Crowbones

CHAPTER 65

Grimshaw

Earthday, Novembros 4

Problem, Chief Grimshaw?”

Grimshaw looked over his shoulder and watched Aiden approach. How long had Fire been there, watching him?

“I’ve got plenty of problems,” he replied, “but my immediate one is how to keep this crime scene secured while I take care of other police business.”

“You are concerned about humans . . . tampering . . . with evidence?”

Gods above and below. Did the Elementals watch the cop and crime shows too?

Grimshaw stepped back from Janse’s body and looked toward the cabins. “I don’t think Roash or Cardosa will have the nerve to come out here.” He stopped. Thought. “But someone had the nerve to come out last night and do this to another human. Did that person get away?”

“I wasn’t here last night, so I can’t say,” Aiden replied. “You could ask the Owlgard. They might have seen something.”

“But they wouldn’t interfere?”

“Human and human doing whatever humans do? Why would the Owlgard interfere? Human and Elder?” Aiden shook his head. “None of the gards would interfere with an Elder.”

Grimshaw blew out a breath. It looked like he would have to call Osgood to come here and secure the scene—and then remain here. Alone.

“You don’t need to worry about terra indigene taking away evidence.” Aiden pointed. “Because of that.”

That was the crow’s feet tied to Janse’s lower front teeth.

“The Hawk will keep watch for any sneaky humans, and I will stay nearby to deal with them until your police people come to retrieve the body.” Aiden smiled. “Will that be satisfactory?”

Since he heated his cabin with a woodstove, he had no desire to upset Fire in any way. “That will be satisfactory. Thank you.”

Grimshaw headed for the cabins, trusting a crime scene to an Elemental and a Hawk. Then he stopped and turned back. “Are any of the Elementals keeping watch over Vicki DeVine today?”

“Should we be?” Aiden asked.

“Might set folks’ minds at ease if someone was there, quietly keeping watch.”

“I will pass along the suggestion.”

He had to be satisfied with that.

He was certain this next bit of business would feel a lot more satisfying.

You’re arresting me?” Roash shouted from his side of the gate.

“I’m not arresting you. You’re coming with me to assist the police with their inquiries,” Grimshaw said. “Since you’re indirectly responsible for the deaths of one student and two academic colleagues, you have some questions to answer.” Not to mention the two Crows and a crow that had died.

“You don’t know that!” Roash’s face was turning purple. “You can’t prove that!”

“Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?” Grimshaw asked quietly. “Not with the police. With the terra indigene. Bodies are piling up, Roash, and everything is pointing at you being the cause.”

Roash crossed his arms over his chest. “What if I don’t want to go with you? Are you going to shoot me in front of a witness?”

At this point, Grimshaw wasn’t sure Cardosa wouldn’t look the other way. If he’d been stuck in a cabin with Roash, he’d have been tempted to smother the man in his sleep.

Movement near one of the vehicles. For a moment, just long enough to draw the humans’ attention, a chubby brown pony with a storm gray mane and tail stood next to the minivan. The next moment, the minivan was spinning across the lane and heading for the creek.

“Twister?” he called over the exclamations of the academics. “I don’t think Water will be happy with you if you dump that vehicle in her nice creek. You just bring it back here, okay?”

The spinning slowed a little before curving away from the creek and returning to the cabins, picking up speed again.

While the other men watched the spinning minivan head toward the space between two of the cabins, Grimshaw pulled out his handcuffs, grabbed Roash, and had the man cuffed and stumbling toward his cruiser before Cardosa shook off . . . Fascination? Horror? Grimshaw had seen what Twister and Fire had done to rigs hauling backhoes and other large pieces of equipment. This was just play for the pony. But the underlying message was it could be more . . . and worse . . . if humans didn’t play nice.

With Roash in the back seat of the cruiser and the minivan parked in its space, more or less, Grimshaw drove up the lane and headed back to the village.