Celta: Heart Secret Part 24

Black-and-White sniffed. There are many human smells here of people who looked for data about the man and the one who killed him.

And it has been long since, the smallest cat added.

Sift everything with all your special senses, especially anything that might pertain to the murder. Each of you who comes to me with an individual report will be given a treat.

Mouths smacked. Drool spilled from one of the dogsa muzzles.

That is the first request, said the fox. What else?

I want to track each of the racc.o.o.ns who lived here, learn their whereabouts, and speak with them. Garrett gestured to the raw opened earth where the den had been. I believe there was an adult male, female, and two kits. They are smart, like you, potential Fam animals.

Artemisia jerked awake beside him. Garrett examined his band for clues that one of them knew something more.

A dog with gray around his nose yipped. I heard the male ac.o.o.n likes beach more than forest. I heard one kit was hurt by the bad one who killed the man, heard a racc.o.o.n male said so.

Fam murder! someone yelled. We are looking for Fam murderer!

Shudders rippled through the Fams, some of the youngest bolted. Garrett treasured each and every informant, never knew which qualities he might need for a job. He hoped they returned, if not now, then later.

Cats hunched down, ears flattened, gazes darting, hissing. Dogs and foxes hopped to their feet. Fear.

Should he use Flair to reach and sweep and hold many Fam minds?

Twenty-nine.

No. He watched young ones dash away.

An instant, clear memory flashed of Artemisia sending love to a . . . to a Fam in TQas HouseHeart? He let his shoulders fall from the high line of tension and gathered concern . . . affection . . . for these colleagues.

He took Artemisiaas handa"it was unexpectedly coola"and on a long puff of exhalation, he imagined a silver stream from himself to the feral Fams. Artemisia eased beside him and bolstered his sending with affection and power. They worked together, a good sign.

Purring rumbled from the cats. All the foxes sat straight and the muscles of their muzzles pulled back, showing their tongues as if they were smiling. The dogs trotted close to Garrett, then flopped in front of him and rolled over so he could rub their belliesa"their tongues had been lolling, too.

Garrett grinned himself as he sent more affection out, enjoyed the rough hair under his fingers as he petted the dogs and the dampness of their tongues on his hand as they wriggled to lick him. Surprise and pleasure filled him when a wave of love came back to him from the group.

Black-and-White leaned against his knee, even Sleek Black purred loud enough that Garrett could hear him. With a last stroke on each of the dogs, he addressed his friends. Are we calmer about the murder now?

aYesss,a vocalized Black-and-White.

aGood,a Garrett answered aloud. aBecause Iam not done.a What else? asked the head fox.

Garrett took the simple square cross head picked up at the guardhouse from his belt pocket and unsheathed it, revealing the knife. He didnat like the way it felt in his hands, poorly balanced and not a good weapon. Of course, it wasnat supposed to be a weapon. Even as he frowned down on it, he knew it wasnat a tool head have felt comfortable using in a ritual.

That, too, surprised him. He didnat consider himself a spiritual man . . . and knew more about the Dark G.o.ddess who claimed those ready to transition to another life than the more benevolent Lady and Lord. He shrugged the idea aside as the ferals crowded around him to examine the object.

Odd knife. One of the foxes shook his head. Then he sneezed. Smells of smoke stuff, but not blood or hurt ac.o.o.n.

aThatas right,a Garrett said. aThe weapon that killed the man and hurt the racc.o.o.n looked like this.a He angled the blade so sunlight gleamed off the edges. aThe knife was found, but not the sheath.a Opening his hand, he showed the sheath to his informers. aIt would look something like this.a Again there was some s.h.i.+fting, mental images flying between those animals of the same species so quickly Garrett caught only flickers of the speech.

Black-and-White mewed, then broadcasted, We have not seen this knife.

None of us foxes have noticed such a thing in our travels, said the leader.

The dogs shook their heads. No, no, no. Nothing like that, no.

Garrett nodded. aVery well, you will all look for the sheath?a He got various types of a.s.sents, then the cat yowled. It is now time for Our feast food.

Garrett went back to telepathy for the whole group. Yes, raw and cooked meat will be dispersed in the troughs of the courtyard behind my building.

Sleek Black shot from Apollopa Park and down the street, a black blur. The dogs followed fast, the foxes were a bit more dignified, but it wasnat more than a minute before Garrett was alone with Artemisia in the greenery.

He scanned the gra.s.ses, the flowers, but saw nothing, sensed nothing head missed before.

aThat was very interesting.a Artemisia stood and shook out her tunic, brushed it, then actually smiled at him. aItas obvious you have a bond with those Fams.a Then she glanced away and wet her lips. aIa"a aWhat?a aItas hard to say.a aIave heard a lot of hard things from you. Donat stop now,a Garrett said.

Her gaze flashed to his. Her brows dipped. aYou havenat always been kind, either.a Gray Tabby slunk from the shadow of a big-boled tree. He darted up to Artemisia and sniffed around her feet and legs. Smiling, she bent down to pet him. He followed his nose up the line of her braid. Her eyes were wide, but there was no fear running through her connection with Garrett.

I thought so, the cat said smugly. She smells of the racc.o.o.n family who denned here and specifically of the she-kit the bad one wounded.

aWhat!a Garrett said.

Artemisia straightened, calm and reserved. She crossed her arms. aYes, thatas what I wanted to tell you. I found, or rather, Randa found me when she was wounded yesterday.a aRanda?a aMy new Fam.a Not only had Artemisia kept information from him, she had won the trust of the racc.o.o.ns when he had not. It grated. aI need to speak with her.a Artemisia glanced at her wrist timer. aAnd I need to go to work. Iam late enough that Iall have to teleport.a And he, Garrett, d.a.m.n well needed to send this new irritation away and treat her right. He couldnat afford any more screwups with her. So he sucked in a big breath and shook out his arms and legs. Noted that the cat ran toward the direction of his office.

aIam sorry. My pride was hurt that . . . Randa . . . came to you instead of me.a He gave her a rueful smile. aIave been trying to woo them.a aUnlike me,a she said.

Stup! aDo I need to apologize again?a aNo. But I must go.a aIall see you later.a She shrugged. aYou have the recordsphere of my interviews with the guards regarding the altar knife and how it was found.a She swallowed. aIn Randa. Sheas fine, by the way.a Artemisia teleported away.

FAMMAN! yelled Rusby. I am at Our office. There are A LOT of FAMS here and they all want FOOD.

Gritting his teeth, Garrett teleported to the pad in the corner of his office. The smell of mildew was even stronger. He had no doubt that the other tenants had reported the problem the day before, but the landlord hadnat taken care of it.

Yep, he had to leave this place.

He noted a couple of calls in his scry panel cache, but fed the feral Fams prime soft kibble and some actual furrabeast shreds that he pulled from the no-timea"the last of the batch.

While they ate, he and Rusby went back to the office and Garrett watched the scrys. One was from Laev and was brief and nearly angry. aThe Mugworts donat have anything to do with the murder. Leave them alone.a Garrett stared at the fading image of his friend on the scry panel.

Oddly enough, in the second scry, Winterberry said almost the same thing in a more courteous manner and with a puzzled expression on his face. aI have been informed by several peoplea"including Tinne Holly, the owner of The Green Knight Fencing and Fighting Salon, and Captain Ruis Elder of the stars.h.i.+p Nuadaas Sworda"that the older Mugworts, the once GraceLord and Lady, have unshakeable alibis.a His mouth twisted. aI have not been given proof of that.a He ran his fingers through his cap of white hair, then smiled. aI trust that you will receive proof.a The Captain of the guards s.h.i.+fted his shoulders. aI must admit I am beginning to like the idea that someone else will have to deal with the higher n.o.bles, the FirstFamilies, and the FirstFamilies Council.a His grin spread. aGood luck.a Garrett sat in his comfortchair, leaned back, and contemplated the now dark screen of his scry panel. aHuh.a He let notions flow through his mind, pulled out some coins, and exercised his fingers, rolling the coins across his knuckles. aMust be nice to have high-ranking friends.a That didnat come out as bitterly as it would have a year ago.

Rusby, who was on Garrettas desk, stopped grooming and looked at Garrett with yellow eyes. aYesss,a he said.

aDonat need to think about the Mugworts right now. There are other threads to pull.a Lounging, he scried Winterberry back and spoke at length about Modoc Eryngoas viewing. There were several copies of the viz camera recordings and one arrived in Garrettas office mail cache.

They discussed the Eryngo Family members who had rotated the duty of sitting next to the bodya"his sister and father and nephew and niece. All of them were angry and on the suspects list.

Garrett kept his face straight as Winterberry finally relayed in a dry voice the alibis for the murder for himselfa"at the guardhouse catching up on reportsa"and his wife, Trif Clover Winterberrya"in bed and vouched for by her Fam, Greyku. Garrett had commented that if Famsa words were being taken, especially cat Fams, then the Turquoise Houseas reports should be good.

Having the manas knowledge available to him was priceless. Garrett s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably when he recalled that Winterberry had perfected the skill of interacting with the FirstFamilies . . . something that Garrett supposed head have to learn. Lord and Lady knew, the FirstFamilies would want a guy to report to them at regular intervals, too.

aMy wifeas Fam, Greyku, did attend the viewing.a Winterberryas gaze went to the left of his panel as if staring at the cat. aDespite our requests that she would not go.a There was a loud cat sniff from Winterberryas vicinity. Since the FamCat wasnat projecting telepathically to Garrett, he didnat hear her comment but knew there had to be one. No doubt the cat was disguising her curiosity as duty or something.

aAs for the rest of the alibis, we are continuing to tabulate the whereabouts of each of the victimsa Families: the Gingers, Sedums, Dills, and Sorrells.a Winterberryas voice went carefully colorless. aFirstFamily GreatLord Saille TaWillow was in bed with his HeartMate.a Despite the fact that Willow had worn weapons to the viewing, Garrett knew firsthand that the man was one of the least capable fighters of the FirstFamilies, not a man accustomed to violence. Not a man who would think of killing someone as a first option of revenge.

aI suggest that we take Willowas word for his wifeas whereabouts, at least for now,a Winterberry said. aHer presence in TaWillow Residence is also confirmed by that ent.i.ty, her FamCat, Fairyfoot, and TaWillowas FamCat, Myx.a There was something Winterberry wasnat spelling out. Garrett narrowed his eyes at the Captain.

A corner of the guardas mouth kicked up. His voice remained soft and polite, though there was the hint of a gleam in his eyes. aAs you work with the FirstFamilies, Primross, you will have to become accustomed to each particular Flair. You do recall that GreatLady DaWillow is also DaThyme and she can move through time.a Garrett shuddered. aIad forgotten.a aThe way I understand how her Flair works, she can move through time, but not s.p.a.ce.a Winterberry stated it flatly, as if he was sure the Willow-Thyme Family was keeping secrets, as, of course, every FirstFamily would. aThere is no indication DaWillow-Thyme was outside of her Residence, her estate, or n.o.ble Country.a aThank you,a Garrett said. aIs that all?a aOur weapons expert is still examining the knife. She should have something within two days.a aThatas good.a aWe have discovered that the reason Modoc Eryngo was in Druida City was to manage and retrieve some money he had under an alternate ident.i.ty. This was not the first time he had returned.a aBut someone recognized him this time,a Garrett said.

aSounds right.a Winterberryas steady gaze met Garrettas. aAnd thatas all the information I have for you today. Our s.h.i.+fts will, of course, continue to work the case around the clock.a Garrett nodded. aI have some leads of my own.a aGood. No doubt the FirstFamilies will be in touch.a aNo doubt.a He straightened. aWeare missing something.a aWhat?a asked Winterberry.

aNot sure, but something simple. Weave gone over everything.a aThatas right.a There were a few heartbeats of silence. aI canat read your mind,a the Captain said. He dipped his head. aIf thatas all, I have other cases.a Garrett wanted to wince, but didnat. aSee you tomorrow.a Winterberry nodded. aBeen a hard day; glad Iam going home to my wife. Later.a He ended the scry.

Garrett himself had discussed his other cases by scry, or, in the case of the lord, set an appointment for tomorrow evening at the manas social club. He wasnat sure whether the guy wanted to intimidate or impress him.

Garrett looked at the old wall timer. Artemisia would be ending her short workday now, too. And heading for her appointment with the priest.

Time to man up.

He paced the short length of his office, then prodded his kitten awake. Rusby had fallen asleep on the one cushy client chair.

He didnat want to talk to anyone about the d.a.m.n meeting with the priest, but if he was going with Artemisia, best if Rusby understood some rules. He wrapped both hands around his Famas middle and held the kitten in front of his face out of paw range. aThis is a very . . . touchy . . . time between my lady and me.a Youave been mean to her.

That hurt, but if he couldnat admit it again to his Fam, he had a feeling that he wouldnat get anywhere in a d.a.m.n counseling session with Artemisia and the priest.

aThatas right, and Artemisia and I and you are going to see someone to help us with the mistakes.a The man whose Flair smelled nice. The one We met when We ate and who was in the park later.

aThatas right,a Garrett repeated.

The man who wasnat mean to her. He will listen to your apologies.

Garrett ground his teeth only once before he answered again, aThatas right. I want you to be as quiet as you can.a One more half grind. aPlease.a Rusby nodded somberly. Yes, I will, so you can say again that you are sorry for being mean and making her cry and hurt.

Garrett closed his eyes and parroted, aThatas right.a I will be quiet, Rusby said.

One last request for the Fam. aAnd Iad like to take you in a hip bag, so . . .a I like sitting on your shoulder; I can see everything.

aI worry about you on my shoulder.a True enough. He translocated a small bag that head purchased from Gwydion Ash and had sent to his cache box.

It was an oblong bag with a long flap over the top that could be folded up to show a mesh where Rusby could see out. The Fam carrier was several times longer than the kitten. And if Garrett had to fight, the pouch had a loop that would break free with a yank of his thumb. If it fell, it turned hard, into a small fortress. Rusby would be protected unless he teleported out. The bag and the spells had cost more than Garrett had once made in a month, but he considered it worth it.

aThis is yours.a Mine! My first present from My FamMan! The kitten squealed and pounced on it. The bag didnat seem to roll like Rusby expected and he fought it with tooth and claws, leaving raw sc.r.a.pes on the leather. Garrett winced. But it was stupid to think that something made for a kitten would remain pristinea"even for two minutes.

Rusby pawed the flap open and wiggled inside. The bag rocked, then took a slight shape around the kitten. Garrett folded up the flap but couldnat see through the mesh. Smiling, he crouched, aYou in there, Rusby?a You canat see Me?

aNo.a Though he could see plenty of here-and-gone bulges as Rusby squirmed.

A secret! A secret ride for Me.

aThatas right.a And hopefully it would be an added reason for Rusby to stay quiet. There was so much Garrett wanted to tell Artemisiaa"even before a priesta"that he was afraid head stutter, and if his Fam distracted him, Garrett might not get everything out.

I will be your secret informer.

The ident.i.ties of his informers were secret . . . except both TQ and Artemisia knew, since theyad taken care of the ferals when he was sick.

Garrett shrugged. If Artemisia was still speaking to him after thisa"and he prayed that things would go wella"she would give her word not to talk about his irregulars.

He stewed about the appointment on the glider ride all the way to GreatCircle Temple, but when Artemisia stood outside the huge doors, he joined her.

She flinched. He hoped because shead been lost in thought and hadnat seen him, not because the sight of him hurt her.

aWhat are you doing here?a she asked in less than serene tones.

He dipped his head in an inclination of respect and held out his hand, trying not to notice it was a few shades darker than her skin and rough with calluses. Shead never looked so n.o.ble to him, standing here where the n.o.bles wors.h.i.+ped.

And never looked so dear.

aI think the reason you are troubled in your minda"a he started.

aIn my heart.a She put her hand between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, shaping her tunic to them, lush and full. His palm tingled as he remembered how her nipple, tight with pa.s.sion, felt against the hollow of his hand, how softness overflowed his fingers.

He cleared his throat, tried again. aI think the reason you are troubled in your heart is because of me.a How could his throat have clogged up again so soon? aThat I caused this, and that we . . . we should . . . we should speak to the . . . the priest . . .a Suck it up and get it out, Primross! aWe should speak to the priest together.a She stared at him, as if she were amazed.

Not appalled, like he was.

She looked down at his hand, then back into his eyes, then stared at him, and he suffered, for far too long. He had to set into his balance, meet her eyes, accept her skepticism, and not look away. He had to stick this out.

After a long two minutes, her answer was whispery soft and gentle. aYou really think we should go to Cinchona together?a No, he didnat want to speak to the priest. Not with Artemisia, and not without her. But head already learned when she could be talked out of doing something, and this was not one of those times.

aYeah. Yes,a he said.

Her head tilted. aYou think so? Or do you believe so? Or do you feel so?a None of the above. Or, maybe feel, so he went with that. aI feel so.a She nodded and her fingers slipped into his. Seemed like head found the right answer for her.

aAll right,a she said, and pushed open the door.

The place smelled good. And looked rich and elegant. And felt wonderful, with incredible uplifting energy. Lady and Lord, if head known the place had felt this good, he might have come before.

Not really, but so far it wasnat a hards.h.i.+p to be here. Maybe heada"theyada"get through this d.a.m.nea"difficulta"session.

This south entrance was tinted in filmy streaks of gold and yellow and touches of orange, all melding together. The entry room was about four meters square, with another set of double doorsa"opena"before them. Garrettas feet sank into the rug and he looked down to see it was whitea"not practical for an entryway.

Artemisia let out a sigh, her lips curved. aI always forget how lovely it is here.a She looked at him, as if weighing his commitment. He straightened his shoulders and squeezed her hand. aYeah.a They walked together from the foyer into the wide corridor that circled the building. This time the doors ahead of them, leading into the main Temple, were closed.

The walls of the hallway were another pale color but had the fuzziness showing they held several mural spells, for different rituals, he presumed. Rusby s.h.i.+fted in Garrettas hip pack and Garrett sensed pleasure and excitement from his Fam.