Bitter Gold Hearts

_____XLVII ______

I tapped on Amber's door. "You there?" "It's not locked."

I went inside. She was seated on the edge of her bed, looking pale and tired. "Is she gone?"

I settled into the room's sole chair. "She left. We managed to work something out."

"How heavily did she outbid me?"

"I don't like your mother, Amber."

"What does that mean?"

"People I don't like never outbid people I do like.' Though sometimes I'll let them think they can."

"Thanks." She didn't sound cheered.

"What's the matter?"

"It's almost over, isn't it?"

"I expect to put the noose around somebody's neck tomorrow."

"Do you know who?"

"Not for certain. Not yet."

"It's not going to make anybody happy, is it?"

"No. Murder never does. Not for long."

"Then I won't be seeing you. ..."

I had an impulse to trot down and give the Dead Man a swift kick. He was listening in and snickering, probably. Why is the old blubber boat always right?

"Who knows? Look, I'm just about to go up to your mother's house to question your father and Domina Dount. How's your nerve? You want to go along and stand silent witness? Maybe pick up a change of clothes?"

"Do I smell bad, or something?"

"What?"

"Never mind. What's a silent witness?"

"Somebody who just stands there and makes people stick to the truth because they know the silent witness can contradict them."

"Oh." She frowned. "I don't know if I'm up to that. My own father. ..."

"It'd be a chance to see Domina Dount pick her nose with her elbow."

She rose immediately. "All right."

"My god. What enthusiasm."

"I don't want to hurt my father, Garrett. And I know you'll back him into a corner where things will come out that my mother won't be able to forgive."

Something in her tone suggested she was ready to spill family secrets. "Maybe if I didn't ask certain questions, your mother wouldn't have to know. As long as the answers don't have any bearing on what—"

"I don't know!" There was agony in that, and a plea for help.

"Tell me."

"Ami ... He has to the father of the baby she was carrying."

"I'm not surprised to hear that, Amber. I even suspect that your mother already entertains the possibility too."

"I guess she would. But even if she did, she wouldn't understand it." Pure misery, Amber. This was gnawing her good.

"It isn't exactly incest."

"It could've been."

"What? How so?"

"Ami... She wasn't a willing partner."

"He raped her?" I couldn't believe Amiranda would have tolerated that from anybody.

"Yes. No. Not the way you're thinking. He didn't hold a knife at her throat. He just ... coerced her, I guess. I don't know how he did it. She never told me about it. Only Karl. But Karl told me. It started when she was thirteen. When you're that young it's hard... It's hard to know what to do."

"Not you too?"

"No. But... But he tried. Twice. When I was fourteen. Almost fifteen. It was hard, Garrett. Maybe a man wouldn't even understand. The first time I just ran away when I realized what he wanted. The second time he made sure I didn't have anywhere to run. I ... He ... He wouldn't let me alone till I said I was going to tell mother."

"And?"

"He went into a panic. A psychotic panic. That's why ..."

"Did he threaten you? Physically?"

She nodded.

"I see." I settled back to ruminate. I understood her fears. This didn't do Karl Senior any good at all. I already had him down as murder suspect number one, but I was still a little nebulous on motive.

"They were both dumb, Ami and Father. They had to realize it would happen sooner or later. There's too much free-floating residual energy around any place used by someone like my mother not to interfere with the spells on a contraceptive amulet."

"If she could see it coming—"

"Don't start, Garrett. You don't know what it was like. You aren't a woman. You aren't a daughter. And you've never been in a squeeze anything like it."

"You're right. All right, here's what I'll do. I'll talk to him without your mother being there. If it's not germane, she won't have to know."

"She won't allow that."

"I'll insist. I'll also insist that you be there with us."

"Oh! Do I have to?"

"I want him in a corner so tight he's got to think his only way out is the truth. He can't lie with you standing there ready to blurt, 'Remember the time when you—' "

"I don't like it."

"Neither do I. But you have to use the tools at hand."

"He couldn't do something like you're thinking."

'"Amiranda would've begun to show soon. Your mother is inquisitive. And when she asks, she gets answers. How would she have reacted—"

"I know what you're going to say, Garrett. He'd panic. He'd go crazy out of fear. But not that crazy."

"Maybe you're right. If we get him deep enough into that corner, maybe we'll find out for sure." It seemed a good idea to forget that the Stormwarden had discovered Amiranda's pregnancy on her own.

"Garrett. Do we have time... ?"

I shook my head slowly.

"It's a pity, really."

"I'm sorry."

As we started down the stairs, she said, "I'll bet you he doesn't even know she was pregnant. Ami wouldn't have told anybody but Karl."

I responded with a noncommittal grunt. He knew now, though I was willing to grant the possibility that he hadn't known then. I paused to stick my head into the Dead Man's room. "We're going now."

Take care of yourself, Garrett. And mind your manners with your betters.

"The same to you, Chuckles. Want to tell me Glory Mooncalled's secret now? Just in case the worst happens? I'd hate to check out still mystified."

With you entering a Stormwarden's lair? No. We'll consider it after this is done and the break is complete. He had a point. I gave Dean some unnecessary instructions about locking up behind me. Then we left.