[crow]

But then, it was true enough that there was a lot of hay, and some of it could ostensibly be covering something important like a treasure of some sort. "It may be worth a look," said Rhodes.

If she didn't find a treasure, at least she might find a clue. And if she didn't, then it might occupy her for a while. That was nothing to sniff at either, even if it didn't bring them any closer to the goal of finding what she wanted so they could leave.

[Barn - 48]

[crow]

"Hmm," said Suvi, deliberately adopting a thoughtful look, with her hand propped under her chin. She paced around the hay piles, scrutinizing them as if she were grilling criminals in a line up rather than hay piles in a barn.

Even Rhodes, watching her do it, was a little amused at her antics. The things that children came up with were really something else. She peered closely at one hay pile, and then another, as if getting closer to them would make any difference in her investigation...

[Barn - 49]

[crow]

Though perhaps there was some logic to what she was doing. Was she trying to see if she could spot a flash of color through the gaps in the stalks of dried grass?

"Do you see anything?" said Sivain.

"Don't rush me! A detective takes their time," Suvi said in reply. Rhodes gave a soft huff of laughter. So she really had taken on the role of an investigator, and was in the process of interrogating these drifts of hay for their secrets.

[Barn - 50]

[crow]

Of course, it would have been more straightforward to simply demolish them and look through them for any sign of something that wasn't hay. That was what they ought to have done if expediency was their primary concern. But Rhodes imagined that such a suggestion would have taken the fun out of what Suvi was doing. Expediency was very clearly not her primary concern here.

In the meantime though, Suvi had eventually managed to narrow down her list of subjects to one particular hay pile.

[Barn - 51]

[crow]

Even before she said anything, there was one she kept going back to. After a while, she declared, "I think this one's guilty."

"What are its crimes?" said Sivain. The fact that he didn't so much as crack a smile, even while delivering such a line... Rhodes wondered if he legitimately didn't find any humor in the situation, or if his stoicism was really such that he wouldn't betray the signs of it. Rhodes suspected, or perhaps he hoped, that it was the latter.

[Barn - 52]

[crow]

But then, Sivain also wasn't exactly renowned for having a sense of humor, so there was a chance it might have been the former... Goodness, what a thought. Surely one couldn't really be so humorless as to...? But Rhodes had no way of knowing.

Had Sivain fought a hay-related monster once upon a time...? No, that would be giving too much credit to the moment. It was probably merely that he was playing along, and good at keeping a straight face. Rhodes reminded himself not to overthink the issue.

[Barn - 53]

[crow]

Suvi was launching into her explanation of the crimes of this particular hay pile. "Well," she said, "it's kind of... shifty looking. See how it's not all that even? It's like maybe someone came through here recently and... stuffed something in it, or something."

Rhodes hadn't actually expected her to have any real logical basis for her claim, but what she said didn't sound entirely unreasonable, actually. He still wasn't sure whether it was true, since he hadn't been looking very closely at the hay piles himself.

[Barn - 54]

[crow]

But if she were right, then there were decent chances that they might actually find something in there.

Now there was a thought. Rhodes found himself curious almost in spite of himself. Was there really a treasure in this place? Thus far he hadn't seen hide nor hair of even a little bit of a clue, but if this was really going to lead them to something valuable... Avarice wasn't one of Rhodes' vices, despite his long career in working with money, but even so.

[Barn - 55]

[crow]

"The detective should do the honors," said Sivain, handing her a pitchfork that had been leaning against the wall just inside the door. Had that always been there? Rhodes hadn't noticed it before.

Suvi took it from him with a resolute nod, and began working on the hay bale. She thrust the pitchfork into it with a cry of, "Aha! Reveal your secrets, you foul scoundrel!" And then there was a great deal of yelling and flailing around. It was all very melodramatic in its sensibilities.  

[Barn - 56]

[crow]

Rhodes didn't quite know what to make of it, except to laugh a little again, helplessly.

"I don't think a detective assaults their suspects in quite that manner," he said. One would hope that an agent of the law, or even a private investigator, wouldn't take the aspects of judgement and punishment into their own hands so freely.

But Suvi would have none of it. "That just shows what you know, Rhodes. En garde!" she yelled, thrusting the pitchfork at the hay pile again.

[Barn - 57]

[crow]

No, she definitely wasn't acting the part of a detective now, whatever her thoughts on the matter might have been. That was the sort of language that was more appropriate for a duel, if anything.

She wasn't very good at demolishing hay piles though, enthusiasm aside. Despite her best efforts, she managed only to spread the hay around a little more. At this rate, it wasn't so much that she was revealing the truth as slowly torturing it from her poor suspect.

[Barn - 58]

[crow]

"Perhaps you ought to give her a hand," Rhodes said to Sivain. Suvi had run out of energy as the process went on, and was spending a lot less time yelling now. She had been reduced to a sort of grunting as she pitched bits of hay back and forth. Clearly, handling a tool as big and heavy as the pitchfork was wasn't working out so well for her in practice.

"Hmm," said Sivain. He didn't immediately refuse the suggestion, and looked as though he were thinking about it.

[Barn - 59]

[crow]

A moment passed, and he came to a verdict. He walked up next to her and offered a hand, a wordless invitation for Suvi to relinquish the pitchfork and all its responsibility to him.

Suvi noticed it, and Rhodes saw her staring at his offered hand, but in the end she shook her head. "This is something I need to do alone," she said, pitching her voice low. Her tone was unusually grave too, and it was obvious that she was reciting a line she heard somewhere.

[Barn - 59]

[crow]

Where she had heard it, however, Rhodes couldn't imagine. Had they ever taken her to a play or something? Or perhaps it was a book she read? He had to confess he didn't really pay much attention to the books she consumed, though maybe he ought to.

She must have gotten into a lot of things in the time that he and Sivain had been gone.

But her mind was made up on the matter, so Sivain stepped back. Rhodes knew better than to insist that he intervene either.

[Barn - 60]

[crow]

Suvi wasn't in danger, and she looked as though on some level she was still enjoying herself. There was no reason Sivain saw for him to insist on taking this away from her, if she still wanted to play.

Suvi resumed her assault of the hay pile for a moment, but then something made her suddenly freeze. Both Rhodes and Sivain were alert at once. They didn't ask her what was the matter, but instead kept their eyes peeled and their ears pricked...

[Barn - 61]