Riddle of Fate Read Online Free PDF Page B

door to the left, then plastered a smile on his face, took a breath, and pushed the door open.
    As he walked in, Khaya was being led to an office. He thought it was a chap by the name of Phalio with her. He didn’t like the look of him. He looked like a prowling cat, on the hunt for its next meal. And Merrit felt uncomfortably like a mouse in his presence.
    He pulled his eyes away from them and sat down at his desk. His ability - seeing spirits - didn’t keep him particularly occupied during the day. The Company often took him along on fieldwork, which he liked, but his days at the library dragged by. They gave him busywork to be sure. Boring, mind-numbing busywork. Some days he felt more like an actual librarian than a Gifted.
    His desk was a mess. Books and papers covered every inch of it. With a sigh he sat down. “Merrit, to my office,” Peater said right behind him, giving him a start.
    With a thundering heart, he followed Peater to his office. Peater pointed to a chair as he closed the door behind them. “I’m afraid I have some rather sad news,” he said when he sat down. “Leena is dead.”
    “What? How?” Merrit asked, eyes widening.
    Peater studied his face before speaking. “Suicide. I must say I'm rather taken aback by this. She didn’t seem the type to me.”
    Merrit sat shaking his head.
    “You knew her better than most. Why do you think she would have done this?”
    Merrit rubbed his nose and shrugged. “As far as I knew, she was well. If not happy, at least content. Except, she sometimes spoke of feeling a bit lonely... but don’t we all at some stage or another?”
    “No, we don’t,” Peater said, his normally affable manner replaced by a steely demeanour. “Did she talk to you about anything else?”
    “No,” he said, pausing to give himself a moment to think. “To be honest, though, we weren’t close. She has come along to the Prancing Pony a few times. She tended to speak to the other ladies there, though.”
    “What other ladies?” Peater’s face was pinched.
    “People I know outside the Company. Friends from before I worked here.”
    “You haven’t told any of them anything about the Company or what we do here, have you?”
    “Of course not,” he said, folding his arms over his chest. “I know my obligations. They all just believe I – and Leena for that matter – work here at the library.”
    “And Leena didn’t talk to them about anything that she shouldn’t have?”
    “I can’t speak to that. I didn’t listen in on their every conversation, but Leena was a trustworthy person. I can’t imagine she would have broken the rules. What does this have to do with her suicide, anyway?”
    Peater had a faraway look in his eyes. After several moments, he blinked and refocused on Merrit. “Nothing. That will be all. Get back to work.”
    Merrit’s chair scraped back as he stood. When he glanced back, Peater was staring out of the window, his face pale.
    To his relief, everyone was called to Peater’s office throughout the day. When Haria came out again, she was wiping away tears with a handkerchief. Were they all being questioned or were they just being told of her death? he wondered.
    He hadn’t seen Khaya since that morning and he couldn’t help but worry about her. He hoped that she would be able to cope with being questioned. If she got too emotional over it, it would raise suspicions. Especially since she wasn’t friends with Leena.
    He wanted to wait for Khaya to appear again before he left for the night. After staying an extra hour, he ran out of things to do and when Peater frowned at him again, he decided he had to go.
    As always, he started trying to shape his desk into some sort of order, but soon gave up and headed for the door. “So, since I stayed late tonight,” Merrit said with a cheeky grin as he passed Peater, “does that mean I can come in late tomorrow?”
    Peater gave a small smile. “Nope.”
    “Darn it,” Merrit said with mock