by Gin Hollan
"I am sure." His eyes narrowed. "This news won't stay quiet long, though, so what if I say you have two days of boosted signal, and I still broadcast it but tell people the entire city is protected?"
"Since we can safely conclude that theirs is a hostile endeavour, you will make targets of yourself and your family."
"If I team up with a couple other stations, it's not a problem."
"You would need to anyway. What if you say that you're doing it, but not why? Call it a public service. Then, when the why comes out in court, your fame will skyrocket. This is the kind of thing that makes mayors, you know."
"There will be other broadcasters that hate me for it. This will override their signal."
"I have a feeling they owe you favours." She smiled. If he was fishing for money, she was going to make him work for it.
"Do I want to use something as valuable as a favour on this?"
"You'll find an angle to work, I've no doubt. And you'll come out on top still."
"You keep me in the know on this, and I'll do it. Information is power, and you seem to be rich in that regard as well," he chuckled. "Change every radio you have to my station, in case I need to get a message to you."
Clever guy, teaming up with her like this. When the story finally hit the papers, he'd be there right beside her and Hicks, happily taking credit. Not a bad deal. It was one of those everyone-wins situations.
"Agreed." She stuck her hand out and Mr. Rogers shook it to seal the deal. Her father's voice echoed through her memory: 'The only deal worth making is one that's on paper.' He had little faith in people—probably a side effect of his occupation. Would Mr Rogers keep his word?
Next, she had to find Hicks. He’d said he'd be checking shops that sold transmitter parts. Most of those were in the same general area, so she headed that way.
She spotted him chatting with a short twenty-something guy she'd often bought information from, named Bernie. It wasn't unusual for Bernie to be chatting with a police detective, but she doubted Hicks would get any advanced information out of him. She waved and called out her greeting as she got close.
"Greetings, gentlemen. Talking about anything interesting?"
"No, Miss Barnes," Bernie smiled. "But since you're here, I might have something for you."
He often had something interesting. The hard part was finding the guy. He was better than Larry at digging up useful information, but twice the ghost.
"This one is particularly savoury, so it's double my usual."
She pulled out her money pouch and overpaid him. "All right Bernie, don't spare the details."
"There's a place in the country that's taken these people. They say they can cure the madness. It's past Eller's Grove, nearly to Sayden's Mill."
"You didn't tell me this," Hicks said accusingly.
Arabeth laughed. "You get what you pay for, you know."
Hicks shook his head. "Some things need to be done for the greater good, you know."
That made Bernie laugh. "It's an open market, right? Even I have debts to settle, bills to pay."
"All right, Bernie." Arabeth put a hand on his shoulder. "Tell me why I overpaid you."
"Well, miss, there's a special wing in that hospital. There's no normal door that lets you in—you have to puzzle your way through. It's like a secret, hidden entrance."
"Well, that is interesting. Can you tell me how to get in?"
Bernie reached into a pocket but hesitated. "I'm not keen on risking a steady income, but I'm sure you'll come back out just fine. Between that fox and your gadgets, you've got more luck than anyone I've ever met." He handed her a small folded paper. "I'm sure you can decipher this. It's a bit of a riddle, but I have a guarantee that it works."
Arabeth gave him a couple extra coins with a nod. "A pleasure doing business with you, Bernie, as always."
"Also, I'm not sure I should be saying this, but I'm hearing some nasty things from Larry. He's talking funny about you lately. He's giving you information that will be dangerous to you, and hanging around for the photos. Thought you should know. He's trying to connect you to the brawling and attacks. I'm not sure how or why."
Arabeth smiled. "Thanks, Bernie. It's nice to have someone confirm it." There was a code among informants, and Bernie had just broken it for Arabeth's sake.
As Bernie walked away, Hicks sighed. "You trust him too easily. How do you know he's not selling you fish oil?" he asked.
"There are precious few people I trust. He knows my rules. Good information pays good money. If someone gives me bad information, their next seven leads pay at half price. Not half my price, mind you. Half of what people normally pay. That's a significant income drop for my regulars. They don't risk that more than once."
Hicks shook his head. "It makes sense on one level, but...."
"It's a waste of money to hire two of them for the same information. These days I only pay the first one to get back to me. They like the challenge of beating their peers."
"I take it Larry been a bit slow to get back to you."
"Well, he doesn't take requests. He hears what I need and if he has anything, he sends it by messenger. No charge. What irritates me is that he always sends details that get me into danger. Not much of a gentleman, but he knows how to get a strong story. He's been useful, in his own way." The note he’d given her was probably one of those into-the-fire kind of leads, giving her no real motivation to find a transator.
"I see," Hicks said, his jaw tight.
Arabeth dismissed it. They had to get back on track. "Have you been to that hospital? I’d forgotten it even existed." She couldn't remember one that far out of the city. Then again, she didn't travel that way often.
"It's shut down. They closed it about two decades ago."
“It’s worth a look, then.”
"You want to go look at that rickety old death trap, based on the idea that someone is there operating an illegal medical practice?" Hicks was smirking.
"No, but it’s my next lead."
"You're serious? What do you expect to find?"
"Information." Arabeth turned to go pack her satchel. She wanted to make a radio-protected strap-on hat for Marble. It might look silly, but looks took a back seat to safety. And she'd make it stylish, like a pilot's helmet. "It seems reasonable." She also needed food for Marble and herself. "Should we meet up later, around two p.m.?"
// Chapter 11 //
It was nearing dinnertime as the hospital came into sight—and what a sight, Arabeth thought. The building was irregularly covered in vines and the entire grounds were unkempt. The structure itself sat in staggering disrepair. Bernie's leads were rarely wrong. That meant this was a front. As such, it was the perfect disguise for something … but what?
Silently, she and Hicks dismounted their horses. With no hitching post or other horse-friendly parking, Arabeth led her steed forward, looking for a sturdy tree with tall branches to high-tie to.
"I hear voices," Hicks said. "Calm, but loud."
"Someone giving a group instructions?"
"Like that. Why? What are you thinking?"
She shook her head. "Just speculating. Let's have a look."
"We're not exactly going to blend in," she said, looking at Hicks in his usual suit and long coat. "We'll need a story."
Hicks reached out and took her arm. "Wait, I hear someone coming. From inside."
Arabeth turned to see who was opening the door. Hicks reached out suddenly, pulling her behind him.
"Stay back," he whispered.
She was about to peek around when a voice called out to Hicks.
"Samuel Hicks! What brings you out this way? Looking to get away from the city for a while?"
Harold Jacobs? What was he doing out here, and was Melanie still safe back at Betsy’s house? Arabeth peered out from behind, hoping he didn’t see her. Jacobs was wearing travelling clothes, a long, heavy wool coat and cap, and high-quality boots. Apparently he'd been helping himself to things the Marshes ha
d left behind. She was about to step around and forward to ask what he was doing all the way out here but intuition stopped her.
"Got a report of strange goings-on. Thought it should be checked out. What brings you out here? I thought you had to keep a close eye on the Marsh house," said Hicks.
"That place watches itself, for the most part. No one wants to go near it, saying it brings bad luck."
"This place seems to have its own bad luck."
Jacobs fidgeted a moment then shrugged. "It's an oddity. I'd heard stories and wanted to see. Was supposed to meet up with a friend here. He didn't show, but I did, so it’s one less thing on my list now. Pretty dangerous inside. It's falling apart. Not sure what you're looking for, but you'll be risking your neck if you go inside."
Hicks nodded, and Arabeth wondered if he noticed the lie. Mr Jacbos had clearly been here before, but was still meeting a friend here to explore?
"Thank you for your warning, but I'm sure it can't hurt to look inside," Hicks said.
Jacobs' face went red and his hands tightened into fists.
Hicks cocked his head to one side. "Every report must be thoroughly investigated," he said.
Arabeth could only imagine his expression but his body language said he was confident, maybe even arrogant. Playing up to the class expectations Jacobs would have, no doubt.
"You can't say I didn't warn you," Jacobs said as he pulled his cap down and turned away, leaving the hospital.
Why was he leaving, all of a sudden? Had he spotted Marble, and therefore knew the extra legs behind Sam were hers? Still, his abrupt change of direction made more curious than ever. Now it felt like a moral imperative to get inside that hospital. Would he actually leave, or go out of sight and return once she and Sam were inside?
"I'm a little nervous to leave the horses here unattended," Arabeth said.
"You should wait here with them, just to be sure. If I can't handle this on my own, I’ll fetch a few constables."
She didn't like the idea of them splitting up, but it was her idea.
"You'd better be careful. If you're not out in fifteen minutes, I'm coming in looking."
"I do have experience with this sort of thing, you know." He cocked an eyebrow at her, but neither his words nor his attitude calmed her nerves.
"Right, right. Detective Samuel Hicks, eight years on the job. I know." She sighed. That didn't make it easier, watching him walk into the building. It was three storeys, and probably had a couple basement levels. Doomed to fail from the start, she mused. Even the city ones stayed under four storeys total. At one time, Hicks had told her, this one was supposed to double as a medical college, but they'd failed to build student accommodations before the budget ran out.
She pondered random facts, trying to keep her mind off what Sam was doing. Off of where he was going. She shook her head. Call him Hicks. Calling him Sam felt too ... personal. You didn't use first names unless you were family or until you were in a very personal kind of relationship. That was a necessary social cue, proving your intent to respect boundaries.
Why did she let Mr. Jacobs rattle her? That wasn't like her. Besides, she had Bernie's paper, and Hicks would need that if he wanted to find the hidden area.
Arabeth walked on foot around the horses, ensuring they were in a good spot for tying before heading to the entrance. Her horse, Kate, didn't seem worried. She could wait for Hicks to come back out but she didn't want to. Maybe she was being impatient, but maybe not. It would be better if they didn't get separated, anyway. He didn't have backup here, and she didn't have a way to get help quickly enough to actually be helpful.
As she stepped inside, there was a significant lack of light. Boards on the windows made sure of that. She decided it would be best to walk along one wall and follow where it went, stopping now and then to listen for any other signs of life. The first time she ran into a desk, she stopped. There had to be a smarter way to do this. She fumbled through her satchel, thinking that if she could get electricity in the little tiny device to track Marble, there must be a way to power a small light source.
She'd heard about someone making a realistically usable light bulb, but she'd never seen it in real life. Her fingers bumped into her lighter. That would be inefficient but still functional. She didn't carry candles, but maybe a small one would be prudent. It would certainly be more efficient.
Flicking the lighter on, she looked around to see if there were lanterns or torches left behind. Chiding herself, she knew there wouldn't be.
"Marble, find Hicks."
Marble gave a short yip and headed off. Arabeth followed closely, glad she'd used Hicks as one of her training targets for Marble. Finally, something was going right. As she went around the third corner of increasingly narrow corridors, the sound of voices became clearer. Her heart started to race until she recognized Hicks speaking and realized his voice was calm. There was also light ahead. She shut her lighter and put it away.
She slowed to a stop at the corner before Hicks’s location but Marble didn't notice. She made a quick, low sound trying to get the fox's attention. She peered around the corner. The light was bright to her eyes. Squinting a bit, she saw Hicks standing with his hands in his coat pockets, leaning over a desk. The man with him was a stranger to her.
Marble turned around and came back, sitting at Arabeth's feet. It seemed neither man had noticed her. At least, if Hicks had noticed, he didn't let on. Arabeth dropped down to sit on her heels and slipped Marble a treat for staying close. Waiting just out of view, she listened. Her belief that people are born as gatherers and mature into hunters kept her looking for choices as she went. Blithely walking in was a foolish gatherer mentality. She needed to be more like the fox. More like a hunter.
The hardest part of hiding was the sudden, nearly irresistible urge to sneeze out some of the dust of this place. What part of the brain said, 'Oh, we're hiding? We should do noisy things then'? She grumbled silently.
"Will it really work?" Hicks asked, adjusting his glasses.
"Mmm, all indicators say it will, but there's only one real way to find out."
She knew the other man's voice, but couldn't immediately put a name to it. The sound of it made the back of her head itch. That was odd.
"Then what?"
"Well, then we'd have world peace, I suppose." The man laughed. "Really, do you see the government going along with this? It's a thing that in time may have meaning, but now is just for the sake of knowledge."
Hicks chuckled. "I see."
There was a clicking sound like a notched dial turning, followed by a thunk. "There. That fits," the other man said.
"And that's secure? How do you know a good thief can't get in?"
"Ah, well, there are very few ways to stop a good thief. I suppose part of it is luck, then. And secrecy."
"That's why you're in this place, and contriving myths and superstition to keep people away?"
"True privacy is expensive," he said, tapping the device with a small metal hammer.
And in the wilderness, no one can hear the screams, Arabeth added mentally.
"Indeed. Well, I'd best be off then. Thank you for the tour," Hicks said. "Your secrets are safe with me."
"As I'd expect," the man replied. "You know what a war would mean, to all of us."
"Yes, let's avoid that outcome."
Arabeth had questions, too many questions. Turning, she did her best to move silently back out of the hospital. Hicks had better explain what that was all about. But at least Melanie wasn't here. Why was Jacobs lying about this place? Was it part of the mythology that man was perpetuating? Stopping, she wondered what to do about Bernie's information. Should she come back later?
Her gut burned at the thought that Hicks was deceiving her. It cast a different light on his recent disappearances. And that man ... it couldn't be who she thought it was. Finding a dark corner, she crouched down, thinking she'd let Hicks walk by, then do her own exploring. There was no real risk in this place, unless
you counted tripping in a dark hall.
When Hicks got out and saw her gone, she hoped he'd figure she got bored and went exploring. He could take his horse and leave. She needed to concentrate and he was a distraction. He'd better not take her horse, she thought. She wasn't so forgetful that she'd leave her own horse and walk home.
Hicks walked by carrying a small lantern. Was she hidden well enough when a lantern was involved? Better to not move, Arabeth knew. Motion always drew notice. She stayed still, regardless of the light, heedless of the need to sneeze returning. She waited until his footfalls rounded a second corner before moving. She stood, still watching the way he'd gone. What had he been up to during the five years she’d languished away, practically locked up in her home?
Melanie could still be here, she reminded herself. Her search hadn't exactly been comprehensive. Not yet.
"Marble, can you find Melanie?" she whispered. There was just enough light for her to make out Marble's outline as she lifted her nose, air scenting, but didn't move. It would be better to do that from the entrance, maybe. Turning, Arabeth moved as silently as she could in hard-soled leather boots. It worked for the most part.
Behind her, other footsteps started to get louder and the glow of a lantern grew brighter. She scooped Marble up and looked for another place to hide. There was nothing but bare hallway between her and the exit, so she started walking faster, then jogging.
As she pushed the door open, a voice behind her called out.
"Arabeth, wait."
His use of her first name sent a chill down her spine. It couldn't be who it sounded like. It couldn't be Matthew. He was dead. She'd buried him two years and three weeks ago.
She pushed the door open and ran to her horse. Hicks waited there, still. Seeing him, she stopped. This was no time to be timid, she chided herself. Raising her chin, she strode over, untied her horse, mounted and left, all with Marble tucked under one arm. Ignoring the two men calling after her, she urged her horse forward, trotting a few minutes to loosen up both of their muscles, then breaking into a canter. She chose a different way back, certain Hicks would come after her. Would he try her house? She'd have to change the locks now, for sure. Or just move.