Silver Master

Chapter 40

TRIG LOOKED UP AT THEM FROM THE HOSPITAL BED. THE tension that had been chewing at Davis’s insides ever since he had found him in the alley, badly dazed and bleeding profusely, eased. There was a large white bandage around Trig’s head and traces of pain at the corners of his eyes, but the doctor had assured everyone that the blow had done no permanent damage.

“They said you got off lightly because the cap you were wearing gave you some protection,” Davis said.

Trig grimaced. “I heard the bastard coming up behind me at the last second and tried to move. Too little, too late. Sorry, boss. Guess I was worrying too much about the doctor and not enough about Landry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Celinda said. She looked at Davis across the bed, eyes narrowing. “We had been assured that the Guild would take care of Landry.”

Luckily, Alice Martinez responded before Davis had to come up with a response.

“The Cadence Guild has made some progress when it comes to cooperating with us,” she said coolly. “But it has a long way to go. Someone should have picked up the phone and called me at a much earlier stage.”

“Yeah?” Trig squinted up at her. “And what could you have done about a major honcho from the Frequency Guild? Especially given that there was no hard evidence against him.”

“I could have let him know that he was under suspicion,” Alice shot back, undaunted. “If Landry had been aware that both the cops and the local Guild were keeping an eye on him, it’s a good bet he would have hit the road back to Frequency City.”

“Bad bet, Martinez.” Trig gingerly touched the bandage around his head. “The guy was a nutcase. Nothing would have stopped him.”

Alice cleared her throat and then said very politely, “The guy was a nutcase? Past tense? Are you telling me that we’re wasting our time looking for him?”

Trig blinked a couple of times. “Uh—”

He turned helplessly to Davis.

Davis realized that Celinda and Alice were looking at him, too.

“Evidently there was a problem shortly after the Guild picked up Landry at Hollings’s office,” he said. “According to my sources, Landry went crazy, broke free of his guards, and tried to escape into the rain forest. There’s an open gate in the tunnels that run beneath Dr. Hollings’s office.”

“I see,” Alice said, clearly annoyed. “I assume the Guild guards gave chase?”

“Sure.” Davis shrugged. “But Landry was in a panic. He blundered into a bad ghost storm. There wasn’t anything anyone could do until the storm had passed. By then it was too late. His body is scheduled to be sent back to the headquarters of the Frequency City Guild later today.”

“I don’t suppose it occurred to anyone at the Guild that the Cadence PD might want a medical examiner to take a look at the body before it is returned to Frequency?” Alice asked, going even colder.

“Maybe you should talk to Mercer Wyatt,” Trig suggested helpfully. “He’s real big on cooperating with the police.”

“Yeah, we’ve noticed that,” Alice said, glaring at him.

“Hey, don’t look at me, Detective,” Trig said quickly. “I’m just an innocent bystander.”

“Sure.” Alice switched her attention to Davis. “You know, I keep hearing that as far as the Cadence Guild is concerned, the good old days of taking care of things with the triple-S method are over. But somehow there seem to be a lot of exceptions. Next time you talk to Wyatt, tell him that he owes me a favor for letting this one go. Understood?”

“I’ll relay the message, Detective,” he said.

Alice nodded once, flipped her notebook shut, and strode out of the room.

Trig waited until she was gone before he whistled softly. “You think she wears that gun to bed?”

Celinda glowered at him.

“Sorry,” Trig said, abjectly apologetic. “I realize that kind of crude sexual innuendo is not the hallmark of a man who is ready for a committed, fulfilling relationship. It won’t happen again.”

“I see you got as far as chapter eight of my book,” Celinda said approvingly. She rounded on Davis. “What is this triple-S method the Guild uses to take care of problems?”

“It stands for shoot, shovel, and shut up,” Davis explained. “Old Earth saying, I think.”

“Hmm.” She absorbed that. “Well, this is one time I’m not going to complain about Guild methods. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to know that Landry is gone for good.”

“We’ll make a Guild supporter out of you yet,” Trig said, grinning.

“Don’t count on it,” she replied. “By the way, since you’re going to the trouble of actually reading my book, unlike some people I could name, I’ll give you some free matchmaking advice. Remember, under normal circumstances it would cost you a small fortune.”

“I realize I could never afford you,” Trig said eagerly. “What’s the advice?”

“You and Detective Martinez are made for each other. I suggest you give her a call as soon as you’re out of here.”

“Yeah?” Trig’s eyes gleamed.

She held up a hand, palm out. “Regardless of what happens, I definitely do not want to hear whether or not she wears the gun to bed. Is that clear?”

“Absolutely,” Trig promised.