Bitter Gold Hearts (26 page)

“You want me to go drag her back here?”

“Oh, no. I want her right where she sits. I’m going to organize a family outing to convene out there. But when I get there, I want to know what I’m walking into.”

“You want me to go scout it out, then.”

“Can you handle it?”

“No problem. When?”.

“Soon as you can. Don’t come at the place down that road.”

He snorted. “Give me
some
credit, Garrett.”

“Meet me at the crossroads tomorrow. I’ll try to be there as close to noon as I can. I’ll have some stops to make along the way.”

Tharpe jerked his head in the general direction of the kitchen. “What about those guys?”

“I don’t care. Let them tag along if they want. Or they can stick with me. If they decide to go with you, make sure they don’t start playing their own game. I’ve got to head up the Hill in a few minutes. Go find out what they want to do.”

What are you planning, Garrett?
The Dead Man sounded suspicious.

“I don’t know. I’m making it up as I go along.”

It feels like you’re setting something up.

“I wish I was. There’re tags and threads that’re going to hang loose after this’s over and they could cause problems.”

For instance, a certain Garrett getting caught in a colli­sion between a young woman used to getting what she wants and a somewhat older, no-nonsense redhead who feels she has a certain proprietary interest in the man?

“That one hadn’t occurred to me. I was thinking more along the lines of the Stormwarden wanting to get me for my presumptions and disrespect after she no longer has any use for me. Amber won’t have any interest in me if she gets her meat hooks in that ransom money.”

Garrett, you are, for the most part, an unusually sound-thinking representative of your species. But where mem­bers of the opposite sex are concerned, you are often a fool.

“A congenital weakness. My father was subject to it too. I’m working on it.”

You will break your beer habit first, I am certain.

“Speaking of Amber, I should let her know what’s going on.”

One piece of advice, since you wish to avoid a prime position on the Stormwarden’s get-even list.

“What’s that?”

Try to restrain that part of you which insists on being sarcastic, abrasive, and confrontational.

“I’m working on that, too. I think I’ll clear that up right after I get straightened out about women.”

I went to the kitchen doorway and stuck my head in. Saucerhead said, “They decided to stick with me.” His smirk said that was because they weren’t interested in doing anything that would bring them to the attention of Raver Styx. I winked and headed upstairs.

__XLVII__

I tapped on Amber’s door. “You there?” “It’s not locked.”

I went inside. She was seated on the edge of her bed, looking pale and tired. “Is she gone?”

I settled into the room’s sole chair. “She left. We managed to work something out.”

“How heavily did she outbid me?”

“I don’t like your mother, Amber.”

“What does that mean?”

“People I don’t like never outbid people I do like.’ Though sometimes I’ll let them think they can.”

“Thanks.” She didn’t sound cheered.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s almost over, isn’t it?”

“I expect to put the noose around somebody’s neck tomorrow.”

“Do you know who?”

“Not for certain. Not yet.”

“It’s not going to make anybody happy, is it?”

“No. Murder never does. Not for long.”

“Then I won’t be seeing you....”

I had an impulse to trot down and give the Dead Man a swift kick. He was listening in and snickering, proba­bly. Why is the old blubber boat always right?

“Who knows? Look, I’m just about to go up to your mother’s house to question your father and Domina Dount. How’s your nerve? You want to go along and stand silent witness? Maybe pick up a change of clothes?”

“Do I smell bad, or something?”

“What?”

“Never mind. What’s a silent witness?”

“Somebody who just stands there and makes people stick to the truth because they know the silent witness can contradict them.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “I don’t know if I’m up to that. My own father....”

“It’d be a chance to see Domina Dount pick her nose with her elbow.”

She rose immediately. “All right.”

“My god. What enthusiasm.”

“I don’t want to hurt my father, Garrett. And I know you’ll back him into a corner where things will come out that my mother won’t be able to forgive.”

Something in her tone suggested she was ready to spill family secrets. “Maybe if I didn’t ask certain questions, your mother wouldn’t have to know. As long as the answers don’t have any bearing on what —”

“I don’t know!” There was agony in that, and a plea for help.

“Tell me.”

“Ami... He
has
to the father of the baby she was carrying.”

“I’m not surprised to hear that, Amber. I even suspect that your mother already entertains the possibility too.”

“I guess she would. But even if she did, she wouldn’t understand it.” Pure misery, Amber. This was gnawing her good.

“It isn’t exactly incest.”

“It could’ve been.”

“What? How so?”

“Ami... She wasn’t a willing partner.”

“He raped her?” I couldn’t believe Amiranda would have tolerated that from anybody.

“Yes. No. Not the way you’re thinking. He didn’t hold a knife at her throat. He just...
coerced
her, I guess. I don’t know how he did it. She never told me about it. Only Karl. But Karl told me. It started when she was thirteen. When you’re that young it’s hard... It’s hard to know what to do.”

“Not you too?”

“No. But... But he tried. Twice. When I was four­teen. Almost fifteen. It was hard, Garrett. Maybe a man wouldn’t even understand. The first time I just ran away when I realized what he wanted. The second time he made sure I didn’t have anywhere to run. I... He... He wouldn’t let me alone till I said I was going to tell mother.”

“And?”

“He went into a panic. A psychotic panic. That’s why...”

“Did he threaten you? Physically?”

She nodded.

“I see.” I settled back to ruminate. I understood her fears. This didn’t do Karl Senior any good at all. I al­ready had him down as murder suspect number one, but I was still a little nebulous on motive.

“They were both dumb, Ami and Father. They had to realize it would happen sooner or later. There’s too much free-floating residual energy around any place used by someone like my mother not to interfere with the spells on a contraceptive amulet.”

“If she could see it coming —”

“Don’t start, Garrett. You don’t know what it was like. You aren’t a woman. You aren’t a daughter. And you’ve never been in a squeeze anything like it.”

“You’re right. All right, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll talk to him without your mother being there. If it’s not germane, she won’t have to know.”

“She won’t allow that.”

“I’ll insist. I’ll also insist that you be there with us.”

“Oh! Do I have to?”

“I want him in a corner so tight he’s got to think his only way out is the truth. He can’t lie with you standing there ready to blurt, ‘Remember the time when you —’ “

“I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I. But you have to use the tools at hand.”

“He couldn’t
do
something like you’re thinking.”

‘“Amiranda would’ve begun to show soon. Your mother is inquisitive. And when she asks, she gets answers. How would she have reacted —”

“I know what you’re going to say, Garrett. He’d panic. He’d go crazy out of fear. But not that crazy.”

“Maybe you’re right. If we get him deep enough into that corner, maybe we’ll find out for sure.” It seemed a good idea to forget that the Stormwarden had discovered Amiranda’s pregnancy on her own.

“Garrett. Do we have time...?”

I shook my head slowly.

“It’s a pity, really.”

“I’m sorry.”

As we started down the stairs, she said, “I’ll bet you he doesn’t even know she was pregnant. Ami wouldn’t have told anybody but Karl.”

I responded with a noncommittal grunt. He knew now, though I was willing to grant the possibility that he hadn’t known then. I paused to stick my head into the Dead Man’s room. “We’re going now.”

Take care of yourself, Garrett. And mind your manners with your betters.

“The same to you, Chuckles. Want to tell me Glory Mooncalled’s secret now? Just in case the worst happens? I’d hate to check out still mystified.”

With you entering a Stormwarden’s lair? No. We’ll con­sider it after this is done and the break is complete.
He had a point.
I gave Dean some unnecessary instructions about lock­ing up behind me. Then we left.

__XLVIII__

I decided TO make a brief detour to Lettie Faren’s. Maybe it was wrong. There are times when ignorance is bliss. The man on the door knew me and knew my presence was considered undesirable, but he made only a token effort to keep us out. Inside, Amber gawked and whis­pered that she wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it. I gawked myself, but not for the same reasons. The place wasn’t open for business. Never, to my knowledge, had the house been closed before. Alarmed, I pushed past a barman and a swamper who made half­hearted efforts to stop us. I slammed into the pest hole Lettie calls home.

It only took one look. “Stay out there,” I instructed Amber.

The mound of ruin that was Lettie Faren tried to glare with eyes blackened and swollen, and failed. She couldn’t strike the spark. What remained was a feeble mask for fear.

I asked, “Chodo’s boys?”

She croaked an affirmative.

“You should’ve told me where to find Donni when you knew, before the hard boys decided they wanted her too.”

She just looked at me. Chances were she’d just looked at Chodo’s boys too. For a while. She was damned near as tough as she thought.

“I’m working for Raver Styx these days. That’s a tight crack to get caught in, between the Stormwarden and the kingpin.”

“I didn’t have nothing to tell them and I don’t got nothing to tell you, Garrett. Bring on the old witch if you want.”

“The wicked flee when no man pursueth. I’ll wish you a speedy recovery. Good-bye.”

As we headed for the exit, Amber asked, “Why didn’t you want me to go in there?”

I gave it to her straight. “I’m not the only one looking for Donni Pell. Those other guys beat her up trying to find out where Donni went.”

“Bad?”

“Very. They aren’t nice people. In fact, I’m about convinced that you’re the only nice person anywhere in this mess.”

She laughed nervously and said, “You don’t know me very well yet.” Then, conversationally, “You’re not so bad yourself, Garrett.”

Perhaps she didn’t know me very well yet either.

__XLIX__

The man at the Stormwarden’s gate was a stranger. He had a competent, professional look. “How was the vacation in the sunny Cantard?”

It bounced off. “Grim as usual, Mr. Garrett. The Stormwarden is expecting you and is waiting in her audi­ence room. Miss daPena can show you the way.”

“Yeah. Thanks. You guys going to do anything for Slauce?”

“Say what?”

“You going in on flowers or anything? I thought I’d kick in if I could. It never would’ve happened if he hadn’t been coming to see me.”

“We haven’t decided what to do yet. We’ll let you know. All right?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

When we were out of earshot, Amber said, “See? I told you you weren’t all bad.”

“A cynical, manipulative gesture meant to incite a sympathetic attitude among the troops.”

“Right, Garrett. Whatever you say.”

Raver Styx sat alone in the gloom of an unlighted room about the size of the Dead Man’s. Her eyes were closed. She was so still and unresponsive I suffered a chill. Had we lost yet another daPena?

No. Those supposedly terrible eyes opened and fixed on me. I saw nothing but a tired and beaten old lady. “Please have a seat, Mr. Garrett.” Like a wolfman under a full moon, she began to change. “Amber, I believe you’d do better to isolate yourself here in the house, but if you feel more confident with Mr. Garrett and his associates, you have my blessing,” She was becoming the Stormwarden Raver Styx — with a measure of concerned mother. Amber was within reach and my feet were out of the Stormwarden’s line of sight. I nudged her ankle. She started, figured it out, said, “Thank you, Mother. I’d feel better with Mr. Garrett, I think. For now.”

That wasn’t so hard. Often all we need to be civil with one another is the presence of a referee we don’t want thinking us fools.

“As you wish. Where would you like to begin, Mr. Garrett?”

“With Domina Dount.”

“Willa Dount, Mr. Garrett. Loss of her position and title is a foregone penalty. Let’s not extend any false hopes.”

“You’re the boss. Whatever, I want to do her first. Then your husband. Then the staff — if that appears productive.”

“Wouldn’t it be a bit trifling?”

“Maybe. But a few trifles are all I need to fill the gaps in the picture I already have.”

“I’m tempted to invoke penalties on the lot and let the gods distinguish between the wicked and the merely incompetent.”

Sometimes I felt that way about our ruling class. I observed the Dead Man’s advice, though, and kept my opinion to myself. “I know what you mean.”

“How do you want to work it? In my presence? In Amber’s?”

“In Willa Dount’s case, with you present and Amber absent. To begin. I’ve already told Amber how long to stay away. After she comes in, I want you to find a reason to leave. Having dealt with Willa Dount, I doubt the footwork will do any good, but I want to try.”

“Very well.”

“I’ll want to see all the documents she has. Especially the letters from the kidnappers. Have you seen those?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Did you recognize the hand?”

“No. It seemed feminine.”