In Search of Healing

by Katie Holmburg

  His shrug was deeper this time. “Their loss. You’re a good partner.”

  She shot him a thankful smile, but it quickly faded. “Well, this ability of mine has been around for longer than my time at HSI. I think maybe my natural talent for piecing information together blossomed into my gift. I don’t know. Anyway, Wells happened to be my supervising officer when I was a rookie.”

  He stilled and set down his muffin, focusing completely on her. “Ah.”

  “Yes. It was a serious grifting case, but they couldn’t find any hard evidence on the guy. Even though the crime scene techs had been through his office three times, nothing. I was brought along merely as an observer, although I had graduated police academy, so I was a legal police officer.”

  “How long had you been on the job?”

  She winced. “Just a week. Anyway, Wells was looking around, and I was hanging back, trying to stay out of the way and keep an eye on everything at the same time.”

  “But you couldn’t stay still.” He tried to lighten the mood, but she couldn’t find the humor in the painful memory.

  “I stayed still as long as I could, but in the end, I couldn’t resist the tugging sensation. One of drawers on the bookshelf looked different, looked... off. The techs later swore that it looked identical to the other drawers, but it looked different to me. Anyway, I walked straight to that drawer and twisted the knob instead of using it to pull out. The false front swung open, revealing the suspect’s doctored books. There was all kinds of uproar over that, even accusations that I was in league with the grifter for a while. I was eventually cleared, and the books were admitted into useable evidence, letting the grifter be convicted. But by the end of the whole debacle, Wells hated me and refused point-blank to have anything to do with me. He also said a lot of rather nasty things, but I’ve decided to be the bigger person and just let it go. I’ll be completely professional today even if it kills me, so that he doesn’t have anything to complain about to HSI.”

  His eyes turning hard, Lirim asked quietly, “Does Jones know about you and Wells?

  “No. At least, I don’t think so. He knows that Wells was my original trainer/senior partner and that I was transferred, but I don’t think that the reason was ever listed. After all, I was officially cleared and the commissioner even came down and personally apologized to me. I would just prefer to leave all of it buried in the past. But my past seems to be coming back and laughing in my face lately.”

  He merely picked up his muffin and resumed eating. Suddenly noting his narrowed eyes and his slightly stiffer posture, she realized that she needed to do some damage control and quickly. “Lirim, I need you to be polite to Wells. I’m not asking you to be best buddies with the man, but at least be courteous.”

  He didn’t say anything, just kept eating. She coaxed, “C’mon, Lir. He isn’t worth it. HSI is where I belong and I don’t want anything I do to tarnish its reputation. Surely you can put up with a jerk for a single investigation? And if he hasn’t changed his ways, I’ll go to the captain after the case is over and explain the situation and why I won’t be able to work with him in the future.”

  She shook her head internally. When she woke up today, she’d never imagined that she’d actually be arguing for fair treatment for a jerk who had made her life miserable for weeks. Still, she didn’t let the irony show, instead keeping her voice and posture relaxed, trying to coax Lirim into relaxing as well.

  He did relax fractionally, but he met her gaze squarely, the anger in them surprising her. He said quietly, “For your sake, I will let the past go. But if he treats you poorly in front of me, I will have words with him. A man does not leave his partner hanging out to dry. Especially one fresh on the job. Is that clear?”

  She sighed, but offered him a teasing smile. “That’s obviously the best offer I’m gonna get right now, so I’m going to accept that as a victory and move on. However, if he steps out of line, just remember that I have first dibs on hitting him.”

  This managed to surprise a chuckle out of him and the tense line of his shoulders eased. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the counter. “I won’t contest that; I know you have a mean right hook. As does Druery.” A twinkle of wicked satisfaction lurked in his eyes.

  She scowled and cleared away her plate. “You’re never going to let that die, are you?”

  He finished his plate and brought it over to her at the sink. “Nope, it was priceless. It’s a memory that I will treasure forever.”

  Sighing in defeat, she took the plate from him. She could have a worse partner than one that teased her. She just had to keep reminding herself of that. Although that probably wouldn’t be too hard, since she would have to work nicely with Wells this afternoon.

  * . * . *

  Their first meeting of the day was with the Canticum Company at 11 am. The later time was a courtesy for the singers, an allowance for their late nights. Taking a deep breath, Aletta put on her most pleasant mask before entering the meeting room. Lirim rested his hand on her shoulder, reassuring her for a moment before removing it and opening the door for her.

  Bolstered by his wordless support, Aletta walked lightly into the room. She paused a few steps into the room and observed the other occupants. Instead of following her usual procedure of entering with minimal knowledge, she had taken the opportunity on the ride over to thoroughly acquaint herself with the specifics of the Canticum Company’s people.

  Two men and a woman were grouped at one end of the long conference table. The first man that caught her eye was the older of the two, a man in his early fifties. She knew he was the owner of the Canticum Company. Although neither a singer nor musically inclined, Pierre DuPont was a shrewd businessman. He had taken an interest in the arts and carefully formed the company from the finest artists and minds in the industry. It had taken a few years, but it had risen to become a company of great renown.

  Despite his French name, he looked to be more of Viking heritage. Broad shouldered with piercing blue eyes and shoulder-length blond hair, he looked like he could go several rounds in the ring and come out the victor.

  She shifted her attention to the younger man. He was in his early thirties if she had to hazard a guess. He had dark auburn hair and brown eyes, his build slender and nondescript. Although he looked unassuming, she knew that he was anything but. James Lacroix was DuPont’s right-hand man and overseer of the daily running of everything. If he ordered something, it was the same as if DuPont had spoken. Still, his loyalty was legendary; he’d refused to leave despite several very generous offers.

  Finally, she turned her attention to the only woman of the group. She had to repress a shudder. Although she hadn’t recognized the name, she definitely recognized the woman. Elizabetta Morgans must have either changed her name or used a stage name, because Aletta knew her as Millicent Mitchell, or Milly. She had dyed her mousey brown hair to black, but the coldness in her brown eyes remained the same. This woman had been the sole fly in the ointment of Aletta’s time at the music academy. She sighed internally. Had she accidentally prayed for patience? Aletta was pretty sure that she hadn’t prayed for it, so why were all these unpleasant acquaintances from her past resurfacing?

  Lirim’s presence reminded her of her duties, and she advanced over to the table. “Good morning, gentlemen, ma’am. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us today. This is Agent Bosk and I’m Agent Sheridan. We’ll be working undercover with you in order to get to the bottom of whoever is trying to hurt the members of your company.”

  Elizabetta ignored her entirely, and Lacroix watched her closely but didn’t say anything. However, DuPont stood and extended his hand. Aletta took it and was pleasantly surprised by his handshake. It was firm and direct but without the petty attempt to overpower her, or even worse, the limp fish handshake. He also shook Lirim’s hand. “Glad that you could handle this matter for us. I’m DuPont; this is my manager, James Lacroix. And this is Canticum’s prima donna, Elizabetta Morgans. Other than the three of u
s, no one else knows that you are coming in to help with the incidents.” He sat and indicated for them to sit as well.

  Even though they were using a conference room at HSI, Aletta allowed him to take charge for the moment. DuPont was obviously a man used to being in charge, and not being able to figure out who was behind the incidents was surely troubling him. Normally Aletta would allow Lirim to pull out the chair for her, but this time it was vital that she appeared strong. Sadly, for many people now, Lirim’s unthinking courtesy was taken as a weakness on her part.

  She had a feeling that DuPont was made of the same cloth as Lirim and wouldn’t think of it as anything out of the ordinary, but she didn’t know what the other two would think. She pulled out a chair and sat, although she waited until Lirim was seated next to her before starting in on her questions.

  “So Mr. DuPont, I’ll ask some questions first and I’ll need you to answer them honestly. That way, we can help you to the best of our abilities. Then we can get down to the logistics of how we’re going to join your company without raising suspicion.”

  He raised an eyebrow and she knew that she had offended him. However, his voice was level when he replied, “Ask your questions, Agent Sheridan. My companions and I have nothing to hide.”

  She made a mental note in his favor but decided to reserve judgement until the end of the meeting. Settling her bag next to her chair, she pulled out a pen and steno pad and neatly arranged them on the table in front of her, taking a moment to think.

  Looking at them, she asked, “Why are you three the only ones that know that there is an investigation?”

  She thought she saw approval in his expression, but it vanished so quickly that she couldn’t be sure. “Canticum is a large group, and there have been several incidents. Amongst all of the members, no one has an alibi for all the times except for Mr. Lacroix. Elizabetta was targeted and almost killed when one of the stage lights fell and nearly crushed her, so she’s been removed from the suspect list as well. As for myself, I’ve been out of the country for the past two months, extending the company into France. However, from a merely monetary standpoint, it makes no sense for me to sabotage my own business. I’m sure you know that I am a businessman at heart, Agent. It is common knowledge, after all.”

  She just nodded and jotted down a couple of notes, although she didn’t think a failed attempt was a good enough reason to clear the prima donna. Milly, or rather, Elizabetta could’ve manufactured it to throw the suspicions off of herself. Well, time would tell.

  “You said that there have been several incidents. How long have they been occurring?”

  DuPont looked at Lacroix who answered promptly, “fourty-five days ago, right after we announced our plans to perform Il Pomo D’oro. It was the day after the announcement that the first incident occurred. Our prop room was ransacked and several articles stolen, although nothing of value. It took our seamstresses just a few days to recreate the costumes taken.”

  “Would it be possible to get a list of what costumes were stolen? It could be important to the investigation later.”

  Lacroix nodded and pulled out a personal assistant and made a note. “I’ll have a list of costumes as well as a list of all the other items taken delivered to your office by the end of the day.”

  “There were other items stolen? Anything of value?” She scribbled a note to check for the lists at the end of the day.

  “In addition to the ransacking of the prop room, there were two other burglary incidents. Thirty-seven days ago, all of the dressing rooms were thoroughly searched, torn apart really. However, other than a few personal items, nothing was missing. Twenty-five days ago, the office was broken in and ransacked. After careful examination, nothing was taken. There was a security camera going, but the suspect was able to avoid any angle which would enable identification. This makes me believe that it was an inside job, although we cannot be positive. The number of employees that know about the security measures in the office are significantly fewer, but it still leaves us with a list of over thirty people. I will send you the lists of all of our employees as well as the ones that we suspect of having a motive. Mr. DuPont has made it clear that he wants you to have our full cooperation, so anything else you need, let me know and I’ll get it for you.”

  Surprised, but pleased by this development, she nodded and thanked him. He didn’t look happy, but he nodded back civilly enough. She wondered at the unexpected amount of cooperation and knew that she would have to double check any information they received.

  She glanced at Lirim, but he just nodded for her to continue. Glancing at Elizabetta, she noted that the woman looked bored, before turning her attention back to Lacroix. “How many incidents have there been altogether?”

  “Seven. The three burglaries that I’ve mentioned, the incident with Madame Elizabetta, and the ligh–.”

  Elizabetta interrupted dramatically, “I could’ve died. The scoundrels are trying to kill me! I just know it!”

  Her chest heaved artistically and Aletta had to choke back a sarcastic bark of laughter as she watched the prima donna bat her eyes at Lirim. She glanced at Lirim out of the corner of her eye and caught just the slightest hint of dismay before his face returned to its usual impassivity.

  Schooling her face into polite concern, she turned to Elizabetta and asked, “Why do you think that you are being targeted? Do you have enemies?”

  The woman preened at being the center of attention. Pressing a hand to her chest, her voice was a fine combination of pride and sadness as she declared, “A prima donna always has enemies. You wouldn’t understand. People are always jealous of those with talent. They would do anything to take my place.”

  Aletta noted Elizabetta’s slight French accent that was as fake as her name. She was Jersey born and bred. Her voice teacher must consider her their greatest success. She also noted the thinly veiled insult. As an attack, it lacked finesse, which was surprising in a prima donna of her fame. Still humoring her, Aletta asked, “Do you know anyone that would take your place if you were unable to perform?”

  Elizabetta nodded, but before she could speak, Aletta cut her off. “If you could make a list of anyone who would benefit from your absence from the production and get it to either myself or Mr. Lacroix, it would be invaluable. Your cooperation is most appreciated.”

  Pretending to write a note, but merely drawing a smiley face with its tongue stuck out, she returned her attention back to Lacroix. “You were telling me that there were seven incidents? You had only managed to share four before Ms. Morgans voiced her concern.” She tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice but suspected that some had leaked through anyway.

  He offered her the ghost of a smirk before returning to business mode. “There were three additional incidents. Just pettiness, but they are growing more malicious. The first was a snare set in the scenery room. A stagehand was unfortunate enough to trip it, although he managed to escape with just a sprained ankle.

  Next, a pipe bomb was discovered in the orchestra pit. However, upon closer examination, it was inert, with no way to actually detonate it. Finally, during a routine inspection, it was discovered that the ropes holding the sandbags had been partially severed with a sharp object. This would’ve caused their failure when most needed and perhaps led to injury or death.

  Since then, I’ve initiated thorough daily equipment checks but no other problems have occurred. However, I have a feeling that the perpetrator is just biding their time; that they haven’t obtained whatever it is they are so desperately searching for.”

  She nodded, turning all the information over in her mind. Lirim spoke up, asking more questions about the pipe bomb, and he and Lacroix discussed it for several minutes. Aletta was glad; it gave her time to think and try to assemble the information into a useable whole. However, she had the feeling that they were still missing several key pieces, since she just couldn’t form them into a cohesive picture.

  Finally, their discussion wound down and Lirim
motioned for her to take over again. She turned her attention from Lacroix to DuPont. “Do you have any rivals, either personal or business, who you think are capable of this?”

  “There are one or two other companies that are capable of doing these acts of petty vandalism, but I doubt they are responsible for it. Those businesses and the information I have on them are in the folder that Mr. Lacroix will give you after the meeting. I would’ve given it to you at the start, but I wanted to assess you before I handed over potentially sensitive information. I’m sure you understand, Agents.”

  Aletta didn’t know what to think of the fact that Lirim and she had apparently passed some test of DuPont’s. Having covered the questions the best she could until she could go over the additional information, she turned herself to more practical matters.

  “Thank you. I’ll let you know if we have any more questions after we review all of the information. Now, onto a more practical matter. How do you plan to explain our appearance? People will surely be suspicious and on edge with all the incidents, and I doubt that the sudden addition of two people will go unremarked upon.”

  He smiled at her, but it lacked any warmth. “I am not musically gifted, but I am known as a business man with an uncanny knack for locating people and products that will improve my businesses. I have connections everywhere. So no one will be surprised that I heard rumors of your discontent with your current career and persuaded you to return to your calling of the opera. After all, you are a rare commodity.”

  Aletta caught Elizabetta’s scowl, although she quickly covered it up. She sighed imperceptibly, knowing that she would have to diffuse the other woman’s jealousy before it became an issue. “It’s been three years, and I’m afraid that I’ve become quite rusty. I will do my best, but as soon as we’ve uncovered who is behind all of the incidents, I am returning to my job at HSI. I hope you understand.”

  He looked disappointed but nodded. Aletta knew he’d probably try to convince her to remain, but that life held no appeal for her anymore. Also, she’d just given Elizabetta incentive to cooperate with her. The sooner they figured out who the culprit was, the sooner Aletta and Lirim would be gone, and the diva could return to her happy little self-centered world.