“No,” Lady Sade said. “Tomorrow evening.”
The doctor hesitated and for the first time betrayed a moment of uncertainty. But she nodded and forced a smile. “Yes, my lady.”
Switching back to Mazigh, Lady Sade said, “And this is a new acquaintance of mine, Detective Kella Massi of the third district police. I thought you two should meet, just in case your paths cross again in the future.”
“Of course. A pleasure, detective.” Medina shook her hand. “Although, I hope we won’t be meeting too often in our professional capacities.”
“We can both hope.” Kella forced a smile.
“I also wanted both of you together to inform you of another problem. I’m sure you’re both aware of the attack on the train station in Tingis last night. Clearly a pastoralist attack,” Lady Sade said. “And later that same night, police officers found two men dead just a few streets away from the station. One appeared to have been mauled by a large animal. An officer said he saw several foreigners with a large dog at the station shortly after the explosion. These pastoralists could be on the move, detective. I’d like you to keep an eye out for any unusual faces in the district this week. It would be particularly terrible if they were to damage this facility or harm the good doctor here. I need her in one piece.” Lady Sade smiled. “We all do.”
“If these pastoralists do show up, it shouldn’t be too hard to spot them. We don’t have too many man-eating dogs in Arafez right now,” Kella said dryly.
“Very good. Well, doctor, I’ll leave you to this.” Lady Sade nodded at the caged lynx on the table. “Detective, if you’ll walk out with me, I have a friend to meet at the North Station.”
Kella nodded and glanced at the small brass clock on the far wall. The North Station? But all trains to Tingis were cancelled today. Unless she’s running a private line?
The detective studied the Lady’s back as they climbed the stairs back up to the warmer air on the ground floor and passed through the back workroom again.
Sade isn’t stupid. Is she feeding me information on purpose? Does she expect me to investigate this doctor, or the Tingis attack, or her friend at the train station? No.
Kella almost stopped when she realized.
She’s testing me. She doesn’t trust me, so she’s taunting me with coded conversations and shady business partners. And I’ll bet that any investigation into her business will end in a dark alley and a bullet in the back of my head.
Outside the prosthetics shop, Kella watched Lady Sade step up into a small coach of oiled teak and polished brass drawn by a massive spotted sivathera. The young woman atop the carriage shook the reins, the long-necked beast dipped its huge antlers, and the coach quickly rolled away down the street. Kella frowned at the enormous steaming pile in the road where the coach had waited, and she turned to join the foot traffic in the opposite direction.
Well, I guess that leaves me with three career-ending options, she thought. After all, anyone crass enough to drive through a working-class neighborhood with a sivathera is just begging for trouble. What sort of woman would I be if I didn’t oblige her?
It was a short walk back to the police station past the lines of people waiting outside the temple for a bowl of stew and a crust of bread, and past the lines of people waiting outside the offices of Othmani Mills for a job smelting brass or weaving cloth. The station house was unusually quiet when she arrived and Kella sat at her desk, staring at her ink-stained blotter and half-chewed pencils.
The man at the next desk said, “Hey Kella, how’d your meeting go?”
“Hey Usem,” she said. “It wasn’t quite what I thought it would be.”
“What’s that mean? She wants to pay you under the table for a little private security work?” Usem shrugged. “They’re all like that. I say, take the money and slack off on whatever she wants done. She’ll cut you loose after a few weeks and you walk away with a clear conscience and a pocket full of change.”
Kella raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to overlook how quickly you came up with that little nugget of advice. Just tell the captain that I may not be around for a few days. I’ve got to go keep an eye on a few people of interest.”
“Alone? All right.” Usem shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “Just watch your ass out there. You know what happened to last person who signed up to do odd jobs for Lady Sade.”
“Yeah, I know.” Kella grinned. “That’s why I volunteered for this.”
Chapter 17. Qhora
The first thing that Qhora noticed as they approached the North Station in Arafez was the huge animal standing in the street below the platform. Its shoulders bulged at the base of its long neck, and a knobby rack of antlers crowned its broad skull. Large brown spots covered its tawny hide, and the black harness belted around its belly glistened with fresh oil and polished brass studs. The coach behind the creature appeared just as costly as the harness and tack, though the driver perched atop the coach did not appear very pleased to be seated on it.
Finally, a touch of civilization, she thought.
As the little black engine chuffed and squealed into the station, Qhora noted the tall woman standing on the platform watching them pull in. She wore an elaborately wrapped dress of blue and green layers with a gold chain belt, gold bracelets, and gold bands in her billowing mane of brown and red hair. A young man in a blue suit stood behind her in the stiff pose and vacant expression that Qhora found common to all servants. She glanced at the soldier at her feet and asked, “Berkan?”
The soldier, still sitting on the floor of the cab, craned his neck around to look out. “It’s Lady Sade. I suppose she’s come to greet you, my lady. I think you’ll be staying with her tonight.”
Qhora nodded. At last, a friend. Someone who understands the proper exercise of power. Someone who understands the order of things. “Very good. Enzo, please bring the cubs. After we are settled, you’ll need to come back here to the edge of the city to wait for Wayra and Atoq and bring them to the Lady’s home.” She turned to look into his eyes. “Please.”
The hidalgo inclined his head, his eyes hidden by the brim of his hat.
For a moment she considered reaching out to him, touching his arm, his hand. Maybe look into his eyes to try to see what was going on in that head of his. He’s all I have left now, if I even have him at all anymore. I’ll need to find some time for him later. To apologize, at the very least. I can’t believe I said those things to him. To him!
When the train came to a full stop, Qhora stepped down and approached the tall woman as gracefully and demurely as any creature had ever moved. She smiled and bowed her head and in her clearest Mazigh said, “Good afternoon, Lady Sade.”
“Good afternoon, Lady Qhora.” Sade gestured to her servant and the young man stepped forward to help Lorenzo with the cages. She continued in Espani, “When I heard about the disaster in Tingis last night, I instantly thought of you and your precious gifts for our queen. I sent a telegram, but unfortunately by the time my messenger arrived at your hotel this morning you had already left, so I sent Sergeant Berkan to collect you in this engine. I’m sorry I was not able to arrange a passenger car as well, but there were none available on such short notice.”
“It was just fine. Thank you for your generosity.”
Lady Sade scanned the train behind the Incan princess. “I see only one of your servants and only one of my soldiers. Sergeant, you’re shot.” It was not an exclamation, merely a statement of fact.
“Yes, my lady.” Berkan stepped gingerly off the train and crossed the platform, clutching his arm to keep the weight off his shoulder. “A second engine crashed into ours shortly after we found Lady Qhora. Two men and a woman attacked us. They killed my men, and one of the Lady’s men, but I was able to subdue them, with some help.”
“My bodyguard fought the woman, but she escaped,” Qhora said. “I think we heard her name. What was it, Enzo?”