(Untitled)

[sir_samuel]

The thick darkness of the depth of night surrounded Eostre's hut despite the candles and flashlights of the people now milling about. Vimes had roused the other IPD heads and the lab staff, and from there the news had spread quickly

Comments

[the_real_ray]

So much for a good night's sleep. Even if he hadn't been living close enough to Eostre to hear any commotion once it started up, Ray was one of the first people out of bed and at the scene once it was reported.

"Anything yet?" he asked as he watched those lab guys do their thing. Wasn't that long ago he would've been the one who would've been squatting on the ground doing the detecting, but here and now he didn't begrudge them their work.

[sir_samuel]

"Still waiting," Vimes answered darkly. He had his hunches, but he didn't want to share 'em just yet. He didn't like his hunches for one, and for another, even he knew that he was too damned agitated to look at anything properly.

[the_real_ray]

"I hate that I can understand murder better than I can understand this," said Ray. "You just don't take someone's baby. Not when you don't want a couple of people killing you when you're caught before the law can even get close." He paused a moment and kicked at the snow. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

[sir_samuel]

Vimes narrowed his eyes. "That maybe we've got someone 'round here who doesn't think in terms of 'you don't take someone's baby'?" His eyes fell on the footprints leading away. "Yeah, I'm maybe thinking that."

[the_real_ray]

"Like a someone that we were keeping an eye on that we aren't in a position to be keeping an eye on anymore," said Ray with a faint grunt. "Sun can't come up soon enough for my taste."

[sir_samuel]

"Why?" Vimes asked with a quirk of his brow. He was used to nights. The darkness of the jungle was thicker than the foggy night of the city, but he knew it all the same. "We don't need to wait for the sun. Only thing I'm waiting on is the evidence, and then I'm organizing a search party."

[the_real_ray]

"Cause I'll be more use when I can see more than two feet in front of me," said Ray. He still wasn't an outdoorsy person, after all this time on the island. "Have you got anyone in mind for the search party?"

[sir_samuel]

Vimes rolled his eyes. Day watch types, don't know a thing about darkness. And he'd seen pictures those modern Earth cities. Street lights that actually worked? Hah. Might as well be day. "You notice more in the dark," he insisted, not seeing any contradiction in his words.

He shrugged. "Right now I'll be happy with any who's awake enough. One or two squints might be of help. Definitely bringing Dief, maybe one've the Starks, to bring a direwolf..."

[the_real_ray]

"You notice more in the dark," said Ray, and if Vimes said so, Ray wasn't going to argue. "I notice more in daylight. Dief's a good bet, though. If anyone's gonna find anything, it's gonna be Dief."

[sir_samuel]

"You need more practice," Vimes shot back and almost- almost- smiled. "Oh, definitely. The only thing that'd be better would be if Angua had her nose back." Though on that note, she should go, too, if only because back home would have been in Dief's place, and she damned well knew it.

[the_real_ray]

"The more eyes the better," said Ray, "especially if the eyes are noses and they can see in the dark." Okay, that hadn't come out quite right, but the gist of it was still pretty clear.

[sir_samuel]

But it made perfect sense to Vimes. "Yeah. We'll find her." Grim determination returned to his face.

They had to find her. He had promised.