Awakening - The Last Science #1

Chapter 12 - Deputies, Detectives and Deities - I

  "Gonna answer my questions, then?"

  "What questions are those?" Rachel asked innocently, though she knew full well. They'd be the same questions that were sweeping the town, the same questions that she knew would eventually break out of the curtain of silence they were currently maintaining. Between the delayed train and the internet filtering she'd put in place with the cooperation of the Mayor's office, they were carefully monitoring communication out of the town. They couldn't prevent phone calls, of course, but Rachel hadn't seen any attempts to spread the revelations to the outside yet via the Web. She doubted anyone would be using only the phone for such news. Still, it was only a matter of time before the question would explode into the world.

  "How can we learn to use magic?"

  "Hector can't help you with that," Rachel answered, and—as with most answers she gave—it was technically true. Hector couldn't awaken someone, as he purposely didn't keep any pages. He didn't like the idea of it, though he was still willing to use his power to help the Council. The only page he'd have was the Scrap they'd entrusted to him a few days ago, but Hector had confided to her that he'd secured it away for the time being. He was utterly useless to Logan and any other would-be mages.

  "What, and you're saying you can?" one of Logan's friends sniggered. "Campus air-head's gonna teach us magic?"

  "Hey Rachel, how many pages are in a five-page paper?" the other chimed in.

  Rachel felt heat rushing to her face, and anger rising in her chest. She refused to back down. "There's nothing here for you."

  "You heard her," Jackie growled, taking a step forward. "Scram."

  Deputy Bowman was approaching from the street, having fobbed off a few interested passersby. With the full attention of both officers, Logan and company seemed to finally take the hint. They slouched off.

  Hector let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you, Miss DuValle. And you, Miss Nossinger."

  "Yeah, sure," Jackie said, pulling off her hat.

  "Rachel, this is just escalating. It's the third time today we've had to pull people off Hector or Cinza," the deputy added, glancing over his shoulder at the retreating trio.

  "It should diminish over the next few days," Rachel said. "There's a lot of interest right now, but the word should spread. Once people realize this won't work, they should be left alone." She turned to Hector apologetically. "Hector, I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

  He shook his head. "It was my choice, miss."

  "Can we do anything for you?"

  "Just keep shopping here like you always do," he answered with a crooked smile. "The strawberries are very good right now."

  Rachel nodded, offering a smile in return, but it didn't seem to comfort him much. After a few moments he bustled away to the back, leaving her alone with the two officers.

  "You really think it'll die down?" the deputy asked.

  Jackie snorted. "Right up until they remember there's three kids dead, Preston."

  Rachel inclined her head at the sheriff. "That's a timebomb waiting to go off. The two college kids isn't as bad as it could be, since they're both out-of-towners and not really well-connected. But once they hear about Jenny..."

  "We're in a shitstorm," Jackie finished. "I've been delaying it, in case any clues pop up from her identity being a mystery, but it's Rallsburg. She'll be figured out in no time. Her parents are already all over me." She frowned. "What's the word on the hunt, anyway?"

  "Nothing out in the woods," Rachel replied. "We had one period of activity relatively nearby, but by the time we got there, whomever had cast the spell had broken camp and vanished. We couldn't track them at all."

  "Who's 'we'?"

  "Not to sound ungrateful, but I'd really prefer not to tell you."

  Jackie furrowed her brow suspiciously. "I'm doing the best I can here, Rachel, but murder's still murder. I've got the law to enforce. That's obstruction."

  "Consider it a protected witness, then, under RCW 7.69.030."

  "Let's assume I don't know that one off the top."

  "'There shall be a reasonable effort made to protect individuals from harm or threats of harm arising from cooperating with law enforcement investigations and prosecutions.' The individual in question would be at serious risk of harm if it were revealed the extent of their ability to track magical activity." Rachel paused for a moment—imagining her beloved's face in her mind—before continuing. "Our community is a collection of individuals, many of whom have significant reason to keep their identities and abilities private. Some of whom would act if they felt that privacy threatened. The individual is willing to cooperate in this case because it has far-reaching implications beyond the usual, as well as a personal favor to myself. However, to keep them safe, their identity must remain absolutely private. Is that all right?"

  Jackie frowned even deeper, a state that hadn't seemed possible on her face until that moment. "I don't like it, but I guess I have to live with it. Not like I have any better ideas for finding these people."

  "What about motive and alibis? Do we have any suspects?" Preston asked.

  "Not a one. Just the one suspicious person, who you can be damn sure I'll question soon as I find her." Jackie glanced at Rachel. "Word is she was a friend of yours."

  "Except briefly at the one Council meeting we've had since the last train, we haven't spoken in months," Rachel answered. "I've been trying to call her. But her arrival in town would put her after the time of the murders, wouldn't it?"

  "Assumin' she actually arrived on that train."

  "The station clerk vouched for that," Preston chimed in. "Talked to him this morning. He watched her get off the train alone and head into town straight off."

  "Alone? He's sure?" Rachel asked.

  "Uhh, yeah. Why?"

  Rachel shook her head. "Nothing."

  "Nuh-uh, girl," Jackie snapped. "Cooperation, remember? You've gotta fill me in on anything, no matter how trivial it might seem."

  Rachel hesitated. She didn't want to implicate the guy if he'd come to town alone, but the fact that Rika had attached herself to him already damned Zack in the eyes of the town. It was just poor luck. "Since the Council meeting, she's had someone with her nearly all hours. A teenager named Zack. I've never met him, but something about him seemed off, both to me and to my associate."

  "The one with the tracking power."

  "Right. Zack wasn't awakened—err, he didn't have access to magic. So it wasn't that. It was something else about him. I'd have to be closer to be sure."

  Jackie cracked her knuckles, turning to stroll out to the cruiser. "Which takes finding the pair. Rachel, you still with me?"

  "Of course," Rachel said, reshouldering her bag and hurrying to catch up.