Free Black Locust Letters by Nicolette Jinks Page B

head in a trap.
    “ No,” her father said. “It was a murder, an assassination by
the Never Weres. Aaron Riley died in that fire, the day before he
was going to swing the vote in favor of identification cards for
Never Weres.”
    Betty went still. She remembered how Clarkin had frozen when
she'd asked him about electric pyros. Was this why? “You're saying
that the Never Weres are killing people who they think are a
threat?”
    Slim
chose now to say, “Riley was the most recent, and blatant, attack.
Michael Jovoe, Henry O'Dell, and Margarett Keeclick also died
suddenly and tragically, but there is not enough evidence to
suppose that they were murdered.”
    “ However, they each were taking part in legislation which
would impose stricter rules on the things that Never Were. It seems
to be a backlash against the appointment of our new police
chief.”
    Betty frowned. “I never heard about this
legislation.”
    “ The
news doesn't report on such topics. You'd only hear about it if you
had a daily report of the legislation's actions like I
do.”
    She
leaned back, frowning. “I do find it suspicious that the government
is curtailing the rights and freedoms of its citizens so silently.
Who will be next, the immigrants?”
    Father shook his head. “The question you should be asking
yourself is this: What do they want with you, and how are they
going to use you to get to me? I promise you, they will. You are my
only child, and they took your mother from me so early into our
marriage...” He trailed off, as though reminiscing, but Betty
gritted her teeth and was determined not to feel anything for
him.
    He
would lie, cheat, steal, praise, anything to tug on her
heartstrings and bring her back to him. And she was much too
susceptible to fall for it, and she knew that, which was why she
did her very best to avoid him at all costs.
    “ If
that is all...?” Betty prompted, wanting to get away as fast as she
could.
    The
general looked hurt. “I find a reason to meet with you, and you
wish to run away again? What did I say to upset you so? It's been
such a long time, and you didn't see me over the
holidays.”
    Despite herself, Betty felt guilty. She'd promised her mother
that she would always spend New Year’s with her father, and so she
had, even that first one right after breaking up with James, and
the one after. Both times had been wretched experiences.
    Her
father had been so kind to her that she felt guilty for living by
herself, and she had sworn to see him more often. Then as she did
so, he by stages asked more and more of her, until she balked and
they got into a huge fight that reminded her of why she was better
off in her quiet house alone.
    Resolved, she said, “I came to listen. If you have nothing
else of importance to say, I will leave.”
    But
just then the main course came, with it such a train of servers
that it would have been nearly impossible to leave without
disturbing a dish and making them pick it up off the floor. And
once her plate was filled with a slice of swan, which did look
remarkably like turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes and gravy, a
hot roll, and walnut topped honeyed sweet potatoes, Betty's stomach
gave a growl. She never cooked like this for herself, unless she
wanted to eat for a week. It seemed extremely rude to the cook if
she were to leave a full plate, so she ate.
    Thankfully, her father and particularly James, were quiet
during the meal except to make occasional comments on the food or
the weather, but even so she tried to listen for any code words.
Nothing that she could tell, but code could be changed so quickly
and so often that she doubted she would have any idea what they
would be saying anyway.
    “ My
daughter,” her father said at last. “I will come to the real
meaning. I need you to be safe, and I can't do that the way things
are now. It is just too dangerous and if Never Weres get a hold of
you, I'd do anything—anything at all—to get you back. Think about
that.