I sighed and glanced around. Only Hana and Madi were there besides the organist, a woman as old and faded as the walls. By the look of it, she hadn’t realized anyone was here at all.
Trusting the man, I let my thoughts tumble out. “I have noticed several upsetting changes. All of my friends seem to have died or gone away. All I’ve gotten to explain this is a torch in the night, a handful of dead men, all holding rifles no less, and the word of a thirteen-year-old girl. Nora from the lighthouse told me that the sheriff is not a good man. Can you tell me anything more about his character or actions since coming to town?”
The man’s eyes searched my own. Sorrow and even a touch of fear hid there. He came to a silent decision and spoke in a low voice. “Name is Embers. No, he is not a good man. Nora has the right of it. Brought a band of of men with him, all with shadowed faces. They all came from the south, at least that’s what they’re telling us. Shortly after, people began to disappear. I am not sure why this man came or who he works for, but if no one stops him, Gilsby will be a faded memory.”
I nodded, taking in his words as they came. “Seems to me it already is, Hendrick. I’ll leave you with this, though. Either I’ll be one more to fall, or else the man will come to terms with his sins. I’m headed to the sheriff’s station right now. Thank you for your time.”
Pastor Hendrick lifted one hand feebly, as if wanting to slow my progress or give me some warning. I turned, though, and left the man muttering a prayer.
“Are we going there now?” Madi asked as I walked toward the first place I should have visited since coming into town.
My response sounded distant as I trudged away. “Yes, ma’am.”
Hana jogged to catch up and called out, “Wait. Pachi and Tejón haven’t come back yet. They should be done hunting in a couple of hours. Let’s just wait.”
I shook my head. “Can’t do that. I believe I’ve heard quite enough.” I stopped then in the middle of the road and turned to my companions. “You do not need to come with me, but know that I am going to meet with this man at once. Do not try to stop me.”
I hadn’t meant to sound so cold, but both of the girls winced. Well and good, then. At least they knew my mind. As I stepped onward again, the sound of two pairs of boots followed me.
A few men littered the front of the sheriff’s station, one nursing a bottle of liquor, two others playing cards at a small table.
Another, a young woman with circles under her eyes, held up a hand to stop me, “Hold there. What’s your name?”
Since she wore a pistol on her hips, I did not mind twisting her hand from where it had clutched at my coat sleeve.
She winced and backed away. I stepped inside and saw an empty jailhouse collecting dust.
“Where is Sheriff Embers!?” I shouted, making the few people who had been in the street scatter like leaves in the wind.
Someone behind me said, “I’m right here. Just needed to ask. No need to bully my deputies.” I spun to find a young man with a haggard face, his blonde hair coming out of a wide-brimmed leather hat.
Madi and Hana had spread out. Their weapons were in their hands, and the few “deputies” had taken positions as well.
The young man continued, “And you are the valiant and ever-so-famous Alysand Deschaney. Am I right?”
“I am. We need to talk. What do you know of Delilah’s murder? And what, for that matter, do you know of the arson and attempted ambush that occurred last night at my home? Speak quickly or die.”
Laughter was the first response I received. “The woman from the lighthouse, eh? I admit, the job was sloppy. Not by my hands, though. If it had been me, the fisherman would have pulled her body from the bay after it had been chewed on for a week.”
“Who then? Who ended her life?” I asked, a note of desperation leaking into my voice despite my efforts.
“Allies of mine. The one I work for is very powerful and has much influence in this part of the world.”
I spat on the ground between us. “The Rat King, you mean. A vile creature that will not survive the year.”
Embers held my gaze easily. Despite an obvious lack of character, the young man certainly had spine. “He goes by many names. I even got to meet him, and though he was once a ratkin, he has been transformed. His name is Dintheel, and to be frank, he has better manners than you.”
So the rat had taken a name for himself. Its meaning tugged at the back of my mind, but I was too distracted to remember what Dintheel meant. And it didn’t matter.
“And what of the burning of my house, or the disappearance of so many in town?” I demanded. “If you had nothing to do with Delilah, what about the rest?”
Embers examined his fingernails for a moment before answering. “We burned your house down. Would have been convenient if you’d stayed put. Now I’ll need to carry out my orders in public. The people of Gilsby have suffered enough.”
My face flushed with rage, and again I had to check myself. I could not explode here. Too much was at stake. “So, what is stopping you now? What other than cowardice stalls your hand?”
“Well, we are having a nice chat, aren’t we? I hear they had a long discussion with the lighthouse wench too.”
“You son of cabrón! Don’t mention her again or I’ll make your end long and painful.” Again, my vision swam with repressed rage.
“Lovely threats. The
