Bitter Cold Truth: A Tale of the Everburning City

(10-7) Hiding secrets to end in woe

"Mister Hannover," Gerald said.

Samuel could barely focus his mind enough to realise that the captain was speaking. The horror of a series of terrible revelations was washing over him over and over again, and each one was making him sick to his stomach.

"Lieutenant Kendor will step inside in just a moment. I asked her to escort you to the Songbird. You will be held there until I am ready to leave. After that, I have some people to consult with to determine your ultimate fate."

"Wait," Samuel said, shaking himself out of the quiet horror of understanding. "He's critical to my investigation. He needs to stay in a precinct interrogation room until he tells me where Silas Miller is hiding."

"I don't know," Clovis said.

"I don't believe you," Samuel barked, reaching across the bar and grabbing Clovis by the collar of his shirt. "As if a shifty scumbag like you would let him out of your net."

"Believe what you like," Clovis said. "But there's no way Captain Raeth is going to let loose lips like mine into a precinct. If you have an inkling of how dangerous what I know is, you should have already accepted it."

"I'm afraid he's right, Inspector," Captain Raeth said.

"You have to be burning kidding me, Captain," Samuel said, pleading.

Clovis grinned smugly and pulled his collar free. "I'm enjoying seeing you like this, Sammy. It helps soothe the sting of what you've done to me. I hope you burn for all of this, Inspector."

"Clovis," Captain Raeth said, and his voice crackled with rage. "I am going very far out of my way to find you a fate that doesn't involve a two-mile fall. Answer the Inspector's question, or I stop trying."

"You don't mean that," Clovis retorted, but there was no confidence in his rebuttal.

"I mean it. I hate killing people, Mister Hannover. It broke friends of mine when they had to do it for the very best reasons. Answer the Inspector."

"Will I have my freedom?"

"No one has freedom. Not with the Gloam."

"Fine. I smuggled him to a place in Mossmound, with a couple of sympathetic friends. They went into hiding yesterday, and I made it a point of losing contact with them. Edmund Dash is the name of the reject on the leasehold," Clovis admitted.

"If this doesn't check out, Clovis," Gerald said, as the front door opened. "You may be surprised to learn how long a man can burn."

"One more question," Samuel begged. He looked to the Captain, who nodded. "Did you confirm Silas' suspicions about how Coldstone was made?"

"No," Clovis said. "But he's almost worked it out on his own. He was going to try to talk his mother into demanding Research reveal the secret. Have to wonder who killed her."

"You can leave now, Clovis," Gerald said.

Clovis moved quietly, his body almost limp, as he rounded the end of the bar and moved to the door. Lieutenant Kendor met him there, and lead the bartender through the doorway and out of Samuel's sight.

As they left, another figure stepped inside. A familiar looking woman wearing chemically treated clothing and a pronounced scowl.

"Well, that nearly blew up in our faces," Agrias Sunbane said, as she rounded the bar. She scooped up a pair of mugs and marched straight to the wooden barrel containing Clovis' prized Northwatch Hill mead. She filled both glasses and set one of them in front of Captain Raeth.

"I'm afraid it still has gotten out of hand," Gerald replied, pushing the glass away. He smiled and snapped his fingers. "Oh, some good news for today. Your daughter passed her aeronautics program. Maxwell was impressed with how quickly she picked it up."