Night Study (Soulfinders, #2)(64)

The yellow paint peeled from the wood of building number four-fifteen, which was wedged in the middle of a row of houses. The pungent odor of fish guts fogged the street. Valek looped around to the alley and climbed the metal ladder to the apartment.

Endre yanked open the door before Valek reached it. The burly man held a dagger, but his fierce expression smoothed with recognition.

“Welcome, sir,” Endre said as Valek entered the small unit—half of it was living space, the other used for work.

Valek noted with approval the maps of the area covering the table with the thieves’ targets already marked. Times, dates and stolen items had been listed next to each.

“Any news, Endre?”

“Since the hit on the security office, no other incidents have been reported, sir.”

“Any progress on finding the thieves’ hideout?”

“No, sir. Security officers from Gandrel, Krillow and Coral Caye have searched every cove, building, boat, port and wooded area.”

Valek studied the map. “Looks like they hit every town along MD-1’s coast. I thought the targets were random.”

“At first they appeared random, but reports were slow coming in from some towns. They didn’t make the connection to the storms right away. But even so, if you look at the times and dates, there’s still no pattern.”

“And no one knows where and when they’ll strike next?”

“No, sir. But Annika is working on finding a few informers. She’ll report back here after the supper crowd.”

“Tell me about the theft of the weapons.”

“They struck in the middle of the night during a nasty downpour. The guys on duty didn’t hear a thing and frankly didn’t think the thieves would have the gall to rob us. Up until that hit, the Stormers took mostly money, equipment, tools and food. But they left nothing behind but puddles on the floor.”

“Stormers?”

“It’s what the officers call them.”

Ah. “Any boot prints?”

“No. Just the water.”

“Fresh or salt?” Valek asked.

Endre’s thick eyebrows smashed together like two caterpillars butting heads. “We didn’t check. I’m assuming fresh from the rain. Why would it matter?”

“You tell me.”

He ran a hand over the short bristle of his black hair. “Salt would mean they came up from the beach.”

“Or waded in from a boat.”

“Not this time of year. It’d be suicide.”

It would be dangerous for ordinary thieves. But what if one of them used magic to navigate the seas? He recalled Opal’s description of how the Stormdancers harvested energy from the storms. They kept a bubble of calm around them as they worked to avoid being swept out to sea. Valek wondered what the Stormdancers did during their off-season. Kade and Heli helped with the blizzards in Ixia, but one of the others might be helping these thieves.

Valek tucked the thought away to investigate later and returned to the break-in. “Forced entry?”

“Yeah, crowbar on the back door and on the weapon lockers.”

Not professionals, or they would’ve used lock picks. Valek considered. “Do you have a complete list of what’s been stolen?”

“Yes, sir.” Endre hunted through papers lying on a desk and pulled one from the pile. “I copied this from all the reports. After the weapons were stolen, the Gandrel office took the lead on the investigation. All the other offices have sent their incident reports to us.”

Interesting. “Where are these reports being kept?”

“In a conference room. The captain formed a team of investigators and we’ve been working in there, poring over all the information.”

“You don’t sound too impressed.”

Endre grinned. “They’re not us, sir. I can only do so much with these guys. Now, if you were on the team with Annika, then...”

Nice to know Endre had such confidence in him. “Then when can I get in there to take a look at those reports?”

“You can get in there anytime, sir.”

“I’d prefer to remain incognito if possible.” And as long as the news of his arrival hadn’t already spread to the Storm Thieves. While he’d been following Private Idiot slash Gannon to Hedda’s school, another mole could have sent a message to them.

“Oh, then late at night would be best. I’m on the graveyard shift tonight. If you can get into the conference room without being seen, I can make sure no one bothers you. You’ll have to leave before the morning shift arrives at dawn.”

“All right, then expect me after midnight.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you have any more information?”

The big man gestured to the desk. “Annika and I have been writing down what we’ve heard and other bits of news.” He brandished the list of stolen goods.

“May I?” Valek held out his hand.

“Of course, sir. Here.” Endre handed the list to Valek.

Valek scanned the items. Missing money and jewelry were expected, but others like wood, saws, nails, paint and teacups were not. He sat at the desk and read through the other papers. Endre and Annika had collected a nice variety of facts, including ruling out the initial suspects—a gang of teen troublemakers. Five young men and three young women had had run-ins with the local security for fighting, drinking and vandalism. However, they all had alibis for the storm thefts.