Lake Silence

CHAPTER 27

Grimshaw

Firesday, Juin 16

Partially dressed, Grimshaw grabbed his mobile phone on the second ring, knowing no one called a cop early unless they needed something.

“Grimshaw.”

“Wayne, get to The Jumble,” Julian said. “Something is happening, and I don’t think it’s good for any of us. I’m heading there now to see if there’s anything I can do.”

“You have a feeling?”

“I saw . . . Gods, I’m not even sure what I just saw. A male and female on horses, galloping toward Vicki’s place.”

“A man and woman on horseback doesn’t sound serious.” But Julian sounded . . . odd. Scared. And that was not good.

“The riders weren’t human, and despite what the animals looked like, I don’t think they were actual horses.”

Police officers who worked highway patrol studied every scrap of information they could about the kinds of terra indigene they might encounter, and what Julian had just described was among the most dangerous and feared. “Elementals.”

“That would be my guess.”

“I’ll be there. Wait for me at the chain. Don’t go up to the main house on your own.”

Instead of answering, Julian hung up.

Swearing fiercely, Grimshaw finished dressing and rushed out of his room and down the stairs.

“Coffee’s ready,” Paige said with her usual cheer. “We have—”

“No time.” He went past her as Osgood popped out of the dining room.

“Sir?”

“Man the phones.” Grimshaw kept going. He yanked open the front door and almost knocked down the bank’s former manager.

“I want to make a complaint!” The man was red-faced.

“Osgood!” Grimshaw shouted. “Deal with this.”

He heard indignant whining about being fobbed off to the junior officer, but he ignored it as he ran to his car. He pulled out of the parking lot, spraying gravel. He hit the lights and the siren.

He should call for backup, shouldn’t go into this thing blind. He didn’t want to bring Osgood. The kid had already had a bad experience at The Jumble and he couldn’t be sure Osgood wouldn’t freeze if he encountered more terra indigene. If he called dispatch for backup, the closest cops around were Swinn and Reynolds, and their presence would aggravate the situation, whatever it might be. And, gods, if they were dealing with angry Elementals, the whole community could be kindling and corpses in the blink of an eye.

No, he’d count on Julian Farrow for backup and hope they both survived long enough to get the situation under control before the terra indigene took care of things in their own lethal way.