Northern Nights by Michael Kelly & Michael Kelly

Author:Michael Kelly & Michael Kelly [By, Edited & Kelly, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Undertow Publications

“Happy New Year.”

“Yes, happy New Year.” Grace looked as if she wanted to hug me, but held off, hovering anxiously. “How’s your neck?”

“It doesn’t hurt,” I said, which was true; a lingering hoarseness was all that was left, and that wasn’t going to get better while I was in meetings for six hours a day as part of the investigation. Another puzzle missing most of its pieces. The measurable, physical facts: I had been attacked by someone who had left marks on my throat; I had recently fired a firearm; Officers Mankodi and Fisher were missing. No evidence had remained when the task force arrived at daybreak, not so much as a speck of sheep shit.

The story that both Serbel and I were sticking to was that her family had been identified, responded to our visit with lethal force, and killed the two officers, then absconded with the bodies. Which was, in fact, more or less what had happened. But it left a lot of questions, and I was trying to provide answers so she didn’t have to.

Serbel looked up from her notepad and attempted a smile; I attempted one back. She seemed less perturbed to be smiling at a murderer, even an involuntary one, than I would have guessed. The conversations we must have later could not be held here. I had questions for her; she would have questions for me. We might not have any answers for each other. I know, she seemed to say, moving one shoulder minutely, a helpless shrug. What had we prevented? What had we set into motion? How much of all this was in our heads—or the head of her father?

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “This isn’t the way anyone wanted this to go.”

“I think it will be all right,” she said, sounding uncertain. “This is ... better. I think it’s safe.”

“It is,” I said. “It is safe. Grace will ... she’ll keep you so safe.”

Serbel set aside her crayon and carefully tore off the top sheet, then handed it to me. “This is for you. It took me a long time to do the sky.”

I turned it around: yellow moon, dark blue sky, and a half-dozen tall black things that could have easily been mistaken for trees (except what trees had two narrow trunks each?) wreathed in orange and red flames. The night birds, burning. “This is beautiful,” I said. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome,” she said. “Will you come back, Hayley? Maybe draw pictures with me?”

“I will. I promise.” I turned the picture over as Grace returned from the kitchen. “We have ... a lot to talk about.”

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