, “Have you seen the clinic yet? Inside?”

  “Not since we put the windows in. I thought I’d wait and let you show me around.”

  Hayley nodded. “When we get there, drive around back. Our rooms and the storeroom are on the back.”

  The back porch was in the middle of the back wall. Marcus pulled the wagon beside it and used his outstretched hand to set everything in the bed of the wagon on the porch. “If you’ll show me which bags belong where, I’ll get them inside for you.”

  Sherri picked up one of the bags. “This one’s mine. I’ll put it in my room and be right back.”

  Hayley pointed to three bags. “Those belong in my rooms. They’re this way,” she said as she led the way inside.

  Marcus picked up the bags and followed her through the kitchen and into a hall that ran the length of the building. Hayley pointed to the right. “The storeroom and Sherri’s room are down that way. My office and rooms are up this way.”

  Then she turned left and led Marcus to the only door on the left and opened it. He followed her into a sitting room which had a couch, a couple of armchairs, a coffee table, and several end tables. There were two doors, one on each side of the room.

  Hayley pointed to the door on the left. “That’s my guest room.” Then she opened the door on the opposite side. “And this is my room.”

  Marcus followed her into her bedroom. The room was large enough to have a desk, bed, chest of drawers, and wardrobe without feeling crowded. There were two windows, one facing the gardens, and the other on the end of the building facing town. “Nice,” he said as he set the bags down on her bed.

  Hayley smiled. “I never dreamed I’d have such a nice living area.”

  Marcus put his arm around her and pulled her close. “I’m glad you like it. And I’m glad you had them put in a guest room. Theresa will enjoy it.”

  Hayley laughed and punched his arm. “Yes, I had them put that in just for visiting sisters.”

  After a quick kiss, Marcus let her go. “Show me around the rest of the chapel.”

  When they left Hayley’s rooms, she pointed to a door across the hall. “That’s my office.”

  After they looked inside, Hayley shut that door and headed down the hall towards the kitchen. Across from the kitchen, there was another door. When Hayley opened it, Marcus saw a hall leading towards the front of the chapel.

  “I decided to put a door here for privacy. Family and visitors can wait in one of the two sitting rooms near the front door, but I don’t want them wandering around back here.”

  There were two doors halfway down the hall, one on each side. Hayley opened one and waved towards the other. “These are examining rooms.” Each room was equipped with a couple of chairs, a table, several cabinets, and a narrow cot.

  Then Hayley led Marcus towards the front door. Sitting rooms branched off on each side of the door. Both rooms were long, half as long the building, but they weren’t deep. Hayley had set them up so that there were several small sitting areas but no large gathering area.

  “This is different from the other chapels we’ve been in,” Marcus said. “Why did you do it this way?”

  “Most patients only have one or two people with them, not a whole crowd. When they all get lumped in together, people find out more than they need to know about their neighbors. I’d never thought about it until we were in Ashmont. Everyone had to wait in that one little room and when Sister Janine or Alma came in to talk to the family, they said whatever they had to say to the whole crowd. Nothing like having a neighbor find out a woman’s pregnant and congratulate her husband before she has a chance to tell him. And yes, that happened. She was not happy.”

  Marcus laughed. “I bet.”

  They went back down the hall towards the kitchen. When they reached the main hall, Hayley turned towards Sherri’s room. Next to the kitchen was a large room which served as a combination storeroom and workroom. Sherri’s sitting room and bedroom were on the end.

  Across from Sherri’s room was a large room with six beds. Each bed had a big armchair next to it with a lamp table between the bed and the chair.

  “I like this,” Marcus said. “A patient can sit up if they want to.”

  Hayley nodded. “And a mother can stay with her child.”

  As they left the ward, Marcus said, “The layout’s simple but efficient. And I think having the ward so far from the front door and kitchen is a good idea. It should be quiet in there.”

  Hayley nodded. “And having it across from Sherri’s room will make it easy for her to keep an eye on things.”

  “Better than having them across from your room.”

  “Tending patients in the ward is the aide’s responsibility. I’m here if she needs me, but the bulk of their care falls on her.”

  At that point, Sherri walked out of the storeroom. “I’ve put up everything we had at Gloria’s. When do you want to get the rest of our stuff?”

  “Now, if Marcus has time,” Hayley said.

  “I’m all yours,” Marcus said with a nod. “Let’s go.”

  Three loads later, everything Hayley had put in Marcus’s cellar was in the chapel, not put away, but in the chapel. When they were done, Marcus said, “I’m going over to Thom’s while you unpack.”

  Hayley nodded. “Thanks for your help today.”

  Marcus smiled. “I enjoyed it. Be back in a couple of hours. We’re having dinner with Marcie tonight.”

  ~~~~

  Thom was in the stable when Marcus found him. “Did you get them moved in?”

  Marcus nodded. “My part anyway. They have a bit of unpacking to do. I noticed the furniture arrived.”

  “A week ago last Tuesday. We moved it in last weekend.”

  “Did our guys deliver it?”

  “No, it was a new guy, Carson, and his wife, Ida.”

  “His wife?”

  Thom grinned. “They haven’t been married long. I think she just came along to keep him company.”

  “Did you get a chance to talk to them?”

  “Marissa invited them to dinner, so while she and Ida were in the kitchen, I asked Carson a few questions, but I think I’ve known Mikos and Devron longer than he has.”

  Marcus frowned. “Does he know where they’re from?”

  Thom shook his head. “He thought they were from around here.”

  “Does he have any idea how long they’ve been working the river?”

  Thom shook his head again. “He broke his leg last winter and put the word out that he needed someone to run his route, which ran from Myerston north. They went to see him and agreed to run it while his leg healed. After Carson got married, he didn’t want to be gone all the time, so he suggested expanding the route south so they’d have enough business to support all of them and then split the runs. They didn’t start the southern route until September. The delivery here was the first one on their new route.”

  “If
they didn’t have customers around here until this fall, what were they doing here last winter?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe all they could get back then were stray runs.”

  “Did they make any deliveries here?”

  “No. No pickups either. They were just passing by, or so they said.”

  “So we don’t know any more than we did before.”

  “Well, we know that Carson and Ida live in Myerston, and when Mikos and Devron are in town, they stay at Ida’s old house. They’re both single and, according to Ida, don’t show any signs of looking for wives. She said they’re pretty closed mouthed about their past. Every time she asks questions, they either change the subject or suddenly remember somewhere they have to be.”

  “Sounds like they might have something to hide.”

  “That’s what Ida thinks. She told Marissa she doesn’t trust them. She thinks they’re running from something or someone, and she’s afraid that whatever they’re running from is going to come knocking on her door now that her husband’s in business with them. She asked Marissa what she knew about them, but Marissa’s never met them, so she wasn’t much help.”

  “If I thought there was any way I’d recognize the man who had the key that night, I’d find a reason to go to Myerston and see for myself, but I don’t think it would do any good.” Marcus paced around the stable for a few minutes. “What do you think? Honestly? You were there when Caleb said Mikos was the guy. You saw his reaction. And you’ve spent more time talking to them than anyone else around here. Could he be the guy?”

  Thom didn’t answer immediately. Then he nodded. “I’m not certain enough he was involved to be the one responsible for locking him up for the rest of his life, but do I believe he was? Yes. I saw the look in his eyes when Caleb recognized him. It was fear, not confusion, not even anger. He was scared.”

  Marcus gave a quick nod. “I still don’t think I could identify him one way or the other, but I think it’s time to tell Myron.”

  ~~~~

  Monday afternoon Marcus knocked on Kevin’s door. “Do you have a few minutes?”

  “Sure.” Kevin put the stack of messages he was answering to the side. “Come on in.”

  Marcus glanced back towards Chris. “Could you come, too?”

  Once they were seated, Marcus said, “There may be nothing to it, but a couple of things have happened in Bridgeport that I think you need to know about.” Then he told Kevin and Chris about the night when Thom ran into the two boatmen in the tavern. “At that point, he had no reason to suspect anything. They didn’t ask him about the raid. He brought it up himself, but only because it was related to Parsyn’s birth. Thom said being a father was so new that all he could talk about was his son. While he was telling them about the raid, he’s not sure whether they asked or if he brought it up, but he knows he told them I was visiting that night and that I live in Milhaven and work for you.”

  “Could that be how Gwendolyn found out about you?” Chris asked.

  Marcus shrugged. “If they were there to find the key, you’d think they’d have been questioning people. Thom said they didn’t ask any questions at all the first time they were there. The night he talked to them was their second time.”

  Chris nodded. “Makes them sound either innocent or smart.”

  “When was the first time they were there?” Kevin asked.

  “A couple of weeks after the raid, maybe a week before Thom talked to them in the tavern. The first time, they were all business. Put in for a meal, stayed the night, and gone the next morning by the time Thom opened up.”

  “Any idea where they were working before the raid?”

  Marcus shook his head.

  “So what’s happened to make you wonder about them?”

  Marcus told them about the window delivery, Caleb’s comments, and Mikos’s reaction.

  “Would you recognize the man from that night if you saw him again?” Kevin asked.

  Marcus shook his head. “I’m not sure I even saw his face. I was focused on that key.”

  “Could Caleb have seen him?” Chris asked. “Where was he?”

  “He was in the house, probably upstairs. That’s where I told him to go anyway. If he was in his room looking out the window when the guy stepped out of the energy field, he could have seen him.”

  “Well enough to recognize him?” Kevin asked.

  “Probably. He was a lot closer than I was, and he wouldn’t have been distracted by the key.”

  “Why would Caleb recognize him six months after the raid? Why not earlier?”

  “That was the first time Caleb had seen them,” Marcus explained. “After the night at the tavern, they started working up north. Thom said he didn’t see them again until they delivered the windows.” Marcus told them about Carson, his broken leg, and the arrangement he’d made with Mikos and Devron.

  “How did you find that out?” Kevin asked.

  Marcus told them about the furniture shipment. “Thom asked Carson a bunch of questions while Marissa found out everything she could from the wife. But neither of them knew much about Mikos and Devron. We know they’re working out of Myerston right now, but that’s about it.” Marcus paused. “Except for the fact that Carson’s wife feels like they’re hiding something. She thinks they may be running from someone.”

  “If he’s the guy who lost Gwendolyn’s key, he has a good reason to run,” Chris mumbled.

  “But if he’s the guy I took the key away from, how would he get back here if she didn’t bring him?” Marcus asked. “And if she brought him so he could find out who had the key, and he did, why would he be running from her?”

  “Because she wouldn’t consider the debt paid,” Kevin said. “She was a vindictive woman. I can see her leading him to believe everything would be fine if he found out where her key was, and then killing him as soon as he did.”

  “She would kill her own people?” Marcus asked.

  Chris nodded. “From what I overheard while I was in that dungeon, if anyone upset her in any way, no matter who it was, she’d hit them with an energy bolt and keep right on going.”

  Marcus looked at Kevin. “Do you think they know she’s dead?”

  Kevin shrugged. “Karl said most of the ministers were surprised when he mentioned the duel. It’s entirely possible they don’t.”

  Marcus stood up. “Well, that’s what I wanted to tell you. If you want me to try to find them, I will, but I’m not sure how much good it would do.”

  “I’m not either,” Kevin said. “Let me think about it.”

  After Marcus left, Chris said, “You’re thinking about going after them yourself, aren’t you?”

  Kevin nodded. “If Caleb’s sure he saw Mikos that night, I want to ask him some questions, preferably with a telepath around.”

  “Why?”

  “Huh?”

  “What’s the point? Even if he was there, waiting in the woods, he didn’t participate in the raid. He was there for transportation, and transportation’s not a crime.”

  Kevin frowned. “We can get around that.”

  “How? Either being in the slave trade is illegal or it isn’t. From everything we’ve been told since we got here, the only part that’s illegal is the raid. Neither of them had any part in that or we’d have caught them. None of the raiders got away that night.”

  Kevin’s frown deepened. “Check with Chairman Tremayne and see what he thinks, but whether we can arrest them or not, I’m not letting anyone who was involved in those raids live in Camden. If I can’t lock them up, the least I can do is kick them out. They can go back to Landoryn.”

  ~~~~

  Later that afternoon, Mikos and Devron knocked on Carson’s door. When Carson opened it, he grinned and said, “Ida’s fixing dinner. You’re welcome to join us.”

  Mikos shook his head. “She wasn’t expecting us. We’ll eat at the tavern, but we would like to bed down in the other house if you don’t mind.”

  Ida walked into the par
lor wiping her hands on a kitchen towel in time to hear what Mikos said. “That’s fine, but there’s not any food over there. Feel free to join us for breakfast tomorrow morning.” Then she headed back into the kitchen.

  After they discussed pickups, deliveries, and the upcoming schedule, Carson said, “I think you’re right about the tavern girl in Bridgeport. Unless you’re looking to get married, you’d better stay away from there. I’ll take those runs if you want me to.”

  Devron glanced at Mikos and asked, “Why? Did something happen?”

  Carson grinned. “The blacksmith there, Thom, must be related to that girl. He’s not old enough to be her father but he sure was acting like it. He asked all kinds of questions about you two, things like how long I’ve known you, where you’re from, who your families are, and so on. I figure he was looking out for her interest should she decide to marry one of you. I wasn’t sure what you’d want me to say, but since I didn’t know the answers to his questions anyway, it didn’t matter.”

  Devron shook his head. “See why we want to stay away from there?”

  “I sure do,” Carson said. “Good thing I’m married and had my wife with me. Takes me right off the market.”

  Mikos nodded and stood up. “Well, if there’s nothing else, I’m ready to eat. Devron?”

  After Devron got up, they said their goodbyes and left for the tavern. They didn’t say much while they ate, each man lost in his own thoughts, but once they were in Ida’s house, Mikos said, “Time to go.”

  Devron nodded. “We have a little money set aside, but not much. Do you still want to trade the boat for horses and a wagon? Or should we sell it? Might be quicker that way.”

  “I don’t care as long as we get far away from here before anyone comes looking for us.” Then after a couple of minutes, Mikos said, “It might be better to sell it. We’ll make better time if we don’t have to stick to the roads.”

  “And we might be able to get a good price since whoever buys it can go into business with Carson instead of having to start from scratch,” Devron said. “I’ll see what I can do tomorrow.”