Only the Quiet

by Amanda M. Lee

  The irritation I thought tabled bubbled up again. “I think you’re seeing things that aren’t there.”

  “And I think you only see clearly when you’re not looking at yourself,” he countered. “It doesn’t matter. I meant what I said. I learned my lesson about poking my nose into my children’s relationships when it backfired on me several times with Aisling and Griffin. You and Braden are on your own in that department.”

  “Well, great.”

  His grin broadened at my reaction. “You’re funny. I genuinely like you ... and not only because you’re trying to help calm a very cranky baby so we can all get some sleep.”

  “That baby is nervous because her mother is nervous. Once Aisling calms down, Lily will calm down. For that to happen, though, Aisling needs the occasional break. She might be Lily’s mother, but she had a vibrant life before giving birth. You can’t completely strip that away from her.”

  Cormack was back to being thoughtful. “I didn’t really think about that. I will going forward. You’ve been a great help.”

  “Well, once this salve is finished, you might want to double the accolades. Until then, we need to talk about the ghosts. I don’t know what to make of them ... and I’m starting to wonder if they’re really there or I somehow made them appear for a different reason.”

  “What reason would that be?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Well ... let’s run through the timeline again. We didn't really get a chance to talk because we had an audience. I want to hear everything, from the beginning.”

  “Okay. You asked for it, though.”

  Six

  Oliver was in the gate room when I finally made my way there. He didn’t greet me as I entered, instead remaining fixated on his computer screen. The lack of acknowledgment grated even though I was the one who was late.

  “Good morning to you, too,” I called out.

  He lifted his eyes and, if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of mirth lurking in the dark depths. “Good morning,” he said. “It’s nice you finally showed up for work.”

  “I got distracted,” I admitted, dropping my coat on the table at the back of the room before moving toward my desk. “Cormack Grimlock stopped by and we had a discussion.”

  “Really?” Oliver suddenly appeared interested. “Does he have any information on what went down yesterday?”

  “No, and he’s as worried as we are. He won’t come right out and say it, but the fact that I saw ghosts up there last night is making everyone nervous.”

  Oliver abandoned his computer and focused completely on me. “What ghosts?”

  Oh, right. He was out of the loop on that one. I’d forgotten to tell him. “So, when I went upstairs yesterday to make sure everything was locked up tight I saw about twenty ghosts in the aquarium. Lauren Tate, the dead teacher, was one of them. They started whispering and raising their hands, which was really creepy. I was going to run, but Braden showed up ... and then the ghosts disappeared.”

  “I see.” Oliver’s expression was hard to read. “So ... why didn’t you call me for help?”

  The thought had never entered my head. “I don’t often call out for help. I can take care of myself.”

  “I get that. You’re strong. I’ve seen you in action. Still, what you described is beyond anything I’ve ever seen here. Ghosts shouldn’t be a thing in our world — especially here — because of the overabundance of reapers on the property. The gate is another issue entirely. If we really had ghosts, they would be drawn to the gate.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “I’ve seen it happen. I don’t know if you remember what happened with Edgar right after he died. You were in your own little world because you’d just killed Renee and she didn’t have a soul. Edgar, however, had one. The moment he died and his soul emerged it headed straight for the gate and disappeared.”

  Oddly, I didn’t remember that at all. Edgar Mason was a famous face in reaper circles and he was on the premises to help with our previous problem. Unbeknownst to us, he was the cause of that problem … and died at his own partner’s hand during the final battle. “Huh. I just assumed one of the Grimlocks absorbed him.”

  “They were busy fighting the wraiths.”

  “Well, that’s interesting.” I rolled my neck and leaned back in my chair. “I can’t be sure what I saw. I mean ... maybe I imagined it. Maybe my subconscious created them for a specific reason.”

  “Has that ever happened before?”

  “Not to my knowledge.”

  “Well, then it seems to me we’re dealing with something else.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. The thing is, you still should’ve called me. We’re a team. That means we work together on everything … not just the soul transfers.”

  “Even though you rarely want to talk to me,” I groused under my breath.

  “I heard that.”

  “I know. You’re a vampire. You have terrific hearing. I met a few vampires in New Orleans, although I was told after the fact that the only vampires drawn to the city are wannabes.”

  “Because of Interview with a Vampire?”

  I nodded. “And those Charlaine Harris books about Sookie Stackhouse.”

  “I’m not familiar with those, but I’ll take your word for it.”

  “Yeah, well ... .” I decided to change the subject. “How do you get here without getting toasted by the sun? I mean, you don’t burn to a crisp daily, so I’m assuming you have a secret way into the building.”

  “There’s a tunnel that runs under the entire length of the property. Sometimes I use that. Sometimes I simply come here before the sun rises. In the winter, it’s constantly cloudy so I rarely have to face the sun. Why else do you think I settled in Michigan?”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t explain what you do when you leave before the sun sets and there’s no way to avoid it.”

  “I wear a hoodie.”

  I frowned. “And that works?”

  “Most of the time. I also have special glass in my car. When none of those options are available, I use the sewer.”

  “How does that smell?”

  “Pretty much as you imagine.”

  “Well, now I’m going to have a different sort of nightmare.” I rubbed my forehead. “Anyway, I don’t know what to make of the ghosts. I told Cormack about them last night — and again this morning — but he seems equally flummoxed. I’m not sure what’s going to happen there.”

  “And you saw him at his house last night, right?”

  I sensed trouble. “I ... well ... Braden thought it best I tell Cormack what I saw right away.”

  “Uh-huh.” He was clearly dubious. “How late were you out with Braden?”

  “Not very. That house may be the size of a castle, but you can hear the baby screaming from one end to the other. I had dinner, told my story, held the baby and called it a night.”

  “You purposely held a screaming baby?” He shuddered. “That sounds like the worst idea ever.”

  “Yes, well ... I wanted to get a reading on her.”

  “And what did your reading tell you?”

  “That Lily Taylor is a complicated baby ... and she has a whole gaggle of people willing to dote on her. Cormack was up all night with her. From what he said, I’m guessing Braden and Redmond were with him. They were determined to give Aisling a good night’s sleep.”

  “That’s nice of them. Although ... do you think there’s something wrong with the baby?” He looked legitimately concerned. “I thought infants were supposed to sleep for, like, twenty hours a day.”

  “I believe that’s cats, but Lily definitely isn’t sleeping as much as she should. Hopefully the salve I cooked up this morning will help that.”

  “Salve?”

  I told him about the herbs and working with Cormack. When I was finished, all he could do was shake his head.

  “I guess you’ve had a busier morning than I
realized. Do you think your ointment will help the baby?”

  I shrugged. “It can’t hurt.”

  “True enough.” He turned back to his computer screen. “We’re on schedule. Both of us don’t need to be down here. If you have other things to do, don’t let me stop you.”

  Instead of taking advantage of the situation and fleeing, I scowled as I turned to my computer. “Cormack didn’t visit simply because he wanted to thank me. He also reminded me that I need to pick a replacement for Renee ... and soon.”

  “Ah.” Oliver’s grin was back. “It sucks to be the boss, huh? I’ll happily handle the workload while you go through endless reams of paperwork to find our new co-worker.”

  “Oh, no.” I made a tsking sound with my tongue as I shook my finger. “You’re totally helping.”

  “I would prefer you handle that particular job.”

  “Yeah, well, get used to disappointment. You’re the one familiar with some of these names. We’ll work quicker if we do it together.”

  “What makes you think faster is better?”

  “In this particular case, I’m guessing that’s the only answer I’m allowed.”

  Instead of continuing to fight, he shook his head. “Fine. I’ll help. I’m not making the final decision, though. That’s on you.”

  “Fair enough.”

  WE WORKED TIRELESSLY FOR two hours. After that, we headed to the eatery for lunch. Oliver didn’t eat, but apparently Collin kept chilled blood on hand for him, cracking it open only when no one else was around.

  “That’s ... lovely,” I intoned as I watched Oliver drink his blood through a straw. It was in a bottle, which I found odd, but I couldn’t look away. “Where do you get it from?”

  “The butcher,” Oliver replied, wiping his mouth. “I believe it’s the same place your meal came from, so don’t get dainty.” He inclined his chin toward my burger. “Now, I believe we’re down to ten files remaining. We should get through those before we finish lunch.”

  “Right.” I dragged my eyes from the bottle and focused on the tablet I’d brought to lunch. “Leslie Faraday. She’s forty, works in the main library and says she’s passionate about helping souls cross over. She says her best trait is that she’s a giving soul and thinks she’ll be beneficial for the transition of those most tortured by their new lot in life. Those are her words, not mine.”

  “Pass,” Oliver said derisively. “She clearly doesn’t understand how the process works if she believes that she’s going to have time to waste talking to souls. I’m betting she’s one of those people who want to learn about the other side because she figures she can find a way to keep from visiting if she digs deep enough.”

  I hadn’t considered that. “Yeah. You’re right. I wonder why she would assume we talk to the souls before we transport them.”

  “Because she’s an idiot. Who’s next?”

  “Um ... Mike Baxter. He’s thirty-three and says he grew up in a reaper family in the middle of the state. He says he’s always been fascinated by the science of the gate and his dream is to be around it twenty-four hours a day.”

  “Pass.” Oliver was quickly losing interest in the conversation. “There’s no science to be learned. It’s not as if he can take the gate apart and look at the mechanical guts to determine how it works. He’s dreaming if he thinks he can replicate the process. That’s above his paygrade. Once he realizes that, he’ll stop caring about his work. Then we’ll have to hire someone else right away ... and nobody wants that because the training process for this gig is a pain in the keister.”

  “Wow. You’re good at this.” I grabbed my burger. “You think of things I never would. Maybe you should be in charge.”

  “If I wanted to be in charge, I would’ve taken over the job a long time ago.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  He shrugged. “Being the boss has never been important to me. I’m dedicated to making sure the process runs smoothly, but I don’t need to be in charge to do it.”

  It seemed like an evasive answer, but he was helping me so I decided to let it slide. “Okay, well ... let’s move on to the next person. But ... something is bugging me about what happened yesterday.”

  “What’s that?” Oliver asked, smiling at Collin as the merrow appeared at the edge of the table to start clearing dishes. The taciturn cook returned the smile, which made me think the two had a much chummier relationship than I would ever share with either of them.

  “The boy. Granger Downey. He was talking right before it happened and Lauren seemed surprised. Apparently that wasn’t his normal reaction. Right after it happened, he went back to being silent and surly.”

  “Okay. What do you think that means?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t help but wonder if one of those ghosts I saw — the ones I’m convinced might be in my head — managed to possess him right before the incident. Perhaps his chatter was a warning.”

  “How do you suggest figuring out if your hunch is correct?”

  That was a very good question. “I don’t know.” I shrugged. Maybe I can go back in a vision and get a better look at the moments leading up to his outburst.”

  Collin let loose a derisive snort. “Oh, geez. You Bruja are all the same. Magic is always your answer. Sometimes you need to look at modern technology and leave the old ways behind.”

  That was rich coming from a guy who reportedly stayed married to his wife because she stole his hat, some old fairytale that still plagued his people ... even though it made zero sense to me. “And how can modern technology help us?” I asked, biting back my temper.

  “The security cameras.”

  I was confused. “What cameras?”

  “The ones in the aquarium.” Collin rolled his eyes. “Some leader. She doesn’t even realize there are cameras in the aquarium.”

  “They’re hidden,” Oliver reminded the grouchy merrow. “Only those who are in the know are aware of their existence.”

  “She’s the gatekeeper. She should know.”

  He had a point, which irritated me beyond measure. “Why didn’t anyone tell me about the cameras?”

  Oliver merely shrugged. “I thought you knew.” He wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and stood. “Come on. He’s right. If you want to see what went down yesterday, the best place to do it is in the security office.”

  That made sense, which only served to infuriate me more. “Why didn’t you mention the cameras before?”

  “I couldn’t fathom why you would be interested in the footage. They’re not night vision, so you won’t be able to see what happened after the lights went out.” He led me down the main hallway before splitting off into a branch I’d never used. “It never occurred to me that you would want to see what happened in the moments leading up to the tragedy. I guess that makes sense.”

  “Oh, you think?” I refused to rein in my temper. “I can’t believe we wasted twenty-four hours. We could already know what sort of enemy we’re facing.”

  “I very much doubt that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because the lights were killed for a reason,” he replied, matter-of-fact. “That means whoever murdered the teacher didn’t care about the crowd and was most likely aware of the cameras.”

  “How did you come to that conclusion?”

  “Why else kill the lights?”

  “Maybe whatever it was thought that it could hide its identity handling things the way it did.”

  “It still makes no sense. Why go after the teacher?” Oliver waved his security badge in front of a door I’d never seen before and the sound of a lock clicking echoed throughout the hallway. “If this creature — and I happen to agree we’re dealing with something other than a human — but if this creature wanted to remain hidden, why go for such a public kill? Why not wait until Tara was alone on the main floor to go after her? Why not try to take you out when you were closing down shop in the evening?”

  He’d obviously given this more thought than
me, which was humbling. “Well ... I don’t know.”

  I watched as Oliver moved to the computer banks at the far side of the room. There were cameras pointed at various parts of the island. “Is this ... everything?”

  He shook his head. “We obviously can’t watch everything,” he replied. “There are cameras pointed at the main buildings, although most of the time we have only one angle. There are three cameras on the main floor of the aquarium. It’s important we keep people from crossing through the door that leads to the basement.”

  “For obvious reasons,” I murmured as Oliver sat at the desk and started tapping away. He clearly knew what he was doing, because before I realized what was happening, he’d pulled up the footage we were looking for. “This is when the children arrived.”

  I watched without comment as Tara greeted the teacher and the excited students traversed the open space. Lauren looked to be an attentive instructor. She took the time to focus on each child when he or she asked a question. She smiled often and encouraged the children to look around. For her part, she appeared to be innocent and without guile, which made her death even more senseless.

  “Her name never showed up on a list,” I noted as I watched the footage. “Cormack double checked. No one was expecting her soul to pass over, which meant no one was here to collect it.”

  “And yet her soul is not running around unattended,” Oliver mused. “I mean ... I guess it could be. It’s possible the gate called her even through several floors and she immediately headed in that direction. We don’t know what happened in the darkness.”

  “No,” I agreed. “I don’t think that’s what happened. She was one of the ghosts I saw yesterday. She’s either still hanging around and we can’t see her or ... .”

  “Something else absorbed her,” Oliver mused, thoughtful. “That’s an interesting notion. Perhaps whatever creature is haunting us is a soul eater.”

  “How many creatures eat souls?”

  “More than you would be comfortable with. That’s the child, right?” He pointed at the screen, to where Granger stood next to his teacher and stared at a tank full of seahorses.