by Jane Fletcher

"Sergeant Coppelli." a voice called out as they returned to the command compound.

Chip looked around. One of the orderlies was waving to her through an open window. There was a piece of paper in her hand. Chip crossed the gravel. "What is it?"

The orderly held out the paper. "This message came for you just a few minutes ago. I was going to have it sent to your room, but then I saw you come in."

"Right, thanks." Chip took the folded note. The orderly smiled and swung the window shut.

Chip took a few steps before opening the sheet to read.

"Typical. Now someone in a black uniform has agreed with us the militia will take what we say seriously." Chip said angrily

"Are you going to try and speak with Captain Kalispera now?" Katryn asked.

"Might as well, come on."

"Do you want me to… go with you?" Katryn finished weakly.

It occurred to Chip that the captain might be one of the people from Woodside who Katryn wanted to avoid. Chip hesitated, disconcerted by the idea Katryn may have been in trouble with her superiors in the militia. However Katryn had evidently decided the answer to her question was obvious and started walking towards the senior officers’ accommodation block without waiting for further debate.

The entrance hall was a chilly, dim chamber, with long corridors leading off on either side. They were looking around, hoping for someone to ask directions from, when three militia captains appeared in the corridor to the right and began walking towards them. Katryn froze and then whispered. "That’s Captain Kalispera on the right."

Chip nodded and moved forward to intercept the women in black. "Excuse me, ma’am. I’m Sergeant Coppelli of the 23^rd squadron. I believe Captain Gutmann has spoken to you concerning our visit to Landfall. Would this be a convenient time to talk?"

Captain Kalispera was staring over Chip’s shoulder at Katryn. A frown of hostility crossed her face, then she pulled her eyes back to Chip. "Um… yes Sergeant. I’ve got a few minutes free before lunch." The captain nodded at her two colleagues who continued on their way without her.

Chip and Kalispera stepped a little to the side. Katryn hovered in the background. "Okay, what can you tell me about this reported robbery?" Kalispera asked.

Chip quickly went through the details, known and conjectured. She finished with their request for a copy of the contract and plans to learn more about the murdered women. The captain nodded frequently but asked no questions. Once the account was complete she said, "Wright and Paulino hadn’t shown up in Woodside when I left three days ago. I think we can be sceptical of claims they’ve gone there. I agree this Drummond seems suspect. As an associate of known criminals there should be no trouble getting a warrant, although I’m not too sure what we’ll find."

"I think the guild of merchants would be very happy to loan us a couple of competent accountants to look through all of Drummond’s paperwork, not just the bits she chooses to show to their auditors. And, if we put the pressure on, maybe one of Drummond’s women will tell us where Wright and Paulino really are."

Kalispera gave another sharp nod. "That might produce results. Do you want to apply for the warrant?"

"I think it would be better if the request came from the local militia. I’ll contact you once I’ve got the copy of the contract."

"Yes, I think you’re right." Kalispera lips pulled in a tight smile. "The case isn’t proven yet, but you’ve done well to be onto it so quickly."

"We were lucky to have someone in our squadron who recognised the names of Wright and Paulino." Chip beckoned Katryn forward. "I know that you’re already acquainted."

"Yes." Kalispera’s smile became sour. "I hadn’t expected to see you again so soon, Sergeant Nagata… but, of course, you’re not a sergeant anymore." The slip was blatantly deliberate. "Well, Sergeant Coppelli, Private Nagata, I will hopefully hear from you shortly." The captain moved away.

"Ma’am." Chip snapped briefly to attention to acknowledge the end of the meeting. She stared after the departing captain, her face blank, but her thoughts in turmoil. She realised that Katryn had lied – about being court-martialled, about being demoted, and possibly about a lot more.

**********

The crowd at the inn seemed identical to the night before, including the obliging trader, who was still casting hopeful eyes in the direction of the rangers. They managed to get the same cosy corner table, and the beer was just as good, but Chip took no enjoyment from it. She was in a miserable mood.

The afternoon had been productive, in a negative way. After hours of hunting through cramped streets on the poorer side of town they had not succeeded in tracking down any grieving relatives. They had only found two women who would even admit to having seen any of the deceased, and these had little to tell except for the names of people who might know more. By default it seemed to prove that the three dead women had not been established figures in Landfall, and therefore unlikely to be long-standing employees of anyone.

Now Chip and Katryn sat in silence at the table. Katryn had made the effort to talk, but Chip had lacked the desire to reply; her short answers had died in her mouth. She felt like a fool to have taken Katryn so quickly on trust, yet it had made no sense to lie when the truth must come to light. Chip knew she had desperately wanted Katryn to be innocent of any wrong-doing. Or, more truthfully, she had desperately wanted Katryn,. She dared not poke around at her own feelings to see if she still did.

Captain Kalispera had made saying ‘Sergeant Nagata’ sound like a slip of the tongue, but it had been a pointed dig, a reference to Katryn’s past. Obviously Kalispera knew the story – no wonder Katryn had wanted to avoid meeting her. The urge to go in search of the militia captain and ask just what Katryn had done was almost irresistible. Chip clenched her teeth and swallowed. It could wait until they got back to Fort Krowe, when she would have the chance to read the full transcripts of the court martial.

Chip drained her beer. Getting drunk was not wise, but she did not want to sit looking at an empty tankard all night. "Do you want another?" she asked, off-hand.

"Um… yes… okay." Katryn also sounded distracted.

Chip’s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. It was the first time she had known Katryn to match her in finishing a drink. Maybe, now Kalispera had broken Katryn’s game of lies, she would reveal her true colours as a drunken lecher. It wasn’t a nice thought. Chip headed to the bar, her lips compressed tightly. She was waiting to get served when there was a voice at her shoulder.

"Well, Sergeant. What are my chances this night of getting you to accept a drink from me?" It was the trader.

Chip twisted her neck to see the woman standing, smiling, behind her. She took a deep breath. "It’s um…" Then Chip’s expression changed slowly to a grin. "A lot better."

"Good. I was also hoping that I could… er… chat to you."

Why not? Chip asked herself. It might be the very thing to disentangle her emotions from Katryn. Aloud she said, "I was getting a drink for my comrade as well."

The trader laughed. "I’ll buy one for you both. I can afford it, business has gone well this visit."

"That’s awfully generous."

"I’m a generous person." Her eyes flicked across the room. "Do you want to go back and sit with your subordinate?"

There was a hint in the trader’s tone on the last word which made it clear it was not only a ranger’s uniform which attracted her – she obviously took note of the rank insignia on the shoulder badge as well. Of course, if she was looking at the woman wearing the uniform there’s no way she’d hit on me rather than Katryn, Chip thought bitterly, and for a moment her intention wavered. But the trader was merely being honest – and wasn’t that what she wanted?

"I’d rather stay here and talk to you." Chip grinned again. "But I’ll carry her drink over… I’ll be back in a second."

Chip placed the full tankard in front of Katryn. "It’s a present from my friend at the bar."

Katryn looked across the room at the smiling trader. "Friend? You know her?"

"Not quite as well as I’m expecting to in the next few hours." Chip whispered. "You don’t mind me leaving you here, do you?" It was not Chip’s usual practice to ditch another ranger in this fashion, but Katryn was in no position to claim a comrade’s loyalty.

Katryn looked uncomfortable, and mumbled, "Oh… no. Of course not."

Chip took a half-step back. "I, er… should see you tomorrow morning."

Katryn nodded.

Back at the bar the trader had wedged herself into a corner. "So Sergeant, what exciting missions have you been on recently?"

"How gullible are you?" Chip asked.

"Why?"

"It makes a big difference to the story I tell."

"Which story is the most entertaining?"

"The one for the gullible – no question."

Chip started a tale of a bandit raid. It was soon apparent the trader was just as interested in discussing fluctuations in the price of copper ore. The two of them did not have anything in common to talk about but, before long, the trader made the expected suggestion that they continue the conversation in her room upstairs. As they left the tap-room Chip glanced towards the table in the corner. Katryn’s tankard was still there, but no sign of Katryn herself.

Once in the trader’s room all pretence of dialogue went. Chip put her arms around the woman and pulled her close. The trader’s lips moulded against hers, her breath coming fast and ragged. The kiss was long and forceful. In businesslike fashion Chip removed the trader’s clothes and then undressed herself. It had been a warm day, warm enough that there was no rush to get under the bedclothes. The two of them stood naked in the centre of the room. Chip nuzzled the trader’s neck while her fingers traced the outline of shoulders, ribs and hips – the woman was very nicely constructed.

By the time they slipped between the sheets they were both were fully aroused. Passion would carry them over any hurdles of clumsiness with a stranger’s body. It was going to be very easy, Chip knew. It was what she wanted, what she needed. A simple cure for heartache. All she had to do was stop herself imagining that the woman in her arms was Katryn.

**********

"When you find the bitch remind her she owes me ten dollars." the bricklayer snarled, peering down from the scaffolding.

"I’m afraid she’s dead." Chip called up.

The brickie put down her trowel and swivelled around so her legs dangled over the drop. Her face was as stony as the building she worked on. Her eyes bored into the middle distance, then shifted back to the two rangers. "I suppose that means I’m not going to get my ten dollars?" The woman snorted. "My own stupid fault for lending it to her. She had the room under mine, said she was new in town, needed a bit of cash to tide her over until she got work – last I saw of her or the money. Jose said she got a job as guard on a wagon… was going to pay me when she got back."

"She was killed when the wagon was attacked."

"Was that it?" The woman’s face became regretful. "Oh well, best not to think ill of the dead… perhaps she would have repaid me."

"Do you know anything else about her? Where she came from? Who are her relatives?"

"Not a clue."

"Do you know of anyone else who might?"

The woman shook her head. "Like I said, she was new in town."

"Okay. Thanks for your time."

The brickie returned to her work. Chip and Katryn left the building site. It exhausted the last of their leads on the dead women, but they had learnt something. All three women had been new to Landfall, none of them had any relatives, lovers or close friends to start asking questions.

"You know, it was all very well thought out by Drummond." Chip conceded.

Katryn nodded but said nothing. She had been subdued all morning and hardly eaten at lunch.

Chip went on. "She had the militia – and us, wasting our time searching for the jewellery up by Redridge, when it had never been anywhere near the place. A report of the robbery would have been sent back here, but there was no reason for the Landfall militia to take any action on it. I’ll bet Drummond offered to inform the relatives, knowing that nobody was going to give a toss they were dead."

"Umm." Katryn agreed dejectedly.

Chip glanced sideways, and felt her stomach flip. It wasn’t that Katryn looked any more attractive when she was miserable, just that Chip felt the overwhelming urge to hug her. The night with the trader hadn’t worked at all. Chip set her feet to a crisp march. She had to get a grip on her emotions.

Nothing else was said until they reached the merchant’s guildhall. The porter by the door told them Prudence Tang was not in her office, and directed them to a nearby room with a tired looking clerk. The woman listened to their request as if she was being subjected to personalised victimisation. Her body posture gave the impression it took vast amounts of energy to walk to a cupboard, take out the rolled sheet of paper and hand it over – not forgetting shutting the cupboard door after her. She then gave a beaming smile and returned to her work as if she had already forgotten of the rangers’ existence.

Chip unrolled the sheet.

"What does it say?" Katryn asked, sounding more lively than she had so far that day.

"That Grosskopf is a fool." Chip smiled. "Well… maybe not in so many words. She paid a third of the money on order, and another third on dispatch. The final instalment was to made when the jewellery arrived. The money was to be refunded only if Drummond was unable to ship before the end of the year, with some nicely artistic penalty clauses built in."

"Grosskopf didn’t get a refund if the jewellery was stolen before it got to her?"

"Oh no. If fact, it is specifically mentioned in the contract. A financial jeopardy clause, taking account of the unorthodox method of transport." Chip rolled up the paper. "And I think this concludes our investigation for today. I need to get back to our room and write out a report to hand on to Kalispera. The militia can get their bits together and apply for a search warrant tomorrow."

"Is there anything for me to do?"

"No. You can take some time off. Look around the town."

"I think I might visit the baths."

"Good idea." Especially if I don’t go with you. Chip added in her head.

The two of them left the guildhall and walked on until their routes separated. "Have a nice time. I’ll see you at dinner." Chip called out. Katryn gave a half-hearted smile and turned away.

**********

When she entered the room Chip saw two letters had been slipped under the door. They lay, corners touching on the scrubbed floorboards. Chip scooped them up, sat on her bed. and broke the seal on the larger with her thumb. It was dispatch from Captain LeCoup, written two days after she and Katryn had left Redridge.

Chip smiled with satisfaction. More circumstantial evidence, but it tied in very neatly with the case she was building. Wright and Paulino waited until they were on a deserted stretch of road, murdered the other three women in the crew, removed the bales of wool and burnt them to make it look like a robbery, and then ran back to Redridge with stories of an ambush. Chip shook her head at the idiocy of the militia – whoever heard of thieves leaving perfectly good horses behind? The animals provided their own transport and were extremely easy to sell.

Chip turned to the other letter. The address was written in Kim’s handwriting. Chip looked at the outside apprehensively. On past form it would contain more teasing on the subject of Katryn, and she did not feel up to dealing with bad-taste innuendoes. However it would be better to read it now than when Katryn was present. Chip broke the seal and flipped the paper open.

Chip put down the piece of paper. The warning had come too late.

**********

Neither Chip or Katryn suggested going out to find dinner, so they ended up eating in the mess. The food was not bad, by military standards, but Chip could muster little enthusiasm. Katryn also spent more time looking at her meal than eating it. Chip talked about the contents of LeCoup’s letter, but it was Kim’s one she was thinking of. It confirmed she had not misheard, or misunderstood, Kalispera’s words.

Afterwards they wandered back to their room. Katryn opened the window and stood staring out over the rooftops. "Are you going to meet with your trader again tonight?" She spoke without looking back.

"No. She left Landfall this morning, heading down river." Chip lay slumped on her bunk with her arm over her eyes.

Katryn turned around and leant on the window sill. "I… er… I feel I’ve done something to annoy you. I thought at first, this morning, you were preoccupied with the trader… but you don’t seem to be… happy with me." She bit her lip. "What have I done?"

Chip took a deep breath, then sat up and swung her legs around. If Katryn wanted to force the issue it was okay by her. "You’ve told me lies." She spoke bluntly.

"I… no, never." Katryn sounded genuinely bewildered.

"Okay. I asked you once informally. This time it’s an order, and I want the truth." Chip snapped out the words with a vehemence LeCoup could have been proud of.

Katryn sprung upright, her eyes fixed on the wall. "Yes, ma’am."

"What did you do to get court-martialled?"

"I swear I haven’t been court-martialled, ma’am."

"Kalispera called you sergeant, yet you told me you hadn’t been demoted. You said you were a private because you hadn’t been in the rangers long enough to get to leading ranger. You enlisted ten years ago."

Katryn’s cheeks were flushed. "I wasn’t demoted, ma’am. I gave up my rank voluntarily."

"Oh, what…" Chip shouted in outraged anger.

"I told you the truth. I have only been in the rangers for a year, but before that I served nine years in the militia. I was a sergeant in Woodside. The rank was forfeit when I joined the rangers, which I knew when I applied."

Chip stared at Katryn who was shaking visibly. "Why didn’t you say that before?"

"Permission to talk informally, ma’am."

"Yes." Chip snapped.

"Because I know that not applying for the rangers the day after you become eligible is proof you’re a fool and coward, and only fit for rounding up stray dogs."

"That’s…" Chip’s voice died. Maybe you didn’t have to apply bang on the day after, but there were some rangers who would see nine years in the militia in those terms. Chip bowed her head and interlaced her fingers behind her neck. It all sounded too glib. She did not know what to think and for once her instincts could not help her. She desperately wanted to believe Katryn, and for that very reason distrusted her. Chip tried to work her way forward. "So why was Kalispera displeased to see you? It wasn’t exactly a happy reunion when you met."

"Captain Kalispera didn’t want me to leave the militia. I can’t prove it was her, but someone pulled strings to get me a promise of promotion to lieutenant if I withdrew my application to the rangers." Katryn lips compressed in a tight line. "She made a personal appeal to me to stay, but I ignored her. Now she feels angry and I feel like a fool, because she was right. I shouldn’t have left."

"And that’s your story?"

"It’s the truth ma’am. You don’t believe my word, but you could go and find Kalispera and ask her about it."

Chip got to her feet and stood directly in front of Katryn. She stared into her eyes; they were filling with tears, but there was no faltering, no deceit, no sign of bluffing. Chip didn’t know what to do, what to believe. The situation was hard enough, made impossible by the intense desire to kiss Katryn. Chip felt her arms starting to move of their own accord.

"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…" Chip could not find the words she wanted. She stepped over to the window. Katryn remained to attention. "Oh, dismissed… stand down… whatever."

Katryn relaxed but stayed where she was. "I should have told you that I’d spent so long in the militia, but I wanted a chance to prove myself… before I got pre-judged."

Chip shrugged. She was partly convinced there was more Katryn was not telling her, but lacked the certainty to probe. Going in search of the militia captain was not a good idea. If Katryn was still lying Chip didn’t want to deal with it until they were back in Fort Krowe. And if she was telling the truth it would destroy any hope of trust between them. Trust was vital to a patrol. How could she ever ask Katryn to trust her if she was not prepared to trust Katryn?

"Do you want me to come with you and find Kalispera?" Katryn asked.

"No, I want you to come with me to the inn and let me buy you a drink."

Katryn flinched, but then nodded.

Outside the building the air was fresher and Chip felt calmer, but no less unhappy. Kiss and make up. The words echoed in her head, along with the mental picture of giving Katryn a big hug and saying sorry. Neither idea was a safe one to play with. Chip glanced sideways, Katryn looked understandably subdued, but hopefully she would be willing to rebuild a friendly working relationship.

Chip cleared her throat. "While the militia sort out the warrant tomorrow morning we can take it easy. I can show you around the sights."

"You don’t think we should be there with the militia at the magistrates?"

Chip pulled a wry grimace. "Probably best if my face doesn’t get seen. My sister, Honesty Coppelli, is the city’s chief magistrate and we never got on, even before I left home."

continued in chapter 6

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