Ariel took the key, waited until Kevin’s hand was on his arm, and then they went home.
Chapter 48
Summer Eases In
Although the map on Kevin’s bedroom door showed that Kitridge and Zara were zigzagging their way south, nothing out of the ordinary happened until the beginning of the third week of June.
On Monday night, there was a new flag near the middle of what would have been North Carolina on Earth.
“What’s the flag for?” Kevin asked as he sat down and reached for his mug of scog.
“Our guys now have a wagon,” Chris answered.
“Oh?”
“Zara didn’t say what kind, but they got it about a month ago.”
“So she and Kitridge are getting a little closer.”
Chris nodded. “They’re still a ways behind though, and since we don’t know which way Mikos and Devron are going, finding them is still a bit of a long shot. If we’re lucky they’ll settle somewhere and start getting their hauling business up and running. A still target’s a lot easier to find.”
“Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it.”
“Some private investigators on Earth spend years searching for people. Kitridge and Zara have only been at it for a few months.”
“I’m not blaming them. I’m just not sure it’s right to ask them to spend so much time on one case, or for us to spend that much money on it. After all, there’s a good chance Mikos and Devron didn’t break any laws.”
“Do you want to let it go?”
Kevin shook his head. “No, but sometimes I wonder if I’m being selfish. If they’re who we think they are, I want them out of Camden. But this shouldn’t be about what I want. This should be about what’s right for Camden.”
“What do you think Doreen would say if you asked her if she wanted the guy who took her to Landoryn to be free to live and work here? Or any of the other captives. I’d be willing to bet they’d want them arrested, and if not that, at least exiled. Want me to ask a few of them and see how selfish they think you’re being? Besides, how do you think Cryslyn’s going to come up with the money to pay for this little venture? She’s going to sell a few of your shirts, or a pair of your boots, or your cloak.”
Kevin closed his eyes. “I try not to think about that.”
Chris laughed. “Better that than sending slaves into mines to get ore to sell. Or worse, selling slaves.”
Kevin shivered. “You’re right. She can sell my shirts.” Then he asked, “Is Petri ready to take over? Ariel’s leaving next month.”
Chris nodded. “Ariel’s stepped back to the point he’s not around the office much. He’s spending most of his time with Darrell. For all intents and purposes, Petri’s running things now, and he’s doing a good job.”
“We haven’t had any emergencies come up since he’s been in there though.”
“No, but he’ll be fine, and I’m not going anywhere. I may not be as good at this as Ariel, but I’m a lot better now than I was when we got here.”
“I’m not talking about you,” Kevin said. “But we both know he’ll need to be a rock for the other pages. Not so much Cameryn and Isak. If they made it through Gwendolyn, they can make it through anything, but by next January, he’ll be the only one left. I’m not counting Jenni. She’s too new.”
“Remember when Rhianna got mad about the duel between you and Gwendolyn and Elin got so upset? Petri’s the one who handled her, and he wasn’t even working in our office then. He’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Kevin nodded. “Have you found anyone else to bring in yet? We still need two more pages and I’d like to get them in there in time for Cameryn and Isak to train them.”
“I know, but I’d rather have someone who wants the position, like Petri did, or Jenni. I don’t think it’s a good idea to ask someone to do it.”
“Why not?”
“Because that gives them the impression they’re doing us a favor. It sets the wrong tone. I’d rather they think we’re giving them a shot at something they want.”
“All right, but don’t wait too long. Cameryn’s leaving at the end of August.”
Chris nodded. “I know. Worst case, I’ll borrow Elin for a while. When we talked about moving her over there we left double duty as an option.”
“Duck when you remind Joan of that.”
Chris laughed. “I know how to duck. I grew up with sisters.”
“Anything else, or can we call it a day?”
“That’s all I’ve got.” Chris stood up and stretched. “See you in the morning.”
~~~~
Early Wednesday morning, Kyle let the dogs outside, refilled his coffee cup, and followed them out into the yard. At the moment, fifteen dogs were staying with him, and although he considered every dog he’d ever trained as his, some were more his than others, and the matronly sheep dog, Sheeba, was one of those. She wasn’t going anywhere, even on temporary loan, and the gentle nudge of her nose against his leg that morning was one of the reasons why.
“I know, girl, I feel him out there, too.” Kyle reached down to stroke her head.
Sheeba sniffed the air and pointed her nose towards the top of the mountain at the back of the house.
“Up there, huh?” Kyle used his seeing eye to scan the woods at the peak. Sure enough there was a campsite up there, and sitting beside a small fire, drinking what looked a lot like tar, was the man whose picture was hanging on Kyle’s bedroom wall. “Think I should invite him in for a decent cup of coffee, girl?”
Sheeba turned her big brown eyes towards Kyle and growled.
“I don’t like it either, but as long as all he does is watch, there’s not much I can do about it, and I don’t want any of you to do anything either,” Kyle said, petting her again.
Sheeba sank to the ground facing in the direction of the man’s camp.
“Let me know if he starts working his way down.”
As Kyle began working with his dogs, Gildan poured himself another cup of coffee and grimaced. He couldn’t make a decent pot of coffee to save his life, and it’s not like he hadn’t tried. He’d asked every woman who’d served him some to explain how they made it, but no matter how carefully he tried to do what they said, his either ended up weak as water or thick as sludge. He shook his head as he tossed the rest of his coffee and gazed longingly at the cup in the hand of his target. Bet that guy made a decent cup of coffee.
Gildan let out a quiet chuckle. Any man who lived this far out had to be able to make decent coffee. Otherwise he’d have found a woman who could and married her.
And once again, Gildan thought of Ardmore and the lovely Shana. Bet she made good coffee, and other good stuff, too.
~~~~
Sunday evening during dinner, Marcus asked Kevin if he could see him for a minute when he was done.
“Sure. Meet you in the office.”
When Kevin arrived, Marcus was already there. As Kevin opened his office door, he asked, “How was your weekend in Bridgeport?”
“Busy, and that’s what I need to talk to you about.”
“Another list?” Kevin asked as they sat down.
Marcus shook his head. “And how. This one’s longer than the last one. I think everyone in the area needs help with something.”
“Need another week?”
“More like ten days.”
“When do you want to go?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve got the work around here under control. I can free up a week fairly easily, except for emergencies.”
“And those have a tendency to pop up when you least expect them.”
Marcus nodded. “Anyway, I’ve been trying to decide when to go. In a way, the week of the ministers’ conference would be a good time. Everyone’s either tied up with the ministers or avoiding them, so I don’t usually have any work then. At the same time, you’ll be tied up with the ministers too, and if an emergency comes up you’ll need someone to handle it. So, would yo
u rather I go up there and get out of the way, or stay here in case something comes up?”
“Truthfully, I’d rather you go, but not to get you out of the way. If you’re here and an emergency comes up, they’ll get you to handle it. But if you’re gone, they’ll have to tell me, and that’ll give me a good excuse to duck out of here for a while.” Kevin leaned back in his chair. “Remember that tornado last year?”
“Tolleyville?”
Kevin nodded. “It makes me feel guilty to say this, but when Chadwick told me about it, I was thrilled. Best excuse ever to get out of here for the day.”
Marcus grinned. “I had fun that day, too. Only day that week that felt normal. So, could someone take me up Thursday before the conference? And pick me up the Sunday evening after it’s over?”
“I’m sure one of us can.”
Marcus nodded and stood up. “Then I’ll get out of here and let you get on with your evening. Thank you.”
~~~~
A couple of weeks later, Gildan rode through Newbury headed west. He stopped at the dry goods store long enough to pick up a few supplies, but that was it. He was leaving the area. He’d had all he could take of watching Kyle work with his dogs. He’d enjoyed the first day or two. The dogs were fun to watch. But after a week, it wasn’t interesting anymore. The only sign of any human contact was the occasional falcon that flew in and out, and Gildan had no doubt that the topic of those messages was dogs. Or maybe horses. Kyle did have a few of those, but all they did was graze.
By the beginning of the second week, Gildan was finding it increasingly difficult to focus on the cove all day long. The only thing that kept him sitting there was Rolan’s insistence that he observe each of his targets for a full month.
But by the beginning of the third week, he’d had enough. He couldn’t do it anymore, and he figured Rolan would never know he’d left early if he didn’t tell him. So, on his last day in camp, he faked the report for the next week and a half by writing more of the same stuff he’d written every day since he got there. He added a trip into Newbury one day, figuring Kyle had to go down once in a while to replenish supplies, but other than that, he had him there, in his yard, working with his dogs.
Gildan let out a long sigh as he left Newbury behind him. He was more than ready to move on, to see what came next, what the next brother brought. He had to admit, no two of them so far had been the same, and only one had been boring. And one had been particularly interesting.
Gildan smiled as he thought back to Ardmore. He’d enjoyed his time there, and he was looking forward to going back. He wouldn’t even mind picking some more oranges as long as Shana was still there and still available.
Gildan frowned. What if someone else grabbed her while he was gone? What a horrible thought! It was almost enough to make him forget about Rolan and the money and head back down to Ardmore. Almost.
Chapter 49
The Ministers' Conference
The first Sunday of July was a beautiful day, and Kevin couldn’t stop grinning as he walked into the office, much to Chris’s annoyance.
“Don’t enjoy it too much,” Chris grumbled as he looked up from the list of ministers he had to pick up. “Karma will get you if you do.”
“I can’t help it.” Kevin’s grin spread even wider. “I hated having women paraded in front of me. Made me feel like a stallion that they were trying to mate with the right mare to get the best foal.”
A laugh burst out of Chris. “You’re comparing matchmaking to breeding livestock?”
Kevin nodded. “When they’d introduce someone, they’d say things like doesn’t Mary have nice teeth, or isn’t her hair gorgeous, or have you ever seen such a lovely complexion.” Kevin shook his head. “Like I was looking for good breeding stock.”
Chris chuckled. “Hope they aren’t too disappointed when they get me instead of you this year.”
“Haven’t you got the same ministers you had last year?”
Chris shook his head. “I’ve got most of your list, and I know I got all of the ones who requested you. If their letters came in early enough, we let them know you wouldn’t be there, but not all the requests got here in time.”
“If they’ve invited ladies and have refreshments set up, they’re not going to be happy.”
“There shouldn’t be many of those. I’m sure the ministers put two and two together when they saw you with Rhianna last year.” Chris shrugged. “If they get hateful about it, I’ve got a key. I’ll grab the ministers and leave.”
“Good luck with that.”
Before Chris could answer, Ariel knocked on the door. “When should I start picking up ministers? It’ll take me longer than you since I’ve never been to any of these houses before.”
“We said after lunch, so we should probably wait until at least one,” Chris answered. “But don’t worry. They’re not going to leave without you.”
“But I don’t want anyone to get upset because they had to wait.”
Kevin shook his head. “They’ll get upset about something while they’re here. They always do. If any of them say anything to me about it, I’ll tell them to find their own way here next year. That’ll shut them up. Don’t worry about it.”
“Yes, sir,” Ariel said.
After Ariel left, Chris asked, “What are you going to do this afternoon while we’re rounding up ministers?”
“Hide in my office. Petri and Elin can handle signing them in and getting them where they’re supposed to go. I’m staying out of sight until time for dinner.”
~~~~
The sun had barely cleared the mountain tops when Kevin got up Monday morning. He put Nikki in Chris’s room, took out his key, and left for Kyle’s.
He figured his uncle and the dogs would still be asleep, but he was greeted by happy dogs as soon as he got there. While he was scratching chins, rubbing ears, and ruffling fur, his uncle walked outside with two cups of coffee.
Kyle handed Kevin one of the cups. “What’s got you out so early?”
“I wanted to talk to you.” Kevin sipped his coffee. “Ahh, that’s good. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. What can I do for you?”
“I got your letter yesterday.”
“And that got you out at this hour? Why?”
“Because once my day starts, it’ll be one thing after another until I fall in bed tonight.” At Kyle’s questioning look, Kevin added, “Ministers’ conference.”
“First week of July.” Kyle laughed. “I was at the castle during that thing once. That was enough for me. Total chaos.”
“I’m glad you said that. Ours is, too. I was afraid we were doing it wrong.”
“If so, my father and brother did, too.” Kyle motioned towards the house. “Shall we go get another cup of coffee?”
After they were inside, Kyle asked, “Want some breakfast?”
Kevin shook his head. “I have to eat at the castle.” Then he laughed. “You know I run through a practice routine every morning, right?”
Kyle nodded.
“During the conference, I have to fly from my balcony to the grove of trees I use because ministers are in the backyard by daybreak waiting to watch me run through it, and they can’t see anything! I’m hidden! And then they wait for me to walk back and more or less escort me to breakfast. And they do this every day. I’m not sure they’d go inside and eat if I didn’t.”
Kyle laughed. “And you wondered why none of us wanted that job.”
“No, I know why you didn’t want it. I don’t want it either, and I still think you’d do a better job than I am. I feel like an impostor most of the time.”
“You’re doing fine. If you weren’t, Laryn would let you know.”
Kevin laughed. “Or she’d tell Chris.”
Kyle nodded with a chuckle. “You’ll need to get back. What did you want to see me about?”
“What happened while Gildan was here?”
“Nothing.”
“Did he work for someone in
the area? Did he ask questions in town? What did he do?”
“He camped in the woods near the peak out back, and sat there, day in and day out watching me work with the dogs. That’s all he did. I almost felt sorry for him, especially when I caught a glimpse of his food. That man cannot cook. He can’t even make a decent cup of coffee. It was thick as mud when he poured it. I don’t know how he stayed up there so long without going to town for a decent meal at least once. Someone must be paying him a whole lot of money to spy on us.”
“He must have gone to town at some point.”
“I went down yesterday to see if he was there. I checked the inn, the tavern, the dry goods store, the smithy, and the chapel. The only one who said he’d been in was the owner of the dry goods store, but he didn’t ask any questions while he was there. And the blacksmith saw him ride out of town, headed west.”
Kevin frowned. “Don’t you live east of town?”
Kyle nodded. “The only thing to the west is woods for at least twenty miles. Makes no sense for him to head that way unless he’s leaving the area.”
Kevin shook his head. “I don’t understand. He spent a month in Ardmore, a month in Stanton, and a couple of weeks here. And we don’t know any more about him than we did when he left Milhaven nine months ago. What’s he up to?”
Kyle shrugged. “All he did was watch me train dogs. Maybe he’s looking for someone, like that apprentice of yours. If so, he knows she’s not here.”
“Chris thinks that’s what he’s doing, trying to find Landis. If he is, he’s wasting his time. She’s nowhere near Camden, but I think something else is going on. I just don’t know what.”
“Well, he hasn’t broken any laws so there’s not much you can do about it. Might as well not worry until you have something to worry about.”
Kevin nodded and took out his key. “Guess I need to get back and get this day started. If nothing else, the ministers will keep me distracted enough I won’t have time to worry.”
~~~~
Tuesday was set aside for conferences, so Kevin went straight to his office after breakfast. The first minister on his list was already there, waiting for him, and it didn’t let up all day long.
The Rambling Spy Page 52
