Crowbones

CHAPTER 66

Julian

Earthday, Novembros 4

Peter Lynchfield looked a lot worse in daylight.

Julian had waited for Doc Wallace to check on David Shuman again and confirm that the wounds from Conan’s claws were healing and showed no sign of infection. After Wallace reassured Vicki that her guest would survive, the two men headed down the access road. The doc didn’t look toward the body inside the car as they walked past the crime scene;he simply said that he wasn’t sure what help he could offer as medical examiner, but he would be available later in the day for anything Chief Grimshaw needed from him.

For people like Doc Wallace, life had been so much easier when they’d been able to believe the Others were Out There instead of Right Here.

When they reached their cars, Doc drove home for a shower and a fresh set of clothes. Julian parked his car on the shoulder of the road and waited until Detective Kipp and his CIU team cautiously backed their vehicles up the access road. He gave them a few minutes to view everything on their own. Then he walked to the crime scene.

The smell of fresh vomit. Not surprising. Even seasoned professionals would have difficulty with the amount of trauma that had been done to Lynchfield’s body, especially when there was no way to know if the beings who had done that trauma were out there watching the team—and deciding if these humans should remain among the living or die the same way.

Kipp looked at him and wagged a finger—a request to join him at the car.

“This is as bad as it gets,” Kipp said quietly.

“No,” Julian replied. “It isn’t.” He’d seen worse during the years between leaving the police force and settling here in Sproing.

“Do you know what did this?”

“I do. They come into Lettuce Reed once a week to exchange books. I see what they allow me to see. They were very clear that the only person allowed to see them last night when they came to The Jumble for a book exchange was Vicki DeVine because she holds the esteemed position of being the Reader for this terra indigene settlement, as well as being the place’s caretaker. Lynchfield tried to take photographs of them as they were leaving.”

Kipp gestured toward a rock and the shiny bits surrounding it. “I’m guessing the camera is under that?”

Julian leaned closer to Kipp and lowered his voice. “If there is anything left that might contain an image or might give you a way to access an image—”

“We should see what we can get?”

“No, you should destroy it before there is any possibility of you or your team seeing anything you weren’t invited to see.”

“Destroying possible evidence . . .”

“Saving your team.”

They studied each other. Then Kipp nodded.

“Sir?” someone called. “The hearse is here for the body.”

“Tell them to come up,” Kipp said. “They can take the remains to Ames Funeral Home. The local medical examiner can examine the body there, sign the death certificate, and fill in cause of death.” He looked at Julian and lowered his voice. “And say whatever is usually said in cases like this.”

“There’s another body,” Julian said. “At the Mill Creek Cabins. Chief Grimshaw suspects a human killer. Possibly more than one killer.”

“I’ll wait until I see it before deciding if we need to take that one to Bristol for a thorough autopsy,” Kipp replied. “For now, let’s deal with the one in front of us.”

There was nothing for Julian to do, but no one wanted him to leave, because he was known to the terra indigene who lived in The Jumble and the surrounding area. Besides, the CIU team startled at every snapped twig and would lose their nerve if they were alone—a hard truth since this team had dealt with last summer’s grisly remains and stayed solid.

“I thought someone said these tires were sunk into the road so deep the car couldn’t be moved,” Kipp said once the body had been removed and the team started examining the car. “Even a couple of humans pushing at the back would be enough to help a driver rock the car out of these ruts.”

“They were deeper last night.” Julian smelled rich, sun-warmed earth after a rain before he saw the female who stepped out of the trees and stood beside him.

“Was that not helpful?” Earth asked. “Was the tunnel you traveled through to reach The Jumble not helpful?”

All the men stared.

A human shape, but no one would mistake an Elemental female for human.

A shiver ran down Julian’s back. All the roads leading out of Sproing and the Lake Silence area were blocked by mounds of earth—except the road heading east, which was currently under a small glacier. Coming up from Bristol, Kipp and his team shouldn’t have been able to reach The Jumble—unless someone had overheard Grimshaw’s request for the CIU team and a particular Elemental had formed a tunnel through one of the earth mounds to be helpful.

Gods above and below.

“Yes, that was very helpful,” Julian replied. “And appreciated.” He hoped the tunnel was still there when Kipp and his team tried to leave.

“We will watch Vicki today so that you and Ilya can deal with the humans,” Earth said.

“Also appreciated.”

She stepped off the road and disappeared.

No one spoke. No one moved.

Julian heard all the men suck in a breath—and then didn’t hear anyone exhale.

The resident Bobcat—at least the one who gave guests a donkey-cart tour of The Jumble—stepped out of the trees along with a Coyote who was in a between form that allowed him to walk upright but didn’t change much of anything else.

“You’re observing?” Julian asked, since no one else did.

Bobcat pointed to the car. “Food in box. In bags. In back. Grimshaw gave. Ilya divided.”

Julian nodded. “No point wasting food.”

The two terra indigene looked at the front seat. Bobcat said, “A trade.”

He heard someone gag when the humans realized what Bobcat meant.

While Bobcat and Coyote observed—and thankfully didn’t ask questions the way the Crows would have—Kipp and his team went about their business. There was a brief discussion about whether to call a tow truck to haul away the car or have one of the team put down a sheet and drive the vehicle to . . .

Another sticking point. Considering what the inside of the car looked like, where could they put it? Sproing didn’t have an evidence garage where large pieces from a crime scene could be stored. Such things were usually taken to Bristol or Crystalton.

After checking the glove box for the car’s registration, Kipp confirmed that the vehicle did belong to Peter Lynchfield.

Julian called Ilya Sanguinati.

“Humans would not have access to the vehicle while it is at Silence Lodge, but we do have a building where it could be stored temporarily,” Ilya said after listening to Julian’s request.

Hearing the emphasis on “temporarily,” Julian made arrangements for Boris Sanguinati to pick up the car and drive it to Silence Lodge. Kipp wasn’t easy about releasing the car but agreed there wasn’t another place in the village where some curious resident couldn’t go poking around and get scared into a heart attack.

Finally, as the last piece of evidence to be collected, Julian helped Kipp lift the rock off of Lynchfield’s camera. What should have been Lynchfield’s camera. All that remained were the broken bits and pieces that had been around the rock. The rest of the camera, including any part that might have held an image of the Five, was gone—and the freshly churned earth explained why.

Kipp put all the broken bits into an evidence bag. Boris Sanguinati arrived, walking down from the direction of the main house.

Julian waited until Kipp and his team drove away to deal with the crime scene at the Mill Creek Cabins and Boris drove off with Lynchfield’s car. Then he retrieved his own car and drove up to The Jumble’s main house to check on Vicki and collect Karol and Viktor before he headed to the village to open his store for a few hours.

Buried treasure. Easy enough for Earth to do—bury something or bring it back to the surface.

How deep had she buried that camera to make sure whatever was left of what had been seen would not be found?