In Retrospect by Ellen Larson

Author:Ellen Larson [Larson, Ellen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781432827335
Publisher: Five Star
Published: 2013-12-11T05:00:00+00:00

They drove together to the JCP building. Merit, deep in thought, kept her eyes focused on the view outside the backseat window. Eric, equally silent in the seat beside the driver, buried himself in his notes. When they arrived at the motor pool, he got out and started walking south along the boulevard, toward the River.

Merit hastened after him, falling in at his side. “I thought you were busy. Where ya goin’?”

He did not even look at her. “What do you care?”

She was such a fool. It had been a mistake to engage with Lena as she had; for now he was angry with her again, when she most needed his cooperation. “Hey, I thought we were working together on this case. Come on!” She grabbed his arm. “Talk to me.”

He shook her off without breaking stride. “You aren’t interested in working with anybody. I’ve figured it out. If I make nice and try to be understanding, you attack. If I get angry when you attack, you try to be understanding and make nice.”

“Ya got me,” she said pleasantly. “Where ya goin’?”

“Authority. As you well know.”

“Do I know why?”

“I think you do.”

“I think I do too.” She had to trot to keep up with his pace. “You’re going to find out what’s written on that wooden disc the Prioress gave you, right?” She smiled nervously. “Let’s talk about that.”

“Why should we? Even if you know what it is, you’ll never tell me.”

“Well, if you’d just hold up a sec maybe I would.”

He came to a sudden stop.

“Right.” She ran a hand through her hair. “It’s called a tondo. It’s a symbol of judicial process.”

“Really. What sort of judicial process?”

“The usual. Judge, evidence, jury, verdict, and so on.”

“And so on? You mean, sentence?”

“Yeah.”

“And who would you have me believe could have a use for such a thing?”

It would be a mistake to lie. Besides, she guessed by his tone that he had already deduced the answer. “The Resistance,” she said.

“I see,” said Eric. “Fine. I’m sure Authority will be able to decipher this writing—”

“Don’t,” said Merit. “Don’t take it to Authority.”

He hesitated, then tilted his shield a few centimeters, waiting. Waiting for her to continue, she knew.

“It’s a couple years old,” she explained. “You can tell by the patina. Not germane to this investigation.”

“The writing on the back is fresh.”

“I don’t know anything about the writing. Go ahead and translate it. Just—make a copy of it. Don’t give the tondo to Authority.”

He said nothing, but she could sense his mistrust.

“Look,” she continued, “after tomorrow, what will it matter?”

“It might matter to the Prioress.”

She swallowed hard. What could she say?

“You were way out of line back there,” said Eric sternly, “the way you talked to her.”

“Well, what about you?” said Merit. “That was more like a first date than an interview. She was flattering you, and you ate it up.”

“I was nice to her! Is that so hard for you to understand? She was ill and grieving. It was painfully obvious she had nothing to hide.

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