Kendall’s jaw hardened. “They don’t allow that, really, but Lawten had promised I’d be able to hold Elyot whenever I wanted. But after the first time I went to the nursery, they wouldn’t let me back in.” Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes. She blinked rapidly. “So, who glossed you up? You look like a dancer.”
“You’re a shell!” a strange voice said. “Tch tch tch.”
Shaylinn jumped and looked toward the window where a rounded cage sat on a narrow table. Something moved inside the cage, flying from corner to corner. A little bird. It was yellow and blue with black-and-white wings. “What’s that?”
Kendall waved her hand as if the topic bored her. “Oh, that’s my bird, Basil.”
“He talks?”
“Give me a kiss,” the bird said in a dull, almost electronic voice. “What time is it?”
“I’m sorry, but … why are you here, Shaylinn?”
“I have something important to tell you, but I need you to let me finish before you interrupt me or get angry. Do you promise to listen until I’m done?”
“Okay.”
Shaylinn took a deep breath. “Well, since we escaped the harem — ”
“Budgie. Basil’s a budgie. Tch tch tch. Give us a kiss.”
Shaylinn grinned at the bird.
“Just a minute.” Kendall walked to the cage and pulled a drape over it. “Good night, Basil.”
“Good night, Basil. Tch tch tch.”
“Will he go to sleep?” Shaylinn asked.
“Yeah. He’s funny that way. You were saying?”
“Right. Um, the Black Army has been hiding my people. Levi befriended their leader, Bender. Well, Bender is their new leader now that Lonn has been liberated.”
“Go on.”
Shaylinn hoped she was explaining things correctly. “Bender thinks you have messages Chord Prezden was meant to deliver. He said if he couldn’t figure out whether or not you were trustworthy, he was going to have you killed. So I volunteered to spy on you so I could warn you.”
Kendall paled. “Kill me?”
“I know you’re not a murderer, Kendall. So if you have Chord’s messages, I figure you have a good reason.”
“I have them,” Kendall said, her eyes glossy with tears.
Shaylinn breathed out a sigh, hoping Bender would leave Kendall alone once he had the messages in his possession. “Can I have them? To give to Bender?”
Kendall’s bottom lip trembled. “When I found Chord, he’d been attacked. With his dying words he asked me to deliver the messages to the addressees and no one else. I think Chord knew someone else would come looking.”
“Maybe Bender is worried the addressees will be exposed to enforcers,” Shaylinn said. “Maybe he’s just trying to protect his rebels.”
“Maybe Bender killed Chord.”
What a terrible thought. “Why would he do that? He’s a good guy.”
“Anyone who threatens to kill someone is not a good guy.”
Yeah. Good point.
“I’ve had the messages for three days,” Kendall said, “trying to decide if I should deliver them or destroy them. Let’s read them.”
“That seems a little nosy,” Shaylinn said.
“It’s the only way we’ll find out the truth.” Kendall walked to her refrigerator and opened the freezer. She removed the ice bin and dumped its contents into the sink. Then she peeled a plastic bag off the bottom of the bin and left the bin in the sink.
She carried the bag to the kitchen table and sat down. Shaylinn pulled out the chair beside hers and sat too. It felt good to get off her feet. The high-heeled shoes were painful after wearing them too long.
Kendall opened the plastic bag and set four messages on the glasstabletop. “Three are private residences. But this one” — she tapped the message addressed to a Ruston Neil — “is an MO Box from my branch.”
“What’s the difference?” Shaylinn asked.
“This Ruston doesn’t get mail at a residence. He picks it up at the messenger office.”
Shaylinn read the names on the envelopes: Ruston Neil, Dane Skott, Domini Bentz, and Charlz Sims. “I know
“You’re a shell!” a strange voice said. “Tch tch tch.”
Shaylinn jumped and looked toward the window where a rounded cage sat on a narrow table. Something moved inside the cage, flying from corner to corner. A little bird. It was yellow and blue with black-and-white wings. “What’s that?”
Kendall waved her hand as if the topic bored her. “Oh, that’s my bird, Basil.”
“He talks?”
“Give me a kiss,” the bird said in a dull, almost electronic voice. “What time is it?”
“I’m sorry, but … why are you here, Shaylinn?”
“I have something important to tell you, but I need you to let me finish before you interrupt me or get angry. Do you promise to listen until I’m done?”
“Okay.”
Shaylinn took a deep breath. “Well, since we escaped the harem — ”
“Budgie. Basil’s a budgie. Tch tch tch. Give us a kiss.”
Shaylinn grinned at the bird.
“Just a minute.” Kendall walked to the cage and pulled a drape over it. “Good night, Basil.”
“Good night, Basil. Tch tch tch.”
“Will he go to sleep?” Shaylinn asked.
“Yeah. He’s funny that way. You were saying?”
“Right. Um, the Black Army has been hiding my people. Levi befriended their leader, Bender. Well, Bender is their new leader now that Lonn has been liberated.”
“Go on.”
Shaylinn hoped she was explaining things correctly. “Bender thinks you have messages Chord Prezden was meant to deliver. He said if he couldn’t figure out whether or not you were trustworthy, he was going to have you killed. So I volunteered to spy on you so I could warn you.”
Kendall paled. “Kill me?”
“I know you’re not a murderer, Kendall. So if you have Chord’s messages, I figure you have a good reason.”
“I have them,” Kendall said, her eyes glossy with tears.
Shaylinn breathed out a sigh, hoping Bender would leave Kendall alone once he had the messages in his possession. “Can I have them? To give to Bender?”
Kendall’s bottom lip trembled. “When I found Chord, he’d been attacked. With his dying words he asked me to deliver the messages to the addressees and no one else. I think Chord knew someone else would come looking.”
“Maybe Bender is worried the addressees will be exposed to enforcers,” Shaylinn said. “Maybe he’s just trying to protect his rebels.”
“Maybe Bender killed Chord.”
What a terrible thought. “Why would he do that? He’s a good guy.”
“Anyone who threatens to kill someone is not a good guy.”
Yeah. Good point.
“I’ve had the messages for three days,” Kendall said, “trying to decide if I should deliver them or destroy them. Let’s read them.”
“That seems a little nosy,” Shaylinn said.
“It’s the only way we’ll find out the truth.” Kendall walked to her refrigerator and opened the freezer. She removed the ice bin and dumped its contents into the sink. Then she peeled a plastic bag off the bottom of the bin and left the bin in the sink.
She carried the bag to the kitchen table and sat down. Shaylinn pulled out the chair beside hers and sat too. It felt good to get off her feet. The high-heeled shoes were painful after wearing them too long.
Kendall opened the plastic bag and set four messages on the glasstabletop. “Three are private residences. But this one” — she tapped the message addressed to a Ruston Neil — “is an MO Box from my branch.”
“What’s the difference?” Shaylinn asked.
“This Ruston doesn’t get mail at a residence. He picks it up at the messenger office.”
Shaylinn read the names on the envelopes: Ruston Neil, Dane Skott, Domini Bentz, and Charlz Sims. “I know
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