by I. T. Lucas
Syssi pouted. “That’s not what they were for. We need Dormants, not hookups. People can get those on their own.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry about it. The Fates will even things up. So far, we’ve gotten many more female Dormants than males, and we were worried about the clan ladies being unhappy. Now, we are suddenly faced with the opposite problem, and we are worried about gender imbalance. Things will work themselves out.”
“Perhaps you are right.” Syssi turned to face him. “I wonder when the Fates will start delivering Dormants to the Scottish arm of the clan. That’s another worry.”
“Maybe Kalugal was right about that, and they need to move over here. They live in relative isolation in their remote mountain castle, and only a few of them have contact with humans. What do they expect the Fates to do? Drop Dormants on them from the sky?”
Syssi laughed. “The forecast predicts a drizzle of Dormants,” she imitated the tone of a weather forecaster.
The good news was that she didn’t seem mad at him. The bad news was that he knew his wife, and Syssi didn’t give up that easily. Next time, she would revisit the subject of unification from a different angle, and he would have to defend his position again.
He didn’t like arguing with her, and even more than that, he didn’t like refusing her anything. But it just wasn’t doable.
50
Vlad
“I started my search with the name you gave me.” Roni handed Vlad a stack of printouts. “Margaret Miller, which was Wendy’s mother’s married name. Since you said that her father was abusive, I figured that he’d been abusing her mother as well. Wendy is from Milwaukee, and you didn’t say anything about her moving there from somewhere else, so I assumed that’s where she grew up. I searched the city’s police records from nineteen and eighteen years ago to see if her mother ever filed a complaint against her father. I found several.”
Vlad flipped through the pages. “There isn’t much here.”
“Back then, they didn’t keep digital records. I was lucky to find even that. Someone must have uploaded them but included only the most basic information.”
“So we don’t know how bad it was.” Which was a relief.
If he had to look at pictures of a battered woman, Vlad would have gone nuts with the need to tear Wendy’s father to shreds.
“Regrettably, I couldn’t find anything else, not even Wendy’s birth hospital records. I’m sure the paper files exist, but that doesn’t help us. What surprised me, though, was that Margaret’s maiden name wasn’t Simmons. It was Taylor.”
“Maybe she changed her last name? Though, why would she?”
“That was my first thought, but when I searched further, I found out that Margaret Taylor was the daughter of Greta and Thomas Taylor. So, I switched my search to Edgar Simmons and found out that he had a sister named Greta. Wendy’s mom wasn’t his sister, she was his niece, which makes Wendy his great-niece.”
“Why did he lie about that?”
“I have no idea. Maybe it gave him more leverage over Wendy’s father. Anyway, Greta and Thomas had only one child, Margaret, and they both died young. She was eighteen when she married Wendy’s father and orphaned only a few months prior. He was twelve years older than her at the time.”
“The bastard caught her at a vulnerable time. No wonder that she didn’t realize what kind of vermin he was.”
“I thought the same thing. So, my next line of investigation was to check Roger Miller’s criminal record. All I found were the old police reports of domestic abuse, but charges had never been filed, a few DUIs, and a couple of drunken bar brawls. At one time, he had his driver’s license suspended for a year.”
“Charming fellow,” Vlad bit out.
“Run-of-the-mill nasty drunk. Still, that doesn’t mean that he didn’t kill Wendy’s mother. Most murderers don’t have prior records.”
“What happened to her after she left him?”
“I couldn’t find a single thing.” Roni leaned back in his chair. “There are thousands of Margaret Millers and Margaret Taylors, but I ran them through my program, and none matched her date of birth and her maiden name. Then I ran her old driver's license picture through the facial recognition software and also got nothing.”
With a sigh, Vlad plopped down on a chair. “Then she must be dead.”
“Not necessarily. She might have changed her last name, remarried, or have gotten great fake documents. If she contacted her uncle after running away from her abusive husband, he might have helped her disappear.”
“But since Simmons is dead, we have no way of finding her. Provided that she’s alive, that is.”
“What about Wendy’s father? He must know what happened to her. You can get it out of his head.”
“If I get anywhere near him, I’ll kill him.”
Roni chuckled. “I doubt that. You are too nice of a guy to murder anyone.”
“He abused my mate. Trust me, I’m capable of tearing his throat out with my fangs.”
Roni grimaced. “That’s a gruesome image, but I get it. If anyone abused my Sylvia, I would be capable of that as well.” He smiled evilly. “But then no one can accuse me of being a nice guy.”
Vlad waved a hand. “I know that your nasty attitude is a smokescreen to keep people from asking you for favors all of the time.”
“There is some truth to that. But mostly it’s just a habit. When I was imprisoned and forced to work for the government, I had to be prickly to survive among all those middle-aged agents who sneered at the teenager heading their computer hacking department. It was a defense mechanism, and the attitude stuck.” Roni chuckled. “Or at least that’s what Sylvia is trying to convince me it was. But back to your problem. What do you want to do?”
“If any of what Wendy’s father said was true, then Margaret had a drug problem. Could you check records of rehab centers?”
Roni shook his head. “It’s the same problem as with any other records from that time. They weren’t digital.”
He sounded as if Wendy had been born in the Stone Age. Things couldn't have been so primitive only eighteen years ago.
“Wendy is nineteen. I’m sure they had digital records when she was a baby.”
“Some places did, but most didn’t. The systematic digitalization of health records started only eleven years ago.”
“A drug problem is not easy to shake. What if she checked in recently?” Vlad rubbed a hand over his jaw. “But if she did, it probably wasn’t as Margaret Miller or Taylor.”
“Right. But if they have photo records, the facial recognition software might help. I’ll need to run her driver's license photo through an aging application, or you will have to hire Tim to do it.”
Vlad hesitated. “Do you have time for that? I know how busy you are.”
Roni grinned. “I love a good mystery. I wasn’t able to find my grandmother, who I know for sure is an immortal and is hiding somewhere, and it drives me nuts that she’s managed to elude not only me but also Turner. But maybe I’ll be able to find Wendy’s mom.”
51
Rufsur
“So, what else is there to do in the village?” Rufsur wrapped his arm around Edna’s shoulders.
“Why? Don’t you love sitting in my backyard and enjoying a good cup of coffee?”
“I do, very much so. I just want to be aware of all the benefits. If I want to convince Kalugal that it’s a good idea to move in here, I need to know about as many selling points as possible.”
“We have a movie theater in the underground structure, and because Brandon is a Hollywood insider, he gets us all the latest releases. We also have an Olympic sized swimming pool in the underground, a shooting range, and a gym. But you already saw that during Richard’s ceremony.”
“That’s it?”
She nodded. “The café is the central hub where everyone meets, and just strolling through the village is a pleasant activity. But for those who seek more lively entertainment, the city is not
too far away.”
“Kalugal likes fancy restaurants.”
“There are many in the city. But it’s a schlep.”
“What about the rescue missions that Kian keeps mentioning? Are all of them in the Los Angeles area?”
“We cover all of Southern California, which is the size of a country. There are nearly twenty-four million people living here, and plenty of that is going on. We eliminate one place, and another one pops up somewhere else.” She turned to look up at him. “Why? Do you think that Kalugal will want to take part in it?”
“Not likely. He assigned the management of his contributions to Jacki, and it’s up to her where the money goes. That’s the extent of what he’s willing to do on the ground level. Kalugal is more the big picture kind of guy.”
“Donating money to the cause is good, but there is no global solution to the problem. As long as there is big money to be made in trafficking, it’s going to continue. Do things like that bother him at all? I thought he was mainly interested in making money, not making the world a better place.”
Rufsur couldn’t say more without giving out clues as to Kalugal’s grand ambitions, but he didn’t want Edna to think that his boss was blind to the suffering of so many people, or that he didn’t care.
“Kalugal is a smart guy, and he is also extremely knowledgeable. He is not oblivious or uncaring about the world's problems, but what can one man possibly do?”
“Not much. But he can join the fight.”
Rufsur chuckled. “Does he seem like the joiner type to you? Kalugal is not a team player, which is why selling him on the idea of a federation is not going to be easy.”
Edna cuddled closer to him. “You might try the same tactic that you suggested I use on Kian. Tell him that you are in love with me and that you can’t live without me.”
“I could try that. And I can also tell him that we want to have a child together.” He smiled. “It would be even better if you were pregnant already.”
She chuckled. “We can pay Merlin a visit and give his potions a try. Except, you are leaving tonight.”
“Nothing needs to happen today. I’m thinking long term.”
“With our low fertility rate, even Merlin’s potions will not do the trick if we have sex only four or six days out of a month.”
“What if you come to visit me on the off weekends? Then we will have eight to twelve days. That makes the odds of conception much better.”
“Kian won’t allow that. As a councilwoman, I know too much, and he wouldn’t want Kalugal to have access to me.”
“Right. I didn’t think of that. Perhaps I could come by myself.”
Edna smiled. “That would be nice.”
“Do you think Kian will allow it?”
“I don’t see why not. He doesn’t consider you a threat. Only your boss.”
“Are we really considering making a baby? Or is it just hypothetical?”
Edna let out a long breath. “I don’t know, Rufsur. Perhaps we need the two additional weeks of separation to cool off and think things through. At the moment, our chances of convincing our bosses are not good.”
“I need to talk to Kalugal.” He took his arm off her shoulders and pushed to his feet.
“What, now? You don’t have anything to sell him yet. Wait at least until I talk to William and pick his brain. You need more than just emotional stuff with Kalugal. You said so yourself.”
“True, but we are leaving tonight, and I need to know where he stands. Whether it’s a categorical no, or a maybe.”
Edna’s eyes looked worried. “Don’t do it, Rufsur. I can call William right now and go talk to him, and perhaps we will have something by dinnertime. You can then throw out a few hints and see how Kalugal responds.”
“He’s too guarded to say anything in front of Kian. I need to ask him in private.”
“What’s gotten into you? Why the sudden urgency?”
“Because I hate the idea of leaving. I don’t want to go, and with each visit, it’s only going to get worse. I’ve dedicated my life to Kalugal. He owes it to me to at least hear me out.”
52
Edna
As the door closed behind Rufsur, Edna groaned.
Perhaps she didn’t know him as well as she thought she did. Going to talk to Kalugal without any concrete suggestion was such a hot-headed move.
Usually, Rufsur was so easygoing, careful, even calculated. Was he really so distraught over leaving her for two weeks that he wasn’t thinking straight?
Or did it have more to do with Kalugal than with her?
Obviously, the two were more than boss and subordinate, and the relationship between them wasn’t as straightforward as hers was with Kian. If Kian refused to compromise, she wouldn’t take it personally, but apparently, if Kalugal did the same, Rufsur would.
Was it a test of their friendship?
She hoped Rufsur would choose his words wisely and not alienate Kalugal, predisposing him negatively to the idea of a federation before they’d even had a chance to formulate a reasonable proposal.
Damn, he was rushing things, and that was never good. Now she felt rushed as well, but the only thing she could think of was calling William. Perhaps he would come up with something that would help her salvage the situation.
Right. And she could win the lottery while she was at it as well.
Lifting her phone off the charger, she placed the call.
“Edna, what an unexpected surprise. Do you have a problem with your computer again?”
She chuckled nervously. “I’m afraid that my problem is much bigger than a laggy computer. Where are you now?”
“I’m at the lab. Do you need me to come over? What happened?”
“Nothing yet. It’s a preemptive measure, and I’ll come to you, if that’s okay. I need to pick your brain.”
“By all means. My brain is at your service.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll see you here.”
“Thanks, William.”
After disconnecting, she wondered whether she should change. She was wearing yoga pants, a T-shirt and flip-flops, and her hair was loose. William would think that she was having a nervous breakdown, and he wouldn’t be too far off, but her casual attire wasn’t a symptom of that.
It symbolized something else, though. Something good. It was part of a healing process, not a mental disease.
Deciding to go as she was, Edna grabbed a bag of cookies so she wouldn’t arrive empty-handed and stuffed it in her bag before heading out the door.
When she got to the lab, William wasn’t alone. Roni was also there working at his station. “What are you both doing here on a Sunday?”
“I’m working on a private matter,” Roni said without turning around.
“And I’m building cuffs for Kalugal’s men.” William pointed at his worktable and the boxes of parts arranged in a row like a mini production line. “What can I help you with, Edna?”
He hadn’t even noticed the change in her appearance, and if he had, he felt no need to comment on it.
Good. She wouldn’t have known what to say.
Edna pulled the bag of cookies out of her purse and put it on his worktable. “Can we talk somewhere privately?” She glanced at the back of Roni’s throne-like swivel chair. “It’s a private matter.”
“Oh?” William arched a brow. “I’m the last person who can give you advice on that. I’m not good at relationship stuff.” He pushed away from the table. “But I’ll help in any way I can. Follow me.” He led her to a small office on the other side of the lab.
The place was even dustier than the main room, and it didn’t look like William did any work in there, but there was a desk, two chairs, and a door, which William closed behind them.
Edna pulled a handkerchief out of her purse and cleaned the chair before sitting down. “I’ll get straight to the point. If you had two autonomous groups living in the village, how would you handle the commun
ication issue so each would have their privacy and feel safe that the other one is not spying on them?”
He sat on the other chair and crossed his legs. “Easy. Two separate systems, each with its own proprietary encryption.”
“Would they need two separate satellites?”
He shook his head. “No need. A good encryption protocol should do it.”
“Then why are we using our own satellites?”
He smiled. “Because they are ours, and I made sure that no one can hack into our transmissions. But I can set up several completely separate systems using the same satellites.” He leaned closer. “Are the rumors true, and Sari plans to move her people here? Not that she needs a separate communication system. She and her people share ours. The Alaskan group does too.”
Edna chuckled. “I know that. Where did you hear that rumor?”
He shrugged. “People were wondering about the new section Kian is grading. That was one of the speculations.”
She decided to help Kian out and repeat the same excuse he’d given her. If she wanted him on her side, she needed to stay in his good graces.
“Kian couldn’t entice the Chinese contractor to come here just to build the fence and a few room additions. He needed to give him a bigger project, and he figured that someday we will need more houses.”
William looked disappointed. “That’s a shame. I would have liked to have the clan all in one location.”
“I wouldn’t.” Edna grimaced. “I think it’s good that I don’t need to live in the same place as my mother, and I’m not the only one who thinks like that.”
“Good point. So, who needs the separate communication system?”
“Kalugal and his men.”
His eyes widened. “Are they moving in? No one told me anything about it.”
Edna lifted a hand. “Relax. No one is moving in yet. Rufsur and I are just playing around with ideas. It will make life easier for all the new couples if no one needs to leave their community and cross over to the other. But there are privacy and safety considerations that we need to figure out before presenting the idea to Kian and Kalugal.”