A Key, An Egg, An Unfortunate Remark

by Harry Connolly

  At that point, the detectives decided they had what they needed and would call if they had additional questions. Frederika made it clear they should contact Ms. Jacobs only through her.

  The outgoing chief of police was waiting in the hall. He thought all this was terrible, terrible, and his department was going to do their best to get to the bottom of it. Marley thanked him by his first name—they knew each other well—but Albert had the distinct impression she wanted to escape. Before he could think of a way to help her slip away from all these cops, the mayor arrived.

  Twenty minutes later, while Frederika lead Albert and Marley through the SeaPark building, Marley said: “That’s the downside of helping other people: they want to help you in return.”

  “Marley,” Frederika said, her voice slightly too loud and far too pushy. “Do me a favor, please? Do not speak with any government officials at all unless I’m present. Just don’t. You have my number, you contact me any time one of these bastards calls or knocks on your door. I don’t care if they’re your best friends or blood relatives, I want to be there to keep them honest. Okay?”

  “It’s okay, dear. I promise.”

  Slightly mollified, Frederika harrumphed, climbed into her car and pulled away. Albert waited until she was out of earshot to say “She’s... um...”

  “Good to have in your corner,” Marley finished diplomatically.

  “That’s just what I was going to say.” They crossed the parking lot to the Volvo.

  Marley stopped ten feet from the car. Albert stopped a few paces after. “Forget something?” he asked.

  She stared at the back bumper, goosebumps running down her back. “It was fun to have lunch with all those people, wasn’t it? Let’s go for a walk. I feel like walking. I’d like to have people around. Better yet, let’s take a bus to my neighborhood library.”

  Albert came and stood beside her, stooping low to stare at the back bumper at the same angle. Whatever his aunt was seeing, he couldn’t see it. “Is there something wrong with the car?”

  “Yes, I think there is. Don’t ask me what. However, I think it would be best if we made different arrangements for the moment. Shall we take a walk?”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Seeking Out Coincidences

  Albert led the way out of the garage and down to Third Avenue, where they could catch west-bound buses. The big downtown library was just two blocks away, but Marley wanted distance. Albert suddenly got the idea that there was a bomb on her car, maybe a big one.

  But Aunt Marley would have warned someone about that sort of thing, he assumed.

  They boarded a bus at the start of the afternoon rush hour and just happened to sit across from a very casual acquaintance of Marley’s, the owner of a travel agency who was usually open to the occasional chat at the cafe. Her name was Elaine and, after a few pleasantries, she asked after Aloysius.

  “I’m surprised, Elaine. I didn’t think you knew him.”

  “Oh, he came to my house for his work a few times. Did you know I donate office space to an environmental group?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Well, they’re an odd group—and sometimes they don’t smell very nice—but their intentions are excellent. They’ve been working on some sort of preservation project somewhere. Not that I pay much attention to them anymore.”

  For a moment, Albert was convinced his aunt had arranged this meeting for his benefit, but that didn’t make any sense. Why would she bother? And yet, they had abandoned the car and run into someone who knew Aloysius. Just by chance.

  If this was a trick, Marley played her part perfectly. “How interesting, dear. What business did Aloysius have with them?”

  “He’s met with them a few times about a development project. They’ve been protesting by filing court papers and sneaking onto some construction site or whatever it is they do, and he was trying to convince them to stay away.”

  “Was it working?”

  “I think so. They’re long on process, my little activists are. They like to discuss things endlessly. I guess he offered them a different patch of land on the other side of Cedar River Watershed—I listened in one time. His approach was mostly carrot with a little bit of stick, and that always works best with these people. Trying to intimidate them turns them into heroes of the revolution, you know. Riles them up, sometimes to the point where they might actually consider taking action.”

  “Beyond filing court papers, you mean?”

  “Yes. Didn’t you know any of this?”

  “No, honestly, I didn’t know what he was working on.”

  “Well that’s funny,” Elaine said. “He said he had his current client because of you. I assumed he meant that you referred your friends to him.” When Elaine wanted to drop a hint, she wasn’t subtle about it.

  However, Marley wasn’t about to have that conversation. “You know he’s been killed, don’t you?”

  Elaine reeled back, shocked. “He has? How?”

  “He was murdered. Two nights ago. His body was dumped on the Burke-Gilman trail.”

  “Oh my God. Did they catch the man who did it?”

  Marley shook her head. Without quite understanding why, she decided not to mention Jenny. “They don’t even know where to start, as far as I can tell.”

  “Well that’s awful!” Elaine said, her thoughts in a whirl. “Oh, God. Oh, my gosh! Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you. Let me ask you, Elaine, just between us: did any of the activists in particular dislike him?”

  “Oh, Marley, none of them could have committed murder. They’re vegans; they won’t even take honey from a beehive. I have to keep my butter tray in a drawer or they lecture me about it. They wouldn’t take a human life.”

  “Well,” said Marley, nodding as though that was the most convincing argument in the world. “That’s nice.”

  Elaine pulled the cord and got off at the next stop, all the while promising to keep in touch. It was several more miles before Marley pulled the cord, getting off the bus just across the street from the local library.

  The main branch downtown was ten stories of beautifully deconstructivist glass and steel, with a huge bank of computer terminals filling a large portion of the fifth floor. The Magnolia neighborhood branch, by comparison, was about the size of a cozy restaurant. After exchanging pleasantries with the staff behind the desk, Marley settled herself at one of the computer stations, inserted her travel drive into a USB slot and began perusing the files Inez had copied for her.

  Having nothing to do, Albert stood beside her for a minute or two, watching the librarians do their work. It occurred to him that he had not yet bothered to get a library card and he suddenly felt like a trespasser. His aunt, meanwhile, slowly clicked through one file after another. Finally, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. “How does it look?”

  “Even more straightforward than I’d hoped,” Marley answered. “His itinerary is quite clear; apparently the poor dear had only one active client. He didn’t only lack for friends, I guess. Here.” She placed a handful of quarters into palm. “Feed these to the printer, dear. I’m going to make hard copies.”

  Marley printed up ten pages. Albert wasn’t sure if he was supposed to look at them but he couldn’t resist. Aloysius’s client was Evelyn Thomas of Thomas & Gunderson. On the day he was killed, Sunday, he’d started the day at his office, then—

  “Time to go, Albert.”

  He folded the pages. The library had automatic door openers, but Marley didn’t go near the buttons that activated them. He held the door for her and together they went down to the curb.

  “Are we walking...” He couldn’t say the word home. It still didn’t feel right.

  “No, we’re going back downtown. I ordered a cab on the computer.”

  “Okay.”

  “Don’t worry, Albert. Even if you’re not driving, I’ll need you to accompany me.”

  “My doorknob-turning skills are legendary.”

&nb
sp; Marley glanced up at him. “Not getting bored, are you?”

  Albert was honestly surprised. “Why, because no one has tried to kill us all day? I’m in favor of that. Unless there really was a bomb on the Volvo.”

  “I’m pretty sure there wasn’t.”

  “Glad to hear it.” He glanced around the street, looking for painters’ vans or suspicious characters, especially ones with automatic rifles. There was nothing to see, but it was still day. Maybe the killers came out at night. “No, I’m not bored in the least.”

  “That’s too bad,” Marley said sincerely. “I’m not overly fond of boredom, but I prefer it to all this drama.”

  “So…” Albert was suddenly uncomfortable with the question he’d been dying to ask for more than half an hour. “So, did you cast a spell to make Elaine run into you?”

  “Of course not, Albert. How could you even suggest such a thing? Did you see me cast a spell? Draw on the floor or chant some sort of pseudo-Latin nonsense?”

  “No,” Albert said carefully, “because that would have weakened it, right? It would have weakened the magic. But you did something that dredged up this new lead.”

  “I acted on a feeling that we should do something other than what we were about to do,” Marley explained. “Those feelings can be quite fruitful, I find. Occasionally, if one has the training and aptitude, one must seek out coincidences.”

  If anyone else in the world had said that to Albert, he would have laughed at them. To his aunt, he said, “Where are we going next?”

  “We need to visit the people on this list. This one here,” she pointed at a name on the itinerary but Albert wasn’t quick enough to read it, “would be best to visit at sunset, because he’s a ghost. In the meantime, I want to talk to Evelyn Thomas.”

  A dozen questions swirled through Albert’s thoughts, but he wasn’t yet sure which were good ones, so he held them back. Marley was glad. He glanced at his watch. “It’s already ten to five.”

  “Good point.” She took out her phone and dialed. “Hello, dear. I’d like a few minutes to talk to Evelyn Thomas before she goes home for the evening. Yes, tonight.” There was a pause. “I understand that, dear. Tell her it’s Marley Jacobs on the line and see if she’ll make time for me.” There was a longer delay. “Wonderful! I’m on my way down there now.” She hung up the phone.

  Albert grinned at her. “There are advantages to being you.”

  “Indeed there are. Evelyn bid for the rebuild on my house when it was burned down last time. Her plans were... interesting. I think she wanted to create a home for a minotaur, while I wanted a home for me.” The cab arrived. “Ah, here we are.”

  The offices of Thomas & Gunderson were on First Avenue, just a few blocks south of the Pike Place Market. When the elevator doors opened, Marley led Albert into the darkest reception area he’d ever seen. The receptionist sat in a pool of light at the far end of the lobby, and only three small spotlights shone on tiny works of art on the walls. The urge to blurt out that they’d entered a cave was strong, but the weird lighting made him reluctant to speak. He leaned close to one of the framed images; it was a black and white photo of a lonely, blasted tree.

  As they approached the desk, they saw that the receptionist was filling out a paper time sheet for a temp agency. She finished a grid and stood hurriedly. “Marley Jacobs? Please come this way.” They went through the door behind her desk into a brightly lit hallway. The walls had been painted a frosty blue above huge, looming silhouettes. Albert stared at the figures as he passed, wondering who in their right minds would want these lunging nightmares on their office walls. He also thought it was cool as hell. None of the offices had doors on them, and none were empty.

  Evelyn Thomas’s office was, naturally, at the end of the hall. The receptionist knocked twice then opened the door. “Thank you, dear,” Marley said as she glided into the room.

  Evelyn Thomas was almost Marley’s age, but she was taller and had a CrossFit muscularity to her. Her hair had also turned silver but she wore it in a fashionable bob. Her suit was as white as snow, which matched the color of the long-haired cat purring in her lap.

  “Marley! I apologize for not getting up, but as you can see I’m playing hostess for the moment.” She gestured helplessly toward the cat.

  The glass-top table beside her lay beneath a warm spotlight, like a darkened stage waiting for a singer. There was another pool of light on a bare desk in the far corner and a third on a couch place beneath a framed section of blueprint. There seemed to be nothing else in the room worth shining a light on.

  Evelyn gestured to one of the other chairs around the glass table. Marley sat. Albert stood nearby, just inside the pool of light.

  “Of course, Evelyn. There’s no need to disturb such a fine beast, especially after business hours.”

  “Business hours never end for some of us, as I’m sure you can understand.”

  “Er, yes, I guess you’re correct. How has business been?”

  “Slower than I would like, but not as disastrous as it could be, considering the economy these last few years. It makes me wish Thea were still alive to help me run the place.” Thea Gunderson was the co-founder of the company that still bore her name, even though she’d died some years before. Neither Albert nor Marley recognized the name, but Evelyn didn’t notice. She was the sort of person who believed events that were important in her life would be notable to everyone.

  Evelyn regarded Marley closely as she stroked her cat. “And I assume you have been just humming along, then?”

  “I have my little projects.” Marley waved her hand vaguely. “Do you know why I’ve come?”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  An Awful Plan Is Revealed

  The look Evelyn gave to Marley was remarkably similar to her cat’s: the casual disinterest of a predator with a full belly.

  “I would love to think you have a job for us,” Evelyn said without evident enthusiasm, “but I realize that’s a long shot. Much more likely is that you want to speak to me about your recently deceased nephew, Aloysius Pierce, and the work he was doing for me.”

  “Indeed I do. You seem to have been his only active client.”

  “Then I guess times were even harder for him than for us. He certainly did an excellent job, though. Very attentive, though if I was the only client.… Please accept my condolences, by the way. Aloysius told me that you and he were not exactly close—I’ll confess that I’d hoped hiring him would give me an inside track to one of your ‘little projects,’ but he quickly disabused me of that notion. Still, he was a good lawyer. Very attentive, as I said. I hope it hasn’t been too great a shock.”

  Marley sighed. “Thank you. It’s the complicated family relationships that make grief the hardest. One doesn’t always know what one should do or how one should behave.”

  “Ah,” Evelyn responded. She had no idea how to respond to that and quickly moved on. “Tell me, do you know the young woman who did it?”

  “Did what, dear?” Marley asked more in surprise than curiosity. She knew what but she hadn’t expected Evelyn to turn the conversation that way so suddenly.

  “Killed him, of course. I understand the police caught her the very next day.”

  Marley’s gaze was steady. She was beginning to suspect Evelyn’s own mind was a home for a minotaur. It was time to change the subject. “Yes, I know her. What was Aloysius working on?”

  Evelyn hesitated, then shrugged. “All right then. It’s not like it was a secret.” She rubbed her face against the space behind the cat’s right ear, then set him on the floor. “I’m afraid we’ll have to be cutting your cuddles short, Mr. Fur.” She stood. “Through here, Marley.”

  Striding out of the spotlight into the darkness, Evelyn pushed against the wall. A large section swung open without the click of a door latch or the squeak of a hinge.

  This room beyond was flooded with light; Marley and Albert felt a sudden rush of relief as they followed Evelyn into it. In the center of
the room stood a single large table with a tiny diorama of the Seattle waterfront. On the right edge was the Pike Place Market. On the left was the P-I Building, with its globe on top. Between the P-I Building and a huge piece of blue glass meant to represent Elliott Bay was Myrtle Edwards Park.

  The space between those landmarks was unrecognizable. Instead of the actual grid of streets and buildings, there was a strange warren of hexagonal buildings in alternating rows of four or five, like the Dungeons and Dragons sheets Albert’s squad buddies had sometimes gathered around, except these had a sliver of space between them.

  Each hexagonal building was seven stories tall, topped with a glass roof and connected to one another by glass-covered bridges. The whole complex stretched from Broad Street to Lenora, turning Belltown and the waterfront into something closely resembling a beehive-shaped factory for robot workers.

  Marley stared at it, astonished and a little queasy. “What, exactly, am I looking at?”

  “This is my dream,” Evelyn said simply. “The city of the future, a space designed for humans to live comfortably and productively. Notice the glass ceilings on the buildings for upper level park land. The glass-covered provides a way for people to travel without exposing themselves to the—“ Evelyn gave a little shudder. “—the rain.

  “There are living spaces inside,” she continued, “a level for offices, shops and parks, and even a parking garage below. Each building has a promenade on the top level, allowing people to walk or bike wherever they like.”

  “They look like beehives,” Albert said without considering how it would sound.

  Evelyn didn’t take offense. “That’s a common misperception,” she said smoothly, being impervious to insult. “These buildings will be the pinnacle of green architecture. Human waste would be processed to provide natural gas for supplemental heat and electricity with no adverse smell or sanitation worries. The frames holding the glass panes would double as solar panels—“