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WOLFLOCK HELD THE SLEEPY Mothy on his seat as they drove to Kiipei’s sister’s home.
“Is there anything I need to know before we reach Ms Ingur’s residence?”
The Antrum woman leaned back in the buggy and squirmed in her seat. “Well, she’s not my sister. Not by blood. My mother remarried after my father passed away on the mountain. She married Ingur’s father, but, because of the prestige of our name and bloodline, he made his daughter take our family name.”
“And why is that relevant?”
“She’s... a bit resentful. I also inherited the business and family home. My mother and stepfather both agreed that the house had too many stairs for her, and they knew I loved it much more than them.”
“I sense that there is something else in this.” Wolflock watched her closely in the pulsing streetlights.
“They knew I would help look after her if I had the larger income source. She hasn’t been known to be giving, and they worried she’d hoard all the wealth for herself, and disgrace the name and business.”
“And how do you look after her?”
“I pay for all her medicine, her handmaid, and I give her a percentage of the business for her to do with what she wants. She also receives a disability pension on top of the regular government income. I feel so guilty for not seeing her more often but, whenever I do see her, I feel like I’ve been drained of all my energy. My work also takes Lija and I away for a few days at a time, so that cuts into our visits.”
“Disability pension?”
“Oh, yes. She’s often chair-bound. She can only walk very short distances with great exertion.”
Wolflock had a lot to ponder as they drove on.
It was well into the evening by the time they arrived at Ms Ingur’s abode. All the while, Wolflock sketched in his notebook, keeping a close eye on streets, street names and notable landmarks they passed. As the carriage stopped, Mothy jerked awake with a snort and a spasm that knocked Wolflock out of the buggy.
“Whassat?” he mumbled, blinking his eyes until he could focus. “Where are we? Why was I asleep?”
Wolflock let Ms Vuori explain as he looked around the street. Ingur’s home was another townhouse that was well kept and thin, but stretched back enough to make sufficient space for three people to be comfortable.
Ms Vuori rang the bell at the door and, after a few moments, the handmaid, still wearing her day uniform, greeted them.
“Oh, thank goodness you’ve arrived! She’s been coughing all afternoon. It’s better than last week, but this cold snap is doing her no favours. I expected you earlier than this, though. Where is Lija? Who are these gents?” The maid spoke fast with a thick accent.
She was stocky, with blonde hair pulled back in a low bun and a pretty, caring face. At the mention of Lija, Ms Vuori burst into tears. Mothy took the bag of medicine from her and passed it to the handmaid.
“If you make these up for her, the cough might stop,” he said as he soothed Ms Vuori, helping her inside. Wolflock looked around the pristine entrance hall and analysed the sitting room Ms Vuori took them too. Before he could get a good look, he felt Mothy go past him. He heard his friend offer sleepy instructions to the handmaid in the kitchen at the end of the house. As Ms Vuori sniffled, Wolflock tried to comfort her, but his awkward shoulder pat felt entirely unnatural, and he doubted it was comforting.
They sat in the parlour, listening to the clicking noises of the kitchen as the handmaid prepared the decoction, as well as a forced, airy cough from upstairs. Mothy returned not long after, still looking drowsy. The three of them sat in an awkward silence for some time. Wolflock sat, elbows on knees, by the smouldering embers of the fireplace, lost in his web of thought.
After another half an hour, the coughing subsided, and the handmaid returned with a tray of biscuits and tea, looking tired and relieved.
“Thank you for waiting. Ms Kiipei, where is Lija?”
“She’s-she’s missing,” Ms Vuori sniffled and dabbed her eyes. “These boys are helping me find her. Officer Tand will be back around in the morning to join us. You haven’t seen her, have you, Gretah?”
The tray the handmaid held clattered to the table as it slipped from her hands.
“Officer... An officer? That sounds terribly official. Are you sure they should come here? I only saw her yesterday when she came to drop off Ms Ingur’s medicine.”
Wolflock sensed her lie. Something about her tone seemed too nervous. She didn’t want an officer here. She was helping Ms Ingur get more medicine than she should safely have. Did she do something to Lija because she discovered what was going on? Or was there something else?
“Just the one time?” Wolflock asked, not looking away from the fire.
“I suppose so.”
“You suppose so?”
“Well, it was a difficult day for Ms Ingur. I don’t rightly remember who came and went by the house.”
“Ms Ingur gets a lot of visitors?”
“Well... no... not so much.”
“Were you here last night?”
Blinking in surprise, Gretah gripped her apron as she thought.
“I’m here every night. I live with Ms Ingur in order to look after her. I was here.”
“What time did Lija come here yesterday?”
“Umm... Must have been around dusk. She came with the normal medicine bags and took her bag of treats as usual. There was a problem with the medicine, so I had to send her back for more. When she didn’t come back, I figured she was on one of her missions out late, but she didn’t come all evening. Even if she arrives in the latest hour, she is normally quite dependable.”
“Did she often come around very late?”
Ms Vuori looked up intently.
“Oh, aye. Sometimes with medicine and sometimes just for treats. She has a real sweet tooth, she does. Likes to talk about all the friends she has and her work at the Guard Station.”
“Did you give her these?” Wolflock asked and showed her the bag of pink candy Mothy had been eating. He noticed that Mothy’s eyes were hanging low. He nestled back into the chair comfortably.
“Nay. I don’t make hard candies like this. I normally make her cakes and biscuits. This is probably from the Guard Office. They have these to help the kids be more comfortable.”
“I wonder why Officer Tand didn’t tell us that.” Wolflock pinched his chin, leaning back into his chair.
Gretah smiled and let go of her apron. “If that will be all, I’ll get your rooms ready. You are staying this evening, Ms Vuori?”
“Thank you, Gretah. Could we see my sister this evening by any chance? I don’t know if I’ll sleep without knowing my little girl is safe.”
Gretah shook her head. “Of course, Ms. But the medicine knocks her out cold when she has it. Best chance for a chat is in the morning over breakfast, but you’re welcome to see her. I’ll go make those rooms for you all. This one,” she gestured at Mothy, “is out cold, and you all look like you’ve had a big day. Wait here a moment and I’ll be back shortly. Please, have the tea.”
Gretah nearly ran from the room and Wolflock’s eyes narrowed. Something was going on in this household and his suspicions wouldn’t let him ignore it.
Ms Vuori followed her out and turned up the stairs.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back,” Wolflock said to the sleeping Mothy as he rose and followed Gretah down the long hall to the kitchen. He knew the letter telling Lija to go to the place she had last been seen was their best lead, but what if Gretah had been the one to write it on behalf of Ms Ingur? Why was she being so skittish?
The quaint kitchen of stone and iron was in pristine condition. Clean pots and pans hung everywhere, and the pantry displayed all manner of colourful fresh vegetables, still looking crisp and bright. Wolflock tucked himself behind the door frame as Gretah tore open the draw by the back door and hastily wrote something down. Her face looked panicked, and her movements were agitated and sharp. Did she know something that could help them? Why was she hiding it? Was she connected with Lija’s disappearance?
As she folded the letter away and began to prepare the wax seal, he took action. He couldn’t let her seal it before he’d read it. He knocked on the doorframe.
“Oh!” she cried and dropped the stick of red sealing wax.
“I was a bit lost. Where is the restroom?” he asked with a smile.
“J-just down the hall to the left. I was just getting the bedpans prepared,” she breathed as she scooped up some flat pans and dashed past him.
Wolflock waited for her to get up the stairs before he slipped into the kitchen and flipped open the note.
Tand,
What have you done? Please tell me it wasn’t you. Lija has gone missing. I need to hear it from you. Meet me at the fountain at Silfur Square as soon as you can. I’ll be there all night.
Gretah
Flicking the note closed, Wolflock slipped back out and re-joined the sleeping Mothy. He’d finished the bag of lollies along with Ms Vuori, who looked as if she may finally nod off as well.
“Is your energy drained?” Wolflock asked with a smirk.
Ms Vuori sighed, “More than I thought it would be. She wasn’t grateful about the medicine and, when I told her Lija was missing, she just groaned about having to pay her errand boy more now. I’m the one who pays her house staff.”
“Did she say anything about Lija?”
Ms Vuori rolled one of the candies in her mouth, clinking it along her sharp teeth. “Only that she asked if she could stay here last night. That sounds odd to me.”
“Do you think she’s lying?”
“I don’t know why she would. Perhaps Lija thought she could collect more of this information Officer Tand spoke to us about. I just feel like there is so much of my baby that I didn’t know about. I don’t know what to believe.”
Wolflock scrunched up his face. “In my experience, your instincts. For some reason, there seems to be a part of your mind that sees things faster and puts them together more comprehensively than your conscious mind. You can’t go wrong if your instincts say something is amiss.”
“Good advice...” she yawned, “Ingur... will hate it... My instincts tell me she’s always lying...”
Moments later he heard Gretah come down the stairs and head back into the kitchen. She gave her letter to the errand boy out the back and ran back to catch up on the time she’d lost getting her guests to bed.
“Your rooms are ready. Let me get you all tucked in with some tea and we’ll help you look for Miss Lija first thing in the morning.”
Wolflock helped Mothy upstairs and only took off his shoes before he got into the second single bed. As Gretah did her rounds, he pretended to fall asleep, listening for his moment to follow her. What did Tand have to do with Lija’s disappearance?
Gretah tended to Ms Ingur first, then Ms Vuori, then checked on the boys before gathering some bits and pieces around the house. Finally, she doused the lights and locked the front door. Wolflock threw off his blankets, crammed on his shoes and dashed down the stairs. He flew through the back door, past the sleeping errand boy, and ran down the back alleyway, meeting the freezing cold street just as Gretah’s dress flitted around the corner, heading further into town.
The air chilled Wolflock to the bone and regret for following Gretah without an overcoat hit him just as she stopped by the still fountain. She hopped from one foot to the other nervously. Wolflock circled around in the shadows, finding a spot to squat down behind a small set of stone stairs leading up to someone’s townhouse. It was as close as he could get without being seen.
Just as the tips of his fingers began to lose feeling from the late Autumn evening, Gretah’s lady arrived. The familiar, sturdy woman in a blue uniform strode over and folded her arms. Gretah rushed to her and rubbed Tand’s upper arms anxiously.
“You got my note?”
“Well, obviously.”
“Do you know anything? That poor little girl! I didn’t want to get you in trouble, but we have to help! If you know anything-”
“Why would I know anything?” Tand snapped and shrugged her arms away.
For a moment, Gretah looked hurt, then she smiled sweetly and rummaged through her bag.
“You’ve had a bad night, haven’t you?”
“No,” Tand pouted, sniffing, and throwing her head back as her chestnut hair came loose from her bun. Gretah chuckled. “Alright. Yes. I have had a bad night. The case I’ve been working on fell apart and I’ve been sidled with a brat I have to listen to for the sake of a client. He’s not that bad but he pushed so hard we missed lunch. Chestir is being a pain as well. You’d think he’d get the hint.”
“You can’t blame him. To everyone else, you look single. And you’re stunning. Let me get rid of those hangries. I brought your favourite.”
Tand’s stiff demeanour changed instantly as Gretah pulled a cloth bag of warm, cinnamon-smelling, baked treats. Wolflock took a deep breath and realised someone nearby had lit some kind of smoking herb nearby, as it tainted the sweet pastry smell.
“I had to make them myself today because I couldn’t leave the house. I know they’re not as good at bakers’.”
Tand’s face melted into a smile as the delicious cinnamon cookie crumbled in her mouth and she wrapped an arm around Gretah, keeping them both warm as Wolflock shivered behind the stone stairs.
“After she found us last night... how did you, you know? Deal with it?” Gretah flinched as she spoke the words.
Tand shuffled her weight around. “This isn’t your fault, understand? Lija was a curious little girl and it got her into trouble. You did nothing wrong.”
“How can you say that when we’re running around like criminals?” Gretah pleaded.
“You know if the captain found out there would be drama. I don’t want everyone’s noses in all our business. It’s just so much simpler if we don’t have to tell anyone. I like working in the inner city. I don’t want to lose my cases or get transferred, because I love you.” Tand took up Gretah’s hands and gazed into her eyes.
“Her mother is at Ms Ingur’s house. What am I meant to do, knowing she’s missing, and we might be the cause of it? I thought dealing with it meant explaining to her that we had a secret, not making her go missing.”
“I had nothing to do with that. Listen, Lija had a theory that street children were going missing. She thought something in the office had secret clues for it, so I showed it to her. Then, I walked her home. I didn’t see her the entire day before I knew she went missing.”
“If you told anyone you’d be in trouble from the captain, wouldn’t you?” Gretah sighed, resting her head on Tand’s chest.
“And what about you? You’d be in trouble too. I can’t risk that.”
“I’d be in more trouble if Ms Vuori found out Ms Ingur was lying.”
“Hmm?” Tand stroked Gretah’s hair.
“She just wants her sister to stay longer. Little Miss Lija didn’t stay at the house last night. I only saw her when she dropped off the medicine. Ms Ingur told me to send her to get more. I hate lying. She just wanted to be helpful. Ms Ingur wouldn’t even let me give her the coin for it. Wanted it for free because it wasn’t strong enough.”
“I could put you with any other household you like, my love. Just say the word and you can have the nicest place to work.”
“Oh I like my work, Tandy. I feel like I’m the last shield between Ms Ingur and the beautiful city we’re in.”
The couple swayed gently back and forth by the fountain. Wolflock couldn’t feel his fingers anymore and his shoulders ached. He took a step further into the shadows, when Gretah exclaimed.
“Oh! I almost forgot. Mrs Dalur came around yesterday. She banged on the door so hard I thought she would break it. She thought her husband was there. Ingur was in an exceptionally good mood seeing her so upset.”
“How did you get rid of her?” Tand frowned, looking down at Gretah.
“I told her they weren’t in and invited her for tea. I think me inviting her in proved to her that they weren’t there. I asked Lija what it could be about, but she didn’t seem confused about it. She just said she needed to see her pa and left.”
The conversation came to a halt when something moved in one of the streets leading away from the fountain square. Wolflock could see a figure moving in the darkness. Tall, thin, and scratching their head. The ladies hadn’t seen them, but Wolflock saw them sit on a set of stairs and light a rolled smoke with a strange red glowing implement.
“I have to get back soon. I don’t know anything about Miss Lija, but she only ever reported to Captain Estivan. He sent her out with me only occasionally on new crime scenes of the missing kids, where she couldn’t get into trouble. I guess, sometimes, he’d get her to watch places like the urchins used to. Please, promise me you’ll stay home, Gretah. We’re trained professionals. We’ll get this sorted. I don’t want you to put yourself at risk.”
“Like you do every day?” Gretah put out her bottom lip.
“Yes. My desk is terribly dangerous. All those sharp pens and paper cuts. Now, promise me.” Tand took Gretah’s chin between her fingers and lifted it gently.
“As long as you promise to stay safe, too.”
Tand kissed Gretah and stepped back, puffing out her chest to show the gleaming gold dragon crest.
“Trained professional, remember?”
They embraced once more and parted ways. For a few moments, Wolflock couldn’t move due to the cold, but, as he cracked his muscles back into action, he realised that he had to beat Gretah home, otherwise she’d suspect something was wrong.
Racing down the dark cold streets with the chilly wind whipping through his hair, Wolflock’s feet hit the cobblestone road, running. Remembering the lefts and rights back to the townhouse, he finally ducked down the alleyway and saw the back door. He opened the back door as quietly as he could and made it to the top of the stairs just as Gretah’s key hit the front door. He kicked off his shoes and didn’t bother removing any other clothes before slipping into bed and trying to cover as much of himself with the blanket as possible to get some feeling through his face. Gretah hummed gently as she locked up the rest of the house and came upstairs to bed, first checking on each room and her mistress.
It took Wolflock quite some time to settle down into sleep, but his dreams became his mental web, glowing with the fresh clues of tonight.