The Wild Dead (The Bannerless Saga 2)

“Enid. Maybe you should rest. I can handle this. Or we can handle it later. If you just tell me what happened—”

“I’m fine. I want the head of each household to meet us . . . let’s say by the ruin at Semperfi. Nice and desolate. I also want Kellan and Neeve, Mart and Telman. Everyone from Last House. Got it? Can you get everyone there in an hour?”

He was off balance, unsteady. His expression showed that he remained unconvinced. “Yeah, I think so. Or close enough to it. Yeah.” He nodded with enough decisiveness that she believed him. Yes, he could do this task. “If Kellan didn’t do it, what do you want him for?”

“So everyone knows he didn’t do it. Including him. Especially after you dragged him off like that. We have to clean up your mistake.”

“But then who did it? Tell me.”

“Go, get everyone. Then we’ll talk.”

Chapter Twenty • the estuary

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Last Threads

This was both her most and least favorite part of a case. Enid loved the finish, the conclusion, the revelation. Pull all the threads together and weave the story. It was vanity, making these people wait for her to speak, knowing her words would change them. Holding them in suspense. That was a bit of power, and she confessed to enjoying it.

She didn’t like to see herself as destroying lives here. That had already happened, and she had to try to make repairs, somehow. That part she didn’t like—feeling that no matter what she did, cracks would remain. Sometimes, nothing could be done to fix the breaks.

The ruined house wasn’t looking any better. In fact, it might have been her imagination, but the structure seemed to be listing toward the ravine at a discernibly more acute angle. In the quiet, she thought she could hear wood groaning, almost at the point of cracking.

No, she wouldn’t go inside that building again for anything.

Teeg was already there, supervising. Making a statement, leaning on his staff, and watching the people gather. Fulfilling his role as enforcer, as if nothing was wrong. As if he hadn’t walked off with the wrong suspect just this morning. Most of the audience had already appeared, half a dozen folk waiting in the clearing before what had once been the front yard of t

he crumbling building.

Enid came with Jess, who carried a candle in a lantern; she hoped they wouldn’t be here long enough to need it. The sun was setting, but still casting plenty of light. The ocean was a slate stripe in the distance. Clouds gathered. A hint of the next storm, maybe.

She looked over the faces, made sure they were all here. Erik, as head of Semperfi, Bear sitting quietly at his feet. Anna, a couple of others from Semperfi. Tom wasn’t here, which was just as well, Enid thought. The head of Pine Grove, the heads of the other households that had climbed up the hill.

All of Last House was here, just as she had asked. Mart, Telman, Neeve, Kellan. These latter folk stood apart, faces up but eyes downcast. Mart was in front of the group, protective. Enid wondered: Did he have any idea? Did he know what Neeve had done? She couldn’t guess. But she liked to see the head of a house standing up for his people.

Enid studied the faces again. One was missing.

“Where’s Juni?” she asked. “Jess, wasn’t she with you?”

“I don’t know. Guess it’s been . . . an hour or so since I saw her? Since he”—he nodded at Teeg—“got back.”

“I assumed she’d know she was needed, once Jess was here,” Teeg said by way of explanation.

This was sloppy. Where had the woman gone off to? Enid was cranky at herself for not being well, for not paying enough attention.

“Can’t we do this without her?” Teeg asked.

“No, we can’t.” Enid turned from the gathering, looking out, up and down the path. Maybe Juni was late, just catching up. Surely she wouldn’t miss out on this kind of gossip.

Or maybe she would, if she knew what Enid was going to say.

“Why?” Teeg asked, then knew. “Oh. Wait. You’re serious?” The realization settled in, and his expression turned stark. This might be his first case, but he knew the routine. “Really?”

“Really what?” Jess asked, full of anxiety.

“Has anyone seen her? Maybe on the road in or out of town, or heading up the river path? Anyone?” The tension in Enid’s voice was plain, no doubt setting everyone on edge. Couldn’t be helped. Time started ticking down in her mind. This was going to end badly, wasn’t it?

Then Kellan pointed out to the shore. “There. Look.”