In Search of Healing

by Katie Holmburg

  Lirim grinned, his eyes intense. “Well, he sure was looking good for a dead man when I ran into him on Tuesday. I think it’s about time that we have a talk with ‘John Stern’ about the real John Stern. I’m going to inform Mr. Lacroix. If Detectives Watkins and Jones will get the proper warrants, it’ll be up to you, Officers, to bring him in. I’ll return to the theater to allay any suspicion. Remember gentlemen, I don’t know you. Anything else?”

  Jones shook her head, looking at Watkins. “Judge Perez?”

  Watkins nodded and turned back to Lirim. “We’ll have the warrants shortly, Agent Bosk.”

  “Good. Let’s finish this.”

  Standing, he grabbed all of the files and left as abruptly as he’d come. Fishing his phone from his pocket, he dialed and listened to the ringing. As soon as someone answered, he said, “Lacroix? It’s Agent Bosk. We need to talk.”

  Fifteen

  Aletta was dressed and waiting impatiently when Lirim finally arrived. He looked exhausted when he entered the infirmary.

  Taking in her appearance, he asked quietly, “You ready to go?”

  Double checking that she had everything, she nodded. He straightened slightly, his expression becoming more focused, “Did the healers give you the all clear?”

  “Yes. They told me to take it easy for the next day and no magic use for the rest of the week. Other than that, they gave me a clean bill of health. I’m ok, really.” She searched his face, trying to discern what had upset him.

  He took the case files from her and led the way to the car. She waited until they were underway before asking, “What happened? You seem upset.”

  He slammed a fist against the steering wheel and she stared at him, shocked. “I’m not happy. Stern managed to give us the slip. We had everything in place, but it was like he knew that we were coming. He disappeared without a trace. He was our only lead and he’s gone.”

  Aletta took a moment to process that. “I thought that Stern was dead. You mean the fake Stern has disappeared?”

  He growled, “Of course I mean the fake Stern.”

  She scowled at him before suddenly sighing. “I know that you’re frustrated but you don’t need to take it out on me. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

  He took a deep breath, visibly restraining his temper. “You’re right, I’m sorry. It’s been a long day. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

  She smiled, trying to soothe him. “It’s all right, no worries. I’m sure my being down didn’t help anything either. What went on that left you so frustrated?”

  “John Stern got away. We had everything in place, all the warrants, everything covered. And you know what happened? He didn’t show up for work today. His cell is disconnected. All his papers show his information the same as the dead John Stern’s information. He just vanished into nothing.” His grip tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

  Aletta leaned back into her seat, still tired from her ordeal the day before. “This one’s on me, not you.”

  Sarcasm lacing his voice, he asked, “And how does that one work out? You were in the infirmary all day, remember?”

  “I bet that he already knew we were agents. When I told BCA that I didn’t like him, they started investigating. I’m sure word got around to him and he decided to disappear. This has nothing to do with you, Lir. This one’s all on me.”

  He started to protest but paused. The tension suddenly leached from his shoulders and his fingers eased their death grip on the steering wheel. “You’re probably right.”

  She pouted, “You didn’t have to agree with me so quickly.”

  He finally smiled and Aletta relaxed fully. He said, “No, not that this is your fault. About the questioning getting back to him. I couldn’t figure out how the raid was leaked to him or who might betray our task force. It was driving me crazy.”

  He turned onto a different street before refocusing on her. “How was your day?”

  “Long. Frustrating. There’s a connection there, I know it. I just can’t figure it out. I’ve been through all the files at least three times. I’m missing something, something obvious. It’s irritating.”

  He grinned at her. “What a pair we make, both cranky as bears. Why don’t you walk me through what you found in the files? Sometimes verbalizing helps.”

  She grumbled but did as he asked. It took most of the drive home to summarize what she had read in the files. She finished off with, “So basically, we have virtually nothing to go off of. No suspicious financials, no convenient absences. A small list of people, including Elizabetta. Honestly, she’s the one thing in all of this that doesn’t make sense. She’s about to reach the spotlight as a respected prima donna in an extremely famous company. Do you have any idea how many people vie for those spots? So why would she throw it away?”

  Lirim suggested, “Monetary gain?”

  She shook her head decisively. “No. All of her financials have come up clean. And there’s not even a hint of a hidden account. I have to give it to BCA, they are thorough when they are looking at financials. They even have information on her first allowance.”

  Surprise flashing across his face, he asked, “Seriously?”

  “No, but it seems like they have everything else. It looks like our only real lead is the disappearing Mr. Stern. Which leaves us exactly where we started – nowhere.”

  He glanced over, concerned by the defeat in her tone. “Hey, we knew going in that this would be a difficult case. I know that we’re kinda working a deadline with the opening so close, but we’re going to figure this out. That’s what good agents do, right? Keep turning over every single stone until they find the one that ties it all together. We’ll figure it out.”

  Resting her face against the window, Aletta took a moment to savor the coolness of the glass against her face. She finally replied, “I know. I’m just worried that this person will escalate before we’re able to catch him. I don’t want anyone hurt.”

  They were both quiet for the rest of the ride, a peaceful atmosphere entering the car. They had just turned on the street leading to her apartment building when Aletta spoke. “I’ve actually enjoyed being back at the opera. It’s been fun, I didn’t expect that. But I’m ready to get back to regular duties. So let’s do our best and catch this creep.” She turned and offered him a tired smile.

  He smiled back at her. “We’ll get this guy, I promise.”

  Having reached her apartment building, Aletta sighed. “Now I have to go placate a feline. Pen is not going to be happy with me for leaving her alone for so long. It’ll take much petting and praising, and maybe even some canned tuna to win her regard back.

  Lirim laughed. “Well, I’ll leave you to your feline wooing. I’m going home to catch some sleep. You’re off duty again tomorrow and then it’s back to the grindstone for you. Oh, and Cy said to tell you that you can skip sparring just this once, but next Saturday, he’s going to eat you alive.”

  She muttered sarcastically, “Oh joy. Can’t wait.”

  She got out of the car. For a moment, she thought that he was going to follow her all the way up to the apartment, but he merely waved and drove off. He must’ve been more tired than he’d let on.

  She trudged up to her apartment, too tired to focus on anything beyond the carpet on the stairs. Reaching her apartment, it took three tries to fit the key into the lock with her trembling hands. She frowned. Was the continued muscle weakness normal or not?

  Finally making it inside, she dumped her purse on the hall table and shakily made her way over to the couch. She collapsed on it, kicking off her shoes. She knew that she should get up and find Penelope, but couldn’t make herself. She knew that the cat wouldn’t have starved because she left down plenty of free-choice dry food, but Pen might be miffed for having been left alone for so long.

  Aletta was just drifting off when she felt something warm settle on her stomach and a gentle purr start up. As she fell asleep, there was a contented smile on
her face.

  * . * . *

  Aletta was up with the sun. After extended cuddling with Penelope and some canned food to buy her forgiveness, she got to work. Rolling up her sleeves, metaphorically, of course, she pulled out the giant whiteboard she had stashed in the hall closet.

  She’d had no luck pinpointing whatever was nagging at her when she read the files, so maybe arranging them visually would help. She moved the whiteboard into the living room and opened up all of the curtains to allow the sunshine to stream in. Grabbing her cd player, she put in one of her upbeat mixes and flipped it on.

  Dancing and singing, she made her way over to where the stack of files was sitting and snagged the top one. She might not be allowed to go undercover today, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t do some work. She was feeling great and she had a hunch that today would be the day that she found the connection.

  * . * . *

  Lirim groaned as he climbed the steps to Aletta’s apartment. It was almost midnight and all he wanted to do was go home and get some sleep. However, Aletta had messaged him saying she had something important to show him. Plus, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he had checked on her.

  He reached her door and was about to knock when he heard her singing. He paused and just listened. It was a cheerful little working song, rhythmic and melodic. It wasn’t filled with flourishes and difficult runs, but he found it immensely soothing.

  After a minute, the song ended and he knocked on the door. He heard her yell for him to enter, so he tried the knob. He scowled when he found it unlocked. Entering, he shut the door and locked it firmly behind him. He called, “Aletta?”

  “In the living room.” Her voice sounded muffled and he was growing concerned. Placing his hand on his gun, he carefully made his way to the living room.

  What he saw there made his hand drop from his gun and stare in shock. The room was in shambles. Aletta sat in the epicenter of the storm, papers and objects scattered from one end of the room to the other.

  She grinned at him from where she sat on the floor. “Hey, thanks for coming by. There’s some dinner in the oven if you’re hungry.”

  He was about to decline when his stomach growled noisily. He sighed and went to the kitchen. Finding the plate that she had left for him in the oven, he took a moment to inhale gratefully. It smelled fabulous, much better than the takeout and fast food that he’d been subsisting off for the last few weeks.

  Carrying the plate back to the living room, he carefully perched on the arm of the couch, the only place free of clutter. “You didn’t have to do this. Besides, weren’t you supposed to be taking it easy today?”

  She smiled at him, obviously feeling better after her day off. “I figured that you could use some real food, especially since I asked you to come over. Consider it compensation for the lost sleep.”

  She quickly cleared off the couch and motioned for him to sit. Once he was settled comfortably, she started picking up the rest of the scattered objects. She yawned. “Sorry about the mess. I tend to explode all over available surfaces when I’m working. Used to drive Lena nuts.”

  “So, did you find anything interesting?” The whiteboard snagged his attention, and he tried to read some of the writing and eat at the same time.

  Noting his gaze, she brightened and abandoned her straightening efforts. “Ah, I see that you’ve noticed exhibit A.”

  He didn’t know if it was his tiredness or if she was in a mood, but he was having trouble keeping up with her. “Exhibit A?”

  She nodded proudly. “Yes, Exhibit A. I was having trouble figuring out connections, so I thought maybe a visual representation would help. Thus.” She waved her hand at the chaotic room and whiteboard.

  “You’ve found something?”

  He nearly choked when she replied. “Nope, not a single thing.” There was a gleam in her eyes and she was bouncing impatiently on the balls of her feet, obviously dying to share what she’d discovered.

  Setting the empty plate aside to prevent any mishaps, he firmly gathered his patience. “So why did you need to see me if you hadn’t discovered anything?”

  She laughed, “I didn’t say that I hadn’t discovered anything. Besides, you needed to eat. But let me tell you what I did discover. A whole bunch of nothing.”

  His exasperation rising, he asked wearily. “I’m too tired, can’t you just explain what you mean?”

  Her face softened. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be irritating, I’m just excited. I know that you’re tired. Here’s the thing. I’ve been so focused on the objects that I haven’t really bothered to look at the people. So today I set aside all preconceived notions about the opera and the people and started from scratch.”

  This surprised him. “Weren’t you chosen to go undercover for your experience with the opera?”

  She nodded. “Exactly. But in this case, it has proven to be a roadblock. My preconceived notions caused me to overlook some things. You know that I work better from a blank slate.”

  He thought it over for a moment before slowly nodded. “That is true.”

  She moved over in front of the white board. “Today, I decided to look at it through the eyes of someone totally unfamiliar with everything. I’ve gone over every shred of information with the eyes of an outsider. And by doing this, I’ve made several interesting discoveries. I know that the board is kinda a mess, but bear with me.”

  He yawned and said, “I’m sorry, but can you keep it brief? I’m exhausted and I still have to drive home.”

  “I’ll keep it brief, but you’re crashing on my couch tonight.”

  He frowned at her,.“That wouldn’t be appropriate. Besides, what about a change of clothes?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Are you seriously going to try and convince me that you don’t have a go bag in your car? And besides, it’s not appropriate to send someone out to drive when they’re tired. Are you really going to ask me to do that?”

  Too tired to fight, he gave in with ill grace. “Just tell me what you discovered.”

  To his relief, she didn’t gloat at his capitulation. “DuPont and Lacroix are both clean. Elizabetta is undoubtedly in on it, whatever it is. John Stern would’ve never been detected if he hadn’t decided to disappear. Well, that and my gift. Also, the missing objects have absolutely nothing to do with what they want. It’s a smoke screen to throw us off track.”

  He yawned again, “And how do you know all of this?”

  Instead of responding, Aletta left the room. However, she was back moments later with a pillow and some blankets. “I’ll explain tomorrow on the way to the theater. In the meantime, we need to get some sleep. It’s all going to be a wait and see game anyway. You know where everything’s at; make yourself at home. I’m turning in. Goodnight.”

  He barely had time to murmur goodnight before she was gone. Bemused by the whirlwind she’d been that evening, he decided that he could figure it all out tomorrow. She’d been right when she’d said that he was too tired to drive home. He’d better grab some sleep before it all began again in the morning.

  Sixteen

  Aletta was starting to grow uneasy. She’d been so sure on Saturday that she had found the links that they were looking for, that they’d be able to find the necessary evidence. It was now Wednesday, and they had no more new evidence than they did the week before.

  Even the task force was getting restless, frustrated by the lack of forward progress. Which brought up another issue. She didn’t know what Lirim had said to them in the meeting that she missed, but everyone was acting strange around her. Wells was treating her like she had the plague and Martins couldn’t meet her eyes for longer than a few seconds.

  She could ignore that, but both Lirim and Watkins were treating her like she was made of glass. It was getting on her last nerve. The only one who treated her normally was Jones. Aletta was extremely grateful for the other woman’s presence; it was the only thing that kept the meetings sane. There were too many alpha perso
nalities on the task force.

  Aletta sighed, drawing her mind back to the present. It was no good to get lost in her thoughts. She might miss something crucial. It was only two days until opening night, and if they didn’t find the perpetrator, there was a very good chance that someone might get hurt.

  Today they were starting full dress rehearsals, and both Lirim and Aletta had been kept hopping. She hadn’t had a chance to rest all morning, and other than the brief lunch break, she hadn’t stopped moving all day.

  Right now, she was ferrying some costumes from the wardrobe mistress over to the dressing rooms. Her part had already come and gone, so she was considered free for anyone that could use her help. With the disappearance of the set’s main carpenter, that meant that everyone not on stage was pulling extra duty. Even Lirim was busy helping with scene changes and backstage setup.

  Aletta hurried her pace as she reviewed everything that had happened up until this point. Instead of starting at the point she and Lirim had joined the cast, she went all the way back to the beginning. John Stern had been dead for three months, since right after he was chosen for head carpenter and right before he started on set. What would being a carpenter grant you access to?

  Anonymity would be the biggest benefit. Who really remembered tradesmen besides other tradesmen? It was a shame, but that was the way things were. So if they had an in with Stern, why would they need Elizabetta?

  What did Elizabetta have that Stern didn’t? Access, Aletta finally decided. Elizabetta had been handpicked by DuPont to lead this production. She had access to DuPont and would be in place to influence any investigation that happened. The ‘attack’ on her could be explained away as a ruse to divert suspicion away from her. And it had certainly worked; DuPont was adamant that she had nothing to do with it. But was that because he believed her or because he didn’t want to admit that he’d made a bad investment?