Lake Silence (The Others #6)(14)
He made it sound like he was going to have to go miles out of his way when the bank was right next door to the police station. If he parked anywhere on Main Street, he wouldn’t have to move his car in order to get from one place to the other.
“Caw!”
“Caw!” “Caw!” “Caw!”
Whether the Crows were acknowledging the destination or issuing a warning didn’t matter. There were close to two dozen feathered witnesses who knew where I was supposed to be a few minutes from now.
As I was escorted to the first unmarked car by Oil Slick and one of the unnamed detectives who had been in the second car, I looked around. But I couldn’t tell if Aggie was among the Crows watching us. If she hadn’t rented one of the cabins, I wouldn’t have had even this much support—and no one around to see what might happen.
CHAPTER 7
Aggie
Sunsday, Juin 13
Aggie flew across Lake Silence as fast as she could. This was bad. This was so very, very bad. If she’d just eaten the squooshy eyeball instead of bringing it back to the house to warm up in the wave-cooker, the police humans wouldn’t be causing trouble for Miss Vicki because they wouldn’t have known about the dead man. But Miss Vicki had seen the eyeball and done what she felt was right by human rules, and now she was in trouble.
The Crowgard would keep watch around The Jumble, would even attack the humans if they disobeyed Miss Vicki’s rules. But police humans had guns, and that made them an especially dangerous breed, so the Crowgard weren’t enough protection. Not alone. And they didn’t know enough about human rules. But she knew someone who did know about human rules and might be willing to help.
She flew across the lake until she reached Silence Lodge. Landing on the top level of the multilevel deck that stretched across the back of the lodge, she shifted to a feathered but mostly human form, gathered her courage, and knocked on the door.
CHAPTER 8
Grimshaw
Sunsday, Juin 13
Grimshaw debated with himself if he wanted lunch enough to brave the inquisitive stares and prying questions he was bound to get the moment he walked into Come and Get It, the local diner. He’d already been grilled by Ineke Xavier when he asked about renting a room for a few days. She hadn’t been keen to rent her last room to him—one of her rooms being a crime scene and the rest being appropriated by Detective Marmaduke Swinn and his CIU team—but when she understood that he wasn’t part of the CIU team, she’d been willing to rent him the room with the en suite bathroom that she’d refused to give up for the CIU team.
He didn’t know what Swinn had done to tick her off that she’d held back her best room, and he didn’t care. He was just glad to have the room, and equally glad the CIU boys had been out and about when he arrived. Swinn had made it clear yesterday that he wasn’t needed or welcome in their investigation, so showing up today as the new, if temporary, official police force in Sproing wasn’t going to make for cordial dinners at the boardinghouse.
As he wondered how he was supposed to send Hargreaves reports about an investigation he couldn’t get near, Grimshaw watched Julian Farrow cross the street and make his way through the mob of Sproingers that had gathered in front of the bank and police station.
He waited until Julian entered the station and closed the door. “Has this ever happened before?”
“No.” Julian sounded grim. “Listen, Wayne. I just got a call from Ineke Xavier. Apparently Vicki DeVine is being brought in for questioning.”
“Not surprising. A dead body was found on her land, and the CIU boys will want an official statement.” Grimshaw frowned. “If Ineke was concerned, why did she call you instead of me? I gave her my mobile phone number as well as the number for the station.”
“You’re still an unknown commodity. Highway patrol officer temporarily reassigned here, bringing with you a carryall that couldn’t hold more than a couple of changes of clothes and a suit bag that probably has your other uniform and maybe a couple of dress shirts.”
“Did she count my underwear the moment I was out of the room?”
“My point is, no one knows where you stand.” Julian stood next to him at the window. Both of them watched the Sproingers. People going into or out of the bank could get around them. The critters did move out of the way, but they didn’t move far—and if they suddenly felt inclined to attack someone’s ankles or lower legs, a person had no room to maneuver.
“You need to be the good cop in this, Wayne.”
“I don’t think Ms. DeVine thinks of me as a good cop.”
“Then you’d better do something to change her mind,” Julian snapped.
Grimshaw studied the man who had been his friend. Maybe still was his friend. A man who had an uncanny sense of what was happening in a place.
“Okay. I’ll be the good cop.”
Julian nodded. “I told you that you’ll need to be careful about choosing your allies. Make sure everyone knows you’re the good cop.” He looked pointedly at the Sproingers. “And I do mean everyone.”
“Crap.”
An unmarked car pulled into one of the parking spaces in front of the bank. The Sproingers snapped to attention.