“That’s it.”
“Well, you sure wasted our time,” Judy said.
“Judy—”
“Well, she did! Martin could have brought this to you.”
“Maxwell’s busy,” Lucia said. She caught my eye and nodded, the faintest movement—Judy was clean. I felt like cheering. Something had gone right today.
It had been the faintest movement, but Judy caught it. “What’s really going on here?”
“Aside from wasting your time? Nothing. This is important paperwork I need the custodian to sign off on.”
“So do it, and let’s get out of here.” Judy scowled at Dave, who smiled pleasantly at her.
I opened the folder and took out the papers inside. As far as I could tell, they were pure gibberish, so I kept them away from where Judy could see them and said, “Can I borrow a pen?”
Lucia dug around in the top drawer of her desk and came up with a pen with a Hello Kitty bobblehead on it. I tried not to let the sappy cat face put me off.
“Hurry up, Helena,” Judy said, coming to my side. I awkwardly shielded the paperwork with my left arm. “What’s the big secret?”
“It’s private, um, custodian business,” I said, signing rapidly without paying attention to where I was signing.
Judy craned her head. “That’s a set of instructions for Monopoly! What the hell is going on?”
“Here,” I said, thrusting the papers at Lucia. “Judy, let’s go.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s really happening here!”
I sagged. “Lucia…”
Lucia sighed. She held out her hand for the pen, then flicked the bobblehead, making it jiggle. “She’ll know soon enough,” she said. “You want to tell her, or should I?”
“Somebody tell me something!” Judy demanded.
“I don’t know where to begin,” I said.
“Take a seat, both of you,” Lucia said. I promptly sat. Judy moved more slowly, keeping a wary eye on Lucia. “There’s a group of Wardens who are working with the invaders. They’re behind all the steel magi deaths. I had Davies bring you here so we could prove whether you were one of them. That’s all.”
I blinked at her. “I guess it was easier to explain than I thought.”
Judy was wide-eyed and silent. Finally, she said, “I only believe you because if you were going to make up a story, it would be more plausible.”
“Thanks. I think,” Lucia said drily.
“You thought I was working with the enemy?”
“I didn’t,” I said quickly. “But we had to know, not just believe.”
Judy blinked. “You knew about this? And kept it secret?”
“I had to. I’m sorry.” Her tone of voice made me feel guilty.
“I’m just amazed you were able to lie so well. How do you know I’m not a traitor?”
“The traitors have a physical alteration,” Lucia said, “a change in brain topography. If you don’t have it, you’re not a traitor.”
“But some people naturally have it,” I said, “so if you have it, you might still be innocent. And then there are other tests. Not nice ones.”
“Is that why we walked down that insanely long corridor?”
Lucia nodded. “And why Henry is armed to take out the most powerful wood or steel magus. If you had the mark, we would have done a more…invasive procedure.”
I shuddered. “How many people have you done that on?”
“Not many. The survival rate isn’t good yet. We’re working on that.” Lucia stood up. “Sorry about the secrecy, Rasmussen, but Davies and I are both bound by the Accords on this one, and it’s not the sort of binding you break.”
Judy scowled. “I get that. It doesn’t make me happy.”
“Your happiness isn’t my top priority. Now, both of you…get.”
We found ourselves in the hallway before either of us could protest. Judy glared at me. “You could have said something.”
“You don’t really think that.”
“…No. But I was trying to hold on to my righteous indignation for a while longer. How long have you known about this?”
“Since Christmas. I haven’t told anyone. Not even—”
Judy held up a warning hand. “Don’t say it here. Did you tell Viv?”
“I said I didn’t tell anyone. Viv is part of ‘anyone.’ And the secret has been eating at me since then.”
“It’s almost too much to believe. Everything I’ve thought my whole life…how can I look at my friends and not wonder which of them has been lying to me? And what about my father? He can’t possibly be a traitor.”
“Lucia will prove the truth.”
Judy sighed. “I need food. Something fattening. Let’s get out of here. The smell of concrete is seeping into my clothes.”
We found our way back to the cavern and collared a black-jumpsuited tech to send us back to the airplane hangar. Safely in my car, I gave Judy the details: how an intelligent, monstrous invader had come to Abernathy’s encased in a human body. How it had told me of the existence of Wardens working with its kind to defeat our side in the Long War. How the Board had sworn me to secrecy while they gathered their forces. “It’s not a secret Lucia thinks we can keep much longer,” I said. “Doug Schrote’s not the only one who thinks the incidents with the steel magi weren’t coincidence. And when the Board confirms the truth—”
“There will be a witch hunt,” Judy said. “If Lucia can’t prove whether someone’s brain has been altered or is just naturally that way, people will start executing vigilante justice. Nicollien versus Ambrosite will be nothing compared to that.”
I shook my head. “I’m officially overwhelmed. I’m done thinking about this. Let’s get Viv, and eat, and talk about things that aren’t death and treachery and magic.”
“I’m having trouble thinking of anything else,” Judy said.
5
On Tuesday they moved Malcolm out of the ICU. “He’s recovering quickly,” Derrick told me Tuesday night with a chuckle. “They have no idea why.”
“But you can’t just heal him outright. They’d notice that.”
“I’m repairing his internal injuries, slowly. His heart is fully healed. He took some damage to his spine that I’m in the process of repairing. I think the nurses are under the impression I’m some kind of priest, with the amount of time I spend in there with my head bowed.”
I laughed. “I think that’s the first time I’ve laughed since the crash. Derrick, when can I see him?”
“In a couple of days. It’s complicated. Try to be patient.”
“I hate being patient.”
But I didn’t have much choice, unless I wanted to walk into the hospital in full view of everyone and ask to see him. It was tempting, but I hadn’t completely lost my mind. I busied myself with auguries, though the number continued to drop off as the week progressed and news came in from all over the world. So many dead steel magi, and so many theories as to why. The popular one in Portland was that the magic on the victims’ aegises had failed the way the alterations to the familiars had last December. Lucia told me the Gunther Node was swamped with magi wanting their aegises checked for flaws.
“They could have their own glass magi do it,” she told me Wednesday morning, “but we have a reputation for excellence, so of course they have to come to us. And I don’t mind, since it gives me an excuse to run them all through the test.”
“You make them all walk that corridor? Doesn’t that take a long time?”
“Beats thinking the node is full of traitors. What’s worse is checking the ones who fail the first test. Like, for example, Ryan Parish.”
I sucked in a startled breath. “He failed?”
“He’s a steel magus who wasn’t affected by the attack. And he’s resisted everything I’ve done to get him in here. It’s not looking good.”
“Mr. Parish can’t be a traitor. Imagine the damage he could do!”
“Already have,” Lucia s
aid grimly. “I’m going to have to take more drastic steps.”
“Like what?”
“You don’t want to know. I’m sending Maxwell over with some more augury requests. I just wish the damn oracle would answer questions beginning with ‘who?’ This whole nightmare would be over if I could ask for a list of names.”
“What about that invader detector you were talking about?”
“For the front door? I don’t dare install it until I know whether Ewan Campbell is a traitor. I wish—” Lucia sighed. “I need his brother back in action. Be ready for Maxwell.” She hung up. She needed Malcolm back in action? I selfishly believed no one could possibly want him well more than me, but Lucia was right: with Malcolm proved not to be a traitor, Campbell Security could be brought in on the problem. If Malcolm were up and running the company, of course.
The bells over the door jingled. I made my way to the front of the store, taking my time about it. I was feeling a little tired from a couple of sleepless nights and wished more than ever I’d put a couch in the office so I could get a nap sometimes. Besides, Judy was probably there to entertain whoever it was while they waited for me.
“Welcome to—oh,” I said, stopping as I emerged from the stacks. “Detective Acosta. How can I help you?”
Detective Acosta turned from where he’d been reading the titles on the spines of the books and smiled at me. “Ms. Davies. Good morning.”
“Where’s your partner?”
“I’m on my own today. I’m sure he sends his regards.”
“That’s nice.”
The silence that fell ate at me like acid. Acosta and I weren’t friends. He’d suspected me of being involved with murdering the previous custodian, Mr. Briggs; he’d suspected me of being involved in the disappearance of my ex-boyfriend Chet; he’d as much as accused me of being a fence…well, all right, there’d been some truth to the last. The point was he suspected me of crime, period, and I was pretty sure he had me on some kind of watch list down at the precinct, or wherever he lurked when he wasn’t harassing me.
“So,” Acosta said, “did you have a nice Christmas?”
“You came all the way down here to make small talk? Detective, I can’t believe this is the best use of your time.”
“Staying at a fancy hotel like the Grandison. That’s got to be outside your budget.”
He was smiling a little half-smile, the kind that says someone knows a secret and wants you to wheedle it out of him. I wasn’t going to be drawn. “I’m frugal.”
His smile widened. “So it was you at the Grandison. I didn’t think there were any other Helena Davies in town, but it might have been some visitor. Thanks for confirming that.”
Too late I realized my mistake. The Conference of Neutralities, which I’d attended last December, had posed as a conference of heating and cooling system salesmen. “How did you know I was there?” I said, opting to go on the offensive.
“I think I’ll ask the questions, if you don’t mind.”
“I do mind, actually. Why are you prying into my business? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“What was a bookseller doing registered as an HVAC salesman for a conference that brought attendees from all over the world?”
“Again, none of your business.”
“I’m sorry. I should have begun by expressing my condolences over the loss of your colleagues to that rabid dog attack. I hope you weren’t hurt.”
“Detective, do you have a point?” My heart thudded painfully against my ribs, but I managed to sound casual and maybe a little impatient.
Acosta’s smile fell away. “Ms. Davies, let’s just stop dancing around. This bookstore, and by extension you, are at the center of something illegal. You and I both know it. I’m offering you the chance to confess to the truth. If you give evidence that will convict your employers, I can guarantee a reduced sentence for you—possibly even no sentence at all. If you refuse, you’ll go down with them. Do you understand?”
“What I understand, detective, is that you’re harassing me. You have no evidence and you have no warrant. You don’t even have a partner. Does Detective Green know what you’re up to, or are you on your own time?”
Acosta took a step closer. “Last chance, Ms. Davies. Tell me the truth. If you’re involved with the Mob—”
I laughed. It felt good to laugh, even if Acosta had my insides tied up in knots. “I’m not with the Mob, Detective Acosta. Abernathy’s isn’t a money laundering business or a fence. We cooperated with the police over those stolen books last summer and they proved we were innocent recipients of stolen property. I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with Abernathy’s, but I think you should consider whether it’s really healthy to keep pursuing us.”
His eyes narrowed. “Is that a threat?”
I blinked at him. “Um…no. I meant…” I didn’t actually want to come out and suggest he was emotionally unstable. “I’m just concerned for your well-being. Since you were so kind as to ask after mine.”
“All right, Ms. Davies. Just remember, I offered you a chance.” He put up the collar of his coat and left the store, ducking his head against the intermittent drizzle.
I dropped onto the stool behind the cash register and buried my face in my hands. I so didn’t need this right now. Or ever. How had Acosta learned I was at that conference? I’d thought their security was excellent—well, it was Campbell Security, so it had to be. Somebody needed to know we were compromised.
I pulled out my phone and called Timothy Ragsdale’s office. I thought of him as “my” Board of Neutralities member because he was always the one who showed up when things went wrong around here. Ragsdale’s secretary answered the phone after three rings. “Ragsdale’s office.”
“Hi, Monique, it’s Helena Davies. Can you put me through to Mr. Ragsdale?”
“He’s busy. Can I take a message?” Monique had a nasal Brooklyn accent and always sounded like she was chewing gum. I’d never met her and my mental picture of her was probably totally incorrect.
“Would you ask him to call me?” The door opened, and Jeremiah Washburn came in, smiling his brilliant smile. “It’s about the last Conference of Neutralities.”
“Will do. Later, Helena.”
I put my phone away. “Hi, Jeremiah. Augury, or safe deposit box?”
Jeremiah blinked. “Wow, that was abrupt. Are you in a hurry to get me out of here?”
“No, I just…no. How are you?”
“That’s more like it.” Jeremiah unwrapped a scarf from around his neck and unbuttoned his jacket. Underneath he wore a red T-shirt that said NEVER TRUST AN ATOM, THEY MAKE UP EVERYTHING. “I’m going to take on a new familiar tonight, so I need a few things out of my box.”
“I thought you said you wouldn’t have another familiar, after the problems with them last December.”
“I can’t afford to stick to my principles with so many steel magi dead or incapacitated. I’ll be more efficient a hunter if I have a familiar.” The smile fell away from his face, making him seem a stranger.
“Wouldn’t you be even more efficient if you were part of a team? That’s not snark, I genuinely want to know. You and Becky Randall are the only magi I know who hunt alone.”
“Hmm. Interesting question. I guess I’ve always felt more comfortable not having to coordinate with other people. And when you work alone, you’re less likely to become careless.” Jeremiah leaned casually against the countertop. “It’s probably mostly because I’m a loner at heart.”
“You seem gregarious enough to me.”
“Just trying to keep up with Viv. She’s a true extrovert, and I love it.”
I hopped off the stool. “She’s my best friend, but sometimes I find her exhausting. I’m glad things are going so well with you two. Um…they are, right?”
Jeremiah laughed. “Very well, for two people who are so very different.”
“Different is interesting. You never run out of things to talk about.”
; “That’s true. We need to find you someone so we can double date sometime.”
Jeremiah wasn’t privy to the secret. Even Viv and Judy knowing sometimes made me nervous. “If I find the right guy, I’d love that.”
I took the keys off the wall. No one but I could touch them, but I couldn’t help thinking, as I always did, that they looked like a security risk, hanging there in the open. I unlocked Jeremiah’s enormous box and let him heft it onto the table in the center of the room. “I’ll leave you to it,” I said, and retreated upstairs.
My phone rang when I was halfway up the steps. Ragsdale. “Ms. Davies,” he said. “Do you have information, or questions?”
I went into the office and shut the door. “A police detective—actually, Detective Acosta, you remember him?—anyway, he just came to the store accusing me and Abernathy’s of being part of some kind of Mob operation. The worrying thing is, he knew I’d been at the Conference of Neutralities.”
“I take it he didn’t know what the conference actually was.”
“He knew I wasn’t a heating and cooling salesman and thought it was suspicious that I’d been there, but I think that means he believed the cover story was a lie. He just didn’t know what it was covering up.”
“Interesting,” Ragsdale drawled. “Do you think he might be a tool for our enemies?”
That was an interesting thought. “I doubt it. I think he really does believe he’s going to crack this case wide open and bring a bunch of mobsters to justice. The other odd thing was his partner wasn’t with him. I don’t know why.”
“We’ll have to pay closer attention to our friend Acosta. He’s not dangerous, but he is an annoyance, and he needs to be brought to heel. Thank you for the information.”
“Wait!” I exclaimed before he could hang up. “What should I do if he comes back?”
“Ask him for a warrant, and refer him to the store’s owners for any other demands. We’ll watch out for you, Ms. Davies. Good day.”
Well, that was sort of helpful. I tucked my phone away in my pocket, where it barely fit, thank you, girl pockets, and went back to the front of the store, where I sat on the stool again and wondered where Judy was. She’d made a bank run this morning, but it didn’t take her that long to go to the bank and back. It was coming up on noon, and I was getting hungry.
The Book of Betrayal Page 5