In Plain Sight

“You should worry more about whether I’ll be smiling,” Sorsha said, pushing the door open. Agents Davis and Warner followed in her wake, each looking like they weren’t used to being rousted in the early hours of the morning. If getting up early or being rushed out of her boudoir affected Sorsha, it didn’t show. Her face was perfect, alabaster skin without a single flaw, as if she’d been carved of marble. The only appearance of makeup were a few precise strokes of eyeliner and bright red lipstick. Alex had heard that the subtler the makeup, the longer it took to apply; if this was what Sorsha could do with just a few minutes, he really wanted to see what she looked like on her way to a party.

Alex introduced Sorsha and the FBI men to Callahan, then directed the Sorceress to the couch to await the rest.

“You do like living dangerously,” Callahan said under his breath, once Sorsha had taken a seat.

The next to arrive was Iggy. Sorsha was delighted to see the doctor again and invited him to sit with her on the couch. Last of all was Captain Rooney. He arrived in a rumpled suit with his vest mis-buttoned and his tie showing from under the back of his collar. Callahan and his detectives looked tired, but their clothes were neat and professional, a sign that they were used to going to work whenever the job required it. Rooney, on the other hand, kept banker’s hours, and it showed.

He started to shout at Alex, Danny, and Callahan, but stopped when he saw Sorsha.

“I assume,” he said in a calmer voice, “that you dragged everyone out of bed for a good reason.”

“I did, Captain,” Alex said, taking the lead. “You challenged me to find out who killed Jerry Pemberton, and with Detective Pak’s help, I have.”

“If that’s all this is about,” Rooney said, his voice dropping low, “I’ll have your license pulled so quick.”

Alex put his hand on his heart and feigned a wounded expression. “Patience, Captain.” He took a step back and addressed the whole room. “I’d like to welcome everyone to the home of Charles Beaumont,” he said.

A murmur of recognition flared up briefly, but there were many bewildered looks.

“Before Detective Pak and I get to the reason we called this little clam bake, I need to bring everyone up to speed,” Alex added.

Of the people in the room, only he, Danny, Iggy, and Callahan were familiar with both the case of Jerry Pemberton and the incident at the Brotherhood of Hope Mission. Alex briefly related the facts of each case, then asked for questions.

“How does Charles Beaumont connect to Jerry Pemberton?” Callahan asked.

“Beaumont was Pemberton’s partner,” Danny said. “The people who killed Pemberton were looking for Beaumont.”

“Why?” Rooney growled.

“Because of this,” Alex said, holding up the glass container he’d reconstructed. “There were four of these, each full of an alchemical solution that causes the disease that killed Father Harrison Clementine and everyone at the Mission.”

“And how do you know this?” Sorsha said.

Alex took out his multi-lamp and snapped the silverlight burner in it. “You’ll need to wear this,” he said, holding out his oculus to the Sorceress.

She hesitated for a minute, then slipped the strap over her head. Alex lit the lamp and then pointed to the table.

“See here, how three round objects stood here.” He put the reconstructed jar on the table.

Sorsha closed her uncovered eye and looked. After a moment, she moved the jar slightly to the left, covering one of the voids.

“What made the circles?” she asked.

“Milk,” Danny said, pointing to the empty drinking glass still lying on its side by the plate. “The jars were there when the milk spilled and until after it dried, then someone removed them.”

“Who?” Rooney asked. Alex grinned.

“In a moment, Captain.”

“I only see three circles,” Sorsha said. “You said there were four jars of this plague.”

“And I will explain where the fourth one went in just a minute,” Alex said, “but first I want Lieutenant Callahan and the Captain to have a look.”

Sorsha removed the oculus and handed it to Callahan, who then inspected the table.

“Was there food on the plate when you got here?” he asked.

“Yes,” Danny said. “It was pretty rank after five days so we threw it out, but the plate is right where we found it.”

Alex was impressed. Not much got by Callahan. From the look the Lieutenant gave him as he passed the oculus to Rooney, he was already thinking along the same lines Alex and Danny had.

“Okay, so what does this tell us?” Rooney asked.

Alex switched out his silverlight burner for a ghostlight one, then adjusted a few of the lenses on the oculus.

“Now take a look at the floor,” he said.

Rooney knelt down and scanned the floor on the right side of the table, the same side as the spilled glass of milk.

“Something spilled here too,” he said. “It’s all over the place, and there’s a footprint here,” he indicated a spot between the table and the door.

Alex waited for Callahan and Sorsha to take their turn with the oculus.