Mountains of Dawn

Tanya doubted his deep set eyes missed anything, from a glint of the eye to a shadow in the background. Judith had told her he claimed his ability to observe declined with age-he had just turned fifty nine-but Judith denied it vigorously. She said he could play back a casual encounter or a testimony from memory, with deadly precision, even several months later. She claimed his mission in life was to force everybody to respect the law, nothing more, nothing less, as if it were a mission assigned by the gods.

Tanya smiled back at him, his smile infectious.

"Come in, come in," he said, rising to greet her. He clasped her hand in both of his. "Miss Tanya Caldwell, right? A friend of Judith's, right?" Before Tanya could reply, he said, "Malcolm Clark here."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Clark. Judith has told me so much about you." He gestured, and she sat in the chair before his desk, her hands folded in her lap.

"Judith told me of your problems," he said with a warm smile that showed his perfect teeth. "But I want to hear about it from you. Tell me about your two accidents and the circumstances surrounding the death of your roommate."

Tanya stared into his eyes. She felt as if he could see completely through her, as if she were as transparent as the very air around her. She looked away from him and spoke to his twenty five years of service award on the wall. In a monotone, she told her story once again, slowly and smoothly, as she'd told Detective Warner, but even more concisely.

"Is that all?" he asked, after a moment of silence.

"Yes," she replied.

"Could you tell me a bit about your past life, perhaps?" His smile was warm, inviting.

Tanya told him the usual information she gave everyone-orphan, foster homes, passion for painting, scholarships and academic interests. She covered her entire life in ten minutes.

The silence stretched. Tanya glanced all around the room, her gaze wandering from picture to floor, to the papers on Clark's desk. She did not look into his eyes.

"Tanya," he said, an undercurrent of concern in his voice, "I need to know you, need to know where you are, where you've been, and where you're going." He paused. "I need to know what you've done in your life."

Tanya became defensive. "I never harmed anybody, Mr. Clark. I always have been very careful not hurt anybody's feelings. I couldn't afford to upset anybody around me, believe me." Her voice rose, harsh with anxiety. "I've done nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing."