by Geonn Cannon
"Ah, that's nice of her. Whatever I take, I promise to return to you."
"It's fine. Goodwill stuff, mostly. Things that will do in a pinch but you wouldn't want to be seen in under normal circumstances." She unzipped the bag and pulled out one of the shirts. She turned it around so Milo could see the design on the front: a small princess holding a wand that sparkled with glitter. "Heh, case in point."
"I think it's smashing," Milo said.
Ari tossed it to her. "We look to be about the same size. How far are you trying to get?"
Milo lifted her head and looked toward the street. "Don't know where we are now, so I'm not exactly sure. I'm new in town and part of tonight's run was supposed to acclimate myself to the new territory. Seems I've only succeeded in getting myself hopelessly lost. I'm staying on East Crescent Drive."
"Wow."
"That far?"
"No. Well, yeah, kind of. But it's a pretty swank neighborhood." She took a pair of jeans out of the bag and stepped into them. "There's a bus stop nearby. I'll pay your fare."
Milo shook her head as she put on a pair of lime-green shorts. "That's far too generous. I'm already taking your clothes."
Ari raised an eyebrow and looked at Milo's princess shirt and radioactive shorts. "Trust me, you're doing me a favor taking those. Besides, wolves shouldn't have to fend for themselves in new cities. Consider me your canidae ambassador."
"I appreciate it, Ari." She examined one of the sneakers Ari held out to her. "These won't fit me."
"Oh." She dug through the bag. "Here, try the sandals."
"Shoes and sandals?"
Ari shrugged. "Dale can't know what time of year I'll need the stashes she hides, so she tries to cover as many bases as possible."
"Nice girlfriend."
"Yeah, I think I'll keep her."
Milo made a noise halfway between a snort and a grunt. Ari looked up, but she didn't expand on it, so she went back to tying her shoes. There was a hidden inner compartment in the bag and Ari pulled out fifteen dollars. "This should get us some coffee while we wait for the bus. Follow me."
They walked through the park together, Ari moving gingerly until the pain of her transformation finally began to fade.
"You all right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"You're walking a little--"
Ari waved her off. "It's fine. Just a little sore after the change, that's all."
"Oh."
They stepped out into civilization again. Ari pointed to a Starbucks nearby and they joined the line. By the time they received their caffeine, it was fourteen minutes past six and the next bus was due any minute. They took their coffees to wait at the bus stop. Both sides of the bus stop were plastered with Missing posters bearing the face of Melody Scott, the little girl who had now been missing for three days. Ari was a little ashamed by the fact that she no longer looked at the posters when she saw them. The story had broken while she was scouting neighborhoods trying to find Lost Dog posters, so when a little blonde girl's photo began taking over, her initial and shameful response was annoyance.
They settled in amid people in suits and the uniforms of their trade. Ari didn't mind joining them despite her Fraggle Rock T-shirt and second-hand jeans. Milo seemed just as comfortable, slouching in shorts and sandals despite the chill in the air, holding her coffee with one hand as she settled in.
"So what do you do, Ariadne?"
"Please, call me Ari. I'm a private investigator."
Milo raised an eyebrow. "In real life?"
Ari laughed. "Yeah. How about you?"
"Hem." Milo brought the coffee to her lips and took a drink, although Ari got the impression it was more to stall than for thirst. "At the moment I don't do anything, exactly. I inherited a lot of money two years ago, but before that I was a bicycle courier. I also drove a taxi cab for a few years in college. Private eye, though... I never thought of that."
"Don't get any ideas. I don't need the competition."
Milo chuckled as the bus pulled up. They boarded and Ari confirmed it would take Milo all the way to East Crescent before they took their seats.
"The bus is going past my street first, so I'll have to abandon you."
Milo grinned. "That's all right. I'm a big girl, I think I can find my way from here. I would like to repay you for your generosity. If not for your clothes, then I at least owe you for the coffee. No 'pay it forward' malarkey. I want to reward you for your kindness."
Ari tapped the person in front of her on the shoulder and asked if he had a pen. She took Milo's coffee cup and wrote on the side of it. "This is my office number, and my cell phone. You want to buy me and Dale dinner, I'd be more than happy to oblige you."
"That's more like it."
Ari returned the pen. "Oh, and before you ask, Dale isn't... like us. But she knows everything. So you don't have to worry about that."
"Oh. That's a little odd, don't you think?"
"Maybe a little. But we can't choose who we love, right?"
"Hmph."
Ari glanced at her again. "You okay?"
Milo nodded. "Yeah."
Ari decided that Milo's relocation had something to do with a relationship gone south, so she decided not to press it. They may have seen each other without clothes on, but it was still too early in their friendship for them to be completely naked with one another. She settled in against the vinyl of the seat and closed her eyes, dozing for the few minutes it would take to get to her street.
Chapter Three
Dale opened the office at ten the next morning and did busywork until Ari showed up at noon. "Hey, sleepyhead. Have a good run last night?"
"Yeah, it was pretty good." She smiled as she leaned over the desk to kiss Dale hello. "I didn't get home until six-thirty, though. Then I just showered and headed downtown to give the police my statement." She held up the check like a trophy and placed it in front of Dale on the desk. "You can deposit that whenever you desire."
Dale whistled. "Yay, cops."
"Amen. Now, I'm still pretty wiped out. I might take a nap in the office if we don't have any appointments."
"Nope, we're all good. I'll try to keep it down out here."
"You could always come in there and join me."
Dale clicked her tongue. "That's not really restful."
Ari shrugged. "Who needs sleep? Don't let me sleep past three."
"Okay."
"Oh, and if a woman named Milo calls, let me know. She's another wolf. I ran into her digging through the Lake People Park stash."
"She was stealing your clothes?"
Ari shook her head. "Borrowing. I really don't mind. She wanted to take us out for dinner as a thank-you."
"Oh! I won't say no to that. Sleep well."
Ari waved and shut the door to the inner office. Dale turned on some music, the volume loud enough for her to hear it but not so loud it would disturb Ari's rest. She opened the Document related to the dog-fighting case and began typing up the conclusion. Ari claimed they didn't necessarily need hard copies of all the case files, but Dale liked having them on-hand in case of an emergency. She also used it as a means to keep track how often Ari transformed while on the job. They couldn't exactly put in for health benefits related to canidae shifting, but it helped her keep track of how often Ari was transforming, and if she pushing herself beyond safety limits.
Things were finally quieting down after the maelstrom caused by the Gavin case. She still thanked whoever was listening to her prayers for how lucky they'd gotten during those crazy days. The case was supposed to be a simple 'observe and report' on a wild-child heiress, but it turned out to be a scam to use Ari as a scapegoat for murder. Ari had gotten out of it by the skin of her teeth, but clearing her name nearly cost them everything.
Dale reached up and touched the left side of her head. For her, the difference between living and dying was whether or not a douchebag took the time to aim. He'd been more interested in being melodramatic, so he had just brought the
gun up and pulled the trigger. The kick caused the bullet to graze her skull rather than penetrating it, but sometimes a graze was enough. She still felt the scar every time she washed her hair and remembered how close she had come to dying.
Of course once she healed from the injury and Ari was back in fighting strength after her most strenuous transformation in memory, the agency had taken off in ways neither of them could have imagined. They were namedropped in all of the press releases about Katherine Gavin's arrest, an example of 'the little guy' who went up against 'the man' and won. In the face of great adversity and overwhelming odds, Ari had stuck up for what she believed. There were enough people who respected that to want Ari working for them.
The cases had been hit and miss, some daunting while others were quiet and refreshing. Over the past few weeks Ari had begun referring clients to other agencies when she couldn't fit them into her schedule, and their coffers were full enough that they could afford to pass on clients to take a night off when the mood struck. They might not have been rich, but the bills were paid and they treated each other to nice romantic evenings a few times a week. Who could ask for anything more?
She was printing out the file when there was a quiet knock on the door. She could see the shape of her guest through the fogged glass.
"It's open."
The woman came in and quietly shut the door behind her. She wore a cream blouse and a brown skirt that was just a shade lighter than her skin, eyeing the office with unease before she finally stepped closer to the desk. "Hello. I'm sorry. This is a private investigator's office, right? You do miss--" Her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears. Dale took the Kleenex off the desk and stood as she handed them over. "Sorry. Thank you." She wiped her eyes. "You look for missing people."
"We do. Please, sit down. Take your time."
"Time," the woman sighed. "I don't think I have time." She let Dale guide her to one of the seats and gingerly lowered herself. She telegraphed every movement as if she was worried she would shatter.
Dale rubbed the woman's shoulder. "Why don't we start easy? I'm Dale Frye."
She smiled gratefully. "Madeline Morris. I want to hire you--"
Madeline was cut off by the inner office door opening. Ari stepped out and glanced at the new arrival, then at Dale. "Everything okay?"
"Yes. Madeline, this is Ariadne Willow."
"Hello. I'm sorry if I came at a bad time, but--"
Ari shook her head and sat on Dale's desk. "Not at all. How can we help?"
Madeline looked down at the Kleenex she had destroyed and brought the tatters up to her face to wipe at her eyes. "I assume you've heard of Melody Louise Scott."
"Everyone in Seattle knows her," Ari said, thinking of the posters at the bus stop again. The little girl, blonde and beaming in the school photo used in all the posters, had been abducted outside of her school. No one had seen her go with anybody, and no sightings had been reported in the seventy-two hours she had been gone. Posters were everywhere, and every news broadcast started with an update on what was being called Missing Melody. At this point Ari assumed the story was getting national attention.
Madeline looked down at her hands. "The police are sparing no expense to find her. They have a special unit dedicated to tracking her down." She sniffled and fresh tears appeared in her eyes. "My daughter Jenna is Melody's age. She's a beautiful little girl. She plays the violin." She laughed and a tear rolled down her cheek. "This morning I packed her lunch, and I kissed her goodbye, and waved to her from the porch when she walked off to the bus stop. An hour later I got a call from the school saying she had never shown up."
Dale took Madeline's hand. "Oh, my God. I'm so sorry."
"The police a-are... I called them to report her missing. They sent a man out." She held up one finger. "One man. And he looked around and told me he was sure she was just playing hooky. She's seven years old, Ms. Willow. Second graders don't play hooky." Her voice broke. "He said to call back if she didn't come home by tonight. So I'm supposed to wait until dark before anyone lifts a finger to find her. While Missing Melody gets a task force.
"The simple truth of the matter is that a little girl, a blonde-haired white girl is missing. And as long as she's in danger, the police aren't going to expend any effort on a missing black girl. I was so angry. I was furious. But I remembered reading about you online. Your agency was hired by Katherine Gavin but you did the right thing. It's because of you that her daughter is remembered as a charitable person. I want to know someone, anyone is looking for Jenna. I want to know that she's the top priority for at least one person besides me."
Ari glanced at Dale, but she could have guessed what her response would be. "Of course. We'll take the case."
Madeline pressed her lips together. "Thank you." She touched her eyes again. "I can't pay you very much. I have some money set aside, of course. For Jenna's future." She smiled sadly. "I didn't think I would be using it this soon, but if you can find her..."
"We'll work something out. Come on into the office and we can talk about what I need from you."
Madeline stood up. "Thank you, Ms. Willow."
"We'll do everything we can to get your daughter back safe and sound." She put her hand on Madeline's elbow and glanced at Dale. Dale nodded and gave Ari a thumbs-up, hoping she knew it meant she would clear the schedule. Ari mouthed 'thank you' and closed the office door. Dale went back to her seat and opened a new case file and entered the information.
Jenna Morris. Missing. Age seven. Client, Madeline Morris (mother).
She looked toward the office door and hoped Ari would be able to bring the girl back.
#
Madeline Morris lived in a cul-de-sac off Lake Dell Avenue in a beautiful A-frame house. The front yard was elevated about two feet above street level, ending at a wooden retaining wall that separated it from the sidewalk. Madeline parked in the street, blocking her own driveway, and stepped out to look up and down the street before she turned back to Ari. "The bus stop is just up there." She pointed, but the curve of the road was so dramatic that there was only visibility for a few dozen feet. She seemed to realize that and dropped her hand. "I never thought about... how long she's out of my sight."
"Don't blame yourself for this, Mrs. Morris. You said that Jenna usually walked with friends. Where were they today?"
"She left later than usual. She was helping me with laundry so she left about five minutes later than usual. Five minutes couldn't make that big of a difference... five fewer minutes waiting in the cold for a bus..."
Ari remembered waiting for the bus that morning with Milo and tried to imagine Jenna, alone and shivering. "How far is it from here to the bus stop?"
"Um. Not far? It takes about four minutes to walk there."
Only four minutes. Ari fought back a shudder at how quickly something could go horribly wrong.
"What was she wearing?"
"A pink cap, a sort of..." She held her hands over her torso and ran them up and down. "It's a puffy coat. Light-purple. She was carrying a bookbag shaped like a koala." Her eyes welled up again.
"Mrs. Morris, I want you to stay here. I'm going to trace her route. Do you have anything of hers?" She stopped herself from specifically asking for anything that had Jenna's scent on it.
Madeline nodded. "Yes. In the car, I have..." She opened the back door and ducked inside. A few seconds later she produced a pair of mittens. "She forgot these when I picked her up from school yesterday."
Ari took them. "Thank you. I'll be right back. Go into the house, lie down, and try to keep yourself calm. You can't help Jenna if you aren't thinking clearly. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Okay. Good luck."
"Thank you." Ari watched her go back into the house before she brought the mittens up to her nose. She breathed deeply and looked up and down the street in case anyone was watching. Both sides of the winding road were shaded by tall trees. The houses were relatively far apart and, in many instances, blocked from vi
ew by trees and bushes. In the dark of morning before the sun rose, it would be all too easy to make a little girl vanish in no time flat.
She knew she would get a better scent at the wolf, but even as a human her olfactory senses were more heightened than the average person's. She kept the mittens in her hands as she started walking toward the bus stop. After a few feet she looked back and saw that Madeline's car was out of sight. A few more steps and she couldn't see the house. On a good day, the tightness would make the neighborhood feel cozy. At the moment it just made the entire street seem closed off and confined on all sides.
Foot paths led off the main road at uneven intervals. She stopped at the mouth of each one and breathed deeply but Jenna hadn't gone down any of them. She reached the bus stop sign in half the time Madeline had predicted, owing to the fact she wasn't keeping pace with a seven year old. She stood next to the pole and inhaled deeply.
Kids had a certain ineffable smell, and a group of them had definitely stood here for a prolonged period. She tried to separate Jenna from the rest and failed. Two houses flanked the bus stop on either side of the road, and Ari went up the front walk to the nearest. She knocked and the door was answered almost immediately by a doughy, middle-aged man in a hooded sweatshirt and bare feet. He smelled of pot and glared at her with undisguised hostility.
"Yeah?"
"Hi. I'm Ariadne Willow. I'm a private investigator. Could I ask you a few questions about that bus stop?"
He looked past her. "The bus stop? You mean the magnet for screaming, bratty kids who scream me awake every morning at seven? What about it?"
"I was wondering if you happened to notice a little girl--"
He rested his elbow against the door frame and squeezed the bridge of his nose. "Lady, I don't notice any particular brats, okay? They're just a swarm. You want to ask me if I noticed a particular seagull who shit on my car, you might have a better chance."
"This morning she was wearing a puffy coat and a pink hat..."
He started to bite her head off again, but then he stopped. "Wait. The black girl?"
"Yeah. Her name is Jenna."
