Page 55 of The Study of Poisons
“Good. Now do you have anyrealbusiness left to discuss?” the Commander asked in a dangerous tone. One that warned the general not to waste anymore of his time. Kitvivan wisely ended the meeting and made a quick exit.
The Commander caught Valek’s eye. “What?”
“Do you want me to assign an agent to ensure the general doesn’t set traps?” Valek asked.
“You don’t think he’ll follow my orders?” His tone rumbled dangerously.
Valek chose his words with care. “I think MD-1 is far enough from here that word probably won’t get back to us if he sets the traps. Those cats can be a menace in the middle of the cold season when they’re hungry.”And you’re not quite yourself.But Valek was smart enough not to say that aloud.
“All right, assign an agent.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re dismissed.”
After he left the war room, Valek rubbed his chest. He had the odd impression that he’d just dodged a lethal blow.
* * *
A couple daysafter the meeting with Kitvivan, Valek received the report from Captain Unice. Her lieutenant had escorted the caravan to a building site. The main structure was still under construction, but there were four completed silos. From the various roasting and sifting equipment on the site, Lieutenant Mell determined that the site would eventually become a “big ass” feed factory and was legitimate.
At the end of the official report was a note from Unice,Please tell me that something, anything about this factory is illegal so I can get Mell to stop sayingI told you soin a hundred different and not so subtle ways.
Valek laughed. He’d have liked to oblige her, but he’d have to wait for the report from his corps staking out the path in the Snake Forest to prove the beans and pods were from Sitia. Yelena’s research had yet to find an official designation for them, which almost verified they weren’t grown in Ixia. Even though the Commander claimed they were of southern origin, he required Valek to obtain hard evidence before he could arrest or accuse anyone. And there was a slim chance there could be a section of the forest that had been cultivated to grow them.
He received confirmation about the beans and pods three days later. The report from his field agents stated that the empty wagons from MD-5 had crossed into Sitia through a hidden pathway. And they also spotted another caravan full of those beans, heading east toward MD-5.
Considering that the factory wasn’t even in operation, Valek wondered just how much they needed to begin manufacturing. It sounded as if they were stock piling the beans.
When Valek joined the Commander for a drink that evening, he explained what he’d learned about the beans and pods.
“Should I stop the caravans and see if General Brazell squawks?” Valek asked. He sipped the blackberry brandy carefully. It wasn’t his favorite because it tasted like blackberry poison. Since the near poisoning miss with Yelena, the flavor of the liquor turned his stomach. He set it on the table next to Ambrose’s bowl of Criollo, whose presence had become as routine as their meetings.
“No. Let’s wait.”
“Youwant to wait?” Valek tried to hide his surprise.
“Isn’t that what you’re always nagging me to do? I thought I’d skip the argument and save time.”
“Except this time, I think we should shut it all down until we know exactly what Brazell’s producing.” They had completely switched roles and Valek didn’t know if he should be amused or concerned.
Ambrose waved away the suggestion. “We don’t even know if Brazell is aware of where the beans are coming from. One of his advisers could be in charge of ordering the ingredients.” He sat up straighter. “Besides, we haven’t confirmed their purpose. Maybe they plan to plant the beans and grow a crop in Ixia. Then it won’t be illegal anymore.” Ambrose gave him a smug smile.
Valek could argue the legality of that last comment, but all the other points were valid. Yet his gut warned it was a bad idea.
“Keep working on the investigation, Valek.”
“Yes, sir.”
Valek needed to decide if he would infiltrate the factory or reassign the two agents already working at Brazell’s manor house. He hadn’t been on a long assignment in a while, and he rather enjoyed the challenge. But the thought of leaving Yelena for an extended time made him physically ill.
He realized he’d been enjoying her company in the evenings far too much. Which was a surprise since it was all rather…domestic. They chatted about their day. Yelena discussed the progress on her research, and she asked him questions about fighting and self-defense. He sought her advice on a few personnel problems and minor investigations. How had that become the highlight of his day? This love stuff was strange.
In the end, he sent a message to the two agents to switch to working undercover in the feed factory. Another two agents were sent to follow the wagons all the way to the very source of the beans and pods. Now it was just a waiting game.
In the meantime, he kept tabs on Yelena’s training, visiting the storeroom where she worked with the power twins and Maren. He highly approved of the addition of the lieutenant. The four of them together would be a formidable team once Yelena’s skills caught up to the rest of them. And Valek fully intended for them all to become a part of his corps. But not in the traditional way. They would stay together and would work directly with him instead of reporting to Kenda. He looked forward to that day.
For the first time, he’d found his team. The Commander kept harping on him to find a second, well, he’d found four seconds. They just didn’t know it yet.
