The Gadgeteer

Chapter 10

ARABETH RAISED HER arms out beside her and inhaled deeply. None of this made sense. She held her breath a moment before lowering her arms and slowly exhaling.

It was a little wet out for a walk. She looked up. The sky was darkening. She'd walk fast. But to where, now? Should she risk the park? Or warn the police that it was a potential source of harm?

Was there something hidden, or disguised, at the park? Maybe there was a device under the gazebo. If it were she trying to experiment on the public, she'd move the source around often. Had any of her informants heard anything... or been affected? They were out and about often. That was what made them good at their job. Were they warned off certain locations by others they knew?

Suddenly, finding one of her informants became her top priority. Larry, Bernie, or maybe Lacy from the apothecary. People may go in, looking for a way to ease their own symptoms.

No. Later. She'd do that later. The police must know at least as much as she did by now. Did they have a plan? Who was working on it?

A cab was nearing, so she waved to catch the driver's attention. Hicks must know what's going on.

"Take me to the main police detachment please," she said as she passed him the fare. "Wait... do you mind if I ride up front with you? It's a little unnerving to ride in the back these days. I like to see what's going on around me," she lied. Really, she was hoping he had a story or two about recent events. She held out another coin. He gave her a quick look-over and nodded. When he took the coin, she grabbed the mounting rail and pulled herself up to sit.

She let the cab roll on a street or two before breaking the silence.

"Horses are amazing, but how do they adapt to working in the city? Is there any part of town they won't go?" She tried to sound casual, hoping he didn't know she had a horse of her own already.

"They're like people - some are pretty smart. Some are not. It's the ones in the middle that are the best cab horses. They go where I drive because they've learnt to trust me."

"Ah, I see." She nodded. "Do they ever give you trouble?"

He looked at her through narrowed eyes a moment before responding. "What can I say, horses are horses. If you're asking about the fights, and drunks, and all that, I stay out of their business, but I will say business is good right now. The horses don't care who's arse is in the seat. I'll take the drinkers over non-drinkers right now, though, and that's a strange thing."

She nodded. "Drinking takes the edge off, right? It's a complete reversal of expectations."

He looked at her again. "Who are you?"

She smiled. "I'm doing a bit of detective work."

"A woman detective?" He laughed. "Isn't that a bit rough for you?"

"Well, until last week I was a bounty hunter, so...." She gave the man a minute to digest that thought. Not that she ever did the roughest part. She just subdued the target. The others man-handled them into custody.

"You're Mrs. Dane!" He seemed happy at the thought. "I've read about you in the papers, about your amazing capture rate. And now you're a detective? How did that happen?"

"The bounty hunting program is being discontinued. This was a natural segue. I'm not with the police, though. And call me Barnes - my husband has passed away."

"A detective for hire? Now there's a rare bird." He sat back, looking smug. "And you're working on this 'criminal plague,' as the papers are calling it?"

"Sort of. I'm working more on the cause than on the 'who did it' part."

"But you have an idea who is behind it, don't you?" He turned an unexpected corner, away from the police station.