Down in Whisper (9781311456113)

by Elizabeth, Bonnie

  “But it’s possible I’m wrong.” Zari sighed. “Still I filled RaeLynn in on things and that’s what she was working on when you interrupted her. She hasn’t found anything, or if she has, she hasn’t bothered to tell me.”

  “I didn’t think you ever admitted to being wrong.” It was enough to make me look up from my work.

  Zari gave me a long level look with her golden eyes. “I am not often wrong. And I am not at all certain I am wrong. There might be something else going on here. Certainly this could be linked but it might not be. I really do need more information, for which I’ll have to wait until RaeLynn lets me know what she’s found. If she turns up nothing, then I shall have to wait until Dillon reports in.”

  I nodded, knowing that the cat was correct. I went back to opening my programs so that I could get some work done. First, I had some calls to make and some handholding to do. After that, I would get to the task of filling in budget numbers. That would allow Dillon to know if he had any extras to work with the following month. Everything had a time table that needed to be done. We all had our parts to play. If only Meg was willing to admit that I did have a part to play and it wasn’t taking away Peter.

  Meg

  Meg hated that she let Rain get to her but she couldn’t help it.

  “You know it’s not like I like being jealous,” she told Amy early on, back when she and Peter had only just gotten together.

  “Well then don’t be.” Amy was curled up on their mother’s sofa. The two girls had had dinner there one weekend. Marcus and Peter were outside with their father, doing who knew what. Meg’s mom was in the kitchen. Amy had volunteered to help, but Barbara waved her daughter off.

  “Like it’s that easy,” Meg mumbled.

  Amy shrugged. “It can’t be easy knowing everything that Peter knows. But you have to know what he feels too. Do you have a reason to be jealous?”

  “It’s different when I can see inside his mind. It’s just that Gram always said this couldn’t happen, that it shouldn’t. And with Peter being the way he is…” Meg trailed off unwilling or unable to articulate that Peter didn’t understand the first thing about faithfulness as she had been raised to know it. Nor did he seem to show any inclination towards changing.

  “And you still think Gram had a reason for saying what she did?”

  “I guess.” Meg didn’t know what to say to that. Gram had lied to her about what she needed to know about Peter. She hadn’t let the relationship develop as it should have. Meg wanted a reason but Emma wasn’t forthcoming. It was particularly difficult because she’d always been close to the old woman.

  “Maybe we won’t ever know what her reasons were,” Amy said. “You can’t know everything.”

  “I keep thinking she thought she was protecting me. I have to wonder from what?” Meg asked.

  “If you had always known that Peter is pretty much about free love would you still have been interested?”

  “Maybe I would have. Or maybe it just would have been part of knowing what he was and I wouldn’t have set him up on this pedestal. I don’t know.”

  “So if you would have let him go, does that mean you wouldn’t be in this relationship?”

  “That doesn’t feel right,” Meg said, not sure how.

  Amy shrugged and didn’t pursue it. She knew Meg always knew the truth when she heard it. There was something not quite true about that line of thinking, or at least not the way Amy phrased it. Clearly, Emma hadn’t been secretly playing matchmaker. The two moved on to other topics without a second thought.

  Meg hated that everyone liked Rain. Maybe that was it? Maybe she was jealous because Rain was so different from her. How did she know that that wasn’t what Peter preferred? Of course, she reminded herself, she did know what Peter preferred.

  Meg hoped she didn’t give away her reverie when she looked up and saw Rain in the doorway. Rain wore her typical skin hugging clothing. She could even make blouses look like they conformed to her skin. It wasn’t like she was model thin either, Meg thought, proud of her athletic body that didn’t carry an extra ounce of fat.

  “Morning,” Rain said, when Meg didn’t immediately say anything. Meg noted the tense posture and wondered what the woman was worried about.

  “Morning,” Meg said. “I take you it you found out Kyle had other business.”

  “Not a problem,” Rain said easily, walking in. Her hips moved the skirt with each step.

  Meg didn’t say anything. She just watched, waiting for Rain to tell her why she was there.

  “I think this plane thing is more up your alley than mine. I was wondering if you would be willing to look into it. I’m not very good at investigation.”

  Meg looked at Rain suspiciously, wondering what she really wanted before saying, “I can look into it, with the rest of my work. I wasn’t sure you wanted me to.”

  “You’re the investigator. I’m just Zari’s caretaker,” Rain tossed off lightly. She turned to leave, her maroon highlighted hair moving softly around her, aching to be touched, just like the rest of the woman. The color was new. The manner and movement was not. Nor was the almost compliment that she used so lightly.

  “Of course,” Meg said, trying to keep from grinding her teeth. She really wanted to leap over the desk and shake the woman. What was she doing with Peter in the early hours of the morning? When he really ought to have come to Meg and asked for her help rather than going to Rain and getting Dillon to do the work. Dillon didn’t know the mountain like Meg did. In fact, Meg realized, since her connection to Peter, there really wasn’t anyone, other than Peter himself, who knew the mountain better than she did.

  Rain walked out, without a second glance. The tension in her shoulders dropped even as she passed under the arch. Meg picked up her cup of chai, but it was empty of all but the spicy sweet smell. She’d drained it down to the dregs. She needed to go down for more but she didn’t want to look like she was following Rain.

  “So what is up with that plane?” Meg mused aloud, wondering what Peter knew about it.

  Unsurprisingly, Peter appeared in the doorway, as if he’d just walked down the hall. He wore his typical uniform of slightly faded blue jeans and button down shirt. This one was plain forest green with sleeves that were rolled up nearly to his elbows. The top button was open to show a white t-shirt underneath. Meg had learned that Peter didn’t really dress. He created. The shirt might or might not be separate from the body he created. The two shirts might or might not be separate. If he needed to stay warmer, he just made the fabric he created heavier.

  “That is the question,” Peter said, sliding down into the seat across from her desk. He rubbed his fingers over the arms before glancing out the window.

  “What’s Dillon found?”

  “We found the plane early this morning but the pilot was long gone. It was too dark for him to see much. I was able to help him follow the man until he got to the edge of the mountain. It’s in that culvert that you go down to on the far side and then back up the mountain behind.” Meg had been to that area with Peter once.

  Meg pulled out a notepad and started making a few notes. She had columns of who, how and why for her notes.

  “Did you recognize the pilot at all? Or any scent on him, like he knew someone who was familiar?” Meg asked, knowing that Peter would remember scents as clearly as a bloodhound. If this man had spent any time near one of the scientists from Blayn-G’s lab, Peter might have smelt it on him, even if he didn’t recognize a face.

  Peter sat very still for a moment, thinking. “No.” He pressed his hands next to him mouth, still thoughtful. “He’d never been here before, nor in contact with anyone that I’ve been in contact with, at least not often.”

  “Well, then at least we know Blayn G’s scientist probably didn’t have anything to do with the pilot. He may not have known much about the plane and its potential.”

  Peter nodded, clearly thinking about something else. Meg was about to ask what when she heard someon
e coming down the hall. The steps were heavier than Rain’s. She heard her father’s voice greeting the other woman even as he continued walking.

  “Dad,” Meg said, looking over at the door.

  “Morning,” David Barringer said, coming into the office. He gave Peter a nod and smile as he walked in, holding a cup of chai. Peter set his face in his hand so that finger covered his mouth. Meg couldn’t see if he was hiding a smile or not.

  “What brings you here?” Meg asked, leaning back. Seeing her father and being able to relax in his company took the edge of her mood from earlier in the day.

  “Just finishing the final walk through on the last of the apartments. I went down and happened to notice the Cuppa. I thought I’d drop by and say hello.” Her father held out the cup to Meg.

  “Just that?” Meg asked, teasing, although as always, she was a bit suspicious. Still, she didn’t detect any hint of a lie. Her father really had been in the building checking things out.

  “And to see how the office is holding up. You’ve been in here for over six months. I wanted to check on the fixtures. Kaitlyn sent me back here. I think I made her nervous walking around looking for squeaks.”

  Meg smiled. He probably had. Kaitlyn found anything out of a normal appointment challenging. If it weren’t for her relationship to Lacey, she wouldn’t still be working there. Heck, she probably wouldn’t have been hired in the first place.

  “So what are you two up to? Hiring Peter on?” David asked. He knew quite well that Peter and Meg were in a relationship. If it bothered him, he had never shown it by any of his actions or reactions. Meg had come to accept that he had few concerns about her, apparently knowing that she had a unique ability to bond with Peter.

  “Peter said a plane crashed up on the mountain last night,” Meg told him. “Just trying to figure it out. The circumstances were unusual.”

  “The plane was unlike anything Marcus has shown me,” Peter added. “The dimensions are off.”

  “I went to school with a gal, Beth King. Her father was a navy pilot before he started doing consulting for a bunch of different companies. Knows everything there is to know about planes. He lived in Renton for a number of years. He retired back up here on Whisper a year or two ago.” David moved to the chair next to Peter. Peter moved his hands from the arm of that chair, letting the man sit.

  Meg had to wonder if Peter had to restrain himself from touching people. Certainly she caught herself wondering what different fabrics felt like and wanting to reach out and touch someone’s perfectly coiffed hair.

  “Really?” Meg asked. “Do you think he’d talk to me when I have something to ask him?” Even Peter perked up looking interested, as if he wanted to learn about planes. Normally, anything to do with flying seemed to bore him. Of course he was an earth spirit. As such he was bound to the earth, so things of the air were less interesting to him. The plane crash had clearly intrigued him.

  “Let me give him a call. I can’t imagine he’d object.” Her father smiled fondly. “I know he loves talking about planes. When I built the little house he lives in, out behind his daughter’s place, he about talked my ear off any time I mentioned flying. We made sure to build him a patio where he can sit out away from the house with binoculars to see what sorts of planes fly overhead. He might even already know about the plane crash you’re interested in.”

  “Sounds like a fount of information,” Meg said.

  David was already pulling out his cell phone and making a call.

  Peter sat up in the chair clearly listening to David. Meg turned back to her computer and started typing. She needed to work to get some information as quickly as she could so she knew what kinds of things she wanted to ask her father’s source.

  Rain

  I heard Meg and David talking. I knew that he’d been upstairs looking over the last of the apartments. He’d report any changes he thought were needed later. I doubted there would be anything to report. I’d been down the other day with the inspector and neither of us had noticed any major problems. That meant I would be signing off on the apartment’s readiness in another day or so. If problems cropped up, I trusted that David would make sure they were all taken care of.

  I’d moved the building management contract to the real estate office he’d recommended as soon as my original real estate contract was up. Carolyn Teller been my first agent and she and I had not gotten along. When she attempted to talk me into selling the building, even though she was well aware I’d be using the space for my own business, I knew she was only interested in any commission she might get.

  I had learned over the last year and a half to trust the people that Peter trusted. Knowing that I knew Peter and could say he referred me inevitably got me great service. Even Meg, despite her jealousy, treated me with respect. Peter trusted David enough to be a financial backer in many of David’s projects. I knew that if there were any problems with the building, David would make fixing them a priority. Of course, he wouldn’t let his daughter work in a building where something could injure her. The Barringers were a close family.

  Even if I hadn’t fully trusted him, Zari read any mind she could sneak into. And she was quite a gossip. As her person of choice, I almost always got to hear her latest gossip, whether I wanted to or not. In addition to gossip, she enjoyed bouncing ideas off of me about people’s motivations. Either her species knew little about humans or her cat form had changed her outlook. Her ideas about what sorts of things motivated humans were frequently odd, to say the least.

  For instance, when she first became aware that Kyle was questioning his life and the general meaning of life after killing someone associated with Blayn-G, Zari was certain it was because he hadn’t been allowed to eat his prey. Trying to talk her out of that assumption had been oddly difficult. I can only hope that I never have the opportunity to become prey for any of her people.

  I waved at David as he left the office. He waved back, never pausing from the conversation on his cell phone. I pulled out my own and dialed Dillon’s number. It went immediately to voice mail.

  “Dillon’s out of range,” I told Zari. She stretched a paw out from her cat tree as she looked over at me.

  “I can’t hear him either, but I think it’s just because he’s too far away. He’s alive,” she said, offering me her own brand of assurance.

  I nodded at her. She gave me a long look. I held it until the phone rang making me jump. If Zari could laugh, I’m sure she would have. Instead she turned away and curled towards the window, showing me her back.

  “Rain?” Kaitlyn’s voice came over the intercom. “Call on line one.”

  “Thank you,” I called back, picking up the phone. I pressed the button for line one.

  “This is Rain,” I said without preamble.

  “I was told to talk you about setting up an appointment for a quote on security,” the man said.

  Zari looked over her shoulder, a sure sign of interest.

  “I am. What can I help you with?”

  “I have a small machine shop. Haven’t normally had any trouble, but the last couple of weeks things have been going missing or getting misplaced like we’ve had an intruder. Think I could use someone around at all hours, at least for a few months.”

  “We can do that,” I said. I took down his pertinent information. “I’m a bit short staffed today, so I’ll be out there myself.”

  “Sounds good,” the guy said.

  I made a note in the schedule that I’d probably have Ian working this area. Currently he was keeping an eye on one of our new hires. Ian was good at that. I’d originally hired him to be in charge of the security work but he didn’t deal well with spirits and ghosts, although he’d done okay with the goddesses. I think so long as he just had to react and not plan for stuff like that he was fine. A machine shop should be easy for him to check out. After a day or so, Dillon could move Ian on to another site and have a newbie in there.

  “Do you suppose machinist know about building pla
nes?” Zari asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said. I really had no idea how planes were made.

  “I wish there were a way you could read minds. I should like to know how planes are made in your world.”

  “Did you notice something unusual about the way the plane was made?” I asked.

  “It looked wrong to me. Peter didn’t see it because he doesn’t see things like we do. He doesn’t notice planes but it’s more that when he sees through the eyes of a spirit the perspectives can be off when they translate to human or cat minds. He has only ever seen planes in the sky, through Marcus’s eyes and he is more interested in their ability to fly than their structure.”

  “Have you told him that?”

  “Why?” Zari asked, yawning.

  “Well, that way he could examine it to see what you see as wrong.”

  “Peter doesn’t understand the initial oddness, so he won’t understand how to look at it as a human would. I can see that it looks wrong, beyond having Blayn G’s metal, but it may be the way Peter perceives things. I have questions that I do not think he can answer. Dillon may be able to answer some of them but I would like to know more about how planes here are made so I can ask the proper questions.”

  “You could get RaeLynn to let you play on the computer,” I said. Zari often enjoyed going research on her specialized computer, reading through information quite quickly.

  “I think she is busy tracing names and information for Meg although she’s started some searches about the plane. Today is not a good day to annoy Meg,” Zari told me.

  “Is any day?” I asked.

  Zari gave me her enigmatic cat smile before turning away.

  Meg

  “John’s there now if you want to drive up with me for a visit,” David said, as he peeked back into Meg’s office.

  “How far up the mountain is he?” Meg asked, still typing frantically, trying to read at the same time. She wasn’t sure if she had the information she’d need to ask good questions or if she’d be wasting the man’s time.