by Ivan Turner
Chapter XVIII
First they called the police. Then they called Evelyn Van Deign. In minutes, the Chinese restaurant was closed down and the studio was filled with elf inspectors. It was Owen’s worst nightmare. They were everywhere. He could smell them.
The Inspector General was an elf named David Van Pulse. He arrived quickly, taking command of the situation within seconds. Instead of the traditional garb worn by the inspectors of the Judiciary Board, he instead wore a sharp business suit of very light grey with a fine pinstripe pattern. His tie was thin and vaguely yellow, almost but not quite matching his hair.
He went first to the two golems. Marvin’s duplicate hadn’t moved since being consumed by the spellfire. Owen didn’t know anything about magic, but he listened to the elves as they ran their analysis. Apparently, the golems were made of mud and clay and other malleable materials, though they had a core of flesh. The DNA in that core allowed them to take the form of the donor. When Marvin had been hit by the spellfire, that core had been damaged beyond use. Without it, the golem lost the ability to remain animated. Herschel, on the other hand, still writhed on the floor. Owen had damaged it enough to make sure that it was no longer a threat. With its core still intact, it could have been rebuilt, but the elves destroyed it as soon as Van Pulse gave the order.
All the while, he and Jessica were made to sit and wait. They were ordered not to leave, but they weren’t allowed to be a part of the investigation. They stood near the stairs, Jessica’s burned hand wrapped in gauze. Owen felt resentful because any one of these inspectors could have healed her in a second’s time with but a miniscule amount of magic. He grumbled about it, but Jessica just hushed hm.
They were still standing and doing nothing when Evelyn Van Deign arrived. She came down the stairs and through the door with an air of regalia. Van Pulse looked up as she entered, surprised by her presence. He recovered well, though, walking over to her and taking her by the hands.
“Lovely to see you, Evelyn.”
“And you, David.” Owen could tell that she was insincere. She studied the scene for a few moments, just looking around and taking it all in.
“Do you have a special interest in this case?”
“I’m the one that hired the detectives and called in Orlando.”
Van Pulse looked over to where Van Keats had been killed. They had long since removed the body. It had been quite a spectacle, a gaggle of elf inspectors standing around and trying to rationalize a murder that could not be. While the cause of death was so obviously spellfire, their narrow minds couldn’t seem to accept it.
“Yes, well, it seems your two detectives got Orlando killed.”
“What?” Jessica shouted, straightening up.
Every elf in the room looked at her but she didn’t care.
“David, are you really intending to hold Mr. Keefe and Ms. Church responsible for this?”
“They tell a wild story, Evelyn, and they are both connected to a man who very definitely murdered an elf.”
“I think you use the word murder a bit too liberally, David.”
With a sideways glance at Owen, Van Pulse gritted his teeth. “This is neither the time nor the place for this debate, Evelyn. Suffice to say that I think your interest in the environment has bled out to some more dangerous territory. You should choose your friends carefully.”
“Don’t try to intimidate me, David,” she answered incredulously. “Why don’t you go back to work while I have a word with the detectives?”
“They may not leave,” Van Pulse said and there would be no defying him.
In a moment he and she were standing by themselves and conversing in hushed tones. Owen and Jessica observed Evelyn becoming more and more agitated as the conversation wore on. She looked on the verge of an outburst.
Then, just as quickly, her frustration disappeared. Evelyn laughed a little tinkling laughter and detached herself from Van Pulse’s company. Taking Jessica’s hands in her own, she wove a healing spell. A couple of nearby elves noticed and gasped, disgusted at the display.
“Have some compassion,” Evelyn chastised and they turned away. But they would not forget. It was clear that, tomorrow, whatever passed for elf water cooler talk would be dominated by the story of an elf using healing magic on a human. Owen wondered if Evelyn wasn’t systematically destroying her chances for reelection.
“Thank you,” Jessica said, unwrapping her hands.
“You and the inspector go back,” Owen said. He had observed something more than the general elf familiarity pass between them.
Evelyn grimaced. “He and my husband went to school together. They were in fierce competition over just about everything.”
“Then I’m sorry for your husband. That guy looks like he always wins.”
“No,” Evelyn said absently as she toyed with the ring on her finger. “Not always.”
“Are they really going to try and pin the inspector’s death on us?” asked Jessica.
“No,” Evelyn said. “If they were, you would have already been arrested. I think David is just upset because there’s no clear answer to his question.”
Owen harrumphed loudly. “I can give him his answer.”
“I wouldn’t if I were you.”
“What if you give them the answer?”
She let out a short bark of laughter. “He would know it came from you. He wouldn’t believe it.”
“Do you believe it?”
Evelyn hesitated. It was just a reminder of who and what she was. Though she may have been protecting Owen and Jessica at the moment, it would be foolish for them to become dependent on that protection.
“I do,” she said finally. “It’s absurd, heretical, but it wouldn’t do for me to start questioning your word now after I’ve invested so much into it.”
Owen wasn’t sure whether that was meant as a warning or a vote of confidence. It sounded so much like both that he was instantly on his guard. For the moment, though, there was little he could do about it. He’d gotten into bed with this elf councilwoman and if she was trying to manipulate him, he would simply need to be cautious, a word that was not often found in the dwarf dictionary.