She’d been there a year now, assisting the station’s head, Mitkos Grimsson, and its senior agent, Landers Landersson. The wrongful-death investigation was her first solo case, and although it had been officially closed, its lack of resolution was a constant low-level irritation, like a sticker on the sole of her sandal. After Goodwill Saltmire had tracked him down, Joyous Hightower had paid compensation to the family of the dead brothers and their community, but if the bailiff had learned anything more about the accident he had not shared it with Ysbel, and pursuing the matter on her own initiative would be a violation of protocol. Survey and Surveillance issued a prim note stating that the incident had been reviewed, appropriate disciplinary action had been taken, and after consultation the fisherfolk community had been given an industrial ice-making machine as a token of restitution. As far as they and the bureau were concerned, that was that.

It was all very unsatisfactory, but as Landers said, after Ysbel had complained to him about it once too often, she had to learn to let things go and move on. ‘We’re here to minimise friction with the natives, so we can get on with what needs to be done. Don’t make anything more complicated than it needs to be.’

Dalsy Diwasdaughter, who was never lacking in advice or the need to share it, told Ysbel that as lovely and friendly as many natives were, it was always best to keep a certain distance, never to mistake them for friends or equals. ‘It’s our responsibility to make sure that we don’t overstep boundaries or exploit their eagerness to please. That’s why, in cases like this, we should allow native justice to take its own course. Joyous Hightower has admitted fault, and your bailiff sounds like a capable fellow. No doubt he made sure that proper restitution was made.’

Despite her tendency to treat natives like charming but unruly children, Dalsy was energetic, enthusiastic and devoted to her work. Ysbel liked her and her advice seemed sound, so she did her best to drop the case down the memory hole, and attacked the stack of minor cases Landers had given her to handle and worked up new costings for the Freedom Park project, which the city council had revised yet again – Mitkos said that the council wasn’t convinced about the benefits of the collaboration, but were too polite to say no, and despite the endless stalling the bureau had to play along. Like every other station, Ogres Grave was understaffed and overworked, and there was always plenty to do. Ysbel almost forgot about the wrongful-death case, but its unscratchable itch resurfaced two months later, when she met someone who knew what had happened to Trina Mersdaughter after that fatal accident.