I switched my attention to the top of the display and began to read. If I was going to find out whether or not Ford’s team had been in the mines or learn the names of his assistants, the best way would just be to start at the top and work my way through. And If I still didn’t find anything, well, I could always ask Charlie if he remembered any of the assistant’s last names. Or maybe what university the professor had been from. If all else failed, I could just go straight to the source.
As it turned out, that particular tidbit was one of the first things mentioned in the display, and I made a note on my phone of the university’s name and the department Professor Ford had worked in at the time of the expedition. It wasn’t earth-shattering information, but it’d make him a little bit easier to contact if I decided I needed to.
“Wow, you must be quite the speed-reader.”
I jerked my head back from the display in surprise, spinning around as my hand grasped for a staff that wasn’t there. I’d left it in my car. Again.
Ellera didn’t seem impressed with my reaction, and one of her eyebrows cocked as she regarded me, like a salesman appraising a used car. “I’m surprised. You didn’t seem that high-strung the last time I met you.”
She looked different dressed in something other than her nurse’s uniform. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans—tight enough to show off her legs, but loose enough that she wouldn’t have any problems moving—a pair of old Converse sneakers, and a buttoned blouse that was almost shockingly white, especially against her dark skin and black hair. A small purse hung at her side.
“Well?” she asked, folding her arms and cocking her hip to one side, a look of skeptical amusement on her face.
“Sorry,” I said, shaking my head as I tried to regain my composure. The corner of her mouth turned up in a smug smile. “You just surprised me, that’s all,” I said, letting out a shaky laugh. “I was pretty focused.”
“Yeah, I’ll say you were,” she said, stepping up to the display alongside me. “Is this what you came in here to look at?” she asked, running one finger across one of the pictures as if she was checking it for dust. “The Aztec display?”
“Well, I’ve been through here once before,” I said. “I came back to look at this exhibit, though.”
“Why?”
“Because I’d been told both that the professor was allowed to look on land owned by the mines, and that he wasn’t,” I said, my eyes catching the spot on the display where I’d been when Ellera had made her presence known and mentally making a mark on it. “I was trying to find out which was true. What are you doing here?”
“Me?” She smiled. “I was walking by on my way to drop off some bills when I saw you come in here. Figured I’d stop in and say hi.”
“You paid the fee just to say hi?” I asked, feeling guilty.
“Well, I figured you were going to be wandering around the museum for a while. I didn’t know you were going to sprint to a particular display,” she said, giving me a shrug. “Whoops.”
“Yeah, I have to apologize for that,” I said, feeling a little sheepish. “I mean, I could pay you back—”
“No, no, no,” Ellera said, shaking her head. “I didn’t realize you were on the job. Sorry. I just wanted to say hi, and I did, so I’ll—”
“Why leave?” The question seemed to surprise her almost as much as it surprised me.
“Well, you’re at work,” she said.
“I’m also on ‘vacation,’” I said, raising my hands and adding air quotes. “I can’t be on the job all the time. Besides, with how ‘high-strung’ I apparently am, it can’t be too unwise to have a certified nurse around, right?” I grinned, and a sense of relief swept through me as she smiled in turn.
“All right, as long as you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” I said, turning back to the display but shooting her a quick glance as I did so. “You did seem really interested in anything Unusual, after all, and what’s more unusual than a shaman and a spook?”
“Nothing I’ve seen yet,” she said, smiling. “So, what are you looking for?”
“Two things,” I said. “First, whether Professor Ford was allowed into the old mines on land that’s owned by the silver mine, and second, the names of his assistants.”
“Okay. Is there a reason you’re looking for that?” Ellera asked as she began to run her finger down the lines of text on one side of the display.
“It’s a bit of a long story,” I said, finishing checking the column I was on and moving to the next. “Mostly it just has to do with Henderson being a royal pain for me and Rocke. He won’t let us look for those chupacabras anywhere on his land.”
“He say why?”
“Safety concerns. But if he was letting someone else dig around on his old land ten years ago, then why not us?”
“Good question.”
For a moment, the room was silent as both of us pored over the display. I was somewhat surprised by her rapid agreement to help, but then again she had already spent nine dollars just to say hello to me. Apparently, her interest in the Unusual went past perusing web pages about the topic. I didn’t want to take advantage of her willingness to help, but on the other hand … I took another glance in her direction. She seemed happy enough, and I turned back to my work.
“Hey,” she said a moment later. “I think this is what you were looking for.”
I stepped over to her side of the display. She pointed to a small, poorly-developed photo that showed the professor and two of his students standing in what looked like an old cave. Next to it was a small blurb describing the photo as having been taken in one of the mineshafts.
“Bingo,” I said. “That’s it. They did let him go on their land.”
“But not you and Rocke,” Ellera said.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “And I don’t know why.”
“You could ask.”
“When I did that, he had me escorted out with very firm instructions not to come back.”
“Was he serious?”
I paused for a moment, picturing the look that Peters had worn.
“Pretty serious,” I said, nodding. “Serious enough I don’t think I’ll be going back on company property without a really, really good reason. And maybe an NSAU warrant.”
“They do that?” Ellera asked in surprise. I nodded.
“Yeah, they have an enforcement branch just like anyone else,” I said as she started grinning. “Granted, it’s a lot smaller than most other government enforcement groups, but that’s not really an issue.”
“Let me guess,” she said, one eyebrow popping up once more. “It has something to do with the fact that most of them are Unusuals, and how nobody wants to deal with a lycanthrope cop.”
“Or one that can throw fireballs,” I said, nodding as I turned back to the rest of the display. “I’ve heard that they even have a dragon or two on staff, but that’s just rumor.”
“Do you think it’s true?”
“Me? Definitely.” I ran my eyes over the text, reading some of it but mostly skimming, searching for any of the names of Ford’s assistants. “Dragons like power and gold, right? The government can provide both in spades. Besides, it can’t hurt that they’re ancient compared to us. A thousand years or so is a lot of time to think things over. Although the NSAU isn’t perfect by any stretch.” Definitely not, I thought, my mind flashing back to some of the piles of paperwork I’d been exposed to over the years.
“Let me guess,” Ellera said as she leveled a flat look at me. “Paperwork?” I nodded and she laughed. “Not so different after all, I guess.”
“Probably not,” I agreed as I reached the bottom of the column. Nothing. No names whatsoever. “Although I doubt your paperwork involves nut consumption rates for squirrels.”
She gave me a shocked look. “You’re joking, right? Right?”
I shook my head, trying not to laugh. “No. I am completely serious.”
“Promise?”
&n
bsp; “One-hundred percent.” I raised my right hand up, palm facing her. “I swear. As ridiculous as it sounds.”
“Who … Why?”
“Because some anal division of the NSAU wanted to make sure that my being a shaman wasn’t affecting the local wildlife population.” I couldn’t hold my smile back now, although at the time I’d been outright annoyed. “They drove up, handed me a huge pile of paperwork, told me to fill it out, and that they’d be back the next day.”
“They didn’t mail it?”
“In case I had questions.”
“So what’d you do?”
I grinned. “When they came back, I told them that I’d done exactly as they’d asked, and passed the paperwork on to the squirrels. Then I told them that they hadn’t gotten back to me yet, but I’d let them know as soon as they did.”
She let out a laugh and tossed her head back with a shake. “You didn’t!?”
“I did,” I said, turning back to the display. “And true to my word, I let them know the moment the squirrels got back to me.”
“And?”
“I told them exactly what the squirrels said: that the paper was a lovely nesting material and could they get any more?”
She laughed again, shaking her head from side to side as she gave me an amused look. “You’re serious? You’re not exaggerating?”
“Well,” I said, shrugging. “I might be punching the dialogue up a bit. Squirrels are usually a bit more to the point. It was actually something along the lines of ‘White paper nest is good, more please?’”
“Wait,” she said, her head cocking to one side as she gave me a bemused grin. I glanced up as her eyes narrowed slightly, still sparkling with amusement. “Please?” Her voice had an almost disbelieving tone to it. “You’re telling me that squirrels actually use the word ‘please’?”
“And ‘thank you,’” I said, nodding and keeping my face neutral. “Surprising, I know, but squirrels are some of the most polite animals you’ll ever meet.”
“I don’t believe you. You’re making that up!” Ellera shook her head again, still smiling.
“I swear I’m not!” I said, raising both my hands. “I’d show you if I could.”
“But all that angry chattering?”
“It’s angry, just formalized. If it helps, just think of them as tiny, monocle-wearing, British aristocrats who like to eat your birdseed,” I said as I turned to wink at her, “Whether she believed me or not, that answer was enough to get her laughing again, and I smiled as I ran my eyes back over the display, looking for one last piece of information.
“Ah, here we go,” I said, tapping my finger against a small placard that was almost hidden near the bottom of the display.
“All right, squirrel-whisperer, what’d you find?” Ellera said, dropping her hands to her knees as she crouched beside me.
“More information on Professor Ford’s university,” I said, pulling out my phone and copying it down. It would have been quicker to take a picture, but my phone wasn’t exactly gifted in that area. “Before I go jumping to conclusions, I’m going to talk to him myself.” And maybe ask about his assistants while I’m at it.
“Makes sense,” Ellera said, rising from her crouch as I stood back up. “So, now what?”
“Now? Now I go meet with Rocke, and we swap notes,” I said, glancing at the time and slipping my phone into my pocket. “I turned around once, then twice, trying to orient myself and think of the quickest to the exit.
“This way,” Ellera said with a laugh as she grabbed my shoulder and spun me towards another set of displays. “We’ll have to pass through the section on the chupacabra attacks.”
“Is it interesting?” I asked as we started forward.
“I’ve memorized it,” she said, shrugging her slim shoulders. “Like I said, I like reading about Unusual stuff. It’s one of the reasons I moved here.”
“Really?”
“Well, that and they made me a really good offer when I got out of nursing school.” She let out another rich laugh as we passed through another doorway, moving into an area of the museum that I recognized. “It was mostly that, but the Unusual stuff is still really cool.”
“What about the Wraith?” I asked, the small exhibit on Silver Dreams legendary mystery catching my eye.
“The Wraith?”
“You believe in chupacabras, but not a mysterious Wraith?” I cocked an eyebrow at her, and she responded by giving me another shrug.
“If someone ever catches a picture of it, then yeah, I’ll believe it,” she said with a wink. “But I’m pretty sure that’ll never happen.” We stepped out of the museum and back into the lobby, Charlie looking up from behind the admission desk and giving us both a wave.
“Well,” I said as we came to a stop, “I need to go meet with Rocke. If you’d like to come—”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “That’s all right. I’ve got other errands to run, and I wouldn’t want to distract you from your job. But if you want to chat again, you can always swing by the hospital when I’m on break, maybe set something up. I still don’t believe you about those squirrels.”
“I swear I’m telling the truth on that one,” I said, raising my right hand to the square. “Scout’s honor.”
“Were you ever a Boy Scout?” she asked, her eyes glittering.
“No,” I admitted as her mouth curved into a thin, wry smile. “But it’s the principle of the matter, right?”
“Sure,” she said with a roll of her eyes. Then, without warning, she tipped forward, popping up on her toes and giving me a quick peck on the cheek. “See you later!” She gave me a wink as she turned and strode out the door of the museum, enough sway in her hips to make a man’s eyes dislocate themselves.
“We-ell,” Charlie said as the door swung shut behind her. “Aren’t you the lucky fellow?” I put one hand up to rub my cheek where she had kissed me. I’d been kissed before, but the forwardness and the suddenness of this one had left me more than a little shocked.
“Is she usually like that?” I asked, pulling my hand down and checking my fingers for lipstick. The last thing I wanted to do was show up to a meeting with Rocke with lipstick smeared across my cheek. As business-like as Rocke was, not even he could’ve passed up a target like that.
“How would I know?” Charlie said, shrugging. “Do you think a pretty lady like that talks to me?” He shook his head, grey hair spreading around his head like a wiry halo. “You’re on your own with that one, I’m afraid. She did pay a full fare just to say hello, though.”
“Must be my charming good looks,” I said with a chuckle.
Charlie smirked. “Or maybe she had a crush on Gandalf as a child, and has a thing for strange men carrying staves?” He chuckled at his joke as I rolled my eyes.
“No offense,” he said, the skin on his face stretching tight as he smiled. “By the way, did you notice the cameras?”
“Cameras?” I asked, giving the question some thought and then shaking my head. “No, I can’t say I did.”
“Excellent!” The old man beamed at me before pointing to a small sign hanging over the entrance to the exhibits that I hadn’t noticed in my earlier rush.
“Events beyond this point are recorded.” Charlie smiled and nodded as I glanced at him.
“I’ll be ready if those hooligans break into my museum again!” he said with a touch of pride. “Let’s see how they like it when I take a recording of them to the police! Then the police will have to do something!”
“That was pretty quick,” I said, nodding. “How’d you get the money so fast?”
“I bought them on my own,” he said, a slight huff of indignation escaping with his words. “They’re just cheap webcams hooked up to one of the computers in the back, and I only have three, but that’s all I need!”
‘Well, good luck,” I said, nodding. “Hope you catch them.”
“Oh, I hope so, too” he said with a smile as I headed for the exit. “I real
ly hope so.”
* * *
Rocke was waiting outside City Hall when I pulled up, a pile of papers tucked under one arm and a wide smile on his face.
“Things went well,” I guessed as he pulled the door open and climbed in. He spared me a single nod before pulling the door shut and buckling himself in, spreading the array of papers across his lap.
“Head for Mrs. Fimmlewit’s place,” he said as his seatbelt snapped against his coat. I gave him a nod of my own and dropped the rover into drive.
“So what’d you find?” I asked as the Rover pulled away from the curb and picked up speed. “You must have found something big.”
“Big enough that had I known about it beforehand, I never would have planned on heading for the south end of the valley,” Rocke said. Paper rustled as he started to unfold what looked like a massive network of lines and grids, but he paused halfway though, checked the size of the map against the space around him, and gave a snort.
“Turns out, the city never ended up using most of those tunnels,” he said as he refolded the map. “Instead, they filled most of them in or blocked them off with concrete. But they left the central shafts open and unfilled,” he said, shooting a confident glance my way. “They just blocked them off near the surface, in case they came up with a use for them. Want to guess where those shafts come out?”
“Do I win a prize if I say right near our mystery attacks scattered across the maps?” I asked, taking my eyes of the road for a moment to glance at him.
“No, but you would if there was one,” Rocke said with a reckless grin. “Here, one second.” Papers began to scrape against one-another as he dug through his small pile, eventually pulling out a folded map I recognized as mine.
“All right,” he said, partially unfolding the map and twisting it so I could make out the small scattering of outlier circles. “So we know we have a bunch of pattern-breaking results, right?” I nodded, switching my eyes back and forth from where he tapped finger and the fortunately empty road ahead of me.
“Well, if what the city engineer showed me is correct, these points here, here and here—” his finger tapped at three separate circles about halfway towards the north end of the city, “—are all within a couple hundred yards of old entrances.”
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