Page 79 of Bannerless (The Bannerless Saga 1)

“Come, Kirk,” Enid said. “I need you to see something. I need everyone to see something.”

Miran rushed forward, taking hold of Kirk’s arm as he emerged, whispering comforts to him. He didn’t seem to hear her. At least she’d get him to their destination—he couldn’t run away now.

“Right,” Enid announced. “If you’ll all come with me?” She had a real procession now, following her to Sero’s shed. She arranged it so she walked next to Dak. “Thanks.”

His look was wry, like he wasn’t sure helping her had been a good idea. “Aren’t you going to say something about what a good investigator I’d make?”

“I wouldn’t insult you like that.”

He opened his mouth, closed it, and she marveled at leaving him speechless.

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They couldn’t all fit in the shed, so Enid chose her witnesses to stand at the wide-open doors and look in: the three committee members, Kirk, Miran. Dak, because he’d hear about it one way or another. And if she could convince him, she’d be able to convince everyone.

She could still be wrong about this. Picked up the wrong clue, imagined the wrong thing. It could all be wrong. No—it was already wrong. She was just trying to explain the wrongness. Understand it. However this fell out, she would understand what had happened a little better and give the memory of Sero some little peace.

The open doors let afternoon sunlight pour into the place. An apt metaphor. She would have liked to point that out to someone. Tomas, ideally. She swallowed back the tightness in her throat. Grieve later. Plenty of time for it back in Haven, with the people who knew him. How terrible it was to mourn alone.

Her witnesses studied the interior of the place. As if she might have written the solution out in secret ink, if they only knew how to read it. And maybe it was a little like that.

No one had touched the scene, not in the handful of days she’d been here picking over the town. She’d told them exactly what her evidence was, the blood on the wall, and no one had interfered with it, for which she was grateful. She realized now Philos and the others were worried about her discovering so many other infractions in the town, they had been thinking little of Sero’s death in the end. That made her all the more angry.

“Someone was here when Sero died,” she said. “More than that, that person knows exactly what happened.”

She felt like she was putting on a play. Dak ought to appreciate that. Ariana clutched the musician’s arm. Her expression had gone taut and fearful. She was afraid of what Enid was going to say, whom Enid was going to accuse. She couldn’t trust Dak’s calm. All she knew was that Dak had found the body. And maybe she didn’t believe him when

he said he hadn’t killed the man.

Enid walked through the scuffed dirt to stand at the table. She put her hand on the pieces of broken hinges he’d been working on. “Sero was here, working like usual. Many of you had probably seen him working just like this, when you came to ask for his help on a job? Miran?”

The young woman’s eyes were round, but she nodded quickly. Yes. He stood just like this. So Enid did, in front of the table, hands clenched as if she held a tool.

“Someone came here and confronted him,” she said. “Someone who was angry at him.”

Ariana said, “What could he have possibly been doing to make anyone that angry?”

“Oh, refuse a request?” Enid said pointedly. “Refuse a job? Not do what someone else thought he ought to?”

The committeewoman ducked her gaze and pressed closer to Dak, who merely glanced at her, scowling.

“But no. He talked to Miran,” Enid said, matter-of-fact. “Miran was kind to him. He might have looked forward to her visits. Even if they were awkward. Even if she didn’t like coming here. Maybe she resented it. But she couldn’t say no to Fern. She couldn’t stop delivering meals, talking to the man. Unless Sero died?”

“No!” Kirk cried. “That isn’t what happened!”

“Be quiet,” Miran hissed at him, even as tears fell, streaking her cheeks. They stood shoulder to shoulder. Kirk had folded in on himself, arms crossed.

These two were protecting each other.

“Miran?” Enid prompted.

Her voice choked. “I didn’t mind bringing him food when we had extra. I really didn’t.” Her head shook slowly. “No one should have minded it.”

“Someone did, though.”

“But what harm—” Ariana started. Her voice fell, and she looked across at Kirk.

“So Sero was here, and someone came to confront him for spending too much time talking to Miran when he didn’t have a right to. At least that’s what he thought. He was determined to tell Sero to keep away from her. He looked at the shed and saw the doors wide open. Marched over to confront him. Do you remember, Kirk? Were the doors open when you got here?”

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