“Alright,” Lakin agreed. “Meet me at my house at eight in the morning. We need to get an early start on this, before any more shifters are taken.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I turned in my seat, settling my eyes on the Firegate Bridge as we approached it from around Hawk Hill. We were going to get to the bottom of this tomorrow, even if that meant I had to play hooky and piss the Chief Mage off all over again.
14
Annia and I showed up at Lakin’s house at eight in the morning, and we split up, Annia taking half of the phone call list, Lakin and me taking the other. At first I’d protested not having my own list, but Lakin insisted and I relented. After all, this was his case, not mine.
“So,” I said as I settled onto my steambike. “Where are we headed first?”
“We’re going to visit Tyron and Myrna Laniren.”
“Laniren?” I echoed, racking my brain for the familiar name. “Wait, aren’t those Tylin’s parents? The wolf shifter from the local pack?”
“That’s right.” Lakin started up his engine. “I thought it would be good for you to see them for yourself, since it was their son’s disappearance that sparked Sillara’s investigation.”
“Well that’s very thoughtful of you.”
Lakin grinned before putting his helmet on. “I try.”
The wolf clan was located on the west side of Shiftertown, closer to the heart of the city. Small, wood-framed houses lined the streets, some in better condition than others, and because it was summer there were many shifter children out on the sidewalks and the front yards, laughing and playing. Their mothers stared watchfully at us from their front porches, colorful shifter eyes narrowed on our bikes as we passed. Most shifters didn’t own bikes or cars – for one, vehicles were expensive, and for shifters they weren’t really necessary as many of them could travel just as fast in beast form. The children stared wide-eyed at our bikes as we zipped by, curiosity and excitement on their little faces, and it reminded me of how excited I’d been when I’d first laid eyes on a steambike myself. I’d been sixteen years old, tagging along on an errand with Roanas in Rowanville when a trio of Enforcers had shot out of the Guild parking lot riding steambikes. I’d been transfixed by the vehicles, with their large wheels and shiny handlebars, and the way the riders moved so fast on them, leaving nothing but clouds of hot steam in their wake. It had taken me six years, from that very point on, to save up for my own bike, and I loved it to death.
The Laniren house was at the top of a hill – a small, two-bedroom dwelling with white siding and robin’s egg blue shutters and roofing tile. I narrowed my eyes as we parked across the street from the house – the paint looked new, the tiles freshly laid, unlike many of the houses we’d passed.
“Looks like the Lanirens have spruced up their house a bit,” I commented.
Lakin’s eyes narrowed as he nodded. We crossed the street, and the woman playing in the front yard with her toddler froze at our approach, her pale-blue wolf shifter eyes narrowing on me.
“Good morning, Mrs. Laniren,” Lakin greeted her as she stood, scooping her toddler up and propping the child on her hip. “This is my associate, Enforcer Baine. We’d like to speak with you and your husband, if that’s possible.”
“I know who you are,” Myrna said, her eyes still focused on me. She was a pretty woman, with long, curly brown hair and a decent figure wrapped up in a simple green dress, but the look in her eyes as she stared at me was downright ugly. “You’re the hybrid, the one in favor with the Chief Mage. What would you care about my son’s disappearance?”
“The Enforcer who was working on your case, Sillara Tarenan, was a friend of mine,” I said coolly, ignoring the scorn in Myrna’s eyes. “We believe she was killed for looking into your son’s disappearance, and I have a vested interest in finding her killer, so I’m helping Inspector Lakin out today. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Well, I’m afraid my husband isn’t home today.” The toddler on her hip babbled, reaching a hand out toward me as she stared up at me, and Myrna shifted her stance, putting distance between me and the baby. The blatant show of distrust stung, and I forced my gaze away from the baby’s wide blue eyes. “He’s working, and will be until dinner.”
“That’s quite alright, Mrs. Laniren,” Lakin said smoothly. “We can just talk to you in the meantime. Is there somewhere more private we can go?”
Tears suddenly filled Myrna’s eyes. “You… you’re not here to give me bad news, are you? My son isn’t dead. He can’t be dead!” Her already pale cheeks turned a dead white.
“No, no of course not.” Lakin placed a soothing arm on Myrna’s shoulder. “We’re just trying to run down a lead that may help us with your son’s whereabouts, and I need to ask you a few more questions.”