Hindsight

by Jody Klaire

  “Nothin’, but I know she’s been here.” I couldn’t explain why. I reached in my pocket and held the lock but it stayed dormant. I eyed the river. She wouldn’t have gone in there. She was terrified of water.

  “You aren’t going in there either,” Renee mumbled between bites. “There’s a lot of traffic on this stretch of the river too.”

  I closed my eyes, knowing that she was right. The water looked murky here too. I walked over to a rock on the bank. It was pretty much like most riverbanks I’d sat on. Only thing different was that the rock under me felt funny. I got up and stared at it.

  “What’s the matter?” Renee wandered over, folding her sandwich paper up all neat and tidy and tying it in a knot like always.

  “It ain’t right.”

  Renee raised an eyebrow at me. “The rock?”

  I nodded.

  She met my eyes for a moment, then knelt beside it. “When I met Urs, I was looking after a woman who . . .” She sighed. “I have reason to believe was much like Huber and his ilk.”

  She tapped the rock. It thunked. Rocks didn’t make that kinda noise.

  “Urs later told me how she knew I was in trouble.” She felt over the rock with her hands. “They used to leave messages in hollow rocks, stones, that kind of thing. All defunct now. Burner cells are a lot easier.”

  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know why Renee had been protecting a slave owner. “My mother?”

  Renee smiled. “We didn’t have you back then but thankfully, I met Urs.”

  Frei had said something about rescuing and being rescued by Renee once. Renee pulled open a hatch of some kind and bit her lip.

  “No critters, you’re safe,” I whispered to her. Renee really hated spiders.

  “Thanks.” She stuck her hand in and scrunched up her face as she felt around. She pulled out a book and a key. She opened the book. “Last date was a while ago. It’s not been used for years.”

  She handed me the book. Dates and names. “Last one has M and H?” I couldn’t get anything from the book. I guessed it didn’t retain energy or maybe it was so long ago that it had faded.

  “Megan and Huber I would guess.” She held up a key. “What do you think?”

  I nodded and looked back at Aunt Bess who was chatting to a pair of birds watching her from a branch. They kinda looked to be enjoying the conversation by the sound of their happy chatter. Although, that could have had a lot to do with whatever she was throwing for them.

  “If you need to, ask for her help to get me back in the car, don’t try doing it yourself, okay?”

  Renee raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “You think I can’t cope.”

  “I think Aunt Bess is here and she can help to save your back.” I flexed my fingers, plucking up the courage to touch the key. Before all my burdens had been dimmed, I could have just hovered my hand over it. “I don’t know what’ll happen, if I’ll pass out or somethin’.”

  “You’ve never done that before.” She frowned. “What’s going on?”

  “Maybe the burden is still dimmed or somethin’ so it takes more out of me?” I wasn’t sure but it hadn’t completely returned, none of them had. “I ain’t sure who touched it neither.”

  Renee took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “You can do this.”

  I nodded and she placed the key in my hand.

  “Don’t worry about that thing,” Megan muttered as she stepped out of the car. “If she gets caught, so what?”

  Huber narrowed his eyes, the key in his hand. “If? She’d better not get caught. She’s too valuable.” It was bad enough that the silly woman had sold Suz. He didn’t have enough slaves to keep losing them. He’d warned Locks, reluctantly, that her sister was in trouble. He’d heard rumors that Jäger had his eye on her. If they failed the sister, he’d have no power. She was a fine musician, beautiful, but if they gave him a notification of failure, he wouldn’t be able to afford that kind of price.

  Locks had been angry when he’d told her the blunt truth. If she’d thought saying nothing would fool him, she was more naïve than he thought. Her eyes told it all. The rage that filled them was unfortunate. Why would he want to lose property? “Far more valuable than you.”

  Megan shrank back at his words but he tightened his grip on her arm. “Locks is my property. I’m not paying her fees to be empty handed.”

  If she tried to get rid of Locks, he’d get rid of her. Locks was worth more than she’d ever realize.

  “You can train another just as well.” Megan’s smile was all charm. It bored him. She was more tiresome the longer he knew her. “You’re the genius. Besides her sister will fetch a nice price.”

  Typical of the woman to think she understood business. Typical that she would equate shallow things to value. “She’s worth more than her looks but you don’t need to worry yourself about such things. Concentrate on what you’re good at.”

  Megan sucked in her chin. Not attractive. “Which is?”

  “Looking pretty.” He tapped her rump and nodded to the man waiting for them. “Let Locks do the thinking.”

  “Huber. He had the key.” I scratched the side of my neck. “Megan had sold off somebody called Suz and her sister was in trouble of being failed.” I frowned. “It sounded like Caprock.”

  “She wasn’t with Huber?” Renee fiddled with the sandwich knot she’d made. She had a thing about attempting origami with her trash.

  “No, but they were talking about her. Megan didn’t like her a whole lot. She was trying to get rid of her.” I looked down at the key. “It was the first time Huber and Megan were here. I get the feeling Frei was trying to get him enough money to afford her sister.”

  Renee nodded. “Megan was jealous; I know that much.” She stared out at the river. “Huber is insanely rich though. I don’t understand why unless her sister was that highly valued to the buyers?”

  I wiggled my legs. I weren’t used to being cramped up in a tin can for long. Maybe my knees were wobbling from that? “They were meeting somebody, being a distraction, while Frei did her thing.” I glanced back over at Aunt Bess, still in conversation with two very contented birds. “I don’t think Huber was always as rich.”

  Renee led me back over to the car. She popped the trunk and placed the key and book inside.

  “You find anythin’?” Aunt Bess bid a farewell to the birds, hanging something that looked like a feeder on their tree.

  I cocked my head, wondering where she got that from.

  “My box, Shorty,” she said with a smile, I guess reading my expression. “Never know when there’s friends to take care of.”

  Renee beamed at her. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

  “I ain’t that organized.”

  Both looked at me and chuckled.

  Renee tapped the car. “Can you place the man Huber met?” We got in and Renee tapped the dash. A load of pictures flashed up on the screen. “Any of them familiar?”

  I leaned back as the screen fuzzed with my close proximity. “No . . . this guy didn’t look like he’d done time.”

  “Kinda fancy car,” Aunt Bess mumbled. “Mine just about makes it to town an’ back.”

  Renee cast a smile at her and tapped away on the screen. A couple of minutes later the guy’s face did pop up.

  “Him, there.”

  She tapped on his face.

  “Missing . . .?” I sighed. “Guess that lead ain’t helpful.”

  Renee’s eyes gentled. “Actually it is. He owned properties and a shipping company in the city. He went missing not long after you saw Huber meet him.” She tapped the screen again and a whole lot of other data came up. “We’ll check them out.”

  “There’s a load of them,” Aunt Bess said. “You think we can just walk on in?”

  “Urs said to keep to the river and there’s not many near it.” Renee smiled as Aunt Bess shoved a sandwich my way. “So eat something and we’ll go through the list.”

  My stomach grumbled so loud it filled the ca
r. “Guess my stomach’s with you.”

  She patted my stomach. “Wise move.”

  Chapter 30

  LILIA TUCKED HER hair back, knowing that she needed to appear as controlled as possible. The CIG team had been sent out on vacation, at least that was the official line. In reality, Lilia had sent them on a training exercise in Alaska to look for a person who didn’t actually live there.

  It was easier than explaining.

  The base brought back a familiar sense of exile and she shook away the thoughts. It was hard to settle back into her role. A role she’d never wanted. Having tasted the sense of home, she felt so empty being without. Bess had always been the one for moving on, for isolation.

  Bess was the adventurous one. All Lilia had ever wanted, as strange as it probably sounded to most, was to be a wife and mother. Her dream had been to live with Eli, raise children, and bake. She smiled at herself. Bess would have told her to head on back to the fifties. Women should be out exploring.

  Lilia had explored for more years than she cared to remember and her childhood dream hadn’t changed. She still wanted to go back to Eli and the girls and try and crack Nan’s recipe for the perfect cookie. No matter how much she asked, Nan wasn’t giving up that secret ingredient. Never mind, she liked a challenge.

  Lilia flashed her badge and a tight smile at the guards on the gate. She made sure not to socialize or appear friendly to anyone on base. It made it easier when someone was just another name to send them into places that were perilous.

  She sighed. Only Renee Black, Ursula Frei, and a certain Aeron Lorelei made that ethos impossible. All three needed her to get in and do some creative things with their files.

  Lilia stepped out of the rental car and sighed.

  “Agent Lorelei?”

  She turned, knowing who stood on the curb waiting for her. “How are you, Agent Fleming?”

  Abby Fleming stood proud in front of her. She had long dark hair, bright intense eyes, and pale white skin. Her curves had grown a bit since the last time they’d talked but there was no denying that the woman was gorgeous.

  “I don’t have enough sunblock to put up with this heat.” She gave a sweet lopsided smile and motioned to Lilia’s office.

  “Yes, well . . . the air conditioning is working so that should cool any pink patches you have.” Lilia kept the humor in her voice but her mind spurred into action. Why was Fleming on base? She shouldn’t know Frei had gone missing. She shouldn’t know anything was wrong. Why was she here?

  Lilia was pleased to see that Brenda’s desk was empty. She leaned over and touched the button to unlock the door up to her office. “As you can see, we’re on a skeleton staff at the moment.”

  “Yes, I noticed that not one of your team is on base,” Fleming said, her tone gentle and calm as always. “Busy period?”

  Lilia led her up the stairs and tried not to glance at Frei’s office. The files were in there. “Vacation . . . enforced. We had a tough case.”

  She walked around her large glass desk and took a seat, motioning for Fleming to do the same. “So, what can I help you with?”

  Fleming reached in her handbag and pulled out a tablet. She frowned when it wouldn’t turn on. “I could’ve sworn I charged it.”

  Lilia smiled. “Kids like the games, hmmm?”

  Fleming locked eyes with hers then a gentle laugh fell from her lips. “Wouldn’t surprise me. They love anything to do with gadgets.” She slotted the tablet away. “I had an odd report that the head of the task force is missing?”

  Lilia controlled her breathing. Odd report? Who could have known? “She’s not here so they, whoever they were, only got it half right.” Lilia leaned forward and placed her hands together. “She had more vacation days than I knew what to do with.”

  “I remember that she was always here.” Fleming crossed her legs, smoothing over her skirt. “So she’s on vacation?”

  “Knowing Ursula, she’s doing some kind of survival training for fun.” Lilia offered a warm smile. “You know how competitive they were.”

  Fleming’s eyes glinted with a hollow ache. Lilia swallowed back the guilt of bringing it up. She understood how hard it was to breathe through the pain. “I’m sorry. I guess, to me, it helps to keep her in mind.”

  Fleming cleared her throat but Lilia didn’t miss her fingers fiddling with her wedding ring. “Can’t be helped. I don’t really want to be here any longer than I have to, you understand?”

  Lilia nodded.

  “I wouldn’t even entertain such reports normally. I’d have just sent someone else but I don’t want them making things difficult for you.” Fleming closed her handbag. “I just need to see that Lead Agent Frei is fit and well, then I can leave.”

  “You might be waiting for a while,” Lilia said, hoping her gentle tone would cover the panic. Fleming was better than some ambitious idiot looking to cause trouble but she was far more astute. “I am at fault for that . . .” She sighed, offering a wry smile. “I told her to go off line.”

  Fleming raised her eyebrows. Yes, protocol dictated that every agent, especially hers, had a flag planted on their hinds.

  “I think she deserves it, don’t you?”

  Fleming nodded. “Although it explains why someone may think otherwise.”

  “Indeed.” Lilia studied Fleming for a moment. She had pain in her back, no doubt from carrying her children. She wasn’t as impeccable as she’d once been either. She had some kind of animal fur, brown, on her jacket; her bag was breaking at the straps and had faint marks of sticky fingers. It was an improvement. Motherhood suited her.

  “If that person had decided to contact me instead, then I wouldn’t have told them a thing.”

  Fleming smiled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” She brushed over her skirt once more. “So, I’ll need to check Ursula’s file for her recent medical updates and status reports, then I will need to assess a basic description of her previous assignment . . .” She met Lilia’s eyes. “To ascertain if there is anything that could be a problem.”

  Lilia had a good idea that Frei going missing had a lot to do with her previous assignment.

  “Then, if I can try and pinpoint her most recent location and leave a message, she can reply and I’ll be out of your hair.” Fleming pulled out a notepad and pen instead. A pink princess pen. She shook her head. “I suppose I’m lucky she hasn’t put her favorite doll in.”

  “Yes, my stepdaughter, Ruth, likes to wear my heels. It wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t also like digging in ditches.”

  Fleming chuckled. “Wouldn’t be without them.”

  Again there was that telltale twist of the wedding band.

  “It’s nice that you found happiness.” Lilia got up and motioned to the coffee machine. “If you help yourself, I’ll go rustle up her files.”

  Fleming wandered over and took a cup from the side. “Shame you haven’t updated the memorial wall.”

  Lilia’s guard shot up. Clever. “I . . . Ursula . . . Neither of us could face authorizing it.” She shrugged. “There’s always hope.”

  Fleming nodded and fired up the machine. Lilia headed out of the office to Frei’s and let out a long, slow breath. This wasn’t going to be easy.

  Chapter 31

  THE DOOR, A door, was in front of her. Frei narrowed her eyes at the digital lock as it flickered. She’d hacked it, twice, but as soon as she’d opened it, it snapped closed again.

  She hacked it again. Ripped the lock off. It fell from her grasp to the floor. No sound? She looked down. Why hadn’t it made a sound? Fog under her feet. The lock had vanished. She looked back to the door. Three locks flickered where there had been one.

  What?

  “It’s okay. Take on some water. You need to drink something.” Frei opened her eyes. The new doctor was sweet, caring, she wasn’t like the previous doctor in Caprock. Frei tensed. Jäger had gotten rid of him.

  This doctor looked like she should be beautiful but her large no
se and chin threw off the balance. She had a wart on her cheek with hairs growing out. She had creases on her forehead but her eyes glowed with gentle warmth.

  She rubbed Frei’s back as she tried to suck in the air, clinging to the sink. It hurt moving. Her ribs were in agony and her cheek, and her legs . . . the only place he hadn’t hurt were her hands.

  She’d been sick since. She couldn’t stand food. Flashes of his questioning hit her every time she slept. A month and they still hadn’t found her sister so it was worth it. Suz was taking care of her, that’s what counted.

  Harrison had come to her rescue. Vague blurry memories of her warning Jäger, of her carrying Frei to the medical ward. Had she imagined it?

  Jäger had left her alone since she’d been brought into the medical ward. Harrison had visited once. She’d turned away, ashen. The doctor had been furious. She’d not been conscious enough to take it all in but Harrison hadn’t argued back.

  “Come on.” The doctor lifted Frei to her feet and helped her through the ward, to the bed. The nurses paid no attention. They were busy filling in forms. They were as scared of Jäger as everyone else.

  “Water,” the doctor said, handing her a glass.

  Frei took it as she watched the doctor watching her. Unlike the nurses who knew they were slaves, she didn’t think the doctor did. Some staff had no idea.

  “Will you tell me what happened to you?”

  Frei scanned the ward. One kid in the ICU, two out cold with braces around their necks. It was a quiet week. The closer to gala night, the busier the ward would become.

  “I fell.” She heard the thick German lilt in her voice. She couldn’t disguise it. Most of the kids made fun of her for it. Most of them had American accents. Especially the gold group.

  The doctor furrowed her brow, the deep wrinkle lines cast in shadow. “That’s what every child in here has done.” She glanced over at the nurses. “Clumsy school.”

  Frei sipped her water—sugar, salts, some kind of medication in it by the taste. Whatever it was, it helped her. She needed help. At the rate she kept being sick and not feeling hungry, she needed all the nutrients she could get.