Now that Sissy was gone, the Sanguinati weren’t guarding the apartment building during the day. At least, not where they would be seen. But he suspected they had quietly taken over the apartment above Jimmy’s. After all, it did offer them a vantage point from which to hunt, and anyone who was out on the sidewalk or street after dark was considered fair game. In a weird way, the Sanguinati became a kind of neighborhood watch. Wrongdoers weren’t arrested and their fines weren’t paid in money, but the blood that was taken seemed in proportion to the wrongdoers’ misbehavior.
Monty returned to his apartment to finish getting ready for work. Grandma Twyla had decreed that anyone dawdling in the morning and making other people miss work or school forfeited the cookie or muffin that would have been included with the midday serving of milk. Lizzy had tested that decree just once, since Eve supported Twyla and Ruthie was willing to enforce their decision. Now Lizzy and Grr Bear were waiting at the door before he could put the breakfast dishes in the sink so that any tardiness wouldn’t be their fault.
He stepped out of his apartment a few minutes later. As he locked his door, the other downstairs door opened.
“Hey, CJ,” Jimmy said. “You got a minute?”
Monty turned to face his brother, who had been conveniently absent yesterday, as if a day was enough time to erase everyone’s suspicions about Jimmy’s involvement in the attempted abduction of Theral MacDonald. “A minute.”
Suspicions but not proof. Jimmy was still alive because there wasn’t any proof.
Monty studied the “aw, shucks, I didn’t mean nothing” expression and wondered what sort of flimflam Jimmy was going to try on him today.
“Been hearing about folks looking for a place to live,” Jimmy said.
Monty nodded. “A lot of people have come to Lakeside recently, hoping to find work in a human-controlled city. Stands to reason that those who do find work also need a place to live.”
He’d taken Pete Denby with him yesterday when he went to talk to his landlords about releasing him from the lease on the one-bedroom apartment near Market Street. The man had wanted him to continue paying the rent but also wanted to have use of the apartment to rent to another tenant. Monty had responded to that by indicating he would continue using the apartment—and would make sure he used the water that was included in the rent. The next ploy was complaining about the condition of the apartment—the lousy paint job, the nicks on the counters, the curling corner of linoleum in the kitchen. Monty asked if the man would like to see the photographs he’d taken of the apartment the day he moved in, which would prove the place looked exactly like it had then.
Finally the landlord’s wife, who had rented the place to Monty, reminded her husband that Lieutenant Montgomery shouldn’t be penalized for wanting to live closer to the police station where he worked.
So the papers Pete had already prepared were signed, releasing Monty from the rental agreement. He’d bet a week’s pay that this morning’s edition of the Lakeside News would have a listing for the apartment at twice what Monty had been paying.
“Thing is,” Jimmy said, “there are two empty apartments in this building and another empty one in the other building. That’s just a waste when someone could be living there.”
“I don’t think the terra indigene are planning to hire anyone else to work in the Courtyard. Not for a while anyway.”
“Wouldn’t have to work for those . . . for them. Folks could rent those places by the week or the month. I could take care of that, be a kind of overseer.”
“Eve Denby is the property manager for these three buildings. That’s her job.”
“Then why isn’t she doing anything about renting out those places? Not doing her job if she’s letting apartments stay empty.”
He heard the whiny belligerence in his brother’s voice. Which meant Jimmy wasn’t getting the answer he wanted—or needed? “Gods, did you already tell some people they could flop in one of the apartments?”
“What if I did? The places are empty. Where’s the harm?”
“Anyone who comes here without the Others’ permission is an intruder. They deal harshly with intruders. These apartments aren’t on the open market for rent. They’re only offered to Courtyard employees. And don’t go thinking you can have overnight ‘guests.’ You are a guest, and the only reason they haven’t tossed you out yet is that Simon, Vlad, and Tess like Mama. And if you think you can sneak someone in and pick the lock on one of the apartments upstairs so your pals can squat until they’re caught, think again. They’ll be caught before they can blink. They will disappear, and you will be standing at the curb with Sandee and the kids, and your choices will be getting out of Lakeside or going to jail.” Or worse. “Jimmy, your free ride as a guest is pretty much done. If you’re going to stay in Lakeside, you should find work and another place to live while you still have the choice.”
“Fuck that.” Anger in Jimmy’s eyes now. “You don’t work for the freaks. How come you’re living here?”
“Because Elayne was murdered at the Toland train station, and the people responsible came after Lizzy, thinking she knew more than she did. Staying here was the only way to keep her safe.”
A moment of shock and what Monty would have sworn looked like genuine sympathy.
“I didn’t know,” Jimmy said.
“Well, that’s why I took the apartment here when it was offered.” There were other reasons, personal and professional, but there was no point complicating things. Not with Jimmy.
“Look, CJ . . .”
The outer door opened. Kowalski stood on the threshold.
“Captain Burke is at the Courtyard. He wants to see you before we go to the station.”
Monty headed out, then stopped and eyed Jimmy. “You’d better tell those people the apartments aren’t for rent. If the Others link you to any more trouble in the Courtyard, Sandee and the kids will be relocating on their own.”
“And where will I be?”
“You’ll be in jail, if you’re lucky. And Jimmy? If that happens, there is nothing I can do to help you.”
• • •
Vlad reviewed the booklists, then eyed his assistant manager. “Tell me again why I want to order four dozen of the same book?”
“Because we’re going to act as a distribution hub for a few other bookstores,” Merri Lee replied with a smile that was meant to be disarming.
Vlad wasn’t fooled. Just because the female pack weren’t predators in the traditional sense didn’t mean you could let your guard down. But, to be fair, there was a rational reason for what they did.
Usually. Mostly. Sometimes.
“I don’t remember agreeing to be a hub.”
“Yes, you did. Sort of. Well, maybe Simon was the one who agreed, but one of you did. Anyway, Toland publishers don’t want to break cartons of books anymore, and we can’t sell four dozen of the same book at Howling Good Reads. And we have the easiest access to the Intuit and terra indigene publishers in the eastern part of the High North because they can ship books to us across Lake Tahki. But books that will sell here will also sell at the bookstores in Ferryman’s Landing, as well as the libraries on the island and mainland. Then we send more of the books to John Wolfgard in Bennett, as well as to Shelley Bookman and Jesse Walker in Prairie Gold. Meg wasn’t sure if the Intuit village at Sweetwater had a library. We were going to draft a letter for you and Simon to review before sending it to Jackson Wolfgard to see if anyone there would like to participate. In turn, John Wolfgard will order books from publishers in the Midwest or on the West Coast if he can reach them, and send some copies on to us.”
“The books still have to travel by truck from the port on Lake Tahki to us.” Vlad frowned. “Are we making any money from this?”
“From being a hub? No, but we’re not losing any either because the stores will pay for the books and the shipping co
sts to send them on. And we will make a profit on the books we sell here, just like we do now.”
And it will keep the fluffballs busy, he thought. “I’ll give the list a little more thought and have Simon take a look in case there is anything he would want to add.” Because she looked disappointed, he felt compelled to add, “Your list is excellent, and quite extensive. But there may be one or two titles that we’ve heard of that wouldn’t be available to you.”
Merri Lee seemed sufficiently appeased. Vlad felt relieved until he looked out the store’s front windows and saw Lieutenant Montgomery waiting for a break in traffic in order to dash across the street. That in itself was unusual. Crowfield Avenue had sufficient traffic in the morning to make going up to the light a prudent choice, and Montgomery made an effort to set a good example for the children.
“Find some work to do in the stock room,” he said quietly. Captain Burke was in A Little Bite talking with Agent O’Sullivan, and Tess reported that both men looked grim. Montgomery moved as if his muscles were swollen with anger. “No.” Vlad touched Merri Lee’s arm, stopping her. “Go check on Meg.”
Merri Lee hesitated. “Do you have a question I should ask?”
“Not yet.”
He heard HGR’s back door close moments before Montgomery walked in through the front door.
“Captain Burke is in A Little Bite,” Vlad said.
“I have a question for you,” Montgomery said, the usual courtesy in his voice sounding strained. “Are there Sanguinati living in one of the second-floor apartments in my building?”
“If there are?”
Montgomery’s breath came out in a sigh. “That’s good. It would be better if they were a little more obvious. Get a pizza and sit out on the porch, turn on the TV or radio.”
“We thought humans would prefer us to be more discreet about our presence.”
Montgomery looked uncomfortable. “My brother told some acquaintances that they could make use of the apartments.”
The Sanguinati won’t need to eat pizza.
“It’s what Jimmy does,” Montgomery continued. “He sets up situations to net himself a little cash, then blames someone else when the scheme is stopped. And he’s always just far enough removed from the trouble not to get dirtied by whatever happens. I told him he should get a job and find another place to live, but as long as he gets that apartment rent free, he won’t be going anywhere.”
How much to say? “If your brother goes by his own choice, no one will stop him. But Simon can’t force him to leave.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Can’t.”
Montgomery looked uneasy. “Why would someone want Jimmy to stay around the Courtyard?”
Interesting that Montgomery didn’t ask who wanted Jimmy to stay around, which meant the man had his suspicions about what was in the Courtyard keeping watch.
Vlad heard footsteps approaching the archway that connected HGR with A Little Bite. “You should talk to your captain. He’s been waiting for you.”
“Actually, I wanted to share this information with you as well,” Burke said, walking up to the checkout counter. He looked at Montgomery, then at Vlad. “You know about highway patrol?”
“They’re enforcers who watch the roads that connect towns,” Vlad replied. “They have territories like the police packs within a city. Some are human, some are Intuit, depending on what kind of communities are connected by the roads. The terra indigene aren’t considered part of the patrol, although they do keep watch over anything that goes through the wild country.”
“Even places that are not under human control still have law enforcement.”
“Did you do that kind of work?” Vlad asked, curious about the things Burke seemed to know that other humans didn’t.
“In my younger days.” Burke paused. “Two days ago, highway patrol found a white car that had bullet holes and blood. The license plate matched the numbers Ms. Corbyn saw in her vision—and the car is registered to Dr. Dominic Lorenzo.”
“You found Dr. Lorenzo?” Montgomery asked.
“I found him. He was wounded, but he’ll be all right.” Another pause. “He’s staying on Great Island for the time being.”
“Emily Faire did tell Simon and me that she was needed here full-time because someone else would take care of the River Road Community,” Vlad said.
“Did she?” Burke smiled, but the smile quickly faded. “Agent O’Sullivan talked to Governor Hannigan last night. Several of the doctors who were involved with the task force have gone missing.”
“Maybe they’ve gone to ground in out-of-the-way villages,” Montgomery suggested.
“Some of those men have wives and children who haven’t heard from them in days. We’ll hope to find them all and reunite them with their families, but I don’t think all of them will be as lucky as Dr. Lorenzo.” Burke took a breath and shook off the grimness. “O’Sullivan is waiting for me. We have a meeting with the mayor and police commissioner.”
Vlad waited until Burke left before saying, “You have missed your bus, Lieutenant.”
“Kowalski and I will grab a taxi.”
“No.” Vlad picked up the phone and called the Liaison’s Office. “Meg? Is Harry still there? Tell him he’s giving Lieutenant Montgomery and Officer Kowalski a ride to work before making his other stops. Yes, that will be fine.” He hung up and smiled at Montgomery. “Harry will wait for you in the delivery area.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“Special circumstances.”
Vlad waited until Montgomery left the bookstore before calling Eve Denby to tell her to be vigilant about anyone who might be trying to stay in the apartments without permission—and to let her know that a few Sanguinati would be taking up residence in one of the apartments from now on.
• • •
That afternoon, Simon walked into the butcher shop, happily thinking about dinner. Bison burgers for him and Sam, and beef for Meg. Half the ground bison would be cooked and put on rolls to eat with a green salad. That was the human meal. The other half of the meat would be quietly consumed raw, as it was meant to be eaten. But he and Sam would wait until they were in Wolf form and Meg was working in the garden or reading a book before eating that part of their dinner.
He smiled at Eve Denby, who gave him a distracted look before studying the available meat in the display case.
he asked Boone Hawkgard, who looked pointedly at Eve and said, “Problem?”
“No,” she replied. “It’s just . . . we’ve been eating so much red meat. Which is very good meat, but every so often you get a taste for something different.”
Why? Simon wondered.
“Do you ever have any poultry?” Eve asked. “Like chickens? Or maybe a turkey?”
Boone stared at her. “No chickens in the Courtyard. Our chicken eggs come from earth native farms. We do have ducks. And turkeys. And geese will be flying over soon. Many of them make use of the lakes here.”
“Henry sometimes catches more fish than he wants to eat,” Simon said.
“Do you want a duck tomorrow?” Boone asked. “The Hawkgard could catch one if there are ducks around.”
“No, that’s all right.” Eve gave them a bracing smile. “Is there beef available? Then I’ll have a pound and a half of ground beef. That will make a fine meatloaf.”
Boone measured out the meat and wrapped it.
Hawk and Wolf watched Eve as she walked out of the shop.
“Humans are so fussy,” Boone said. “We’re happy eating whatever we can catch.”
“But even we sometimes look for a particular kind of meat if we’re not empty-belly hungry,” Simon said. “And Eve and the rest of the female pack don’t usually ask for anything not in the case.”
“That’s true.” Boone sighed. “I could go hunting tomorrow a
nd try for a duck. The geese aren’t here yet.”
“A duck might be too small to feed Eve, her mate, and her pups,” Simon countered. “I’ll talk to Blair. He and I can help you hunt poultry tomorrow. Nathan might like to come too.”
That much settled, Simon took his packages of bison and beef and headed home to have dinner and playtime with Sam and Meg.
CHAPTER 15
Firesday, Messis 17
Boone, Marie, and Julia Hawkgard rode the thermals until they spotted some of the wild turkeys that lived in the Courtyard. Following the Hawks, Simon, Blair, and Nathan moved toward their prey.
Nathan asked when the turkeys were in sight.
Blair growled. He studied the birds, which seemed more interested in what they were pecking at than in the Wolves stalking them.
Nathan also studied the turkeys.
Simon said. Of course, the Sanguinati in smoke form made no noise in the dark, left no scent to disturb sleeping birds that didn’t realize they were roosting among predators. Turkey blood was sipped when preferred prey wasn’t available, and old birds that had been drained a little too much were helped over the Chambers’ black wrought-iron fences to be available meat for other Courtyard residents. Even then, the Wolves usually left the meat for the other gards instead of dealing with mouthfuls of feathers.
he asked Blair and Nathan.
they replied.
he asked the Hawks.
The Wolves flushed their prey, sending the turkeys skyward. The Hawkgard struck three of the turkeys with enough force to drive the birds back to the ground, where the Wolves finished the kill.