The Light Who Shines

by Lilo Abernathy

  “All? Mine, Ernesto’s, Xavier’s, and Jack’s?”

  Rubalia nods.

  “What in the Great Abyss?” I exclaim. It must be the same guy who is after the amulet. He must be getting desperate if he’s willing to search our office. This is not good.

  I walk down the hall and peek in on Ernesto. His office is neat as a pin except for a small pile of papers on his desk. The only other item out of place is the skewed painting he’s straightening on the wall.

  “Rubalia told me all the offices were trashed. How come yours is hardly touched?”

  Ernesto turns and his gaze scans my bruised face and swollen eyes. “Good morning, señorita,” he says. “I think trees are too grand to waste on the animals we investigate, so I hardly ever use paper.”

  Then Ernesto gestures toward my Glock and looks at me seriously. “Do you know how to fire that?”

  I know he’s suggesting that I obviously didn’t defend myself well. So I decide to respond to his real question. “I didn’t have the gun with me at the time. That was my fault. But to answer your question, I could use some time at the shooting range.”

  Ernesto nods and says, “We should go together. Also you need to practice with the crossbow and be wary after dark. Dark Vampire activity has been picking up.”

  “Jack told me about that. Did you find the perpetrator for the killing outside the Heifer grocery store?”

  Ernesto says, “Yes. We let him be judged by the sun. Now I’m working on a case of a Daylight Vampire killing in Collins Gardens. I suspect the Dilectus Deo may be involved, but I lack evidence.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  I wearily walk down the hall and check in on Xavier. When I stand in his doorway I see files open and strewn all over the floor. Office equipment has been thrown around. Even the picture frame has been taken apart. Xavier uses tons of paper, and his office was a mess to begin with, but this is ridiculous. I’m afraid to see my office now. Xavier is talking on the phone and absently straightening a few things around him. He seems at home in the mess. He points to my face and points to his eye, obviously referring to my black eye, and then he frowns.

  I mouth, “I’m okay.”

  He nods and smiles at that.

  I head to my own office and take a look around. It is not as bad as Xavier’s, but it is worse than I’d hoped. My files are dumped all over the floor just like his, but fortunately I have fewer. The entire contents of my desk drawers have been tossed around the room. My chair is upside down. My plant has been dumped out, and dirt is scattered all over the floor. I look at it lying on its side like a dead corpse. Everything else I can deal with, but I love my fern! I slam the door behind me, wincing as the movement hurts my stomach.

  I take a deep breath, then stoop to the floor, grunting in pain from my ribs on the way down. I sit on my butt and start shoveling dirt back in the pot. Varg comes over to sniff in interest then lies down in his usual spot by the window, unconcerned with the mess. I scowl at him. Of course he’s unconcerned. He doesn’t have to clean it up!

  Once I’ve scooped as much loose dirt as I can, dumping it into the pot, I place my fern back in. After patting the dirt around the plant, I sit back to look at it. It’s a little limp, but it’s still standing erect, which makes me feel much better. I dust my hands off and scoot over on my butt to the papers on the floor and start gathering them into piles. To avoid the pain in my ribs, I keep scooting around the floor and slowly manage to pile up most of the papers.

  Jack walks in. I tilt the skewed chair up so it’s sitting on four legs again and stack the pile of papers on top of it. Then I hoist myself up by using the arm of the chair so I don’t have to use my stomach muscles. But the blasted chair tips precariously, and the files start sliding off the edge. I scramble to straighten it just in time and catch the files as they slide off. I stack them on my desk and sit down in my chair in an exhausted huff.

  All the while, Jack is standing there watching me with his lips twitching.

  “What do you want?” I grumble.

  Jack closes the door behind him and sits down in the offending chair. He says, “I didn’t expect you to be in today, Blue. You can take the day off if you need to.”

  I wave my hand. “I’m fine. Just sore and bruised. Besides that, I’m a new woman.”

  Jack frowns at that.

  Then I say, “Plus, I have a case to solve. They certainly are making the rounds looking for the amulet.”

  Jack shrugs and says, “Hopefully now that they have searched both places, they will be done. But to be sure, I’m sending the ward specialist over to everyone’s houses today.”

  “I think that’s an excellent idea. Are you having him come here to do this office?”

  “It’s already done.” Jack nods as though satisfied with the arrangement.

  Then his eyes soften as he looks gently at me. “Blue, do you want to press charges…”

  I raise my hand to cut him off. “No. I’m not ready to think about that yet.”

  Jack nods then gets up to leave.

  I have one more thing to say. “Jack.”

  Jack turns around.

  “I should probably get some self defense training, hand-to-hand combat, and more skill with weaponry.”

  Jack looks closely at me. “That’s a smart decision,” he says. “I’ll think about it and see if I can come up with a good recommendation.”

  “Thanks, Jack. And by the way, I didn’t tell you yesterday, but I had shut Varg in the apartment while I showed the ward specialist how to get to Alexis’ herbal shop. If Varg had been with me, this,” I gesture to my face, “never would have happened. He had to break out to get to me.”

  Jack looks at Varg and says, “He’s a good guard for you, and you should always keep him with you, but you need to learn how to depend on yourself as well.”

  I nod. “That’s what I think, too.” Then I look down at my papers and start sorting through them. Jack leaves and softly closes the door.

  Chapter 40

  Is the Dog Rabid?

  Bluebell Kildare: May 31, 2022, Red Ages

  I groan and sit down again in my chair as I grab painkillers out of my purse. I shake out two little red pills as I survey my office. It is about half picked up now. I wash the meds down with bottled water.

  Rubalia buzzes me. “Blue, Chief Mack is here to see you.”

  “Thanks, Rubalia. Send him in.”

  Chief Mack ambles in and rolls a keen eye around the office. His eyes quietly examine the two shiners I have as well as my fat lip. He sits down quietly and places a document down on my desk. He makes himself comfortable by leaning back in the chair, stretching his long legs out, and clasping his hands on his lap.

  I look at the document and ask, “Are you sure you got everyone on the list?”

  Mack’s lips stretch in a lazy smile. “I’m sure.”

  “I’m very grateful for this,” I say. “I hope it wasn’t too hard to put together.”

  “It wasn’t too hard.” After a brief pause, he continues. “Now, would this list have anything to do with what is going on in your office today?”

  I smile. “Maybe.”

  Mack asks, “Would it have anything to do with those two shining beauties you’ve got there?”

  I crinkle my eyebrows. “No, that is another matter entirely.”

  Mack asks in his same laid-back, even tone, “Do you need any help with that other matter?”

  I gesture toward Varg and say, “No thank you, Chief. Varg here already settled that matter.”

  Mack ponders on this for a space, then says in his deep, smooth intonation, “If a dog attacks because it doesn’t know its place and you put it in its place, then it will likely stay there. If a dog attacks because it’s rabid, no matter what you do, that dog is going to keep on attacking. The trick is to know what kind of dog you’re dealing with.”

  I lever myself out of the chair and walk to the window. What Mack just said shakes me. I hadn’t eve
n thought that Schmidt might continue to be a problem. I suddenly feel very unsafe. I look past the manicured lawn to the street beyond where unknown people ride in cars, passing at regular intervals. I watch them for a minute, wondering where Schmidt is right now and if he is out there lying in wait. I turn to Chief Mack, who patiently waits, and say, “You’re right Chief Mack. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Mack says, “Now, about this list.”

  I ease myself back in the chair.

  “The five who were conducting interviews are listed at the top,” Mack continues. “All five of us are members of the Rotary Club. I lead the Fireworks and Magic Show Committee every year. The rest of the spots are filled by whoever volunteers that year.”

  I look and see the following people listed:

  Gerald Mack, Chief of Fire Department

  Hilda Gunderson, Owner of Zen Spa and Salon

  Milton Goldberg, Owner of Goldberg Jewelers

  Tobias Blackwater, City Councilman, Treasurer

  Hank Fletcher, General Manager of Mountain Paper Mill

  I ask, “What do you know of the four volunteers?”

  Mack says, “Milton is the only one I really care for. I bought my wife’s pearls from him. He seems to have a joy about him that I think would be hard to corrupt. I run into Tobias at the city council meetings on occasion and of course at budget time. I can’t say that I like him very much. He seems cold and greedy. But as treasurer, he controls my budget, so I suppose I’m biased against him. The other two I don’t know much of, besides what I see of them at the Rotary Club meetings.”

  “And what do you see of those two at the Rotary Club meetings?” I ask.

  Mack contemplates this for a moment. “Well, they’re always on opposite sides of any debate. That’s all.” He leans forward and says, “Well, if that is it. I should head back to my men.”

  I tap my pencil lazily on the desk and ask slowly, “Chief Mack, did you tell anyone you were asked to put together this list?” Mack’s slow talk must be contagious.

  Mack says, “No, Ma’am. I wrote it up myself.”

  I say, “Thanks, Chief Mack, for stopping by. You have been a big help.”

  Mack’s smile reaches his eyes. He nods his head graciously and says, “It was my pleasure.” Then he languidly stands up and strolls out.

  He would have made an excellent Chief of Police too. I’ll bet nothing gets past Mack.

  Chapter 41

  Solidarity

  Bluebell Kildare: May 31, 2022, Red Ages

  With the sound of the shutting door still echoing in my mind, Rubalia buzzes me. “Detective Gambino is waiting to see you.”

  “Please send him in.”

  Gambino opens the door and winces when he sees my face. He’s wearing a charcoal gray, pinstripe suit today, well-dressed as ever, but clearly unshaven. During the time I’ve taken to observe him, I’ve noticed his eyes keep straying to my face, and his cheeks turn a blotchy red. I gesture toward the chair and he sits down.

  Gambino leans to the left of the chair and spreads his right arm over its back, taking up as much room as possible. Gambino says, “Jack called me in. He told me what happened with Schmidt.”

  I pick up my pencil and draw some squiggles on my pad. “Ohh?”

  “Yes. He also said that I shouldn’t expect Schmidt back at the office.”

  I spin the pencil in my fingers and tap the eraser on the pad, watching it bounce off and vibrate. “Did he, now? Did Jack also happen to say if Schmidt was alive when he left him?”

  Gambino grunts at that. “Jack said that he crushed Schmidt’s hand while Schmidt was shooting at him to immobilize his firing hand. He said that beyond that, he didn’t harm him. He said he had a talk with Schmidt, and the two of them came to an understanding about repeat offenses.”

  “Hmm,” I say.

  Gambino looks out the window and says, “I know Schmidt is alive because he called in sick today.”

  I think back to the moment in the alley when I saw Varg’s teeth tearing into Schmidt’s arm. I remember the blood streaming from his face. “I expect he did. I’m glad he’s still alive.”

  Gambino grunts at that noncommittally. Funny, I think, that so much can be said with a sound. Gambino’s grunt says he wouldn’t care if Schmidt were dead if not for the fact that he would then have to arrest Jack. Gambino may look like an Italian gangster in his pinstripe suit, but he is more self-actualized than most people I know. We sit quietly for a moment.

  I push myself out of the chair, an effort that again takes a bit of leveraging. My abdominal muscles are stiff and sore. I get up and walk to the window. I find the green of the manicured landscaping relaxing.

  Gambino says from behind me, “Are you okay? Do you want to press charges?”

  I say, “I want to know if Schmidt is a rabid dog or just a stupid dog.”

  Varg growls, and Gambino asks, “What?”

  Still looking out the window, I respond, “Never mind. If Schmidt doesn’t show up at work again and doesn’t bother me again, then I won’t press charges.” Then I turn around. “Now what did you find when you searched Agnes’ house?”

  Gambino grunts again. “We found nothing. Slab-on-grade. No other structures were on the property. Neither Agnes nor Paul own any other properties. We checked with the bartender at the Cock and Bull Tap, and it seems Paul was there for several hours before the boy died. He left about an hour earlier, right before the police shift arrived. That was typical for him.”

  “So the bartender’s story matches Paul’s.”

  Gambino nods. “I don’t think Paul had anything to do with the kid’s kidnapping and torture.”

  “I believe the other party is after the amulet,” I explain. “The wards in my apartment were breached, and every room was trashed.” I gesture around my office. “I assume Jack told you we had an uninvited visitor here last night as well.”

  Gambino nods grimly.

  I sit down again. “What I have to say next will need to be handled delicately.”

  Gambino’s face hardens.

  I buzz Rubalia. “Rubalia, can you ask Jack to join me and Detective Gambino in my office?”

  Chapter 42

  Suspect List

  Jack Tanner: May 31, 2022, Red Ages

  When I enter Blue’s office, her presence hits me like a jackhammer, complete with visions of her softly moaning while lying in my arms yesterday. At the same time, my gut twists from seeing her fat lip, black eyes, and battered face. I steel myself and affect professionalism, telling myself that’s how it has to be with us. Now is about getting the job done.

  Gambino is sitting in the chair that typically sits across from Blue’s desk. Blue gestures toward the extra chair in the back corner of her office, and I pull it up to sit by the pair.

  Blue furrows her brow and squints a little while pressing a finger to the side of her temple. Then she clasps her hands on her desk and turns to Gambino.

  “First I’d like to get you up to speed,” she says. “Jason’s best friend gave me a tip that Jason had intended to interview to be a volunteer for the Sun Flare Fireworks and Magic Show. Jason’s gift, according to his friend, was the gift of magnification or amplification. He could magnify the effect of any power by at least ten times. This is an extremely powerful gift and could be sought after and abused for countless reasons. In this case, my guess is that someone sought it for the purpose of finding the amulet and perhaps the rest of the key and the book. I hope that only the amulet has been found so far, but we should consider the possibility that our culprit has the other two items as well.” Blue takes a breath. “I’m getting ahead of myself a bit here.”

  I can see the wheels turning in Gambino’s brain. His eyes get shadowed and he looks like he is trying to find a word that eludes him. “Wait,” he says, “can you tell me about this book? What exactly does it do?”

  Blue gives me a sideways look, deferring to my judgment on this one. I step in and speak for us. “The book is an im
portant magical artifact, but its purpose is privileged information. It is essential that it doesn’t get into the wrong hands. I can’t tell you more.”

  Gambino gives me a brief, hard stare, and the air in the room thickens with his unspoken questions and doubts. I return his stare levelly, and he apparently decides to accept this gracefully and turns to Blue. “Please go on.”

  Blue clears her throat, then presses her finger to her temple again. “The Rotary Club sponsors the Sun Flare Celebration each year. That is to say, they provide the manpower to organize it while the city pays for it. The lead of the Fireworks and Magic Show Committee is always Fire Chief Gerald Mack. I met with Chief Mack, and he confirmed that Jason was at the interview on the day he went missing. That makes it the last place he was seen prior to the kidnapping. And I guess that should catch you up with what Jack knows now.”

  Blue looks at me, and I nod to confirm.

  Blue sits back and sweeps both of us with her startling blue eyes. She winces when she turns her head. Her eyes are bloodshot, and she seems to be in pain. I am just about to stop her from continuing on while in obvious pain, but she starts talking again, in a softer voice now. “There were five people on the Fireworks and Magic Show Committee doing the interviews. Chief Mack was, of course, one of them. He said he had to leave early because he was called out on a fire. I can in no way believe Chief Mack was involved, just because of the person who I can feel he is.” Blue pinches her nasal bridge then looks at Gambino. “But I assume you can easily check his whereabouts just so we know we’re doing our due diligence?”

  Gambino shifts in his chair and absently rubs his cleft chin as he thinks of his response. “I agree with your character assessment, but I’ll definitely check it out for the sake of due diligence.”

  Blue taps her pencil eraser on her desk, and the next words rapidly tumble out of her mouth. “The other four people are Milton Goldberg, the owner of Goldberg Jewelers; Hilda Gunderson, the owner of Zen Spa and Salon; Hank Fletcher, the General Manager of the Mountain Paper Mill; and Tobias Blackwater, the City Treasurer. All are prominent business people, with the exception of Tobias Blackwater, who is, of course, on the City Council.”