"Arnold!" said Governor Dare, entering the chillhouse. "Glad I've caught you."
Arnold turned from John, threw the cord of his wineskin over his shoulder and waved.
"Have you seen the Doc yet?" the governor asked, then added absently, "Morning, John."
John nodded and Arnold shook his head.
"Not since this morning, but he was in a hurry."
"Okay, are you busy? Fine, fine. Step outside with me, would you?"
Arnold followed Dare out of the chillhouse with a knowing grin. A man was missing, the Doc had been summoned. It was no puzzle that Swift had been attacked or killed and now the governor was hoping to enlist the only man in the colony with a known history of successful investigation.
"Look," said Dare, stopping a few paces from the chillhouse and squaring up on Arnold, "I need you to help me with something. But only if you can be discreet."
Arnold smiled and clapped the man on the shoulder.
"I'll help you figure out who killed Swift and I won't say a word."
The governor's face went flat. Flat with a patina of suspicion.
"How do you know about . . ."
"The only matter I wasn't sure on was whether Swift was dead or just badly hurt somewhere. I figured out he was dead from the look on your face."
Dare grunted.
"You don't look good, I mean."
The governor looked around then leaned in close to Arnold, "I can believe it after what I've been looking at all morning. Throat cut, ear to ear."
Arnold pressed his lips together and shook his head in a show of grief (though he had seen just that sort of murder and worse back in London). He stopped the gesture when one of the colony children caught his eye.
Between a pair of thatched cottages, Arnold could see a young girl standing bolt-straight and motionless near the stockade wall. Staring, she seemed to be, at the wooden logs that made up the colony's defenses.
What is she doing? That's a truly unusual game.
He watched her for a moment, talked himself out of approaching the girl to ask her why she was fixated so. Then he turned back to Dare.
"Shall we? I assume we're going to the Doc's?" he said.
"Spot on."
Dare led the way.
YOU ARE READING
Roanoke: The Price of Power
Mystery / ThrillerBefore the Roanoke colony became lost, it was found . . . by a man of dark ritual and even darker purpose. It's 1589 and something is very wrong in the colony of Roanoke. When former magistrate's investigator Arnold Archard is asked by assistant go...
