《Ghosts of Valderia: An Urban Fantasy Detective Noir》 Chapter 1 ¡°Go away, Ridley! This is a crime scene!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be here if it wasn¡¯t, Captain,¡± Ridley replied, looking at the belligerent little Gnome in the oversized police helmet. ¡°You''re not allowed in ''em no more! And stop calling me that!¡± The Gnome waved his non-regulation billy club at Ridley indignantly while his other hand frantically competed in a losing game of keepy up with his helmet. ¡°Not allowed? Who says?¡± Ridley asked, edging past the diminutive officer. ¡°Cap''n said so!¡± ¡°But you''re the captain?¡± ¡°No I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°So why do they call you captain?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t!¡± The Gnome was almost beside himself. Gnommish sensibilities had no place for Ridley''s brand of foolery. ¡°I swear, Ridley, if you don¡¯t scarper quick time, I''m gonna take this club and¡­¡± ¡°Is that angry fella the captain then?¡± Ridley asked, pointing over the Gnome¡¯s head. ¡°Cap''n?¡± He spun on his little heels and snapped a salute so crisp he slammed his helmet down right over his face. Ridley strolled under the police line with the Gnome¡¯s apologetic squeaks echoing behind him. He hopped up the steps of the bank, pulling his trench coat tight against the cold breeze. The normally bustling bank stood curiously still. Verdalia city¡¯s finest wandered around the bank in their faded blue tunics, some making an attempt to look busy, while most sipped hot drinks and swapped colourful stories. Ridley skirted past two Hobgoblin bank tellers yapping in their guttural mother tongue while flapping reams of paper at the officers. Pixies flitted around everyone¡¯s feet, sweeping around their shoes, their usually obliviously happy state carried an edge of agitation with it, as they sought to meticulously go through their daily routines despite the furor. ¡°Pixie, point me to the master vault,¡± Ridley said to the closest Pixie. It turned its little lilac head and its vacuous deep blue eyes slowly faded back into reality. Ridley lit a smoke and gave it a few seconds to process. ¡°Down the hall sir... Right at the silver deposit... Through the arches¡­ Down the stairs,¡± the Pixie murmured slowly. Satisfied it had done what was needed of it, it slowly drifted off again, mind elsewhere. An unconscious frown spread across its face as officers kept interrupting its sweeping pattern. Ridley tucked his chin in the collar of his long trench coat, eyed the increasingly curious officers, and skirted down the stairs into the depths of the fortress-like bank. The further he went into the labyrinthine structure of the place, the more decadent the furnishing and decorations had become; obviously this was a part of the bank not meant for plebs. There was less activity down here, only a couple of absent minded Pixies floating about their daily chores and a particularly ferocious little HobGoblin who eyed Ridley coldly as he swept past. Down two more spiral stairs and Ridley finally came to the bank''s most fortified vault. Here the security became more ethereal than just locks and vaults. Bronze veins, laced with pure gold, ran down the steps, forming an old ward against invisibility charms. Ridley finished his smoke and flicked it into one of the dozen or so suspicious holes that lined the wall at strategic intervals. He guessed, if you were a thief, that you would be able to whistle just by running by the time you reached the bottom. His heels clicked down the pristine marble floor as he made his way to the mouth of the vault. Ridley stopped to look around; usually he would be dead by now, so this was all new to him. It would have been impossible to tell however, the same sardonic look of indifference hadn¡¯t left his face in years. A colossal statue with a pulse stood at the vault''s entrance, blocking his way, with a genial smile. ¡°Hullo Ridley!¡± the Troll waved happily, the movement stretching every seam in her police issue tunic. ¡°How¡¯s it swinging, Walthram,¡± Ridley half acknowledged the Troll, and made to stride past her. ¡°Oh but, Cap''n said youse wasn¡¯t allowed in the crime scenes no more. Had a meetin'' about it and everything.¡± Walthram scratched the shock of red hair that sprouted from the top of her head, trying her best to look apologetic. ¡°Hmm, I heard. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll only be five minutes.¡± ¡°But I think...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. Life''s easier that way,¡± Ridley muttered as he walked past her leaving Walthram to chew over that piece of chunky nihilism. The vault felt cavernous. It was dimly lit with the odd glimmer of light twinkling on the heavy locks on steel boxes and chests that lined the walls of the vault. In the middle of all this hidden opulence stood a red-faced Dwarf and a harried looking HobGoblin in a crumpled suit. He wrung his bony claws meekly and whimpered every time the Dwarf took a breath between insults. ¡°You useless scaly number crunching, yeller backed, green faced twerp!¡± the Dwarf barked, waving his stumpy arms in poorly contained fury. ¡°It iz like I have told you Captain,¡± the HobGoblin mewled piteously. ¡°It iz zuppozzed to be impozzible to break in to thiz vault!¡± ¡°Tell me then, what''s that?¡± the Cap''n cried as he pointed to a heavy gold wrought iron chest, its lid flapped open as if lewdly mocking them with its empty insides. Ridley strolled past the Cap''n and peered into the empty box. ¡°Leave him be Cap, stress a banker that hard he might wet himself.¡± Captain Mallory was a straightforward Dwarf who had simply made the horrendous error of trying to ''better his situation''. Half a dozen decades of working the beat and he had somehow landed the misfortune of being in charge. This new found responsibility had in no way dampened the Dwarf''s naturally incendiary nature, nor had it broadened his very narrow horizons. He was a direct creature, he dug all his tunnels impeccably straight, and he did not mince his words. ¡°Ridley, you beardless worm''s son! This is a damn crime scene!¡± he barked, spitting phlegm and chewed bits of tobacco. ¡°Funny, Gnome at the door said the same thing before his helmet blindsided him,¡± Ridley poked around the box a bit, before wandering around the cavern craning his neck to get a view of the whole room. ¡°Walthram! You useless duck brained excuse for a statue!¡± The Cap''n was one of those diabolically loud little creatures, the type that could rattle bones in a jellyfish. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Cap''n?¡± Walthram peaked around the door. ¡°What did I say about letting anyone into the crime scene!?¡± ¡°I was having an existential crisis, Cap''n,¡± Waltham responded sullenly. Mallory, closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath rhythmically, while running his paving stone hands from the top of his head all the way down to the tip of his beards. A supposed calming tactic Dwarves used. It didn¡¯t work but at least they tried. ¡°Get outside you loose bag of rubble and help Corporal Kasj with his helmet! And I want this perimeter sealed! Airtight!¡± Walthram shambled off and left Mallory to round on Ridley, only to find he had slunk away to inspect the walls of the vault. ¡°RIDLEY!!¡± ¡°Cap''n?¡± ¡°What did I say would happen if I caught you poking yer nose into my investigations again?¡± ¡°Something to do with my nose and the place where the sun don¡¯t shine, honestly Cap''n, you threaten me so often, who can keep track?¡± The Cap''n blinked hard several times. It was the slow blink of a body struggling on the brink of understanding and violence. Ridley knew if he left the captain to boil any further his ears would start whistling. ¡°Relax Cap''n, I''m here on other business.¡± ¡°What other business?¡± he eyed the PI suspiciously. ¡°Errr¡­ Missing Persons.¡± ¡°Missing persons? This is a damn robbery!¡± Confusion and anger were regular bedmates in Dwarvish minds. ¡°Listen here you jumped up pile of phosphorous...!¡± ¡°Pleaze gentleman, ze Diamond,¡± the HogGoblin interrupted. ¡°Shut up!¡± the Cap¡¯n barked. ¡°Captain Mallory?¡± ¡°What!¡± He rounded on this fresh source of annoyance. A young officer with bright blue eyes and an unruly mass of curly brown hair saluted the captain, snapping her heels together smartly. ¡°Oh err, Detective Sergeant Nairo, ''pologies.¡± ¡°Got the reports from the area, officers have canvassed but no one seems to have seen anything, sir.¡± ¡°The street vendors?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here since dawn. No luck, I''m afraid.¡± ¡°Damn street venders, blood out of a stone with those people,¡± the Cap''n grumbled. ¡°I questioned the Pixies...¡± ¡°Waste of time,¡± he grunted back. ¡°They seemed spooked,¡± Nairo continued, unperturbed by the Cap''n''s gruff retorts. ¡°They''re Pixies, they haven¡¯t got enough brain cells to be spooked.¡± ¡°Aah, but Captain, they are very zenzitive creaturez! It iz all the dizrtruption, they enjoy patternz. Zpeaking of dizruption, I muzt open the bank az zoon az pozzible! Thiz clozure will be cataztrophic to our bottom...¡± ¡°Will you shut up about your bloody bottom line!¡± Mallory snapped. ¡°The bank will open when I say it can open, and that might be in a decade or two if you don¡¯t get out of our way!¡± ¡°And you are?¡± Ridley asked, sidling up to the empty chest. ¡°Zimeon De Woolf, I am the manager of thiz bank.¡± ¡°Who deposited the Diamond?¡± ¡°Err¡­ it waz deposited late lazt night by a young counzil man, he zaid it waz on behalf of a third party, very huzh huzh. Pulled me away from zome very important work.¡± Zimeon huffed and polished his glasses as if the mere thought had riled him up. He blinked heavily, the bags under his eyes gave hint he was a creature used to long days and late nights. ¡°Ridley I told you to keep yer bloody beak out of this! And you¡­ that¡¯s something you should have probably told us!¡± Mallory wagged his finger accusingly at the bank manager. ¡°I did it¡¯z in my ztatement!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ is it?¡± Mallory muttered out of the side of his mouth to Nairo. She flipped open a little notebook and scanned through her neatly scrawled notes. ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Do we have a name?¡± Ridley interjected. ¡°We¡¯ll ask the questions round here!¡± Mallory snapped at Ridley. ¡°What was his name?¡± ¡°No zir, I¡¯m afraid that is ztrictly confidential.¡± ¡°Now listen here you long streak of pus¡­¡± ¡°No zir, I mean I wazn¡¯t given a name.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ridley and Nairo said at the same time. ¡°Well I waz given a name, but not hiz name. He mentioned zome very¡­ lofty peoplez and I knew better than to azk more. I¡¯m zure you understand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not proper procedure,¡± Nairo said, a sharp scowl of disapproval on her face. ¡°Procedure,¡± Ridley scoffed. ¡°What time?¡± ¡°Oh ummm¡­¡± ¡°1:30 am,¡± Sergeant Nairo replied, flipping her notebook shut with a clean snap. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Nobody,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°A damn pestilence!¡± Mallory barked. ¡°This is the so called Private Investigator that almost tanked the Hemway investigation last year!¡± ¡°Bit of an exaggeration,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Oh, you were the one who thought he was poisoned by the maid¡¯s Yorkshire Terrier,¡± Nairo said, a smirk stretching the corners of her mouth. ¡°That was a perfectly feasible theory,¡± Ridley snapped at her. ¡°And don¡¯t forget Cap¡¯n, who handed you the Buxburry burglar and the Salington Slicer on a silver platter.¡± ¡°Those were flukes!¡± ¡°You caught the Salington Slicer?¡± Nairo asked, her eyebrows arching. ¡°Oh yeah. Single handedly.¡± Ridley said, returning her smirk. ¡°Only after he slipped out of that third-story window,¡± the Cap¡¯n muttered petulantly. ¡°And I even let you do the media for that case,¡± Ridley continued. ¡°Got a big fat accommodation from the Mayor for that one, didn''t you.¡± ¡°Let me? Let me! I¡¯m the damned police chief!¡± Mallory baulked, his face reddening again. ¡°Let¡¯s not argue semantics,¡± Ridley said, waving his hand at him. ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t the Buxburry burglar an 82 year old man?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe how fast that old bugger could run¡­¡± ¡°Err... Cap''n?¡± came a voice from the vault¡¯s entrance. The Cap''n looked to the heavens as if praying for the strength to deal with his life. ¡°Why did I ever leave the tunnels?¡± he whispered. ¡°What now!?¡± Walthram saluted for some reason and did her best drill response, ¡°There''s some Elves at the door... Sir!¡± ¡°Elves?¡± ¡°Elvez?¡± Ridley looked up and raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°Elves?¡± ¡°Elves outside?¡± ¡°And the Mayor.¡± ¡°And the Mayor?¡± The cogs began to tick visibly in the Cap''n''s mind. ¡°Well, let them in then you rock faced abomination! Why would you not let them in?¡± The Cap''n frantically waved at the troll, bobbing up and down angrily. The colour had drained from the top of his head to the tip of his red beard. ¡°You said to secure the p''rimeter,¡± the Troll responded moodily. ¡°Done the best we could, but air kept getting in.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mallory snapped. ¡°You said you wanted it airtight. But it was very windy and...¡± ¡°Shut up! Shut up! You thundering sack of... of... go get the damn Elves!¡± He ran his fingers through his beard agitatedly, grumbling curses about Troll mothers. ¡°Looks like we know who the Diamond belonged to,¡± Ridley couldn¡¯t help but smirk in the depth of the collars of his coat: things were beginning to get interesting. ¡°Elvez, here? Oh thiz iz zo bad,¡± the banker whimpered. ¡°I zhould maybe go, yez?¡± ¡°No,¡± Mallory barked. ¡°Sergeant.¡± ¡°Should I go?¡± Nairo asked, snapping to attention. ¡°No! You stay.¡± ¡°Ridley!¡± ¡°I''ll stay.¡± ¡°No you bloody well will not!¡± ¡°Sir, the Elves are here.¡± ¡°Mother help me.¡± Chapter 2 There was a surreptitious clearing of the throat from behind Mallory. ¡°Err, Cap''n this is, Ven... Veno...¡± the Troll stumbled with the name, her cliff edge brow creased in concentration. ¡°Venollix Ventatax, the 18th Duke Appellaxium,¡± a blonde flop haired man announced, with a pageantry suited to a holiday stage show. The four occupants of the room spun around. All, apart from Ridley, began adjusting uniforms and straightening hairs or polishing scales. Four elves swept into the room, with them came the smell of fruits and summer, their pale skin radiant in the gloom. ¡°Good evening gentlemen, I am Venollix Ventatax, these are my cadre of advisors, and I''m afraid we come to you in great consternation.¡± He held his arms open wide, his flowing robes made his slender frame look ever more impressive, as did the four inch lifts he wore on his feet. His cadre of advisors, however, were much more demurely dressed in dark, itchy looking robes. ¡°Welcome, welcome, zirz and madamez. And Mayor Pleazantly it iz alwayz a pleazure.¡± Zimeon bowed until his pointy nose tickled his scaly toes. ¡°Ahh yes, yes, this old chap is... umm...¡± the Mayor waved his hand in front of him, his fleshy lips flapping for a name. ¡°Zimeon De Woolf¡± the HobGoblin muttered, still facing the floor. ¡°Ahh yes, Zimeon De Woolf, bank manager.¡± ¡°A Goblin?¡± The word spat from Venollix¡¯s perfectly moisturised lips with open disdain. ¡°Oh no, Zimeon¡¯s a good chap, don¡¯t let the scales put you off,¡± Mayor Pleasently chuckled nervously. ¡°He¡¯s one of the good ones. Astounding noggin for numbers, isn¡¯t that right, Zimeon?¡± ¡°Yez zir.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Vennolix didn¡¯t look convinced, the sneer deepening on his face. He clicked his fingers and one of the Elves in his cadre stepped forward with a thick roll of parchment in his hands. ¡°Good, if you would look at section 1126, paragraph 117, line 38, it clearly states that any and such problems with Appelaxium systems, will remain discreet until such time as said problem is solved. There is your signature Mr. De Woolf, do you accept that?¡± the Elf rattled off this mouthful while pointing to the millimetre sized lettering in the tome. The beleaguered bank manager merely gave a look like his tea was too weak, and then nodded. ¡°Yez, that iz mine, but I do not remember reading that?¡± ¡°Why is that not a surprise,¡± one of the Elves tittered. ¡°Good, then you understand that this matter must remain private, lest you be held in breach of contract,¡± the Elf looked pointedly at the bank manager, who nodded so hard his glasses came loose. ¡°Excellent,¡± Venollix beamed at the bank manager, yet his eyes remained two frozen chips of blue ice. ¡°Of course the old lad will keep his lips shut, we''re not idle gum wobblers in this city, no sir,¡± the Mayor bounced on his heels with the look of a thoroughly agitated man about him. ¡°I hope that reputation will not be put to the test, Mayor Pleasantly.¡± ¡°Worry not old... old chap, I''ve got my best people on the case, and we will have this matter resolved in tip top fashion.¡± The Mayor was one of those rotund men who stood in such a way as to become mostly stomach. His nervous laugh wobbled his belly and creased his little piggy eyes. ¡°This is Captain Mallory of our fine police force.¡± The Dwarf puffed himself up to his four foot peak, and almost as if they had practised it, every Elf looked to where the Mayor pointed, and then slid their eyes down in disappointment. ¡°You are the... Dwarf in charge?¡± Venollix looked down his long pointed nose at Mallory, although to be fair there were not many other ways to look at the Cap''n. ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best man?¡± The question left a lot to be desired. ¡°Oh yes, don¡¯t you let his Dwarvish exterior discombobulate you, Venollix old chum, sharp as a tack is Mallory.¡± ¡°Most Dwarves I''ve ever met are rather... blunt.¡± The Elves behind him tittered in unison. Fortunately, The Cap''n was indeed very blunt, he had no space in his brain for inference or subtext, and so took it as a compliment. ¡°Tell me Captain, where have you gotten in your investigations? How many suspects do you have?¡± ¡°Suspects? None yet sir, still processing all the available information and clues,¡± the Cap''n retorted smartly. ¡°No suspects?¡± ¡°None as of yet.¡± ¡°Well then who has been arrested?¡± ¡°Well we don¡¯t have any suspects, so... who would we arrest?¡± ¡°The usuals.¡± ¡°The usual what?¡± ¡°Suspects¡± ¡°Can''t say Verdalia¡¯s got any criminals in the regular business of breaking into unbreakable vaults.¡± Silence followed Mallory''s words, punctuated only by the Mayor''s heavy nasal breathing. Finally he couldn¡¯t take the tension and burst out in an awkward guffaw. ¡°Mayor Pleasently, why do I feel this situation is not being handled with the utmost seriousness?¡± Venollix hissed, his words dripping in acid. ¡°No, of course not. I mean yes... I mean...¡± The Mayor mopped his floppy hair from his sweaty brow. ¡°It better be, Mayor, because this is Elf business and therefore of the utmost importance. So I trust ALL police resources are being redirected into finding our Diamond.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Well we do have a city to run still plus this influx of bloody refugees from the Earthquake in Ling, we¡¯re up to our necks in it,¡± the Cap''n said, blunt as ever. ¡°Haha, what he means is despite all those other plebeian problems one must be seen to solve,¡± the Mayor, flapped at the Elves and placed a sweaty hand on the Dwarf''s shoulder. ¡°So tell Mr. Venollix what you have been doing to recover his Diamond.¡± Here was a rare moment where Mallory provided a prime example of the diplomatic sense required to be in management: he delegated. ¡°Sergeant Nairo, inform the sirs about what is being done.¡± Nairo stood neatly to attention. ¡°The entire area from port to highway is currently on extra patrol,¡± she began. ¡°On double pay?¡± the Mayor gasped, the pages of his eternally unbalanced budget flapped dramatically in his mind. ¡°Would be wouldn¡¯t it?¡± the Cap''n replied. ¡°Oh...¡± the Mayor made a low trailing off sound, his lips forming a pink fleshy O, until he saw Venollix''s finely plucked golden eyebrow arch. ¡°Of course, must be done. Won''t hear otherwise.¡± Again he mopped at his brow, distractedly. ¡°Of course Mr. De Woolf and I shall have further discussions on the bank''s generous donations towards the cause.¡± Zimeon''s scaly head snapped upwards at the sound of his coffers emptying. ¡°But...¡± ¡°So gracious of you,¡± the Mayor said, cracking another putty-like smile. Venollix cleared his throat. ¡°Oh err... yes, continue Captain.¡± ¡°Proceed Sergeant.¡± ¡°The immediate area has been canvassed heavily, all known criminal entities are being monitored, and the flow of contraband controlled.¡± The almighty snort of derision from Ridley echoed around the vault. Every eye turned his way. ¡°And you are?¡± Venollix asked. ¡°Oh he''s nobody,¡± Mallory answered brusquely. ¡°Wait a moment, aren¡¯t you...¡± the Mayor began. ¡°Nobody,¡± Ridley finished for him, walking towards the group. ¡°Tell me, is the system being used here the Dragon Egg 17.9 charm package?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± one of the Elves snorted behind Venollix. ¡°The Dragon Egg 17.9 has been obsolete for at least five weeks now!¡± ¡°I''m surprised he even remembers it,¡± another Elf muttered. ¡°Of course how silly of me, then it had the full evisceration scripts and detection of all corporeal forms?¡± ¡°The most powerful of Elf charms and magicks protect this place,¡± Venollix said. Somehow he had found a few inches of height to stand even taller. ¡°And for a nominal one time fee it came with a free update of the blood and viscera rinsing mechanism,¡± another Elf chimed in. Cap''n Mallory opened his mouth then shut it again, he had been waiting for a chance to interrupt; he just had to find a part of the conversation that didn¡¯t sound like complete gibberish to him. ¡°So in essence this new unbreakable security system is even more unbreakable than the last?¡± Ridley said. ¡°The most unbreakable!¡± ¡°Then how was it broken into?¡± The conversation stopped dead as safe maker faced crime solver, each eyed the other suspiciously, waiting to see where the buck landed. The first Elf who had been hastily flicking through the heavy tome of agreements and licences, using a second Elf as a table, made a small noise of eureka and pushed the manuscript under their collective noses. ¡°See here, section 100004, paragraph 809 line 777, Appelaxium cannot be held responsible...¡± ¡°Shove yer jargon,¡± the Cap''n barked. ¡°We''re not going to find this hunk of rock standing here exercising our jaws.¡± ¡°The Captain is quite right. Mr. Venollix you can see for yourself my best men and err... woman are on the case. Pixie!¡± The Mayor clicked his fingers and then looked around in confusion. ¡°Where have the Pixies gone?¡± ¡°Oh the uzual crew have not arrived this morning,¡± De Woolf said, wringing his hands nervously. ¡°You zee it iz all the dizruption¡­¡± ¡°Not the bloody Pixie disruption again!¡± Mallory growled. ¡°Walthram!¡± ¡°Yes Cap¡¯n?¡± ¡°Take Mr. Venollix''s party back up to where the air is fresher and call for their carriage,¡± The Mayor instructed Wathram before turning back to the Elves. ¡°Mr. Vennolix if you would ascend and I will be but a moment behind you. I must have a quiet word with my officers.¡± ¡°May I suggest, Mayor Pleasently, that it is somewhat more than a simple quiet word.¡± The Elf turned, giving the Mayor his back. ¡°Some members of the council, may perhaps, see this robbery and the manner of the subsequent handling of said robbery, as an act of infringement upon the accord of our two cities.¡± ¡°Possibly,¡± added the Elf with the tome quickly. ¡°Or even, as an act of hostility.¡± With that he clicked his heels and made off after the lumbering troll. Mayor Pleasently waited for them to exit the vault before turning to the Cap''n, the disarming look of idiotic pandering had disappeared from his face, to be replaced by a distant and, somewhat disconnected, intelligence. ¡°Mallory it is not looking good, not at all¡± ¡°Elves looked ruffled,¡± Mallory said, unable to keep the pleasure that gave him from his voice. ¡°Wise up Mallory!¡± the Mayor snapped. ¡°We''re up to our necks in it,¡± and to emphasise this he flapped a flabby finger around his buttery neck. ¡°The Elves take these things to heart, plus that bloody gem of theirs seems to be rather precious.¡± ¡°Precious enough to go to war over? Or just throw their weight around?¡± Nairo asked. The Mayor looked at her as if appraising her for the first time. ¡°Either way will not be good for us, miss...?¡± ¡°Sergeant Nairo, sir.¡± ¡°Nairo, yes. Handled yourself well there Miss Nairo, splendid under fire and all that. But with the Elves tightening their own borders, The Gnomes swallowing up everything North of the White Mountains, and the bloody United Goblin Tribe trying to declare war on anything that casts a shadow, we need our relationship with the Elves more than ever. No offence of course,¡± The Mayor added with a nod to Zimeon, who, as a banker, had heard far worse and merely shrugged in return. Mallory, who had no head for politics, certainly knew one thing, he didn¡¯t like Goblins, but he also had no love for Elves. Or the Mayor. ¡°Aye, we''ll find yer Diamond, Sergeant Nairo here was handpicked by meself, sharp as a bloodhound.¡± The Cap''n cracked a rare smile and gave his Sergeant a pat on the back. A pat that floored most officers. Nairo merely gave a practised wince and remained at attention. ¡°Good good, no mistakes, whatever you need Mallory, you get the job done. Come Mr. De Woolf, I expect you''ll be needing your cheque book.¡± He led the hobgoblin by the elbow out of the vault. Mallory turned to Nairo. ¡°Right, well you heard him, The Elves want results, Mayor wants results and I want results, so you best get out there and get us some damn results.¡± ¡°Aye aye, Captain,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I''ll get back out there and keep canvassing for anything suspicious.¡± ¡°No Sergeant, I need you to do something that¡¯s actually important,¡± the Cap''n said. ¡°And where do you think you''re going?¡± Ridley stopped mid escape and shrugged at the Cap''n. ¡°Oh you know, PI stuff, got that missing persons to find.¡± ¡°Oh and why do I have a feeling your missing person is gonna take you down the same path as my missing Diamond?¡± The Cap''n wagged a suspicious finger at the reticent PI. ¡°I just follow the clues, Cap, where they take me I don¡¯t decide.¡± ¡°And I guess if you were to stumble upon a thread that unravelled my case...?¡± ¡°Well I''d have to give that thread a pull.¡± Ridley eyed the Cap''n to see where the Dwarf was going. ¡°Well then Ridley give that string a pull and find me my damn Diamond, before we have a much bigger problem on our hands.¡± ¡°See what I can do Cap¡¯n.¡± ¡°Sergeant!¡± ¡°Yes Cap¡¯n?¡± ¡°You are to run the investigation which shall lead to the recovery of the Diamond, in which Ridley will run his own investigation as to finding his missing person. Any sharing of information and or strategy are wholly unofficial and will not come back to bite me in my rocky backside. Got it?¡± He squinted heavily at both of them, this level of double talk was giving him a headache. ¡°I don¡¯t need a sidekick Cap¡¯n,¡± Ridley grunted, barely giving Sergeant Nairo a look. ¡°With all due respect Mr. Ridley, I believe I''m looking for a Diamond of international importance, and you are searching for a missing person. If anybody is a sidekick, it is not me," Sergeant Nairo said, trying to hide the ghost of a smile when the Cap''n burst out laughing in Ridley''s unamused face. ¡°Told yer she''s sharp.¡± Chapter 3 ??3 ¡°What time did you say the Bank was robbed?¡± ¡°Between 1:30 am and 5 am,¡± Nairo replied as they walked through a gabble of counter Gnomes who had turned up to work with nothing to count and a whole lot of complaints to lodge. ¡°Aint a single clue in that vault, so the clue has to be out here,¡± Ridley said as he patted down his long coat looking for a smoke. Nairo dodged a stricken Pixie who was sitting cradling its head in its hands and muttering to itself. She stopped to look at the worrying sight but Ridley kept on striding forwards. ¡°Why''s that?¡± Nairo asked him as she trotted to catch up. ¡°Coz there wasn¡¯t a single clue inside the vault and there''s always clues. In thousands of years criminals ain¡¯t come up with the perfect crime. If they had they''d be doing it all the time. Right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°So if the clue ain''t in there, it must be out here, right?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Nairo agreed, ¡°So which way?¡± ¡°Right. No left.¡± Ridley hopped off the pavement, into the seething stream of bodies in the early morning up town rush. Peddlers, commuters, and commuting peddlers overflowed from the pavement onto the cobbled roads. Ridley slipped in and out of the crush, weaving his way with the experienced roll of the shoulder any self respecting city dweller should have. Sergeant Nairo found this wholly unnecessary as she was given the same berth as a shark in a school of fish. The crowd widened around her, a few nodded, most kept their back hunched and their speed inconspicuous. Ridley posted up on a corner by a lamppost and surveyed the streets around him. ¡°Earthquakes in Ling! Thousands of refugees pouring into the city! Read all about it! Mayor Pleasently facing back bench, front bench, and opposition bench revolts as food shortages worsen!¡± A young, grubby faced boy in a shabby green coat and matching hat squawked while brandishing a crumpled newspaper. ¡°Hey mister, only a copper piece!¡± ¡°No thanks. I prefer to get my lies face to face,¡± Ridley responded, shooing the youth away. ¡°I¡¯m old school like that.¡± The boy looked around and then sidled closer to Ridley. ¡°I got a line on some fresh produce coming into town. Green and crispy. Might even be some carrots that ain¡¯t gone brown yet,¡± he whispered. ¡°I bet the only thing green and crispy are the insects it''s infested with. Get lost, kid.¡± The youth opened his mouth to curse at Ridley when he saw Nairo approaching. He tugged his hat at her and melted away into the crowd. ¡°When was the last time anyone saw the Diamond?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°It was placed in the vault by the bank manager at 1:30 am.¡± Nairo said as she danced around an old Gnome matron who was carrying another Gnome on her head in a basket. ¡°So the only thing open would have been Royle Cafe.¡± Ridley traced the line of sight down an alleyway, and proceeded to slip away from the mainstream of the populace. Nairo followed curiously. ¡°We have already canvassed this entire area, questioned every vendor and beggar, they saw nothing, and I''m reasonably sure only half were lying.¡± ¡°Better to ask one person the right question than a whole bunch of people the wrong ones,¡± Ridley replied over his shoulder as he weaved his way through the criss-crossing alleys of the city. Every now and again he would kick the odd lump of rotting trash, or sniff at a questionable corner. ¡°Err... are you ok?¡± Nairo asked, concern in her voice. Ridley puffed his smoke and scratched his stubbly chin. He ignored Nairo and continued to splash through the murky puddles, and other questionable liquids, his coat flapping in the cold morning wind. Finally he stopped and began to stare at a pile of festering fish heads and other assorted abandoned foodstuffs. The staring contest went on for a good few minutes before the pile began to wriggle. First she thought they were rats, then one particular large rat, then after a few seconds of shifting, Nairo found herself staring at a face made out of garbage. A long hooked nose protruded the trash heap, with skin so crusty she could not fathom what colour it had been, or even what it was currently. The lips on the face peeled back, or at least the place she assumed it''s lips would be, and revealed a row of teeth so decayed they wiggled when it spoke. ¡°Ridleeeeeeeyyyyy!¡± the trash face squealed, it wriggled until its beard came loose, bin juice oozing from every bristle. ¡°You''re a hard... thing to find these days, Oz,¡± Ridley said, taking a few surreptitious steps back from the seeping puddle of ooze. The trash creature narrowed its wild, jaundice stricken eyes at Ridley. ¡°No,¡± it spat irritably. ¡°You dunno what I''m gonna say, Oz.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°You owe me one,¡± Ridley said as he stooped down and wagged a finger in the trash creature''s face. ¡°You owe me one!¡± Oz squealed indignantly, a decayed limb burst out of the trash pile and a bony fist shook at Ridley. ¡°How¡¯d you figure that!?¡± Ridley snapped. ¡°That debacle with that herd of cows in the King¡¯s Square!¡± The fist wagged harder. ¡°No no, coz remember I got you out of that jam after.¡± ¡°Which jam?¡± ¡°When you got tossed into the bin carriage and nearly got your mangy bones incinerated!¡± ¡°That''s not a favour! That''s civic duty,¡± Oz said, waving a dismissive claw and splashing garbage juice across the cobbles. ¡°Ha, civic duty would have been to let ¡®em burn you,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Almost did. It was only the thought of the smell afterwards that stopped me.¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Nairo watched this verbal tennis match back and forth whilst she tried to breath through her mouth as much as possible.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Beg pardon,¡± she said and cleared her throat. ¡°I''m not sure if this is part of your interrogation strategy, but the trail grows colder while you two argue.¡± Ridley flicked his dog-ended smoke and magicked another one, lighting it while muttering a curse under his breath. ¡°I heard that!¡± the trash creature cried, his crusty claw scuttling out and snatching up Ridley¡¯s dog end, and popping it into his mouth like a mint. ¡°Fine! We''ll call it me owing you one,¡± Ridley conceded, as he tapped his shabby loafer on the cobbles impatiently. ¡°Good. Last thing I expected this mornin'' was to wake up to a PI and a lady copper at my heap!¡± ¡°Yeah, well something big has gone down¡­¡± ¡°A burglary in the bank district,¡± Nairo interjected, making sure to give the ''official'' line on the situation. ¡°Oooooh, juicy, please tell me it was sumfin Elvish wot got nicked.¡± ¡°What makes you think it was Elvish?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Dunno. First expensive fing I could think of. Ooh, maybe those new communication scrolls they bring out every other month. It''s all the same garbage you know, I know, I should know, get enough of ¡®em in my Heaps.¡± ¡°Something was stolen that we need to get back, Mr. Oz, was it?¡± ¡°Corr, she''s polite ain''t she. You could learn a lesson Ridley.¡± Oz ignored Ridley''s sullen curses and continued. ¡°But what do you want with me? I ain''t seen nuffin, heard nuffin, said nuffin, stole nuffin, planned nuffin, done nuffin, and know nuffin.¡± ¡°We just need to ask you a few questions Mr. Oz,¡± Nairo said, her little notepad already in her hand with a matching miniature pencil, ready to begin. ¡°You still pilfering fish heads from the Heap outside Monterry''s fish mongers?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Yessir. S¡¯not illegal, anything thrown into the Heap is public domain,¡± Oz replied, narrowing his beady, crusted up eyes. ¡°Damn, and there I was hoping to collar you for the great cod head caper. That would have been a real feather in my cap,¡± Ridley said, rolling his eyes. ¡°No need to be snarky.¡± ¡°The fishmongers don¡¯t close until midnight, right Sarge?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yes I believe so.¡± ¡°And the bank was robbed at some time between 1 and 5am. Only place open at that time is The Royle Cafe, which has an uninterrupted eye sight from the Heaps outside Monterry''s, right Oz?¡± Ridley deduced, hands stuffed in his pockets as he bounced on his heels. ¡°And of course Oz the Bin Demon recognizes a face in every part of the city.¡± ¡°That''s a fact,¡± the little trash monster beamed with pride as he replied. ¡°I know all of them and they all know me!¡± ¡°But you only know scumbags and degenerates like your good self.¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± The note of pride had not disappeared. ¡°So what would a filthy degenerate be doing in one of the swankiest parts of town at midnight, other than raiding fish bins?¡± Ridley leaned closer, well as close as he could bear, to Oz. ¡°Oh ummm... well no, you see, I didn¡¯t see no one that night.¡± ¡°But you can''t go to a place without recognising a face.¡± Ridley had adopted that wheedling tone of voice one uses when both parties know the truth but one is unwilling to admit to it. Oz, being a veteran of the city streets himself, opted for a tried and true method when dealing with an investigative authority: belligerence. ¡°Get lost with yer questions, Ridley!¡± ¡°Who''d you see, Oz.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t a rat!¡± ¡°No, you just eat their droppings. Who did you see crusty?¡± ¡°Shove it!¡± ¡°Oz, I''m warning you...¡± ¡°Shove it up your aged mother''s...¡± Ridley, who had been quietly pulling on a pair of leather gloves while they were talking, lunged into the pile and grabbed a fistful of the demon''s soppy beard. Oz tried to retreat into his Heap but Ridley was quicker. ¡°Oii! Gerroff!¡± Oz kicked and squealed as Ridley hauled him from the Heap. Extracting him was difficult, it was almost as if the trash was alive and actively wrapping itself around the demon''s scrawny yellowed limbs. Nairo felt her head swim as a fresh wave of smell and squelching noises hit her. With a sucking plop sound and a fresh cascade of pus like ooze, Oz was wrenched free. Ridley grabbed an abandoned fish head with the backbone still attached and brandished it at the sopping creature. ¡°Don¡¯t make this any more disgusting than it already is!¡± He slapped Oz across the face with the fish. ¡°Ahh assault! Brutality!¡± Oz cried, his little wet body dripped a yellow green liquid, too thick to be just water. He could not have been three feet, his entire scrawny frame was being held up by Ridley with one hand while he shook and berated Oz with the fish in the other. ¡°Who did ya see Oz!?¡± He slapped him again, this time harder and accompanied it with some more vigorous shaking. ¡°Enough!¡± Nairo grabbed a fistful of Ridley''s coat and slammed him against the wall, his arm wrenched none too gently behind his back. Oz fell to the floor with a wet squelch and he slithered back to the safety of his Heap. ¡°Wah! What''re you doing!?¡± Bemusement took the steely edge that Ridley''s voice usually carried and replaced it with pained confusion. ¡°Battery and assault with... with dead marine life,¡± she responded calmly. ¡°The offices of upholding law and order do not look kindly on police brutality.¡± ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°1266, such forceful interrogation tactics were outlawed, and as a sworn official of the peace, I will not stand idly by while you brutalise a member of the public.¡± Ridley squirmed against her for a few moments, then realised the woman had a grip like a lion with a haunch of zebra in its mouth, and relented. ¡°Ok, ok, I''m easy.¡± Nairo let go of Ridley and stepped away from him as he spun around and realigned his jacket, his pride a little sorer than his shoulder. Oz snickered from within the depths of his Heap. ¡°Stupid horse faced pig,¡± he hissed at Ridley. Nairo held up a hand to Ridley and then knelt in front of Oz''s Heap. ¡°Mr. Oz, now you are going to deal with me, is that okay? I am Sergeant Nairo of the Valderia police and I have been tasked with a mission of the utmost importance. I''m afraid, unless you tell us what we want to know, I''m going to have to cite you for obstructing the course of justice.¡± ¡°Ooooh laa dee daa, I''m quaking in me banana peels,¡± he retorted nastily. ¡°Well you should be sir, under the better citizenry Act of 1378: Any citizen of the City¡¯s municipalities seen to be ludicrously-slash-offensively dirty will be subjected to a mandatory hosing down and scrubbing in the HQ gaol.¡± ¡°What? Mandatory hosing?¡± Oz¡¯s tone had gone from nasty to frightened. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the scrubbing,¡± Ridley added. ¡°But I''m a trash demon, you can''t wash me! That''s... that''s... speciest!¡± Oz yelped, his whole Heap practically quivering. ¡°Well do you have any documentation attesting to your official status as a trash demon,¡± she asked with the most pleasant of tones, familiar of the one a secretary would use when answering communication scrolls. ¡°Documentation? Look at me, woman! I live in a damn trash heap!¡± ¡°All I see, sir, is an isolated anti-social member of society, in desperate need of governmental intervention in order to become a reformed and healthy member of said society.¡± She finished with another pleasant smile. Oz did not understand most of that sentence, but it contained all his least favourite words. ¡°Should have left Ridley to beat me with the fish, woulda been more humane,¡± he muttered glumly. ¡°Couldn''t agree more,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Now tell us who you saw before we have to get soap involved.¡± Oz cringed at the word and held a hand up from his Heap in supplication. ¡°No soap, please, I''ll tell ya.¡± His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°But you didn¡¯t hear this from me Ridley.¡± ¡°Never do.¡± ¡°No! I''m serious this time Ridley, these is nasty people and I have to sleep out here on these streets every night, understand?¡± Nairo and Ridley exchanged a look, before they both nodded their agreement. ¡°Was Benny Two Coats,¡± he said. ¡°Saw him like four nights in a row just sitting in the cafe for hours, watching. Subtlety ain¡¯t his strong point, everyone from here to Bakers Alley knew he was casing sumfin.¡± ¡°Benny Two Coats? One of Uncle Sam''s heavies?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Aye.¡± Ridley mulled this new piece of information over in his mind before he nodded. ¡°You''ve been most helpful Oz, shame you can¡¯t be more forthcoming. As much fun as the dramatics are, they¡¯re bloody time consuming.¡± Ridley turned and began to walk back down to the main road. ¡°Yer Yer, PI!¡± he called after them. ¡°You can shove it, Ridley! And remember you owe me one!¡± ¡°Goodbye Mr. Oz thank you for your help.¡± ¡°Ta ta Sargent.¡± Chapter 4 ??4 ¡°So you were saying,?¡± Nairo asked as she took a deep greasy bite of the fried turnip Ridley had convinced her to buy. ¡°So... there was four of ''em,¡± Ridley replied through a thick mouthful of bread and mushy turnip. ¡°Chased ''em down Furley Street, through a couple alleys, then BANG!¡± He slammed his fist on the mouldy window sill. ¡°Two big Trolls come from the left, one of ¡®em swung a tree at me.¡± ¡°A whole tree?¡± ¡°Might as well have been. But I saw it coming, so I duck with the agility of a mountain goat and...¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Nairo snapped up and peered through the blinds at the corner they had been watching all morning. Ridley followed her eye line, leaning forward eagerly, the skin on his face tightened, drawing back like a wolf with a scent. He then tutted loudly and slumped back in his seat. ¡°Looks like Brown Back Ahmed unloading.¡± ¡°That looks like talisman silk, and that looks like Muskphant teeth! Those are contraband!¡± She looked at Ridley and frowned at his disinterest. ¡°That is a serious violation of the Trade Embargo with the Rebel Goblin Tribes.¡± Her scowl deepened at Ridley''s laconic shrug. She took her notepad out and licked her pencil. ¡°What did you say his name was?¡± ¡°Easy there... Nancy notepad, we''re here for a specific crime.¡± ¡°As an officer of the law, I cannot knowingly allow criminal acts to...¡± Ridley held up his hand before she got a full head of steam going. ¡°This is a stakeout, an undercover stakeout, if you''re gonna harass every half baked scoundrel with a trunk full of dodgy teapots on the dock, then the Cap''n might as well wave bye bye to his Diamond.¡± Ridley scrunched up his empty wrapper and threw it on the floor, belching loudly. ¡°So anyway the Troll swung this tree at me¡­¡± ¡°Let me guess, you survived?¡± Nairo asked, not bothering to hide her disinterest at Ridley¡¯s ludicrous tales. ¡°No need to get sarcy,¡± Ridley muttered. Nairo scanned the dockyard in front of her, watching as a rabble formed around an incoming boat. The stevedores showed typical dockside democracy and began to wail on one another over who got to unload the ship and who got paid, the one with the most blood and teeth still in him invariably won. They fell into silence watching the endless ant like scurrying on the docks before them as men broke their backs keeping the economy of the city pumping night and day. The steady drip of a loose faucet in the dilapidated flat sounded like a metronome of deprivation counting the pass of seemingly endless hours. The slumlord they had rented the flat from, a swollen Goblin with a remarkably pronounced lisp, had asked no questions of the odd pair when he saw the shine of their gold, grinning lasciviously as he showed them the mouldy hole he called a flat. ¡°Do people really live in these?¡± Nairo had asked when they entered. ¡°Better than a street corner,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Try not to touch too much,¡± he added. That had been nearly four hours ago. Since then, Nairo and Ridley had sat, argued, ate, and watched the daily toils of dockers, stevedores, criminals, and sailors etched out before them. ¡°I''ve seen at least a century worth of gaol time happening on these docks in one morning, and you still haven¡¯t seen this Benny Two Coats?¡± ¡°Nope. Probably coz I''m not looking for Benny.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Benny''s a big time heavy.¡± Ridley let rip another loud, greasy burp. ¡°If he did rob the bank then the last place you''ll catch him is on the street. And even if he didn¡¯t do the deed, he was casing someplace, and criminals are like rats, they always got a hole to scurry into. So, either way, Benny ain¡¯t on the streets.¡± ¡°So where is he?¡± ¡°Laying low, could be in one of a hundred places, this city''s got more rat holes than... than...¡± ¡°A cheese factory?¡± ¡°Bit cliched¡­ but it''ll do.¡± ¡°So how do we find him?¡± ¡°Follow the breadcrumbs. All we need to do now is find the right thread to start unravelling Benny''s trail.¡± ¡°Now you''re mixing metaphors.¡± ¡°I''m not wrong though... hold on a minute.¡± Ridley leapt up onto the table on his hands and knees, and peered through the blinds.. ¡°If I''m not mistaken that fine example of interbred dogs down there is Mozlak.¡± ¡°Mozlak?¡± ¡°Low level counterfeiter, runs a bank cheque scam for Uncle Sam¡¯s Kith. He uses the imported paper that only the Gov are s¡¯posed to be able to get hold of, and that can only be brought in via the docks.¡± He hopped off the desk and gathered a few items. ¡°Quick before the worm slips away.¡± They stormed out of the apartment and raced down the rotten staircase, peeling out into the daylight. Ridley slowed his pace and adopted the casual s Troll of a man with nothing on his to do list. Nairo found the change of pace difficult, her police sensibilities dictated a chase rather than a prowl. Ridley swam in and out of the current of people, never raising his eyes, but still somehow keeping the counterfeiter in perfect view. Nairo scanned the little man, he appeared to be a dwarf but with no beard. He had a cherubic face with round cheeks and a swollen chin. A few bags exchanged hands between him and a sailor, then the dwarf slipped away. Ridley neatly side stepped and fell into a matching pace with their prey. Nairo struggled to keep the counterfeiter and Ridley in sight whilst avoiding the milling mass of bodies. The steaming smell of curry wafted around her, while the noises of cursing sailors filled the air. A nymph of some foreign variety sat on an oozing pile of fresh fish, and hawked her prices in a thin reedy voice. Ridley had shifted the angle of his pursuit again. The chase meandered back and forth through the curved alleys of the city. Slowly they left the noise and smell of the docks behind and ripped straight through the garment district. As they reached Ink Row, the Dwarf slipped into a shop with stained glass windows. Ridley came to a stop down the road and lit a smoke, while hunching into the collars of his coat. ¡°What if he goes out the back?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Ain¡¯t him we''re following anymore,¡± Ridley said, his eyes never leaving the storefront. ¡°Remember, we''re following the loaf not the crumbs.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°What?¡± Ridley did not bother to reply. He took off again, his coat flapping in the breeze as he had apparently picked up the sight of his next target. This time it seemed to be a wandering tree limb in a poorly tailored suit. He was more difficult to follow as he cut an unmatchable swathe through pedestrians. Ridley however didn¡¯t seem to have a problem as he slipped in and out, with a duck of the shoulder here, and a smart sidestep there, he kept pace easily. The tree limb again disappeared into a shady looking shop and again Ridley calmly waited. Nairo did not like it. Officers should never be on such a pursuit without backup, let alone in the company of a PI with questionable loyalty. Ridley set off without warning. This criss-crossing game of follow the criminal continued for almost an hour, including two near drownings as their prey hopped on various boats and shuttles around the city. Ridley was tireless in his pursuit. As the game wore on, he seemed able to guess where their mark was going, taking several abrupt turns and dips through alleys and side streets, only to come out again only a few steps behind. They had since left the tree limb and had begun shadowing a large grey Troll with a knotted lump for a head and round, slumped shoulders. Ridley held back and fell into step with Nairo. ¡°Recognise where we are?¡± ¡°Spinelli Walk. Rough part of town, officers are advised to never come alone... or at all if it could be helped.¡± ¡°Coppers aren''t too welcome here, so dial it down.¡± Ridley had the remarkable ability of talking out of the side of his mouth with perfect enunciation. He kept his chin low, his small mouth hidden behind the raised lapels of his jacket, not a single syllable could be seen or heard by anyone other than Nairo. ¡°I was not aware I had it dialled up,¡± Nairo said, trying to mimic Ridley''s hunched shuffle. ¡°All the way up sister, and I haven¡¯t been stabbed once this decade, let''s try to keep it that way.¡± ¡°Can''t imagine why anyone would want to stab you,¡± Nairo muttered. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh look he''s stopped.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The Troll,¡± Nairo nodded her head towards the barn-sized back of the Troll. He had pulled up outside a dreary looking pub. It was one of those ancient watering holes that seemed to be swallowing itself. Its sagged visage all peels and cracks. The glass had an inch layer of grime and less desirable fluids, even the cobbles that paved the street outside the pub were infected by its cancerous age. The Troll squeezed in through the panelled door, the whole pub sagging inwards under his weight. Ridley gave a deep tired sigh. ¡°Should have had breakfast before I left the office,¡± he muttered to himself. Nairo decided to take charge and walked off ahead of Ridley. ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s get this done with.¡± Nairo walked up to the pub with Ridley hot on her heels, already shaking his head and muttering curses. The heavy atmosphere of the pub drowned them as soon as they stepped through the doors. So thick with bodily expulsions and smoke fumes that the cloud of noxious gas was almost physical. Ridley slowed down and ambled towards the battered beer drowned bar. The carpet was so wet it had become spongy, and made a sucking noise with every step. The inside of the pub somehow limboed beneath the already exceptionally low bar the outside and had set. Decay was apparent in not only the furniture but also the clientele. Each one had the sad droop of a person nursing a warm pint on a weekday afternoon, all knew better than to acknowledge each other, their eyes firmly lost in their foaming depression. This was one of those pubs where it was better not to know the local faces. Ridley slid on to a barstool with a practised hop and smartly rapped his knuckles on the bar top. Nairo sat beside him, trying her best to keep the dial low as possible. A little knee high Gnome with an apron waddled out from the back. He waved his hand and waddled his way up a step ladder to the bar. ¡°Ridley! Heard you was dead!¡± ¡°Hope you didn¡¯t get too sad, Carl¡± Ridley said as he hunched his shoulders around a smoke. ¡°Sad? I was almost in tears,¡± Carl had an odd clacking way of talking like a puppet without a ventriloquist. ¡°Size of your tab! I was gonna dig ya up and sell your bits till your debts paid.¡± There was not a hint of mirth on the Gnome¡¯s little face as he said this. ¡°This what you call hospitality then?¡± Ridley snapped. ¡°Gimme a drink.¡± ¡°Not till you pay yer tab Ridley.¡± Carl narrowed his beady little black eyes at Ridley. ¡°Alright alright you blood sucker,¡± Ridley reached into his pocket and pulled out a jingling bag of coins. Carl''s eyes lit up, his fat little body jigged at the sound. Ridley didn¡¯t either bother counting it, he slapped it down on the bar and grunted, ¡°drink.¡± Carl hopped off the step ladder and busily began getting their glasses. ¡°So what''s got ya scent today Rid?¡± Carl asked with that voice bartender''s perfected for small talk. ¡°Missing persons,¡± Ridley responded, half paying attention as he watched the back door he knew the Troll had gone through. ¡°Always turn up in the last place ya look,¡± Carl said matter of factly as he slammed two small glasses of poisonous looking green liquid in front of them. ¡°Cant say I''m looking too hard,¡± Ridley said as he licked his lips and got ready to down the drink. There was a clatter and a crash of broken glass from behind them. Nairo flinched and spun round ready for danger. A Pixie stood there making apologetic noises as it tried to mop up spilled beer with its apron. ¡°Bloody Pixie!¡± Carl snapped as he waved his hands in anger. ¡°Sorry sirs,¡± the Pixie whimpered, its eyes swam in to focus with an agitated twitch. ¡°Go help it!¡± Carl barked at another Pixie who had been happily polishing all the taps behind the bar. The Pixie floated slowly away at Carl''s order, unhurried by the clamour. ¡°Good help hard to find, eh Carl?¡± Ridley asked, as poured another drink while Carl was shouting at the Pixies. ¡°Ughhh, don¡¯t! Would you believe all my regular Pixies have gone missing, think someone nicked ¡®em!¡± ¡°Shocking,¡± Ridley muttered, barely paying attention. ¡°Next thing you know you''ll be having to nail down the coasters. Tell me Carl, that big ugly fella that stepped through the back there, anything I should know?¡± ¡°Other than to leave well alone.¡± Carl gave Ridley another beady eyed glare. ¡°Let¡¯s say it¡¯s too late for that.¡± ¡°What yer wanna go rustle that bush for?¡± Ridley gave a shrug. ¡°Sometimes a bush needs rustling.¡± ¡°And you gotta be the one to rustle it.¡± ¡°Well it won''t rustle itself.¡± Nairo watched the back and forth, getting the distinct impression that this is what passed for witty repartee in the lower side of town. Carl flicked his little black button eyes to the door then leaned forward. ¡°Now mind, you didn¡¯t hear it from me,¡± he said. ¡°Never do,¡± Ridley replied, drink paused on its way to his lips. ¡°He''s one of Uncle Sam''s goons,¡± Carl muttered, his lips set in a thin line of disapproval. ¡°And that bag he''s holding, where¡¯s that going?¡± Carl licked his lips, his eyes flicking to the door leading to the back rooms. ¡°Nasty one there Ridley. I¡¯m warning ya¡­¡± ¡°Consider me warned,¡± Ridley said, waving Carl on. ¡°He¡¯s a new lad in the city, come over from the deserts,¡± Carl leaned forward and hissed. ¡°A Minotaur.¡± Ridley''s eyes widened a touch at that and he exchanged a look with Nairo. ¡°And this Minotaur¡­¡± ¡°Shh!¡± Carl hissed, looking around the room for anyone listening. ¡°This Minotaur,¡± Ridley whispered. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t happen to know the whereabouts of a reptile with more than one garment of outer wear?¡± Ridley had leant forward to match Carl''s conspiratorial manor. ¡°Who?¡± Nairo had begun to fear that Ridley in fact was not an idiot savant, more of a run of the mill idiot. ¡°Benny Two Coats,¡± Nairo interjected. ¡°Oh, learn to talk right, Ridley.¡± But Ridley was no longer listening, even though his eyes had not moved, his focus had turned to all around him. His ears pricked, his chin held low, as the buzz of conversation switched frequency, and this new station was far more menacing. He could practically hear the swivel of narrow, bloodshot eyes, hands and claws as they dropped beneath tables, glasses being emptied and gripped like rocks. There was a shift in the gradient behind, the soggy carpet squelched and conversation had all but stopped. Carl looked between the pair, his eyes slowly rolled up... and up till they hovered at least two feet above Ridley''s head, his mouth flapped nervously. A fist and arm the size of a man¡¯s leg slammed down on the bar between Nairo and Ridley. Nairo couldn''t help but study the arm, it was a cement grey with muscles that looked like they had been carved from a particularly muscular rock. Even the knuckles were viscously horned and the badly healed scar tissue around them told Nairo they weren¡¯t just there for vanity. ¡°Not nice to go round talkin'' behind a fella''s back.¡± Chapter 5 5 Nairo had stiffened but, to her credit, in Ridley''s book, she looked unperturbed. Slowly, Ridley swivelled on his stool and faced the bulk behind the fist. He found himself looking at two furry grey boulders. He lifted his head back and squinted at the misshapen, lumped up, bovine face of the heavy. He had one long curved horn, the other was jagged and broken, and the outrageous scars that ran the length of his snout let Ridley know whoever did it didn¡¯t suffer from an oxygen dependency for too much longer. But his eyes were more terrifying than the scars. They were wide, almost to the point of constant derangement, and a sickly yellow colour. He had an erratic tick and a habit of blinking one eye at a time that rounded off the psychopathic motif his face had chosen. ¡°Well there''s so much of yer back I couldn''t help it.¡± Ridley offered a weak smile and half a shrug. ¡°That''s funny,¡± the Minotaur snorted, his left eye closed, opened, then the right one twitched shut. ¡°You wanna see how funny you''ll look smiling with no teef.¡± He raised his meaty fist, Nairo drew a sharp breath, ready to jump, Ridley winced in anticipation, then there was the heavy thunk of a safety latch being released.. ¡°Now now Bull, I don¡¯t want no trouble in ''ere.¡± The plump little Gnome suddenly looked far more menacing with a crossbow in his hands. ¡°Just had the chandeliers cleaned,¡± he offered as an apology. The tension in the room had reached breaking point. The second someone pulled a weapon things would either peter out in a cloud of awkward shuffling and muttered oaths of vengeance, or they exploded. ¡°Put it away Carl,¡± the Bull grunted. He hadn¡¯t lowered his fist, but neither had he turned Ridley''s dentures to dust. ¡°Yeah put it away Carl,¡± Ridley said, not entirely confident in the way the crossbow shook in Carl¡¯s sweaty hands. ¡°No, I will not put it away, and don¡¯t move or I''ll shoot,¡± he squawked. Out of the corner of his eye Ridley saw Nairo¡¯s chest puff up and a look of righteous indignation cross her face. Before he could stop her, she stood up and turned to Carl. ¡°I am Sergeant Nairo of the ___ Police Department. Carl that is a Class Two prohibited firearm and concealment of such a weapon is not only illegal but highly frowned upon.¡± She shook her head in disappointment at Carl''s behaviour before rounding on The Bull. ¡°And as for you...¡± Ridley gave a silent inward groan and closed his eyes, enjoying the final seconds of peace before pandemonium broke out. ¡°Youse a copper?¡± the Bull said as he cocked his massive head in confusion. ¡°You bought a copper in here Ridley?¡± Carl almost fell off his perch. ¡°A copper?¡± said an incredulous voice from the back of the room. ¡°Wasn''t me!¡± cried another suddenly. ¡°Is this a set up!?¡± The Bull growled, taking a menacing step towards Ridley. ¡°I''m innocent!¡± The cries were getting rowdier. ¡°Bloody pig!¡± ¡°Oi what you got against pigs?¡± ¡°I''m innocent!¡± barked another. ¡° ''E did it!¡± ¡°Oi no I didn¡¯t!¡± That was it. The tinkling smash of glass. The universal sign that civility had gone out the window, along with a saggy gnome. Ridley was unsure what hit him first, The Bull or the bartender. He heard the twang of the crossbow followed only a second later by the sick crunch of the Bull''s fist smashing into his face. At that range the crossbow bolt went straight through the fleshy part of Ridley''s shoulder, exploding out the other side straight in the Bull''s leg. Carl tumbled off his stoop with the kickback from the massive crossbow. The formerly sullen drinkers had erupted into a mass of fists, knees and broken furniture. They tumbled and smashed into one another, dissolving into a ball of cursing and violence. The punch had sent Ridley off his stool, his shoulder oozing blood as he hit the spongy carpet. He wanted to cry out in pain, but his face had frozen from the impact of the blow, his whole jaw jarred into paralysis. But Ridley hadn¡¯t lived this long in the grime by not being able to take a hit. His vision uncrossed enough for him to see the Bull roaring in pain, his ham sized fist curled around the bolt in his leg. With a snarl, he yanked it out, spraying blood across the carpet. Ridley scrambled across the carpet as the Bull advanced on him. He slipped the hand of his good arm into his coat, scrabbling for his brass knuckles. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Nairo was there first however, she stood legs akimbo protectively over Ridley''s fallen body. The Bull swatted at her, but he was slow and obvious. She ducked under his clumsy attack, let him stumble a step, then drove her knee straight into the open wound in his leg. The Bull howled as he stumbled backwards clutching at his thigh where he was swept into the general melee of brawling punters. Nairo grabbed Ridley and pulled him to his feet. He wobbled uncertainly, blood dripping from his mouth and shoulder. ¡°You alright?¡± Nairo asked him as she held him up. The Bull tried to extract himself, swinging boulder like fists at anything that twitched. Ridley pushed Nairo out of the way and charged at the Bull. ¡°You ripped my coat!¡± he howled at the Bull as he dove into the melee. In all his years Ridley had never understood the idea of fighting ''clean''. After all, once one has shown their intention to beat you to a bloody pulp, the how is somewhat superfluous. Ridley feinted to the left, then chucked a foot straight between the Bull''s leg''s before following with an elbow to his wounded thigh. Nairo came running up behind him but was caught by one of the Bull''s flailing limbs. She skittered across the pub, almost getting trampled by a pack of scuffling drinkers, around who, one defiant wino crawled across the floor shielding his pint. There was another smash of a window. The crash of furniture and flying barstools added to the crescendoing violence. When Nairo had regained her bearings and looked up, she realised it was Ridley who had been thrown through the window. The Bull hurled himself out of the remains of the glass in pursuit. Nairo jumped back to her feet hastily making for the hole in the wall. The rumble had increased by at least double its original size. She could have sworn she saw eager-faced creatures run into the pub with the express wish of partaking in some harmless, mid-morning, violence and bloodshed. She fought her way through, trying to channel her training, and use only academy approved strikes. When she stumbled outside she was met by an almost, if it wasn¡¯t for the murderous intent behind it, comical sight. The Bull was limping badly now; his wounded limb barely able to take his massive weight. Frothing at the mouth, his chest heaving, he waved a fist as he chased Ridley, who was clutching his shoulder and wandering around in circles. They both spat curses and insults at each other, Ridley stopped occasionally to aim a kick at the Bull''s family jewels. After one poorly aimed kick, Ridley stumbled and the Bull finally caught him. He grabbed him by the tail of his coat and whipped the PI round like a soaked towel. Nairo lunged in and sliced two hard strikes at The Bull''s thick neck, only succeeding in annoying him. Ridley made a wet noise as he slapped against the wall and he slid down into a heap groaning. Nairo continued to duck the Bull''s awkward one-legged lunges, luring him away from Ridley. ¡°I really must insist you desist with this behaviour, the charges against you are mounting disconcertingly high!¡± ¡°Shurrup!¡± the Bull snorted, throwing his big head left and right in fury. Nairo misstepped once, moving forward when she should have dodged back. The Bull¡¯s face contorted with predatory malice as he finally pulled the pesky copper into his clutches. Nairo wriggled and kicked at the massive Minotaur trying futilely to extricate herself. The smell of the Bull was overpowering, like a gym in a barnyard, his froth dripped onto her clothes, his grip bone crushing. ¡°I got you now, little piglet! I¡¯m gonna snap you into a little bitty piece! Turn your organs into paste!. Pop them pretty little eyes outta yore head! I''m gonna rip your face off and sew it to ya...¡± Nairo kicked out and caught him in the now dark purple arrow wound. He roared and she fought to free herself. She dug her heels into his stomach and pushed with all her strength. His grip went slack for a moment and she almost slipped free. He grabbed her by the back of her shirt and slammed her against the wall, once, twice, the third time she had stopped wriggling, the fourth was just for the satisfaction. Nairo went limp. Ridley, meanwhile, had been quietly fighting the battle to become vertical, succeeding only with the help of his former enemy the brick wall. Victorious, he stumbled forward, his body broken and unresponsive, but his mind was too stubborn for such a minor inconvenience. Ridley stumbled at the Bull, throwing a weak punch at his granite mid section while trying to pull Nairo from his crushing grip. The Bull snarled and snatched Ridley up in his free hand, lifting him off the ground, spittle dripping from his chops, his eyes bugged, swivelling insanely. ¡°I''m gonna turn youse into a meat bag sandwich and smash yer bones to...¡± ¡°Pocket Sand!¡± Ridley cried. From his pocket he flung a fistful of what looked like sand into the Bull''s eyes. The Bull snarled and hurled both of them in different directions, his rocky fingers clawed at his eyes as he spat grit out of his mouth. ¡°I''ll kill you! You puny little...¡± THUNK! The Bull''s face froze. Ridley swung the wooden beam again, grunting with all his effort through the pain of his ruined shoulder. It bounced off the Bull''s thick knotted skull, the hollow echoing ringing across the alleyway. It took two more swings before he finally crumpled to his knees. He turned his battered head towards Ridley only to get a snout full of wood. Slowly, the gargantuan beast slumped backwards, his head hit the cobbles hard enough to bounce. Ridley could barely hold his skinny, battered frame straight; the plank fell from his nerveless grip. ¡°Bullseye,¡± Ridley muttered thickly through his swollen jaw. ¡°That was terrible.¡± Nairo grimaced, her legs shaking under her weight, her face a pallid unhealthy white. Ridley didn¡¯t get a chance to respond. He collapsed next to the Bull, dark oblivion gave him respite from pain... briefly. Chapter 6 ??6 Ridley cracked his eyes, or more specifically, one eye, the other seemed to be closed for business still. Not unfamiliar with being rendered unconscious, he manually poked his immobile brain into function. The memories trickled like sludge: a few vague images of a pub, shattered glass, frightened Pixies, and a wild eyed Minotaur. The rest was left up to him to connect the dots. With a deep groan, he sat up and immediately regretted it. The change of altitude irritated both his swollen brain and his newly aerated shoulder almost equally. ¡°You''re alive... good.¡± Ridley turned his head slowly and saw Nairo sitting opposite him. They seemed to be back in Carl''s which, for sanitary reasons, Ridley wished they had left him in the alley. The place was deserted except for the stamp of heavy boots and Carl''s forlorn whimpers. He groaned as pain lanced through his shoulder and saw someone had bandaged it neatly. ¡°My handiwork,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Best I could do in the circumstances. Luckily, the bolt only clipped flesh, but I would still get it looked at.¡± ¡°Wha?¡± Ridley looked down at his shoulder and winced. ¡°Good thing a couple of the boys were coming back from... refreshments close by with the wagon. Cleared the place out like only belligerent coppers with a belly full can.¡± ¡°Wha?¡± Ridley saw a group of the traditionally blue garbed police officers, milling about helping themselves to whatever''s on tap. A few of the more unfortunate participants in the ''disturbance'' were face down in the carpet, their pockets recently emptied. Reality fed back into Ridley''s head and he slowly put the pieces together. He spat a thick mouthful of blood and phlegm on the carpet, then reached into his jacket. ¡°Where''s my coat?¡± ¡°It''s right there, I had to take it off to stop the bleeding. Oh, I''m fine by the way.¡± Ridley rolled himself on to his feet and grabbed his coat, swearing as his shoulder stabbed his brain in anger. ¡°Some... err... interesting items in there,¡± Nairo said as she stood up and stretched her battered frame. ¡°Look at this tear and that blood will be a hassle. Ms Paper¡¯s gonna give me an earful,¡± Ridley grunted, pointedly ignoring her remark. He pulled a smoke out and screwed it into the side of his mouth. ¡°Pocket sand?¡± she tried again. ¡°Worked, didn''t it?¡± he said as he shrugged on his coat. ¡°Now where''s the bovine?¡± Nairo nodded to the police wagon parked haphazardly in front of the pub. ¡°Had to sling him in the wagon, it¡¯s the only place with shackles strong enough to hold him until backup arrives.¡± Nairo didn¡¯t like the look on Ridley''s face, blood and wrath were never precursors to anything good. ¡°Hold on Ridley, you can''t...¡± But, as usual, he hadn''t waited for approval and was already limping toward the wagon. A broad, barrel chested officer stood in front of the wagon with his feet planted and his hands lightly clasped behind his back. There was nothing else this man could have been other than a copper, it was written in the way he stood, the way his blonde moustache grew, and the way his robin egg blue eyes narrowed until they became two crinkled slits of unguarded suspicion. ¡°Halt there sonny, can''t let you through I''m afraid.¡± He threw up a thick meaty hand in Ridley''s face. ¡°Hullo Sergeant.¡± ¡°Alright Charlie?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Couldn''t be better, Sarge. ''Magine our luck, stop at the Ol¡¯ Turnbull for... err... refreshments, and we get an honest to goodness pub brawl on the way back to the station!¡± Charlie bounced on his heels cheerily. His chest and shoulders were so broad they made his head look like a hat his body was wearing at a jaunty angle. ¡°''Preciate the help Charlie, things were beginning to get out of hand.¡± ¡°''Ad to take the bull by the horns did ya, marm?¡± He winked and bounced around leerily, eyes crinkling out of existence in mirth. Ridley had the feeling he had been marinating that zinger for a while now. ¡°Listen, Charlie, I need to talk to the Bull.¡± Ridley tried to walk past the copper again, only to be held up by that same meaty hand. ¡°''Fraid not lad, ''e''s in police custody now.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand, I need to talk to him.¡± ¡°Sorry boyo.¡± ¡°Listen you stuffed shirt, I need to get in there so I can beat that overgrown cow till he tells me what I need to know!¡± Ridley yelled in frustration. Charlie arched his eyebrow at Ridley before looking at Nairo. She sighed and gave a small nod. ¡°Well why didn¡¯t you say so, son?¡± Charlie stepped neatly aside and gave Nairo a quick salute. ¡°¡®Fraid I''ve come down with a sudden case of being severely mutton jeff for about the next, hmmm, five minutes?¡± ¡°I''ll only need one,¡± Ridley muttered as he threw open the wagon doors and climbed in, with an apprehensive Nairo behind him. The Bull had been trussed up with heavy enchanted iron manacles, he snuffled and flicked his tongue at his wounds, his granite muscles slack from exhaustion. A sheen of sweat glistened on his flank, even now he was still snorting heavily. The Bull growled as Ridley climbed in, baring his tombstone teeth and rattling his chains angrily.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Shut up,¡± Ridley snapped at him, as he reached into his jacket and pulled out something. ¡°Take it easy Ridley,¡± Nairo warned. Ridley wasn¡¯t listening instead he knelt down in front of the Bull and glared at him with his one good eye. ¡°You ripped my coat,¡± he said flatly. The Bull swore in return and spat at Ridley. ¡°Go on then, get a few kicks in, I aint tellin yer nuffin!¡± The Bull turned his nose up at Ridley, waiting for the first blow. He was no stranger to taking a beating whilst cuffed, and his twitchy eyes showed no fear, just the promise of vengeance should he ever be unchained. Ridley grabbed his good horn and yanked his snout to the right showing him what he had in his hand. ¡°See this? A bottle of Abu No Tongue''s finest spice extract sauce,¡± he said this with an expectant flourish. ¡°So?¡± the Bull grunted in confusion. ¡°Yer making a kebab?¡± ¡°Chilli sauce?¡± Nairo, who had been ready to grab Ridley and snap off an insightful speech about justice and honour and not kicking the crap out of cuffed suspects, stood in ready confusion. Ridley, unperturbed by their response, pulled off the cork menacingly. ¡°Oh no, the PI''s gonna make me food hot... AAAAHHHHH!!!¡± The Bull screamed, writhing and straining at his chains. Ridley stood calmly with the little innocuous bottle held above the Bull''s gaping leg wound. The bovine screams echoed around the wagon, even Charlie outside raised his eyebrows in professional admiration. ¡°Where''s Benny?¡± Ridley growled, holding firmly on to the Bull''s horn as he bucked, the wagon rocking under his might. ¡°Fuck¡­ you!¡± the Bull spat, sweat poured down his snout, froth dripping from jowls. Ridley gave a bored shrug and flicked the dark maroon liquid at the swollen wound on his hind leg. The Bull kicked and writhed, screaming threats and barely understandable curses. Ridley rode out the torrent with a bored expression. He grabbed the Bull by the horn and pulled his concrete block head till he was forced to lock eye¡¯s with the maniacal PI. ¡°Next one goes in your eye,¡± he hissed at him, already raising the bottle, gratified by the moment of fear he saw in the bovine¡¯s eyes as he watched the bottle get closer. ¡°Okay, okay, fine!¡± the Bull snarled, finally broken, his chest deflating, his massive muscles going slack again. ¡°Where is he!?¡± ¡°Ratholes, down the southside,¡± the Bull mumbled between animalistic whimpers of pain, his long tongue flicking out trying futilely to lick the dripping sweat off his snout. ¡°Gimme an address.¡± ¡°Dunno¡­ No wait I swear!¡± The Bull was practically shrieking in the way that only a distressed animal could, as Ridley began raising the little bottle again. ¡°Not good enough, Bull!¡± Ridley growled. ¡° ¡®Onestly! I swear on me mam¡¯s hooves! I was s¡¯posed to head down there in an hour, and I¡¯d meet up with the boys and pick up Benny¡¯s tribute for the boss!¡± His chest heaved with the effort of being so honest. ¡°What boys?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Some local young un¡¯s from the ¡®Oles he¡¯s got slingin¡¯ Burn and Slug.¡± ¡°Where were you gonna meet ¡®em?¡± ¡°Nowhere spiffic,¡± he grunted sullenly, and then added hastily when he saw annoyance flash across Ridley¡¯s face. ¡°Fella my size, they woulda found me soon as I wandered in.¡± Ridley considered this for a moment and must have decided he was telling the truth. ¡°See now that wasn''t so difficult, was it Bull? Dunno why you goons always gotta make things hard for yourselves.¡± He stood up and tucked the bottle away. ¡°Finished?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yup, lets get¡­¡± ¡°Good, move out of the way.¡± Nairo pushed him aside and knelt down next to the Bull, who instinctively flinched, a snarl spreading across his muzzle. ¡°You gonna get a few kicks in now, pig?¡± he spat at Nairo. ¡°Oh, be quiet.¡± She pulled a small dust caked metal tin from under the wagon¡¯s bench. ¡°What¡¯re you doing¡­¡± Ridley asked, watching her with the same bemused look as the Bull. ¡°That wound¡¯s going to fester, especially now, and knowing Charlie and his chaps you won''t be seeing medical care until you reach Darkwater,¡± she said, fastidiously tearing up a bandage, while pouring water into the wound, patiently cleaning it out. The Bull still wasn¡¯t sure what to make of her, he licked at his bruised lips, snuffling as the cool water relieved the burning sting in his leg. ¡°You¡¯re really gonna waste your time bandaging up scum like him?¡± Ridley said. ¡°He¡¯s a citizen, I¡¯m a police officer, we serve and protect.¡± She answered him quietly, pausing only to tap the spot where her badge would have been. ¡°He was tryna rip your bloody head off half hour ago!¡± Now Ridley¡¯s confusion had shifted predictably into frustration, which was in boot camp to become full blown outrage. ¡°And you tortured him while he was chained up, it¡¯s nothing personal. Is it Mr. Bull?¡± She tightened his bandage, and gave the Bull an admonishing tut when he growled at her in pain. ¡°No corse not, ma¡¯am,¡± he said, almost sounding sweet. ¡°Piss to that, I got better things to do, have fun in the big house Bull, and next time don¡¯t pick a fight with a copper, you dipshit.¡± Ridley kicked open the wagon doors and hopped out. ¡°He¡¯s right, that was foolish of you, Mr Bull.¡± She pulled the flask off her hip and poured it into the medicine box as a makeshift trough. ¡°And when you get to Darkwater, ask for Trosker, he¡¯s the physician in charge of rehabilitation, tell him you want to do some of the new skills training, pick up a trade¡­ other than bashing people¡¯s heads in.¡± She said this all matter of factly. Without waiting for a response, she stood up and gave him a small smile. ¡°Never too late to find out if you have other talents. Good luck.¡± She turned to walk out of the wagon. ¡°Wait¡­ err¡­¡± The Bull sat up, his snout dripping from the water he had been lapping at greedily. ¡°It weren¡¯t nothing pers¡¯nal, ma¡¯am.¡± He gave a half hearted shrug and had the shame to look abashed. Nairo simply nodded and hopped out of the wagon, slamming the doors shut. ¡°Sounded like you had a good talk, marm,¡± Charlie said, bouncing on his heels. Before she could reply, Ridley rounded the corner. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± he barked at her. ¡°Just cleaning up your mess, Ridley,¡± Nairo snapped, with a venom that surprised even her. ¡°Well while you play vets and robbers, I¡¯m gonna go find your boss¡¯s bloody Diamond!¡± he said, poking her in the chest, before spinning and stomping away. Charlie raised a thick eyebrow and cleared his throat surreptitiously. ¡°Want me to go after him marm? Show ¡®im just how brawny the long the arm o¡¯ the law is?¡± Nairo shook her head. ¡°Would have done so myself if I thought he would learn anything from it. Thanks for the assist anyway, Charlie.¡± ¡°Just a minute marm, Cap¡¯n¡¯s on the Comm Scroll for ya. He don¡¯t sound happy, wants you pulled in,¡± Charlie said with an apologetic shrug. ¡°And what was your reply?¡± ¡°Must have just missed her, Cap¡¯n, hot on the trail as she is and wot not.¡± His bright little eyes twinkled in the creases of his wrinkles. ¡°Appreciate it, Charlie.¡± Nairo tucked a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear, straightened her tunic and took a deep calming breath, before focusing on Ridley¡¯s retreating back. ¡°Be lucky, Marm.¡± ¡°You too, Charlie.¡± She returned his brief salute and, with hip aching and head throbbing, limped after Ridley resolutely. Chapter 7 7 Nairo caught up with Ridley just as he was flagging down a rusty looking cab. He acknowledged her presence with a sullen nod. ¡°Didn¡¯t think you were coming,¡± he grunted, favouring his good arm as he pulled himself into the cab. ¡°You¡¯re not that lucky,¡± she muttered, wincing as she followed him up the small step and into the cab. ¡°Where to, marm?¡± the Cabby asked through the little window separating him from the cab. ¡°Upper Parliament Square,¡± Ridley answered peevishly, mouth clamped around a smoke, his injured arm cradled to his chest. ¡°Righto.¡± The cabbie flicked the reins and set off. ¡°Why are we going back into the city? The Bull said¡­¡± ¡°He said he was supposed to be there in an hour,¡± Ridley said, cutting her off. ¡°And in criminal terms that means a couple hours at best, plenty of time to start throwing out some lines.¡± ¡°Lines?¡± ¡°You know¡­ lines.¡± He made a reeling gesture with his hands. ¡°Fishing for clues.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Nairo said. She was finally beginning to understand the way Ridley spoke: it was all clich¨¦s and awful metaphors. She didn''t enjoy it. ¡°So¡­ what bait are we using?¡± ¡°Bait? Why would we need bait?¡± he asked her, his smoke pausing at his lips. ¡°To fish wi¡­ never mind.¡± She waved her hand for him to continue. ¡°Gonna go speak to an old buddy of mine, time to try and get ahead of the chase, might actually be able to see the finishing line.¡± He puffed his smoke with an air of satisfaction of a metaphor well butchered. Nairo nodded and leant her head back, taking the precious time the journey gave them to rest her battered body. Quicker than she would have liked the cab began slowing down and, after a brief argument with a local traffic cop over the legality of his horse¡¯s hooves, solved only by Nairo¡¯s interjection, they pulled up at Parliament Square. ¡°Two bob if it pleases ya, sir.¡± The cabbie doffed his hat, his face disappearing into a mass of wrinkles as he smiled obsequiously. ¡°She¡¯ll take care of ya.¡± Ridley pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at Nairo as he clambered out. ¡°Of course I will,¡±Nairo muttered darkly, shrugging off the desire to push Ridley from behind into oncoming traffic. She placed two coins in the cabbie¡¯s grubby hand and offered him a small smile in gratitude. She stretched out her sore back and followed the puffs of smoke that followed behind Ridley. They had been dropped off on the Sochii Bridge just outside the Parliament building, sitting squat and corpulent on the riverfront, all white stone and finely carved pillars. The building had been the first gift from the Goblin Tribes after the city was claimed as a free city and it showed. The Goblins had a finesse for stone work that no other hand, or claw, could match. They worked with the pure white stone as if it was soft clay, sculpting the many fauna and curves the Goblins seemed to be fascinated with. The building was almost impossibly large, dwarfing everything else on the riverfront in both width and height. Usually the great carved blackoak doors were open to a constant mass of bureaucracy. The House was always teeming with the rapid activity of democracy, today however, the doors were firmly shut. Two Officers of the House stood outside in their black uniforms, scowling at passers by as they went about their business. ¡°Since when is the Parliament shut in the afternoon?¡± Ridley scanned the odd sight in front of him, he had begun to notice more and more black shirt activity. There was a wagon parked around the corner, with several officers placed at strategic points around the building. They scowled. They thumped their heavy truncheons against their palms. They patrolled. And they scowled some more. Every citizen gave them a wide berth, knowing they were only one wrong look or misstep from a beating and even worse a hefty fine. ¡°Usually when a threat is made, or when a council of war is convened,¡± Nairo answered, noticing the odd amount of security dotted about the parliament. ¡°Let me guess, your contact is in there, right?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Ridley nodded and worried the end of his smoke, brows creased in consternation. ¡°Why is nothing about this case straight forward?¡± ¡°Not straight forward but not difficult,¡± Ridley said. ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime.¡± He looked around for a minute and strode off. Nairo watched the security detail for a few more moments then followed. Ridley had sauntered over to a food wagon, a nifty creation imported with the influx of Gnomes about fifty years ago. Gnommish food, like most things Gnommish, was quick and straightforward. Their menu choices were all things that could be cooked within minutes with just a bowl and an open flame. Some enterprising Gnome had realised the hustle and bustle of city life was crying out for food that had as little patience as its citizens, so she set up the first food cart: a converted wagon that could park up anywhere, open its side shutters, and deal out flavourful soups, noodles and fried goods of every description. No licences, permissions, or hygiene necessary. With a flap of his coat Ridley mounted one of the empty stools at the side of the cart. ¡°Any meat on the menu today, gabba?¡± Ridley asked the Gnome, using the term of endearment Gnommish men used for one another. Loosely, it translated to: Similar one. The Gnome looked up from the bowl he was fastidiously wiping with a grimy cloth. He eyed them and then shook his head. ¡°Not today,¡± the Gnome had that swift clipped way of talking peculiar to Gnomes. Their own language was a barrage of short syllables and wild hand gestures, no different from how they spoke the common tongue. ¡°Figures,¡± Ridley said, sucking his teeth. ¡°Been weeks since I¡¯ve had a decent scrap of meat.¡± ¡°Ha! I gotta meat¡­ but not meat pinks like you¡¯z would eat!¡± The Gnome gave them a leery grin. ¡°Lemme guess, it didn¡¯t go baa or moo?¡± The Gnome gave a snigger and shook his head. ¡°Woof?¡± Again he shook his head. ¡°Meow?¡± ¡°Stop it Ridley. I¡¯ll lose my appetite.¡± Nairo rubbed her stomach and gingerly plopped herself down onto the stool next to him. ¡°We¡¯ll stick to the veggies¡­ they crunchy?¡± ¡°Not anymore¡± ¡°Serve em up, gabba. Two bowls.¡± He rapped his knuckle on the counter and held up two fingers to the sweaty little Gnome. ¡°Didn¡¯t think you were the type to give up so easily,¡± Nairo said as she tenderly kneaded her sore hip. ¡°Who said I¡¯d given up?¡± Ridley said, eyeing their surroundings. Within minutes, the Gnome plonked two large bowls of steaming soup and noodles in front of them, the spicy tang making Nairo¡¯s mouth water the second she smelt it. Ridley picked up his spoon and dipped it into the steaming bowl hungrily. The Gnome coughed and looked at him pointedly. Ridley turned and looked at Nairo with the same look on his face. With a muttered curse, she slapped some coins down on the counter, then took up her spoon with zeal. Noisily, they tucked into the rich, spicy bowl while the Gnome deposited Nairo¡¯s change next to her bowl. She reached out to grab the coins while slurping at her spoon but Ridley made a noise and shook his head, a waterfall of noodle and browning vegetables hanging out of his mouth. Nairo shrugged and went back to her bowl, a chunk of hard, black bread was slammed down in front of her. She tore it in half and dipped it into her soup, the food nourishing her, giving energy back to her broken body. She could feel the ache and fatigue melt away as her stomach filled. With the noodles gone, she happily raised the big chipped bowl and slurped greedily at the spicy soup. Suddenly, to her right there was a bang and then a torrent of cursing. She dropped the bowl, ready to spin and face this new threat, only to find Ridley holding a filthy, little, foul mouthed ball of grub by the arm off the ground. ¡°Still nicking change from tourists, Billy?¡± He shook the child until Nairo¡¯s change fell from his filthy little claws. ¡°Whooaarrr, get out of it, Ridley!¡± Billy squawked, wriggling in Ridley¡¯s grasp. ¡°Lemme go! Never knew it were you!¡± Ridley shook the urchin once more for fun and then plonked him down on the stool he had been sitting on. Nairo watched this all with curious fascination as she polished off the rest of her soup. ¡°What ya gotta do all that for, Ridley!¡± he said indignantly, straightening his grubby waistcoat. ¡°That¡¯s, wot ya call it, ent¡­ ent¡­ tra¡­¡± ¡°Entrapment?¡± Nairo offered while licking her spoon clean. ¡°Yer that¡¯s it, you entrapmented me!¡± Ridley leaned forward and wagged a finger in the urchin¡¯s face. ¡°What did I tell you last time I caught you thieving again?¡± ¡°Said you¡¯d take a finger, didn¡¯t¡¯chya,¡± he replied, little feet swinging in the air. ¡°An¡¯ I know which one you can take.¡± Before the middle digit could point skyward, Ridley clipped him across the ear. ¡°Don¡¯t get cheeky,¡± Ridley reached into his pocket and slapped down a golden coin on the counter. ¡°Bowl and a gold in it if you can find him before I finish my noodles.¡± Billy shot off the stool without further prompting, in a cloud of grime, his little shabby loafers clicking away in the bustle of the crowd. ¡°Another one of your illustrious contacts?¡± Nairo asked, holding up a finger to the Gnome for another bowl. ¡°Don¡¯t get snarky,¡± Ridley muttered into his bowl of noodles. ¡°That little bastard knows more ¡®bout what goes on round here than most your lot.¡± The Gnome behind the counter in the yellowed apron slammed a fresh bowl down in front of Nairo. ¡°Must be quiet with the Parliament closed?¡± Ridley asked him casually, eyes not leaving his bowl, speaking in the manner of someone filling time with small talk. ¡°No gooda! How I¡¯m s¡¯posed to run the business, wit no bloody customer?¡± ¡°Shut on a Thursday, bit odd.¡± Nairo said, swirling her noodles around her bowl, recognizing a fishing trip. ¡°No shut! Bigga meetings. All day, no lunch, no break! Shitter for business!¡± He waved his tongs belligerently, clacking them with every clipped syllable. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Terrible.¡± Ridley tutted sympathetically, for the first time his dark eyes flicked up to look at the Gnome. ¡°Must be the Elves in town, got everyone jittery.¡± The Gnome clattered the pan he was handling, dropping it on the burner. He turned to Ridley, eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°What you know ¡®bout Elves?¡± ¡°Only what you¡¯re gonna tell me¡± Ridley replied, another gold coin magicked on to the counter. The Gnome eyed the gold, then Ridley, then the gold, then Nairo. His hand snaked out, slapping on to the coin, sliding it back towards himself. He surreptitiously checked the authenticity of the coin and then leaned over the counter. ¡°You not heard it from me, yes?¡± ¡°Never do.¡± ¡°Elves come late late-last night, right after earthquake back home, very hush hush shh shh quiet,¡± he hissed at Ridley, rather pointlessly since people across the road would still have been able to hear him. ¡°And?¡± ¡°Stable boy, he like number 3 wit extra pigeon sauce, he tell me all bout time he had in Ling.¡± With that he gave Ridley a gold toothed smirk and a sly wink before straightening up and going back to his cooking. ¡°Interesting,¡± Ridley muttered, his noodles forgotten. He had the look of a dog chewing on a wasp. ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about a party of Elves stopping over in the city on their way back from Ling?¡± Nairo asked, trying to string together the paranoid thoughts Ridley was obviously indulging in, to see where the path was going to take them. ¡°And they decide to leave this Diamond for what, one night, in the bank? Where it happens to get stolen? Coincidence can either be a detective''s best friend or his worst enemy, just depends who he¡¯s working for.¡± Ridley leaned back and lit a smoke, rolling it in between his lips while he thought. At that moment Billy returned, red faced and out of breath, although Nairo suspected that was more for their benefit than was actually required. ¡°He¡¯s just held chapel. Now he¡¯s stepping out round the back of Angel¡¯s square for a fag and a cuppa. Said he¡¯ll be waiting there for ya, getting ¡®is shoes shined,¡± Billy said flashing them the yellow toothed smile of a job well done. ¡°Nice one, Bill.¡± Ridley spun and hopped off the stool flicking the urchin a coin, which he deftly snatched out of the air. Nairo hopped off her stool and helped Billy on to it, holding up a finger to the Gnome. ¡°A bowl for our associate here,¡± she said, returning Billy¡¯s grin, and then checked her pockets, just in case, before walking off after Ridley. ¡°He¡¯s a nice young man,¡± she commented to his hunched shoulders. ¡°He¡¯s a thieving little shit,¡± Ridley said, eyeing the dark garbed officers of the Parliament suspiciously as they walked past them. ¡°But he¡¯s useful.¡± Nairo too found her eyes drawn to the imperialistic demeanour of the guards. They were not upright, rigid and alert like guards should be. They were more loutish, round shouldered and thuggish. She locked eyes with one of them, the snarl that curled his lips told her a few seconds longer and she would be feeling the strong arm of democracy. Ever since Nairo had joined the academy she had heard about the Black Tops¡¯ particular brand of civic duty, namely a list of brutality charges that would make even the likes of Charlie and his boys say things like ¡°steady on,¡± and ¡°that¡¯s a bit much.¡± Officially of course the Black Tops were responsible for all judicial matters within the Parliament in order to prevent bullying or bias on behalf of the police force. Their purview ran from: protection of officials, transportation of members, investigating corruption, to handling all internal matters of law and punishment within the Parliamentary Houses. Unofficially, they were little more than a militia for hire, their responsibilities including no small amount of intimidation, assault, blackmail, and the occasional murder, although this was rather rare as, if one had to resort to murdering an opponent, then one would be forfeiting the game. To be fair to them, they were unbiased. They had no political agenda, other than a stringent economic policy based around deep pockets and tight lips. ¡°They don¡¯t look too happy,¡± Nairo said when they were out of sight. ¡°Thugs. The lot of them,¡± Ridley grunted back, dipping down a neatly laid cobbled alley, coat swirling behind him. These alleyways weren¡¯t the kind she was used to, they were meticulously clean, not even an overturned bin or a stinking gutter that any respectable city alley should have. Private money saw to the upkeep of this part of town, not so much in paying wages or cleaning bills, more like making sure the riff raff were kept out and that public money was funnelled to where it was more useful. ¡°Who are we meeting?¡± ¡°An old friend of mine, a Street Hero.¡± ¡°Your friends with a Street Hero? Why does that not surprise me?¡± ¡°Let me guess, you got a problem with them too?¡± ¡°No Ridley, why would I have a problem with bare knuckle street fighters who build reputations by elaborately bashing each other¡¯s skulls in for nothing more than pride and ego?¡± ¡°There¡¯s worse reasons to bash a fellas skull in,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°And correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but weren¡¯t a couple of yore lot from back in the days Heroes?¡± ¡°That was a long time ago. We don¡¯t bash people¡¯s heads in anymore¡­ well at least not professionally.¡± ¡°You sure about that?¡± Ridley snorted. They stepped through an elaborate decorative archway, with wrought iron gates that looked like they cost more than Nairo made in a decade. The space opened up into a beautifully maintained square with a white stone fountain in the middle of an angel playing a harp. The square was populated by men dressed in long morning coats of the most outrageous hues. Purples, blues, reds, pinks, and oranges, were dotted all around her like the nursery of a colour blind botanist. As well as their sartorial eccentricity, they all also wore their facial hair in well groomed, but peculiar, fashions. There were sharp little goatees, mustachios waxed to fierce points, twirls, twists, and bobs all round, with the glint of the odd monocle. Although, she noticed the greyer the beard the more demure their designs were. Most of the gaudy gentlemen were hidden behind bed sheet sized newspapers and sipping on strong cups of tea. There was a general low murmur of conversation, punctuated with the odd harrumph and ¡®well I say.¡¯ Ridley seemed unfazed by the bizarre occupants of the square and made a beeline for one figure in particular. He looked rather shabbier by comparison to the pristine attire of his colleagues, like the nettle in the rose garden. He was sitting down, elbows resting on his knees, his head hanging. He was wearing a dark green waistcoat with his bloody shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbow. A small fossil of a man buzzed about him, stopping every now and again to push his thick window pane like glasses back onto his face. As they approached Ridley¡¯s Street Hero looked up and three things struck Nairo: how young he was, that someone had very recently used his face as an anvil, and how despite that he was handsome in a roguish, black eyed, bloody toothed way. One of his twinkling green eyes was swollen shut, his lips bloody and raw as his knuckles, but that didn¡¯t stop him cracking a lopsided grin at Ridley. ¡°¡±Wotch¡¯ya Jimmy,¡± Ridley said, throwing himself in the vacant metal lawn chair opposite him. ¡°Wotch¡¯ya Ridley,¡± Jimmy replied, gingerly shaking Ridley¡¯s hand, causing the old man to tut, as he was in the process of washing out the blood from between Jimmy¡¯s mangled fingers. ¡°Still meting out democracy one concussion at a time?¡± Ridley asked as he pulled out a couple of smokes offering one to Jimmy, who took it and smirked at Ridley, before spitting a thick glob of blood and phlegm on to the cobbles. ¡°Honestly Rid, I was safer bare knuckling on the cobbles than running with this mob,¡± he screwed the cigarette into the corner of his mouth and grinned at Ridley. Nairo noticed his odd way of speaking, it was somehow coarse and screamed off a deprived childhood, yet he clipped his syllables and enunciated in the manner of someone who had attended a school where they had their own anthem. ¡°That bad, huh?¡± ¡°Been a madhouse, bruva. Just this morning a whole mob from the other side rushed the chancellor¡¯s chambers during morning session. Barely managed to keep ''em from storming the place, even the Chancellor had to get involved, showed ¡®em that gavel ain''t just ceremonial.¡± He finished with another glob of bloody phlegm and then held up his swollen knuckles. ¡°I been in chapel all morning just so our lot could get ten minutes with the Wigs.¡± ¡°That why the Black Tops shut the place down?¡± ¡°Naa, that was already in the works, probably why everybody was getting their licks in before the Lock Out. Damn Black Tops, only get involved when they''re certain someone¡¯ll pay ¡®em handsomely for it.¡± ¡°Running the city¡¯s a dirty job, but someone¡¯s gotta do it,¡± Ridley said twirling his smoke absent-mindedly, leaving Nairo to wonder if she had just stumbled into more of Ridley¡¯s subterfuge laced prattle. ¡°Preaching to the bloody choir.¡± Jimmy leaned back and flicked a glimmering eye to Nairo. ¡°Who¡¯s ya friend?¡± ¡°Friend¡¯s a bit strong,¡±Nairo interjected before Ridley could and extended her hand. ¡°Sergeant Nairo.¡± Jimmy shook her hand and then turned to Ridley. ¡°Rolling with the ol¡¯ Bill Ridley? Here on official business are we?¡± ¡°Piss off, I¡¯m just here visiting an old pal, catching up on the good times,¡± Ridley said nonchalantly, before flicking a meaningful gaze at the old man, who was in the process of rewrapping Jimmy¡¯s hands. ¡°How rude of me. Al, why don¡¯t you get our friends here a cuppa?¡± Jimmy said after catching Ridley¡¯s eye. The little man nodded and stood creakily. After tidying away the bloody bandages he shuffled away in silence. ¡°So what¡¯s the game, Rid?¡± Jimmy asked, leaning forward conspiratorially. ¡°This one¡¯s a bit deep Jim, I won''t lie to you.¡± Jimmy paused for a moment, taking a deep drag of his smoke, before he nodded for Ridley to continue. ¡°I need some information.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°And the creatures I need this info on are deep.¡± ¡°How deep?¡± Ridley looked around and then leaned even closer to Jimmy. ¡°I¡¯m talking way up there in the trees.¡± Ridley looked upwards meaningfully and Jimmy followed. ¡°You¡¯re not talking about folks with pointy ears, are you, Ridley?¡± Ridley nodded. ¡°And would these creatures have entered our fair city last night?¡± Again Ridley nodded. ¡°Has this got something to do with that bank job?¡± ¡°How d¡¯you know about that?¡± ¡°C¡¯mon Rid, you know gossip flies through this city like the squirts. The shoe shines and horse boys¡¯ve been gabbing about it all morning.¡± This time Ridley shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just on a missing person case, mate. But¡­ yeah probably.¡± Jimmy leaned back and whistled through his teeth. Before he could say anymore Al had come back with their tea. ¡°Sugar, ma¡¯am?¡± he rasped. ¡°Please.¡± Ridley impatiently tapped his foot and lit another cigarette, looking pointedly at Jimmy again. ¡°Ahh Al, seems my cup¡¯s gone a bit stone, couldn''t bother ya for a top up?¡± Jimmy asked, picking up his forgotten cup. Without so much as a flicker of irritation Al scooped up Jimmy¡¯s cup and shuffled off. ¡°That¡¯s a big favour,¡± Jimmy said, taking Ridley¡¯s tea and sipping on it. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°And you don''t need to remind me ¡®bout what you did for my aunty,¡± Jimmy said, wagging a finger at Ridley. ¡°I would never,¡± Ridley said, holding up a hand. ¡°Why would you wanna go mixing yourself up with bloody Elves for?¡± Jimmy hissed the word ¡®Elves¡¯ as if they might spring from the ground summoned by wayward utterances. ¡°We¡¯re just following the clues.¡± Jimmy eyed him for a long second, the swelling around his eyes gave his face a suspicious warp. ¡°Well¡­ how can I help?¡± he said after a few seconds. ¡°We need you to dig out some files for us. Preferably all entry and exit documentation on our pointy eared friends: when they came into the city, travel itinerary, where they come from, who they¡¯re travelling with. Any information about them at all.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ hold on. I thought the Elves were the ones who got robbed?¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± ¡°Oh Ridley, this aint part of your crusade against the Elves is it?¡± Jimmy asked him incredulously. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ehhh,¡± Nairo said. Ridley shot her a cold look before turning back to Jimmy. ¡°I promise you Jim, I wouldn''t put you out if I didn''t believe there was a very strong chance that something wonky is going on here and I¡¯m being led blind by the nose¡­ and their Elves!¡± Again, he hissed the last word like some sort of curse. ¡°I mean that¡¯s some high level clearance Ridley, I don''t have that type of clout, nowhere near. If I go round pissing people off about Elves that could be my neck¡­¡± he trailed off as Al came back with his cuppa. Jimmy looked from Ridley to the harrumphing gentlemen around him and then he spat a bloody wad of phlegm in the nearest gutter. ¡°How does the Mayor feel about this?¡± ¡°Well and truly perturbed,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°And would you finding some dirt on his pointy eared mates ¡®turb him further?¡± ¡°Oh he would be well and truly ruffled, mate.¡± Jimmy ran his tongue around his mouth and then winced when he must have hit a cut in his gums. He drained his cup and spat. ¡°Screw it. Can''t say no to a mate can ya?¡± Ridley beamed at Jimmy, which may have been the first time Nairo had seen him smile at another being.. ¡°I owe you one, Jim.¡± Ridley said, jumping to his feet and extending his hand. ¡°I said I¡¯ll look into it. No promises.¡± Jimmy took his hand and shook it warmly as Al resumed his ministrations on the livid bruising around Jimmy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Thank you Jimmy and it was nice to meet you,¡± Nairo said, offering him her hand as Ridley turned and walked away. ¡°Nice to meet you too Sergeant,¡± he replied, shaking her hand. ¡°Fancy dinner? I know a great place that still has kind of fresh seafood.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Nairo said, taken aback. ¡°Promise, I don''t always look this bad,¡± Jimmy said and cracked a wonky swollen lipped smile at her, his one good emerald eye twinkling. ¡°Ummm¡­ maybe when this is all over,¡± she replied with a small smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ maybe. Taa taa, Sarge.¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± Ridley cried as he hailed down a cab. Nairo hopped the last few steps and bobbed into the cab. ¡°Done flirting are ya?¡± ¡°Yes actually,¡± Nairo said with a knowing smile on her face that made Ridley¡¯s brow furrow. ¡°RatHoles and don''t spare the whip!¡± Ridley snapped at the driver. Chapter 8 8 The smell of the Ratholes made Nairo want to weep. The state of deprivation almost did. Mountains of rotting trash and the detritus of life awaited them as they hopped out of the cab. The RatHoles: a short-sighted solution to a long-term problem. In a single decade, the Goblin Unification Wars, the Far East Slave Rebellion and the Gnommish Expansion all took place, leading to record levels of immigration into the Free Cities of the Great Forest, exposing just how poor the existing infrastructure was in these former hamlets. Some cities closed their borders, others allowed temporary tenements to be thrown up, that morphed into cities on their fringes which still exist today. Verdalia City strove to be more well organised and used the immigrants as cheap labour to throw up the high-rise monstrosities before her. Lack of resources, funds, preparation, oversight, and care, led to a nightmare of wonky rectangular buildings that just kept going with no uniformity or common sense. A new wave of Goblin refugees just turned up? No problem, just add another floor to that series of flats. Those two high rises that were built in under two weeks are structurally unsound? No worries just whack another building between them to hold them straight. You want round windows? No problem. Gnomes want square windows? Go ahead. John forgot to put doors on that building? Shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Hundreds of cultures and styles of buildings over the decades had created a kaleidoscope of shabby leaning towers constantly threatening to collapse. In fact, the longer she stared at the jagged skyline of the RatHoles the more paranoid she became that she could see the buildings shifting and wobbling. Generation after generation of occupancy by the poorest and most desperate had turned the RatHoles into a den of degeneracy, violence and drugs. Now, the city practised a policy of containment: as long as the filth didn''t spill out to the rest of the city it was tolerated. That arrangement also extended to coppers, as long as the crime stayed in: the police stayed out. ¡°Come on Sarge! We ain''t here for sightseeing!¡± Ridley called from down the lane. Nairo shook her head and focused on dodging the piles of filth and rats the size of small cats. ¡°Do you even know where we''re going?¡± Nairo asked. She tried in vain to keep track of where they were, but the layout of the streets made no sense. None of the roads were straight, some narrowed suddenly into another filthy alley and others filled out into an open eight way junction. There were no road markers anywhere and the consistent layer of grime gave all the buildings a similar abandoned facade. ¡°I¡¯ll know when I''m there,¡± Ridley answered dismissively. Nairo tutted and rolled her eyes. She was growing sick of the PI¡¯s reticent attitude. They trudged on in moody silence and Nairo realised she hadn''t seen a single person. Every now and again she heard the scuff and scurry of tiny feet around her and she constantly felt that animalistic pricking at the nape of her neck telling her they were being watched, but so far she has not seen any sign of the RatHoles inhabitants. The silence crept on her, becoming eerie and oppressive. ¡°Where is everyone?¡± she muttered out of the corner of her mouth. ¡°They¡¯re there... watching,¡± he answered without looking up at her. ¡°They can smell a pig a mile downwind.¡± ¡°Don''t call me that.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A pig!¡± ¡°Don''t take nothing by it Sarge, it''s just what you are.¡± ¡°No, I am an officer of the law and a human being!¡± Despite knowing better, Nairo could not help but be irritated by him. ¡°Alright, don''t get upset.¡± ¡°I''m not upset!¡± ¡°You''re getting flushed,¡± he needled. Nairo eyed him coldly and then lifted her chin deciding they had spoken enough for today. At first she had tried to keep a terse distance between them but the primordial anxiety building in her chest made her unconsciously shrink closer to him. As they worked their way deeper into the RatHoles she felt more hungry eyes following them with feral desperation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Sarge, that badge is the only thing stopping them from knifing us and plundering our corpses.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not wearing my badge.¡± ¡°You¡¯re always wearing the badge.¡± ¡°How comforting,¡± Nairo hissed, her fists clenched with tension. Unconsciously, their pace had steadily sped up. Shoulder to shoulder, they were almost at a half jog when they came upon another wide open junction. Sunshine! Daylight had never felt so wonderful, it dispelled the gloom of the RatHoles and the fear that had clung to their shoulders like a suffocating serpent. Here, there was finally life. There was a little shabby hut selling necessities, a hot food vendor hawking his questionable wares, and there were even grubby children laughing and playing. ¡°Bingo!¡± Ridley made a beeline for the hot food vendor. They exchanged words and Ridley was pointed across the road. He nodded to Nairo and she followed cautiously behind him. They left the sunlight and dipped back into the cold, damp alleyways. After a minute of walking Ridley looked up a rusted fire escape. ¡°Sarita?¡± Ridley shouted up the steps. ¡°Sarita!¡± ¡°What?¡± a throaty, half asleep, voice shouted back. ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Ridley!¡± ¡°Ridley!¡± the voice cackled. ¡°I heard you was dead!¡± ¡°Yeah, that seems to be going around.¡± A pale, round face popped over the side of the fire escape. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come down? There¡¯s a couple coins in it for you.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes lit up and then she disappeared. Nairo heard the unsteady clunk of heels staggering their way down the rusted fire escape. The woman tumbled the last few steps and barely caught herself from falling face first in the alleyway. She could not have been much older than Nairo, and at some point quite a beauty, but the cruelty of life had stripped the youth and beauty from her. Her skin was pale and waxy, plastered over her protruding bones like a poorly dressed wire mannequin. Her face was caked in makeup that looked days old, and her greasy hair was tied up in a haphazard bun at the top of her head. She had dark, smokey eyes that were red rimmed and hollow. She wore a black dress that would have been tight in all the right places if she had any meat left on her. As it was, the dress sagged and crumpled, barely staying on her bony shoulders. It was her arms and legs that made Nairo feel sick. Her thighs were barely thicker than a man¡¯s forearm and they were covered in the jagged pus-filled cuts of a burn addict. Her arms were similarly covered in wounds so fresh they still trickled blood. Now Nairo looked at her eyes again and realised she was deep in her addiction. ¡°Reeeeeeedleyyyy!¡± Sarita cackled again, almost losing her footing, catching herself on the wall. ¡°You got some work for me sweetheart? Is it both of you? Coz if it is that¡¯s gonna be extra.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here for that,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Is she?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good, she looks like she¡¯s into the rough stuff,¡± Sarita whispered loud enough for the whole alleyway to hear. ¡°She does?¡± ¡°I do?¡± ¡°Yeah, the prim and proper ones are always the filthiest.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ridley said, suddenly fascinated. ¡°Ridley,¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°Oh right. Neither of us are here for that.¡± ¡°What do you want then spook?¡± The smile dropped from her cracked lips and her bloodshot eyes narrowed in suspicion. Ridley pulled out two smokes and passed one to her, holding up his lighter for her. He then lit his own smoke and shrugged casually. . ¡°Nothing much, Sarita. We were just taking a stroll through looking for an old buddy of mine,¡± Ridley said. ¡°What mates have you got round here?¡± Again her mood lurched wildly as she began to cackle and wheeze. ¡°Oh you know him, about six and a half foot tall, half an ear, scabby guy with six inch tusks. Sound familiar?¡± Sarita stopped fidgeting now and stared at Ridley like he had grown a third eye. ¡°Don''t know anyone like that.¡± Nairo noted the fear cutting through the delirium in her eyes. ¡°Yeah you do,¡± Ridley weedled, a predatory smile across his face: all teeth and bad intentions. ¡°In fact I''m pretty sure you was getting high with him a couple of hours ago.¡± ¡°No I wasn''t.¡± Now she was fighting to avoid Ridley¡¯s piercing eyes. ¡°So how did you get those?¡± Ridley asked, pointing to her still bleeding wounds. ¡°Fell over?¡± ¡°I don''t know nothing,¡± Her eyes darted wildly, she was looking for an escape. ¡°Come on Sarita, you''re high as pigeon balls,¡± Ridley¡¯s tone held no reproach. He spoke to her like a disappointed parent would to a small child with a face full of chocolate. ¡°You were with Benny last night weren''t you, Sarita?¡± Nairo asked softly, seeing the defeated sag in her shoulders and the hysteria of her eyes. Sarita bowed her head, greasy clumps of black hair fell across her face. Her shoulders began to shake as if she was sobbing. ¡°Hey it''s okay, you''re not in any trouble,¡± Nairo said gently, reaching out a hand to pat her quivering shoulder.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Her bony shoulders bobbed faster, a nasty sound like bones clicking emanated from deep within her. Nairo snatched her hand back instinctively. ¡°HOO Hooo!¡± she cawed as she threw her head back and cackled uproariously. ¡°Yeah I was with that old toad!¡± The wild crazy look had reappeared in her wide deranged eyes. ¡°He was banging on about how he was going to be rich! How he was going to own this city!¡± Nairo pulled out her notepad and began scribbling frantically while Ridley tried to get her attention again. ¡°Why? Why was he going to be rich?¡± ¡°Who cares! He''s full of shit! And gold!¡± she stumbled again and Ridley caught her, guiding her to a seat on the fire escape steps. ¡°Did he have something with him?¡± Ridley asked while Nairo threw a cautious look at him. ¡°Ohoo! About an ounce of burn and a cask of that horrible fire water! What a party!¡± ¡°Was anyone with him?¡± Nairo asked as she struggled to keep the frustration out of her voice. ¡°Everybody! The troll, the tree, old rock face¡­ hee hee¡­ even tried to get me to make it with his little midget mate! He looked terrified!¡± She burst into a fresh gale of wheezing coughs, dry mucus foamed around the edges of her mouth. Ridley looked at Nairo and rolled his eyes. ¡°Can you tell us where Benny is?¡± Nairo asked to no avail. ¡°No point, she''s gone down a hot hole,¡± Ridley said to her. ¡°A what?¡± ¡°Burn¡¯s sent her loopy, she could carry on like this for hours¡­ one second.¡± He squatted down and tried to catch her eye. Crack! He slapped her so hard across the face that snot flew from her nose. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo cried out. Silence fell on them. Sarita blinked wetly, her eyes refocused for a moment. ¡°Quick! Where''s Benny? Two gold in it for you!¡± Two coins appeared in his long fingers, her hungry eyes followed the coins like a coiled snake ready to strike. ¡°He''s holed up near the River,¡± she said, her voice slow and detached, her eyes never leaving the coins. ¡°Where? Be specific!¡± ¡°Yellow brick on the left of Agard Street, sixth floor.¡± She lunged for the coins but Ridley snatched them back like an angry mongoose. ¡°Tsk tsk,¡± he tutted disapprovingly at her. Sarita hissed and spat at him like a feral animal. ¡°Who''s there with him?¡± Ridley snapped. Nairo could see in her eyes she was beginning to lose focus again, the quiver of her pupils made Nairo nervous: you never knew what a desperate burner would do. ¡°Whole party!¡± Sarita spat. ¡°The Beast with horns! All kinds of monsters and beasts follow Benny! The Beast with two backs and the lady with two heads!¡± She had begun rocking, hugging her knees to her, not even noticing her cigarette had burned down to nothing in her fingers, her eyes wide and unblinking. ¡°Even tried to get me to lay with his little friend! Nearly pissed himself!¡± Now she burst into a fresh gale of throaty cackles. ¡°The Shadows only know!¡± ¡°When? When did you last see him there?¡± ¡°Sunriiiiiiiiiiise!¡± Sarita crooned, rocking back and forth, her skinny limbs wrapping around herself. Ridley sighed and stood up. He dusted down his trousers and flipped the two gold coins into Sarita¡¯s lap, but she did not even notice. ¡°Come on Sarge. We might get lucky and Benny¡¯s still there.¡± He didn¡¯t sound very hopeful. Nairo looked from Ridley to the rocking Sarita and her heart weighed in her chest. ¡°Come on Sarge!¡± Ridley called over his shoulder as he walked away. Nairo bit her lip and crouched down in front of Sarita. ¡°Sarita?¡± she said, searching the addict¡¯s eyes for anything resembling coherence. ¡°Leave it!¡± Ridley yelled from down the lane. ¡°She''s beyond saving.¡± Nairo sighed and reached into her breast pocket. From it she withdrew a rectangle of white card. ¡°Sarita, this is my name and station. If you ever find yourself in trouble or you want a change, come and find me. I know plenty of shelters that will help you out, any time, day or night.¡± Nairo pressed the card into Sarita¡¯s grimy hands and was disheartened to see nothing but mania and madness in her eyes. Nairo stood up straight with a wince and walked away without looking back. ¡°You can''t save them all,¡± Ridley said when she had caught up with him. Nairo let her curly dark hair fall in front of her glistening eyes. ¡°Doesn''t mean we shouldn''t always try.¡± ¡°Your time you''re wasting,¡± Ridley said, shrugging indifferently. ¡°Yeah,¡± Nairo said quietly. Ridley looked at her curiously, waiting for a fighting response. ¡°Let''s go find Benny and put an end to this,¡± Nairo said as she straightened her tunic and picked up the pace. ¡°Aye aye, Sarge.¡± Their pace quickened now, their steps invigorated by purpose while the haunting image of the addled Sarita still gnawed at Nairo, the excitement of the chase warmed her spirit. At last they were honing in on their quarry. Ridley hustled in front of her, using the limited road signs and almost ethereal sense of direction to lead them like a hound with the scent. They stuck mainly to the wider main streets of the RatHoles: they felt more comfortable with the meagre sun on their face, rather than the frigid shadows of the cramped back alleys. Finally, Ridley¡¯s pace slowed. He craned his neck upwards to glare at the crooked four storey tenements that lined this section of the slum. ¡°That¡¯s our building,¡± he announced. Nairo caught up to him, her side and knees ached after the brisk walk through the RatHoles. ¡°No it¡¯s not. Sarita said 412.¡± ¡°Yeah I¡¯ve been counting.¡± ¡°Then you counted wrong,¡± Nairo said, massaging her hip and pointing over her shoulder. ¡°Building back there still had its number plate on: 402. The buildings have been going up in multiples of two. So¡­ that one is 412.¡± Ridley glowered at her. ¡°That¡¯s what I meant.¡± Nairo brushed past him and looked at the correct building. ¡°So which one¡¯s Benny¡¯s? We can''t exactly start knocking on doors.¡± ¡°Sarita said she was on the fourth floor and if I know villains like Benny, they¡¯ll always go for the top floor. Gives ¡®em plenty of warning if they get raided..¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± Nairo said as she too began scanning the fourth floor windows. ¡°Most things criminals do makes sense if you know how to look at ¡®em,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Also makes sense a paranoid character like Benny wouldn¡¯t want anyone else on his floor, so¡­ we need signs of life.¡± ¡°There!¡± Nairo pointed at a window to the far left. ¡°You can see someone¡¯s hung dirty drapes, the rest are filth smeared, that one looks like it¡¯s been wiped recently.¡± ¡°Or at least this decade. Good spot, Sarge.¡± ¡°We should call for backup,¡± Nairo said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You heard Sarita, there could be any number of nasty characters up there. You and I can''t apprehend all of them.¡± ¡°Need I remind you, we fought a Minotaur and won.¡± ¡°One Minotaur. And we almost died.¡± ¡°You call for backup and one of your superiors will snatch the arrest and get all the credit.¡± ¡°Who cares about that?¡± Nairo said. Ridley raised his eyebrows with what Nairo could have sworn may have been a hint of admiration, but it dripped from his face like melted wax, leaving his generally condescending smirk. ¡°Well I¡¯m not sitting round here with my thumb up my ass waiting for the cavalry.¡± ¡°Listen, we¡¯ve broken enough protocol already. We need to do this by the book,¡± Nairo said firmly. ¡°And how does your protocol feel about letting a civilian wander into a potentially life threatening situation?¡± Ridley asked impatiently. ¡°Well of course it¡¯s my duty to protect¡­¡± ¡°Great. I¡¯m going in.¡± Ridley set off without waiting for a response. ¡°Wait Ridley! Stop!¡± she cried impotently. He waved his hand over his shoulder and continued. With a deep sigh, Nairo set off after him. ¡°You can¡¯t just¡­¡± ¡°Great Sarge, knew you had some balls. I¡¯m gonna climb that fire escape on the neighbouring building. I reckon I can shimmy across the ledge and come in through the window, in case he tries to bolt.¡± He explained as they crossed the street. ¡°And I suppose you want me to go in the front door?¡± Nairo asked with naked exasperation. ¡°Well you are the police officer, it would be breaking and entering if I kicked the door in.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve never committed a crime before, right?¡± Nairo replied sarcastically. ¡°Least not one you lot have caught me for,¡± Ridley shot back with a satisfied smirk. ¡°Fine! Let¡¯s just get this over and done with and wrap this case up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Ridley put a foot on the poorly constructed brick of the neighbouring tenement, trying to map out his route. Suddenly, he turned to Nairo, his expression grimly serious. ¡°Be careful in there, Sarge. Benny¡¯s volatile and very dangerous. You don¡¯t like the look of anything you get out of there.¡± Nairo paused and bit back a sarcastic comment. She nodded and found a speck of dirt on her tunic suddenly very interesting. ¡°Cap¡¯n will have my ass if anything happened to you,¡± he added and began climbing the building. ¡°Be careful, Ridley,¡± she called up to him before turning to the entrance of the tenement. She took a deep breath and gave her a sore hip a final shake before pulling open the door and stepping through. The whole world was sucked out the closing door behind her. The temperature fell. Damp rose thickly around her, the musty smell clogged her nose. Nairo felt as if she had stepped into a sunken wreck. Only the thinnest glimmers of light shone through the eerily silent hallway. Deep within the walls there was a faint scuttling and scratching. The air felt heavy. She sucked laboured breaths through her mouth and cautiously made her way through the crooked hallway. Shadows in beastly shapes dogged her every step and despite the frigid temperature of the sunless hall, and the chill in the air, she felt beads of sweat pool around her collar. Nairo found herself subconsciously tiptoeing like a naughty child out of bed past curfew. She skirted round the edges of the shadowy hallway and came to the bottom of the stairs. One look told her the rot had set its decrepit jaws into the wood of the staircase. With a steadying breath, Nairo placed a foot on the bottom step. A grotesque groan of deformed wood tore through the still building. Nairo stopped dead. She tossed her head from side to side like a prey beast scenting blood. The pulse of her racing heart throbbed in her ears. She flared her nostrils, breathing heavily, ready to fight or run. The dust settled and the heavy underwater atmosphere swallowed the hallway. She waited another breath. Ridley would be halfway up the building now. She had to keep moving. With teeth gritted, she took another hesitant step. Another groan of wood, this one not as outrageous as its predecessor, emanated from the ancient staircase. Nairo hardened her resolve and decided to take the bandage approach: she held her breath, thought light thoughts, and leapt up the stairs. She felt the remnants of the stairway¡¯s carpet squelch under her shoes, the damp carpet sucked at her feet trying to swallow her whole. She hit the top step of the stairs and threw herself into a shadowy recess and waited. Her breath rattled in her chest. She willed her heart to quiet. Nothing. Even the faint scratching had disappeared. Nairo felt like the only living creature for miles. After a few seconds she ventured back out and looked up and down the hall. Again, nothing. No sign of life, not even the vermin stirred. She swallowed the nerves that fought their way up her throat into her brain where they would morph into panic. Flicking sweat out of her eyes, Nairo looked around her and realised just how isolated she was. No one other than Ridley knew she was here and there was no saying he hadn¡¯t been captured or more likely had slipped and fallen to his death. This was against all regulations. When they eventually found her stabbed and brutalised corpse it would serve as an example to all young officers in the Academy of why you should always follow protocol. With a steel as hard as the badge she had hidden in her breast pocket, she began to ascend the second staircase. Dim beams of light shone through the dilapidated building, motes of dust floated listlessly around her. The ethereal atmosphere and elegant dance of light and dust was rudely spoiled by the putrid stench of the building. The longer Nairo spent in this strange sunken building the dizzier she felt. Breathing felt too thick and heavy, making her clumsy as she stumbled down the hallway to the final set of stairs. ¡®What was that?¡¯ The thought flashed across her subconscious mind as she saw a strange shape in the dim light. Nairo threw herself against the slimy wall and peered intently at the foot of the staircase. Was her mind playing tricks on her? No, there was definitely a shape in the darkness. It was huddled into itself, unmoving. For a sickening moment Nairo thought she might have come across a dead body. After a few breathless seconds the figure stirred and gave a dry hacking cough. Nairo peeled herself from the wall and approached cautiously. As she peered into the dim twilight of the hall, she could just make out pale sallow skin riddled with oozing sores that marred half of what she thought was his face. His cheekbones were sharp and angular with malnourishment, his eyes were sunken and hollow. Those eyes. They swivelled madly in his head, unseeing and devoid of anything human. There was a brief flash where it seemed like he saw Nairo and then his eyes continued on their aimless journey. ¡°Hello?¡± she called and then winced as her voice echoed in the darkness. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she whispered. There was not even a twitch of recognition or understanding from the skeletal creature. His only response was to give another hacking cough, his raspy breath rattled at sporadic intervals, his mouth hung open in slack jawed vacancy. ¡°Do you need help?¡± she whispered, feeling stupid even as the words left her mouth. Again, there was nothing. Nairo bit her bottom lip and looked at her pocket watch. Time was ticking and Ridley could already be closing in on Benny. He needed backup and she was all he had. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll come back,¡± she said to the hunched wheezing creature. ¡°I¡¯ll come back and help you, I promise. Just wait there, okay?¡± she searched his eyes for any sign that he had heard her, but his eyes just continued to roll in madness. Nairo skirted around him and, with leaden feet and a heavy heart, she ascended the last staircase, looking back every few steps to check if he was still there, until the darkness swallowed him. A desperate desire to see the sun and breathe the fresh air made her quicken her pace. This floor too seemed abandoned. Carefully, she counted the doors, trying to remember which window she had seen from the outside. She stopped just short of the final door. It was ajar. She felt her blood quicken. Fresh streams of sweat poured down her neck. Unlocked doors only meant two things in the criminal world: either you were expected, or no one was left alive to lock it. With a steadiness she did not feel, she slowly crept towards the door, ears pricked for the slightest sound. The hall was deathly silent. Jaw clenched, nostrils flared, and knuckles whitened, she coiled herself. ¡°One¡­ Two¡­¡± Chapter 9 ??9 ¡°Three!¡± Nairo pounced at the unlocked door, slamming her shoulder into it so hard, the damp, swollen wood almost fell apart beneath her. ¡°Verdalia PD!¡± she bellowed. Her head whipped from left to right as she waited for an assailant to meet her. A sound alerted her to the right. She spun and saw a gangly, long tusked, Goblin standing in a pool of blood next to the body of another Goblin, who was slumped over the table in puddles of blood. They stared at each other. The Goblin reacted first. He spun on his heels and leapt for the open window behind him. ¡°Freeze!¡± Nairo cried, spurring her frozen limbs into action. She tore across the room and slipped in the puddle of gore as she followed him out of the window. Nairo realised this was one of the rare occasions of leaping before looking that they were always talking about. She was staring at a six storey drop with a trickle of crumbling masonry at her feet holding her up. The sucking wind tore at her and she instinctively tried to dive back through the window. She almost slipped, clawing at the window frame she stood there frozen. ¡°Sarge!¡± a cry from behind her. Nairo peeked over her shoulder at Ridley, red-faced, clinging to a rickety gutter, the wind whipping at his coat. ¡°Was that Benny?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! Where did he go?¡± Nairo shouted back, every muscle in her body tense and fully flexed. Ridley pointed up. Nairo followed his finger and then groaned. With will powered only by the badge in her pocket, she gritted her teeth and reached up. She grunted and scrambled with her feet, pulling herself up over the ledge to the roof of the building. After a gut wrenching moment of her feet kicking and finding nothing but air, she crested the rooftop and saw the long doberman-like ears of the Goblin whipping out of view across the next rooftop. Nairo pulled herself over the ledge, scraping her knees, and scrabbled to her feet in hot pursuit. Her police instincts kicked in and she focused on her quarry, ignoring the howling wind and the horrifying drops all around her. Without thinking, she leapt across the roof to the next building, which thanks to the shoddy construction of the RatHole¡¯s buildings, had wilted close enough for her to jump. She could see the Goblin now but he was already across the roof and running hard. He had great loping strides that swallowed up the roof. She sprinted after him barely registering the heavy thump and cursing behind her that signalled Ridley had joined the pursuit. ¡°We need to catch him!¡± Nairo screamed over her shoulder. ¡°You stay behind him! I¡¯ll try cut him off!¡± Ridley veered off and leapt on to another building. There was a massive cloud of dust and timber as Ridley disappeared through the roof. ¡°Shiiiiiiiiiiiiit!¡± Nairo didn¡¯t have time to see if he was alright. She kept running, trying to avoid the suspiciously sagging parts of the rooftop. She saw a fresh hole in the roof and a trail of dust spotted with blood. Her quarry must have put his foot through it. Good. That might slow him down. Nairo reached the edge of the roof and skidded to a stop. The next building was a twelve foot drop and at least ten feet away from her. There was no way he had made that jump. Nairo looked around and saw a smear of blood on the ledge of the roof. Nairo peeked over the ledge and straight into the sharp end of a crossbow. She lurched back just as she heard the twang of the bolt being fired. A second later there was a whoosh of air as the bolt flew inches from her face. ¡°Son of a¡­¡± Nairo scrambled up just in time to see the Goblin smash a window behind him and fall through. ¡°Shit!¡± Nairo looked around. She would have to shimmy over the ledge. She peeked over the edge again and the drop made her head spin. No way. She searched the rooftop for a way down. Of course there were no stairs. But then she noticed the hole the Goblin¡¯s foot had made. There was a sagging patch of roof in front of her. Just big enough for a slender person. Nairo rolled her eyes to the sky and then gritted her jaw. She ran at the hole and jumped straight up, both her feet locked together. There was a moment where the roof flexed. Then it gave way. Nairo tore a hole in the roof large enough for a Troll to fit through. There was a mighty crash of rotting wood and mouldy plaster. Her eyes and nostrils filled with dust. Her whole world went white. She screwed her eyes shut as debris scratched and tore at her. Her locked legs hit something soft and then the next floor gave way too. Nairo couldn¡¯t even scream. She shit something hard and almost blacked out. The whole room spun. Dust was everywhere, choking her and scratching at her eyes. Nairo coughed and spluttered. Pain lanced up her injured leg and deep into her spine. Nairo groaned and rolled out of the pile of rotten timber. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Are you here for the rent?¡± ¡°Wahhh?¡± ¡°I put it in the post. I swears.¡± Nairo blinked and looked up, scrubbing her filthy hair out of her face. A grubby, pot bellied man, wearing a stained vest, was sitting at a small wooden table tucking into his meagre dinner of something beige and boiled. ¡°No,¡± Nairo gasped. ¡°I¡¯m police.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it!¡± The man held up both hands and then dropped his spoon like it was a deadly weapon. ¡°I found those Grubnucks on the floor¡­ after they fell off a wagon!¡± Nairo heard the pounding of running feet. She dragged herself up, kicking away debris, and stumbled for the door. ¡°Oi! What about my ceiling!¡± ¡°Send us an invoice!¡± Nairo fell through his door and limped down the hall as fast as her battered body could. At least this building didn¡¯t feel like a sunken tomb; it had some life in it. She stopped to catch her breath and tried to pick up the Goblin¡¯s footsteps. Luckily, being light on their feet wasn¡¯t a Goblin speciality. She heard the heavy thud of running feet. He was just below! And there sounded like a second set of footsteps. Ridley must be on him! Nairo limped to the stairs. She hopped down, leaning heavily on the bannister. As she reached the halfway point there was a creak and then a crack as the rotten wood gave way. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Nairo tumbled down the adjacent set of stairs, slamming into the wall and bouncing straight through the next set of railings. ¡°What the¡­¡± A familiar voice. As the world spun all around her, Nairo caught sight of Ridley¡¯s coat, then she splattered on top of something¡­ or someone. He grunted under Nairo and they both went down the rapidly crumbling staircase, rolling until they hit a landing. ¡°Sarge!¡± Ridley cried out as he huffed down the steps, his arms going like pistons. Nairo groaned and made no attempt to get up. That was it for her. She was done. She couldn¡¯t even figure out what hurt anymore. The Goblin stirred and then pushed her off of him. He was strong. Nairo fought weakly but was tossed aside like a wet rag. She saw the glint of a blade. Desperation forced life into her broken body. She flailed at the Goblin trying to grip his arm. He slapped her hand aside with a cold, calculated fury. He brought the dagger down and Ridley leapt. He jumped from about four steps up and flew at the Goblin. His face smashed into the back of the Goblin¡¯s head as he drove his own body into him, knocking him off Nairo and sending the blade skittering across the hall. Ridley grunted and wrestled with him, his face bloody from a gash on his eyebrow. In the debris of the collapsed staircase they struggled to find their footing. Scrabbling, punching, headbutting, biting, and cursing, they fought desperately. Fortunately for Ridley, the cramped hallway took away the Goblin¡¯s natural size and strength advantage and the debris of the collapsed staircase made it difficult for him to find purchase. Their battle was savage and cramped, all elbows and knees. But the Goblin was still armed; Goblins were always armed. He snapped his head at Ridley¡¯s face, trying to gouge Ridley¡¯s eyes with his curved tusks. Ridley instinctively snapped his head down and their skulls banged together. Ridley stumbled back against the wall. The Goblin lunged, tusks lowered and aimed for his neck. Nairo snarled as she willed her body to move. On her hands and knees, she threw herself at the Goblin¡¯s feet, tripping him up. They went down in a heap. The Goblin clawed at Nairo as she hung desperately to one of his thick legs, distracting him long enough for Ridley to kick upwards with the heels of his feet. He caught their assailant full in the face. The Goblin grunted and stumbled backwards over Nairo. There was a moment of weightlessness. His eyes went wide and he clawed at the air before he disappeared backwards down the stairs. There were sickening crunches and thuds as he barreled down the stairs until there was a final splatting noise as he hit the landing at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°You okay?¡± Ridley gasped as he tried to help Nairo to her feet before they both collapsed in the rubble of the staircase. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± They sat, leaned against each other, gasping for air. Nairo closed her eyes and willed the room to stop spinning. ¡°Is he dead?¡± Nairo asked. Ridley peered down the stairs at the still Goblin. After a few seconds he heard the creature groan. ¡°Naa.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s wasn¡¯t Benny,¡± Ridley panted, spitting a mouthful of blood on the floor. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah, one of Benny¡¯s ears is ripped in two. Plus, he¡¯s the wrong colour.¡± ¡°What colour is Benny?¡± ¡°Like a mottled grey.¡± Nairo groaned. ¡°I think I found him then.¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not gonna like this¡­¡± * With the unconscious Goblin trussed up and none too gently dragged up six flights of steps, Nairo, battered and covered in dust, once again found herself in Benny¡¯s flat. Ridley was bent over double with his hands on his knees looking at the body slumped over the table, a waterfall of blood lethargically dripping down into puddles around his feet. It was a Goblin with mottled grey scales, thin and wiry, his head turned at a grotesque angle, a stupid lopsided grin plastered across his face. One of his ears was ripped in half. Beneath the macabre grin was a gaping red maw where his throat should have been. The wound was so deep that Nairo could see the white of his neckbone. ¡°Shit,¡± Ridley groaned. ¡°That¡¯s Benny.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± Nairo felt the bile rise in the back of her throat. ¡°Might be time to call for that back up, Sarge.¡± Chapter 10 10 ¡°I sent you to find me a damned Diamond and so far you¡¯ve come back with a dead Goblin, another one so badly concussed he doesn¡¯t know what day of the week it is, oh and a brutalised Minotaur that smells like a kebab! Not only that, but my Sergeant looks like she¡¯s been run over and thrown off a bridge!¡± The Captain had been ranting for almost twenty minutes now which was impressive, even for him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll include it all as a part of my original fee," Ridley replied sarcastically as he held a chunk of ice to his freshly stitched forehead. ¡°Fee¡­ fee! The only thing you¡¯ll be taking away from this investigation is my left boot jammed up your¡­¡± ¡°Captain!¡± Nairo groaned, her head was splitting already without the sonorous barks of the Cap¡¯n to add to it. This has been the tone of their conversation since returning to the station. After sending a distress call via the comm scroll, the city¡¯s finest were unavailable, so the PD descended instead. They found Nairo and Ridley tussling with the Goblin, who had woken up and was rather upset. Once the Goblin was in custody, the pair of them had been frog marched to the Captain¡¯s office where his tirade had begun before the door shut. ¡°Captain, it was all a part of the ongoing investigation¡­¡± Nairo said, only to be cut off by the irate Captain. ¡°And now you¡¯ve brought me a whole new wave of crap!¡± he cried, his stubby arms waving around in outrage. ¡°I¡¯ve got the Mayor and those damned Elves breathing down my neck, and my most trustworthy officer running around the city digging up shit and splattering it across my lap! You¡¯re like a dog that brought home a dead pigeon expecting me to be happy!¡± He finally slumped back in his chair, exhausted by his own rage. ¡°Sir¡­¡± ¡°What the hell were you even doing in the RatHoles alone Nairo?¡± His voice was more even now, tinged with concern. ¡°You could have been killed¡­ or worse.¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t alone,¡± Ridley muttered petulantly. ¡°You¡¯re about as useful as flavoured toilet paper!¡± he barked and pointed his thick granite finger at Ridley, who sank back into his seat and muttered under his breath. ¡°Our investigation led us there, sir.¡± ¡°Oh right¡­ yes¡­¡± Mallory shuffled through Nairo¡¯s notes, they looked badly crumbled as if reading them had sent him into such a rage he twisted and tore at them like he was wringing a neck. ¡°Notorious two bit criminal Benny Two Coats, who doesn¡¯t have enough brain cells to rub together, broke into the most state of the art bank vault in the city and then made off clean with a chunk of priceless rock he had no way of knowing was even there.¡± Sarcasm dripped from every word he read. ¡°We had an eyewitness who placed Benny at the scene.¡± ¡°Yes, one Oz the f¡¯n Trash Demon, who the only thing we know about is that he pilfers fish heads on a Tuesday. No fixed abode and no way of contacting him let alone verifying his statement. He would be a star in front of a jury. Wonderfully thorough Police work there Sergeant. What next? We gonna get a pigeon to finger Benny¡¯s killer in a line up?¡± ¡°Well it would be more like winging the perp,¡± Ridley chimed in. The Captain shot him a look so withering Nairo was sure she would lose a couple years off her life just sitting next to Ridley. ¡°It was an¡­ unorthodox lead, but I believe it was a solid one sir and it did lead us to Benny¡­¡± The Captain ran a thick palm across his face and looked to the heavens. ¡°And what did you find, Sargeant? Did you find the Diamond?¡± ¡°No sir.¡± ¡°Do you know who nicked it?¡± ¡°Not quite, but¡­¡± ¡°Do you have any idea where it is?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°So you''ve got nothing!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Ridley said. ¡°Sorry, correction, you found a body and a whole different Goblin!¡± ¡°That killed Benny.¡± ¡°Who cares!¡± The Captain almost howled in his fury. Then he caught himself and muttered. ¡°Of course, murder is a capital crime and I do¡­ very much¡­ care. But, in general, the wider hierarchy of the bloody city couldn¡¯t give two tosses about a lowlife scum getting what was coming to him! And, even more importantly, did he have the damned Diamond?¡± ¡°No sir. We searched him very thoroughly.¡± ¡°So no Diamond. No clues as to its whereabouts?¡± ¡°No sir,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Whoever sent that Goblin to kill Benny must have something to do with the Diamond,¡± Ridley interjected. ¡°Whoever sent him? Whoever sent him! Who the bloody hell do you think would send a Goblin to commit murder in this city? I¡¯ll give you a hint¡­ it¡¯s the same damned Goblin that Benny worked for!¡± ¡°Then let us get back out there and rattle some chains!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a wild goose chase! I¡¯ll bet you every hair in my beard that Benny didn¡¯t rob that damn bank!¡± ¡°Bit of a coincidence then, ain''t it? Benny¡¯s seen casing the place, Diamond goes missing, Benny winds up with his head almost sawn off hours later.¡± ¡°No, what¡¯s a coincidence is my most reliable officer becomes a walking protocol violation the second she starts working with you!¡± The Captain spat hotly as he jabbed his finger in Ridley¡¯s direction like a dagger. ¡°I don¡¯t think you know what a coincidence is, Cap¡¯n.¡± Even as the Captain burst into a fresh tirade of curses, Nairo couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile at that. Once the Captain had run out of things to curse Ridley¡¯s mother about, he sighed and looked at Nairo. ¡°Sergeant, I put you on this case because you¡¯re a by the book investigator. You do good police work and this case needs to be done by the book. There are way too many important eyes on this for you to be going cowboy. The Mayor will have your badge and my ass on a plate if that Diamond isn¡¯t found.¡± ¡°Sir, whatever your doubts about Benny as our main suspect, we have to at least question the Goblin we found at his flat, even if it''s just to rule Benny out of our investigation.¡± ¡°Eliminating leads, questioning suspects and possible¡­ probable murderers. Protocol stuff Cap,¡± Ridley added. Captain Mallory grumbled into his beard while glowering at the pair of them. ¡°I¡¯ll do the questioning,¡± he said. ¡°But Cap¡­¡± ¡°Sergeant, you look like you¡¯ve been half beat to hell twice already!¡± Mallory barked, and then more softly he added. ¡°You¡¯re in no fit state to be questioning a dangerous suspect.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it then,¡± Ridley said. ¡°You look like warmed up shit! And you¡¯re not a copper! You won¡¯t be questioning anyone!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need to be a copper to ask a question,¡± Ridley muttered under his breath. ¡°I¡¯ll question the suspect¡­ whoever he is.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have a name?¡± Nairo asked, wincing as her jaw cracked. ¡°He¡¯s a nobody. Some grunt, too low down on the food chain to have his own file.¡± ¡°And he killed Benny?¡± Ridley said, sceptically. ¡°Just another reason your little theory doesn¡¯t hold water. I mean, why would Green kill Green? And the method¡­ it¡¯s just not Uncle Sam¡¯s style.¡± Mallory scratched at his beard. ¡°Yeah, bodies don¡¯t drop in the city, least not like that,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Maybe Benny stepped out of line?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Did something that got him clipped?¡± ¡°Clipped? Hung out in the back alley one day and you already got the street in you,¡± Ridley said with a mocking grin. ¡°I¡¯ve worked this city long enough to know that if Chaw¡¯drak wants you gone, you disappear, without a trace,¡± Mallory said. ¡°It¡¯s how he¡¯s stayed on the streets for so long.¡± ¡°I heard he feeds creatures to the giant man eating wyrms deep in the woods,¡± Ridley said. ¡°That¡¯s just a rumour,¡± Nairo scoffed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°The wyrms exist,¡± Mallory replied. ¡°Whether Sam¡¯sun Chaw¡¯drak feeds them his enemies is up for debate. More likely he tosses them in the thousands of acres of marshland and tar pits out east. Either way, they disappear.¡± ¡°Could have been something between Benny and this grunt? Something not to do with Politics?¡± Nairo suggested. ¡°Could have been,¡± Mallory mused. ¡°Only way we¡¯re gonna find out is by asking the bastard.¡± The Captain nodded and hopped off his chair, his chin barely above his desk. Ridley stood up and then held out a hand to Nairo, who was struggling to get to her feet. Her hip was so swollen and bruised that she could barely move. ¡°Thanks,¡± Nairo said, surprised at the almost human gesture of kindness from Ridley. Ridley shrugged without looking at her. ¡°You handled yourself well back there. Plus, you saved me from getting skewered like a worm on a hook.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Only after you put your own face between me and a knifing,¡± Nairo said, pointing at the stitches on Ridley¡¯s forehead. ¡°Guess we¡¯re even.¡± ¡°Naa, I saved you from the Minotaur, remember.¡± ¡°You saved me? I saved you! That Minotaur was gonna bounce your brains from your head on that brick wall!¡± Ridley chuckled as if it was some fond memory. ¡°Fancy sharing a cold stone while we watch the Cap¡¯n do his thing?¡± ¡°Why not¡­ but you¡¯re gonna have to help me a bit.¡± Nairo lent on Ridley¡¯s shoulder and they hobbled after the diminutive Cap¡¯n. * Sat before the Captain was the Goblin and his lawyer. The lawyer was a dry crispy HobGoblin. He was ancient to the point that his face had more wrinkles and creases than features. He had the dried out, colourlessness that all good lawyers needed. Beneath the thick jut of his forehead he had dark beady eyes, magnified by his thick spectacles. His skin was the mottled orange green of most HobGoblins, with a few wisps of white hair on his head and thicker bunching of hair on the tips of his ears. He was fastidiously dressed, his dull grey tweed jacket sharp and well ironed as was his crisp white shirt. The Captain loathed him as soon as she saw him. But then, the Captain, like any red blooded copper, loathed all lawyers. He cast a withering eye across the Goblin and somehow felt he would trust the low life thug more than his atavistic attorney. ¡°Why¡¯d you clip Benny?¡± The Captain grunted bluntly at the Goblin. ¡°Please Captain, while I admire the desire to dispense with formalities and such, let us not put the proverbial cart before its equally imagined horse, lest we blunder in our duty of preserving and upholding the laws and values of the society both you and I have chosen to represent.¡± The HobGoblin was one of those ponderous creatures that felt the need to go the long way around any verbal exchange. ¡°Can we please acknowledge the rituals of the laws before we begin.¡± Mallory¡¯s jaw clenched and he glared at the lawyer. ¡°Of course¡­ Mister¡­¡± ¡°Harmun Haddro.¡± ¡°Mister Haddro.¡± Mallory snorted the name through his name like noxious gas being expelled. ¡°Your client, Ja¡¯brak Boklo¡¯munn, is charged with the murder of Be¡¯nin Pakkzo. Do you understand the charges?¡± Mallory said to the Goblin. ¡°I didn¡¯t murder noone!¡± Ja¡¯brak growled before his lawyer shushed him. ¡°My client understands the nature of his charges. You may proceed with presenting your evidence, Captain.¡± ¡°Evidence? My officer caught your man red handed after he fled the scene of the crime! Do you deny that?¡± Again Haddro raised his scaly hand to silence his client. ¡°My client freely admits to being present at the flat of the deceased. But again, I ask you, what evidence do you have that my client carried out this heinous act?¡± ¡°He was there. Benny was dead. He fled when my officer came through the door.¡± ¡°Of course he did, he was startled.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Mallory gave a snort of derision. ¡°She was in plain clothes was she not?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°My client was in an area of high crime, had just discovered the gruesomely murdered body of a dear friend, and then a person burst through the door. I think it is completely understandable if my client was startled, alarmed even, and concerned for his safety. I¡¯m sure you would agree Captain that if our old bones allowed us we would have been out that window like a shot.¡± Haddro gave a dry, wheezy chuckle. ¡°So what were you doing there?¡± Mallory growled. ¡°I wanna hear it from him, not you!¡± ¡°I am here to represent my client¡­¡± ¡°Short of shoving yer hand up his backside and flapping his mouth for him, I think it¡¯s his turn to do some explaining. What were you doing at Benny¡¯s?¡± Ja¡¯brak looked at his lawyer, who gave him a small nod. ¡°I was just there¡­ seeing him.¡± ¡°I think you did a little more than just see him.¡± ¡°Why would I kill Ben? We¡¯re kith.¡± ¡°Since when does a Goblin need an excuse to murder another Goblin? Your lot have built a whole culture around that.¡± ¡°Now Captain, I must object, that is a ugly stereotype¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make it untrue,¡± Mallory growled. ¡°If you didn¡¯t kill Benny, who did?¡± ¡°I dunno. He was already dead when I got there.¡± ¡°What time did you get there?¡± ¡°Really Captain, my client has already given a statement. All of this information can be found¡­¡± ¡°I wanna hear it from him.¡± Again the two Goblins exchanged looks. ¡°I dunno. Like five minutes before that bitc¡­ lady copper,¡± he corrected after seeing the flames erupt in Mallory¡¯s eyes. ¡°Like five minutes before she smashed through the door and chased me and beat me up!¡± ¡°Oh give over, a little lady cop hurt you did she?¡± Mallor scoffed. ¡°Not just Sergeant Nairo, I believe there was another figure involved in the brutal assault of my client.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mallory said innocently. ¡°A civilian it seems.¡± ¡°Must have been a heroic bystander.¡± ¡°No it weren¡¯t! He was with the bitc¡­ lady copper! They chased me together and they gave me a proper good kicking.¡± ¡°Was that before or after you tried to stab my Sergeant?¡± Mallory growled. ¡°Do not respond to that!¡± Haddro raised an imperious hand to silence his client. ¡°Whatever allegedly took place, Captain, is a matter for the courts to decide. My client denies all accusations of carrying or wielding a weapon and any actions he took were purely in self defence after your office failed to identify herself as police.¡± ¡°She did so.¡± ¡°No she didn¡¯t! She come flying through that door and come at me. I had no idea she was a pig¡­ I mean copper.¡± Ja¡¯brak crossed his arms defensively with a smug look on his face. ¡°Is that true?¡± Ridley hissed at Nairo from behind the two way glass. Nairo chewed her lip and tried to remember what had happened. She remembered flying through the door but had she announced herself as a police officer? ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Check your officer¡¯s statement. Nowhere does it say she identified herself as police. In fact my client did not realise she was a police officer until he woke up to find the entire station crowded around him.¡± ¡°Getting kicks in,¡± Ja¡¯brak added. ¡°That''s besides the point,¡± Mallor snapped. ¡°No. That is the point,¡± Haddro said smugly. ¡°If your Sergeant had followed protocol and announced herself as police my client would have of course complied, without issue.¡± ¡°Your client was found standing next to the deceased. His compliance in the matter isn¡¯t the issue!¡± ¡°And as we have explained¡­¡± ¡°Shove yer explanation. I¡¯ve seen people hang for less.¡± Ja¡¯brak flicked an uneasy eye at his lawyer who was still icily calm. ¡°The body was cold, Captain.¡± ¡°What?¡± Haddro sighed and pulled off his spectacles to wipe them. ¡°By your own officers¡¯ statements. When they apprehended my client the body was already cold. I¡¯m sure I do not need to elucidate to a Dwarf of your experience that it takes hours for a body to cool.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Well unless you''re suggesting my client murdered Mr. Pakkzo and then hung around for several hours waiting to get caught¡­¡± ¡°No one ever accused common criminals of being an intelligent bunch.¡± ¡°Nor was there a speck of blood on him, well that is until your officers beat him bloody¡­¡± Mallory slammed his cement block fists down on the table, making Ja¡¯brak jump. Haddro didn''t even flinch, he just gave the Cap¡¯n that same self satisfied smirk. ¡°Listen scumbag, I¡¯ve got you in the same room with a body. I¡¯ve got you running from police and I¡¯ve got you pulling a weapon on a sworn officer of the law. Your lawyer here can play all the silly semantic games he wants but I will make sure you hang for this.¡± Ja¡¯brak looked at Haddro and it was clear he was scared. ¡°The Captain can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Wanna see what I can and can¡¯t do?¡± Mallory growled at him. ¡°Give me something.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who clipped Benny!¡± ¡°What about the Diamond?¡± ¡°What? What Diamond?¡± ¡°The one Benny had.¡± ¡°Why would Benny have a Diamond?¡± ¡°Coz he nicked it?¡± ¡°He did?¡± ¡°Last night.¡± ¡°Is that why he was celebrating¡­¡± Haddro cut him off with a dry cough and stern look. ¡°Who told you to go to Benny¡¯s¡± Again the lawyer began to cut him off until Mallory slammed his thick fist down on the table. ¡°Give me a name!¡± Mallory barked. ¡°Or I¡¯ll see you swinging from a rope before the week¡¯s out.¡± ¡°Captain you cannot¡­¡± ¡°Oh trust me, short ears, I¡¯ve got the full weight of the entire Government behind me on this case. I can do what I want and no one¡¯s gonna shed a tear over a small time thug like this taking the long drop.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°Quiet you fool!¡± ¡°Who sent you to Benny? Why did they want him dead?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t kill Benny!¡± ¡°Then what were you doing there!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Ja¡¯brak howled, sweat beading down his scaly brow. ¡°Rufi said to¡­¡± Haddro launched into a vicious torrent of Kittei: the Goblin tongue. The Cap¡¯n sat back with his arms crossed and a victorious smirk on his face. ¡°This interview is over, Captain. My client will be exercising his right to remain silent.¡± Haddra hissed this last work at Ja¡¯brak who looked down into his lap like an admonished child. ¡°Now, if that is all¡­¡± ¡°No it bloody well is not,¡± Mallory growled. ¡°Your client can cool his heels in the lock up for a few days.¡± ¡°But we will be posting bail.¡± ¡°Shame, seems like all the judges will be busy for the next couple of days and the duty officer is out with the flu. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no one to process him.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Cartwell!¡± Mallory barked. . ¡°Yessir?¡± Cartwell, a portly officer with a homely face, poked his head through the door. ¡°Take this scumbag to lock up and show his lawyer out.¡± ¡°This will not stand Captain! I shall be writing¡­¡± ¡°Do what you like but get out of my police station.¡± Haddra rose imperiously to his feet as his client was manacled. Both Goblins were ushered out under Mallory¡¯s frosty gaze. ¡°Well at least we know Sarita was telling the truth; Benny was celebrating something big.¡± Nairo said. ¡°And who¡¯s Rufi?¡± Ridley tossed the cold stone he had pressed to his forehead away and grabbed his coat. ¡°Ruf¡¯Gar Chaw¡¯drak, prince and heir apparent to Uncle Sam¡¯s empire,¡± Ridley answered, chewing the inside of his cheek as he thought. ¡°How the hell are the Chaw¡¯draks wrapped up in this? It¡¯s too¡­ amatuerish. Too messy to be Uncle Sam.¡± ¡°We need to get him in a room,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We could¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get in a room with a Goblin like that unless he¡¯s invited you to the room.¡± ¡°Then we need to find his nephew or at least someone high ranking in his organisation. Someone who can give us some answers!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± Ridley said with a shrug. ¡°I thought you were supposed to be the streetwise PI with your ear to the ground?¡± ¡°Yeah, and I know enough to know you¡¯ll get that ear cut off listening to Kith business.¡± Cap¡¯n Mallory burst into the room looking his usually disgruntled self. ¡°You hear all that?¡± he growled at Nairo. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How the hell are the Chaw¡¯draks involved?¡± Mallory grumbled as he kneaded his thick brow with an equally thick knuckle. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to figure out,¡± Ridley said. ¡°None of this is right,¡± Mallory said. ¡°This is Sam¡¯s style. It¡¯s all too¡­¡± ¡°Amatuerish?¡± Ridley offered. ¡°Obvious,¡± Mallory grunted at him. ¡°We need more information,¡± Nairo said. ¡°At least about who within the Goblin organisation might rank high enough to know why Benny was killed or what he was doing scoping out the bank.¡± ¡°You need Conway.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Lieutenant Conway down in missing property. He knows more about the criminals in the city than just about anyone else.¡± ¡°The missing property clerk?¡± Ridley snorted. ¡°Bet he¡¯s a real mover and shaker.¡± ¡°Rod Conway is a thirty year vet,¡± Mallory spat. ¡°One of the best damn vice detectives we ever had. But he was a wild man who saw too many shades of grey where there should have been the black and white letter of law. He pulled a case about seven years ago that went¡­ bad. He¡¯d gotten too used to getting results by playing outside the lines. Someone ended up dying. With his disciplinary record the brass were gunning for him and it wasn¡¯t hard to bust him down to desk duty. He¡¯s been riding a desk down in the basement ever since playing out the game until he can pension out. But he knew every villain and face in town, even went after Sam himself.¡± ¡°And he¡¯ll be able to give us the information we need?¡± Nairo asked. Mallory shrugged. ¡°If he¡¯s still sober enough. What time is it?¡± ¡°Three.¡± ¡°Worth trying your luck. He¡¯s down in the basement. Tell him I sent you.¡± Chapter 11 ??11 On the way down to the basement, Nairo stopped to send a few comms scrolls out. ¡°I want to have a better look at the body, and you can¡¯t smoke in here,¡± she snapped at Ridley. ¡°That¡¯s the problem with you coppers, all the rules,¡± Ridley said, rolling his eyes. ¡°You reckon the coroner is gonna let us in that quickly?¡± ¡°Whether he does or not, I have an inside man.¡± ¡°Oooh, do you really Sarge? That doesn¡¯t sound like protocol.¡± ¡°Well we can¡¯t wait around for the coroner to respond to our request. I know the coroner¡¯s assistant, he owes me one. I reckon he could let us have a peak if I ask nicely.¡± She sent off two scrolls, one to the coroner and one to his assistant, the instant transfer ink disappearing as it dried to reappear at the post office closest to the recipients. ¡°Come on let¡¯s get down the basement.¡± That was much easier said than done. With their combination of wounds and strains, hobbling down fifteen flights of stairs was an ordeal. After five flights, Nairo¡¯s left leg went numb. After five more, she wished it had stayed numb. Pain radiated through her body as she desperately clung to the railing and hopped down the well worn steps. Ridley had mocked her until his own sore knees started giving him issues. Through gritted teeth, he spat every curse he could imagine at the staircase. Their progress was gratingly slow and by the end they were both sweating. ¡°Who made stairs?¡± Ridley growled. ¡°Some bastard,¡± Nairo groaned as they finally reached the bottom of the stairs. They hobbled down a dimly lit corridor. Everything smelled musty and forgotten and there was only a single forlorn glow stone lighting their way. They walked past several disused offices, the only sign of life was that the dust had been recently disturbed. ¡°There it is.¡± Nairo pointed towards an office at the end of the corridor with the glow of a light around the edges of the door. Peering at the peeling letting on the frosted glass of the door Nairo could just about make out the words: ¡®Issi g Pro ert¡¯. ¡°Looks like the place,¡± Ridley said, rapping on the door. There was silence. Ridley knocked again. ¡°Oi! Anyone in there?¡± ¡°Wah?¡± came a thick reply through the door. ¡°Lieutenant Conway, my name is Sergeant Nairo. Captain Mallory sent us to you for information.¡± There was a crash and then some swearing. ¡°I ain¡¯t here!¡± Ridley looked at Nairo and rolled his eyes before pushing open the door. Inside, the room was as disused and forgotten as the rest of the floor had been. Dust and spiderwebs fought for dominance over every corner and surface. There was a single desk in the middle of the room. Strewn around it were heaps of empty bottles and mounds of moulding paperwork. Sat behind the desk with his feet up, bottle paused on its way to his lips, was a grizzled, grey haired, man who looked like he¡¯d just rolled out of a cave. He was dishevelled and drunk, but his grey, flinty eyes were still sharp. ¡°You deaf?¡± he growled at them. ¡°No, but I¡¯m well on my way to being crippled,¡± Ridley replied as he limped into the musty room. ¡°Lieutenant Conway I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not deaf,¡± Conway snapped. ¡°I heard you the first time. What do you want?¡± ¡°I mislaid a codpiece couple of weeks ago. Has it popped up?¡± Ridley asked sarcastically. ¡°Always the last place you look,¡± Conway slurred, knocking the bottle back and taking a deep glug of something amber. It was either strong alcohol or weak paint thinner judging by the smell. ¡°Lieutenant Conway, Captain Mallory¡­¡± ¡°How is the little short arse?¡± Conway cut her off. ¡°Still short and still an arse,¡± Ridley replied and Conway gave a snotty snort of laughter. ¡°You ain¡¯t a copper.¡± ¡°No, he isn¡¯t.¡± Nairo glared at Ridley who pointedly ignored her. ¡°You don¡¯t have a glass do you?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Did. Think I broke it.¡± Conway held the bottle up to Ridley. ¡°Pull up a stool¡­ or something.¡± Conway gave a thick belch, his stomach gurgling as it fought to expel as much noxious gas as it could before he poured more in. Ridley took the bottle, pulled a stack of files to the other side of the desk, plonked himself down and took a whiff of the bottle. ¡°Lieutenant¡­¡± ¡°Drop the rank, love.¡± Conway said. ¡°I¡¯m Lieutenant of Jack and Shit. Other than these folders, I guess. I¡¯ve only got me rank so I can cash out a decent pension and drink myself to death quicker.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Conway, we¡¯ve come to seek your expert knowledge for a case we¡¯re working.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? What¡¯s the case?¡± Despite Conway¡¯s cynical demeanour, Nairo saw a flash in his eyes at the mention of a case. The always reliable obsession of a good detective. ¡°Impossible bank robbery. Grand larceny of a Diamond. Murder. Take your pick,¡± Ridley said as he handed the bottle back without taking a sip. ¡°That¡¯s all one case?¡± ¡°Yep. Diamond was nicked last night and we found the Goblin dead this morning.¡± ¡°They connected?¡± ¡°Far as we¡¯re aware.¡± ¡°A Diamond?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Conway gave a low whistle which turned into a sonorous burp. ¡°And you say Goblins are involved?¡± ¡°The dead Goblin in question was seen in the area of the bank several nights in a row before the Diamond was stolen,¡± Nairo said. Conway dropped his feet from the desk and sat up, wiping his hand through his beard. ¡°So what d¡¯yer want from me? I know this is missing property but I ain¡¯t got any Diamonds in here.¡± ¡°We need information,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°The dead toad¡¯s one of Uncle Sam¡¯s circle,¡± Ridley said bluntly. ¡°Ridley!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t say that!¡± ¡°What? Toad?¡± ¡°Yes ¡°But I just did?¡± ¡°That word is incredibly offensive to Goblins¡­¡± she began before a loud throaty snort from Conway cut across her. ¡°Save yer words, girl, Goblins don¡¯t give a fuck about you or your sympathy. They¡¯d rape and murder you in heart beat if they had half a chance. They think Humans are an aberration of nature. Animals that the Elves domesticated and taught to speak. They don¡¯t need your sympathies.¡± ¡°And I suppose you don¡¯t mind if a Goblin called you a pig skin?¡± Nairo replied fiercely. Conway gave a noncommittal shrug. ¡°He¡¯d have to say it first for me to know what I¡¯d do about it,¡± Conway spoke low with a voice that promised violence. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the Sarge. She takes the badge way too seriously. Would you believe she wanted to give medical attention to a Minotaur¡­ after she arrested him!¡± Ridley gleefully sniggered as he recounted their earlier adventure. Conway raised a wiry eyebrow with an almost audible creak. ¡°You put the cuffs on a Minotaur, girl?¡± he said with the slightest hint of being impressed. ¡°Sargent Nairo, and yes,¡± Nairo answered shortly. ¡°Is that why you look like you went ten rounds with a pit fighter?¡± ¡°Partially.¡± ¡°We also fell through a roof,¡± Ridley added. ¡°And down some stairs,¡± Nairo said. ¡°And we had to slug it out with a Goblin.¡± ¡°The dead Goblin?¡± Conway asked. ¡°No, the Goblin we reckoned clipped him,¡± Ridley answered. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve been having quite an adventure but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re wasting your time.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Because Sam¡¯sun Chaw¡¯drak has no business with Diamonds, magicks, or Elves. And I don¡¯t have no business on the street no more. I been put out to pasture.¡± ¡°Cap¡¯n Mallory said¡­¡± ¡°Mallory ain¡¯t my boss. In fact, while I was ripping and running on the streets doing actual police work, Mallory was shining his badge and making all the right friends. He¡¯s up there and I¡¯m in the basement and that¡¯s that.¡± ¡°That why you¡¯re pretending to be drunk down here?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Tryna get sympathy points or hiding something?¡± Conway narrowed his eyes but didn''t say a word. ¡°From one alcoholic to another, ain¡¯t no one sitting down here drinking Garkal Rum by the bottle and they¡¯re not dead already. Even Trolls don''t go hard on that stuff. Judging by the amount of empty bottles laying around I¡¯d say you should have been dead¡­ about eighteen bottles ago.¡± Conway leaned back in his chair and eyed Ridley. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°That wall¡¯s been bothering me since we came in,¡± Nairo added. ¡°But I didn¡¯t want to pry.¡± ¡°The wall with all the carefully placed dust and mould?¡± Ridley asked her. ¡°It¡¯s the top left corner that¡¯s really annoying me. Never know spiders to weave webs at right angles.¡± Conway sucked his teeth and carefully surveyed them. ¡°No one¡¯s been down here in¡­ forever. Guess I got a little sloppy.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. Although, I would practise your slur a little.¡± Nairo gave him a small smile. Ridley smirked. ¡°So¡­¡± Conway dropped the drunk act, his eyes showing the wolflike intelligence that had made him such a great detective. ¡°You¡¯re seriously looking at Chaw¡¯drak for this?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Nairo admitted. ¡°The only link to Chaw¡¯drak is Benny Two Coats, and now he¡¯s dead¡­¡± ¡°Benny Two Coats?¡± Conway repeated, almost humming with interest. ¡°Yes, he was the Goblin we were pursuing, well that is until we found him this morning with his head damn near sawn off.¡± ¡°Interesting¡­ what did you say your name was?¡± ¡°Sargeant Nairo.¡± ¡°Sally Nairo?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Conway seemed to be delving deep in his mind, throwing files left and right, trying to find out where he knew that name from. ¡°You solved that case last year, out in the Farmyards, what was it¡­¡± Conway clicked his fingers. ¡°The case with the dead butler and the Troll gardener.¡± ¡°Yes that¡¯s right,¡± Nairo said, a hint of pride in her voice. ¡°That was good police work. I followed that closely.¡± ¡°From down here?¡± Ridley said incredulously. ¡°You¡¯d be amazed what filters down to missing property. So she¡¯s a hot shot new young detective, renowned for good police work, and you are?¡± ¡°Ridley, you¡¯ve probably heard of me.¡± Conway looked at him blankly. ¡°Remember the PI involved in the Hemyway case?¡± Nairo prompted. ¡°Oh you were the crank that wanted to arrest the yorkshire terrier.¡± ¡°THAT was a perfectly valid theory!¡± Ridley fought to keep his voice under control. ¡°How else could the poison get into old man Richmond¡¯s wine? The maid was the only one with access¡­ you know what forget it!¡± ¡°Well, you''re passionate, I can respect that at least.¡± Conway said. ¡°So Benny Two Coats is dead?¡± ¡°As a doornail.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Conway stood up and strode across the room. He opened the door, looked up and down the lifeless corridor and then locked the door behind him. ¡°What we discuss here doesn¡¯t leave this room, understand? You don''t talk about it with Mallory or anyone else, understood?¡± ¡°Can we discuss with each other?¡± Ridley asked. Conway eyed him coldly. ¡°We won''t, we promise,¡± Nairo said, elbowing Ridley. ¡°Good. ¡®Coz those fuckers might have put me down here to rot, but don¡¯t mean I been rotting.¡± Conway stomped over to the wall to their left, pulled it away and then flipped it. The backside of the board was a seemingly haphazard, criss-crossing, web of strings, names, sketches, and dates. This was all laid over a drawing of the city, split into quadrants and colour coded. ¡°Woah,¡± Ridley said, appreciating the maniacal attention to detail. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± Nairo began. ¡°Verdalia City!¡± Conway finished with a glint in his eye. ¡°This is the whole incestuous cesspool of our legitimised underworld.¡± ¡°Legitimised?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°As in allowed to operate with impunity. This is why they wanted to get rid of me, because I kept pulling at that thread. I wanted to put the whole lot ¡®em away behind bars. Chaw¡¯drak, The Landlord, Gnommish Yano, and Wesley the Weasel. The four kings of crime in this city. Each quadrant carefully mapped out and under their control.¡± Conway pointed an accusing finger at four of the sketches. One was of a thick set Goblin with delicate ears and broad, heavy features. His name plate read: Sam¡¯sun Chaw¡¯drak. His picture sat over the south west section of the map that encompassed the Dock, Goblin Town, the RatHoles, and everything in between. Nairo also noticed the Foundries out on the edges of the city were also coloured green. The next picture was of a tall human, with features so sharp it was a wonder they didn¡¯t cut right through his skin. He had three livid scars on his face. One across the bridge of nose, one through his eyebrow, and one through his cheek. He had a thick bristly moustache and the coldest eyes Nairo had ever seen. Bill ¡®The Landlord¡¯ Graves. His picture sat over the blue section of the map out West. Bill¡¯s section stretched across the strongholds of working class humans, small factories, almost all of the cities¡¯ breweries, and dozens of pubs and bars. Above him, in pink, was the Gnommish north of the city, the picture of a rather nondescript Gnome in a dark suit: Gnommish Yano. Finally, the East of the city was coloured yellow and covered all of the entertainment and pleasure districts the city had become famed for. The East of the city was the fastest expanding, and before the food crisis began, was a burgeoning culinary scene with new restaurants popping up every day. There was also the theatres, the live cabarets, and enough street level debauchery and hedonism to keep even the most virulent young man satiated. Over this section of the city was a sketch of a man who could be known as nothing other than the Weasel. He had little, beady, rodent eyes, a thin, sharply pointed moustache, and a look about him that said you should count your fingers after you shake hands with him. ¡°Together, these four scumbags are responsible for 90% of the crime that goes on in this city. Everything goes through them and is regulated by them. A rat doesn¡¯t so much as steal a piece of cheese without paying dues on it.¡± ¡°How is this possible?¡± Nairo breathed as she scanned the map. It wasn¡¯t just names, but lists and lists of crimes. Murders, kidnappings, disappearances, armed robbery, illegal gambling, prostitution, drug dealing, loan sharking. The list just went on and on and on. ¡°How do you think peace is kept in the city?¡± Conway asked. ¡°Ain¡¯t that peaceful out there,¡± Ridley said as his eyes flicked all over the map. ¡°Not like that. Of course there¡¯s gonna be street level crimes. Robbings, knifings, beatings, and muggings. That¡¯s normal city life. I mean, why do you think so many different species can all live side by side in this city? You two are too young to remember the riots and open warfare on the streets between Humans and Goblins. And then the Gnomes came by the thousand and that caused more friction. The city was tearing itself apart night after night until Verdalia was finally divided as you can see. They call it the Accords. As long as everyone sticks to their quarter then there¡¯s peace. No mobs. No lynchings. No riots. With the additional addendum, that no bodies drop in the city. Why do you think despite the active number of villains in this city we have such a low murder rate but such a high disappearance rate?¡± ¡°People turn up missing all the time,¡± Ridley murmured, repeating an old truism you would hear constantly on the streets. ¡°Who knows about this?¡± ¡°Everyone!¡± Conway waved a wild hand. ¡°It¡¯s an open secret. Somewhere along the way the politicians realised that there has to be crime. That you can¡¯t get rid of it. Long as people have gold and the freedom to spend it as they wish, there will always be black markets and vice. So better that the crime¡¯s organised, regulated, and most importantly, kept out of the newspapers. Does wonders for the Mayor to make sure headlines like ¡®decapitation in the streets¡¯ and ¡®torture gang leaves another victim¡¯ stay out of the papers. As long as it stays off the front page, doesn¡¯t affect anyone important, then they have carte blanche to do as they want.¡± ¡°But¡­ we arrest criminals all the time!¡± Nairo protested. ¡°The cities¡¯ sentencing is some of the harshet around. ¡°You ever caught Chaw¡¯drak? Are there any active investigations into him? Look at this!¡± Conway pointed to the laundry list of crimes attributing the Goblins. ¡°We don¡¯t ever catch anyone too important. It¡¯s all street level bullshit. This is why they shoved me down here, because I kept trying to go after the real criminals. I followed the gold and you wouldn¡¯t believe where it went.¡± Conway had an almost deranged look in his eyes now and then it faded. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing that we can do about it. This goes all the way to the top. Above Mallory. Above the politicians. Above the Mayor even, all the way to the Owners.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Ridley muttered. Conway sighed and looked at this board. ¡°You said Benny was dead?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Conway nodded and then took a pen and crossed out Benny¡¯s name, in small writing, on the board. ¡°Benny wasn¡¯t too high up on the food chain. He was well respected but he wasn¡¯t in the Circle.¡± ¡°The Circle?¡± Nairo asked. Conway sighed again and threw himself down behind his desk looking at the board. Without looking he reached into a draw and drew out a bottle of liquor. ¡°The good stuff,¡± he said to Ridley, before popping its seal and taking a small swig before answering Nairo¡¯s question. ¡°Each one of these criminal organisations has a structure to it. The Gnommish gangs are hardline, highly authoritative, with strict controls over every member. They operate with one lead who gets his order from the ruling class back home. Gnommish Yano is more of a mouth piece than a boss. He gets the orders and then makes sure they¡¯re followed. Bill runs his more like a tyrant. Pure fear, menace, and intimidation. He surrounds himself with violent psychopaths and it''s his way or you vanish. He strong armed his way to the top after smashing the remnants of the Human Defence Force. Once they gave up on trying to rid the city of anything non-human, Bill swooped in, cut the head off the old guard, including his old man, and took over the entire West end. Now, nothing and no one operates without his say so. The Weasel is more of a collection of all the leftovers, smooshed together and loosely managed by him. It¡¯s his brother in laws that really keep everything in check though.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s his brother-in laws?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°The Taverly twins.¡± ¡°Ohhhh. I thought they were serving 50% up the river.¡± ¡°They are. Doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t still cast a long shadow, the fucking nutters. They say even The Landlord gives the Twins a wide berth. They practically took over a whole slice of the city with little more than a Firm of ten fellas. They went to war with everyone and somehow won. Now they¡¯re locked up, they¡¯re still obliged to look after their little sister¡¯s husband, even if it is Wesley the Weasel. Everyone gets to make money in the East as long as the Weasel gets a taste. But he knows he doesn¡¯t have the muscle on the street to regulate the way Bill does. Without The Firm behind him he would have been taken over a long time ago. And then there¡¯s Sam¡¯sun Chaw¡¯drak, the longest serving member of this little group. Sam¡¯sun has run the Goblin gangs also known as Kith, which loosely translates to the community, since before any of us were born. He was a freedom fighter in a past life, a part of the Goblin rebellions until that all went tits up. He was tried as one of the ring leaders and found guilty of terrorism and rebellion. They locked him up in a Goblin gulag for a couple of decades. Then when peace was negotiated, the gulags were emptied, and Sam¡¯sun was exiled to the Free Cities. Not much is known about him until he pops up in the species riots and takes up his place as leader of the Goblin resistance again. Since then he¡¯s ruled the legitimate and illegitimate sides of the Goblin affairs within the city. He¡¯s practically sanctified by the Goblins. They see him as their great protector. Old ma¡¯s cook for him, people bring their newborn children to meet him, he pays for the younger generation to get educated. Out of the four, Sam¡¯sun¡¯s the most dangerous because he wields the most influence. Goblins practically run the Foundries, the Docks fall under his purview, and all of the Goblins within Goblin Town will vote in whichever direction he chooses. At this point, the fuckers more embedded in the city that its own foundations are.¡± Conway took another slug of whiskey and sighed. ¡°So we¡¯re pretty screwed then,¡± Ridley surmised after taking a deep breath. ¡°Only if he did it, which I can¡¯t see,¡± Conway replied. ¡°I¡¯m assuming this Diamond belong to Elves?¡± ¡°Yep and they¡¯re pissed. They¡¯re all the way up the Mayor¡¯s ass on this one.¡± ¡°Exactly. Sam¡¯sun doesn¡¯t bring heat on himself, that¡¯s how he¡¯s stayed alive and free for so long. Pissing of the Mayor and committing a crime someone has to hang for, and then Benny being found dead, it¡¯s all too messy.¡± ¡°Could someone be framing Chaw¡¯drak?¡± Nairo pondered. ¡°Possibly, but again, it just doesn¡¯t make sense. Why steal a Diamond? Who could you possibly sell it to?¡± ¡°Must be plenty of people willing to buy a massive, shiny rock like that,¡± Ridley said. ¡°In all my years of vice I¡¯ve never come across a real Diamond. They¡¯re so rare that a blackmarket doesn¡¯t even really exist for them.¡± ¡°So going by your gut, you don¡¯t think Chaw¡¯drak is behind this Diamond theft?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°If he was, you would have never been able to link it to anything anywhere near him. Instead you have a fairly high ranking member of the tribe seen at the scene of the crime and then dead within hours. Does that sound like the type of careful criminal mastermind who¡¯s been in the game for decades?¡± ¡°No. Sounds like a sloppy amateur,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Exactly.¡± Conway scrubbed at his thick beard. ¡°From what you¡¯ve told me there¡¯s a piece of this puzzle missing. How certain are you that Benny even had this Diamond?¡± ¡°Only circumstantial right now,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°How was he killed?¡± ¡°Had his head near ripped off,¡± Ridley answered. ¡°Down to the bone.¡± Conway whistled. ¡°Someone really wanted him dead. You reckon it was this other Goblin?¡± ¡°He was found at the scene of the crime but other than that, we don¡¯t have a motive or even a weapon.¡± ¡°He did have a blade on him,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Do you think he could have done that with a dagger?¡± ¡°With enough motivation he might have.¡± ¡°No motive. No murder weapon. It¡¯s good you¡¯re keeping an open mind,¡± Conway said. ¡°Could be that Benny had nothing to do with the theft and we¡¯re wasting our time on a wild goose chase,¡± Nairo sighed. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve caught yourselves a real quagmire of a case,¡± Conway said with the sympathy of a veteran detective. ¡°By the way, do you know what kind of Diamond you''re chasing?¡± ¡°There¡¯s different kinds?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Of course. Some Diamonds are completely inert, some contain magicks, some have specific spells¡­¡± Conway trailed off as he saw the nonplussed looks on their faces. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m no expert, but I know a guy who¡¯s into blackmarket magicks. He¡¯s a weird character but harmless enough. I could connect you guys, maybe you can pump him for some info, could be he might have even heard something on the streets about someone tryna fence a rock.¡± ¡°Right now we¡¯re trying not to let it out that there¡¯s a Diamond missing in the city,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Fair enough¡­ I¡¯ll tell him you¡¯re doing some sort of undercover work and you need more info for your backstories.¡± ¡°That could work, thank you.¡± ¡°His name¡¯s Bil-Bil, he¡¯s a human running cracked stones and DIY magicks out of the Foundries. Give me a day and I¡¯ll track him down.¡± ¡°Thank you so much lieute¡­ Conway. We appreciate it.¡± Nairo stood up and extended her hand. ¡°You¡¯re very welcome. It¡¯s nice to feel like I¡¯m back in the game,¡± Conway said, shaking her hand with a gnarled paw. ¡°Hey, if you ever fancy coming out of the basement, there¡¯s plenty of work for a hound with a good nose,¡± Ridley said, magicking a card between his fingers. ¡°Son, I¡¯m three years away from a sweet pension and I got six more payments on a lakefront property out in the Azuras¡­ but I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± Conway accepted the card and shook Ridley¡¯s hands. ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch, Sergeant.¡± Chapter 12 12 ¡°What time is it?¡± Ridley asked as they walked out of HQ. ¡°Just coming up to five,¡± Nairo answered wearily, clicking her pocket watch shut. ¡°Good. Come Sarge.¡± He spun on his heels and marched away, limping like a disgruntled duck, while Nairo hopped and shuffled a couple paces to catch up. ¡°To where? Benny was our only lead and he¡¯s cooling on a slab and we have no idea where the Diamond is!¡± She pulled up in front of Ridley and massaged her aching jaw, the pain fuelling her frustration. ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± he replied, side stepping Nairo without breaking his waddle. ¡°Oh really?¡± ¡°Like you said the only lead we had was Benny and a missing Diamond.¡± He screwed a smoke into the corner of his mouth. ¡°Now we get to figure out why Benny was killed, and my gold¡¯s going on whoever killed Benny knows something about the Diamond.¡± He finished and vanished his lighter with a smirk, but it was a thin drawn attempt and only hung around for a moment, before his lips returned to their usual tightly drawn demeanour. One of his eyes was nearly swollen shut and half of his face was a livid bruise. The other eye was restless however, his head twitched like a bloodhound snuffling in the undergrowth trying to regain the scent. ¡°Well our only lead is sitting in police HQ and we¡¯re not allowed to talk to him.¡± ¡°Only one thing for it, we go back to the scene of the crime.¡± ¡°The bank?¡± ¡°No, the second crime. We need to go back to Benny¡¯s for clues. Like Conway said, we need some evidence that Benny had the Diamond, or even that he had anything to do with it. Time for some tedious police procedure, should be right up your alley.¡± ¡°PD¡¯s already gone over the place.¡± ¡°Despite their trampling we may be able to still catch a whiff, unless you have a better idea?¡± With a deep sigh, Nairo gave a defeated shrug and a wave of her hand. ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot,¡± she conceded. ¡°But you¡¯re paying for the cab this time!¡± Ridley returned her shrug with a smirk and stuck his fingers in his mouth letting out a shrill whistle. A large saggy cab bounced over to them, a towering chestnut mare whinnied and snuffled at them, flaring her cavernous nostrils, and offering them a moronic grin. ¡°Where to, marm?¡± the driver asked, punctuating his question with a healthy glob of spit over the side of the cab. He was shabby from head to foot and had all the tarnishes and patches of a veteran driver. ¡°RatHoles,¡± Nairo said, placing her foot on the cab steps. ¡°Err¡­ dunno bout that, missus,¡± he grumbled scratching his bristly chin. ¡°Don¡¯t do drops that far. Out of me zones, you see.¡± ¡°Since when?¡± Ridley snorted from behind her. ¡°It''s too far, mate,¡± the driver said testily. ¡°Bet you would take us North of Avantgard, wouldn¡¯t you? That wouldn¡¯t be too far would it?¡± ¡°For goodness sake I¡¯m a police officer!¡± Nairo flashed the cabby her badge when she saw the doubt on his face. ¡°And I''m short of patience!¡± Ridley snapped, taking a step towards the driver menacingly. ¡°And I¡¯ll guarantee your safety,¡± Nairo persevered. ¡°And I won''t,¡± Ridley finished. They stood shoulder to shoulder glaring at the driver with their blacked eyes and bloodied lips. The poor cabbie suddenly felt very put upon. With a quick doff of his shabby pillbox cap he ushered them in. Ridley threw himself into the worn, spongy seat and sank down into his coat, the end of his smoke weakly illuminating the musty gloom of the coach. As the cab began to trundle off the small window between the driver and fare popped open. ¡°Betty¡¯s Bridge¡¯ll be clogged back to the public chopping block this time of the day, we¡¯ll be better cutting around the Foundries, if you¡¯re in a hurry,¡± he finished lamely, trailing off in the manor of someone who didn¡¯t want to be scolded again. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine, thank you.¡± Nairo answered. ¡°Good good.¡± He clicked his tongue and with a flick of the reins they cut lanes narrowly avoiding hitting a small angry bundle of fur that squawked raucous curses at them in some unintelligible tongue. ¡°Err¡­ was nothing pers¡¯nal by the way marm¡­ just you know how it is.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Nairo asked, while Ridley blew smoke rings absentmindedly. ¡°Sturridge, but me friends call me Stu¡­ Marm.¡± ¡°Well Sturridge, get us to the southside and we¡¯ll call it quits. Deal?¡± Stu nodded and gave the chestnut mare another flick with the reins, this time with more of flourish, for the benefit of his passengers. ¡°¡¯S only nowadays a fella can''t be too careful, not wiv all these immigrants and wotstheirname, refugees and that. I heard there''s fousands of ¡®em coming over the mountains on account of that earfquake.¡± He said with a tone of uneducated authority on the matter. ¡°Those refugees have been made homeless by a disaster not in their control, their homes destroyed, their water diseased by dead bodies and human waste, not to mention the rampant looting in the wake of that earthquake,¡± Nairo replied hotly. ¡°They have nowhere else to go and they need our help.¡± ¡°If I knew you had such a high horse we coulda rode it to the southside and saved the cab fare,¡± Ridley muttered sarcastically from the depth of the coach. Nairo blinked slowly and decided she didn¡¯t have the energy and delicately dropped herself back in her seat. ¡°Oh no, course marm, t¡¯was a terrible thing what happened, heart goes out to them wot lost their lives,¡± he said, even sweeping off his crumpled hat and pressing it against his narrow chest with a thoughtful glance to the heavens. ¡°Still, they''re a light fingered bunch.¡± He spat over the side of the cab and jammed his cap back on. ¡°Heard they got schools for thieving out there, you know!¡± ¡°That why a cabbie keeps a loaded crossbow under his seat?¡± Ridley asked as leant forward and flicked his smoke out of the window. ¡°Err¡­ I¡­ I¡¯ve got a permit for that!¡± Stu stammered, shifting his rear end trying vainly to hide the crossbow poking out from under his bench. ¡°Have you, Sturridge¡­ didn¡¯t catch your surname.¡± The flip of Nairo¡¯s notepad made the driver flinch like the rasp of steel unsheathing in a dark alley. ¡°Ummm¡­ well I¡¯ve changed me abode since and err¡­ could take up to four years¡­ you know what them pencil pusher are like.¡± He ran himself into silence, the feeling of four eyes boring into his backside sent cold sweat beading down his spine. Finally he could take the howling silence behind him no longer. ¡°Look it¡¯s gotten rough out here, all these damn foreigners flooding in by the hundred, begging, borrowing and nicking anything not nailed down! The Goblins and the Landlord¡¯s boys have been spoiling to have it out with each other! And¡­ and these bloody burn addicts move like damned locusts, stripping anything they can sell for scrap! They¡¯ll have the hindlegs of yore horse if¡¯n yore not careful! So yeah, if I feel it necessary to arm meself, purely for self defence o¡¯ course, and a man should be completely within his rights to damn well do so!¡± He spluttered to a halt, trying to catch the breath that righteous indignation and forty a day had robbed him of. ¡°Alright, calm down fella, not like we¡¯re police,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I thought she was!¡± Stu crowed indignantly. ¡°Oh yeah, keep forgetting that, carry on squire!¡± Ridley slammed the window shut between them. Stu sunk into his seat, fervently wishing he had clocked off early and got a pie and a pint down the Witch¡¯s Wart with Wonky Bobby and his pet parrot. ¡°So what have you been chewing on?¡± Nairo asked when she grew tired of Ridley¡¯s somehow infuriating silence. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Come on, you look like a dog chewing on a bee.¡± ¡°Just tryna make sense of this whole affair of ours.¡± ¡°It is a bit like trying to see a frog at the bottom of a murky pond,¡± Nairo mused, massaging her neck whilst trying to ignore the cloying smell of the cab and the emissions of its engine. ¡°Catch a fly,¡± Ridley muttered, with his arms crossed firmly across his chest, a frown etched across his drawn face. ¡°Hmmm?¡± ¡°Catch a fly, lure the frog to the top, simple predator-prey relationship.¡± ¡°So we need a fly then?¡± ¡°Well that analogy doesn¡¯t quite work here. What we have here is a pond that it is impossible to have a frog in, a frog that doesn¡¯t look like a frog, we don¡¯t know what that frog eats, we don¡¯t even know if it is a frog¡­¡± Ridley trailed off and fell into a broody silence. ¡°Still, the key to fishing is patience,¡± Nairo offered half-heartedly. ¡°You don¡¯t fish for frogs,¡± Ridley snorted derisively. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re fishermen in this metaphor, but the point¡¯s valid. We lost Benny, but I don¡¯t think Benny being whacked is just a coincidence, even if he was a piece of shit who¡¯s had it coming for decades.¡± ¡°You heard what Conway said, it¡¯s unlikely this was the Chaw¡¯draks.¡± ¡°Still doesn¡¯t mean Benny didn¡¯t have something to do with the Diamond. He was there, then he winds up dead¡­ I feel it in my gut.¡± ¡°One coincidence is just a coincidence, two coincidences are a clue,¡± Nairo intoned. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It was from an old book, you know one of those where the detective is a genius, set in a big old manor house.¡± ¡°I prefer my novels with a bit more sex and violence.¡± ¡°You would.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true though. If Benny had just been around the bank, that¡¯s a coincidence. But, for him to wind up dead hours later, that¡¯s a clue.¡± ¡°You think we were barking up the right tree?¡± ¡°So someone cut it down,¡± Ridley finished, allowing himself a small smile at an analogy well done. ¡°We¡¯re back to pulling threads and following breadcrumbs, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± Ridley replied, sitting up as the cab began slowing. ¡°This is the closest I¡¯m willing to travel, ma¡¯am,¡± came the hopeful voice of Stu the driver. Ridley burst out of the door, his step reinvigorated. He sucked in a deep lungful of poverty tainted air and walked off. Nairo followed and flicked a coin to the driver. ¡°Don¡¯t let me catch you with that bow loaded and concealed again,¡± she said as she walked away. ¡°Yes marm, corse not.¡± He flicked the reins, whipping his horses as fast as he could in the opposite direction. ¡°Except now we know our prey is running towards a corner and desperate not to be followed,¡± Ridley continued their conversation once Nairo fell into step with him. ¡°And a cornered criminal is a sloppy one,¡± Ridley pulled out a smoke, an excited grin spread across his face. ¡°Fancy poking a hornet¡¯s nest?¡± ¡°I fought a Minotaur bare handed and chased a murderous Goblin across the rooftops of the infamous RatHoles, I laugh at hornets!¡± Nairo replied. Ridley¡¯s hound-like eagerness for the chase was infectious, also she was fairly certain she had a concussion. Chapter 13 13 As they approached the particular RatHole that had shielded Benny from everything other than a big pointy blade, Ridley¡¯s eyes became glued to the ground. His head slowly swept back and forth, his eyes scanning everything with the minutest detail. ¡°Nothing,¡± Ridley muttered, having crept in a silence all the way up the stairs of the RatHole Nairo had made her way up only hours before. Nairo had stopped looking for clues and had begun watching him. In that thick, musty silence, she could have sworn she heard the heavy clunk of his brain ticking over. When they reached Benny''s flat the door was open, some blue painted rope hung across the entrance with not a soul in sight. ¡°Hello? Sargent Nairo here!¡± Nairo stepped cautiously over the rope. Ridley held back, respectful of the fact the last time she had walked into that room there had been a giant Goblin and a dead body. When her head had remained on her body for a good ten seconds, Ridley followed her in. Nairo held a finger up to her lips, body crouched and ready to spring, as she pointed towards a figure slumped in the corner. ¡°Is he¡­?¡± Ridley whispered. Nairo shrugged and crept carefully towards the body. Her expression changed suddenly and she stood up and kicked the slumped figure. ¡°Zarb you lazy bag of sheets! On yer feet!¡± Nairo barked at the snoozing officer in her best drill sergeant voice. The tuft eared HobGoblin, remarkably, sprung from a peaceful slumber to fully upright, saluting furiously in the blink of an eye. ¡°M¡­ maam,¡¯ he mumbled thickly, frantically scrubbing sleep from his eyes. He stood there quivering, his baggy green skin jiggled, even the hairy tuft on his ears wiggled nervously. ¡°Zarb you useless glow wyrm, you were put here remain on guard¡­ awake!'''' Nairo knew she shouldn¡¯t, but after the day she had had, she relished the catharsis of yelling at someone trained to be berated by officers. ¡°Err¡­ well I was ma¡¯am¡­¡± he spluttered, still standing completely to attention, salute picture perfect, fingers glued to his forehead. ¡°You were awake with your eyes closed?¡± ¡°Yes ma''am. I was taking a tactical period of inactivity to ensure maximum energy and awareness should I be called upon to enforce the letter of the law.¡± He kept his eyes just a fraction above Nairo¡¯s head, voice even and monotone. The silence stretched as they both waited for the other to break. A snigger from Ridley conceded the battle on behalf of Nairo. ¡°Ridley!¡± she snapped. ¡°What?¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s some impressive bullshit to pull out your ass seconds after you¡¯ve been caught napping on the job.¡± He shook his head, shoulders bobbing in silent laughter. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°At ease, Zarb,¡± Nairo waved him away and returned her attention to Ridley. He had taken his hat off and was currently hugging the wall closest to the door. She left him to it, assuming it wasn¡¯t worth asking. ¡°Err, alchemists have already been in ma¡¯am, said it was more¡¯n likely a murder,¡± Zarb told her, shuffling from foot to foot awkwardly, trying not to stare at the dishevelled blood covered PI on his hands and knees scrutinising a squeaky floorboard. ¡°Just a routine inspection,¡± Nairo answered, half paying attention. She was trying to focus on the image of the murder scene in her mind, finding a lack of space between the dull throb of pain and the ache of tiredness. She rubbed at her itchy eyes, opening them to see Benny laying slumped in his dingy white vest. His scaly skin was the mottled grey of the Krooa tribes of Goblins, noticeable for their more gangly appearance and tall Doberman-like ears. The table was a lake of congealed browning blood. The viscous liquid oozed off the table, dripping a melancholic rhythm in the quiet room. ¡°When do you think Benny was clipped?¡± Ridley asked her as he shuffled across the floor, running his fingers through the stained carpet. ¡°Are you buying what the Goblin said about finding Benny already dead?¡± ¡°I dunno. It fits. The body was already cooling. No way that was a fresh kill. And what kind of murderer just hangs about after doing the deed?¡± ¡°He could have been waiting for someone. Maybe they were going to dispose of the body.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Ridley was now tracing a finger across the skirting boards, searching for something. ¡°But for hours? That seems pretty amateurish for the Kith.¡± ¡°Well, we can at least place the window of his murder,¡± Nairo said, tiptoeing around the puddle of blood and examining where Benny had been sitting. ¡°Sarita said she had been with Benny until sunrise.¡± ¡°Well done Sarge, didn¡¯t even have to look at your notepad,¡± he said, but his usual venomous sarcasm was half hearted, his mouth working while his mind left them both behind. He padded around the room, eyes unfocussed, concentrating on nothing in particular while swallowing every detail around him. ¡°Sarita is the last person we know that saw Benny alive. But how do we know he was still alive when she left? She¡¯s not exactly a trustworthy source of information,¡± Nairo asked, thinking aloud. ¡°Benny was a burner,¡± Ridley murmured, barely loud enough for her to hear. ¡°No one ever told him not to burn his earn. Most likely him and Sarita got high, why else would a leech like her be hanging round with a thug like Benny?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see any burn marks around his lips,¡± Nairo said as she examined the wall behind the murder scene. ¡°He was a cutter,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°They slice the skin, pack the wound with heated burn, hence the small cuts on his arms. It takes longer to kick in but doesn¡¯t leave signs till a lot deeper into the addiction, usually when the scabs turn green and become weeping sores. No way Benny could risk smoking, Uncle Sam looks down on that kinda thing.¡± ¡°So how do you know his time of death then?¡± ¡°He was sitting down to breakfast, had eggs on the cooker, burners can''t eat for at least an hour. Matter of fact they ain¡¯t coherent enough to take a piss let alone start cooking.¡± He had finally reached one corner of the dilapidated room and had now begun working his way past the windows, stopping to glare at Zarb till the gangly HobGoblin gulped and hopped out of his way like a scalded dog. ¡°Look at this,¡± Nairo said, pointing at the wall. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The blood spray.¡± Ridley looked up and saw that Nairo was pointing an arc of splattered blood behind Benny. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a slashed throat bleed like that,¡± Ridley mused. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Benny was slumped across the table, like he had been sitting when he was killed.¡± Nairo walked around the gore soaked table, recreating the scene in her mind. ¡°Someone would have had to walk up behind him and cut his throat.¡± Nairo pulled the chair out that Benny had been sitting on. With a full grown lug like Benny in it, there was barely enough room behind the chair for someone to squeeze through, let alone sneak up on him. ¡°High as a kite or not, no one¡¯s getting the drop on a life long hitter like Benny,¡± Ridley said. ¡°How could they? Unless they melted through the wall.¡± To make sure, Nairo rapped her knuckles on the solid brickwork behind the chair. ¡°And this blood splatter implies¡­ an incredible amount of force.¡± ¡°Benny¡¯s head was hanging on by a thread.¡± ¡°Oh gosh,¡± Zarb muttered, rubbing his stomach, looking more green than usual. ¡°Suck it up officer, don¡¯t you dare contaminate my crime scene with your sick.¡± ¡°No ma¡¯am, promise I''ll chuck up out the window.¡± Nairo turned her attention back to the blood spatters. Something else was bothering her but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on it. ¡°Could the killer have attacked from the front?¡± ¡°How?¡± Ridley replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nairo said, chewing on her lip. ¡°What kind of weapon would simultaneously carve a creature''s throat up like that and cause that sort of blood spray.¡± ¡°S¡¯cuse me sir, I need the window.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not seen a blade wound like that before,¡± Ridley said, stepping aside so the stricken HobGoblin could run past him. Nairo and Ridley stared at the blood splattered wall to the musical accompaniment of Zarb chucking up his lunch. ¡°Oh dear,¡± Zarb groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry mate, better out than in,¡± Ridley said absentmindedly. ¡°Maybe it was an axe?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Must have been a great big bloody axe.¡± ¡°Goblin criminals are known to use obsidian hatchets aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°True. But the whole point of obsidian is that they aren¡¯t good at killing, just maiming.¡± ¡°What did Conway say about different kinds of Diamonds?¡± ¡°That some contain Magicks,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Could a spell blast a hole in someone like that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but if it could then that¡¯s the evidence we need that the Diamond was here!¡± Ridley said excitedly. ¡°Has your inside man come back to yet about viewing the body?¡± ¡°Not yet, I¡¯m still waiting to hear back.¡± ¡°We need to see that body Sarge¡­ What¡¯s that?¡± Ridley snapped at Zarb who had returned wiping his mouth with some scrunched up paper that had bright blue ink scrawled all over it. ¡°It¡¯s me, Zarb.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to have such a delicate constitution, corporal.¡± ¡°S¡¯not that ma¡¯am,¡± Zarb gurgled from the window. ¡°Ate something funny?¡± Ridley asked, still inspecting the blood spatter, swinging an imaginary axe at imaginary Benny¡¯s throat. ¡°It looked good,¡± Zard moaned. ¡°But I guess that¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t eat grub you find in a crime scene.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nairo said sharply. ¡°There was some leftover steakfish and I hadn¡¯t eaten since breakfast¡­¡± ¡°Steakfish?¡± Ridley perked up, forgetting about the crime scene for a moment. ¡°Is there any left?¡± ¡°Ridley!¡± ¡°What! I haven¡¯t had steakfish in months.¡± ¡°Neither have I but¡­¡± Nairo stopped and pondered for a moment. ¡°Matter of fact, no one has. Where would Benny get steakfish from?¡± ¡°Goblins are elbow deep in bootlegging grub,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think Benny was much of a chef,¡± Nairo said, looking around the grotty, burn stained kitchen. ¡°Oh no ma¡¯am, this is the good stuff. From Garvoire¡¯s!¡± Zarb said with a dreamy smile. ¡°What? How do you know?¡± ¡°Got a receipt in the bag.¡± Ridley pushed Zarb out of the way and made a beeline for the takeout bag. ¡°Relax Ridley, it¡¯s only¡­¡± Without looking at Nairo he extended an open hand expectantly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Pencil.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me with all those pockets you don¡¯t have a pencil?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have any paper,¡± came the blunt response. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have any paper, why would I have a pencil?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not wrong ma¡¯am.¡± Nairo sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. ¡°Give it to him, Zarb.¡± ¡°Think I just did, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°A pencil Zarb. Give him your damn pencil!¡± she kept her voice carefully even, feeling the pressure rising behind her eyes. ¡°Oh right.¡± Zarb pulled out a freshly sharpened pencil, never used, and handed it over. Ridley poked around in the bag, even the stale smell of the food made Nairo¡¯s stomach growl and her mouth flooded with saliva. Finally, Ridley found what he was looking for. He skewered a scrunched up wad of paper and brought it over to the least fouled surface he could find. Carefully, he laid out the paper and then used the pencil to unfurl the paper. His tongue worked side to side like a confused dog as he inspected it, before dramatically magicking a sealed evidence bag from his coat. ¡°You don¡¯t have a pencil but you have an evidence bag?¡± Nairo threw her arms up in exasperation. ¡°Like evidence. Don¡¯t like writing.¡± He had dropped into monotone responses, mouth moving, mind whirring. Nairo gave up, it was no fun antagonising him like this. ¡°Yer man was right,¡± Ridley said. ¡°This receipt¡¯s from Garvoire¡¯s.¡± ¡°Garvoire¡¯s? That fancy place by Mulway street?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I thought all those restaurants were shut down due to the food crisis. Didn¡¯t the Mayor place heavy levies on anyone operating a restaurant?¡± ¡°Since when has Government intervention actually worked?¡± Ridley snorted. ¡°Most places were driven underground.¡± ¡°I thought that was just an urban myth.¡± ¡°Corse you did, you¡¯re a copper. No one¡¯s gonna tell you about ¡®em. They¡¯re operating all over the city anywhere they can stay out of sight. Dock warehouses, homes, shop fronts, I¡¯ve even heard of one in a dog kennel, although I wouldn¡¯t trust the meat there.¡± ¡°Oh gosh,¡± Zarb grabbed at his gurgling stomach again. ¡°Wait, when is that receipt from?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yesterday.¡± Ridley grinned at her. ¡°And I¡¯m betting a goon like Benny doesn¡¯t eat at a place this pricey...¡± ¡°Unless he¡¯s celebrating something! You don¡¯t think he went there after the bank was robbed?¡± Nairo said excitedly. ¡°It would still be open.¡± ¡°This could be the missing piece of the puzzle! There will be eye witnesses! They could tell us if there was someone with him or he might have said something¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too keen ma¡¯am,¡± Zarb interrupted. ¡°What? Why not?¡± ¡°Them places have become proper hangouts for¡­ Faces,¡± Zarb whispered the word, looking left and right like he might be attacked any moment. ¡°Villains of all sorts frequent them underground eats. They¡¯re the only ones that can afford to go there and word in the community is some real nasty Kith love Garvoire¡¯s. Some real inner circle types. It¡¯s not the kind of place you go asking questions.¡± ¡°How inner circle?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Real inner.¡± ¡°Uncle Sam himself?¡± Zarb blanched at the mention of the name. ¡°No no¡­ Uncle Sam don¡¯t do nothing so extravagant, he¡¯s proper Goblin, old school. Don¡¯t believe in all that fancy flavour and expensive cuisine.¡± Nairo didn¡¯t miss the hint of pride in Zarb¡¯s voice as he spoke about one of the most notorious villains in the whole city. ¡°But the younger generations do. It¡¯s become like bragging rights. How much they paid for a lamb shank and all that. Prices would make your eyes water.¡± ¡°Rufi?¡± Again Zarb blanched, and he threw a quick look over his shoulder. When he was sure the shadows weren¡¯t going to hatchet him to death he turned back to Ridley and gave a single nod. ¡°Least, that¡¯s what the boys in Goblin Town say.¡± Ridley considered this for a moment before looking at Nairo. ¡°It¡¯s worth trying.¡± ¡°If we just poke around and maybe we can find someone who¡¯s willing to talk,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You sure, ma¡¯am? Rufi¡¯s making quite a villainous name for hisself. Becoming a real Face around the place.¡± ¡°I¡¯d heard,¡± Ridley said. ¡°We are talking about Ruf¡¯gar Chaw¡¯drak, Sam¡¯sun¡¯s nephew?¡± Nairo asked. Ridley nodded. ¡°The crown prince of the criminal empire.¡± ¡°Do you think he¡¯s going to be there tonight?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Ridley said with a smirk on his face. ¡°And I know just where the restaurant is.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m starving.¡± Chapter 14 14 ¡°I thought you said you knew where this place was?¡± ¡°Well, it moves, doesn''t it.¡± ¡°So what are we doing here then?¡± ¡°Looking for the markers.¡± ¡°And what do they look like?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll know when I see ¡®em.¡± Nairo and Ridley were hunkered down on a dimly lit corner in Elmes Garden trying to be inconspicuous. Although, with their total amounts of bruises and welts sky rocketing well into the double digits that wasn¡¯t so easy. Ridley had led her on a whirlwind tour of every urine stained gutter and alleyway in the Weasel¡¯s section of the city. Occasionally, he would tap a bit of brickwork or eye a stain suspiciously, before moving on. ¡°Be patient Sarge,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Thought you coppers were good at standing around and doing nothing.¡± Nairo sighed and leaned in the shadows of two intersecting alleyways. The sun had begun setting when they arrived and now the dark of night had almost swallowed them. Glow stones slowly twinkled to life in their metal posts, but this far into the labyrinths of the city they cast more shadows than they dispelled. Some of the stones winked but never came to life, others glimmered too softly to do anything other than illuminate a small circle around them. That was fine with Nairo, as Elmes Garden was in a particularly utilitarian chunk of the city, thrown up hastily in the great expansion, and was nothing more than hunks of cinderblock and ugly grey buildings, with frightfully little to look at or do. The area sprung from the luxurious garment district on one side and the frenetic Theatre Broadway on the other, like a plain mayonnaise filling between to sumptuous fresh baked slices of bread. ¡°Aha!¡± Ridley said, tapping a brick excitedly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Found it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a brick.¡± ¡°Not just any brick.¡± Ridley dug his fingers into the crumbling masonry around the brick trying to dig it out of the wall. After a couple of minutes, a skinned knuckle, and plenty of swearing, he stood back from the wall looking at the brick accusingly. ¡°Looks like it was just a brick,¡± Nairo said sardonically. Ridley sucked his knuckle and pulled a face at her. ¡°Wotcher guv,¡± a voice spoke from the shadows. Nairo spun, her hands raised on instinct. ¡°Woah easy there miss, didn¡¯t mean to scare ya.¡± From the shadows, a greasy, lank haired man, in a waistcoat and crushed top hat stepped out. ¡°Just looked like you was¡­ looking for something.¡± ¡°Say we were?¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Well then I may be able to ¡®elp with said looking.¡± He gave Nairo a leery, yellow tooth smile. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°They call me Fillius F Fineswine the third.¡± He swept his hat off, revealing a balding pate, and gave her a dramatic bow. ¡°I¡¯m a known finder of all sorts of things down these ¡®ere back alleys and gutters of our fine city.¡± ¡°Say we¡¯re looking for a fine dining experience,¡± Ridley said, eyeing the strange man. ¡°Oooh, taking your lovely lady friend out for some top notch grub. And might I say sir, if¡¯n I ain¡¯t being to bold like, what a fine young lady she is.¡± Fillius wiggledd his thick grey eyebrows at Nairo, making her want to vomit and punch him at the same time. ¡°Yeah, something like that,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Looking for somewhere specific.¡± ¡°Oh, spiffically what would you be looking for?¡± ¡°Garvoire¡¯s.¡± ¡°Oooooh,¡± Fillius considered this for a moment. ¡°Well sir, and again if¡¯n it ain¡¯t too bold of me to be sayin¡¯ so, a gentleman like you might be better off somewhere more¡­ ammeiniably priced.¡± ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m cheap?¡± Ridley snapped. ¡°Well¡­¡± Fillius growled in his grating, nasally voice. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t like to judge sir¡­¡± ¡°We want Garvoire¡¯s,¡± Nairo said firmly. ¡°Oh I see the lady ¡®as fine tastes and might I say what a tasty¡­¡± ¡°Not if you want to keep what teeth you have left,¡± Nairo said. Fillius¡¯ slimy smile froze on his face, a flash of anger flickered across his eyes before disappearing behind the faux obsequence. ¡°Of course madam, no offence intended. And surely ol¡¯ Fillius F. can take you to Garvoire¡¯s no problem at all. In fact, it¡¯s not too far from ¡®ere.¡± ¡°And how much is that gonna cost us?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Oooh¡­ well, since you brought it up, I think two gold is more than fair¡­¡± Ridley snorted so loud it echoed down the alley. ¡°You¡¯ll get half a coin and be glad for it.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Lead the way, Fillius.¡± Fillius ran his tongue around his yellow teeth before the smile returned to his face. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Of course sir, you drive a hard bargain but ¡®alf a coin it is. Let¡¯s move smart now, these alleyways are no place for fine people such as yourself.¡± Fillius shuffled away down the alley, his little wooden shoes clip clopping on the cobbles as they went. Nairo hung back, looking up and down the dark alleyways, slowly following after Fillius. ¡°Might I inquire as to your names?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Cartwell and this is Sharon.¡± ¡°Wonderful, and you¡¯re not from this part of the city are ya?¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°Oh, once you¡¯ve been on these streets long enough you can smell these things.¡± ¡°Bet you smell a whole lot with that beak you got.¡± Fillius gave a dry chuckle. ¡°Good one sir. I do have quite a keen sense of smell, you¡¯re not wrong there.¡± Fillius took them left, then right and then down an alley with two large buildings towering over it. ¡°How far to the restaurant?¡± Nairo asked him. ¡°Oh, only another few minutes, madam. You must be famished with all this walking.¡± Nairo noticed the lights were becoming more intermittent. Entire stretches of alleyways were bathed in darkness. That crawling feeling on the back of her neck had started again. The little bent over figure of Fillius dipped in and out of the lights, his weedy voice floating through the dark to her. ¡°Can¡¯t be too careful in this part of town. Cut throats and bandits hide in every corner. It¡¯s lucky you ran into ol¡¯ Fillius when you did.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always considered myself lucky,¡± Ridley said. Nairo quickened her step and tried to get Ridley¡¯s attention. ¡°Oh you must be, sir. I always say life¡¯s just a game of chance. A roll of the die and you might be a rich man, but if that die should be cast the other way? Well you might just live out your days scrounging a living in these alleyways.¡± ¡°That what happened to you?¡± Ridley asked, lighting a smoke. ¡°Dice rolled the wrong way?¡± ¡°Oho,¡± Fillius chuckled as he disappeared into another pool of shadows. ¡°Ol¡¯ Fillius prefers to hold the dice than roll them.¡± That was when Ridley pounced. He flew into the darkness, hands outstretched and then disappeared. ¡°Oi gerroff!¡± Nairo heard scuffling of feet in the shadows. She made to jump in when a hand grabbed her from behind. Before she knew it, she was being pulled backwards by her hair, a thick, clammy hand closed over her mouth. ¡°Scream and I¡¯ll¡­ ahhh!¡± Nairo bit down on the hand with such ferocity she tasted blood. She rammed her elbow back and caught her assailant in the gut. She felt the blunt side of a blade jab into her ribs as she thrashed and twisted in his grasp. He was a heavy lump but more fat than muscle. He tried to jab her with the blade but they had gotten so tangled in the cramped alley that he skimmed past her side. Nairo butted at his jaw with her head and then scrabbled free of his grasp. Something whizzed by her head and clattered off the wall. A second man, as skinny as the plank of wood he was swinging, flashed into view in the murk of the alley. Nairo ducked his second swing and aimed a kick at his kneecap. He cried out and staggered to one side. ¡°Enough!¡± Nairo barked, yanking her badge out of her jacket. ¡°I¡¯m a police officer!¡± The two men froze as her badge twinkled in the half flight. ¡°She¡¯s a copper?¡± the fat man mumbled. ¡°No way,¡± the thin man sneered. ¡°That badge looks real.¡± ¡°You can get them down hokey lane for a copper coin.¡± ¡°I dunno, she looks serious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Sergeant Nairo and I do not want to have to hurt you!¡± The two men looked at each other and guffawed. ¡°¡®Urt us? I¡¯d like to see you try,¡± the thin man said, advancing on her. Nairo crouched and readied herself when Fillius came tumbling back into view. Ridley had him around the throat from behind, a wild look in his eye. ¡°Take another step, stick man, and I¡¯ll snap his neck in two!¡± ¡°Aaargghhh,¡± Fillius garbled, waving his hand at the two men. ¡°So is this the game then, Fillius?¡± Ridley growled in his ear. ¡°Find unsuspecting tourists and lure them into the backalleys to rob ¡®em? That¡¯s so fucking unimaginitive.¡± Fillius made a strained choking noise, his face turning purple. ¡°Ridley, let him go! You¡¯re choking him!¡± Nairo said. Ridley looked at her and then reluctantly loosened his grip. Fillius took a deep wheezing breath before coughing violently. ¡°You nearly killed me!¡± Fillius squealed in outrage. ¡°Serves you right,¡± Nairo snapped at him. ¡°Now you two fools drop your weapons and be thankful I¡¯ve got better things to do than arrest you both right now!¡± The two men looked at each other and then at Fillius. ¡°I think she might be a real copper,¡± the fat man said. ¡°Yeah, I ain¡¯t tryna go back up the river. You¡¯re on your own Fil.¡± The two men dropped their weapons and then melted back into the gloom of the alleyway. ¡°Now you are going to show us where this restaurant is,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Or I¡¯m gonna choke you until you shit yourself. Understood?¡± Ridley hissed in his ear. Fillius¡¯ head bobbed up and down. Ridley let him go and pushed him against the wall. Fillius cowered and rubbed his bruised throat. ¡°Fancy tryna rob a copper, you mug.¡± Ridley said, shaking his head. ¡°¡®Onestly, I never would ¡®ave if I knew!¡± ¡°No, you would have just robbed me if I was a sweet, defenceless young woman.¡± ¡°Yeah exactly! I mean¡­ oh no, course not¡­¡± Fillius licked his lips and then offered her a weak smile. ¡°Fella¡¯s gotta eat.¡± ¡°Be pretty hard without any teeth,¡± Ridley growled at him. ¡°Please! ¡®Onestly, I¡¯m sorry I swear! It ain¡¯t me fault. Life¡¯s been a cruel mistress to ol¡¯ Fillius. Never stood a chance. Been dragged up in these gutters me whole life.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± Ridley said, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°Now where¡¯s Garvoire¡¯s?¡± ¡°Promise you won¡¯t ¡®it me again?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°You was round the corner from it when I ran in to ya¡­ ow!¡± ¡°Ridley!¡± ¡°Asshole,¡± Ridley growled, rubbing his sore knuckles. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Fillius whined, rubbing the side of his head. ¡°I¡¯ll take ya right back there, right now! I swears!¡± ¡°You better.¡± Ridley grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pushed him in front of them. ¡°Make a wrong move and this time I¡¯ll hurt you in ways a man can never recover from.¡± ¡°O¡¯ course sir, you won¡¯t get no more trouble from ol¡¯ Fillius.¡± ¡°Shut up and walk.¡± They followed Fillius back through the criss crossing alleyways as he shuffled as fast as he could. In half the time it had taken previously, they arrived back at the alleyway they had started at. ¡°It¡¯s just through ¡®ere, sir. They¡¯re using a couple of those little terrace ¡®ouses this time. Number 42 and 43.¡± ¡°Good now scarper, and don¡¯t let me ever see your ugly face again.¡± ¡°O¡¯ course sir. You¡¯ll never be troubled by Ol¡¯ Fillius again!¡± He turned to walk away when Nairo placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sending a pack of bobby¡¯s here tomorrow night,¡± she growled. ¡°They¡¯ll be looking for you and your mates. If I were you, I would disappear. Tonight.¡± Fillius swallowed dryly and then melted away into the shadows, the heels of wooden shoes clopping away into the darkness. ¡°Ready to get something to eat?¡± Ridley asked her. ¡°I¡¯ve lost my appetite,¡± Nairo muttered as she stared into the darkness behind Fillius. ¡°Good, probably can¡¯t afford anything in there anyway. Let¡¯s go, Sarge.¡± Chapter 15 ??15 Number 42 and 43 Cummory Lane were much like any other homes. They sat at the end of a quiet terrace, they were rectangular, made of bricks, and had the appropriate amount of doors and windows. They sat in a regular lane in an area where people considered themselves ¡®better off than some.¡¯ Which in the socioeconomic hierarchy of the city translated that they were poor but could still eat year round and wear clothes with only a few holes in them. The street was quiet, as a respectable street should be once the sun sets. Number 42 and 43 were all the way at the end of the lane, as if shunned by the rest of the respectable homes. Nothing marked them to be anything other than a regular pair of buildings for people who could keep hold of work for a majority of the year. It was only the surprising amount of high end cabs with glossy black stallions and well besuited gentlemen drivers that were the first sign of something unusual happening. ¡°Guess Fillius was telling the truth,¡± Nairo said. ¡°First time for everything,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s the type of place you can just knock on the door and ask for a table for two?¡± ¡°Dunno.¡± ¡°I thought you knew all about these underground restaurants!¡± ¡°Know about them but I¡¯ve never been.¡± ¡°So should we just knock?¡± Ridley thought about it for a moment. ¡°Why not.¡± Flicking away his smoke, Ridley strode up to the door of number 43. As they grew closer Nairo saw that the windows had been painted black and could hear a hum of noise coming from within. ¡°Smell that?¡± she asked. Ridley took a deep appreciative sniff and sighed. ¡°Smells like meat. Real meat, sizzling meat.¡± he drooled. At first glance the door looked like any other inconspicuous front door. But as the light flickered from the glow stone on the street, Nairo saw fresh drill marks in the brick work where chunks had been dug out recently. She would bet there were heavy iron bars on the other side. At about eye level there was a thin rectangle cut out of the door and covered with a strip of metal. Ridley cleared his throat surreptitiously and knocked. There was a brief pause and some shuffling on the other side. The rectangle slid back and a pair of deep brown eyes looked down at them. ¡°Good evening sir, how may I help you?¡± a well cultured voice drawled at them. ¡°Ummm¡­ table for two?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Clarence Winterforth the third.¡± Nairo had to stop herself snorting derisively but she couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. There was a pause, punctuated by the sound of a gloved finger sliding down parchment. ¡°Sorry sir, I do not have a reservation under that name.¡± ¡°You sure? Look again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid it is reservation only¡­¡± The voice stopped as two gold coins twinkled in Ridley¡¯s fingers. ¡°You sure I¡¯m not on there?¡± ¡°Really sir, bribes are always welcome, in fact I would dare say they are encouraged, but we are frightfully overcrowded as is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Ridley said, rubbing the coins together. ¡°We won¡¯t be here for long, we just need to speak to the maitre¡¯d.¡± ¡°Mr Colsworth?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡± There was another pause and the eyes disappeared. Nairo looked at Ridley who shrugged. A sound echoed from behind the door as a bolt was slid back, followed by another, and then another. The heavy door swung inwards. ¡°Do be quick sir,¡± the man behind the door said, stepping aside to usher them in. He was tall and fastidiously dressed in the traditional black and white of wait staff. Nairo stepped through into the gloom and the door snapped shut behind her. The smells! Her mouth flooded with saliva and she took a deep, almost sensual, breath through her nose. Rich, meaty smells engulfed her, making her stomach growl and her head swim. ¡°Right this way sir and madam, would you like me to take your coats?¡± ¡°Not on your life, squire,¡± Ridley growled as he too sucked at the air like he could physically chomp on the smells. ¡°Of course.¡± The man gave them a wan smile and then led them through the darkened passageway. Only now did Nairo begin to contemplate how this could possibly be a restaurant. It just looked like a normal, gloomy, three up three down, terrace house. As they followed the doorman, the heady fumes of sumptuous foods grew so strong she wanted to break into a run towards them. Light glowed somewhere ahead. The doorman directed them to the living room. He threw open the doors and they were transported. Somehow, the living room felt twice as large as it should have been. Inside, the bare floorboards were carpeted with thick, luxurious, burgundy carpet, the walls were papered with some sort of golden gilt that glinted in the light of the flickering candelabras. Music filtered through accompanied by the buzzing conversation and merriment of feasting customers. Behind the host stand stood an impossibly erect and imperious man, with a face made to serve. He had a curl of well combed hair on top of his egg shaped head, and the hounded expression of a man who had to figure out how to say no to people that weren¡¯t used to hearing it. ¡°Mr Colsworth sir,¡± their guide said. ¡°This is Clarence Winterforth the third.¡± Mr Colsworth¡¯s eyes rolled up from the ledger he had been filling it. ¡°I think not,¡± he said with a clipped tone. ¡°Mr Winterforth the third has been dead for almost a decade now.¡± ¡°Did I say the third? I mean the fourth,¡± Ridley said offhandedly. ¡°The idiot son who crippled himself playing midnight polo whilst drunk?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I recovered well.¡± ¡°Mr Jameson, who are these¡­ people?¡± ¡°Oh ummm¡­¡± Mr Jameson stuttered. ¡°We¡¯re just here to ask a few questions,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid answers are not on the menu,¡± Mr Colsworth snapped. ¡°Now if you would kindly¡­¡± ¡°Do you talk to police officers?¡± Nairo said, stepping forward, her badge in her hand. Mr Colsworth¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh well¡­¡± ¡°Because, if that enchanting smell is anything to go by, your establishment is in violation of so many city ordinances and policies that you might have to be sent up the river just on principle of your flagrant flouting of the law.¡± ¡°Now see here, miss¡­¡± ¡°Sargent Nairo.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all paid up with Mr Weasel¡­¡± ¡°In cahoots with a known villain as well?¡± Ridley said, tutting reproachfully. ¡°Fella like you won¡¯t do good up Blackwater, they¡¯ll turn you into a pretzel.¡± A bead of sweat licked down Mr Colsworth¡¯s brow. ¡°But¡­ no one has to know about any of this if you would just be kind enough to answer our questions,¡± Nairo said with a sweet smile. ¡°W-w-what questions?¡± ¡°About some of your more¡­ illustrious clientele.¡± ¡°The green kind,¡± Ridley said with a wolfish grin. ¡°Oh dear,¡± Mr Colsworth¡¯s eyes flickered all around the room as if looking for an escape. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly¡­¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Or you won¡¯t?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Because it¡¯ll make a lot of difference to the judge,¡± Nairo finished. This time Colsworth looked over his shoulder. ¡°Not here,¡± he hissed at them before snapping at the doorman. ¡°Get back to your damned post, Jameson! And I¡¯ll be emptying your tip jar for a month for this!¡± Jameson looked aghast. He limped back to his posting morosely. ¡°Wait!¡± Colsworth barked. ¡°Escort our¡­ guests out to the back.¡± Mr Colsworth mopped at his sweaty brow. ¡°Yessir,¡± Jameson sighed. ¡°I will meet you out there shortly,¡± Mr Colsworth said to them. ¡°Good man,¡± Ridley said as he followed the downtrodden doorman. ¡°And bring your ledger,¡± Nairo added as she followed. Jameson took them through the double doors, which actually turned out to be a hatch they had smashed through between houses. Number 42 was the restaurant proper, and Jameson hadn¡¯t been lying, it was heaving. There were people everywhere. The stairs were full of customers crouching on steps, leaning over plates of exquisite food. The landings had all been equipped with bar-like planks of wood so people could stand and eat. Every room was wall to wall with tables, to the point that miniature scaffolding had been erected for waiters to hop along, laden with trays of food. The music was even louder here and the wine flowed freely. People laughed and chatted as they hung off furniture, dined in alcoves, and perched precariously on bannisters. Jameson led them through the chaos, dodging drunk diners with expert ease. As they made their way through the first floor, Nairo looked into the living room and saw a couple having a romantic candle lit dinner sitting on the fireplace. ¡°This is bonkers,¡± Ridley breathed. Even the toilet had a Gnome sitting on the cistern happily tucking into a hunk of meat and a threesome sat in the tub, their feet hanging out as they spooned pudding into their mouths. As they stumbled through to the kitchen Nairo looked into another room and this one was almost empty. Only a few tables were in here and around one of them sat a cluster of Goblins in fine two piece suits. They were laughing raucously and tearing into mounds of sizzling meat. One of them made eye contact with Nairo. She quickly looked away and got behind Ridley. ¡°Did you see that room full of Goblins?¡± Ridley nodded. ¡°Were any of them Rufi?¡± Ridley shrugged. ¡°They all look the same at a glance,¡± he muttered back. ¡°Do you think they made us?¡± ¡°I dunno, but keep moving and keep your head down.¡± Nairo felt the prick of someone¡¯s eyes on the back of her neck. She risked a glance back and saw a tall, lithy Goblin looking back at her curiously. Nairo turned around and hurried through to the kitchen. Well it was actually two kitchens. They had knocked the walls through here as well and taken over the kitchens from both houses. It was maddeningly loud and oppressively hot. Small, white clad cooks ran everywhere, in a buzz of constant action. Sweat poured from their brows as they worked furiously to deliver their beautiful food. The smell was too much for Nairo, she was almost dribbling now. Ridley surreptitiously flicked out a hand and nabbed a delicate pastry from a plate before the cook could realise. Nairo clenched her jaw, resisting the urge to pilfer. In the middle of all the chaos was a small man with a large nose and big doleful eyes, with heavy bags under them, barking orders and wildly flitting from station to station, verbally assaulting everyone around him. Jameson ushered them through the kitchen door and out to the cramped back garden full of empty crates and boxes. ¡°Phwoar, this is amashing,¡± Ridley murmured through a mouthful of pilfered pastry. ¡°Mr Colsworth will join you momentarily,¡± Jameson said before withdrawing back into the kitchen. Nairo¡¯s willpower finally failed her. ¡°Give me some!¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Nairo snatched a handful of entrees that Ridley had pocketed. She shoved a fistful of little mushroom things into her mouth and felt the prickle of hot tears in the corner of her eyes. She hadn¡¯t tasted something so wonderful in what felt like years. Silently, they both munched happily, sucking every last morsel of flavour from their fingers when the backdoor banged open. The diminutive chef strode out, wild eyed, a cleaver in his hands while a cringing Colsworth followed behind him. ¡°Who¡¯s the poleeese man t¡¯reatening ma restaurant!¡± ¡°She is!¡± Ridley said, pointing a treacherous finger at Nairo. ¡°Yoooouuu?¡± He lowered the cleaver and glowered at her, his little flabby face quivering. ¡°I am Sargent Nairo,¡± she said, trying to sound confident in the face of the iridescent little chef. He looked her up and down, the point of his blade quivering, and then he deflated. He stabbed the blade into a box and slumped down on a withered tree stump. He withdrew a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket. ¡°You have questions?¡± he asked her, looking exhausted as he tapped out a creased cigarette and lit it. ¡°Yes sir. Mister Garvoire, I presume?¡± ¡°Yes, that is me. Francois Garvoire.¡± He breathed through a cloud of smoke. ¡°Proprietor of this once proud restaurant. If you have come to arrest me, do it now! Spare me my misery!¡± Dramatically, held out his wrists, like a man who would be glad for the time off. ¡°No sir. We haven¡¯t come to arrest you.¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°How could we arrest someone who makes grub like this?¡± Ridley said, through another mouthful of food he had produced from somewhere. ¡°Ahhh¡­ my food, my passion! Reduced to sneaking out platefuls under the threat of imprisonment! ¡®Ow far Garvoire has fallen.¡± He lilted and wiped at his sweaty forehead. ¡°Mr Garvoire, we have some questions about a customer of yours.¡± Nairo said. ¡°One of the green ones,¡± Ridley said with emphasis. ¡°Now I understand if you think you cannot¡­¡± ¡°Ha! These bloody Goblins! They have their claws deep up my ass! They come ¡®ere they know nothing about fine cuisine! Barbarians! All they want is their meat charred and that foul Goblin booze! They get drunk! They abuse my staff! And they don¡¯t pay! I spit on them!¡± Garvoire spat on the floor. ¡°Look how far Garvoire ¡®as stooped! Once upon a time only the finest men and women from all across the Free Cities would line up! Line up, for a morsel of Garvoire¡¯s entree menu! Now? Now, I must deal with every filthy scoundrel with a gold coin and a box of stolen root vegetables.¡± He let out another heavy sigh. ¡°But this is what we must do if we wish to stay alive in these hard times.¡± ¡°Mr Garvoire, do you know Benny Two Coats?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Goblin?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Which one is he?¡± Garvoire snapped at Colsworth. ¡°The frightful beast with the torn ear, sir.¡± Garvoire spat again. ¡°He is with the others?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Yes I know ¡®im,¡± Garvoire said to Nairo. ¡°He¡¯s been murdered,¡± Nairo replied. Garvoire gave out a short bark of laughter. ¡°When?¡± Colsworth asked. ¡°This morning,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Oh dear.¡± ¡°And we know he was here last night,¡± Ridley said, watching the man¡¯s expression carefully. ¡°¡®E was?¡± Garvoire said. ¡°Yes sir,¡± Mr Colsworth replied. ¡°But he only came in for takeaway.¡± ¡°Ha takeaway,¡± Garvoire muttered sullenly. ¡°Another dagger in my soul! Imagine, Francois Garvoire putting the delicate soups and pates in a paper bag like dog food!¡± ¡°How was he?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Very much alive, I assure you.¡± Colsworth replied. ¡°Was he agitated? Or excited?¡± ¡°He was high as the bloody harvest moon, madame. He was always half in the bag but this time he was chattering like a loon.¡± ¡°What was he saying?¡± Nairo asked, magicking her notepad into her hands. ¡°He was raving about how he was going to be rich. How he¡¯d hit the big time. He even paid for his own food for a change.¡± ¡°Did he say what he¡¯d done?¡± ¡°No, just that it was the big one.¡± ¡°Was anyone with him?¡± ¡°Just another dreadful Goblin, don¡¯t know his name I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°Do you remember what he ordered?¡± ¡°Oh umm¡­ the Steakfish I believe.¡± Nairo nodded and scribbled down this information. ¡°And what time was this?¡± ¡°Towards the end of the night, perhaps 2:30 am?¡± Nairo nodded and made another note. ¡°You said for a change?¡± Ridley interjected. ¡°Oh, what?¡± ¡°You said he paid for his own food for a change.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ yes, he did.¡± ¡°Was that unusual?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yes. He usually put his food on that poor HobGoblin¡¯s frightfully large tab.¡± ¡°HobGoblin?¡± Ridley said, his eyes lighting up in the gloom. ¡°Yes. Poor chap seems like he was never there of his own volition, and the way they would spend his gold was shocking.¡± ¡°Do you have a name for this HobGoblin?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid he was never very forthcoming.¡± ¡°¡®E ¡®as a tab?¡± Garvoire asked. ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Then where do we send the invoices?¡± ¡°Ahh of course! Well done sir!¡± Mr Colsworth opened up his tome-like ledger and flipped through the pages. ¡°Here it is!¡± Mr Colsworth placed the ledger on a pendulous stack of empty crates and pointed to an address. Nairo and Ridley peered at it. ¡°Hold on¡­¡± Nairo flipped through her notepad. ¡°That¡¯s the bank¡¯s address?¡± ¡°You said it was a HobGoblin?¡± Ridley said sharply as he chewed the corner of his mouth. ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Did he have a funny accent?¡± ¡°He had a particularly curious way of speaking¡­ umm¡­¡± Colsworth dove back into his ledger flipping feverishly through the pages. ¡°Here! The first time that they came in he did give a name.¡± Colsworth tapped the ledger and Nairo peered at it and then looked at Ridley. ¡°Z. DW,¡± he read. ¡°Zimeon De Woolf? The bank manager?¡± Nairo nodded an excited glint in her eye. ¡°What is the bank manager doing going out for dinner with Benny?¡± ¡°You said Zimeon paid for the meals?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Yes, and whenever that ghastly Goblin came in he would simply put his bill on this chap¡¯s tab.¡± ¡°And Zimeon has paid up?¡± At this, Garvoire was suddenly interested in the conversation again. ¡°Yes sir, all but the last¡­ two months.¡± ¡°¡®E ¡®asn¡¯t paid in two months!¡± Garvoire howled, his hand straying to the handle of the cleaver. ¡°Wait, how long has this been going on?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Ummm¡­ well¡­ at least seven or eight months,¡± Colsworth stammered. Ridley blew air through his lips and then he looked at Nairo. ¡°I think we¡¯ve finally found the connection.¡± Nairo chewed at her lips, her eyebrows drawn in thought. ¡°Do you have another address for Mr De Woolf?¡± Nairo asked Mr Colsworth. ¡°No. I¡¯m afraid that was the only address we had for him.¡± ¡°Are yoo satisfied?¡± Garvoire asked, hopping off the stump he was sitting on. ¡°Because I¡¯ve got cod ¡®ead stew spoiling on the boil.¡± ¡°Can I have some?¡± Ridley asked hopefully. Garvoire eyed him, rolled his tongue around his mouth, and nodded. ¡°Get them a pot each and some fresh bread, to go!¡± Garvoire snapped at Colsworth. ¡°You¡¯re a true gent,¡± Ridley said, grabbing Garvoire¡¯s hand and shaking it vigorously. ¡°Never let it be said Garvoire ¡®e does not feed the ¡®ungry!¡± ¡°Have you got one of those cards?¡± Nairo asked Ridley. He fished around and found a card and gave it to Nairo. She scribbled her name on the back and a contact scroll number. ¡°Mr Garvoire, this is my name and contact details.¡± She handed the card to him. ¡°If you ever find yourself in trouble, for¡­ all of this, or anything short of murder and I will help you any way I can.¡± Garvoire read the card and for the first time blessed them with a yellow toothed smile. ¡°Thank you very much, Sergeant.¡± He gave her a comical salute with his cleaver as Colsworth came bustling back out with a small box in his arms. ¡°You are a gent,¡± Ridley said, taking the box off him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I called you a diddler.¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t I say that out loud? Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Ridley hopped out the back with the box and sprinted away. ¡°Thank you!¡± Nairo called over her shoulder as she followed him. Ridley had a massive grin on his face as he huffed away with the box in his arms, sniffing appreciatively with every step. ¡°De Woolf was¡­¡± Nairo began as she caught up with him. ¡°Food first!¡± Ridley barked and he put on an extra spurt of speed. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°I know a place!¡± Ridley¡¯s coat flapped in his wake as he rounded a corner and scurried up a fire exit that zigzagged up the side of a crumbling yellow brick building. They continued up eight floors until they finally reached the roof. Nairo was sucking wind, sweat trickling down her back, as she doubled over to catch her breath. Ridley was a buzz of activity. He had grabbed a discarded rubbish can and upended it to create a makeshift table. He¡¯d found a pair of wooden crates and pulled them up for seats. Setting the box down, he reverently placed the two steaming pots of cod''s head soup on the upturned bin. Nairo was about to admonish him for putting his stomach before the case when the smell wafted past her nose. Her mouth flooded with saliva and she stomped like the living dead towards the pots. Wordlessly, she plonked herself down on the crate next to Ridley and accepted the chunk of fresh bread and a wooden spoon. Gingerly, she dipped her spoon into the thick, and slightly oily, broth. She only had enough patience to blow on it twice before she sucked it up. The tastes were physical. She felt like she had been hit in the mouth by the Minotaur again. Her shrivelled taste buds, dulled by months of endless beige slop and flavourless roots, sprung to life like desert flowers in the rain. Tears wet the corners of her eyes as she took another spoonful and then another spoonful and then another. The broth was zesty and rich, scratching some deep urge in her that had lain dormant for so long. The bread was so soft but crunchy. Then she found the first fish head. Without hesitation, she tore into the cheek of the fish, broth dripping down her chin. ¡°It shtill tashtes like fish,¡± Nairo moaned as she chomped on it. ¡°Mhmmmm,¡± Ridley said, sucking the eye from his nearly stripped fish head. They went on like this in silence. Sucking. Chewing. Slurping. Swallowing. It was an auditory feast as well as gastronomical. Quicker than she would have liked, Nairo¡¯s soup dwindled to nothing but dregs and bones. She upended the pot to suck down the last morsels of flavour while Ridley burped and ran his finger around the edge of the pot and licked it clean. They both sat back and let the warm after glow of good food wash over them. Only now did Nairo notice the view before them. The building they were on was perfectly situated to show the sprawling West side of the city twinkling below them. ¡°That was amazing,¡± Ridley said as he lit a cigarette and burped again. ¡°I haven''t had a meal like that¡­ ever,¡± Nairo replied. Ridley blew a smoke ring in the air. ¡°So the bank manager nicked the Diamond. Can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t see that coming.¡± Nairo ran her tongue around her mouth and sighed. ¡°What?¡± Ridley groaned. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know, something¡¯s not sitting in my gut about it.¡± ¡°Maybe you ate too quick.¡± Ridley let out a wet burp for emphasis. ¡°What? No, not like that. A copper¡¯s got their gut instincts¡­¡± ¡°Oh here we go!¡± Ridley sat up and pointed his smoke at her. ¡°You coppers and your bloody guts. Well you know what PIs have?¡± ¡°A criminal record and a drinking problem?¡± ¡°What? No¡­ besides that. We got a brain. That¡¯s what separates a sleuth from a copper. You lot just plod about in your boots waving your badges and talking about your guts! Just think about it. There wasn¡¯t a single clue in that vault. No way anyone could have broken in. It had to be an inside job! De Woolf had opportunity and clearly there¡¯s some sort of connection between him and Benny.¡± Nairo sighed. ¡°I know. My brain says you''re right. It¡¯s all just too suspicious for us not to follow up on. It can¡¯t be a coincidence¡­ it just can¡¯t be. Benny¡¯s seen lurking about, the bank gets robbed, he winds up dead the next morning, and our bank manager has been dining out with him for at least eight months. It¡¯s all too¡­ suspicious.¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like Zimeon for it.¡± ¡°Why not? He¡¯s a banker. Only thing slimier than them are¡­¡± ¡°Snails?¡± ¡°Lawyers.¡± ¡°Good point. But did you get even a hint from him that morning that he had helped steal the Diamond? That many coppers around, plus you, and not one of us ever got the sniff that he was lying to us?¡± ¡°Like I said, he¡¯s a banker, professional liar.¡± ¡°And how did he think he was going to get away with it?¡± ¡°Wanna know my theory?¡± Nairo nodded. ¡°I reckon our boy Benny had something on De Woolf. You heard Colsworth, he was never happy to be there. And him paying for all of Benny¡¯s meals whether he was there or not? Sounds like they were bleeding him. Thug like Benny wouldn¡¯t have any connection with a straight-laced tax payer unless he had something on him.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I dunno. Blackmail? Debt? Maybe De Woolf took a loan he couldn¡¯t pay back.¡± ¡°Why would a bank manager take a loan from a criminal?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. They¡¯re usually the criminals giving out the loans. But I¡¯ve seen it play out a million times. Some juicy tax payer falls under a villain¡¯s thumb and they get bled dry. Week after week, month after month, never able to get out from under the interest. An experienced crook like Benny? He could play that string out for months before the well runs dry. De Woolf was probably deep under it and running out of rope, so he sees the Diamond as a way for him to finally pay off his debt. Or maybe even Benny put him up to it. Either way, this was his last desperate chance to get free of Benny. So he nicked the Diamond and passed it off to Benny.¡± ¡°But why would he hang around waiting for the police to show up?¡± ¡°Where else would he go? Plus, it would look mighty suspicious if the bank manager disappeared the night after the Diamond got nicked, no?¡± ¡°That makes sense. But then who killed Benny?¡± ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s the cherry on top of the pie. De Woolf did it.¡± ¡°The bank manager killed Benny?¡± ¡°My bet is Benny still wouldn¡¯t let him off the hook. De Woolf sees red and finally snaps.¡± ¡°The meek, cringing bank manager murdered a nasty thug like Benny? Damn near cut his head off?¡± ¡°He is a Goblin. Genetics finally kicked in.¡± Nairo let out a deep sigh as she let Ridley¡¯s theory fall into place with everything they knew so far. ¡°So, he goes to Benny to deliver the Diamond. Benny won¡¯t release him from whatever hold he¡¯s got over him. De Woolf snaps, kills Benny, and then shows up to work hours later?¡± ¡°You never know what a desperate creature will do.¡± ¡°So where¡¯s the Diamond?¡± ¡°Only De Woolf would know.¡± ¡°Why not replace the Diamond though?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Well, if he only stole the Diamond to pay off Benny, then after he killed him, why not bring the Diamond back? No one would have ever known it was stolen and nobodies going to investigate the murder of a villain like Benny in too much detail. Let alone suspect a bank manager.¡± They sat in pensieve silence. ¡°Maybe he plans to do a runner?¡± ¡°With the Diamond?¡± ¡°Stands to reason that the Kith would come after him. They would know all about Benny bleeding him dry, and if any of them knew about De Woolf stealing the Diamond for Benny then he would be the number one suspect. And unlike you lot, they don¡¯t need a whole lot of evidence to snatch a body and disappear it.¡± ¡°So why did he turn up to work in the morning? Why not just run in the middle of the night. He has a priceless Diamond. And who would he fence it to anyway? Conway told us the blackmarket barely even exists for such a thing.¡± ¡°I dunno!¡± Ridley threw up his hands in frustration. ¡°Maybe he really likes his job. Maybe he was having a fling with his secretary and wanted to take her with him! I can¡¯t put all the pieces in place but it¡¯s the best lead we have!¡± Again they fell into silence. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Nairo conceded. ¡°I don¡¯t know how it fits together but it¡¯s worth pursuing.¡± ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go drop by his house¡­¡± ¡°In the morning,¡± Nairo interjected. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted. I need at least three hours of sleep before I can begin the hunt again.¡± Ridley tutted and then a yawn escaped his mouth. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. We¡¯ve hit it pretty hard today.¡± ¡°More like it¡¯s hit us pretty hard,¡± Nairo said, massaging her rapidly cramping hip. Ridley chuckled and stood up, his back cracking audibly. ¡°Fine, we go after the bank manager tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Bright and early.¡± ¡°Not too early,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Make it eleven.¡± ¡°Ten. And that will give me a chance to try and run De Woolf¡¯s name through the police system. If he was in some sort of financial trouble then there¡¯s bound to be a paper trail.¡± ¡°Sounds exciting, but I¡¯ll leave the paper trailing to you. Let¡¯s meet at Letty¡¯s greasy spoon in the East End at 10:30 and close this case.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± Nairo said. Chapter 16 ?16 Morning came. Dreary and drizzling, the night''s rain had uncovered the myriad of filth and debris of city life, swamping the streets in Verdalia''s filthy secrets. Nairo gingerly hopped the floating islands of filth as she made her way towards the wet sulking figure of Ridley who stood outside the chief coroner¡¯s office. When she had woken that morning, her entire body ached from her bruised toes to her sore scalp. One side of her face had swollen overnight and an ugly continent shaped bruise had appeared just below her rib stretching to just above her knee. The bruise was a livid purple tinged with red and made her grit her teeth when she pulled on her trousers. Ridley looked even worse. One of his eyes was black and the whites had turned bloodshot red, making him look like a demonic owl. His body was even more hunched than usual, pain drawing his face and making him look corpse-like. He flicked his smoke and withdrew like a turtle into his coat collars and hat. ¡°You look as bad as I feel,¡± Ridley growled at her, his voice thick and husky. ¡°Then you must feel terrible,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Like ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag.¡± ¡°Lovely.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ridley said, nodding his head at the thick wad of files under Nairo¡¯s arm. ¡°Everything I could pull about De Woolf.¡± ¡°Anything good?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the rain and I¡¯ll tell you all about it.¡± Ridley tugged at collar and led her into the greasy spoon cafe. Instead of his usual confident stride, Ridley limped gingerly. Nairo noticed how tenderly he hugged his left arm to his body and wondered to herself just how battered he was under that long coat. The cafe, complete with literal greasy spoons and sticky chairs, was empty barring one lonely man hugging a mug of thick black coffee. Ridley seemed to be of the opinion that the less time and money was spent on cleanliness and d¨¦cor, the better the food must be. Gingerly, he eased himself into one of the rickety chairs and pulled his coat tight around himself. An old woman in a filthy apron ambled up to them, looking simultaneously like she was falling asleep and had just woken up. ¡°Morning darlin¡¯, what can I get you?¡± she grumbled. ¡°Anything on the menu today?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°¡®Fraid not. We¡¯ve got some pastries from yesterday and plenty of coffee.¡± ¡°Coffee,¡± Ridley growled. ¡°Biggest cup you¡¯ve got and as black as you can manage.¡± ¡°Same, but can I have a splash of milk,¡± Nairo said. ¡°With just a spoon of sugar.¡± The waitress returned with their coffees a moment later and they both sat and sipped in silence. By all definitions, it was bad coffee. Acidic and stale, but it was piping hot and drove the chill from their bones. ¡°I can¡¯t figure out which bits of me hurt worse,¡± Ridley groaned as he kneaded his jaw. ¡°I tried to avoid figuring that out,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°I¡¯m about six different shades of purple at the moment.¡± They sipped in silence again. ¡°So what did you dig up?¡± Ridley asked her. Nairo pushed the files towards Ridley and he pulled a face. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give me the summary?¡± ¡°Looks like De Woolf is a debtor,¡± she said. ¡°In the last three years he¡¯s been up in front of a debtor¡¯s board twice.¡± ¡°Knew it.¡± ¡°More interestingly, about four years ago he was picked up for unlicensed gambling in Salwerk. There was a police raid and he was found betting on arachnid fighting. He wasn¡¯t charged but his name was in the file.¡± ¡°Unlicensed gambling?¡± Ridley muttered and then nodded. ¡°That makes sense. Goblins run a bunch of underground gambling dens around the city. Could be that¡¯s how Benny got his claws into our boy.¡± ¡°It gets worse. I tried to find some financial information about De Woolf, but nothing exists.¡± ¡°Nothing?¡± ¡°No. No tax returns, no account numbers. Nothing. It was difficult to even pin down an address for him. It seems like he has moved at least three times in the last two years. We don¡¯t even know where his current abode is. The closest I¡¯ve been able to find is that his post is directed to a post office out in Cumberley.¡± ¡°Cumberley? Ain¡¯t nothing out there but slophouses and brothels.¡± ¡°Exactly. If Benny was bleeding him then it looks like the well was running well and truly dry.¡± ¡°It all fits. He¡¯s at the end of his rope and desperate. Then a big old hunk of rock just wanders into the bank unexpectedly. It was his chance to pay off his debt¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t buy it,¡± Nairo interjected. ¡°If De Woolf was going to steal to pay off his debts then why not just, I don¡¯t know, steal the piles and piles of gold and precious jewels in the bank? Why steal something you know is going to draw so much attention?¡± ¡°Maybe it was Benny¡¯s idea?¡± ¡°But how did Benny know it was there?¡± ¡°Maybe De Woolf told him. Maybe he was under instructions to keep Benny updated about anything valuable that comes into the bank. Plus, you don¡¯t know that De Woolf hasn¡¯t been stealing and this is just the first time he¡¯s been caught.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Only one way to know is to go and confront De Woolf,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I¡¯m still waiting on his address,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Conway is digging around back at HQ trying to track him down. But we could go to the bank. ¡°Ten coins says he¡¯s done a runner,¡± Ridley said, draining the last dregs of his coffee. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t blame him if he has,¡± Nairo said as she dropped a couple of coins on the table for their coffee. She could only imagine what it would be like to be De Woolf right now. Even if somehow he was innocent, that he hadn¡¯t stolen the Diamond, he would still know how easily he could be traced back to Benny. But he didn¡¯t have just the police to worry about, he also had the Kith¡¯s retribution hanging over his head . They would know about his debt to Benny and in the underworld, debts didn¡¯t simply die with their owners. Either way, De Woolf was a wanted creature, she just had to hope they found him first. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. * The bank was unusually quiet. Word had gone round that something had been stolen, that plus the presence of so many police officers, had deadened the passing trade. Bored HobGoblins sat behind their tills, making idle chit chat and flicking through ledgers to appear busy. Pixies trailed about, cleaning messes that had yet to be made and polishing floor tiles that were already so bright they blinded. Ridley and Nairo had been directed by a grumpy Gnome to a smiling young secretary. She had golden blonde hair and a smile so pleasant even Ridley found himself returning it as they approached. ¡°Good morning, I¡¯m Isabelle, how can I help you?¡± She beamed at them from behind her desk. ¡°Good morning, my name is Sergeant Nairo. We¡¯re looking for Mr De Woolf.¡± Nairo watched her smile falter at the mention of the bank manager. ¡°Umm Mr De Woolf hasn¡¯t come in today,¡± she said. Nairo could feel Ridley¡¯s eyes roll over to hers and she could just imagine the ¡®I told you so¡¯ face he had on right now. ¡°Has he called in sick?¡± ¡°Umm no. He just hasn¡¯t come in yet. But I¡¯m sure he will be in anytime now,¡± she added hastily. ¡°Do you have a home address we could reach him at? It¡¯s quite urgent, regarding the theft here yesterday.¡± ¡°Of course, one moment.¡± Isabelle flicked through a datebook on her desk and Nairo noticed her hand shaking. ¡°It¡¯s not like him to not come in,¡± Isabelle said as she hastily flicked through her diary. ¡°Well sometimes it is. But not usually. He¡¯s a very diligent creature. Mr De Woolf takes his work very seriously. And of course, what with the robbery, he was completely torn up. He was very fretful. I just hope nothing¡¯s¡­ happened to him,¡± she blabbered as she pawed through the pages. ¡°Would something have happened to him?¡± Ridley asked, his voice dropping low. He leaned across the desk with an almost soft look on his usually acerbic face. ¡°No it¡¯s not¡­ it¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°Isabelle, is there something you want to tell us?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Tell you? Yes of course I want to tell you Mr De Woolf¡¯s address!¡± She tittered nervously. ¡°Ah here it is! Let me just write it down for you. Where¡¯s my pen? I put it down somewhere here.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not the first people to come here looking for his address are we?¡± Ridley said. Isabelle visibly jumped in her seat and her wide blue eyes shot up to Ridley¡¯s. ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°Your date book,¡± he said pointing to her book. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve recently scribbled that address down on it, in a rush. And that corner¡¯s ripped. I¡¯m guessing you just had enough time to copy it down before someone reached across this desk and tore the corner off themselves.¡± Isabelle looked like she was about to burst into tears. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to tell them. I didn¡¯t know what else to do.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Isabelle looked around, her big eyes quivering. ¡°The Goblins¡± she whispered. ¡°They came in late last night, just before we were closing asking about Mr De Woolf.¡± ¡°Let me guess, sharp suits and nasty tempers?¡± Ridley asked. Isabelle nodded. ¡°Kith,¡± Ridley said to Nairo. ¡°What did they want?¡± ¡°They just wanted to know where Mr De Woolf was, but he had already left. They demanded his address.¡± ¡°Did they threaten you?¡± ¡°Not so much but they¡­ weren¡¯t going to take no for an answer. I didn¡¯t know what to do.¡± A fat tear rolled down her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Nairo said, coming around the desk and handing her a tissue from a box on the counter. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s better you told them than get hurt yourself.¡± ¡°Have you ever seen these Goblins before?¡± Ridley asked. Isabelle shook her head and dabbed at her eyes. ¡°Poor Mr De Woolf,¡± she cried. ¡°He¡¯s a good man, he really is. He was always kind and he never scolded anyone, even when we made mistakes, and he always remembered my birthday and even let me have the afternoon off paid. He¡¯s harmless! He really is! He was always doing little tricks with cards, he even taught me to play a few games. He¡¯s frightfully clever, he could calculate all the odds in a game of Peeling Onion just based on what cards had been burned. He was always right! It was like magic! He wouldn¡¯t hurt a soul. It¡¯s just¡­ well he had some issues.¡± ¡°What kind of issues?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°He umm¡­ he liked to gamble. He was always placing bets on things. He loves odds and percentages, well I suppose he would, being a bank manager! But I began to notice that he was losing more than he was winning. A lot of days he would come in to work in the same clothes and then he started sleeping in the office. That¡¯s when the collectors started to come round. He was always being hounded by someone and as time went by they became scarier and scarier.¡± She choked back another sob. ¡°It¡¯s not his fault! It¡¯s an addiction you know!¡± ¡°We know,¡± Nairo said soothingly. ¡°Did you ever notice Goblins coming around, like those ones yesterday?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Sometimes. But Mr De Woolf was good at hiding it. But I would see him sometimes, meeting a nasty looking Goblin in the Royle cafe across the road. I saw them quite a few times on my way home from work. You don¡¯t think they¡¯ve hurt him do you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine,¡± Nairo said. ¡°And just so that we know you¡¯re okay, I¡¯m going to make sure there¡¯s an officer here at all times, and they¡¯ll ensure no one else harrasses you.¡± Isabelle nodded gratefully. ¡°This nasty looking Goblin, was he sort of a greyish colour with half an ear?¡± Ridley said. Again Isabelle nodded. ¡°Thank you so much for your assistance, Isabelle.¡± Nairo said as she handed her another tissue. ¡°Please find him. He¡¯s in trouble and I hate to think what those vile Goblins would do to him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Nairo said with a smile. ¡°We¡¯re on the case.¡± Ridley nodded at Isabelle and began limping away. ¡°You owe me ten coins,¡± he muttered to Nairo when they were out of earshot. ¡°I never took that bet,¡± Nairo hissed back. ¡°Good. Gambling¡¯s bad.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t help yourself can you?¡± ¡°Dunno. Never tried.¡± Nairo rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get to De Woolf¡¯s on the double.¡± ¡°Hopefully he¡¯s still in one piece,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Sargeant Nairo!¡± a podgy officer with a round cherubic face and greasy skin, huffed his way up the bank steps towards them and threw a quick salute. ¡°Marm, comm scroll just came in for you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Nairo said, accepting the scroll from him. ¡°Corporal, I want an officer posted inside the bank from now on. If you see any Goblins you don''t like the look of coming to the bank and harassing staff, then I want them immediately detained and taken back to HQ. Is that understood?¡± ¡°Yes marm.¡± The officer saluted again and in his haste he knocked his hat off his head. ¡°Oops. Oh no!¡± He waddled after his tumbling hat as he chased it down the stairs. ¡°Verdalia¡¯s finest,¡± Ridley snorted as he watched the officer. Nairo sighed and shook her head. Gently, they made their way down the steps, her hips protesting the whole way down as she unfurled the scroll. ¡°It¡¯s my man in the coroner¡¯s office! He says we can come and view the body!¡± ¡°Perfect. When?¡± Ridley said. ¡°He says it has to be now. The head coroner¡¯s out until lunch and he says now is our best chance to see the body before he gets back.¡± ¡°What about De Woolf?¡± Ridley said. ¡°We could split up.¡± ¡°Great. You go to De Woolf¡¯s and I¡¯ll check the body out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only saying that because you think he¡¯s already dead!¡± ¡°And as an officer of law who knows a civilian is in peril, you have a duty to go and do one of them what d¡¯you call ¡®em?¡± ¡°Welfare checks?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one. Go check his welfare.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a point,¡± Nairo said begrudgingly; her gut told her the bank manager wasn¡¯t going to be there but Ridley was right, they couldn¡¯t leave De Woolf on the streets like a sitting duck. Nairo looked around and then sighed before motioning the now red faced officer over to her. ¡°Marm?¡± He saluted again. ¡°I need two officers sent to this address,¡± she handed over the scrap of paper to him. ¡°I need you to find me one Zimeon De Woolf.¡± ¡°The bank manager?¡± the officer asked. ¡°Correct. If he¡¯s there I want him brought in immediately for questioning. If he¡¯s not, canvas the neighbours and see if anyone has seen him in the last 24 hours.¡± ¡°Yes marm!¡± The officer squeaked excitedly before racing off, one hand on his belt the other on his cap. ¡°You know if the Kith are there they¡¯ll roast that little piggy on an open flame.¡± ¡°Hush Ridley.¡± Ridley smirked at her and then tucked his hands into his pockets. ¡°Come on Sarge, we¡¯ve got a date with a dead Goblin.¡± ¡°How romantic,¡± Nairo muttered as Ridley whistled for a cab. Chapter 17 17 ¡°We need to go in through the basement,¡± Nairo said as she led Ridley down an alley that the large nondescript government building backed on to. ¡°Technically we¡¯re not on the books. Better we don¡¯t sign in¡­ officially.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not procedure Sergeant,¡± Ridley said with a smirk on his face. ¡°Well we could wait a couple of days for official permission if you prefer,¡± Nairo shot back as she clutched the wrought iron railing and painfully crab walked down the steps to the cellar door. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who cares about laws,¡± Ridley said as he followed her crustacean inspired lead, grunting with every step. Nairo rapped on the cellar door. It opened a moment later and a young pale skinned man ushered them in. He was tall and long fingered with a predatory angle to his face, like a starving rodent. To Ridley he looked comically vampiric, especially considering his occupation. ¡°Morning Drake,¡± said Nairo. ¡°Drake? Really?¡± Ridley snorted. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Nairo hissed at him. ¡°Nothing¡­ you don¡¯t see it?¡± Ridley muttered, a grin drawn across his battered face. ¡°Umm¡­ morning Sally,¡± Drake replied, he had the voice of a man who wrung his hands a lot; a high, nasally, obsequious sound. ¡°Sally!¡± Ridley burst out. ¡°Shush!¡± Nairo pushed him into the dimly lit cellar. ¡°Thank you so much for this, Drake.¡± ¡°No problem, but you have to be quick, Mr Gamley is in a foul mood, something¡¯s got his goat and he¡¯s very hot blooded,¡± Drake said anxiously. ¡°You would know,¡± Ridley muttered loud enough that a corpse giggled. ¡°We really appreciate it and we¡¯ll be super quick, I promise,¡± Nairo assured him with a gentle pat on his bony arm. ¡°Just through here then.¡± He held up a long skeletal digit, pointing them through the ante chamber into the morgue proper. ¡°Just call me when you¡¯re done.¡± With that he gave a small bow and floated out backwards until the darkness swallowed him. ¡°Is he a vampyr?¡± Ridley hissed to her as he eyed the place where Drake had been suspiciously. ¡°Take five minutes off, Ridley,¡± Nairo said. ¡°And have some respect.¡± She gestured to the rows of covered bodies around them. ¡°What do they care? They¡¯re dead.¡± Nairo sighed and rolled her eyes, pushing aside the curtain that led to the examination chamber. It was a low ceilinged space lit with a few meagre candles. A single octagonal stone slab dominated the centre of the room. On the slab was a large frame covered with a brown sheet. With his usual decorum Ridley whipped the sheet from the body and revealed the pale corpse of Benny. The whipping sheet caused the candle flames to dance, throwing shadows across the body. For a stomach turning moment it seemed as if a macabre grin stretched across Benny¡¯s face. Then the shadows settled and he was still once more. It was strange, when he was covered in blood, freshly murdered at the crime scene she was unperturbed. Now, looking at him, naked and pale, she felt a pang of sadness at the waste of life. She took a deep breath and tried to see Benny as evidence and not a creature. She studied the Goblin¡¯s lanky frame. His body was a myriad of etchings. Goblin warriors carved their triumphs in their scales wearing them as a mark of a honour. Benny¡¯s body was a vignette to his life of violence, there were all sorts of geometric shapes, letters in the Goblin tongue, and faded carvings of images that Nairo couldn¡¯t make out in the half light. On his chest, over his heart, was an engraving of a broken spear, the tip pointing at his heart. ¡°What do they mean?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Beats me,¡± Ridley said with a shrug. ¡°Goblins are a bunch of mad fuckers when it comes to their traditions and rituals. Although, knowing Benny, every one of those carvings comes with a heap of misery and blood.¡± Ridley wasn¡¯t wrong. Benny¡¯s arms and legs displayed crisscrossing scars and cuts evidencing how deep his addiction had gone before he was killed. In life he was a violent criminal that inspired fear but in death he looked more the victim of his own violence than the perpetrator. Ridley was unbothered. He had lit a smoke and was walking around the slab. Nairo swallowed the lump in her throat and forced down a nauseous feeling and got on with her job. She couldn¡¯t start feeling sorry for Benny. Instead, she noted the festering wounds from cutting himself. A cut on his arm looked fresh. She also noted the lack of defence wounds anywhere else on his arms or hands. ¡°No defence wounds,¡± Ridley said as if reading her mind. ¡°He was caught off guard,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°From the front?¡± Ridley questioned before they both fell silent again. Ridley continued to pace around the body while Nairo worked her way systematically up the body when, with a sickening sucking noise, Ridley pulled back Benny¡¯s head, exposing the grizzly wound. They both stood in silence and looked at the gaping maw of pink flesh, the white of his neck bone peaking through the thick muscles of his neck. ¡°A blade didn¡¯t do that,¡± Nairo whispered in the darkness. Ridley bent down, his face only a few inches from the wound, looking curiously at it. ¡°Looks like a¡­ burn wound?¡± Ridley said incredulously as he leant closer. ¡°But all that blood,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°A burn would cauterise the wound and¡­ and what the hell could have simultaneously burnt Benny and ripped his neck open without touching any other part of him?¡± Nairo had begun to lean closer with Ridley, her curiosity overpowering her disgust. ¡°Look.¡± Ridley, with Zarb¡¯s pencil in hand, lifted the flap of serrated, burnt, skin on his neck. ¡°It looks like it was ripped open. What could cause a wound like that?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Something unnatural,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°There were blood splatters on the wall behind him,¡± Nairo said absently. ¡°Something powerful,¡± Ridley said. They looked at each other, almost as if waiting for the other to say it first. ¡°Magic!¡± they breathed. ¡°But how?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°And who?¡± Ridley replied. ¡°I think we can safely say De Woolf didn¡¯t do this to Benny,¡± Nairo said. They fell into a heavy silence, the chill, damp darkness of the room weighed on them. Nairo felt stifled like she couldn¡¯t breathe down here. She wanted badly to get out of this macabre theatre. ¡°They said the Diamond was benign.¡± ¡°They¡¯re Elves, they lie.¡± Ridley exhaled a cloud of smoke into the dead Goblin¡¯s face. ¡°If it is Active, it would still need someone who knows how to use it.¡± ¡°Goblins hate magic don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t mean if a Diamond fell into their lap they wouldn¡¯t use it,¡± Ridley stared at Benny¡¯s pallid complexion with a mystified look on his face. ¡°So there¡¯s an Active Diamond in the hands of a killer, loose in the city?¡± Nairo could not keep the fear out of her voice. She had never actually seen an Active Diamond, few creatures had, but she had heard the stories. Even Ridley finally looked worried, the excitement of the mystery fading as reality set in. ¡°Do you remember in Stote city when that Diamond shattered?¡± he asked her, his voice barely above a breath. ¡°It levelled everything within a mile radius,¡± Nairo replied, her eyes drawn to the charred bloody maw that had been Benny¡¯s throat. ¡°And that Diamond was just a building Diamond.¡± Ridley looked at Nairo. ¡°We¡¯ve got to find it before the whole city goes up.¡± Nairo nodded, her mouth set in a grim slash. ¡°But let¡¯s not jump to conclusions, there hasn¡¯t been an Active Diamond used in decades, the Elvish council prohibited it as a war crime.¡± ¡°As far as you know.¡± ¡°Even so, the Academy didn¡¯t exactly teach me how to recognise murder with an Active Diamond and I¡¯m fairly certain you¡¯re not an expert either.¡± Ridley stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some stuff,¡± he said petulantly. ¡°But since I know you live and die by the handbook, I guess we can get the coroner¡¯s report to confirm our suspicions.¡± ¡°Even better, let¡¯s talk to the coroner, maybe there¡¯s another explanation.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not magic, I¡¯ll eat your notebook.¡± ¡°No worse than your usual diet.¡± Ridley grinned wistfully and then patted his gut. ¡°Speaking of which, fancy some real breakfast?¡± Nairo looked at her watch. ¡°Drake said the coroner would be back by midday. Why not?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then Sarge, I¡¯m suddenly famished.¡± ¡°You¡¯re disgusting.¡± Ridley laughed and walked out of the room. Nairo looked around at her maudlin surroundings and shook her head. Carefully, she picked up and brushed off the brown sheet, straightened it, and draped it across Benny¡¯s corpse. She half turned, then stopped, and tucked Benny¡¯s scarred and battered claw that had fallen to the side back under the blanket. She stopped for what she felt was a respectful amount of time, straightened her tunic, and followed Ridley out. * ¡°Single handed?¡± ¡°Yep, just me.¡± ¡°And you leapt off a three storey building without breaking your legs?¡± ¡°Tucked and rolled.¡± ¡°And then you chased down a centaur¡­ on foot?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the corners, they get all tangled up with all them legs.¡± ¡°And you expect me to believe that?¡± Ridley shrugged and took a huge bite out his breakfast egg bap, yolk oozing out of the side, dripping on the cobbles. ¡°Maybe it was a two storey,¡± he said round a thick mouthful, a wolfish grin on his face. They had found a small vendor that had a batch of eggs that hadn''t gone completely bad yet. After some intense haggling they secure the last two eggs and some semi hard buns to go. Munching away happily, they posted up on the corner opposite the coroner¡¯s building, watching the sluggish afternoon trade going by. The city always seemed to slow down in the rain and only now were shop shutters beginning to go up and people appear on the streets. Nairo looked up at the weak sun and checked her pocket watch. ¡°Why¡¯s it taking so long?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Drake should have come and got us by now,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Can¡¯t come out in the sunlight, can he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a vampyr!¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°And he¡¯s usually very punctual.¡± ¡°Screw this, I¡¯m done waiting.¡± He wolfed down the last bite of his food. ¡°C¡¯mon Sharge.¡± Ridley took off across the road, narrowly avoiding a passing cab, leaving a tired Nairo to limp after him. The short period of standing had caused her hip to tighten again, giving her a bow-legged hobble. She rounded the corner and saw the heavy wrought iron doors of the morgue wide open. She entered the well-lit stone hallway, Ridley¡¯s angry curses floating down the hall. She hobbled to catch up to where Ridley was berating a small Gnome secretary. ¡°He¡¯s busy!¡± ¡°Doing what? Not like his clients are going anywhere!¡± Ridley snapped in exasperation. ¡°He¡¯s very busy man! You come back later!¡± The Gnome had a thick Gnommish accent and a heavy squint, made worse by the giant glasses she wore that magnified her eyes making her look like an insect. They began bickering back and forth. Between the secretary¡¯s accent and Ridley¡¯s own particular brand of underbelly vocabulary, the whole exchange was an unintelligible blur. ¡°Enough!¡± Nairo slammed her badge down on the desk. ¡°Is he too busy for the police?¡± The Gnome leant over the counter and peered closely at the badge, then back at Nairo, then back to the badge suspicion written on her squashed little features. ¡°I check,¡± she said finally. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, he¡¯ll be happy to see us. We¡¯re old friends,¡± Ridley said, striding away. ¡°Down that way, right?¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t¡­¡± began the secretary. ¡°Err did you not see the badge? Ain''t this obstructing the justice¡­ or something? Right, Sarge?¡± Ridley said to Nairo who narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Obstructing the course of justice, yes,¡± she said reluctantly. Ridley turned smugly back to the Gnome. ¡°Don¡¯t you lot get deported if you break the law?¡± ¡°Ridley! Please, maam we¡¯re here on a murder enquiry and if we don¡¯t get to see the chief coroner someone else could die.¡± The diminutive Gnome looked from the scowling Ridley to the reassuring smile on Nairo¡¯s face and she finally relented and nodded her head. ¡°Good. Can I get a cuppa when you¡¯re ready?¡± Ridley said to the Gnome. ¡°Sarge?¡± ¡°No thank you,¡± Nairo said as she pushed past Ridley. ¡°Four sugars,¡± Ridley said to the shaken secretary, then he made his way down the hall. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want me throwing around my badge?¡± Nairo said sarcastically. ¡°Has its uses,¡± he answered, deliberately speeding up so he was a step ahead of her. The soles of their shoes clacked down the looming hallway until they reached the final door at the end. Rectangular, dark stained and bland looking, it was as uninviting as any door she had seen. Ridley, with his usual tact, reached for the handle immediately. Nairo slapped his hand and tutted. She ignored his muttered curses and rapped smartly on the door. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Zombies. I want my liver back!¡± ¡°Hush!¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°Police! Could we have a quick chat?¡± Silence was their only answer. Finally, they heard the scrape of a chair and the shuffling of papers, then the slam of a drawer. Ridley raised a brow at Nairo who shrugged in return. ¡°Ermm¡­ one moment!¡± came a flustered voice from inside, followed by a series of dry wheezing coughs. ¡°Screw this,¡± Ridley slammed the door open and strode in. The office was as drab and miserable as the rest of the building. It was sparsely furnished with only a desk, a smattering of worn down chairs, and a sagging bookcase full of miserable dog eared books. Behind the desk, frozen like a mouse spotted by the cat, stood a half crouched, plump, balding coroner. He was flushed with a sheen of sweat on his brow. He slammed the drawer shut and quickly stood up. ¡°Huh¡­ no brains?¡± Ridley remarked as he peered around the room. ¡°What?¡± the coroner said. He had a small mean mouth surrounded by a small bushel of unkempt stubble. ¡°Thought you¡¯d have like jars of brains and stuff,¡± Ridley replied disappointedly. ¡°What? Why would I¡­. who are you people?¡± the coroner spluttered, eyeing Ridley with open contempt. ¡°This is Sergeant Nairo,¡± Ridley said, wandering around the room looking at his bookshelf. ¡°I was not scheduled for a meeting with anyone from the police today!¡± the coroner said. He stepped out from behind his desk and snatched up the papers that Ridley had been perusing. ¡°It¡¯s Mr Gamley isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have an appointment sir, this is a more informal meeting about a body that came in last night,¡± Nairo said in a pleasant tone. ¡°What body?¡± Gamley paled at the mention of Benny¡¯s body. ¡°Goblin, cut himself shaving,¡± Ridley replied. He narrowed his eyes at Nairo, who returned his look with a small arch of her eyebrow. ¡°Well, what is there to say?¡± Gamley said. ¡°Just some thug got his throat slit. Get them all the time.¡± ¡°Nothing unusual about this one?¡° Ridley asked, eyeing the coroner carefully. ¡°What are you getting at? And who the hell are you? I haven¡¯t even seen a badge or... or anything!¡± He was red faced and twitchy, shuffling from foot to foot. Ridley looked at Nairo, who sighed and pulled out her badge for the coroner to look at. ¡°Well she¡¯s police, who the hell are you?¡± Gamley jabbed a yellow nailed finger at Ridley. ¡°Consultant. You¡¯re welcome to send a scroll to Captain Mallory if you want. In the meantime, we¡¯ve got some questions.¡± Ridley flapped his coat around and plonked himself down on a chair. Nairo followed suit and sat down, back straight and with a reassuring smile she gestured for the coroner to sit down. He harrumphed, shuffled some papers and finally relented, throwing himself into his shabby leather chair. ¡°It¡¯s all there in the report, that¡¯s why I write them, I¡¯m too busy to talk to every overzealous copper,¡± he huffed. ¡°Do you have a copy?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°A copy of your report.¡± ¡°Well somewhere, I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t do the bloody paperwork!¡± He crossed his arms across his rotund stomach and glared at Nairo. ¡°You do realise this is a homicide investigation, right?¡± Nairo asked him her tone level but she was beginning to grow annoyed with the coroner¡¯s attitude. ¡°Of course I do, girl! I¡¯m the chief bloody coroner!¡± ¡°Then you know, right now, you are holding up my investigation. If a murderer gets away because of your obstinance then I¡¯ll have a collar that needs filling and I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want a pissed off copper with an axe to grind looking into your business.¡± The longer she spoke the harder her voice became. She glared two holes in the sweaty coroner who squirmed and harrumphed again. ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me girl, I play golf with your boss!¡± he snapped, wagging a grubby finger at her. ¡°My boss doesn¡¯t play golf,¡± Nairo said coldly. ¡°He does have a mean short game though,¡± Ridley sniggered. Nairo clenched her jaw so hard she heard a crack as she tried to avoid laughing. The coroner glowered at Nairo but this wasn¡¯t a battle he was equipped to win. His shoulders sagged and he looked away. Without another word, he reached into his drawer and pulled out a folder, tossing it across the desk. ¡°Thank you,¡± Nairo said sweetly. She opened the folder and began reading. She stopped after a few seconds and looked at Ridley, pointing at something on the report. ¡°What? What is it?¡± Gamley blustered. Ridley looked at the report, furrowed his brow, then looked at the coroner. ¡°Knife?¡± he said incredulously. ¡°Serrated blade, yes.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Son, I¡¯ve been doing this for thirty years, I¡¯ve examined more corpses than you¡¯ve had dinners!¡± Gamly retorted hotly. ¡°Ain¡¯t no blade I¡¯ve ever seen do that,¡± Ridley said. ¡°How could you tell anything? The scene was a bloodbath, by all accounts,¡± Gamley said suspiciously. ¡°We¡¯ve seen the¡­ ow!¡± Nairo smiled and removed her foot from on top of Ridley¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s just that the wound at the time seemed unusual,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You can never tell what a blade will do to flesh,¡± Gamley said quickly. ¡°There were blood spatters on the wall four feet behind him,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Unusual, but it happens.¡± The coroner¡¯s tone had become flippant and offhand. Ridley and Nairo sat there completely nonplussed. ¡°What about the burns!¡± Ridley exclaimed, unable to believe what he was hearing. ¡°What burns?¡± Gamley had become defensive again, his piggy eyes were flicking from Nairo to Ridley, deeply suspicious. ¡°Never mind,¡± Nairo interjected. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I think we¡¯ve got everything we need here,¡± Nairo said as she stood up. ¡°We have?¡± ¡°Yes Ridley.¡± She turned to the coroner. ¡°Thank you for your time, Mr Gamley.¡± ¡°My report,¡± he said, holding out a meaty hand. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have copies,¡± Nairo smiled and turned to walk out. ¡°The Captain will be hearing about this!¡± Gamley blustered as Nairo walked out of the room. Ridley stood up and sniffed before giving the coroner a sideways look and following Nairo. Chapter 18 ??18 ¡°He was lying through his teeth! I could smell the bullshit!¡± Ridley snarled as he banged his fist on the thin chipped diner table between them. Nairo blew on her now cold coffee absentmindedly, her brow furrowed as she read and re-read the report. ¡°Well yeah, he was lying, that much was obvious. Why he lied is what I can¡¯t figure out. There¡¯s no mention whatsoever of burns, not even a note about the suspicious lack of defence wounds.¡± ¡°Coz he¡¯s lying through his fat gappy teeth!¡± Ridley gave the fragile little table another thump. Nairo suspected by this point he was doing it because he enjoyed the way all the cutlery and plates would rattle rather than as an outburst of indignant rage. She sat there for a moment and listened to the rain as it pounded against the window, the outside world was grey and dingy. ¡°But why?¡± Nairo asked, looking up at him. Ridley shrugged and then went back to massaging his aching shoulder in petulant misery. Nairo sipped her coffee, pulled a face, and waved to the waitress. A surly Goblin female trundled over in a frilly apron and pink tunic. She was large and round shouldered, her pendulous watermelon shaped head threatening to slope off her neck and fall into her apron pouch at any moment. She wore the scowl of a person on their second shift of the day: hard cynicism and a longing to be home. ¡°Yurr?¡± she growled. ¡°Could I have a top up on my coffee, please?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still full,¡± the waitress grunted, showing off the Goblin¡¯s natural distaste for wasting anything. ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡± The Goblin made a contemptuous sucking noise and sloshed some steaming coffee into a fresh mug. ¡°Whadd¡¯you want?¡± she grunted at Ridley. ¡°How bout your address, sugar?¡± Ridley flashed her a smile while Nairo choked on her coffee. ¡°I would break you, little man,¡± the waitress grunted, turning and shuffling away, sucking her teeth at them. ¡°Really?¡± Nairo said. ¡°You miss 100% of the shots you don¡¯t take.¡± He tapped the table in thought and then sunk conspiratorially into the collars of his coat. ¡°Someone got to him.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Secretary was flustered like someone had barged in.¡± ¡°Someone did barge in. You.¡± ¡°He was definitely hiding something.¡± ¡°That¡¯s circumstantial.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need evidence, I¡¯m not a p¡­ copper!¡± He slumped back in frustration. ¡°We know he was lying! We saw the body!¡± ¡°Maybe we were wrong,¡± Nairo said as she scooped her mug up before Ridley slammed his fist on the table again. ¡°We weren¡¯t wrong¡­ I could have been wrong, but both of us?¡± He was leaning almost all of the way across the table now. Nairo could feel his desperation for the collar, she had seen that same look in many a detective¡¯s eye at the station. They knew they had their man and they yearned with every ounce of their will for that one piece of evidence. That blade with blood still on it under their beds. The sack of gold buried in their garden. The eye witness that could shatter their false alibis. That one perfect piece of irrefutable, tangible evidence that would prove they were right. But the real world wasn¡¯t like that. And it was that reality that took good coppers down a dark path. The same path that leads to evidence being planted, witnesses being leaned on, and crime scenes being tampered with. It was always too tempting, especially when you believed you were doing it for noble reasons. ¡°We follow the clues and we do it by the book, Ridley,¡± she said firmly. Ridley put his head down and rhythmically bounced it off the grimy table. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve just got to keep working the case and something will turn up,¡± she said, reaching out to pat Ridley on the shoulder before stopping halfway and letting her hand hang awkwardly. ¡°You never know, De Woolf might have been at home and is sitting in a cell at HQ just waiting to spill his guts and reveal all.¡± ¡°Oh his guts have been spilled, just not the way we want,¡± Ridley grumbled. ¡°Listen, you don¡¯t get it. Whatever De Woolf says, it¡¯s clear now that a hand up high is pulling the strings. No matter what we do now, we¡¯re only gonna solve this case with the outcome they want.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°I dunno. But I do know, there ain¡¯t gonna be no mention of a Diamond that can blow holes in people!¡± Ridley hissed this last part. Nairo sighed again and raised her hand for the Goblin waitress¡¯ attention. ¡°Can we get the bill please?¡± Nairo asked the towering Goblin. She took a deep gulp of her coffee and looked over at Ridley. He looked up momentarily and then buried his head again when he heard the word bill. Nairo muttered under her breath and reached for her purse. ¡°Already been paid for,¡± the waitress said. ¡°What? By who?¡± Ridley asked, his head popping off the table. The Goblin nodded, her head towards a tall trench coated figure who had just slipped out of the door. The figure paused for a moment, looked at them from under the wide brim of his hat and then whipped around and stalked away. ¡°Quick! Come on!¡± Ridley hurtled out of the booth after the figure. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Nairo leapt to follow him, she stopped, and dropped a few coins on the table for the waitress. ¡°Thank you!¡± she said as she flew by the Goblin who looked at the tip and tutted. Nairo hit the street running. She ignored the almost familiar pain in her hip now and caught sight of Ridley''s coat flapping around a corner. Visibility had dropped in the gloom of the early evening shower. Her breath fogged in clouds in front of her as she willed her battered body to run on. Rain water splashed around her boots as she sped through the puddles forming on the uneven cobbles of the dark alleyways, floating islands of filth bouncing off her boots. She rounded a corner and ran smack bang into Ridley. She slammed into his shoulder and bounced off cracking her hip on a corner of the alley wall. ¡°Ass, shit!¡± Ridley snarled, clutching his already wounded shoulder. He bent double and unleashed a stream of concussive swearing. Nairo rapidly rubbed her hip, eyes screwed shut as she hopped around in circles. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± she shouted at him. ¡°I lost sight of the bloody guy!¡± Ridley snapped, his jaw clenched in pain. ¡°Damn, damn, damn!¡± Nairo hopped in circles while the rain soaked them, trying to get her hip to stop lancing shards of pain through her back. ¡°I''m sorry about that,¡± came a slow drawl from the shadowy alcove in the alley. Ridley and Nairo leapt in surprise, and even though he denied it later, she was sure she had heard Ridley give a little yelp. ¡°Who are you?¡± Nairo said, rainwater washing into her eyes as she peered into the shadows. ¡°Sally, it''s me.¡± From the shadows stepped out the gaunt figure of the coroner¡¯s apprentice Drake. ¡°Ahh! He''s gonna eat us!¡± Ridley cried, his back pressed against the wall. ¡°They suck blood, they don¡¯t eat people!¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°Does he think I''m a vampyr?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Hush, Ridley!¡± Nairo said impatiently. ¡°What''s going on Drake? Why the chase?¡± Drake shuffled nervously and looked up and down the alleyway. ¡°Anytime, mate, I''m going to drown out here,¡± Ridley said as he chucked away the waterlogged smoke he was trying to light. ¡°Shush,¡± Nairo hissed at him, pushing her sodden hair out of her face. ¡°What? Won''t he melt in the water?¡± ¡°That¡¯s witches!¡± ¡°I''m not a vampyr,¡± Drake moaned. ¡°Don''t listen to him, he thinks he''s witty. Now would you like to get out of the rain, somewhere warmer?¡± Nairo asked, trying to shield her eyes against the rain. The downpour had become so heavy they could barely hear each other. ¡°No!¡± Drake shouted above the rain, his normally docile features arched in fear. ¡°We need to be quick, I can''t afford to be seen with you.¡± ¡°Seen by who? What''s going on?¡± Paranoia was starting to gnaw at her guts. ¡°I told you!¡± Ridley punched the air and then clutched his shoulder and cursed. He lowered his voice and shuffled closer, so they now formed a crooked triangle. ¡°Someone got to your boss, didn''t they?¡± Drake shuffled uneasily again, even in the heavy rain she saw the gleam of sweat on his brow under his wide-brimmed hat. He swallowed and looked up and down the alley again. ¡°It''s okay Drake, you can trust me,¡± Nairo said, giving his bony arm a comforting squeeze. He returned the smile with a weak upturn at the corners of his mouth, which disappeared when his eyes fell on Ridley. ¡°You can trust him. He''s rude but he''s on our side.¡± Nairo reassured him. ¡°Ridley?¡± ¡°Yeah, course,¡± Ridley said, even trying for his own reassuring smile, which died on his lips, stillborn. ¡°You were right,¡± Drake said after a heavy sigh. ¡°Mister Gamley and I were so excited when that body came in,¡± he said mournfully. ¡°Mister Gamley thought he could get published from our findings, it would have been the crown jewel in an underappreciated career.¡± ¡°My heart bleeds,¡± Ridley muttered sarcastically, fortunately the rain was so heavy Drake did not hear. Nairo shot him a look and then motioned for Drake to continue. ¡°So, it was... you know¡­ magic?¡± Nairo whispered the last word, even in the downpour the word cut through the din like the crack of thunder. Drake blanched and nodded slowly. ¡°There could be no doubt, we even put in an application with the bureau of magical misconduct for a residual magic test... that''s when they came.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Nairo and Ridley both exclaimed. Nairo¡¯s heart thumped in her chest. Were they right? Even worse¡­ was Ridley¡¯s conspiratorial nonsense actually right? ¡°Elves.¡± Drake whispered the word. Nairo and Ridley looked at one another, she was shocked, he was not. ¡°What happened?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°EIF agents came with lawyers and they had a meeting in Mr Gamley''s office and the next thing I know the report had been rewritten. I was told I would be fired if I spoke about our findings again,¡± he said, his head hung low. ¡°They wanted the fact that it was magic hushed up?¡± Ridley clarified and Drake nodded. ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Because they¡¯re Elves and they can''t be trusted,¡± Ridley said. ¡°What did they look like?¡± Drake shrugged his angular shoulders. ¡°I only saw the back of them, but they look like Elves. They were mesmerising all dressed in dark suits with their silvery hair.¡± ¡°I told you we couldn¡¯t trust those bastards and now they¡¯ve gone and brought the EIF into this as well,¡± Ridley ¡°You said that before we had any evidence,¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°I wasn''t wrong though,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°We need proof, Drake. Would you be willing to come to police HQ and give an official statement?¡± ¡°No no! I''m sorry I can''t, I will lose my job and so will Mr Gamley!¡± Drake cried, waving his hands and shaking his head. Nairo sighed and nodded. ¡°I understand. Thank you Drake, you have been really helpful and brave.¡± ¡°I do have this though,¡± Drake said and reached into his coat. He withdrew a folder identical to the one they had taken from the chief coroner. ¡°This is the original report,¡± he said, offering it to them. Ridley¡¯s eyes lit up and he practically snatched it from Drake''s hand. He used his coat and hat to shield the folder from the rain. There, in black and white, where the first report they looked at had said ¡®blade¡¯ now it read ¡®evidence of magical homicide, possibly Diamond.¡¯ ¡°This is it!¡± Ridley crowed in delight. ¡°The Diamond had to be at Benny¡¯s, and somebody killed him with it!¡± he was almost breathless with excitement. ¡°It has to be,¡± Nairo agreed, she chewed her lip and furrowed her brow as she added these new facts to the sprawling web of their investigation. ¡°Can we keep this?¡± she asked Drake. ¡°No, there is only one copy. If Mr Gamely did not drink himself into a stupor after your visit, I would not have been able to sneak it out,¡± he explained. ¡°What does it matter, I was right!¡± Ridley said, doing a little celebratory jig. ¡°It matters what we can prove,¡± Nairo said, reading and re-reading the file, trying to commit its contents to memory. ¡°I must go Sally, the longer this file is gone, the more my job is at risk and¡­¡± he trailed off into awkward silence, ¡°What is it, Drake?¡± asked Nairo. ¡°Please, keep any mention of my involvement in this out of it. Not for me, I think they threatened Mr Gamley, he was so shaken after they left. He is not a small man in this city, he has many friends the mayor included, but they rattled him badly. I don''t want to mess with Elves, Sally.¡± He looked down at the puddles forming around their feet. ¡°Of course,¡± Nairo promised. ¡°I really appreciate this Drake. We owe you one.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ridley agreed, offering his hand to Drake as he leaned towards him conspiratorially. ¡°I know where you can get fresh blood, good stuff too, none of that homeless person stuff.¡± ¡°I''m not a vampyr!¡± ¡°Come on Ridley,¡± Nairo pushed him hard in the small of the back. ¡°We''ve got work to do!¡± Chapter 19 ??19 Corporal Timothy Edgewater had always dreamed of being a copper. Since he was a little boy, writing detailed reports about the underground trade in sweets on the playground, he had always been in love with the idea of protecting law and order. Then, at only 16, he had lied about his age, and applied to the city¡¯s police academy. The day Timothy received his badge had been the proudest day of his life. Even his mother, who had always been against the idea of him becoming a ¡®nark¡¯, had wept a little tear. Probably because she knew he was bound to arrest her for the cat breeding farm in her basement any day now. Life had been grand the day Timmy had graduated and it had been on a steady decline ever since. The first reality Timmy had to deal with as a copper, was that it turned out the thin blue line was really the only thing that separated police and criminals in this city. And half the time that line grew so thin it was hard to distinguish between the two. Respecting and upholding the law was as derided in the precinct as it was in the grimiest pubs of the city¡¯s virulent underworld. Timmy often found himself the butt of the joke with the other officers. It didn''t help that he was still waiting for the growth spurt his mother had promised him and his face alternated from acne ridden to plump and hairless at a whim. Respect was hard to come by for Corporal Edgewater. Fortunately, a life spent being picked on by other children, adults, and even his own mother, meant that he had never grown enough pride to have it wounded too badly. Despite the ridicule and contempt, Timmy still turned up every day, bright and early. His boots polished, his badge gleaming, ready to right the wrongs of the world. Unfortunately, most of his days were composed of standing here or patrolling there, keeping out of the way, and being scolded for having bright ideas. So when a real actual Sergeant had sent him on a special mission, he was determined to make a name for himself. He had grabbed the only officer who wouldn¡¯t have told him to piss off and made for Cumberley post haste. That officer was Corporal Walter Washbottom. There has never been a more pathetic example of a copper than Wally Washbottom. He too had joined the police young, it was that or go up the river for his eighteenth petty theft charge. And ever since, he had wished he had the stones to do the time. Wally was dragged up by the tips of his ears. He was one of those people who was just always a bit grimy. Wally could hop squeaky clean out of a bathtub and within minutes be caked in a thin layer of grime and grease. Wally, like Timmy, was on the very bottom of the social hierarchy at the police station. But, where Timmy was the whipping boy, Wally was very much the mutt of the precinct. Sometimes he was fed scraps from the table and sometimes he had the boot put to him just because. Even so, Wally liked being a copper. His uniform was his first set of clothes that didn¡¯t have any holes in it, he could always get a warm meal at the canteen, he could walk the streets without fear of being mugged, and when people spat at him now it wasn¡¯t ever personal. And he liked Corporal Edgewater. He always had extra jam sandwiches at lunch and he never cussed at Wally or made fun of him because his ears stuck out or that he read like a Troll with a headache. So when Timmy had come to him babbling excitedly about some special assignment he had tagged along. Wally was good at tagging along. A good tagger alonger never needed to have a bright idea, or a sense of direction, just the ability to follow and offer the odd bit of encouragement. ¡°Why are we treckin¡¯ all the way out to Cumberley?¡± Wally moaned as they trudged down Macoom street, wading through the ankle deep puddles. ¡°I told you it¡¯s a special assignment!¡± Timmy said, his fat little cheeks glowing pink as he huffed along. ¡°From Sargeant Nairo herself!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Sergeant Nairo! She¡¯s one of them special detectives! Only gets the most important cases. She¡¯s working that big bank heist right now and we¡¯re helping!¡± ¡°She the bird who barks orders and has a face like a slapped¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a superior officer, Wally!¡± ¡°What makes her so sooooperior?¡± Wally said, digging around in his ear and sniffing his find. ¡°She¡¯s got rank, obviously!¡± ¡°Yeah well¡­ if she wanted to come out to Cumberley she shoulda come ¡®erself,¡± Wally grumbled. ¡°She hand picked me for this assignment! Obviously she needed a bright up and comer she could trust,¡± Timmy said, puffing his chest up. ¡°So why did she pick you then?¡± Timmy scowled at Wally. He was always unsure whether the corporal had a razor sharp wit, or a brain duller than a bent spoon. ¡°Well, she did pick me and I picked you, and now we¡¯re on our way to apprehend a dangerous criminal.¡± ¡°What?¡± Wally said, his keenly honed survival instincts picking up on the words ¡®dangerous¡¯ and ¡®criminal¡¯. ¡°You said ¡®e woz a bank manager!¡± ¡°He is. But he¡¯s also a HobGoblin. I reckon he must have masterminded the bank robbery and now he¡¯s on the run.¡± They turned down Pickling avenue and Timmy waved warmly at the old mums clearing rainwater from their front gardens. They scowled back at him suspiciously. ¡°So why¡¯s she sent us! She should have sent some real coppers!¡± ¡°We are real coppers, Wally!¡± Timmy huffed indignantly. ¡°No we ain¡¯t. I¡¯ve never even caught no criminals before.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t?¡± ¡°¡®Ave you?¡± Timmy paused and licked his lips. ¡°I mean¡­ I¡¯ve been there when it happened. Remember that flasher two weeks ago. The old grubby sort that kept exposing himself in the cemetery?¡± ¡°Wonky Eye Bob?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one! I was there when they caught him.¡± ¡°Right well, if we was on our way to catch a batty old streaker I would feel much better,¡± Wally muttered sullenly. ¡°C¡¯mon Wally!¡± Timmy wheedled. ¡°This is a big opportunity for us! If we do this right, could be a promotion in it for us!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna get promoted.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a extra four silvers a week.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Yeah, course.¡± ¡°That ain¡¯t half bad,¡± Wally said, musing about all the extra snuff and pints he could buy with four more silver coins. ¡°Plus, we could be in the paper!¡± ¡°We could?¡± ¡°Yeah, course. Two young up and comers apprehend a dangerous Goblin villain! They¡¯ll be drawing our likeness and everything.¡± ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t say he was a villain!¡± ¡°Yes I did.¡± ¡°No you didn¡¯t. You said he was a HobGoblin bank manager.¡± ¡°Obviously he must be some sort of villain,¡± Timmy said offhandedly. ¡°Why else would he have robbed his own bank?¡± ¡°¡®E¡¯s not¡­¡± Wally looked all around him and then whispered: ¡°Kith?¡± Even Timmy blanched at the thought, his bluster cut through by the very real prospect of meddling with actual Goblin gangsters. ¡°Even if he is, well, so what?¡± Timmy said, his voice going squeaky. ¡°We¡¯re police, what do you have to fear from some¡­ some thugs?¡± ¡°Oh man Tim, wot ¡®ave you dragged me into! I don¡¯t wanna go getting involved with them Goblin villains. They¡¯ll ¡®ang us upside down and cut us from ear to ear. Bleed us dry like ¡®ogs!¡± ¡°No they won¡¯t.¡± ¡°I ¡®eard they eat your eyes and tongue.¡± ¡°Where¡¯d you hear that?¡± ¡°Everyone knows that.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Well I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well everyone that ain¡¯t you knows that.¡± They had made their way to the intersections of Mallview and Themefide, two broad streets with squashed houses and a dreary row of shop fronts. They weren¡¯t far now. ¡°Why did you become a copper if not to get involved with criminals?¡± Timmy said. ¡°I dunno. Judge kept saying fings about reforming and wasting me life an¡¯ all that. Then they offered me the chance to be a copper and¡­ I dunno prop up me community or sumfin.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Kept calling me a pillar or sumfin.¡± ¡°He wanted you to be a pillar of your community?¡± ¡°Yeah that was it. I mean I been called a lot of fings but never been called a pillar. I mean I¡¯ve been called a pillock a fair bit¡­¡± ¡°He wanted you to be an upstanding member of the community.¡± ¡°Then why did ¡®e make me become a copper?¡± Wally said mournfully. ¡°He made you become a copper?¡± ¡°It was join the academy and become a copper or do 2% up the water and I didn¡¯t fancy that. Wot with me good looks and all that, they¡¯d turn me guts inside out.¡± ¡°But what about justice and protecting the innocent!¡± ¡°I mean I thought it would be nice being the fella holding the big stick rather than being the one getting ¡®it by it. But then I found out they don¡¯t even give you a big stick no more.¡± Timmy sighed and mopped the sweat from his brow. ¡°We don¡¯t need a big stick to uphold the law.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it does help.¡± ¡°Well you¡¯re a copper now, so it¡¯s time to act like one.¡± Timmy said, putting on a little extra pace and leaving Wally to trail in his wake kicking at the cobbles like a naughty school boy on his way to detention. They trudged on in silence until they came to Silk street, one of the city¡¯s most famous open air brothels. Ladies of every age, description, and price hung from windows and lurked in doorways, with just enough clothing, in just the right places, to not be described as legally indecent. They whistled at the sight of the two blue uniformed officers. The day trade was slow after the heavy rains, so the two junior corporals had the full attention of the street. ¡°Coppers on the walk!¡± A voice cried out. ¡°Oooh ent they a young fresh pair of ¡®andsome coppers?¡± a nearly toothless old woman cackled. ¡°Wot you looking for, sweetie?¡± Another said from a doorway, swishing her faded yellow dress to reveal her stubbly legs. ¡°Oh dear,¡± Timmy muttered, his mouth going dry. ¡°Phwoar!¡± Wally exclaimed behind him, his mouth gaping wide. ¡°I won¡¯t do two, but you can take turns,¡± a girl with bright brown eyes and a hard scowl called down at them from a window. ¡°Special offers on at the minute for men in uniform!¡± Another barked at them. A boy scuttled past them with a tray of something wriggly and oozing. ¡°Bilg glyphs mista, three for a silver! Guaranteed to keep your chap up and going till tomorrow!¡± Timmy eyes grew wide as he skirted past the boy only to be accosted by a scrawny old man with a lecherous grin. ¡°Don¡¯t fancy any action then how about a show?¡± he wheezed at him, his breath a noxious cloud the colour of moss. ¡°Got some fine young things from the dessert, you¡¯ve never seen anything more bendy.¡± He waggled his eyebrows at Timmy. ¡°N-no thankyou. I¡¯m-I¡¯m on duty. Keep moving, Wally.¡± Timmy muttered from the side of his mouth, his eyes planted firmly on the cobbles in front of him. ¡°Wally?¡± Timmy looked behind him. Wally was gone. He looked around and saw his partner standing by a doorway, a stupid, slack jawed, grin on his face as a young girl ran a long finger around his badge. ¡°I do love a man in uniform,¡± she cooed at him. ¡°Fancy making my day, sweetheart?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ yeah.¡± Wally said. ¡°¡®Ow?¡± The girl gave out a tinkle of laughter. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come upstairs and we can¡­¡± ¡°Come on, Corporal Washbottom!¡± Timmy grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away. ¡°¡®Old on wait! She said we could¡­¡± ¡°Your on duty, Corporal!¡± ¡°I was about to be on ¡®er!¡± Timmy shoved him away and resolutely marched past the rows of hard eyed women flogging their wares. ¡°C¡¯mon Tim, we can stop for a couple of minutes,¡± Wally whined. ¡°I¡¯ll be quick, promise!¡± ¡°We¡¯re on a mission.¡± Timmy growled, his face so flushed he felt like his ears would start whistling. ¡°I¡¯ll be back!¡± Wally cried over his shoulder to the girl as Timmy dragged him round the corner. ¡°That was not cool,¡± Wally said, wrenching his arm from Timmy¡¯s grip. ¡°You¡¯ll be lucky if I don¡¯t report you for unbecoming conduct,¡± Timmy snapped breathlessly at him. ¡°You¡¯d rat me out?¡± Wally said, his face a picture of hurt. ¡°Well, no.¡± Timmy said begrudgingly. ¡°But you should remember you¡¯re in uniform and that comes with a certain level of decorum.¡± ¡°Who? Was that the girl in green?¡± ¡°Nevermind. Look, the house is just down the end of this road. Let¡¯s get on with what we need to do and get out of here.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Wally muttered, sticking out his bottom lip like a fussy toddler. ¡°But you owe me one for this.¡± ¡°Alright. Let''s go, please.¡± Timmy led the way down the quiet back street, counting door numbers as he went. ¡°It¡¯s just over there, you see that little red brick by itself in that grubby lot.¡± Wally nodded. ¡°Now listen carefully, okay. We should have a plan before we get there.¡± ¡°Right.¡± They both paused and looked at each other expectantly. ¡°D¡¯you have a plan?¡± Wally asked. ¡°No. I¡¯ve never done this before.¡± Timmy said. They paused again and thought. ¡°We could knock?¡± Wally said. ¡°You reckon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s usually ¡®ow you see if someone¡¯s ¡®ome.¡± ¡°Yeah, good idea. And we should say ¡®we¡¯re the police, come out with your hands up!¡¯¡± ¡°Yeah that¡¯s good.¡± Wally nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Why does he need to have his hands up?¡± Timmy blinked. ¡°Ummm, coz¡­ I dunno, it¡¯s just what coppers say, isn¡¯t it?¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°I dunno. Usually they just tell me to stop resisting while they kick shit out of me.¡± ¡°Okay. We knock and we say we¡¯re police right and we tell him to come outside. Okay?¡± ¡°Yeah. But what if he does a runner?¡± ¡°Why would he do a runner?¡± ¡°I would. Otherwise you get shit kicked out of you.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re not going to kick shit out of him.¡± ¡°Yeah, but how does he know that?¡± Wally said with a knowing nod. ¡°That¡¯s true. Okay we knock, and we say we¡¯re police, and to come outside and we promise not to kick shit out of you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s brilliant. And then we kick shit out of him?¡± Wally said with an eager glint in his eye. ¡°No! We¡¯re not kicking shit out of him!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Wally said, crestfallen. ¡°Coz we¡¯re coppers?¡± ¡°Coppers love kicking shit out of people. Didn¡¯t you do the training?¡± ¡°What training?¡± Timmy said before shaking his head and holding up his hands. ¡°Nevermind. We knock, we tell him to come out, and that we won¡¯t kick shit out of him and ummm¡­ one of us will go round the back and make sure he doesn¡¯t scarper.¡± ¡°Yeah that¡¯s smart. Who¡¯s going round the back?¡± ¡°You obviously.¡± ¡°Why me!¡± ¡°Because this is my assignment!¡± ¡°Yeah but it woz me that come up with the fing about not kicking shit out of him.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Timmy said in exasperation. ¡°Rock, Paper, Dragon?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± They raised their fist and slapped their open palms chanting: ¡®Rock¡­ Paper¡­ Dragon.¡± ¡°Yes I win,¡± Timmy said, pumping his flabby fist in the air. ¡°No fair! I wanted to throw Dragon!¡± ¡°You should have then.¡± ¡°I would ¡®ave if I thought of it,¡± Wally muttered. ¡°Right, you get round the back sharpish and I¡¯ll knock. Gimme the signal when you¡¯re in place.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Wally began to walk away and then stopped. ¡°Wot signal?¡± ¡°Oh ermmm¡­¡± Timmy mopped his sweaty brow again. It took a lot of thought to be a copper. ¡°Umm¡­ can you make any noises?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I dunno. How about a pigeon?¡± ¡°A pigeon?¡± ¡°Yeah like coo coo.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t never heard no pigeon that sounds like that,¡± Wally sniggered. ¡°Well what can you do?¡± ¡°How about a snake? I do a good snake.¡± ¡°What? What does that sound like?¡± Wally looked him dead in the eye and then stuck his tongue through his teeth and hissed at him. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°But how would I hear that all the way from the front?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, true. Okay what about a cow?¡± ¡°Yeah that would work. Quick, get in position. And be sneaky!¡± Wally nodded resolutely and then skirted around the edge of the house, his gangly frame all right angles as he tried to crouch and scurry at the same time. Timmy watched him disappear around the back of the house before he made his way to the front door. He gave it a few seconds, taking the time to straighten his uniform and practise under his breath. ¡°Open up,¡± he whispered. ¡°We¡¯re the police. Come out¡­ come out w-with your hands¡­ Come out with your hands up and we won''t kick the¡­¡± ¡°Timmy!¡± came a strangled cry from behind the house. ¡®What¡¯s he doing? That''s not the signal!¡¯ Timmy thought. ¡°Timmy!¡± Wally cried again, panic making his voice shrill. Timmy went racing around the corner of the house, tripping over the weeds. He tumbled around the corner expecting to see Wally grappling with a savage HobGoblin. Instead he saw his partner standing, paper white, wide eyed in horror. ¡°What happened Wally?¡± Timmy said, sucking wind hard. Wally shook his head and pointed to the window at the back of the house. ¡°What is it?¡± Timmy crept up to the window and peered through. ¡°Oh stars.¡± There was blood. Everywhere. Oozing across the floor in crimson pools. Splattered across the walls. Dripping from the windows. ¡°What do we do?¡± Wally whispered from behind him. ¡°Ummm¡­ ummm¡­¡± Timmy felt the blood drain from his face. He staggered to one side and then flopped down on the floor. ¡°Message¡­ message s-s-somebody!¡± Chapter 20 ??20 ¡°What the hell happened here?¡± Nairo leapt out of the cab to a sea of blue tuniced officers standing around looking nonplussed. ¡°I ain¡¯t seen this many coppers standing around doing nothing since¡­ well yesterday morning,¡± Ridley said as he followed her out. The normally docile street in Cumberley was roped off and there were white robed coroners already on the scene. ¡°Please,¡± Nairo whispered. ¡°Not another body.¡± She hurried to the police cordon and flashed her badge before ducking under the rope and making her way to the unobtrusive red brick house at the centre of the furor. Standing as immovably imperious as ever in front of the house was Corporal Charlie, his thick moustache bristling as he saw Nairo approach. ¡°Marm,¡± he said, tilting his head deferentially. ¡°Charlie, what the hell happened? Looks like half the precinct is here!¡± First Charlie¡¯s shoulders quivered, then his barrel chest vibrated, his almost non existent eyes disappeared into deep crinkles, and he let out a mighty booming laugh. From down the lane a gaggle of officers heard his laugh and broke out into their own. Soon the road was full of, chortling, guffawing, and howling police officers. All slapping each other on the backs and wiping tears from their eyes. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Ridley said as he looked around, a smoke paused on its way to his lips. ¡°It was¡­ ohoooohhhooooohohohohoh! Edgewater and-and-and hhahahahahahaha¡­ Washbottom!¡± ¡°Who?¡± Nairo said as she pieced together the names through his chortling. ¡°W-w-wash-hahahahahahahahha!¡± Charlie bent over double roaring with laughter. ¡°Corporal ship shape and stand to atten-shun!¡± Nairo barked at him. Without missing a beat Charlie snapped to quivering attention, his arms straight by his side and his eyes fixed just above Nairo¡¯s head, although tears still rolled down his face. ¡°What happened here, Corporal Nelson?¡± Nairo demanded. Charlie cleared his throat. ¡°Corporal Edgewater and Washbottom, on a special mission from yourself marm, apparently.¡± ¡°From me?¡± Nairo thought for a moment. ¡°Oh the little round officer outside the bank?¡± ¡°That would be Edgewater, marm.¡± ¡°What about him? I only sent them here to check on a person of interest. Why are there coroners here? Are they alright?¡± Charlie let out a squeak of mirth and then gathered himself again. ¡°They put out a high alert marm.¡± ¡°They did what?¡± ¡°A 672, marm.¡± ¡°A what?¡± Ridley said. ¡°It¡¯s a code,¡± Nairo said to him. ¡°Certain codes alert all officers¡¯ comm scrolls. A 672 is officer in dire peril.¡± ¡°Not just that, marm.¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± Nairo groaned. ¡°They put in a 68, a 222, 472, a 1298 and a 1988,¡± Charlie¡¯s lips quivered with the effort of not bursting into a fresh gale of laughter. ¡°A 1298? Isn¡¯t that a pig stampede?¡± Charlie snorted but held himself together. ¡°And a 222 is officer in need of fresh trousers. Don''t ask.¡± She said to Ridley. ¡°And a 68 is a pheasant on the loose.¡± Charlie roared with laughter again. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what a 1988 is,¡± Nairo said, shaking her head. ¡°There isn¡¯t one,¡± Charlie laughed. ¡°Bloody Washbottom¡¯s like a Troll with one eye when it comes to numbers. Reckon he just scratched out the lot, he was so panicked.¡± Nairo sighed and rubbed her eyes. ¡°What had them so scared?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Ahh well,¡± Charlie wiped tears from his eyes. ¡°¡®Fraid you won¡¯t find that so funny marm.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the occupant of the house?¡± Nairo said hesitantly. ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s done a spot of redecorating with him, marm.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing they didn¡¯t take him to shop for drapes and rugs?¡± ¡°No marm, they painted the walls with ¡®im.¡± Nairo groaned. ¡°Where¡¯s the body?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing, marm, there isn¡¯t one.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Coroner¡¯s have been around the whole house not a sign of a body. We¡¯ve even had the dog out.¡± Nairo looked at Ridley. ¡°Think it¡¯s best we take a look ourselves. Stay alert, Corporal.¡± ¡°Yes marm.¡± Nairo and Ridley walked up to the house, the alloy tang of blood haunted the air, it was so thick Nairo could taste in the back of her throat before they even entered. ¡°Bloody hell,¡± Ridley breathed as they stepped through the front door. Charlie hadn¡¯t been exaggerating: there was blood everywhere. ¡°I didn¡¯t think our mate Zimeon would have had this much blood in him,¡± Ridley said, nonchalantly lighting a smoke and dodging a puddle of drying blood. ¡°No,¡± Nairo said, looking around the scene. The house was basically a tiny studio flat. Apart from the rivulets of blood, the place was sparse and told the story of a creature running on fumes. There was nothing to suggest a successful bank manager lived here. In the centre of the main room were streaks of blood. It was all over the walls, the windows, and even some on the ceiling. ¡°What did they do?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Burst him like a balloon?¡± ¡°If they did, there would be bits of him everywhere,¡± Nairo said looking around, trying to ascertain some sort of pattern to the blood. One of the coroners walked through the house and nodded at them. ¡°Quite a scene we¡¯ve got here,¡± he said cheerily. ¡°In my not so professional opinion, I¡¯d say someone was killed in here,¡± Ridley replied, looking around the walls. ¡°A couple of times.¡± ¡°Yeah, we got ourselves a juicy one here,¡± the coroner replied. ¡°Do you know how many creatures lived here?¡± Nairo looked up and realised that other than her and Ridley, and the two corporals they had sent here, no one knew this was De Woolf¡¯s home. ¡°No sorry,¡± Nairo answered. ¡°Oh well,¡± the coroner shrugged. ¡°Not my job to investigate anyway. And since there isn¡¯t a body, we¡¯ll be packing up and getting out of here.¡± Nairo nodded and returned to looking around the house. She waited for the coroners to leave before she spoke. ¡°This is a set up, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say what our bank manager lacks in experience he made up for in enthusiasm,¡± Ridley said. ¡°He really wanted us to think he was dead.¡± ¡°Bit dramatic with the blood sprays wasn¡¯t he?¡± Nairo said, noting how the blood looked like it had literally been sloshed on to the walls. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to him though, it is creative,¡± Ridley replied.¡±Look, he¡¯s even put slash marks on the wall.¡± ¡°So De Woolf¡¯s alive?¡± ¡°I¡¯d assume so. I¡¯m thinking soon as he heard Benny was dead, he orchestrated this murder scene and did a runner. Did you notice some of his clothes were missing?¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t think he killed Benny anymore?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t have been him. He doesn¡¯t know how to use a Diamond, but I still think he handed the Diamond over to Benny.¡± ¡°That I can believe,¡± Nairo said, looking at the pools of blood before sighing. ¡°We need to keep this quiet,¡± Ridley said to her. ¡°Why? We need to put out a high alert for¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple anymore,¡± Ridley said to her. ¡°There¡¯s something else going on here. Evidence is being hidden, reports are being falsified, all to smother the facts of what this Diamond is. And now with those EIF goons involved this whole case could suddenly disappear under red tape and court mandated gag orders. We need to find De Woolf ourselves and get the truth from him, before they can silence him.¡± Nairo chewed the inside of her cheek. ¡°We can trust the Cap¡¯n,¡± Nairo said. ¡°It¡¯s not the Cap¡¯n I don¡¯t trust. It¡¯s who pulls his strings, and who¡¯s pulling their strings.¡± ¡°Here we go with the conspiracy nonsense again,¡± Nairo said, rolling her eyes. ¡°The coroner didn¡¯t fabricate his report because of the Elves?¡± Ridley shot back at her. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. They locked eyes for a heated moment. ¡°All that confirms is that the Elves have been dishonest about the nature of the Diamond,¡± Nairo said slowly and carefully. ¡°It does not prove they had anything to do with the theft of the Diamond or the murder of Benny.¡± ¡°And the only creature that could confirm that is De Woolf. If you were the Elves and you knew De Woolf could expose a truth that you''re actively trying to hide, what do you think they would do to him?¡± Nairo paused. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to break the law¡­¡± Ridley began. ¡°No, you¡¯re just asking me to ignore the chain of command.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Ridley said with relief, not picking up on the irritated twitch on Nairo¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s called going rogue!¡± she snapped at him. ¡°And that¡¯s the exact reason that Conway ended up in the basement. I¡¯m not going to throw away my career¡­¡± ¡°Screw your career!¡± Ridley growled at her. ¡°Creatures are dying. What happened to justice?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like you care about justice all of sudden. This is about you and your personal grudge against the Elves!¡± They stopped and glared at each other, both knowing they were right, and both knowing they were wrong at the same time. ¡°48 hours,¡± Ridley said finally. ¡°Just keep it between us for 48 hours. If we can¡¯t track down De Woolf, then we¡¯ll fill the Cap¡¯n in on everything we know about the bank manager.¡± Nairo sighed and then nodded. ¡°I guess I owe you that much.¡± ¡°You owe me more than that,¡± Ridley said. Nairo shot him a look but didn¡¯t rise to the bait. ¡°How do you know De Woolf is still in the city?¡± she said, changing the topic. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°And all this damn blood is gonna make it hard to look for any clues.¡± ¡°Where did he even get this much blood? What do you think it is?¡± Ridley looked at a puddle congealing on the tabletop top. ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Nairo said, but it was too late. He brought the finger to his mouth and licked it clean. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be sick,¡± Nairo said, holding her stomach. ¡°Pig,¡± Ridley said after swirling the blood around his mouth and spitting it back out. ¡°You¡¯re an expert on the different species of blood?¡± ¡°We can bring your vampyr mate in to confirm if you want?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a vampyr!¡± Nairo snapped at him. Ridley ran his tongue over his teeth and looked around the dingy flat. ¡°He could be anywhere.¡± ¡°He could be, but he isn¡¯t,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We know he¡¯s low on gold, if not completely broke, and he doesn¡¯t have any family or even known associates. He has nowhere to go. On top of that, we know the Kith are looking for him, so any underground routes of leaving the city would probably be out of the question for him.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s got nowhere to go, no resources to get there, and he¡¯s been hunted by some of the nastiest villains in the city. I almost feel sorry for him.¡± ¡°Almost,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Plus, I¡¯m guessing Mr De Woolf isn¡¯t exactly street smart, he wouldn¡¯t know where to go or what to do.¡± ¡°Judging by this massacre, he couldn¡¯t have left that long ago,¡± Ridley said, pointing to the puddles of oozing blood. ¡°The blood hasn¡¯t even dried.¡± ¡°So where would you go?¡± Nairo said, tapping her teeth. She walked around the flat, dodging blood, trying to find something, a clue, a torn scrap of paper, the stub of a bus ticket¡­ something. ¡°Who else knows about De Woolf?¡± Ridley asked as he pulled open the empty cupboards. ¡°No one. The officers that responded to the emergency codes don¡¯t know who lived here.¡± ¡°What about tweedle dee and tweedle dumb?¡± ¡°Edgewater and Washbottom?¡± Ridley snorted. ¡°Yeah, them two.¡± ¡°They¡¯re out around the back, but all they know is that they were to bring him in for questioning.¡± ¡°But they know his name?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And they know he was the bank manager?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And they know it has to do with the bank robbery?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯ require a tremendous amount of grey matter to join those dots,¡± Nairo said as she searched through the pockets of De Woolf¡¯s suit jackets. ¡°Damn it! There¡¯s nothing here!¡± Nairo slammed the cupboard shut in frustration. ¡°It¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t exist outside of the bank! Who doesn¡¯t have any pictures, a diary, a contact book?¡± ¡°Creature that¡¯s getting bled dry,¡± Ridley said coolly. ¡°He probably sold anything of any worth a while ago, and when you move in the middle of the night, dodging landlords and debtors, you tend to only take what you can carry in your arms.¡± ¡°It¡¯s disgusting what addiction does to a creature,¡± Nairo said, shaking her head. ¡°I just can¡¯t fathom how you can carry on doing it, even as it destroys your life.¡± ¡°Yeah it¡¯s sad,¡± Ridley said absentmindedly as he continued to look through random drawers. ¡°Look at that poor girl in the RatHoles.¡± ¡°Sarita?¡± ¡°Yes. Poor girl. She could barely stand but I bet she took your coins and went straight to her dealer. It¡¯s like they go so deep they just can¡¯t see a way out.¡± Ridley looked at her curiously. ¡°So they go deeper,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°No¡­ I mean yeah but what does an addict do when they hit rock bottom? They either get clean¡­¡± ¡°Or they go deeper!¡± Nairo finished. ¡°I bet De Woolf resurfaces to feed his habit,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Even while he¡¯s on the run?¡± ¡°Especially. In his mind he¡¯ll be spinning his last coins on his getaway fund.¡± ¡°So we don¡¯t need to find him. We just wait for him to come out to gamble!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°But how many gambling establishments are there in this city? Hundreds?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Thousands.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yep. ¡°So which one would he use?¡± Ridley shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s any number of dens of inequity that lost souls like De Woolf might visit.¡± Nairo felt the hopelessness fall over her again. They had hit another wall in this investigation and they had barely got past the last one. ¡°We need to regroup,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Reassess the facts and plan our next move.¡± ¡°Might as well, we¡¯ve got nothing else useful to do,¡± Ridley said. ¡°You reckon Conway could put together a list of all the known underground gambling dens for us?¡± ¡°Why just underground?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Legit places need things like names and they write stuff down. Plus, just a hunch, but I reckon De Woolf¡¯s probably been blacklisted from most of them.¡± ¡°Makes sense. I¡¯ll send a comms to Conway and see what he can dig up.¡± The rain had started again and was coming down in thick sheets, sluicing from rooftops and overwhelming gutters. ¡°Whatever we''re going to do, we''ve got to wait out this rain,¡± Ridley said after looking out of the window. ¡°Agreed,¡± Nairo said, her scalp itched, and her clothes had begun to smell. ¡°We can go back to HQ,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Police HQ? Are you even allowed in there?¡± ¡°No, not the pig pen,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°My HQ.¡± ¡°You have a HQ?¡± Nairo said, a mocking smile twitching the corners of her mouth. ¡°Of course, I do. Every PI worth his salt has a headquarters.¡± ¡°This headquarters wouldn''t be on top of a takeout and double as your home would it?¡± Nairo asked, now grinning openly at him. ¡°No, it''s not a takeout, and I only sleep when I''m too pissed to go home.¡± ¡°So, every night?¡± ¡°Beats paying double rent,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go deal with these divs and impress upon them the importance of keeping their mouths shut.¡± ¡°Let me do the talking,¡± Nairo said as Ridley strode towards the kitchen door. ¡°Poor lads are spooked enough without having to deal with you as well.¡± ¡°Fine by me.¡± Edgewater and Washbottom couldn¡¯t have looked more pathetic with practice. The rain had cleared out the remaining officers and now they stood shivering under a crooked awning, sharing a threadbare blanket. They huddled together, their faces downcast like a pair of mutts who¡¯d received a scolding. When the plumper of the two saw Nairo striding towards them, he attempted to pull himself to some sort of attention. This must be Edgewater. The thinner, angular one of the two, huddled deeper into his blanket and wiped his nose morosely on the back of his hand. He must be Washbottom, an apt name as Nairo had ever heard. ¡°M-m-marm,¡± Edgewater saluted, his teeth chattering. The poor sod was soaked to the bone. Nairo squeezed under the awning while Ridley prowled around the edges of the cover glowering at Washbottom. ¡°Corporal Edgewater?¡± Nairo shouted over the rain. ¡°Yes marm!¡± Edgewater said, still holding his salute, the rain in his eyes making him blink like a spooked owl. ¡°At ease,¡± Nairo said dismissively. ¡°And this is?¡± ¡°Corporal Washbottom, marm, he¡­ ummm was assisting me, marm.¡± Nairo looked over the pair of them with a mixture of dismay, sympathy, and a healthy dose of disgust. ¡°What kind of name is Washbottom?¡± Ridley snorted. ¡°It¡¯s me name,¡± Washbottom said, wiping at his perennially running nose. ¡°What¡¯s your first name?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Wally.¡± Ridley burst out laughing. ¡°Enough Ridley,¡± Nairo snapped at him. ¡°Corporal fall in line.¡± Washbottom shuffled next to Edgewater, the dirty blanket still wrapped around his shoulders. ¡°To attention,¡± Edgewater hissed at him. Sullenly, Washbottom straightened up, his nose still running. ¡°Marm I have written full report¡­¡± Edgewater began tentatively thrusting forward a soggy sheaf of paper to her. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Nairo said, waving him away. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got a handle on the situation.¡± She eyed the two wet behind the ear, and everywhere else, recruits and couldn¡¯t help but soften. ¡°This the first time you¡¯ve seen something like this?¡± With a stolen look between them, they both nodded glumly. ¡°Yes marm. Sorry marm¡­ I s¡¯pose we lost our heads a little bit,¡± Edgewater mumbled. ¡°All the lads are gonna think we¡¯re a right pair of dozy twats now,¡± Washbottom moaned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I¡¯m sure they thought that already.¡± ¡°Ridley! This is police business. Go have a smoke or something.¡± Ridley rolled his eyes and took a step away, fishing around in his pockets for a smoke. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest boys, you¡¯ve made a right pig¡¯s ear of this,¡± Nairo said to them sternly and they nodded balefully in return. ¡°This assignment was top secret and you dragged half the force down here blabbing about how I sent you here.¡± Again, they nodded. ¡°We¡¯re sorry marm. We¡¯ll do anything to make it up to you,¡± Edgewater said so earnestly that Nairo felt the sudden urge to smack him. ¡°I don¡¯t need it made up to me. What I need is you not to make this situation any worse!¡± ¡°Yes marm,¡± they chorused. ¡°You are to maintain complete silence over this assignment, understood?¡± ¡°Yes marm.¡± ¡°You are not to speak to anyone about what you were doing here.¡± ¡°Yes marm.¡± ¡°That includes writing reports.¡± ¡°Yes marm.¡± ¡°When you are questioned about what happened here, you will admit you overreacted and due to your lack of inexperience you put out an emergency comm.¡± ¡°Yes marm.¡± ¡°If anyone should question why you were here, you will say you were following up on questioning and that is it.¡± ¡°Yes marm.¡± ¡°If they ask who you were questioning, you will play dumb and say you weren¡¯t told. That should be easy enough for you. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes marm.¡± ¡°If I hear you¡¯ve breathed even a syllable of my name or this case to anyone I¡¯ll have your badges and your asses before you can blink. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes marm.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Yes mar¡­¡± Washbottom began before Edgewater elbowed him. ¡°Please marm, we¡¯re terribly sorry, but if you give us another chance, we could prove useful to your investigation¡­¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Nairo said, cutting him off. ¡°Yes marm,¡± Edgewater said, his head hanging like a scolded dog. Again, Nairo felt herself softening at the patheticness of the pair. ¡°Fine. If you want to prove yourself, I need the area canvassed. I want neighbours questioned. Ask if they knew the suspect, ever spoken to him, was he acting strangely at all? Did they see or hear anything last night that was suspicious or unusual.¡± ¡°Yes marm!¡± Edgewater said, snapping out a reinvigorated salute. ¡°Come on Wally!¡± ¡°What now?¡± Washbottom said. ¡°It¡¯s pissin¡¯ do¡­¡± ¡°Yes now!¡± Edgewater said, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him out into the rain. ¡°You can rely on us marm! And we¡¯ll keep it real quiet marm and-and report back to you straight away!¡± They bumbled back out into the rain, their bickering carrying over the storm as they disappeared into the haze. ¡°I like it when you get all officery,¡± Ridley said sarcastically. ¡°You think they¡¯ll keep their mouths shut?¡± Nairo said. ¡°After you threatened ¡®em like that, they¡¯d be silly not to. Just out of curiosity, what would you do with their asses after you take their badges?¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Nairo snapped at him. ¡°Is it something dirty?¡± ¡°Shut it.¡± ¡°I was just asking,¡± Ridley said with mock hurt. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Nairo said, eyeing the abandoned house turned abattoir. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see your headquarters.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ridley said, tossing his smoke and stomping back out into the raging storm. Chapter 21 ??21 Forty miserable, sluggish, minutes passed as they trundled through the rain drenched sludge of evening commuters. At a pace that would irritate an invertebrate, they crossed from the East, back into the beating heart of the city. The change was subtle at first: they crossed bridges from the glitzy and grimy entertainment districts, through the affluent, congested centre, and out North to the Gnome controlled boroughs. Nairo gazed out of the cab¡¯s window, watching the scenery shift and devolve; the gorgeous grandiosity of the city''s heart shrank suddenly to smaller conical buildings. The road became more and more crowded with ugly spiral buildings, uniform in their blandness. Even the trees that lined the streets all became equidistant and pruned into triangles. Every street was lined with the exact same size and number of houses and shops as if some giant hand had dropped a mirror in the middle of the road. Unlike the haphazard poverty of the Eastern Quarter, or the dereliction of the Ratholes, here economic deprivation had led to uniformity, as if all the materials for these buildings were bought in bulk and on the cheap. They were all two story, cylinder shaped buildings with conical red tiled roofs. They were quaint, simple, and fastidiously clean. As they crossed Aber Falls Bridge, Nairo noticed every pedestrian had shrunk a foot. Like their buildings, the Gnome¡¯s were rather uniform. Even though Nairo chided herself for being insensitive, as the numbers of Gnomes around them grew, they became as indistinguishable as a colony of ants. They teemed across the pavements, all heading in the same direction, with little care for traffic, stepping out in front of the cab constantly and seemingly at random. Their cabbie cursed at them and they cursed back in their own broken way. As they continued through the suburbs they reached the far North of the city which was affectionately known as Little Cang. Cang being the capital of Ling in the Gnommish Empire. Here the meticulous planning and spacing had been sacrificed in favour of a utilitarian monopolisation of every scrap of available space. Gnomes had little time for things like grass or parks, especially when there was commerce to be done. ¡°Here''s good,¡± Ridley called to the cabbie. He went for the door and was shoved back down by Nairo who slipped out first. ¡°Your turn to pay,¡± she said over her shoulder. Ridley cursed under his breath and hopped out of the cab to fish around for coins in his many pockets. ¡°Half a gram, if you would,¡± the cabbie said impatiently. ¡°Half a gram!¡± Ridley exclaimed. ¡°You do know she''s a copper? Daylight robbery is still a crime!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s evening, sir,¡± the cabbie replied. ¡°Then it¡¯s¡­ just robbery,¡± Ridley finished lamely as Nairo stretched her back. The cabbie looked nervously at Nairo who smiled sweetly back at him. ¡°No, it''s not. Failure to pay for your cab is.¡± She looked pointedly at Ridley. He glared at her momentarily then grumbled into his coat collars before he drew a half brown gold coin from his pocket.. ¡°Here you go, you bloodsucker.¡± He flipped the coin to the cabbie, who tipped his hat and whipped his handsome storm grey horse into a trot. ¡°What¡¯s with you and vampyres today?¡± ¡°That guy was a vampyre and if you let me rub garlic on him I could have proved it!¡± Nairo sighed and rolled her eyes at his back as he stomped off ahead of her. Nairo fell in behind Ridley and tried to take in the sights and smells around her while Ridley rattled off his surprisingly in-depth attack strategy for vampires. Having been raised so deep in the suburbs she could have been considered a country girl, Nairo had never been this far north. Her senses were quickly drowned and then set on fire by the visual labyrinth of bright colours, constant noise, and spicey, earthy smells. Nairo had always seen Gnomes as reserved and muted creatures. They believed so strongly in the collective that they had never grown a sense of individualism. However, as she was realising now, this might have been more of a cloak they wore for outsiders. Little Cang pulsed with a vibrancy that was unmatched anywhere in the city. The Gnomes favoured bright, colourful, and loud. Every wall and shop front was a wild menagerie of contrasting, bold colours. There wasn¡¯t a single Glowstone in Litle Cang, but that wasn¡¯t surprising given the combative inter-Forest relationship between the Gnommish Empire and the Elves. Instead, the Gnomes favoured brightly coloured mushrooms, some as big as a Human. These mushrooms soaked up sunlight all day and then when darkness fell they came alive and glowed with a ethereal beauty. Some pulsated, others shone brightly, and they were a shocking myriad of neon colours. Combined with the glowing mushrooms, Gnomes favoured some sort of strange paint that seemed to pulse in the darkness and shine like beacons in the drizzle. There was not a word of Forrest anywhere, every sign was in the looping Gnommish scrawl. They also seemed to like bizarre, almost abstract, imagery signalling what every shop was. There was some sort of apothecary that had a six foot picture of Gnome meditating with a leaf on its head, surrounded by a glowing golden aura. Next to that was a noodle bar with a caricature of a Gnome, its nose a giant bulbous balloon shape, sucking down a river of noodles, with stars in its eyes. There was the leather merchant that had a picture of a dying cow on it, and a Magick Stone vendor that just had a picture of a Gnommish housewife giving a big cheesy thumbs up with a twinkle on her teeth. Then there were the bars. There seemed to be some place to grab a drink every three or four shops. There were literal hole in the wall bars everywhere that served drinks to punters right there on the cobbles. Dotted all around her were happy gaggles of Gnomes down half pints of beers and talking louder than she¡¯d ever heard any Gnome speak. Other bars were painted with dark colours and deep reds and purples. Heavy curtains were drawn across the windows with only thin streaks of light bleeding through. Outside these more exclusive venues were always a pair of dark suited Gnomes with wildly designed hair, and if Nairo knew anything about Gnommish Triads, a thin rapier somewhere within arms reach. They glowered menacingly, especially when one of them caught Nairo¡¯s curious gaze. He tapped his partner and they both eyed Nairo with naked hostility until she was out of eyesight. The pace of the place almost made it impossible for Nairo to take in every wild, glowing image as she simultaneously tried to gawk and dodge the constant stream of waist high Gnomes. Clearly Gnomes did not share her views on personal space, as they constantly bumped into her, pushed past her backside or tangled themselves between her legs. These were all professional looking Gnomes in dark, anonymous suits, all heading back from work. They stopped to chatter at each other, down a half pint, or tuck in to something spicy and hot. Everything in Little Cang seemed to happen at a breakneck pace. Conversations were rapid fire and usually on the move. Drinks were always downed and never sipped. Food was wolfed and not savoured. In every shop, restaurant and bar, speed, not customer service, was king. It was almost maddening in its relentless frenzy of activity. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oi! Gormless!¡± Nairo snapped her head round to face an impatient Ridley, who nodded his head up the steps he had one foot on. ¡°Your office is above a podiatrist?¡± she asked incredulously while she looked at a giant picture of a crusty foot. ¡°They do other stuff too,¡± Ridley snapped as he hobbled up the steps. ¡°They do a real nice rice and noodle in the evenings.¡± ¡°I bet they do,¡± Nairo replied with a wry grin. She followed Ridley up the stairs, grimacing every time her left hip took her weight. She gripped the grimy railing and heaved herself up the steps. At the top was a rather stately stained oak door with a thick pane of frosted glass embossed with golden lettering that read: Mason and Squire Private Investigations. ¡°Who are Mason and Squire?¡± she asked Ridley breathlessly as he fumbled through the cornucopia of pockets in his long coat. ¡°Dunno. Sounds good though.¡± As he reached his hand towards the handle he froze, his head snapped up and cocked to the side like a dog. Now Nairo heard it too: there was a shuffling from within the office. With only a subtle shrug of his shoulder a pair of brass knuckles appeared wrapped around his hand. Their eyes met and they nodded grimly in understanding. Nairo¡¯s lips were a firm slash across her mouth, the muscle in her jaw twitched as she clenched her teeth. Ridley took a step back and braced himself. He raised three fingers. One dropped, then another. They stood ready for anything: Goblin, Troll, Minotaur or assassin. Suddenly, the door flew open. Nairo found herself facing a small wrinkled prune with beady eyes and a mouth that was all gums. ¡°Reeeedley!¡± The prune squawked, blinking like a nearsighted mole. ¡°Oh, Mrs. Paper,¡± Ridley said with a weak smile. ¡°I thought you''d gone home.¡± ¡°I thought you was dead,¡± Mrs Paper replied, clearly unaffected by the loss. ¡°Yeah, I thought you would be by now too,¡± he muttered sullenly as he brushed past her. ¡°Who''s this?¡± Mrs Paper asked with suspicion. ¡°One of those prostitutes from the Eastern quarter again?¡± ¡°Oh¡± Nairo said in surprise, the beginnings of her warm smile faded as the colour rose in her cheeks. ¡°She''s a cop, you crazy old bint!¡± Ridley shouted from within the flat. ¡°Ahh shame, you could make some money with those cheekbones,¡± Mrs Paper said congenially as she ushered Nairo over the threshold. ¡°Thanks?¡± Nairo said, quizzically accepting Mrs Paper¡¯s invitation. ¡°Here gimme yer coat girl,¡± Mrs Paper tutted when she saw the muddied state of Nairo¡¯s cloak. ¡°Where have you been, miss? It will take a good soak to get these stains out.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s okay, you needn¡¯t¡­¡± Nairo began. ¡°Oh hush!¡± Mrs Paper snapped crossly as she ambled down the hallway and disappeared into the kitchen on the right of the hall. ¡°Put the kettle on!¡± Ridley shouted from the room to the left. ¡°It¡¯s on!¡± Mrs Paper cried thinly. ¡°Shut the door girl! Was ya dragged up in a barn?¡± Nairo jumped as the disembodied voice of Mrs Paper scolded her. She pushed the door shut and limped down the hall towards the soft yellow glow emanating from the room Ridley was in. She stepped into a cramped but surprisingly cosy office cum bedroom. Stacks of newspapers and yellowing folders towered precariously around the room, some stacks seemed to have deviated from other stacks and multiplied like branches on a tree. There was a small wooden desk drowning in paper and more thick yellowing files. Towards the far side of the room were piles of clothes dumped around the room like little sand dunes in a sartorial desert and a small cot bed similarly entombed in crumpled clothes and papers. Ridley stood in the middle of the room, a cigarette clamped between his lips, while he gingerly shrugged off his long coat. Nairo watched him for a few moments. ¡°Here, let me.¡± She stood behind and slowly slid his coat down his shoulders revealing the bloody mess of his shirt. ¡°Have you had that looked at?¡± Nairo asked him. Ridley pulled his good arm free of his coat and eased his wounded arm out. ¡°Depends what you mean by looked at,¡± he answered her, flopping into the sagging brown armchair next to the bed. Nairo, surprised by the weight of Ridley¡¯s coat, looked around for somewhere to dump it before giving up and nestling it carefully on a stack of papers. Ridley had already pulled out a bottle of amber liquid and was prying the cork loose with his teeth. He kicked a brown footstool towards her. Nairo tried for a second to lower herself before giving up. She stiffly kicked the stool towards the wall and then using the wall, and sheer will, she slid herself down to the stool and then dropped the final few inches. Nairo sighed deeply and stretched her left leg out in front of her, her head resting against the wall. Ridley clamped a dirty tumbler between his thighs and poured the amber liquid. He plonked the bottle down and picked up the glass, his eyes transfixed. He stopped with the tumbler to his lips and looked at the battered copper before him. ¡°Here, Sarge,¡± he leant forward and offered her the tumbler. ¡°Umm¡­ I don¡¯t really¡­¡± He thrust the tumbler at her impatiently. ¡°Fine.¡± She relented. ¡°Thank you.¡± She looked at the almost full tumbler in her hand and raised a quizzical eyebrow to Ridley. ¡°It¡¯s a double.¡± ¡°How many times?¡± Ridley smirked and then swigged from the bottle himself. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked, sniffing the fiery smelling liquid. ¡°Rum. Rum can always numb,¡± he sang as he tipped the bottle to his lips again. Nairo took a sip, a burst of peppery heat coursed down her throat. It had a sweet taste and was surprisingly smooth. She took another sip and then a gulp, sinking quickly into the soothing warmth and pain relief the rum provided. They sat there drinking in silence as their bodies registered the aches of the day with their minds stomping through the mire created by the day¡¯s revelations. Their thoughts were broken by the rattling of a tea tray in the frail hands of Mrs Paper. ¡°When will you let me tidy up in ¡®ere,¡± she tutted at Ridley as she navigated the flotilla of paper stacks and heaps of clothes. ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything,¡± Ridley grumbled at her. ¡°Move all that muck¡­ which pile of filth is the coffee table?¡± Ridley looked around puzzled for a moment before kicking over a pile of clothes to reveal a squat little coffee table. Mrs Paper plonked down the tray and began to pour tea for them. ¡°Now I know he ain¡¯t got no manners so he ain¡¯t offered you anything to eat,¡± she said. Nairo opened her mouth to politely decline when her empty stomach gargled in acquiescence. Nairo clapped a hand over her mouth and murmured an apology, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, my sweet, I¡¯ll order down, Bakshukh should still be cooking fresh,¡± Mrs Paper said with a smile. ¡°Oooh, get some of that dry seaweed crispy stuff with the regular,¡± Ridley said, his eyes lighting up. Mrs Paper cast a dark look at him. ¡°When did yer last slave die?¡± she muttered darkly as she shuffled out of the room. ¡°Is she your¡­?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Help¡­ secretary¡­ cleaner¡­¡± Ridley mumbled into the bottle. ¡°She keeps the place¡­¡± ¡°Tidy?¡± Nairo said with an arched eyebrow. Ridley smirked and knocked the bottle back again. Nairo sighed and leant her head back. She looked at her tumbler and realised she had drunk over half of it. She gave a goofy contented smile and as she dreamt of the fresh Gnommish food on its way, steaming hot and spicy. Without realising it she drifted contentedly off to sleep. Chapter 22 22 Nairo woke with a dreamy stretch and a yawn so big it cracked her jaw. She regretted it instantly as she felt pain spasm up her swollen face. Reality kicked her in the stomach, or more like the hip, as the awkward sitting slump she had fallen asleep in had caused her injured hip to lock and her leg to stiffen badly. She looked blearily around the dimly lit room until her eyes focused on the back of Ridley. His oversized shirt was untucked and hung comically low. For the first time she could really see his wiry, underfed, frame that was usually hidden under his billowing coat. He was standing in front of a sprawling mess of scrawled names, locations, and string zigzagging back and forth. Nairo hauled herself up off the stool with a grimace of pain, the aroma of lukewarm Gnommish food drifted past her nose and made her mouth water, giving her the motivation to grit through the pain. Slowly, she limped over to the takeaway boxes that Ridley had already pilfered through. Looking around, she grabbed a fork and began to shovel thick sticky rice into her mouth between mouthfuls of succulent stewed vegetables and what she hoped might have been meat. She tucked back her thick bush of curly hair and continued attacking the rice as she limped over to Ridley. She stood next to him studying the wall and eating with furious attention. ¡°You look pretty,¡± Ridley said after a few seconds, even though his eyes had barely left the wall. ¡°Fanks,¡± Nairo muttered around a thick mouthful of food. Without looking, Ridley poured another drink and handed it to her. ¡°What is this?¡± she asked after taking a few sips. ¡°Elvish Vodka¡­ ran out of rum,¡± he answered. Now she noticed the little sway to him as he tried to stand still. ¡°No¡­ this.¡± She pointed to the sprawling map of thoughts before her. It was a haphazard deluge of what must have been going on in Ridley¡¯s mind. She saw the names of people they had interviewed, criss crossing with locations and then scrawled with times and dates. She saw Benny¡¯s name in the middle and then lightning bolt off shoots saying things like, ¡®magic?¡¯ and ¡®Goblins did it?¡± In the middle of the web he had scrawled ¡®Elves?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s the case,¡± he answered, looking almost forlornly at the mess in front of them. ¡°Yeah¡­ it is¡­¡± ¡°I thought writing it all down would help¡­¡± ¡°Did it?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be rubbing it in your face right now if it had.¡± They paused and Nairo tried to follow the threads of their case. They went round and round but never led anywhere, or even displayed a trackable sequence of events. It was as if everything they had encountered since starting the case was just one long series of unrelated coincidences. Ridley¡¯s shoulders sagged and he flopped down in the armchair that he had dragged directly in front of the wall. Nairo finished her drink and then shrugged when Ridley topped her up again. She eased herself on to the arm of his chair as her eyes wandered freely back and forth, reading but not really reading. ¡°What¡¯s your theory?¡± Ridley asked, surprisingly tentative. ¡°My theory?¡± Nairo replied incredulously. ¡°Yeah¡­ you must have one. I¡¯ve been spinning my brain for hours and I¡¯m no closer.¡± Nairo brushed her hair back from her face and sighed. ¡°I know you won¡¯t like it but we need to approach this like police. A police officer¡¯s job, amongst other things, is to sort fact and suppositions. What do we know as a fact?¡± ¡°A big chunk of rock that goes boom was stolen,¡± Ridley responded with a sarcastic tone. ¡°Incorrect.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We know for a fact the Diamond is missing, we don¡¯t know for a fact it was stolen.¡± Ridley raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Well, going by that logic we don¡¯t even know there was a Diamond.¡± ¡°No, but it is highly unlikely that the Elves and De Woolf all colluded to sell us a story about a Diamond that never existed. No, from all reactions at the scene of the crime I am comfortable saying the Diamond did exist and it was interred into the bank vault for safekeeping and it has gone missing. Those are all facts.¡± Ridley scratched his chin and Nairo waited for a biting comment or a sarcastic remark. ¡°Okay. We know Benny was in the area every day for a week leading up to the robbery, including the night the Diamond was stolen¡­ went missing.¡± Nairo nodded her agreement. ¡°And we now know that De Woolf,¡± Nairo pointed to the name on the wall. ¡°Was in big time debt to Benny.¡± ¡°And Benny was bleeding him like a stuck pig.¡± ¡°Right. So, De Woolf had motive, opportunity and the knowledge that the Diamond was there. Which only a few creatures in the whole city knew.¡± ¡°He lifts the Diamond and hands it off to Benny,¡± Ridley said, running his finger along the string that connected Benny to the Diamond. ¡°And we¡¯re almost completely certain that a powerful magical object had to have been present in Benny¡¯s flat and was most likely used to kill him¡­ is that a vampyr?¡± ¡°Yeah. Your mate.¡± Nairo shook her head at him. ¡°Thanks to Drake, we know that it was most likely magic that killed Benny.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s no way a moron like Benny robs one of the most secure vaults in the city without leaving a trace.¡± ¡°So De Woolf steals the Diamond and passes it off to Benny, who is killed with it a few hours later?¡± ¡°Could be a coincidence,¡± Ridley said. ¡°That many?¡± ¡°Not unless someone¡¯s playing a cruel joke on us.¡± ¡°I still haven¡¯t ruled that out entirely.¡± ¡°We know Benny was celebrating,¡± Ridley continued. ¡°He gets the Diamond from De Woolf, organises a big party and goes to his favourite fancy eatery to celebrate. That all tracks.¡± ¡°But why the Diamond?¡± Nairo asked, tapping the side of her tumbler. ¡°Coz it¡¯s a priceless chunk of rock?¡± ¡°Exactly. Why steal something that would be so noticeable? If De Woolf was trying to pay off his debts, why not steal something no one is going to notice? There must be vaults in that bank that haven¡¯t been opened in decades. He could easily have lifted something that wasn¡¯t so¡­ high profile. But to steal a one of a kind Diamond that was literally put in the bank that night? It¡¯s too¡­ stupid.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Plus, there¡¯s still the mystery of who killed Benny?¡± Ridley said. ¡°If we¡¯re saying De Woolf took the Diamond, then it stands to reason he might have clipped him for it. Maybe they were supposed to split the takings and Benny wasn¡¯t playing ball?¡± ¡°Could De Woolf have used the Diamond?¡± Nairo asked. Ridley looked at her and shrugged, then winced and held a hand to his injured shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s just some magic words you say and it shoots magical lightning bolts?¡± Nairo continued. ¡°I haven¡¯t got a clue,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know Diamonds could kill a creature like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem. Both our missing item and our potential murder weapon are a complete mystery to us.¡± Ridley groaned and flopped back into his seat. ¡°There¡¯s definitely a piece of this missing. There¡¯s something we¡¯re not being told, like why were there Elves just wandering around the free cities with an active fucking Diamond?¡± He then held up his hand as Nairo opened her mouth to respond. ¡°I know you don¡¯t agree about the Elves¡­¡± ¡°No, no¡­ you¡¯re right. They told PD the Diamond wasn¡¯t dangerous, that was a lie. The fact that the Diamond is active completely challenges the validity of their story. A group of Elves don¡¯t just go for a walk with a Diamond that could blow up a city. There¡¯s rules and regulations against such a thing. To even travel with a Diamond you need a registered warlock or a magical creature with the correct training should something happen, oh and the permits to cross city lines with such a powerful magical object take days to fill out!¡± ¡°Good ol¡¯ rules and regs,¡± Ridley said. ¡°They¡¯re in place so something like this doesn¡¯t happen! If the Elves had been truthful, I doubt they would have even been allowed entry to the City and at the very least there would have been an armed escort and overnight guards!¡± ¡°So why did they lie?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Maybe they wanted to avoid the paperwork, this was an unexpected detour after all¡­¡± Nairo started but then cut herself off. ¡°Except, you don¡¯t have unexpected detours when you are travelling with something so powerful. Where is their guard by the way? Since when would an Elf travel with a dangerous, priceless, Diamond without armed escort from the Elvish Kingdom? Why the hell would they even be travelling through the Free Cities with that?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only a few reasons why people lie and the main one is usually because they¡¯ve done or are doing something they shouldn¡¯t be.¡± They paused in quiet thought for a few moments when suddenly there was a thump on the front door of the office. ¡°Did you order more food?¡± Nairo asked him. ¡°No¡­¡± he answered as they shared a look of joint suspicion. Ridley hauled himself out of his chair and Nairo limped around the hallway door. ¡°Who is it?¡± Ridley shouted, arming himself with a bat as he crept towards the door. ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± a slurring voice yelled back. ¡°Who¡¯s me?¡± ¡°Boy, you¡¯ve made me trek halfway across the city in a damn storm! Open the damned door!¡± the gruff voice of Conway barked back at them. Ridley scampered over the door and pulled it open, only to be brushed aside by a sopping wet, and very perturbed. disgraced detective. ¡°Lieutenant Conway, sir.¡± Nairo hastily tried to fix her hair and tunic at the same time. Conway grunted at her, and then shook his bushy main of white hair, splattering rainwater everywhere. ¡°Sargeant,¡± he said with a nod before throwing his cloak at Ridley and easing himself into a chair. ¡°Pour me something stiff.¡± Nairo passed him her tumbler and he downed it in one, his Adam''s apple bobbing under the scruff of his beard. ¡°More miserable than a Gnommish missionary out there,¡± Conway grumbled as he held the tumbler out for a refill. ¡°Speaking of which, why the hell do you live in Little Cang?¡± ¡°I like the nightlife,¡± Ridley muttered as he disposed of Conway¡¯s cloak in the hallway and limped back in. ¡°Did you find anything?¡± ¡°More than you two by the looks of it,¡± Conway said, eyeing the insane web of their case on the wall. ¡°We¡¯re clutching at straws right now,¡± Nairo admitted. ¡°It seems like every clue is pointing at something we just can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem with clues, they don¡¯t make no fucking sense until they do,¡± Conway said before downing another shot of Elven vodka. ¡°A good detective knows clues ain¡¯t worth shit anyway. Every crime¡¯s always got a base motive. Once you figure that out everything else falls into place.¡± ¡°We¡¯re pretty short of those at the minute too,¡± Ridley said as he settled down on a precarious stack of papers. ¡°Well I¡¯ve been busy while you too have been having a slumber party.¡± Conway reached into his vest, pulled out a thick file, and slammed it down on the desk. ¡°That right there is a list of every illicit gambling den, fight pen, card house, and dice shack that the vice boys know about.¡± Nairo picked up the file and weighed it in her hands. ¡°There¡¯s this many?¡± ¡°And probably twice as many we don''t know about,¡± Conway said, leaning back and pulling out a cigar. ¡°How are we going to narrow all this down?¡± ¡°By reading it first, I¡¯m guessing,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Put the kettle on lad,¡± Conway said as he puffed his cigar into life. ¡°I haven¡¯t done an all nighter on a case in years!¡± * It had taken two hours for them to pair the list down to the most likely establishments. They had reasoned that De Woolf wouldn¡¯t be going anywhere near Goblin controlled gambling houses, so that knocked quite a few off the list. Then the more legitimate establishments were next. After that, Ridley claimed the Gnommish didn¡¯t do business with non-Gnomes so all of theirs were taken off. ¡°That leaves us with the human controlled gambling,¡± Nairo said as she straightened up the piled list of establishments they had left. It was still a worryingly big pile. ¡°If we knew what he liked a flutter on, we could really get somewhere,¡± Conway mused, scratching his jaw. ¡°Can¡¯t say he shared with us the specifics of his addiction,¡± Ridley said, rubbing his eyes. ¡°How would that help us?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Because, most of these places specialise in one thing or another. Some do racing, some do animal fighting, some do games of chance, and others are card houses,¡± Conway explained. ¡°If we knew what your boy''s flavour was we could target those.¡± ¡°Well what do we know about him? He¡¯s a bank manager and a HobGoblin, probably something to do with numbers?¡± Ridley mused, only half taking the piss. ¡°Games of statistics and odds rather than chance,¡± Conway said. ¡°That would probably eliminate a lot of the roulettes¡­¡± ¡°Card houses?¡± Nairo said suddenly, something in her brain tapping furiously at her consciousness for attention. ¡°Yeah,¡± Conway nodded. ¡°You know all the classics: BlindElf¡¯s hand, Copper tin, Bloody Martha, Peeling Onion¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Nairo said. ¡°What?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Peeling Onion¡­ hold on¡­ one second.¡± Nairo patted herself down and then scrabbled for her cloak. ¡°She alright?¡± Conway asked. ¡°Dunno. She¡¯s had a fair bit of that Elvish vodka.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my notepad?¡± Nairo shouted from the hallway. ¡°Not the bloody notepad again,¡± Ridley groaned. ¡°She loves writing things down,¡± Ridley said to Conway. ¡°Here!¡± Nairo came stumbling back into the room waving around her little blue notepad. She flicked through the pages in the dying candlelight and chewed on her lip. ¡°Here look! The secretary, Isabelle, said something about cards, remember?¡± Ridley thought for a moment. ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t she say something about De Woolf teaching her a game¡­¡± ¡°Peeling Onion!¡± Nairo tapped her finger on her meticulous notes. ¡°She said he loves card games and that he could calculate all the chances of the cards like magic!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a card counter,¡± Conway said, nodding his head. ¡°Makes sense why he was always in so much trouble with nasty sorts, they don¡¯t like it when you even the odds.¡± ¡°And if he counts cards, then we can assume he must be pretty good,¡± Ridley said. ¡°How many card houses are in that pile?¡± With renewed vigour, they sorted through the stack of paper, eliminating all options until they were left with only fourteen card houses that were run by humans. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a lot less than we started with,¡± Ridley said as they eyed the pile. ¡°Even better,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Almost all of these are within two main locations in the East and West.¡± Conway sucked his teeth and sat back. ¡°East probably won¡¯t be an issue, most of those card houses will be independents, but the West? That¡¯s all the Landlord¡¯s territory. You could be walking into some very nasty villains if you go poking around there. Even with a badge I wouldn¡¯t risk asking too many questions.¡± ¡°We wouldn¡¯t need to,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We would just need to get some eyes up there and stakeout the card houses.¡± ¡°That would take too long,¡± Ridley said. ¡°What if we waste days staking them out and De Woolf¡¯s in the East?¡± ¡°I¡¯d put my money on him being out East,¡± Conway said. ¡°Unless your boys got a death wish. Goblins of any sort ain¡¯t too welcome West of Durry bridge.¡± ¡°That leaves us with¡­ five card houses! We could go there and question them and see if De Woolf¡¯s resurfaced,¡± Nairo said. ¡°But what about the others? I don¡¯t want him to slip by us.¡± ¡°Send some grunts,¡± Conway said. ¡°You must know a couple of boots who owe you a favour? Send ¡®em up there to stake out the place.¡± Ridley grinned at Nairo. ¡°I know just the perfect pair of coppers who owe us a favour.¡± Nairo sighed. ¡°What was his name again?¡± ¡°Wally,¡± Ridley sniggered. ¡°No the other one.¡± Chapter 23 ¡°Edgewater!¡± Timmy snapped to attention and in his haste he had guessed in which direction the voice had come from. As with most things in life, he chose wrong. ¡°Turn your sorry self around, boy!¡± Sergeant Errol had a voice that could shatter glass. He was always red faced and barking at someone or something. The eternally irate Sergeant crossed the precinct floor to the shabby little corner desk all the junior corporals shared inbetween duties. ¡°Sorry sir,¡± Timmy spun and threw a hasty salute. ¡°You¡¯ve been seconded!¡± Sargeant Errol growled, a dismissive edge to his voice. ¡°I have?¡± Timmy squeaked. ¡°Yeah, the Mulvane pig show needs a stand in for one of the contestants!¡± A voice cried from the corner of the room. Guffaws bounced around the precinct as Timmy went pink. ¡°No¡­ not this time,¡± Sergeant Errol said. ¡°You¡¯ve been requested by some big shot Detective Sergeant, all very hush hush.¡± He announced this to the precinct who made cooing noises. ¡°I have?¡± Timmy squeaked again, feeling sweat trickle down his brow. Life had taught Timmy that being the centre of attention anywhere was usually a painful and embarrassing experience for him. ¡°You and¡­ that can¡¯t be right,¡± Sergeant Errol said, squinting down at the paper in his hand. ¡°Washbottom?¡± ¡°Wally!¡± Timmy said excitedly. ¡°What¡¯s this about, Edgewater?¡± Sergeant Errol growled. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s above your pay grade, sir.¡± Timmy hopped off his seat and grabbed the paper out of Sergeant Errol¡¯s hand. Timmy knew he would pay dearly for that one, but it was worth it for the rare win. Timmy strode out of the precinct with his head held high, strolling past his colleagues with a smug look on his face. Just as he reached the door he stopped dead, a quiet groan escaping his lips. He turned, head down, and shuffled quickly back to Sergeant Errol. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°Edgewater.¡± ¡°The paper doesn¡¯t say where we¡¯re supposed to report to,¡± Timmy muttered. ¡°Ohoooo, I thought that was top secret.¡± ¡°No sir.¡± Sergeant Errol ground his teeth so hard his enamel sounded like kernels popping while the other officers sniggered. ¡°Corner of Ash Grove and Furnacers Lane,¡± he growled finally. ¡°Out West?¡± Timmy couldn¡¯t keep the tremble from his voice. ¡°Bandit country.¡± Sergeant Errol gave him a wicked grin. ¡°T-t-thank you sir!¡± Timmy started to turn when he felt the heavy hand of the Sergeant on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll be doing foot patrol in RatHoles for a year when you waddle back in here,¡± he breathed in Timmy¡¯s ear. Timmy gave a frightened squeak and hurried out of the room with laughter ringing in his ears. Once the door slammed shut behind him he breathed a deep sigh of relief. He then lifted the crumpled paper in his hands again and grinned wide. There was his name! Next to words like: ¡®seconded¡¯ ¡®top priority¡¯ and ¡®confidential¡¯. He practically sprinted off to find Wally. It took nearly half an hour for him to track down his recalcitrant partner. Washbottom was a naturally good lurker and an even better shirker. No one shirked and lurked like Wally Washbottom, especially when he was on shift. Timmy eventually found him in a custodian¡¯s cupboard, perched on a mop bucket chewing on toffees and making paper hats for the verminous residents of the cupboard. ¡°Wally!¡± Timmy breathed, his chest heaving and his round face so red it looked like his cheeks would pop. ¡°Wot!¡± Wally said, hopping from his perch so high he banged his head on the shelf above and spilled the contents everywhere. ¡°Quick! Quick!¡± Timmy pulled at his arm, helping him extricate himself from the tangle of brooms and mysterious cleaning powders. ¡°What¡¯s goin¡¯ on Tim!¡± Wally wailed as he tumbled out of the cupboard. ¡°You¡¯ve got soap on me toffees!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been seconded, Wally!¡± ¡°Wot? No¡­ did you get the itch of that sort from Cumberley too?¡± ¡°What? No?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ me neither,¡± Wally sniffed, wiped his nose, and then gave his groin a surreptitious scratch. ¡°No, we''ve been seconded! Sergeant Nairo has requested us again, personally. By name!¡± ¡°Oh no! Wot did you say?¡± ¡°Say? Say! Wally it¡¯s our duty we¡¯ve been ordered by a superior officer!¡± ¡°Still dunno wot make ¡®er so sooperior,¡± Wally grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s hierarchy!¡± ¡°I mean she¡¯s fit but I wouldn¡¯t hire ¡®er.¡± ¡°What? Nevermind. We don¡¯t have a choice, Sergeant Errol has told us we¡¯re doing it.¡± Timmy lied, remembering the Sergeant¡¯s whispered threats. ¡°Ahhh man. Why us!¡± Wally moaned as he was pushed and pulled by Timmy. ¡°Where we going?¡± ¡°West.¡± ¡°West?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡®Ow far west?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ a little bit over the bridge.¡± ¡°¡®Ow far over the bridge?¡± ¡°Furnacers Lane.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going out there! We¡¯ll get killed¡­ or worse!¡± ¡°We¡¯re coppers, Wally!¡± ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s the Landlord¡¯s stomping ground! If ¡®e catches us¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s where we¡¯ve been told to go,¡± Timmy huffed. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll bring us some tea and mum¡¯s jam sandwiches.¡± Wally perked up. ¡°¡®Ow many?¡± ¡°How many do you want?¡± ¡°Two¡­ no three and a pack of them biscuits with the chocolate on ¡®em.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Timmy slapped him on the back as they made their way out of the precinct. ¡°I feel it in my bones this time Wal. We do this right, no mistakes, and there¡¯ll be a big fat commendation in it for us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you said last time! And look ¡®ow that turned out. I can¡¯t even get a cuppa in the canteen no more without people oinking at me.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°They¡¯ll be laughing on the other side of their faces when we¡¯re in the papers and we get some stripes on our shoulders. Sergeant Nairo¡¯s probably gonna be sending us undercover, I bet.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, like proper espionage.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Like spies.¡± ¡°Cool. We¡¯ll still be getting jam sandwiches though?¡± ¡°Even spies have to eat.¡± ¡°Yeah exactly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you Wally, this is the big time!¡± * ¡°Big time,¡± Wally snorted. It was the fifth time he had muttered this phrase since they had arrived. It had grated on Timmy the first couple of times but now he had to admit their top secret secondment wasn¡¯t as exciting as he thought it would be. They had been met by a grizzled, grey haired old veteran, who took one look at them and snorted so hard snot had shot out of his nose. After a gruff debriefing, they had been sat down in an old abandoned flat, above a closed down grocers, overlooking a nondescript lane. The so-called ¡®Bandit Country¡¯ had long been known to Timmy as a no go area. He had grown up on the streets in the quiet suburbs just north of Goblin Town. There, a Human could raise a quiet little family in poverty without much villainy or criminality. Where Timmy had grown up people were poor but house proud. They kept their front gardens tidy and the streets swept, and they¡¯d only nick things at the end of the week when their coin purses were light. But Timmy had always been warned to keep himself on his side of the bridge. Out West, folk were different, nastier, and altogether more violent. They¡¯d cut you and rob you, and sometimes not even in that order. Everyone knew the name and legend of The Landlord and that was enough to keep people away. He ruled the cobbles, clubs, pubs, diners, and cottage industries of the more traditional quarter of the city. Out West, Humans were able to Humans. None of the greasy, smelly, foreign food. No funny sounding names. No non-Humans coming in and undercutting good hard working Human workers. The Landlord had kept his quarter of the city free from moving with the times and that was how his people liked it¡­ or else. Now Timmy was here though, it was kind of exactly like everywhere else in the city. Dirty, a bit run down, always slightly damp around the edges, with some law abiding people, some hard workers, and some just grinding out a miserable living. All in all, Timmy was rather disappointed. They had been hunkered down for almost two hours in the miserable cold. The gruff old vet had stationed them at a five way junction off one of the main thoroughfares. Apparently there were five illegal gambling dens, one on each artery of the junction. The rain had kept the streets fairly quiet, even some of the legitimate shops had pulled down their shutters and closed up for the day, making the junction even quieter. Everything was wet, despite them being inside, and the smell of damp had completely ruined the taste of their jam sandwiches. They had also run out of tea. Now they sat, wiping their constantly running noses, and hugging their arms around themselves, shivering miserably. ¡°What are we even doin¡¯ ¡®ere!¡± Wally moaned, cupping his hands to his mouth and blowing into them. ¡°We¡¯re on a stakeout,¡± Timmy said. ¡°We¡¯re looking out for a dangerous villain on the loose.¡± ¡°All I¡¯ve seen is some rough little kids and old mums carrying the washing.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s getting dark now, villains don¡¯t come out in daylight do they.¡± ¡°¡®Ow are we even gonna know who ¡®e is?¡± ¡°Well I imagine a HobGoblin would stand out around here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a ¡®obGoblin gonna be doing round ¡®ere? Goblins are about as welcome as coppers.¡± ¡°Well¡­ maybe¡­¡± Timmy began before giving up. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t have a clue. But this is what Sergeant Nairo wants us to do so this is what we¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Why do we have to do what she tells us? Not even like she¡¯s our Sergeant.¡± ¡°All Sergeants are our Sergeants! That¡¯s how rank works.¡± ¡°Yeah well¡­ you¡¯re only so keen ¡®coz you fancy ¡®er.¡± ¡°No I don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Yes you do! I see the way your ears go red when she says your name.¡± ¡°No they don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Wot, you don¡¯t think she¡¯s fit?¡± ¡°Well¡­ ummm¡­¡± Timmy cleared his throat. ¡°She¡¯s obviously in good shape, she¡¯s a high ranking officer and¡­¡± ¡°You fancy the pants off her!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Bet you love a bird wot tells you wot to do.¡± Despite the cold, Timmy felt himself reddening. ¡°S¡¯pose you could do a lot worse,¡± Wally mused. ¡°Not for me though.¡± ¡°No, you like tarts who¡¯d sell it for a copper coin.¡± ¡°Not always! But I do like a salt of the earth type girl. You know, a girl that can walk the cobbles in her bare feet with a basket on ¡®er ¡®ip and a smile on ¡®er face. Simple like.¡± ¡°What happened to her shoes?¡± ¡°Probably got nicked or sumfin.¡± Timmy snorted and shook his head. ¡°Sounds like the perfect girl for you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t knock it my friend,¡± Wally said, stretching out his legs. ¡°That¡¯s your problem Tim, you¡¯re always tryna be better, do better, find something better. Promotions, commendations, pictures in the paper. That¡¯s why you''re so miserable.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not miserable!¡± ¡°Yes you are.¡± ¡°No I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°Your like a dog yapping after a hansom cab. You¡¯ll chase it forever, but you got no clue what to do with it if you got it. Me? I¡¯d rather sit and scratch me ear and look for a scrap o¡¯ dinner. At the end of the day we¡¯ll both still be dogs, just you¡¯ll be knackered and I¡¯ll have a full tummy.¡± Timmy didn¡¯t know what to say to that surprisingly cogent metaphor. ¡°You¡¯d be happy if you spent your whole life just as you are?¡± ¡°We got food in our bellies?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We sleep somewhere warm?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Wally shrugged. ¡°Pretty much all there is for fellas like us.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s so much more!¡± ¡°And there¡¯s a lot less too.¡± Timmy mulled over Wally¡¯s uncharacteristically wise words and sank back into sullen silence. ¡°Let¡¯s just keep our eyes peeled,¡± he muttered after a few moments. ¡°You do that. I¡¯m gonna take a little nap I reckon.¡± ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be keeping watch!¡± ¡°Yeah, so you take the first one and you wake me if you see any Goblins wandering about.¡± Wally shuffled down in his seat and put his feet up on the window sill. Within seconds he was snoring gently, his helmet pulled down over his eyes, and his hands tucked firmly in his armpits. Another hour passed and Wally was snoring loudly enough to disturb the pigeons nesting in the ceiling. Despite his best efforts, Timmy began to feel his eyelids droop. Fog creeped towards the centre of the grubby windows as the late afternoon gloom fell across the five ways. The streets were now dimly lit by glowstones deep under the haze of the day''s rain. Just as his head drooped, something caught the fuzzy corners of Timmy¡¯s attention. With a grunt, he pulled himself upright and peered into the streets. There again! A tall figure, shrouded from head to toe in a black cloak, was stealing up the lane. Timmy pushed his face against the glass, furiously wiping away the condensation to get a better look. The figure stopped. It looked up the street and then down before vanishing into an alleyway. ¡°Wally!¡± Timmy hissed. ¡°Wally!¡± Timmy slapped his slumbering partner¡¯s thigh as he stumbled to his feet. ¡°Wuh¡­ wot?¡± Wally woke with a start, his helmet tumbling from its precarious perch on his head. ¡°I think I saw him!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The HobGoblin!¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°Wot d¡¯you wake me for then,¡± Wally grumbled as he settled back in his chair. ¡°Come on! It could have been him. He was tall! Taller than a normal man and he was all wrapped up in a big cloak like he didn¡¯t want to be seen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold out, wot d¡¯you expect?¡± Wally grumbled, tucking his frozen hands deeper into his armpits. ¡°Wish I had a cloak.¡± ¡°He disappeared down the alleyway where the card house was. We have to go and check it out!¡± ¡°Check it out? We¡¯re supposed to just watch, not go and check things out.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got to confirm it¡¯s him before we contact Sergeant Nairo,¡± Timmy said, remembering their last comm scroll cock up. ¡°I¡¯m not going nowhere,¡± Wally said, putting his feet back up. ¡°I was ¡®aving a lovely dream.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go myself then!¡± Timmy grabbed his helmet and his truncheon and then stood around for a moment longer. Wally opened one eye and looked at him. ¡°By yourself?¡± he asked. ¡°That¡¯s what you do when your mates don''t have your back.¡± Wally looked hurt for a moment. He may be amoral as a high interest loan with premature repayment penalties, but to be accused of not having your mate¡¯s back? That wasn¡¯t right. Timmy looked at him pleadingly as he shuffled towards the door. ¡°Alright, fine! But we¡¯re not going out dressed like coppers!¡± Wally huffed. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Coppers? In the dark? Round here? You¡¯re asking for trouble.¡± Wally stood up and stretched his bony frame before dropping his badge into his helmet and turning his blue tunic inside out. ¡°There we go,¡± he said. ¡°Now we just look like a pair of pillocks,¡± Timmy said, tugging at his inside out uniform self consciously. ¡°Better a living pillock than a dead copper.¡± ¡°I guess,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Come on, let''s go!¡± They scurried down the rickety stairs and out onto the street, the cold air waking them up. With forced casualness, they crossed the quiet street and after a second of dithering, they dived into the dark alley the cloaked figure had slipped into. They crept down the alleyway, their stealthy pursuit spoiled somewhat by the splashing of puddles under their feet, and Wally accidentally kicking a trash can didn¡¯t help. ¡°Aaah,¡± he cried in a strangled whisper. ¡°Shhh,¡± Timmy hissed at him. They bunched up together as they saw a solitary light down the alleyway above a door. In front of the door was a thick brute of a man with a shaved head and features that were so squashed he looked like a boiled potato someone stuck their thumb in. ¡°That must be where he went,¡± Timmy whispered as they huddled in the shadows behind a large pile of rubbish. ¡°How¡¯re we gonna get past him?¡± ¡°I have a plan,¡± Timmy hissed. ¡°You do?¡± Chapter 24 ¡°We¡¯re just going to walk in?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°It¡¯s a gambling den, not like they¡¯re turning away punters,¡± Ridley replied as their cab slowed down. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I thought we might at least have disguises.¡± ¡°Why? Anybody know you¡¯re a copper?¡± ¡°Well I suppose not.¡± ¡°Disguises!¡± Ridley snorted and shook his head. ¡°Next we¡¯ll be doing funny accents and coming up with backstories.¡± Nairo pushed him in the back as they stepped out of the cab into the lively early evening stream of revellers on Makins Broadway. This was the entertainment centre of the city and it was in full swing already. Despite not being able to feed its population, the city could certainly get them drunk. The sun had barely set and already people were stumbling around, shrieking with laughter, as they poured fiery spirits into empty stomachs. The only things that existed in this part of town were little diners, bars, theatres, and dancehalls. Of course, just off Broadway, there were the seedy pubs, the brothels, the ¡®massage parlours,¡¯ the drug dens, and gambling houses. Every vice a tax paying citizen could wish to indulge in was just around the corner from the glitzy showbiz facade of the broadway. Nairo followed Ridley through the press of revellers, three different kinds of music blared in her ears, and young people dressed in every colour imaginable danced and laughed in the streets. Vibrant colours and sequins had apparently made a comeback with the party crowd. Every piece of material shimmered and winked in the light in the lamplight. Dresses were short and impractical for this time of year. The men all wore sequined blazers and shirts with too many ruffles. Side slicked hair and little pointy moustaches were the vogue now for a happening young man, perfecting the image of a country side dandy on a jolly to the big city. Nairo noticed that giant feathers for the ladies, in the same garish colours as their dresses, were pinned into hairs or attached to glittering headbands. The whole aesthetic was like a blurring kaleidoscope of clashing colours and hues, forcing her to squint as she pushed through the crowd. Another street band had started up, blowing into horns and banging drums in a way that only the inebriated could enjoy. Dotted around the crowd were groups of young men, dressed more demurely in cheap dark coloured suits with bright shirts, skulking on corners, eyeing each other with open hostility. Nairo knew small gangs operated all over the Broadway and some of them had territory so close to each other they could spit at one another. They supplied the party drugs, and senseless violence, that really made a night out in the city special. Ridley carefully avoided these packs of thugs and crossed the heaving Broadway until they managed to tumble their way out of the stream of revellers and into a mercifully dark and quiet alleyway. ¡°Should be just down this way,¡± Ridley said to her as he lit a smoke. The party atmosphere melted away behind them as they traversed the alleyway. Off-Broadway was like the demented twin of Broadway that was kept in the attic and fed fish heads. The people on this strip of cobbles could not be described as revellers. In fact, they looked more like people who were on their way home from a heavy weekend of revelling. They had twitchy eyes and everyone seemed to be in a long hooded cloak. No one travelled in a group. Solitary figures would flit into houses of ill repute, their collars and hoods pulled up to try and obscure their faces. Off-Broadway was alive with a buzz of energy, but it was oddly soundless. Every conversation was muffled, punctuated by the odd scream and the sounds of drunkards singing. Nairo instinctively huddled closer to Ridley, her fists clenched and ready. They meandered past a few touts offering 2 for 1 deals at their special picture shows and another who was flogging knock off jewellery. Nairo¡¯s copper instincts almost took her across the street to him, the words ¡®well, well, well, what do we have here then?¡¯ dying on her lips as Ridley yanked her away. ¡°After something good to eat, sweetheart?¡± a burley man called to Nairo from an alleyway. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Nairo growled at him, her eyebrow raised. ¡°Got some turnips that¡¯re still a little bit crunchy and some broccoli that¡¯s only gone a little bit brown,¡± the man said. He looked up and down the lane before flashing open his jacket to show a few sad, wilted, stems of broccoli. ¡°Oooh, how much?¡± Ridley said. ¡°No thank you!¡± Nairo pushed Ridley away. ¡°You heard him, they were still a little bit crunchy!¡± Ridley moaned. ¡°They¡¯re illegal foodstuffs! You know the Government is cracking down on any non-approved rations of fresh fruit, veg, dairy products, and meat. And besides, call me crazy, but I doubt the hygiene of a street peddler''s coat.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have bothered me,¡± Ridley said, sticking out his bottom lip. ¡°And I didn¡¯t see you protesting when we were guzzling down that fish head soup.¡± ¡°That¡­ was different,¡± Nairo said dreamily, thinking of the wonderful soup. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d punch a baby to have that soup again.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing. I think we¡¯re here.¡± Ridley pointed to a non-descript doorway on the corner with two thick set security guards standing outside in dark suits. ¡°Let me do the talking.¡± They walked up to the door and Ridley nodded at the two men. ¡°Yeah?¡± one of them grunted. ¡°I¡¯m Clarence Winterforth the third,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Third what?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°The third what?¡± ¡°The third Clarence Winterforth.¡± ¡°There¡¯s two more of you?¡± ¡°There were.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why what?¡± ¡°Why youse all got the same names?¡± ¡°Must get confusing,¡± the other lump said. ¡°No, the other two are dead.¡± ¡°Wot¡­ did you kill ¡®em for the name?¡± the one on the right asked. ¡°I¡¯d be mighty pissed if two other fellers were running round with me name,¡± said the one on the left. ¡°Enuf to do ¡®im in?¡± the other one asked. ¡°Well¡­ if¡¯n he took a tumble off a bridge, I s¡¯pose I wouldn¡¯t shed a tear.¡± ¡°No I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Ridley began. ¡°Can we come in? Me and my lady friend have a hankering to play a few hands.¡± ¡°¡®Fraid it might be a bit rich for your blood, mate.¡± The lump on the right looked him up and down. ¡°My gold¡¯s as long as my name is, don¡¯t you worry about that.¡± Again the lump looked Ridley up and down and then Nairo. After a few seconds of pondering he nodded his head and they stood aside. ¡°Thank you kindly,¡± Ridley said as they swept by. The card house was dimly lit, smoke filled, and oddly quiet. She had to peer into the darkness to make out the shapes of players, all hunched around small, green velvet tables, playing all sorts of games. To her left there were three men, with cards clutched in their hands, eagerly watching a set of dice bounce around a steel cup. On her right there was a Goblin and four humans rapidly slapping down coins as the dealer flicked cards into an old boot. She wasn¡¯t sure what happened but the Goblin snarled and threw down his cards as one of the humans happily scooped up his coins. On another table there was just a frumpled dealer and a hunched over man, drenched in sweat as they passed a single card back and forth, laying down bet after bet as it flitted between them. In between the gambling, waitresses scooted around with trays of drink, taking away empties and replacing them with full glasses. ¡°You said yer man liked to play Peeling Onion?¡± Ridley whispered to her and Nairo nodded. ¡°I¡¯m gonna hit the table and play a few hands, see if the dealer knows De Woolf.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the staff,¡± Nairo said. They split up and went about their respective tasks. After forty minutes, a loss of ten gold coins, and no new information they were back on the cobbles. ¡°I thought you knew how to play?¡± Nairo snapped at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was any good,¡± Ridley said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m assuming the Cap¡¯n will reimburse me.¡± ¡°Good luck with that,¡± Nairo said. It was the same story at the next two card houses. No one knew of De Woolf, but even if they had they weren¡¯t talking. All they got was shrugs and tight lipped expressions. ¡°We¡¯ve got one more to hit,¡± Ridley said as they crossed over the street and began making their way through the various back alleys. The sky was dark and heavy, threatening to pour rain down on them. Not that Ridley would have noticed. He was pleasantly tipsy, his steps meandering, and his cheeks rosy red with all the rum he had been drinking. Nairo was on the other end of the emotional spectrum. She was tired, her feet, knees, and hip were aching. She stank of smoke and her stomach growled with hunger. All she wanted now was to call it a day and crawl into a warm bath and soak into oblivion. Now night had fully descended, off-Broadway had come to life. There were hundreds of touts shilling everything from flesh to burn and even one selling tickets to a fire show. They were offered so many illicit substances that Nairo had given up trying to remember all the touts'' faces and just decided she would pull up here with a meat wagon and let the boys loose one day. The corners had also begun to fill with ladies of the night, many of whom had propositioned Nairo, and one who nearly whisked the inebriated Ridley away until Nairo grabbed his arm and dragged him away while the girl shouted after them that she could accommodate couples. They found the final card house thanks to the help of rat eyed street urchin puffing on a cigarette. After paying him off, and then paying him again after his loud protestations that they were ripping him off, Ridley sauntered up to the entrance of the card house. He had given up with his cover name as they realised these places really were operating out in the open: anybody was welcome in. They nodded at the guards and wandered in. This card house was livelier than the others. There was a small Gnommish band playing and a girl, in just enough clothing to leave something to the imagination, gyrating on a stage. This card house was the biggest they had been to so far but still as dimly lit. There were dozens of tables with animated, frenzied, gambling taking place everywhere. Some of the games had even spilled off the tables. There was a dice game being played with lusty enthusiasm on the floor and some impromptu betting on an arm wrestling competition between two Trolls at the bar. ¡°This is more like it,¡± Ridley said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°I¡¯m gonna grab a drink and hit the tables.¡± ¡°No,¡± Nairo said firmly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m playing the table and you¡¯re not drinking anymore.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know how to play!¡± ¡°And neither do you, judging by our empty coin purse. Why don¡¯t you see if you¡¯ll have better luck with the serving staff.¡± Nairo pushed him in the back and as soon as Ridley realised he was being shoved towards the bar he gave up all protestations and wandered off. Nairo looked around and found the Peeling Onion table. It was always easy to spot, as it was often the least popular table in the card house. After a quick look at Ridley, who already had a drink in his hands and was roaring encouragement at the two grappling Trolls, she walked over to the table and nodded at the small, grey haired dealer. ¡°Good evening maam,¡± he rasped. ¡°Good evening, may I play?¡± ¡°Of course maam.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time.¡± ¡°Really maam?¡± ¡°Yes actually,¡± Nairo gave him a friendly smile hoping to come off as naive and most importantly, non threatening. The dealer cleared his throat and blinked his heavy lidded eyes. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to walk you through the rules maam, but Peeling Onion is a complex game.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Nairo replied, trying to subtly get the measure of the dealer. She had never seen someone look so utterly run down before. His hair had greyed to the point of looking almost colourless. He had a thin moustache that looked more like a shaving mistake rather than a style choice. His skin was yellow and sallow, hanging from his facial bones like sandwich meat that had been left out in the sun. The only bit of colour he had was the dark purple bags under his light brown eyes. ¡°Well maam, Peeling Onion is a game of numbers,¡± the dealer began, his clever little hands shuffling and cutting the deck as he spoke. ¡°Each player is dealt eight cards with the player who is last to get rid of all their cards loses. Every time you lay down cards you must be dealt fresh cards until you have eight in your hand again. You can lay down as many cards as you want but you cannot exceed a numerical value of 13, which includes whatever card was laid down previously. Face cards are worth 11 and the ace is either 12 or 1. You must play at least one card every hand and everytime you go over the limit of 13 you must pay into the pot, there is a 2 gold minimum penalty. Clubs subtract from the total, pairs can multiply, black Jacks divide it by two and Queens are worth nothing but switch the turn to someone else. Once all the cards are dealt the first player to empty their hand wins the pot.¡± Nairo, mesmerised by his shuffling hands, looked up and gave an innocent smile. ¡°Gosh it does sound complicated. My boss tried explaining the rules to me once but I was never much good at it.¡± ¡°No problem maam, we could play a first game without penalties.¡± ¡°That would be amazing, thank you.¡± She flashed him another warm smile and he began to deal. They played for a few minutes, with Nairo laying it on thick. Every time it was her turn she kept asking about the rules and what this card was or what that rule meant. The dealer patiently explained to her each time. They had progressed about halfway through the game by the time Nairo finally got him chatting. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not an easy job but it does pay well enough,¡± the dealer said as he dealt Nairo another card. ¡°You must meet all sorts of interesting people though, Derek.¡± ¡°That I do maam, but I can¡¯t say they¡¯re the types one would like to associate themselves with outside of work¡­ no if you put that down it will add up to 15.¡± ¡°Oops, silly me,¡± Nairo said, picking her card back up. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly like the people I meet at work either.¡± ¡°Where do you work, maam?¡± ¡°Please, call me Sally, and it¡¯s nothing interesting I¡¯m afraid. I work at a bank,¡± she watched his eyes carefully but saw nothing. ¡°Not counting the money obviously!¡± She gave a tinkling laugh and he returned it with a kindly smile. ¡°That¡¯s a fine job for a young lady. Good proper job. I hope my Angela gets good work like that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re daughter?¡± ¡°Yes maam.¡± ¡°Aww, how old is she?¡± ¡°Just coming up to seventeen, nearly finished with her studies.¡± ¡°Amazing,¡± Nairo gushed. ¡°Must be hard working such long hours.¡± ¡°I do miss her dearly¡­ I would save that ace maam, it¡¯s good for getting you out of trouble later on.¡± ¡°Oh gosh! My boss tells me that all the time. He¡¯s so good at this game, I think he can memorise all the cards¡­ what do you call that again?¡± ¡°Card counting maam,¡± Derek replied and she heard an edge in his tone. ¡°That¡¯s it! I mean he¡¯s a HobGoblin after all and you know how good they are with numbers!¡± There it was. A flicker of recognition in his dull eyes. ¡°You might know him, he recommended this place to me, his name is Zimeon De Woolf.¡± Derek looked at her slowly and even as a lie formed on his lips his eyes gave him away. ¡°I don¡¯t recall maam.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t? He¡¯s quite memorable. Always dressed in dark suits, has a funny accent, and really good at card games.¡± Derek cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. ¡°Listen Derek,¡± Nairo leant forward and laid her cards down on the table. ¡°I¡¯m actually looking for him. I think he may be in some sort of trouble.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°And any help, however tiny, would be really appreciated. I¡¯ve been all over this horrible place and I really just want to go home. It¡¯s not safe out here for a young girl, you know that.¡± She gave him her best pleading look. ¡°I-I¡­ yes I do know him but he¡¯s not welcome in here anymore,¡± Derek said in a hushed tone, looking around the room to make sure no one could hear them. ¡°He¡¯s not?¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s a card counter. He was slung out of here and would be in some considerable difficulties if he ever came back.¡± ¡°When was this?¡± ¡°About a month ago.¡± ¡°And you haven¡¯t seen him since?¡± ¡°No.¡± Nairo sighed. She picked up her cards and then played them all in a beautiful sequence of subtractions, divisions and even a cheeky Queen play. With her hands empty, Nairo stood up and gave him another smile. ¡°Thank you so much Derek, I really appreciate your help.¡± Derek looked down at the hand and then at her curiously. ¡°I¡¯m a fast learner,¡± Nairo said with a shrug and then walked away. She found Ridley in a corner with a giggling waitress. She tapped his shoulder. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Sorry sugar,¡± Ridley slurred at the waitress. ¡°We¡¯ll have to continue this another time.¡± He emptied his drink and plopped it down on her tray before stumbling out of the card house after Nairo. ¡°Another dead end!¡± Nairo said in frustration as they stepped out onto the cool cobbles. ¡°Was it?¡± Ridley hiccuped. ¡°He has been here but was banned a month ago for counting cards,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Mhmmm, that¡¯s what the waitress said. But¡­¡± Ridley trailed off and burped. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He tried to get back in.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°Last night,¡± Ridley said with a lopsided grin. ¡°The girl¡­ what was her name? Susan? Sarah? Sally¡­ no that¡¯s your name¡­¡± ¡°Ridley!¡± ¡°Right. She ummm¡­ she was working the graveyard shift and he tried sneaking in. Was stopped at the door. Apparently there was a bit of hubbub but he left sharpish.¡± ¡°So we were right!¡± Nairo said excitedly. ¡°And that means he¡¯s still in the city!¡± ¡°Yep. But his action¡¯s no good on this side of town. He¡¯s been blacklisted from every gambling spot in the East.¡± ¡°So that means he went West?¡± ¡°Must have. Doubt his ban would follow him all the way over there.¡± ¡°We need to get over to Edgewater and¡­¡± ¡°You Sergeant Nairo?¡± A gruff voice grunted from behind her. Nairo whipped around to see three men all with shaven heads and nasty scowls on their faces. ¡°Yes, who¡¯s asking?¡± ¡°You might wanna come with us. We¡¯ve got your friends.¡± ¡°Well shit.¡± Ridley said. ¡°What did those two idiots do now?¡± Chapter 25 ¡°This is never gonna work.¡± ¡°It will, you just have to be confident.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just go ¡®ome? We can tell ¡®er we tried¡­¡± ¡°Shh. Come on, Wally.¡± Timmy and Wally strode towards the guard with their heads held high. ¡°Good evening squire,¡± Timmy said in his most well cultured voice. ¡°My name is Geral Fontcroft and this is my compatriot Elliot Willingham, we¡¯ve come today to¡­¡± ¡°Members only. Piss off.¡± ¡°Ohh¡­ ummm¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°Members. Only. Piss. Off.¡± The guard repeated, his voice a low growl, his eyes narrowing at them with a promise of immediate violence. Timmy looked at Wally flabbergasted. ¡°Well¡­ h-h-how does someone become a member?¡± Timmy asked, his voice quivering. ¡°Books are closed. Now piss off.¡± This time the guard took a menacing step towards them. Wally was already backing off. He grabbed Timmy¡¯s arm and dragged him away. The guard watched them disappear down the alleyway and then spat before returning to his vigil. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that didn¡¯t work!¡± Timmy said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. ¡°Well we tried,¡± Wally said. ¡°Let¡¯s get back across the bridge, we could probably grab¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Timmy said firmly. ¡°Come on Tim! You ¡®eard ¡®im, we ain¡¯t getting in!¡± ¡°Yes we are!¡± ¡°¡®Ow?¡± Timmy furrowed his brow in thought. ¡°There must be another way in.¡± Wally gave an exasperated huff and looked skyward. ¡°Please Wally, let¡¯s just have a nose about and I promise if we don¡¯t find anything we¡¯ll give up and go back to the precinct.¡± Wally looked at his friend and then relented with a sullen nod of his head. ¡°Yes! Come on, let¡¯s check round the sides of the building, there must be another entrance somewhere.¡± They took off, creeping around the building, hugging the shadows. It wasn¡¯t a large building, but it was sandwiched in a row of other shop fronts and tenement buildings making it difficult to figure out where one ended and the other began. It took fifteen minutes of creeping for them to work their way around the block and to what they guessed was the backside of the building. Hunkered down behind a bush, they watched. ¡°What¡¯re we waiting for?¡± Wally hissed to him. ¡°I don''t know¡­ something.¡± ¡°You know I used to think you was the smart one,¡± Wally muttered, only to be shushed by Timmy. ¡®Look¡¯ he mouthed pointing to some activity. An open bed wagon had just pulled up to the back of the building. A shutter creaked open and someone greeted the driver. ¡°It¡¯s a loading bay,¡± Timmy whispered. ¡°That must be how they get goods into the card house.¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how we¡¯re gonna sneak in.¡± ¡°Through the loading bay? There¡¯s no way. They''ll see us!¡± Timmy chewed his lip and furrowed his brow as they watched men grunting and lifting heavy crates out of the wagon and passing them to white shirted waiters who disappeared back into the building. Wally was right. There was never a time the loading bay was empty. Someone would definitely see them. ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe we can wait till they''re nearly done and get in when the shutters are coming down?¡± Even as he said it, he knew it sounded like a stupid idea. ¡°What roll in underneath it?¡± Wally said incredulously. ¡°Yeah¡­ no. That¡¯s a stupid idea,¡± Timmy sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We have to get in there Wally! This is our best chance! I just¡­ I just need to think.¡± Timmy squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his fingers to his forehead. He opened them when he heard rustling next to him. Wally was pulling off his jacket, a cigarette clamped between his teeth. ¡°This isn¡¯t time for a smoke!¡± Timmy hissed at him. ¡°Take your jacket off,¡± Wally mumbled to him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Take your jacket off and follow my lead.¡± Timmy yanked his jacket off and then looked at Wally expectantly. Wally watched the activity on the loading bay and when there was a moment when the bay was empty, he scampered out of the bush and across the road, Timmy lumbering along behind him. Instead of going for the loading bay, Wally made his way to the corner of the building. As they ran he lit his smoke with impressive dexterity and then threw himself against the corner of the building, leaning against it like he had been there for hours chatting and smoking. Breathing deeply, Timmy followed suit but tried to hide around the corner. Wally grabbed his arm and pulled him in front of him. ¡°Act casual,¡± he muttered to Timmy as he blew out a thick cloud of smoke. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Say something.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Wally burst out laughing and slapped him on the shoulder. Timmy looked back at him utterly confused. ¡°Wally, they¡¯re going to see¡­¡± ¡°Oi!¡± The blood drained from Timmy¡¯s face. Wally looked around and hid the smoke behind his back. ¡°Can¡¯t you see the delivery has come in!¡± A man in a black jacket shouted at them from the bay. ¡°We¡¯re on break!¡± Wally called back to him holding up his smoke. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Get up here now and grab a crate!¡± Wally muttered under his breath, took a deep drag on his smoke and then flicked it away. Timmy couldn¡¯t believe it. He was struggling to find a way to sneak in and Wally had found a way to get them invited! A lifetime of being berated for slacking off had empowered Wally with an aura that just screamed ¡®I¡¯m trying get away with doing as little as possible.¡¯ It was like a smokescreen. No one would expect him to be a copper, just some punk trying to sneak an extra smoke break. ¡°Sorry sir,¡± Wally muttered as they walked past the glowering man. ¡°Sorry,¡± Timmy repeated. ¡°Grab a crate and don¡¯t let me catch you two slacking again!¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Obediently the two undercover coppers grabbed a crate of beer each from the wagon and walked into the club. ¡°You¡¯re a genius,¡± Timmy hissed at Wally when they were away from the man. ¡°¡®Bout time you realised,¡± Wally said without turning around. Wally¡¯s second genius stroke, to ditch their jackets, meant they blended in well with the other white shirted, black trousered waiters. They slipped into the card house completely unnoticed and after dumping their beer, Timmy nodded to the toilets. With a furtive look around, they dipped into toilets and, after ensuring they were empty, they had a chance to figure out their next move. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Wally whispered. ¡°We need to find that fella in the cloak,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Right. Do you reckon he¡¯s still got it on?¡± ¡°Why would he still have it on? He¡¯s inside now.¡± ¡°So ¡®ow are we gonna recognise him?¡± Timmy thought about that for a moment. ¡°Well we¡¯re looking for a HobGoblin, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°So we just have a look about and see if there¡¯s any HobGoblins out there.¡± ¡°Yeah okay,¡± Wally nodded his head enthusiastically. Then they both stood in awkward silence for a moment. ¡°Should we go now?¡± Wally asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s gonna look dead weird if we both come out the toilet together.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°People might talk.¡± ¡°Wally, we don¡¯t really work here.¡± ¡°I know¡­ but still.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go first, then you follow a little while later.¡± ¡°Alright. I could do with a whizz anyhow.¡± ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t be too long.¡± ¡°Gotcha.¡± Wally nodded and walked into one of the stalls. ¡°I thought you said you had to take a leak?¡± ¡°I do, but I like to sit down just in case,¡± Wally said as he closed the stall door. ¡°Just in case what?¡± ¡°Just.¡± Timmy stood there nonplussed before shaking his head and making for the door. As he reached for the handle, the door burst open and another ape like heavy walked in. Timmy almost squeaked in surprise. ¡°Sorry,¡± he muttered and stepped aside, looking down at the floor. The guard grunted and eyed him suspiciously before walking past him towards the urinal. Timmy grabbed the door again and then froze when the man spoke. ¡°You not gonna wash your ¡®ands?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t washed your ¡®ands,¡± the thug growled at him. ¡°That¡¯s un¡¯ygienic.¡± ¡°Oh, ummm, I don¡¯t need to,¡± Timmy said. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°What you doing in the toilet then?¡± The thug¡¯s eyes narrowed in suspicion. His expression was identical to the guard on the door, leaving Timmy to wander if they did some sort of special training for it. ¡°Oh umm¡­ Nothing¡­ I was just¡­¡± ¡°You new ¡®ere?¡± ¡°Ummm yes¡­¡± ¡°And you''re already skiving off?¡± ¡°What? I wasn¡¯t.¡± Timmy¡¯s whole mouth had gone dry and he felt sweat trickling down his sides. ¡°Well you best get back to it then.¡± The guard lost interest in Timmy. He turned around and began unbuckling his belt at the urinal. ¡°Yes sir.¡± Timmy pushed the door open. ¡°¡®Old on, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°My name? Oh, ummm¡­ it¡¯s Wally.¡± ¡°Yeah that sounds about right,¡± the guard laughed as Timmy hurried out of the toilet. His heart was hammering in his chest and his hands had gone so clammy they left a hand shaped mark on the metal of the door handle. The stifling atmosphere of the card house didn¡¯t help. It was dark and thick with the fog of a dozen cigars. The whole place stunk of smoke and booze. Timmy shook his head and wiped the sweat from his face. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he pulled himself together. He had to find the HobGoblin. It wasn¡¯t going to be easy. Card houses weren¡¯t exactly places where people wanted to be seen. The only lights in the place were directly over the card tables, leaving the players as half formed shadows. ¡°Oi! Give us a refill!¡± A shadow barked, holding up an empty glass. Timmy looked around and then realised he was talking to him. ¡°Yes sir,¡± he took the glass and then looked around. Where was the bar? He started walking so as not to arouse suspicion. In the gloom of the place, it was hard to tell where he was. He spotted another white shirt in the darkness and followed it until he came up on the bar. ¡°I need a refill of this,¡± Timmy said to the bartender. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Oh. I don''t know.¡± The bartender looked at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You new?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ yes. Sorry.¡± Timmy¡¯s natural tendency towards awkwardness made it easy to believe he was an incompetent new start. The bartender shook his head, raised the glass, and gave it a thoughtful sniff. With a nod of satisfaction, he poured something from a gold tinted bottle. ¡°Here and take this round to table 16.¡± The bartender plonked the drink down on a silver tray next to four other drinks and pushed it towards Timmy. ¡°Right. Yes. Okay. Where¡¯s that again?¡± ¡°Where do they find these people?¡± the bartender muttered while shaking his head. ¡°Over there, the table at the end. ¡°Okay. Yes. I can do that.¡± Timmy carefully lifted the tray, surprised at how heavy it was. The tray rattled and almost tipped over as he tried to get his sweaty hand underneath it. The drink all slid to one side, threatening to send the whole tray flying. Frantically, Timmy fought to get it balanced and then offered a weak smile to the bartender who was shaking his head at him. Timmy turned carefully and walked away like a man carrying a bomb that was ready to go off. The tray rattled with every step he took. Sweat beaded his top lip as he carefully navigated the dark labyrinth of card tables. As he walked, he tried to steal furtive glances at all the punters. It was no good. He could only see about two tables in front of him and there was another section of non-card games on the other side of the room that he could barely make out. Where was Wally? They could cover more ground together. Preoccupied with his search, Timmy didn¡¯t notice the bag down on the floor by one of the gambler¡¯s stools. His foot became tangled in the loop and as he tried to take a step forward the bag came with. There was a horrifying second where his foot swung forwards and then froze as it caught the bag. He tried to step with his other leg and catch himself but it was too late. He stumbled and the heavy metal tray flew from his hand hitting a table and spilling drinks all over the gamblers. There was a roar from one of the men and the echoing clang of the tray as bedlam broke out. ¡°Oi! What was that for!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°I¡¯m soaked!¡± ¡°Oi those are my coins!¡± ¡°No they¡¯re not!¡± ¡°Get your grubby hands¡­¡± Then a glass was smashed. Timmy, now on all fours scrabbling to untangle himself from the treacherous bag, looked up to see two burly men swinging frying pan sized fists at each other while the hapless dealer tried to calm things down. Their brawl quickly spilled into another table that had a sizable pot built up. The sound of jangling coins was enough to spark immediate chaos in the rest of the gambling house. Some punters used it as a chance to grab fistfuls of falling coins, others surreptitiously snatched coins from their own tables and stuffed them into their pockets, leading to melees breaking out all over the card house. Timmy whimpered and crawled under a table to stop himself being trampled on. Fists, feet, headbutts, and chairs were flying everywhere. He saw a man go down and get his face stepped on, while two more gamblers rolled across the floor biting and gouging at one another. ¡°Oh no. Oh no.¡± Timmy muttered to himself, looking for an escape route. In his panic, he couldn¡¯t even remember the layout of the card house. Where were the toilets? Where was the loading bay? Where was Wally? There was another series of smashing sounds and something wet splashed across Timmy¡¯s shoes. There was the sound of heavy boots thundering into the card house as more men joined the fray. Timmy peeked up from under the table and saw men being restrained, pushed up against walls, and slammed face first onto tables as the fire of the brawl was doused by the appearance of this crack squad of thugs. ¡°By order of the fucking Landlord!¡± one of the biggest men snarled as he held a man off his feet by his face. At the mention of the Landlord¡¯s name, civility descended upon the card house. Men dropped weapons and unclenched fists. They looked sheepishly at the floor. Timmy heard a muttered conversation before the man spoke again. ¡°Who started this?¡± Without looking, Timmy knew every eye in the room was swivelling over to his section of the card house. They didn¡¯t know why it started but they knew the two men responsible. ¡°He threw his drink at me!¡± Timmy heard one man yell. ¡°No I didn¡¯t! He tried to nick me coins.¡± ¡°Drag ¡®em both out of here and take some teeth,¡± Timmy heard the big man growl. ¡°No wait! Honestly it was a mistake!¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t mean it! It was a accident! Don¡¯t hurt me!¡± Timmy squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the beating start prematurely. ¡°Not in here! I don¡¯t wanna be cleaning up the blood stains. Drag ¡®em out the back!¡± ¡°No wait!¡± Timmy didn¡¯t make the conscious decision to intervene but when he opened his eyes he was standing up from under the table and staring at the big man. ¡°It was me.¡± ¡°It was you what?¡± ¡°I started the fight¡­ I umm, accidentally tripped and umm¡­ spilled my tray over them.¡± Timmy reddened as he felt all eyes fall on him. ¡°And who are you?¡± the big man asked. ¡°Who are you?¡± the man in the black jacket who had shouted at them to help unload the wagon asked looking at him curiously. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Timmy opened his mouth to lie but quickly realised that his cover was probably blown to a million pieces by now. ¡°I¡¯m Corporal Timothy Edgewater of the Verdalia police.¡± Someone snorted and then laughter rang around the card house. ¡°Alright mate, and I¡¯m an Elf!¡± someone shouted. ¡°I am!¡± Timmy insisted. ¡°I¡¯m here on a covert stakeout looking for a dangerous criminal.¡± The big man looked at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Where¡¯s your badge?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡­ left it¡­ across the road.¡± Just then there was a commotion from behind them as another burly man burst out of the toilet holding a weakly protesting Wally. ¡°Found this one taking a crap,¡± he grunted. ¡°You coulda let me pull up me drawers first!¡± Wally growled, covering his unmentionables with one hand and pulling up his trousers with the other. ¡°He a copper too?¡± the big man asked and Timmy nodded. The big man sighed and looked around the card house. ¡°Right grab these two little piggies, they''re coming with us. The rest of you clean this place up and pray the Landlord doesn¡¯t decide to make an example outta the lot of you!¡± ¡°Wot? Wait, where we going? Timmy?¡± Wally was grabbed under his shoulders and feet by two men and bundled out of the card house. ¡°Hold on you can¡¯t¡­¡± Timmy didn¡¯t finish his sentence as he was yanked up from behind and dragged out of the card house. ¡°We¡¯re police officers!¡± Timmy squealed. ¡°You can¡¯t do this! Find Sergeant Nairo! Call the Captain! Help us!¡± Chapter 26 Nairo and Ridley were escorted, politely but gruffly, to the west side. They pulled up outside a grand old pub on Coven Street. The pub spoke of the grandeur of a bygone day. When the city was still a series of smaller hamlets, the pub served as a central point for all travellers and trade. While the neighbourhood around it had grown and sprawled the pub stood unchanged. It still even had its original Oak lettering above the door that read: The Rangerman. The pub had an imposing feel to it, with columns and thick frosted glass windows. Everything was darkly stained or painted black, including its heavy wooden door. Nairo had heard about this pub and knew it wasn¡¯t the type of place you went to without invitation¡­ or a small army. The street was bustling but she noticed people wouldn¡¯t walk in front of the pub, they would circumnavigate to the other side of the road, giving it a wide berth. Outside the pub stood two men with their arms crossed and deeply suspicious frowns on their faces. Nairo and Ridley, with their escorts, walked up to the pub. Without a word exchanged, the two guards pulled open the heavy double doors and stood to one side. Nairo didn¡¯t need her keenly honed police senses to know both of these men were heavily armed, as were their escorts. She wasn¡¯t sure they were in danger just yet, but it was very close and very real. Ridley, being his typically blase self, nodded to the doormen. ¡°¡®Fraid I¡¯m all out of change, I¡¯ll have to catch you on the way out.¡± The doorman glowered at him but did not respond. Inside the pub, the heavy stained and imposing motif continued. The floor was some sort of dark wood that had warped over centuries of spilt beer. The bar was almost chest high and looked like it could survive a hurricane without even creaking. It had old style brass pumps and an array of bottle liquors that would have impressed some of the wealthiest drunks in the city. There were private booths to their right and the rest of the pub was the typical affair of stools and tables. A stage was set up at the far back corner but stood empty as did the majority of the rest of the pub. Outside of some thuggish characters lurking in the background there was only one other punter, a shrivelled old man nursing a half pint of something black. He had thick, grey eyebrows that swallowed his eyes and a bristly moustache. The hand that clutched the half pint was gnarled and covered in scars speaking to a life of generous violence. ¡°Old Bob,¡± their escorts said, each one acknowledging the old man with a deferential nod. Old Bob raised his eyes momentarily and gave him a nod before returning to his drink. Ridley made straight for the bar and rapped his knuckles on the bartop. ¡°Can I get¡­¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t here for a drink,¡± growled one of their escorts. ¡°Then why did you bring me to a pub?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Can I get something brown with a bite and touch of water.¡± The escort made to grab Ridley but then seemed to think twice about it. Begrudgingly, all three of them stood awkwardly while the barmen poured Ridley¡¯s drink. ¡°Cheers. He¡¯ll pay.¡± Ridley scooped up his drink and pointed over his shoulder. ¡°Upstairs,¡± their escort growled through gritted teeth. Ridley nodded and walked off to the back of the pub where there was a flight of stairs leading up. In silence, Nairo followed him, her senses still attuned to everything around them as she tried to figure out what they were walking into. She was fairly certain they weren¡¯t going to be killed. You didn¡¯t kill police officers, and you certainly didn¡¯t parade around with them first letting everyone get a good look at you together. She was also certain that the no killing police rule extended to Edgewater and Washbottom. How had they been caught? Did someone see them up in the flat? Even if they had, how had they been captured? One flash of their badges should have been enough to get them out of there at least. Nairo chewed at the inside of her cheek as they were directed to a large open space office. As they walked through she saw the two corporals sitting on a sofa, their heads hanging, like two naughty schoolboys waiting for their parents to come and pick them up. ¡°Sergeant!¡± Edgewater brightened up as soon he saw her. ¡°I knew you would come!¡± ¡°Corporal,¡± Nairo said, nodding to him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Washbottom,¡± Ridley said, nodding at Walley and sniggering as he went and flopped down with his drink on a vacant chair. ¡°Well he was telling the truth,¡± snorted one of the men, a large bald headed figure with a nasty scar running across his cheek bone, and gingery stubble on his chin, said. ¡°I told you!¡± Edgewater said to the man. ¡°We¡¯re police officers!¡± ¡°That true?¡± another man asked Nairo. He was lounging on the opposite sofa. Nairo noticed all of his front teeth gleamed with gold. ¡°Yes, and you better have a good reason for detaining two police officers in the course of carrying out their duty.¡± Nairo replied frostily. ¡°Because the police force doesn''t take kindly to that sort of thing.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t take that tone Sergeant,¡± a voice growled from behind her. If it was possible for a pitbull to speak, that would have been exactly how it sounded. The voice was gravely, quiet, but promised brutality. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise. The men around her all jumped to their feet. ¡°Mr Graves sir,¡± the ginger bearded one said. ¡°This is the Sergeant wot these two wallys was blabbering about.¡± ¡°Thank you Mr Edwards, I gathered that.¡± The voice had a curiously slow way of speaking. Not like he was stupid, nor like he was carefully selecting his words, but like each syllable was an effort. As if human communication was something he didn¡¯t enjoy taking part in. Nairo wanted to turn and face the owner of the voice but she found herself unwilling to turn. She felt him swoop by her, his navy blue trench coat whipping past her legs. His boots thumped and she heard the clink of concealed weaponry with every step he took. He stomped around the desk and turned to face her and she knew without needing to be told she was locking eyes with one of the most violent and cruel villains in the entire city. ¡°Bill ¡®The Landlord¡¯ Graves,¡± Ridley said, his voice faltering as the glacially cold blue eyes of The Landlord flicked over to him. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°That¡¯s Mr Graves to you,¡± the ginger bearded man snarled. He too faltered when those cold eyes snapped to him. The room fell silent as The Landlord¡¯s eyes flicked from face to face. His eyes never rolled or swivelled, they snapped from person to person, like a wild animal considering who to devour first. He was tall and despite his slender build, Nairo could see the thickness and power in his shoulders and back. Under his heavy trench coat, he wore a traditional working man¡¯s shirt with a banded collar. On top of that he had a rough spun vest and as he leaned on the desk, Nairo could see the twin handles of two long daggers sheathed under his armpits poking out. His long fingers had faded tattoos on the knuckles. She recognised a few as being military ink but the ones that caught her eye were the backways G next to a K. An infamous tattoo on the streets worn only by those who had committed murder. The backwards G was for Goblin and the K was for Killer. She only noted all of these details because she didn¡¯t want to look up. She didn¡¯t want to look at that face. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to look up. He had a long, almost elegant nose that was bent from multiple breaks, and a nasty scar down his forehead, through his eyebrow and down his sharp cheekbone. That was when she made eye contact. Those eyes. They were so¡­ cruel. As if they had never known kindness or warmth. They were light blue, almost grey, and they stared at her as if he was only a moment or a word away from cutting her open from belly to neck. Bill ¡®The Landlord¡¯ Graves was known as perhaps the most terrifying human in the entire Free Cities and now she knew why. It was like being in a cage with a feral dog. She wanted to step back, to flee, to get as far away from him as possible. Instead, she looked down at her feet and let her hair fall across her face. Even Ridley was suddenly demure, choosing to stare into his glass rather than meet the Landlord¡¯s eyes. Bill took a few rattling breaths through his nose. ¡°Why were these two in my card house?¡± he said finally. Every syllable thudded around the room, demanding attention. ¡°Mr Graves, sir, we found ¡®em¡­¡± Mr Edwards began before a deathly stare from Bill silenced him again. ¡°These two little piggies have been telling my boys an interesting tale, Sergeant.¡± Bill spat that last syllable, his tongue ricocheting off his front teeth. Nairo cleared her throat and forced herself to meet his eyes and this time hold them. ¡°Corporal Edgewater and Corporal Washbottom were on a stakeout.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Bill growled deep in his throat. ¡°So they are coppers?¡± ¡°Yes, they are.¡± ¡°Then what was they sneaking around in our card house for then?¡± Mr Edwards spat at her. Bill was across the desk before any of them could even flinch. He slammed his forehead into the side of Mr Edward¡¯s face. The man grunted and fell back into his chair. Bill rained down blows on the barely conscious man, his fists a blur as he hit him with both hands. He grunted with every strike. His fists thudding into Mr Edwards¡¯ face and torso sounded like someone taking a hammer to a piece of liver. Nairo stood frozen. She wanted to move. She wanted to stop him. But she couldn¡¯t. She watched wide eyed as he turned Mr Edward¡¯s face into mince meat. Finally, only a few seconds later, he stopped hitting him. There were spots of blood everywhere. Mr Edwards groaned and fell to the floorboards, completely still. Bill whirled on Nairo, only a foot away from her. His eyes were wide and wild, the blood speckled skin on his face was taut and pale. His breathing, however, was completely calm. ¡°You see there are rules, Sergeant.¡± he said. ¡°And round here we obey the rules. You tell your Captain Mallory that the one who took his men has been dealt with.¡± He pointed a blood covered hand at Mr Edwards. ¡°You will tell him won¡¯t you, Sergeant?¡± Nairo nodded. She wasn¡¯t capable of words. Bill stared at her. ¡°But there are rules,¡± he hissed, taking a step closer, his shoulders hunched like a tiger about to pounce ¡°And one of those rules is you don¡¯t send coppers into my establishments.¡± ¡°They weren¡¯t supposed to go in!¡± Ridley interjected. Bill¡¯s eyes snapped onto him making him visibly flinch. ¡°Who are you?¡± Bill growled. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ my name¡¯s Ridley, I¡¯m a private investigator,¡± Ridley said. ¡°And are you investigating me?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ridley said quickly. ¡°And neither were these two idiots. They were just supposed to keep watch from across the road. How they ended up inside your card house, well that¡¯s something we¡¯ll have to find out.¡± ¡°Would you like me to find out?¡± Bill said, looking at Nairo, his eyes still wide and unblinking. Timmy whimpered. ¡°Please sir. We didn¡¯t know, we were just trying to¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, Edgewater!¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°Their discipline is a matter for the police to take care of.¡± ¡°See that it is taken care of, Sergeant.¡± Bill said, his words punctuated by the scraping sound of Mr Edwards being dragged out of the room by two men. Nairo met his eyes. Her heart thumped and she felt dizzy but she didn¡¯t look away. He searched her eyes for a few moments before straightening up and walked back around his desk. He took a rag from his pocket and began wiping his hands. ¡°These two tell me you were looking for a particular vermin,¡± he said. Nairo swallowed and tried not to visibly sigh in relief that she was at least a few feet away from him again. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Some fucking toad?¡± ¡°A HobGoblin, yes.¡± ¡°Their sort usually stays on the other side of the bridge.¡± ¡°We have reason to believe he was desperate enough to try his luck over here.¡± ¡°He would have to be desperate,¡± Bill said. ¡°His name is Zimeon¡­¡± ¡°De Woolf, the bank manager,¡± Bill finished for her. ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡± Bill didn¡¯t answer her. He poured himself a drink from the decanter on the desk and then looked at the golden toothed man, giving him a slight nod. ¡°De Woolf came around here, but we knew he was bad business,¡± the man said. ¡°We checked up on him with the boys out East and they said he was blackballed for card counting so we slung him out on his ear.¡± ¡°How long ago was this?¡± ¡°A few weeks back. Haven¡¯t seen him since.¡± Nairo looked at Ridley who nodded. ¡°That makes us square for this little¡­ misunderstanding?¡± It sounded like a question but she knew Bill wasn¡¯t asking. ¡°That was all we wanted to know. Thank you.¡± Nairo looked at Edgewater and Washbottom and nodded her head towards the door. They didn¡¯t need to be told twice. Cringing in terror, they scuttled from the room. Ridley stood up and left his drink half finished, following them at a slight step quicker than his usual saunter. Nairo turned to leave. ¡°You looking for this toad wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with his bank being robbed, would it?¡± Bill said. ¡°How do you know about the bank robbery?¡± ¡°Oh I hear things. I heard something very sparkly went missing from there.¡± His cold eyes peered deeply into Nairo¡¯s eyes. ¡°There¡¯s lots of sparkly things in a bank,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Thank you, Mr Graves.¡± Bill gave her one more long icey look before he nodded. ¡°Taa taa, Sergeant.¡± Nairo forced herself not to race down the stairs, especially when she saw the streaks of blood across the floor from where Mr Edwards had been dragged out. She stalked out of the pub and breathed deeply when the fresh air hit her. To her surprise, there were sparkles of tears in her eyes. She quickly blinked them away. ¡°Sergeant, I¡­¡± Edgewater began. ¡°Not here,¡± Nairo said. Ridley whistled for a cab and the four of them scrambled in. Nairo looked back up at the pub as the cab pulled away and she saw the outline of a figure in the window. She knew it was Bill, she could feel him from here. ¡°What the fuck happened?¡± Nairo snarled at Edgewater and Washbottom. Chapter 27 After a frosty cab ride back to the precinct, they dropped Edgewater and Washbottom off, swore them to secrecy once again, and continued on back to Ridley¡¯s office. They didn¡¯t speak for much of the journey. Nairo was trying to force the sounds of Bill¡¯s fists slamming off that man¡¯s face out of her mind. She could still see the spatters of blood. It gnawed at her till her guts audibly churned. ¡°Stop it,¡± Ridley grunted from the far corner of the cab. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t put it on yourself.¡± ¡°I should have¡­¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have,¡± Ridley said bluntly. ¡°I know you hold the high ideals of law close to your heart, but staying alive is more important.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± ¡°You certain about that?¡± Nairo sank back into her seat and stared out of the window. ¡°It¡¯s not right,¡± she murmured after a moment. ¡°It¡¯s not. But animals like The Landlord are just a part of the fabric of this city and no one police officer is gonna put an end to that.¡± It didn¡¯t stop the truth burning at her throat like bile. ¡°Even worse is it was a dead end,¡± Nairo said, changing the subject. ¡°Well at least we know De Woolf is still in the city and we were right about him resurfacing to feed his addiction. Problem is now, no one¡¯s gonna take his action and any gambling dens that will are so far under the radar that we¡¯d never be able to pin ¡®em down.¡± ¡°So the trail¡¯s gone cold?¡± ¡°Stone dead for now.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯re out of moves,¡± Nairo said, her chest deflating. ¡°We have to put out an all precincts manhunt for De Woolf and loop the Cap¡¯n in.¡± Ridley sucked his teeth and stayed silent. The rain had started again as their cab pulled up in Little Cang. They hopped out and jogged for Ridley¡¯s office. Through the downpour Nairo saw a figure sat on Ridley¡¯s steps, a bottle hanging loosely from his hands as he hunched away from the rain. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Nairo asked Ridley. Ridley peered into the darkness. ¡°Jimmy?¡± The figure looked up and she saw the handsome, and seemingly always bruised, face of Jimmy, their contact in Parliament. ¡°Ridley! Where you been? I¡¯m dying for a piss!¡± Jimmy stood up unsteadily and held his arms wide with a cavalier grin on his face. ¡°Been hitting the cobbles,¡± Ridley muttered as he looked up and down the street before shaking hands with Jimmy. ¡°What are you doing here? ¡°I was in the neighbourhood, thought I¡¯d drop by,¡± he straightened up and beamed warmly. ¡°Invite me in Ridley, coz I will piss on your doormat if I have to.¡± Ridley shook his head and they hurried up the steps and into Ridley¡¯s office. Jimmy bustled in behind him and somehow bumped into everything on the way in. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± he mumbled good naturedly. He looked over his shoulder and saw Nairo for the first time. ¡°Oh¡­ hello Sergeant¡­ it¡¯s good to see you.¡± He stood in the hall smiling like a goofy six year old while Nairo felt a blush rise in her cheeks. Hastily, she tried to straighten out her rain matted hair. ¡°Hello Jimmy, how are you?¡± she asked him, returning his warm smile. ¡°Better now,¡± he said with a crooked grin. ¡°Weren¡¯t you about to piss yourself?¡± Ridley grumbled after locking the front door and barging past Jimmy. ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Jimmy stumbled down the hall to the toilet. ¡°Quick!¡± Ridley hissed at her and nodded his head at the sprawling web of their investigation on the wall. ¡°We should cover that up.¡± Nairo, who had been looking down the hallway, snapped back around to Ridley and nodded. Ridley threw up a sheet while Nairo drove tacks into the corners. She stood back and pulled a dissatisfied face. ¡°Not exactly subtle,¡± she said. ¡°You really think he¡¯s gonna notice?¡± ¡°Good point,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± an old voice crooned down the hallway making Ridley and Nairo jump. ¡°Do you ever go home!¡± Ridley shouted back at Mrs Paper. ¡°That¡¯s nice!¡± she shouted back. ¡°Put the kettle on!¡± ¡°A please wouldn¡¯t go amiss!¡± Ridley huffed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Please!¡± he grunted through gritted teeth. The toilet flushed and was followed by Jimmy¡¯s disembodied whistling. ¡°Got anything to drink, Ridley? I¡¯m parched,¡± he asked as he sauntered back into the room. ¡°Yeah you look it,¡± Ridley responded even as he poured him the last drops of the Elvish vodka. Jimmy took the drink and threw it back. He wheezed for a second and smacked his lips. ¡°Phwooor, that¡¯s nice that.¡± He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and looked around the office before perching himself precariously on a stack of old sheets and papers. ¡°So, what have you been up to, Sarge?¡± ¡°Just work and stuff, the usual. You?¡± ¡°I like your hair like that,¡± Jimmy said abruptly. ¡°Oh, thank you,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Your¡­ face looks¡­ a lot better too.¡± Jimmy grinned at her. The heavy dark ring of his black eye was fading, but Nairo noticed his knuckles were freshly skinned and raw looking. ¡°Yeah and we¡¯re all the prettiest belle at the ball,¡± Ridley interjected. ¡°Jimmy, why are you here?¡± Suddenly, Jimmy¡¯s eyes lit up and he spun on Ridley. ¡°I been a busy boy, Rid,¡± he announced proudly. ¡°I¡¯ve done a bit of digging, real subtly, ¡®bout what you asked me.¡± He then dropped his tone to a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°¡¯Bout the Elves.¡± ¡°And?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Well¡­ I mean I didn¡¯t actually find anything out.¡± Ridley choked on his drink and looked at him bewildered. ¡°So why are you here!?¡± ¡°¡¯Coz, I know where the answers are.¡± Jimmy winked and nodded at Ridley as if he had just given him the formula for the winning lottery numbers. Jimmy waved his hands inviting Nairo and Ridley to sit. ¡°So, walking round the Houses asking about Elves is a sure-fire way to find yourself exchanging unpleasantries with Albert Stubbs and a pair of brass knuckles, but your man Jimmy knows how the wheels of democracy spin.¡± Nairo found a foot stool to sit on while Ridley started pacing. ¡°Your Elves came into the city real hush hush. They just turn up in the middle of the night, no papers, nothing, and demand the finest hotel suites and access to the vault in the City Bank. Now I know that if you''re requiring an entry permit to the city that has to be logged somewhere, right?¡± ¡°Bureaucrats love writing things down,¡± Ridley agreed. ¡°Sactly, and I know who was overseeing the emergency Transport & Entry desk that time of night. Some old duffer by the name of Roger McCormack, harmless little bloke, spent so long shuffling papers he rustles when he walks. McCormack¡¯s like every old geeza who¡¯s been in a job forever, they like order and structure and all the procedures. So, I catch Roger down the local and he¡¯s moaning all about how he was up half the night filing papers and amending forms and stamps and all of that. After a few more drinks he starts to really moan. He¡¯s going on and on about how people don¡¯t respect rules and he starts quoting sections of this code and that¡­¡± ¡°This is fascinating Jimmy, but the minutiae of bureaucracy doesn¡¯t really interest me right now,¡± Ridley said impatiently. ¡°Ignore him, he never learnt any manners,¡± Nairo said. ¡°No, fair play Ridley,¡± Jimmy said good naturedly. ¡°So anyway, Roger basically lets slip that a gang of Elves swan into the city and don¡¯t want to fill out no paperwork, no forms, and that they don¡¯t want there to be any written evidence of them having ever been here. Apparently, higher ups all got involved, maybe even Pleasently himself, the situation is brushed under the carpet, and the Elves get everything they want. However, every time any vehicle carrying cargo or passengers enters the city, there is a log of who and what is being transported. McCormack, being the stubborn ass that he is, demanded this form be filled out. Apparently, all the names have been redacted, but, the contents, the numbers of travellers, and where they had come from is all still on that form!¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve got the form!?¡± Ridley exclaimed in excitement. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°No.¡± Jimmy answered. ¡°But I do know where that form is.¡± ¡°Can you get a copy?¡± Nairo asked, leaning forward excitedly. ¡°No. Technically, I shouldn¡¯t even know it exists, let alone have the credentials to actually clap eyes on it.¡± ¡°Then¡­ why are you here?¡± Ridley couldn¡¯t keep the frustration out of his voice now. ¡°Coz, I might not be able to get it, but we can get it. I know the floor and office it¡¯s in. With timing and some good luck, we can break in and you can read it for yourself.¡± Jimmy sat back with a crooked grin on his face as Ridley punched the air. ¡°Jimmy, you''re a legend!¡± he crowed. ¡°We¡¯re not breaking into the Houses of Parliament and stealing government property,¡± Nairo said shortly. Both of them turned to look at her in confusion. ¡°What? Why not?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Because it¡¯s a crime and it''s immoral and¡­ I¡¯m a police officer, Ridley! I can¡¯t be committing burglary!¡± Her face felt flushed, but this time it was in indignation at what was being suggested. ¡°I mean¡­ it¡¯s not like a real crime or something,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°All crimes are real crimes, there wouldn¡¯t be a law prohibiting them otherwise!¡± ¡°This could be the break we¡¯ve been looking for!¡± Ridley said, frustration rising in his voice. ¡°We can finally find out who these Elves are and¡­¡± ¡°Then what? It might answer a few questions, but it won¡¯t tell us where the Diamond is!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that! I think this is how we crack this case,¡± Ridley argued. ¡°Forget it, we can¡¯t solve a crime by committing crimes. You might not have any ethics or morals, but I do.¡± ¡°What about the coroner¡¯s report?¡± Ridley shot back at her. Nairo''s eyes flashed to Jimmy and then she glared at Ridley. ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°That was looking the other way for a friend who put their neck on the line to help us. This is a Police Officer planning and actively participating in a crime!¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m doing it,¡± Ridley crossed his arms and glared at her hotly. ¡°Actually Ridley, it¡¯s a five-man job,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°I¡¯ve got my two guys on the inside but I need you and the Sarge.¡± ¡°Good. Then it¡¯s off,¡± Nairo said glaring back at Ridley. ¡°No it¡¯s not. We¡¯ll make it work,¡± Ridley growled. ¡°Just because you ain¡¯t got the balls to solve this, doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t close this case.¡± They both stood where they were eyes locked. ¡°Let¡¯s talk to the Cap¡¯n,¡± Nairo said after a few silent moments. ¡°We¡¯re the police, we can subpoena the office for that form. I want to bring this case in just as bad as you, but we¡¯ll do it the right way.¡± Ridley stayed stubbornly silent for a few more moments before he slowly uncrossed his arms. ¡°We can try it,¡± he said but then turned to Jimmy. ¡°Put the wheels in motion, I don¡¯t trust the Cap¡¯n as much as she does.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go first thing in the morning. I¡¯m sure the Cap¡¯n will help us anyway he can.¡± * ¡°So you¡¯ve got a lead?¡±. ¡°Got a lead that''ll blow this case wide open!¡± Ridley said, slamming his drink down on the Captain¡¯s desk. ¡°Don¡¯t exaggerate Ridley,¡± Nairo said, shooting Ridley a sharp look. ¡°We believe we have a strong lead, Cap¡¯n, but we need to do some basic background checks on the Elves and their travel companions.¡± ¡°The Elves?¡± Mallory growled suspiciously, smoke curling from the downturned slash of his mouth, his eyes narrowed slits glinting in the cigar fog. ¡°Just to eliminate them from our enquiries and corroborate dates and times.¡± ¡°And since the precious Elves won¡¯t grace us with their feathery presence,¡± Ridley said, lounging in his chair sipping on the drink he had poured himself. ¡°I¡¯m so sick of hearing about bloody Elves,¡± Mallory said. ¡°Did yer see what that one was wearing? He looked like a tree worm!¡± ¡°Oh what, the little nob in 6 inch heels?¡± Ridley replied. Mallory shot Ridley a cold look and turned back to Nairo. ¡°Background checks?¡± ¡°Just need a few subpoenas sir,¡± Nairo answered succinctly. ¡°Subpoenas?¡± Mallory paused with his drink inches from his lips. ¡°Just a release of information.¡± ¡°You need information on the Elves?¡± ¡°And their companions.¡± Mallory inhaled deeply and that was always a bad sign. ¡°Of course sir, as stated in the PD Academy Manuals, ¡®good Police work is eliminating possibilities and a detective must pursue information, under the Uniform Freedom Of Information In Pursuit of Lawful Justice and Maintenance of Peace and Order Section 48, Page 178, that will narrow down an investigation to only pertinent lines of enquiry.¡¯¡± Nairo recited and then smiled at the Captain. ¡°It says that? I mean of course¡­ yes¡­ section forty¡­¡± Mallory cleared his throat and blinked, he had been awake for two sleepless nights now and the fight had gone out of him. ¡°That sounds like¡­ good police work, Sergeant.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°Well, let me know when you¡¯ve got the paperwork done.¡± ¡°No need sir, I have it all right here,¡± Nairo pulled out a wad of papers as thick as a stack of bronze coins. ¡°When did you do those?¡± Ridley asked incredulously. ¡°Some time between you passing out and you urinating out of the window,¡± Nairo answered. ¡°Oh, you saw that?¡± Mallory choked on his drink. ¡°You stayed the night together!¡± ¡°Yes and yes, but not like that¡­ never like that. Sign here please Captain.¡± She placed the stack of papers on Mallory¡¯s desk, upside down, and magicked a pen out of the air. ¡°What do you mean never?¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°And here¡­ and here¡­ and signature¡­ date. Thank you Cap¡¯n,¡± Nairo yanked the papers out from underneath the Captain¡¯s pen while he was still trying to process the thought of Nairo and Ridley spending the night. ¡°I¡¯ll get these processed for you Cap¡¯n. Come Ridley!¡± She had already pulled on her rain cloak and was walking out of the door. Ridley drained the rest of his drink and stood up to shake the Cap¡¯n¡¯s hand. As the Cap¡¯n absentmindly extended his hand Ridley snaked his drink from his desk and downed it in one. ¡°Been a pleasure Cap,¡± Ridley winked at Mallory and sauntered out after Nairo. Mallory watched him sweep out of the office and blinked heavily. He inhaled deeply ready to roar a torrent of abuse but this chest sagged and head dipped to his chest. ¡°I¡¯m getting too old for this,¡± he groaned. Ridley caught up with Nairo as she dropped off the papers at reception. ¡°Nicely done Sargent,¡± he muttered out of the corner of his mouth. ¡°Thank you,¡± Nairo said as they walked out of the Police Headquarters. ¡°So let¡¯s go get this bit of paper and nail these Elves to wall!¡± Ridley crowed excitedly. They stepped out to the drizzling grey morning, cabs hurried past them and blue clad officers swarmed in and out, desperately covering the morning¡¯s hot food under their cloaks. ¡°The wheels of justice don¡¯t work that quick,¡± Nairo said. ¡°The paperwork won''t be ready until midday.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Ridley cursed. ¡°So what now? Lunch?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still breakfast time and as much as I enjoy paying for your food I think our time¡¯s better spent working the case. I think we need to know more about this Diamond. If, eventually, we find ourselves in a confrontation we would be best knowing what we¡¯re up against.¡± Ridley nodded in agreement. ¡°Conway said he was working on a contact for us. Let¡¯s pop down to the basement and pay him a visit.¡± * ¡°So the rookies shat the bed?¡± Conway grunted as he eased himself back in his chair and threw his crumpled boots on his desk. ¡°Big time,¡± Nairo muttered, blowing a bit of errant hair out of her face. ¡°Well¡­¡± Ridley said. ¡°We did find out that De Woolf was still in the city.¡± ¡°No thanks to those two idiots!¡± Nairo said. ¡°And we did find out that De Woolf isn¡¯t welcome out West.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re not a pair of braindead imbeciles.¡± ¡°And I hear you met the Landlord?¡± Conway said, his eyes watching Nairo carefully. She blanched at the name. The unbidden sounds of fists cracking into flesh came back to her. She shook her head and dispelled them. They were nothing but the tendrils of a bad dream. ¡°We had the pleasure,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Hmmm,¡± Conway grunted. ¡°He''s psychotic,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Well he plays one very well,¡± Conway said. ¡°He almost beat one of his own men to death in front of us,¡± Nairo said, trying not to remember the way the blood sprayed. ¡°That¡¯s the type of animal Bill is,¡± Conway said, sipping his drink. ¡°I¡¯m old enough to remember when his old man and his mob still ran the West. Now, mind you, I didn¡¯t agree with them about the whole species purity nonsense, but they did look after their own. Kids were safe on their streets, women could go about their business unmolested, and working men didn¡¯t have to worry about being undercut¡­¡± ¡°As long as they were the right colour and species,¡± Nairo said, her eyes narrowed. ¡°Like I said, I didn¡¯t agree with all that bollocks. But, if you were there you would understand. There was a certain¡­ civility out West you just didn¡¯t get anywhere else.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°The Goblin-Human riots. That was a bloody five years but ultimately the Goblins won. The human alliance crumbled on the streets and they eventually caved. That¡¯s when the city was carved into the quadrants we have today by then Mayor Comwell. It brought an end to the violence but left a lot of bitter tastes in the mouths of the most extreme. They saw it as betrayal. Their leaders had effectively signed away giant portions of the city to foreign hordes. That¡¯s when Bill came back from the war. Fresh from the front and with a taste for blood he rallied those still willing to fight. He swooped in during the chaos, killed half of the ring leaders on his own side, and terrorised the rest into falling in line. Say what you want about the older generation, but at least they believed in something. Bill? Only thing he believes in is control and power. And the only way he knows how to get them is through terror. But then, I suppose any human who puts themselves at odds with the Goblin Kith and the Gnommish Triads has to be a right horrible bastard.¡± ¡°That we can attest to,¡± Ridley said darkly. ¡°Still,¡± Conway said, dropping his feet from the desk. ¡°Bill knows there¡¯s rules to the game and killing coppers, no matter how stupid they are, is off the table. He was just tryna scare you.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re not investigating Bill Graves,¡± Nairo said with finality. ¡°Did you manage to dig up anyone we can talk to about the Diamond?¡± ¡°Yes maam.¡± Conway fished in his drawer and dropped a file on the table. ¡°That there is one Reeyan BilBil a tinker up in the Foundries. He¡¯s been pinched half a dozen times for unlicensed repair of magickal items. I¡¯ve asked about and he¡¯s the city¡¯s premiere expert on all things magick.¡± ¡°This is perfect,¡± Nairo said, flicking through his file. ¡°What kinda name is BilBil,¡± Ridley snorted. ¡°Well, rumour is he¡¯s got a touch of Elf in him,¡± Conway said. ¡°A mixed breed?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Yeah. Somewhere down the line one of his ancestors shacked up with an Elf.¡± ¡°Is he¡­ dangerous?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Not as far as I can tell. He is a little¡­ funny,¡± Conway jabbed the side of his head with a gnarled finger. ¡°But he¡¯s harmless enough. Mainly fixes GlowStones and HotRocks for the people in the Foundries. His handler is one to watch out for though.¡± ¡°Handler?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°You can¡¯t operate in the Foundries without belonging to one of the gangs,¡± Conway explained. ¡°The Goblins got the deepest finger in that pie and BilBil¡¯s a valued asset. I would keep an eye out for the Kith. Probably be wise to go in with a cover story and I would avoid mentioning the Diamond directly if you can.¡± Nairo nodded and tucked the file under her arm. ¡°Can we go now?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve set you up through an old snitch of mine, Coulus Depry. He¡¯ll meet you there and get you in the front door. After that you¡¯re on your own. And Sarge, I¡¯d keep your badge well and truly in your pocket. Law don¡¯t extend too far in the Foundries and coppers ain¡¯t welcome.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Cheers Conway,¡± Ridley shook the veteran¡¯s hand and stubbed out his smoke. ¡°I¡¯ll keep my ear to the ground here, see if there¡¯s any rumblings about the Diamond on the streets.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Nairo collected her things and followed Ridley out of the office. Chapter 28 ¡°All I¡¯m saying is¡­ you don¡¯t know for certain.¡± ¡°I think I do.¡± ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°Am I certain that there isn¡¯t a plot to breed vampyr with werewolves to create flying bat monsters to terrorise the forests on a full moon in order to increase forest patrol budgets? Yeah, I think so.¡± ¡°Come with me to the Deep Forest on full moon and I¡¯ll¡­¡± Before Nairo could go round this particular conversational cul de sac for the twelfth time, there was a thump on the cab roof. ¡°Here we are sir and miss,¡± the cabbie shouted. ¡°Thank everything that is good,¡± Nairo sighed, leaping from the cab and shaking out her stiff leg and bruised hip. Ridley jumped out and stretched his back before gobbing on the cobbles and proceeding with his usual routine argument over the cab fare. He was just at the stage where he was threatening to do some absurd physical act with an improbably large item in a small orifice when Nairo cut him off. ¡°Put it on the PD¡¯s account please,¡± Nairo said, showing the cabbie her badge number for him to note. ¡°Thank ya miss.¡± He tipped his cap to her, gave Ridley a dark scowl, and whipped his horse on. ¡°Wait! I didn¡¯t know you could do that!? Ridley exclaimed. ¡°Of course I can,¡± Nairo said, shaking her legs loose. ¡°The cheek of it I swear,¡± Ridley growled, stomping after her. ¡°I can¡¯t wait till I¡¯m done with you.¡± Nairo turned to reply and got a mouthful of ash. She gave a wheezing hack as the wind kicked draughts of ash in their faces. That was the typical welcome to the roaring furnace of the city¡¯s economic engine: The Foundries. The city had begun its life as a humble foundry with a smattering of small hamlets on the edge of civilization and the Elvish Forest. Hundreds of years marched by and the humble little foundry sprouted hungry factories. Voracious industry swallowed thousands of trees and lives while the factories grew inexorably larger, more polluted, and infinitely more profitable. With a constant influx of cheap immigrant labour the industry had survived every manor of downturn, war, pestilence, and disaster. Today, the foundry stood at the edge of the city, spilling into what was left of the forest, still feeding tirelessly on it like a gigantic, fire breathing, metal tic. What had once been just a cluster of small brick kilns, wheat processors, and lumber yards had evolved and metastasized into dozens of colossal factories producing everything from iron, to concrete, to textiles, to fabrics, to wagons, to weapons. The factories loomed like giant smog belching monoliths in the distance. They were so big that Nairo couldn¡¯t even see where they ended or began. They stretched ominously into the shroud of dark clouds behind them. Built around each factories¡¯ base were a series of shanty towns for the factories¡¯ workers. The workforce was anyone with a pulse and at least three limbs. The factories churned through workers as quickly as any other material. The hours were long, the work was dangerous, and the workers were often desperate. Trolls were the favoured labour. They were strong, compliant, and tended to live longer in the harsh conditions than humans. But it was the Goblins who were the uppercrust of the Foundries. With their natural affinity for metalwork, constant innovation, and iron muscles, they were the only workers in the Foundries who flourished. Everyone knew the Goblins had unionised and therefore were becoming as rich as the factory owners themselves. And anybody really in the know knew the Goblin Unions were controlled by the Kith, making them unseemingly wealthy in a particularly virulent side trade in crossbow bolts, blades, and coffins. Ridley spat grit on to the gravel chips that constituted pavement. Nairo, with a hand over her mouth, found herself in awe, neck craning to take in all the activity that swarmed around her. It felt like the Hell the Warlocks screamed about in the city square on their mission to save some and condemn most. The factories looked like metal volcanoes, a sheer roiling mass of fire and smoke. Tiny ant-like workers scurried from one mound to the other. Chains were winched, platforms were lowered and raised, horns bellowed, and the wind whipped ash and dust that bit at any exposed flesh or scales. Nairo plodded slowly behind Ridley, agape at the fantastic impudence of the factories as they consumed everything around them and belched back noxious dust clouds. She was forced to tear her eyes from the awe-inspiring factories and focus on not walking into one of the hundreds of creatures monopolising the few rough gravel paths. Evidently, the workers themselves, without oversight, had built the worker¡¯s shantytown. The structures, usually single story boxes, were cobbled together from any warped cut off of sheet metal they could sneak or scavenge. Built strong and materially efficient, there was little foresight in planning, however. Houses were built squashed together, at odd angles. It all looked as if a child had spilled their blocks haphazardly and never bothered to pick them up. Here in the shadow of hellfire, a small, rugged, ash faced community had, at first eked out a living, and more recently flourished. Children ran and played in their bare feet. Everything seemed to be made of scrap metal, even the children¡¯s toys, and parts of their clothes. The community of the Foundries was made up of every waif, stray, and mongrel cast out from the surrounding cities, yet it was one of the few areas of the city that had no reports of sectarian violence. Whether this was because it didn¡¯t happen, or more likely, justice was carried out internally in the Foundries, was unknown. Although, Nairo was starting to think that it might be because no one could tell the difference between races under the inches thick layer of grime and ash. Who knew filth was the ultimate equaliser? ¡°I can¡¯t believe people choose to live here,¡± Nairo said, regretting it when she got a mouthful of ash. ¡°Where better for people on the fringes of society¡­ than the fringe of society?¡± Ridley replied, a hand clamped firmly over his mouth. Ridley reached out and grabbed hold of a small child that was flitting by him. ¡°You know where BilBil is?¡± ¡°The tinker man?¡± The little ball of grub and ash replied. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°In the Third quadrant market. Down Eighth road and on the corner of Fourth square.¡± The child pointed over his or her shoulder. ¡°Just follow the signs.¡± Ridley nodded and sent the child on its way before dipping down a side alley as if he had lived here his whole life. Nairo followed him, careful not to touch the narrow sheet metal wall. They were covered in thick ingrained layers of grease and ash raining down from the towering chimney stacks that reached even higher than the Jurassic king blackwoods far into the canopy. Ridley weaved his way deeper into the haphazard metal favela stopping every now and again to stare at signs bolted into the sides of buildings. Nairo noticed the further they went into the shanty town, the cheaper and flimsier the construction became. She judged from looking around that they were in the copper district,the misshapen buildings around them wobbling in the breeze. It said something that there was even a hierarchy amongst scavengers. The denizens of the Foundries were almost as bizarre as their and cobbled together as their homes. Every creature wore the wounds of the place on their bodies. Scars, ruined limbs, and missing body parts were the norm. Every creature shared the same haunting red eyes, a side effect of the constant smog and ash. As Nairo and Ridley made their way down Second street, they walked past three men sitting and drinking tea. Combined, they may have had enough bits to make one whole person. One of the men had a missing hand, the other one had nothing below his knees and the third was a Gnome who was missing all the limbs on the left side of his body. Burn marks and scars were as common as tattoos were in the city. Some creatures had burns so bad their skin looked like melted wax. Even the children were not exempt. She saw one little redheaded girl run past her with a vicious burn on the left side of her face. She was playing a game with a little boy on a crutch and another boy who had a gnarled hand that bent backwards over itself. Just like the buildings, the creatures had been patched up and put back together with any piece of scrap that was laying about. Steel pipes replaced limbs. Patches of scrap metal held ruined, burned skin together. Even eye patches were made of tin and scrap metal. The whole place was a tapestry of the mangled and macabre. They finally came to a stop outside a walled market whose walls were constructed of giant sheets of metal and thick planks of timber, all haphazardly bolted and screwed together. ¡°This looks like the place,¡± Ridley said. Nairo looked around for an entrance and spotted two heavy doors. Outside stood two equally heavy looking Trolls. She nodded to Ridley and they walked towards them only to be stopped by a shrill whistle to their left. They turned to see a shiny headed Gnome sitting on an up turned bin. He was dressed in the strange assortment of cloth and metal as the rest of the inhabitants of the Foundries. Unlike most of the Gnomes in the city, this one had a slightly red tinge to his skin, his features more angular, than his city cousins. Nairo didn¡¯t know much about the Gnomes but she did know there were several types and that they didn¡¯t get along. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°You Conway¡¯s people?¡± he asked them. ¡°You Depry?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Aye that¡¯s me, Coilus Depry, at yer service.¡± He hopped off the bin and gave a little mock bow. He looked up at them and grinned with a mouth as red as blood. He chewed on a plug of Red Bettle Tobacco and spat a thick string of pink saliva. ¡°You Conway¡¯s people?¡± Depry repeated. ¡°Aye,¡± Ridley said, eyeing the little Gnome cautiously. ¡°Well then follow me.¡± Depry limped ahead of them towards the gate. Nairo noticed one of his legs looked like it had been badly broken and set even worse. His right foot seemed to always point at a right angle and it dragged behind him. He wore a heavy, metal cage around the knee for support. The rest of his body had criss-cross scars and wounds enough to tell Nairo he had either lived a very bad life or a very tough one. ¡°You¡¯ve come to find the tinker?¡± Depry asked them. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Then Depry¡¯s your Gnome,¡± he said, flashing Ridley another red stained smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t think there were Gnomes out in the Foundries,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Thought this sort of manual labour was beneath your lot.¡± Depry eyed Ridley with sudden hostility. ¡°I¡¯m a Suwa Gnome!¡± he said hotly, jabbing his thumb at himself. ¡°Don¡¯t confuse me for one of them stuck up Neela Gnomes you got in the city. We do real work and we¡¯re honest hard working creatures. We don¡¯t steal land and get rich from taxes like them lot.¡± He spat on the ground and glared at Ridley. ¡°Relax,¡± Ridley said, holding up his hands. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise it was such a touchy subject.¡± ¡°Four hundred years of slavery and oppression would be touchy, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Forgive him,¡± Nairo said. ¡°My partner has about as much cultural awareness as a slug.¡± Ridley frowned at her and shrugged. ¡°Forget about it,¡± Depry said with a haughty sniff. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you in.¡± Depry limped up to the front of the gate and looked up at the two Trolls. They were almost comically Trollish. In fact, Nairo was sure she had seen at least one of them on the Anti-Troll propaganda that floated around the city from time to time. They were ugly, even for Trolls, one had an eye missing and two of his tombstone like teeth jutted from his bottom lip even when his mouth was closed. The other had a tattered ear and a stump with a rusted hook for a hand. Both of them were half naked, with just a few rags around their waists to preserve their modesty. They had thick scars and cuts all over their faces, arms, chests and backs, and a considerable amount of burns all over their bodies. ¡°Depry,¡± said their guide, pointing a thumb at himself. ¡°Fifth shift supervisor of the metal works, floor 18.¡± He produced a battered little wallet from around his neck and passed it to the one eyed Troll. ¡°Give us dat! Yew can¡¯t read!¡± The metal hooked Troll growled as he snatched the wallet from his partner. ¡°Yes I can!¡± ¡°No you can¡¯t! Your fick as these walls is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not! I just like to take me time.¡± ¡°Well take your time sumwhere else, thicko.¡± The Troll snarled before focusing his eyes on the little wallet in his giant hand. He peered carefully at it. His thick lips moved as he read the card inside the wallet. ¡°Derpy,¡± he read slowly. ¡°Depry!¡± ¡°Yoo sure?¡± ¡°About my own name?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ alright.¡± The Troll nodded, passed back the wallet and scratched himself with his hook. ¡°¡®Oo they?¡± The guard pointed at Nairo and Ridley. ¡°They¡¯re with me,¡± Depry said as he looped the wallet back over his neck. ¡°They carded?¡± ¡°No. They¡¯re from the city.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t like outsiders,¡± the one eyed Troll growled. ¡°Why they so clean?¡± The second Troll asked suspiciously. ¡°They¡¯re potential buyers from the city,¡± Depry lied. ¡°They wanna look at what we got.¡± ¡°Do they?¡± The metal hooked Troll grunted. ¡°Well it is a market, ain¡¯t it?¡± Depry said exasperatedly. ¡°Yeah, so what? Don¡¯t mean outsiders can just come and buy all our stuffs.¡± ¡°It means exactly that!¡± ¡°Does it?¡± The one eyed Troll said in astonishment. ¡°I dunno.¡± The second Troll answered. The two Trolls stared at each other and then down at Depry. ¡°I mean it sounds right.¡± The one eyed Troll said. ¡°It does dunnit,¡± the other replied. ¡°Should we ask someone?¡± ¡°I s¡¯pose¡­¡± ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t have time to waste!¡± Depry snapped. ¡°I¡¯ve gotta get back on third shift and if I¡¯m late I¡¯m giving the floor supervisor your names!¡± ¡°Why you gonna do that!¡± The one eyed Troll howled. ¡°I can¡¯t get anovva citation,¡± the metal hooked Troll moaned. ¡°They¡¯ll have me out on what¡¯s left of me ear.¡± ¡°Go on then, go!¡± The first Troll pushed open the door and hurriedly waved them in. They stepped through the gates into the teeming marketplace. There were makeshift stools set up in uniform squares with every manor of metal work, ceramic, wood carving, and weaponry you could imagine. The sellers sat under awnings, warding off the constant downpour of ash with heavy scarves wrapped around their faces and their bloodshot eyes gleaming. The newcomers¡¯ presence was noted instantly throughout the market. Nairo felt suspicious gazes following them as they made their way through. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw beady crimson eyes swivelling towards them with every step they took. ¡°Guests ain¡¯t too popular here, are they?¡± Ridley muttered out of the corner of his mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t take it personally,¡± Depry said over his shoulder. ¡°The Foundry people are naturally distrusting of anyone too clean.¡± Nairo peered through the smog, noting the hulking figures that kept to the shadows of the stalls. They didn¡¯t look like merchants. She could just see the silhouette of curved tusks and shoulders twice as broad as a mans. Goblins. They had taken as much interest in her as she had of them. She could feel their intense curiosity follow them through the market. It seemed like behind every stool was a shadowy Goblin lurking. ¡°You two certainly attract the wrong kind of attention,¡± Depry muttered out of the side of his mouth. ¡°Kith?¡± Nairo whispered to Ridley, making Depry falter in his step. ¡°More than likely,¡± Ridley muttered back. ¡°Shhh!¡± Depry hissed, looking nervously around. His limp quickened, his bent foot leaving trails in the ash covered ground, as he led them through the textile portion of the market. Gorgeous fabrics or every colour glimmered from heavy sacks. Obviously concerned about the effect of the smog on their colours, there were only scraps and fragments of garments on display but these caught the eye like an oasis of colour in the ash grey desert around them. The stool owners had thrown up awnings across the narrow lane to further protect their wares from the smog. Now they were out of the whirl of ash, Nairo noticed how itchy her eyes felt. ¡°Don¡¯t rub ¡®em,¡± Depry said over his shoulder as Nairo raised two balled fists to her eyes. ¡°Only makes it worse.¡± Nairo sighed and settled for rubbing her face and tousling her hair. She took this opportunity to cast a quick look left and right. She still felt like they were being watched. ¡°How far to the tinker?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Just a little bit further in the metallurgy square,¡± Depry limped away and they followed. Ridley buried himself deeper into his coat collars. Not the first time, Nairo found herself envious of his coat. They were back out from under the awnings and into a noisy flame and spark filled quarter of the market. This was the burly, sweltering, noisy domain of the blacksmiths. They slammed their hammers, smote their steels, and quenched their metal in a raucous cacophony. Metal skeletons lay upturned in the middle of the square as pieces of it were repaired or swapped out. Even from here, Nairo could feel the blistering heat of their furnaces as they belched out flames. The majority of the blacksmiths were muscular Goblins, who themselves were shaped like anvils. Unlike the Goblin shadows in the market, these Goblins couldn¡¯t care less about Ridley and Nairo. They worked with ceaseless focus and power. Sweat beaded down their thick brows as they raised their heavy iron hammers and brought them down with rhythmic fury. They wore heavy leather aprons and thick metal bands around their tusks. Each band signified their level of mastery at their craft. The bands ranged but she noticed but she noticed one particularly thick set Goblin sat on on a metal chair. His scales had started to dim, and his wispy hair was as white as ash, but his tusk gleamed with polished gold bands. He surveyed the workers in front of him with a meticulous eye. Every now and again he would grunt and summon a blacksmith to his chair. A few words would exchange, the younger blacksmith¡¯s head would bow as he listened. He would then trundle back to his forge, one eye on his work the other on his master¡¯s approval. Nairo could have stood there for hours watching the highly sophisticated metal work of the Goblin blacksmiths but Depry was eager to keep moving. They were led into the heart of the market to a large rectangle of metal. ¡°He¡¯s in there,¡± Depry said to them, spitting another mouthful of pink phlegm. ¡°Lead the way,¡± Ridley said but Depry shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t go any further.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because¡­ I don¡¯t want to be seen with you two going into there. It would raise too many questions. I owed Conway but this is as far as that chit gets him.¡± Ridley and Nairo exchanged looks. ¡°Fine,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Thank you so much for your help Mr Depry.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The little Gnome saluted. ¡°And you tell Conway me and him¡¯s even.¡± Ridley walked up to the door, looked over his shoulder at Nairo, then knocked. Chapter 29 ¡°Come in.¡± Conway sighed reluctantly, smoothed out his beard, and then turned the handle of the door. ¡°Ahhh Lieutenant Conway, thank you so much for joining us.¡± Conway stopped in the door and cocked an eyebrow. He knew it wasn¡¯t going to be good news when Captain Mallory summoned him to his office but now he knew for definite it was going to be a long day. Sat in the Captain¡¯s chair was a thick, hulking, grey eyed, lump in a crisp grey suit. Cap¡¯n Mallory was standing awkwardly to one side of his own office, looking displaced and grumpy. ¡°Afternoon sir,¡± Conway said, giving the Cap¡¯n a laconic salute and ignoring the lump behind the desk. ¡°Take a seat Lieutenant,¡± the pitbull behind the desk said, his voice was a deep jowley growl that promised nothing good. He gave Conway a grin that looked more like a snarl and motioned with one of his thick, scarred, hands. Conway looked to the Cap¡¯n, who gave him a small, unhappy, nod. ¡°My name is¡­¡± ¡°I know. Albert Stubbs, Chief hard ass up in the nut factory,¡± Conway said, dropping into the seat opposite the desk and running his tongue across his teeth. ¡°To what do we owe the pleasure?¡± Stubbs gave a dry chuckle, his weighty cheeks spread in a wry smile that never touched his cold eyes. ¡°I prefer my full title, Chief Whip for the Men Of Now.¡± Stubbs had a way of filling up all the space in the room. He was barrel chested with broad shoulders, helped by his stone grey suit, but it was his cold eyes and the way he rested both of his elbows on the desk, leaning towards Conway, that made the room feel claustrophobic. His blunt head and rounded shoulder made him look like a fighting dog staring at a helpless rabbit. ¡°That¡¯s a mouthful,¡± Conway said, his eyes meeting Stubbs¡¯ with not even a flicker of fear although he felt a treacherous bead of sweat trickle down his neck. ¡°Lieutenant Conway, as I am sure you are aware there is an ongoing investigation into the matter of a missing Diamond.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t think street crime was under the purview of the Chief Whip.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about what is and isn¡¯t under my purview,¡± Stubbs growled, his icy thin facade of geniality cracking. Conway looked at the Cap¡¯n who gave a cautionary motion of his hand. ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Conway said. ¡°I understand you have been aiding Sergeant Nairo in her investigations?¡± ¡°She came to me on behalf of the Cap¡¯n for some information.¡± ¡°And what information was that?¡± ¡°Just to do with the criminal element of our city.¡± ¡°Of which you are an expert?¡± Conway shrugged his bony shoulders. ¡°Guess so.¡± ¡°You see much of the criminal element in the basement, do you?¡± ¡°No. Mainly mice and paperwork.¡± Stubbs gave him another unpleasant smirk. He laced his thick fingers and leaned forward. ¡°And that is all your involvement in this case?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°So you wouldn¡¯t happen to know why the Sergeant is subpoenaing files concerning the Elvish victims of said crime?¡± Again Conway shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t say the Sergeant shared case strategy with an old duffer like me. But, for what it¡¯s worth, she¡¯s good police. If she¡¯s looking at the Elves then there¡¯s a good reason why.¡± ¡°I see. And you¡¯ve only spoken to her once?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°So why was she seen going down to the basement earlier today?¡± The accusation cracked like a whip. ¡°What is this?¡± Conway said, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Are you investigating me?¡± ¡°Why? Should we be?¡± ¡°Cap¡¯n what¡¯s going on?¡± The Cap¡¯n looked from Conway to Stubbs like a man drowning. ¡°There¡¯s some¡­ irregularities with the case and the Mayor just wants¡­ clarity,¡± the Cap¡¯n said without much conviction. ¡°Well if you''re asking me dob in a fellow copper, then we might as well end this little chat right here because I¡¯m no grass.¡± ¡°So there is something to ¡®grass¡¯ about?¡± Stubbs growled, a little triumphant smile playing across his lips. Conway ran his tongue over his teeth again and sat back in his chair with the air of a man who was done talking. ¡°I understand, Lieutenant, that you yourself were subject of a similar inquiry,¡± Stubbs said like he was talking about the weather. ¡°And that inquiry found you guilty of gross negligence that led to the death of a civilian?¡± Conway said nothing. ¡°And ever since you have been chained to a desk but Captain Mallory fought to keep your rank and stop you from facing criminal charges.¡± Conway¡¯s nostrils flared. ¡°The Lieutenant was found not guilty¡­¡± the Cap¡¯n began. ¡°Oh come Mallory,¡± Stubbs snapped. ¡°We all know what happened and we all know that this man isn¡¯t sitting in BlackWater because of your intervention. Which, might I add, speaks volumes about your judgement when it comes to your officers.¡± Mallory looked like he had been struck across the face. ¡°Lieutenant, I should not have to remind you that any criminal charges brought against a police officer is an automatic termination of their role and all the benefits that come with it including, but not limited to, your pension.¡± Stubbs'' demeanour hadn¡¯t changed but the threat dangled between them like a knife tipping from a countertop. ¡°You ain¡¯t got the authority to do¡­¡± Conway snarled. ¡°Now Albert, hold on a minute¡­¡± The Cap¡¯n began. ¡°I have the authority of the Mayor himself!¡± Stubbs snarled, slamming his fist so hard on the desk it creaked under his imposing mass. ¡°Believe me, no one will look twice at a bent copper being thrown off the force. So if you plan on retiring off into the sunset with your lovely little pension I suggest you start answering my fucking questions. And Mallory I would remind you who put you in that Captain¡¯s chair and how easy it would be to kick you out of it!¡± Conway clenched his jaw so hard his ear popped. He felt the blood rise to his face. His fingers clenched into fists as he appraised the objects around him for what he could use to smash Stubbs¡¯ head in. ¡°Rod,¡± Cap¡¯n Mallory said softly from the side of the room. ¡°It can¡¯t go any other way. You know that.¡± The silence stretched. Stubbs met Conway¡¯s wide eyes with an almost goading look. As if he knew what Conway was planning and was daring him to try it. They stared at each other, Conway¡¯s heavy breathing filling the space between them. Then the tension snapped. All the air rushed out of Conway¡¯s chest. His fists unclenched and he opened his mouth to let a little groan escape. ¡°Why is the Sergeant putting in subpoenas for the Elves?¡± Stubbs growled. ¡°What is going on with this case? Where is the Diamond?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Conway flexed his neck and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. She came to me, I told her what I know and that¡¯s that. She came down to the basement today to thank me for my help. I think she felt sorry for the sad old git that got demoted to the basement. If that ain¡¯t good enough for you, then take my pension and stick it up your ass.¡± Conway stood up, glared at Stubbs and then the Cap¡¯n before wrenching open the door. Two officers stood outside waiting for him. ¡°Take the Lieutenant somewhere where he can¡¯t be a nuisance,¡± Stubbs ordered the officers. ¡°See that he is comfortable but that he is not able to communicate with anyone.¡± Conway looked at the two officers and then over his shoulder at Mallory. ¡°This is the only way it can go?¡± Conway said to him. Mallory looked away. Conway gave a grunt of laughter and shook his head. ¡°You¡¯d think I¡¯d be used to getting shafted by you by now, Mallory.¡± Conway walked out of the room flanked by the two officers, the door slamming shut behind him. Stubbs sat back in the Captain¡¯s chair with a self satisfied smile on his face. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Call in the next two.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± * ¡°Wot does the Cap¡¯n want us for?¡± Wally hissed at Timmy as they hurried up the stairs to the Captain¡¯s office. ¡°How should I know?¡± Timmy huffed. ¡°I¡¯ve never even spoke to him before! Wot d¡¯you think it¡¯s about?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± ¡°If you say the word commendation again I swear I will brain you, Timmy!¡± ¡°Could be,¡± Timmy muttered. ¡°I bet this is gonna be about that bloody bank robbery case again! I told we should never ¡®ave got involved!¡± Timmy hated to agree but Wally was right. Maybe he shouldn¡¯t have been so ambitious and just kept to himself, life was better¡­ well simpler before he got it into his head that they could impress the brass. Huffing and puffing, they arrived at the Captain¡¯s door. ¡°You knock,¡± Wally said. ¡°You knock.¡± ¡°Why do I ¡®ave to knock?¡± ¡°Why do I have to?¡± ¡°Coz this is all your fault!¡± ¡°Come in!¡± They froze. After a breathless moment, Timmy turned the door handle and they both tried to walk in at the same time. After a quick tussle they were over the landing and wished they hadn¡¯t been in such a rush. A man sat behind the Cap¡¯n¡¯s desk glowering at them with eyes that reminded Timmy of The Landlord¡¯s. ¡°Sir?¡± Timmy squeaked, throwing out a hasty salute. ¡°Corporal Edgewater and¡­ Washbottom?¡± Stubbs read from a sheet on the desk in front of him. ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Which one are you?¡± ¡°Oh ummm¡­ I¡¯m Corporal Edgewater and that¡¯s Washbottom, sir.¡± Wally blanched and gave a little half curtsy as he tried to shrink behind Wally. ¡°Good,¡± Stubbs breathed the word like dragon fire. ¡°Take a seat.¡± In their haste to obey, they both tried to sit in the same chair. ¡°Sit there!¡± Timmy snapped at Wally, pushing him off of his lap. Wally stood around for a second, threw a half hearted salute and then sat on the very edge of the vacant seat like he was ready to sprint out of the door any second. ¡°Relax lads,¡± Stubbs said with a smile on his face. Although, when Stubbs smiled it felt more like he was just showing off his teeth than a display of warmth. ¡°My name is Albert Stubbs. I work for the Mayor.¡± Both heads nodded fervently. ¡°You¡¯re not in any trouble, we just need some routine information about a case I understand you¡¯ve been working on. Am I right in saying you were seconded by Sergeant Nairo to assist in her investigations?¡± Timmy nodded but this time Wally held back. His dark eyes flicked over to the Cap¡¯n who was grinding his teeth in the corner of the room, his face a livid beetroot red. Wally may have been as thick as two short planks as far as the world was concerned, but he definitely smelt something wrong here. ¡°Did you have any prior relationship with Sergeant Nairo?¡± ¡°No sir,¡± Timmy said quickly. ¡°Do you know why the Sergeant would second you then?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ no not really sir. I think she just needed some officers to assist her.¡± ¡°And did the Sergeant explain to you what the case was you were helping her out with?¡± ¡°Just that it was a bank robbery, sir.¡± ¡°Can you please explain what Sergeant Nairo had you doing?¡± ¡°Well we¡­¡± Timmy began. ¡°Sorry sir, ¡®ave we done sumfin wrong?¡± Wally interrupted. ¡°Wrong? Why do you say that?¡± Stubbs asked congenially. ¡°It¡¯s just it feels like we been summoned the headmaster¡¯s office, no offence meant.¡± Stubbs gave a low chuckle and shook his head. ¡°No, no, nothing like that.¡± ¡°So, again not to be rude sir, but why are you here?¡± ¡°Wally!¡± Timmy hissed, giving Stubbs a nervous smile. ¡°Whatever reason sir has for being here is his reason and we should just answer his questions.¡± ¡°I would listen to your friend¡¯s advice,¡± Stubbs said, his voice dropping back into a growl. ¡°Afterall, Corporal Washbottom, you are here as a part of your plea deal with the prosecutor¡¯s office, aren¡¯t you?¡± Washbottom felt the tip of his ears redden. ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°Then I would hate for you to lose your position and therefore your freedom out of some misplaced sense of loyalty.¡± Wally looked from the glowering Stubbs to Timmy¡¯s drawn and worried expression. He nodded his head demurely and looked down at his lap. ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°Good. We wouldn¡¯t want to leave Nanny Washbottom on these tough streets all alone, would we?¡± Wally looked up sharply at the mention of his dear old Nan. Stubbs smirked at him. The same way every one with power always looked at Wally: like he was just some mutt to be kicked about. Wally lowered his head again to hide his burning cheeks. ¡°Now as I was saying Corporal Edgewater, what did Sergeant Nairo have you doing?¡± ¡°Oh well,¡± Timmy looked at Wally then back to Stubbs. ¡°Well sir, she sent us to go check on a suspect¡¯s residence, sir.¡± ¡°Suspect?¡± ¡°The HobGoblin, sir.¡± ¡°The dead one?¡± Stubbs asked, looking at Mallory. ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°She sent you two to the RatHoles?¡± Cap¡¯n Mallory asked. ¡°Oh gosh no, sir. I wouldn¡¯t dream of going there, sir.¡± ¡°Then what dead Goblin are you talking about?¡± ¡°Well it turned out he wasn¡¯t dead, sir.¡± Wally coughed gently and gave Timmy a dark look. ¡°What are you talking about, Corporal?¡± Mallory demanded. ¡°Ohh umm¡­ well we thought the Goblin was dead sir, on account of all the blood, but it turned out it was a ruse.¡± ¡°This is the Goblin found in the RatHoles?¡± Stubbs asked Mallory. ¡°Oh no, Benny¡¯s definitely dead,¡± Mallory said, shaking his head. ¡°Who¡¯s Benny?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°The dead Goblin!¡± ¡°Oh no, he¡¯s not dead, sir.¡± ¡°Who? Benny?¡± ¡°No sir.¡± ¡°Then who are you talking about? Corporal!¡± Mallory¡¯s face turned even redder, the hairs of his beard standing up. ¡°De Woolf, sir.¡± ¡°Zimeon De Woolf? The bank manager?¡± Mallory said, puzzlement overcoming his mounting fury. ¡°Yes sir.¡± Again Wally made a noise in his throat. ¡°If you¡¯ve got something in your throat then go and drink some water!¡± Stubbs snapped at him. ¡°Corporal Edgewater, why was Sergeant Nairo investigating Zimeon De Woolf the bank manager?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know sir,¡± Timmy said, sweat beading down his forehead. ¡°I was just following orders, sir.¡± ¡°And what were your orders?¡± ¡°To go to Mr De Woolf¡¯s home and see if he was there.¡± ¡°And if he was?¡± ¡°Bring him in for questioning.¡± ¡°But he wasn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°No sir. His home was covered in-in¡­ blood.¡± ¡°When was this?¡± Mallory asked. ¡°Two days ago sir.¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± Mallory thought for a moment. ¡°Are you the two idiots that sent off all of those emergency codes?¡± Timmy went red. ¡°Yes sir,¡± he replied quietly. Mallory shook his head and wiped a hand over his face. ¡°But De Woolf isn¡¯t dead?¡± Stubbs asked, his brow furrowed in irritation. ¡°No sir. He faked his death.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know sir.¡± Stubbs sat back and looked at the Cap¡¯n. ¡°Do you know anything about this?¡± The Cap¡¯n looked at the two Corporals and grinded his teeth. ¡°No,¡± he spat reluctantly. Stubbs rolled his menacing gaze back over to Edgewater. ¡°And what about yesterday?¡± ¡°Yesterday?¡± Timmy said, licking the sweat from his top lip. ¡°You were seconded again by Sergeant Nairo, were you not?¡± ¡°Oh yes¡­ ummm¡­ we were on a¡­ stakeout.¡± ¡°A stakeout?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Out West on Furnancers lane.¡± ¡°And was anyone there with you?¡± Just as Timmy¡¯s mouth was forming the word ¡®Lieutenant¡¯ Wally interjected. ¡°No sir. We were given orders to stand there and watch for De Woolf. ¡®E never showed.¡± ¡°Is that true, Corporal Edgewater?¡± Timmy looked from Stubbs to Wally again. ¡°Yes sir,¡± Timmy squeaked, sweat pouring down his body, making him squirm in discomfort. ¡°And you have no idea why the Sergeant is looking for De Woolf?¡± ¡°No sir. She just said he was a suspect.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t know what he is suspected of?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ the bank robbery?¡± Timmy said, licking sweat from his top lip. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Stubbs¡¯ cold eyes flicked to Mallory again and then back to Timmy. ¡°And did the Sergeant ever mention Elves?¡± ¡°Elves?¡± Timmy¡¯s eyes went wide and then he shook his head. ¡°No sir, I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you for your cooperation, Corporal Edgewater. I¡¯ll make sure the Mayor himself hears about how helpful you have been.¡± ¡°Thank you sir,¡± Timmy gushed as they stood up. ¡°Get back to your posts and don¡¯t say a word of this to anyone,¡± the Cap¡¯n grunted at them as he pulled open the door to usher them out. ¡°Yes sir.¡± They saluted and scurried from the office. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you sold out the Sarge like that!¡± Wally hissed at Timmy once they were a respectable distance away from the office. ¡°What? No I didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°You totally sold her out!¡± ¡°I just told the truth.¡± ¡°Exactly! Who tells the bosses the truth?¡± ¡°You have to! You can¡¯t lie¡­¡± ¡°Yes you can, it¡¯s easy!¡± ¡°I just made a report¡­¡± ¡°She swore us to secrecy, remember! That includes makin¡¯ reports!¡± ¡°What do you care anyway? You don¡¯t even like Sergeant Nairo.¡± ¡°Corse I don¡¯t. But that doesn¡¯t mean I would grass on ¡®er.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t grass!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve definitely stitched ¡®er up, mate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m police officer! It¡¯s my duty to¡­¡± ¡°Just coz you¡¯re a copper, don¡¯t mean you ¡®ave to be a grass.¡± Timmy dropped his head and they walked the final flight of stairs in silence. ¡°You don¡¯t think she¡¯s really in trouble, do you?¡± Wally snorted and shook his head in disbelief. * ¡°Another dead Goblin? Putting in subpoenas for the Elves. Colluding with bent coppers. Dragging rookies into her deceit. Lying to her superiors. Tsk tsk tsk.¡± Stubbs hauled his tremendous bulk from the chair and prowled around the desk. ¡°If that was one of my subordinates they¡¯d be missing an ear or the tip of their nose by now.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t like Sergeant Nairo,¡± the Cap¡¯n said. ¡°She¡¯s good police and she does things by the book.¡± ¡°What kind of precinct are you running here, Mallory? She¡¯s gone off the damn reservation and she¡¯s made you look like a bloody fool in the process. No, no more of this! The Mayor is in a very delicate position right now and we cannot afford to upset the Elves right now. If they withdraw their support from Pleasently now¡­ well it would be bloody bedlam.¡± Cap¡¯n Mallory eyed Stubbs coldly. ¡°So what now?¡± ¡°Other than considering if you are right for the role of Captain?¡± Stubbs snarled nastily. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to call in Sergeant Nairo and clip her wings.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Chapter 30 ¡°It¡¯s open!¡± came the call from within. This time Ridley didn¡¯t hesitate, he threw open the door and strode in. Nairo waited a moment to see if he came flying back out. Once she deemed it was safe she followed him in. A HobGoblin sat behind the counter, scribbling away on a thick notebook in front of him. Next to him lounged a hulking Goblin with his bare feet up on the desk. The HobGoblin looked up at their arrival while the Goblin fanned himself lazily with a sheet of paper and took no notice of them. ¡°Good afternoon and welcome to the All Mends workshop, how may I help you?¡± The HobGoblin said in a polite but bored voice. ¡°Err¡­ are you BilBil?¡± Ridley asked. The Goblin looked up at the mention of the name. ¡°No, I am Feezy, BilBil is our tinker,¡± the HobGoblin answered. ¡°Wot you want with BilBil?¡± the Goblin growled at them, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He had a thick gut and tusks so long and curved they scraped against his cheekbones. ¡°And you are?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Zarlut,¡± the Goblin spat the name like a curse word. ¡°I¡¯m Ridley and this is Sally, we work for a particular man who is after a particular item,¡± Ridley said, rattling off another one of his convoluted yet seamless lies. ¡°This man is very wealthy, and I mean very wealthy, who¡¯s in a position to procure a particular item but needs some expert advise.¡± ¡°Wot item?¡± ¡°Afraid that¡¯s on a need to know basis and you don¡¯t need to know. But, my employer will make it worth your while.¡± ¡°And how do you know what my while is worth?¡± Ridley sighed as if this was all such an inconvenience. ¡°My employer is Clarence Winterforth the third. As in nephew twice removed from an Owner.¡± That caused a stir between the two Goblins. ¡°You ever heard of the Dartanion Bridge in the Deep Forest?¡± Ridley asked. Zarlut looked at Feezy who gave a small nod. ¡°Yerr,¡± Zarlut said. ¡°He¡¯s the one who supplied all the steel that built it. Mr Winterforth is a very generous man but also very impatient. We need to speak to your man BilBil and we¡¯ve already been delayed enough.¡± Ridley then fished around in his cavernous pockets and withdrew a crumpled rectangular writing pad. ¡°Pen,¡± he said, snapping his fingers at Feezy. The HobGoblin handed over his pen and then both Goblins watched with curiosity as Ridley scratched away on the pad. When he was satisfied, he stood up and tore the paper from the pad and held it out to Zarlut. ¡°Wots that?¡± ¡°A bankers draft for 100 grams of gold. For your troubles.¡± Zarlut¡¯s beady little eyes lit up with greed. He snatched the note from Ridley¡¯s fingers and carefully studied it before thrusting it at Feezy who read it intently. ¡°How do we know this is legitimate?¡± Feezy asked Ridley. ¡°This is a waste of time,¡± Nairo said, stepping forward and holding out her hand for the note. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s another tinker in this market we can speak to.¡± ¡°Cordry? He¡¯s a fool, you¡¯d be wasting yer time!¡± Zarlut said. ¡°Like you¡¯re wasting our time right now?¡± Zarlut looked from Nairo, to the note, to Feezy, and then back to Nairo. He eyed them for an uncomfortable length of time before making an abrupt clicking noise in his cavernous throat. Suddenly, a dark sanguine form wriggled from under a mass of oily blankets in the corner. A little weasel like creature, jet black and oily as everything else, shot past Nairo¡¯s feet and up Zarlut¡¯s body till it was perched on his shoulder. Zarlut whispered something to the creature and then it disappeared, scurrying through a small crack in the wall. ¡°Hope that wasn¡¯t just the lunch order,¡± Ridley muttered as he lit a smoke. Zarlut said nothing. ¡°Uhh, Mr Zarlut I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to need you to pick that right hand back up for me please,¡± Nairo said, her words polite but her tone was steely. Zarlut paused and looked at Nairo curiously. His eyes met gaze. He didn¡¯t move. Nairo¡¯s dark piercing eyes never flinched. A broad, but empty, smile broke out across Zarlut¡¯s chubby face as he slowly raised his empty right hand and placed it back next to his left hand on the countertop. Ridley smirked and they all remained in acidic silence. Finally, the little creature scrabbled back through the crack squeaking excitedly. Zarlut bent his ear to listen and then satisfied, he fed the creature a little desiccated nut. It grabbed its reward with its sharp little teeth and vanished back to its hovel of rags. Zarlut looked up and gave them a nasty grin. He lifted the countertop flap and beckoned them to follow. Ridley looked at Nairo who gestured with her hand for him to go first. Ridley cautiously followed Zarlut through a door behind the counter which led to a hallway that sloped down to another door. Zarlut pushed open the door and strode through into a dimly lit room. Nairo followed behind Ridley and felt like she had stepped into a different world. The room was dimly lit with pockets of ephemeral light flowing sporadically around the room, a gentle hum filled her ears and there was a strong smell of honey tinged with something caustic. At the centre of the room, sitting behind a circular desk littered with every manner of shrapnel and tool she could imagine, was a heavily armoured figure, wearing a helmet complete with thick visor and a heavy lead lined apron. ¡°BilBil!¡± Zarlut barked, making the figure jump. ¡°Oh dear¡­ what? Who¡¯s there?¡± Came the echoey response as the figure looked around in bewilderment. ¡°It¡¯s me, Zarlut!¡± The big Goblin rapped his knuckles on the heavy helmet before yanking it off none too gently. ¡°You got people here wanting to see you. This BilBil the mad tinker,¡± Zarlut said to them like a shop owner proudly displaying his wares. BilBil blinked at them, his sweaty face tinted pink with heat. He was surprisingly young, or at least boyish looking, with plump cheeks and a shock of bristly orange hair under his nose. He had bright green eyes and a perfectly smooth egg shaped head. ¡°Oh¡­ hello,¡± BilBil said awkwardly, looking back down at his work as if he hoped they would all disappear when he looked back up. ¡°They want to talk to you,¡± Zarlut growled at him. ¡°Turn the damned lights on.¡± BilBil sighed and put down his tools again. He touched a finger to something on his desk and glowstones began to gently hum into life all around the workshop. ¡°Theys got questions and you gonna answer them,¡± Zarlut said to BilBil, poking a thick digit at him. ¡°Oh, okay. Will it take long? I¡¯m at a delicate point¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll try not to take up too much of your time Mr BilBil,¡± Nairo said, her notepad already in hand and a disarming smile on her face. ¡°Oh okay. Yes sure. Umm¡­ yes that would be okay.¡± He muttered more to himself than to Nairo and then began fussing with his tools again, laying them down in a specific way. ¡°Okay, you ask,¡± Zarlut said to them. ¡°Not the way it works, big man.¡± Ridley crossed his arms and then nodded his head towards the door. ¡°We want to talk to the tinker alone.¡± Zarlut chewed on this for a moment, frowned deeply, then shrugged. ¡°No problem, boss.¡± Zarlut turned and shambled back through the door, pulling it shut behind him. Ridley listened carefully, waiting until he heard the second door slam shut. ¡°BilBil is it?¡± Ridley asked the tinker. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Got anything to drink?¡± Nairo sighed and rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh umm¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ perhaps¡­¡± BilBil wandered away to the back of the workshop, muttering to himself. ¡°This guy seems a bit¡­¡± Ridley whispered as he circled the side of his head with his finger. Nairo nodded and looked around the workshop. Every countertop and corner was crammed with a menagerie of unfamiliar tools and machinery that were a mix between heavy duty factory grade machines and delicate little tools more at home surrounded by velvet in a clockmaker¡¯s workshop. BilBil came shuffled back into the light holding a dust green bottle. He moved gingerly, his body the shape of a creature that spent too many hours hunched over a worktop. He looked up for a fleeting second at Ridley and then looked away before holding up the bottle to him. ¡°Err¡­ thanks,¡± Ridley said, taking the bottle from him and blowing the dust from it. ¡°Got a bottle opener?¡± BilBil shook his head. Ridley shrugged and popped the bottle open on the corner of the worktop making BilBil shudder. ¡°Please be careful,¡± BilBil said. He pulled a pair of round spectacles out of his breast pocket. After a surreptitious wipe, he put them on and blinked heavily a few times and then stared at his work top, wringing his hands in uncomfortable silence. ¡°Umm¡­ Mr BilBil, my name is Sally and this is Ridley, we¡¯ve come to gather some information for a project we¡¯re working on,¡± Nairo began. BilBil nodded, his eyes fixed firmly on his tools. ¡°We heard you¡¯re an expert on the field of magical items?¡± Nairo tried again. This time BilBil gave a nervous little laugh but said nothing. Nairo looked at Ridley who shrugged. ¡°What you working on here?¡± Ridley asked him, pointing to the stone set up in vice on his worktop. ¡°This?¡± BilBil squeaked. ¡°Oh umm¡­ it¡¯s a faulty lightshard.¡± He tapped the stone and they saw it blink into life before flickering a few times and dying again. ¡°Shoddy workmanship really, all the etchings have already worn smooth.¡± ¡°Riiighhtttt¡­¡± Ridley said, nodding with the air of a man who had no idea what was being said but was determined that wouldn¡¯t stop him. ¡°Well we¡¯ve actually come about a stone, a bit bigger than this one though. We need to know about Diamonds.¡± A little glimmer of interest flickered in BilBil¡¯s eyes. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± he asked. Ridley opened his mouth then paused and looked at Nairo. ¡°Ermm¡­ yeah what do I want to know?¡± ¡°You don''t know?¡± Nairo asked him. ¡°Well obviously I do¡­ but you wrote it down didn''t you?¡± Nairo gave him a wry smile and flicked open her pad. ¡°Mr BilBil.¡± ¡°Just BilBil,¡± he shuffled awkwardly, still staring at the defective glowstone. ¡°BilBil we need to know about Active Diamonds, specifically ones that could be used to harm a creature or even kill them.¡± BilBil¡¯s eyes widened and he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss, you¡¯ve come to the wrong creature¡­ I don''t know how to¡­¡± he stammered nervously. ¡°Relax BilBil, we ain''t asking you to make one. Just give use the beginner¡¯s guide on these rocks.¡± ¡°Well¡­ umm¡­ that¡¯s a very¡­ big topic.¡± BilBil wrung his hands again and shuffled from one foot to the other. ¡°Any information you could give us would be a massive help,¡± Nairo said to him with a reassuring smile. ¡°Perhaps if I knew some specifics I could help. I really don¡¯t know very much about that sort of...¡± ¡°How do these stupid little rocks glow?¡± Ridley interjected. He picked up one of the gently glowing shards and twirled it between his fingers. ¡° Oh yes, they are wonderful aren¡¯t they?¡± BilBil¡¯s face lit up with a broad smile as he gazed at the stone. His shoulders relaxed as he stared into the warm light of the stone. ¡°They¡¯re fascinating. And I am always amazed how they have become a permanent fixture of our lives yet so few actually understand them. Take this for example,¡± he fished a stone from under his workstation and laid it on the desktop. It was some sort of ruby, judging by its colour, it was rough cut and cracked in several places. ¡°Heating stone?¡± Ridley asked and BilBil nodded excitedly. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Exactly. The magic is so finely tuned and instantly responsive! If you just hold it in your hands for a few seconds it heats up. Put it in a pot and you¡¯ll have boiling water in three minutes. A feat unimaginable for a Human a few hundred years ago and now¡­ so simple a child could do it.¡± ¡°Looks knackered,¡± Ridley said, poking the stone with a finger. ¡°Yes, these lower quality stones struggle with consistent use and often crack. Most people simply throw it away and buy another.¡± ¡°And they put another gold coin in the Elves'' pocket,¡± Ridley said. BilBil looked up for a second at Ridley and gave a furtive nod. ¡°But all you really have to do is reconnect the pathway and reestablish the pattern of Runes.¡± ¡°Pathway?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Runes?¡± Nairo added. BilBil looked between them both and rubbed his shiny head. ¡°I see,¡± was all he said. ¡°Well, there¡¯s only so much I can tell you, true understanding of magick and the powers of nature and time, these are well beyond most creatures and especially Humans.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know BilBil, you seem to know an awful lot for a Human,¡± Nairo said with an encouraging smile. ¡°Well yes¡­ I do know a few things,¡± BilBil said, the colour rising in his already ruddy cheeks. ¡°So what are these runes?¡± Nairo pushed. ¡°Well you see, a famous Elder Elf thousands of years ago figured out how to capture magick into spells and incantations. Previously, Elves had relied on a form of prayer to the natural elements of Nature, with sporadic results. Once Runes were established, the Elves were able to conjure magick at will and the possibilities became endless. This would be around the same time as the first Goblin Wars,¡± he rattled off dryly. ¡°Fascinating,¡± Ridley yawned. ¡°Quiet, I¡¯m taking notes. Please go on BilBil.¡± ¡°Well¡­ after¡­¡± BilBil stopped and thought deeply. ¡°Many centuries, Elves perfected the art of Runes. They captured all the millions of possibilities of magic into physical scripts.¡± ¡°Like a language?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°No!¡± BilBil snorted and gave a goofy little laugh. ¡°Well¡­ in the most rudimentary sense yes, but think of it more like a science. It was like chemistry in which you could combine various Runes, like chemicals, to create a surprising effect. The possibilities were endless. But this made the Elves complacent. They realised they could capture chains of Runes in Diamonds and similar precious stones so that they could essentially replicate magick without the effort of actually learning how to do the requisite magick. As the generations passed, Elves stopped learning how to create magick, instead they followed the Runes of their predecessors. Today, they by and large don''t even understand the magick. They simply know how to replicate the Runes. Now the majesty of magick has been reduced down to slapping some shoddy etchings on a stone, package and market it, and sell sell sell,¡± BilBil¡¯s voice took on a bitter edge here. ¡°Why Diamonds?¡± Nairo asked, tearing BilBil away from the dark path his mind had wandered down. BilBil owlishly as if he was trying to process the question. ¡°Not just Diamonds. Most precious stones have the capacity to contain magick, it¡¯s just that Diamonds are the best due to their refractive nature, the chain of Runes simply bounces around in there endlessly. All you have to do is have a Chain that dictates how it operates and you¡¯ve essentially got pocket magick that anyone can walk around with and use.¡± ¡°What do these Runes look like?¡± Ridley asked, lighting a smoke. ¡°Aah¡­ well technically it would be illegal for anyone unlicenced to possess any literature or copies of the Codex,¡± BilBil intoned mechanically. ¡°Of course,¡± Ridley agreed. ¡°So you got one?¡± ¡°I wish!¡± BilBil exclaimed, letting out another honking laugh. ¡°There are only a handful of copies of complete Codex in existence!¡± BilBil stopped and then looked at them both. ¡°I do have¡­ something,¡± he whispered conspiratorially. ¡°Can we see it?¡± Nairo asked. BilBil¡¯s eyes flicked around the workshop. He seemed torn between the need for secrecy and the desire to show off. After a brief internal battle, he nodded and shuffled over to a locked draw at his desk. He pulled a key on a chain from under his heavy robes and opened the drawer before carefully withdrawing a hefty leather bound volume. Delicately, he unwrapped it and placed it down on the desk, pulling his desk light closer so they could see. It was heavy and black with gold lettering that had been damaged. The pages were fire curled and smoke blackened in places. ¡°This is a partially complete Codex,¡± he whispered reverentially, running a gentle finger across the cover. ¡°Apparently Goblin raiders killed an Elvish party and took it with everything else. Initially they tried to burn it, but this section remained intact.¡± Delicately, he opened the fire damaged book. Inside were pages of dense Elvish script punctuated with symbols that stood out as particularly angular with heavy lines in comparison to the fluid cursive font of the Elvish language. ¡°It¡¯s amazing,¡± Nairo breathed. ¡°What is it?,¡± Ridley asked bluntly. ¡°This is the key to magick!¡± BilBil hissed at him, a light shining deep in his eyes. ¡°So you could make magick following this... manual?¡± ¡°Oh goodness no. Never,¡± BilBil sat up and snapped the hefty tome shut. ¡°Us Humans have no magick in our blood. Gnomes are the next most magical creatures, Fairies, Pixies, even Goblins have more magick than Humans. Even with all the correct incantations and Runes we would never be able to conjure so much as a puff of smoke,¡± BilBil said forlornly. ¡°But, what I can do is trace the pattern of these Runes to be able to fix damaged magical items,¡± he gestured to the sporadically glowing rocks on his work table. ¡°How?¡± Nairo asked, genuinely curious by now. ¡°Well you see, Runes can be etched across the surface of a stone, that¡¯s how they specify the function of it.¡± ¡°But not how they put magick in it in the first place?¡± Nairo asked, her eyebrows drawn in concentration as she absorbed everything BilBil said. ¡°Correct.¡± BilBil smiled warmly at her for the first time. ¡°They would have already been imbued with magical energy, the Runes simply bind those infinite possibilities to a small handful or even single function. The rocks get hot. They light up. We can heal flesh wounds. It is all the same source magick but only a single expression of that magick.¡± ¡°Fascinating,¡± Nairo breathed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it!¡± BilBil said eagerly. ¡°Mmm,¡± Ridley agreed. He had busied himself in a corner of the workshop, poking a pointy machine with intense interest. ¡°And you can do that?¡± Nairo said. BilBil blushed awkwardly and cleared his throat twice. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m somewhat adept.¡± ¡°How is it done?¡± Nairo asked eagerly. ¡°Can you show me?¡± ¡°Oh yes¡­ umm¡­ of course.¡± BilBil smiled like a moustached puppy at Nairo. ¡°Back to the interesting stuff,¡± Ridley said as he sauntered back over to the bench. ¡°Go on BB, show us what you got.¡± BilBil snapped out his reverie and busied himself around the bench collecting his various tools. He cleared the workspace under the enormous microscope with a thorough flick off his hand, and laid down a velvet pad. Handling one of the stones with a native deftness, he placed it delicately on the velvet. He drew down the microscope and held his finger over the rim of the glass till it suddenly exploded in bright white light. ¡°Woah!¡± Ridley exclaimed, blinking owlishly. ¡°My own invention. Dozens of light shards all activated by one mother stone¡­¡± ¡°Yeah it''s lovely, bit of warning next time,¡± Ridley said, rubbing his eyes. Nairo bumped Ridley out of the way as she bent closer to the stone. ¡°I can¡¯t see any Runes,¡± she said, peering at the stone. ¡°Ahh no not yet,¡± BilBil replied, reaching under his desk and producing a bucket. ¡°First, we need sodium chloride.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Salt,¡± Nairo hissed at him. ¡°You¡¯re not planning on eating it, are you?¡± Ridley asked, only to be elbowed in the ribs by Nairo. ¡°No, we need to give the stone a saltbath.¡± Bilbil picked the stone up and dropped it in the bucket and rubbed the salt against the stone. ¡°That¡¯s just salt?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yes, regular table salt,¡± BilBil answered, dusting a few remaining grains of salt from the surface of the stone. Ridley dipped his finger in the bucket and then rubbed it across his gums. ¡°That¡¯s salt alright,¡± he said grimacing and spitting. ¡°I hope you don''t ever have to investigate a sewage works,¡± Nairo said drily. BilBil sat the stone back down on the velvet. ¡°You see¡­ right there, beginning to come up like a scar.¡± In front of them chains of symbols began to appear across the surface of the diamond. They ran in around the circumference of the stone, tiny and delicate, forming a neat little ring. ¡°This is better work than you usually see, but it¡¯s still subpar,¡± BilBil explained. With a pair of thick tweezers he rotated the stone in circles and under the magnifying glass so they could see that the ring of runes was jagged and incomplete in parts. ¡°Do you see how the spaces between runes isn¡¯t uniform and the sizes of the runes change?¡± BilBil pointed with a thin, sharp, tool at the runes. ¡°That¡¯s a sign of mass production. Nine times out of ten these stones fail because of rushed work like this. They¡¯re pumping out thousands a day and it¡¯s shocking how many of these stones aren¡¯t fit for sale. ¡± ¡°How do they make so many?¡± ¡°Slaves,¡± Ridley answered. BilBil nodded in agreement and elaborated. ¡°You only need a touch of magick at this stage in production, so rumour is, they¡¯ve got factories full of thousands of Cut Pixies working round the clock day and night etching these cheap stones for wholesale to the cities.¡± ¡°Cut Pixies?¡± ¡°Pixies that have had their connection to their kind severed,¡± Bilbil explained. ¡°Oh how awful, isn¡¯t that their only way of communicating?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Naa they¡¯re like ants, the connection¡¯s how they receive their orders,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Not quite,¡± Bilbil corrected. ¡°Pixie¡¯s have always been the most vulnerable of all the creatures, even more so than Humans, you see they¡¯re all connected to one single life and experience. They see, feel and hear everything from just one Pixie. No matter how far they go they¡¯re always connected to their home, a clearing with one great tree over a thousand foot high, where the Pixie spends all day feeding, laughing and playing. It¡¯s why they make such good labour, in their minds they¡¯re still frolicking free in the grassland of their homes.¡± ¡°And the Elves took advantage,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Almost, it''s a quid pro quo,¡± Bilbil answered. ¡°As you could imagine, Pixie¡¯s make pretty easy prey and they would get massacred by the great monsters of the forests in their thousands during hunting seasons. The Ancient Elves offered the Pixies protection and a guarantee that their orchards would forever remain unblemished and in return the Pixie would attend to the needs of the Elves. It¡¯s a deal as old as records themselves.¡± ¡°Why do they cut them from that connection?¡± Nairo said horrified. ¡°Hard to keep something like a Diamond factory top secret with a creature that could potentially beam all they know to countless other Pixies. Cut the connection and minimise exposure.¡± Ridley answered. ¡°That¡¯s so cruel.¡± ¡°Believe me, you don''t know what these Elves would do to keep costs down and profits sky high. They have us all hooked on these stones and now we can''t imagine our lives without them.¡± The blood rose in BilBil¡¯s cheeks and there was suddenly fire in his eyes. ¡°Who controls the production? The distribution? The mining of precious stones?" ¡°Elves,¡± Ridley spat as if he preferred the taste of salt from earlier. ¡°The worst thing is most of what they do now is outsourced,¡± BilBil continued his expression hardening with every new crime. ¡°Pixies and Fayries do all of their grunt work. They¡¯re the ones who maintain and produce pretty much everything. The Elves just sit around and get fat and keep us all buying. Then some little independent, such as myself, happens to crack their little code and help a few people out by repairing their own property instead of them having to buy new. So, you harass him, lock him up and stop him anyway you can! Is that fair?¡± Even though he was not talking directly to her, Nairo felt a flush rise in her face, her badge suddenly feeling heavy in her pocket. ¡°No¡­ that isn''t fair BilBil,¡± she said sadly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, brother, you answer our questions today and I promise you at least some pointy eared bastard somewhere is gonna suffer because of it,¡± Ridley said, patting him on the shoulder. BilBil nodded and mopped his brow. ¡°You were showing us how you would repair the stone?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Ahh yes, right¡­¡± BilBil cleared his throat and picked his tools back up. ¡°¡®Fraid time is short and I¡¯m getting bored,¡± Ridley said, waving them off. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the nitty gritty BB.¡± Ridley swung himself down on the stool and hunched over the workstation. ¡°I need to know about big stones, a Diamond that could blow a Goblin¡¯s head almost clean off.¡± ¡°Oh my!¡± BilBil¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°I don¡¯t meddle with¡­¡± ¡°I know, you only fix broken HotRocks and Glowstones, but if Elves are making things like this then I know, you would know.¡± BilBil hesitated for a moment and then gave a small shrug. ¡°I will tell you as much as I know, but please remember, not everything I know is fact.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah¡­ better than half of my information sources at least,¡± Ridley said. ¡°So things like this exist?¡± ¡°Yes, but the number of them is dwindling. Elves don''t make powerful objects like that anymore, any still in existence are relics from past generations.¡± ¡°And does that sound like something one of these Diamonds could do?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°You know, take off a Goblin¡¯s head?¡± ¡°Oh yes¡­ if it was designed to do so I suppose,¡± BilBil pondered. ¡°And what about blowing up the whole city?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Well¡­ yes¡­ if it was designed to. These ancient artefacts are unbelievably powerful but they are limited by their own designs. Maybe it would help if you could tell me how big this Diamond you''re looking for is?¡± ¡°Woah, who said we was looking for a Diamond?¡± Ridley asked, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Oh, I just assumed because¡­¡± ¡°You know what happens when you assume?¡± Ridley said airily. BilBil nodded apologetically. ¡°But let¡¯s say, hypothetically, a Diamond the size of a fist.¡± BilBil¡¯s eyes widened and his bristly moustache twitched. ¡°Diamonds like that don¡¯t exist, at least not in the commercial market.¡± ¡°Well where do they exist?¡± ¡°In Elvish vaults surrounded by guards, I¡¯d imagine. Diamonds that size can hold unimaginable power. In fact, hold on one moment.¡± He hopped off his stool and wandered over to a rusted filing cabinet in the corner of the room. ¡°Here we go,¡± BilBil laid out a large glossy paged book down in front of them. ¡°This is the Arctus Bridge, one of a kind, a marvel of ancient magick.¡± He was pointing to a large double page drawing of a bridge that seemed to shimmer in the evening sun. Except, it wasn¡¯t shimmering in the light¡­ ¡°What is it made of?¡± Nairo asked, inspecting the image closely. ¡°Pure magickal force. That entire bridge, for centuries, has carried passengers into the Elvish heartland and it is made of nothing corporeal.¡± ¡°I¡¯d heard about it, but I¡¯ve never seen an image so clear of it.¡± Ridley, who was forever unimpressed by all things magick, interrupted their reverie. ¡°Diamond did that?¡± he asked. ¡°A pair on either side. The charm has never failed. That is the type of power Diamonds that size contain.¡± ¡°I thought Diamonds that size are incredibly temperamental?¡± Nairo said. ¡°No, not these ones. They¡¯re safely Chained with a specific Rune function. However, a Diamond of that size that could kill a man? That is very dangerous indeed.¡± BilBil said, nodding gravely. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a reason why Diamonds are rarely used in battle. The only Diamonds that could emit enough energy in a concentrated blast to kill or destroy has to be Unchained¡­¡± ¡°Unchained?¡± ¡°The Chain has been broken, obviously,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Not quite,¡± BilBil corrected. ¡°It has deliberately been left unformed, that way it can contain the magickal energy but still be able to release it. But these Diamonds, they need constant maintenance and upkeep. Temperature, light exposure, humidity, even a sharp jolt and they could go off!¡± ¡°What happens if one isn''t being maintained properly?¡± Ridley asked. BilBil didn''t respond. Instead, he started to leaf through the book. ¡°This,¡± he pointed a finger at a drawing of a crater of dirt. ¡°There used to be a city there.¡± Ridley raised an eyebrow and looked at Nairo, who¡¯s face had darkened. ¡°Anyone who would dabble in this kind of Diamond trade is someone to be avoided,¡± BilBil warned. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think you¡¯re right,¡± Ridley said, looking at Nairo with concern in his eyes. ¡°Well, cheers for the drink BB,¡± Ridley drained his beer, belched, stood up and offered BilBil his hand. ¡°Oh yes¡­ you¡¯re welcome.¡± BilBil sheepishly shook his hand. ¡°Thank you for coming. This has been¡­ nice.¡± He gave them a small smile and then returned to his stone, forgetting them instantly. Nairo followed Ridley out of the room in pensieve silence. Zarlut was still sitting where they had left him earlier. He looked up as they entered and he flashed them a broad thick lipped smile. ¡°All good now Mister and Miss?¡± he asked congenially. ¡°Yes, all good thank you,¡± Nairo replied with a small smile. ¡°We need to get moving,¡± Ridley said shortly. ¡°Cabstand round here?¡± ¡°Back the way you come. Outside the market you can find one,¡± Zarlut said, stroking the chin of his ferret creature. ¡°Come back any time.¡± Ridley and Nairo exited the shop hastily. Zarlut watched them go and then turned to Feezy. ¡°Send a missive to the Circle, Sam¡¯sun Uncle will desire to learn this,¡± he growled in Kittei. ¡°What was it about older brother Zarlut?¡± Feezy replied. ¡°Elvish Magick,¡± Zarlut spat the words like an ancient curse. Feezy shuddered and pulled a fresh sheath of paper towards himself. * ¡°Ridley, hold on!¡± Nairo cried out as she hobbled to keep up with the PI. ¡°We gotta move, Sarge! You heard BilBil, this whole city could go up at any moment! We gotta get those damn subpoenas and find out what these Elves are up to!¡± He shot off towards the cab stand while Nairo grimaced in pain but hobbled doggedly in his wake. ¡°Oi! Get us to Police HQ lively! She¡¯ll pay double!¡± Ridley yelled at a cabbie as he barreled into the cab. ¡°No I won¡¯t!¡± Chapter 31 ¡°What the hell is taking so long!¡± Ridley huffed for the sixth time. ¡°They said the papers were just being processed,¡± Nairo answered absentmindedly. They had arrived at PD and had been ushered up to the small waiting room outside the Captain¡¯s office. There was no sign of the Captain but they were assured the paperwork would be on his desk shortly, so Nairo had taken the opportunity to order her notes. She was busily scribbling in her notepad, stopping every now and again to flip back and reread before continuing with her scribbling. Ridley had so far smoked half a dozen cigarettes, flirted unsuccessfully with the secretary twice, and had made an origami bird out of a pamphlet advising the four different ways Giant Caterpillar can be cooked during this period of food rationing. Now he was slumped in his chair tapping his foot with his arms folded. After a few seconds he discovered there was a particular square of floor that squeaked. With mischievous glee, he squeaked it incessantly until Nairo finally snapped at him. ¡°Would you stop?¡± ¡°Did I ever tell you about the time I busted a ring smuggling black skin octopi? You¡¯ll never guess where they had ¡®em hidden.¡± ¡°If I say yes, will you not tell me?¡± Nairo gave him a barbed look and went back to her notes. ¡°Ughh you and your damn notepad! You used to be fun Sarge!¡± ¡°No I never.¡± ¡°Yeah, fair enough.¡± Ridley slouched back into a sullen silence. After a few moments he leaned towards her again. ¡°How are you so damn calm? There¡¯s a chunk of rock powerful enough to blow us all to smithereens just out there. Who knows who has it? What they¡¯re plans are to do with it.¡± ¡°And how does sitting here and fussing like a toddler change anything?¡± ¡°How does¡­ doing whatever you¡¯re doing right now help?¡± ¡°I¡¯m organising my notes from the case.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Well, we know for certain now whoever has it is capable of murder.¡± Ridley nodded. ¡°And they¡¯re capable of nicking the damn thing in the first place. Got to be some high level criminals, I reckon Elves!¡± he hissed at her conspiratorially. Almost by habit, he slouched into the collars of his coat, only to realise his coat was hanging up drying and he now looked like he was doing an impression of a suspicious turtle. ¡°Not this again! Why would they steal their own Diamond?¡± ¡°No, not these Elves. Other Elves.¡± ¡°What other Elves?¡± ¡°I dunno, there must be more of them out there?¡± Nairo opened her mouth and then stopped to realise that it was her fault this time. ¡°Think about it,¡± Ridley continued. ¡°It would take some high level magick to break that vault and then they¡¯re stuck with a Diamond that could go boom if not properly looked after.¡± ¡°And we know it is being properly maintained since we haven¡¯t¡­ gone boom,¡± Nairo said tiptoeing cautiously across Ridley¡¯s line of thought. ¡°What is it you¡¯re always saying, deductions and logic and all that. Only creatures I can think of that would be able to break that vault, maintain that Diamond, use it to kill Benny, and then disappear without a trace are Elves!¡± As if summoned by the overuse of the word ¡®Elves¡¯ they heard a door slam from down the hall. ¡°Cap¡¯n¡¯s in,¡± confirmed the bored looking secretary. ¡°He¡¯ll see you now.¡± Ridley leapt up, grabbed his coat and strode down the hall. ¡°Umm¡­ just the Sergeant please,¡± the secretary said. ¡°I don''t think so,¡± Ridley said, not breaking his stride. ¡°Cap¡¯n said if you walk into his office he would spray you down and throw you in a cell, and in his words, until your coat rots amongst other threats I won¡¯t repeat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll grab the paperwork and be out in a minute,¡± Nairo said, patting Ridley on the back. ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Ridley said suspiciously. ¡°Relax. Cap¡¯n probably just can''t be bothered with you today. Can''t blame him,¡± Nairo said with a wry grin as she breezed past him. Ridley pouted in the hallway behind her and turned to the secretary. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m not in the mood for the Cap¡¯n today,¡± he said sullenly. ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± the secretary replied. Nairo threw Ridley a sardonic smile and knocked at the Captain¡¯s door. ¡°Come in,¡± came the gruff bark from the other side of the door. Nairo turned the handle and walked into the office to find a thick hulking, grey eyed, lump sitting behind the Captain¡¯s desk. ¡°Afternoon sir,¡± Nairo threw a smart salute to the Cap¡¯n, who was standing by the window puffing on a cigar, and subconsciously pulled at her wrinkled tunic. ¡°Take a seat Sargent,¡± said the man, gesturing with a thick scarred hand to the seat in front of him. ¡°My name is Albert Stubbs,¡± he told her. Nairo¡¯s brow crinkled in thought: the name was familiar. ¡°I am the Chief Whip for Mayor Pleasently,¡¯ Stubbs said, with a smile that could crack glass. ¡°Good to meet you sir, my name is Sergeant Sally Nairo.¡± ¡°I know,¡± he responded, his frozen eyes bored through Nairo¡¯s pleasantries. ¡°Your investigation has come across my desk, which means it came across the Mayor¡¯s desk, and I have some questions.¡± ¡°I would be happy to answer any questions sir,¡± Nairo replied and sat up straight, determined not to lilt under Stubbs¡¯ cold stare. ¡°What is this?¡± He stabbed his finger at a form in front of him and slid across the desk to Nairo. ¡°My subpoena for travel records sir.¡± ¡°For whom?¡± ¡°The party that lost the Diamond.¡± ¡°The Elves?¡± Stubbs growled the word in such a low register Nairo could feel it rattle across her ribs. ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We felt it was pertinent to the investigation.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°In order to establish a timeline and ascertain all the facts.¡± ¡°Did the Elves not give a statement?¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°They did¡­¡± ¡°Then you have your timeline and established facts,¡± Stubbs'' voice had not risen but the temperature in the room felt like it had dropped. ¡°We never take a victim¡¯s statement at face value sir,¡± Nairo replied, fighting to not lose her temper with the accusatory attitude Stubbs spat his questions at her with. ¡°It¡¯s good police work.¡± ¡°No, Sergeant, good police work would have been to find the Diamond. Bad police work is dragging a dead Goblin gangster into the investigation. Bad police work is harassing the City mortician. Bad police work is not understanding the chain of command, girl.¡± ¡°Sir, I¡­¡± Nairo began. ¡°When were you going to tell the Cap¡¯n about De Woolf?¡± Stubbs growled. ¡°De Woolf?¡± ¡°He is your prime suspect is he not?¡± ¡°He¡­ umm¡­ he is a person of interest.¡± ¡°Funny, I don¡¯t see his name on any reports you have sent in,¡± Stubbs said, flicking a hand contemptuously at the paperwork in front of him. ¡°He¡¯s a new lead¡­¡± ¡°We know you have been investigating him for at least the last 48 hours,¡± Cap¡¯n Mallory said, his voice thin and unhappy. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to present him as a suspect until I was sure,¡± Nairo said, she could feel her cheeks reddening and her mouth going dry. ¡°And why exactly do you suspect Mr De Woolf?¡± Stubbs asked, sitting back in his chair and massaging his deformed knuckles. Nairo felt her jaw tighten and her nostrils flare. ¡°We uncovered a possible link between Mr De Woolf and the deceased Goblin Benny Two Coats.¡± ¡°A link? And what link would that be?¡± ¡°It seems¡­ Mr De Woolf was in considerable debt to Benny.¡± ¡°And this is the same Goblin that was seen prowling around the scene of the crime?¡± Stubbs asked, a knowing little smirk on his face. ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°The same Goblin that wound up dead shortly after?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°So, and please help me here since I am not an esteemed detective like you, but the bank manager of the bank that was robbed is in debt to a Goblin criminal who was also seen at the scene of the crime. Yet you felt it necessary to do further investigation before alerting your superiors?¡± ¡°I just needed to do some preliminary¡­¡± ¡°And yet you are still trying to harass the Elves because?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t harassing¡­¡± ¡°It seems to me this case should have already been wrapped up,¡± Stubbs said, cutting her off. ¡°Captain, put out a city wide alert for this De Woolf character. Hopefully, despite your officer¡¯s incompetence, he hasn¡¯t already fled the city.¡± ¡°Hold on, what about¡­¡± ¡°Furthermore, you will desist from any investigation of the Elves immediately,¡± Stubbs continued. ¡°Your request for the forms to be released has been formally denied by my office.¡± ¡°Cap¡¯n this isn¡¯t right!¡± Nairo cried, turning to her Captain. Mallory shuffled awkwardly but said nothing. ¡°I have solid evidence that may implicate the Elves in all of this! I just need to see¡­¡± ¡°What evidence?¡± Stubbs said, his voice deathly quiet. ¡°I¡­¡± Nairo shut her mouth. The only way to implicate the Elves was to admit they had seen Benny¡¯s body and that they could confirm magick had killed him. If she did that she would also land Drake in it. ¡°Enough!¡± Stubbs snarled, slamming his hand on the desk. ¡°I have spoken to Captain Mallory and we have agreed, this case needs a more experienced hand at the wheel. Unsurprisingly, you have turned out not to be suited for such a high profile affair. Not only that, but you have dragged two rookie Corporals into your mess and that corrupt degenerate Lieutenant Conway! You are off the case Sergeant and your subsequent behaviour may determine how long we continue to call you that!¡± Stubbs left the threat hanging in the air between them, his mouth a cruel slash, his eyes daring Nairo to give him an excuse to tear her throat from her. Nairo looked slowly from Stubbs to the Captain. ¡°He can¡¯t do that, can he?¡± she asked the Cap¡¯n, her voice quiet but steady. ¡°You''re off the case Sergeant,¡± Mallory said, unable to raise his eyes above Nairo¡¯s chin. Nairo felt the air leave her lungs and her fight followed. ¡°The Elves have lost faith in our ability to solve this case and they are bringing in their own people,¡± Stubbs said with a flicker of a cruel smile around his jowls . ¡°You¡¯re letting them investigate a crime they may have committed!¡± Nairo stormed, unable to hide her outrage. ¡°Careful Sally,¡± the Cap¡¯n warned, his eyes flicking to Stubbs and then back to her. Nairo felt the heat rise in her cheeks, a thick lump stabbed shards into her throat but her eyes remained dry and hard. ¡°I see,¡± was all she said. ¡°Wonderful. This case will be wrapped up forthwith by some real policemen. And in future Captain, we need to have a discussion about your promotional decisions.¡± Stubbs cast a withering eye at Nairo. ¡°Yes sir,¡± Mallory grumbled. ¡°Good. We¡¯re done here,¡± Stubbs said. He leaned back in the Captain¡¯s chair and dismissed Nairo with a wave of his hand. ¡°Understood. Thank you sir. Thank you Cap¡¯n,¡± Nairo stood and saluted, then she turned and walked out, willing her hands not to curl into fists at her side. Her eyes burned as she stormed down the hallway back to the reception. ¡°What happened?¡± Ridley asked after seeing the thunder on her face. ¡°Not here,¡± was all she could say through her clenched teeth. The office door opened behind her and Albert Stubbs came walking out smiling and shaking hands with the Cap¡¯n. He strode past Nairo without so much as a sideways glance. He did pause for a second at the ragged sight of Ridley, but then his gaze shifted on like he was looking at pigeons pecking in the square and he left the reception. Nairo glared daggers at his back before grabbing her coat and stomping past Ridley wordlessly. She kept going till she was out of the station and around several corners. ¡°Sarge! Hold up! What¡¯s going on? Who was that?¡± Ridley huffed as chugged along in her wake. ¡°They¡¯ve shut us down!¡± she shouted. Nairo slammed her back against the brick wall of the alley and let her head hang, her thick black curls hiding the tears of indignation that stung her eyes. ¡°What? Who?¡± ¡°Albert Stubbs, Chief bloody Whip! He had the subpoena, said the Mayor had seen it too, said we aren¡¯t to investigate the Elves and I¡¯m off the case!¡± Nairo lifted her head and scrubbed the tears from her eyes not looking at Ridley. ¡°The Elves are bringing in their own people to carry on the investigation!¡± ¡°Shit! I told you not to go to the Cap¡¯n and fill in your bloody paperwork!¡± Ridley snapped. ¡°I know,¡± Nairo said miserably. ¡°They know about De Woolf. They¡¯ve made him number one suspect. They¡¯re putting out a city wide alert for him now. No one¡¯s going to even look at the Elves now.¡± Ridley took a deep drag of his smoke. ¡°Of course they have. The Elves would love to blame a Goblin for this and your copper mates have done what coppers always do: they¡¯ve tied the noose and now they¡¯re gonna make the evidence fit.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not my mates. And Stubbs isn¡¯t a copper. He¡¯s a bent, bullying, politician!¡± ¡°Sounds like a copper to me.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not all like that Ridley!¡± Nairo felt the blood rise in her face and her fists clench. ¡°I¡¯m not! The Cap¡¯n¡¯s not!¡± ¡°That why he left you to hang?¡± Nairo looked away from him and her hand fell to her side. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he would just stand there and not say anything.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a stuffed shirt just like the rest of them,¡± Ridley snarled. ¡°He did the same thing to Conway and now he¡¯s doing it to you. When push comes to shove, they all do as they¡¯re told. They wouldn''t be in the positions they are if they didn''t.¡± ¡°Conway!¡± Nairo said suddenly. ¡°They know he was involved in the case! Do you think they¡¯ve done something to him?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be anything worse than they already have,¡± Ridley said. ¡°But Conway¡¯s a tough cookie, he wouldn¡¯t rat us out.¡± ¡°No, but someone did. They knew everything.¡± Again Nairo¡¯s eyes widened as she remembered Stubbs¡¯ words about two rookie Corporals. ¡°Edgewater and Washbottom!¡± ¡°Those two idiots ratted us out?¡± ¡°Had to be them.¡± ¡°Shit. They knew enough to tank us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not right,¡± Nairo said, burying her face in her hands. ¡°Our job is to follow the facts and present a fair and honest case. The law should protect and support all citizens equally, not be a damn plaything for politicians!¡± ¡°Should it? Coz from where I¡¯m standing, the law protects them and prosecutes us.¡± After a pause. ¡°I think you¡¯re right.¡± The words sounded so foreign leaving Nairo¡¯s mouth. ¡°I am?¡± ¡°Why else would they shut us down the second we started looking at the Elves?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°This whole case has felt like we couldn¡¯t look at all the possibilities. And when we do start looking somewhere they don¡¯t like, they shut us down. I still don''t buy the conspiracy that they did it themselves, but those Elves have definitely got something to hide.¡± ¡°So now we go with Jimmy¡¯s plan, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not breaking into the Houses of Parliament.¡± Nairo said shortly. ¡°We can¡¯t just give up!¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m off the case, Ridley.¡± Nairo let her head hang. ¡°I have not authority to continue pursuing this. I can¡¯t stop you¡­ but I can¡¯t continue. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ridley blinked at her, a long ash falling from his cigarette. ¡°Well¡­ then I guess this is where we part ways,¡± Ridley said after an awkward moment. ¡°It¡¯s been¡­ good working with your Sarge.¡± Ridley extended a bruised and battered hand. Nairo looked up, her eyes red with tears of frustration. ¡°Thank you for everything.¡± She extended her own bloodied hand and shook his, before looking past him. ¡°What the?¡± Ridley looked over his shoulder back at the police HQ. Officers were streaming out of the building in a furor. There was a lot of shouting and whinnying of horses being pulled around. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ridley asked. They ran back towards the precinct as more bodies piled out of the HQ. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Nairo asked an officer. ¡°Explosion in the Iron district. Apparently it¡¯s a grizzly mess. Four bodies, all Human, all dismembered in broad daylight,¡± he said breathlessly. Nairo looked at Ridley. ¡°An explosion?¡± he said. ¡°Oh no.¡± Chapter 32 Nairo had often found the grizzlier the crime the more excited the scene was and this one had the electric buzz of a day at the races. Nairo and Ridley hopped out of the police cart after twenty minutes of nudging and fighting their way through the gelatinous after work traffic to find a thronging mass of factory workers forming a mob around the police lines. Nairo politely shoved her way through the crowd while Ridley chose the more democratic approach of shin kicking anyone who got in his way. The sweat and chatter of the excited workers cloyed at her, drowning her in a dozen exotic languages. ¡°Heard they got exploded¡­¡± ¡°Bits of ¡®em be everywhere¡­¡± ¡°Blew a hole a building deep, nothing but a crater left¡­¡± ¡°Naa they got hacked up¡­¡± ¡°Rip to pieces¡­¡± ¡°Must have been Goblins¡­¡± ¡°Revenge¡­¡± Nairo finally arrived, breathless and flustered, at the police lines. Several of the VPD¡¯s heftiest stood arms wide, chests inflated, barking at the onlookers to ¡®move on,¡¯ as there was ¡®nothing to see here.¡¯ ¡°Sergeant Nairo.¡± She flashed her badge and scooped her thick hair away from sweaty forehead. ¡°And this is¡­¡± she looked around for Ridley and moments later she heard a commotion to her right. There was loud swearing and raised fists before a melee broke out. A few seconds later Ridley came tumbling out of the brawl. He brushed himself down, swore at a Dwarf, and then nodded to the officer and Nairo. ¡°He¡¯s with me.¡± ¡°Are you sure marm?¡± Nairo paused for a moment. ¡°Yes.¡± Ridley smirked impudently at the officer as they ducked under the police line and walked towards the alley. The chaos of the excited crowd shrank away. The closer they walked to the scene the more it felt like the air was being sucked from their lungs. The electric energy of the chattering crowd dissipated into a mournful hush. There were more officers but these one looked ashen faced and they barely registered Nairo and Ridley¡¯s presence. Nairo nodded at the first couple but she began to feel like a trespasser at a funeral and eventually she too had her eyes glued to the cobbles. As they approached the crime scene there were two detectives at the mouth of the alley sharing a smoke. ¡°Afternoon, I¡¯m Sergeant Nairo.¡± ¡°Izla and this is Fisher,¡± Izla, the taller of the two, answered. Both of them had that weary, haunted, look of homicide detectives. Fisher was short and round with a ruddy face and tobacco stains on his teeth. ¡°What¡¯s it like in there?¡± ¡°The worst one I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Izla said, running a hand through his thinning brown hair. ¡°Bits and pieces everywhere,¡± Fisher added, sipping his cold coffee and taking a thick lungful of his smoke. ¡°Only way we could identify ¡®em is through tattoos on the limbs we found.¡± ¡°Who were they?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Don¡¯t I know you?¡± Izla said. ¡°Could be. I¡¯m sure we have fond memories. So, who were they?¡± ¡°Far as we can make out, they¡¯re lads from down Eversham Hill, might be associated with The Landlord and his mob,¡± Fisher replied. ¡°All Human males in their late teens and early twenties,¡± Izla added. ¡°Possible motive?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°We ain''t even sure of the method yet, sweetheart, but you could guess,¡± Fisher said. ¡°You could guess,¡± Izla agreed. ¡°So, could you?¡± ¡°Guess?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well word is one of Chaw¡¯drak¡¯s captains got mopped up a couple days ago and this is the get back,¡± Fisher said. ¡°Any evidence to support that?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Wouldn''t be a guess if there was.¡± ¡°Benny?¡± Nairo directed her question to Ridley who nodded. ¡°Can we see?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Izla said with a shrug. ¡°Watch your step,¡± Fisher advised. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ bits of ¡®em everywhere.¡± Nairo thanked the detectives and they walked into the alley. As soon as she stepped into the alley she felt a damp chill claw across her spine. Nairo heard Ridley curse as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. There was blood everywhere. The walls were coated in streaks of crimson red. The still congealing plasma oozed from the brickwork giving Nairo nightmarish visions of the almost dismembered Benny. Her balance left her for a moment only for Ridley to grab hold of her and prop her up. She could feel the tremor in his hands and the thump of his heart. Nairo tore her eyes from the blood covered walls to the puddle of undefinable Human internals pooled in the crevices of the grimy alley. Dotted around were little white scraps of cloth covering, what Nairo assumed, were the dismembered limbs of the victims. Nairo felt her breath catch in her throat, she was horrified but could not stop her eyes from taking in every ounce of gore. Her eyes fixated on a little round ball with a tendon hanging from it. A human eye stared unblinking at her. Some deep instinctual urge pulled at her making her want to flee from the alley as fast as possible but her legs carried her deeper into the hellish scene. ¡°This look familiar?¡± Ridley whispered Nairo couldn''t speak. She simply nodded, her eyes stinging. As she forced herself to calm, she looked past the gore to the deep scorch marks across the walls of the alley. Whatever had killed them had left angry claw marks in the brickwork. That familiar smell of pennies invaded her nostrils and cloyed in the back of her throat. The scale of the damage became more apparent as they walked towards the epicentre of the blast. Cobbles had been torn up and turned to rubble. There was about a four metre radius of scorch marks that looked like a sudden wildfire erupted in the alley. They came to a stop at the epicentre of the blast. There was a crater shaped hole in the alley, the fire had burned so hot here the cobbles had melted and the brickwork was cracked and warped.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°This has to be the Diamond,¡± Ridley said. ¡°What happens next time it goes off?¡± Nairo, who had been transfixed upon the melted cobbles, looked up at Ridley, her eyes wet. They had been told what the Diamond could do, but to see it sent shivers through her. ¡°I need to get out of here,¡± Nairo said, striding past him, her eyes fixed on the mouth of the alley. Ridley hung about a few seconds longer before he was hot on her heels. They were almost at a run by the time they exited the mouth of the alley. Nairo sucked in the fresh air while Ridley spat the taste of copper out of his mouth. ¡°Here,¡± Izla held two hot coffees out to them. ¡°Ain¡¯t right, is it?¡± Izla said. ¡°Something evil happened in there,¡± Fisher said. ¡°What gave it away? The dismemberment?¡± Ridley¡¯s voice lacked his usual bite. Nairo sipped distractedly at the coffee she had been offered, glad to feel the warmth return back to her. ¡°What could have done that?¡± Izla pondered. ¡°Nothing that I¡¯ve ever seen in twenty years on the job.¡± Fisher offered to light Ridley¡¯s smoke as the PI¡¯s trembling hands struggled to keep the flame of his lighter lit. ¡°Any witnesses?¡± Ridley asked, shaking the numbness from his fingertips. ¡°Plenty,¡± Fisher said. ¡°That factory across the road was full.¡± ¡°Shame they speak half a dozen languages and none of em ours,¡± Izla said. ¡°Far as we can make out there was a big flash and a loud bang.¡± ¡°Some sort of explosion,¡± Fisher said. ¡°Great deduction,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°No others?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Well, we found a nasty little thing skulking about,¡± Fisher replied. ¡°Stank like rotten fish,¡± Izla added. ¡°He was babbling ¡®bout losing something when we found him, so we slung in the back of the wagon.¡± Nairo noticed Ridley perked up like a hound. ¡°We¡¯ll hose him down and take him back to the station.¡± ¡°Little nasty fella dripping in bin juice?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Friend of yours?¡± Izla asked incredulously. ¡°You could say that. His name is Ozwald and he¡¯s a bin demon¡± Nairo explained. ¡°He¡¯s harmless,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Well he was hanging around an adjacent alley¡­¡± ¡°With a lot of trash in it?¡± ¡°The usual amount I suppose.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a bin demon, where do you expect him to be?¡± Izla looked at Fisher who gave a noncommittal shrug. ¡°We questioned him and got a statement. Fat lot of good that was¡­¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t worth smelling him for,¡± Izla agreed. ¡°Can we speak to him?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Sure. Feel free to discharge him on your way out Sergeant,¡± Fisher said. ¡°Right. Come on Ridley.¡± Nairo pushed Ridley in the small of the back and thanked the two detectives as they exited. ¡°Do you have to antagonise every police officer we meet?¡± ¡°I don''t have to¡­¡± Ridley said with a smirk. The coffee, and whatever he had poured into it, had begun to drive away the deathly chills of the alley. ¡°Hello,¡± Nairo greeted the officer standing outside the wagon. ¡°Detectives Isla and Fisher have asked us to discharge their captive, Mr. Oz¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The stinky little puddle of ooze in the back of your wagon,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Thank heavens for that,¡± the officer said. ¡°Gonna be washing for a week after trying to put the grubby little bastard in the back of the wagon.¡± He nodded at them and swiftly took his leave. ¡°Deep breath,¡± Ridley warned her as he yanked open the doors to the wagon. The smell thundered from the wagon like a cavalry charge, almost taking Nairo off her feet. ¡°Phwoar! Bloody hell Oz! Did you take a shit in here?¡± Ridley cried, gagging as he finished his sentence. ¡°Mr. Oz?¡± Nairo called into the dimly lit wagon, her eyes watering, as she peered into the gloom. ¡°They mustn''t find him¡­ How could I lose him¡­¡± ¡°Mr Oz?¡± ¡°Wah¡­ who¡¯s that? Bloody pigs come for another go?¡± The little ball of slime and rags leapt to his feet wagging his bony fists causing gunge to be sprayed around the wagon. ¡°It¡¯s us Mr Oz, Sergeant Nairo and Ridley.¡± Oz stopped his cussing long enough to allow his eyes to adjust to the daylight. ¡°Well stone me and call me a carp¡¯s nanny!¡± Oz¡¯s face brightened momentarily before a deeply suspicious scowl returned to it. ¡°Wot d¡¯yer want?¡± ¡°Real nice way to greet your rescuers,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Rescuers? I don¡¯t need no rescuing¡­ ¡®specially by the likes of you!¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just leave you here then,¡± Ridley said and without missing a beat he began to close the wagon doors. ¡°Wait! Hold on! I didn¡¯t mean it! Just a joke between mateys.¡± Oz scrambled to the mouth of the wagon and gave them what he must have thought was an endearing smile. Nairo felt her stomach churn: she could have sworn she saw something wriggle in his yellow toothed smile. Oz hopped out of the wagon before Ridley could change his mind. He flopped to the cobbles like a creature in prayer and kissed the grimy stones. Ridley pulled a face and lit another smoke. ¡°Ummm¡­ Mr Oz, what were you doing here?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yeah, this ain¡¯t your usual scene,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Oh¡­ ermmmm¡­ The lunch these foreigners in the factories throw out is delicious,¡± Oz replied. ¡°Lovely,¡± Ridley said. Oz gave him a weak smile and then seemed to hesitate, looking at Ridley curiously. ¡°Did you see what happened here?¡± Nairo asked. Oz hesitated again and then shook his head so hard an insect flicked out from somewhere. ¡°Just heard a big bang, then all these coppers grabbed me up.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t see anyone running away or anything?¡± Ridley said. ¡°No! And even if I did I ain¡¯t no grass!¡± Nairo sighed and gave him a small smile. ¡°You¡¯re free to go Mr. Oz,¡± Nairo said. Oz looked at her and then at Ridley almost as if he wanted to say more but then he changed his mind. ¡°Corse I am,¡± he snapped at her. ¡°I just want his ciggie.¡± Ridley blew a cloud of smoke and offered him the remnants of his smoke. ¡°You gotta chuck it on the floor.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Once any discarded item touches the street it¡¯s considered trash. Demon laws say so.¡± ¡°Do they?¡± Ridley asked, looking at Nairo who shrugged nonplussed. ¡°Fine.¡± Ridley tossed the cigarette butt on the floor. Oz leapt the second it hit the floor and licked it up from the cobbles. ¡°So¡­ what happened with the case you woz on? Benny an¡¯ all that.¡± Oz asked as he happily chomped on the butt like chewing gum. ¡°Dead end,¡± Ridley answered. ¡°Literally,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Wot d¡¯yer mean?¡± Ridley drew a finger across his throat and gave Oz a wicked grin. ¡°We found Benny murdered in his flat,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Would you know anything about it Mr. Oz?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Oz blanched as he went a paler shade of urine yellow. ¡°Why would I? Ain¡¯t been near them Rat¡®Oles in a cuppla weeks. I stays away from lowlifes like that!¡± ¡°Bit rich coming from you, no?¡± ¡°Wot d¡¯yer mean by that!¡± Oz snapped, wagging a dripping fist at him. ¡°Ignore him,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You¡¯re free to go Mr. Oz and if you do hear anything please be sure to contact us.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ right. Maybe.¡± Oz glowered darkly at Ridley. ¡°Have a good evening and¡­¡± Nairo¡¯s eyes danced across the mouth of the grizzly alleyway. ¡°Make sure wherever you rest your head tonight it¡¯s safe.¡± Oz followed her eyes and he turned an even sicklier shade. He nodded and without another word he scuttled back into the detritus of the city and vanished like a mouse in a hole. Nairo didn''t notice him slither away as she was transfixed on the sight of white sheets draped over lumpen body parts being wheeled out by the coroners. ¡°Come on, I need a drink.¡± Ridley nudged her lightly on the arm. ¡°Yeah.¡± She followed Ridley as he swept away leaving the horrors in the alley behind them. Chapter 33 Three days had passed since Nairo had been removed from the Diamond case. She had been placed on desk duty and even worse she had found out shortly after that Conway had been suspended pending further investigation. That was enough for every officer to give her a wide berth. Those who cared about their careers knew she was damaged goods now and those who were true blue working class officers felt she had betrayed Conway and got him suspended to save her own neck. She hadn¡¯t heard from Ridley since the alleyway. Nairo sat miserably at the back of the precinct floor at the desk usually reserved for the corporals while the Cap¡¯n began his debriefing. This had become a daily debriefing as the streets were coming apart at the seams. To compound their misery, the Elvish Investigative Force had arrived and taken over the upper floors of the headquarters. Even the Cap¡¯n had been removed from his office so they could set up their own headquarters. ¡°Right, sit tight and shut up!¡± The Cap¡¯n barked gruffly. Despite Nairo¡¯s feelings towards him, she felt a pang in her gut to see how dishevelled he looked. The diminutive Captain looked like he hadn¡¯t slept in days. His usually well groomed beard was a tangled mess and his eyes had dark bags underneath them. The precinct fell silent as similarly exhausted looking officers hunched over coffees and sat or leaned anywhere there was space. ¡°I don¡¯t need to tell any of you this has been¡­ a troubling few days. But we need to pull together and hold the line or we risk the city descending into lawlessness.¡± The Cap¡¯n began. ¡°Two more brawls erupted last night. We believe it was between Human and Goblin gangs but we¡¯re still waiting for confirmation. That takes us to a tally of seven in the last three days. Morley and Morecomb are dealing with the fall out, I need two officers to support them in gathering statements. Fester and Goreby I need you down on Marilyn Avenue sharpish. A string of Goblin businesses have been ransacked overnight. And¡­¡± the Cap¡¯n took a deep breath. ¡°The bodies have started dropping. A Goblin was found murdered out by the Foundries, bludgeoned to death. As far as we can tell he was a civvie. A working Goblin on his way home from a late shift. He had his tusks snapped off. We are treating this as possible retaliation for the murders in the Iron district. Worse, two Human hoodlums were found dead only an hour ago. So far, we have nothing to suggest it was Goblins but the papers don¡¯t need any evidence to start whipping up an inter species conflict. I don¡¯t need to impress upon any of you what this means.¡± The Cap¡¯n scoured the room, his eyes dark. ¡°We could be looking down the barrel of an all out war between Humans and Goblins on the streets if this continues.¡± ¡°Serves those green fuckers right,¡± a voice snarled from the crowd. ¡°Who said that?¡± The Cap¡¯n snapped. ¡°We saw those bodies Cap! It ain¡¯t right what they done to them boys!¡± Another voice shouted. ¡°Those Goblins ¡®ave been gettin¡¯ away wiv it for too long!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°This is our city!¡± There was a deep murmur of agreement from around the precinct. Whether they wore blue or not, the majority of the force were Humans, and most of them were working class lads themselves. If there was going to be species violence, the boys in blue were certainly not about to back Green. ¡°Enough!¡± The Cap¡¯n roared at them. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn who you are or where you were dragged up as! Once you put that uniform on you lost any rights to pick sides!¡± He glowered at his men. ¡°You don¡¯t like it? Then leave your badge here and get lost! I don¡¯t need any of my men feeding into this bullshit!¡± The precinct fell quiet but the resentment was palpable. The Cap¡¯n stared down as many of them as he could before continuing. ¡°We have no evidence to suggest the Goblins had any involvement with the bodies in the Iron district¡­¡± A visceral snarl escaped the body of officers as they derided the Cap¡¯n¡¯s words forcing him to shout over them. ¡°And right now we have citizens paying the price for all of this Anti-Goblin hysteria! And it will be the law-abiding people of this city that end up paying the toll if this thing explodes!¡± That got the officers to quieten down. ¡°There are reports all over the city of violence. People are afraid to leave their homes. Kids aren¡¯t going to school. Old mums aren¡¯t even going outside to hang out their washing. Goblin Town has pretty much put up the barricades already. We are the only thing stopping our city turning into a damned warzone!¡± The officers grumbled but didn¡¯t protest. ¡°I need every one of you out on the streets keeping the peace! No one speaks a damn word about Goblins and if I catch any of you speaking to the press about any of this I will personally rip your heart out through your assholes! Do I make myself clear?¡± Again there was a grumble of mild agreement. ¡°Sergeant Cole, I need homicide working double time on these murders. Find me the killers and find them today!¡± ¡°Yessir,¡± Sergeant Cole said. ¡°Every one of you is working a double today¡­¡± More groans. ¡°Every one of you! Sergeant Errol,¡± ¡°Yessir?¡± Sergeant Errol barked from near the back of the room. ¡°There is still no sign of De Woolf. I need twenty more corporals seconded to the EIF as part of the manhunt.¡± ¡°Yessir!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the duty Sergeant today?¡± Cap¡¯n Mallory asked. ¡°Me sir,¡± a thin, wispy man said, waving his hand above the rabble. ¡°Who¡¯s that? Lenny?¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°Right. The Elves have arrested twelve more Goblins overnight. The cells are starting to get full. I need some extra space cleared¡­ somewhere for the overspill. See they¡¯re fed and processed as quickly as possible. Try and get clearance to sling yesterday¡¯s lot out on the street by lunch.¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± Mallory sighed and looked up at the briefing board which had become such a jumbled mess that it was hard to decipher anymore. The Cap¡¯n kneaded his eyes and turned back to the officers. ¡°There¡¯s a city wide dispersal order in place. If you see groups of more than four anywhere you have the full power to break them up and shift them on. The wagons are gonna be out all day. Anyone who wants to play silly buggers can do an afternoon in manacles. Errol, I want the majority of corporals in the Western and Southern neighbourhoods. Look after yourself boys, I want everyone making it home tonight. Is that understood?¡± ¡°Yessir!¡± ¡°Then get to it!¡± The precinct floor slowly cleared out under the barked instructions of the Sergeants. Homicide were first out of the door followed by a steady stream of corporals. Soon enough, there was only Nairo and the Cap¡¯n left in the room. He looked up and saw her sitting at her desk. Just as quickly, he looked away and marched out of the room, leaving Nairo to stare blankly at the pile of papers in front of her. With a heavy sigh, she pulled another folder towards herself and began reading. * ¡°This ain¡¯t fair!¡± Wally whimpered as he watched the wagon trundle away leaving him and Timmy further South than he¡¯d been in his whole life. ¡°Why ¡®ave we gotta do the Goblin neighbourhoods!¡± ¡°Would you rather be out West and risk running into the Landlord again?¡± Timmy hissed back at him. ¡°I¡¯d rather be in the pub wiv my feet up, waiting for all this to blow over.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ me too.¡± The wagon had left them on the corner Broadbank and Makers Broadway. At this time of the day the area should have been bustling with activity, but it was a ghost town. There was no one on the streets and most shops had their shutters down and their doors firmly locked. If you looked closely, you probably would have noticed that half of them had been barricaded from the inside. There was the faint smell of smoke in the air; never a good sign in a city. Sergeant Errol had gleefully dispatched his two most junior, and loathed, corporals right to the heart of Goblin Town. He had been even more gleeful when he had supplied them with heavy leather jerkins and steel helmets, that he assured them would prevent them from getting stabbed. Although, the various cuts and holes in the leather didn¡¯t leave Timmy with much confidence. They had been given heavy truncheons and told to patrol and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Well¡­ everything had a tinge of suspicion about it today. Every now and again, Timmy swore he saw curtains twitch and they made his heart thud in his chest every time. ¡°We¡¯re gonna get killed out ¡®ere,¡± Wally moaned, hunching so close to Timmy he almost tripped him up. Timmy wanted to say something brave, maybe even something cavalier, like ¡®I dare them to try¡¯ but his mouth was unusually dry and his armpits were dripping wet. Instead, he just nodded dumbly and kept putting one boot in front of the other. Slowly, they plodded down the Broadway until they came to Goblin Town proper. Its official name was Halloway Market, but everyone in the city knew it as the hub of all Goblin culture and life in the city. Goblin Town was one of the nicest areas in the whole city. The Goblins had demolished all the old run down buildings and rebuilt them out of sumptuous white stone. There were arches, pillars, and statues of Goblin folk heroes everywhere. The old, uneven cobbles had been replaced with thick white paving slabs that were meticulously clean. There wasn¡¯t even any pigeon droppings anywhere which was unheard of in the city. The beating heart of Goblin Town was its market. Here a Goblin could find every luxury and necessity from the mountains that their hearts could desire. Despite being a bustling centre of commerce, there was also no crime in Goblin Town. Not even a pickpocket would dare to operate in the market. Goblin Town was a thumb in the eye of every Human who grew up rag tag in some crime ridden nook of the city, wondering why these Goblins had it so nice. Of course, it was because it was all funded and maintained by the Goblins themselves. The Goblin¡¯s naturally strong sense of community meant they had always looked after their own and they deeply valued anything that served their community. Goblins looked at service to their community almost reverentially. While most Humans in the city loathed their neighbours and took any chance to screw over the next man if it meant they could gain from it. Of course, no Human wanted to hear that. They just assumed it was because Goblins were all criminals and their dirty gold funded Goblin Town. Or that the city gave it all to them at the expense of hard working Humans. Not that anybody in those nooks was particularly hard working. In fact, quite a large swathe of them worked hard to not be hard working. But still, it was their city and that was their right. Who were these Goblins to come in and dare to live better than them?If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Today however, Goblin Town was almost empty. As Timmy and Wally rounded the corner they were met by at least a dozen hefty looking Goblins. Timmy swore he could hear the rattle of weaponry as they moved. All but two of them were dressed in dark tailored suits. The two closest to the gate had heavy chainmail and breast plates, openly brandishing halberds. The Goblins in the suits were set out casually, some sitting, others leaned against posts, but they were all ready and on guard. When he saw them, Wally tried to turn and scarper the other way. It was only bumping into Timmy that stopped him. The Goblins eyed them coldly as they walked up to the closed gates of the market. ¡°G-good morning,¡± Timmy said to the Goblins, waving his hand foolishly. A few of them snarled coldly and a few smirked openly at the two young corporals but none of them said a word. ¡°I hope¡­ ummm¡­ everything is well,¡± Timmy tried again only to get another dose of silence. ¡°We¡¯re policemen. And¡­ ummm¡­ we¡¯re supposed to be patrolling this area.¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± one of the Goblins said. ¡°We¡¯ve got it handled. Why don¡¯t you just keep on down the road.¡± ¡°Oh umm¡­ well¡­ we¡­¡± Timmy looked at Wally who just shrugged and started walking away. ¡°Well you see this is where we were told to go and-and make sure everyone was safe.¡± He finished lamely. The Goblins burst into raucous laughter and Timmy turned bright red. ¡°Listen mate, I doubt you could even keep yourselves safe,¡± the Goblin said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two run along before it stops being funny,¡± another one growled, his clawed hand reaching into his jacket. ¡°C¡¯mon Tim!¡± Wally hissed at him, tugging at his elbow. ¡°Well¡­ if something happens, we¡¯ll be here.¡± Timmy tried to give them a confident smile, which probably looked more like he was constipated and then allowed Wally to drag him away. When they were only a few steps away the Goblins burst into more laughter. ¡°Wot you wanna go and do that for!¡± Wally snapped at him when they were safely down the road. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be patrolling Goblin Town!¡± Timmy said. ¡°What if something happens!¡± ¡°Not with that right pack of villains there! No one would dare! And anyway, wot if something did ¡®appen? Wot are you and me gonna do about it?¡± Timmy looked at him and then deflated. Wally was right. They would be useless. ¡°Listen Tim, I get your all about the badge and law and all that stuff. And that¡¯s all cool and stuff, but right now, the streets is dangerous. Don¡¯t matter if we¡¯re coppers or not. Right now, we¡¯re just two Humans on the wrong side of town. Best fing we can do is keep our nuts down and get through the day wivout getting shivved.¡± ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right,¡± Timmy said, acknowledging that when it came to surviving the city streets, Wally was an expert. ¡°There you go,¡± Wally said, patting his friend on the shoulder. ¡°Even better, if we can get off these streets. Find a nice cosy little pub or cafe where we can really keep our heads down.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind a bit of breakfast,¡± Timmy admitted. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a chance to have anything this morning.¡± ¡°Perfect. There¡¯s gotta be somewhere we can grab a decent ¡®ot meal round here.¡± Wally threw his arm around Timmy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Trust me mate, we¡¯ll sit tight, ¡®ave a bit of nosh, a nice cuppa, and wait for all this to blow over.¡± * Corporal Charlie Nelson walked his beat with his hands clasped behind his back, his head high, and his barrel chest puffed up. Charlie had been a copper for so much of his life he was sure his first toy was a truncheon. His old man had been a copper, his old man had been a copper, his old man had been a wactchman, and his old man¡­ had been a goat thief, but every family tree has a rotten branch here and there. Charlie had stomped these cobbles so long he could tell where he was anywhere in the city by the sound his truncheon made tapping on the brick work. Charlie had been a copper long enough to have seen, not quite all of it, but most of it. He¡¯d been a copper the last time there had been proper gang warfare on the street almost a decade ago. He¡¯d been a copper when The Landlord stole the West. He¡¯d been the first through the door when they arrested the Taverly Twins for attempted murder. He¡¯d been a copper when the Baker Street riots had kicked off. He¡¯d been first on the scene when the Maybul bridge had collapsed and crushed two dozen creatures and brought the city to a screeching halt for three days. He¡¯d seen the city on its knees and he¡¯d seen the city when it was sharpening its knives. Walking the streets today, all he could hear was the scraping of unsheathed weapons. It was like a taste in the air. Or a smell. Something¡­ not quite tangible but most definitely there. Whether it was his copper instincts or the instincts of a lad who had grown up on the streets, he knew these were delicate times. Charlie had grown up on Mulberry lane and he knew a face on just about every road west of Drury Bridge. Despite the crackling tension in the air, Charlie still smiled warmly at the old mums and patted the little nippers on the head. He asked after grannies and stopped to talk about the weather they were having. The West was very much like that. The rest of the city could be gearing up for war, battening down the hatches, and vacating the streets, but the West was determined, pig headed almost, to carry on with daily life. That was how the Landlord liked it. Afterall, there couldn¡¯t be a problem if everyone was still going about their daily business, could there? Charlie hummed tunelessly as he made his way through Funderson Avenue to the main square on the Broadway. It was also a hive of activity here, but today there was an altogether nastier atmosphere than usual. The square was full of shaven headed youths, in sleeveless shirts and heavy boots. They were drinking, chanting, and being generally as obnoxious as they could be. In the centre of them, stood a youth with dark stubble on his head and a black shirt emblazoned with some sort of symbol Charlie didn¡¯t recognise. He was shouting over the din, his every phrase met with more roaring and cheering. ¡°Now is our time!¡± he roared. ¡°This city was snatched from under our feet by these hordes of animals!¡± His audience cheered their approval. ¡°Now we take back the city!¡± Another roar. ¡°Now we wipe these scum from our streets! No more will Humans be second class citizens in our own city!¡± The crowd stomped their boots. ¡°We organise, brothers! We march through OUR streets and stomp on the heads of anyone who gets in our way!¡± Charlie arched an eyebrow as he looked around at the exhilarated, and half drunk, faces in the crowd. He recognised many of them, although they had a lot more hair the last time he¡¯d seen them. Most of them were just bowery kids. Little urchins that had been running around and causing a nuisance since they were knee high. They weren¡¯t bad kids necessarily and they certainly weren¡¯t the types to go round stomping on heads. A stiff clip round the ear hole and a quiet word with their mums was usually enough to send ¡®em home smarting. ¡°Humans First!¡± The speaker roared and the chant was taken up by the crowd. Charlie rolled his eyes. He had grown up only a spit from here and he¡¯d been hearing that same crap his whole life. As a youth he even believed it. He believed the Goblins, and the Gnomes, and the Dwarves, and whatever else, were somehow making lives harder for his people with just their mere presence. He would never have been able to explain how a poor Gnome family dozens of miles away was making his life tougher, but everyone believed it and therefore Charlie did as well. However, years as a copper had set him straight. Charlie learned very quickly that whether they were Human, Goblin, Troll, Gnome, or anything in between, every creature was capable of being a downright dirty bastard. And the reality was most creatures wanted the same thing, to have enough to eat, somewhere safe to sleep, and to be left alone. Charlie had learned there wasn¡¯t much difference between poor folks no matter their species. Scanning the crowd, Charlie saw a group of older men sitting on the steps to a pub, watching the crowd with much the same sardonic expression as Charlie. The man sat in the middle had a shaved head, and a face that had been used as a punching bag more than once. His nose was crooked, and one of his eyes had a nasty droop to it, as if a fist had shut it once and it never quite recovered. His arms and hands were covered in faded tattoos, proudly displayed by his rolled up sleeves. Charlie skirted around the crowd and made his way towards the group when he was spotted by the speaker. ¡°And here we have the biggest traitors of ¡®em all! The Human pigs that protect those fucking toads and all the filth that plagues our streets!¡± The crowd turned to Charlie and hissed and swore at him. Although, those closest had clearly felt the heavy hand of Corporal Nelson, because they kept their curses soft and quiet. Charlie eyed the youth cooly. ¡°Son, why don¡¯t you come off that box and talk to me within arms reach.¡± The speaker looked unsure of himself for a moment. He looked at the group of older men sitting on the steps. The one in the middle flashed a golden toothed grin at Charlie. ¡°Now, now Charlie, that would be police brutality,¡± he said, still grinning. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t bet on your odds if it did go that way.¡± Charlie stood tall and impassive, his hands still clasped behind his back. ¡°Only one way to find out.¡± The two groups stood poised. Half of the youths looked ready to pounce, the other half looked ready to run. The golden toothed man scratched the stubble on his scalp and thought for a moment. ¡°Go on piss off,¡± he said to the youths. They stood around for a moment before one of the other older men stood up and barked at them. They dispersed, muttering under their breaths. Charlie stayed where he was and watched them go before walking up to the group of men. He stepped over the legs of one and sighed as he sat down on the steps next to the golden toothed man. He unclipped his helmet and placed it down next to him, before wiping his brow. ¡°Morning Golden,¡± he said to the man. ¡°Morning officer,¡± Golden replied, flashing his golden teeth at Charlie. ¡°To what do we owe the pleasure?¡± ¡°Been a bit of trouble I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°Has there?¡± Golden replied innocently. ¡°Wot a shame.¡± ¡°What¡¯s all that about then, Golden?¡± Charlie said, nodding his head at the milling youths. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard that sort of tripe in years.¡± ¡°Young ¡®uns are angry, can¡¯t blame ¡®em can ya?¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not what your lot are about anymore,¡± Charlie said. ¡°I mean in the day of your dad and the Regiment boys, you could take that sort of talk seriously, but Bill¡¯s not about that rubbish.¡± ¡°How would you know what Mr Graves is about?¡± Golden asked, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Because I still remember when Billy used to stomp around these streets with you and all his little mateys play acting soldiers.¡± Golden sucked his teeth and spat on the cobbles. ¡°Is that what you come all the way down here for? A cuppa and a chat about the old days?¡± ¡°Not quite. But I wouldn¡¯t say no to a cuppa.¡± Golden looked at the men around him. ¡°Grab the officer a cuppa would ya? Two sugars, Charlie?¡± ¡°Just the one. Trying to keep trim.¡± ¡°One sugar. And the rest of you clear off. You¡¯re making the place look untidy.¡± The men stood up and melted away into the throng, although Charlie knew they would be watching. The two of them sat in silence watching the street until Charlie¡¯s tea arrived. He took a noisy slurp and let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°That Goblin civilian that got clipped last night, was that your lot?¡± Charlie asked, staring off into the street. Golden, still leaning back on the steps on his elbows, spat again. ¡°You think we¡¯d do a civvie? Even if he is a toad. That was just some young ¡®uns.¡± ¡°Not like Bill to let things get so out of hand. Killing civilians of any species is bad business, Golden.¡± ¡°Well, Mr Graves is rather aggrieved at the moment.¡± ¡°About those boys in the Iron district?¡± Golden made a movement halfway between a nod and a shrug. ¡°So they were your boys?¡± ¡°No chance,¡± Golden snorted. ¡°They weren¡¯t with us. Just some little outfit who done a couple jobs here and there. But that ain¡¯t the point is it?¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t it?¡± ¡°No. The whole city thinks they were ours, which means Mr Graves can¡¯t let that slide, can he?¡± ¡°Is that Bill¡¯s official word on it?¡± Golden ran his tongue over his teeth while Charlie sipped his tea. ¡°No. You can tell your midget boss that the Accord still holds. Mr Graves ain¡¯t sanctioned nothing¡­ yet. But Chaw¡¯drak and your captain need to right this ship and quickly. Only so long Mr Graves will keep the boys on the leash.¡± ¡°And this lot?¡± Charlie nodded his head at the shaven headed mob of youths. ¡°Let¡¯s call them a bit of motivation, to make sure you lot act swiftly.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be having civilians getting caught up in this. You know that¡¯s not how it works.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. Once the dust settles, your captain will have a few necks for his nooses. ¡®Specially for the civvie toad.¡± Charlie nodded and sloshed the remainder of his tea on the cobbles. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure the message gets relayed.¡± ¡°From wot I hear though Sam¡¯sun¡¯s in a spot of bovver right now. Heard those Elves have got a real hard on for anything green.¡± ¡°Once the dust settles that will all be righted too.¡± ¡°Better be. ¡®Coz a truce only makes sense if both parties rather it to war. But, if the Elves take care of our Goblin problem, who¡¯s to say how that would shake out on the streets.¡± ¡°Is that Bill¡¯s official word?¡± Charlie said, arching his eyebrow at Golden. ¡°Naa, that¡¯s just between two old mates. Taa taa Charlie.¡± Charlie stood up, collected his helmet, and straightened his tunic. ¡°You tell that little mongrel over there that I¡¯ll be back in a couple of hours. If he¡¯s still here spouting that nonsense, I¡¯ll personally crack his cannister.¡± Golden looked away from Charlie and smirked. Charlie nodded and marched away. It was only after he¡¯d turned the corner that the smile dropped from his mouth. These were delicate times indeed. Chapter 34 Daylight had already begun to wane and Nairo was still sat at her desk shuffling through the seemingly endless pile of reports. The rain had started again, but it was a miserably lethargic drizzle that felt like it had gone on for hours. Soggy officers came and went throughout the day. The precinct was a constant buzz of activity as more and more people were being dragged in by the EIF agents. Nairo had only caught glimpses of the tall, dark suited, agents but even from her lowly vantage point she could feel the arrogance and smugness radiating off them. They snapped at officers like they were dogs and they didn¡¯t even deign to deal with the people they arrested. Nairo noted, with growing concern, that most of those being led through the precinct in manacles were Goblins. Those officers not on the EIF¡¯s haphazard manhunt, slumped through the precinct, in the middle of double shifts, exhausted and cagey, like they had spent the day looking over their shoulders. There was barely time for a coffee and a sandwich before they were strapping their heavy leather jerkins back on and going for their next shift. Nairo only caught the edges of conversations but it sounded like the city was boiling over with an unchecked desire for carnage. Muggings, stabbings, looting, thefts, all seemed to be widespread as chancers took advantage of the growing chaos. Nairo chomped at the bit to get out there. To help her fellow officers. But instead, she reached for the next file and flipped it open listening to the rain on the window. After another interminable hour something caught her attention. She looked up and massaged her sore neck as EIF agents snapped at officers to gear up. She heard the word ¡®explosion¡¯ repeated. Had the Diamond gone off again? Nairo was out of her seat before she knew it and was slowly circling the buzz of activity, trying to listen in without looking like it. ¡°There¡¯s been an explosion under Tolliver¡¯s bridge,¡± the Sergeant on duty informed the gathered officers. ¡°We need bodies down there pronto.¡± The officers geared up and began filing out of the precinct while Nairo tagged along behind them. ¡°Any casualties?¡± she heard someone ask. ¡°None reported. By the sounds of it, it was a small bang, but it damaged the structure of the bridge. We need to clear the area and let EIF do their thing.¡± Nairo followed them all the way to the swinging doors of the precinct floor and then they were gone. She stood awkwardly about, chewing on her lip. When was this madness going to end? Another hour fled by and Nairo was no longer even bothering with the paperwork. She sat listlessly staring at the board, picking scabs on her knuckles. The doors burst open and the officers returned from the scene of the explosion. They were soaking wet and looked as rankled as she¡¯d ever seen a group of officers. In their midst were two figures in manacles. Two towering, and very drunk, Trolls shambled into the room. They looked like they had been sleeping rough for quite some time. That didn¡¯t surprise Nairo, under every bridge in the city you could find indigent Trolls. It was another one of those problems Verdalia turned a blind eye to. The Trolls were marched to the exhausted Duty Sergeant¡¯s desk. ¡°Got two more for the bang up,¡± the officer in the front said. Lenny barely looked up. He had been processing new inmates all day. ¡°Name?¡± he said. The first Troll growled something and then hiccuped wetly. Lenny looked up and sighed. ¡°KlackBach it is,¡± he said. Nairo winced at the casual Speciesm. KlackBach was a famous Troll warrior who had his head lopped off and staked on an Elvish castle wall a thousand years ago. Since the average human knew as much about Trollish culture as they did Elvish history, the name had become a pseudonym for Troll in the City. ¡°I no KlackBach,¡± The Troll growled, narrowing his watery, red rimmed eyes. ¡°Then what¡¯s yer name?¡± Lenny asked again, rolling his eyes. The Trolled burped this time and his mate guffawed behind him. Lenny sighed, then caught a waft of the Troll¡¯s burp and his eyes teared up. ¡°Why are you dragging these drunk Trolls in here?¡± he snapped at the officers. ¡°They were living under the bridge when it collapsed,¡± the lead officer explained. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make them witnesses?¡± Lenny said and the officer simply shrugged. ¡°Get them down to cell eight, it''s just been emptied. And make sure there¡¯s a bucket in there! I don¡¯t want them pissing on the floor. Go on, get the pair of them out of here, they stink!¡± The Trolls were jostled away by the officers while they guffawed and bumped into as many things as possible. Nairo clenched her jaw so hard her ears popped. She could feel the bile rising in the back of her throat. Sure the coppers of the city weren¡¯t saints, most of them took the odd backhander, plenty of them ate and drank for free whilst on shift, and not too many of them were opposed to putting the boots to lawbreakers, but this? This was terror. There was no process or due diligence. There was no reason. There were no checks and balances. The Elves had swanned into their city and wiped their boots on law and justice. They arrested whoever they liked. They held them for questioning with no legal representation offered. Some creatures had been in those cells for over 48 hours and had not been charged with anything. The Elves could do and were doing whatever they liked. She felt the indignation burn in her chest. She looked down at the shiny badge pinned to her chest. It glinted mockingly at her. Nairo fought the overwhelming urge to rip the damn stupid piece of tin from her shirt and fling it across the precinct, preferably at one of the EIF agents. Instead, she took a deep breath, pushed her chair back and walked robotically across the precinct. She kept her eyes steady in front of her as she marched towards the doors. ¡°Sergeant Nairo?¡± Nairo blinked and looked around: it was the first time anyone had spoken to her in days. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Message just came in for you.¡± A young officer held out a scroll to her. She nodded her thanks and unrolled it. ¡®Meet me down at the stream behind the pig pen - Clarence III¡¯ ¡°Ridley?¡± Nairo murmured to herself, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. She hadn¡¯t heard from the reticent PI in days and now he was sending her cryptic messages. Sighing, Nairo rolled up the scroll, shoved it in her pocket, grabbed her cloak, and walked out of the precinct. The rain was still coming down when Nairo walked around the back of the precinct. ¡®The stream¡¯ as Ridley had called it, was actually just a flooded alleyway that no one had ever got round to fixing. Eventually, it had eroded the surrounding walls and found its way through the city streets to the main river that flowed through the centre of the city. Wherever it rained the ¡®stream¡¯ would swell, carrying the detritus of the city on its way to the main river. Nairo stopped and looked mournfully at the water. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t jump in if I was you,¡± the familiar voice of Ridley said from behind her. ¡°I doubt it''s deep enough to drown in,¡± Nairo sighed, turning around to look at her former partner. ¡°How are you, Ridley?¡± ¡°Still breathing,¡± Ridley murmured, as he lit a smoke and looked around. ¡°You?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been better,¡± she admitted. ¡°They¡¯ve stuck me on desk duty. I¡¯m pushing files around and sharpening my pencils.¡± ¡°Thought you¡¯d love that,¡± he said, not missing the flash of despondence on Nairo¡¯s face. ¡°They still ain¡¯t found De Woolf?¡± ¡°No, they¡¯ve torn up half the city and arrested the other half but there¡¯s no sign of him. Have you had any luck?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s no trace of him. He¡¯s either dead or well out of the city by now.¡± They stood in silence. ¡°Did you hear what they did to Conway?¡± Ridley nodded and spat. ¡°I told you couldn¡¯t trust the Cap¡¯n.¡± Nairo sighed and let her head hang. ¡°You were right.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve fucked Conway,¡± Ridley continued. ¡°I managed to track him down¡­¡± ¡°How is he?¡± Nairo said, looking up hopefully. ¡°He''s not in a good way, now he really is trying to drink himself to death. They¡¯re threatening to put him up on charges, drag up all that old shit from his past and this time they¡¯re gonna make it stick. If he doesn¡¯t get prison time, then they¡¯ll definitely fire him and with that goes his pension.¡± ¡°And his dream of retiring to the Azuras,¡± Nairo said, feeling a spiky ball of shame knotting in the back of her throat. ¡°Yeah,¡± was all Ridley said. They stood in silence, the rain filling the void left by the unsaid accusations between the two of them. Once Nairo was sure her eyes were dry, she looked up and squinted through the darkness at Ridley and noticed he had a fresh black eye and split lip. ¡°Still working the case?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give up as easily as you.¡± Nairo felt like he had slapped her. She would have preferred it if he had. ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked him sharply. ¡°You heard about the bang down at the bridge?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ was it¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, had to be. The place stunk of pennies, and there were scorch marks just like the alleyway.¡± ¡°Was anyone hurt?¡± ¡°Naa, the place was empty¡­ but there were witnesses.¡± Ridley¡¯s eyes flashed in the darkness. ¡°Those two Trolls!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen ¡®em?¡± ¡°They were just in the Bullpen. they¡¯ve been taken down to the cells now.¡± Ridley blew a thick cloud and then flicked his smoke. ¡°I need to get in there and talk to them, before the Elves do.¡± ¡°Did you not just hear me? They¡¯ve already been processed, they¡¯re sitting in the cells under guard.¡± ¡°Then you need to get me in there!¡± ¡°Is that why you called me out here?¡± ¡°Thought it was the least you could do,¡± Ridley said, his voice steely and his eyes were just as cold. Nairo bit back a response. She was about to tell him she was a police officer and that she couldn¡¯t just let him interrogate prisoners. But all that seemed so¡­ hollow now. There was no justice. There was barely any law left in the city. So what did that make her then? Just some naive idiot pushing papers and swallowing her foolish morality. ¡°Do you think they saw who had the Diamond?¡± ¡°They¡¯re the only two creatures in this whole city that have been anywhere near that damn thing and haven¡¯t wound up dead. I need to talk to them.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Nairo nodded her head and looked at him levelly. ¡°But I can¡¯t sneak you in.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Nairo raised her hand to silence him. ¡°You¡¯ve been in there. There¡¯s coppers everywhere and they''re all very twitchy right now. We¡¯re not sneaking in.¡± ¡°Then how¡­¡± ¡°Ridley¡­ whatever your surname is, I¡¯m placing you under arrest.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ well shit.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. * Nairo had enjoyed putting the manacles on Ridley more than she cared to admit. There was something cathartic about it. She frogmarched him, none too gently, through the doors to the precinct. ¡°Keep your head down and your smart remarks to yourself,¡± Nairo muttered to him from the corner of her mouth. ¡°We¡¯ve been dragging in citizens all day, so no one will bat an eyelid as long as you don¡¯t draw attention to yourself.¡± Ridley nodded and looked down at the floor, trying to hide his face behind the sopping wet collars of his coat. Nairo led him through the main hallway and past a group of weary officers marching the opposite direction. Nairo nodded at a few out of habit, only for her to be resoundly ignored. ¡°You ain¡¯t too popular,¡± Ridley murmured. She twisted his manacles and shoved him forward. They walked through the hallway and passed the main precinct bullpen. ¡°The Trolls were taken down to the basement cells,¡± she whispered to him. ¡°We need to go straight there. We can¡¯t risk processing you or you¡¯ll be stuck down there until they need to clear some space.¡± ¡°How long would that be?¡± ¡°Could be tomorrow, could be next week.¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t even charged me with anything!¡± Ridley said indignantly. ¡°How about resisting arrest,¡± Nairo snapped back at him. ¡°And what were you arresting me for in the first place?¡± ¡°Not sure, but if being an annoying dipshit was a¡­¡± ¡°What have you got there Sergeant Nairo?¡± Nairo looked around and saw Duty Sergeant Lenny standing with a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. He blinked his tired eyes at her and shook his head. ¡°Not another damn EIF arrest?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ ummm¡­ no,¡± Nairo said quickly. ¡°Oh, so has this one actually done something?¡± Lenny said, brightening up. ¡°Bring him to the Bullpen and I¡¯ll process him before I go on break.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You look knackered, you should go on break.¡± ¡°I can do one more¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Nairo said quickly. ¡°Why not?¡± Lenny said, his natural copper instinct, admittedly blunted after years of sitting behind desks, was growing curious. ¡°C¡¯mon Len,¡± Nairo said, thinking as quickly as she could. ¡°You go back in now and there¡¯ll be another batch brought in and someone else will want something, and before you know it your coffee¡¯s gone cold and you¡¯re not getting out of there till quitting time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Lenny said, nodding his head sagely. ¡°I can run him past you later when you¡¯re less busy.¡± ¡°Ha! Less busy! Chance would be a fine thing!¡± Lenny said, sipping his coffee. ¡°What¡¯s he done anyway?¡± ¡°Flasher,¡± Nairo blurted out. ¡°Likes to show his little tackle to Gnommish ladies.¡± ¡°What!¡± Ridley burst out indignantly. ¡°Quiet!¡± Nairo cuffed him around the ear hole and looked back at Lenny who was shaking his head. ¡°The sickos in this city nowadays,¡± he shook his head and gave Ridley a look of disdain. ¡°You¡¯d have it chopped off, if it were down to me. Go on Sarge, sling him in the cell block¡­¡± he gave Ridley another cold look. ¡°Might take a couple days to get his papers filed. He should have plenty of fun in there with the Goblin boys.¡± ¡°Cheers Len.¡± Nairo shoved Ridley hard enough to make him stumble, and then quickly dragged him away. ¡°A pervert!¡± Ridley hissed at her once they were out of earshot. ¡°You could be for all I know,¡± Nairo replied breezily. ¡°Why else would you wear that coat?¡± ¡°This is a detective¡¯s coat, not a pervert coat!¡± ¡°Tell it to the judge.¡± ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this too much.¡± Ridley scowled and then shut up as they passed another group of officers. After four flights of stairs they came to the basement cellblock. The cell block was usually quiet. Most of the people that found themselves here were drunks or similar lowlifes who knew better than to be rowdy once they had been caught, less they get an officially unofficial kicking. Today was different. Every cell was packed to the brim and their occupants anything but demure. She could hear the howling and cursing from the other side of the heavy double doors. There was only one guard on duty and she vaguely recognised him, thankfully he didn¡¯t recognise her. ¡°I¡¯ve got a prisoner here that needs locking up,¡± she said to him. He barely looked up from the book he was reading. He acknowledged her uniform and then held out his hand. ¡°Papers?¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t been processed yet,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Lenny¡¯s on break. You know what he¡¯s like when it comes to going on his break on time.¡± ¡°Sergeants,¡± the officer snorted with a roll of his eyes. He pushed himself back from the desk and waddled over to the wall box of keys. ¡°Reckon, there¡¯s space in cell four, it¡¯s mainly Humans in there¡­¡± ¡°He needs to go in cell eight,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Cell eight, why? We just slung two drunk Trolls in there.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a pervert,¡± Nairo said quickly. ¡°Flashes young girls on their way home.¡± The officer¡¯s lips curled. ¡°Oh does he now?¡± Ridley lips pressed together like he was physically stopping himself from cussing out both of the officers. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lovely cell full of Goblins he might be more suited for.¡± ¡°No¡­ I want him in with the Trolls. Can¡¯t have anything happening to him before he gets processed,¡± Nairo said. The officer thought about it and then nodded. ¡°Alright, we can sling him in cell eight. I¡¯ll take him from here.¡± The officer reached out to grab Ridley. ¡°No!¡± Nairo said, pulling him away. ¡°I mean¡­ I want to do it. I want to see the look on this scumbag¡¯s face when he sees his new cell mates.¡± The officer nodded approvingly and handed her the key. ¡°Thanks,¡± Nairo said as he unlocked the heavy double doors and stood aside as they passed through. ¡°I¡¯ve got a young sister,¡± the officer growled at Ridley. ¡°People like you should be hung.¡± Ridley looked him up and down and shrugged. ¡°If she looks like you, then I¡¯m sure she ain¡¯t my type.¡± Nairo shoved Ridley through the doors before the officer could ¡®accidentally¡¯ kick shit out of him. The noise, and the smell, of the cell block was like a physical force. She had never seen the place so full. Every cell was overflowing. And every occupant of every cell was indignant. ¡°When am I getting out of here?¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t done nothing!¡± ¡°Damn pigs! You ain¡¯t got no right to lock me up!¡± ¡°Wait till I get out of here!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find you!¡± Nairo heard someone spit and then felt something hit her shoulder. She kept her eyes focused on the floor in front of her and hurried Ridley as quickly as she could to the end of the block where cell eight was. Nairo fumbled the key in the lock and yanked the heavy metal door open. She pushed Ridley through and then stood around for a moment before deciding she would be safer in the cell and followed him in, closing the door behind her. The din died down a bit as they disappeared into the cold, concrete cell. It was dark. The glowstone had gone out weeks ago and no one had bothered to change it. In the gloom, she could barely make out two lumpen shapes in the back of the cell, but she could definitely smell them. It was like a mix between sour milk, urine, and paint thinner. The Trolls had hunkered down in a way that only Trolls could do. They were so still they almost looked like a pair of boulders on a mountainside. ¡°Get these off me,¡± Ridley snapped at Nairo, shaking his manacled hands. ¡°Say please.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push it,¡± Ridley growled back at her. Nairo freed him and then looked at the two Trolls. ¡°Are they asleep?¡± she whispered to Ridley. ¡°Dunno,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Oi!¡± ¡°Waaahhh!¡± One of the Trolls came to life with a grinding howl. His massive limbs unfurled and his eyes blinked heavily. ¡°Wot you want?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anyfin!¡± The other Troll mumbled, still half asleep. ¡°Hello,¡± Nairo said, smiling disarmingly at the Troll. ¡°My name¡¯s Sergeant Nairo, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Youse a police?¡± the Troll asked, still blinking and rubbing his head. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Wot you been arrested for?¡± the Troll asked. ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t been.¡± ¡°Wot you in ¡®ere for then?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been arrested,¡± Nairo said, pointing at Ridley. ¡°Oh¡­ wot you done?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a¡­¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t done nothing,¡± Ridley snapped, cutting Nairo off with a scathing look. ¡°Me neither!¡± The Troll said. ¡°Me aswell!¡± The other Troll said, sitting up and scratching his potbelly. ¡°Damn pigs,¡± Ridley said and the Trolls muttered their agreements. ¡°I¡¯m Terry,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I¡¯m Bok and that¡¯s Fick,¡± The first Troll, Bok, replied. ¡°He¡¯s Fick?¡± Ridley asked with a smirk. ¡°Yep,¡± Fick said proudly, a crooked, nearly toothless smile on his grey face. ¡°Least that¡¯s wot everyone calls me.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Ridley said, nodding his head. ¡°So what did the pigs grab you two for?¡± ¡°Nuffin!¡± Bok said indignantly. ¡°We woz just minding our own businesses, ¡®aving a likkle drink,¡± Fick said. ¡°Just a likkle one,¡± Bok agreed. ¡°Under the bridge, like we always does.¡± ¡°We wosn¡¯t botherin¡¯ no one,¡± Fick continued. ¡°An¡¯ we wosn¡¯t even goona ¡®ang round long, coz the place stunk.¡± ¡°Smelt awful down there,¡± Bok agreed. ¡°So we woz just ¡®avin¡¯ a likkle drink and then we woz gonna get on our way.¡± ¡°And a little toot?¡± Ridley asked, winking and tapping his nostril with his index finger. ¡°Well¡­¡± The two Trolls guffawed and gave matching shrugs. ¡°A likkle drink is better with a little blast of Slug, ain¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Too right,¡± Ridley said, grinning at the Trolls. ¡°Then what happened?¡± ¡°Well we was ¡®avin¡¯ a likkle drink right,¡± Bok said. ¡°Only a likkle one,¡± Fick said. ¡°And a couple blasts of Slug, right,¡± Bok said. ¡°Only a couple,¡± Fick added with a wag of his thick digit. ¡°And then there was a bang?¡± Ridley asked impatiently. ¡°¡®Ow did you know that!¡± Fick said, slapping his thick hand to his forehead. ¡°You saw the explosion?¡± Nairo asked. Instantly, the two Trolls shut their mouths and glowered at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her,¡± Ridley said, giving the Sergeant a look that said, ¡®shut up!¡¯ ¡°There was a big bang though, right?¡± ¡°Well, at first we thought might be bad Slug,¡± Bok said, still eyeing Nairo suspiciously. ¡°Happens,¡± Fick said. ¡°I ¡®eard ¡®bout this one fella getting ear banged off by some bad Slug.¡± ¡°It¡¯s terrible really, they cut it wiv all sorts of fings,¡± Bok said. ¡°Is terrible,¡± Fick agreed. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t the Slug?¡± ¡°Nooooooooo,¡± Bok said, shaking his head. ¡°Coz if it was, then how did it knock down that whole bridge?¡± ¡°Slug don¡¯t do that,¡± Fick said. ¡°No matter what they cut it wiv.¡± ¡°So what happened¡­ with the bang?¡± Ridley said, trying to keep them on track. ¡°Everyfin¡¯ just went all bright and den dere was a big whoooooosh and bang!¡± Bok clapped his thick hands together making Fick giggle. ¡°I like that! Do it again!¡± Bok slammed his hands together again and they both guffawed. ¡°Did you see anyone? Before the bang?¡± Ridley asked, excitement growing in his voice. ¡°Well I seent ¡®im,¡± Bok said, pointing at Fick. ¡°I seent ¡®im too,¡± Fick giggled. ¡°No, I mean someone else! Did you see what went bang?¡± ¡°Oohhh, little feller ¡®e was. Looked all sorts of trubbled. Didn¡¯t really wanna get too close to ¡®im. Kept mutterin¡¯ and making weird noises. Fink he was doolally.¡± Bok scratched his protruding stomach and belched. ¡°What did he look like?¡± ¡°Dunno. He was wearing a big robe, but he was only little.¡± ¡°Did he have anything with him?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Something shiny?¡± ¡°Ermmm¡­ I dunno.¡± ¡°¡®E was holding sumfin real close,¡± Fick said. ¡°Like it were a baby or sumfin. ¡®E kept talking to it.¡± ¡°What happened before the bang?¡± Ridley said, leaning towards the Trolls. ¡°Ummm¡­ nuffin really. The little fing just kept mutterin¡¯...¡± Bok said. ¡°Sounded like ¡®e was arguin¡¯ wiv himself,¡± Fick added. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. An¡¯ then he got all ummm¡­ wotsitsname¡­¡± Bok rubbed his head. ¡°Like nervous or aggidated and then there were a bright light¡­ and bang!¡± ¡°It was there!¡± Ridley hissed at Nairo, his eyes shining bright in the darkness. ¡°It was there and it¡¯s bloody Active! Lying fucking Elves!¡± He almost shouted that last statement. ¡°Shhh!¡± Nairo hissed at him, looking around the cell block. ¡°Did you see where the creature went?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°I dunno. After all the white had gone, the bridge was all broken and there woz coppers everywhere,¡± Bok said. ¡°Everywhere!¡± Fick nodded his head, his eyes wide. ¡°Then they give us a kicking and locked us up! We didn¡¯t even do nuffin!¡± ¡°Nuffin!¡± ¡°Come on Sarge, we need to go,¡± Ridley said, standing up and dusting himself down. ¡°Thank you both, you¡¯ve been very helpful,¡± Nairo said to the Trolls. ¡°When we gonna get out of ¡®ere?¡± Bok asked. ¡°We ain¡¯t done nuffin!¡± Fick wailed. ¡°The EIF agents are going to want to talk to you first,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°EIF?¡± Bok repeated slowly. ¡°Them Elves?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna talk to no Elves! I ain¡¯t done nuffin!¡± ¡°Me neither!¡± ¡°Good,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell ¡®em anything that you just told us. Tell ¡®em there was a big bang and you didn¡¯t see nothing or no one else. Understood? You tell ¡®em anymore and they might wanna keep you for longer.¡± ¡°Longer?¡± Bok said, visibly gulping. ¡°They might even want to take you back to the Elvish Kingdom for questioning,¡± Ridley said darkly. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go there!¡± Fick howled. ¡°Good. Keep your mouth shut and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± The Trolls nodded dumbly and hunched over, pulling their legs towards them and returning to their boulder-like state. Nairo locked the cell behind them and let out a deep breath. ¡°They¡¯ve been lying the whole time,¡± she said through clenched teeth. ¡°I only told you,¡± Ridley said, his eyebrows knitted in thought. ¡°And it sounds like the Diamond is getting more out of control.¡± Nairo nodded. She had seen the destructive power of the Diamond and the idea that whoever had stolen it was losing control of it made her stomach twist in knots. ¡°Come on, we have to get you out of here,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Gonna look weird if you take me back out again.¡± ¡°We can use the back door,¡± Nairo said, nodding to the door at the end of the cell block. ¡°It''s where we discharge prisoners.¡± She led him quickly through the door and down an empty corridor where a bored officer was rubbing at his sleep deprived eyes. Nairo nodded at him without breaking her step. ¡°Hold on, marm,¡± the officer said. ¡°Is he being let go?¡± ¡°Who? Him?¡± Nairo said, pointing at Ridley. ¡°Yes marm.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a prisoner, he¡¯s a consultant working a case for the Cap¡¯n. Needed to talk to one of our prisoners.¡± ¡°Oh right, sorry marm,¡± the officer blinked drowsily and then forgot all about them. ¡°That was easy,¡± Ridley muttered as they made their way down a flight of stairs. ¡°For you, surprisingly, it¡¯s harder to get into the precinct than out.¡± Chapter 35 Sometimes, Wally was right, in his own way. Timmy sat back, with his feet up in front of the fire and gave a pleasant little belch, listening to the rain tinkling on the windows. It had taken three different cafes before they found one that wasn¡¯t suddenly closing for the day at the sight of two policemen. The one they had found was a pleasant little corner cafe run by an ancient Goblin matron. She had supplied them with hot coffee, and then cold cider, while they tucked into some sort of surprisingly delicious stew. They knew better than to enquire what was in the stew but it was nourishing and hearty. They had eaten their fill, and were now posted up in front of a nice little fireplace letting their boots dry and drinking hot spiced wine. All in all, it was a pleasant change from the cold cobbles, the drizzling rain, and the frigid looks of the public. Wally snored gently to his left, with his cloak wrapped around himself like a blanket and his helmet slid down over his eyes. Timmy watched the clouds darken overhead as the sun disappeared and checked the clock on the wall. Was that the time already? Their shift was almost up. ¡°Wally.¡± Timmy shook his partner awake. ¡°Wah¡­ wot is it?¡± Timmy murmured bleary eyed. ¡°Shift¡¯s nearly over.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Wally stretched languidly and yawned. ¡°Cor¡­ I could do with a pint. Let¡¯s get back to the precinct then the first round¡¯s on you.¡± Wally stood up and swished his cloak around his shoulders. The old Goblin matron looked up from the counter she was fastidiously polishing. Wally made eye contact with her and gave her a small smile and a nod. ¡°Cheers for the hospitality gran.¡± With that he made for the door. ¡°Hold on, we need to pay,¡± Timmy said, reaching for his wallet. ¡°Naa, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s been a pleasure ¡®avin¡¯ two coppers stopped by in such a troubled time,¡± Wally said, still grinning at the old matron. She worked her tongue around her mouth, her eyes narrowed, and she gave a brief nod. ¡°Iss okay. Next time.¡± ¡°See? Taa very much,¡± Wally pulled open the door. ¡°But¡­ we should pay,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Come on Tim!¡± ¡°But¡­ are you sure?¡± Timmy asked the matron. She looked from Timmy to Wally and she gave a terse little nod. ¡°Iss okay.¡± ¡°Come on!¡± Timmy dithered for a moment before nodding and thanking the matron on his way out. The wind had whipped up now and was slanting the rain straight into their faces. Everything seemed bathed in a concrete grey as the last light of the day faded. ¡°We should have paid. We¡¯re not allowed to take bribes.¡± Timmy said to Wally as he pulled the hood of his cloak up. ¡°That weren¡¯t a bribe,¡± Wally said, his face tinged red with the ruddiness of a good buzz. ¡°Receiving any goods or services for free while on duty is considered a bribe.¡± ¡°Naa¡­ that was just¡­ perk of the job.¡± Wally meandered away with his head high. ¡°Ain¡¯t so bad being a copper if you do it properly.¡± ¡°No, I suppose it isn¡¯t,¡± Timmy said, catching him up. ¡°I mean all that detectoring and chasing down villains and all that, that sort of fing is better in the stories. This, walking the cobbles, being respected by the community, ¡®aving a lovely lunch and getting out the rain, that¡¯s proper coppering.¡± ¡°It is?¡± ¡°Corse! Why would you wanna go getting yourself involved in all that crime stuff when you could have your feet up and stay out of the way? I mean look at us! We got full bellies, our boots is dry, and we¡¯ve had a couple of cheeky pints. Does it get any better?¡± Wally gesticulated enthusiastically, his eyes bright and a stupid grin plastered on his face. ¡°And we didn¡¯t pay for any of it,¡± Timmy grumbled. ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°But that ain¡¯t why I became a copper. I wanted to catch the bad guys and be a detective¡­¡± ¡°And look where that got us! Nose to nose with the bloomin¡¯ Landlord and dragged up in front of the Cap¡¯n and that bloody politician. I¡¯m sorry Tim, but your way ain¡¯t for people like us. We¡¯re normal like. Just ordinary people of the city. We ain¡¯t supposed to get accommodations and be in the paper and all that. We¡¯re supposed to read the paper¡­ or at least skip to the back for the ¡®orse racing. We should be concernin¡¯ ourselves with keepin¡¯ our heads down, our feet dry, and our bellies full.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ you¡¯re right,¡± Timmy said. 7 A part of him still yearned for the chase and the excitement, but the last few days had left a bad taste in his mouth. It seemed like all he had got for his troubles¡­ was more trouble. Trying to be a real copper had got him ridiculed, interrogated, and he almost had his head caved in by real villains. Doing it Wally¡¯s way had left him with a full stomach and pleasant warmth in his cheeks. ¡°Corse I¡¯m right! Stick with me Timmy mate and every day will be like this one. No more chasing shadows and playing detective for us. Now it¡¯s just ¡®ot food, cold drinks, and the odd midday nap! What more could a fella want?¡± ¡°That does sound nice,¡± Timmy admitted. They were laughing and bumping into each other playfully when Wally nudged Timmy off the curb. He stumbled into the street and in a flash a screaming horse and cart flew by him, whipping his cloak around and knocking him over. As the cart zipped by Timmy caught the sight of several dark hooded figures hunched over in the back. It was only a flashing glance, but Timmy distinctly saw the face of a Human swaddled deep in a black cloak. ¡°Oi! Slow down you madman!¡± Wally shouted after the cart, shaking his fist. ¡°You okay Tim?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Timmy said shakily as Wally helped him to his feet and tried to wipe down his sodden cloak. ¡°Bloody loonies. Fancy driving like that, they could ¡®ave ¡®urt someone!¡± ¡°I-I-I think they are going to hurt someone,¡± Timmy looked at the way the horse had gone. ¡°Drivin¡¯ like that they will,¡± Wally said blithely. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get back to the precinct ¡®fore anymore nutters come out.¡± ¡°No, Wally, I mean I think they¡¯re on their way to hurt someone. Those were humans in the back of that cart.¡± ¡°¡®Umans? What would ¡®umans be doin¡¯ down ¡®ere¡­ well other than us?¡± ¡°Nothing good,¡± Timmy said, looking down at the blood on the scraped heel of his hand. ¡°All the more reason we need to get out of ¡®ere. C¡¯mon, we can get to the precinct round the other way¡­¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°We should have a look at least,¡± Timmy said. ¡°You sure you even seen them? They went by pretty quick,¡± Wally said, his voice holding a pleading tone. ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­ sort of. Come on, we¡¯ll just take a look down the road to make sure nothing¡¯s happening.¡± ¡°And if it is?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ we¡¯ll¡­ think of something.¡± ¡°Oh great,¡± Wally said, his pleasant buzz from only a few minutes ago washed away like rain down a gutter. Timmy followed after the cart at a light jog with a reluctant Wally on his heels. They rounded the corner and saw no sign of their quarry. Timmy kept going before Wally could catch up and start moaning. He had a gnawing feeling in his gut, and it wasn¡¯t just that dodgy stew they¡¯d had. After stumbling down three more roads Timmy was badly winded and lost in the suburban labyrinth of the Goblin quarter. ¡°Enough!¡± Wally wheezed as he caught up with Timmy. ¡°I¡¯m gonna see me lunch again if we carry on like this!¡± Despite himself, Timmy was grateful for the break. He bent over double, his hands on his knees, and sucked air. He wiped the sweat from his pink brow and looked around. ¡°They could be anywhere by now!¡± Wally said, spitting a thick wad of phlegm on to the cobbles. ¡°We¡¯ll never catch ¡®em on foot.¡± Timmy nodded and straightened up. ¡°I guess you¡¯re¡­ what¡¯s that?¡± Timmy was looking over Wally¡¯s head at a coil of black smoke being whipped away by the wind. Wally turned around and followed his gaze. ¡°Looks like¡­ smoke?¡± he said. ¡°Smoke?¡± Timmy thought for a moment. ¡°Something¡¯s on fire!¡± ¡°Wait, not necessarily,¡± Wally said, holding his hands up placatingly. ¡°There could be smoke¡­ without fire.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Might just be a bonfire. You know these Goblins with their strange ways an¡¯ all that.¡± Wally looked again and the coil had turned into a plume of thick, greasy, black smoke. ¡°That¡¯s no bonfire! Come on!¡± Timmy took off as fast his chafing thighs would let him. His breath rattled in his ears, his face felt so hot he could hear the rain sizzling as it splashed on his cheeks, but he forced himself to keep running towards the smoke. Now he could smell it. The chimney of smoke rose high above the neat little houses, making their route easy to navigate. After a few minutes they came out onto a long road with a mixture of houses and shop fronts. At the end of the road, they found the source of the blaze. A shop standing alone on the corner was belching flames. Its windows had been smashed and great gouts of flames licked out from it. Goblins were pouring out of their homes in terrified shock. ¡°Bloody hell,¡± Wally cursed as they got close enough to feel the heat of the roaring inferno. The shop looked like it had been some sort of tailor, its highly flammable inventory proving delicious to the ravenous fire. Goblins stood around chattering in Kittei and gesticulating wildly. Timmy was utterly lost. He didn¡¯t know what to do. He came to a stop as another great tongue of flame was whipped up by the wind. The crowd noticed the two policemen and they began pointing and barking in their own tongue. ¡°What¡­ I don¡¯t understand¡­ ummm¡­ what do we do?¡± Timmy looked at Wally who had gone pale. ¡°There¡¯s people in there!¡± An older Goblin gentleman shouted at them, pointing to the upstairs window. Timmy looked up and saw desperate hands clawing at boarded up windows as smoke filled the room. ¡°What? Why? Who are they?¡± Timmy felt panic clawing its way up from the pit of his stomach, strangling the sense out of his brain. ¡°Its brother Ga¡¯zoo! His family lives above the shop! He has little ones!¡± The Goblin howled. The crowd took up his dread and soon panic had flared across the crowd as quickly as the fire had spread through the shop. They screamed up at the Goblins. Some had started to throw rocks at the windows trying to smash them and others were trying to find a route into the burning building. Timmy stood frozen. His legs were numb. He watched as the frantic scrambling at the windows slowed. The windows were nailed shut. They must have barricaded themselves in, like most of the shops in the Goblin quarter had. They had trapped themselves in the inferno. He could see smoke filling the room. ¡°Wally! Wally!¡± Timmy screamed, although his voice sounded distant and weak. ¡°Wally! We have to do something!¡± Timmy looked around for his partner. Wally¡¯s bright, horrified, eyes were glued to the upstairs window, his face ash white. Timmy stumbled towards the door of the shop and was beaten back by the sheer heat of the blaze. One of the Goblins who had tried to break his way in was being dragged away, half of the scales on his arms melted by the heat of the fire. Timmy pulled his cloak up over his face and tried to make a mad dash into the furnace only to be grabbed by Wally. ¡°Wally, what are you doing! We have to help them! We have to save them! Let go of me!¡± Timmy was wild in his desperation. He shoved and tore at Wally trying to get him off of him. ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Wally said, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ they¡¯re gone.¡± Timmy stumbled backwards and looked up at the window to see the flames licking the rooftop as the room filled with fire. He couldn¡¯t see the grasping hands of the trapped Goblins anymore. He heard the Goblins around him wailing and screaming in horror, beating at their chests in grief. He felt Wally¡¯s hands go slack on his shirt. He wasn¡¯t sure when his legs had given out, but he found himself sitting down on the wet cobbles, still looking up at the window. He was still looking when the roof collapsed. Goblins wept all around him, holding each other, and crying out in their mother tongue. Timmy felt tears trickling down his cheeks. At some point Wally had sat down next to him, hunched over, his knees pulled to his chest and his face buried between them. Timmy could hear his wracking sobs but he could do nothing to comfort his friend. Who would do this? Why would they¡­ Timmy thought he was going to be sick. He could feel the acrid tang of bile rise in the back of his throat. He clenched his teeth and swallowed it back. ¡°Wally, have you got your comm scroll?¡± Timmy¡¯s voice was strangely calm. Like it wasn¡¯t him talking but someone else. Someone far away from the stench of smoke and burning flesh. Someone who couldn¡¯t hear the heartbroken wailing of the Goblins. Wally lifted his head, scrubbed the tears from his face on the back of his sleeve, and nodded. ¡°I think we should contact the precinct.¡± * ¡°So what now?¡± Nairo asked Ridley as they climbed out of a bottom floor window that led to one of the various dark alleyways behind the precinct. Getting out of the precinct without being seen had been tricky until an emergency scroll had come in. Something about a fire in the Goblin Quarter. After hiding out in an empty office for fifteen minutes, the precinct cleared out and they were able to sneak down and out the back. ¡°I gotta hunt down this midget with the Diamond,¡± Ridley said, pulling up his coat collars and fishing for a smoke in his voluminous pockets. ¡°It sounds like they¡¯re losing control,¡± Nairo said, chewing her lip. ¡°The Diamond¡¯s becoming more unstable,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Tolliver¡¯s bridge could just be the start.¡± ¡°And if the Diamond cracks, the whole city could be levelled.¡± ¡°Who is this guy?¡± Ridley growled in frustration. ¡°What does he want? Why is he running around the underbelly of the city with a literal ancient weapon of war?¡± ¡°Why haven¡¯t they sold it yet? Or taken it out of the city, especially now that it¡¯s becoming more unstable? They risk blowing themselves up and the city!¡± Nairo added. ¡°None of this makes any sense.¡± ¡°Nothing ¡®bout this case has ever made much sense,¡± Ridley said. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t sound like our thief is too stable himself. Time¡¯s running out.¡± ¡°Any idea where you''re gonna start?¡± Nairo asked, falling in step next to him as they slowly walked down the alley. ¡°Nope. I guess around Tolliver¡¯s bridge, see if anyone spotted a little nutter in a dark cloak doing a runner. Gotta be honest, Sarge, asking questions was a lot easier with you around.¡± ¡°I guess the badge helps.¡± ¡°It does¡­ but people like you. They open up when you¡¯re around.¡± Nairo looked sideways at Ridley. Was that a compliment? Or at the very least, not a comment dripping with sarcasm. ¡°Yeah I guess, but you always knew who to ask. Guess we made a good team.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± They came to the end of the alleyway and stood for an awkward moment. ¡°Ridley, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t worry¡­¡± ¡°But I should¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t, I get it¡­¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± They stood examining their shoes for another moment. ¡°Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.¡± Ridley said, flicking his smoke into an overflowing gutter where it sizzled. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you around.¡± ¡°Yes. Goodbye.¡± Ridley nodded at her and then turned to walk away. A large black horse and carriage pulled up in front of him. The driver tugged on the reins so viciously the horse reared and whinnied in protest as its hooves slipped on the wet cobbles. The door to the carriage banged open and a handsome, dapperly dressed, young Goblin grinned out at them. Three more Goblins sat in the back of the cab looking decidedly less friendly. ¡°Hello Ridley.¡± Ridley looked up and froze. ¡°Rufi?¡± ¡°Get in. My uncle needs a word.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°You too Sarge.¡± Rufi looked at her and flashed her a cavalier grin. ¡°You two have been up to all sorts. Now it¡¯s time to pay the piper.¡± The smile dropped from his face. ¡°We¡¯re going for a ride down south.¡± Chapter 36 The cab ride was terse and uncomfortable. Nairo and Ridley had been jammed between two hulking Goblins who made not even a conciliatory gesture to make room for their guests. All four Goblins wore deeply suspicious frowns and they all stank of smoke for some reason. Despite knowing they could speak Forrest they chose to speak in the guttural Goblin tongue with none too subtle gestures letting them know they were speaking about them. Uncharacteristically, Ridley remained silent and did not try to engage the Goblins. He kept his head down, his face obscured in the shadows of his collars. ¡°Kidnapping a police officer is a very bad idea,¡± Nairo had said after ten minutes of this foreboding silence. The Goblins spoke to each other in Kittei, ignoring her until finally their leader, Rufi, replied. ¡°Who¡¯s been kidnapped, Detective Sergeant? Far as I know I asked you to get in and you did of your own free will.¡± ¡°And if I hadn¡¯t?¡± Nairo asked, narrowing her eyes at him. ¡°If I was four foot shorter I¡¯d be a Gnome,¡± he said with a shrug. The Goblins around him grunted in amusement and then they all fell silent again. ¡°Besides,¡± Rufi continued. ¡°Me and Ridley here go way back. We¡¯re practically mates. Ain¡¯t that right, Ridley?¡± Ridley looked up for the first time and gave him a weak smile. ¡°Yeah course.¡± ¡°See, Sarge, you should sit back now and relax.¡± Nairo took that as polite villain code for shut your mouth and stop asking questions. Another twenty minutes passed until they came to a stop. The Goblin next to Nairo poked his head out of the window and growled something. She heard heavy iron gates scrape open and their carriage slowly made its way through. She heard the gates scrape shut with a tone of finality. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Rufi said with that same charming smile on his face. The Goblins threw open the carriage door and hopped out, the carriage swaying under their bulk. ¡°Ladies first,¡± Rufi said to Nairo. She frowned at him before stepping out of the carriage. It was dark now but she knew exactly where she was: in the heart of Goblin Town. And something was very wrong. There were Goblins everywhere, which shouldn''t have been unusual for that part of town, but these Goblins were armed to the teeth, some were even wearing various bits of battle armour. They scowled ferociously at her, a few readied their weaponry as if waiting for the chance to attack. The smell of smoke was thick in the air, mingled with fear and anger. The heavy wrought iron gates of the square were chained shut with giant metal padlocks and links of iron as thick as her wrist. A makeshift barricade of sharpened stakes had been erected outside the gate, and she saw at least a dozen cross bows set up behind a wall of sandbags. The Goblins were ready for a siege by the looks of it. Rufi stepped out of the cab after Ridley and stretched his neck. Now that she got a proper look at him, Nairo realised what a physical specimen he was. He towered over her, if she had to guess he was over six and a half feet, and built like an athlete, with a broad chest and thick shoulders which tapered to an elegant waist. He was handsome, for a Goblin, with a shock of dark hair between his long ears and his eyes radiated and alluring self assurance. He had deep emerald green scales which were a rarity among the city¡¯s Goblins: most had dull or dark green scales. Rufi¡¯s had a bright, virile, lustre to them. His scales were complimented by a sumptuous, black, three piece suit, crisp white shirt, complete with a blood red tie, that had a twinkling jade pin in it. But Nairo¡¯s copper instincts cut through all that surface level charm and elegance. She noticed the bulge in his jacket of a hidden hatchet under his right arm. She could tell there was something just off about the way the shoulders of his suit jacket sat, implying he was wearing some sort of armour. And she noticed the various nicks and scratches in his short tusks that told her they weren¡¯t just there for show. But, it was his eyes more than anything. They were the eyes of a true villain. They were the eyes of a creature that could kill and then forget all about it. Nairo looked from Rufi to the last Goblin to exit the carriage. He had been riding with the driver and if Rufi worried her, this one frightened her. He was almost as tall as Rufi but had a wiry build. He had mottled grey scales that reminded her of Benny. The tip of one of his tusks looked like it had been chipped off and was now replaced by a gleaming silver point. His face was flatter and broader. He had a nasty, knotted,scar running horizontally across his cheek under one eye. No blade had done that. Nairo guessed his cheek had been torn open by a tusk or claw. Whereas Rufi¡¯s eyes glittered and promised violence if needed, this Goblin¡¯s eyes were dark black and dead. There was a hunger in those empty eyes, like he was constantly fighting the urge to commit shocking violence. He had a crossbow slung over his shoulders, and nonchalant lean to the way he stood, as if nothing in the world had ever concerned him. He was dressed similarly to Rufi, but nowhere near as elegantly. His suit was a simple grey two piece that was scuffed and creased, as if he had worn it for many days in a row. He wore his white shirt open at the neck and she could see the carvings on his chest peeking through under a thick gold chain which matched with the small gold hoop in his ear. These two were the real deal, the true Goblin Kith she had kept hearing whispers about. A small rotund HobGoblin broke out from the pack and wrapped Rufi up in a strong embrace. He was the more sandy-orange variety of HobGoblin, short and round, as opposed to tall and wispy like the greener variety. He wore a brown flat cap and matching rough fabriced suit. He spoke very quietly to Ridley, his bulbous, yellow eyes flicking over Ridley and Nairo taking in every detail in just a second. He pulled a little notebook out of his pocket and began rattling off a list in Kittei. Rufi listened and nodded along adding a few things here and there, which the HobGoblin noted down. After their brief exchange he looked at Ridley and Nairo again. He said something and Rufi nodded. He flipped his notebook shut, tucked it back into this jacket and turned to the mob of Goblins, rattling out orders to them. ¡°And Paulie, don¡¯t let them get into those casks of firerum!¡± Rufi yelled after the HobGoblin. ¡°Fuck knows I don¡¯t need ¡®em pissed and full of blood.¡± Rufi watched the HobGoblin go about his business before turning to Nairo. ¡°Welcome to Goblin Town, Sergeant.¡± Rufi grinned at her and straightened his tie. ¡°If you¡¯d like to follow me.¡± Rufi held out his hand and ushered them along the neat white stone pavement. None of the Goblins, other than the grey scaled one, followed. He walked behind Nairo and Ridley, languidly swinging his crossbow without a care in the world. As they walked, they passed more gangs of armed Goblins and more barricades and defences. There wasn¡¯t a single shop open or a creature that wasn¡¯t armed to the tusks in sight. Ridley sidled up to Nairo and muttered to her. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°This is bad.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± she whispered back. ¡°What has happened?¡± Ridley shrugged. ¡°Something¡¯s gone down. Could be that fire the other coppers were racing off to.¡± ¡°Maybe. This place looks like it''s ready for a war.¡± ¡°This is bad,¡± Ridley repeated. ¡°For Uncle Sam to go to such an outward show of force something¡¯s gone down. Try to say as little as possible and be polite.¡± Nairo looked at him with an arched eyebrow but his deathly pale face reinforced the seriousness of their situation. She nodded and then looked up at the building they were approaching. The Goblin Town Hall, the community hub, was the epicentre of all Goblin activity in the entire city. It was a sumptuous white stone building that stood four stories tall and so wide she couldn¡¯t see the ends as they approached. It looked like a miniature version of the Houses of Parliament, but one that had been maintained far better. There were gorgeous carvings of leaves all around the ten foot tall doors and pillars that stood thicker than Nairo was from shoulder to shoulder. Everywhere around the exterior of the building were intricate carvings lending the walls the texture of a mountain face. The white stone was impeccably maintained. There was no smoothing or wearing down of the carvings. There wasn¡¯t a speck of dirt in front of the building or even a splash of pigeon droppings. Outside the two giant doors stood two equally imposing guards. Both stood at attention in full armour, holding poleaxes twice as tall as Nairo. They acknowledged Rufi¡¯s presence and neatly stepped aside in perfect sync. The entire building seemed to be a massive, cavernous, circular room filled with dozens of worried looking Goblin families. There was no furniture in the hall, everyone sat in their familial circles on the fur covered floor sharing giant platters of stews and soft, doughy, bread. In the centre of the hall was a huge, roaring, fire pit the size of a swimming pool, with a hood above to direct the smoke out of the thick chimney. Meat and vegetables roasted on the pit under the strict supervision of a few burly Goblin men. The walls were adorned with tapestries as long as a street depicting ancient Goblin wars. There were banners draped from every wall covered in the square, blockish, text of Kittei. Children ran around the massive hall in their bare feet, wrestling and playing, while their parents ate and sipped bowls of hot coffee. It was much much cosier and warmer than Nairo had expected from the Goblin tribes. Everything she had ever learned about Goblins depicted them as harsh, sparse, and fierce creatures. In the hall, they looked just like any other community within the city, eating, gossiping, and playing. But there was an edge in the room. She noticed quite a few families had large packs of belongings with them. Some had weapons sheathed, but close to hand. A few of the older Goblins kept shooting furtive glances at the doors as if they expected an attack at any moment. Fear and worry hung as thick as the smell of roasting meats in the air. Rufi strode across the room smiling, shaking hands, touching his chest, and patting children on the head. He wrestled with a few young children before stopping to have his head patted by an ancient old matron with no teeth. She muttered something to Rufi and he replied in Kittei with a warm smile on his face. The old matron, chuckling, reached up and touched his tusk with a gnarled finger tugging at it gently before giving him a light smack on the cheek. The grey suited Goblin gave a few small nods and touched his chest a few times as he trailed behind them. Nairo and Ridley were not given such a warm welcome. Dark, angry, eyes followed them as they walked behind Rufi. A particularly barrel chested Goblin lurched into their path and scowled ferociously at them, growling in Kittei. The grey suited Goblin with the crossbow stepped silently between Nairo and the irate Goblin. Despite being almost half his size, the barrel chested Goblin faltered in his tirade. The grey suited Goblin stared him down, his knees slightly bent, his head cocked to one side, his expression more curious than affronted. Rufi placed a hand on the barrel chested Goblins¡¯ shoulder and spoke to him reassuringly. The Goblin gesticulated wildly, pointing his clawed digit at Ridley and Nairo like it was a dagger. They exchanged words in Kittei and Rufi raised his hands placatingly and then nodded at a female Goblin who was hovering over the barrel chested Goblin¡¯s shoulder. She wrapped an arm around his chest and pulled him away while he continued to rant. ¡°Come on,¡± Rufi said to them, leading them quickly across the hall to a rectangular portal on the other side of the hall. The Goblin standing at the portal bowed his head to them and then hauled aside the heavy metal grating while Rufi ushered them into the metal box. ¡°What is this?¡± Nairo asked as they filed in. ¡°You never been in a lifter?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°A lifter?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Rufi then looked over and shared a smirk with the grey suited Goblin as the metal grating was slammed shut. After a tremulous second the metal box shifted, wobbled, and then smoothly ascended up. Nairo grabbed the wall in surprise as she felt the floor shift underneath her. Rufi and the other Goblin sniggered while Ridley shook his head at Nairo. ¡°Be cool, Sarge,¡± he hissed at her. ¡°How is it doing that?¡± Nairo asked, regaining her footing and feeling foolish. ¡°I dunno. Pulleys or some shit,¡± Rufi replied. ¡°Beats hoofing it up four flights of stairs.¡± ¡°Yeah fuck stairs,¡± Ridley grumbled, remembering their own ignominous recent history with staircases. ¡°We need one of these at the precinct,¡± Nairo said, marvelling at the new experience. After only a few more seconds the lifter slowed and then gently bumped to a stop. A HobGoblin pulled back the grate and bowed to Rufi. He kept his head down until they had passed. ¡°Tell Uncle his guests have arrived,¡± Rufi said, sitting down on one of the small padded chairs, and helping himself to a bowl of sugared almonds on the small side table. The HobGoblin bowed again and shuffled through the heavy double doors opposite the lifter. The grey suited Goblin took position up outside the lifter, as if to ensure they didn¡¯t try to run. Ridley posted up in a corner, pulled a smoke out, and then after Rufi cleared his throat and shook his head, he made it disappear again. Nairo looked around and tried to get a gauge of their surroundings. Even if they had wanted to run there was no avenue of escape. They were in a windowless antechamber with a few chairs and some more animal rugs strewn across the floor. On one side of the wall there was what looked like a shrine full of wonderfully intricate sculptures of dozens of different Goblins. The models ranged in size from waist high all the way down to a palm¡¯s length. There were tall, rangy Goblins, short and fat ones, muscular, and thin ones. Some were arranged in positions of repose or meditation and others looked to be engaged in the most bloodthirsty of combat. They were all made of the same clay like white stone the Hall had been constructed from. Nairo found herself drawn to them. ¡°These are beautiful,¡± she whispered, bending down to get a better look at the smaller pieces. The grey suited Goblin growled something in Kittei and Rufi gave a short bark of laughter. ¡°I know you speak Forrest!¡± Nairo snapped at the Goblin. His grin never moved an inch. ¡°I said you might have a thing for green,¡± the Goblin said. She scowled at him and then turned to look back at the statues. ¡°Uncle will see you now,¡± the HobGoblin announced from the double doors. Nairo¡¯s scalp had started itching and she felt uncomfortably warm. She didn¡¯t like this. For what seemed like the seventh or eighth time in this case, she was being blindly walked into a corner with no chance of escape by creatures who¡¯d happily slit her throat and dump her body in the tar pits. ¡°Come Sarge. Best not to keep Uncle Sam waiting,¡± Rufi said with a wicked glint in his eye. Chapter 37 Rufi stood up and licked sugar from the tip of his finger. He straightened his suit, looked over his partner¡¯s appearance, and then made his way to the door. The grey suited Goblin turned to Nairo and Ridley and gestured for them to follow. ¡°After you,¡± he said to Nairo with a cruel smile playing around his lips. ¡°I like walking behind you.¡± Nairo turned to say something to him but Ridley caught her arm and marched her forward. ¡°Ignore him. He¡¯s trying to wind you up.¡± he whispered to her. ¡°If you would kindly remove your shoes,¡± the HobGoblin said to them, gesturing to a small rack where they could place them. Nairo looked at Ridley, who was already kicking off his battered loafers. Nairo did likewise and placed them on the rack while the HobGoblin thanked them and gestured for them to follow Rufi who had already removed his own shoes. They stepped past the bowing HobGoblin and into a large office that seemed to be more of a workshop. Sat cross legged behind a low table working delicately on a small model was a broad, powerfully built Goblin. His head and his neck were so thick they were indistinguishable, and his shoulders looked like two boulders on either side of it. He had glimmering green scales, similar to Rufi¡¯s, but they had dulled somewhat with age. His hands were two massive bear sized paws, his palms looked wide enough to smother a man¡¯s face. He delicately turned the model over, nimbly manipulating it, using his sharp claws to whittle away the stone and his thumbs to smooth out the harsh edges. He had dark eyes, a thick, blunt nose, and a wide mouth with two vicious tusks that curled inwards slightly. He wore a heavy frown and Nairo couldn¡¯t imagine his face in any other expression. It was as if everything in life was always a slight disappointment to him but that that was to be expected. Only his dulling scales, and the slight wisps of white hair on the ends of his long ears, gave a hint of his years. He was dressed in the simple, homespun cloth traditional to Goblins. It was a long wrap, belted with thick leather and draped across one shoulder, displaying the bulging, if slightly sagging, muscles of his chest. Sam¡¯sun Chaw¡¯drak, Ustra¡¯a of all Goblins in the city looked up as they approached and Nairo felt the weight of those eyes. He had a gaze that felt like gravity itself, weighing her down with the unspoken decades of conflict he had endured and conquered. He appraised her for the briefest moment before going back to his model, gently whittling a strip of stone like it was clay. He gestured with a nod of his head for them to sit in the dropped circle at the centre of the room. They followed Rufi to the circle cut out of the floor, the grey suited Goblin had remained standing by the door with his hands folded in front of him. There were pillows scattered about and in the middle was a smouldering fire pit. As Nairo walked towards the circle she noticed the top half of the back wall of the room was completely open, looking out on the main hall. There were more hangings with Kittei writing and a bookshelf laden with heavy tomes. The whole office had the dreamy smell of lavender and something Nairo couldn¡¯t quite place. It was a sweet perfume-like scent that was strangely refreshing. Nairo stepped down into the circle and sat cross legged next to Ridley. They sat in hesitant silence for a few minutes before she heard Sam¡¯sun¡¯s heavy sigh as he rose to his feet. He was not tall, especially for a Goblin, but he was built as broad and powerful as the Goblin blacksmiths she had seen in the Foundries. His every movement was deliberate and surprisingly gentle. His bare feet padded across the fur covered floor to a small stone basement. He rinsed his hands and adjusted his shawl before walking to the circle. He sighed as he stepped down, she had expected a heavy thud, but his footsteps were gentle enough for her to hear the clicking of knees. He took his place opposite them, his back to the open wall, and sat down with another sigh. He crossed his thick legs and looked first at Nairo and then at Ridley. Without a word, he reached for a steaming pot in the embers of the fire pit. With his bare hand, he shifted around the sparks to breathe life back into the fire. Without being asked, Rufi placed a tray of small curved glasses down in front of him. Sam¡¯sun lifted the pot and deftly began pouring light brown tea into the glasses. He filled five glasses without spilling a drop and then placed the pot back into the fire. Sam¡¯sun rose, the heavy frown still on his face. He picked the tray up without so much as a rattle of a single glass, and walked around the circle. He picked up a glass between his thumb and index finger and handed it to Ridley first. ¡°Thank you Uncle,¡± Ridley said, bowing his head and accepting the glass with both hands. Sam¡¯sun grunted an acknowledgement. He then plucked another small glass and handed it to Nairo. ¡°Oh thank you, but I don¡¯t¡­¡± Ridley looked up at her wide eyed like she¡¯d spat in the Goblin¡¯s face. Behind her she heard the grey suited Goblin shift. Sam¡¯sun was as impassive as ever. He simply offered her the glass again. Nairo reached up with both hands as Ridley had done. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sam¡¯sun nodded and then walked back around the circle and handed a glass to Rufi who bowed his head and muttered in Kittei. Sam¡¯sun gently placed his bearlike paw on Rufi¡¯s head and then walked back to his seat. He sat down gently and looked up at the door. ¡°Chuchu,¡± he growled, his voice breaking the silence like the rumble of a thunderstorm across the plains, and held up the fourth cup. The grey suited Goblin quickly walked across the room, but he did not enter the circle. He skirted around the outside and knelt next to Sam¡¯sun. For the first time, she saw Sam¡¯sun¡¯s face break into a fatherly smile as he handed the cup to the grey suited Goblin. The smile completely transformed him. Nairo no longer saw the intimidating ruler of the Goblin underworld, she saw the community leader, the father to all Goblins in the city. ¡°Thank you Uncle,¡± the grey suited Goblin muttered as he accepted the glass with his head bowed. ¡°Go and get some of those malt biscuits,¡± Sam¡¯sun said to him. ¡°You look skinnier every time I see you, nephew. Are you not feeding him?¡± The question was directed at Rufi, who grinned and looked at his friend. ¡°Chuch eats well, Uncle.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ too many women and late nights,¡± Sam¡¯sun grunted dismissively. ¡°Weakens your tusks, nephew.¡± Chuch, the grey suited Goblin, gave an almost childlike smirk, before rising quickly and walking to the cupboard where the biscuits were. He slit open the packaging with a claw and walked back to Sam¡¯sun, offering them to him. Sam¡¯sun made a reproachful noise deep in his throat and then looked at Ridley and Nairo. Chuch quickly walked around the circle and offered them the biscuits first. ¡°Thanks,¡± Ridley said, taking two biscuits and giving one to Nairo before she could make another hideous faux pax. Chuch gave them a look of indifference and then walked back around the circle and offered the biscuits to Sam¡¯sun. Carefully, he selected one and then gestured to Rufi. Chuch offered him a biscuit then took one for himself before resuming his position by the door. Sam¡¯sun lifted his glass and poured it into a small saucer. He blew gently on it twice then looked at Nairo and Ridley. He gestured for them to drink. Ridley raised his glass so quickly he almost spilt the tea down his chin. Nairo hesitated and then took a sip. It was like a punch of aroma and spices. Now she knew where the aromatic smell had come from. She tasted all manner of spices, many of which she had only the ghosts of memories of. Without thinking, she took another deep sip, not caring about the heat of it. Sam¡¯sun watched her, once he was satisfied, he sipped at the tea himself and let out a satisfied sigh. He carefully dipped his biscuit in his tea and bit it in half without a single crumb dropping. After a few more satisfied sips, Sam¡¯sun set his saucer down and gave them another weighty look. Those eyes penetrated Nairo. She felt like everything she was, everything she had ever been, was found in that searching gaze. His eyes were somehow doleful yet powerful at the same time. Like he had seen everything the world had to offer and it had left him melancholic but with an unshakeable understanding of who he was. Nairo tried to meet his eyes, but the second she did, she found herself feeling bashful, as if holding his gaze was somehow impudent. She suddenly felt young and silly sitting in front of Sam¡¯sun. ¡°I thank you for coming here tonight,¡± Sam¡¯sun began. ¡°My nephew was polite?¡± ¡°He was,¡± Ridley replied quickly. ¡°There is much we must discuss. Our time here is short. I ask that while you sit in my circle, you speak truly and clearly. I will do the same.¡± Sam¡¯sun spoke as if every word was a precious stone, lost to the world once it was uttered. His voice still held the gritty accent of the mountains but his Forrest was perfect. ¡°What exactly are we here to discuss, Mr Chaw¡¯drak?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Please, call me Uncle.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ that¡¯s not very prof¡­¡± ¡°Yes Uncle,¡± Ridley said, shooting Nairo another side eye. ¡°Forgive her, she doesn¡¯t know your ways.¡± ¡°Where there is ignorance, there cannot be offence,¡± Sam¡¯sun said impassively. ¡°Why should she know our ways? Sally Nairo, Detective Sergeant, raised in the suburbs outside the city. I would expect you to know Kittash how I know what salad forks are for.¡± ¡°How did you know¡­¡± ¡°Is not a question worth asking,¡± Sam¡¯sun said, not unkindly, but in a manner that told her it was a foolish to assume he wouldn¡¯t know who she was. ¡°But you know our ways.¡± Sam¡¯sun¡¯s words struck Ridley like a physical blow. He looked up sheepishly and almost cringed. ¡°I do, Uncle.¡± ¡°Yet, I must invite you to my circle and ask questions of you?¡± ¡°I¡­ it has been a complicated few days, Uncle.¡± ¡°Yes, it has.¡± Sam¡¯sun gazed at Ridley. There was no anger, only a sense of disappointment in his dark eyes. ¡°I have asked for honesty and I too will be honest. These are dark days. A truce older than either of you survives by a thread and tonight that thread snapped. A group of humans rode into Gorebrook street and set fire to a shop there. That blaze consumed almost a dozen more homes. You have seen my people sheltering in this hall?¡± They both nodded. ¡°Their homes were burned down. Some have fled to this hall in fear. My Kith afraid to sleep in their own homes.¡± The words thundered across the circle. He had not raised his voice but the hard edge almost took Nairo¡¯s breath away. ¡°And in that shop, a family lived. Brother Ga¡¯zoo, a much loved tailor in our community, lived with his elderly mother, his wife, and his three children, one of whom was months old.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Nairo felt her mouth go dry and the pit of her stomach freeze over. ¡°They were burned to death in their own home.¡± Sam¡¯sun¡¯s words rang with cold fury and his eyes blazed with righteous fury. ¡°They were innocents.¡± Nairo swallowed painfully. ¡°The peace between Human and Goblin burned with them. Blood will wash the cobbles of this city, this I know.¡± ¡°We will find the men that did and bring them to¡­¡± ¡°Justice?¡± Sam¡¯sun spoke the word like it was a curiosity. ¡°Yes. They will face the law and will be punished.¡± ¡°That time is far gone.¡± Sam¡¯sun spoke with finality, before sighing heavily. ¡°The young ones are already on the streets baying for blood. More concerningly, true warriors, the generations who fought pitched battles on the mountain slopes, are sharpening their tusks and wearing their armour. Now, war marches on this city and neither I nor your justice can prevent that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about a species war?¡± Ridley said. Sam¡¯sun nodded his head. ¡°You are too young, so is my nephew, but I lived and fought in the last one. Those were truly dark days and now they have come again.¡± ¡°Surely there must be something you can do?¡± Nairo asked desperately. She knew all about the last Human and Goblin riots in the city. They had been a part of her studies at the academy. Hundreds were killed, thousands more went unaccounted for. Almost four months of unending warfare in the streets. A third of the city had been set on fire or abandoned. That had been three decades ago when the Goblin population had been much smaller. Now, there were tens of thousands of Goblins in the city. A war between Humans and Goblins would be catastrophic. ¡°Once that drum begins it beat, no creature can stop it,¡± Sam¡¯sun said. ¡°And, the boy playing chief across the water thinks he would be happy to let it happen.¡± ¡°The Landlord?¡± Ridley asked. Sam¡¯sun¡¯s frown deepened at the mention of the name. ¡°Foolish boy. He was but a little pup when the last war ended. He went off to play soldier in the Forest only to come back and betray his own elders to snatch his seat.¡± Rufi growled something in Kittei and it sounded unpleasant. ¡°He is an impudent animal,¡± Sam¡¯sun continued. ¡°He would see war break out. After all, history has taught us that in any conflict involving Goblins, it is usually the Goblins who are blamed for it.¡± ¡°The police force won¡¯t let that happen,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Your police force with¡­ how many Goblins in it?¡± Sam¡¯sun asked. Nairo opened her mouth but couldn¡¯t find the words. ¡°None,¡± she said finally. ¡°The police in this city are for sale,¡± Sam¡¯sun said. ¡°Usually to the highest bidder. But, when their race is under attack, policemen will always be Humans first. This I have seen and this I know.¡± Nairo remembered the vitriol being spewed back in the precinct and she knew he was right. If war did really break out, the police would become just another gang out for blood. ¡°And besides,¡± Sam¡¯sun continued. ¡°History will remember that it was the Goblins who broke the peace. We butchered those poor boys in that alleyway. Did we not?¡± Nairo looked at Ridley who pursed his lips and then gave a small nod. ¡°We know you didn¡¯t,¡± Ridley said. ¡°You do.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°We believe¡­ we know it was a Diamond¡­¡± ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairso said sharply. The mention of the Diamond had no effect on Sam¡¯sun. Nairo began to wonder just how much of their investigation he actually knew. Ridley looked at Nairo. ¡°We can¡¯t discuss¡­¡± Nairo began. ¡°Please niece, I asked for truth,¡± Sam¡¯sun said. ¡°We do not have time for secrets. Not now.¡± Ridley looked at Nairo again and she gave him a small nod. ¡°We have evidence that it was an Active Diamond that killed those boys,¡± Ridley continued. ¡°An Elvish Diamond.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That you believe Ben¡¯in stole.¡± ¡°We¡­ don¡¯t think he stole it, but we believe he was in possession of it.¡± ¡°And then he was killed?¡± ¡°Yes. By the Diamond.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Sam¡¯sun growled deeply in his throat and sat back for minute. He muttered quietly and then wiped his hands across his tusks. ¡°Ben¡¯in was always troubled, but no Goblin should die in such a way. The cowardice of Elves exists in their magicks.¡± Rufi growled in Kittei and Sam¡¯sun nodded in agreement before continuing. ¡°Why was Ben¡¯in killed?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°We have theories but no evidence.¡± ¡°But you are certain he was killed with the Diamond?¡± ¡°Yes, Uncle.¡± Ridley said. ¡°And those boys in the alley?¡± ¡°Same thing,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Same blast patterns, same smell of pennies, same¡­ messiness.¡± ¡°And Tolliver¡¯s bridge?¡± Ridley nodded. Sam¡¯sun made that rumbling growl in his throat again. ¡°So lemme straighten this knot out,¡± Rufi said, sitting forward. ¡°This Diamond gets lifted out of the bank and somehow lands in Benny¡¯s lap. Then Ben winds up dead, what, a few hours later? And by the way, I don¡¯t appreciate you beating the shit out of one ours¡­¡± Sam¡¯sun gave a reproachful growl. ¡°Apologies, Uncle.¡± ¡°This is that, what is his name, that was arrested?¡± Sam¡¯sun asked. ¡°Just some short tusk from the neighbourhood.¡± ¡°Who beat him?¡± ¡°The detective duo,¡± Rufi said, pointing his index and middle finger at them. ¡°You two beat a Goblin?¡± ¡°He attacked us first,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You were bare handed?¡± ¡°Well, I had a pair of knuckle dusters¡­ but he had a knife!¡± Ridley added quickly. Sam¡¯sun nodded with an impressed expression on his face. ¡°They threw him down a flight of stairs apparently,¡± Rufi said and Chuch sniggered from the door. ¡°Very good,¡± Sam¡¯sun said. ¡°Continue, nephew.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Rufi said. ¡°So, Benny gets his head near blown off, then a couple days later a bunch of Human hoods get blown to pieces in some back alley in the arse end of nowhere important. Then another couple of days after that and it goes bang again and knocks down a shi¡­ rubbish little bridge no one cares about.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why what?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Why? Why nick something like that and then still be running around blowing holes in the city days later? If it were me, and I¡¯m speaking entirely hypothetically here Sarge, but if I nicked something that hot I¡¯d already have a buyer lined up. The damn thing would have been gone that night.¡± ¡°If it was a premeditated crime,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Which we don¡¯t believe it was.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s no saying that Benny didn¡¯t try to sell it and was double crossed.¡± Ridley added. Chuch snorted derisively from behind them. Sam¡¯sun looked at him. ¡°Nephew?¡± Chuch responded in Kittei until Sam¡¯sun cut him off. ¡°In a language our guests can also understand, nephew.¡± ¡°Benny was a mutt, Uncle. He would never have known anyone high up enough to fence it to. And besides, no one would take it since they know¡­ you know¡­ we don¡¯t have any business with Elvish magicks.¡± Chuch eyed Nairo with open suspicion as he carefully chose his words. ¡°And Benny never contacted you to tell you the Diamond had come into his possession?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Why would he contact us?¡± Rufi¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°On my honour nephew, we must speak plainly,¡± Sam¡¯sun growled at him. ¡°Ben¡¯in did not contact any of the appropriate Kith.¡± ¡°Do you know who he might contact? We know he was partying with a group of thugs the night he died,¡± Nairo said. Sam¡¯sun looked at Rufi, who looked at Chuch, so did Nairo and Ridley. ¡°Where?¡± Chuch asked Nairo shortly. ¡°RatHoles,¡± Ridley answered. Chuch thought for a moment. ¡°Probably just some local grunts. I don¡¯t know ¡®em personally but I could find out.¡± Sam¡¯sun nodded. ¡°Is there anything else you discovered before you were removed from the case?¡± Sam¡¯sun asked. ¡°How did you¡­¡± The question died on her lips. She was starting to think nothing they had told Uncle Sam was news to him. ¡°We were chasing down one lead but we got nowhere,¡± Ridley said. ¡°The bank manager,¡± Sam¡¯sun said and Ridley nodded. Sam¡¯sun looked to his nephew and then back at them. ¡°We know where the HobGoblin is.¡± ¡°You do!¡± Ridley almost leapt up in excitement. ¡°He¡¯s alive?¡± ¡°Yes. And he is still in the city.¡± ¡°He is?¡± Nairo said incredulously. ¡°But they¡¯ve looked everywhere for him!¡± Sam¡¯sun snorted derisively. ¡°Elves have never been practical creatures. They believe force and gold solves every problem. The fool De Woolf gambled away the last of his pennies. Once the manhunt began he knew he couldn¡¯t escape the city without being caught.¡± Sam¡¯sun looked at Rufi. ¡°He¡¯s holed up in a burner¡¯s den way out near the Wastelands out West,¡± Rufi said. ¡°We¡¯ve been keeping tabs on him, just in case.¡± ¡°We have to talk to him,¡± Ridley said quickly. ¡°He¡¯s the missing piece to this!¡± ¡°You believe he gave the Diamond to Ben¡¯in?¡± Sam¡¯sun asked. ¡°Yes!¡± Ridley said. ¡°We¡¯re not certain,¡± Nairo corrected. ¡°It is¡­ the best lead we have right now.¡± ¡°De Woolf was in deep to Benny wasn¡¯t he?¡± Ridley asked Rufi. Rufi looked at Uncle Sam who gave him a small nod. ¡°So deep he couldn¡¯t even see the sunlight,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Benny always had a talent for keeping a pig stuck and bleeding till they turned white. Wouldn¡¯t surprise me if that is the way it went down.¡± ¡°Hmmmm.¡± Sam¡¯sun growled deep in his throat with a pensive look on his face. ¡°My nephew will take you to De Woolf and you will question him. If he did steal the Diamond, then perhaps he knows who has it now and why they are killing in my city.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know if they are,¡± Nairo said. Sam¡¯sun gave her a quizzical look. ¡°We believe the Diamond is Unchained.¡± For the first time since they had met, something finally took Sam¡¯sun by surprise. ¡°They would never be so foolish,¡± he muttered. ¡°We believe the Diamond is Active, Unchained, and highly unstable. It could be that killing Benny was deliberate, but we believe the four humans and the bridge¡­ were accidents.¡± ¡°Hmmmmm¡­¡± Sam¡¯sun growled again as he thought. ¡°You know what will happen if that Diamond cracks?¡± ¡°Boom,¡± Ridley said softly and Sam¡¯sun nodded. ¡°What? This thing will explode?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°And take out half the city, potentially.¡± Nairo said. ¡°Fucking Elves,¡± Rufi growled and this time his Uncle did not reprimand him for his language. ¡°Then time is even shorter than I first believed,¡± Sam¡¯sun said. ¡°The knives are being sharpened and the torches lit. And behind all of this, a missing Diamond that could wipe out tens of thousands.¡± Sam¡¯sun sighed and wiped a thick hand across his face, looking more tired than ever. ¡°What it is to live in a time that History will remember.¡± They sat in pensive silence for a few moments, staring into the smouldering ashes of the pit. ¡°Nephew, take them to De Woolf. Make sure he talks.¡± Rufi nodded and stood up. He walked over to Uncle Sam, who brushed a thick hand over his nephew¡¯s head and then rose himself. ¡°I thank you for your time.¡± ¡°Thank you, Uncle.¡± Ridley and Nairo chorused. They rose and followed Rufi to the door. ¡°Find this Diamond before the city is torn apart,¡± Uncle Sam¡¯s sonorous voice intoned behind them. ¡°Blood or fire will wash through our streets if you do not.¡± Chapter 38 Their journey out West had been almost as tense as their journey to Goblin Town. Being that they were in the company of four hulking Goblins, including Rufi and Chuch, travelling through human occupied territory during the bubbling beginnings of a species war, the atmosphere was tense. To make matters worse the Wasteland was at the very other end of the city, meaning they would be travelling deep into the Landlord¡¯s territory. All four Goblins kept their weapons unsheathed as their cab, manned by a non-descript Gnome driver, hurtled through every back alley and side street on and off the map. The windows were blacked out with heavy curtains, and every now and again Rufi would twitch them aside to see where they were. Luckily, the growing discontent and increased police presence had dulled the usual night time energy of the city and the streets were largely empty. Crossing the river had been their biggest hurdle as there were gangs of Humans patrolling every crossing. They had to backtrack twice before finding a strip of river shallow enough to drive the horses across. Once they were the human controlled West the mood darkened even more. None of the Goblins spoke. Every noise on the street made them twitch and grip their weapons tighter. The only one who didn¡¯t seem particularly bothered was Chuch. He sat languidly back in his seat chain smoking and staring at the ceiling as if he found all of this somewhat boring. ¡°How much further?¡± One of the Goblins asked. He was young, and handsome, with a curl of dark hair and rare hazel eyes. He wore a dark blue suit and had a gleaming emerald earring. ¡°Can¡¯t be much longer,¡± Rufi said, twitching aside the curtains again. ¡°If we was close you¡¯d be able to smell it Mikkle,¡± the fourth Goblin said with a lopsided grin. He was always grinning, even though the twitch of his eyes and the way he kept wiping his hands betrayed his frayed nerves. His name, as far as Nairo could tell, was Pug. He had spent the whole journey chewing Gomi leaves, which she was sure were not just the mild stimulant. Gomi leaves gave a similar buzz to a strong cup of coffee, but many youngsters in the city had found a myriad of other plant based intoxicants could be wrapped in the Gomi leaves and sucked on to release a powerful and long lasting effect. She had watched his eyes grow redder and his grin more slack the longer he rolled the thick wad of Gomi leaves from one cheek to the other. ¡°All I can smell is your breath, Pug! Would you give the Leaves a rest, we¡¯re on a mission!¡± Mikkle growled, slapping Pug on the thigh. ¡°Maybe you should try some, might chill you out,¡± Pug said, grinning a mouth full of red and purple. ¡°Ughhh that shit disgusts me,¡± Mikkle said with a dramatic flourish of his hand. ¡°How you ever gonna find a decent woman with brown tusks?¡± ¡°Rub a couple gold coins together and women appear outta nowhere!¡± Pug cackled, holding his hand up for high five from Mikkle, who slapped his hand down. ¡°What do you even know?¡± Mikkle said. ¡°Rufi you tell him?¡± ¡°I dunno, Pug makes a good point, don¡¯t matter what colour your tusks are as long as your gold shines nowadays.¡± Rufi said, blowing a cloud of smoke out the side of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about your every night skirt, I¡¯m talking good Kith! A woman that could bear your children and strangle your enemies with her bare hands,¡± Mikkle said passionately. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the kind of woman who keeps house and keeps her tusks sharp. Not some fuckin¡¯ Koo¡¯g¡¯aj out on the cobbles every night, lettin¡¯ ugly fucks like Pug have a sniff.¡± Pug cackled and shrugged his thick shoulders. ¡°More for me then I guess!¡± Nairo couldn¡¯t help herself, she let out an almost guttural sigh and rolled her eyes so hard her world tumbled for a moment. ¡°Oh¡­ scuse us miss,¡± Mikkle said apologetically. ¡°Not obviously including yourself in that. You look like a nice¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t finish that sentence,¡± Nairo said coldly. ¡°Woahhhhh!¡± Pug cackled, making the cab bounce in his excitement. ¡°Be careful Mik, lady copper¡¯s got claws!¡± Mikkle eyed Nairo and didn¡¯t respond. ¡°I would be careful,¡± Ridley said. ¡°You¡¯d be the second Goblin she¡¯s taken down this week.¡± ¡°That so?¡± ¡°We can stop the cab here and you could find out,¡± Nairo said. The Goblins went silent. The only sound was the wheels bouncing along the cobbles. Then they broke into gales of raucous laughter. Even Chuch joined in. ¡°I like you, Sarge!¡± Chuch cackled, wiping tears from his eyes. The only one not laughing was Mikkle, whose lip curled with fury. ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, relax Mik.¡± Rufi said, slapping his shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s a copper, ain¡¯t nothing you can do about it.¡± ¡°Copper or not¡­¡± Mikkle growled, leaving the threat unsaid. Nairo glared hotly back at him, unwilling to back down, despite feeling the bite of fear at the back of her throat. She knew the only thing stopping the Goblin from snapping her neck like a chicken¡¯s was her badge and even that was a tenuous barrier. A bang from the Gnome driver on the cab quietened the Goblins. Chuch slid back the hatch. ¡°We comin¡¯ closer now,¡± The Gnome whispered. The Gnome¡¯s words were perfunctory, the smell let them know they were coming up to the infamous Wastelands. Just as the RatHoles had been an inelegant solution to the excess creatures in the city, the Wastelands had been just as utilitarian and simple a solution to the thousands of tonnes of waste Verdalia produced each year. The city had simply decided to push it all out into the murk of the forest at the edge of the city. Somewhere where the swamps were so acidic you would lose a layer of skin if you went for a swim. These small dumps, prospected and fiercely protected by entrepreneurial individuals within the city, had been leased to various sections and industries to remove their waste. In the ensuing decades these little dumps had grown and multiplied and swallowed everything around them, spilling out in every direction. The living detritus murdered fertile soil and crops, laid waste to drinking water, and made anywhere within a mile radius totally uninhabitable. But there was gold in the Wasteland. The city had to keep dumping their waste somewhere and every year as space became more of a premium, the price crept ever higher. Add to that, the veritable treasure trove of recyclable goods that were thrown away each year had made the landfills akin to gold mines. As most things are wont to do when gold and scarcity are introduced, violence and tribalism came next. The previously peaceful, and much maligned, owners of the private dumps had swollen and grown as fat and toxic as the Wasteland itself. They were greedy, and protected their land with brutality and cunning. Afterall, there were plenty of places and piles a body could simply go missing. The Wasteland¡¯s inhabitants, a strange mix of the detritus of society and the leftovers too stupid or disgusting for even the Foundries, had become as dangerous as the mountains of trash filled with noxious gases were. Through the window, Nairo could see looming mountains of trash, bright against the moonlight. They looked eerily like the building of the Ratholes, all tilting and at crazy angles, ready to collapse at any moment. ¡°Ughhh, this place reeks,¡± Pug said, covering his nose. It was true, the small was eye watering. Nairo felt herself gag as she got a deep lungful of the stink. ¡°It¡¯s worse than Oz,¡± Nairo said, covering her nose while Ridley wretched and spat out of the window. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we ain¡¯t going in,¡± Rufi said, as the cab veered away from the heaps and towards a small shanty town a mile down the road. The smell wasn¡¯t as brutal but it was definitely still there when they finally hopped out of the cab. The shanty town was really just a crude gathering of huts that melted into the brick buildings on the outskirts of the city. Everything, from the paving to the buildings looked like they were made from rubbish thrown away by the city. As Nairo looked around, she spotted magazine covers from two years ago stitched together to make curtains to someone¡¯s hut and in front of that a bench made from squashed together tin cans. It was quiet. Most of the huts were dark and only a few sallow skinned creatures of indiscernible origin milled around taking no note of the strange group. ¡°This the place?¡± Rufi asked Chuch who nodded. ¡°Good. Reckon there¡¯s anything decent to eat round here?¡± Rufi asked. A rat the size of a terrier popped out of a pile of trash, hissed at them, and then scuttled away. ¡°Maybe we skip dinner?¡± Mikkle said, pulling a face at their grimy surroundings. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to burn this suit when I get home.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for dinner,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Where¡¯s De Woolf?¡± ¡°Err¡­ somewhere round here,¡± Rufi said with a shrug. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Relax Sarge. Like I said, we¡¯ve had tabs kept on him. Come on, let''s go check in with the Heap King.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Nairo said. ¡°The Heap King runs this part of the Wastelands,¡± Ridley said to her as they followed the Goblins. ¡°Oh great, so there¡¯s a villain in charge out here as well?¡± ¡°Not just one. There¡¯s a few. And they¡¯re more vicious and a lot less organised than the ones in the city.¡± Nairo sighed, and then regretted it as another sharp hit of the Wastelands odour burned her lungs. ¡°So now we¡¯re in the middle of the Wastelands, in the dead of night, surrounded by villainous Goblins, while a species war brews in the city. No one knows we¡¯re here. And we¡¯re on our way to meet some lunatic who calls himself the Heap King?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yep,¡± Ridley said, tired but still dogged. ¡°That¡¯s about the sum of it.¡± ¡°Ever wonder how your life turned out like this?¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m starting to.¡± They stopped at a large greenfelt tent set up in the middle of the shanty town. It was the biggest thing around and looked only marginally cleaner than everything else. At the mouth of the tent a door had been nailed into the fabric of the tent. ¡°Mik,¡± Rufi said, indicating the door. Mikkle looked at the grubby, peeling, door and then turned to Pug. ¡°Knock on the door, Pug.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Coz you¡¯re the youngest so you have to do as you¡¯re told.¡± ¡°Chuch is younger than me!¡± ¡°So tell him to knock then.¡± Pug turned, looked at the heavily shadowed, yet still calmly maniacal face of Chuch, cursed and then banged on the door with his elbow. After a few seconds a small flap snapped open and a pair of yellowing eyes peered at them. ¡°Ooos dat?¡± ¡°Here to see the King,¡± Rufi replied. ¡°Ooo you?¡± ¡°Tell him his green friends from across the river are here.¡± The flap snapped shut. After a minute of standing around, they heard the bolt of the door slide back. Automatically, Chuch stepped in front of Rufi and Pug closed the gap between him and Mikkle. The door creaked open and a small bleary eyed Gnome looked up at them. He was wearing what looked to be an old potato sack with arm and leg holes cut out of them. He carried a small trident that was actually just a stick with a cutlery set tied on it. One of the prongs to his trident looked like a dessert spoon. He motioned for them to follow. Rufi stepped out from behind his Kith and patted them on the shoulders. ¡°You lot wait out here,¡± he instructed. ¡°The King¡¯s a little jumpy.¡± ¡°We¡¯re coming in,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Yeah corse, you look harmless enough,¡± Rufi said. Ridley and Nairo followed behind him into the tent. There was a roaring fire in the middle with more, grubby, litter garbed creatures of every description dancing and gyrating round the flames. Heavy metal drums rang out an intoxicating melody accompanied by screaming and laughter and smells that were so pungent and ferocious in their mixing that Nairo¡¯s head swam. She looked left and right to get her bearings but there was too much movement, too many flickering shapes and bodies. She put her head down and followed behind Rufi, who strode as confidently through this scene as he had his own Hall in Goblin Town. Behind the roaring flame sat a monolithic Troll on a throne made of literal garbage. Piled up sacks of refuse held up a throne made of a dozen different kinds of alloys and metals. He was so filthy that Nairo couldn¡¯t discern his original colouring, instead he had the same yellowy-brown-greenishness of everything else within the tent. He was naked to the waist, his body was covered in grizzly scars and patterns of criss crossing burns. He had a leering, almost toothless grin, and the lid of a tin can as an eye patch, strapped on with string. A golden crown leaned listlessly off the side of his head. However, on closer inspection, the crown too was made of some sort of thin, beaten metal. The Heap King was a fitting name for the Troll. ¡°Ruf¡¯gar!¡± The Heap King boomed. ¡°You honour my hall!¡± ¡°The honour¡¯s all mine,¡± Rufi said with only the smallest nod of his head. ¡°Come feast with us! We have dried swamp trout and the rat is particularly good this season!¡± He gestured towards the roaring fire and only now did Nairo realise, with gut churning horror, that one of the competing smells was sizzling rats the size of cats. ¡°I just ate before I came down,¡± Rufi said smoothly, not missing a beat. ¡°Doesn¡¯t smell half bad though,¡± Ridley muttered from beside her. ¡°Don¡¯t, I¡¯ll be sick,¡± Nairo groaned. ¡°Might improve the decor a bit if you were.¡± ¡°Then come let us drink to our great unity!¡± The Heap King roared and his minions screeched and gabbled in everything but Forreste. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them?¡± Nairo said to Ridley, not worried about being overheard in the din. ¡°They¡¯re off their faces,¡± Ridley said. ¡°High as kites.¡± Now Nairo looked again; she definitely felt the manic energy and the wild exuberance of intoxicants. And not just alcohol, but the really good stuff. ¡°Burn?¡± ¡°Morphers. Slash. Slugs. Anything in between. Can¡¯t imagine you would be too picky if you lived out here.¡± The Heap King gestured for drinks to be poured. Rufi walked up to him and talked quietly in his ear, the Heap King listened intently, nodding his head as if he were taking instruction. When Rufi was done, he patted him on the shoulder and looked at Nairo and Ridley, nodding his head to the back exit of the tent. Gratefully, they hurried out of the madness and back out into the cool night. Outside the tent there were a few small tables and crates set up as chairs. Rufi picked the sturdiest crate and eased his bulk down, gesturing for them to sit as well. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Ridley said, flapping his coat out and sitting down in one smooth motion. ¡°That is the Heap King,¡± Rufi said, lighting a smoke. ¡°Nutty as squirrel shit but he does good business.¡± A woman limped towards their table with a bottle of wine and three cups. Nairo glanced at her and then did a double take. Her limp was caused by a leg so twisted that her foot faced backwards. She had a livid scar through her lip that exposed her yellowing teeth and eyes so dead they barely flickered with human recognition. Rufi took the tray from her with only the faintest sign of disgust. Nairo didn¡¯t like that. You couldn¡¯t trust a creature that could control their face that well. It meant they had too much practice at lying. Rufi peeled the wax off the bottle top and stabbed the cork with his thumb nail before twisting it out with a soft pop. He looked down at the cracked and stained glasses, pulled a face, and took a swig straight from the bottle. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for a drink,¡± Nairo said to him impatiently. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m usually partial, but Sarge has got a point,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Remember what Uncle said? Species wars? City exploding? Streets running red with blood and fire?¡± Rufi took another swig, burped, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before offering Ridley the bottle. ¡°Relax. His Highness is tracking De Woolf down right now.¡± ¡°I thought you knew where he was?¡± Nairo said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know the exact shithole he is hiding in.¡± Rufi grinned at her again. ¡°King¡¯s been keeping tabs on him, we¡¯ll have his location in about¡­ one bottle¡¯s time.¡± He proffered the bottle again and this time Ridley took it with a shrug. He swigged the bottle and pulled a face. ¡°Not bad,¡± he said. ¡°Right? You¡¯d be amazed what people chuck away in this city. Absolutely criminal.¡± Rufi took a deep drag of his smoke and unbuttoned his top button. He stretched his neck and sighed. Ridley offered the bottle to Nairo but she shook her head so he passed it back to Rufi. ¡°So¡­ explain this to me.¡± He took the bottle and then pointed at Ridley and Nairo. ¡°This like a charity thing? An apprenticeship?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an informal partnership,¡± Nairo said, guardedly. ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Rufi said with a broad smirk. ¡°Not like that.¡± ¡°The coppers needed an expert,¡± Ridley said. ¡°So they settled for you?¡± Rufi smirked at Ridley who grinned back. ¡°To solve the case of the Diamond wot couldn¡¯t be nicked?¡± ¡°You and your uncle seem to know an awful lot about this case, Mr Chaw¡¯drak,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Mr Chaw¡¯drak,¡± Rufi said, shaking his head with the bottle paused at his lips. ¡°You know my whole life, only coppers and lawyers have called me that.¡± ¡°Would you prefer Lieutenant?¡± Nairo asked him and this time she saw a flash of surprise on his face. ¡°I do my homework too.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t no secret I served in the army for a little bit,¡± Rufi said with a shrug. ¡°But no, Rufi is just fine, Sarge. Or would you prefer Sally?¡± ¡°Sarge is fine, thank you.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Rufi took another gulp of wine and handed the bottle back to Ridley. ¡°So, what Uncle was saying,¡± Ridley began. ¡°How bad could it get?¡± Rufi burped and flicked his cigarette butt away. ¡°Bad. Without getting to the finer points of street politics, this has been bubbling for a while now.¡± ¡°Has it?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°I thought this pact between criminals was sacred?¡± Rufi smirked at her. ¡°Always good to see what the other side does and doesn¡¯t know.¡± Rufi leaned forward and lit another smoke. ¡°The older generation keeps the peace because they all eat off of it. You see blood and guts is a young creature¡¯s game. It¡¯s the only way we get ahead. The older you get, the more you realise there¡¯s power in maintaining the status quo. But the older generation, they¡¯re not on the streets anymore Been a long time since they got their claws dirty on the cobbles. These streets are bloodier than I¡¯ve ever seen ¡®em.¡± ¡°Between Humans and Goblins?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Between everybody and everybody. This food crisis has turned out to be a gangster''s goldmine. There¡¯s villains all over the city kicking in doors, cutting throats, breaking legs, all over a crate of crunchy apples. There''s more gold and blood on these streets for your average heavy man than there¡¯s ever been. You could become a Face around the place overnight just by boosting the right shipment.¡± Rufi accepted the now half empty bottle back from Ridley. ¡°And I expect you ain¡¯t had a taste of that, have you?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Dunno what you¡¯re talking about and, in fact, I resent the accusation.¡± Rufi took a glug. ¡°But, regarding your earlier question Sarge, enough gold on the streets means certain creatures no longer give a fuck about an Accord made before most of ¡®em were born. And there¡¯s a lot of villains who love gold and aren¡¯t opposed to sticking a one shot in a delivery man¡¯s face and relieving him of his carrots and peas.¡± ¡°And all this violence means the streets are full of heavies ready to get wet,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Looking for any reason. That¡¯s the problem with wet work, some creatures get a taste for it. They lose whatever bit of a person that stops them from willingly hurting others. Some just realise it ain¡¯t really that big of a deal and it''s a pretty easy way to get paid. Either way, streets are brimming full of fucks ready, armed, and looking to make their names legend.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t seen that much of a surge in violent crime,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Since when does the coppers not knowing about something mean it¡¯s not happening?¡± Rufi snorted. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Is that why Uncle Sam¡¯s so worried?¡± ¡°Listen, my Uncle''s fought real wars!¡± Rufi jabbed a finger hotly at Ridley. ¡°This little piddly street bullshit is nothing compared to what he¡¯s done in his life. He ain¡¯t worried. He¡¯s just cautious. He knows battles breaking out on the streets is bad for business and bad for the civvies. That¡¯s who Uncle Sam is worried about.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Ridley said, placatingly. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± ¡°Good. Because if it really came down to it, those pigskinned fucks from over the bridge would have their guts opened and their hearts ripped out before the sun could rise. This city don¡¯t belong to them anymore!¡± They fell into an edged silence. ¡°It¡¯ll be mayhem and death,¡± Rufi said quietly after composing himself. ¡°This is why we need to find your fucking Diamond and whatever fuck stole it and is running round the city murdering creatures with it. We find him, he confesses publicly, your lot put a noose around his neck, and no one¡¯s got cause to go to war.¡± ¡°Do they need a reason?¡± Ridley said sarcastically. ¡°¡®Corse they do. You think the Landlord ain¡¯t answerable to his people? He needed his war to be justifiable. Goblins tearing a couple young humans to pieces, splashing their guts across the cobbles, gives him plenty of reason. Now he doesn¡¯t look like the war hungry mad bastard that he is¡­¡± ¡°He looks like the defender of his people,¡± Nairo said bitterly. ¡°Got it in one, Sarge.¡± ¡°Man, the streets really are political,¡± Ridley said with a shake of his head as he took another swig of the nearly empty bottle. ¡°Every creature answers to something,¡± Rufi said. ¡°My Uncle always used to tell me that.¡± He looked wistful for a moment before his reverie was interrupted by the reappearance of the Gnome. ¡°They¡¯re finished,¡± The Gnome croaked. Rufi took the bottle from Ridley and downed the rest of it before flicking it over his shoulder. ¡°Good, I¡¯ve had enough of smelling this place.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s done?¡± Nairo asked. Rufi grinned at them. ¡°Afraid I haven¡¯t been completely honest with you, Sarge.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ridley asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry you¡¯ll see.¡± Chapter 39 What she saw turned Nairo¡¯s stomach. They were led to a small wooden shack outside the tent. Inside were the three Goblins they had come with, their sleeves rolled up, the Heap King himself covered in blood up to his elbows, and the mangled body of Zimeon De Woolf shackled to the wall. He was so covered in gore and blood Nairo could barely make out his features. But it was him, she knew that the second they walked into the shack. One of his ears had been sliced in half, his eye was so swollen it bulged from his head, he was covered in cuts, and three of his fingers looked badly broken. ¡°What have you done!¡± Nairo rounded on Rufi who just shrugged at her. ¡°You ain¡¯t the only one that needed answers.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve tortured him!¡± ¡°Naa, he slipped,¡± Chuch said calmly wiping his bloody claws on a rag. ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t do this,¡± Nairo growled at them. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Ridley said, laying a hand on her arm. ¡°I¡¯m an officer of the law I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°She poleeeese?¡± The Heap King grumbled, his one eye swivelling madly. ¡°You bring poleese to my Kingdom!¡± The Heap King rounded on Rufi, only for Chuch to step between them. The Goblin was dwarfed by the Troll, but he maintained steady eye contact with him, daring him to do something foolish. ¡°Why don¡¯t we all take it easy,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Sarge, need I remind you of the perilous situation we¡¯re all in right now?¡± The way he said it hinted to Nairo that her particular situation was more perilous than anyone else''s. ¡°And I¡¯d wind your fucking neck in,¡± Rufi said, pointing at the Heap King. ¡°Lest you wanna end up in one of your own heaps. Just coz you call yourself a king don¡¯t make you shit to me. Understand?¡± The Heap King faltered, suddenly looking unsure of himself. ¡°I no mean anyfin by it¡­¡± he said, looking down at the floor. ¡°Forget about it. In fact, forget you saw or heard any of this. Go back to your throne, your highness, and we¡¯ll take it from here.¡± The Heap King lumbered out of the shack without another word. ¡°Is he¡­?¡± Ridley asked, looking at De Woolf. ¡°He¡¯s alive,¡± Mikkle said, lighting a smoke, and tutting when he spotted blood on his tie. ¡°I can¡¯t let you get away with this,¡± Nairo said, her heart hammering in her chest. ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± Rufi said calmly. The other three Goblins turned to look at her. Ridley closed in on her side, but it wouldn¡¯t have made a difference. They could tear through both of them like paper. ¡°This is torture, kidnapping, grievous bodily harm¡­¡± ¡°This is what was necessary,¡± Rufi replied. ¡°Consider it the lesser of two evils.¡± ¡°Lesser?¡± Nairo spat. ¡°Yeah.¡± Rufi said, not feeling the need to justify himself. ¡°But he¡¯s all yours now.¡± ¡°Unchain him,¡± Nairo said, her jaw clenched as tightly as her fists. Rufi nodded to Pug and Mikkle. They reached up and unhooked the HobGoblin¡¯s body, letting him drop. Nairo leapt forward and caught De Woolf¡¯s frail body. He collapsed on top of her and whimpered. ¡°Out!¡± Nairo snarled at the Goblins, who shrugged and sauntered out of the shack. Ridley knelt down and helped to prop De Woolf into a sitting position. The HobGoblin groaned, his head lolling to one side. ¡°Mr De Woolf, can you hear me?¡± Nairo asked, holding him up. De Woolf rasped and then coughed. Ridley grabbed a pale of water and dragged it over. He cupped water in his hand and dribbled it down De Woolf¡¯s throat, the remainder he splashed over his face, wiping the blood from it. With the blood washed from his face, Nairo was relieved to see much of the damage done to him was superficial. The cuts were shallow and even his eye looked less mangled up close. ¡°Who are you?¡± De Woolf groaned, his good eye turning to look at Nairo. ¡°My name is Detective Sergeant Nairo, I¡¯m with the police.¡± ¡°Police?¡± De Woolf murmured before breaking down into tears. Whether they were tears of relief or pain Nairo couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°Alright, easy there,¡± Ridley said. ¡°You¡¯re safe now, but we need you to answer some questions¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do eeeeeeeet!¡± De Woolf wailed, tears oozing down his bloody cheeks. ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°What didn¡¯t you do, Mr De Woolf?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t take ze Diamond! I zwear! I didn¡¯t kill Benny!¡± ¡°But you owed him? You were in deep to him?¡± Ridley said, trying to look into his eyes to see the truth in his words. ¡°Yez!¡± De Woolf wept. ¡°I¡¯m a fool! It juzt kept getting more and more. I couldn¡¯t get out and that animal Benny, he took everything from me!¡± ¡°So I bet that Diamond would have been enough to get you out of trouble?¡± Nairo said gently. ¡°Noooo! I¡¯m not ztupid! I would not zteal from Elvez!¡± ¡°A desperate creature does stupid things,¡± Ridley said through gritted teeth. ¡°You must have nicked the Diamond! How else did it get out?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t knooooooow! I wazn¡¯t even there that night! I was in the Cedar street card houze! I had to ruzh back to inter the Diamond in the vault and then I went ztraight back! You can check with the manager! Pleeeeeaaaze! I would not do thiz!¡± Zimeon wept openly now. ¡°Who else could have nicked it! How did they get in?¡± Ridley said, desperation creeping into his voice. ¡°Noone! It iz impozzible! The vault cannot be broken into!¡± Ridley snarled and kicked the pale of water, shattering it off the opposite wall. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about Benny?¡± he shouted at Zimeon, who cringed and shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t know who killed him? Or why? Or where the fucking Diamond is!¡± ¡°Ridley! Stop!¡± Nairo pushed him back and placed herself between him and the cowering HobGoblin. ¡°He¡¯s lying!¡± Ridley roared. ¡°You know he isn¡¯t,¡± Nairo said quietly. She felt like someone had reached down her throat and was squeezing her heart. Ridley''s chest heaved as he fought to regain control of himself. ¡°A waste of fucking time!¡± he snarled, kicking the pale again. ¡°You know how long we¡¯ve been searching for you! How many hours we¡¯ve spent! Our friend lost his job ¡®coz he helped us look for you! And you¡¯ve been here in this stinking fucking shit heap the whole time gambling your last pennies!¡± ¡°I¡¯m zorry,¡± De Woolf whined piteously, wiping blood and snot from his nose. Ridley slammed a hand on the grimey wall and then slid all the way to the floor, sitting against the wall despondently. ¡°That¡¯s it then,¡± he said after a few seconds of silence. ¡°We¡¯re no closer to finding this thing than when we started. Benny¡¯s a dead end. De Woolf¡¯s a dead end. No one has any idea who stole this thing, why they¡¯re killing creatures, or where the Diamond is now. It was all¡­ pointless. The city¡¯s gonna burn and there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡± He hung head between his knees. Nairo sighed, feeling the weight of it crushing down on her. ¡°You get the same answer as us?¡± Rufi asked from the doorway. Nairo looked up and gave him a small nod. ¡°Shit. Well, for what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m sorry. I really thought he had nicked the damn thing.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ridley said bluntly. ¡°Well, come on, let¡¯s get out of this shithole and back to civilisation. The HobGoblin can ride with us back to the Hall.¡± ¡°What? He¡¯s not going back with you,¡± Nairo said coldly. ¡°Where¡¯s he going then?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°With us, back to the precinct, where he¡¯ll be safe.¡± ¡°You mean, where the Elves are. No matter what his story is, they ain¡¯t gonna believe him. They¡¯ve probably already got the noose tied waiting for his neck.¡± ¡°Elvez?¡± De Woolf said, his voice quivering. ¡°Pleaze Mizz Nairo, pleaze don¡¯t give me to the Elvez! They¡¯ll make me dizzapear! Pleaze!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re a wanted creature¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Pleaze!¡± De Woolf crawled across the blood and muck covered floor to grip the hem of her tunic with his good hand. ¡°Pleaze have mercy Zargeant. I am weak yez, I am a fool yez, but I am not a bad creature. I have never hurt anyone but myzelf. Pleaze.¡± Nairo swallowed the lump in her thoat. ¡°I say let ¡®em have him,¡± Ridley growled. ¡°Your decision, Sarge.¡± Rufi said with the tone of someone both bored and sickened by what he was seeing. Hot tears stung at her eyes. She felt her badge burning in her pocket. But this time, it wasn¡¯t the warm, comforting glow she was used to. The badge had always meant doing what was right. This time¡­ she knew it was wrong. Every fibre in her being railed and tore against the idea. But she knew. She knew deep in the caverns of her soul, this was wrong. This wasn¡¯t justice. This wasn¡¯t lawful. The badge was the criminal, not De Woolf. So what did that make her? Nairo extricated the Goblin¡¯s fingers from her tunic and then knelt down next to him. ¡°Come on Mr De Woolf, stand up.¡± She threw the HobGoblin¡¯s boney arm over her shoulder and pulled him to his feet. He whimpered as his battered ribs lanced pain through his body. ¡°What will you do with him?¡± Nairo asked Rufi. Rufi shrugged. ¡°Uncle Sam will decide what happens to him. I mean, technically, he ain¡¯t done nothing. He didn¡¯t nick the Diamond. He didn¡¯t kill Benny. And he don¡¯t know fuck all about anything. Knowing Uncle Sam, he¡¯ll take pity on him.¡± ¡°You promise?¡± ¡°No.¡± Nairo glared at him as she struggled to keep De Woolf upright. ¡°Mr De Woolf? Where do you want to go?¡± Nairo asked him. ¡°I want to go home,¡± De Woolf moaned. ¡°Back to the mountains.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± Nairo asked Rufi, who thought for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Then he¡¯ll go back to the Hall, but I will deliver him to Uncle Sam, myself. Understood?¡± ¡°If it makes you happy,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Now let¡¯s go. I can¡¯t stand the smell of this place, anymore.¡± * The Heap King had gifted them a second horse and carriage to take them back across the river, but like everything from the Wastelands, it was old, shabby, and smelled putrid. Naturally, Nairo, Ridley, and De Woolf had been given this cab. Their journey was silent. Ridley sat chain smoking and gnawing on the inside of his cheeks. His sunken eyes darted back and forth as he silently tried to put the case back together. De Woolf sat hunched on the other side of the cab, dabbing at his wounds with a cloth and whimpering. Nairo sat between them with her head resting against the cab seat, not even caring about what foul liquids could be producing such a stink. What did it matter if she was covered in one more bit of shit? It was over. The case had gone completely cold. The miserable, drizzling rain had swept back in again which made their crossing easier. It took really invested creatures to stand out in the rain to patrol. The city was as still as a corpse. The only sounds she heard were the clopping of the horse¡¯s hooves and the squeak of their cabs rusted wheels. ¡°I¡¯m gonna do the Parliament job,¡± Ridley said, finally shattering the tense silence. ¡°What?¡± Nairo asked wearily. ¡°I¡¯m contacting Jimmy tonight. Whatever he says, we¡¯re getting to the Houses to find those travel documents, it¡¯s the only lead we¡¯ve got left.¡± ¡°Give it up, Ridley.¡± Nairo leaned her head back and closed her eyes again. ¡°It¡¯s over. We failed. It will be safer for you to just walk away from this case.¡± ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t give up that easily.¡± ¡°And why not?¡± Nairo snarled with venom that surprised her. ¡°What are you trying to prove?¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t trying to prove anything.¡± ¡°Then why? For the gold? Because it¡¯s not worth your life and all the damage we¡¯ve done since starting this case.¡± ¡°It was never about the gold,¡± Ridley said coldly. ¡°Then what? Why are you still pursuing this? We never had a chance! All we¡¯ve done is wreak havoc and ruin creatures'' lives!¡± Ridley blinked twice and then withdrew into his coat. ¡°It ain¡¯t over.¡± ¡°Benny, those four humans, Conway, De Woolf, Drake, the Cap¡¯n, my career! All of it turned to death and shit because we wanted to solve this damn case! Well no more! It¡¯s over!¡± She was screaming at him now. ¡°That¡¯s the exact reason why I¡¯m not giving up!¡± he shouted hotly back at her. ¡°Because then it was all for nothing¡­¡± ¡°It is all for nothing! What, do you think we¡¯re going to get a prosecution from this? Do you think if we found the Elves guilty of anything, that they would actually face any consequences? We were never meant to find the truth, just the Diamond, so we could hand it back over to them! There¡¯s no justice, no law in any of this!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the only one that thought that wasn¡¯t the case,¡± Ridley growled. ¡°I already know justice don¡¯t exist in this city. But if I stop, they get away with it, like they always do.¡± ¡°They have got away with it, Ridley.¡± Nairo fell back into her seat, defeated. ¡°Then the city burns,¡± Ridley said, lighting another smoke and staring out of the window at the ghostly quiet streets. The cab started to slow and the air filled with noise. Shouting, crying, barking, all melted together in a cacophony. ¡°What the hell?¡± Ridley peered around and then opened the door of the cab. He hauled himself out and stood on the step to look at the way they were going. ¡°Oh shit!¡± ¡°What?¡± Nairo said, trying to look out of her window. The cab pulled up in front of the heavy iron gates of Goblin Town, which had been ripped open and lay twisted and broken. There were Goblins and police officers, in full riot gear, tussling and shoving. Heavy, armoured, black stallions were being rode up and down the line, separating the baying Goblins from the Town Hall. The square was packed and the feeling that it would erupt any moment in madness swept Nairo up. Ahead of them, Rufi leapt out of his cab followed by the other three Goblins. He hung back a minute looking around, trying to figure out what was happening. Nairo, Ridley, and a limping De Woolf joined him in front of the gates. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ridley shouted over the melee. Rufi ignored him, his eyes darting back and forth as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. A young Goblin extricated himself from the throng and raced towards Rufi. Breathless, he rattled out something in Kittei and Rufi¡¯s eyes went wide. After a few seconds he turned to Ridley and Nairo. ¡°The Elves are arresting my Uncle,¡± he said as if he didn¡¯t believe the words himself. ¡°What? Why?¡± Ridley said. ¡°They think he had something to do with the Diamond theft.¡± Rufi turned away from them and spoke to the other Goblins. As he finished speaking a visceral roar went up from the mass of Goblins. They all turned to the steps of the Hall where a dozen armed officers surrounded Sam¡¯sun as he walked out of the Hall. His hands were manacled in front of him, but his head was not bowed. He strode out with his head high and a look of righteous fury on his face. Upon seeing him in manacles, the Goblins howled their fury, barreling through the line of police. Horses reared as officers struck back with their heavy truncheons while Sam¡¯sun was hastily marched to the waiting police wagon. Rufi roared in fury, a hatchet appeared in his hand, he looked over his shoulder at Ridley and Nairo. ¡°That¡¯s it. This city¡¯s gonna tear itself wide open now. Nothing can stop the war coming now!¡± He turned away and sprinted into the chaos, his three friends hot on heels, they exploded into the line of officers knocking them over like skittles, before they were swallowed up in the chaos. Nairo stood, her mouth wide open. Goblins had broken through the lines. One of the horses had been brought down and was being hacked apart by a Goblin with an axe, blood spraying across the cobbles. She watched as officers were trampled and hacked at. The wagon doors slammed shut and Sam¡¯sun disappeared. Goblins surround the wagon, fighting tusk and claw with riot officers. One Goblin broke through and was trying to tear the chains from the wagon''s doors with his bare hands, only to be smashed over the back of the head. Another Goblin was hanging from the side of the wagon, trying to pry open the bars and release their Ustra¡¯a. From behind, Nairo heard the barreling of hooves on the cobbles. She didn¡¯t need to look to know heavy back up was arriving. As she turned, she saw more heavily armed officers flying out of wagons with riot shields and truncheons. They swarmed towards the mob of Goblins. ¡°We need to get out of here!¡± Ridley screamed at the frozen Nairo, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her back. Nairo blinked, looked around, and then saw De Woolf who was standing motionless in shock. ¡°Run!¡± she screamed at him. It was too late. De Woolf took off limping, trying to force his ruined body to run, but the officers were already on him. They barreled him to the ground. They had no idea who he was, all they saw was green, and took him down. ¡°We have to help him!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late!¡± Ridley shouted back, pulling her away. ¡°Oi! Stop there!¡± Three officers detached themselves from the group grappling with the HobGoblin and advanced on them. ¡°But I¡¯m a¡­¡± Nairo began dumbly as they began running towards her. She saw in their eyes. There was no reason there. No ability to wait or discern friend from foe. They were there to crack heads and arrest. It didn¡¯t matter who Nairo thought she was. Ridley pulled at her again and this time she turned and began running as fast as her battered body could. Ridley was just ahead of her, his coat flapping, as they tore down the road and through an alleyway. The officers were hot on their heels, but all their heavy riot gear weighed them down. Ridley leapt the wall at the end of the alley, crashing down onto the other side, closely followed by Nairo who landed on him. She pulled herself upright and heard the scrambling of their pursuers behind her. She helped Ridley up and they continued running. They ran for so long that Nairo thought her chest would explode. They ducked down every alleyway they could find, jumped fences, and tumbled through bushes, until finally they had finally lost the officers. Bent over double in a stinking alleyway, they wretched and coughed. Nairo spat a mouthful of thick phlegm on the cobbles and then rested her head against the wall, her chest heaving and sweat pouring down her face. Ridley squatted in the shadows of the alley sucking in breath through his nose. ¡°This is fucked,¡± Ridley gasped. ¡°The cobbles will run red,¡± Nairo muttered between gasps, flashes of blood spray filling her vision. ¡°They¡¯ve got De Woolf.¡± Ridley nodded. ¡°That will be all the ammunition they need against Uncle Sam. They¡¯ll say he was harbouring De Woolf this whole time.¡± ¡°And we brought him straight to them.¡± Nairo screwed her eyes shut and bounced her head off the wall. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ so unfair!¡± she said, struggling to put it all together. ¡°Every time we try to do the right thing, everything just gets worse!¡± ¡°Then maybe it¡¯s time to not do the right thing,¡± Ridley said, straightening up and looking her in the eye. ¡°This whole time you wanted to do everything by the book and look where it¡¯s got us.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Nairo said, looking away from his steely eyes. ¡°Then it¡¯s time to trust me, Sarge.¡± He said, his voice firm. ¡°De Woolf, and maybe even Uncle Sam, are gonna hang if we don¡¯t find that Diamond and bring the killer in. Even if we can''t bring the Elves to justice, we can free them. We can clear Conway¡¯s name. We can¡­ fix some of the damage we¡¯ve caused.¡± Nairo gritted her teeth. Her hands clenched and unclenched. She reached inside her tunic and pulled out her badge. It looked so dull and useless in the halflight of the alleyway. Nairo looked up at Ridley. ¡°Get in contact with Jimmy. We¡¯re breaking in the Houses of Parliament and ending this madness.¡± Ridley nodded, his mouth set in a grim slash of determination. Nairo began walking out of the alleyway. She stopped, looked down at her badge and then let it fall from her hand. Ridley pulled his collars up and followed her a moment later. Chapter 40 The rioting began that night. The furious outrage of the Goblins had followed the fleeing police officers all the way back up Cormer¡¯s Broadway, and almost to the heart of the city itself. They had hounded the police, still trying to free Sam¡¯sun and in their wake they had left a trail of destruction. The police set up heavily fortified roadblocks only half a mile from the precinct and every officer had flooded to these barricades. The Goblins threw themselves at the barricades but could not break through. Their numbers dwindled as the rain grew heavier and the casualties mounted. Eventually, after hours of attempting to smash through the barricades, the Goblins finally retreated. But that was only the beginning of the chaos. Riots had erupted to the East as opportunists realised that every precinct in the city had emptied and flooded to protect the main police HQ, leaving the rest of the city unguarded. Fires had been set and general riotous behaviour was being enjoyed by everyday citizens. Every thug with half a brain cell realised it was the perfect chance to fill their boots. Shops were looted. There had been two attempted bank robberies, resulting in one of the banks being lit on fire by a group of petulant villains who left empty handed. The fire spread and soon an entire street was engulfed in flames. The retreating Goblins, dispersed and injured, had run into roaming gangs of Humans from the West and the clashes had been brief but brutal. Only the North remained still: Gnomes were famous for waiting and seeing where the dice would land. By the time the sun rose, barricades had been erected across almost every main thoroughfare in the city. Some of these were manned by police, but many were set up by citizens in an attempt to protect them and theirs. However, most of the looting and robbing was being done by their own communities, so if anything, they had simply trapped themselves in. Overnight, the Verdalia had stuttered to an almost complete halt. The smell of smoke hung heavy in the air and the wake of destruction left from the night riots wore like scars on the city. The streets were littered with detritus. Smashed glass, broken trees, blood, and so many abandoned weapons and projectiles it was difficult to count them all. Even now, there were still reports of skirmishes and lawlessness flooding in from all over the city. The police were ragged and exhausted. Many of them had been on shift for over 48 hours and they were bone tired and traumatised by the night¡¯s violence. Timmy and Wally had spent the night on fire duty. They had spent hour after hour, frantically passing buckets, dousing the wood of the barricades, trying to stop Goblins from lighting them on fire. As the sun rose, they dragged their exhausted, sodden bodies back to the precinct. Neither one spoke. They were too tired and they had seen too much to want to do anything other than lay down where they stood and never get back up again. Lines of battered, broken officers limped along behind them in a ragged group towards the precinct. The HQ looked more like a warzone than a police precinct. Coppers were strewn everywhere, some too hurt to move, and others just sat staring at nothing. Everything stunk of smoke and blood. Discarded riot gear, bloodied bandages, and broken truncheons littered the floor of the precinct. Timmy forced one foot in front of the other not even sure where he was going. Eventually, he found himself directed to the canteen where hot breakfast was being served to those still able to eat. After blinking a few times he found himself sitting on the floor in the corner of the eerily silent canteen, staring down at a bowl of porridge. No one spoke. Most of the officers had similarly haunted expressions as him. Wally slid down next to him and placed his tray down. A sob escaped his lips and Timmy saw him wipe at his cheeks with the back of his sleeve. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay,¡± Timmy croaked, patting his friend on the back, his voice listless and dull. ¡°Get something hot in you. You¡¯ll feel better.¡± Wally nodded and picked up his spoon. They both began to slowly shovel the thin porridge into their mouths. They were famished but the food was still hard to force down. Everything tasted like ash. ¡°¡®Ow could this ¡®appen?¡± Wally whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Timmy said, trying to make sense of the last 24 hours. After the fire in the Goblin Quarter, everything had felt like a lurid nightmare he couldn¡¯t wake up from. They had given their reports, which were resoundly ignored. Timmy had tried to get someone to care, to investigate what had happened, to even take a statement from him, but the station was already in a full panic by then. The word had spread quickly, the Elves wanted to arrest the head of the Goblin clans, Sam¡¯sun Chaw¡¯drak, and everyone knew what would happen if they did. Every copper was chattering excitedly about the politics of the situation, and suddenly everyone was an expert on Goblin-Elf diplomacy. No one cared that a family of innocent creatures had been burned to death. That wasn¡¯t as scintillating as Chaw¡¯drak being arrested. Many officers loudly said it would never happen and that the Elves were just blowing hot air. Then it did. The barricades had been thrown up as half the force was sent out to arrest Chaw¡¯drak. Then it turned into a living nightmare. Timmy hastily blinked his eyes trying not to remember. But even as he closed his eyes he saw the Goblin family in that flat. Their hands clawing at the windows as the fire swallowed them alive. He knew he hadn¡¯t heard their screams, but now his ears filled with piteous wailing. Hot tears stung his eyes and his breath came quick and sharp. His breath caught in his throat, he tore at his heavy riot gear, pulling off the breastplate before he suffocated. ¡°Timmy, are you alright?¡± Wally said. Timmy lurched to his feet and threw off his uniform, spilling his bowl of porridge as he stumbled out of the canteen. He needed air. He needed space. He fought his way to the fire exit at the back of the building, dodging stricken officers who had slumped where they were and couldn¡¯t get back up again. Finally, he broke through the door and stumbled out into the weak morning. He wretched once and then slumped against the wall breathing deeply with his eyes closed. He heard the door shut behind him. ¡°Timmy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, Wally. I just needed some air,¡± he gasped, his eyes still screwed firmly shut. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Wally said, sitting down on an upturned bin. His eyes were red rimmed and his face looked gaunter than ever. They remained in silence, breathing heavily, begging the weak sunlight to dispel the shadows that clung to their souls. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°This is so messed up,¡± Wally said finally. ¡°¡®Ow could they do this? Why did they go arresting Uncle Sam for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Maybe he had something to do with the Diamond case.¡± ¡°That damned Diamond!¡± Wally snarled, punching the bin in frustration. ¡°Our ¡®ole lives ¡®ave become cursed every since we heard of that bloody fing!¡± Timmy couldn¡¯t argue with that. He leaned his head back again and tried to not throw up. ¡°Do you¡­ do you think it ¡®urt?¡± Wally said after a few seconds. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡­ that family in the tailors¡­ do you think they¡­ were in pain?¡± It was the first time Wally had spoken about the fire. His voice sounded small and desperate. ¡°They were burned alive,¡± Timmy said, sounding harsher than he intended. ¡°It wasn¡¯t quick.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Wally¡¯s voice cracked and Timmy knew he was crying again. He hadn¡¯t really stopped crying since. ¡°It¡¯s not right. ¡®Ow could someone do that! There was kids in there!¡± Wally sobbed. ¡°I know¡­¡± Timmy croaked. He opened his eyes and realised his own cheeks were wet. He looked over and saw Wally was hunched over, hugging himself, tears flowing freely down his grime covered cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s evil,¡± he said. ¡°Wot did they do to anyone? They weren¡¯t villains! They woz just normal people living their lives. Why would someone do that?¡± ¡°Coz¡­¡± But Timmy didn¡¯t have an answer. ¡°They can¡¯t get away with it!¡± Wally said, his eyes glistened with tears but his voice was hard. ¡°Someone¡­ someone ¡®as to do sumfin. They ought to be hanged!¡± ¡°No one will,¡± Timmy said quietly. ¡°Not with all this going on. There¡¯s riots on the street, Wally, we¡¯re barely holding on to this part of the city. Who knows what¡¯s going on elsewhere. By the time it¡¯s all settled¡­ no one will even remember.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll remember!¡± Wally snarled, standing up and pointing his finger at himself. ¡°I won¡¯t forget! I can¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t let them get away wiv it!¡± ¡°What can you do, Wally?¡± Timmy said he was too exhausted to explain the reality of the situation to him. ¡°I can¡­ well¡­ I¡¯m a copper! I¡¯ll arrest them!¡± ¡°Arrest who? And how? Every copper¡¯s on the barricades.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it by myself!¡± ¡°You will?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Timmy looked at him again. His face was covered in soot, tears, and snot, but his eyes were full of fire. He had never seen Wally even flirt with being determined, now he looked like even a mob of Trolls couldn¡¯t stop him. ¡°You really mean it?¡± ¡°Come on Tim! You¡¯re the one always tellin¡¯ me about the badge and being a copper and justice and all that! Where¡¯s the justice ¡®ere? A whole family burned to death in their beds just because they look different! And whoever done it just gets to get away wiv it?¡± ¡°But what can we do?¡± ¡°We¡¯re coppers! Aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yes.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s be coppers! We find out who done it and we show ¡®em the long, ¡®eavy, bloody stick of the law!¡± ¡°But what about the barricades¡­¡± ¡°Sod that! I¡¯m not standing another night bein¡¯ bloody fodder for mobs of Goblins! And anyway¡­ they got a point. Their own creatures was murdered in cold blood and we go and arrest their leader! I¡¯d be right bloody pissed off too!¡± ¡°I guess¡­ when you say it like that. But we¡¯ll get in trouble, we can¡¯t just abandon our posts.¡± ¡°You fink anyone will even notice?¡± ¡°No¡­ but if we get caught¡­¡± ¡°As long as we catch the bastards first I don¡¯t care.¡± Wally crossed his arms across his chest defiantly. ¡°Come on Tim, ¡®ave you got my back?¡± Wally looked at him earnestly, with just an edge of desperation. Timmy opened his mouth and then shut it quickly and pursed his lips. ¡°We¡¯re mates aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°We are.¡± ¡°Then, yeah, of course I¡¯ve got your back.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Wally punched the air and then hugged Timmy ferociously. Timmy laughed and hugged him back. They slapped each other¡¯s backs and then hugged again, their laughter tinged with slight mania. After a few minutes of celebrating, they looked at each other soberly. ¡°So¡­ ¡®ow are we gonna find them?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± Timmy scrunched up his face in thought. ¡°Well, we know they were Humans, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And the only Humans that would do something like that are probably from out West.¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re bloomin¡¯ bonkers over there. All that anti-Goblin shite ¡®as gotten real big across the bridge.¡± ¡°So we just need to find out which Humans hate Goblins enough to commit murder.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t fink that list is gonna be too small. Most of the Landlord¡¯s boys would love a chance to clip some Goblins,¡± Wally said. ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t think the Landlord did this. Killing civilians just ain¡¯t¡­ it just doesn¡¯t happen, right?¡± ¡°True,¡± Wally said, nodding his head. ¡°So maybe it wasn¡¯t his mob.¡± ¡°Right. The person I saw looked pretty young. I only saw him for a moment, but I wouldn¡¯t bet he was older than us.¡± ¡°So could be just some young punks tryna make a name for themselves.¡± Timmy nodded excitedly. ¡°Yeah exactly! So they get together, ride through the Goblin Quarter and torch a place to prove how hard they are!¡± ¡°Yeah! Like tryna earn their stripes of sumfin.¡± ¡°Yes! So we need to look for a group of humans around our age that would be capable of this. That list has gotta be smaller.¡± ¡°¡®As to be! But, I don¡¯t really know anyone from across the bridge. All them kids are a bit mad in the ¡®ead.¡± ¡°Yeah, neither do I.¡± They stood around looking at their shoes for a minute. ¡°Wait¡­ I know someone who would!¡± Wally said excitedly. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Charlie would! ¡®E¡¯s from round there!¡± ¡°You mean Corporal Nelson?¡± ¡°Yeah! ¡®E was born across the bridge! If anyone would know, it would be ¡®im!¡± ¡°Good idea, Wally!¡± Timmy said, patting him on the back. ¡°Yeah,¡± Wally said, nodding before his eyes turned dark again. ¡°We find whoever these scumbags are and we make ¡®em pay. Right, Tim?¡± ¡°Right.¡± They looked at each other and nodded determinedly, neither wanting to acknowledge the danger of their mission. ¡°We¡¯re gonna make ¡®em pay!¡± Chapter 41 Getting hold of Jimmy had proven more difficult than they had first thought. Following the Goblin riots the city had become a seething mass of fury, outrage, and casual lawlessness. The more savvy veterans of the city kept themselves at home that day. Shops stood shuttered and definitely closed for business and looting. The more stubborn cabbies had tried to go on shift that morning, but once stories began circulating of horses being carried away by looters, they too had gone home. The boroughs of the city were strangely calm, as if everyone waited with bated breath to see where the next mob would form. With the barricades in place, the heart of the city had walled itself from the rest and there was little commerce in or out. As with most things in city life the boroughs followed the city''s example and barricades had been thrown up all across the city sprawl. Some were so big they looked like tsunamis of wood and furniture blocking the main arterial roads of the city, others were a pile of old junk people were just trying to get rid of. Many a minor alleyway in the city had become a dumping ground of unwanted tat. Some barricades were manned, some were just looked at. Most people couldn¡¯t understand the point of them, and there were angry rows all across the city as creatures came out of their homes in the morning to find their way to work blocked by other people¡¯s old junk. Usually events like riots, for the normal everyday citizen, was just another inconvenience of life in the big city, like morning traffic or being mugged. However, nowadays even the most ordinary work a day inhabitant of the city was disgruntled. Whether it was because they had been starved of anything but mush and root vegetables for what felt like years now. Or because the cost of said root vegetables kept going up and their wages never did. Or because work was harder to find than a non-root vegetable. Or because food related crime had become such a big business that you could be killed for the right box of root vegetables. Or hell, just because they were bloody sick of root vegetables. There were many non-root vegetable related reasons to be disgruntled, but none so worthy of rioting over. Plus, if the Goblins were at it then why shouldn¡¯t everyone else too? What made them so special? Fortunately, the rain had returned to thunder its own fury down upon the fractured city. It took incredibly hearty rioters to brave such a torrent. The storm gave the city time to lick its wounds, clear its head, and figure out whose bed it had fallen into and why its head hurt so much.. Ridley and Nairo had managed to cross one of the barricades into the city proper after a night of hiding out in an abandoned hovel just outside Goblin Town. Here, there were signs of a semi functioning population. The wealthy elite of the city refused to have their diaries disturbed by something as silly as another revolt of the unwashed masses. They endeavoured to continue on with their days as normal, with the heartfelt belief that it couldn¡¯t happen here. Stalwart shop owners had braved the storm to half open their shutters, a couple of food stalls had set up but hadn¡¯t put their brakes on, it was as if everyone was determined to pretend like nothing was happening, but ready to run like hell if it did. But the rain had pretty much emptied the streets of any customers, making their gesture, like most gestures, ultimately fruitless. Parliament had been in session all day which meant no messages were getting in or out and Nairo and Ridley had been rebuffed by the dark suited guards when they tried to enter the Houses. Eventually a coded message reached them from one of Ridley¡¯s little urchin messengers. With simple instructions, and some choice expletives, they were told to wait in a grimy back-alley pub. It was the only type of place that would be open during a riot. The type of place that wanton looting and a well placed firebomb might actually improve the decor of. When they arrived Nairo was less than impressed. The smell of damp and urine hung around the place, mingling with the atmosphere of despondence and inebriation to create a heady cocktail of wasted time and ambition. Ridley had swaggered into the pub with his usual bravado and secured them the darkest corner of the pub by beating a particularly sauced up HobGoblin at some strange game involving cups and a pair of dice that had no logic that Nairo could discern. They had sat in silence for the first hour, Nairo spent her time trying to push down the nausea and guilt that gnawed at her and turned her stomach acidic. Ridley seemed to be quietly ministering to his various wounds and bleedings while they both drank with the steady rhythm of those trying to find a happier place at the bottom of a glass. After several failed attempts, Ridley managed to coax Nairo into passing the time by guessing the circumstances that had led each pathetic patron to find themselves in such a hovel on a weekday afternoon. ¡°He¡¯s definitely on the run, look how his eyes keep twitching to the door,¡± Ridley said after spying a furtive little dwarf sitting at the bar. ¡°I think that¡¯s involuntary,¡± Nairo replied, sipping wine that would have been better used over a portion of chips. ¡°No, I¡¯m deducing he¡¯s snuck out from his partner.¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± ¡°Bet on it?¡± Ridley eyed her suspiciously and then assessed the dwarf again. ¡°Go on then, Sarge.¡± Ridley leaned back in the spongy booth seat and crossed his arms. ¡°Dwarves typically wear thick, heavy, marriage bracelets made of some sort of precious metal. You can see the marks on his wrist from years of wearing one. Plus, he¡¯s got a bag of groceries rotting under his chair. I offer that he¡¯s had a falling out with his wife, probably brought the wrong root vegetables, and has found himself drinking away his misery,¡± she said succinctly. Ridley nodded, clearly impressed. ¡°You got quite an eye on you, for a copper. How ¡®bout that Troll?¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Nairo eyed the tall, gaunt looking Troll standing stock still at the end of the bar. He seemed to be in that state of inebriation whereby just the act of standing still was sapping every ounce of concentration the creature had left. He was thickly muscled, like most Trolls, and had scars running the length of his arms and a few gashes across his face as well as a chunk of his left ear missing. ¡°Well, he¡¯s three quarters in the bag and all those scars tell me that he must be some sort of warrior. He could be a Pit Fighter, but none of those wounds look fresh. Troll warriors rarely last long in the city, so perhaps he¡¯s indigent?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a what?¡± ¡°Homeless. We get a lot of Trolls sort of blown in by the winds, homeless and without any real skills or education. They¡¯re fodder for the Troll gangs and usually find themselves doing some sort of mindless heavy work or worse.¡± There was a note of sympathy in Nairo¡¯s voice as she studied the drunken Troll. ¡°Naa, that one there¡¯s a dancer,¡± Ridley corrected. ¡°What?¡± Nairo snorted vinegary wine through her nose. ¡°He¡¯s a dancer, works up the East End, putting on shows for the rich people. I¡¯m guessing, on account of the current rioting, he doesn''t have much to do today other than get pissed.¡± ¡°There¡¯s absolutely no way you can tell that by looking at him.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Good thing I¡¯m actually a creature of the city and I know what Twinkle Toes Talbar looks like.¡± Nairo looked at Ridley then back to the Troll. ¡°Are you lying?¡± ¡°You tell me.¡± Ridley shot a wry grin at her and sipped his drink. ¡°Twinkle Toes Talbar?¡± ¡°He likes to wear glitter on his foot claws, they really sparkle in the light when he¡¯s sashaying.¡± Nairo burst out laughing and shook her head. ¡°Is anything you say true?¡± ¡°Only the unfunny stuff.¡± Their banter was interrupted by the arrival of a young man that looked so out of place in the grimy pub Nairo feared the building might actually reject his presence and spit him back out onto the street. He was a lithy, blonde-haired man, complete with stately cheek bones, matching cherubic flush, and limp chin all topped off with bouncy blonde curls. He had the air of one born to the incumbent upper middle class, well educated, well-mannered, and oblivious to the point of ignorance. He wore a long deep blue morning coat with a matching top hat that made him look like a preening bird looking for a mate in the puddle of greys and browns of the pub¡¯s drab colour palette. ¡°What about this one?¡± Ridley asked nonplussed. ¡°I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s lost,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Very,¡± Ridley agreed. The young man spoke to the barman and then smiled politely at a grubby little red tinged Gnome sitting at the bar. The Gnome spat on the floor and the young man¡¯s smile never faltered. He looked absentmindedly around the bar like he knew he was looking for something but had absolutely no idea what. He accepted a glass of port from the barmen and then meandered around the pub smiling Pleasently at anyone willing to make eye contact. ¡°You think he¡¯s alright?¡± Nairo asked with concern. ¡°He might have recently had a head injury,¡± Ridley said, his eyes never leaving the curious sight. Finally, the man had woven a path around the bar, right past Nairo and Ridley, and settled himself in the booth behind them. He sat himself directly behind Ridley facing away from them. ¡°Are you here for the confab?¡± came a hissed whisper in Ridley¡¯s ear. Ridley perked up like a dog at dinner and looked at Nairo with a broad smirk. ¡°Confab?¡± Nairo mouthed to Ridley who could only shrug in reply. ¡°We¡¯re waiting for someone,¡± Ridley whispered back. He turned to face the blonde youth but only saw the back of his golden bonce. ¡°Is it someone¡­ familiar?¡± ¡°If you know him I suppose,¡± Ridley responded and Nairo snorted into her drink. ¡°Quite right. Good chap. Say¡­ you wouldn¡¯t mind if I joined you? This subterfuge lark has a chap drinking on his own, what would people think?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ sure?¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± The young man burst from his seat and in one fluid motion he swept in a neat circle and flashed a broad, beaming, white toothed smile at them, while whipping off his hat and holding it to his chest. ¡°Barnabus Archibald-Sterling, but my pals call me Barney,¡± he extended a bandaged hand towards them and shook theirs vigorously. ¡°Pleasure to make your acquaintance. May I?¡± He gestured at the empty side of the booth. ¡°Please,¡± Nairo said, returning his smile. ¡°I¡¯m Sarg¡­ Sally Nairo and this is Ridley¡­?¡± she stopped and looked inquiringly at Ridley. ¡°Ridley¡¯s fine,¡± he replied tersely. ¡°Oh how wonderful, I do love a good mononym,¡± Barney said without a trace of sarcasm. In fact, Nairo noted, everything he said and did seemed to drip with unwavering enthusiasm. ¡°My name, on the other hand, absolute mouthful! My prep school coach used to say my name had more syllables than a Gnommish menu!¡± He threw his head back and let out the kind of laugh that only a man who went to prep school could muster. Nairo couldn''t help herself noticing the oddities of the man in front of them. He was young, barely in his twenties, his skin was smooth and buoyant from a youth spent in idle merriment. His diamond blue eyes twinkled in the dim light of the pub, bursting with unbridled enthusiasm. His clothes were clearly expensive, the rich smooth textures of his morning coat and the crispness of his shirt told her he wore clean clothes everyday: a sign of luxury in Verdalia. However, when you looked at him closer, past the radiance and warmth of his disposition and class, there was the shadow of a healing bruise under one twinkling eye, dried specks of something red on his crisp collar, the hand he had extended so warmly was heavily bandaged and even his beaming smile couldn''t hide the wince of pain when she shook it. He was certainly curious. ¡°So you said you were here to meet someone?¡± Ridley asked, his eyes tracing up and down the man in front of them, noticing what Nairo had. The broad smile dropped from Barney¡¯s face and he leaned forward, looking left and right, and dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper again. ¡°Good pal of mine told me to rendezvous on the ASAP, hush hush like, down here. Not my usual haunt, a place like this,¡± he paused to flick some dirt from the table top. ¡°I bet,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Not enough silver and butlers.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s just to start with!¡± ¡°How did you know to sit with us?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Oh my chum gave some very clear instructions.¡± ¡°Did he now?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Oh yes. He told me to look out for the pretty girl and a wally in an oversized coat,¡± Barney said without any hint of malice. Nairo burst out laughing while Ridley sank into his coat and muttered dark oaths. ¡°Sounds like Jimmy,¡± he said. Barney¡¯s eyes lit up at the mention of Jimmy¡¯s name and he made an exaggerated wiping motion of his brow. ¡°Phew!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°I do love a spot of skullduggery but it¡¯s nice to drop the pretence!¡± Nairo couldn''t help but smile at their new accomplice¡¯s strange affectations. ¡°So I take it you¡¯re a part of this mission,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Oh yes. Although, I must confess, I¡¯m not entirely sure as to what the caper actually is.¡± ¡°To be honest with you Barney, we¡¯re not entirely sure ourselves,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Gotcha. No better way to keep a secret than to not tell anyone.¡± Barney nodded sagely, his loose blonde curls flopping about. ¡°Where¡¯s Jimmy?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Not sure,¡± Barney said, sipping at his little glass of port, pinky figure proudly erect. ¡°There was a bit of a fracas on the way out of the Houses. James¡¯ is a good hand, can''t imagine they gave him much bother.¡± ¡°So you work in Parliament?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Oh yes ma¡¯am, card carrying man of the Party,¡± he flashed her another smile and an odd wink. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t that surprise me?¡± Ridley said sarcastically. ¡°Well Jimmy did say you were a dab hand at detectoring and whatnot. You strike me as the highly perceptive sort,¡± Barney said with a knowing twitch of his eyebrows. ¡°Well I don''t like to brag.¡± ¡°Since when?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Quiet Sally,¡± Ridley grunted. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Sally,¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°Why? Is that your nom de plume?¡± ¡°Her what?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t informed about any codenames¡­ hmmm¡­ you¡¯ve put a chap on the spot now,¡± Barney said stroking his smooth chin in thought. ¡°Can¡¯t think of any names off the top of my bonce.¡± ¡°I can,¡± Ridley sniggered. ¡°Oooh pray tell,¡± Barney said, leaning forward with a sincerely eager smile on his face. Nairo interjected before Ridley could start.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°So which party do you represent?¡± ¡°Which party ma¡¯am?¡± Barney said almost aghast. ¡°The only party as far as I¡¯m concerned! The Party Miss Sally.¡± ¡°Oh right,¡± Nairo said, slightly taken aback. ¡°Not Mayor Pleasently¡¯s party then?¡± ¡°Oh heavens no!¡± Barney¡¯s eyes widened as if she had spat on him. ¡°Those cretins in the M.O.N shouldn¡¯t even be allowed to call themselves a political party. Men Of Now!¡± Barney harrumphed and rolled his eyes. ¡°What does that even mean? We¡¯re all men of now, apart from yourself of course, Miss Sally. And now you come to mention, frightfully exclusionary name for a party that is. No, Miss Sally, I¡¯m from The Party. Archibald-Silvers have served this fine city of ours since the days when it was just a small group of hamlets surrounded by trees.¡± ¡°So what makes you lot so different from their lot?¡± Ridley asked, scowling at Barney. ¡°Where to start Master Ridley! Where to start? For one¡­¡± Barney was interrupted by the door to the pub being slammed open. The three of them looked up and saw the rag tag figure of Jimmy limping in followed by a clay lump of a man with a little shock of red hair on his egg head and an overbite that revealed his wonky tombstone teeth. Jimmy made straight for the bar and propped himself up there while rattling out an order to the bartender. ¡°What ho! James! Over here!¡± Barney cried, waving his hand in the air. ¡°Well there goes inconspicuity,¡± Ridley muttered. Jimmy looked over and sighed. He grabbed his drink and hobbled over to them, gingerly sliding into the booth. ¡°Oi Cripper! Over here!¡± Jimmy called to the massive lump who had parked himself in the middle of the pub and was glowering ferociously, or stupidly Nairo couldn''t tell, at the other patrons. He broke his gaze and lumbered over to them, dragging a heavy wooden chair over like it was a child¡¯s toy and plonked himself at the end of their table. The pub quieted again as the regulars lost interest in the strange group and went back to their drinks¡­ well most of them. ¡°Wot ho, James, good to see you again,¡± Barney patted Jimmy on the shoulder warmly. ¡°And you, Cripper!¡± Cripper smiled toothily at Barney and whacked him on the back in a friendly way. Cripper had an oddly narrow face, as if there was a sinkhole where his mouth should be and the rest of his features were being sucked slowly into it. ¡°Alright Barney, cheers for getting here early,¡± Jimmy said, unable to muster the same level of excitement that seeped from Barney¡¯s every pore. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite alright,¡± Barney replied as he pulled out a pack of smokes and offered them around. ¡°Never understood all this fashionably late nonsense, since when has tardiness been fashionable?¡± He asked in a way that made Nairo feel as if it wasn¡¯t a rhetorical statement, but rather a genuine query he hoped Jimmy could help him with. ¡°I¡¯ve been getting acquainted with our charming accomplices, Master Ridley and Miss Sally.¡± ¡°Sally?¡± Jimmy said, turning a wry smile on Nairo. ¡°Yes, just Sally for today,¡± Nairo replied, returning Jimmy¡¯s smile with one of her own. ¡°You look like you''ve been through it,¡± Ridley said, helping himself to three of Barney¡¯s smokes. ¡°Ay¡­ damn M.O.N thugs are swarming like fire ants,¡± Jimmy said, stretching out his swollen hand. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, the entire Westside must be emptied of hardcases. Pleasently¡¯s recruiting anything with a heartbeat and pair of fists.¡± ¡°Terrible business really. I¡¯m hesitant to speak ill of our incumbent but the man really has no decorum. Hiring all these thugs and ruffians desperate for a crust of bread,¡± Barney shook his head at the sad state of affairs. ¡°And? How¡¯s that different from the rest of the headcrackers and jawsnappers that roam those ¡®hallowed halls?¡¯'' Ridley''s tone suggested he thought the halls were about as hallowed as a drying dog turd. ¡°Well of course it¡¯s different!¡± Barney cried. ¡°We¡¯re men of The Party, men of intelligence and honour, these thugs are¡­ are no better than disloyal mercenaries willing to spill blood for anyone so long as they have two coins to rub together!¡± Indignance rang through his voice. ¡°Wots wrong with that?¡± Cripper growled, glowering under his heavy brow at Barney. ¡°Oh nothing, of course Cripper, mans got to earn a crust I suppose,¡± Barney said nervously. ¡°So what¡¯s on the agenda, James? Seems very hush hush.¡± ¡°Things are happening the game''s afoot. Bit of espionage for our new friends,¡± Jimmy answered, draining his drink and holding it up to the bartender for another. ¡°Ridley and Nairo¡­ erm Sally, are detectives on a tough one.¡± ¡°Ooooh, sounds bloody interesting!¡± Barney said, paying for Jimmy¡¯s drink unbidden. ¡°This one¡¯s a conspiracy going all the way to the top,¡± Ridley said, dropping his voice. ¡°And people are getting hurt,¡± Nairo added. ¡°Aye, so that means mouths shut and none of this ever happened,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Mums the word and fanny¡¯s your auntie¡¯s cousin.¡± Barney drew an imaginary zip across his lips. ¡°Yeah right¡­ we need to get to Roger McCormack¡¯s office in the department for Travel and Tourism.¡± ¡°Old McCormack? On the sixteenth floor?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Stone me James!¡± Barney exclaimed. ¡°In the middle of a lockdown? With the whole city rioting?¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t got no deathwish Jimmy,¡± Cripper growled. ¡°Lest you paying lots of gold.¡± ¡°How much gold you asking for to kill yourself?¡± Ridley asked sardonically. Cripper cast him a dark look and the smirk melted from Ridley¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s a lockdown?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Dark times in the halls of power right now Miss Sally,¡± Barney replied. ¡°Pleasently¡¯s backs against the wall,¡± Jimmy continued. ¡°There¡¯s been calls from within his own party for a vote of no confidence due to his handling of the food crisis and now with all these refugees pouring in, constituents ain¡¯t happy. Two weeks ago one of his most senior ministers resigned and took a good chunk of the Mayor¡¯s internal support. And now, with the riots kicking off, it gives his enemies inside his party the perfect excuse to oust him.¡± ¡°Too right if you ask me,¡± Barney said. ¡°And the opposition parties are circling too. Vote of no confidence for the Mayor can easily be spun into a lack of confidence for the whole government.¡± Jimmy accepted his fresh pint from the barmen and took a deep swig. ¡°Pleasently¡¯s gone into full warmode now. He¡¯s enacted some obscure article of the Parliamentary rules and regs to force a complete shutdown of the Government. No messages, no meetings and most importantly, no votes can be carried out for 48 hours.¡± ¡°But, of course, our lot aren¡¯t standing for that kind of tyranny,¡± Barney cried with fire in his eyes. ¡°Pleasently must be madder than a scolded hare if he thinks we¡¯ll just roll over and let him do this!¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s gonna be chaos,¡± Jimmy agreed. ¡°There¡¯ll be warring and battling from breakfast to dinner. Pleasently has drafted in mobs of goons to bolster his number, which means the whole building is gonna be a warzone¡­ well more than usual. They¡¯re planning a big push just after lunch. If our lot can break the lines and get to the Speaker¡¯s Chamber they can force the Members into a session and if that happens they could vote in favour of holding a vote to decide whether they should investigate if Pleasently¡¯s fit to be Mayor.¡± ¡°Bloody exciting stuff!¡± ¡°No wonder nothing gets done around here,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°How do we fit in all this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you see? Chaos, fighting, dozens of new faces running around the gaff. It¡¯s the perfect time to be able to sneak you two in. I know McCormack, he ain¡¯t sticking around in his office with all that kicking off. He¡¯ll be holed up in some fishing hut out in the Forest as will most of his department. If, and it¡¯s a pretty big if, we can get you in and navigate our way round without running into too much aggro, it should be a piece of piss!¡± Jimmy drained his glass again and Barney signalled to the bartender. ¡°Sounds easy,¡± Nairo said hopefully. ¡°Oh it won¡¯t be Miss Sally,¡± Barney replied with a beaming smile. ¡°A chap could get his behind skinned just trying to get to the cafeteria for a spot of lunch at the mo.¡± ¡°But I have a secret weapon,¡± Jimmy said. He looked around and then stood up and reached down the side of his trousers. ¡°Woah¡­ maybe leave that weapon for your private time with Sally,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Shut up Ridley,¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°Got it,¡± Jimmy said as he slid a black tube about the length of his arm out of his trousers and popped the top open. ¡°What have you smuggled there, James?¡± ¡°This is the most up to date map of the House there is,¡± Jimmy said with pride as he carefully unfurled the thick parchment roll. ¡°Gosh, I¡¯ve never seen one so detailed before,¡± Barney breathed in awe. ¡°Look! It even shows the west wing Tea Room! That only got blown up a few weeks ago!¡± Nairo leaned forward and studied the map which had begun its life as a simple wall hanging to show visitor¡¯s their current location. Now, however, every inch of it was covered in dense scribbles and iconography that had no key. There were so many haphazard lines and notes it would take some serious study just to be able to find the bathroom. The Houses themselves were a rather typical design from the outside, all squares and rectangles with doors and windows in the appropriate places. The bits the public couldn¡¯t see however, the inside, was a chaotic labyrinth of missing doors, condemned wings, corridors that led nowhere and fiendish booby traps, some of which were so ancient they had disintegrated into dust and bad intentions. Compounding that was the territorial nature of its inhabitants, entire swathes of the House were a no go if you voted on the wrong side. The occupation of key landmarks and geographies within the House dictated political success and were thus fiercely contested. One of Jimmy¡¯s first conquests as a political participant was a bloody, hour long brawl to wrestle back the Tea Room from the Opposition. On a normal day a trip across the Houses was treacherous, in the middle of a lockdown it was suicide. ¡°Am I reading this right?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Is that a donkey?¡± He pointed to a crude pictogram of a donkey''s head on the eighteenth floor. ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain that¡¯s a horse: the symbol for the Freedom for All Party. They¡¯re an extreme offshoot of the Libs, they¡¯ve got that corner of the House well and truly under fist.¡± ¡°Oooh, I don¡¯t know James,¡± Barney said, peering closely at the map. ¡°Could mean that donkey Fops and Bartley let loose at the Winter Festival party last year.¡± ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Might be a wild donkey in there. Who knows? We haven¡¯t been over there for months now.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s this blue bit?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Oh that whole floor flooded after some genius thought they could smash through the wall and get a flank on the Oppos.¡± ¡°Oh you mean Minister Boggs and his cronies! Hit a bloody water pipe and flooded the whole floor. A chap couldn¡¯t even get a decent cuppa for a week after that!¡± Ridley and Nairo exchanged looks and then turned their eyes towards Jimmy and Barney. ¡°What the hell are you lot doing up there?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Oh you know, protecting democracy, keeping the wheels of bureaucracy spinning and all that tosh,¡± Barney answered oblivious to the outrage in Ridley¡¯s voice. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan Jimmy?¡± Nairo asked, still studying the map with fascination. ¡°It¡¯s simple really, see here that¡¯s the staff entrance.¡± Jimmy pointed to the ground floor section of the map towards the back of the building. ¡°It¡¯s where all the day''s deliveries are brought in. We can sneak you in there disguised as fishmongers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fish and chip day in the canteen,¡± Barney said, licking his lips in anticipation. ¡°Love a good dollop of tartar with some fresh cod!¡± ¡°Mmmmm,¡± Cripper moaned in agreement. ¡°Once you¡¯re in,¡± Jimmy continued. ¡°You¡¯ll lose the brown bags and change into the black and whites. Afraid you¡¯ll be going undercover as servants on account of Sally.¡± ¡°No women running around cracking heads?¡± Nairo asked sardonically. ¡°Heavens no!¡± Barney exclaimed. ¡°We may be rough around the edges, but we¡¯re not savages!¡± ¡°Good thing they¡¯re still allowed to serve you,¡± Ridley said. ¡°You listening?¡± Jimmy said, tapping the map. ¡°You can change your clothes in the pantry on the opposite side of the kitchen. Once you¡¯re changed you¡¯ll be able to move with a bit more freedom and with everything else going on, the House Guards will have their hands full so I doubt anyone is going to be checking credentials. Make sure you snag a trolley on your way out of the kitchen. You can use the lifter to get up to the first floor. Make your way across the foyer and use the lifter to get up to the third. After that, they¡¯re no good. Pleasently¡¯s goons are stationed outside of ¡®em and they search every trolley. Once you¡¯re on the third floor make your way to the mens toilet. Me and Cripper will be there waiting¡­¡± ¡°You two hang around in toilets often?¡± Ridley sniggered. ¡°Hush Ridley!¡± ¡°Sorry Salley.¡± Nairo cast him a dark glare and Cripper growled menacingly. ¡°Once you¡¯re there,¡± Jimmy continued. ¡°I¡¯ll hop in the trolley and Cripper will be your escort. He¡¯s usually on server watch so no one will look at you twice and if they do Cripper will make ¡®em regret it. From there it should be an easy stroll to Barney.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you just meet us on the ground floor?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Coz the whole place is gonna be a warzone,¡± Jimmy replied. ¡°And the Opposition have a target on our man James¡¯ back after what he did last week,¡± Barney said with a grin. Jimmy smirked and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Yeah¡­ let¡¯s just say I stole a couple of points from one of their lads and dropped his rank. They¡¯ve been flapping their gums all week about getting me back. Plus, if anyone sees me with you I¡¯m done for if there¡¯s an investigation. Better the less people that can put us in a room together.¡± ¡°Sounds smart,¡± Nairo agreed. ¡°From the loo, we¡¯ll need to make our way over to Archibald¡¯s Alley on the fourth floor.¡± ¡°Named after the Minister famously murdered in front of half the Cabinet,¡± Barney informed them. ¡°They catch the fella?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Sadly, no.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t that a surprise,¡± Jimmy said, smirking at Ridley. ¡°Archibald¡¯s Alley is a Party stronghold and Barney will be waiting for us. He¡¯ll make sure we can get across without any headache. From there, we¡¯re on the correct side of the building so we just need to go up and¡­ well¡­ from there we gotta improvise.¡± ¡°Improvise?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not too sure what will be waiting for us but I know even servants can''t be wandering around above the tenth floor without there being an issue. Both the eleventh and twelfth floor on the West wing are under Pleasently¡¯s control and more than likely if we¡¯re gonna see some action it will be there.¡± ¡°Plus stairs all burned down,¡± Cripper grunted, his voice sounding like a bag of rocks arguing. ¡°The stairs are burnt down?¡± Nairo repeated, scanning the map to find this information. Her eyes settled on the twelfth floor West Wing. Where there had been a stairwell was now a red cross and a crude picture of some flames. ¡°What about these stairs?¡± Ridley asked, pointing at a large flight of stairs that carved through the centre of the House. ¡°Pleasently¡¯s goons are all over them. We wouldn''t get a foot on those steps before we got a long nap from a short kosh.¡± ¡°Gosh, I can¡¯t remember the last time I traversed the main staircase,¡± Barney said dreamily. ¡°Those were the good days, when Party men had the Chamber!¡± ¡°How do we get up then?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°That¡¯s where the grappling hook comes in,¡± Jimmy said, winking at her. ¡°We have to use a grappling hook to get up a floor in a government building because some Minister burned the stairs down?¡± Ridley spoke slowly and deliberately, seemingly waiting for someone to correct him. ¡°Oh I doubt it was a Minister,¡± Barney said with an airy wave of his hand. ¡°More like some jumped up undersecretary got half in the bag and set the damned thing alight trying to have a smoke!¡± ¡°Yup, and what¡¯s worse is, once we¡¯re up there we are officially in restricted territory. None of us have clearance, which is why we need to time it perfectly, if we can hit the lunch bell the whole floor should be empty.¡± ¡°Not even Ministers miss fish and chip day,¡± Barney said solemnly. ¡°But we¡¯re gonna miss it,¡± Cripper said miserably. ¡°No we won¡¯t Crips.¡± Jimmy patted his shoulder warmly. ¡°Got Shirley down in the kitchens to put aside five portions for us to celebrate with!¡± Cripper¡¯s face broke into a broad toothy grin and Barney punched the air in triumph. ¡°You truly are a legend amongst men, James!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad that crisis has been avoided,¡± Ridleymsaid, rolling his eyes. ¡°What happens next?¡± ¡°Next we sneak around the fourteenth floor¡­¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be on the thirteenth floor?¡± Nairo said, tracing with her finger across the map. ¡°Where is the thirteenth floor?¡± Between the twelfth and fourteenth floor there was just a thick black ribbon of scribbles.. Jimmy shifted uncomfortably and Barney gave a weak cough. ¡°Well¡­ you see Miss¡­ we don¡¯t¡­ we ermmm¡­ mustn¡¯t discuss that floor. Bad form and all that,¡± muttered Barney scratching at his smooth cheeks distractedly. ¡°Don''t worry about the thirteenth floor, nothing there we need to be concerning ourselves with,¡± Jimmy said, moving on abruptly. ¡°Once we¡¯re on the fourteenth floor we need to sneak round to Barney¡¯s office.¡± ¡°Ohhh how I do miss my office,¡± Barney lamented with a dreamy affectation. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen the old gal in months!¡± ¡°Once we¡¯re in, all we gotta do is climb out the window, shimmy across the ledge and shin up the drain pipe right to McCormack¡¯s office.¡± ¡°Climb out the window?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Shimmy across the ledge?¡± Nairo continued. ¡°And shin up the drainpipe,¡± Barney finished with a toothy smile, unsure of what they were doing but happy to be a part of it. ¡°Only way I¡¯m afraid,¡± Jimmy replied. ¡°And that¡¯s where the papers are?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Yep. We find the papers. We shimmy back out the window and then there¡¯s a laundry chute maybe fifty yards from Barney¡¯s office. We hop in there and slide all the way back down to the basement, land on a big pile of dirty sheets, and we¡¯re eating fish and chips before lunch is even over.¡± Jimmy drained his pint, slammed the glass down and looked at them all with a smug grin. Ridley and Nairo exchanged a glance. A small nod passed between them and they turned back to Jimmy. ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± ¡°Well done Jimmy,¡± Nairo said. ¡°So when do we do this?¡± Ridley asked. Jimmy peered at the grimy clock behind the bar. ¡°Bout seven hours? Give or take.¡± ¡°Seven hours?¡± Ridley exclaimed. ¡°Give or take,¡± Barney confirmed with a tip of his glass. ¡°Window is small and we gotta move fast. Speaking of which, we¡¯re gonna need some tools, nothing sharp. Cripper, take care of that and stash ¡®em in the bog for us¡­ oh and we need a grappling hook, bag of loose veg and a crowbar.¡± Cripper nodded and rose from his seat like a monolith in the sea. He turned without a word and waded out of the pub scowling with ferocious intent. ¡°Bag of loose veg?¡± ¡°In case we run into that donkey.¡± ¡°Whip smart our Jimmy,¡± Barney said with a wink. ¡°Barney, I need you to get hold of the costumes. Couple brown sack suits and then some serving uniforms, I¡¯ll let you size ¡®em yourself.¡± ¡°Ooh, a sartorial smokescreen. Smashing!¡±¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ if you say. We¡¯ll be needing some lubricants as well, a bottle of good rum, some top shelf smoke, and a good cut of pork.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to my chap.¡± ¡°You have a chap for rum, tobacco, and pork?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be a man of good breeding if I didn''t.¡± Barney stood, raised his glass and downed it with an elegant flourish. ¡°Fear not James, I¡¯m the chap for the task. I¡¯ll get on it post haste and rendezvous on the ASAP. Master Ridley, Miss Sally, the pleasure was palpable and I wish you luck in our perilous caper.¡± Barney bowed and bounded from the pub like an excited hound. ¡°He¡¯s lovely,¡± Nairo said, smiling after him. ¡°He¡¯s got a heart of gold,¡± Jimmy agreed. ¡°I like him,¡± Ridley said. Nairo and Jimmy both turned and looked at him incredulously. ¡°He called me Master Ridley,¡± was all he said. ¡°It has been a strange night,¡± Jimmy sighed, finishing off his third pint. ¡°Another?¡± ¡°I think we better be fresh for the morning¡­¡± ¡°If you''re paying,¡± Ridley interjected. ¡°Good man. We¡¯ll have one more and get moving. Barkeep!¡± Chapter 42 It had taken Timmy and Wally until lunchtime to find Corporal Charlie. The station was in complete disarray and no one had any idea where anybody was. Thankfully, Wally had managed to wrangle him and Timmy a posting cleaning armour and hammering out dents. It was hot, smelly work, but it meant that they met every officer who came back in. After three hours of hammering dents out of helmets, crimping together split breastplates, and condemning blood, and less desirable fluid, covered uniforms to burn piles, they finally spotted Charlie¡¯s unit coming back in. They were easy to spot, every one of them was built like oxen and carried themselves like fighting roosters. They had seen some of the most furious fighting but their spirits were still high. They walked through the precinct, nodding their heads, and clapping others on the backs. As they drew close, Wally nudged Timmy and motioned with his eyebrows. ¡°Can you see him?¡± Timmy whispered back, trying to peer around the burly officers for a sight of Charlie. ¡°No,¡± Wally whispered back, his head darting and ducking like an excited hen. ¡°Here you are lads, ¡®fraid I¡¯ve split me club though,¡± the lead officer said, holding up his truncheon which had an enormous crack running through the middle of it. He had one of the most prodigious moustaches Timmy had ever seen. It was bright red and extended almost past his ears. The other officers gave a hearty laugh as they began dumping their considerably larger than average breastplates and helmets in a pile. ¡°Umm¡­ excuse me,¡± Timmy said, never feeling more like a prepubescent twerp as he did right now standing in front of these half naked giants. ¡°Yes lad?¡± the one with the red moustache barked. ¡°Umm¡­ are¡­ do you¡­ umm¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Charlie?¡± Wally said, rescuing his floundering partner. ¡°Nelson? ¡®Fraid he caught a nasty one off some Goblin back at the barricades. Bastard knocked him off the top level and sent him down at least fifteen feet.¡± ¡°Is he okay?¡± Timmy gasped. ¡°Corse he is! Nelson¡¯s made of iron and lard! O¡¯ course he took a pretty bad bang on the barnet and they reckon he¡¯s broken his arm or something.¡± ¡°Serves him right for going hand to hand with a massive bloody Goblin!¡± A blonde haired officer said behind them. ¡°I keep telling Chaz, he ain¡¯t a young man no more,¡± a dark haired giant said. ¡°Just whack ¡®em with your club and move on. No need for all this fair fighting talks. Save that for the young ¡®uns.¡± ¡°What can you do?¡± The red moustached one said. ¡°Ain¡¯t no telling Nelson when his mind¡¯s made up.¡± ¡°Where is ¡®e?¡± Wally asked. ¡°They took him to the infirmary tent they set up out back. He¡¯s probably still there now. Queue was a mile long!¡± ¡°Ok thank you!¡± Timmy said. They waited a couple of minutes for the officers to saunter off before they slunk away from the piles of armour. On light feet, they scuttled down to the back of the headquarters where a makeshift tent was hurriedly thrown up to care for the dozens and dozens of injured policemen. Some were badly injured, laid out on gurneys, covered in blood and whimpering. Others were just a bit banged up. They stood around in huddles, smoking and retelling their night¡¯s adventures. In the daylight, the events of the previous night no longer seemed as horrific, and in front of each other, every officer had enough bravado to make it sound like it was just another night. Timmy and Wally flitted about, trying to look for Charlie without looking like they were looking for anyone. Problem was, coppers have a sixth sense for the furtive and soon they were attracting looks from the other officers. ¡°Quick, pretend to be ¡®urt,¡± Wally said out of the side of his mouth. He grabbed his leg and began limping and groaning. Timmy, who had also wanted to pretend he hurt his leg, panicked and grab hold of the side of his face. ¡°What you doin¡¯?¡± Wally hissed at him. ¡°I¡¯ve hurt my head.¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve got an earache.¡± ¡°I was hit¡­ by a big rock.¡± ¡°In the ear?¡± ¡°No¡­ never mind,¡± Timmy dropped his hand in frustration. ¡°Wait, is that ¡®im?¡± Wally pointed to the far side of the tent where a towering figure was sharing a smoke with a group of officers. ¡°That¡¯s him!¡± Timmy and Wally hurried across the tent dodging wounded policemen and exhausted nurses. They pulled up behind Charlie so quickly that Wally bumped into the back of Timmy, almost sending him into the giant back of Corporal Nelson. Up close, Charlie was a mountain of a man, his arm was in a sling and his head was heavily bandaged. The officers Charlie was talking to nodded at the pair curiously and Charlie turned around. ¡°Hullo boys,¡± Charlie said in his friendly way. One of his eyes was badly swollen but the other still twinkled. ¡°Oh hi¡­ umm¡­ are you umm¡­ sorry to bother you¡­¡± Timmy felt himself sweating again. He looked at Wally who avoided eye contact with him. The first and last time they had met Charlie was at Zimeon De Woolf¡¯s home when they had sent out all those emergency comms. They had looked like fools and Charlie had had a hearty laugh at their expenses. Despite this, they both looked up to Charlie. Everyone across the city¡¯s police force knew Corporal Nelson. He was a legend. Strong as two oxen and friendly as a pet puppy. He had served on the force longer than they had even been alive and had grappled with some of the most heinous villains the city had ever seen. It was rumoured that he had once punched a Troll so hard he turned him into shingle. Despite his venerable reputation, Charlie had never risen above the rank of Corporal, this served to make him more of a legend in the force. He had turned down every promotion ever offered to him in favour of staying on the streets and not having to boss anybody about. Despite this, Charlie was treated with more deference than any Sargeant, because he was a real copper and a good bloke to boot.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Aren¡¯t you Washbottom and Edgewater?¡± Charlie asked after a few awkward moments of stuttering and shuffling. ¡°Yes sir, I am.¡± Timmy said. ¡°I mean I¡¯m Edgewater and he¡¯s Washbottom.¡± ¡°Right, from that suspected homicide,¡± Charlie¡¯s good eye crinkled in mirth as he remembered them. ¡°Yes sir¡­ that¡¯s us.¡± Timmy shuffled and looked down at his feet while his face turned pink. ¡°None of that sir stuff lad, I¡¯m just Charlie,¡± he stuck out his hand. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m Timmy.¡± He shook Timmy¡¯s hand warmly. ¡°Wally,¡± Wally squeaked and gave Charlie¡¯s hand a quick pump up and down. ¡°Pleasure. You two boys keeping yer heads down out there?¡± ¡°Yes s¡­ Charlie.¡± ¡°Good. It¡¯s as bad as I¡¯ve ever seen it and I don¡¯t know about it getting much better any time soon.¡± They nodded and then stood there looking down at their feet. ¡°Is there something I can help you boys with?¡± Charlie asked. ¡°Yes!¡± Timmy said abruptly. ¡°I mean yes, please, we need your help.¡± ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Umm, can we talk somewhere more private?¡± Charlie looked at them curiously for a second before nodding at the men he had been talking to. ¡°Come on,¡± he said to Timmy and Wally, leading them out of the tent and around towards the river. The rain had slowed to a drizzle now. ¡°Smoke?¡± Charlie asked them, offering the pack. ¡°No I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Yes please!¡± Wally took a smoke and then fished around for a lighter. He lit his cigarette and then held the lighter up for Charlie who grunted his thank you. ¡°So what¡¯s wrong?¡± Charlie asked them, settling down on a stack of sandbags. Again they exchanged looks like two schoolboys dragged into the headmaster¡¯s office without a chance to confer first. ¡°Go on, ask him,¡± Wally muttered to Timmy. ¡°You ask him,¡± Timmy muttered back. ¡°Why do I always have to do the talking?¡± ¡°Coz you¡¯re smart with words and stuff.¡± ¡°No I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°Boys, would one of you tell me what you¡¯re chewing on, coz I¡¯m only getting wetter and older waiting.¡± Timmy cleared his throat and tried to meet Charlie¡¯s calm gaze. ¡°We need to know who to talk to-to umm¡­ find out who might¡­ who did¡­ ummm the murder.¡± ¡°What? What murder?¡± ¡°The Goblin family.¡± ¡°Couple nights ago? The tailor¡¯s shop fire?¡± ¡°Yes, that one.¡± ¡°If I knew who did it lad, I would be dragging ¡®em in here by their earlobes,¡± Charlie said, his eyes narrowed. ¡°No. Yes. Of course, but we want to find out and we know you know a lot of the Human First lot from out West, because you grew up there, so we wanted¡­ we hoped you would be able to tell us¡­ like¡­ who could have done it.¡± Charlie looked at the pair of them curiously. ¡°Even if I did, why do you two want to know? You¡¯re not detectives. You¡¯re barely Corporals.¡± ¡°I know. But¡­¡± ¡°We were there,¡± Wally said quietly. ¡°We were the first ones on the scene. We saw it. We watched ¡®em burn to death.¡± His eyes clouded over. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry you lads had to see that. But you can¡¯t go running off trying to fight crime by yourselves. That¡¯s not how this works. You have to leave it to the detectives, that¡¯s what they¡¯re here for. You¡¯ll only get yourselves hurt or worse. Leave it to them what knows what they¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°And who¡¯s investigating?¡± Wally asked hotly. ¡°¡®As anyone even been put on the case? ¡®Coz we woz there and no one ¡®as come to talk to us. No one¡¯s taken a statement! No one cares.¡± Charlie rolled his tongue around his mouth and took a deep drag of his smoke. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong there, lad.¡± he said after some quiet thought. ¡°With everything else that¡¯s happened since, I guess a family of dead Goblins ain¡¯t top priority.¡± ¡°It should be!¡± Wally said. ¡°Wot did they do wrong? They wasn¡¯t villains. They wasn¡¯t no one important. Just a family livin¡¯ in their own ¡®ouse wot got burned to death just ¡®coz of bad luck and hate. They didn¡¯t do nuffin to noone!¡± Charlie nodded sympathetically. ¡°I know¡­¡± ¡°There was a baby,¡± Timmy¡¯s voice was barely above a whisper. ¡°In the fire.¡± Charlie¡¯s jaw clenched and he looked away from them. ¡°Please Charlie,¡± Timmy said. ¡°We know you think we¡¯re a pair of jokes and we probably are. But we¡¯re coppers. We signed up, we took the oath, and we can¡¯t just stand here knowing there¡¯s some murdering scum out there right now walking free while that family¡­¡± he couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. ¡°Weren¡¯t even much of ¡®em to bury,¡± Wally said, feeling the hot sting of tears in his eyes again. ¡°Scum,¡± Charlie growled and spat into the mud. ¡°How do you know it was the Human First mob?¡± ¡°We saw them,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Well, we caught sight of them. We were¡­ patrolling, when they rode into the Goblin Quarter. I didn¡¯t get a good look but I definitely saw a Human and he was young, couldn¡¯t have been older than us, with a shaved head.¡± ¡°And we know it wasn¡¯t the Landlord¡¯s mob, coz the Landlord don¡¯t go round killin¡¯ civvies, right?¡± Wally added hopefully. Charlie nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Good deduction there,¡± he said. ¡°Bill wouldn¡¯t kill a family of innocents like that, it¡¯s not how this city works. And I doubt he would sanction it either. I think you boys are onto something. That little Human First mob has been growing in popularity across the bridge. Every day there seems to be more of ¡®em with there stupid shaved heads and their bloody idiotic slogans.¡± ¡°Do you know who it could have been?¡± Timmy asked and Charlie shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know that young mob too well. Could probably point a few of ¡®em out by name from when they was running around being nuisances as kids, but to finger which one of ¡®em could commit such a foul murder? I couldn¡¯t say.¡± Timmy looked down, crestfallen. ¡°But, I definitely know who might be able to tell you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got a snitch out in the West, he likes to think of himself as a bit of a Face. He¡¯s always up to it in street politics. Knowing the West, it¡¯ll be all over the place who done it. Talk to him and he¡¯ll point you in the right direction. His name¡¯s Tommy Plumb, a nasty little wannabe pimp, peddles smut out of the old water works down on Albany Lane. Has a little firm with him but they¡¯re all wannabes like him.¡± ¡°Albany Lane¡­ Tommy Plumb¡­¡± Timmy quickly noted down every detail. ¡°Thank you so much, Charlie!¡± ¡°You really are a legend!¡± Wally said, beaming brightly. ¡°Listen, I¡¯d love to come with you, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be much good on the street at the minute,¡± Charlie said, pointing to his bandaged head. ¡°If I¡¯m honest, for the last couple of minutes I¡¯ve been seeing four of youse. But use my name, that should pull him in line if he tries anything.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you!¡± ¡°Now, help me back to the tent, I don¡¯t fancy ending up face down in the mud.¡± Wally and Timmy scampered under one arm each and helped Charlie to limp back to the tent. Once they were there, they eased Charlie down onto a makeshift gurney. ¡°Good luck boys,¡± Charlie said, sighing deeply. ¡°I wish I could have been more help.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve already done more than we could have hoped for,¡± Timmy gushed. ¡°Listen, be careful. That Human First mob are dangerous. They¡¯re bloodthirsty and they want to prove themselves. Even worse, none of ¡®em have ever really seen real violence, so they ain¡¯t realised the reality of it. It¡¯s always them without blood on ¡®em that think they¡¯re up for it the most. This could get very sticky lads. Are you sure about this?¡± Timmy looked at Wally who gave him a hard, determined look in return. ¡°We¡¯re sure.¡± ¡°Then good luck and watch each other¡¯s backs.¡± They nodded at him, their chests puffed up. ¡°Give ¡®em hell boys and drag that scum back here to face the long arm o¡¯ the law!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± Chapter 43 When Nairo woke her world was sideways. She tried to straighten herself and found her head stuck where it was. In a moment of panic, she yanked herself back as hard as she could. There was a wet sucking noise and her head flew up, her neck cracked audibly, and her ears popped. ¡°Oh shit! She lives!¡± ¡°You owe me a gold piece.¡± ¡°We said a silver!¡± ¡°Waahhh¡­¡± Nairo let out a dry throaty noise as her stiff muscles and pendulous balance made her head loll uncontrollably. ¡°Here get this down you.¡± Someone plonked a tall glass of water down in front of Nairo. She scrubbed at her eyes and then, using one hand to steady her head, she guzzled at the cold water, feeling it soothe her dry throat. ¡°Ahhh,¡± she moaned as pain shot through her crooked neck. ¡°Where am I?¡± She looked around, her eyes adjusting to the beams of gloomy morning light that poured in. ¡°Some shithole,¡± Ridley said. He was sitting at the bar, hunched over a bowl of something steaming. ¡°Food?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Mhmmm,¡± Ridley grunted round a mouthful. ¡°Here,¡± Jimmy slid another steaming bow across the bar. Nairo stumbled from the booth she made her bed for the night and propped herself up at the bar. The bowl was full of some sort of steaming¡­ something, in thick brown gravy. ¡°Tacka Root,¡± Ridley said. ¡°There was meat but¡­ I think it might have woofed when it was alive.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± Jimmy groaned, holding his stomach, his face tinged a sickly green. Nairo wasn''t listening. She was busy industriously ploughing through the bowl in front of her. The thick, warm gravy felt like a lover¡¯s embrace, returning life to her poisoned carcass. ¡°Where are we?¡± Nairo asked again after downing another ice cold glass of water. ¡°Think we¡¯re down Canney street, just north of the barricades,¡± Jimmy answered. ¡°How did we end up here?¡± ¡°We got kicked out of that second place after Ridley set that Troll¡¯s foot on fire.¡± ¡°Second place?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Well after that Pixie seized up and the old bill had to be called, it sort of killed the mood.¡± ¡°Wait you set a Troll¡¯s foot on fire.¡± ¡°It was your idea!¡± Ridley said. ¡°Was it?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Nairo groaned and rubbed at her sore head. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything after we ordered those shots of Black Bee honey.¡± ¡°That was definitely your idea.¡± Ridley said. ¡°You kept calling it Sally¡¯s Special Sauce,¡± Jimmy added. Ridley and Jimmy burst out laughing. ¡°Yeah¡­ I can believe that,¡± Nairo muttered into her gravy. Ridley burped loudly and lit a smoke. ¡°You fit for purpose, Sarge?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ just¡­ need to wash my face. Where¡¯s the facilities?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go in there,¡± Jimmy warned. ¡°Trust him,¡± Ridley said ominously. ¡°Fine.¡± Nairo hopped gingerly off her stool and limped around the bar. As she came round the bar she saw a pudgy Hobgoblin sprawled out unconscious on the floor. ¡°Is he¡­¡± ¡°Sleeping. That¡¯s Syd the owner,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Lightweight,¡± Ridley grunted. Nairo carefully stepped over the barman¡¯s body and made her way to the ice bucket. There were a few sad lumps of ice still floating in the sea of arctic water. Nairo gripped the sides of the bucket, took a deep breath, and plunged her face in. The cold water shocked her eyes open and dispelled the drunken fog instantly. She yanked her head out of the bucket, her thick curls sending water arcing across the pub. She shook her head like a wet dog, then used her forearm to swipe her mane out of her face. She stood there gasping, soaking, and fully awake. ¡°You are elegant in the morning, Sarge,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Thanks,¡± Nairo replied with a lopsided smile. She trudged back around the bar and stretched her neck till it popped. As she sat back down to her bowl, there was a surreptitious knock at the pub doors followed by a familiar voice ¡°Wot hooo! Any soul living in there!¡± ¡°He found us¡­ excellent,¡± Jimmy said. He hopped over the bar and sauntered to the door. He slammed back the bolt and cracked the door. ¡°Quick, in.¡± Through the cracked door slipped a bonce full of wavy golden hair, followed by the rest of Barney. He had changed at some point in the night and was now wearing a fresh shirt with a deep mauve long coat and a beaming smile. ¡°Gosh! Looks like I missed quite a do!¡± Barney said as he looked around the half destroyed pub. ¡°Yeah, we had a couple.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say!¡± Barney laughed. ¡°Good thing you left such a trail in your wake. Your message was conspiratorially cryptic.¡± ¡°Message?¡± Barney fished around in his jacket and pulled out a neatly folded piece of brown paper. He opened it and read: ¡°Barney, we¡¯ve tied one on. Dunno where we are. Pub in Broxville. Find me in the morning. And then I can''t quite make out what this is.¡± He held up the paper to Jimmy.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Jimmy seemed to blush and glance at Nairo awkwardly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that¡­ Did yer manage to get everything.¡± ¡°Of course James! You know me, like a frog on a fly!¡± He strode over to the bar and beamed at Nairo and Ridley. ¡°Wot ho, Master Ridley! You look¡­ well and Miss Nairo you look¡­ a picture.¡± ¡°Fanks. I like your coat,¡± Nairo said around a mouthful of congealing stew. ¡°The finest bark badger,¡± he said, caressing the smooth material of the coat. ¡°Hunted it myself, but mum¡¯s the word what with all this protected creature nonsense.¡± With that Barney plonked his sack on to the bar. ¡°Say James, a chap couldn¡¯t get a brew, I am parched!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stick the kettle on. Ridley? Sally?¡± ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Black for me.¡± ¡°Syd?¡± There came a grumbled response. ¡°I¡¯ll leave his on the flame.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Barney peered over the bar at the semi-conscious HobGoblin. ¡°Hullo old chap! Funny place for some respite!¡± A few muffled curses floated back at Barney followed by a sonorous snore. Barney grinned and turned to Nairo. ¡°You must invite me to the next shindig! Anytime you put a barman on his back is a good night!¡± Barney laughed and slapped the bar as Jimmy came back with three mugs and a pint of tea. ¡°Couldn''t find another mug,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s one here wearing purple,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Mauve, actually,¡± Barney said, pursing his lips comically to blow on his tea. He sipped and smacked his lips in appreciation. ¡°I must say James, you make a fantastic cuppa!¡± ¡°Cheers,¡± Jimmy said, sipping his own tea. ¡°How is it out there?¡± ¡°Not be a hyperbolic Harriet, but feels like the end of days,¡± Barney said, shivering. ¡°Rioting up and down the city. More blockades than there are roads. The whole city¡¯s gone to pot. Word is Goblin and Humans are clashing all along the river.¡± ¡°What about the police?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°They¡¯ve withdrawn all forces to protect the city proper and left the boroughs to the wolves, I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way Pleasently can wriggle out of this one. He¡¯s left the voters to the mob.¡± Jimmy shook his head and tutted. ¡°Afraid, the voters are the mob. Even old mums are wielding clubs and smashing windows.¡± Barney sipped noisily at his tea and smacked his lips. ¡°I daresay, if there was a moment to strike at the heart of the serpent¡¯s nest, then today is the day. Word¡¯s come down, the Lockout is in full effect. There¡¯s been warring all night as the various parties jostle for strongholds to lockdown. As of daybreak, not a message, nor a meeting, can be held until tomorrow night.¡± ¡°Good. The more chaos the better,¡± Jimmy said, setting down his tea. ¡°So let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got, Barn.¡± ¡°Of course, must keep both wheels on track,¡± Barney said. He fished around in his sack and pulled out two ugly, formless, brown overalls. ¡°Standard dock uniforms,¡± he said as he slid them across the bar to Ridley and Nairo. ¡°Apologies about the smell.¡± ¡°And the blood?¡± Ridley asked as he examined a dull red stain on the coarse burlap like material of his disguise. ¡°Ahh well¡­ there was a disagreement of a sartorial nature.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Jimmy said, a grin flashing across his face. ¡°The chaps didn''t see the beauty of one¡¯s bare flesh so I had to demonstrate.¡± ¡°Are there two naked dockworkers waking up somewhere?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°No¡­ don''t be silly Miss Sally. They should have woken up hours ago at this point. Probably home having a lovely cuppa by now.¡± He sipped his tea and smiled congenially. It was only as he raised his mug did Nairo note the fresh bruises and cuts on his fist. ¡°Good work. And the server¡¯s outfits?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°Much easier. Gave old Pence a gold to slip a couple black and whites out the back of the laundrette.¡± ¡°Risky, him seeing you,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Not to worry my old chum, had one of your little rascals from the riverfront act a middle¡­ boy!¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Jimmy pulled the simple white shirt and black trousers from the sack and slid them over the bar to Ridley and Nairo. ¡°I do hope I got your sizes right,¡± Barney said, with a genuine tone of apprehension. Nairo held up her shirt and nodded. ¡°Looks about right,¡± she said. ¡°Wonderful!¡± Barney clapped his hands together and quaffed the remainder of his tea. ¡°And the favours?¡± Jimmy asked while absent mindedly pouring some of his own pint of tea into Barney¡¯s empty mug. ¡°Timothy wasn¡¯t best pleased to be knocked up at such a time¡­ I had to make certain promises.¡± Barney exchanged a conspiratorial nod with Jimmy before continuing. ¡°And he gave me enough guff on the price, what with the current troubles on the streets, but we were in luck, he just had a shipment in from the Mountain cities! We have the finest Firefall Rum, Turtle smoked ham, and the freshest swarm nest tobacco!¡± He pulled a golden bottle of amber liquid, a neatly wrapped package of meat and a comically small, gold plated, tin from the sack. ¡°You are an absolute gem, Barney!¡± Jimmy clapped him on the shoulder with a broad beaming smile on his face. ¡°Pshaw! Anything for a friend,¡± Barney said modestly. ¡°You¡¯ve done wonderfully Barney, thank you so much,¡± Nairo agreed. ¡°Not bad for your lot,¡± Ridley added. ¡°Stop! You¡¯ll make my mascara run.¡± Jimmy laughed and then turned to Ridley and Nairo. ¡°Right, you two suit up. Put the server¡¯s uniform on first and then the overalls on top. Barney flag us down a cab.¡± ¡°No need, the handsome¡¯s outside waiting for us. The meter''s running.¡± ¡°No time to waste then!¡± Jimmy said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them eagerly. Ridley began unbuttoning his shirt while kicking off his beaten leather shoes. Nairo gathered her clothes and looked around for somewhere to change. ¡°Not shy are you, Sarge?¡± Ridley asked, with a wicked grin on his face. ¡°Shut up Ridley,¡± she snapped, her eyes falling on Jimmy who gave her a small smile. ¡°Oh gosh, allow me Miss Sally!¡± Barney bounded over to her and whipped his coat off in one fluid movement before she could say a word. He held the coat at arms length, full spread in front of her, his head turned away from her as far as humanly possible, with his eyes screwed shut. ¡°Really, you don''t¡­¡± ¡°Nonsense, no problem at all,¡± Barney said. Nairo shrugged and pulled off her tunic and trousers eager to get this over with as quick as possible. As she pulled the shirt over her head she could just see over Barney¡¯s coat to Jimmy. He caught her eye and then quickly looked back at the bar he had been busily wiping down. ¡°Done,¡± she said to Barney. He whipped his coat around and slipped himself back into it without a wasted motion. ¡°Allow me,¡± he said as he held up the burlap overalls for Nairo to step into. With a few awkward hops and jumps she forced herself into the shapeless suit. Ridley on the other side of the room was cursing and stumbling around trying to yank his overalls over his trousers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I don¡¯t need any help,¡± he muttered. ¡°You sure? You look like you¡¯re struggling,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry you just keep checking out Sally over¡­ ahhhh!,¡± Ridley cried out as he tipped backwards over a fallen stool. ¡°Very elegant,¡± Nairo said as she helped him back up. Ridley muttered darkly as she helped him pull the overalls over his shoulders. ¡°Thought these would help with ruse,¡± Barney said, handing them a pair of brown coloured workmen hats. ¡°You look just spiffy!¡± ¡°You two brush up well as a couple of dock hands,¡± Jimmy agreed. ¡°Touch on the small side,¡± Barney said, stroking his chin thoughtfully with a long index finger. ¡°But I think our subterfuge will go unnoticed.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°You heard from Cripper?¡± ¡°He left a message saying everything is lined up on his side. Little Cripper will be waiting for us on Thorny Street with everything we need.¡± ¡°Ughh, that kid gives me the creeps.¡± ¡°Too right,¡± Barney agreed. ¡°We¡¯re good to go then?¡± Ridley asked, itching at the uncomfortable overalls impatiently. ¡°Looks like it,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Good. Guard this with your life,¡± Ridley said, pressing his coat into Barney¡¯s arms. ¡°With my life,¡± Barney promised, marvelling at the weight of the coat. ¡°Now let''s close this case,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You heard the lady,¡± Jimmy stood up and leaned over the bar. ¡°Syd mate! We¡¯re off! I¡¯ll settle up with you next time!¡± he shouted. ¡°No tabs,¡± Syd moaned faintly but Jimmy was already out of the door followed by a bouncing Barney. Ridley stopped to pour himself a quick shot of something brown. ¡°One for luck,¡± he said to Nairo. He downed it, coughed throatily, and swaggered out behind them. Nairo tugged at the baggy overalls and gave Syd one last look. ¡°Thanks for the hospitality, Mr Syd.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome sweetheart,¡± came the muttered reply. Nairo smiled and walked out of the pub after her comrades, ready for the heist of a lifetime. Chapter 44 Out of four hundred different roads in the city that ended with Lane, Albany lane had to be a contender for the worst. Once an industrial estate across the bridge, Albany lane had lain abandoned for so long nature had started to reclaim it. Sprouting from the trickle of turgid water running through it, moss and various predatory plants had climbed the banks and suffocated the crumbling concrete. The whole place smelled of damp and earth. Only two warehouses still stood, the rest had half crumbled, or their roofs had caved in under the weight of feral pigeons roosting in them. It was the kind of place where someone could fall off the face of the earth and disappear. This thought ran round Timmy¡¯s mind as they approached. Getting across the bridge had been difficult enough. They had decided to leave their uniforms behind, and there was no chance of taking an official meat wagon without raising suspicion. After arguing with a nervous cabbie for twenty minutes, they had assured him they really were police officers and that no harm would come to him. Even so, he had only taken them as far as Durry Bridge. After that they had to walk. Fortunately, being Human had made their passing across the bridge fairly easy, and the rain had made sure no one wanted to hang around too long to grill them. After that, they walked. And walked. And walked. In silence they trudged through the rain, getting lost twice, before finally coming to this graveyard of industry. Albany lane would have to really pull its bootstraps up to even be considered derelict. It had a haunted atmosphere that wasn¡¯t helped by the mist that was starting to come in. Timmy and Wally stole through the abandoned estate, searching for signs of life. They resorted to hand signals and head nods, too afraid to speak less they disturbed the spirits of the place. Finally, they found signs of life. A fire flickered somewhere, giving off hints of telltale light. They worked their way towards it, huddled in the shadows of the buildings, their hoods pulled up, and their clubs held under their capes at the ready. Timmy was soaking wet by the time they heard voices. Rain combined with his own treacherous sweat was making him chafe badly and his club felt like it would slip from his hands any moment. Wally sidled up next to him as they crouched behind some debris and took stock of the situation. ¡°¡®E¡¯s not alone,¡± Wally whispered to Timmy. ¡°No, Charlie said he would have a little crew with him,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Wot do you reckon? Could we take ¡®em out?¡± ¡°Take them out! How?¡± ¡°Well we got our truncheons, we could sneak up on ¡®em and bonk ¡®em on the ¡®eads.¡± ¡°That sort of thing only works in story books. Besides, we¡¯re coppers, we shouldn¡¯t have to sneak around bonking people on the heads.¡± ¡°Wot, you reckon we should just walk up to ¡®em?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Timmy said, trying to sound cavalier and coming off as naive. ¡°Charlie said they''re a bunch of wannabes. We tell them were police and that Charlie sent us. After all, their boss is a snitch, he should be happy to see us.¡± ¡°You reckon?¡± ¡°I dunno, maybe?¡± ¡°Alright. ¡®Ow should we play it?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Should we like go in all tough or like should we be friendly?¡± ¡°Why would we be friendly with them? They¡¯re criminals.¡± ¡°Oh right yeah. Okay, we go in and we take control.¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly. We just have to be commanding and they¡¯ll do as we say.¡± ¡°Commanding. Right. Okay. You gonna lead the way?¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Coz you¡¯re older.¡± ¡°No I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Well you been a copper longer than I ¡®ave. You ¡®ave seen-e-ority.¡± Wally had to scrunch his face up to try and pronounce that one. ¡°Fine. Okay. Just¡­ follow my lead.¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± Timmy took a deep breath and steadied himself. He felt a wave of fresh sweat pour down his back. His heart fluttered as he stepped out from behind the debris. Gritting his teeth, Timmy took two deep breaths through his nose and then marched towards the two men. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± One of the men, a lanky Human with a gaunt face and far too many ear rings. ¡°My name is Corporal Timothy Edgewater and I am here to see¡­¡± ¡°Piss off, you ain¡¯t no copper,¡± the other man snarled. He had jagged yellow teeth that matched his bulbous yellow eyes and his shaved head. ¡°W-what? Yes I am,¡± Timmy squeaked, all the air deflating out of him. ¡°No you ain¡¯t. You''re some brat. Now piss off ¡®fore you get hurt!¡± ¡°Me and my partner n-need to talk to¡­¡± ¡°What partner?¡± Timmy turned around and saw there was no sign of Wally. ¡°You a burner? We ain¡¯t got nuffin right now. Not with all these riots kicking off, so get lost.¡± ¡°I-I-I¡¯m not, I¡¯m Corporal¡­¡± The jagged toothed man picked up a rock and hurled it. Timmy flinched and raised his arm, wincing as the rock bounced off his elbow. ¡°That is assaulting an officer!¡± Timmy wailed, throwing back his cloak and getting his truncheon caught up in it. ¡°He¡¯s got a tool!¡± the lanky one yelled. As Timmy fought with his cloak he heard the metallic rasp of weapons being picked up. ¡°Wally?¡± Timmy called out into the night. Another rock bounced off his shoulder. ¡°Stop throwing rocks at me!¡± Timmy finally extricated his truncheon from his cloak and brought it to bear as the thugs advanced on him. ¡°Wally!¡± he cried out again, the tip of his truncheon quivering. ¡°We¡¯re gonna turn you inside out and¡­ ow!¡± A shadow loomed up behind the lanky man and brought a truncheon down on his head. ¡°Wally!¡± Timmy cried out in relief. ¡°Did yer see Tim? I bonked him right on the ¡®ead!¡± ¡°Well done!¡± ¡°Ow, me bloody head! He¡¯s bonked me right on it!¡± The look of triumph slipped from Wally¡¯s face. He had clearly been expecting the man to crumple to the floor unconscious. Instead, he whirled around with a metal pipe in his hands and a look of vengeful fury on his face. ¡°You little shit¡­ ow!¡± This time time Timmy whacked him across the back of his head. The lanky man dropped his pole and slapped both hands on top of his head, hopping about in circles. ¡°Stop hitting me in me bloody head! Terry, do something!¡± he yelled at the jagged tooth man who was standing there with a rusty knife looking nonplussed. Terry lurched into action and took a swipe at Wally with his knife. Wally hopped away and blindly swung his truncheon. He missed Terry by a foot and managed to whack the lanky man right in the nose. ¡°Ahh my thuckin¡¯ nothe!¡± he stumbled backwards and tripped over Timmy¡¯s foot, cracking his head for a third time. Terry, the man with the rusty blade, used a knife with as much skill as his toothbrush. He jabbed wildly at Wally, while Wally continued to blindly swing his truncheon. Neither of them came close to hitting the other. ¡°I¡¯m coming Wally!¡± Timmy yelled, adrenaline robbing him off his breath. He stumbled forward, tripping over the downed man, stepping painfully on his crotch by accident, and tumbled into Terry. His bulk took Terry down and they landed in an ungainly heap. Wally was on them in an instant, wildly flailing with his truncheon hitting anything and everything. ¡°Stop resisting!¡± Wally screamed in a moment of primal instinct. ¡°Ow. Ow. Ow!¡± Terry wailed. ¡°Ow! Wally, that was me¡­ ow!¡± Timmy cried out as he wriggled off of Terry. ¡°Sorry,¡± Wally gasped, pulling Timmy up. ¡°¡®E¡¯s still got the knife!¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Drop it!¡± Timmy ordered and before Terry could comply both officers began thumping him with their truncheons. ¡°Ow! Stop! Ow! I¡¯ll drop¡­ Ow!¡± ¡°Drop it!¡± Wally cried again, the rhythmic slapping of their truncheons on flesh drowned out Terry¡¯s words. Finally, after a few minutes, Timmy grabbed Wally¡¯s arm and they stepped back gasping for breath. ¡°Cor¡­¡± Wally said, bent over double and sucking wind. ¡°Kicking shit out of people is nuff ¡®ard work.¡± Timmy, too out of breath to speak, nodded in agreement. Terry whimpered on the floor, his knife flung away during the beating. ¡°Right, where¡¯s your boss?¡± Wally said to Terry, menacing him with the truncheon. ¡°¡®Oo wants to know?¡± a voice piped from behind them. Wally and Timmy spun to see six more goons spilling out of the warehouse, all of them armed and ugly. In the middle was a cue ball on legs. The only shape his body seemed to have was circles. His belly was so rotund his arms couldn¡¯t reach his pockets. His head was also a perfect circle, with enough dark stubble on the sides to suggest going bald hadn''t been a style choice. He had an ugly, rat like face that was covered in patches of stubble and scabs. He waddled out of the centre of his goons and looked them up and down. ¡°¡®Oo are you lot?¡± he squeaked at them. ¡°Why you bashed up me boys?¡± ¡°Are you Tommy Plumb?¡± Timmy said to him, feeling less confident now they were heavily outnumbered. ¡°So you ¡®eard of me?¡± The little snowman looked mightily proud of himself as he looked around at his gang. ¡°Not surprised, I¡¯m a proper villain, real Face about the place.¡± ¡°Well, no, Corporal Charlie sent us to talk to you,¡± Timmy explained. ¡°Wot?¡± Tommy said, the look of superiority dropping from his face. ¡°Yeah, on account of you being a filthy grass,¡± Wally added helpfully. ¡°Wot? Wot you talking about?¡± Tommy laughed nervously and scratched at his scabs. ¡°Y-you lot coppers?!¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m Corporal Edgewater and this is Corporal Washbottom.¡± ¡°Washbottom,¡± one of the goons sniggered. ¡°And wot about it?¡± Wally said, raising his truncheon with menace. The goon stopped grinning when he saw the steel in Wally¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s alright boys,¡± Tommy said, turning to his gang. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this, you go on and get back inside and git to work. The goons grumbled and eyed Timmy and Wally coldly as they shuffled back into the warehouse. As soon as the door had shut Tommy spun on them. ¡°Wot you come ¡®ere for!¡± he squealed. ¡°I ain¡¯t done nuffin!¡± ¡°We need information,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Shh, not here. Come to the office.¡± Tommy¡¯s beady little rat eyes flicked from side to side before he nodded his head for them to follow him. Tommy waddled into the warehouse and Wally and Timmy had the shock of their lives. The warehouse was a lively engine room of production dedicated to smut. Pictures, drawing, cartoons, life-like rendering, hundreds¡­ thousands of images of scantily dressed ladies, of every species, surrounding the two officers. There were piles of lewd sex acts, heaps of lingerie catalogues, reams of naked figures. There were even little collectable playing cards with naked women printed on them. The men who had come out of the warehouse were now back hunched around their stations, an ancient printing press cranking out more and more smut, as they sorted and piled it up. In one corner of the room there was a pockmarked Human woman and a Gnome so inebriated his whole body quivered, in a sexual position while another man hastily sketched their forms. Two more, equally naked and dead eyed women, sat on a sofa smoking something out of a long pipe, their eyelids flickering open and shut. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Timmy said, his eyes widening. ¡°Bloody ¡®ell,¡¯ Wally breathed, going pink and then bright red the more his eyes roamed the room. Timmy¡¯s mouth went dry and his face became so hot you could fry an egg on it. He lowered his gaze and stared at the floor as they followed Tommy. ¡°Would you give it a rest!¡± The rat faced pimp barked at the two women on the sofa. ¡°If you¡¯re too messed up to perform again I swear I¡¯ll whip yer ¡®til yer can¡¯t sit right.¡± ¡°Oh fuck off,¡± one of the women said, giving Tommy the finger. ¡°Bloody whores,¡± Tommy muttered under his breath as he kicked open his office door. Timmy and Wally quickly scampered in after him, feeling filthy just having walked through such a place. ¡°Wot the ¡®ell you got goin¡¯ on in ¡®ere!¡± Wally choked out once the door shut. ¡°Just a bit of porno,¡± Tommy said, scratching his stomach and easing himself into his chair. ¡°Everyfin¡¯s fully legal,¡± he added quickly. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be!¡± Timmy said, wiping sweat from his face. ¡°Come on now, two young fellas like yerselves, yer telling me you ain¡¯t never looked at a blue rag?¡± Tommy said, his lascivious little eyes gleaming. ¡°No I have not!¡± Timmy said indignantly, while Wally chose to remain tactfully silent. ¡°Shame. I could get yer a little time with one of the lovely ladies out there, free of charge o¡¯ course, if¡¯n you promise to leave off from here.¡± Tommy winked at Timmy. ¡°That is bribing an officer of the law! And that is most certainly illegal!¡± Timmy¡¯s voice had become rather high pitched and squeaky. Tommy gave a nervous chuckle and scratched the sores on the side of his bald head. ¡°No no, only jokin¡¯, officer.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± ¡°Well then, what do you want? I don¡¯t know nuffin¡¯ about nuffin¡¯ and I don¡¯t appreciate you coppers comin¡¯ round here and interrupting my important business!¡± ¡°Slingin¡¯ burn?¡± Wally asked. ¡°Wot? Who¡¯s slingin¡¯ burn? Wot¡¯s burn anyways? Don¡¯t know nuffin¡¯ bout that sorta stuff.¡± Tommy folded his arms across his chest, making his ample bosoms squash together. ¡°Really? Because your man offered us some when we arrived,¡± Timmy said, trying to narrow his eyes suspiciously in an excorciating fashion. The effect wasn¡¯t quite right and he just looked like he had a headache. ¡°Bloody idiots!¡± Tommy snarled. ¡°I told them to keep their mouths shut if they don¡¯t recognise someone!¡± ¡°So do we have to haul you in and question you at the station?¡± Timmy said. ¡°Or will you comply and we let you walk.¡± ¡°Haul me in?¡± Tommy screeched in outrage. ¡°Do you know who I am? I¡¯m Tommy Plumb! I¡¯m a Face about the place! I could have both of you mugs disappeared like that!¡± He clicked his surprisingly girlish fingers together. ¡°You don¡¯t threaten me! I threaten¡­ ow!¡± The wooden echo of Wally¡¯s truncheon cracking off his head bounced. ¡°Wot you do that for!¡± ¡°Well if you don¡¯t wanna do it the easy way¡­ then I¡¯m the hard way!¡± Wally raised his truncheon again. ¡°Wally! No!¡± Timmy said, blocking his truncheon with his hand. ¡°We can¡¯t go around bonking everyone on the head.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because, that¡¯s police brutality.¡± ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I¡¯m doin¡¯ it.¡± ¡°But you''re not allowed to!¡± ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we were ever allowed to hit people with truncheons for no reason.¡± ¡°I do have a reason.¡± ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Yeah, e¡¯s not telling us wot we wanna know and he smells like cheese!¡± Wally raised his truncheon again and Tommy cowered. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t think we can hit him unless it¡¯s self defence,¡± Timmy said, getting in front of the truncheon again. ¡°Well, if ¡®e gives me a reason, I¡¯m gonna give ¡®im a proper good bonking upside his fat, little head.¡± ¡°You heard him Tommy, I can only hold him back for so long.¡± Timmy said to the quivering snitch. ¡°Alright, alright, you don¡¯t ¡®ave to get ¡®eavy wiv me. I¡¯ll play ball. Wot d¡¯yer wanna know?¡± Timmy, with his back to Tommy, gave Wally a wide eyed look of disbelief: that had actually worked! ¡°We want to know who set the fire in the Goblin Quarter, killing that family?¡± ¡°Wot? Wot you wanna know about that for?¡± Tommy scratched at his scabby jowls. ¡°Because murder is a crime!¡± Timmy said. ¡°Yeah right,¡± Tommy said, nodding his bowling ball of a head. ¡°I get that. But I don¡¯t know nuffin¡¯ about that. My boys don¡¯t get involved wiv all that Human First crap. Far as I¡¯m concerned, long as your gold is gold, you¡¯re alright in my books. But I do get it. Them foreigners do smell and they can¡¯t even talk proper.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ironic,¡± Timmy muttered. ¡°Who¡¯s that? Don¡¯t know ¡®im.¡± ¡°What? Never mind, what were you saying about the Human First?¡± ¡°Oh I don¡¯t mix meself up wiv them lot. They¡¯re bonkers. All that Humans are the soo-soo-soo¡­¡± ¡°Superior,¡± Timmy finished for him. ¡°Right yeah. Like we¡¯re the best species and all that. They¡¯re mad.¡± ¡°Mad enuf to burn a whole family to death in their beds?¡± Wally growled at him. ¡°Yeah¡­ no¡­ I dunno. They¡¯re mad and I stays away from ¡®em. That¡¯s all I know.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Timmy menaced him with his truncheon and steely eyed glare. ¡°Well¡­ there ¡®as been some gossip on the streets. You know wot it¡¯s like. But, I ¡®eard some young boy¡¯s been taking credit for clipping a bunch of Goblins, setting fires, all that sort of stuff. ¡®E¡¯s a big mouth but people take ¡®im serious.¡± ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°I dunno. ¡®Unter something.¡± ¡°Hunter?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all I got. But he does all speeches and stuff at their rallies. If¡¯n you go down to one, he¡¯ll be easy to spot.¡± ¡°Rallies?¡± ¡°Yeah. They has ¡®em all the time now. Pretty good for moving merchandise through, but them lot over that side don¡¯t like working wiv independents. Mostly it¡¯s a lot of drinkin¡¯ and druggin¡¯ and chantin¡¯ and stuff.¡± ¡°Where are these rallies held?¡± ¡°I dunno. They¡¯re all over the place, usually somewhere far out the way on the edges of the city.¡± ¡°Do you know when the next one will be?¡± Timmy asked and Tommy gave him a limp shrug in response. ¡°Well what about this Hunter character, where can we find him?¡± ¡°Ermm¡­ ¡®E hangs around there, you know, just off Funderson Ave, round the broadway with his little firm.¡± ¡°Yeah we know the place.¡± Timmy nodded, finished scribbling his notes, and then tucked his notepad away. ¡°Thank you Mr Plumb, you¡¯ve been very helpful.¡± ¡°Yeah wotever,¡± Tommy screwed his face up. ¡°Listen, you tell Charlie¡­ well you tell ¡®im I was ¡®elpful and all that and I don¡¯t appreciate ¡®im sendin¡¯ round heavies and-and all that.¡± ¡°You really want us to tell ¡®im that?¡± Wally said. Tommy chewed at his lip for a second and then gave them a yellow rat faced smile. ¡°Maybe just tell ¡®im I was ¡®elpful.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll think about it,¡± Wally said, turning on his heels and marching out of the office. They stormed across the warehouse, their eyes firmly planted on their feet, while the less than convincing sound of two people having unpleasurable intercourse followed behind them. They flew out of the warehouse doors, rounded the corner, and burst out into excited chatter. ¡°Did you ¡®ear that? ¡®E called us ¡®eavies!¡± Wally said, his face flushed in excitement. ¡°I ain¡¯t never been called anyfin like that!¡± ¡°I know! Did you see the way we took out those goons! You bonked them real good!¡± Timmy said, imitating Timmy¡¯s wild flailing. ¡°But you took out that fella with the knife. Proper ¡®eroic that was!¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t let him stick my partner, could I?¡± ¡°¡®Xactly! We¡¯re proper coppers now, Tim. No one¡¯s gonna be making fun of us no more!¡± ¡°Now we just have to find this scumbag, Hunter, and bring him in.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get down to Funderson Ave and do a bit of wotchumacallit¡­¡± ¡°Surveillance?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go Corporal Washbottom!¡± ¡°Lead the way Corporal Edgewater!¡± Chapter 45 The storm had worsened overnight. Heavy sheets of thick rain pelted Nairo as she left the pub. With one arm shielding her eyes, Nairo sprinted for the back of the hansom cab. She leapt in and Barney pulled the door shut behind her. ¡°Ooof, ominous downpour. An inauspicious start to the day¡¯s adventures,¡± Barney said, eyeing the dark storm clouds. ¡°Thanks Barn,¡± Jimmy said as he shook the rain from his hair. The cab pulled away from the shabby little pub and peeled left into the sodden morning traffic along the river¡¯s edge. ¡°We should only be five minutes crack of the whip from Thorny Street.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re meeting who?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Little Cripper,¡± Barney replied. ¡°Creepy little bastard,¡± Jimmy added. ¡°We¡¯ll grab the supplies and be off. This rain should help us get you two in.¡± ¡°No guard is going A and B the C of D today,¡± Barney agreed. ¡°What?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Above and Beyond the Call of Duty, keep up.¡± ¡°Yeah Ridley, everyone knows that,¡± Nairo needled. ¡°Listen up,¡± Jimmy interjected. ¡°Once we¡¯re in sight of the Houses you two are on your own. You need to join the delivery line and slip your way in through the kitchens. Once you¡¯re inside make for the large servery cupboard. You can ditch the browns and get hold of a trolley. Get out of the kitchens as fast as you can and make your way to the third floor toilets.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, we know,¡± Ridley said with a wave of his hand. ¡°Hopefully the whole place will be so nuts no one will notice you.¡± ¡°And if you are besieged by some black tops, tell them you¡¯re bringing Purple Mabs his salmon and roe,¡± Barney said. ¡°Heavens protect the man that holds up Old Mabs brekky.¡± ¡°Purple Mabs, understood,¡± Nairo said. The cab lurched around another corner and began slowing. ¡°Here we are. Barney, pay the man.¡± Jimmy hopped out of the cab into the deluge with Ridley and Nairo close behind fighting their way through the rain and into a dim alley. ¡°Where is the little bastard?¡± Jimmy growled, looking left and right. ¡°The bastards ¡®ere,¡± came a deep guttural voice from under the thin covering of a window sill. Nairo snapped around to her left and peered at a round shape squatting on a bricked up window sill. He had a shock of fiery hair and a smattering of freckles plastered across his robust little cheeks. The boy had a squashed piggy nose with a permanent dribble of snot running down his top lip. ¡°Oh, Little Cripper, I didn¡¯t see ya there,¡± Jimmy said nervously. The little boy glared with open hostility, his eyes narrowed venomously. ¡°Have you found the nasty little bugger¡­¡± Barney called down the alley as he came upon them. ¡°Oh¡­ hullo Little Cripper.¡± The boy turned his hateful gaze on Barney. ¡°Want a sweetie?¡± ¡°Gimme,¡± Little Cripper growled, sticking out his pudgy little hand. Barney fished around his pocket desperately searching for a treat. He sighed with relief and pulled a striped candy from his pocket. Gingerly, he extended his arm like he was feeding a tiger and hastily dropped the sweet into Little Cripper¡¯s awaiting hand. With verminous speed, Little Cripper snatched the sweet up and ripped through the wrapper with the three, sharp, yellow teeth, seemingly the only ones he had. He gnawed at the sweet but never took his eyes from them.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Cripper said you had something for us?¡± Jimmy asked after a respectful amount of time. Little Cripper looked up from his sweet, clearly annoyed, and pointed to the bin next to him. Hesitantly, Jimmy lifted the lid and looked inside to find two burlap sacks. Ridley nudged Barney and pointed to the foot of the bin where there was a half eaten rat carcass with the head still attached. ¡°Did he eat that rat?¡± Ridley hissed. Barney¡¯s eyes grew wide and he shrugged. His eyes nervously flicked back to the feral youth who was watching them. Jimmy fished the two sacks out of the bin and nodded to Little Cripper. ¡°Thanks,¡± he spun on his heels and hustled away without another word. ¡°Bye bye little chum,¡± Barney said. He attempted to reach out and pat Little Cripper, only to have his hand snapped at. ¡°Blimey!¡± Barney cried and he took off after the others. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Ridley asked once he was sure they were safe. ¡°Little Cripper,¡± Jimmy answered quietly. ¡°Creepy little bastard,¡± Barney and Nairo intoned at the same time. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Ridley agreed. They stomped through the rain in silence until they left the cluster of narrow alleys and entered back onto the main causeway to the Houses. Before they left the gloom of the alleyway, Jimmy held up his arm to stop them. He tried to whisper to them but the thunderous rain drowned him out to the point that he was shouting at them before he was done. ¡°Take these sacks. Show them to the guards and tell ¡®em you''re delivering for lunch. The delivery entrance is round the back on the dock. We¡¯ll see you soon!¡± He looked left and right and then vanished into the throng of morning commuters. ¡°Good luck Master Ridley! Good luck Miss Sally! Our parting will surely be short!¡± Barney strode out of the alley with a beaming smile. Ridley and Nairo waited a few seconds. ¡°You ready?¡± Ridley asked. Nairo felt her stomach go cold. She looked down at her chest where her badge should have been. Then she glanced into the dark alley, the faint smell of copper wafted past her nose. She clenched her jaw grimly and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Ridley nodded and stepped out of the alley with Nairo close behind him. They fought through the teeming traffic and Nairo was glad for the pelting rain: everyone had their eyes glued to the cobbles in front of them as they begrudgingly navigated the downpour. Ridley¡¯s uncanny sense of direction proved true as he led them out of the throng and down the slimy steps to the Houses¡¯ private docks. The Houses were a monstrosity that required an enormous amount of daily produce and deliveries to keep it lurching along. Already, there were lines of ships docking or waiting to dock. The pier was teeming with dockers and thankfully the rain was keeping fist fights to a minimum. Ridley slipped through the burly workers with the confidence of a lifelong stevedore. Occasionally he would pop his head up against the rain and look around like a meerkat. After a few minutes, they had danced and shoved their way to the back of a line of similarly brown clad men clutching or pushing various sacks and boxes. They were lined up in what resembled an orderly fashion as the rain lashed across the pier. Nairo peeked up from under her hat, rain streaming down her neck and back. ¡°This looks like the right place,¡± she said to Ridley. ¡°Yeah, now all we gotta do is wait.¡± And wait they did. The rain never ceased. The men became increasingly sodden, their bodies lilting like cardboard under the ferocity of the deluge. Some complained, but their miserable words were snatched by the wind. Others forlornly struggled to get smokes lit, only to give up and throw away their ruined dog ends with muttered curses. The line inexorably stomped forward. As the rain worsened and the thunder came in, the line picked up speed. ¡°Looks like the guards have had enough,¡± Ridley said miserably. As they came closer, Nairo shouldered the heavy sack of fish she had been dragging and bent her head down trying to hide under the brim of her cap. ¡°Stop! Wot you got there?¡± The guard was of a thick oafish disposition, perfect for mindless guard duty. He was wearing a heavy poncho that made him look like a circus tent with a head. ¡°Fish mate, fer lunch,¡± Ridley said. He swung the sack down and opened it up. The guard peered inside and waved his hand in front of his face. ¡°They smells rotten. You ain''t bringing no rotten fish in ¡®ere. Sling yer hook.¡± Nairo¡¯s eyes widened and she looked at Ridley. ¡°Mate they¡¯re fresh caught this morning!¡± ¡°If they¡¯re fresh this morning my granny¡¯s a goat. Get lost before I give yer a clip.¡± ¡°They¡¯re liver sea bream,¡± Nairo blurted out. ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°Liver sea bream,¡± Ridley continued hastily. ¡°These are a delicacy, fella. They go for two gold a kilo!¡± ¡°Two gold!¡± ¡°Aye. Our Guv¡¯nor said yore lot ¡®ave put in a special order for these.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Don''t know,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Something about a special lunch for some purple guy.¡± ¡°Mabs?¡± The guard exchanged a worried glance with his partner and then he nodded. ¡°You get along then and sharpish. Move!¡± Ridley thanked the guard and they shuffled through the service door as quickly as possible. Ridley¡¯s eyes went wide and he looked at Nairo with relief. ¡°Very clever,¡± he said. Nairo nodded. Her heart was pounding in her throat. The heavy gate slammed shut behind them. There was no going back now. Chapter 46 Sneaking into the heart of the Landlord¡¯s territory, Funderson Ave, was actually easier than Timmy and Wally had thought it would be. The area was a churn of activity. An endless mob had formed on the streets in the West as people seemed to have lost themselves to the chaos. Whether it rained or not, there were people on the streets. Some chanted, some marched, most just milled about with a sort of caged frenzy, as if just waiting for their chance to break those unseen social contracts that allowed millions of creatures to reside side by side. More enterprising citizens had set up every manner of shops, stalls, and kiosks to serve the needs of any self respecting mob. There were the obligatory beverage stands, keeping the mob hydrated and inebriated. There was a plethora of hygienically questionable food vendors, that all seemed to be selling some variation of mysterious meat sausages and ¡®ot pies. Then there were the more niche vendors, flitting in and out of the crowd selling ¡®sharp bits'' and ¡®eavy fings.¡¯ These ranged from thick poles to small knives, and were all sold from the inside of some feller¡¯s dirty overcoat. One of these was one young man, hoofing a heavy sack over one shoulder, almost bent double with the effort. ¡°¡®Alf a brick for 2 penny, 5 pence for a full brick!¡± he cried out. ¡°Perfect projectile for shattering glass and teef! Get em now ¡®fore they¡¯re getting lobbed at you!¡± The atmosphere was like a twisted fun fair or street party. People had turned out in their best clothes and were having lovely chats and cups of tea with their neighbours, while heavily armed youths marched up and down the streets brandishing weapons and shouting anti-Goblin slogans. Timmy and Wally had agonised over their backstory and undercover identities as they walked the long miles to Funderson Avenue, but once they arrived they realised no one cared. They were the right species and looked about the right shape and disposition. That was all anyone needed. They were hit up by the vendors, plied with cheap beers, and then swallowed up into the carnival atmosphere. Somewhere a band had started up and everything seemed rather jolly. ¡°Cor¡­ rioting ain¡¯t ¡®alf bad over ¡®ere,¡± Wally said, sipping his beer and looking at the colourful bunting that was being strung across the road. ¡°Wally!¡± Timmy hissed out of the side of his mouth. ¡°We¡¯re on duty, you can¡¯t be drinking!¡± ¡°Oh wot, this? I¡¯m undercover, remember? Would be bloody weird to walk ¡®round with a pint and not drink it.¡± Wally took another deep glug as if to prove his point. ¡°I guess, but just make sure you stay sharp.¡± ¡°Yeah right. But wot are we lookin¡¯ for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Like a gathering of¡­ I dunno, thuggish looking youths?¡± Timmy shrugged and wiped sweat from his forehead. ¡°Wot, like them over there?¡± Timmy followed Wally¡¯s finger and saw a group of heavily armed youths, marching, waving flags, and chanting. ¡°Us and Ours before Them and Theirs! Us and Ours before Them and Theirs! Us and Ours before Them and Theirs!¡± They chanted in unison. ¡°Must be!¡± Timmy said. They sidled their way towards the group and watched them. ¡°You reckon any of them is this ¡®Unter fella?¡± Wally asked. ¡°Not sure. I don¡¯t know what he looks like.¡± ¡°Yeah, true. What did that Tommy say?¡± ¡°Tommy Plumb described him as: Human, 17-24 years old, close shaven hair, blue eyes, and possible tattoos on his knuckles.¡± Timmy said, reading from his notebook. ¡°That¡¯s all of ¡®em!¡± Wally said, flapping an arm at the youths. It was true. They were all Human, they all looked no older than teens, they all had shaven heads, and there were smatterings of tattoos around all of them. ¡°Maybe if we follow them they¡¯ll take us to their leader?¡± Timmy suggested. ¡°They just seemed to be goin¡¯ up and down,¡± Wally said. ¡°Damn it.¡± With this many people on the street, it felt impossible to find just one Human. Timmy chewed his lip as he watched a group of little girls stream past them waving little flags and giggling. He had expected the streets to be full of nasty looking sorts, giving big speeches, and tearing the place up. He had not expected to see everyone and their mum out on the street having a jolly. ¡°S¡¯cuse me squires, you lads in the market for any self defence and or offensive items, such as wot will ensure you ¡®ave a bloomin¡¯ good riot this evenin¡¯?¡± A grubby face in an even grubbier coat sidled up to them. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Timmy said. ¡°No need to be scused, squire. I¡¯ve got everythin¡¯ a young man needs for a rollickin¡¯ good riot.¡± The grubby figure wrenched open his coat to show off the myriad of dangling weapons. ¡°I got koshs, sticks, bats, bricks, knucks, brass and copper, whips, whaps, tacks, and truncheons. Or if sir is feeling spicy, I¡¯ve got razor blades, stilettos, throwing knives and stars, hatchets, mauls, maces, and morning stars. For the discerning gentleman o¡¯course.¡± The grubby man shimmied his hips making the menagerie of weapons jingle and jangle. ¡°Best prices around, guaranteed, or me name ain¡¯t Faversham Foxworthy.¡± ¡°Yore name¡¯s never that!¡± Wally burst out, breaking the spell the man¡¯s patter had created. ¡°And we¡¯re po¡­¡± Wally¡¯s sharp elbow caught Timmy in the ribs as he was gearing up to read Faversham his rights. ¡°It is, ¡®onestly.¡± Faversham said, crossing his heart, if his heart were on the right side. ¡°We¡¯re not in the market for weapons,¡± Timmy said, rubbing his sore rib. ¡°Woah woah, who said anything about weapons? Weapons is illegal. Weapons kill peepole.¡± ¡°Then wot are those?¡± Wally asked. ¡°These is¡­ for decorative purposes only. To help folk get into the spirit of the riots an¡¯ all that.¡± Faversham flashed them a yellow toothed smile. Timmy snorted derisively at the outrageous lie. ¡°Well if you ain¡¯t interested, I¡¯ll shove off, pardon me for tryna earn a few scraps on these cold cobbles.¡± Faversham looked genuinely hurt that they had not bought any of his ¡®decorations.¡¯ He snapped his coat shut and began to sidle away. ¡°Wait!¡± Wally said. ¡°No, don¡¯t worry ¡®bout ol¡¯ Faversham. I¡¯ll find a crust someplace¡­¡± ¡°No ¡®old up. Come back.¡± Faversham reappeared in front of them in a flash, his coat yanked open again, his hips gyrating, and all of his weaponry jangling leerily at them. ¡°Wot can I do you for mister? You look like a razor blade man, bet you love slicin¡¯ and dicin¡¯ ¡®em up!¡± ¡°No I don¡¯t!¡± Wally said. ¡°An¡¯ I don¡¯t want any weapons!¡± ¡°Then stop wasting me time. This is cruel to keep a ¡®onest fella on the hook like this!¡± ¡°No¡­ I mean we do want something.¡± ¡°We do?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°Wot you after?¡± ¡°Information.¡± Wally breathed the word like an ancient curse. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Inform¡­ naa mate I don¡¯t deal in that stuff. That¡¯s dangerous.¡± Faversham glanced nervously up and down the packed street. ¡°And hatchets and blades aren¡¯t?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°Naa, they¡¯s just for decorative purposes. Information though¡­¡± Faversham whistled gently through his teeth. ¡°Could be pricey. Wot you after, squire?¡± ¡°Who are we after,¡± Wally corrected. ¡°Where¡¯s ¡®Unter?¡± ¡°¡®Unter who?¡± ¡°¡®Unter, part of this mob. ¡®Umans First an¡¯ all that.¡± ¡°¡®Unter from ¡®Umans First? No chance, mate. Wot you wanna go getting yourself muddled up with them lot. You look like a nice pair of lads. I¡¯ll tell you wot, coz you look like good decent types, I¡¯ll give yer a 2 for 1 on me koshs. Best offer you¡¯ll get today, promise that.¡± ¡°We need to find Hunter,¡± Timmy urged him. Faversham sucked at his teeth and looked up and down the road again. ¡°It¡¯ll cost ya,¡± he said quickly. ¡°¡®Ow much?¡± Wally asked. ¡°Two gold.¡± ¡°Piss off!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a fair price!¡± ¡°For directions? No chance.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, coz I like you two, one gold each.¡± Wally paused for a moment to think. ¡°¡®Old on a minute¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got half a gram, if you want it you can have it,¡± Timmy interrupted, holding up a half gram coin. Faversham¡¯s eyes lit up at the sight of it. His hand snaked out, plucked the coin from Timmy¡¯s fingers, with the fluidity of a snake charmer. He licked the coin and then bit it before disappearing it away in the many pockets of his overcoat. ¡°Right, you didn¡¯t ¡®ear it from me,¡± Faversham began. ¡°Who did we ¡®ear it from then?¡± Wally asked. ¡°Wot? Anyone¡­ just not me. Okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°¡®Unter¡¯s been keepin¡¯ a real low profile recently. Sounds like e¡¯s got ¡®imself in a spot of bother.¡± Timmy and Wally exchanged glances. ¡°But¡­ I ¡®eard they¡¯re ¡®olding one of them rallies out by woods tonight. E¡¯ll deffo be doin¡¯ one of ¡®is big speeches.¡± ¡°You know where?¡± ¡°Out in the woods, Burnham District, but it can move about so be on yer toes.¡± ¡°And what does this Hunter look like?¡± ¡°Like the rest of these. Shaved head and angry as anything. I¡¯d be real careful if I was you boys, out there bodies can disappear real quick.¡± Faversham straightened up and adjusted his coat. ¡°Now if that¡¯s all gentlemen, I¡¯ll be on me toes.¡± He nodded his head and melted away into the crowd. ¡°Burnham District,¡± Timmy mused. ¡°We could be there in a couple of hours if we start walking now.¡± Wally chewed his lip and then nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s catch this bastard.¡± Timmy and Wally turned and began to make their way through the thronging crowd when they saw an excited gathering forming. Their coppering instincts took over and they wandered over to see a group of shaved headed youths surrounding a speaker. ¡°Is that ¡®im?¡± Wally asked, standing on his tiptoes trying to get a look in the circle. ¡°I can¡¯t tell¡­ no he looks too old,¡± Timmy said, spotting the grizzled speaker. ¡°And finally my bruvvas and sistas, the day ¡®as come! The day when we take back our city from the foreign ¡®ordes!¡± The man pumped his scrawny fist in the air to rapturous applause from his audience. ¡°Too long ¡®ave good people, good ¡®uman people of this city walked in fear! Fear of them wot come here to take wots ours!¡± Another roar went up from the gathered crowd, most of whom looked too young to actually own anything worth taking. They all shared the same uniform of shaved heads, heavy boots, and drunken snarls. ¡°Death to the toads!¡± A particularly venomous young man screeched. ¡°Yes my bruvva! We who is last will be first! And ¡®e who laughed last will laugh first and not stop! This city ¡®as abandoned us but we, the ¡®Uman First Militia, we ¡®ave ¡®eard your cries. We ¡®ave seen the injustices wot ¡®ave been ¡®appening all across the city! Our jobs being taken! Our women being molested and leered at! Our pockets bein¡¯ emptied! And the guv¡¯mint don¡¯t do nuffin about it!¡± ¡°Down with Pleasently!¡± ¡°Death to all traitors!¡± ¡°Hang ¡®em all!¡± ¡°Now is the time to act my bruvvas and sistas! Now that the pigs ¡®ave lost control, now is the time for the Militia to rise up! To take back wot¡¯s ours!¡± The crowd roared its approval and stamped their heavy boots, even as passing old mums rolled their eyes and dragged their small children away from the baying mob. ¡°Can you believe this crap?¡± Timmy said to Wally. ¡°I dunno, I guess some of it makes sense,¡± Wally mused. ¡°Wally! You can''t be serious! This is hate speech!¡± ¡°I know. But¡­ well I do know a lot of fellas put out of work by Goblins and Trolls in the factories. And you know yerself that we ¡®ave to be ¡®specially careful when arresting any non-¡¯uman folk. Not s¡¯posed to kick shit out of ¡®em or anyfin.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to kick shit out of anyone!¡± Timmy said in exasperation. ¡°It¡¯s this kind of crap that led to that family being burned.¡± Wally looked aghast, his face turned pale and his eyes hardened. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± Timmy began. ¡°No, you¡¯re right Tim.¡± Wally said, glaring at the speaker as the crowd pumped their fists and the chants started once again. ¡°Weren¡¯t their fault. They never put no one out of work. And even if they did¡­ they didn¡¯t deserve that.¡± It was then that Timmy noticed there was another group of men on the edge of the mob. The crowds broke around them, like schools of fish around sharks. Folk kept a polite distance, nodding and smiling with fear rather than warmth. The men stood languidly around the entrance to a small pub, drinking and watching the speech with a detached sort of amusement. Timmy looked at them closer and realised he recognised a couple of the faces. Where had he seen them before? The man closest to them grinned at one of the others and Timmy saw the flash of his golden teeth. Dread thudded into Timmy¡¯s stomach like a bat. He felt ice run down his legs at the same moment that bile burned the back of his throat. He tugged frantically at Wally¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Wot?¡± Wally asked, looking at Timmy. ¡°Wot¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°We need to go now!¡± Timmy squeaked at him. ¡°Alright, no need to¡­¡± Wally followed Timmy¡¯s gaze and saw the men. ¡°Hey¡­ I recognise¡­ oh shit!¡± Wally realised a second too late. He made eye contact with the golden toothed thug. The thug leered at Wally curiously. He nudged the man next to him and pointed at Timmy and Wally. ¡°Weren¡¯t those guys at the Landlord¡¯s pub?¡± Wally whispered to Timmy. ¡°Yes.¡± Timmy squeaked. ¡°They know who we are!¡± ¡°Shit, they¡¯re looking right at us! Wot should we do?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s leave slowly. Don¡¯t arouse suspicion.¡± In their haste to get away, Timmy and Wally stepped sideways into each other. Wally bounced off of Timmy¡¯s bulk and into a small, bald headed lout, knocking his drink out of his hand. ¡°My beer!¡± the little man snarled, whirling on Wally. ¡°Oops, sorry. Was an accident.¡± Wally looked nervously about and saw the two of the Landlord¡¯s men detach from the group and start walking towards them. He didn¡¯t see the punch coming. The little man¡¯s fist cracked off the side of his head, just above his ear. Wally saw stars for a second, his whole world lurching to the left. He staggered into another group of men. ¡°Oi! What¡¯re you doin¡¯!¡± Someone shoved Wally and then another punch was thrown followed by a flying beer. Wally wasn''t sure what happened next. He was slugged a couple more times and then he found himself on his back on the floor while bald headed people shoved and punched at each other above him. He wriggled over on to his stomach and began to crawl as fast as he could through a forest of heavy boots and scrawny legs. Wally did his best not to get kicked in the face as he fled, his hands and knees whirring. He felt a hand grab him around the scruff of his neck. Wally was yanked around to see the little feller he had bumped into standing over him. His mouth was bloody and his eyes were drunk and crazed. He had a thin blade raised in his hand. ¡°I¡¯m gonna¡­¡± THONK The man¡¯s eyes crossed. THONK THONK THONK He tottered and went down. Wally looked up into the weak gleam of the sun and saw a heavyset figure standing over him, offering his hand. ¡°Come on Wally, let¡¯s get out of here!¡± ¡°Timmy!¡± Wally gasped, grabbing his partner¡¯s pudgy hand. Timmy dragged him up and together they fought their way through the drunken melee. They broke free and took off running. Wally didn¡¯t have an athletic bone in his body, but he was an excellent scarperer. He could outrun a pack of dogs if properly motivated. Fear was a powerful performance enhancer, as Timmy was finding out. He chugged behind Wally, his arms pumping like pistons, too many parts of his flabby body rubbed together as he ran, chafing him badly. They fled down as many side streets and alleys as possible, never once stopping to check if they were being pursued. It was only when Timmy was sure either his heart, his face,or his lungs would explode, that he came to a wheezing, stuttering halt down the side of a pub. He staggered to his knees, gasping for air. Wally had continued to run until he realised Timmy was no longer behind him. He came back, red faced and panting. They both stood bent over in silence, breathing heavily and listening out for the thud of pursuing boots. ¡°Fink¡­ fink we lost ¡®em,¡± Wally wheezed, clutching a stitch in his side. ¡°Good work back there Tim, you saved my bacon.¡± Timmy nodded, his mouth flapping open and closed like a fish on land. Wally looked around and realised where they were. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get a drink,¡± he said, pointing up at the old-fashioned swinging wooden sign above the door. ¡°First pints on me.¡± Timmy was too out of breath to protest and he wouldn¡¯t mind finding somewhere to sit down so he followed Wally. ¡°Mate, did you see the look on that little bald headed basta¡­¡± Wally said merrily as he swung the pub door open. His words died on his lips. The pub was full of angry, little bald headed bastards. About thirty sets of eyes all swivelled towards them as they entered. ¡°Oh dear,¡± Timmy squeaked. Chapter 47 Nairo steeled herself and looked around at their new surroundings. They were in another corridor and another plodding line, but at least they were out of the rain. This corridor was plain and dimly lit. There was still a chill in the air with the only source of warmth being the torches in their sconces giving off precious flickers of warmth. Ridley dumped his sack on the floor and held his hands over the flames. They marched dutifully behind the line of soaking delivery men. The line was quiet. The only sound was the steady drip of water from their sodden uniforms. As they approached the door at the end that led to the kitchens, Nairo heard a raucous thrum of activity that grew to a crescendo the closer they marched. Finally it was their turn and the chaos of the kitchens erupted before them. They were deafened by a torrent of yelling, banging, swearing, and clanging of pots and pans. Everywhere black and white clad figures hurtled to and fro with almost manic speed. As they approached the front of the line a white clad dwarf menaced them with a ladle and barked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ridley said, blinking in surprise. ¡°Huh?¡± the Dwarf snapped. ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s in the sack, dipshit?¡± ¡°Fish.¡± ¡°Piss of that way then! And you tell your boss if he¡¯s late again I¡¯ll take this ladle and stir his colons through the back end!¡± Nairo and Ridley quickly scuttled away from the seething Dwarf as he hurled explicit bodily threats behind them. They narrowly avoided a Gnome charging past with a trolley and were met with a similarly colourful tirade. The kitchens were seemingly endless, stretching into the distance like a porcelain desert inhabited by constantly furious insects that would bite and sting with the slightest provocation. As she looked left and right for the serving cupboard, Nairo bumped into an old Goblin in a white apron. The Goblin rounded on her and took a swipe at her with a thin deboning knife she was using on a half gutted fish. ¡°Knock me again girlie and I''ll have your eye!¡± she snarled. Nairo skittered away after Ridley. They danced and staggered their way across the prep station and dumped their sack of fish. Nairo turned around just in time to see a laden trolley whip by with a screaming Gnome riding the handles. It careered across the kitchen and Nairo lost sight of it as it flew round the corner. ¡°Move!¡± a bedraggled looking chef screamed at her as he flew by chasing the trolley with an axe in his hands. Nairo staggered out of the way and then was yanked back by Ridley as another laden cart followed. This time its driver was less skillful and he slammed into a portly server, sending bits of cake and dairy flying into the air. A fist fight suddenly broke out between the two men as they slipped and slid across the cake strewn floor. Ridley nodded his head and they staggered away until they found their way to an oasis of calm by the ovens. They stopped to catch their breath and Nairo poked Ridley in the arm. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s the serving cupboard?¡± she shouted over the din, pointing to a tall dark stained wooden door. ¡°I don¡¯t care if it isn¡¯t, get me out of this madhouse,¡± he yelled back. They rocketed across the kitchen, almost at a full sprint. Their frenzied burst of speed went entirely unnoticed by the furious denizens of the kitchen. They hit the heavy stained door and bundled through. Ridley jumped up and slammed it shut behind him. ¡°What was that?¡± he asked Nairo incredulously. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But if that¡¯s the kitchen, imagine what the rest of this place is like.¡± Ridley looked at her darkly and shook his head. ¡°We need to get changed and meet up with Jimmy.¡± He reached up and began to unfasten his dockers outfit. Nairo did the same, her frozen fingers made progress slow. ¡°Look at all this!¡± Ridley had paused in unbuttoning his dockers uniform and was staring around the dimly lit pantry in awe. Nairo looked around the cupboard and was astonished by the range and amount of fresh and exotic produce. She couldn¡¯t even name half of the vegetables and spices that were littered around the large room. ¡°Whole city¡¯s starving and these pigs are stuffing their faces,¡± Ridley muttered as he examined the produce. Nairo, mouth wide, nodded. She walked across the pantry and picked up a small, oval fruit with purple skin. ¡°This is a dewberry! I haven¡¯t seen one of these in years!¡± ¡°And there¡¯s freshly cured beef and enough spices to flavour half the restaurants in the city.¡± Ridley picked up a slice of cured beef and stuffed it hungrily into his mouth. He moaned softly as grease dribbled down his chin. ¡°Fresh meat,¡± he groaned. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo admonished him. ¡°That¡¯s theft!¡± ¡°Add it to the breaking and entering,¡± Ridley said, shoving another strip of beef into his mouth, his cheeks bulging, a dreamy look coming over his face. Nairo hesitated, but only until the smell of the meat wafted by her nose. She pulled a thick strip of beef from the block and bit into it. Herer mouth flooded with saliva as the salty tenderness of it melted in her mouth. ¡°Oh¡­¡± was all she could say. Ridley had already dived into the fresh produce and was munching his way through some snap peas and carrots. ¡°So crunchy,¡± he said round a mouthful. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Nairo helped herself to another strip of meat and curiously read through the labels on the spices. ¡°Some of these are from black listed regimes. Look, this spice only comes from the Non-Conformist hillsides in the Gnommish Planes!¡± ¡°You think these lot care about black lists?¡± They had become so engrossed in their food that they had forgotten to pull off the rest of their disguises. The brown suits hung flaccidly around their waists as they gorged themselves on fresh foods from around the forests and hills of their world. They had munched their way to the very back of the cavernous cupboard. The dim gem above the door gave off barely enough glow to softly bathe them and the truffles they had discovered in near darkness. As they began to tuck in there was a noise from the entrance. Their heads snapped up like rodents and as the door peeled open they shrank into the darkest recesses of the cupboard. A hunched over HobGoblin who could barely see over the silver trolley she pushed in front of her trotted into the cupboard. She was muttering to herself and peering intensely at several racks to the left of the entrance. As she teetered about she turned until her pendulous bottom was facing them. Nairo took the chance to look at Ridley, who was still hastily shoving truffles into his mouth, and silently kicked him. He whispered a curse and looked at Nairo who was frantically pointing at their half shed disguises. With one eye on the cracked door and the other on the rotund bottom of the HobGoblin, they hastily pulled the sodden dock suits off and discarded them behind some purple root potatoes piled up behind them. ¡°What now?¡± Nairo mouthed to Ridley. He looked at the HobGoblin, then to the door, before turning and shrugging at Nairo. He nonchalantly strode out of the darkness in the back of the cupboard and made straight for the door. ¡°Morning,¡± he said cheerily. ¡°Morning love,¡± came the distracted response of the HobGoblin. Nairo hastily followed behind him bobbing and muttering greetings to the HobGoblin who had gone back to her herbs and spices. As they slipped out of the door, and back into the chaos, Nairo punched Ridley in the arm. ¡°Ow! What?¡± ¡°Never do that again! There¡¯s no way that can work more than once,¡± Nairo shouted over the racket of the kitchen. Ridley grinned and rubbed his arm before setting his mouth in a grim slash. ¡°We need to find a trolley and get out of this madhouse,¡± he said, scanning the kitchen. Nairo found herself hesitant to step back out into the melee of the kitchen floor without an objective. She scanned the room and saw a chicken running around, a Gnome hanging upside down decorating a ponderously large cake, and an enthusiastic card game going on in the corner but no trolley. ¡°There,¡± Ridley nudged her and pointed to the other side of the kitchen where there was a line of servers pushing trolleys, waiting for the elevator. ¡°We need to grab one of those trolleys and get the elevator out. Easy.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ easy,¡± Nairo repeated. Between them and the elevator was a throng of fiery hobs, furious cooks, hissing taps, and waterlogged floors. ¡°Straight line, I¡¯m on your six.¡± ¡°Look who¡¯s getting in the spirit,¡± Ridley said with a grin. He turned and spun, instinctively tugging on the collars of the coat he wasn''t wearing. ¡°Not so impressive in the penguin suit,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Shut up, Sally.¡± Nairo shoved him in the lower back and used him as a shield to break into the calamitous melee of the kitchen. They dodged a row of oblivious Pixies carrying trays and wove their way, especially carefully, around the carving stations. Ridley pulled Nairo to one side, narrowly avoiding a cook who waved around a hot wok of something sizzling and spitting haphazardly in one hard while he smoked a cigarette and screamed at a Gnome. They jogged through the rows of hob burners, sweat dripping down their brows as the volcanic heat seared any exposed skin. Ridley was sucking wind hard as they pushed through a huddle of cooks who were all screaming something unintelligible across the line. ¡°I think I¡¯m suffocating,¡± Ridley wheezed as his pace began to slow. ¡°Come on PI,¡± Nairo grunted as she grabbed Ridley by the arm and took the lead. Ridley doggedly put one foot in front and followed her out of the cooking area. ¡°Look! The line¡¯s right there!¡± Nairo quickened her pace and yanked at Ridley¡¯s arm as they shot through the washing area. As Nairo¡¯s feet splashed into the congealing pools of dishwater, she immediately regretted her decision to run. She hit the slick tiles and her shoes lost all grip. Her feet flew from under her and she tumbled backwards into Ridley. Their combined momentum shot them forward into a line of washers. Nairo¡¯s world became: feet, elbows, and dirty dishwater. The chaos spilled further though. The tsunami of dishwater and washers spilled out and a wave of destruction set off across the kitchen. As Nairo sat up she saw a Pixie hurtle head first into a Goblin Su Chef, who was holding a large silver tray. The tray, followed shortly by the Pixie, flew across the kitchen, hitting a cooking station with three sizzlings woks on the go. The fiery liquid spat across the kitchen searing and burning any flesh it touched. ¡°My Grubs!¡± a furious chef screamed over the decimated remains of his morning¡¯s work. He turned on a young server he thought had that knocked into him and swung a meaty fist at him. Three more fights broke out simultaneously around the kitchen. The mayhem sent a heavy metal trolley skating across the room and crashing into the bottom of the ladder the upside down Gnome was hanging from to trim his cake top whilst holding a very large knife. Nairo squeezed her eyes shut and a few seconds later she heard a high pitched squealing cry of pain. She felt a tug at her sleeve and opened her eyes. Ridley was pulling her to her feet and shouting over the melee. ¡°Look! Trolleys!¡± A brawl had erupted amongst the serving staff and their trolleys lay abandoned as they swung white gloved fists at one another. Nairo nodded breathlessly and, with Ridley¡¯s help, pulled herself to her feet and staggered towards them. A few feet from the trolleys someone punched Ridley in the back of the head and Nairo felt someone grab at a fistful of her hair. Without thinking she lashed out and found herself being sucked into the swirl of fists and feet. Nairo elbowed a young server in the nose and tore herself loose from his grip. Ridley, who had similarly extricated himself from the pile, lunged at a trolley and hurtled towards the lifter with Nairo close behind him. Ridley rammed the trolley into the back of the lifter and came to a crushing stop himself just after. Nairo leapt in, pulled the grille shut behind them and screamed at the Pixie attendant. ¡°Go!¡± The Pixie turned his dull, lifeless eyes to her and then slowly pulled the lever to activate the lift¡¯s mechanism and winch them up. Ridley was wheezing and cursing on the floor of the lift while Nairo eyed the Pixie nervously. ¡°What is wrong with this place? That was just the damned kitchens!¡± Ridley groaned while hugging his bruised chest. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Not you!¡± ¡°Who then?¡± ¡°Him¡­ her¡­ the Pixie.¡± Ridley sat up on his elbows and looked at the still figure in the corner of the lifter, dressed in a little green blazer and coachman¡¯s hat. ¡°He¡¯s cute.¡± The lifter juddered to a halt and the Pixie turned its large ink blue eyes on Ridley. ¡°We have arrived at the first floor of the Houses,¡± he recited in a limp, empty tone. Ridley was taken aback by the eyes of the Pixie. They were missing¡­ something. ¡°We have arrived at the first floor of the Houses,¡± the Pixie repeated monotonously. It seemed to be looking at them but with no recognition that they were there. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Ridley muttered, pushing Nairo in the back and wheeling out their trolley. Nairo couldn''t help but look back at the emotionless little creature behind them. ¡°Come on Sarge, don¡¯t forget why we¡¯re here.¡± Chapter 48 Nairo followed Ridley out of the lifter. They had made it to the cavernous main entrance to the Houses proper. It was much quieter here and even less welcoming than the kitchens. No one menaced them with cooking utensils, but everywhere she felt the menacing gaze of men with hard eyes, dark coats, and suspicious sneers. No one stood alone. The foyer was populated by huddled groups of tense men having muttered conversations, glancing periodically over their shoulders. Hands were firmly shoved in pockets and Nairo didn¡¯t need her copper senses to know they were gripping weapons. ¡°Come on, blend in,¡± Ridley hissed. He pushed the trolley with confidence but kept his gaze decidedly low. Nairo followed suit and tried her hardest to straighten out her sodden, and now battleworn, uniform. To their right was a large sweeping staircase with eight burly men casually loitering around and to their left, by the entrance, was a different group of men similarly loitering. Nairo noticed that there seemed to be agreed lines of territory, as every group held their particular portion of the foyer, eyeing movement with naked suspicion. ¡°We need to find the other lifter,¡± Nairo whispered to Ridley. ¡°Should be just the other side of the Foyer,¡± Ridley replied. Nairo scanned around and began to see more telltale signs of tribal warfare that plagued these halls. Every pane of glass seemed to be cracked or boarded up. There were crude etchings, some crossed out, on the clerk¡¯s desks of what she assumed were party sigils. Plant pots lay broken and swept into the corners of the room and there was a particularly grim streak of dried blood leading round the back of the clerk¡¯s desk like a body had been dragged. She caught sight of another trolley across the foyer and she tugged on the front of their one, directing Ridley across the open floor. They hurried past one of the groups of loitering men. The man closest to them turned to watch them. His face was a gruesome series of puckering scars, made no less ugly by the feral snarl of naked suspicion on his swollen lips.. Nairo felt the hard eyes of the group fall on them. She kept her gaze stuck firmly to the tiled floor in front of her. ¡°Morning, nice day for it,¡± Ridley said congenially as he caught the eye of a tall man with a thick ginger moustache. ¡°Is it?¡± he growled menacingly. Ridley just nodded and pushed the trolley faster. They popped around the corner and found themselves in a plush corridor with thick mauve carpet and purple velvet walls. All the way down the corridor were golden gilt framed paintings of various old politicians. The clothing changed with the eras, but the same cold sneer of superiority haunted every frame. Ridley pulled the trolley up behind another pair of servers who were lined up in front of them. One of the servers turned back and looked at them curiously. ¡°You two new?¡± ¡°Naa mate, she is but I¡¯ve been here for yonks. Name¡¯s Clarence, but my pals call me Bill.¡± Ridley smiled, the lie dripping from his tongue with natural flair. ¡°Oh right,¡± the server nodded and then a puzzled look crossed his face. ¡°Why do they call you Bill?¡± ¡°Dunno.¡± Ridley said with the toothy smile of a simpleton. ¡°Beats being called Clarence though.¡± The two servers laughed and then looked at Nairo. ¡°Poor time to be starting here,¡± one of them said to her. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s mental!¡± his companion laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ noticed,¡± Nairo answered politely. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve heard before lunch it¡¯s gonna absolutely kick off,¡± the first server said as the lifter grille shot open. ¡°Yeah, keep your heads down and find an empty closet if you can!¡± ¡°And watch out for the cannons!¡± The grille slammed shut and they were left with the disembodied laughter of the servers. ¡°Cannons?¡± Nairo shrugged. ¡°Politicians.¡± Ridley spat the word like the filthiest slur he could think of. ¡°We need to get this done and get out of here sharpish. The longer we¡¯re here, the more chance we have of getting caught.¡± ¡°Dunno about you, but I¡¯d love to see the Cap¡¯n¡¯s face if he could see us now,¡± Ridley said grinning wolfishly. Nairo¡¯s face fell at the mention of the Cap¡¯n. His betrayal still stung like a peeling scab. She was saved by the ping of the lifter. The grille shot open and Ridley pushed their dented trolley inside. Nairo looked curiously at the Pixie attendant, he was identical to the previous attendant. ¡°Where to?¡± the Pixie asked with the same dull, affectionless, tone. ¡°Third floor,¡± Ridley answered. The Pixie turned and pulled the lever and then stared dead ahead at the wall in front of it. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Nairo tentatively asked. She received no response. ¡°How long have you worked here?¡± Again, nothing. Nairo opened her mouth but Ridley waved a hand to stop her. ¡°Don¡¯t act suspicious, remember?¡± he hissed at her. Nairo shut her mouth and the lifter came to a juddering halt. ¡°Third floor.¡± As they exited the lifter into yet another bruise coloured corridor they found their way blocked by a small tubby man sitting at a ramshackle little booth. He looked like a normal, beaten down and weathered civil servant, if it wasn¡¯t for the helmet he wore and the billy club propped up next to him. ¡°Good morning,¡± he said with a bored expression. ¡°Sign ¡®ere ¡®ere ¡®ere and ¡®ere.¡± He slid a paper in front of them with some densely scrawled information that was full of acronyms and number codes and at the bottom was a list, almost as long as the original document, of amendments and corrections. Without missing a beat Ridley bent down and accepted the pen. ¡°Wait¡­ shouldn¡¯t we read it first,¡± Nairo asked. Ridley snorted and rolled his eyes at the civil servant. ¡°She¡¯s new.¡± ¡°Ahh right,¡± the man said, smirking. ¡°Here you are squire,¡± Ridley said as he handed back the pen. ¡°Lovely. Here¡¯s your entry ticket, your licence to carry produce, your licence to deliver within the Houses and your declaration that any remuneration you receive outside of your basic income will be surrendered to the Treasury department for repatriation into City coffers etc.¡± He handed them a stack of papers and then peered suspiciously down the corridor at the sound of a banging door. ¡°Keep your ¡®eads on a swivel today¡­ this is only the calm before¡­¡± he trailed off with an auspicious glance down the hallway. Nairo fought to keep her face neutral despite the dozen or so questions that were brimming in her. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Cheers bud¡­ you wouldn¡¯t happen to know where the loo is round ¡®ere would you?¡± Ridley asked as he stuffed the paperwork in his pocket. ¡°Down the hall¡­¡± began the civil servant. ¡°Aah¡­ wait. That got condemned last night. Something bout a pipe bomb in the stall. Shot a humper up to the sixth floor!¡± The civil servant cackled and slapped his meaty thigh. ¡°I¡¯m joking o¡¯ course.¡± ¡°About the pipe bomb?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°No¡­ about the Junior Minister, he only got singed a bit in his delicates.¡± ¡°Well¡­ where were the toilets?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Down the hall, chuck a couple lefts, if yer see a smear of blood in the shape of a T you gone too far.¡± Then the man leaned forward conspiratorially. ¡°Are you partaking in the Flutter?¡± ¡°The Flutter?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her,¡± Ridley said, rolling his eyes again. ¡°I might be.¡± ¡°Ooh well, please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re taking any action with that fraud Stevenson from the City Works office.¡± ¡°Stevenson?¡± Ridley said in a tone of outrage. ¡°You have to count yer fingers after you shake hands with that one.¡± The civil servant laughed and then looked up and down the corridor again before hauling a thick ledger up from under his desk. He thumped it down and then flicked it open. ¡°I¡¯ve got great odds right now,¡± he said, sliding his finger down the page. The ledger was chock full of odds and percentages, with names and events scrawled all over it in neat but dense columns. ¡°I could give you 8/1 on a fire being started or 4/1 on another flood.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ridley said, scanning the columns as the civil servant flicked through them. ¡°16/3 on Battersly¡¯s boys winning the midmorning clash against the Tangerine Troupe. Or if you like more individual action we got a couple of ranked Street Hero bouts going down after lunch.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Now Ridley was actually interested. ¡°Who you got?¡± ¡°We got Terry the Fig versus Abbacus the Boldfinger, Merryweather rules¡­¡± ¡°But Abbacus is 7th ranked, he¡¯s gonna walk over the Fig,¡± Ridley said, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°Ahh but Terry¡¯s got the speed advantage¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s got a glass chin, everyone knows that. Plus, Boldfinger¡¯s been working on his cardio Coach Comway, he¡¯s a whole different fighter this year.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give 4/3 on Boldfinger.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ridley stroked his chin. ¡°Or we¡¯ve got a superstar Tanza Broadway, three on three, between the Tornado Triplets and the¡­¡± ¡°We really need to get moving.,¡± Nairo interjected, looking at Ridley and nodding her head towards the trolley. ¡°But¡­ the Tornado Triplets are the finest fighters from the planes of Abweigh, no one¡¯s beaten ¡®em in¡­¡± ¡°We really don¡¯t have time!¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°They say they were birthed in the eye of a tornado¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got that meeting, remember?¡± Nairo hissed at him, arching her eyebrows. ¡°Fine,¡± Ridley said sulkily. ¡°She¡¯s a bit keen,¡± he said to the civil servant. ¡°The new ones always are,¡± the civil servant said. ¡°Say¡­ before we go, what¡¯s the betting like on whether Pleasently¡¯s gonna survive all this?¡± Ridley asked. The civil servant¡¯s eyebrows shot up in surprise and he cleared his throat surreptitiously. ¡°I, of course, as a civil servant must remain completely and totally neutral in any matters regarding party politics.¡± He threw a furtive glance around and dropped his voice. ¡°Right now it¡¯s an even split, but if these riots get worse I could give you some good money on him going down.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Well, you know where to find me.¡± ¡°Cheers. See ya later.¡± Ridley nodded and they moved away. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were such a big fan of Street Heroes,¡± Nairo said, not trying to hide the grin on her face. ¡°You ain¡¯t a proper denizen of our great city if you¡¯re not,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Of course¡­ it¡¯s cute.¡± ¡°It¡¯s two blokes kicking shit out of each other for nothing but the pride of the fight, it couldn¡¯t be less cute.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Nairo said with a smirk on her face. ¡°By the way, did you see that document had a clause about dismemberment?¡± ¡°Dunno, didn''t read it.¡± ¡°But you signed it!¡± ¡°Yeah, as Dujore Maxwell.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°My Nom De Plume,¡± Ridley said, imitating Barney¡¯s perfect enunciation and comical elongation. ¡°Exotic, I like it,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Thanks. Got it off a dead prossie case I worked a couple years back. How many lefts?¡± ¡°Two I think,¡± Nairo said as they took their second left. The corridors of the Houses were wide enough for three to walk comfortably abreast, but they were oddly oppressive. The thick carpet, heavy mauve tones and the constant sneering eyes from the hundreds of gilt framed oil paintings made Nairo feel claustrophobic. That wasn¡¯t helped by the need to shove a random piece of oak furniture every ten metres that clogged up half the hall. Thankfully, many of these were smashed or half destroyed in some melee. This section of the Houses was uncomfortably still and silent but Nairo was grateful they had not come across any more members of the Party. ¡°You smell smoke?¡± Nairo asked. Ridley nodded. ¡°Pipebomb?¡± he said. ¡°Yep. I think we¡¯re going in the right direction.¡± As the smell grew stronger, Nairo noticed the carpet becoming sodden and spongy beneath their feet. She ploughed on trying not to imagine the hundreds of litres of toilet water seeping into her shoes. They came around a final corner and knew they were definitely in the right place. ¡°He wasn¡¯t exaggerating,¡± Ridley whispered. The entire hallway had been the scene of a fantastic blast that had shook doors loose from their frames, smashed glass and burned half the hallway black. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re in there?¡± ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Ridley heaved his weight into the trolley, fighting against the quagmire like carpet. The door to the toilet had been entirely blown away. They peered in and saw a graveyard of shattered porcelain and splintered wood. ¡°Hello?¡± Ridley called as loudly as he dared. There was no response. ¡°We didn''t have a backup rendezvous did we? ¡°Nope.¡± Ridley stepped into the toilet and looked around. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose Jimmy¡¯s napping under a pile of rubble?¡± ¡°Wouldn''t be the worst place I¡¯ve ever slept.¡± They both looked sharply upward to find Jimmy¡¯s grinning face peering back at them through a jagged hole in the ceiling. ¡°Jimmy!¡± ¡°Sorry ¡®bout the toilet. Damn thing went off a couple hours after I left.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s not something you could calculate for,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Right? Anyway, well done on getting this far.¡± ¡°No thanks to you!¡± Ridley snapped. ¡°Those kitchens were almost the death of me!¡± ¡°Yeah, gets a bit intense downstairs. But, you¡¯re here at least.¡± ¡°How do we get up there?¡± Nairo asked, before Ridley could start ranting. ¡°Here,¡± Jimmy dropped a rope down the hole. ¡°Bit of a tight squeeze but you should be fine.¡± ¡°Oh great, now we¡¯re shimmying through a hole in a toilet ceiling made by a pipe bomb and we¡¯re only at phase one of the operation.¡± ¡°Hush! This was your idea.¡± ¡°No it wasn¡¯t! It was his!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one that wanted to break into the Houses, piece of piss you said! And now look at us, up to our knees in piss!¡± ¡°Umm¡­ we¡¯re losing time guys,¡± Jimmy said through the ceiling. ¡°Ladies first,¡± Ridley said, offering her the rope sourly. Nairo glared at him before she hopped up on the rope and pulled herself up with practised ease. Ridley followed her, albeit with a lot more cursing, but eventually he pulled himself through the hole. They found themselves in a shabby little office that was plastered with dust and debris from the explosion. Inside the cramped room was Cripper. The big man was sitting on his haunches looking like a caged gorilla. With all four of them crouched in the room there was barely space to breathe. ¡°What about the trolley?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We sorted another,¡± Jimmy said, pointing at a neat dinner service trolley with crisp white linen, an ornate silver cloche, and a bottle of something expensive chilling on ice. ¡°I risked my neck to get that damn trolley,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is good. We¡¯re already on the fourth floor now,¡± Jimmy explained. ¡°Cripper will lead you lot to Archibald¡¯s Alley where we¡¯ll link up with Barney.¡± ¡°Is good,¡± Cripper agreed bluntly. ¡°Now we just gotta avoid a couple of the roving gangs of black shirts and the Oppos. We¡¯ll be eating fish and chips in no time and you''ll have this case all neatly wrapped up.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move,¡± Nairo said. She stood up and dusted herself down while Ridley muttered petulantly about his trolley. ¡°Why are you lot so wet?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°Don¡¯t ask,¡± Nairo said. He shrugged and swung himself into the under compartment of the trolley. ¡°Good luck.¡± With a thumbs up, Jimmy flipped down the neat white linen and got comfortable. ¡°You push,¡± Cripper said, jabbing a thick finger at Ridley. ¡°Sounds about right,¡± Ridley grumbled. Chapter 49 Cripper opened the door and they stepped out into the fourth floor. They were in a large open plan foyer for the floor. The lifter was to their left, with a little man in a booth stamping paperwork. Next to him was a large staircase leading up with a barricade of chairs and broken bits of wood blocking the way. The barricade was manned by four very flamboyantly dressed young men with rollicking mustachios and brightly coloured riding jackets. They wore white gloves and long ivory boots. In their hands they casually brandished clubs and bats while smoking small black cigars with elegant pomposity. One of the men was serving tea to the others while they chuckled about some wittism or the other. They looked like they were ready for a battle or an evening soiree at the manor to break out at any moment. The men eyed Cripper with naked suspicion but, before too long, they found themselves anxiously blowing on their teas under Cripper¡¯s ferocious gaze. ¡°They the reason we can¡¯t take the stairs?¡± Ridley asked quietly after they had passed and Cripper nodded. ¡°Stupid weak Whits lost the stairs two weeks ago,¡± he grunted. As they made their way across the foyer, Cripper led them down one of the floor¡¯s arterial corridors. After only a few steps, he stopped and cocked an ear like a wild animal. Nairo listened intently, after a few seconds she could make out the faint sound of a brawl. There was a glass smash, pounding feet and roaring voices dancing down the corridor towards them. ¡°Not that one,¡± he said and walked over to the next corridor. This one took a sharp right and the became narrower as they went further in, to the point that Cripper had to hunch and Ridley and Nairo had to walk one behind the other to get the trolley through. They came out suddenly to a staircase and for a moment Cripper stopped perplexed. ¡°Why can¡¯t we just use this staircase?¡± Ridley asked. It was a very steep staircase, every step being almost half a foot climb. ¡°That¡¯s why,¡± Nairo said, pointing to the top where the staircase simply ended. ¡°Why would you build this?¡± Ridley asked incredulously. Jimmy poked his head out from under the cloth the map held in his hands. ¡°Shit!¡± Ridley cried, leaping back. ¡°Go back ten feet and look¡­ left,¡± he said before disappearing under the cloth. ¡°You forgot he was there didn''t you?¡± Nairo asked, smirking at Ridley. ¡°Didn¡¯t forget,¡± Ridley said sheepishly. ¡°Just didn¡¯t remember right then and there.¡± They retraced their steps and came to a long portrait of a particularly lithe bald man with a monocle and a moustache that stretched further than his ears. ¡°Stroke it,¡± Jimmy said from under the cloth. ¡°What?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Stroke it. It¡¯s a secret door.¡± Ridley looked at Nairo who shrugged. Ridley huffed and then gingerly ran his fingers across the painting''s surface. ¡°You gotta stroke him!¡± Jimmy said. Ridley cursed at him and then ran his fingers gently across the face of the politician. ¡°Lower. Lower¡­¡± ¡°Jimmy!¡± Jimmy''s disembodied laughter stopped when Ridley toe punted the bottom of the trolley. ¡°Ow! It¡¯s a door you wally! Pull it open.¡± Cripper grabbed the edges of the painting and swung it open revealing a door hidden behind it. ¡°Old trick the oppos use to cover up entrances,¡± Jimmy explained. ¡°Does the absurdity of all this not register for you?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°It¡¯s just the way things are done.¡± ¡°The way they¡¯re done,¡± Cripper agreed in a way that ended Ridley¡¯s questions. They stepped through the painting into another one of the homogenous hallways of the House. ¡°I swear I¡¯m starting to feel like we¡¯re going round in circles.¡± Ridley muttered as he eyed the hallways around them. ¡°I know¡­ I feel like we¡¯ve passed that painting before,¡± Nairo agreed, pointing at a painted portrait of a bald headed man with a monocle and a boiled egg for a chin. They continued on in silence for another few minutes, Cripper at the head, furtively looking down corridors as if he expected trouble at any moment. The big man was tense. Nairo guessed subterfuge was wholly unfamiliar to the behemoth. Cripper had the aura of a man who waded through life shouldering every obstruction out of his way rather than stepping around it. But he was tense. Nairo felt it as well, something animal instinct at the base of her neck, between her shoulder blades. A feeling that they were flirting too close to the edge of chaos. Cripper directed them down another hallway before coming to a halt. He cocked his little ear. Nairo held her breath. She felt it before she heard it. The floor trembled under their feet. Then she heard it: the thunder of thudding feet and screaming. ¡°Sounds like some serious democracy going on down there,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Should we go left?¡± Nairo asked Cripper. His dark eyes darted down the corridor and he shook his head. Nairo followed his eyes and saw the flickering shadows of figures charging towards them. Jimmy poked his head out from under the trolley to see what the commotion was and his eyes grew wide. ¡°Go back!¡± he cried out Ridley spun the cart sharply just as something heavy and porcelain shattered against the wall behind him. The sound of screaming and shouting was coming from everywhere. ¡°Move!¡± Cripper boomed. He grabbed Ridley by the scruff of his neck and deposited him on the trolley. He scooped Nairo under one arm, grabbed the trolley with his free hand and barreled back down the first hallway. Nairo, who was facing backwards, watched as two groups converged out of the other hallways and slammed into each other like crashing waves of brightly coloured cloth and ever more colourful language. In the cramped space she saw the frantic waving of clubs and crushing pummelling of men being smashed against walls and stomped on. The corridor turned sharply right and the sight of the melee was snatched from her. More disconcertingly, the sounds of violence were growing in intensity behind her. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Not in there!¡± she heard Ridley cry. ¡°Too late,¡± Cripper grunted. She heard doors slam open and there was a second where she felt them lose momentum. The second passed. Her whole world spun and then was sucked up into a tsunami of chaos. Limbs. Fists. Bats. Coats. Shoes. Blood. She was awash in the swirling torrents of combat. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo felt a body slam into her and then a hand grab the back of her jacket. She was yanked to her feet just in time for a fist to smash off the back of her skull. Nairo stumbled to all fours, her muscle memory screamed at her stunned body to stagger back to her feet. She spun, hands raised and saw Ridley in the middle of three dark coated men. He had one of them in a head lock and was frantically kicking and punching at the others. With adrenaline thumping through her body, Nairo charged at the man to Ridley¡¯s left. She speared him around the waist and dragged him from his feet. He grabbed at Nairo¡¯s hair and yanked her head downwards as they tumbled. Nairo slammed her elbow into where she guessed his throat was and was rewarded with a satisfying gurgle. She pulled herself free and leapt at the third assailant only to be slammed into by a gaggle of men. They stumbled over Nairo¡¯s choking victim and collapsed in a writhing pile of frenetic violence. Nairo struggled under the weight of two men who had continued to throw punches and knees at one another as they fell. A heavy black boot caught her in the lip as she fought for air. Kicking at anything she could, Nairo squirmed and fought desperately from under the pile. She felt a sweaty hand grab hers and yank. She slid from the pile and gasped for air. ¡°C¡¯mon Sarge, you gotta stand.¡± Nairo gasped and took Ridley¡¯s hand. She pulled herself to her feet and pushed her hair from her face. They were in the middle of some sort of domed chamber that was the central point for five corridors. There was fighting everywhere. Mobs of dark coated men and men in brightly coloured morning coats clashed all around them. Men were rolling across the floor. They fought on the balconies. They fought in the doorways. There was even one particularly uneventful fight happening from the swinging chandeliers. ¡°There¡¯s no way out,¡± Ridley huffed next to her as he fought to catch his breath. ¡°Work to the wall!¡± Nairo shouted over the cacophony. Ridley nodded and together they wormed and fought their way through the melee. It had gotten to the point where the men were becoming unintelligible masses of limbs and weapons. She kicked and punched at everything and she was in turn kicked and punched from just about every angle she could imagine and a couple she didn¡¯t want to imagine. ¡°We have to get out of here!¡± Ridley said as he clutched the wall gasping for air, sweat pouring down his face. ¡°It has to die down soon!¡± Nairo replied. ¡°How long can they keep this up?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± Ridley asked. Nairo perked her head up and looked round before turning back to him, ashen faced. ¡°Is that¡­¡± ¡°Horses?¡± The rumble grew louder. A few men fighting by the main doors stopped to look. Suddenly, the main doors to the chamber exploded open and four enormous horses thundered through. They carved through the mobs of men, scattering them everywhere. Behind the horses came a charging phalanx of more colourful morning jacketed men, white gloved, fists raised. They swept through the chamber sending the dark coated men scattering down the joining hallways. ¡°Wot ho! Scum! Ruffians! Running away from a frightfully good dust up! Cravens!¡± The lead horseman whipped his horse in a circle and wagged his fist at the fleeing backs of his foes. Nairo looked at him curiously and as he turned to face her she broke out into a broad grin. ¡°Barney!¡± she cried and waved to him. ¡°Miss Sally! Bloody good of you to get stuck and give the oppos what for!¡± He smiled and waved, resplendent in an all white long coat and breeches. He wore a gilded golden breastplate like a fairytale knight and in his hand was a thick riding crop that she imagined spent more time on the backs of the ¡®oppos¡¯ than horses. ¡°Is that a horse?¡± Ridley asked nonplussed as Barney hopped off and walked to them. ¡°Did you just ride in here leading a damn cavalry charge?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t resist a spot of theatrics every now and again, Master Ridley.¡± Barney pulled off his white leather riding gloves and shook Ridley¡¯s hand jubilantly. ¡°Barney! You legend amongst men!¡± ¡°Wot ho James! Lovely day for it, no?¡± Jimmy whooped like an excited hound and bounded towards Barney gripping him a fierce hug. Half of his face was covered in blood, but his eyes were bright and alive, dancing in the bath of crimson as he grinned and patted Barney on the back. ¡°Can always rely on Barney to have your back!¡± Jimmy said, grinning at them. ¡°So you finally done the horse thing?¡± ¡°Thoughts? Dreadfully tacky no?¡± ¡°No way. They¡¯ll be retelling this one over a pint for years to come, mate.¡± ¡°So we all saw the horses right?¡± Ridley said, looking around. ¡°Yes, Ridley.¡± Nairo patted him placatingly on the arm. ¡°Best we keep moving before the troops gather again,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Right ho! Stay on plan. Come come!¡± Barney flapped his hands at them and began walking them back through the shattered double doors. ¡°Cripper!¡± Jimmy cupped his hands and shouted to monolithic form sat down across the hall. Cripper looked around and then rose slowly. Nairo noticed he had been sitting on three squashed and unconscious men. ¡°Have fun?¡± he asked as Cripper arrived. ¡°Woz alright,¡± Cripper answered as they followed Barney. ¡°Watch out for horse muck!¡± he called over his shoulder. ¡°The way mine was relieving itself you¡¯d think he¡¯d been summoned to the chief whip¡¯s office after Thursday tea!¡± Barney chortled and strode down the corridor shaking hands with the other men in their bright coats. He led them back down the hallway he had led the charge through and he wasn¡¯t exaggerating about the horse droppings. There were piles of it dotted through the hall. Men whooped and slapped Barney on the back as he walked. ¡°In here,¡± Barney called back to them after extricating himself from another enthusiastic handshake. He pushed open a nondescript office door just off the main hallway. Inside there was a thin man with a monocle and a twirly moustache. He wore a deep maroon velvet frock coat and riding boots that came up past his knobbly knees. ¡°Captain,¡± Barney said, throwing a small salute. ¡°Apologies, I thought the room was unoccupied!¡± ¡°No, no. No problem Barnibus, I was just vacating to rendezvous with the troop on the front line. Give ¡®em a bit of the old praise and tickle. Well fought battle and all that.¡± ¡°Jolly good, sir. Wonderful bit of personable combat that was.¡± ¡°So I heard! A cavalry charge! Bloody good bit of showmanship that was Barnibus. Very good.¡± He laughed and slapped Barney on the arm with a rolled up paper as he walked out. ¡°Great grandpappy was a cavalryman. In the genes!¡± Barney laughed with the exact same pitch and volume as the man as he opened the door and saluted him out of it. ¡°Lock that, Barney.¡± Jimmy sat down on the edge of the mahogany coffee table and lit a smoke. He busied himself with wiping the blood from his face and checking his hands for new cuts and bruises. Ridley threw himself into the big comfy couch and sighed with relief that he was alive. ¡°What was that?¡± he asked after a few seconds. ¡°That? Oh nothing, just a bit of a dust up,¡± Barney said as he unclipped the heavy breastplate. ¡°Phwoar, think I¡¯d rather risk the enemies¡¯ sabres than trot about in that all day.¡± Nairo laughed, despite herself, and gently eased herself into a chair. ¡°Bit of a dust up?¡± Ridley said incredulously. ¡°Had two of ''em already this morning,¡± Barney said with a beaming grin. ¡°But I do know what you mean! Bloody knackering barebacking that nag down the hall. Let me tell you this, horses are just not built for the hallowed halls of democracy.¡± ¡°Well at least we know now,¡± Jimmy said sagely. ¡°Right, let¡¯s get back to work. Barney, how are we sorted for getting through to the ninth floor?¡± ¡°Not a bother, apparently Phineas and the chaps have jerry rigged a pulley through a couple condemned offices. Will plonk us nicely in the centre of the ninth floor.¡± ¡°Perfect. Barney, you might wanna dress in something a little less¡­ conspicuous.¡± Jimmy said looking at Barney¡¯s gleaming white attire. ¡°Jolly good,¡± Barney said, striding over to a cupboard in the corner of the room. ¡°I imagine there will be something a bit more demure in here.¡± He opened the cupboard and began flicking through a selection of garishly bright morning coats. ¡°Ooh, I daresay I do look ravishing in summer pink.¡± He pulled out the jacket and held it up to his chest. ¡°Not exactly subtle is it?¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Right you are. Hmm, afraid plum washes me out. And I wouldn¡¯t be caught dead in last season¡¯s autumn green¡­ midnight blue it is then!¡± He whipped out a dark blue coat and had it on a single exquisite flourish. ¡°Looks good,¡± Jimmy said, not looking up from the map he was studying. ¡°Right, let¡¯s pack up and get a move on. Only eleven more floors to go!¡± Chapter 50 Barney led them swiftly through the maze of Archibald¡¯s Alley¡¯s back passages. The entire section was like a war camp. Everywhere they went there were bouncing dandies in various states of injury, strewn about like summer flowers in a field, waving their white gloves fists, and sipping from cracked tea cups. Most of the rooms of these hallways had been boarded up as had any window. There only seemed to be one way in and the men in the grey coats found out how well protected that was. Finally, after shaking hands and taking commendations for what one purple coated man exclaimed as Barney¡¯s ¡®equine magnum opus,¡¯ from at least a dozen men they came to a narrow hallway. Halfway down the hallway a crude barricade of heavy wooden furniture and sharpened sticks blocked their way. ¡°Ahh, here we are,¡± Barney said, just as the door before the barricade flew open and six men came tumbling out of the room. ¡°Take that you cad!¡± ¡°Cad! I won¡¯t stand for such an insult!¡± ¡°Then you can sit on that pendulous sack you call a bottom!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done it now my friend!¡± ¡°Well then raise your fists chum and let us settle this like gentlemen and scholars!¡± Two of the men circled one another, fists raised half a metre in front of them, their legs splayed comically wide as they feinted and taunted one another, while the other four formed a crude circle. ¡°Have at him Phineas! The lout has it coming!¡± shouted one of the onlookers. ¡°I shall!¡± Phineas, a dark fop haired young man with a thin moustache to match his spindly rubber arms, cried. ¡°Oh you shan¡¯t!¡± his similarly scrawny opponent retorted. ¡°What ho lads! Member on the floor!¡± one of the onlookers cried out. All six young men spun on them offering warm pleasantries and apologies. ¡°Good morning Barnabus.¡± ¡°Do apologise for the coarse language.¡± ¡°Just boys being boys and all that.¡± They all smiled widely and made small bowing gestures, keenly watching Barney¡¯s response. ¡°Oh pish, no need for the apologies, who doesn¡¯t enjoy a spot of rough housery with the lads,¡± Barney laughed, the same pitch and volume as before, and shook hands while patting them all on the back. ¡°Still though¡­¡± he continued, his voice dropping. ¡°Bit of a poor showing. Must keep up parliamentary composure and all that.¡± He stopped and inspected the collars of one of the men¡¯s pink morning coats and let out an audible tut. The man blanched ghostly white. ¡°Terribly sorry,¡± he squeaked with quivering lips. ¡°Absolutely right to say so,¡± another stammered. The group practically cringed in front of Barney, their little moustaches twitching under the fearsome heat of his judgement. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, we¡¯re all allowed our little indiscretions,¡± Barney shot them a beaming smile before gesticulating grandly at his group. ¡°Speaking of, these are my chums, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll all get to know one another. Chums, this is Phineas,¡± Barney said, patting Phineas on his scrawny shoulder. ¡°And these are his Chaps.¡± Barney waved a dismissive hand at the other five crestfallen men. ¡°Now listen Phineas, I need a zip up to the ninth Post Haste.¡± ¡°The ninth?¡± Phineas said nervously. ¡°After the eighth, before the tenth,¡± Barney responded with a smile. ¡°¡®Fraid it¡¯s gone to midnight up there.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°We stopped receiving comms about three days ago, I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°None at all?¡± ¡°Not so much as a shout for a cuppa.¡± Barney pondered this new information with a worried frown. He glanced back at Jimmy, who could only give a small shrug. ¡°Well best to get up there and have a look. Old Brookehouse might have dozed off on the box again.¡± Barney gave a short laugh and patted Phineas on the shoulder. ¡°Go fetch the lift, Phin.¡± Phineas¡¯ eyes widened in admiration for Barney. He gave a short bow and ran back into the office. Barney watched him for a moment before turning to the Chaps. He raised an eyebrow and they jumped like they were scalded and scuttled after Phineas. Barney turned to them and smiled warmly. ¡°Good lads, bright up and coming young humpers.¡± ¡°Humpers?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Well Junior Ministers bit of a mouthful and in the interest of keeping the wheels of bureaucracy quick and efficient¡­¡± ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they were at some point,¡± Barney said blithely before carrying on. ¡°So we shortened it.¡± ¡°To Humpers?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Well, bit of a long jog through a wall-less maze that one. We tried to shorten it to JunMin and well¡­ not that it¡¯s a problem¡­ just sounded frightfully foreign. So we tried to swap it and call them MinJun¡­ and well that had its own problems.¡± Ridley chortled and Nairo just rolled her eyes. ¡°So, inevitably we settled on humpers.¡± ¡°Why?¡± they both said at the same time. ¡°We settled on J.Ms, which quickly turned into Jars.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°J.M¡­ Jam¡­ Jam Jars. Do keep up. Then just Jars. Well then it¡¯s not a long hop and skip to fish eggs¡­¡± ¡°Nevermind all that,¡± Jimmy interjected. ¡°What do you think¡¯s gone on up on the ninth?¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t sounded good for a while. Oppos are fierce up there and that lunatic Mickey Parqs was threatening to break treaty and take the Rabbits rogue last I heard.¡± ¡°The Rabbits?¡± ¡°Aye, load of lunatics that they are, but they''re good, strong fighting men. As superstitious an old Gnome mother but solid shoulders in a scrap. If they broke ranks¡­ but Brookhouse assured us he had the situation in hand.¡± Barney worried at the corner of his mouth a completely foreign look of consternation drawn across his elegant features. ¡°Could be, we¡¯ve lost the ninth.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, things are gonna get rough from here on out,¡± Jimmy said. He gestured for the sack Cripper had been holding and pulled out the map. Gently, he unfurled it and pointed to the midsection of the Houses. ¡°Roughly, we¡¯re about here. We needed to get to the ninth and cross it.¡± He dragged his finger left across the building plans. ¡°From here I had a route planned to get us up through the tenth and eleventh floor without too much drama.¡± They stood staring at the map for a minute in silence. Jimmy traced his finger around the map muttering to himself before sighing. ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯ll just have to improvise,¡± Jimmy said eventually. ¡°Wot ho! Bloody brilliant! Never been a fan of scripted adventures anyway,¡± Barney¡¯s beaming smile returned to his face. ¡°Is that it?¡± Ridley asked, unimpressed. ¡°You got a better suggestion?¡± Jimmy shot back. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Ridley opened his mouth and then stopped. He looked at Nairo who shrugged. ¡°Guess not,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Good. Things are gonna be on top from here out.¡± ¡°Fist balled and toes pointed! Best way for it really,¡± Barney added. ¡°Wot Ho!¡± Phineas cried from the door to the office. ¡°Trolley¡¯s here, Barnabas!¡± ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± Jimmy said, rolling up the map and walking towards the office. ¡°If this entire investigation isn¡¯t wrapped up in a neat little bow by the time this is over, I¡¯m going to kill you,¡± Nairo hissed and she pushed past Ridley. ¡°If we ever get out of here,¡± Ridley replied sourly. Inside, the office was more akin to a digsite. There were various crooked lamps hung around the room illuminating the gloom. Debris and dust covered everything and in the middle sat a ramshackle wooden lift that wasn¡¯t much more than a platform connected to a pulley. The rope at the top led through a rough cut square hole that ascended through several floors into the darkness above. ¡°If you would like to board the Party Express, we¡¯ll have you on the ninth in a tick and a flash,¡± Phineas smiled and welcomed them on to the lift with a wide sweep of his arm. ¡°Is that thing safe?¡± Nairo said, eyeing the creaking contraption. ¡°Passed all regs for covert interfloor traversal just last month, miss.¡± ¡°They have regulations for that?¡± Ridley said. ¡°¡®Corse sir, everything is very civilised and above board in our Party.¡± ¡°Too right,¡± Barney said as he nimbly alighted the creaky platform. He turned back and looked at his group before looking back down at his platform. ¡°¡®Fraid the cavalry charge¡¯ll have to be staggered.¡± He laughed and cast a dark eye at Phineas, who bobbed his head in apology. ¡°Ladies first of course, Miss Sally?¡± Barney offered his hand and Nairo gripped his, surprisingly, calloused hands and hopped up. Without waiting for invitation, Jimmy stepped on to the platform and then looked back at Cripper and Ridley. ¡°You two can catch the next one.¡± Ridley opened his mouth to protest, then he looked to his right at the hulking Cripper. His shoulders were so thick Ridley could only see the shock of his red hair behind them. ¡°Lovely,¡± was all he said. ¡°Away we go then!¡± Phineas announced. With a dramatic flourish and mighty effort, he yanked the lever on the platform and cast his eyes upwards. Nairo¡¯s eyes followed as she waited for the expected whoosh of power as they were propelled through the floors of Parliament. She looked back down and found an equally confused Jimmy. She looked around and saw the slightly lower smirk on Ridley¡¯s face. ¡°I say chap, don¡¯t spare the rod!¡± Barney said impatiently. ¡°Fraid, that''s as fast as the old gal can go, sir.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Barney crossed his arms and tapped his foot. ¡°Master Ridley, couldn¡¯t spare a chap a smoke could you? Afraid I left mine in my ivory coat¡± ¡°¡®Corse,¡± Ridley said, he walked up to the platform that had now risen to about knee height, and offered Barney a smoke. ¡°James?¡± Barney asked as he bent to light the smoke from the flame Ridley held. ¡°Go on then,¡± Jimmy said, kneeling to light his smoke. ¡°See you soon!¡± Barney called as the tops of their heads disappeared below them. ¡°Yeah¡­ not that soon!¡± came back the sardonic echo of Ridley¡¯s voice below. As the lift slowly drifted upwards, Nairo tried to make sense of her surroundings. They broke through the first hole in the ceiling, putting them on the fifth floor, and everything made sense still. The room, like the one below, seemed to be a condemned office. However, the next floor might have been a giant store cupboard. Nairo wasn¡¯t sure. Everything was so dark and dusty and she could see tubs and cans of all descriptions tossed around the room. The next floor may have been a toilet or perhaps a bath house. There were wall to wall tiles and cracked sinks lining the walls. ¡°Seventh floor in coming!¡± Phineas said as they creaked through another hole in the floor. Here, Nairo was surprised to see life. Two men stood on guard in a room similar to the one they had started in. ¡°Wot ho Phineas!¡± called one of the men. He was short with a plume of blonde hair and bright blue eyes. ¡°Wot ho chaps! Just passing through!¡± Phineas replied. ¡°Is that Barnabus Archibald-Sterling?¡± the other man whispered excitedly. He was ginger haired and a sharp, pointed moustache and goatee combination. ¡°Not even stopping for a cuppa?¡± asked the blonde haired man hopefully. ¡°Ooh?¡± Phineas said, suddenly concerned, as he turned to Barney. ¡°Cuppa sir?¡± ¡°Oh well¡­¡± Barney stood in consternation for a moment. ¡°Really?¡± Nairo said. ¡°We don¡¯t have¡­¡± Jimmy held his hand up and shook his head. The platform was still creaking upwards. ¡°Frightfully busy at the mo¡­¡± Barney offered to Phineas who nodded and turned back to the men. ¡°Awfully engaged currently chaps,¡± he said. ¡°Kettles on and we¡¯ve got custard creams,¡± the ginger man countered. Phineas blanched momentarily before swinging his head back to Barney. ¡°Kettles on sir¡­ they¡¯ve got custard creams,¡± he said, his voice strained. Barney crossed his arms and took a puff of his smoke. ¡°Well¡­ kettles on¡­ wouldn¡¯t be any reason not to¡­ rude not to stop¡­¡± Barney muttered to himself. ¡°Custard creams¡­¡± He then looked up at Phineas and nodded his defeat. ¡°Delightful,¡± was the only word he hissed in a cloud of smoke. Phineas closed both eyes and gave a deep nod. Solemnly, he turned his head back to the men. ¡°Two sugars and¡­¡± he hesitated and gathered himself. ¡°Just a drop of milk.¡± ¡°Wonderful!¡± The blonde man clapped his hands together and a set of mugs appeared as if by magic. Barney stepped off the platform followed by Phineas. Nairo turned to Jimmy, her eyebrow arched. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°They take tea very seriously here,¡± he said. He hopped off the platform and Nairo just shook her head and added it to the growing catalogue of things she would need to accept exists at a later point. ¡°What about the platform?¡± she asked, as she stepped off. ¡°We¡¯re only stopping for a cuppa,¡± Phineas said. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to catch the old gal, don¡¯t worry.¡± Barney was surreptitiously going about having the fastest tea break a man has ever had. He had arranged their six mugs in a neat circle, and he was pouring tea like a bartender pouring shots. He tore open the packet of custard cream and arranged them neatly on a chipped plate before passing them around. ¡°Names?¡± he barked at the two men while dropping two sugar cubes into his tea. ¡°Harold Nix, sir.¡± The blonde man said. ¡°Garth Haversham,¡± the ginger man said. ¡°You went to Olav¡¯s prep with my Uncle, he was a few grades above¡­¡± ¡°Ahh yes,¡± Barney said dismissively.. ¡°Good chap, your uncle. How is he?¡± ¡°Not so well since he came off that horse¡­¡± ¡°Terrible really. Must pay him a visit.¡± Barney said, blowing on his tea. ¡°So how¡¯s the family?¡± he said to Nix. ¡°The wife is well,¡± Nix replied. ¡°Children?¡± ¡°Not yet?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be blessed one day. And you?¡± Barney snapped at Garth while gulping at his still scalding tea. Nairo got the hint and slurped at her tea as she watched Jimmy cram two custard creams into his mouth at once. ¡°No wife.¡± ¡°Girlfriend?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Mother?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Ahh, there it is,¡± Barney had found the next piece of the social puzzle: unasked for personal advice. ¡°Young men should woo a lady, can¡¯t take her home to your mother, find your own place. Move out and eat cherries, good for your swimmers¡­¡± He then looked at his wrist like he was wearing a watch. ¡°Smoke?¡± Nix practically screamed at Barney as he aggressively thrust a pack at them. Phineas narrowed his eyes but nodded in approval: good tactical move. ¡°Oh no¡­ ¡®fraid I¡¯m cutting back,¡± Barney said. ¡°Since when?¡± Nix fired back. ¡°Just this morning would you believe,¡± Barney answered without missing a beat. Defeated, the man begrudgingly withdrew the pack of smokes. ¡°Lovely weather today,¡± Phineas said, looking around him as if he could see the sky. ¡°Sposed to rain this afternoon,¡± Garth replied. There was a sudden lull in the conversation and Nairo saw panic cross the faces of the two men as they looked at each other, imploring the other to fill the silence. As they searched for conversation Barney gulped at his tea and then looked at Phineas meaningfully. ¡°Oh gosh, is that the time?¡± Phineas said with a flap of his arm. Jimmy necked his tea and then smiled through custard cream crumbs. ¡°Oh no, do stay,¡± Nix implored. ¡°Dinner will be coming out of the oven soon,¡± Garth added. ¡°Oh no, as much as we would love to, we must be getting off¡­¡± Barney said. ¡°Well it¡¯s been lovely,¡± Garth said, crestfallen. ¡°Taa very much for the cuppa.¡± Jimmy quickly knelt down and offered his cupped hands to boost the others on to the lift before pulling himself aboard. ¡°Come back anytime!¡± Nix cried up to them as they began to move through the ceiling into the next floor. ¡°Anytime!¡± Garth screamed as they disappeared. All four of them stood in silence as the lift crested the next floor. ¡°Well¡­ that was¡­ intense,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Ooof, tell me about it!¡± Barney cried as he bent over doubled, hands resting on his knees. ¡°Good to honest request for a cuppa! How could a man of civilised society say no? They had me cornered!¡± ¡°You handled it like a true gent, sir.¡± ¡°Quite. Thank you Phineas.¡± * Ridley and Cripper stood staring up at the hole in the ceiling. ¡°So, Cripper? That¡¯s an usual name, how¡¯d you get it?¡± ¡°Dunno,¡± Cripper answered. ¡°Cool,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Are you a spy?¡± Cripper asked him. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Knew it." Chapter 51 ¡°Coming to the ninth floor now,¡± Phineas said. ¡°Right, ready up,¡± Jimmy said. Barney nodded, wiped a hand across his face, and did a couple of quick squats. As they broke through to the ninth floor, they felt the weight of the heavy silence fall on their shoulders. Jimmy exchanged a look with Barney. ¡°There should be men stationed here,¡± Barney murmured as he looked around the dark empty office. ¡°Brookhouse would never abandon his station.¡± ¡°Whatever¡¯s happened, we need to get through here and up to the twelfth floor,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°No hanging around.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Barney nodded as the platform ground to a halt. ¡°Phin, get down sharpish and collect our comrades.¡± Phineas nodded and gave a brief salute before laying his hand on the lever to the platform. ¡°Good news is, she goes down quicker than she comes up!¡± With a poof of smoke he vanished back down the hole. Barney peered over the edge in mild astonishment. ¡°Blimey. Hope no one¡¯s standing underneath that.¡± ¡°Well, if there is, good chance it¡¯s Ridley,¡± Nairo said with a ghost of a wicked smile on her lips. Barney chortled and mopped at his brow with a pristine, except for a splotch of blood, white kerchief. ¡°S¡¯pose I¡¯ll be washing for a week to get this muck out,¡± he tutted and folded his kerchief away. Nairo looked around at their new surroundings. They were in, yet another, dark, dusty, and disused room. The musty stifling air added to the weight of the stillness. She felt like she was hundreds of miles underground, waiting for the building to shift and come crashing down on her. The silence was suffocating, the thumping of her heart was the loudest sound for what felt like miles. How long ago had she been swallowed by this scurrilous building? The desperate urge to see sunlight and feel the movement of air across her face made her momentarily dizzy. She was snapped from her cloying thoughts by the cavernous creak of a floorboard. All three of them froze, their heads snapping around. Jimmy looked at Barney and shook his head. With a careful step, Jimmy turned to face the door. Silence. He took another hesitant step forward. Barney shuffled left to get a better view of the door while Nairo looked around for something to arm herself with. Agonising step after step, Jimmy crossed the room, sweat dripping down his temple. Finally, with bated breath, he arrived at the door to the office. On his tiptoes, Jimmy peered through the frosted glass window, looking up and down the darkened hallway. ¡°See anything?¡± Barney whispered from across the room. ¡°It¡¯s all dark,¡± Jimmy replied. ¡°Hold on¡­¡± Nairo turned her ear towards the door, straining. But it wasn¡¯t coming from the door. It wasn¡¯t a sound. She could feel the floorboards vibrating under her feet. The tremors increased, rattling dust from the walls of the disused office. Nairo gritted her teeth, steeled herself, and faced the door. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Jimmy hissed. Nairo looked up just in time to see a singular dark shape flit across the frosted glass. Even through the frosting she could make out his brightly coloured morning coat. The tremors were getting worse. Now she could hear the thud of stampeding feet. The noise came all at once, a wave of baying and cursing, like hounds on the chase. A mass of dark figures swooped across the window. ¡°Man of the Party in distress!¡± Barney roared, leaping up from his poised crouch. ¡°Barney, wait¡­¡± Jimmy said, but it was too late. Barney charged across the room and threw the door open. ¡°Come you ruffians! Have at it with a card carrying man of the honourable side! Scallywags! Thugs!¡± he screamed as he chased after the mob. ¡°Ahh shit,¡± Jimmy groaned and then he turned to Nairo. ¡°Got your laces tied, Sarge?¡± He gave her a brief grin and dashed out of the room. ¡°Shit!¡± Nairo breathed. She looked around and then down at her already swollen knuckles from her earlier adventures. With no more thought, Nairo peeled out of the office after Jimmy and Barney, sprinting as fast as her battered body would allow her. She came up only a step or two behind as Barney and Jimmy hurled themselves into the surprised backline of the mob. Two men fell, one after the other like someone had cut the strings from a marionette puppet. Barney slammed his forehead into the face of a second man while Jimmy punched another in the gut. Nairo didn¡¯t fare so well. By the time she arrived the mob had turned and were ready. She skidded on the heels of her feet as the thick end of a knot of wood swung inches by her nose. She was able to recover her momentum faster than the man who swung it and she slammed the heel of her hand into his eye. But the man was stolid, thick, and used to being hit in the face. The lump she raised above his eye joined the family of cuts and contusions spread across his scowling face. He lashed out at Nairo with his free hand and she barely slipped beneath it. As she went to fire off another strike, a strong hand gripped her collar and yanked her. Another man grabbed at her arm. She kicked out and lashed left and right with her foot until that too was grabbed. The momentum of the mob, jammed into the crowded hallway, crashed over her like a runaway freight and men began to stumble and fight over one another. Nairo tottered and finally fell with two men crashing on top of her. Her mind raced back to the suffocating mass from earlier and she panicked, writhing and clawing to pull herself free. She saw the swirl of Barney¡¯s morning coat as he kicked and stomped trying to free Nairo. Just as she grabbed his hand, Barney was barreled from his feet and half a dozen men surrounded him kicking and stomping at any part of him they could. He curled into a ball desperately trying to protect himself. Jimmy cried out and desperately fought his way to his friend¡¯s side, but it was futile. Thick grey coated men blocked his path. Jimmy was forced back against the wall, arms shielding his torso and face, as men punched and kicked him from every angle. ¡°Oi wankers!¡± The obscenity cut across the melee. A thunderous crash ripped across the cramped hallway as two men flew through the air over Nairo¡¯s head. Suddenly, the grey coats began backpedalling as two more tumbled past her. Nairo scrambled to her feet, fist raised. She looked back over her shoulder and relief flooded through her. Cripper! The giant man stood nearly a foot above everyone else, his solid massiveness seemed to fill the entire hall. In one hand he had the broken remains of a table and in the other he had the skull of a former man turned battering ram. Cripper stormed through the mass of grey coats, his face placid, as he battered through them. He lashed out with the table leg and broke it across the head of a man. As he did, one unfortunate soul saw his chance for a cheap shot. He swung with all his might at the back of Cripper¡¯s head. The big man barely flinched. He turned, snarled, and then slammed his head into the man¡¯s face, folding him up like a cheap lawn chair. He stepped on the man¡¯s face as he brought his fist down like a hammer on an anvil, crumpling another assailant. Men bounced off him as they tried to take the big man down, only to be trampled under his thudding feet. Cripper became a whirling dervish of destruction as he barreled through the ranks of grey coats, swatting them aside like flies. Teeth, facial bones, bricks, and plaster all crumbled under Cripper¡¯s fist until he finally broke the grey coat¡¯s spirits. First one ran, then another, and a few seconds later those who could, turned and fled, stepping over their fallen comrades in their panic. Phineas came bounding behind Cripper, fists wagging comically as he jabbed and weaved. His foppish little moustache quivered in pique as he cursed the grey coated bandits. Ridley, who was a surreptitious number of feet behind Cripper, continued to hurl obscenities at the fleeing men while intermittently putting the boot to the men that Cripper had laid out. Jimmy staggered over to Barney, the wound on his head reopened, blood dripping down the side of his head, he held out his hand and hauled his friend to his feet. One of Barney¡¯s eyes was badly swollen and a knot had appeared on his forehead. ¡°I say¡­ rough show that one,¡± Barney coughed and winced while clutching at his stomach. ¡°Yeah not smart,¡± Jimmy said as he wiped blood from his mouth. ¡°Cheers for the save, Cripper.¡± Cripper, who was busy picking shards of teeth out of his fists, looked up and nodded. ¡°Good thing we didn''t stop for that cup of tea,¡± Ridley said to Phineas. ¡°You alright Sarge?¡± ¡°Fine. Just regretting the decisions I¡¯ve made in my life,¡± Nairo replied as she pushed her hair back from her face and checked all of her teeth were still in her mouth. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Ridley asked, pointing at a quivering figure curled up on the floor. ¡°Brookhouse!¡± Barney cried. He stumbled towards the man and dropped to his knees. The figure groaned on the floor and rolled over. The man¡¯s bright morning coat was badly torn and bloodied. He had a thin almost gaunt face with a thick, bushy moustache, and matching shock of greying hair on his head. There were heavy creases all around his eyes and mouth that deepened as he groaned. ¡°Brookhouse old chum,¡± Barney said. ¡°How are you, old chap?¡± ¡°Barnabus?¡± The old man¡¯s eyes fluttered open. ¡°Tip top tickety boo.¡± He laughed weakly and held his hand out to Barney. ¡°Help me up, lad.¡± With Phineas¡¯ help, Barney hauled the battered old man to his feet. ¡°Brookhouse sir, what happened here?¡± Phineas asked, wringing his hands and worrying over the tatters of Brookhouse¡¯s morning coat. ¡°Whole bloody world¡¯s gone to pot,¡± Brookhouse growled. ¡°No time to talk here, those thugs will find their guts soon enough. Stop bloody dithering boy and lend me your shoulder,¡± he barked at Phineas. Brookhouse half limped and half shuffled back the way they had come and then past the lift room. The way further was dimly lit and the walls were covered in streaks of blood. Wreckage was everywhere. Some doors had been torn to splinters and every piece of furniture was broken and ragged. There were massive slashes across the walls and the carpet was deeply stained with blood. ¡°It¡¯s been a war zone up here,¡± Brookhouse said as he noticed their horrified looks. ¡°Quick, left in here. Big lad, can you pick up that barricade.¡± Brookhouse waved an arm at a fallen armoire, which had been fashioned with jutting stakes, that was blocking the hallway. Cripper casually hefted the furniture blockade out of the way while Brookhouse hurried them through. They were in another darkened hallway with a few brackets still lit like welcoming pools in a desert. ¡°Minister¡¯s office is basecamp,¡± Brookhouse gasped as his age and injuries caught up with him. Jimmy kicked the door open and the co-op tumbled through. Hastily, Jimmy and Cripper slid a filing cabinet across the door while Barney looked for a light. ¡°Sit there Crip and don¡¯t move,¡± Jimmy told Cripper. ¡°Barney, find a light.¡± The big man nodded once and then parked himself atop the filing cabinets. ¡°Only oil lamps left chum,¡± Brookhouse told Barney as Phineas eased him onto a batter sofa. ¡°Don¡¯t chuck me like a sack of taters!¡± he snapped at Phineas. ¡°Careful now, that¡¯s a man of the Party your manhandling,¡± Barney warned. ¡°Oh dear so sorry!¡± Phineas squeaked and bobbed his head nervously. All of this was just far too much for his constitution. Absent-mindedly, he sat down on an upturned bucket and drew his knees to his chest falling silent. Barney got the lamp lit and held it over the wounded man while Nairo knelt by his side and tucked her hair behind her ears. ¡°You a nurse my dear?¡± Brookhouse asked her through gritted teeth. ¡°As close as you¡¯ll get in this room,¡± Nairo replied while gently pressing on his torso. Brookhouse laughed before wincing as Nairo pressed on ribs. ¡°Possibly broken.¡± ¡°More like probably,¡± Brookhouse said as Nairo continued her checks. ¡°Got any booze here?¡± Ridley asked from somewhere over Nairo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Not the time Ridley,¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°Really?¡± Ridley said incredulously. ¡°How many mobs have we survived since this morning? Three?¡± Nairo looked up at the battered face of Barney and the bloody forehead of Brookhouse. ¡°Is there any booze here?¡± she asked Brookhouse. ¡°That desk there¡­ should still be something brown and strong in there.¡± ¡°That head wound¡¯s going to need stitching,¡± Nairo said as she gently touched the puckered gash at the top of Brookhouse¡¯s head. ¡°Oof, they caught you there Brookie,¡± Barney said, but even his affable cheer was beginning to sound tired and worn. Jimmy, who had been straining his ears against the door since they had come in, walked back over to them, scrubbing the blood from his face with a rag he had found. ¡°Sounds quiet out there,¡± he said to them. ¡°How¡¯s the old fella?¡± ¡°Still able to hear boy,¡± Brookhouse growled. ¡°No serious wounds other than to his scalp. It¡¯s going to need stitches,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Do you have any medical equipment?¡± she asked Brookhouse. ¡°Heh, what do we look like a bunch of nancies playing doctors and nurses,¡± Brookhouse laughed. Barney, in turn, gave an agreeing chortle as if the idea were absurd. ¡°Probably a cut man¡¯s kit laying about somewhere.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°Cut man¡¯s kit,¡± Jimmy repeated as he looked around. ¡°Small black pouch, probably pretty battered and very unsanitary.¡± ¡°Like this one?¡± Ridley asked as he held up a black leather bag matching Jimmy¡¯s description. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Ridley tossed the bag to Jimmy and came back to the small circle of light with several chipped glasses and a bottle. He poured a glass and handed it to Brookhouse. ¡°Ta very much,¡± Brookhouse said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use a cut man¡¯s kit,¡± Nairo said. ¡°If I¡¯m honest I¡¯m not great at stitches either.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Jimmy said as he pulled a stool up behind Brookhouse¡¯s head. ¡°Get that lamp closer, Barn.¡± Jimmy set about his work with a practised fluidity. First he set his lighter up, so it stayed lit, on a small side table. He then unpacked the contents of the pouch: a roll of cotton swabs, a hooked needle, thread, tissue, and a chip of ice stone. Jimmy twirled the needle over the flame and then dropped it in his drink. While he waited, he tossed the chip of ice stone to Barney. ¡°Get that on yer eye before it swells shut,¡± he instructed. When he was satisfied with the needle, Jimmy threaded it with a practised twist and then dabbed the cotton in the alcohol. ¡°This bit stings,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Always does,¡± Brookhouse growled, barely flinching as Jimmy dabbed at his wound. ¡°Good news, it¡¯s a clean bust and not a lot of scar tissue, so this should be neat.¡± Gripping Brookhouse¡¯s head with free hand, Jimmy went to work. ¡°What happened here, Brooky?¡± Barney asked, the question burst out of him as if he had been holding it for days. ¡°Smoke,¡± Brookhouse snapped at Phineas, who leapt from his bucket and produced a pack of smokes in a moment. He pulled one out, handed it to Brookhouse and then held up a lighter for the old man. Brookhouse took a deep, satisfying, pull of the smoke and then groaned a cloud of noxious smoke. ¡°Went to hell about three days back, just after word began to swirl that Pleasently was calling for a Lock Out. We were already having a time of it, what with that rat Ostley snagging the Westington Heights seat. He brought as many humpers, aides, and goons as you could cram on a personnel form and they¡¯ve been giving us hell.¡± ¡°Word had travelled,¡± Barney said morosely. ¡°Why d¡¯you think I was stuck here?¡± Brookhouse asked. ¡°Puttin¡¯ me out to pasture: I either succeed and hold the floor or I fail and they turn me into glue and furniture.¡± ¡°But what happened three days ago?¡± Ridley asked impatiently. ¡°Those damned Rabbits split from us!¡± Brookhouse growled. ¡°Broke treaty with the Party. That mad lunatic Mickey Parqs has gone completely rogue, he¡¯s trying to snatch the floor and Etiquette be damned!¡± ¡°Scoundrel!¡± Barney cursed. ¡°Aye, but a smart scoundrel he is. With most city transport contracts being ratified on the ninth, Parqs knows if he holds the floor he can snatch the whole city¡¯s infrastructure and then ransom it back to whoever comes out of the dust on top.¡± ¡°The party shan¡¯t stand for it!¡± Phineas cried out. ¡°But we did,¡± Brookhouse lamented. ¡°I¡¯ve been requesting reinforcement for two days now, but the help never came. Just me and a dwindling force of humpers and grey hairs. Fight went out of us hours ago, we were broken and dispersed and I¡¯ve been ducking and diving to get back here ever since. No idea what¡¯s become of my men,¡± his voice was thick with the shame of his failure. ¡°You did all you could old chap,¡± Barney gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder. ¡°Stiff brandy, warm fire, and some hot stew will put you right.¡± Brookhouse nodded glumly, his eyes wet, unflinching as Jimmy tied off his stitches. ¡°There you go fella, you¡¯re fighting fit,¡± Jimmy said with a broad smile. ¡°Good as new,¡± Nairo said, attempting an uplifting smile of her own. Brookhouse¡¯s haunted eyes glistened for a moment and then he gathered himself: man of the Party must maintain good posture and stiff upper lip in front of the proletariat. ¡°¡®Corse. Quite right. Only a scratch really¡­ shouldn¡¯t have made such a fuss,¡± he blustered. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Barney¡¯s twinkling smile returned and even Phineas managed to twitch his pointed little moustache. ¡°Fine work young man,¡± Brookhouse said, tenderly tracing his fingers across the stitches. ¡°Whose boy are you?¡± ¡°Right Honourable Marvin Parish, sir.¡± ¡°Well, I shall give him my commendations when I see him in the Starling next.¡± ¡°Much obliged,¡± Jimmy said, doffing an imaginary cap. ¡°So what does this mean for us?¡± Ridley asked Jimmy. ¡°Well, by the sounds of it¡­ we¡¯re in a pile of it. Brookhouse, sir, we need to get across this floor to the Civvie Portal.¡± ¡°Oooh,¡± Brookehouse let out a low groan, his eyes widening. ¡°You may have a bit of trouble there, lad.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve got Cripper,¡± Ridley said, throwing a confident thumb over his shoulder at the hulking doorstop. ¡°Those grey coats don¡¯t stand a chance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the grey coats you need to worry about, boy. The place is a snake pit. We¡¯ve laid booby traps across almost every corridor from here to the portal.¡± ¡°Booby traps?¡± Jimmy said, wide eyed. ¡°Oh aye. The whole floor¡¯s riddled with ¡®em.¡± Ridley let out an exasperated cry. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with this place!¡± Chapter 52 ¡°You¡¯ve set traps?¡± Ridley cried, waving his hands in the air. ¡°We were fighting a guerilla war out there!¡± Brookhouse said. ¡°You¡¯re politicians!¡± ¡°Aye¡­ so the fighting got dirty.¡± Ridley dropped his hands to his sides and shook his head. ¡°What kind of hardware did you lay down?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°Oh¡­ just the classics really,¡± Brookhouse answered. ¡°Classics?¡± Nairo intoned. ¡°Shin Splinter?¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Aye.¡± ¡°The Jimmy Finch?¡± Barney asked. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Sauce and Chutney?¡± ¡°Two of them.¡± ¡°Wild Man¡¯s Walk?¡± ¡°Aye.¡± ¡°Pot and Saucer?¡± ¡°No, we couldn¡¯t keep the water hot enough.¡± ¡°Pianists Schism?¡± ¡°We did, and let me tell, worked a treat.¡± ¡°The Beaver Dash?¡± Brookhouse raised his eyes and whistled. ¡°No¡­ would have if we had a fire pit¡­¡± ¡°They are speaking nonsense aren¡¯t they?¡± Ridley said to Nairo. ¡°Who are these civilians?¡± Brookhouse said the word like it tasted foul on his tongue. ¡°People who you¡¯ve never met nor seen and will struggle to recall, sir.¡± Jimmy said quickly. ¡°Aye, discretion would be sorely appreciated,¡± Barney added. ¡°Well¡­ I suppose we all have our little indiscretions,¡± Brookhouse said with a nod of deference to Barney. ¡°Dearly appreciated, old chum.¡± ¡°What would also be dearly appreciated is if you could tell us how to get off this floor,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Could you not just go back down the way you came?¡± Brookhouse said. ¡°We¡¯re trying to go¡­¡± Ridley hesitated while he questioned his own sanity. ¡°Up.¡± ¡°Oooh¡­¡± ¡°Are there any safe routes through?¡± Nairo asked him. ¡°Can¡¯t say there is, Miss. We made sure of that.¡± ¡°Barney, clear that desk. Sally, bring that lamp over here. Ridley¡­¡± Jimmy barked orders as she took control of the situation. ¡°Boss?¡± Ridley responded sarcastically. ¡°Pour us another round.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Ridley said with sudden enthusiasm. ¡°Lend a hand Phin,¡± Barney said as he held Brookhouse and helped him shuffle towards the desk. Jimmy laid out the map and they all peered at it in the flickering light of the lamp. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Jimmy said, pointing a finger on the map. ¡°No¡­ wait.¡± He picked the map up and rotated it. ¡°We¡¯re here: ninth floor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a marvellous piece of cartography,¡± Brookhouse breathed, peering at the map through his unswollen eye. ¡°Shame it¡¯s outdated now.¡± ¡°It is?¡± Jimmy said. Brookehouse nodded and sipped at his drink. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°No need for the language in front of the lady,¡± Brookhouse said. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s very dainty,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Ouch! What was that for Sally?¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the caper here, Barnabus?¡± Brookhouse asked, ignoring Nairo kicking Ridley under the desk. ¡°Well it¡¯s on the hush hush, need to knows only and all that,¡± Barney said. ¡°Oh, quite right,¡± Brookhouse nodded. Barney exchanged looks with Jimmy, who gave a small nod. ¡°Well, without too many details, our friends here have a need of assailing the fourteenth floor,¡± Barney explained. ¡°The fourteenth floor? Middle of a Lock Out? Suicide.¡± Brookhouse snorted derisively. ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Ridley said. ¡°This was your idea!¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°Maybe if you had been more persuasive then we wouldn¡¯t have got ourselves in this mess,¡± Ridley retorted. ¡°Well¡­¡± Brookhouse rubbed the sandpaper like stubble on his chin. ¡°The good news is, as far as I know, the Civvie Portal is still up and running.¡± ¡°It is?¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Aye, bad news is it¡¯s on the other side of the floor, about fifty metres straight line dash.¡± He traced his finger from their current position to a branching point of three hallways. ¡°Oppos have Haggard¡¯s hall and that leaves you with the Mayburry wing which is currently being warred over by the Rabbits and the Oppos.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other route?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°Well, you can take Ahab¡¯s Hallway, but we did a number on that, booby traps all over the place.¡± Brookhouse pointed a bloody finger at a more serpentine hallway that snaked through the entire length of the floor. ¡°Great so death by Rabbits or death by a Jimmy Finch,¡± Ridley grumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t be soft boy. Jimmy Finch will only burn ya a little, be hard to get killed by one of them.¡± ¡°Tell that to Jimmy Finch,¡± Barney chortled. Brookhouse and Phineas joined in, their eyes twinkling as they shared a small measured laugh together. ¡°You think you could mark out where the traps are?¡± Jimmy asked Brookhouse after a polite pause. ¡°Some, not all of ¡®em.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°That¡¯s the best shot we got I suppose,¡± Jimmy said. Brookhouse fished for a pen within the depths of his coat and began marking where he could remember the traps being. While he did that the rest of them began to gather themselves. ¡°Think it¡¯s best we tool up,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Wot ho, Brooky, don¡¯t suppose you could point a chap towards the armoury?¡± Brookhouse jabbed a finger towards a cupboard on the far side of the office and went back to his markings while Jimmy hovered over his shoulder and exchanged a few short sentences here and there with Brookhouse. Barney walked over to the cupboard and threw it wide open. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s a touch anticlimactic,¡± Barney said. Inside the cupboard was mostly bare with a few bits of beaten wood laying about and some scraps of rusty metal. Nairo joined him. ¡°Do you want the splintered wood or the rusty strip of metal?¡± she asked him. ¡°Ladies choice of course,¡± Barney said with a small bow. Nairo laughed and patted him on the arm. After a pause she looked up at him. ¡°Just how dangerous will this be, Barney?¡± Barney opened his mouth ready with a glib response but then he stopped. ¡°It¡¯s going to get hairy, Miss Sally. But we will win the day, of that you have my word.¡± He said, giving her a small, reassuring smile. ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me.¡± Nairo picked up a thick knot of wood and gave it a practice swing. ¡°I must say Miss Sally, you are quite remarkable, if it isn¡¯t too bold of me to say so,¡± Barney said, as he picked up a shard of broken wood and gave it a few practice jabs. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a woman take quite so many blows to the head before. You¡¯re a real champion brute!¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Nairo muttered, rubbing at the lumps on the back of her head. ¡°Of course¡­ in a good way¡­ the best of ways,¡± Barney laughed nervously. ¡°What I mean is¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry I know¡­¡± ¡°No, but¡­ what I meant to say was¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay really¡­¡± ¡°Ahh yes but¡­¡± ¡°Barney, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°It is?¡± ¡°Yes. You think I¡¯m a big, hairy, knuckle dragging lout.¡± Barney audibly gasped. ¡°Never, Miss Sally! Never would an Archibald-Sterling be so crass to a female!¡± Barney has visibly paled. ¡°Miss Sally, I do offer my most sincerest, most humbled, most heartfelt¡­¡± Nairo burst out laughing and punched him lightly on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m just messing around, Barney.¡± ¡°Oh dear¡­ oh right¡­ haha,¡± Barney gave a weak laugh, massaging his chest. ¡°Frightfully good rib, that one.¡± ¡°And hey, you¡¯re not such a bad hand in a tough situation. I¡¯m honoured we¡¯re on the same side.¡± ¡°As am I, Miss Sally.¡± Barney beamed a pristine, ivory smile at her. ¡°Right, listen up gang,¡± Jimmy sat on the desk as they gathered, ¡°We got about a hundred metre dash across the floor. Mr Brookhouse has been kind enough to jot down where and what traps there are¡­¡± ¡°To the best of my knowledge,¡± Brookhouse interjected. ¡°To the best of his knowledge,¡± Jimmy corrected. ¡°We need to move quickly and without drawing attention to ourselves.¡± ¡°A full out sprint, exactly how you wanna get through a hallway full of traps.¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, Master Ridley. Swift of feet and light of heart, just the ticket!¡± Barney said. ¡°The hallway¡¯s just round the corner from here,¡± Jimmy said, rolling up the map and stashing it again. ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way,¡± Brookhouse said, heaving himself to his feet. ¡°No,¡± Jimmy said, holding up his hand. ¡°What do you mean no!¡± Brookhouse growled. ¡°¡®Fraid your part in this adventure¡¯s over old friend,¡± Barney said and he laid a hand on Brookhouse¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve gone A and B the C of D. Party couldn¡¯t ask more of you¡­ and I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s known you stood to the last.¡± Brookhouse smiled sadly and patted Barney¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you, Barnabus.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it old lad. Phineas?¡± ¡°Yessir!¡± ¡°Get Brookhouse down to Party floors and see that he gets some medical attention,¡± Barney ordered and then he turned to Brookhouse. ¡°Cheer up chum, it¡¯s fish and chips in the canteen.¡± Brookhouse gave a rueful laugh and patted Barney on the shoulder. With barely a grunt, Cripper cleared the blockade in front of the door and the party readied up. ¡°Phineas, you and Mr Brookhouse go left and back down the lift. The rest of us are heading right into the foyer and then it¡¯s a straight dip across. After that head on a swivel and pay attention!¡± Jimmy ordered with his hand on the door knob. ¡°I mean it Ridley,¡± he warned. Ridley smirked at him and threw a sarcastic salute. Jimmy rolled his eyes and pulled the door open. With a surreptitious flick of his head left and right, Jimmy withdrew back into the room and gave them the thumbs up. ¡°Good luck to you all,¡± Brookhouse hissed as he limped out with Phineas, who turned to look at them with resolute watery eyes. ¡°I must say, it has been an honour to fight besides all of¡­¡± ¡°Quiet boy!¡± Brookhouse snapped. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for melodrama.¡± ¡°Oh yes, of course sir, dreadfully sorry.¡± Phineas bowed his head. With Brookhouse leaning on him, they shuffled out into the corridor and back to the left as quickly as they could. They waited a few seconds with bated breath. Jimmy took a deep breath and then walked out of the room quickly followed by Barney, Nairo, Ridley, and finally Cripper bringing up the rear. They scurried down the hall in single file with their heads low and their ears pricked. The floor was quiet but not quite silent. There was a distant rumble somewhere deep within the labyrinthine hallways. They came to the foyer and bunched up together at the mouth of the round, cavernous room. Across the dimly lit foyer were three ominous arches. The doors that had once stood in them lay shattered and splintered giving the arches a ghoulish affect, like broken mouths screaming to the skies. ¡°We want the middle one,¡± Jimmy said, map in hand. ¡°But first we need to get across without being seen,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Gosh! Do you think there¡¯s hidden lookouts?¡± Barney whispered almost gleefully, his good humour returning now they were back on the march. ¡°Whether there is or isn¡¯t ain¡¯t the point, we have to get across there,¡± Jimmy replied. ¡°Something not right,¡± Cripper growled from behind them. The whole party jumped in surprise, having forgotten the silent bulk behind them. ¡°What¡¯s that Cripper?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°Something,¡± Cripper replied, his already tiny eyes narrowed as he surveyed the foyer in front of him. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Nairo said. ¡°The footprints?¡± Ridley asked her. ¡°Yes. Look.¡± She pointed to the dusty debris laden marble floor of the foyer. ¡°There¡¯s no footprints in the middle of the room.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯ll be hanged and harvested,¡± Barney breathed. ¡°Look around the rim of it.¡± On the outer rims of the foyer were dozens of footprints criss crossing haphazardly in both directions. ¡°Let me guess¡­ it¡¯s a trap,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Blimey good detective work!¡± Barney said. ¡°I am a professional,¡± Ridley said, straightening the collars of his shirt. ¡°Not you, I meant Cripper! Bloody good spot lad!¡± Barney replied. ¡°I say¡­ what do you suppose it is? A Ruby Mary?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to find out,¡± Jimmy said. Carefully, Jimmy stepped out into the foyer. He kept his eyes trained on the footprints and his back pressed against the wall. Once Jimmy had made it halfway around the room, he gave them a thumbs up and Barney followed him, tiptoeing with a swish of his morning coat. When they were both safely on the other side of the room Ridley stepped out. He shuffled nervously, unsure of where to put his feet. ¡°Follow the footprints!¡± Nairo hissed at him. ¡°Bit hard when two other blokes have stomped across them!¡± Ridley growled back at her, sweat dripping off the end of his nose. He took a few surreptitious steps. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got it again. Come on Sarge just follow¡­¡± There was a small clicking sound and Ridley froze. ¡°Ridley?¡± Nairo whispered to him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Do floor tiles usually click when you step on them?¡± Ridley said, his voice shook slightly. Jimmy looked back into the hall and his eyes grew wide. Barney followed his gaze to the ceiling. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± ¡°Run!¡± Jimmy shouted at them. Nairo didn¡¯t have time to move. Cripper snatched her up like a small child and bounded across the foyer. He covered the floor in six massive strides. Ridley sprinted after them. There was a clunk followed by a few drops of mortar. Then the rumble started. Nairo looked up and saw the ceiling begin to crumble. ¡°Ridley! Run!¡± Nairo screamed. Ridley was still a few steps out when the ceiling collapsed. With athleticisim born of desperation, he leapt and cleared the archway as several tonnes of brick and mortar smashed into the foyer, blocking off their exit, and swamping them with dust and debris. Ridley bundled into them, the force of the cave in threw them from their feet into a coughing, wheezing pile of bodies. ¡°Ridley?¡± Nairo croaked, clawing dust out of her eyes. ¡°Ridley?¡± ¡°Am I dead?¡± Ridley groaned. ¡°Not yet,¡± Jimmy said, sitting up and blowing dust out of his nose. ¡°A genuine Bloody Harry! Brookhouse wasn¡¯t joshing when he said the place was a snake pit,¡± Barney said, dusting down his jacket. ¡°I hate you,¡± Ridley said, slowly pulling himself up right. ¡°Me?¡± Barney said, sounding hurt. ¡°Well all of you. Bloody politicians.¡± ¡°Ahh well¡­ that¡¯s fair enough, I suppose.¡± Barney extended a hand and helped Ridley to his feet. ¡°No going back now,¡± Jimmy said, looking at the rubble blocked exit. ¡°Only forward.¡± All of them turned to look down the dark hallway. ¡°Can¡¯t be worse than that¡­ can it?¡± Ridley asked. None of them answered. ¡°Can it?¡± Chapter 53 Ahab¡¯s hallway was almost pitch black. The cave in had blocked out the last vestiges of natural light, leaving them to navigate by the flickering oil lamps set in braziers at sporadic intervals. Thick black smoke coiled from the braziers creating a sooty fog that rolled across the low ceiling of the hallway. ¡°Right,¡± Jimmy said, keeping his voice low. ¡°We should be running into the Wildman¡¯s walk. Stay five steps behind us and follow our lead. Make sure you step exactly where we step! Could be Brookhouse forgot one of the traps or something new has been laid since.¡± Barney led them, his neck craned downwards as he scanned the floor in front of them. After a dozen more steps he found what he was looking for. He shot out his hand for them to stop and then knelt down. Almost entirely imperceptible, except for a sporadic gleam in the firelight, was a razor thin pair of trip wires. Barney signalled for Jimmy to hold the other end of the wire. With a gentle sawing motion, Barney cut the first wire, and then the second, holding on to them. Mouthing a silent countdown to Jimmy, they both dropped their wires on three and leapt back in unison, their arms raised defensively. The oil lamps continued to flicker while they held their breaths. Nothing happened. Sighing deeply, Jimmy looked back at them and nodded for them to follow. They walked slowly, measuring each step carefully, especially Cripper. For the first time in their heist, the big man looked nervous. His every footstep elicited a creak from the floorboards that set their hearts racing. Ahab¡¯s hallway was airless. The temperature slowly ratcheted up the deeper they went. Sweat poured down the small of Nairo¡¯s back. Whether it was the fear of losing a limb to some misbegotten trap or just the lack of air in the place, Nairo found herself struggling for breath. It felt like they were traversing deeper and deeper underground, buried under thousands of tonnes of rock and earth. Jimmy held up a hand for them to stop. Using the dancing light of an oil lamp, he flicked sweat out of his eyes, and peered at the map. ¡°Wildman¡¯s walk,¡± he whispered to them and pointed at the stretch of hall in front of them. ¡°We need to get in single file and I mean single file. There is literally only one floorboard we can walk safely across without setting it off.¡± ¡°Setting off what?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Dunno. Could be anything with these lot,¡± Jimmy answered. ¡°I once saw a rig designed to drop a bookshelf on a man if he lifted a teapot,¡± Barney said. ¡°You know, talking to you is like asking the mud where the puddle is,¡± Ridley grumbled. ¡°Gosh! What a charming colloquialism! You are a treat Master Ridley,¡± Barney beamed brightly at Ridley. ¡°Not enough people say so,¡± Ridley said. ¡°More fool them.¡± ¡°Can we get on?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Which floorboard is safe.¡± ¡°Oh they always mark these things, dead forgetful some of our lot.¡± Barney dropped to a knee and slid his finger across the carpet. ¡°Here we go! X marks the spot!¡± He pointed to a crude X that had been carved into the thick carpet. ¡°Who would have thought politicians and pirates would have so much in common,¡± Ridley said with a roll of his eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t see it myself,¡± Barney said. ¡°The eyepatch would come off as a tad ostentatious, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ridley said, nonplussed. ¡°Right, Barney you first.¡± Jimmy interrupted. ¡°Good man! Leading the charge is where an Archibald-Sterling feels most comfortable!¡± With a grace to be expected of one as elegant as Barnabus Archibald-Sterling, he tiptoed his way across the board, never wavering in the slightest. As he made his way, Jimmy turned and nodded to Nairo. ¡°You¡¯re up next, Sarge.¡± Nairo nodded and held out her arms to stay balanced. Following Barney¡¯s footsteps she made it across with only a few nerve wracking stumbles. Jimmy crossed next. Ridley, about to step on the board, was stopped by Cripper. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go last,¡± he said. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to go alone.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± Ridley said when he saw the anxiety in Cripper¡¯s eyes. ¡°After you then.¡± With a shaky foot, Cripper stepped onto the safe floorboard. Nairo realised now why he was so nervous: his foot was as wide as the floorboard. As he stepped forward and the floorboard took his whole weight, it creaked awfully and sagged. ¡°Come on Cripper! You¡¯re fine!¡± Jimmy called to him. Cripper shuffled forward on the board. His legs were so thick and muscled, he was having to swing them in a wide arc around each other, wobbling and teetering with every step. ¡°You behind me, spy?¡± he said. ¡°Errr yeah,¡± Ridley lied. He was still tentatively toeing at the floorboard, put off by how it vibrated under Cripper¡¯s weight. ¡°Is he on?¡± Cripper cried to the others, panic in his voice. ¡°He¡¯s on! He¡¯s on, Cripper! Don¡¯t turn around, you''ll lose balance!¡± Jimmy shouted back. ¡°Get on the damn floorboard, Ridley!¡± Nairo hissed. Cursing, Ridley stepped onto the floor board. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me, spy!¡± Cripper moaned over his shoulder to Ridley. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Ridley said, sensing the anxiety coming from the big man. ¡°Just put one foot in front of the other, no rush.¡± ¡°Okay. Okay.¡± Cripper said. ¡°I¡¯m scared of heights.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°We¡¯re on the floor.¡± ¡°But feels like I¡¯ll fall off.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ yeah technically. But you just gotta walk in a straight line.¡± ¡°I can''t look!¡± Cripper cried. ¡°No, don''t do that!¡± Cripper squeezed his eyes shut and took another step forward and then another. His foot slid from the safe board. There was the sound of a ping and then a snap. ¡°Shit! Get down!¡± Ridley shoved at Cripper and threw himself forward. With another tremendous leap, Ridley landed hard, his elbows and face grazed across the carpet. He squeezed his hands over his head and braced. There was a tremendous metallic clang and crash from behind him and he felt pieces of something hard rain down over his back. ¡°Ridley are you alright?¡± Ridley rolled over and looked at Nairo, who was crouching over him. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± ¡°That, my friend, was the Wildman¡¯s Walk, admin edition,¡± Barney said, offering Ridley a hand up. Ridley looked back at where he and Cripper had been standing. Six heavy duty typewriters, hanging from wires, twirled and bumped against each other, smashed and broken, their keys littering the hallway. ¡°Good job our lads are more imaginative than practical,¡± Barney said. ¡°The mechanism must have jammed for a second before releasing the typewriters.¡± Ridley leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. ¡°Nope¡­ I got nothing,¡± he said after a few moments. ¡°Good. That will speed things up,¡± Jimmy said as he dusted down Cripper. ¡°You good mate?¡± Cripper nodded dejectedly. ¡°Sorry spy,¡± he said. ¡°Ahh¡­ don¡¯t worry about it. Not your fault a bunch of batshit crazy Politicians are fighting a guerilla war in the hallways of the Houses of Parliament.¡± ¡°I s¡¯pose,¡± Cripper agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving.¡± Jimmy led the way forward and all of them stepped even more cautiously than before. Before too long, he came to another stop and peered at the map. This stretch of Ahab¡¯s hallway seemed no different than the rest at first glance. But after looking for a few seconds, Nairo realises that one of the braziers was missing, leaving a large patch of pitch black shadow before them. The carpet had also been torn away here, exposing the creaking floorboards below. ¡°D¡¯you think that¡¯s the Sauce n Chutney?¡± Jimmy asked Barney. ¡°Could be¡­ if it is then there should be a pile of¡­¡± Barney knelt down and peered into the darkness. ¡°No one move,¡± he instructed. ¡°Could be another trip wire or pressure pad situation.¡± Barney gently felt around with the tips of his fingers. The darkness somehow made the heat more oppressive. Sweat dripped from Barney¡¯s forehead as he blindly swept his fingertips back and forth. ¡°There it is!¡± He felt his fingers brush along another imperceptible tripwire. With bated breath he followed it back to its source and felt his fingers run through a little pile of something. He scooped up a handful and brought it back to the light. ¡°Pepper salt,¡± he explained to them, holding up the black and white powder. ¡°Dump a cup of water on this and it would blind everyone in a five metre radius.¡± ¡°Blind them!¡± Nairo exclaimed. ¡°Only temporarily, of course.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Ridley said as he inspected the pile. Jimmy reached up above the pile, into the shadows, and carefully picked up a small pail of stale water. He then tapped his foot on a thin metal plate that had been camouflaged with the wall at shin height. The little platform the pail had rested on dropped with thud. ¡°And that would have been us blind,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Smashing bit of subterfuge that,¡± Barney said, clearly impressed. ¡°Surprised it¡¯s not explosive,¡± Ridley mused. ¡°Oh no¡­ use of explosive powders was banned after the Fire of Barren Hall¡­ and the Great Canteen Fire,¡± Barney said. ¡°Oh and the Tea Room explosion. So much broken china that day. I get chills just thinking about it.¡± ¡°Sounds prudent,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Well, even the Houses must modernise in modern times.¡± ¡°Wait, what about the pipebomb?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°In the johnson?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Come on, we¡¯re halfway¡­ and watch out for the lances,¡± Jimmy interjected. ¡°Lances?¡± Nairo said. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± When they rounded the curve of the hallway she did see. There was no subterfuge or subtlety with this trap. About two metres ahead of them was an array of lances set up to skewer anyone fleeing around the corner. ¡°So you get blinded by the Pepper Salt and then you come barreling round the corner in a panic¡­¡± Nairo mused. ¡°And get turned into a shish kebab,¡± Jimmy finished for her. Nairo looked at him with a mixture of fascination and horror. ¡°Politics really is a dirty game, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You got no idea.¡± ¡°Straight to point¡­ I like it,¡± Ridley said with a nod of approval at the lances. ¡°Straight to point, I see what you did there!¡± Barney chortled. ¡°I must write some of these down!¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t get cut,¡± Jimmy said to them. ¡°These things have been around longer than we have, they¡¯re bound to be rusted.¡± With their bellies sucked in, the party skirted round and under the lances. The sounds of their grunting and shuffling feet filled the airless hallways. Sweat dripped down their brows, mixing with the oil lamp soot in the air, coating their faces in grime. Cripper, the last of the group through, looked so miserable even Ridley tried to comfort him. ¡°It¡¯s alright big guy,¡± he said. ¡°Just a little bit more and I mean¡­ can''t get worse right?¡± ¡°Why would you say that again,¡± Nairo sighed. ¡°I¡¯m an optimist,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like small spaces,¡± Cripper moaned. ¡°Ermmm, what doesn''t kill you makes you stronger?¡± Ridley offered instead. ¡°The rain makes you appreciate the sun?¡± ¡°I miss the sun,¡± Nairo said sullenly as they trudged forward. Jimmy looked back over his shoulder at his despondent teammates. ¡°Cheer up, this is the end of the hallway,¡± he called to them. ¡°And Cripper, it¡¯s fish and chip Friday!¡± Cripper suddenly brightened up and gave a wonky tooth smile. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit ol¡¯ chum!¡± Barney laughed. ¡°You¡¯ll be dipping a hunk of haddock into some fresh tartar before you can say¡­ Watch out!¡± Barney cried. He lunged forward and yanked Jimmy backwards. Inches from where Jimmy¡¯s nose had been, a heavy metal blade flew by. It was on some sort of pendulum. It swooshed by and clanged off the wall opposite, sending a shower of bright sparks and knocking one of the braziers off the wall. Shadows danced wildly as the blade swung back the other way. Barney and Jimmy stumbled backwards into Nairo and Ridley. Their panic drove them all to the ground and Cripper¡¯s feet. ¡°That wasn¡¯t on the map,¡± Jimmy said breathlessly as he sat up. There was an ominous creak from below them. ¡°Oh shi¡­¡± Before Ridley could finish, the floor gave way beneath them. There was a thunderous crash and a pall of smoke and dust exploded around them. Silence, punctuated by a few groans wafted out of the hole. ¡°We dead now?¡± Cripper whimpered. ¡°You may wish you were,¡± said a voice from above them. Looking through the dust, Nairo could make out several figures standing at the edge of the hole looking down on them. ¡°You¡¯ve found yourself in the Rabbit¡¯s den!¡± The figures surrounded the mouth of the hole and cackled. Chapter 54 ¡°Identify yourselves! Who are you?¡± Barney shouted up at them. ¡°And how is this hole so deep?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Hush Ridley!¡± ¡°Seriously, we¡¯re on the ninth floor!¡± ¡°We dead?¡± ¡°No Crip, we¡¯re alive,¡± Jimmy reassured the big man. The ragged group helped one another to stand and dust themselves down. Nairo looked around the rough cut hole and knew they were in trouble: the hole was at least three feet taller than her. There was no chance they would be able to climb out. ¡°You¡¯re alive for now but I wouldn¡¯t get too used to it,¡± the man barked from above them and his men guffawed again. ¡°What do we do?¡± Nairo hissed at the others. ¡°We can¡¯t climb out,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think we¡¯re shit out of luck,¡± Ridley said. He pulled a smoke out and lit it while dusting down his legs. ¡°Ahoy there good chap!¡± Barney cried. ¡°We concede to your advantageous position.¡± ¡°Do yer concede?¡± The man repeated and laughed with his men. ¡°Yessir. If I had my white flag I would wave it!¡± ¡°Well¡­ get them out the pit,¡± he barked at his men and disappeared from the pit¡¯s edge. A rope ladder, which was little more than a rope with knots at intervals, rolled down and the five of them eyed it suspiciously. ¡°I¡¯ll go first,¡± Jimmy said. He gripped the rope and pulled himself up. As soon as he was halfway over the edge of the pit, hands grabbed at him and yanked him the rest of the way. There was the sound of a scuffle. ¡°James!¡± Barney shouted. Before they could stop him, he had vaulted up the rope ladder to defend his friend. There was more scuffling and it went quiet. ¡°We have to help!¡± Nairo grabbed hold of the rope ladder but Ridley blocked her. ¡°Oi!¡± Ridley shouted at the top of the pit. ¡°Wot?¡± This was a different voice than the man they had spoken to before, he sounded slightly winded. ¡°If we promise to come up peacefully then you got no need for the rough stuff.¡± ¡°How do we know you¡¯ll keep yer promise?¡± ¡°You got our mates and I¡¯ve been punched enough for one day.¡± There was a pause and some hushed conversation. ¡°Alright, but no funny stuff. ¡®Specially the big fella!¡± Ridley turned to Cripper, but the fight had gone out of the big man. He looked miserable, like an animal trapped in a cage. All he wanted was out of the pit. ¡°Deal.¡± Ridley took a deep breath and pulled himself hand over hand up the ladder. This time hands didn¡¯t grab him and he was able to clear the pit. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Nairo called up. ¡°Yeah, ow¡­ piss of with putting it on that tight!¡± Nairo looked at Cripper and then gave him a reassuring smile before she hopped onto the rope and pulled herself up. As she cleared the pit she was greeted by six very dirty men. They all had bizarre hair that was shaved at angles and tied up at the top of their skulls. Their clothes seem to be a mishmash of items they had stolen or looted: too big, mismatching colours, and most were torn and bloody. Each one of them had a collection of necklaces around their necks, fashioned from a length of cord and various trinkets taken from their enemies. Four of the filthy men surrounded her friends. Barney and Jimmy had their hands tied behind their backs and their mouths gagged. Ridley was fussing and arguing with his own captor about the fit of his restraints. The remaining two men approached Nairo, leering at her and holding up a rope. Nairo felt herself tense but she didn¡¯t put up a fight. Soon all five of them, including a dirty and traumatised Cripper, were bound and sat on the floor against a wall of the hallway. ¡°What¡¯s the plan here, John?¡± Ridley asked one of their captors. ¡°Shut up!¡± he spat back. ¡°Boss is on the way¡­ and me name¡¯s not John.¡± ¡°So why did you tell me your name was John?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°No I didn¡¯t!¡± the man snapped, stamping his bare foot for emphasis. ¡°Must have been one of them,¡± Ridley said, his voice was placid, almost friendly. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Your mates over there.¡± Ridley nodded his head at the other men who were gathered round sharing a cigarette and putting their fake floor back together. ¡°Who was it? Was it Colin? He¡¯s always had it out for me,¡± the man twitched and scowled at the back of one of the men. ¡°Colin the fella with the hammer?¡± ¡°No, that''s Charlie.¡± ¡°I thought Charlie was the fella in the nice hat.¡± ¡°No, that''s Roger, and that was my hat before he nicked it!¡± ¡°I see,¡± Ridley leaned his head back and went quiet. ¡°Timothy, help us with these damned boards and stop working yer mouth!¡± Colin shouted at their captor. Timothy grumbled a few curses and kissed one of the trinkets around his neck before walking over to help. While the men were busy, Nairo was frantically looking around for something to cut her bonds with, but there wasn¡¯t so much as a rusty screw around them. Jimmy was leaning back with his eyes shut while Barney was furiously mumbling under his gag. To their left, Nairo heard more footsteps as three more men arrived. The man striding at their centre was tall and stood with a proud posture. He had a thin, wiry frame and a weather beaten face. He had a strong jaw but was balding on his scalp with neatly combed hair on the sides of his head. He wore a fine dark morning coat that was too short at the sleeves, with a bright splash of blood across the front and a thick wooden club on his hip. ¡°Well, what the bloody hell is this rag tag group doing in my hallways?¡± He had a trilling northern twang to his voice marking him as originally from the agricultural suburbs in the forests north of the city. ¡°Found ¡®em in the pit!¡± the man said, holding them captive. ¡°Did yer now?¡± The man squatted down in front of them. ¡°And what, pray tell, were you doing in my pit?¡± He had a wicked glint in his eyes and the cruel upturn of his thin lips promised he was a man who took pleasure in his work. He ran his eyes across them all and then settled on Barney. ¡°Ho ho lads! You¡¯ve fished yourself a man o¡¯ the Party by the looks of him. And he seems to have a lot to say.¡± He reached up and pulled the gag from Barney¡¯s mouth. ¡°You filthy scoundrel! Who do you think you are! How dare you truss up a card carrying member up like some pig in a fair! We conceded the advantage! Do you have no shame? No sense of decorum? No respect for the Etiquettes!¡± Barney was practically frothing at the mouth, such was his indignation. ¡°Definitely a man o¡¯ the Party.¡± The man shoved Barney¡¯s gag back in his mouth and clouted him across the head with the back of his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Mickey Parqs of the Rebel Rabbits and this is my floor now.¡± He stood up and put the boots to Barney. ¡°Hold on wait!¡± Nairo shouted. ¡°You can¡¯t just do this!¡± ¡°Why not!¡± he snarled and spun on Nairo. ¡°Because¡­ there are laws,¡± Nairo almost quelled under his ferocity but she kept her nerve. ¡°Laws?¡± Mickey stood there perplexed for a moment before he burst into uproarious laughter. ¡°Sweetheart, this is the Houses of Parliament, shit on your laws!¡± He laughed in her face before turning back to his men. ¡°Stand ¡®em up!¡± Nairo was grabbed hold of and hauled to her feet. They were all slammed against the wall before the men retreated. ¡°Hey Cripper, if you¡¯re going to snap these ropes and do your smashing thing, I think it should be sooner rather than later,¡± Ridley whispered to Cripper. The big man just hung his head dejectedly. All the fight had gone out of him in this cramped dark hallway that wouldn¡¯t end. In the process of being lifted Jimmy¡¯s gag had come loose. He spat the gag out of his mouth and locked eyes with Mickey. ¡°You might not care about the laws out there but you damn well know there¡¯s Etiquette in here and no one¡¯s above it!¡± ¡°And who the hell are you?¡± Mickey growled at him. ¡°Peter Hicks¡¯ boy,¡± Jimmy lied. Mickey paused and considered this new information. ¡°Well you ain''t a party man so what happens to you ain''t really so important. Tell you wot though, I¡¯m always in need of some fresh knuckles. Come over to the Rabbits and you¡¯ll have plenty of work.¡± The men around Mickey laughed again as if on cue. ¡°Come over to you?¡± Jimmy didn¡¯t try to hide the scorn in his voice. ¡°What? Some ragtag little offshoot taking advantage of a bit of chaos. What do you think is gonna happen to you when this Lockout ends?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Barney, with indignant fury powering his mandibles, had managed to chew through his gag and it was at this point he exploded on the men. ¡°Turncoats! Traitors! The wrath of a thousand honourable men will crash down on your pathetic little group of misfit ministers! We shall wage such war it will make future generations shudder anytime they walk past this building! I will personally ensure your name is torn from every scrap of paper in this hallowed building and burnt in the fires of the centre hall! Your sad little insignia will hang from my bathroom wall and serve as a warning to all to¡­¡± Barney¡¯s tirade was extinguished by a sudden club around the jaw from Mickey¡¯s club. Barney¡¯s eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped to the floor unconscious. The smile dropped from Mickey¡¯s mouth to be replaced with a dark slash. ¡°Party men¡­ talk too much,¡± he grunted. ¡°Now you¡¯ve done it,¡± Jimmy said, his eyes bright with fury. ¡°Oh yeah and what have I done?¡± ¡°He¡¯s an Archibald-Sterling you idiot,¡± Jimmy said with a cold smirk on his face. Mickey¡¯s eyes widened and his face paled. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± one of the men behind him enquired. ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way, his great great granda¡¯s name is above the door when you walk in this place,¡± Mickey said with a sneer. He paused for a moment, running his tongue over his teeth. ¡°Not a problem¡­¡± he said finally before turning back to Jimmy. ¡°As long as he never leaves this floor.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Colin, reset the Slicer,¡± Mickey said while giving Jimmy a wicked smile. ¡°No stop! You can¡¯t!¡± Jimmy hopped, his feet bound together, as he tried to stop the men grabbing hold of the barely conscious Barney. They clubbed Jimmy and Nairo back and Nairo as they tried to intervene. ¡°You can¡¯t do this! This is murder!¡± Nairo cried out. ¡°Oh shut up you tart! Timothy!¡± Mickey barked at the man who had been guarding them. ¡°Go back to the HQ. Get a couple of extra boys and some of those big burlaps sacks¡­ and a saw. The rest of you grab hold of them.¡± ¡°Barney!¡± Jimmy screamed as he fought against the hands holding him down. ¡°How about a wager Mr Parqs?¡± Ridley didn¡¯t raise his voice, but it still cut across the chaos. ¡°What was that?¡± Mickey said, turning his attention to Ridley. ¡°Well it¡¯s bad luck to kill a stranger without giving him a fair shake,¡± Ridley explained. ¡°It is?¡± asked one of the other men. ¡°Oh yes, they say his spirit will haunt you forever more.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that!¡± cried another man fearfully. ¡°No you haven¡¯t!¡± ¡°Yes I have! Happened to my n¡¯uncle Teribald.¡± ¡°Yer n¡¯nuncle Teribald was a drunk just like you!¡± ¡°You take that back or¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Mickey growled before turning back to Ridley. ¡°What did yer have in mind?¡± ¡°A game¡­ well not so much a game as a bit of magic,¡± Ridley said to him with a smile. ¡°What¡¯re you talking about?¡± ¡°Three floors underneath here is a locker. In that locker is a payment meant for some fat minister. If you win the game I¡¯ll give you the combination,¡± Ridley said calmly. ¡°And if you win?¡± Mickey said with narrowed eyes. ¡°If I win you let us go. Nice and simple.¡± ¡°No chance. I can¡¯t let these two go,¡± he pointed his club at Jimmy and Barney. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Let me and the girl go and you do what you want with the others.¡± ¡°What are you talking about Ridley?¡± Nairo hissed. Ridley said nothing and kept his eyes firmly on Mickey, who mulled this over while rubbing the end of his club. ¡°How do I know you got any gold? Could be nonsense.¡± ¡°Your men can accompany us down to the locker,¡± Ridley offered. ¡°No chance. The second you see one of your party pals you¡¯ll run,¡± Mickey growled. ¡°The girl stays ¡®til you come back with the gold.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Colin, I need something to use as a table.¡± ¡°How did he know me name?¡± the man named Colin gasped. ¡°Same way I know his name¡¯s Roger,¡± Ridley said as he stepped forward, the rope falling from his wrists as if it were never tied. ¡°How¡¯d he do that!¡± Colin cried while Roger gawped. ¡°I¡¯m magic,¡± Ridley said with a wink. The men quivered, kissing the talismans around their necks, before jumping up to find a table. They dragged a shard of broken wood and propped it up to make a makeshift table. ¡°So, what¡¯s the game?¡± Mickey said, although he sounded less certain than he did before. ¡°Easy, I need a pack of cards,¡± Ridley held out his hand expectantly. ¡°What, none of you have a deck of cards?¡± ¡°Give him some cards,¡± Mickey barked impatiently. The men jumped and one of them fished around his pockets until he found a dogeared set of playing cards. ¡°Excellent,¡± Ridley began shuffling and cutting the cards with practised fluidity. ¡°Ridley, what is this?¡± Jimmy said, his voice cold as he eyed the PI suspiciously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Jim, I¡¯m a professional,¡± Ridley answered without looking at him. ¡°Right, it''s a simple game¡­¡± Ridley''s voice cracked and he hacked and coughed. ¡°Charlie, could I get some water before we continue?¡± he croaked. ¡°¡®E knows me name!¡± Charlie howled like a dog after its tail had been stepped on. ¡°Quiet fool!¡± Mickey snapped at him. ¡°¡®E is magick, boss! Maybe we should be careful, ¡®e might put a curse on us!¡± Charlie babbled. ¡°My nuncle Teribald¡­¡± ¡°Would you shut up about your nuncle Teribald!¡± Mickey snarled. ¡°Colin, get him some water. Bathroom¡¯s just there.¡± Colin leapt to it and ran down the hallway. They heard the heavy clunk of a tap turning and the sound of water. He came sprinting back with a tin cup full of water. Ridley took it appreciatively and sipped while clearing his throat noisily. ¡°Oof, that dust is a killer,¡± he said, smiling at Mickey again. ¡°Get on with it,¡± Mickey growled. Ridley set the cup down between them and went back to shuffling the cards. Mickey¡¯s eyes followed his hands like a hound after the hare. ¡°Right, nice and easy,¡± Ridley said. ¡°You ever played Deadman¡¯s card?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± one of the men said. ¡°No you haven¡¯t!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell him that!¡± ¡°Shut yer idiot mouths!¡± Mickey snarled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s easy,¡± Ridley kept twirling the cards around and around as he explained. ¡°We each draw one card and the other has to guess what it is and to make sure neither man cheats, we must mark the card with our blood,¡± Ridley raised his index finger and smirked. ¡°How the hell are you gonna guess my card?¡± Mickey growled with his arms folded across his chest. ¡°I¡¯m magic,¡± Ridley repeated as he held the deck out to Mickey. Again Mickey fell silent. He ran his tongue over his teeth as he thought. ¡°How much gold is in that locker?¡± Mickey said. ¡°Almost an ounce,¡± Ridley replied, watching Mickey¡¯s eyes light with greed. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s do it.¡± Mickey reached forward and pulled a card from the deck, careful to keep it hidden. Ridley did the same and placed his card down in front of him. ¡°Now we need to mark them,¡± Ridley explained. Mickey pulled a knife from his boot and pricked the end of his finger. He let the blood well up before pressing his finger on the face of his card. Ridley held his hand for the knife and Mickey hesitated. ¡°You either vastly overestimate me or underestimate yourselves if you think I can take all of you out with a steak knife.¡± Mickey nodded and handed the knife over. Ridley pricked his finger and, with a showman¡¯s flourish, he pressed his finger to the face of his card. With another bit of showmanship, Ridley twirled the knife and then stabbed it into the table between them. ¡°Okay, now I¡¯m gonna pick my card up and have a look. To prevent any skullduggery, I¡¯m going to have to insist you and your mates close your eyes while I look.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Mickey snorted. ¡°So you can try and do a runner the second our eyes shut! Nice try lad.¡± ¡°Fine, you look first and I¡¯ll cover my eyes. Okay?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fall for it, boss!¡± Roger said, pointing an accusatory finger at Ridley. ¡°His mates will see your card and tell him. That¡¯s how he¡¯s gonna cheat us!¡± Mickey turned to Ridley, his eyes cold with fury. ¡°Ahh, you think you¡¯re clever don¡¯t you?¡± Mickey growled. Ridley held up his hands. ¡°Nothing like that¡­¡± ¡°Then they have to shut their eyes too,¡± Mickey said, jabbing a finger at the others. ¡°Fair enough,¡± Ridley said. He turned in his seat and looked at them. There was something strange in his eyes. Something that, despite everything she knew about Ridley, told Nairo to trust him. Nairo gave him one last look and then she closed her eyes. ¡°In fact, turn around.¡± Ridley instructed them. ¡°That way no one can be accused of cheating. The captive co-op did as they were told and turned to face the wall with their eyes shut. ¡°Okay Mr Parq, have a good look at your card,¡± Nairo heard Ridley say. She heard the gentle gentle swish of a card being slid across the table. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Just put it back right here in the middle of the table next to the cup.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°One last thing Mr Parq,¡± Ridley said. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as Deadman¡¯s cards.¡± There was a sudden whooshing sound and Nairo felt an almost imperceptible wave of heat wash over her. Then the screaming began. ¡°My eyes!¡± ¡°He¡¯s burned out my eyes!¡± Nairo heard the table crash over and as she opened her eyes, she saw Ridley, knife in hand, dart to Jimmy¡¯s legs and cut through his ropes. The Rabbits were howling and clutching at their eyes, falling over themselves as they screamed in pain. ¡°Run!¡± Ridley shouted over the din. Nairo took off immediately and without thought. ¡°Cripper, grab Barney!¡± she heard Jimmy shout from behind her and then they were all tearing through the remainder of the hall. ¡°Turn left!¡± Jimmy screamed. ¡°And wake up Barney!¡± Nairo looked left and saw Ridley, red faced, and huffing. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Pepper Salt!¡± he shouted back to her breathlessly. ¡°Nicked some back there. Didn¡¯t think it would come in handy so soon!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bloody genius PI!¡± Jimmy crowed exultantly. Their celebration was cut short as they heard running and cursing behind them. ¡°Guess it doesn¡¯t last that long,¡± Ridley said. Nairo looked over her shoulder and saw the Rabbits peeling after them, weapons raised, eyes bloodshot, noses streaming, and baying for blood. Jimmy, running next to Cripper, reached up and slapped Barney on the face. ¡°Wake up Barney! This ain¡¯t the time for a nap mate!¡± ¡°Wots that¡­¡± Barney mumbled weakly. ¡°What the devils going on, James?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in the Houses on a mission. You took a bang to the bonce but you''re fine,¡± Jimmy explained. ¡°Glad to hear,¡± Barney said, the strength returning slowly to his voice. ¡°Well bad news is, the fellas that did you in are currently on our six with murder on their minds and we¡¯re coming up to the Civvie Portal and I need you awake and ready to deal with that.¡± ¡°Oh dear¡­ this all sounds frightfully much for this time of the morning, James. Couldn¡¯t we deal with this after lunch?¡± Barney mumbled. ¡°We¡¯re dealing with it right now!¡± They arrived at the Civvie Portal, which for its exotic name, turned out to be yet another stained wood door with frosted panelling and a heavy gilt brass knob. Cripper deposited Barny onto his feet where he swayed drunkenly. ¡°Wake up Barney!¡± Jimmy said frantically. ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± Ridley said. The Rabbits were so close he could see the veins in their mad eyes. ¡°Now Barney!¡± Jimmy cried. ¡°Oh bother.¡± Barney straightened his jacket best he could and smoothed back his bouncy blonde locks. He cleared his throat and gave the door three clear raps. The Rabbits were on them. ¡°Man of the Party to meet about Party business!¡± he shouted at the door and the Rabbit¡¯s stopped dead in their tracks. ¡°¡®Fraid we¡¯ve got Party business with a Civil Servant, so you know what that means.¡± Jimmy eyed Mickey coldly. Mickey made a motion to step forward and then stopped, chewing the inside of his cheek with hate in his bloodshot eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s just do ¡®em!¡± Roger growled, levelling a serrated blade at Jimmy. ¡°Do it and your whole party will be blacklisted and tossed out of here before you stop seeing double,¡± Jimmy snarled back. ¡°Alright lad,¡± Mickey said, nodding his head, a wicked grin on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely see you again,¡± Jimmy said to him. ¡°I¡¯ll count down the days lad,¡± Mickey snarled back as they retreated. ¡°Who was that?¡± Barney asked, rubbing his jaw ruefully. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let¡¯s get in.¡± Chapter 55 They watched the Rabbits until they disappeared into the darkness and then turned to the door expectantly. After a few moments Barney looked at Jimmy. ¡°Do you s¡¯pose he¡¯s not in?¡± ¡°Have a quick butchers,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Oh dear¡­ terribly bad form to enter another chap¡¯s office without being asked in,¡± Barney said fretfully, tenderly rubbing the knot on his head. ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Ridley said. ¡°No, no¡­ that somehow feels worse,¡± Barney said. With a deep breath, he turned the knob on the door and then poked his head through the opening. He quickly withdrew and gently shut the door. ¡°Bad news,¡± he told them. ¡°What?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°¡®Fraid he¡¯s asleep.¡± ¡°Why is that bad news?¡± Ridley said. ¡°I would hate to wake a chap up from a mid morning siesta.¡± ¡°Barney!¡± Jimmy implored, he had his pocket watch in his hand and was frowning deeply at it. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for every bit of Etiquette. We need to be on the eleventh before the lunch bell.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Barney said. ¡°Still though Jimmy, doesn¡¯t feel right. You know what they say, let a sleeping Civvie lie and all that.¡± ¡°Why do we need to wake him up at all?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°What do you expect? We just tiptoe by and use the portal without permission?¡± Barney said. Nairo looked at Jimmy then at Ridley. ¡°That sounds exactly like what we should do.¡± ¡°Oh dear.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine Barney, we¡¯ll be in and out before the mice even know.¡± ¡°Okay but¡­ Cripper give me that sack.¡± Cripper swung the sack he had been carrying since the beginning of their mission from his shoulder and passed it over. Barney hastily pulled at the drawstrings and peered in. ¡°Aha, just the ticket,¡± Barney withdrew the small box containing the exotic snuff powder he had brought along as a bribe. ¡°Ready?¡± Jimmy asked them. He turned the knob gently and pushed the door open just wide enough for them to silently flit into the office. Nairo found herself in the cleanest office she had been in so far in their journey through the Houses. All the furniture was intact, the carpets and drapes were spotless and there was even a pleasant fragrance in the air. The room was uniform in its layout: filing cabinet, bookcase, large dark oak desk, and half eaten breakfast going stale on a silvery tray. The desk was bare, devoid of anything other than a writing pad and traditional ink well. Behind the empty desk sat a fastidiously dressed little man in a light grey three piece suit with diamond blue tie and crisp white shirt. He had his feet up on the desk and his hands behind his head, snoring gently. Nairo eyed the almost empty bottle of liquor on the desk and surmised he would probably be out of it until lunch. On light feet, the group tiptoed past the sleeping civil servant, except for Barney. He had stopped at the desk opposite the man and was having a hushed one sided conversation. ¡°Barney,¡± Jimmy hissed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Observing etiquette,¡± Barney whispered back brusquely. ¡°Mr Littlewaithe, you¡¯re looking particularly spiffy today, is that a new suit?¡± he whispered to the sleeping man. ¡°Oh why thank you. I¡¯ve got the most wonderful tailor, I¡¯ll put you in touch with him¡­ Ridley, leave that alone!¡± Ridley looked up from the filing cabinet that had ¡®accidentally¡¯ fallen open when he walked by it and shrugged at Barney. ¡°C¡¯mon Barney,¡± Jimmy whispered nervously. He had found the door to the portal and was standing by it impatiently. ¡°One moment¡­ ummm¡­ how¡¯s the family¡­ etcetera etcetera¡­ don¡¯t suppose you could help a chap in a bind¡­ well of course I haven¡¯t come empty handed¡­¡± ¡°Barney!¡± ¡°Right! Here!¡± Barney placed the snuff box on the desk and slid it towards the sleeping civil servant with a wink. ¡°Mums the word and all that.¡± ¡°Done?¡± ¡°Etiquette has been observed.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± Jimmy turned the handle to the door and then walked loudly into the door as it jammed shut. They all stopped and turned to the sleeping man. He twitched and shifted but slept on. ¡°It¡¯s locked!¡± Jimmy hissed. ¡°I kick it?¡± Cripper said, attempting a whisper but it was more of a low groaning noise. ¡°No,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°There must be a key.¡± He looked around the office. As one, they began to creep around the snoozing civil servant¡¯s office, slowly opening and closing draws and looking in pots and containers. ¡°Desk,¡± Nairo mouthed to Ridley. Together, they each took one side of the double drawed desk. The drawers were heavy and their tracks tended to stick halfway. Breath held, they searched through each drawer. As Nairo was finishing with her third and final drawer she noticed something in the man¡¯s breast pocket. There was a little glint of copper. ¡°Pocket,¡± she mouthed at Ridley and pointed to his chest. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Barney stood behind them nervously fretting as Nairo¡¯s hand snaked by inches from the civil servant¡¯s face. She reached over his shoulder and slid two fingers into his pocket. She gripped the thin key between her grimy fingers and slowly withdrew it. The man shifted across and then wafted his hand in front of his face as if to ward off flies. Suddenly, his snore caught in his throat and he spluttered awake. As one the group dived for cover like roaches when a light is turned on. Ridley and Nairo quickly stepped behind his chair, while Jimmy and Cripper hunkered down behind the grand mahogany desk. Barney was the only one without cover. With only a split second to act, he spun, yanked his coat over his head and hung himself on the coat rack by the bookshelf. He stood perfectly still. The man coughed and blinked heavily twice. He then snuggled himself into his chair and fell straight back to sleep. After a minute or two, Jimmy popped his head over the desk and looked at Nairo and Ridley. Nairo held up the key and Jimmy gave her a thumbs up. They crept around the man¡¯s desk and slid the lock into the key. Jimmy turned the key so slowly they could hear the individual pins unlocking until finally the door was open. ¡°Leave the key in the lock,¡± Jimmy whispered as Barney closed the door behind them with a soft click. As one they exhaled the breath they had been holding. ¡°Oh I do not like this one bit James,¡± Barney moaned. ¡°Breaking Civvie Etiquette is deeply frowned upon.¡± ¡°Laws only count if you get caught breaking them,¡± Ridley said nonchalantly. ¡°No they don¡¯t!¡± Nairo snapped. ¡°And we¡¯re not talking about laws! We¡¯re talking about Etiquette!¡± Barney wailed morosely. ¡°A man who doesn¡¯t observe Etiquette is¡­ is¡­ well he¡¯s not the kind of chap who gets invited round for a cuppa! What would grandpappy say if he saw me sneaking round and pilfering from a Civvie!¡± Barney looked to the heavens fretfully. ¡°Shh,¡± Jimmy hissed. ¡°Come on, we can worry about Etiquette later.¡± They shuffled across the short hallway and through another door. ¡°Ahh the portal!¡± Barney said. The Portal, it turned out, was a simple set of polished, wooden steps. ¡°They¡¯re so clean,¡± Nairo moaned at the sight of them. ¡°And there¡¯s no traps, or guards, or anything!¡± ¡°And there¡¯s no noise, listen.¡± Ridley cocked his ear and drank in the peaceful silence. He limped over to the steps and sat down with a sigh. ¡°We ain¡¯t got time to sit Ridley,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°No, I think Master Ridley is on to something,¡± Barney said, easing himself down next to Ridley. ¡°Just for a mo¡­ till the room stops spinning.¡± ¡°Think we need five minutes,¡± Nairo said to Jimmy. ¡°Yeah maybe,¡± Jimmy massaged the back of his neck and only just noticed the bruising starting to form from the ropes that had bound his wrists. ¡°I say, my bonce is throbbing something fierce,¡± Barney tenderly touched at the lump forming on the side of his head. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re all a bit worse for wear,¡± Nairo said. She looked around the circle and there wasn¡¯t a single one of them without the beginnings of black eyes, cuts and bloodied lips. ¡°Rough day in politics,¡± Barney replied and stretched out his legs. ¡°Where to next, James?¡± Jimmy pulled out the battered map and tutted when he saw a piece of it had torn away and flapped in his hands. ¡°Well, good news is I think the fisticuffs are over.¡± ¡°And the bad news?¡± Ridley asked while lighting a smoke for himself and Barney. ¡°If we get caught now it¡¯ll probably be classed as treason. At best we¡¯ll be expelled from the Houses permanently and at worst we¡¯ll all be sitting in a cell together up Blackwater.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ now comes the time for skullduggery!¡± Barney exclaimed as he swayed drunkenly on the step. ¡°Yeah, I think.¡± Jimmy held the map up against the wall and pointed to their current location. ¡°These stairs will take us up to the twelfth. From there we need to get over to the Eastern side of the floor so we can grapple up the burned out staircase.¡± Jimmy pointed to a beautifully drawn set of stairs that had then been scrawled over by what appeared to have been a drunk toddler. They had drawn haphazard flames all over the stairs and then put a big red X across it for good measure. ¡°From the twelfth to the fifteenth are Pleasently¡¯s strongholds: there won¡¯t be no warring up there.¡± ¡°Just a mob of Oppos and cursed grey coats!¡± Barney grimaced. ¡°Exactly, we ain¡¯t fighting our way across there,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°I think I¡¯ve had my fill of getting shit kicked out of me anyway,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°It¡¯s gonna have to be real quiet and sneaky,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to take down five men so we can take their coats and disguise ourselves¡­¡± Cripper stood up while Jimmy was talking. ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± he said. ¡°Crip?¡± Jimmy looked up at the massive bruiser. ¡°I¡¯m not for sneaking and being quiet,¡± he said morosely. Jimmy looked at his giant friend and saw the dozens of wounds he had picked up already and the sad defeat in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m taking the Portal back down. Sorry Jimmy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright Crip. We couldn¡¯t have got this far without you,¡± Jimmy said as he patted Cripper on the shoulder. ¡°Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done. You¡¯ve saved my neck at least twice today.¡± Nairo tried in vain to put her arms around Cripper¡¯s thick waist, so she settled on hugging his arm instead. ¡°Top work old lad, genuinely splendid stuff,¡± Barney said with a wonky smile. Cripper nodded and quickly turned around. ¡°Hey big man,¡± Ridley called after him. Cripper turned around and looked at the PI. ¡°You know Little Kang in Gnome Town?¡± Cripper nodded. ¡°Come look for me when this is all done, we¡¯ll grab a drink.¡± Ridley said with a small smile. Cripper practically beamed at Ridley and nodded. ¡°Okay spy.¡± ¡°Get yourself quickly and quietly back to the lift. Ring the bell and barricade the door and Phineas¡¯ll come back to get you,¡± Jimmy instructed. ¡°And make sure you save us a couple of spots at lunch.¡± ¡°Fish ¡®n¡¯ chips.¡± Cripper grinned broadly and made his way creakily down the stairs. Jimmy turned back to the remaining troops and set his jaw resolutely. ¡°We ready?¡± ¡°Tip top and ship shape,¡± Barney stood with only the slightest hint of a wobble in his legs. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to lose the coat Barney,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°No!¡± Barney gasped. ¡°In my experience skullduggery is a lot harder to pull off in midnight blue,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I suppose the rose doesn¡¯t belong with the headstones,¡± Barney pontificated. ¡°Exactly,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°And the graveyard is all the worse for it,¡± Barney said with a poetic lilt. He stood with the noble posture of a captain going down with the ship and slowly peeled his coat from his shoulders. With a flourish and fold he held in his coat draped across his arms like a fallen comrade. ¡°I hate to leave the old gal here like this,¡± he said mournfully. ¡°I understand,¡± Ridley said, placing a consolatory hand on Barney¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve got a coat too.¡± Barney held his hand and patted it. Gently, he draped it across the bannister of the staircase. ¡°Fret not old gal, I shall return for you when this is all done.¡± ¡°Shall we,¡± Nairo asked, using all of her willpower to not roll her eyes. ¡°Yes, let us complete the mission so our fallen combrade¡¯s sacrifices were not made in vain!¡± Barney alighted the first step with a renewed fire in his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Jimmy followed excitedly up the stairs. Nairo watched them jog up the stairs and then offered a hand to help Ridley up. ¡°By fallen comrades he means his coat doesn''t he?¡± she asked him. ¡°You¡¯re damn right!¡± Ridley rushed past her up the stairs. She could have sworn she saw him wipe a tear from his eye. ¡°Here we go,¡± Nairo muttered to herself as she limped up the staircase wondering what peril awaited them. Chapter 56 They had traversed the staircase with no interruptions and found a locked door at the top. After Ridley picked the lock, followed by a surreptitious kick from Jimmy, they found themselves in an identical Civil Servants¡¯ office as the one two floors below. This room, thankfully, was empty. ¡°This floor¡¯s gonna be swarming with grey coats,¡± Jimmy said to them. ¡°Keep an eye out, we¡¯re gonna need to nab ''em one, maybe two, at a time at most. We can¡¯t afford to arouse any suspicions.¡± Jimmy popped the office door open, had a quick scope around, and then beckoned them to follow him. In single file they crept down the empty hallway. The hallways of this floor were clean and, most importantly, devoid of roving mobs. ¡°No good James,¡± Barney whispered. ¡°Too open here, even if we did catch a single fella, by the time we strip him and swap clothes, we¡¯d surely be rumbled.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jimmy agreed with a look of concern across his face. ¡°We need somewhere that we know they¡¯re guaranteed to go alone or in pairs,¡± Ridley said thinking aloud. ¡°Where we can catch them unaware,¡± Barney added. ¡°Somewhere we can isolate them away from witnesses,¡± Jimmy concluded. Nairo had stopped walking while they pondered the location of their ambush. ¡°What about there?¡± Nairo asked, pointing to the men¡¯s toilet. ¡°The lav?¡± Barney asked, aghast. ¡°Oof Sarge, jumping a geezer while he¡¯s having a slash, that¡¯s low.¡± Ridley admonished. ¡°Bad form really,¡± Barney tutted. ¡°They¡¯ll be alone, unaware, and vulnerable!¡± Nairo argued. ¡°Exactly!¡± Ridley and Barney said in unison. ¡°Exactly,¡± Jimmy said with a tilt of his head. ¡°Come on, before we¡¯re spotted,¡± Nairo said as she led them into the men¡¯s toilet. ¡°There¡¯s just some things you don¡¯t do James,¡± Barney moaned as he followed them in. * They barely had time to get into position before their first victim strolled into the toilet. Ridley, Nairo, and a begrudging Barney, hid in the stall while Jimmy stood at the urinals. The man who had come to relieve himself was dressed in the typical uniform of Pleasently¡¯s thugs: a heavy charcoal grey overcoat, a dark newsboy cap, matching dark waistcoat, and a crumpled workman''s shirt with no tie. He whistled to himself as he began his business. Jimmy hesitated and the man noticed the furtive looks Jimmy was giving him. ¡°You alright?¡± the man asked suspiciously. ¡°Yeah¡­ thought I had to go but now I don''t,¡± Jimmy answered lamely. ¡°Where you from?¡± the man asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°I don¡¯t recognise you.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ about that,¡± Jimmy leapt just as the man started to withdraw a short club from within his coat. Jimmy grabbed the bat and as the man twisted he sprayed piss across the bathroom. ¡°Ughhh,¡± Jimmy groaned in disgust. He wrestled with the thug as the toilet stall¡¯s door exploded open and the four of them bundled on to the still urinating man. ¡°Gerroff me!¡± the thug snarled. He lashed out with his foot and caught Ridley in the stomach and then tried to bite Jimmy¡¯s hand. Nairo grabbed his greasy hair and pulled his gnashing teeth away while Jimmy tried to trap his arms. The man was strong and desperate. He bucked and fought against them like a wild animal. ¡°Terribly sorry about this old chap,¡± Barney said as he rapped the man across the back of the head with his own club. It took two blows before he finally went limp. The four of them stood around the fallen man trying to catch their breath. ¡°Can we brain the next one before he starts pissing?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Agreed,¡± Barney said, while fastidiously washing his hands in the sink. ¡°Drag him into the stall,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Tie him up with his belt and take his coat, hat and any weapons.¡± Ridley and Nairo grabbed him under his armpits and began heaving the unconscious lump into the stall. The door to the men¡¯s room banged open and two more men walked in laughing. ¡°And then I took the pole and shoved it¡­¡± the first man stopped as he took in the sight before him. ¡°Now, let¡¯s not overreact fellas¡­¡± Jimmy said calmly. ¡°What the f¡­¡± the man didn¡¯t finish his thought as Ridley leapt from the stall next to him and thumped him across the head with a blackjack he had found on the unconscious man. ¡°Ow! What you do that for!¡± Ridley just stood and looked at the man perplexed for a moment before raising the blackjack again. That was when both thugs seemed to come to their senses after their initial shock and realised there was violence to be had. The second man through the door drew a small pole from his coat sleeve and the one Ridley had hit charged at Ridley, his hands finding the PI¡¯s throat. Ridley was slammed backwards into the stall he had come from, trapping Nairo and the unconscious, partially tied up thug. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°He¡¯s choking me!¡± Ridley croaked as they slipped and tripped in the confined stall. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± Nairo fought breathlessly as she was crushed under their weight, the tiny stall providing no space to swing a punch or wriggle free. Instead, she did the only thing she could: she swung her free foot between Ridley¡¯s legs. She was rewarded with a soft oomph noise as all the air left the attacker¡¯s body, but the thug wasn¡¯t the only one she hit. ¡°You kicked me!¡± Ridley wheezed as he, and his former attacker, both curled over in agony. ¡°Sorry,¡± Nairo said sheepishly. Outside the stall, Barney and Jimmy were having a similarly tough time. Their opponent was a wildman. In one hand he swung a pole and the other a razor blade. ¡°Bad form pulling out a cutter in a fist fight!¡± Barney admonished hotly while he danced around the flashing blade. ¡°You¡¯ve jumped me in the pisser!¡± The man retorted with obvious outrage. ¡°That is¡­ a fair point sir,¡± Barney conceded, narrowly dodging the swing of the razor blade. ¡°Politics is a dirty old game.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s clean it up!¡± Jimmy cried as she hurled a brick of soap at the man¡¯s face. He hit him square in the eye, giving the duo the opportunity to rush in and disarm him. But the man would not go down. He roared and fought like a bear. Grappling and sliding across the slick floors, Jimmy lost his footing and was hurled bodily into one of the urinals, breaking it from the wall. Back in the stall, there was a much more sluggish but equally desperate battle raging. No one could gain the upper hand in the cramped space. At some point, the door had slammed shut behind them and dislodged from one of its hinges, trapping all four of them in the cramped cubicle. There was nowhere to step or gain purchase thanks to the unconscious man folded over on the floor. Ridley had gotten his foot stuck in the toilet and Nairo had tripped and was halfway horizontal while she clung to the long coat of the thug. They all threw pointless punches, their elbows slamming painfully into the cubicle walls, and the majority of their blows missing wildly. The combatants grew increasingly sweaty and exhausted as their battle raged on. Outside the stall, Barney had managed to gain the upper hand, relative to his allies. One of the pipes to the urinal had been broken and spewed water across the floor. Barney had taken this chance to get behind his opponent. Initially, he had tried to choke the man out, but when that didn¡¯t work he opted to leap on to his back and ride him to exhaustion. His plan was effective, if somewhat painful, for the rider. The man heaved and bucked, slamming Barney into every sharp corner and unforgiving tiled wall he could find, until his legs went weak and his lungs screamed for reprieve. ¡°I must insist that you desist!¡± Barney growled through clenched teeth. ¡°F-f-fuck off,¡± the man wheezed. ¡°Really there is no cause for vulgarity!¡± With that, Barney was able to slip his forearm under the man¡¯s chin. It didn¡¯t take long. Purple faced, the man thudded to the floor unconscious. Barney pulled himself up, his chest heaving and his mouth bloody from his opponent¡¯s desperate headbutts. He looked around and saw the hurricane of fists and feet flying around the toilet stall. The toilet door had finally come loose of its final hinge and flapped erratically in the fracas. Barney saw his chance and charged across the toilet floor to their rescue, only to hit a puddle of what he hoped was water, and he slid at full tilt into the melee. He slammed chest first into the thug¡¯s back, knocking the wind out of himself, and cracking the man¡¯s head into the toilet cistern. There was a disgusting crunch and finally the cubicle fell still. Barney pulled himself to his feet, like a horse on ice, and surveyed the chaos of the destroyed men¡¯s room. ¡°I say, somewhat less subtle than a chap would have hoped for,¡± he muttered as he rubbed his bruised sternum. ¡°Barney, get this lump off of us!¡± Ridley¡¯s muffled cry came from within the depth of the toilet stall. Grabbing hold of the edges of the stall, Barney gave the unconscious body a tremendous tug, freeing his long trapped comrades. Ridley had at some point freed his foot but then ended up laid across the now broken toilet, his neck stuck awkwardly in the corner of the stall. Nairo, meanwhile, had become jammed into the other corner of the stall: the original man they had ambushed had acted somewhat like a mud slide and trapped her up to her knees. Both her nostrils were streaming blood and there was a chunk of her dark curly hair wafting about her head. ¡°Hate to be the chap with the big bonce but I told you this was a bad idea,¡± Barney said breathlessly. Nairo just nodded and spat blood from her mouth. Together, they pulled Ridley up. He wobbled and stood carelessly on the face of one of the unconscious men as he fought his way, white faced, out of the stall. ¡°Gnome witch said it be in a toilet¡­ but not like this¡­¡± he stumbled and slid over to the sink where he splashed water on his face. Barney and Nairo joined him. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Nairo asked Jimmy, who was still sat on the floor. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± he groaned. ¡°Just waiting for a helping hand.¡± Barney pulled Jimmy to his feet and they leaned on each other, wincing and smarting all over. The two couples exchanged looks with each other. ¡°What happened out here?¡± Ridley asked, looking around the destroyed bathroom. ¡°What happened in there?¡± Jimmy countered as he looked at the state of Nairo¡¯s bloodied face. Ridley looked over at Nairo, who was jamming wadded up tissue into her bleeding nostrils. ¡°I think we¡¯ve all learned a lesson here today,¡± she said solemnly. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ridley agreed, looking at his own battered face in the cracked mirror. ¡°The mens room really is sacred.¡± ¡°Sorry gang, hate to be bobby big bonce again¡­¡± Barney began. ¡°That¡¯s not a saying,¡± Ridley interjected. ¡°Is it not?¡± ¡°No¡­ in fact I would go so far as to bet that no human being has ever put that particular sequence of words together since humanity was squeezed out of the Goo.¡± ¡°Well perhaps not where you grew up,¡± Barney countered genially. ¡°What were you gonna say Barn?¡± Jimmy asked, wringing urinal water out of his hair. ¡°Ahh¡­ yes¡­ hate to say it really¡­ but there¡¯s only three unconscious men here. That means we only have three coats and there¡¯s four of us.¡± He ended his sentence with a very middle class shrug that was all eyes and teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve got another row in me,¡± Jimmy said, leaning heavily on the sink. Half of his face was slowly growing darker with tinges of red and purple: yet another livid bruise to join his growing collection. ¡°I miss Cripper,¡± Ridley moaned. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Nairo asked them. They all looked around them. ¡°We could hope the next fella comes in, slips, and brains himself,¡± Ridley offered. ¡°Maybe we could just threaten the next one,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You know, gimme the coat or end up like this lot.¡± ¡°And what if there¡¯s more than one?¡± Jimmy responded. They fell quiet for a minute. ¡°I say¡­ how curious,¡± Barney said, looking at the toilet stalls. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why would that toilet stall be locked?¡± he replied. All three of them looked at the adjoining toilet stall. The little half circle on the door lock was red. Jimmy, Ridley, and Nairo exchanged looks. ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯re that lucky,¡± Nairo said. ¡°See, that¡¯s where you''re showing your inexperience, Sarge.¡± Ridley said to her with a grin. ¡°No case is ever solved without a bit of blind luck.¡± He limped over to the stool and gave it a little push. The door stayed firmly shut. Ridley put his finger to his lips and then leaned an ear towards the door. In the silence, they could hear a gentle snore coming from within. ¡°No way!¡± Jimmy mouthed. Ridley smirked and then kicked the door open. Inside, a hefty, grey coated man was fast asleep. There was an empty glass bottle at his feet and it was easy to guess why he hadn¡¯t woken up during their brawl. Drunkenly, the man¡¯s eyes fluttered opened. He blinked and smacked his thick wet lips, confusion baked into his doughy face. ¡°Lady luck¡¯s a bitch,¡± Ridley said as he slammed his fist into the man¡¯s face, putting him back to sleep. Chapter 57 After tying up and gagging the four men, Nairo, Ridley, Barney, and Jimmy walked out of the water logged toilet. On their way out, Ridley hung an out of order sign he had found on the door. With their chins tucked and caps low, they hobbled along the Opposition¡¯s hallways. ¡°There¡¯s no way this is going to work,¡± Nairo muttered to Ridley. ¡°You look¡­ passable,¡± Ridley replied without much conviction. Nairo¡¯s disguise had proved particularly difficult as she was about half a foot too short for her coat and her mane of curly hair was barely contained under her cap. A stiff breeze or a sudden move and she would look like a pouncing lion. ¡°Disguises are all about confidence,¡± Ridley explained. ¡°People will always believe you are who they think you are. You just gotta behave like the person they think you are and not the person you actually are. Understand?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Just¡­ try not to draw attention to yourself,¡± Ridley said. ¡°This coat really is awful,¡± Barney moaned, pulling at the heavy grey coat he was suffocating in. ¡°What is it made of? Boar¡¯s brush and dandruff? No wonder they¡¯re all ruffians, I would be too if I spent all day in this thing.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Jimmy whispered back, his eyes darting all around them. He checked his watch and fought against the urge to speed up. ¡°And don¡¯t get me started on this disgusting cap! Feels like a wet rat on my head! This lack of sartorial elegance is so emblematic of Pleasently¡¯s regime! The man doesn¡¯t respect any decorum or tradition¡­¡± ¡°Hush,¡± Jimmy said as he spotted two dark coated figures down the hallway having an animated conversation. ¡°So what happened then?¡± ¡°Well my whole crepe had gone to shit. So, I¡¯m panicking right?¡± ¡°After you whipped all that cream? I¡¯m not surprised.¡± Without missing a step, Jimmy walked by them and gave them a formal grunt and nod. The two men barely looked around as they returned his grunt. Nairo tried to shrink as much as possible behind Ridley. She kept her head and eyes firmly on Barney¡¯s heels. ¡°Oi mate!¡± Her blood froze. ¡°Yeah?¡± Jimmy called back. ¡°Lunch bells ¡®bout to go! You don¡¯t wanna miss fish and chips Friday!¡± he laughed. ¡°Save us a seat!¡± Jimmy said over his shoulder. ¡°Just running an errand for old Mabs then we¡¯ll be down.¡± ¡°I thought Mabs was out of office today?¡± the man replied with a look of confusion. Just as with most dullards on guard duty, confusion easily led to suspicion. Jimmy froze in mid stride. ¡°You think that stops him ordering us around,¡± Ridley said sarcastically. ¡°Ha! Truer words mate!¡± Lambasting a social superior was always the antidote to suspicion. Satisfied, the goon turned back to his confectionery conversation. Jimmy nodded his thanks to Ridley and they continued their agonisingly casual stroll down the hallways. As they rounded a bend, Jimmy checked his pocket watch. ¡°One minute,¡± he whispered to them. ¡°When that bell sounds these hallways¡¯ll be flooded with hungry Members and their gangs. Keep yer heads down and move swiftly behind me and say your pardon me¡¯s if you bump anyone, but don¡¯t stop and don''t look up. If you get lost, keep moving in the same direction and eventually you''ll see a fountain. That¡¯s where we¡¯ll hunker down until the crowd clears. Understood?¡± ¡°Gotcha James!¡± Barney said while Ridley and Nairo nodded. ¡°Alright, any second now.¡± They stood in the little alcove, tucked into the shadows, breaths held. Nairo looked down the wide open planned square that was the floor¡¯s main thoroughfare. There was already a steady trickle of men who had slipped out early to beat the rush. They were like the first few drops of water through a cracking dam. With an ear ringing peal the lunch bell sounded and doors flew open all around. ¡°Now!¡± Jimmy pounced from the alcove and dove into the throng of hungry men, the others following him like ducklings behind their mother. Despite the sudden tsunami of men, it was a surprisingly civilised affair. There was no shoving or bumping into people and eventually the crowd became uniformed lines of men all feeding towards the staircase going down the canteen. Everyone seemed to understand their place and the process that would guide them toward their fish and chips in the most efficient manner. There was, however, a torrent of noise. Conversations in every stage were awash around them until they became a homogenous lump of sound. Nairo, chin glued to her chest, stuck behind Ridley as she weaved in and out of the mass of men. Jimmy led them expertly through the flow of human traffic. He followed the mass clockwise until he spotted the East wing hallway. Now was the artful part. If he turned too sharply he would surely bump someone and attract attention to their infiltration. What they needed to do was gently blend across the lines of moving men, getting in the way but never stepping on any toes. Like a prowling tiger, he picked his next footsteps with the utmost care and attention; whether his comrades could do the same he was unsure. Fortunately, Barney¡¯s naturally good breeding meant he had been avoiding stepping on the toes of powerful men since he learned to toddle and Ridley had spent so much time on the underbelly of society around violent men with hair trigger tempers that his muscles had built in the instinct to avoid clumsiness. Nairo, on the other hand, had grown accustomed to people moving out of her way. Coppers didn¡¯t tend to need to tiptoe around. As such, she quickly became detached from the group. She narrowly avoided the distended gut of one man only to kick the back of the shoe of another and she tried to move horizontally. ¡°Sorry¡± she grunted in her deepest voice and got away before the man had turned around. Nairo followed the flow of traffic for a few moments, waiting for her opportunity to jump lanes. There! A man had stopped to shake hands for a moment. Nairo hopped to her left, and then again, when she saw an older gentleman struggling to keep up and had left a space in front of him. She could see the East hallway exit. But the lines of men were marching inexorably past the exit. She needed to move now before she missed her chance. Hastily, Nairo took a gap to her left as soon as it appeared. As she leapt she saw a foot appear where she intended to land. She twisted in mid air but still clipped the man¡¯s toe as she landed. ¡°Woah¡­ I say easy on there, young fellow!¡± The heavy set man in a pinstripe suit admonished, placing his hands on Nairo¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I dare say, they won¡¯t run out that quickly!¡± He gave a great bellowing laugh, his belly and lips wobbling in sync. ¡°Do apologise!¡± Nairo said, hiding her face underneath the collars of her coat as she tried to move quickly away. ¡°Now hold on one mo¡¯ there young man,¡± the rotund man said as he raised a chiding finger. ¡°You don¡¯t just step on a minister¡¯s hoof and then run off.¡± He reached to grab Nairo but she took off before he could get his hands on her. ¡°Bloody rude!¡± he cried after her. Others were looking now, so Nairo decided to take the risk and she darted through the last two lines of men and made a break for the Eastern hallway. A few men called after her, but no one pursued, they weren¡¯t giving up their spot in line for fish and chips. As Nairo rounded the first corner she found the gang. ¡°Thought you were done for,¡± Ridley said, smiling when he saw her. ¡°Worried, were you?¡± Nairo said with a wolfish grin. ¡°No,¡± Ridley replied, his smile disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. ¡°Well done Sally,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Now let¡¯s move. We got at least half hour before anyone starts coming back this way. I wanna be on our way back before the first plate is collected.¡± They were moving at just a step under a full jog. Jimmy would check around the corners and then they would scurry across hallways like mice at midnight. Within minutes they saw the staircase leading up. Jimmy put on an extra spurt of pace and they were at a full jog when one of the black shirted guards came walking around the corner in front of them. They froze, the staircase equidistant between them and the guard. ¡°What exactly are you lot doing up here?¡± he shouted down the hall, his club swinging loose at his hip. ¡°We¡¯re just going to the canteen,¡± Jimmy called back, still walking towards the stairs. ¡°Canteen¡¯s the opposite way,¡± the Black Top shouted down the hall. ¡°Yeah, must have got turned around,¡± Jimmy said with a laugh. ¡°Let me see some Parliamentary Identification,¡± the guard demanded. ¡°Run!¡± Jimmy dashed the remainder of the hall and took the stairs two at a time. Nairo shot after him, with Barney and Jimmy behind. She heard the Black Top¡¯s feet thudding on the staircase as they reached the top. ¡°Oi! Stop them!¡± he barked. Another black shirted guard appeared at the top of the stairs. ¡°Split up,¡± Jimmy ordered as he saw more black shirts appearing down the hallway. ¡°Sarge, with me!¡± Jimmy grabbed her arm and they shot off left around the grasping fingers of the guard. Barney and Ridley ducked right and out of sight. Jimmy ran like a man who was used to being chased with Nairo doggedly on his heels. One of the Black Tops still pursued them but he was clearly built for power rather than speed and they soon left him behind in the twists and turns of the hallways. Jimmy put his head down and put on an extra spurt of pace. Nairo, in her oversized coat, was pouring sweat and struggling to not trip over. She rounded another corner and found Jimmy waiting for her. ¡°Quick in here,¡± he said, opening a door to their left. Nairo bundled in behind him and he locked the door. Both of them sank to the floor, gasping for air. ¡°I ain¡¯t never had the stamina to be a coward,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°I ran out of stamina somewhere on the ninth floor,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Jimmy leapt up when something shifted in the darkness of the room. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± A figure moved across the shadows with a swishing sound. It hadn¡¯t seemed to have noticed them. ¡°It¡¯s just a Pixie,¡± Nairo said after her heart climbed out of her throat and her eyes adjusted to the gloom of the room. ¡°Hi there, sorry to burst in like this.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She got no response. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t waste your time,¡± Jimmy said, massaging his pounding chest. ¡°You''re better off talking to the furniture.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Pixie¡¯s here?¡± she asked him. ¡°They¡¯ve had the chop,¡± Jimmy said miming scissors cutting. ¡°They¡¯ve been Cut?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°Most of ¡®em. Can¡¯t have a bunch of Pixies floating about broadcasting everything they see to millions of other Pixies. Would be a massive security risk.¡± ¡°Are they always so¡­¡± Nairo couldn''t find the right word. ¡°Empty.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Usually yeah, I¡¯ve heard a few of them can sort of lose their minds. Can¡¯t blame ¡®em really. Imagine spending your whole life daydreaming in some twilight orchard and then you wake up in this shithole. They tend to end up living in isolation, they creep out the other Pixies.¡± ¡°Do they?¡± ¡°Yeah, could you imagine running into a feller with no eyes or mouth?¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Although I heard some do still try to communicate, but they can¡¯t do it properly, it¡¯s almost like they''re ghosts or something.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine,¡± Nairo looked at the Pixie sadly. It didn¡¯t even register her presence. ¡°But they still understand? I mean they still take orders and do their work?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, no problem there. But it¡¯s just like¡­ like they haven¡¯t got a soul anymore. Well most of ¡®em. Like I said, some of ¡®em lose their marbles straight away. Most of ¡®em do eventually.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so cruel.¡± Nairo walked over the Pixie and knelt down in front of it. ¡°Hi, my name¡¯s Sally, what¡¯s yours?¡± The Pixie¡¯s eyes dilated and focused on her. They were dead lumps of black. Like the beady glass eyes of a teddy bear. ¡°Does Miss have work?¡± The Pixie slowly intoned. ¡°No, I just¡­ wanted to say hello.¡± The Pixie continued to look at her, expressionless. ¡°Do you, umm, do you need anything? Are you okay?¡± The Pixie cocked its head at her and said nothing. It was looking at her but it didn¡¯t seem to see her, like it was looking straight through her. ¡°Do you¡­ do you understand me? Are you¡­ ummm¡­¡± ¡°I told you Sarge, there ain¡¯t nothing in there,¡± Jimmy said softly from the other side of the room. ¡°I want my Tree,¡± the Pixie whispered, its voice echoing in the darkness. Nairo turned to look at it. Its expression hadn¡¯t changed, but there was something in its eyes, some hint of understanding. ¡°You mean, the Tree that your people come from?¡± ¡°I miss¡­ them.¡± The Pixie voice was a hoarse whisper. ¡°They won¡¯t speak to me. They hear me but they won¡¯t speak.¡± ¡°The other Pixies?¡± ¡°I am dead but I live,¡± the Pixie whispered again, its eyes wide and unfocused. ¡°Why do I live if I am dead?¡± Nairo felt tears sting the back of her eyes. ¡°What have they done to you?¡± she said, feeling an ache in her chest. The Pixie seemed to see her for the first time. It took the dustpan and brush it had been sweeping up with and then floated out of the room, without another word. Nairo watched it go and then rubbed her face, trying to stop the tears from flying. ¡°Come on, Sarge.¡± Jimmy said, his voice quiet and thick. ¡°We need to meet up with Barney and Ridley.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I hope they¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Barney knows what he¡¯s doing.¡± * ¡°Are we lost?¡± ¡°Only if you define being lost as not knowing where you¡¯re going.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly how I would define it.¡± ¡°Then yes, we¡¯re lost.¡± Barney and Ridley actually had a relatively easy escape. Their Black Top didn¡¯t even bother giving chase, his bouncing stomach suggested it wouldn¡¯t have been much of one anyway. They had since wandered the hallways trying to figure out where they were. ¡°Been an age since I was up on these floors, I¡¯ll get my bearings, don¡¯t you worry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m enjoying not being chased¡­ It''s a pleasant change of pace.¡± ¡°Change of pace? Oh I see what you did there! You are a whiplash Master Ridley,¡± Barney said with his usual chortle. ¡°It¡¯s nice to be working alongside someone with a refined sense of humour,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Miss Sally¡¯s not one for a double entendre?¡± ¡°Naa, she¡¯s too¡­ straight for all that. I¡¯m telling you, I can¡¯t wait to be done with this case and see the back of her.¡± ¡°Oh pish,¡± Barney said, waving his hand at him. ¡°You and Miss Sally are quite the duo.¡± ¡°Me and the Sarge?¡± Ridley snorted derisively. ¡°Oh yes. Once you¡¯ve skinned your knuckles and shed claret in the protection of each other you are linked in brotherhood, Master Ridley. And Miss Sally has done more than skin her knuckles to protect your backside.¡± Ridley shrugged begrudgingly. ¡°She¡¯s alright¡­ I s¡¯pose. But either way, we¡¯re done once this case is over. I¡¯m not big on sidekicks.¡± ¡°Are you close to solving the case?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem, I feel like I got my hands on so many pieces but the picture¡¯s still not making sense.¡± ¡°Tried turning it around?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The puzzle. Usually does the trick for me,¡± Barney said. ¡°I once had a thousand piece set depicting a forest at night. That was quite the doozy. It was six months before me and mother realised the damn thing was upside down!¡± ¡°Turn the puzzle round?¡± Ridley asked pensively. ¡°How do you turn a bank robbery around?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Barney bounced on his heels for a moment. ¡°What is a bank robbery?¡± ¡°When someone nicks something from a bank?¡± Ridley said, nonplussed. ¡°Aha. Exactly.¡± Barney nodded sagely. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Well the reverse of a bank robbery is someone putting something in a bank.¡± ¡°So a deposit?¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°Thanks Barney, very helpful.¡± ¡°Of course, no problem old chap. Sometimes one just has to approach the pig from the offside.¡± ¡°The problem is, someone took something out of the bank, we know that. Putting something into the bank isn¡¯t a crime. Taking something without permission is.¡± ¡°Of course. Of course.¡± Barney¡¯s brow crinkled in consternation. ¡°This detectoring lark is a real workout for the little grey cells.¡± ¡°It¡¯s why I¡¯ve always got a headache.¡± ¡°That I can understand. Still I suppose the opposite of someone coming and taking something is someone from inside walking out with something. Right?¡± Ridley thought for a moment. ¡°Like an inside job?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Again Ridley chewed on this. ¡°The only fella that could have done it was the bank manager and he was ruled out of the investigation¡­ with extreme prejudice,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Besides, the damn vault is impenetrable. There¡¯s no way someone could have got in and back out without setting off a single charm.¡± ¡°Well stump me then Master Ridley, seems like you¡¯ve come at it from every direction. ¡®Tis a vexing quandary you have found yourself in.¡± ¡°Oh believe me, I¡¯m vexed.¡± ¡°What about the manufacturer of the vault?¡± ¡°The Elves?¡± ¡°Could be¡­¡± Barney dropped his voice to a dramatic whisper. ¡°Good old fashioned conspiracy.¡± Barney waggled his eyebrows at Ridley and nodded knowingly. ¡°Of course, you hear all sorts around these halls, enough to make a chap a touch paranoid.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Ridley asked, his thirst for gossip pushing the thoughts of the case aside. ¡°Do tell.¡± ¡°Oh, I couldn''t possibly.¡± ¡°You could.¡± ¡°Well of course I could¡­ but I shouldn¡¯t and besides the only relevance to your case is that it involves Elves.¡± ¡°Now you have to tell me.¡± Barney paused to think. ¡°You did say you owe me one,¡± Ridley cajoled. ¡°I did say that,¡± Barney agreed. ¡°And Archibald-Sterlings are men of their words.¡± ¡°Let a man say otherwise!¡± Barney cried with a raise of his fist. ¡°Oh, I see what you have done. You are good at what you do, Master Ridley.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a professional.¡± ¡°Quite.¡± Barney looked around as they walked, despite the fact they hadn¡¯t seen a soul since the staircase. ¡°Well, gossip on the vine is, that earthquake in Ling a couple weeks back, well it wasn¡¯t a natural disaster. If you catch my meaning.¡± ¡°They did it?¡± Ridley hissed incredulously. ¡°Things have been heating up on the international front. Our faye friends are none too happy with the continued Gnome expansions towards the Forest.¡± ¡°So they sent a message?¡± ¡°Quite a blooming correspondence,¡± Barney said with a chuckle and Ridley gave a low whistle. ¡°It would take quite a powerful object to cause an earthquake,¡± Ridley muttered to himself. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just putting more dots together.¡± ¡°The ones on the puzzle pieces?¡± ¡°What¡­ oh yeah, right. Consider our debt paid.¡± ¡°Splendid!¡± Barney clapped Ridley on the shoulder, and after they both winced from their various injuries, he pointed down the hallway. ¡°By the way, you call ¡®em Humpers because of the caviar brand right?¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± ¡°The nickname for junior ministers. It was Humpers because that was that big brand of Caviar, Edwards Humpar¡¯s fine Black Roe Caviar.¡± ¡°Oh yes, well done,¡± Barney nodded his head. ¡°Well, that plus all the buggery!¡± He laughed heartily and slapped Ridley on the back. ¡°I recognise that chaise longue, we¡¯re not far from the burned stairs. Let¡¯s rendezvous with the chaps.¡± * Nairo and Jimmy were waiting at the staircase when Ridley and Barney sauntered around the corner. ¡°Nice of you to join us,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Pleasant stroll was it?¡± ¡°The companionship was top notch,¡± Barney said with a smile. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°Peaches and cream,¡± Jimmy said as he looked up where the staircase had once been. Now, there was a massive burned out crate between them and the next floor. ¡°Got the grapple, Barn?¡± ¡°Here you are,¡± Barney swung the sack he had taken from Cripper off his shoulder and fished around for the grapple and rope. He handed them over to Jimmy and looked at the burned out staircase. ¡°Touch higher than I thought it would be,¡± he said. ¡°How did this get burned down again?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Can only speculate I¡¯m afraid,¡± Barney said with a shrug. ¡°What goes on in the bowels of Pleasently¡¯s floors one could only imagine.¡± ¡°But your office is here?¡± Nairo asked. Jimmy threaded out the length of the rope and took a few practice swings. ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯m the minister for Game and Tackle,¡± Barney replied. ¡°I used to have such a lovely little office, with a quaint view over the water.¡± ¡°How d¡¯you lose a whole office?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Lost? No dear chap, the office is still mine. It¡¯s just that the party is no longer welcome on the floor. Pleasently saw to that, toot sharp after he took power,¡± Barney said with a noticeable curl of his lip. ¡°Right, I think I¡¯ve got it.¡± Jimmy hung out over the chasm, spinning the grapple, he let it fly and they watched it soar high up to the next floor and disappear. Jimmy began pulling until the rope went tight. He gave it a couple of tugs and decided it was safe. ¡°Nicely done,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You reckon that¡¯s safe?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°You reckon any of this is safe?¡± Jimmy retorted. ¡°Fair point.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go up first¡­¡± Jimmy began saying. ¡°No, no James, allow me!¡± Barney grabbed hold of the rope, letting his arms take his weight before he swang out into the stairless chasm. After the rope steadied, he began to pull himself up while assuring his comrades. ¡°Fret not, I was the rope climbing champion in PE at Buttersby Academy,¡± he said to them. ¡°Three years in a row!¡± He heaved and pulled himself up the rope till his feet finally disappeared over the edge. ¡°Of course he was,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°All good?¡± Jimmy called up to him. ¡°Can report the coast is clear!¡± First Ridley, then Nairo, with Jimmy leading the rear, they ascended up the rope, huffing and puffing. Nairo took her commandeered newsboy''s cap off and wiped the sweat from her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m roasting in this coat,¡± she huffed. ¡°Tell me about,¡± Ridley said, his face red. Jimmy shushed them and cast his eyes up and down the hallway, his ear cocked for any disturbance. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be any bother James, this floor¡¯s been slowly abandoned since the stairwell burned down. My office is right around this corner!¡± Barney began walking and then froze midstep. ¡°I say¡­ is that a donkey?¡± The creature wheeled around to face them with a crazed look in its eyes, foam dripping from his mouth. ¡°Oh hell,¡± Jimmy breathed. Chapter 58 The donkey had once been a simple creature. Donkeys were never known for their intelligence, and this one was a particularly dull example. He had grazed. He had hee hawed. He had flicked flies with his tail. He pulled heavy things and at the end of a hard day he was fed until he was full. Life had been simple. Then one day his Human had marched him into the city with a heavy load of something on his back as usual. The Donkey had plodded the many miles without protest. He had always hated the city. It smelled confusing. It was never quiet. Things buzzed and yipped and yapped and screeched and snarled ceaselessly. The hard stones underfoot made the Donkey''s knees ache but he plodded on. Stolid and loyal. Still nothing unusual had happened. The heavy load was taken off and the Donkey rested, passing the time by chewing on the damp hay left for him. Then those strange men had come. In their colourful coats, smelling of spirits and flowers. They chattered and laughed far too much for the Donkey to trust them. Then his Human handed over his reins and disappeared with a jingling bag. The strange men took the Donkey''s reins and led him through the streets. They tried to lead him like a horse and one had even tried to ride him but quickly realised riding a Donkey was an ignominious experience. Still they laughed and pranced about, feeding the Donkey strange, hard, little sugary treats. Then the Donkey found himself in a monstrous building filled with more chortling and guffawing men. The building smelled strange, the floors were hard and slippery, and it echoed sharply in the Donkey¡¯s ears. The strange men had played all sorts of games, putting hats on the Donkey, chasing it around, feeding it fiery drinks that made its vision swim and its legs shake. They had quickly grown bored of the dull creature. Hours had melted into days. Days fell into weeks. Weeks had spiralled into months. And the Donkey was forgotten. In the darkness he had paced. In the silence he had pawed at doors. In his hunger he had chewed through anything he could fit in his mouth. In the loneliness he had stared out of the windows at the outside world. In the bowels of the Houses, the Donkey had turned feral, and now he lowered his crazed gaze on the first Humans he had seen in months. His belly growled and froth dripped from his mouth. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that Donkey?¡± Ridley asked, backing away slowly. ¡°That must be the Winter Party Donkey. Gosh it¡¯s been up here for months,¡± Barney said nervously. ¡°He don¡¯t look too happy about it,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I would be either,¡± Barney said. The crazed Donkey pawed at the carpet, baring his tombstone tooth like a wolf. ¡°Slowly back away,¡± Jimmy said to them. ¡°No sudden movements.¡± As if the Donkey heard their plans, he charged at them. ¡°Run!¡± They bolted down the hall, the Donkey hee-hawing wildly behind them. They could hear his hooves thundering across the hall, closing in on them. ¡°Donkeys don¡¯t run that fast!¡± Ridley cried out as they skittered around a corner. Nairo looked over her shoulder and saw the Donkey barrelled head first into the wall, unable to corner at that pace. It shook its head twice and took off after them again, undeterred. ¡°Quick! Down here! My office is only around the next corner!¡± Barney shouted over his shoulder, his arms pumping like pistons as he put on an extra spurt of speed only to become tangled in the grey overcoat. He stumbled and almost fell. Jimmy grabbed his arm but that had slowed them down and the Donkey was gaining. The creature¡¯s insane braying echoed down the hallways, its red eyes gleaming in the halflight. It was almost on him. ¡°Blasted coat!¡± Barney roared, whipping it from his shoulders and flinging it at the Donkey¡¯s face. The crazed beast became tangled in the heavy coat. Barney spun and sprinted away, turning the corner to see his office. ¡°There she is!¡± he whooped, pointing at a corner office that had a heavy wooden door with a small frosted glass pane inscribed with gold gilt writing that read: Barnabus Archibald-Sterling Rep. Shepping and Bywater Minister for Game and Tackle Barney traced his fingertips lovingly across the writing. ¡°Sorry Barn, but we don¡¯t have time for a touching reunion!¡± Jimmy said, gasping for breath, looking over his shoulder for the beast. All they could hear was tearing and thrashing as the Donkey fought to free itself of the coat. ¡°Oh right.¡± Barney fished a key from his pocket and slid it into the lock. A crazed bray went up from behind them. The Donkey was free! His bloodshot eyes rolled with madness. He lowered his head like a bull about to charge. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Ridley shouted to Barney. Barney struggled with the disused lock. The key sticking as he tried to turn it. ¡°The old gal was always a bit sticky. Just give me a mo¡­¡± The Donkey began charging. ¡°Open the door!¡± Nairo screamed. ¡°Get that damn door open!¡± Jimmy yelled as the Donkey bore down on them. With a small click, the key turned. Barney twisted the handle and they fell through the door in their haste to get away from the Donkey. Jimmy leapt up and slammed the door shut, slamming the lock shut after it. A second later there came a wall shaking thud as the Donkey slammed itself into the door. Then another one. And another one. The fourth had less energy on it. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry chaps,¡± Barney gasped, bent over double. ¡°That door could withstand a battering ram. It has withstood a battering ram I should say.¡± They waited, staring at the door. They could hear the Donkey snuffling and wheezing outside. After another minute, they heard the clip clop of its hooves as it wandered away. ¡°You think it¡¯s gone?¡± Nairo whispered. ¡°Back to the fires of the underworld,¡± Ridley said. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± ¡°Crazed Donkey by the looks of it,¡± Jimmy said offhandedly as he wiped sweat from his forehead. ¡°Yes but¡­ why?¡± ¡°Isolation does that to a creature. Poor chap.¡± Barney tutted sympathetically. ¡°We should do something about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going back out there!¡± Ridley said. ¡°No¡­ maybe we should wait till it calms down a tad.¡± ¡°I think it had rabies,¡± Nairo said, rubbing her face ruefully on her sleeve. ¡°Depending on which minister it¡¯s bitten, that wouldn¡¯t surprise me,¡± Jimmy said with half a smirk. ¡°Yes¡­ yes, the Donkey was an unexpected bit of colour in our already kaleidoscopic adventure.¡± Barney waved a dismissive hand as if homicidal beasts of burden were just another happenstance of the Houses. ¡°Welcome to my humble little office!¡± Barney said, beaming at them and throwing his arms wide. ¡°How I¡¯ve missed the old gal!¡± Nairo caught her breath and looked around the office. The musk of the room was the first thing to hit her: the unmistakable smell of a room that had been shut for months. The office was layered in dust that now twinkled in the air after being disturbed by their sudden arrival. Barney didn¡¯t seem to notice the dust nor the smell. He strode straight to his medium sized desk and large comfy chair. He threw himself into the chair and placed his feet on the desk with a deep sigh, followed by a racking cough as the dust he kicked up clogged his throat. ¡°Perhaps¡­ she needs a little TLC,¡± he said through coughs. Jimmy walked over to the window and pulled it open while Ridley put his ear to the door to listen out for the crazed Donkey. Nairo looked around at the minimalist office that was only a little larger than some of the store cupboards she had seen. On the wall hung an ornate sword in its sheath with a golden handle and silk tassels hanging from it. Next to the sword was the terrifying face of some insectoid creature, its facial carapace was larger than Nairo¡¯s head, bushy hair included. It had mandibles longer than her fingers and bulging black eyes bigger than her fist. ¡°The Mungulas Scarab,¡± Barney explained to her. ¡°Hunted it myself in the depths of the uncharted Forests. I can tell you, that was a thrilling summer! We lived in the giant trees, sleeping on boughs three men deep, and hunted at night. That little bugger there actually tried to hunt me! Woke up with the bloody thing wrapping itself around me!¡± Barney laughed as he looked fondly at the trophy. ¡°Impressive,¡± Nairo said after pausing to search for an appropriate word. ¡°Oh, nothing really,¡± Barney said humbly. ¡°You expect me to climb out on to that?¡± Ridley exclaimed. Jimmy and Ridley both had their heads out of the window and they were arguing animatedly about their route. ¡°How bad is it?¡± Nairo asked as she joined them. She had to tiptoe and crane her neck to see out the window and when she saw what they were arguing about she wished she hadn¡¯t. Their route was a small flourish of the building¡¯s architecture. A ledge, little more than a foot wide and slick with the morning¡¯s rain. The crossing looked to be about fifteen metres across the edge of the building. At the end of the ledge was a thick metal drainpipe leading up to a window that she assumed was their destination. Nairo looked down and, again, wished she hadn¡¯t. The drop was dizzying. The ground looked so small from up here and Nairo felt her stomach churn with the thought of standing over such a drop. ¡°You¡¯re nuts!¡± Ridley said with a dismissive wave of his hand. ¡°Unless you have a better idea?¡± Jimmy retorted and crossed his arms. ¡°Yeah! How about our Parliament isn¡¯t run by a bunch of lunatics that barricade and burn down staircases!¡± ¡°And if my old nan had wheels she¡¯d be a bicycle,¡± Barney said sagely as he tucked some papers into his inside pocket. He then stuck his head out of the window and sniffed the air. ¡°Pish posh, Master Ridley, I¡¯ve seen bigger drops than that! Why I¡¯d dare say a body could survive that fall.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°If you land on a tree I suppose,¡± he said with a thoughtful stroke of his chin. ¡°Why Bouncing Bodric once fell out of the fourteenth floor window after one too many at lunch time.¡± ¡°And he lived?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Oh¡­ no¡­ Bits of him went everywhere in fact. That¡¯s why he got the nickname Bouncing Bodric because¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not helping Barn,¡± Jimmy interjected. ¡°This is ludicrous! You¡¯re gonna get us killed!¡± Ridley said, rounding on Jimmy. ¡°Ridley,¡± Nairo said sharply as he opened his mouth to cuss Jimmy out. ¡°We¡¯ve come this far.¡± Ridley looked at the determination on Nairo¡¯s face and he scowled at her but said no more. ¡°I¡¯ll take silence as consent,¡± Nairo said with a playful smile she certainly didn¡¯t feel. ¡°All we gotta do is shimmy across, then up the pipe and jimmy open the window,¡± Jimmy said with a tone of assuredness. ¡°Only problem is, one of you will have to go first.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°My hand¡¯s pretty busted from that brawl in the toilet. The last thing I want to do is drop the tool or, you know, myself.¡± ¡°Ughh¡­ this is such a bad idea,¡± Ridley groaned as he bent over double with the weight of it all. ¡°I¡¯ll go first,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You sure Sarge,¡± Jimmy asked her. Nairo nodded resolutely, pushing down the creeping anxiety in her chest. ¡°Alright.¡± He handed her a thin, yet sturdy, strip of metal. ¡°Get that into the crack between the lock and window. Give it a few wiggles, you might need to be forceful, and it should pop right open.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Nairo tucked the metal into her inner coat pocket and then looked around at them. ¡°Well, no time like the present.¡± ¡°Good luck,¡± Ridley said to her, and he only sounded somewhat sarcastic. Nairo gripped the edge of the window and placed her foot on the window ledge. ¡°I¡¯ll keep hold of you until you''re secure on the ledge,¡± Jimmy shouted to her as the wind began to whip. ¡°Do be careful, Miss Sally,¡± Barney said, wringing his hands. ¡°What happened to pish posh and all that?¡± Ridley said to him. ¡°That¡¯s when you were doing it,¡± Barney said. ¡°Oh Miss Sally, I would be sorely heartbroken if you ended up like Bouncing Bodric! Do be careful!¡± Nairo tried to give him a cavalier smile, or at least a reassuring one, but she couldn¡¯t manage it. The corners of her mouth twitched momentarily and that was it. She took a deep breath through her nose. With Jimmy¡¯s grip on her coat anchoring her, Nairo grabbed the window frame and stood at the window. The sky was thick with heavy clouds, the city stretched away before her. Only now did she realise how high up they were. Suddenly, this all felt like a bad idea. Before doubt could gnaw at her will, Nairo gripped the window frame. She took a deep steadying breath, stepped on the sill, and pulled herself out onto the ledge. For a blurred moment the whole world opened up before her. Then there was a sickening second where she stepped out into nothing. Chapter 59 Nairo¡¯s heart raced. Her mouth went dry. Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut. Too late. She saw the streets below. Tiny figures darting about. Horses the size of beetles. The whole city laid out at her feet. Then they were gone. Nairo swung herself around so her back was to the drop. She felt the few inches of window sill under her toes. She froze perfectly still. The wind tugged at her like a morose child wanting attention. She forced her body to start moving, reaching out one shaking foot to find the ledge. Agonising seconds passed and she could feel nothing. Finally, after probing in the nothingness, her toe pressed against the ledge. ¡°Found the ledge!¡± she shouted back to them. ¡°You¡¯re not tall enough to step across!¡± Jimmy called back to her. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to hop a bit!¡± ¡°Great,¡± Nairo muttered to herself. She already felt out of breath. Fear and adrenaline robbed her of air even as the wind whipped her hair into her face. Forcing air into her panicked lungs, Nairo tried to calm herself, but she could already feel her extremities quivering with fear. She tried to slide as much of her foot to the ledge, as she did she could her other foot slowly sliding off the window sill. Now or never, she thought. With gritted teeth, Nairo hopped from the window sill and for the briefest moment she hung in the air, hundreds of feet above the ground. The ledge was underneath her. Both of her feet scrambled to secure her. Her fingers clawed for any imperfections in the masonry for purchase. Her toes clenched and she pressed herself flat against the brickwork. Nairo stopped moving and let herself settle on the ledge breathing like she had just ran a marathon. ¡°You alright, Sarge?¡± she heard Ridley shouting from the window. ¡°Yeah!¡± Nairo called back breathlessly. ¡°I¡¯m on!¡± ¡°Ok, just start shuffling! No need to rush,¡± Jimmy called out to her. ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Nairo said, her jaw clenched and her knuckles white. She slid her right foot along the ledge and then her left foot. She felt the brickwork of the building scrape across her cheek and her eyes watered from the whistling wind. Even though her heart was thumping and sweat dripped down her face, she felt cold. The icy claws of the wind this high up tore at any exposed flesh, making her fingers numb and clumsy. One shuffle after the other, she made slow but steady progress across the ledge. By the midway point she stopped for a breath and looked back at the way she had come. Ridley had begun to make his way out of the window. With a steady stream of curses, Ridley swung himself round the windowsill. He swung too fast. The foot he was trying to plant on the ledge, slipped and came off. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo screamed, unable to reach him. She saw Jimmy almost halfway out of the window as he grabbed with both hands at Ridley¡¯s coat. ¡°Grab me Barney!¡± Jimmy cried as he was pulled further out of the window. Ridley clawed at the windowsill. There was a moment, a breath, where they all hung frozen in the air. Ridley¡¯s hand latched on to the ledge at the same time as Jimmy grabbed hold of his coat. Together they heaved and dragged Ridley back to the windowsill. White faced, Ridley clung there, his cap had flown loose, and his dirty blonde hair was drenched with sweat. They all stayed frozen where they were, gasping for breath. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo called. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ridley nodded as he panted for breath. He sat there hunched over and miserable on the windowsill, clinging to the window frame with one hand wiping the sweat from his eyes with the other as he watched his cap drift away. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± he said finally. ¡°Just take it slow,¡± Nairo shouted back to him. Ridley, with Jimmy holding on to his coat tightly, stood up and tried again. With tentative prods, his foot found the ledge and he slowly shifted his weight across the gap between ledge and windowsill. Ridley began to make his way across the ledge with his eyes firmly set in front of him. Nairo continued, her hand and legs shaking, the wind cackling in her ears. ¡°Couple more feet,¡± she muttered to herself through clenched teeth. The pipe was just in front of her within arm¡¯s reach. After a few steadying breaths, she gripped the pipe with her remaining resolve and clambered onto it. Thankfully, the pipe seemed to have been designed for someone to climb. It had thick metal rivets that made good hand and footholds. The metal cut into her hands but she did not notice, all she was focused on was pulling herself up to the window. Still refusing to look down, Nairo clambered up the pipe and grabbed onto the window ledge to pull herself the final distance. Breathing heavily and with frozen hands, Nairo fumbled in her coat for the prying tool. She slipped her arm around the pipe and rested her feet firmly. She jammed the tool into the crack of the window ledge and began to wiggle it up and down. The window didn¡¯t budge and even worse she could feel the pipe shifting underneath her feet as the ancient screws keeping the brackets in place bit through the mortar of the brickwork. ¡°Anytime Sarge!¡± came the strained voice of Ridley. Nairo wiped her sweat damp hair out of her face with her forearm and stabbed the tool into the window again. The was a jarring metal clang and Nairo almost lost grip on the tool. In a panicked moment she scrabbled for the tool in her frozen hands. She snatched it up and clung to the pipe trying to control the rising fear in her chest. The pipe shifted again, threatening to come away from the wall. ¡°You can do it Sarge, just breathe!¡± Jimmy, who had joined Ridley on the ledge, shouted up to her. Nairo¡¯s hands shook as she took careful aim and jammed the tool back into the latch of the window. Working and pumping the tool up and down she felt the clunk of the window mechanism and the window popped open. With a deep sigh of relief, Nairo clung to the pipe and now the tears in her eyes were not due to the freezing wind. She scrambled onto the ledge and threw herself through the window. Half sobbing and half laughing, Nairo lay there breathless and dizzy. After a few seconds she heard the scrape of the pipe. Dragging herself back to the window, she looked down and saw Ridley making his way up. Whether it was experience or fear, Nairo was unsure, Ridley scampered up the pipe with speedy surefootedness. Nairo reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the office. He collapsed on the floor breathing heavily, before retching and heaving himself to a small metal bin. He emptied his guts into the trash can before slumping against the wall. ¡°You alright?¡± Nairo asked him. ¡°Yeah¡­ must have been something I ate,¡± Ridley groaned. There was a creak then a snapping sound as Jimmy fell through the window. ¡°Jimmy!¡± Nairo rushed to the window and helped him through. She looked out of the window and saw the pipe badly bent and falling away from the wall. ¡°Shit!¡± Jimmy said as he leapt back to the window next to Nairo. Barney was still in his office, his head sticking out of the window, looking aghast. ¡°James! I say old lad, are you alright?¡± Barney hollered from his office. ¡°I¡¯m alright, but the pipe ain¡¯t!¡± Jimmy shouted back pointing at the ruined pipe. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to make your own way back, Barney!¡± ¡°Right-o! You chaps finish up and we shall rendezvous in the kitchens! Good luck!¡± Barney waved and he vanished from the window. ¡°Will he be alright?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Barney knows what he¡¯s doing,¡± Jimmy said with a certain nod and then he turned to look at Ridley. ¡°Is he alright?¡± ¡°Something I ate,¡± Ridley said as he pulled himself to his feet, his skin grey and pallid. He looked around the dark office and back to Jimmy.¡°Is this it? Is it here?¡± Nairo looked around the dark dusty little office. It seemed to be for storage only and was almost completely filled with towering filing cabinets. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Yep. Transport & Entry office. Anyone coming into the city and anything they¡¯re carrying is logged and filed here.¡± ¡°All of it?¡± Nairo asked incredulously. ¡°Well this is all just this month, the rest get shifted to storage,¡± Jimmy explained. ¡°So where do we begin?¡± Ridley asked, looking at the dozens of filing cabinets. ¡°I dunno,¡± Jimmy said with a shrug. ¡°Grab a candle and start looking.¡± Ridley lit three candles and passed them around. They began wandering around the dusty office peering at the filing cabinets. ¡°They¡¯re filed by month, but not in any particular order,¡± Nairo said as she read the peeling labels on the front of the filing cabinets. As they searched, the rain began again, pelting down on the windows. The darkening skies made the room even gloomier. With only the weak glow of her candle, Nairo looked closely at the filing cabinets. ¡°Is this it?¡± Ridley called from the other side of the room. Nairo and Jimmy weaved their way through the cabinets to him. Ridley was standing next to the cleanest filing cabinet in the room. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Nairo exclaimed excitedly as she read the dates on the front of the cabinet. Ridley pulled open the cabinet and they began flicking through the files. ¡°Here!¡± Nairo pulled out a file with that week¡¯s date. She laid it down on top of the filing cabinet and they crowded around. They scanned the pages frantically. Nairo felt excitement building in her chest. ¡°That one, look at the time!¡± Ridley jabbed a finger excitedly at one of the documents. Nairo began to skim read the document. ¡°Party of four Elves¡­ special documents¡­ travelling from the North¡­ Special property exemption¡­ that has to be the Diamond.¡± Nairo sped through the document. ¡°No pets¡­ no foreign foods¡­ three servants and sentient property¡­¡± ¡°Sentient property?¡± Ridley asked, confused. ¡°Hold on.¡± Nairo flicked through to the second page of the document looking for the section on their inventory. ¡°There¡¯s the Diamond and there again sentient property¡­ class 2 sentient property.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jimmy shrugged his shoulders at them. ¡°There¡¯s a legend. One moment.¡± Nairo flipped through four more pages until she found a legend with all the classifications and codes: the document itself was two double sided pages. The storm continued to rage as Nairo scanned through with her finger on the page until she found the section on sentient property. ¡°Class 1¡­ Class 2! It''s a¡­ Pixie?¡± she read. ¡°A Pixie?¡± Jimmy said. ¡°They never said anything about travelling with a Pixie.¡± Nairo said. The heavy metallic thunk of the puzzle audibly fell in to place in Ridley¡¯s mind. His eyes widened as his mind raced. ¡°Son of a bitch¡­¡± he breathed. ¡°What?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Hold on,¡± Ridley had unconsciously began pacing with his brows creased. ¡°That can¡¯t be it.¡± ¡°What can¡¯t be?¡± Nairo asked, on the edge with anticipation. Ridley magicked a smoke and lit it, his eyes dancing back and forth as he tried to make sense of the picture the puzzle had made. ¡°It was the Pixie!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It was a fucking Pixie all along!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The class 2 sentient property,¡± he said. ¡°The Pixie wasn¡¯t there to serve the Elves¡­¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Nairo said, her eyes widening. ¡°The Pixie was there to maintain the Diamond like BilBil said!¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°And the Elvish charms in the bank vault aren¡¯t calibrated for Pixies since they clean the bank at night!¡± Excitement flooded through Nairo¡¯s chest, her aches and pains forgotten in the thrill of watching the pieces finally come together. ¡°And if it is a Pixie who has been trained to maintain the Diamond, that¡¯s why it hasn¡¯t blown up yet!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ridley agreed. ¡°There was no break in! The damned Pixie must have just walked right out of the vault with the Diamond!¡± ¡°And if the Pixie can maintain it, there¡¯s a strong chance that it could use the Diamond! Wait¡­ wait¡­¡± Nairo furrowed her brow as she tried to dredge up one of the hundreds of bits of information they had learned since beginning the case. ¡°Sarita¡­ Sarita the prostitute from the RatHoles, she said something about Benny having a little friend with him who was terrified! Do you think that was the Pixie?¡± Ridley nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes! So the Pixie had the Diamond and the Pixie was at Benny¡¯s!¡± The excited smile stretching across Nairo¡¯s face suddenly froze. ¡°But wait, why would a Pixie kill Benny? And why would it have killed those men in the foundries? Or blown up the bridge?¡± ¡°A Pixie nicking something? Killing people?¡± Jimmy said incredulously. ¡°What would a Pixie need with a Diamond¡­ or gold? And why would this Diamond be blowing up? And who¡¯s Benny? What¡¯s a BilBil? And how has a Pixie been wandering around the city with a Diamond for days with no one finding it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s where I''m not sure¡­¡± Ridley said, ignoring his questions. ¡°The motive doesn¡¯t work,¡± Nairo said, staring at the document in her hands. ¡°In all of recorded history Pixie¡¯s have never stolen or broken any laws. They¡¯ve got no need for possessions or wealth.¡± ¡°What if someone commissioned the Pixie to do it?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°How?¡± Ridley said. ¡°No one knew the Diamond was in the city, nor what it could do, and no one knew about the Pixie. Whoever stole it would have had to have intercepted the Diamond and the Pixie before they got to the city, somehow got it to agree and remember to steal it. And Pixies have proven throughout criminal history to be next to useless tools in a crime since they can beam their whole reality to their entire species.¡± ¡°It could have been Elves,¡± Nairo said after a pensive pause. ¡°Now you sound like me,¡± Ridley snorted. ¡°No¡­ not those Elves, but it could have been¡­ oh I don¡¯t know! Another gang of Elves?¡± Nairo said, flapping her arms in exhaustion. ¡°It doesn¡¯t fit,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°If this was all Elves, then how did Benny get involved? And why is the Diamond still in the city? Not to mention those boys that were left splattered across the cobbles and then the bang at Toliver¡¯s bridge. No, there¡¯s something we¡¯re not seeing¡­¡± Ridley¡¯s mind tiptoed backwards to his earlier conversation with Barney. ¡°The Elves¡­ did something.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They were fleeing back from the North. Just after that earthquake.¡± ¡°What are you saying? They caused the earthquake?¡± ¡°Bit of coincidence, them walking around with a Diamond powerful enough to blow a whole city up just days after a sudden earthquake.¡± ¡°Blow a whole city up?¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Like this whole city?¡± ¡°You reckon the Elves used the Diamond to cause the earthquake,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Makes sense why everything was so hush hush. Why they had no guards and minimal personnel. Why there wasn¡¯t a massive investigation straight away. You never found it odd that something that precious goes missing and you¡¯re the only one put on the case?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°It was all a cover up. And I¡¯m betting that Pixie saw something or maybe even did something¡­¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why it took the Diamond!¡± Ridley nodded again. They stood and pondered in thought as Jimmy helped himself to a smoke. ¡°Well¡­ at least it¡¯ll be easy to find, right?¡± Jimmy said. ¡°How so?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°We just grab a Pixie and ask it to locate which one of its brethren nicked a giant Diamond. Surely even Pixies would take notice of that.¡± ¡°That could work,¡± Ridley said, his face brightening. ¡°No it won¡¯t,¡± Nairo said. ¡°It won¡¯t?¡± Ridley¡¯s face darkened again. ¡°Remember what BilBil said?¡± Nairo asked him. ¡°Ermm¡­ which bit?¡± ¡°He said Elves Cut the Pixies when they use them for Diamond work. This Pixie would be completely disconnected from its species.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Ridley said dejectedly. ¡°So we¡¯re looking for one tiny untraceable Pixie in a city of millions?¡± Nairo, looking at the file as if it still held some secrets, nodded glumly. ¡°We don¡¯t know why it killed Benny¡­ or how Benny even got involved in all this,¡± Ridley continued. ¡°Or why it blew those men to pieces. We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s working alone or in league with someone. We don¡¯t even know if the Pixie still has the Diamond!¡± ¡°We do know that,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Remember those two Trolls saw a small, manic creature before the bridge went bang.¡± ¡°Oh great. So it¡¯s a demented Pixie on top of that,¡± Ridley said, scrubbing at his face. ¡°Yes,¡± Nairo said, remembering Jimmy¡¯s words about Cut Pixies. ¡°They slowly lose their minds in isolation and being a part of something so heinous might just have pushed the poor creature over the edge.¡± ¡°And we have no idea how to find it,¡± Ridley said, stamping out his smoke in frustration. ¡°I really thought we might have solved this case and after everything we went through to get here,¡± Nairo said, snapping the file shut. ¡°Well at least you know who did it,¡± Jimmy offered placatingly. ¡°We have a theory with very little proof,¡± Nairo said. ¡°And even if we¡¯re right,¡± Ridley continued. ¡°We don''t know where the Pixie is now, let alone where the Diamond is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°I really wanted you guys to crack this one.¡± They stood in a defeated circle as the light of their candles dwindled in the rainy gloom of the afternoon. A noise of a door opening and closing somewhere near them snapped them out of their dark reverie. ¡°We need to put these files back and get out of here,¡± Jimmy said as he checked his pocket watch. ¡°They¡¯ll start coming back from lunch any time now.¡± Taking a deep breath and washing away her disappointment, Nairo quickly put the papers and files back into their place within the filing cabinet. Ridley, now on his second smoke, was still pondering morosely in a dark corner of the room. Once their candles were extinguished, Jimmy turned the handle to the office and, thankfully, it was unlocked. He took a breath and nodded to them. They were finally ready to escape this treacherous building. Chapter 60 ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to improvise a bit here, I didn¡¯t intend for us to have to go out this way,¡± Jimmy explained quickly. ¡°These coats are gonna attract too much attention up here. We need to ditch ¡®em and get something else, preferably servers or cleaners uniforms, something that the Ministers aren¡¯t going to look too hard at. Simple.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll believe it when I see it,¡± Ridley muttered. Jimmy yanked open the door and the three of them walked out, their heads down as they made their way down one of the first spotlessly clean and well kept hallways Nairo had seen since entering the Houses. It had all the usual adornments of oil paintings and presumptuous furnishings but no blood or discarded weaponry. The floor was still quiet and the only noise to be heard came from inside the offices. ¡°This is about the time when the higher ups get their after lunch tea delivered to their offices,¡± Jimmy whispered. He then indicated over the balcony of the open foyer down to the floor below where they could see two servers pushing a silver cart with immaculate white linen and sparkling silverware. ¡°Luckily, due to all the madness that goes on in these halls, there¡¯s usually spare uniforms in the janitorial closets for any¡­ mishaps.¡± After taking a quick look around, Jimmy darted over to a dark, bland, wooden door with the words ¡®Janitorial Store¡¯ in peeling gold letters. Jimmy pulled the door open and they followed him in. The storeroom was cramped with barely enough space for the three of them, but Jimmy was right, there were spare uniforms folded neatly on a rack at the back of the closet. There were three pairs of trousers, shirts and waistcoats with little black bow ties. ¡°Good thing you two are average server height,¡± Jimmy said with a grin as he chucked the uniforms to them. ¡°How fortunate,¡± Ridley said, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Strip down and let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Jimmy said, reaching up to yank off his shirt. Nairo looked at Jimmy and Ridley with a pointed eyebrow. ¡°Right,¡± Jimmy said as he and Ridley turned around. With their backs to each other, they fought to get changed in the cramped closet. Eventually, they gave up on modesty as the confined space and their multitudes and varieties of injuries made it almost impossible to change themselves. Jimmy¡¯s rib were so banged up he couldn¡¯t lift his arms to pull his shirt off, while Ridley¡¯s hand was so swollen he was unable to button up his shirt and Nairo had to use Jimmy as a leaning post as her hip was so stiff and bruised she couldn¡¯t lift her leg to pull on her trousers. Their bodies were livid purple and black tapestries to the chaos of their journey through the Houses. ¡°We all good?¡± Jimmy said, wiping a trickle of sweat from his brow. ¡°Just about,¡± Nairo said as she straightened Ridley¡¯s bow tie for him. They walked out of the store cupboard and into two servers pushing a silver trolley with all the components of a satisfying cup of tea on it. ¡°Oi oi,¡± one of the men said, he was young with a smooth, greasy face, and a wonky tooth smile. ¡°You lot having a quick break?¡± He waggled his eyebrows at Nairo and winked at her. ¡°Err¡­ yeah,¡± Jimmy laughed nervously. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind a go if you got a couple minutes,¡± the other man, who was more portly and pockmarked, said eyeing Nairo lasciviously. ¡°I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± Jimmy said. Nairo¡¯s mouth dropped open but before she could beat one or all three of them bloody, Jimmy opened the store cupboard door. ¡°In you go lads,¡± he said as he eyed Nairo, his eyes pleading. ¡°Alright!¡± The younger man said as he eagerly hopped into the store cupboard. ¡°I get to go first!¡± The portly man cried as he waddled in after him. Jimmy then promptly snapped the door shut and jammed the tool they had used to pry open the window into the door jam. ¡°Hey!¡± the men shouted as they pushed and banged at the door. ¡°Now we got a trolley,¡± Jimmy said breezily, avoiding Nairo¡¯s acidic gaze. ¡°Told you this would be easy.¡± He pushed the trolley quickly away and Ridley followed with a smirk on his face. ¡°Come on Sarge¡­ unless you want a couple minutes with your new mates.¡± ¡°I will shove my fist¡­¡± Nairo began. She shut up quickly as two Ministers and their goons came round the corner. She nodded and curtsied to the Ministers, who looked her up and down once before dismissing her. Nairo hurried after Jimmy and Ridley, silently mouthing as many foul curse words as she could think of. Nairo looked up from her silent rant to see that Ridley and Jimmy had been stopped by two black shirted thugs. One of them had laid a black gloved hand on the trolley while the other grilled Jimmy. ¡°Who did you say this was for?¡± he asked. ¡°Mr Stubbs sir,¡± Jimmy answered, keeping his eyes low. ¡°Mr Stubbs¡¯ office is back that way,¡± the other black top said, his eyes narrowed in permanent suspicion. There was an animal like intelligence in his eyes, clouded by a fog of ignorance, but it was there. ¡°Yeah, sorry, we¡¯re looking for the new girl,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°She keeps getting lost,¡± Ridley added. ¡°You know what women are like.¡± ¡°There she is now! Sally!¡± Jimmy waved her over. ¡°What did I tell you about staying close to us?¡± ¡°Oh ermm¡­ yes I¡¯m sorry I must have got turned around,¡± Nairo replied, trying to look as lost and dense as possible. ¡°You need to be careful, miss,¡± the guard said, his suspicions easing after Nairo¡¯s appearance. ¡°Dangerous round these halls for a little girl all by herself.¡± ¡°Yes, of course, sorry.¡± ¡°Right, you lot get to where you¡¯re going and word of advice, I wouldn¡¯t be bringing Mr Stubbs cold tea.¡± The two men guffawed as they walked away. ¡°We¡¯ll be having words,¡± Nairo said when Jimmy opened his mouth to apologise. ¡°Let¡¯s just get out of this bloody place.¡± ¡°We better deliver this tea first,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°You know we¡¯re not really servants.¡± Ridley said, irritated by the suggestion of doing work. ¡°Those guards are walking the way we need to go,¡± Jimmy explained as he wheeled the trolley around. ¡°If they see us with a full trolley still, they¡¯ll know we aren¡¯t who we say we are.¡± He pushed the trolley and led them back the way they had come. As they passed the store cupboard, they could still hear the two locked up servers arguing. ¡°You think she¡¯s coming back?¡± one moaned. ¡°Shut up Eric!¡± The other one barked. ¡°This is all your fault! Just like the bloody snake charmer at the Winter Leaf fair all over again!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one that wanted to see a reticulated python coz you thought it was something dirty!¡± The rest of their argument was drowned out by the sound of punches being thrown. ¡°Is anyone who works here sane?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Would you be?¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°When we get in there, keep your mouths shut.¡± Jimmy warned. ¡°Stubbs is a nasty bastard, he¡¯s always looking to make someone¡¯s life miserable.¡± ¡°Stubbs?¡± The name prickled a memory in Nairo¡¯s mind. ¡°Albert Stubbs?¡± ¡°Infamous sack of shit himself,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°No¡­ wait! We can¡¯t go in there!¡± Nairo said as they stopped in front of a heavy dark stained door with the words: Albert Stubbs MP Chief Whip Rep. Tamworth Written in gold gilt lettering. ¡°Why not?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°Stubbs was the MP who threw me off the case! He¡¯ll recognise me!¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Jimmy cursed. ¡°We need to¡­¡± ¡°That fellas bleeding,¡± Ridley interjected, pointing down the corridor. Jimmy and Nairo turned to see a man in a midnight black suit staggering down the hallway clutching his side. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Nairo called to him as she ran down the hallway towards him. ¡°Oh nothing, just a scratch in the line of duty,¡± the man said, sweat pouring down his bald crown and across his ghostly white face. ¡°You sure?¡± Ridley said, eyeing the dark stain spreading across the side of his suit jacket. ¡°Quite alright.¡± He gave Nairo a smile and a genial bob of his head that reminded her of Barney. ¡°I say is that for Mr Stubbs?¡± he asked, pointing to the trolley as he limped the final few steps to the door. ¡°It is sir,¡± Jimmy said. ¡°Good, ¡®at least he might be in a good mood. Have you knocked?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± Jimmy answered. ¡°Well now¡¯s the moment and all that,¡± he said before clearing his throat and rapping his knuckles on the door politely. There was no answer. The man winced in pain as he straightened his tattered shirt collars and then tutted at the blood down the front of his shirt. ¡°Been a morning?¡± Ridley asked him as they waited. ¡°You could say that.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°Quite.¡± They stood in awkward silence for a moment more. The only sound was the steady drip of the man¡¯s blood. ¡°Come in.¡± With a swift turn of the heavy brass handle, the man stepped inside, and held the door open for them to follow. The office was simply adorned, its walls absent of any diplomas or pictures, the squat heavy mahogany desk, equally absent of personal effects. The desk dominated the office, somehow too big in the empty room, on either side was a single chair. Behind the desk sat, a uniformly weighty figure, barrel chested with thick shoulders and a heavy jaw: Chief Whip for the Men of Now Albert David Stubbs. His thick lips split into a cold smile, mirroring Herbert¡¯s, almost genuinely. Nairo looked at Ridley who signalled for her to stay behind him. They entered the room and Ridley¡¯s powers of inconspicuity led Nairo around the edge of the room and into a pool of darkness in one corner while Jimmy drew attention by pulling the tea laden trolley to the edge of the desk. ¡°Ahh, Herbert, so good of you to see me at such short notice,¡± Stubbs growled. Nairo felt a cold thrill of hate stir in her for the cold eyed minister. He was wearing a dark navy suit today, but his menacing presence seemed to bleed the suit to grey anyway. He puffed on a cigar almost as broad as him and centred his predatory attention on Herbert, the balding man they had entered with. ¡°Of course not, Albert,¡± Herbert said with a weak twitch of a smile. ¡°One can never be too busy to have tea with an old¡­ chum.¡± Stubbs blew a thick cloud of smoke and beckoned for Herbert to sit, on the noticeably less cushioned chair opposite him, and offered him his scarred paw. ¡°Thank you yes,¡± Herbert shook his hand enthusiastically, but Nairo noticed it was in the same way a man pets a tame tiger. ¡°I trust you didn¡¯t face too much hardship on your way to my door?¡± Stubbs asked, his inch perfect smile never faltered, but his little mean eyes were sharp and uncaring. ¡°Oh no, no bother at all,¡± Herbert said, dabbing at his bloodied lip. ¡°But I would be remiss if I didn¡¯t remark on the¡­¡± he paused, searching his vocabulary for the safest vernacular. ¡°Well, the lads seem rather¡­ enthusiastic today.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Damned Party men are all excited,¡± Stubbs growled, banging his meaty fist on the desk. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Stubbs barked at Jimmy, who froze while bending to pour tea into the cup on Stubbs¡¯ desk. ¡°I¡­ I was pouring the tea sir,¡± Jimmy explained, not daring to make eye contact with Stubbs. ¡°It¡¯s customary to wait until asked,¡± Stubbs breathed the word ¡®asked¡¯ with all the sulphur and heat of an erupting volcano. ¡°My apologies sir,¡± Jimmy said bowing and retreating from the desk. ¡°They think this Lock Out is a sign of weakness,¡± Stubbs continued to Herbert as if nothing happened. ¡°That this is somehow a desperate attempt to stop them calling chambers.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ what do they know,¡± Herbert snorted with a sycophantic lean to his posture. ¡°Not a great deal, but definitely more than they should¡­¡± Stubbs left the words hanging in the air while he puffed on his smoke. ¡°But more importantly, it¡¯s about what they think they know.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Herbert asked, shifting in his seat and grimacing from the wound in his side. ¡°That Pleasently¡¯s time is limited. That he¡¯s barely keeping that bloody seat with his fingernails and this is just a last ditch effort to stave off the wolves. Especially with our Faye friends in an uproar.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Herbert said, nodding enthusiastically, although Nairo was sure he didn''t really understand what Stubbs was talking about. ¡°But we¡¯ll discuss business later, first, a spot of tea,¡± Stubbs said and he leaned back in his chair. ¡°Tea!¡± he commanded. ¡°Not you! Her.¡± Stubbs jabbed a thick finger at Nairo and she almost gasped in horror. Jimmy looked at Nairo with panicked eyes. Feeling Stubb¡¯s hot gaze, Nairo walked out of the shadows and took the pot from Jimmy. Fighting with every ounce of will in her battered body, Nairo fought to stop her hands from shaking as she poured the tea. Despite her best efforts, the pot rattled, drawing Stubbs¡¯ curious gaze on her. Sweat trickled down her lower back. She kept her eyes low and gently poured out two cups of tea. Stubbs blew a cloud of smoke and turned his attention back to the more responsive play thing. ¡°Got caught unawares by some pup with a razor, Herb? Not slowing down in your grey years, are you?¡± Stubbs asked with a wicked smirk. ¡°Can you believe it? Jolly good punch up and some cad pulls a blade! Never would have happened in our day,¡± Herbert said indignantly. Stubbs nodded sympathetically, even managing to tut as Nairo placed his cup and saucer in front of him. ¡°You should have that seen to,¡± Stubbs said, that wicked smirk still on his face, as if the scent of blood excited him. ¡°Oh no¡­ don¡¯t trouble yourself¡­¡± ¡°Nonsense, no trouble at all. Barkley! Bring the tray!¡± Stubbs barked, making Nairo almost drop the teapot. A small door opened to their left and a little old man shuffled out, an almost perceptible creak accompanied every agonising bend of his arthritic joints. He was all tufts of grizzled grey hair and thick spectacles; his bristly moustache appeared to be more of a shock of hair than a design feature. He was plainly dressed in a baggy knitted sweater over a faded green shirt that was buttoned wrong. He gave a wispy cough and shuffled in, a silver tray with a medley of medical supplies rattling on it. ¡°Sir?¡± The old man Barkley rasped dryly. ¡°Sort Herbert¡¯s wound would you?¡± Stubbs said with a dismissive wave of his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t want him getting blood on the shag.¡± Nairo looked from the shaky scarred hand of Barkley, up his creased sleeves, stopping at the ugly knotted scar that ran across his throat and the apostrophe-like scar tissue around his uneven brow. She watched Herbert¡¯s eyes follow a similar path to hers, and then she saw him visibly flinch when he caught Barkley¡¯s comically magnified eyes behind his thick glasses. ¡°Yes sir.¡± Barkley set down the tray and knelt slowly by Herbert. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, sir.¡± Barkley gestured to Herbert¡¯s jacket. ¡°Oh yes, of course.¡± Herbert slowly peeled his blood soaked jacket off and then lifted his shirt to reveal a nasty slash across his side. Albert looked at it with gleaming eyes and then tutted. ¡°That looks nasty. Must hurt terribly?¡± No one in the room missed the eagerness in Stubbs¡¯ eyes. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a scratch really¡­ Ow!¡± ¡°Frightfully sorry, sir.¡± Barkley said, as he pinched the wound shut and inspected it through his thick spectacles. ¡°So, how are the children, Herb?¡± Stubbs asked with little intonation to suggest he cared. ¡°Oh just fine, thank you Albert, little Emily¡¯s just beginning her first term at Ruthger¡¯s in the Elmen Groves.¡± Herbert winced as Barkley began to clean the wound. ¡°Ahh yes fantastic school, she¡¯ll do wonderfully, smart as a whip that one,¡± Stubbs said offhandedly as Nairo placed Herbert¡¯s tea in front of him. ¡°No, that¡¯s Lucy, Emily is¡­ the pretty one,¡± Herbert finished lamely and they both shared an awkward moment of staring into their cups. Nairo quietly retreated until she bumped into the wall, her heart thumping in her chest. ¡°The wife?¡± ¡°Just fine, bought a new cherry oak divan for the bedroom, said it matched the beetle hide curtains.¡± Now sweat trickled down Herbert¡¯s bald pate as Barkley threading a needle with trembling hands. ¡°How wonderful¡­ your tea¡¯s going cold¡± ¡°Oh yes.¡± With his one free hand, Herbert reached for his cup. ¡°This will hurt sir,¡± Barkley said as he pierced Herbert¡¯s flesh with his needle. ¡°Quite right,¡± Herbert grimaced. ¡°Does it Herb?¡± Stubbs asked, leaning forward. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°Oh it just smarts a touch.¡± Herbert replied nervously, trying to smile and Stubbs sat back grumpily. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve got my hands bloody,¡± Stubbs sighed, showing the first bit of genuine feeling since they had entered the room. ¡°I do miss cracking heads and upholding democracy in our fine Houses.¡± ¡°Oh yes Albert, you were one of the greatest,¡± Herbert said, still managing to sound sycophantic through gritted teeth. ¡°Oh I was a terror of the halls. But that time has long gone. Now I sit in my office and I hear things. All day long I hear the twitterings of old buffoons and eager young up starts. Do you know what I¡¯ve heard, Herb?¡± ¡°I-I couldn¡¯t imagine, Albert.¡± ¡°What happened to Mabard.¡± ¡°Oh goodness, yes. How awful,¡± Herbert said, as he blew on his tea. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m all for a spot of pugilism, nothing wrong with that, but this new generation of louts, not a shred of honour between them!¡± He furiously sipped at his tea, almost forgetting to extend his smallest digit in his agitation. ¡°You know I just saw one dastardly individual knock a man down and kick him in the unmentionables!¡± ¡°Well¡­ just spirited youthfulness Herb,¡± Stubbs replied. ¡°No, no Albert, it¡¯s more than that! Ever since, and of course speaking as old friends, but ever since we started working with that¡­ chap from out West, you know the one, and brought in all of his thugs from the back alleys and brothels well¡­ I¡¯m hesitant to note that, it seems like we¡¯ve been losing our traditions.¡± Herbert spoke excitedly, his eyes watching for Stubbs¡¯ reaction. ¡°Ahh yes, in times such as these we find ourselves reaching out to friends in¡­ low places.¡± ¡°The man¡¯s a cretin. That whole Human First mob are. Have you seen what they are doing out there? It¡¯s anarchy! And I¡¯ll be guessing he¡¯ll want a slab of flesh for his support.¡± ¡°Quite,¡± Stubbs replied in a manner that let Herbert know he had stumbled into a conversational byway he had no business being in. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure the Mayor will steer us through these troubled waters,¡± Herbert said hastily, wincing under Barkley¡¯s needle. ¡°You know, more and more I¡¯m coming to recognize less and less faces in the chambers,¡± Stubbs sighed and set down his cup, changing the topic. His well worn frown lines buried deep furrows across his forehead and his thick lips descending into a well used frown of consternation that marked him as a lifelong admirer of politics. ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Herbert said, nodding. ¡°What with Fergus popping his clogs, Shelby¡¯s got one foot in and Regus¡¯ sudden retirement.¡± Stubbs¡¯ heavy snort cut him short, his deep gravelly voice rumbled in his chest, derision slapped across his round face. ¡°Come now Herb, let''s call a spade a spade! Regus didn¡¯t bow out gracefully of his own accord,¡± Stubbs leaned forward, hands folded before him, his great girth threatening to burst across the desk, a sight many an ill behaved Member had seen just before they took an involuntary nap. ¡°Well of course, there were¡­ whisperings,¡± Herbert muttered. ¡°Jump or get pushed,¡± Stubbs sat back and relit his cigar, a thick cloud of smoke obscured him, a small halo of smoke fought through the smog, disintegrating above his head. ¡°I would¡­ would not be able to make any informed comment on that, Albert, I am merely a back bencher,¡± Herbert said, a trickle of sweat worming its way past his thick eyebrows. ¡°Of course not,¡± Stubbs replied, his canine scowl replaced with a placid smile. ¡°Just Backbench gossip.¡± He gave out a short bark of laughter, Herbert only managed a weak smile, tinged with relief, in return. ¡°Now let¡¯s actually get down to business¡­ that will be all.¡± Without looking at them, Stubbs dismissed them from the room. Jimmy grabbed the trolley handle and made a beeline for the door, with Nairo and Ridley close behind. Only when the door finally snapped shut behind them did they breathe. ¡°He didn''t know who I was,¡± Nairo said, wiping the sweat from her face. ¡°What d¡¯you expect?¡± Ridley said. ¡°You remember the face and name of every insect you squash? These lot don¡¯t see normal people as real. Just a bunch of little ants running around the world they built for us.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Nairo replied, sarcastically. ¡°Come on,¡± Jimmy said, fiddling with his waistcoat. ¡°Let¡¯s get the hell out of here!¡± He pushed the trolley at just a step under a full jog and led them around two corners and across the floor eastwards. ¡°You know where you¡¯re going?¡± Ridley asked him. ¡°Of course,¡± Jimmy said confidently and Nairo caught the look of suspicion that Ridley gave him. ¡°Right round this corner.¡± They came to a dumbwaiter, which was really just a window carved into the wall and a lever next to it. ¡°What¡¯re we doing now?¡± Ridley said. ¡°This is our escape route,¡± Jimmy said with a grin. ¡°So we¡¯re gonna ride the dumbwaiter down?¡± Ridley asked sceptically. ¡°Naa,¡± Jimmy said as he discarded the trolley. ¡°It would never hold our weight.¡± ¡°How are we getting down then?¡± Nairo asked, sharing Ridley¡¯s scepticism. ¡°We slide!¡± Jimmy announced proudly. He threw open the doors to the dumbwaiter to show them the thin black cable of the dumbwaiter¡¯s pulley system. ¡°Really?¡± Ridley said with a cocked eyebrow. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s easy, trust me.¡± Jimmy was already clambering into the hatch. ¡°How many times are you gonna say that today?¡± ¡°Just once more!¡± Jimmy flashed him a wolfish grin before he disappeared into the hatch. ¡°Come on,¡± Nairo sighed. ¡°Hopefully, if we fall we¡¯ll break our necks and that will be that.¡± ¡°Fingers crossed.¡± Ridley helped Nairo manoeuvre her battered body into the hatch and then followed. ¡°All you gotta do is keep your feet wide, hold on to the rope and walk yourselves slowly down,¡± Jimmy¡¯s disembodied voice floated up to them. Nairo planted her feet and fell almost immediately as her hip spasmed. She grabbed the rope in front of her and clenched her jaw until it passed. Panting, she took stock of their situation. The hatch was barely wide enough for a person to fit in, so keeping her feet pressed against the wall was easy enough. But her hip was crying out in agony and her lower back throbbed uncomfortably. She grunted as he forced her feet to start moving, feeding the rope between her hands. It was a long way down and she dared not look. Above her she heard a constant stream of grumbled curses and squeaking shoes as Ridley followed her down. She wasn¡¯t sure how long they had been going for but she was drenched in sweat. Her hands ached from gripping the rope. Her legs wobbled with fatigue and every muscle in her body begged for reprieve. ¡°Nearly there!¡± Jimmy called up to them. ¡°Couple more floors.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill him,¡± Ridley wheezed. ¡°Just let go and you can kill us all,¡± Nairo muttered, spitting sweat out of her mouth. The sounds of the kitchen and the smell of cooking food wafted up the dumb waiter to them. Nearly there. Almost. She heard the sound of feet hitting the ground and a hatch being slammed open. She guessed Jimmy had reached the bottom. Her legs quivered and then gave away. Nairo slipped and lurched forward, slamming her face off the dumbwaiter¡¯s shaft and then fell. It was only a few feet but she landed hard, crying out in agony as pain lanced across her lower body. ¡°Sarge! You okay!¡± Ridley shouted down. ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± Jimmy reached a hand through the hatch and pulled her up and out. Nairo hopped gingerly and blinked in the bright light of the kitchen. They had made it! It felt like days, weeks, since she and Ridley had first entered the demonic kitchens. She heard Ridley tumble down just behind. ¡°Quickly! Let¡¯s go.¡± Jimmy hauled Ridley out and then flitted across the busy kitchens with his head down. They stumbled after him, too exhausted for questions. Jimmy led them through the kitchen to another closet. He rapped on the door three times, then waited, and knocked once more. There was the sound of lock clicking. Jimmy pulled the door open just wide enough for them to fit through and ushered Ridley and Nairo in. Nairo squeezed through the door and instantly felt her heart lighten. ¡°Barney! Cripper!¡± Their two compatriots were sitting around a makeshift table with five chairs. They beamed at them. ¡°Miss Sally! Master Ridley! James! So awfully good to see you all!¡± Barney leapt to his feet and greeted them all with enthusiastic handshakes. ¡°I was having palpitations awaiting your arrival! Was I not Cripper?¡± ¡°Yer,¡± the big man grunted. ¡°Fish ¡®n¡¯ Chips!¡± Ridley said, barging past Barney as he saw the table was laden with five heaping portions of fried cod and chips. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the tartar sauce!¡± Barney said, clapping Jimmy on the back. ¡°We were successful?¡± Jimmy nodded and winked at him. ¡°Jolly good show.¡± Nairo stumbled into the seat next to Cripper and they tucked in to their hard earned lunch. The fish was piping hot and flaky. The chips were thick and fried to a perfect crunch. The tartar sauce was tangy and creamy. Nairo felt like she could weep but she was too busy stuffing her face. Barney popped open a bottle of wine and served a healthy helping to all. He stood and raised his glass. ¡°A bloody perfectly executed caper! If you pardon the language, Miss Sally.¡± ¡°A bloody good caper!¡± Nairo said through a thick mouthful of cod while holding up her wine glass. ¡°It has been a tremendous honour escapading and fighting by your sides. Shall you ever call again, know that Barnabus Reginald Archibald-Sterling will answer day and night!¡± ¡°Here here!¡± Jimmy laughed and clinked his wine glass with Barney¡¯s. ¡°It was a successful caper for all of us, right Jim?¡± Ridley said, looking up from his food for the first time. ¡°You got some of the info you needed,¡± Jimmy replied. ¡°And so did you.¡± Nairo looked from Ridley to Jimmy. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°You wanna tell her or should I?¡± Ridley asked. Jimmy hesitated and looked at Barney. ¡°That pipe never broke,¡± Ridley said, swallowing a mouthful of chips. ¡°James here needed us to get stranded so we could drop in on Stubbs. Right?¡± Jimmy looked at Barney again. ¡°That¡¯s also why Cripper decided to take a powder halfway through, right big man?¡± Cripper looked uncharacteristically sheepish. ¡°What? Why?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Cripper would never have fit down the dumbwaiter and Barney would have been recognised by Stubbs. I thought it was a little suspicious that there just happened to be three neatly folded and washed uniforms in our sizes in that cupboard. Not to mention the fact you had the perfect escape route already mapped out.¡± ¡°No, I mean why did they need to see Stubbs?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing it had something to do with the datebook Jimmy took a sneak at when he was tryna pour Stubbs¡¯ tea.¡± ¡°Gosh Master Ridley, you are a dab hand at detectoring,¡± Barney said, deflating slightly. Jimmy sat back and ran his tongue across his teeth. ¡°Party needed us, Rid. I wouldn¡¯t have put you two in any danger¡­¡± ¡°Any more danger than we¡¯ve already been in?¡± ¡°It was the only chance the Party had to get eyes on Stubbs¡¯ day planner. There was no way we could have done it without two outsiders that Stubbs wouldn¡¯t recognise.¡± Ridley nodded and took a bite of cod. ¡°Killed two birds with one stone?¡± ¡°Only way we could get permission to run this mission.¡± ¡°Oh dear, I feel awful,¡± Barney said, lilting in his seat. ¡°This level of dishonesty is unbecoming of an Archibald-Sterling! But I assure you both, it was the only way and it was absolutely necessary.¡± Nairo looked around the table and sighed. ¡°I supposed all is well that ends well.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ridley agreed. ¡°But you still owe me one, Jim.¡± Jimmy grinned and winked his blackened eye at him. ¡°Anything for a mate.¡± ¡°You gonna tell us what you saw in that datebook?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± ¡°Fish ¡®n¡¯ Chips good though,¡± Cripper said. The tension broke instantly and they shared a laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that,¡± Nairo said. Chapter 61 Timmy tried to swallow but his mouth was so dry he made a sound similar to a fish gasping on a river bank. He was still blowing after running from the Landlord¡¯s men and now they found themselves in a pub surrounded by another load of bald headed, mean faced, drunk bastards. ¡°¡®Oo the fuck are you?¡± a ratty little creature with crooked teeth said to them. ¡°Us? We¡¯re umm¡­¡± Timmy floundered, his mind a complete blank. He had forgotten all the intricate backstories he and Wally had dreamed up on their walk to Funderson Ave. ¡°Yeah you.¡± The mob turned on them. Timmy couldn¡¯t help but notice how many glass pint glasses and snooker cues were being tightly gripped. ¡°We¡¯re recruits!¡± Wally screamed shrilly. ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°We wanna join up! With the Militia!¡± The pub¡¯s denizens looked at each other perplexed. Someone grinned and a moment later there were howls of laughter. ¡°You wanna join up?¡± The scrawny rat faced one said stepping towards them. ¡°Y-y-yeah we do. We hate them¡­ them fuckin¡¯ toads and all that. Right Glenn?¡± Wally said, nudging Timmy. That was it! He was Glen Quickly and Wally was¡­ ¡°R-r-right Shane. We want to¡­ umm¡­ we want smash up some Goblins!¡± There was a fresh gale of laughter but this time it had a friendly edge. ¡°Piss of kid, before you get yoreselves hurt,¡± the rat faced man said, slapping his cackling mate on the shoulder. ¡°This ain¡¯t the place for you.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go get yoreselves some flags and join the ladies on parade!¡± Timmy felt his face reddening. ¡°We¡¯re serious!¡± Wally said. ¡°We wanna join¡­¡± ¡°Well we don¡¯t want you!¡± the rat faced man snarled, getting in Wally¡¯s face. Someone pushed Timmy and a glass smashed against the door above their heads. ¡°Go on piss off!¡± Wally looked at Timmy and then he started to back off out of the door. ¡°Wots goin¡¯ on out ¡®ere?¡± The gales of laughter stopped. The men all turned to look at a hefty figure walking out from behind the bar. He was an older man, probably somewhere in his fifties, his black hair had greyed on the side, and he was more bulk than muscle now, but he was still an imposing presence. He wore a filthy apron and had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows, exposing his faded tattoos. ¡°Jerry, these two mugs come in the pub talking ¡®bout joinin¡¯ up with the Militia,¡± the rat faced one explained. ¡°We woz just showin¡¯ ¡®em the door.¡± ¡°Why? Is it yore pub to be slingin¡¯ people out of?¡± Jerry growled at him. ¡°Wot¡­ no I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± The rat faced man shuffled nervously and looked down. Jerry swept past him to look Wally and Timmy up and down with inky blue eyes that were so dark they looked black. ¡°Wots yer names?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Shane Spinner and this is Glenn Quickly,¡± Wally said. ¡°How old are you boys?¡± ¡°Old enuff.¡± Jerry gave him a mirthless grin. ¡°Answer me straight boy, or I¡¯ll paint the wall wiv yer brains.¡± Timmy swallowed nervously. ¡°I¡¯m seventeen and he¡¯s nineteen,¡± Timmy answered quickly. ¡°Huh, just kids. I don¡¯t think this is the place for you boys¡­¡± ¡°But we wanna join up!¡± Wally said stubbornly. ¡°Trust me, you¡¯re not wot we¡¯re lookin¡¯ for.¡± ¡°Try us,¡± Wally said, jutting his chin out. What was he doing? Timmy thought to himself. We need to get out of here. ¡°Ha!¡± Jerry gave another cold laugh and looked around. ¡°Lad thinks he¡¯s tough.¡± The men around Jerry sniggered. ¡°Alright. If you wanna be in the Militia so bad, you¡¯ll have to prove yoreselves.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Wally said. ¡°Wa¡­ Shane, maybe this isn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Quiet Glenn. Wot do we have to do?¡± ¡°Out back,¡± Jerry said, nodding his head to the backdoor. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The men in the pub grinned and parted to allow them through. Wally strode through the crowd while Timmy shuffled after him. Out back of the pub was a dirty little cobbled garden full of weeds and broken glass. The men poured out after them with Jerry at their head. ¡°The Militia only takes a certain kind of man,¡± Jerry said to them. ¡°You gotta be ¡®ard, you gotta be ruthless, and most importantly you gotta follow orders. We don¡¯t take weaklings, so if you wanna join up then you gotta prove yoreselves.¡± Timmy looked around nervously. What were they going to do to them? Surely he didn¡¯t expect them to fight all of the men? ¡°We¡¯ll take on yore ¡®ardest men,¡± Wally said, but the slight quiver in his voice and the quickening of his breath gave away his brittle nerves. The men broke out into more cackles. ¡°Ooh, ¡®e is a ¡®ard nut!¡± Someone yelled from the crowd. ¡°No no lad,¡± Jerry said, shaking his head. ¡°You don¡¯t get to put yore hands on Militia men.¡± ¡°Who then?¡± Wally asked, swallowing down his mounting fear. ¡°Him.¡± Jerry nodded his head at Timmy. ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°To be in the Militia you gotta know ¡®ow to use yore ¡®ands and you can¡¯t be afraid to scrap. So youse two are gonna go three minutes. Dependin¡¯ on ¡®ow you conduct yoreselves will decide if your in or not.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not fighting each other!¡± Timmy said. ¡°Alright,¡± Wally said. ¡°What!¡± Timmy exploded. ¡°Wal¡­ Shane!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Wally muttered to Timmy, turning his back to Jerry. ¡°Let¡¯s just pretend a little. If we can get in with this lot they¡¯ll take us right to ¡®Unter.¡± Wally hissed through his teeth. ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± Wally said, turning back to Jerry. ¡°Good lad. Strip down and let¡¯s see wot you got.¡± Jerry lit a smoke while two men took Wally and Timmy¡¯s cloaks from them. Wally pulled off his top while Timmy stood there self consciously. ¡°Take it off Glenn,¡± Wally hissed at him as the crowd around them sniggered. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°You gotta.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Come on!¡± Wally snapped at him. Timmy looked around, his face feeling hot as he slowly peeled off his sweat stained shirt to reveal his pale, flabby body. One of the watching men wolf whistled him. ¡°Look at the tits on that!¡± They howled in laughter and Timmy felt tears sting the back of his eyes. He gritted his teeth and looked down at the ground. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Right, let¡¯s have a good clean scrap now,¡± Jerry said. ¡°No biting, scratching, eye gouging, or low blows. You¡¯ll fight for three minutes. If you fall you¡¯ll be let back up. If you turn your back you¡¯ll get smashed in right here by the boys. Fight wiv yer hearts, boys.¡± Wally squared up in front of Timmy, his scrawny fists clenched. Timmy raised his podgy fists, his heart hammering in his chest. ¡°Fight!¡± The men roared and Wally and Timmy circled each other. Wally threw out a couple of slow jabs that Timmy was able to block easily enough and the men booed. Timmy had never been much of a fighter. He was an excellent punching bag but he had never really learned how to fight back. He threw a couple of wayward jabs of his own and the men started laughing. Timmy chanced a look over at Jerry who looked unimpressed. ¡°It¡¯s no good,¡± Timmy hissed to Wally. ¡°He¡¯s not falling for it!¡± ¡°Wot are we gonna do? ¡®It each other for real?¡± Wally whispered back as he threw a half hearted kick that completely missed Timmy¡¯s leg. ¡°We look like fools!¡± Timmy whispered back as the men cackled and jeered at them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Tim.¡± ¡°For wh¡­¡± Wally¡¯s fist cracked off of Timmy¡¯s nose. Timmy¡¯s head whipped back and his eyes immediately teared up. He stumbled a few steps and hit the brick wall. Timmy reached up and felt blood leaking from his nose. The men roared their approval. ¡°Go on! Smash that piggy up!¡± ¡°Punch him in his fat face!¡± ¡°Did yer see his tits flopping about!¡± Timmy looked at Wally through the blur of his own tears and something snapped. Red mist descended over Timmy¡¯s vision. He tasted blood. His ears filled with the mocking laughter of the men around them. With a guttural howl, Timmy threw himself at Wally, his hands a blur as he threw punch after wild punch. Timmy covered up and tried to avoid the mad whirlwind of blows. One of Timmy¡¯s errant punches caught Wally in the side of the head and staggered him. Timmy tried to follow up but Wally was far more experienced at street brawling than Timmy. He lashed out with his foot and kicked Timmy hard on the shin. Timmy stumbled and clutched at his leg. Wally rushed him and got him in a headlock, hanging on to Timmy for dear life. ¡°Keep going!¡± Wally whispered to him. ¡°They¡¯re buyin¡¯ it!¡± ¡°Geeerrooofffff me!¡± Timmy roared. He bucked and grabbed Wally¡¯s waist band, flinging him on to the grass. Wally rolled back to his feet only to be punched square in his forehead. His eyes crossed for a second and he swung blindly, punching Timmy in the side of his neck. They both stood stunned for a moment. Timmy cleared the cobwebs just in time to see another wild punch flying towards him. He threw up a meaty arm and caught the blow. There was nothing fake about that punch. They stood toe to toe, blindly trading wild haymakers, half off them missing. The crowd roared and cheered at the display. ¡°Go on piggy! Smash his fuckin¡¯ ¡®ead in!¡± ¡°Crack ¡®is cannister!¡± ¡°Do ¡®im in!¡± ¡°I got two gram on the fat one!¡± Timmy¡¯s barrage had beat Wally back against the fence. Wally had both hands raised trying to protect himself as Timmy rained down blows on his head and back. Wally managed to dodge one wild punch and send Timmy off balance enough to tackle him. He slammed his bony shoulder into Timmy¡¯s stomach and drove him back. They tumbled in a heap, Timmy¡¯s head cracking off the cobbles. They scrapped on the ground for a few seconds before being pulled apart and stood back up. Wearily, they circled each other. Exhaustion had set in. Both combatants wheezed, their arms feeling like they were full of lead. Timmy¡¯s hand hurt so bad he couldn¡¯t even make a fist, so he had resorted to meaty open handed slaps. Wally kept one of his arms raised to defend his head while he kicked at Timmy. Eventually, they both staggered into each other, and stood there, leaned against one another, sucking wind and throwing listless body blows. Mercifully, Jerry stepped in and pulled them apart. ¡°That¡¯s yer three minutes! Wot a fight!¡± he roared and raised both of their hands in triumph. The crowd cheered and clapped their hands as the two battered and bloody fighters wobbled, barely able to stay upright. ¡°You boys ¡®ave got some ¡®eart alright! I didn¡¯t think you ¡®ad it in you!¡± Jerry said, patting them on their sweaty backs. ¡°Get these boys a couple of pints and a bag of ice!¡± The crowd slapped their backs and tousled their hair as they stumbled back into the pub. Two pints appeared before them. Still breathing heavily, Wally and Timmy slumped at a table and guzzled down their pints. Now the red mist had lifted, Timmy felt sick. Not only because of all the physical exertion but because of the knot he saw coming up on Wally¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Timmy croaked. ¡°Naa don¡¯t be,¡± Wally said with a forced nonchalance. ¡°Did wot you had to. But I¡¯m sorry ¡®bout punching you in the nose.¡± ¡°That really hurt,¡± Timmy said, wiping blood from his nose on the back of his hand. ¡°Sorry,¡± Wally said sheepishly. ¡°We done good though. They bought it!¡± Jerry reappeared with a bucket of ice and some tea towels. He took two fistfuls of ice and wrapped them up in the tea towels before handing one to each of them. They gratefully pressed the ice to their swollen hands and faces while Jerry sat down at the table with them. The rest of the men had gone back to their drinking and smoking. ¡°Wot did yer say yer names were again?¡± Jerry asked them. ¡°I¡¯m Glenn,¡± Timmy said. ¡°And that¡¯s Shane.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Jerry Hackfer, nice to meet you boys. Where you from?¡± ¡°I¡¯m from Aggers Lane and Glenn¡¯s from Milforth,¡± Wally said, pressing the ice against the knot on his head. ¡°You boys fought well. Good to see the younger generation still got that warrior spirit in ¡®em.¡± Jerry said, sipping his own pint. ¡°So you wanna join up with the Militia?¡± Wally and Timmy nodded. ¡°Why? ¡°¡®Coz¡­ These Goblins have got out of hand,¡± Wally said. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re everywhere and they¡¯re taken all of what¡¯s ours,¡± Timmy said, parroting the rhetoric from the speech they had heard earlier. ¡°Yeah and if we don¡¯t stick up for our lot, then who will?¡± Wally said. ¡°That¡¯s exactly right lad,¡± Jerry said, nodding approvingly. ¡°This city¡¯s gone soft. You boys are too young to know, but there was a time in this city when Goblins and whatever the fuck else used to walk around with their heads down. They wouldn¡¯t dare even look at a Human wrong. We woz in charge in them days. But slowly, this city was sold out to these Goblins, and Gnomes, and Dwarves, and Darkies from all over the place. Now we¡¯re the ones who¡¯re treated like second class citizens! In our own city! It ain¡¯t right.¡± ¡°It¡¯s criminal,¡± Wally said. ¡°Exactly,¡± Jerry agreed. ¡°But now¡¯s the time for change and it will be lads like yoreselves that¡¯ll lead the way.¡± ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± Wally said. ¡°Whatever it takes.¡± ¡°Good lad, ¡®ere get a bit o¡¯ this in yer.¡± Jerry placed a small beige wrap on the table between them. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°You never done a bit of Slug?¡± Jerry asked, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Oh Slug right yeah, well not really¡­¡± Timmy shifted uncomfortably and looked at Wally. Slug, also known as Cement, Crash, Whooping Paste, and probably half a dozen other names, was a nasty concoction. It was a paste made from the root of the Tabir plant, mixed with whatever else was to hand, and elicited rushes of energy, euphoria, and a complete lack of inhibitions. Before it became a party drug in the city, it was known as Berserker''s Blood and was used primarily by front line warriors going into battle. ¡°Well today¡¯s the day to try some!¡± Jerry laughed, but his eyes stayed hard and suspicious. Timmy¡¯s instincts told him this was some sort of test. Reluctantly, he reached out and picked up the packet. The substance was soft in his hands, almost like dough. ¡°You just take a pinch, like this,¡± Jerry ripped a small square from the corner of the paste, rolled it between his fingers until it formed a ball, and then popped it behind his lower lip. ¡°Then you whack it in.¡± Timmy nodded, his hands sweating. He didn¡¯t even like drinking strong beer and had never so much as seen a drug in his short life. What would happen if a copper got caught taking drugs? Would he be fired? Would he be arrested? Timmy tore off a miniscule corner from the beige paste. The smell alone was making his head swim slightly. ¡°That¡¯s not gonna do anything,¡± Jerry said, tearing off a chunk that was considerably larger than the one he had had used. ¡°Get that in yer lad!¡± Timmy rolled the paste like he had seen Jerry do and then pulled his lower lip back. He plopped the paste in and tried not to shudder as the sour, metallic taste washed through his mouth. ¡°Give it five minutes and you¡¯ll be hopping off the roof,¡± Jerry laughed, slapping him on the back, the suspicious frown gone from his face. ¡°You?¡± He thrust the packet at Wally. ¡°No fanks, Slug gives me the shits.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll do that.¡± Jerry tucked away the packet. Timmy¡¯s eyes bugged and he felt sweat trickling down his face. He tried not to suck on the ball of foul tasting paste. His whole lower jaw began to numb. ¡°You boys¡¯ve got heart,¡± Terry said, after sipping his pint and burping. ¡°But you sure you know wot yore signing up for? This war ain¡¯t no joke. People are gonna get hurt.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ we heard about the fire,¡± Wally said. Jerry raised one of his thick eyebrows. ¡°The little Goblin bonfire?¡± Jerry said, a wicked grin on his face. ¡°Yeah.¡± Timmy gave a nervous titter. He wasn¡¯t sure whether it was the Slug or Jerry¡¯s twisted smile that was making him feel nauseous. ¡°Yeah, lot of young lads have signed up since that. Was the first real blow in this war!¡± Jerry said with a thick note of pride in his voice. Timmy looked over at Wally and saw the muscles of his jaw twitching, his knuckles white around his ice pack as she stared darkly at the table. ¡°Well lads, you¡¯ll get plenty of action like that, don¡¯t you worry about it. This city¡¯s gonna run red with the blood of all these filthy foreign creatures.¡± The hate in Jerry¡¯s voice was palpable. ¡°You think they deserved it?¡± Wally growled, his voice low, his eyes midnight black. ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°That Goblin family. You think they deserved getting burned like that?¡± ¡°Wot? Wot kinda question is that?¡± Jerry said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the quivering youth. ¡°What he means is, do you they¡¯re the ones that sold us out?¡± Timmy said quickly, his nerves fraying. He could feel his heart beat starting to speed up, his mouth thick with stagnant phlegm. ¡°Like, we should be striking at those people that betrayed us, right? Right?¡± Jerry gave Wally another dark look before turning to Timmy. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong there lad. Only thing worse¡¯n a toad is a Human that betrayed ¡®is own people. But their time will come. They¡¯ll all pay for wot they¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Timmy said, nodding eagerly, feeling like he was both breathing too quickly and not enough at the same time. ¡°Is it hot in here? I¡¯m hot. Are you hot?¡± Jerry laughed and smacked Timmy on the back. ¡°That Slug¡¯s startin¡¯ to get ya lad!¡± He chuckled and then leaned forward conspiratorially. ¡°You boys are in luck. There¡¯s a big rally tonight. Lot of the top boys of the movement are gonna be there. Perfect chance for a couple of new lads to get their faces seen.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Timmy squeaked. ¡°Is the one who killed that family gonna be there?¡± Wally asked, his voice still monotone and cold. ¡°So we can shake his hand!¡± Timmy added with a big grin on his face. ¡°They¡¯ll be there,¡± Jerry said, giving him a wink and slapping Timmy on his thigh. ¡°Right get yoreselves cleaned up and get another couple of pints in yer. We move out in an hour.¡± Jerry stood up and walked away. Wally¡¯s hooded eyes followed him, his pint held like he was ready to go after him and smash it across the back of Jerry¡¯s head. ¡°Wally!¡± Timmy hissed at him. ¡°Remember why we¡¯re here.¡± Wally tore his eyes away from the back of Jerry¡¯s head. ¡°These guys make me fuckin¡¯ sick.¡± ¡°Me too. Although that might be the Slug. I took a lot of Slug, didn''t I?¡± Wally didn¡¯t answer, he was still watching Terry through the crowd. ¡°Wally? Wally?¡± ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°Am I going to die?¡± ¡°One day, yeah.¡± Timmy squeaked. Chapter 62 Almost an entire day had passed while they were in the Houses. When Nairo and Ridley finally snuck back out, it was under the cover of darkness. The rain had stopped and there was a chill in the air. Thanks to the riots, nightlife had ceased in the city proper. The streets were eerily empty. Nairo and Ridley stole through the shadow laden streets trying to find a way back north to Ridley¡¯s apartment but it was impossible. Every main road was barricaded and heavily policed. Nairo could have used her credentials to get them through the barricades on this side, but word was the Gnomes had set up their own blockades into Little Kang and once the sun set, nothing was getting through. Nairo led Ridley back through the city to a squat low rise that was as broad as it was tall. They shuffled into the gloomy block of flats and then limped up to the third floor. Nairo fought with the sticky lock, her swollen knuckles making her hands clumsy. She slammed her already injured hip against the door and it finally shook loose and fell open. ¡°Welcome,¡± Nairo said wearily. She hobbled into the room, threw the keys in a small bowl to the left of the door and fell face first onto the single, lumpy bed in the corner of the shoebox sized room. ¡°And you made fun of my gaff,¡± Ridley mumbled as limped in after her. The room was dark and damp enough to grow mushrooms. It was almost empty aside from a few smatterings of perfunctory furniture. The window was so grimy that they didn¡¯t need net curtains to preserve privacy. ¡°It¡¯s not mine,¡± Nairo murmured, her voice smothered by the bed. ¡°Have we broken into someone else¡¯s shithole?¡± Ridley asked, easing himself down to the floor as there were no chairs. He leaned against the wall and hugged his coat tight around his battered and bruised body. ¡°It¡¯s for coppers,¡± Nairo said, rolling over to face him. ¡°Somewhere you can crash if you¡¯re on a double.¡± ¡°Or you¡¯ve had one too many,¡± Ridley said, chuckling dryly to himself. ¡°Speaking of which, any booze in here?¡± Nairo lifted her head and scanned the flat before looking back at him. ¡°What you see is what you get.¡± ¡°No food either then?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Ridley kicked off his soggy loafers with tremendous effort, his knees and ankles protesting the whole way. ¡°Ahh, I think I¡¯ve broken my toe.¡± ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°Kicking that fella in the toilet stall.¡± ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Nairo said with a faraway voice. ¡°None of that feels like it was real, does it?¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for all the bruises I¡¯d agree with you.¡± ¡°I feel like I could sleep for a whole week.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you till sun up.¡± ¡°Why so early?¡± ¡°Coz we need to get on the trail of this Pixie and find this damned Diamond before the cobbles run red or the whole place gets blown sky high.¡± Nairo sighed and painstakingly rolled onto her back, looking up at the yellowing ceiling. ¡°How? How are we going to possibly find one tiny Pixie in this massive city?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°There¡¯s a better question: how the hell hasn¡¯t this Pixie been found yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about that. It¡¯s not from the city, it would have nowhere to go. The poor thing would be hopelessly lost and more than likely sleeping rough.¡± ¡°With the dog packs we got round here, a Pixie wouldn¡¯t last five minutes sleeping on the streets, even with a magical bloody Diamond.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the other thing, someone would have spotted it. A big sparkling Diamond isn¡¯t exactly easy to conceal, especially one that temperamental. It¡¯s not like the Pixie could just hide it somewhere and come back for it later, it has to keep it with it.¡± ¡°Folks would steal your silver fillings if you smiled for too long in certain parts of this city,¡± Ridley said, scowling at nothing. ¡°Unless, the Diamond has more abilities than we know about.¡± ¡°Like invisibility or something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nairo said, shrugging her shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s more likely is that it has an accomplice, or at least someone giving it shelter.¡± ¡°Who would give a loony bloody Pixie and great whacking Diamond, that might go bang, shelter?¡± ¡°Someone equally loony, I suppose.¡± ¡°City ain¡¯t got no shortages of those.¡± Ridley reached into his jacket and pulled out a smoke. ¡°There¡¯s no smoking in here.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a foul habit and it makes everything stink.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t do no harm here.¡± ¡°No smoking!¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Ridley put the smoke away and then laid down. ¡°Might as well go to sleep I suppose.¡± Nairo let out a mighty yawn, her jaw cracking, and her ears popping. ¡°That¡¯s the only good idea you¡¯ve had today.¡± Ridley snorted derisively and laid down on the floor. ¡°You gonna be alright down there?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve slept on worse.¡± ¡°Pillow or blanket? We¡¯ve only got one of each.¡± ¡°Pillow.¡± Nairo chucked him the only pillow and he draped his heavy coat across himself as a makeshift blanket. ¡°See ya in a couple of hours, Sarge.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Night, PI.¡± Nairo felt her breathing slow and her eyelids began to droop. ¡°Shame they Cut the Pixie, this case would¡¯ve been open and shut from the very beginning. We could have just asked the Pixie¡¯s at the bank and caught our man as he was chopping off Benny''s head.¡± Ridley mumbled, half asleep. ¡°Hmm,¡± Nairo purred as sleep snaked around her mind. Just then the little copper in Nairo¡¯s head marched in from her subconscious. He tapped his baton on her consciousness and waited patiently. Nairo tried to ignore him, letting sleep take her deep. The policeman rapped again, this time more forcefully and with less patience. Nairo¡¯s eyes snapped open. ¡°The Pixies!¡± ¡°Waahhh?¡± Ridley sat up in fright, and then groaned as he twisted his already battered ribs. ¡°The Pixies at the bank! Don¡¯t you remember! They were in disarray, they were panicked!¡± ¡°Wahh?¡± ¡°The ghosts! They hear them but they¡¯re like ghosts!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Jimmy said!¡± ¡°Sarge, are you alright?¡± ¡°No¡­ I mean yes. Wait.¡± Nairo sat up and tousled her curly mane of hair as she tried to order her epiphany. ¡°When a Pixie is Cut they lose the connection to their Home Tree, but they don¡¯t completely lose the ability to communicate with Pixie¡¯s around them. But they frighten the uncut Pixies. They¡¯re like ghosts, creatures with no eyes and no mouths whispering from the darkness! That Pixie in the Houses, he was cut and-and he said something about how they hear him but won¡¯t speak back. And the Pixies in the bank looked terrified when I saw them the morning of the robbery. We all just put it down to the robbery but what if it was the Cut Pixie trying to speak to them and that was what scared them?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ can they talk back to it?¡± Ridley asked, his brows furrowed deeply. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think so. But the Cut Pixies are constantly reaching out trying to talk to someone. What if this Cut Pixie has made contact? Or has at least been trying to? We could get a lock on its whereabouts, at least a general area where it could be!¡± ¡°Well¡­ shit,¡± Ridley said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s a good idea, Sarge. We might actually have a chance of finding this damn Pixie.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Nairo said, groaning as she tried to swing her legs off the bed. ¡°We¡¯ll start with the Pixies at the bank!¡± ¡°The bank doesn¡¯t open until seven in the morning,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Oh thank goodness.¡± Nairo flopped straight back down on the bed and closed her eyes. She was snoring before Ridley could say another word. He smirked into the darkness as he listened to her snores. * Nairo was awoken by the sound of a bang and the thump of feet. She opened her eyes, her vision thick with sleep. Instinct drove her body out of bed while her mind was still dreaming. She blinked again. She had seen a figure jump out of the window. Hadn¡¯t she? Nairo looked around her trying to sort reality from dream. Where was Ridley? His coat was on the floor but the PI was nowhere to be seen. Nairo felt a cold breeze on her shoulders. She stumbled to the open window and glimpsed Ridley rushing round the corner. Before her mind had consciously made a decision, her body was hurtling out of the grimy flat, and in her bare feet, she took the steps two at a time ignoring the aches of her stiff body. Nairo burst out of the main door to the building just in time to see a man fly by her. He was dressed all in black and had streaming golden hair. Ridley was hot on his heels. Nairo joined the chase, and together they sprinted across the wet cobbles. The man was quick and he had the advantage of wearing shoes. They rounded the corner just in time to see him spring into the back of a black carriage. The cab took off, the horses whinnying as the driver whipped them into a full run. Ridley bent over double and spat on to the cobbles. Nairo, still blinking sleep out of her eyes, looked around. She thought she saw another figure melt away into the darkness in the alleyway opposite. She blinked again and saw nothing. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she asked Ridley, feeling an animalistic instinct of unseen eyes watching her. ¡°Not here,¡± Ridley said, standing up and then looking down at his sodden socks. They limped back to the flat keeping a careful eye on their surroundings. Once they were back inside, Nairo double locked the door and sat on the bed, scratching her tousled hair and yawning. ¡°Turn the light off,¡± Ridley said, as he posted up by the window and stared suspiciously. They sat in complete darkness for so long Nairo felt her eyes droop again. ¡°We¡¯re being watched,¡± Ridley said, snapping her awake again. ¡°Who was that man?¡± ¡°I dunno. I heard something outside and saw a shadow on the window. When I got up to look I saw him there crouched.¡± ¡°An assassin?¡± ¡°Naa, seemed more like he was listening. Who knows how long he was out there.¡± Ridley craned his neck and narrowed his eyes. ¡°I noticed a cab following us when we left the Houses. It was still parked up when I chased our man. But it wasn¡¯t the one he jumped into.¡± ¡°More than one person¡¯s watching us?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Who could it be?¡± ¡°Any number of people,¡± Ridley said, rubbing at his tired eyes. ¡°Elves. Goblins. Humans. Police.¡± ¡°Why would the police be watching us?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t remember when they explicitly told you to stop investigating this case?¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± They sat up for the rest of the night, taking it in turns to stare out of the window. Every creak in the old building set Nairo¡¯s teeth on edge. Finally, the sun peeked over the horizon, melting away the paranoia of night. Nairo was exhausted. She felt like she hadn¡¯t slept properly in weeks. Her stomach churned and spat bile into the back of her throat. Her clothes were still damp and were starting to smell. All she wanted was a bath and something hot to eat. She had whiled away the final hours of the night by counting up all the things that hurt. She was up to twenty three when Ridley stirred from his catnap on the floor. He sat up and groaned so deeply it sounded like even his soul was bruised. He slumped straight back down and curled into the foetal position for a minute while moaning. ¡°You look pretty in the morning,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Piss off,¡± he grunted back. ¡°Here,¡± Nairo offered him her bruised hand and helped drag him to his feet. Ridley unfurled carefully. He groaned again and coughed so hard his back popped. ¡°Okay,¡± he said finally. He wobbled over to his coat, bent creakily, and picked it up. ¡°Any more nighttime visitors?¡± ¡°Nothing, not even a feral cat.¡± Ridley nodded and coughed again. ¡°What¡¯s our next move?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°We go to the bank.¡± ¡°Still?¡± ¡°Yeah. Could be we¡¯ve spooked our watchers bad enough that they¡¯ll keep their distance. And if we haven¡¯t, we may be able to flush them out. Either way, we can¡¯t just stay holed up here and hope they show their faces.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I don¡¯t like being followed.¡± ¡°No, I imagine you¡¯re used to be the one who does the following.¡± ¡°Something like that,¡± Nairo said. Even though she would never admit it to Ridley, being a copper had given her a sense of safety. She knew no matter what they faced on the streets, she was a part of the force and no criminal would take harming a copper lightly. Now? Now she was just a civilian sticking her nose in where it didn¡¯t belong. She felt naked and unarmed. She was vulnerable and that was an unfamiliar feeling. ¡°Come on Sarge,¡± Ridley said, pulling his coat on. ¡°I need some breakfast and the blackest coffee the city has to offer.¡± ¡°Coffee sounds good.¡± Nairo agreed, dragging herself upright and testing her stiff legs. She couldn¡¯t remember what it felt like to be pain free and loose. ¡°You¡¯re paying,¡± Ridley said as they walked out of the flat. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Cheer up. We finally got the scent, all we gotta do is follow this thread, and the whole case will be wrapped up in a neat little bow.¡± ¡°You¡¯re butchering metaphors again.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not wrong.¡± Ridley grinned wolfishly at her as he walked outside. How did he do it? He was just a normal citizen. He had no badge, no truncheon, no uniform, and no back up. But the streets could never make him flinch. No matter how much it bared its teeth and growled, Ridley still put one foot in front of the other daring it to make a move. He was battered and bruised from head to toe. He had been beat up half a dozen times. He¡¯d been arrested, kidnapped, and almost drowned in a toilet. He¡¯d been lied to and threatened constantly. But no matter what happened, he pursued the truth. Relentless and indefatigable. He had proven without a shadow of a doubt there was no length he wouldn¡¯t go to. Nairo caught herself mid train of thought. Did she actually admire him? She must be concussed worse than she thought. ¡°Come on Sarge! Cab¡¯s here!¡± Ridley hopped into the back of the cab and Nairo wearily followed. ¡°To the city bank!¡± Chapter 63 After a quick stop for midnight black coffee, stale crumpets, and a shot of something dark and fortifying, Nairo and Ridley arrived back where it had all started: Verdalia bank. It was business as usual, or at least there was an attempt at normal business. Rioting had continued for the third day in a row and now the facade of normality was beginning to crack. The streets were still surprisingly empty. Police had been carrying out checks on anyone wishing to enter the city proper and this had led to massive tailbacks on the main roads. That combined with the blockades everywhere, had brought the city to a near halt. Nothing was getting in and many businesses remained closed due to lack of staff or goods. It was a strange feeling to actually see the cobbles. To feel how big the streets were now they were empty. It was surreal. Nairo hopped out of the cab after Ridley, blinking in the weak morning sunlight. She threw a surreptitious look over her shoulder, unable to shake the feeling that they were still being watched. ¡°Did you notice anyone following us?¡± she asked Ridley. ¡°There were a couple of cabs, but nothing I could be sure ain¡¯t just paranoia,¡± Ridley replied, he too was checking out their surroundings, but far more subtle than Nairo. ¡°No one seems to be taking too much of an interest in us.¡± They limped up the grand steps to the bank and walked in. Nairo immediately felt how empty the place was. Only one Human teller was working and there were no Goblins or HobGoblins on shift. The bank was still like a stage waiting for the actors. A tall woman strode across the bank floor, her professionally sized heels clicking as she approached. ¡°Good morning, my name is Laryssa Velentine, how may I assist you today?¡± Nairo turned to face the woman, her mouth already forming around words such as: ¡®I¡¯m Sargeant Nairo¡¯ and ¡®we¡¯re here investigating¡¯ but then she remembered that wasn¡¯t true. ¡°Oh Mrs Velentine, they¡¯re with the police!¡± A familiar voice said from behind the desk. Isabelle, the young receptionist who had helped them track down De Woolf, smiled at them from behind the counter. ¡°You know these officers, Isabelle?¡± Mrs Velentine asked, looking down her nose at the bedraggled and bruised duo. ¡°Yes, maam, they¡¯re on the case about the robbery.¡± ¡°Ahh, I was led to believe EIF had taken the case over,¡± Mrs Velentine said. ¡°Yeah we¡¯re just following up on some questions,¡± Ridley said with a bored tone of voice that suggested it was nothing important. ¡°Just crossing the I¡¯s and dotting the T¡¯s.¡± ¡°Well I am terribly busy at the moment¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯m sure Isabelle can clarify a couple things for us and then we¡¯ll be on our way,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Good. If you need anything I will be downstairs.¡± Mrs Velentine turned and stalked away, her heels clicking. ¡°The new boss?¡± Ridley asked Isabelle, leaning on the desk gingerly. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s alright, just a bit¡­ professional.¡± Isabelle beamed up at them hopefully. ¡°Did you find him?¡± ¡°De Woolf?¡± Ridley asked. Isabelle nodded eagerly and Ridley looked at Nairo. ¡°We did,¡± Nairo confirmed. ¡°And?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t believe he stole the Diamond.¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± Isabelle beamed at them. ¡°Mr De Woolf would never do something like that. So where is he? Is he coming back to the bank? Is he okay?¡± Isabelle asked, noting the look between Nairo and Ridley. ¡°He¡¯s currently in the custody of the EIF,¡± Nairo said. ¡°What! Why?¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t as sure as we are that De Woolf is innocent.¡± ¡°But he didn¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°We know and that¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°To free De Woolf, we have to find who did steal the Diamond,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Of course, how can I help?¡± ¡°We need to talk to your Pixies,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°The Pixies? Why?¡± ¡°We believe they may have seen something or heard something. We need to speak to those that were on duty the night of the robbery,¡± Nairo explained. ¡°Oh¡­ I don¡¯t know which ones would have been here. It sounds terrible but I can¡¯t tell them apart,¡± Isabelle said, frowning slightly. ¡°Any will do, I suppose,¡± Ridley said. ¡°They all share the same brain or whatever.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the problem, we don¡¯t actually have any Pixies on shift.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve stopped coming since the robbery.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of the Pixies? Someone must rota them on shift or whatever,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s done by an outside agency. The Pixies just sort of turn up when they¡¯re supposed to be on shift and leave when they¡¯re done. I have no idea where they go in between.¡± ¡°Can you point us in the right direction?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Isabelle pulled her hefty rolodex towards her and began flicking through with expert speed. ¡°Ahh here! It¡¯s an agency called the Wings of Work. I believe our contact is a lady named Esther Jenkins, her details are here on the card.¡± She handed them a dogeared card with a name and address on the bottom. ¡°Cobalt Alley,¡± Nairo read. ¡°That¡¯s not far from here,¡± Ridley said. ¡°We could hoof it there in ten minutes.¡± ¡°Thank you Isabelle, you¡¯ve been a great help as always.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Is- is Mr De Woolf going to be okay?¡± ¡°As long as we find the Diamond he will be,¡± Nairo replied. Isabelle nodded and wished them luck as they turned and walked back out of the bank. ¡°You know the way?¡± Nairo asked Ridley. ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re going through the back alleys. If anyone is following us, they¡¯re gonna have to do it on foot. Will make it much easier to sniff ¡®em out.¡± Ridley led Nairo through the urine fouled back alleys of the city proper, his preternatural sense of direction making light work of the snaking alleyways. They all seemed to connect at one point or another and there was barely a road sign of place name on any of them. Every now and again Ridley would stop as if pondering their next move, but Nairo knew he was making sure no one was tailing them. After almost fifteen minutes of trotting through alleys, doubling back, and checking for pursuers, they came to a pristine white fronted building no larger than a modest home. On the front of the building was a placard that read: Wings of Work, charitable home for Pixie Folk. ¡°Looks like this is the place,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Do we knock?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Usually how you get into a place.¡± Nairo stepped up to the unassuming blue door and rapped her knuckles on it. ¡°You still knock like a copper,¡± Ridley snorted from behind her. ¡°And how does a copper knock?¡± Nairo snapped at him. ¡°Like they expect to be let in.¡± They waited in silence for a few moments. Nairo knocked again and stepped back from the door. ¡°Nobody home?¡± Ridley said, standing on his tiptoes, trying to peer into one of the ground floor windows. ¡°Where else would they be?¡± Nairo stepped back up the door. ¡°Ms Jenkins?¡± she called. ¡°We¡¯re here to ask a few questions. Ms Jenkins?¡± There was a creak of floorboards from inside but the door remained shut. Nairo turned to look at Ridley and then saw a twitch of the net curtains. ¡°Ms Jenkins! We know you¡¯re in there! We only need a few minutes of your time!¡± They heard the creak again. ¡°Looks like she don¡¯t want visitors,¡± Ridley said and Nairo noticed him sizing up the brick wall next to the house. ¡°We¡¯re not breaking in!¡± Nairo hissed at him. ¡°Why not? Not like we ain¡¯t done it before.¡± ¡°That was different!¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°That was¡­ a public building, this is someone¡¯s home!¡± ¡°What? Are you a vampyre that you can¡¯t cross a threshold?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t start with the vampyre talk again¡­¡± ¡°Go away!¡± a small, frail voice said from the other side of the door. ¡°Ms Jenkins?¡± Nairo shouted through the door. ¡°We¡¯re not open today!¡± ¡°Ms Jenkins, we¡¯re not here for business, we just need to speak to one of your Pixies.¡± ¡°Speak to the Pixies? Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s regarding an ongoing investigation¡­¡± ¡°Are you police?¡± Nairo bit her lip and Ridley swooped in. ¡°We¡¯re here about an ongoing investigation! It would be obstructing the course of justice if you refused us access!¡± Nairo cast Ridley a dark look that he pointedly ignored. There was more creaking of floorboards behind the door before the sound of heavy metal thunk as a latch was drawn back. The door cracked open and a tired, pale blue eye looked at them. ¡°Ms Jenkins, we just need a few moments of your time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to hurt them are you?¡± ¡°Hurt them? The Pixies?¡± Ms Jenkins nodded, the door still only cracked a few inches. ¡°Of course not Ms Jenkins, we just need to ask a few questions.¡± Nairo smiled reassuringly at the old woman.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The door closed again and then opened all the way. Standing in front of them was a woman well into her sixties. She wore a heavy grey cardigan that made her stooped frame look too large and ponderous. Her hair was a tousled mess, as if she had just woken up, but the fine lines of her face told Nairo this was unusual for her. She seemed fastidiously clean in every other aspect but she looked exhausted. ¡°Ms Esther Jenkins?¡± Nairo asked, smiling warmly. ¡°Yes that¡¯s right,¡± Ms Jenkins said, trying to smooth down her wiry grey hair. ¡°My name is Sally Nairo and this is Ridley, we¡¯re investigating a possible robbery at the city bank¡­¡± ¡°I thought so,¡± Ms Jenkins said wearily. ¡°You better come in sweetheart.¡± She turned and shuffled away, letting them close the door behind them. The house, much like its owner, was old but well kept. Everything was made of sturdy wood and full of little knick knacks. There were paintings, carvings, models, and clay works of Pixies everywhere. The house had a lived in smell, as if the windows were rarely opened. It wasn¡¯t unpleasant but it was slightly cloying. Nairo and Ridley followed Ms Jenkins into the kitchen. ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± Ms Jenkins asked them, motioning for them to sit at the small table in the corner. ¡°That would be lovely,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Hildy, could you make three cups of tea please?¡± Ms Jenkins asked. Nairo looked around to see who she was speaking to. A small Pixie hovered into view from behind the kitchen counter. It gave Ms Jenkins a dreamy, unfocused smile, and then busied itself with the tea. Nairo sat down at the table while Ridley leaned against the wall, watching the Pixie. Ms Jenkins eased herself into a chair and sighed. ¡°Ms Jenkins, do you supply Pixies for the city bank?¡± Nairo asked once she had settled. ¡°I do, yes dear. The bank pays a fee for each Pixie and I use the money to feed and house them here.¡± ¡°And were your Pixies working the day of the bank robbery?¡± There was a rattle of cups as the Pixie¡¯s head perked up. ¡°Yes they were.¡± ¡°Do you know which ones were working?¡± ¡°Of course I do,¡± Ms Jenkins said bristling. ¡°Everyone else might see them as interchangeable tools of work but I know my Pixies. Each one of them is as unique as you or I.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ms Jenkins, I didn¡¯t mean any offence.¡± ¡°No, but it just comes so easy when speaking of Pixies.¡± Nairo nodded, abashed, and pushed on. ¡°We believe that the Pixies on shift that night may have seen something that will help us uncover who committed the robbery.¡± Again there was a rattle of china but this time followed by a smash. ¡°Hildy!¡± Ms Jenkins gasped. ¡°Are you alright?¡± The Pixie turned to them and now its eyes were focused and present. It looked terrified. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms Jenkins,¡± it said in a small, quivering voice. ¡°No, don''t be my darling. Are you alright? You haven¡¯t hurt yourself have you?¡± Ridley bent down to help the Pixie pick up the smashed pieces of china. ¡°Was it Hildy?¡± he asked. The Pixie flinched and then nodded slowly. ¡°Were you on shift that night at the bank?¡± ¡°No she wasn¡¯t!¡± Ms Jenkins said sharply. ¡°Hildy you don¡¯t have to answer¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hildy whispered, unable to make eye contact with Ridley. ¡°You saw it, didn¡¯t you?¡± Ridley asked, squatted down in front of her, his tone gentle. Hildy nodded her round head. ¡°Could you tell us what you saw?¡± Ms Jenkins made an uncomfortable noise. ¡°Please, you¡¯ll upset her. They¡¯ve all been so upset.¡± ¡°Ms Jenkins, I assure you we don¡¯t wish to cause any upset, but we need to know what the Pixies saw that day. People''s lives are at risk here. Some have already been killed.¡± Ms Jenkins clenched her jaw, her eyes wet. ¡°Go on Hildy,¡± Ridley said softly. ¡°You¡¯re not in any trouble¡­ and neither is the other Pixie, we want to find it and help it.¡± ¡°The Unspoken,¡± Hildy whispered. Her eyes went wide and her whole body trembled. ¡°Oh heavens,¡± Ms Jenkins whispered, a hand drawing towards her throat. ¡°That¡¯s right. The Pixie that¡¯s been trying to talk to you¡­¡± ¡°No! No! It¡¯s not right! It¡¯s Kaba!¡± Hildy almost screamed this and then vanished. Ridley blinked in surprise and looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s she gone?¡± Nairo looked at Ms Jenkins. A single tear rolled down her weathered cheek. ¡°Oh heavens, it¡¯s too cruel.¡± ¡°Ms Jenkins, where did Hildy go?¡± Ridley asked her. ¡°Back to their nest. Pixies have many abilities we Humans don¡¯t bother understanding. Retreating to their safe place is one of them.¡± ¡°She¡¯s gone back home?¡± Nairo asked incredulously. ¡°Oh dear no. They have a nest out back. It¡¯s their safe place. Oh they¡¯ll be so scared. You really shouldn¡¯t have come here.¡± ¡°Ms Jenkins, we need to find out about this Pixie.¡± ¡°Is the Unspoken a Cut Pixie?¡± Ridley asked and Ms Jenkins gasped. ¡°It¡¯s so cruel,¡± she whispered again, wiping the tear from her cheek with a scrunched up ball of tissue. ¡°What they do to those Pixies, ripping them away from their own species. It¡¯s inhumane.¡± ¡°Is that what made the Pixies so afraid?¡± Nairo asked. Ms Jenkins nodded. She took a deep breath, sighed and cleared her throat noisily. ¡°It started the night before the bank robbery,¡± she began. ¡°The Pixies all woke up terrified. They kept muttering about something unnatural and using that phrase, Kaba. I¡¯d never heard of it before. I thought at first they might be sick or that some shared dream had disturbed them. Pixies are very sensitive creatures, they feel emotion very keenly. But they kept repeating the phrase and they wouldn¡¯t settle for the rest of the night. Then when morning came and it was time for the Pixies on shift return, no one came back. I went looking for them and found them strewn about the alleyways, muttering and crying. I took the poor things home as quickly as I could but they were even worse than the Pixies who hadn¡¯t gone to work that night.¡± ¡°What were they saying?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°They kept repeating about the Kaba, the Unspoken, and then¡­¡± Ms Jenkins dabbed at her eyes again. ¡°They started to talk about murder.¡± She whispered the word as if it had physically strangled her. ¡°Murder,¡± Nairo repeated, looking over at Ridley, who was watching Ms Jenkins intensely. ¡°Did they say who?¡± ¡°No. Just that they had killed someone, a bad creature they had said. But my Pixies wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone! They just wouldn¡¯t!¡± Ms Jenkins wept. ¡°We know,¡± Nairo said, patting her arm. ¡°We don¡¯t think they¡¯ve hurt anyone. We think they¡¯ve been getting visions from another Pixie, a Cut Pixie, who has been trying to reach out to its own kind.¡± ¡°But they can¡¯t,¡± Ms Jenkins said. ¡°It¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Cut Pixies can maybe whisper a few snatches of thoughts if it is close proximity to another Pixie, but there¡¯s no way it could communicate images to Pixies from any sort of distance. That¡¯s why the Cut Pixies in the city don¡¯t affect my Pixies, they¡¯re too far away. But even if they were in the same room, it would be like hearing a whisper from ten feet away. Just a snatch of a word here and there. But they saw it! They saw the murder! They saw it so vividly they thought they had done it. And ever since, they¡¯ve been seeing things that are impossible! They haven¡¯t left their nest since that night but they have spoken to me about all sorts of crazy things.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Ridley said. Ms Jenkins swallowed. ¡°More murders,¡± she croaked. ¡°Boys in an alleyway being blown to pieces. And then¡­ and then I read about those young men that were killed by the Goblins in that alleyway. And they¡¯ve spoken about other creatures and parts of the city they¡¯ve never been to! It¡¯s driving them mad! Hildy was one of the only ones who hasn¡¯t become a gibbering wreck¡­¡± Ms Jenkins broke down into silent sobs. ¡°What does Kaba mean?¡± Ridley asked, his voice barely above a croak. Ms Jenkins looked up at him with frightened eyes. ¡°Its¡­ it is¡­ the closest translation would be an evil spirit or demon.¡± Ridley¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Ms Jenkins, I know this is a lot to ask, but we believe that a Cut Pixie has done all of these things, and we believe it is in possession of a very dangerous magickal item,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We must find that Pixie before more creatures are hurt or killed. Do you think your Pixies would be able to tell us where it might be?¡± Ms Jenkins blinked wetly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause them more stress. I¡¯ve had to sedate them as it is.¡± ¡°I understand that but if we find this Pixie we can stop this. We can stop it from trying to contact your Pixies.¡± ¡°Oh the poor thing,¡± Ms Jenkins wept. ¡°It¡¯s just trying to be with it¡¯s own kind!¡± ¡°We know. But it has hurt a lot of people and we¡¯re afraid it¡¯s going to hurt a great many more by accident. If we can find it, we can get it some help and we can stop it from doing any more harm to your Pixies.¡± Ms Jenkins took another shuddering breath and swallowed hard. ¡°I can try,¡± she said finally. ¡°Follow me.¡± Ms Jenkins heaved herself to her feet with Nairo¡¯s help and then shuffled out of the back door. She led them down the little garden path to a squat wooden shed. She withdrew a key from her cardigan and unlocked it. ¡°Please, be gentle, they¡¯re so frightened.¡± Nairo nodded and followed Ms Jenkins into the gloom of the shed. There was only one light source, a glowing flower in the middle of the shed that gave off a pale blue light. It pulsed gently. The shed was hot, almost uncomfortably so. As her eyes adjusted, she saw dozens of Pixies laid out on little shelves. They were all curled around each other, as if clinging to one another for protection. They slept but it was fitful. They made distressing little squeaking noises as they twitched. In the middle of the shed was a small figure, hunched over, hugging her knees to her chest and staring into the glowing flower. ¡°Hildy, sweetheart?¡± Ms Jenkins whispered as she crossed the shed. ¡°Are you alright my darling?¡± Ms Jenkins eased herself down next to the Pixie and then wrapped her in a warm, motherly embrace. Without a word, the Pixie climbed into her lap and buried her face in Ms Jenkins cardigan, clinging to her like she was a piece of driftwood on a stormy sea. Ms Jenkins stroked her ears gently and made soft humming noises. She looked up and motioned for Ridley and Nairo to approach. They sat down opposite to them around the other side of the glowing flower. ¡°Hildy, my dear, these two people know what has happened. They know all about the¡­ the Pixie that has been trying to talk to you.¡± Hildy gripped her cardigan harder and buried her face deeper into her cardigan. ¡°They think they can help. They can take the bad Pixie away and it won¡¯t bother us anymore. But they need you to help them first. Okay?¡± Hildy kept her head buried but nodded slowly. ¡°Hildy, do you know where this other Pixie is?¡± Nairo asked her gently. ¡°Has it told you anything about what it is doing or why?¡± Hildy shook her head. ¡°Is there anything you can tell us? Any images you¡¯ve seen, anything you¡¯ve heard, that might give us a clue as to where it is?¡± Hildy froze for a moment. Slowly, she withdrew her head and looked at them with bright, wet eyes. ¡°It is always dark and-and scary.¡± ¡°Is the Pixie still in the city? Do you recognise anything from what you¡¯ve seen?¡± Nairo said. Hildy nodded. ¡°It is in the city but I don¡¯t know where.¡± ¡°No landmarks? Big buildings? Is it by the river?¡± Hildy shook her head and Ridley let out a small frustrated growl. ¡°Anything you can tell us, Hildy, would be really helpful,¡± Nairo said. ¡°The smells.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The smell¡­ it¡¯s so bad. It¡¯s rotten. All the time. It makes us sick.¡± Nairo sat back for a moment, her eyebrows drawn together. ¡°Does it stink all the time? No matter where the Pixie is?¡± Hildy nodded her head. Nairo took a deep breath through her nose and chewed her lip. ¡°Is the Pixie alone? Do you know if it has spoken to anyone?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°It has a friend,¡± Hildy whispered. ¡°Who?¡± But Hildy just shook her head. ¡°What does this friend look like?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Horrible filthy little creature,¡± Hildy said. ¡°Oh you have to be shitting me,¡± Ridley breathed, he sat back a look of almost wonderment on his face as the final piece fell into place. ¡°What?¡± Nairo said. ¡°There¡¯s another creature with the Pixie? A dirty one?¡± Ridley said to Hildy. Hildy nodded. ¡°And it stinks?¡± Hildy nodded again. ¡°And have you seen any images of like heaps of trash or like mountains of garbage?¡± Hildy nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Ridley whispered. ¡°Hildy doesn¡¯t lie,¡± Ms Jenkins said. ¡°No, I believe her. I just don¡¯t believe that that was the missing piece all along. Ms Jenkins, thank you so much for your help. We¡¯ll find this Pixie and we¡¯ll end this today.¡± Ridley stood up and Nairo followed, still only half sure she was on the same page as Ridley. ¡°It hurts,¡± Hildy whispered. ¡°I know sweetheart,¡± Ms Jenkins said, stroking her head. ¡°No¡­ the Kaba, it hurts so much. It wants to be whole again. It wants to come back to us. It hurts.¡± Hildy broke down and began weeping. Ms Jenkins wrapped her up and clutched her close to her chest, rocking her back and forth, silent tears falling down her cheeks, ¡°Please,¡± she said to Nairo and Ridley. ¡°Please put a stop to this.¡± ¡°We will.¡± Ridley nodded at her, his mouth a grim slash as he turned and walked out of the shed. Nairo stopped and knelt down next to the weeping Pixie. She tenderly stroked her head. The Pixie looked up and saw tears glistening in Nairo¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry this has happened,¡± Nairo whispered to her. ¡°But I will make it stop and I will help the Pixie.¡± ¡°You promise?¡± Hildy whispered. ¡°Yes. You have my word.¡± The Pixie reached up to her own tear streaked face. She wiped her tears and then gently stroked a wet finger across Nairo¡¯s cheek. Ms Jenkins gave a small gasp and then swaddled Hildy again. ¡°She¡¯s marked you as a friend,¡± Ms Jenkins whispered, wiping her own tears. ¡°Pixie tears hold a power of their own. You will be blessed with good fortune.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Nairo said, touching her cheek where the Pixie had wiped her tears, before standing up and straightening her tunic. She wiped her own tears away, careful not to disturb the Pixie¡¯s, and followed Ridley out of the shed. There was a back exit to the garden that led straight back to an alleyway. Ridley made a beeline for it and didn¡¯t stop until he was sure there was no one following them or close enough to listen in. ¡°It can¡¯t be,¡± Nairo said, when they finally stopped. ¡°Surely not.¡± ¡°Fuckin¡¯ is,¡± Ridley growled, kicking a pile of trash. ¡°All along! All this time we¡¯ve been chasing dead ends and nearly getting killed! It was him! It was fuckin¡¯ Oz!¡± ¡°But why? Why would a bin demon be protecting the Pixie?¡± ¡°Fuck knows! But I¡¯m gonna find him.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°The Pixie said she saw mountains of trash. Where else do you think a bin demon lives?¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± Nairo groaned. ¡°Yep. We¡¯re going back out to the Wasteland.¡± Chapter 64 ¡°So you¡¯re telling me, this whole time, Oz the fish head pilfering bin demon has been sheltering this Pixie and the Diamond?¡± ¡°Maybe not the whole time,¡± Ridley said, flicking his dog end out of the cab¡¯s window and sparked another smoke. ¡°But probably since it killed Benny.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Who knows. I can¡¯t see Oz being much of an evil megalomaniac who plans on using the Diamond to conquer the Forest. I also don¡¯t think he has much use for gold. But it all makes sense.¡± ¡°It does?¡± ¡°It makes sense how the Pixie has stayed off our radar for so long. If Oz has been sheltering it, the Pixie could have been moving around right under our noses the whole time. And it explains how a Pixie who¡¯s never stepped foot in this city has managed to survive with a massive chunk of priceless rock on the streets. Also, it explains what Oz was doing in the Iron district when those lads got blown up.¡± Nairo¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯d completely forgotten about that!¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t sit right with me at the time. Oz is usually shifty but I¡¯ve never seen him look so guilty. I reckon the Pixie gave him the slip and he was out looking for it when the Diamond went off¡­¡± ¡°The smell!¡± Nairo cried out, making Ridley jump. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The smell¡­ remember the Trolls in lock up said there was a horrible smell under the bridge just before the bang!¡± ¡°Right. So Oz was either near¡­¡± ¡°Or the Pixie stank because it had been around Oz for so long!¡± Ridley looked at her and nodded. ¡°It can''t be so simple but it has to be. All along! Oz was the first creature we spoke to and he had all the answers. When I catch that little shit I¡¯m gonna wring his filthy little neck.¡± ¡°You really want to put your hands on him?¡± Nairo said remembering the sickly stench of rot that emanated in waves from the bin demon. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll just chuck him in the river in a sack with a brick.¡± ¡°No. We¡¯ll bring him to justice for his role as an accomplice in several murders.¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t representing the law on this case no more, Sarge.¡± Ridley said, the word ¡®Sarge¡¯ dripped with sarcasm. ¡°Maybe not. But the law still exists and when we track down the Pixie and Oz, they¡¯ll both be handed over to appropriate authorities.¡± ¡°Aye aye Sarge.¡± There was a bang on the cab roof letting them know the Wastelands were approaching, although that was unnecessary since the putrid smell of the dumps was already filling the cab. Getting across to the West had been simpler this time around as they had gone through the city proper. Using Nairo¡¯s credentials, they had been able to cross the police barricade and circumvent the Landlord¡¯s checkpoints on the bridge. Even so, the sun was already starting to wane by the time they had arrived. The city had been full of chatter about another night of riots and this one seemed to be the big one. Every faction in the city was gearing up to bear arms and tear chunks from one another. It had taken no small amount of bribery and threats for them to find a cabbie willing to travel at this time. ¡°Anybody tailed us?¡± Ridley shouted to the cabbie. ¡°No sir. I been checking. Chucked a couple odd lefts and rights and no one followed.¡± The cabbie yelled back. ¡°Good man!¡± Ridley slumped back into his seat after checking through the back flap of the cab. ¡°You really think the Heap King is going to help us track down Oz?¡± Nairo said as the smell intensified. ¡°No idea but we don¡¯t have a choice. No way we¡¯re gonna track down a single bin demon without help and unless you got another contact in the Wastelands, that fruitcake king is our only hope.¡± ¡°I know, but he gives me the shivers,¡± Nairo said, remembering the demented scenes in the tent like some half forgotten nightmare. They pulled up to the little ramshackle hovel town and made a beeline for the Heap King¡¯s tent. Ridley banged on the door and they waited. After a few seconds the panel slid back and a pair of bloodshot yellow eyes glared at them. ¡°Remember us?¡± Ridley said to the eyes. There was a blurry spark of recognition and then a slow nod. ¡°Good. Tell your boss we¡¯re here to see him on business.¡± The panel slammed shut again. Ridley and Nairo waited outside, trying not to make eye contact with the flotsam that composed the town''s dwellers. A few terse minutes passed before the door opened and they were ushered in by the crippled Gnome with the cutlery trident. He lumbered before them, leading them through the tent. There were bodies slumped everywhere. The fire had died out leaving the foul stench of smoke and unwashed bodies. ¡°Damn, looks like we missed the party,¡± Ridley muttered out of the corner of his mouth. The Gnome led them to the Heap King¡¯s throne where the massive, misshapen Troll was hunched over tearing at a charred rat on a stick. He was nose deep in the creature''s guts, sucking and gnashing at the grisly meat. Nairo clenched her jaw as she felt the bile rise in the back of her throat. ¡°Yer most majestic highness,¡± the Gnome squeaked. ¡°These two Humans have come to seek your most noble personages.¡± ¡°We have?¡± Ridley said, nonplussed. Nairo elbowed him in the ribs. ¡°Good evening, your highness.¡± Nairo gave him a curtsy and then glared at Ridley until he offered the Heap King a stiff bow. The Troll looked up from his rat supper, his mouth stained red, and glared at them. ¡°Youse the polleeeese?¡± the Heap King growled. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s as crooked as the days long,¡± Ridley said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°We both work for Ruf¡¯gar.¡± Nairo blinked in surprise and looked at Ridley. ¡°Oh¡­ yes¡­ right. Umm, we work for¡­ the Goblins.¡± The Heap King scowled at them. He wiped blood from his mouth with a gnarled hand and then grinned toothlessly at them. ¡°Rufi always say he has the poleese in his pockets.¡± The Heap King barked and then gave out a yipping laugh that his remaining conscious followers joined in with. ¡°So wot you wants? Where Rufi?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here,¡± Ridley said. ¡°You¡¯ve heard about what happened to Uncle Sam?¡± The Heap King¡¯s piggy little eyes widened and he nodded his head solemnly. ¡°The King hear the Elves taken him.¡± ¡°Right. We need your help to clear his name.¡± ¡°The King will do anyfin¡¯ for Sam¡¯sun Uncle!¡± The Heap King slammed his half eaten rat down, spraying innards across his arm and chair. ¡°We need to find a bin demon,¡± Ridley said. ¡°He goes by the name Oz.¡± ¡°A bin demon?¡± The Heap King growled and pursed his lips thoughtfully before signalling to the little Gnome to come to him. They held a brief whispered exchange in some guttural tongue Nairo didn¡¯t recognise. The Heap King nodded his head and then turned to Nairo and Ridley again. ¡°This is much difficult. The Mushtaris be living in the Deep Heaps. They be a most dangerous peoples.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ridley said sceptically. ¡°Most dangerous,¡± The Heap King repeated. ¡°My Kingdom no go so far as the Deep Heaps. I cannot helps you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not helping us, you¡¯re helping Uncle Sam,¡± Ridley said. The Heap King squirmed uncomfortably in his throne. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°The King would do anyfin¡¯ for Sam¡¯Sun Uncle, but the territory of the Deep Heaps must be respected. This not the City, this the Wasteland, the rules is sacred.¡± ¡°Then tell us where we need to go and we¡¯ll go,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You, go to the Deep Heaps?¡± The Heap King said. He looked around at his followers and then burst into laughter. ¡°You be skinned and eaten before youse get anywhere nears them!¡± The creatures around them tittered and snickered with their leader. ¡°You don¡¯t know wot lives in the darkness of the Deep Heaps! Monsters and ghouls! The Whiggets and the Wogglers! They crunch yer bones and bash yer skulls! The Hukgar and the Demon Serpents! They suck yer eyeballs out and eat yer entrails like noodles. The Mowi-Mowi will trap yer souls in agony for all eternity! ¡± The Heap King said in a sing-song voice, the mania rising in his eyes again. ¡°Yer don¡¯t know wot yer asking! The monsters rule in the Deep H¡­¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Nairo roared, cutting through the rising chants and cackling. The tent fell silent. ¡°You have no idea who you¡¯re speaking to and you have no idea what we¡¯ve been through. We¡¯ve brawled with Minotaurs, Goblins and politicians! I¡¯ve been beating bloody no less than half a dozen times in less days. I¡¯ve been demoted. I¡¯ve been lied to and lied about. I¡¯ve seen friends suffer. I¡¯ve watched them scrape the guts of innocents from the cobbles. I¡¯ve turned my back on those things that I thought could never be wrong! No ghouls and made up monsters frighten me! You know what frightens me? The city is about to tear itself to pieces. Bodies will line the streets! Innocents will be caught up in the madness and it will be the hard working citizens of the city that suffer the most! That¡¯s if the whole place doesn¡¯t get blown sky high before that! Millions of lives are at risk and you, you fucking overstuffed bin bag, are the only thing standing in the way of us stopping that from happening. So I suggest you cut the mumbo jumbo crap you use to scare the tourists and tell me where I can find Oz the fucking bin demon and I suggest you do it now before I wear you like a fucking glove! Is that understood?¡± Silence. Nairo had advanced on the Troll at some point. Veins bulged in her neck and forehead. Her eyes glistened with the promise of violence. Her fists were clenched so hard her knuckles had bleached white. The Heap King looked at her wordlessly. ¡°Yer can¡¯t speak to the King like that you bit¡­¡± the Gnome began indignantly. Ridley kicked the little creature so hard in the face he sent him skittering across the room. ¡°You sure about that?¡± he growled and then rounded on the Heap King. The Heap King looked suddenly frail and unsure of himself. ¡°Hold on wait¡­ I din¡¯t mean nuffin¡¯ by it¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the bin demon!¡± Nairo growled through gritted teeth. ¡°I show you! I show you!¡± The Heap King said, raising his hands to defend himself from Nairo¡¯s palpable wrath. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go then.¡± Nairo stepped back and straightened her tunic. * Less than ten minutes later they were in one of the Heap Kings cobbled together cabs, trundling towards the looming heaps of the Wasteland. The sun had set and the moon gleamed, full and bright, over the mountainous piles of rubbish. The Heap King said little to them. Every now and again he would twitch the stained curtains on the cab¡¯s window, peering into the darkness and muttering to himself. The cab pulled to a grinding halt at a three way junction. The smell had become so thick it felt like a physical taste in Nairo¡¯s mouth. It was sickly sweet with tangible rot and decay. ¡°Why have we stopped?¡± Nairo asked him. ¡°This the end of my kingdom,¡± The Heap King replied. ¡°After this is the true Wastelands. We no go further.¡± Nairo was about to argue until she saw the abject fear of the King¡¯s grizzly face. Whether the stories of ghouls and ghosts were real or not, there was definitely some out here that terrified the Troll. ¡°Where will we find the bin demons?¡± ¡°Please miss polleeese, do not go into the Heaps. Many bad creatures is in there.¡± ¡°Where are the bin demons?¡± Nairo repeated. The Heap King sighed and scratched at the flaky dandruff on the side of his head. ¡°The Mushtaris is deep in the Heaps. Go north and keeps going until you find the Golden Lake. They lives around it. But they don¡¯t likes outsiders, even the King is not welcome.¡± ¡°North until we find a Golden Lake,¡± Nairo repeated. ¡°Sounds simple enough.¡± The Troll shook his head and looked away from her. ¡°C¡¯mon Sarge,¡± Ridley said, opening the door to the cab. ¡°Wait!¡± The Heap King said. He reached under the seat and pulled out a small sack. ¡°You wear this. It helps wiv the smell.¡± He handed two soaking wet strips of some heavy cloth to them. ¡°Why is it wet?¡± Ridley asked him, looking dubiously at the cloth. ¡°Soaked in Petris leaf,¡± The Heap King said. ¡°The smell is too much for you city dwellers deep in the heaps. Will make you sickly.¡± Ridley sighed and accepted the cloth, shuddering as he tied it around his face. Nairo pulled hair back into a loose bun and tied her own one on. It actually smelled, somewhat pleasant if a bit too sickly, like flowers just about to go rotten. It worked though. The powerful stench of the Wastelands disappeared almost immediately. She adjusted the wet rag and then nodded to Ridley. ¡°Go with good luck miss Polleeese man,¡± The Troll bowed his head and held his hand up palm facing skywards. Nairo looked at Ridley, who shrugged and high-fived the Troll. They stepped out of the cab and looked at the mountains before them. ¡°Now we¡¯re wading through a literal pile of human waste,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Yep,¡± Nairo said. Even with the shining moon, it was still almost pitch black in the shadows of the Heaps. At first, there was a discernible path through them but as they progressed the path disappeared and they found themselves hiking through piles and piles of refuse until it all eventually became one giant pile. There didn¡¯t seem to be a logic to the Heaps. Just more and more rubbish had been heaped on top of the old until the ground was no longer visible. Some Heaps were made up of rotten food, others of sharp pointy things that scratched and jabbed at them, others were collections of boxes, toys, broken furniture, torn clothes, shattered bricks, decaying wood, and every other manner of refuse from the city. Nairo and Ridley had resorted to single file hiking. They bent forward as the incline of the Heaps steepened, carefully testing where they put their feet, lest one of the piles gave way and they found themselves in a sinkhole. Being smothered to death by thousands of tonnes of trash was not an ideal end to their heroic adventure. As they reached the peak of each Heap, the moonlight aided their traversal but in the valleys they shuffled through near complete darkness. Maybe half a mile into the Heaps was when they began to hear the noises. Scratching, clawing, guttural screeches, howls, and the sounds of something thick and slimy slithering by them. Nairo¡¯s whole body was soaked in sweat and her mouth had gone completely dry. She dared not say a word to Ridley, she didn¡¯t even want to breathe too loudly. She felt that familiar sense of being watched. But she couldn¡¯t worry about who or what was around them, she had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other as the Heaps were becoming more treacherous the deeper they went. ¡°Sarge!¡± Ridley screamed from behind her. Nairo spun to see Ridley disappear behind her. She scrambled back to see Ridley clutching by one hand to a piece of wood, his body hanging over a hollow in the Heap. Nairo grabbed his wrist and grunted and strained to pull him back up. Ridley dug his feet into the side of the Heap and pushed himself back over the precipice. Together they sat breathing heavily and staring at the slowly expanding sinkhole. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna die like this,¡± Ridley panted. ¡°Not out here.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to die,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Yeah, remember the Gnome witch said you would die in a toilet.¡± ¡°Well, this is a massive pile of shit. Maybe she wasn¡¯t being literal.¡± ¡°Come on. We just have to keep going.¡± Nairo stood up shakily and helped Ridley to his feet. ¡°Look!¡± Nairo pointed between two Heaps. There was a shimmering of moonlight on something. ¡°That must be the Golden Lake! We¡¯re not far now.¡± Doggedly, they began trudging back down the Heap taking extra care over where they stepped. They were near the bottom of the Heap when she heard something slither right by them and felt the trash shift by her boot. ¡°What was that!¡± Ridley hissed from behind her. Nairo looked over her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe it was just the pile shifting.¡± Nairo peered around in the darkness. There it was again! She was sure she saw the flick of tail disappearing into the Heap. ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Ridley murmured, looking left and right trying to catch sight of the creature again. ¡°Keep moving,¡± Nairo whispered to him, taking another step down the pile when she felt a sudden squeeze on her ankle. ¡°It¡¯s got me!¡± Nairo shrieked. In the darkness all she could see was something writhing and coiling itself up her leg. ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± Ridley howled. Instinctively, Nairo reached down and grabbed the thing. She felt a sharp pain in her hand, like two needles piercing her flesh. She screamed. In a flash of moonlight she saw the creature¡¯s reptilian head. Its jaws stretched too wide as it sunk its fangs into the back of head. It coiled its body around her leg and squeezed. Nairo stumbled and fell. Nairo and the snake tumbled down the rest of the Heap. Things cut and stabbed Nairo as she rolled, the snake squeezing so hard she thought her leg would shatter. Nairo tried to pull her hand free but the snake bit down harder. She saw the moonlight reflected in the two black beads of its cold merciless eyes. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo screamed as the snake tried to coil its way further up her body. Ridley stumbled down after them. He had grabbed a broken metal pole on the way. Skittering to a halt he swung the pole at the snake¡¯s body. In the darkness it was hard to see what he was hitting so he just kept swinging. He battered the snake¡¯s thick, powerful body but it would not relent. It continued to squeeze and bite. Nairo was sure she was about to pass out. Her head swam. Ridley spun the pole around and gripped it like a spear. ¡°Hold still, Sarge!¡± He stabbed the broken end of the pole down at the snake¡¯s body. He stabbed it three more times before the coils finally slackened. The snake released Nairo¡¯s hand and fell away from her leg, hissing at them as it slithered away into the darkness and disappeared. Nairo sat up and cradled her bleeding hand to her chest. ¡°You alright?¡± Ridley said, readjusting the cloth around his mouth, the pole still in his other hand in case the snake returned. ¡°Was that a snake?¡± Nairo said, her face ghostly white. ¡°A massive one. Let me see your hand.¡± Nairo held up her bloody hand. ¡°Shit.¡± Ridley breathed. He reached into his coat and produced a small hip flask. ¡°We need to clean it out before it gets infected.¡± ¡°Do you think it was poisonous?¡± Nairo asked numbly, pain and shock creating a temporary log jam into her brain, making her feel strangely calm. ¡°I dunno. I don¡¯t think so. I remember reading somewhere that if they squeeze they ain¡¯t poisonous,¡± Ridley mumbled as he gently poured alcohol over the bite, cleaning it out. He then tore a strip of cloth from the bottom of his shirt and wound it around her hand. ¡°Ridley?¡± ¡°Yeah Sarge?¡± ¡°Why is there a massive fucking snake in here?¡± ¡°I dunno Sarge.¡± ¡°Ridley?¡± ¡°Yeah Sarge.¡± ¡°Do you see those glowing eyes or is it the poison?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ridley looked over his shoulder and saw glowing eyes in the Heap. They were everywhere and staring directly at them. ¡°Ah shit.¡± Chapter 65 Nairo found herself recounting the journey of her life. Following the many threads and crossroads that led her to the present. She couldn¡¯t help but think just one decision, one different choice and life could have turned out so different for her. But she had chosen how she had chosen. Now she found herself trussed up, hanging upside down from a pole like a prized hog, being carried through the stinking foetid bogs of the Wastelands by gibbering foul little creatures. She craned her neck upwards and could just see Ridley hanging from the pole in front of her. It took six of the wiry little monsters to carry the two of them. They bounced and scraped along the heaps of trash while the rest of the creatures cavorted around them and poked at them with sharpened sticks. Her mask had been ripped from her face in the melee and she was struggling not to vomit from the pungent stenches all around her. Her leg ached and the wound on her hand shot needles of pain all the way up to her shoulder. She let her head hang back miserably, not even caring as her hair dangled through oozing puddles of unidentified liquids. Was this how she would die? Would these little monsters eat her? How would she taste? She almost giggled at that thought, but it would have been the high pitched cackle of a broken mind. Nairo forced herself to focus. She tried to wriggle free of her restraints and was poked viciously in the ribs by one of her guards. The creatures were foul. That was the only way to describe them. They stank and were so greasy and filthy she couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what they were or even what colour they could be. They were short, no more than four feet, and scrawny. They gibbered endlessly and walked barefoot across the piles of trash as sure footed as mountain goats. After what felt like an eternity of being bounced upside down, they came to a clearing. Nairo and Ridley were dumped unceremoniously on the ground. The filthy little creatures descended upon them again and put collars around their necks. Ridley lashed out and bit one of them and then immediately wretched, vomiting thin bile as they secured his collar. Their hands and feet restraints were cut, and they were dragged like wild animals and tied by their collars to a large post in the middle of the clearing. Nairo sat up and pushed her filthy hair out of her face. She looked around and saw they were in a village of sorts. Instead of buildings or even huts, there were carefully constructed mounds of rubbish. The smell was just as fierce here, but Nairo noticed there was an undercurrent of smoke as if there had been a large bonfire some days before that was still burning itself down. There were dozens and dozens of these mounds and little else. To their left was a large body of urine coloured water. ¡°The Golden Lake,¡± Nairo breathed. These must be the bin demons they had been looking for! There were a few small fires burning around them and she was able to get a better look at the creatures. They looked very much like Oz, but without the oozing. They had wicked hooked noses and dagger-like teeth. Their skin was crusty and of every shade of browny-yellowy-green. Some were covered in thick matted fur and others were naked as a newborn. They danced around the fires chittering and yipping excitedly, thrusting their weapons into the air, and then pointing them at their captives. Some of them danced close to Nairo and jabbed at her with their weapons, while others picked up lumps of dirt or rocks and threw them from a distance. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve found the bin demons,¡± Ridley muttered to Nairo as he dodged a stone. ¡°Any bright ideas how to get out of this one?¡± ¡°None so far,¡± Nairo said, swallowing and trying to breathe through her mouth as much as possible. ¡°Do they speak Forreste?¡± ¡°I dunno. Oz does so I assume these lot might.¡± ¡°We should try to communicate¡­ ow!¡± Nairo stumbled back as a little green bin demon jabbed her in the leg with his stick. ¡°Little shit!¡± ¡°I no shit!¡± The bin demon squawked at her. ¡°You bigga shit!¡± He jabbed her again and this time Nairo grabbed his stick and yanked it from his grasp. He stumbled towards her and Ridley kicked it hard in the stomach. The bin demon wheezed and doubled over. The surroundings bin demons howled in rage but Nairo noticed none of them came closer, a few even skittered away behind piles of rubbish. Nairo lowered the spear at them and saw them flinch. ¡°They¡¯re terrified of us,¡± Nairo murmured to Ridley. ¡°Good.¡± He reached out and snatched up the bent over bin demon by his scraggly hair holding him in front of them like a shield. ¡°Enough of this! We have come in peace!¡± He shook the mewing bin demon for effect. ¡°We came seeking information about one of your kind, that¡¯s all.¡± The watching bin demons howled in horror, throwing their hands in the air as if Ridley were about to twist off the bin demon¡¯s head in his hands. ¡°No hurt! No hurt!¡± They cried at Ridley. ¡°We don¡¯t want to hurt!¡± Ridley shouted back. ¡°We just need information!¡± ¡°No know! No have! No hurt!¡± ¡°This ain¡¯t getting us anywhere,¡± Ridley growled to Nairo. ¡°Do you have a leader? Someone who speaks Forreste? We come from the city! We come in peace!¡± Nairo nudged Ridley and then looked at the scrawny bin demon in his hand. Reluctantly, he let the bin demon drop. The creature hit the mud and then slithered away with astonishing speed, making straight for the nearest pile of rubbish, disappearing like a fish in still water. ¡°You see!¡± Nairo shouted to the bin demons. ¡°We come in peace.¡± ¡°Peace,¡± the watching bin demons murmured. ¡°Do you have a leader? Someone who we can speak to?¡± ¡°I be the head in charge of this here village!¡± A strong voice rang out from behind the crowd. The bin demons parted and looked to the voice expectantly. A figure emerged from within their ranks. This bin demon was still small, but built much more strongly than those around him. He had a wispy white beard and yellow skin. He walked with the aid of a gnarled stick. He too was completely naked and as grubby as the rest, but there was a regal bearing to the way he carried himself. ¡°I am OckLokk, Chief of the Mushtaris.¡± ¡°OckLokk! OckLokk! OckLokk! OckLokk!¡± the bin demons chanted with their fists raised. ¡°Mushtaris?¡± Ridley murmured. ¡°Who is youse?¡± ¡°My name is Sally Nairo and this is Ridley.¡± ¡°What are you bigga Humans doing in our Heaps?¡± OckLokk asked them imperiously. ¡°We have come searching for your people,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We seek information.¡± ¡°We have no businesses with bigga Humans!¡± ¡°No businesses!¡± The bin demons repeated. ¡°Please, we believe one of your people is in trouble, we want to help him. His name is Oz.¡± The name sent a ripple through the bin demons. ¡°That creature is not welcome in heres no more!¡± OckLokk said, his voice thundering across the clearing. ¡°Look,¡± Ridley hissed at Nairo, pointing past OckLokk. Nairo squinted in the darkness and saw there was a huge chunk of one of the larger heaps missing, and around it the earth was scorched and blackened. ¡°The Diamond?¡± Nairo whispered to him and Ridley nodded. ¡°You should not come here!¡± OckLokk shouted at them. ¡°Wait!¡± Nairo said. ¡°We¡¯ve come to help Oz. You know he has a very dangerous creature with him.¡± The bin demons began chattering nervously. ¡°Ozrik is no longer one of the Mushtari!¡± OckLokk said. ¡°He long time been in city, he forget our ways. Him bring demon with him. If Mushtari ever see him again, he dead creature!¡± ¡°Dead creature!¡± the bin demons cried out. ¡°Please, all we want to know is where they went and then we will leave you in peace.¡± ¡°Ha! There no peace with bigga Humans!¡± OckLokk cried. ¡°And now, there no leaving for you! Youse will be offerings to the great Moota!¡± ¡°Moota!¡± the bin demons cried out, taking up the chant and dancing wildly. ¡°The what?¡± Nairo said to Ridley. ¡°I dunno, but I don¡¯t like the sound of it,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Moota! Moota! Moota! Moota!¡± One of the bin demons had snuck around behind Nairo and lunged at her. She didn¡¯t have time to react. He wrestled and clawed at her hand until he ripped her bloody bandage off. ¡°Hey!¡± Nairo shouted but he was already gone, scurrying away to the Golden Lake¡¯s edge. ¡°Great Moota!¡± OckLokk intoned, facing the Lake. ¡°Rise Moota and accept these tributes!¡± The bin demon flung Nairo¡¯s bloody bandage into the river and then the bin demons fled into their trash heaps, little golden eyes staring out expectantly. ¡°Oh I do not like this,¡± Ridley said, frantically yanking at his collar. Nairo looked at the still lake. There was a single ripple pulsing out from the centre. The ripple grew wider as if something large was coming towards them. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Oh shit.¡± Nairo turned and pressed her boot against the post, yanking at the tethering to her collar. They both clawed and pulled as hard as they could. The ripples were getting closer. ¡°Shit! Shit! Shit!¡± Ridley scrambled through the many pockets of his coat until finally he pulled out a thin razor blade. He grabbed the rope tethering Nairo and began sawing at it as fast as he could. Nairo pulled the rope taut, watching the lake. Suddenly golden water exploded, blurring her vision. She saw a shape rise against the moon. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo screamed. Standing at least ten feet out of the water was a giant, hissing, albino snake. It was at least as thick as Nairo, its white scales gleaming in the moonlight, its tensile muscles flexed and bowed as it whipped its great head back and forth, tongue flicking out into the night air for its next meal. ¡°Not another fucking snake!¡± Ridley roared. The rope twanged and Nairo jerked back falling free from the post. ¡°Moota! Moota! Moota! Moota!¡± The chant echoed all around them. The giant snake flared the hood around its head, casting darkness across the clearing. Its black, beady eyes focused on Nairo as she stumbled away from the pillar. It opened its jaws wide enough to swallow her whole and lunged. Nairo flung herself to her right, the snake¡¯s strike whipping past her and missing by less than a foot. She scrambled up and began to run. She had to draw the monster away from Ridley, who was standing perfectly still, close enough to the creature that he could have reached out and touched it. But the snake was focused on Nairo. It whipped its muscular body around and hissed as it located Nairo. Its fangs were as long as Nairo¡¯s forearm and she saw the moonlight gleam off the poison dripping from them. It slithered after Nairo, moving impossibly fast. Its body whipped back and forth in an S shape while its head remained perfectly still, tracking its fleeing prey. Its tail finally slithered out of the water as it pursued. Nairo chanced a look over her shoulder. The thing was impossibly big. It had to be thirty feet long and gaining on her fast. She could barely see where she was going in the darkness and it was only a matter of time until she stumbled or tripped over and then it would be on her. She needed a weapon, something to protect herself. She looked left and right until she spotted the fire pit. Head down, arms pumping, she forced herself to run even faster and then cut a sharp left just as Moota struck again. This time it hit her. The hood around its head clipped her shoulder almost knocking her over. The creature smashed through a trash heap. Two bin demons came flying out of the heap. One of them barely had time to scream before Moota snapped it up and swallowed it whole. The other bin demon screamed and fled to the Heaps. Nairo looked back just in time to see the bin demon¡¯s scaly little feet disappear down the snake¡¯s throat. Fear clawed at her chest. She could barely breathe. Nausea overwhelmed her. She wanted to vomit. She wanted to scream. She wanted to curl into a ball and squeeze her eyes shut until this nightmare ended. She was suddenly in front of the firepit. Reaching in, she grabbed a thick knot of flaming wood. She whipped around just as Moota was ready to strike at her again. She swung the wood like a sword at the snake. It hissed as the flames whipped past its face, singing its searching tongue. The snake reared back and Nairo swung again. The fire dazzled in her vision, blinding her. She kept swinging at the snake, desperately trying to force it back. She knew she was cornered. The Lake was right behind her and the Heaps were to her left. She could try to dart into the Heaps but she knew she wouldn¡¯t last long in that wilderness before she fell and the snake snapped her up. Moota lunged and Nairo threw herself to one side. The flaming branch fell from her hand as she landed hard on the dirt. Moota¡¯s wild lunge had sent it mouth first into the fire pit. The snake hissed and lurched, its body coiling and spasming in pain sending showers of embers everywhere. Nairo was back to her feet and limping away, trying to force her body into a sprint. Moota coiled and hissed, dragging its glistening white body out of the fire pit. Fire had blackened some of its scales and one half of its hood looked badly burned. It searched for Nairo again. Nairo couldn¡¯t keep running. Her chest burned. Her eyes filled with desperate tears. This was it. She didn¡¯t have anything left in her battered and broken body. She stumbled and looked back. Moota has found her again. It cocked its head for a moment then hissed, opened its jaws, and began slithering towards her. Nairo stumbled again in blind panic, her knee hitting the earth hard. ¡°No! No! No!¡± she screamed through clenched teeth. She heard the snake hiss but this time in pain. Nairo looked over her shoulder. The snake was frantically throwing its head from side to side, rearing its massive body up high as it tossed side to side. In the silhouette of the moon, Moota¡¯s head didn¡¯t look right. It was misshapen, too big and lumpy. As Nairo¡¯s eyes focused she realised what was happening. Ridley was on the snake¡¯s head! He had two fistfuls of its hood, his boots jammed into its mouth behind the deadly fangs. Moota whipped its head back and forth wildly, trying to dislodge him and Ridley clung on for dear life. But there was something else. One of Moota¡¯s eyes looked wrong. There was a giant splinter of wood sticking out of it! Ridley must have got onto its back somehow and stabbed it in the eye. Moota¡¯s flails were becoming weaker and slower. It was tiring! Ridley grabbed the piece of wood and began yanking it savagely back and forth. Moota fell forward, slamming back into the earth, sending Ridley rolling off its back. He hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of himself. Moota, it''s one good eye trained on Ridley, lurched back, fangs bared, ready to strike. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo grabbed a piece of burning wood that the snake had sent flying from the fire pit. Without thinking, she leapt forward and stabbed into the hissing mouth. The snake¡¯s lunge was so powerful, it ripped her from her feet. The snake and Nairo barreled into Ridley. There was a moment of confusion. Nairo¡¯s arm felt hot and wet. She yanked it backwards and scrambled away, Moota hissed and wretched, its massive body flailing and coiling. There was smoke rising out its mouth. Ridley stumbled away as the snake thrashed its massive body left and right, destroying everything around it. Ridley fell over next to Nairo and they watched the monster¡¯s death throes with open mouthed horror. The shard of burning wood was jammed into the back of its throat, burning and choking it to death at the same time. Slowly, its body went slack, its mighty coils falling loose. It opened its mouth one last time and hissed a cloud of smoke before it went totally limp. The only sound now was Ridley and Nairo''s frantic breathing. ¡°That was a giant fucking snake,¡± Nairo said, her eyes wide as she tried to process what had just happened. ¡°Giant fucking dead snake,¡± Ridley said. Nairo began giggling. Her giggles soon turned into panicked sobs as the residual aftershocks of horror pulsed through her broken body. She drew her knees up tight to her chest and buried face. She felt Ridley¡¯s hand touch her shoulder, hesitantly at first. Then his grip strengthened and his whole arm embraced her. They sat like that for a while, until the sound of sizzling coming from the dead snake¡¯s mouth finally stopped. Nairo took a deep breath and raised her head, wiping her eyes on her knees. She looked at Ridley, who¡¯s eyes glistened, his jaw muscles flexing as he fought to keep himself under control. ¡°We¡¯re alive,¡± Nairo said to him. ¡°Still.¡± ¡°Good. Where¡¯s OckLokk?¡± Nairo rose to her feet and helped Ridley up. They skirted around the snake, trying not to look at the horrifying corpse of the mutilated creature and made straight for the post they had been tethered to. The bin demons were slowly creeping out of their hovels, squeaking in fear and gibbering in their strange tongue. ¡°Where¡¯s OckLokk?¡± Ridley demanded. The bin demons looked around for their leader. ¡°I am here.¡± OckLokk appeared out of a pile of trash, his pallid yellow face white with terror. ¡°Where is the great Moota?¡± ¡°Cooking to a nice medium rare,¡± Ridley said, pointing back the way they came. OckLokk followed his finger, his eyes grew wide, his mouth fell open, and he dropped to his knees. ¡°The great Moota is slain?¡± ¡°Yep. He¡¯ll make a couple dozen nice pairs of loafers.¡± OckLokk threw up his hands and the bin demons suddenly broke out into triumphant cheers, pumping their fists and dancing. ¡°We saved!¡± ¡°Moota dead! Moota dead! Moota dead!¡± They linked arms and danced around, delirious in their excitement. Some more intrepid bin demons crept close to Moota to see for themselves. One jabbed at it with a stick and then fled, waiting to see if it moved. ¡°The monster Moota is slain!¡± OckLokk cried out, raising both his hands to the sky, tears of joy dripping down his face. ¡°Wait, you wanted it dead?¡± Ridley asked nonplussed. ¡°The monster has terrorised us for so long! It eats us. It destroys our homes! This why we must feed it to keep it happy and stop it killing us! But no more! No more! Moota is dead! You great warrior heroes!¡± ¡°Heroes of the Mushtar!¡± ¡°Heroes! Heroes! Heroes! Heroes!¡± Ridley looked at Nairo. ¡°We¡¯re heroes,¡± he said with a grin on his face. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nairo couldn¡¯t find much more to say. She felt cold and she just wanted to get out of this stinking hell. ¡°We do anything for great heroes!¡± OckLokk said to them, tears still flowing down his papery cheeks. ¡°Tell us what happened with Oz and where he is,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Yes of course,¡± OckLokk bowed his head before raising his hand for silence from his people. He turned and sat down next to a weak fire, indicating to them to do the same. Once they had sat he took a deep breath. ¡°Ozlik has long been lost to us peoples. Some of our young they goes to the big city. They wants to see all the world and they forget our ways. Ozlik sometimes come back with big stories and empty belly. This time, he come back with that monster.¡± The surrounding bin demons shuddered. ¡°A Pixie?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yes, this is what you Humans call it. But it was not right. It mind not whole. It talks in nonsense about fings it sees, fings it thinks happen. Ozlik ask us to shelter the creature. We good creatures so we try. But the monster scare us.¡± ¡°Did it have anything with it? A Diamond?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°It have big shiny rock,¡± OckLokk said. ¡°We only see little bit of it. It always talking to it and holding all wrapped up like baby. Then one day something happen, we don¡¯t know, but there was big bang! Three families were killed. The monster did it. Ozlik try and say it was accident, but we know the monster too dangerous to be in our village. We tell Ozlik if he stay, we will feed the monster to Moota. He leave then.¡± ¡°Where did he say he was going?¡± ¡°Him only say him going and he not come back.¡± Ridley cursed under his breath. ¡°How long ago was this?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Maybe one day.¡± ¡°He¡¯d probably be back in the city by now,¡± Nairo said to Ridley. ¡°How are we going to find him now?¡± A small bin demon with green skin and bright red hair came out of the crowd and whispered in OckLokk¡¯s ear. They went back and forth in their tongue before OckLokk turned to them. ¡°This Hamura, she love friend of Ozlik, she say she know where he go,¡± OckLokk said. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°She say she only tell if¡¯n you not going to hurt Ozlik.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t promise that,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°We don¡¯t want to hurt him,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We want to help him. The Pixie he is with is dangerous and we want to find it before it hurts anyone else.¡± OckLokk translated this to the girl. She chewed her lip with yellow teeth and looked up at Nairo with doleful, pale green eyes. She nodded finally and then whispered to OckLokk again. ¡°Hamura say him go to him home where the Humans are. Him call it the Three Horse and Nag.¡± ¡°The what?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°This is all she knows.¡± ¡°What is the Three Horse and Nag?¡± Ridley had lit a smoke and was worrying to the corner of his lip in thought. ¡°Does she have any other information? What it looks like? What street it¡¯s on?¡± OckLokk questioned the young girl and she shook her head. ¡°Damn, Ridley what are we¡­¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Ridley held up his hand, his face screwed up as he thought. ¡°The Three Horse and Nag,¡± Nairo mused while he concentrated. ¡°A stable maybe? But what would Oz be doing around a stable?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pub!¡± Ridley cried out. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pub on the West side, on¡­ on¡­ Harty Lane! There¡¯s a fishmonger there!¡± ¡°Oz loves fishheads!¡± Nairo said. ¡°It is true, him do.¡± OckLokk said. ¡°We need to get there as quick as possible,¡± Nairo said. ¡°OckLokk can you get us back out of the Heaps?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± OckLokk said, bowing his head. ¡°We have secret ways.¡± ¡°Good. We need to leave now!¡± ¡°Please follow us, great heroes!¡± Chapter 66 Time was a fickle creature. It was always too slow or too fast. It was rare to ever hear a person say that was just the perfect amount of time. For Timmy, time had become a treacherous bitch. She kept speeding up making everything blur around him. Then she would almost stop altogether, every tick of the second hand felt like an eternity. Then she would just bugger off altogether and Timmy would blink and everyone had moved like he had fallen out of existence for a few minutes. He kept sweating, no matter how much he wiped at his face, there would be more sweat. Which was strange because his mouth felt so dry. Where was all this water coming from? Was he sweating blood? Can you sweat blood? He should ask Wally. Where was Wally? Where am I? Timmy blinked and looked around. He was in a pub. No wait, he was in a pub. Now he wasn¡¯t. Where was he? Was he moving? No, his legs were still but he was moving. Timmy¡¯s vision lurched from left to right. There were men chanting and roaring, holding up burning torches, their faces lit like demonic spirits. Timmy was marching with them. He was shouting too. He didn¡¯t know what he was saying. How much Slug did he have? No¡­ it wasn¡¯t just Slug. Broken fragments of images came to him. He saw himself guzzling pints of dark ale. He saw images of himself sniffing some yellow powder with a gaggle of cackling morons. Then he ate something someone gave him. It was the rodent faced man. He was cackling the whole time. Then he remembered being sick. Very sick. Music was thumping all around him. It was a horrible sound. Too loud. Too much base. It echoed and reverberated in his chest, inside his skull, it was too much. Timmy blinked heavily and looked around again. They weren¡¯t marching. They were dancing. Wild chaotic dancing, all limbs and jerky movements. Torches were being waved. Pints were being downed. There was screaming and shouting and chanting and stomping and thumping. Timmy felt his head swim. He needed air. Why was there no air? He stumbled through the crowd, pushing and shoving. A hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him. Timmy didn¡¯t even resist. He let the hand drag him away. Where was it taking him? Somewhere quiet hopefully where he could lay down and close his eyes. They were outside now. It was quieter and the cool night air felt so good on his sweat drenched face. ¡°Tim! Tim!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Timmy, it¡¯s me!¡± Timmy¡¯s eyes swam into focus and he saw Wally¡¯s face. Timmy almost burst into tears. In fact, he did. ¡°Oh Wally! Where have you been? What¡¯s happening? Wally? Wally?¡± ¡°Easy now mate, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Wally!¡± Timmy grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close. ¡°Wally, can you sweat blood?¡± ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°Where does time go when you¡¯re not around?¡± ¡°Easy now big fella,¡± Wally said, gently extricating himself from Timmy¡¯s frantic grasp. ¡°We need to get you sobered up.¡± Wally led him around the building he had rescued him from to a small stable around the back. ¡°Look, it¡¯s horshesh!¡± Timmy gasped. ¡°Yeah, come on, just a little further.¡± Wally led him to the trough that the horses were drinking from. ¡°Can I pet it?¡± Timmy slurred. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Wally sighed and then grabbed Timmy¡¯s head and dunked it into the trough. The water was icy cold. Timmy couldn¡¯t even scream. He gasped for air like a fish on land, splashing about and scaring away the horses. After a few seconds Wally let him up. ¡°Ahp ahpp aahhhp,¡± Timmy gasped, fighting to get air into his lungs. Wally dunked his head again and again and again. Finally, he let him up. Timmy flopped onto the edge of the trough coughing and spluttering. ¡°There we go,¡± Wally said. ¡°Feel better?¡± Strangely, Timmy did. He was freezing cold but suddenly the world was back in focus. He still felt like he was underwater but at least it was water now and not a thick gelatinous pudding. ¡°Y-y-yes,¡± Timmy stammered, nodding and wiping water out of his face. ¡°Good. Coz you¡¯ve been off yer tits for like three hours now.¡± ¡°T-th-three hours?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Where are we? Are we at the r-r-rally?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Sh-sh-shit.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you ain¡¯t missed much,¡± Wally said. ¡°Bunch of ¡®orrible music and dancing and drinking. Been some speeches to. These lot are sick in the ¡®eads.¡± ¡°Oh no. I was chanting too.¡± ¡°Yeah but you was makin¡¯ ¡®bout as much as sense as a pisshead in a Gnommish brothel.¡± ¡°Have you¡­ did you find him?¡± Timmy was sitting now, his back against the trough, trying to force his brain to stop spinning. ¡°What did I take?¡± ¡°Pretty much anything anyone offered you once the Slug kicked in. You¡¯ve probably had half a dozens pints to go along wiv it.¡± ¡°Ughhh I think I¡¯m gonna be sick.¡± ¡°And no I ain¡¯t found ¡®im yet. By the sounds of it, no one ¡®as. They¡¯re all waiting on the great Goblin killer ¡®Unter to come and give ¡®em a big speech, but apparently ¡®e ain¡¯t turned up yet.¡± ¡°You think that¡¯s true?¡± Timmy asked, spitting bile out of his mouth. ¡°Dunno. While you was in there neckin¡¯ it off wiv that fat bird, I was round the front keepin¡¯ an eye. Couple of cabs pulled up and a whole mob of these twats come out. Some of ¡®em looked like they was really up there the way they was being treated. But it was too dark to get a proper look at any of ¡®em.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I was doing what?¡± ¡°Neckin¡¯ it wiv some fat bird. Was proper filthy, Tim. I expected better of you.¡± ¡°Oh gosh,¡± Timmy gurgled, just before a torrent of vomit exploded from his mouth. ¡°Easy there mate,¡± Wally said, rubbing his back. ¡°Better out that in.¡± Timmy vomited for an impossibly long time before the torrent finally subsided. He sat back against the trough, his head lolling. ¡°You alright?¡± Timmy nodded and wiped his sleeve across his mouth. ¡°Did you see where they went?¡± ¡°Who? The fat bird?¡± ¡°No! The thugs in the cab.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, they went round the back. Seems like there¡¯s a private party goin¡¯ on.¡± ¡°We need to get in there.¡± ¡°You sure you¡¯re alright to do this, Tim?¡± Timmy nodded and held out his hand. Wally grabbed him and hauled his friend to his feet. ¡°Tim, if ¡®e is back there¡­ wot are we gonna do?¡± Wally asked as Timmy brushed himself down and tried to find his equilibrium. ¡°Arrest him. Right?¡± ¡°Yeah right,¡± Wally said. If Timmy was more coherent perhaps he would have noticed the edge in Wally¡¯s voice. As it was, he was struggling to get one foot reliably in front of the other without stumbling. They made their way around the warehouse, the heavy thundering drums and chanting filling the air as they came closer to the door. There were shaven headed louts loitering all around the entrance, drinking, puking, and pissing lustily. ¡°¡®Unter not made his speech yet?¡± Wally asked one of them. ¡°Naa, fock knows where he¡¯s got to!¡± the youth responded after spitting on the ground. ¡°We bin waiting all night!¡± ¡°Shame,¡± Wally said, ¡°Maybe ¡®e¡¯s got ¡®eld up in the blockades.¡± ¡°Naa, couple lads spotted him earlier.¡± ¡°He¡¯s round the back, probably shaggin¡¯ a couple birds ¡®fore he comes out!¡± his leery eyed mate said, grabbing his crotch and sticking out his tongue. ¡°Wish there were a few more birds here,¡± said the other one as Timmy and Wally kept walking. ¡°We¡¯ve gotta get in round the back,¡± Wally said once they were out of earshot. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a window or sumfin we can sneak in through.¡± ¡°Hope it¡¯s a big window,¡± Timmy said, too gone still to realise he was now poking fun at himself. The sounds of the rally died down behind them as they reached the corner of the building. The warehouse really was in the middle of nowhere. They had travelled for over an hour out in the marshes and woodlands on the edge of the city. There was only one disused road in and out and no lights other than the fires the Humans First Militia had lit. The moon was bright in the sky, but it was creating more shadows than it dispelled. There was nothing but tall grass and trees for as far as the eye could see. If this went wrong they really would just disappear out here. Wally swallowed and suppressed this thought. They hadn¡¯t come this far to only come this far. He pressed himself against the corner of the building and pulled his bumbling partner behind him. Wally peeked his head around the corner and then quickly pulled it back. ¡°There¡¯s two fellas standin¡¯ guard outside the door,¡± he hissed at Timmy. ¡°Are they big?¡± ¡°Looked it.¡± ¡°Are they armed?¡± ¡°I dunno.¡± ¡°Check.¡± Wally tutted and then carefully peaked around the corner again. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°Dunno can¡¯t tell.¡± ¡°We could rush ¡®em.¡± ¡°And then wot?¡± ¡°Ermm¡­¡± ¡°We gotta sneak in,¡± Wally said. ¡°There¡¯s no way we could fight ¡®em all off.¡± ¡°Right, right,¡± Timmy said, nodding his head, his pink cheeks jiggling. ¡°We need the element of surprise.¡± ¡°¡®Xactly.¡± They stood and looked around. There wasn¡¯t even so much as a bush they could hide behind in the flat plain around them. ¡°Wally.¡± ¡°¡®Old on Tim, I¡¯m finkin¡¯.¡± ¡°But Wally.¡± ¡°One second.¡± ¡°Wally!¡± ¡°Wot!¡± ¡°Window.¡± Timmy was pointing upwards. Right above their heads was a rotting hole with a window flapping listlessly. ¡°Perfect, well done Tim!¡± ¡°Oh good,¡± Timmy muttered to himself. ¡°It is real.¡± ¡°Come on, gimme a boost up.¡± Wally manoeuvred Timmy under the window and then clambered up him. He jammed his foot on Timmy¡¯s meaty thigh and used the top of his head to push himself up. ¡°Ow!¡± Timmy whined. ¡°Shh!¡± Wally hissed at him. He had both feet on Timmy¡¯s shoulders, his hand stretching to reach the window ledge. ¡°Stand up straight!¡± ¡°I am!¡± ¡°Stand up straighter!¡± With a grunt, Timmy pushed upwards and Wally was able to scramble a hold on the rotting window ledge. He dug the slick bottoms of his well worn boots into the soft wood of the warehouse and hauled himself up. His thin arms shook. He felt Timmy¡¯s hand on the bottom of his boots pushing him up. With a final grunt and a few choice curses, Wally hauled himself through the window. It was pitch black on the other side of the window. The throbbing marching drums were a dull pounding in the distance. ¡°Wally!¡± Timmy called up. ¡°You alright?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Wally said, sticking his head through the window. ¡°Come on!¡± Wally dangled his arm down for Timmy to grab hold of. Timmy looked at it forlornly and then jumped. He barely cleared a foot from the ground. ¡°Come on Tim! Jump!¡± ¡°I am!¡± Timmy bent his knees and leapt, his fingertips just brushing across Wally¡¯s. ¡°Maybe get a run up?¡± Wally said. Timmy took a few steps back and then lumbered towards Timmy. His equilibrium still hadn¡¯t quite returned after his bender and he tripped over his own feet and went head first into the barn. ¡°Shit! Tim you alright?¡± Timmy sat down in a daze, rubbing his head. ¡°Oi wots going on round there?¡± A voice shouted, followed by pounding boots. ¡°Shit! Shit! Tim jump!¡± But Timmy was still on the floor rubbing his head. He saw shadows fast approaching the corner. As the two guards came around the corner, Wally melted back into the shadows above them. ¡°Wot¡¯re you doin¡¯?¡± one of the guards snarled at Timmy. ¡°What? Who? Me? No¡­ n-nothing.¡± The guards grabbed Timmy up under his armpits and hauled him to his feet. ¡°Wot you sneaking around back ¡®ere for?¡± ¡°No I wasn¡¯t sneaking¡­ I was¡­ I was looking for a fat bird. Have you seen her?¡± Timmy burped and looked up at them, a giant lump starting to come up on his forehead. ¡°He¡¯s fucked up,¡± One of the guards laughed. ¡°Had a bit too much mate?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Timmy said with a stupid grin on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± the other guard said. He looked around suspiciously and then up at the window. Wally threw himself back into the shadows. ¡°Was you tryna get in up there?¡± ¡°What? Umm¡­ n-no, corse not,¡± Timmy stammered. ¡°Wots yore name?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ umm¡­ oh¡­ I can¡¯t remember. Was it umm¡­ Shaun? Or Steve?¡± ¡°Funny man ay?¡± The guard grabbed Timmy up roughly. ¡°You¡¯re comin¡¯ wiv us.¡± ¡°No wait! I haven¡¯t done anything!¡± Timmy tried for a brief moment to fight against their grips and was given a cuff around the back of the head for his troubles. Timmy looked back and his eyes twitched up towards the window before he was dragged around. ¡°Shit,¡± Wally breathed as he watched Timmy¡¯s feet disappear. He sat back in the darkness and held his head in his hands. What was he going to do now? Chapter 67 Ridley and Nairo alighted from their cab less than an hour after killing the Great Moota. Their driver had been none too happy about picking up the odd stinking fare covered in blood and ash, but business was scarce at the moment and he had horses to feed. The Three Horses and Nag was a quaint little village pub in one of the smaller boroughs of the city. It was on a dreary lane in a quiet area but even so Nairo could feel the buzz of tension in the air. Almost all of the houses around them were blacked out. There was hardly a person on the street but Nairo could hear worrying sounds drifting on the breeze. The sounds of heavy boots on the cobbles, chanting, screaming, and with that came the ever present smell of smoke. The city was gearing up for another night of violence. ¡°Come on,¡± Ridley said. ¡°My bet is the bins are around the back of the pub.¡± Ridley limped ahead of her down the alley at the side of the pub. As Nairo followed, she felt a prickle in her scalp, that odd sensation of being watched. She threw a furtive look over her shoulder but the street was empty. Wasn¡¯t it? What was that? Just a flicker of light? Or the shadow of a figure in hiding? Nairo took a breath and followed Ridley. Her nerves were so frayed by this point she knew she could no longer trust any of her senses. She had no choice but to put one foot in front of the other and continue the chase into the darkness. Ridley had stopped at a pile of trash and was tapping it surreptitiously with the toe of his shoe. ¡°Oz! You sonofabitch! Where are you!¡± he shouted into the darkness. There was no response. Ridley continued down the alleyway kicking piles of trash and knocking over bins. ¡°So I guess we¡¯re not being subtle,¡± Nairo sighed. ¡°Subtelty went out the window when a giant fucking snake tried to eat us!¡± Ridley growled. They limped further down the alley until they found the ripe, overflowing bins that were used by at least half a dozen different businesses. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Nairo saw the pile quiver. ¡°Oz!¡± Ridley roared as he took a massive punt at the pile. There was a squeak and several rats fled. Ridley paid them no mind. He was tearing into the bins, kicking them over and spreading around their contents. ¡°Oi! Wot you doing!¡± Nairo and Ridley spun to see two glowing, yellow eyes peeking out of a bin opposite. ¡°Oz?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Yeah, who else? Why¡¯s he disturbin¡¯ me piles. You don¡¯t see me coming to yore house and¡­¡± Ridley snarled and kicked the bin hard enough to dent it. The bin demon rolled out, viscous, green fluid splattered around the alleyway. Nairo remembered when that smell had almost made her vomit. That felt like such a long time ago. Now, she probably smelled worse. ¡°Wot you do that for!¡± Oz whined as he crouched in the alleyway, glaring up at Ridley. ¡°Where is it!¡± Ridley growled. ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°Where is it Oz! Don¡¯t play games with me! Not now!¡± ¡°Wot¡¯s he talking about?¡± Oz asked Nairo. ¡°The Pixie, Oz.¡± If it was possible, Oz¡¯s face turned a darker shade of green and his yellow eyes widened. ¡°W-w-wot Pixie?¡± ¡°The mental, fucking Pixie thats been putting holes in the city with a giant fucking magic fucking Diamond!¡± Ridley was red faced, veins bulging in his neck, his eyes wild. Oz looked at him. His mouth flapped uselessly a couple of times. Liquid dripped from his scraggly hair. Then he fled. His scrawny body whipped around and disappeared into a pile of trash to his left. ¡°After him! Don¡¯t let him get away!¡± Ridley shouted as he charged after the bin demon. Nairo willed her broken body into a canter barely keeping Ridley in sight. They turned down the next alley and saw Oz burst from one pile to another across the alley like a dolphin leaping out of the waves. Ridley had found another spurt of speed and was leaving Nairo behind. She already felt dizzy. She couldn¡¯t remember the last time she had eaten or even rested. Her brain screamed at her to stop, her battered body screeching and failing her. Nairo gritted her teeth, put her head down, and forced herself to keep going. The chase spilled out onto one of the main streets and Oz ran out of alleys and piles of trash to hide it. His dripping body streaked across a main broadway, but he was markedly slower out of his piles. Ridley¡¯s longer stride gained on the little bin demon as it narrowly avoided a cart and dived into an adjacent alley. Ridley spun around the cart but Nairo wasn¡¯t as quick to react. She slammed into the cart, bounced off and spun. She staggered and hid the cobbles hard. She didn¡¯t even acknowledge the fresh scrapes and blood on the heels of her hands and knees. Pulled herself up, Nairo saw a horse and carriage with blacked out windows pull up at the end of the broadway. The driver looked at her and the curtains twitched. Nairo watched them for a second before stumbling into the alley. She saw the tails of Ridley¡¯s coat disappear around the corner and forced herself back into a run. Nairo heard metallic clanging and as she came around the corner she saw Ridley tangled up with some bins. Oz hurled another bin lid at him and then dived into a pile of trash. ¡°I¡¯m gonna kick shit out of that little¡­¡± Ridley snarled, trying to extricate himself. ¡°Come on!¡± Nairo said, pulling him forward by his collar and taking off after the fleeing bin demon. She wasn¡¯t sure how far they had chased Oz when they finally lost sight of him down an alleyway on the riverbank. ¡°Where is he!¡± Nairo said, doubling over and breathing heavily. Ridley spat on the cobbles and looked around. ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°I don''t know, but he¡¯s been leading us in circles for the last five minutes. I reckon they must be holed up somewhere around here. He just didn¡¯t want to go back until he shook us off.¡± ¡°Still, how are we going to track him down¡­¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± Ridley lifted his head and began sniffing. He wandered around in a circle sniffing at the air. He crouched low and then began to trot down the street, his eyes firmly glued to the cobbles. Nairo followed his eyeline and saw glints of viscous, yellow liquid on the cobbles. Oz had left a trail! A disgusting trail but a trail nonetheless! Ridley pulled up at a fence and pointed to a crack in the bottom. Both edges of the crack were covered in Oz¡¯s discharge. He pressed a finger to his lips and then peered through a missing knot in one of the fence panels. Nairo joined him and they stared into the back of a row of disused houses. The garden was badly overgrown and covered in filth. There was barely enough light to see by but she saw a figure slither into view. It was Oz! His chest was heaving. He looked around and then slipped into one of the abandoned buildings. ¡°Gotcha,¡± Ridley whispered. ¡°You go around the front and I¡¯ll go through the back.¡± ¡°Wait Ridley,¡± Nairo said, grabbing his sleeve as he tried to walk off. ¡°If that Pixie is in there, then we¡¯re walking into a dangerous situation. Maybe we should call for backup.¡± ¡°What backup?¡± ¡°The police.¡± ¡°They ain¡¯t gonna come.¡± ¡°They will if I tell them their Diamond¡¯s in there. The EIF will be trained in how to deal with¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time to call the calvary, Sarge. Oz is probably in there right now, getting ready to disappear again. Our murderer and the Diamond are just on the other side of the fence. Don¡¯t lose your bottle now.¡± Ridley¡¯s eyes were wide, almost manic. His face, bathed in shadows, still couldn¡¯t hide the evidence of their journey to this point. His eye was black, his lip was cut, and there were scratches all down one side of his neck. His fists were swollen and cut and Nairo noticed there was blood seeping through his shirt where Carl the bartender had shot him with a crossbow. And worse, his coat was filthy and torn in half a dozen places. They both stank and were covered in dozens of wounds. She couldn¡¯t stop now, not after everything they had been through. ¡°Right,¡± Nairo said, nodding her head. ¡°Just be careful and try not to surprise the Pixie while it has the Diamond. I don¡¯t want the place going bang.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I ain¡¯t done all this just to get blown up now.¡± Ridley flashed her a grin that tiptoed from cavalier to crazed and then silently scaled the fence while Nairo skulked around to the front of the building. The road was abandoned. The only sound was a slight wind that had kicked up. She peered around the corner and for a second she swore she saw more figures hiding in the shadows watching her. As the clouds shifted the moonlight dispelled the shadows and the street was empty. How many concussions can you suffer before you start seeing things? Nairo tried to shake off her growing paranoia and focus on the task in front of her. This was it. All the miles, all the blood, and all the lies had led them here. Nairo breathed deeply and walked into the front garden of the dilapidated home. She crouched low and peered through the window. It was no good. The window was so deeply caked in grime all she could make out was a strange luminescent glow coming from within. Biting the inside of her cheek, Nairo tried to force her hands not to tremble. She knew her nerves were frayed, perhaps beyond repair at this point, but there was something else making her tremble. Some other force or energy emanated from the building. It set her teeth on edge and raised the tiny hairs on the back of her neck. Her heart rate quickened and she felt like her lungs had shrunk. Taking quick, shallow breaths, she took another step towards the door. Gently, she turned the handle and was surprised when the door fell open. She caught it before it could bang against the wall behind and stepped into the house. The luminescent glow pulsed vividly now from the living room to her left. The air buzzed with energy that made strands of her hair stand up. She could feel a vibrating crackle run across the exposed skin of her hands and face. As she crept into the hallway, she heard voices. One of them was Oz but she didn¡¯t recognise the other. ¡°We have to go Pelt! The PI and that copper were right behind me! We¡¯ve got to disappear before they find my trail!¡± Oz pleaded breathlessly. ¡°But this is my nest,¡± a monotone voice spoke. ¡°I know, but we can make another one. I promise. Somewhere nice.¡± ¡°But this is my nest. I don¡¯t have another nest.¡± ¡°We can build a better one. Somewhere safe! Please Pelt!¡± Nairo peered through the cracked door and saw Oz on his knees in front of a small figure swaddled in a dark cloak. The living room looked exactly like the shed in Ms Jenkins¡¯ garden. There were little shelf beds, set up all around the room, and the glow came from the same flower the other Pixie¡¯s had used. The creature must have recreated a Pixie nest here. ¡°Where else is there?¡± The Pixie asked, its tone soft and detached. Nairo tried to see under the hood, but could only catch glimpses of the creature''s lilac skin. As she peered through the half light she saw it! The Diamond! The Pixie had it in its lap, gently running its long, bony finger across the surface. Even in the dimness, the Diamond glittered and dazzled with an allure that almost made Nairo walk straight through the door towards it. Oz, however, recoiled at the sight of the Diamond. ¡°Pelt, you mustn¡¯t hurt them,¡± Oz said. ¡°They¡¯s good people. Well, the copper is anyway, but Ridley¡¯s not bad people¡­¡± ¡°Why do they want to take me from my nest then?¡± The Pixie asked. Nairo caught a glimpse of its eyes as it turned towards Oz. They were so black. So empty. Just a quick flash of them was enough to make Nairo shudder. ¡°They¡­ ummm¡­ they¡¯re just doing their jobs I suppose. They don¡¯t want to hurt us.¡± ¡°Is it because I am a bad Pixie?¡± ¡°Pelt you¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Is it because I murdered? I killed the bad Goblin. I killed the Humans. Will they come because I am evil?¡± The Pixie¡¯s voice was still calm and devoid of any emotion. ¡°You¡¯re not evil Pelt¡­ those were accidents! They know that. But it¡¯s the rest of them, they don¡¯t know that. They won¡¯t treat you right. That¡¯s why we gotta run. Maybe¡­ maybe if you leave the Diamond here, they¡¯ll leave us alo¡­¡± ¡°I WILL NOT!¡± The Pixie¡¯s voice thundered so suddenly it made Nairo gasp. Energy, palpable as a rush of wind, exploded through the room, sending Oz tumbling backwards. ¡°THEY WILL NOT HAVE IT! THEY WILL NEVER USE IT AGAIN!¡± The little Pixie¡¯s voice was amplified, as if a dozen creatures all chanted at once. The Diamond glowed and the floorboards rattled. ¡°Okay! Okay! We¡¯ll take it with us! I¡¯m sorry! Please Pelt, calm down!¡± Oz howled, holding his hands up and begging. Slowly, the Diamond stopped glowing, the rush of energy returned to a hum, and the house settled. Nairo¡¯s mouth had gone completely dry. She had seen the remnants of the Diamonds power in Benny¡¯s flat and the alleyway in the Iron District, but to feel it so close, so raw, had robbed the breath from her body. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. ¡°It is too late,¡± the Pixie said, its voice returning to normal. ¡°They are here.¡± Nairo¡¯s blood went cold. ¡°That was a neat trick, how¡¯d you do it?¡± Nairo heard Ridley¡¯s unaffected drawl from the other side of the room. She put her eye to the crack and saw him step into the room with his hands held up in front of him. ¡°Ridley!¡± Oz said, wringing his hands and attempting a wriggley toothed smile. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°Neither should you by the looks of it,¡± Ridley said calmly. ¡°Really Oz, this whole time. You know what we¡¯ve been through looking for your little Pixie pal here? I almost drowned in a toilet! I¡¯ve been shot! A giant fucking snake nearly ate me!¡± ¡°Moota?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s dead now.¡± ¡°You killed Moota?¡± ¡°Yeah, and a dozen other insane things just to find out you had the Diamond all along!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ridley, but you don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Are you going to take me?¡± the Pixie asked Ridley. Ridley looked down at the little creature cautiously. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve only been asked to find the Diamond¡­¡± ¡°By who?¡± ¡°By its owners.¡± ¡°Elves?¡± The Pixie hissed, the thrum of the Diamond intensified again, the air crackling with energy. ¡°They are monsters. They won¡¯t do it again!¡± A roar of energy smashed through the room, cracking the plaster work. ¡°YOU ARE ONE OF THEM!¡± Ridley was blown from his feet. He was slammed into the wall behind and held, his feet dangling, by the kinetic rush of energy from the Diamond. ¡°Pelt no!¡± Oz cried out. The Diamond began shaking, glowing white hot, the house vibrated, cracks appearing across the walls. ¡°THEY ARE KILLERS! MURDERERS! THEY TOOK THEM! THEY TOOK THEM ALL FROM ME!¡± The Pixie roared. Ridley cried out as the force of the Diamond pulled the skin taught on his skull, driving him through the plasterwork until cracks started appearing all around him. Nairo threw herself through the door. She had no idea what to do but the Pixie was killing Ridley. She stood between them, feeling the pulse of the Diamond and the rush of energy. It felt like her skin was being stripped away. She tried to scream but she had no breath. Tears filled her eyes as the searing pain intensified. Then it stopped. Nairo fell to one knee and heard the thud of Ridley¡¯s body dropping behind her. She opened her eyes and looked at the Pixie. It was staring at her with those empty black eyes. ¡°Friend?¡± the Pixie whispered. Its void-like eyes opened wide. The hood fell back from its head and it looked so disarmingly like any other Pixie. It trembled and reached out a bony finger towards Nairo¡¯s face. Nairo flinched for a moment, but then she noticed Oz, who had been cringing on the floor, looked up at her with a wondrous look in his eyes. Nairo looked up at her reflection in the filthy windows and saw there was a streak of pink glowing brightly on her cheek where Hildy had wiped her tears. Ms Jenkins had said it was a mark of friendship! Nairo looked down at the Pixie in front of her. Its eyes brimmed with tears. The Diamond was still clutched in its hand but it was held the same way a toddler would hold a teddy rather than a weapon. The tiny creature stumbled closer to Nairo, its hand still outstretched. ¡°Friend?¡± it whispered again. Nairo knelt frozen in place. She watched the Pixie¡¯s trembling finger come closer, then she felt it gently brush against her cheek. As soon as the creature touched Hildy¡¯s tear, it broke down. Great racking sobs took the strength from it. The Pixie dropped to its knees and held its glowing digit to its chest, sobbing like a wounding animal. ¡°Us,¡± it whispered, cradling the digit and weeping. The Diamond lay by its side, forgotten. Nairo hesitated and then reached out a hand. Softly, she patted the Pixie¡¯s back as it sobbed. Oz blinked in surprise and then he scuttled over to the Pixie. ¡°It¡¯s okay Pelt,¡± he said. ¡°Pelt, is that your name?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°I give it to him,¡± Oz said. ¡°Pixie¡¯s don¡¯t really have names. He likes it though, don¡¯t you, Pelt?¡± The Pixie looked up at Nairo, tears streaked its face. ¡°You know this Pixie?¡± he asked her, holding up his finger. ¡°Yes, her name is Hildy.¡± Pelt nodded enthusiastically, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. ¡°You¡¯ve been trying to talk to her, haven¡¯t you?¡± Now Pelt¡¯s face darkened. ¡°They cannot hear. I am broken. Not a Pixie anymore.¡± ¡°But they did hear you,¡± Nairo said quickly, as she heard Ridley groan behind her as he regained consciousness. ¡°Is that¡­ is that why you took the Diamond, Pelt? You wanted to reconnect with your kind.¡± Pelt looked up at her apprehensively and gave a small nod but then shook his head straight after. ¡°I thought¡­ I thought the magick was strong enough to make Pelt a Pixie again,¡± he whispered. ¡°That¡¯s how you¡¯ve been communicating with those Pixie¡¯s from the bank from so far away?¡± Nairo said and Pelt nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why you took the Diamond?¡± Oz asked, his eyes wide. Pelt shook his head. ¡°No¡­ not just this. They did bad things,¡± Pelt whispered. ¡°Who?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Elves,¡± Pelt barely uttered the word. ¡°They made Pelt do evil things with the Diamond. They hurt so many people. They kill so many people. They make me do bad, bad things. I couldn¡¯t¡­ not anymore. I was so lonely. Scared¡­¡± ¡°Then they left you in that bank vault with the Diamond,¡± Ridley said, he had pulled himself up to a sitting position, still breathing heavily. ¡°And you saw your chance to stop their evil.¡± Pelt nodded. ¡°I took the Diamond and I run. I could feel them, my people, all around me. Thousands of Pixies. But they fear me. They know Pelt is evil. They won¡¯t talk to me. So I keep running. Then that bad Goblin take me. He wanted to do evil with the Diamond too. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± Pelt began to weep silent tears and the Diamond pulsed angrily. ¡°Shall we put it away, Pelt? In the special box? Just to be safe?¡± Oz held up a small wooden box of smooth, well lacquered darkwood. Pelt nodded and delicately picked up the Diamond, placing it carefully into the velvet lined box. Oz closed the box with a gentle snap and Pelt whispered a word over it. The box gave a pulse of light and suddenly the frenetic buzz and crackle of energy disappeared from the room. ¡°It was an accident,¡± Oz explained to Nairo, sighing with relief. ¡°Benny was a violent thug, he wanted to steal the Diamond and take over the city. He tried to take the Diamond by force. Pelt didn¡¯t mean to¡­ to you know¡­ it just happened. It was an accident.¡± ¡°Pelt is evil,¡± the Pixie whispered. ¡°It is evil!¡± Pelt pointed at the box with Diamond in it. ¡°Only bad things be done with it. All it wants to do is hurt, and make fire, and destroy. It is an evil thing.¡± ¡°Then I s¡¯pose you won¡¯t mind us taking it off your hands.¡± Nairo spun around and her heart jolted so hard in her chest she almost choked. Four hulking Goblins stood in the doorway to the room! Rufi was standing there with his crew, one shot crossbows in all of their hands, pointing directly at each one of them. ¡°Hello Sarge,¡± Rufi said with a grin. ¡°Congrats on solving the case, knew you could do it. Now hand over the fucking Diamond.¡± Chapter 68 Timmy was dumped faced down on the dirty floorboards. He coughed dust out of his mouth and then looked up. He was in one of the grungy backrooms of the warehouse. Surrounding him were the most varied assortments of nasties he had ever seen. There wasn¡¯t a straight nose in the room. Every man of them was covered in tattoos, scars, and scowls. The three main men were lounging around on the one sofa in the room, everyone else was dotted about standing with pints and smokes in their hands. Timmy, in the fugue of inebriation, looked at one of the men on the sofa and knew he recognised him but his brain wasn¡¯t quite open for business at the moment. He had a clean shaven head, the shadows of a beard, and a mouth full of golden teeth. Timmy knew he was someone important from the way every head swivelled in his direction, waiting for their cue upon Timmy¡¯s unceremonious arrival. ¡°Who the fuck is this?¡± The man asked, setting his pint down and looking curiously at Timmy. There was a vague flicker of recognition in his eyes too. ¡°Caught him sneaking about round the back of the warehouse, Golden,¡± one of the guards who had brought Timmy in grunted. ¡°Sneaking about? He looks about as sneaky as a hippo,¡± another man with a mess of black hair and a nose so bent the tip pointed at his ear. The men guffawed as Timmy stood up and brushed himself down. Whether it was the concoction of drugs or sheer exhaustion, Timmy felt strangely unbothered by his current situation. Standing in a room full of men making fun of him wasn¡¯t out of Timmy¡¯s comfort zone after all. ¡°Who the fuck are you then?¡± Golden asked, his teeth glinting in the dim light. ¡°Me? Oh I¡¯m¡­ Glenn!¡± Timmy said excitedly as a pair of synapses finally fired in his brain reminding him of his cover story. ¡°Glenn?¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me name. I¡¯m a new recruit.¡± ¡°Fuck me, they¡¯ll let anybody in nowadays,¡± the bent nosed man muttered. ¡°Yep,¡± Timmy said with an odd note of pride in his voice. ¡°Here and ready to bash up some Goblin scum.¡± ¡°Your gonna take on Toads?¡± Golden said, a leery grin on his face. ¡°Yep. Gonna¡­ gonna smash ¡®em all up.¡± Timmy felt lightheaded now, almost like he wasn¡¯t the one doing the talking, as if he was just watching the conversation happen. ¡°Son, you ever been up close and personal with a real fuckin¡¯ Goblin?¡± Golden asked him. ¡°And I mean a real one. Not these scrawny little city Goblins, but one of the Toads from back home. Six and a half foot, weighs as much as a small horse, hits like a battering ram, tusks the size of your hands. A real Goblin.¡± Timmy licked his lips, tasting the sweat. ¡°Well¡­ they bleed just like anything else right?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°And I know they burn too.¡± The men looked around at each other and then they began chuckling. But this was unusual. They weren¡¯t laughing at Timmy. They were laughing with him. Timmy chuckled along with them when he caught something move out of the corner of his eye. He looked up and saw a grime covered face looking back down at him. ¡°Wally!¡± he said without thinking. ¡°What you call me?¡± The laughter stopped. Wally lurched back in his hiding place in the rafters, ducking for cover. ¡°What? No¡­ I didn¡¯t mean¡­ I wasn¡¯t calling you a¡­¡± Timmy stuttered and trailed off, looking down at his shoes. ¡°He¡¯s tooted up,¡± one of the men behind the sofa said. ¡°Look at the size of his eyeballs. You been getting on one son?¡± Timmy looked up and gave him a sheepish grin. ¡°I tried Slug today.¡± The men burst into another round of laughter. ¡°Fuck me, he ain¡¯t nothing but a little kid!¡± As the men laughed, Timmy looked up where Wally had been. But he was gone. Timmy was on his own. ¡°Who even brought you along?¡± Golden asked. ¡°Umm¡­ I think his name was Jerry.¡± ¡°Jerry from Oldstock road? That makes sense,¡± Golden said, rolling his eyes at the other men. ¡°Go on, let him back to his fun. He ain¡¯t no harm to anyone.¡± Golden waved a hand at the guards who grabbed Timmy¡¯s collar again. ¡°Wait!¡± a voice barked from the darkness in the corner of the room. The men turned around as a figure stepped out of the shadows. He had a bald head, a vicious scar across face, and ginger stubble. But that wasn¡¯t what stood out. It looked like someone had recently taken a hammer to him. His face was lumpen and misshapen, his nose freshly broken, and his eyebrow was covered in stitches. Despite his malformities, Timmy''s brain jolted into sudden recognition. He was Mr Edwards, the thug that had held them captive in the Landlord¡¯s pub! And the golden toothed man had been there as well! They were the Landlord¡¯s men! The sudden urge to vomit and urinate at the same time punched Timmy in the gut. ¡°What Eddy?¡± Golden asked. ¡°I recognise him,¡± Mr Edwards growled. One of his eyes was blackened and badly swollen from the Landlord¡¯s brutal assault, but the other was staring right at Timmy. ¡°You do?¡± Golden said. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Mr Edwards growled as he stalked towards Timmy. Timmy tried not to squeak in fear. ¡°Where do I know you from?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ I dunno¡­ ummm¡­ I¡¯d recognise you if I knew you.¡± ¡°Come on Eddy, where would you know this little twerp from?¡± the bent nosed man asked, going back to his drink, bored with Timmy now. ¡°Let the kid go back to his fun.¡± ¡°No,¡± Mr Edwards said firmly. He was standing only a foot away from Timmy. ¡°No. I know you. I never forget a face.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m sort of local¡­ some of the time. Maybe you saw me around¡­ somewhere.¡± Mr Edwards ignored him and began patting him down. He drew Timmy¡¯s truncheon from his trousers, looked at it, then threw it to one side. He continued patting him down and then looked at his boots curiously. ¡°Take yer boots off.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Take yer boots off,¡± Mr Edwards repeated, a demented gleam in his eye. ¡°Eddy, what is this?¡± Golden asked, a hard edge to his voice. ¡°If you wanna start mugging kids, you can fuck off and do it outside.¡± Mr Edwards ignored him. Timmy swallowed and slowly bent down to start untying his laces. Mr Edwards snorted and then shoved Timmy over, grabbed his boot as he fell and yanked it off his foot. Timmy hit the floor hard and looked up at them. ¡°This is a copper¡¯s boot,¡± Mr Edwards said, turning the boot around before throwing it to Golden. ¡°I knew I recognised him. He¡¯s a copper.¡± ¡°What?¡± the bent nosed man said, rolling his eyes. ¡°If he¡¯s a copper, then my nan¡¯s a Troll.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you I¡¯ve seen him. I can¡¯t place exactly where, but I know it in me gut, he¡¯s a copper.¡± Golden looked at Timmy¡¯s boot and then back at Mr Edwards. ¡°I dunno Eddy, he don¡¯t seem like a copper to me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a copper¡¯s boot!¡± ¡°It¡¯s got laces. It¡¯s black. Otherwise, it¡¯s just a fucking boot.¡± Mr Edwards unsheathed a knife and then advanced on Timmy. ¡°Gimme a couple of minutes and I¡¯ll make him squeal.¡± Just then a man came running into the room. He made a beeline for Golden and whispered frantically in his ears. ¡°What? Fuck off!¡± Golden said as he listened. ¡°Right pack it up. We need to get back to the pub. Something¡¯s going down!¡± Golden jumped up and waved his arms at the men in the room. ¡°Wot?¡± Mr Edwards said, the knife poised above Timmy. ¡°You heard me! Mr Graves wants us back at the pub, now!¡± Golden barked at him. ¡°Wot about him?¡± Mr Edwards said, pointing the knife at Timmy. ¡°I dunno. Who gives a shit? Tie him or something. We¡¯ll deal with it later!¡± Mr Edwards sucked his teeth and spat on the floor before turning to the guards. ¡°Watch him and make sure he don¡¯t go any fucking where before I get back. Understood?¡± The guards nodded. Mr Edwards sheathed his knife and hurried out of the room. Timmy flopped back on the floor in a cold sweat. * Wally felt awful about leaving Timmy. But what could he do? It was a whole room of thugs. If he had jumped down there he would have just ended up in the shit with Timmy. Why did he have to go and say his name like that? Wally cursed as he crawled along the rafters of the warehouse on his belly. He was caked from head to toe in bird droppings and filth. Despite his gnawing worry about Timmy, he had to remember the mission, why they had come here in the first place. He kept crawling on. The back of the warehouse had been divided into a little maze of ceilingless rooms. They were little more than hastily erected cubicles, but it gave Wally the perfect opportunity to skulk around the rafter looking for Hunter. He slid on his belly peering around until he found another little back room. There was another group of thugs back here but they looked more like the Human First Militia. They were young, and drunk, and all had shaved heads and fresh tattoos. There were even a few girls with them, with half shaved heads, their hair dyed all sorts of wild colours, and piercings in places Wally didn¡¯t even know you could have pierced. They were laughing and drinking and snorting a myriad of drugs that Wally couldn¡¯t even begin identifying. He scanned the room below, watching each face carefully, trying to figure out which one could be Hunter. As he peered around he saw a youth sitting in the corner by himself, a bottle of beer dangling loosely from his hand as he stared at nothing. There was a haunted edge to his empty expression. ¡°Come on Hunter, when you gonna get out there and work your magic?¡± A shrill young woman said, draping her arms around the youth¡¯s narrow shoulders. ¡°Yeah they¡¯re all dying to hear from the man himself!¡± a boy with a red mohawk cried out, sloshing beer all over the floor. ¡°The Goblin Slayer!¡± A wild eyed young man screamed, his nose covered in powder, his eyes bulging and veiny. ¡°The Goblin Slayer!¡± The others cried out, slamming their drink together and laughing. Hunter gave them a weak smile and shrugged. ¡°When I feel like it,¡± he said. ¡°You should tell ¡®em about the mission. Get ¡®em real fired up,¡± the red mohawk said. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yeah, I fuckin¡¯ loooove that story!¡± the wild eyed boy howled. ¡°Man I can¡¯t believe I missed it!¡± ¡°Yeah coz you was too pussy to come along,¡± another youth sneered at him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t! I had the squirts! You know that!¡± ¡°Well while you was shittin¡¯ yer pants, Hunter here was taking first blood for Humans everywhere!¡± The red mohawk said, slapping Hunter on the shoulder proudly. ¡°Bet those Toads smelt lovely when they was cooking up!¡± the young girl cackled. ¡°Fucking Toad barbeque!¡± They roared with laughter and clinked their bottles again while Hunter looked away sheepishly. Wally¡¯s knuckles whitened around the beam, his teeth gritted in fury. He had to force himself not to shake, haunting images of those grasping hands flashed across his mind. And the smell. It filled his nostrils, almost making him gag. ¡°Next time, I¡¯m definitely coming along!¡± the wild eyed boy announced, rubbing some greyish paste onto his gums, his jaw rocking back and forth while his teeth grinded audibly. ¡°You won¡¯t have to wait too long,¡± the red mohawk said. ¡°Tonight¡¯s the night, ain¡¯t that right Hunter?¡± They all turned to look at him. ¡°Yeah,¡± Hunter said. ¡°Tonight the war starts for real.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going down to Toad Town and we¡¯re burning the whole place to the ground!¡± The red mohawk howled and threw his bottle against the wall. ¡°We¡¯re gonna fuckin¡¯ kill all of ¡®em. Right Hunter?¡± He looked to his leader eagerly. Hunter gave him the ghost of a smile. ¡°I¡¯m gonna take a piss,¡± he said, standing up and walking out of the room while his friends continue to party and chant their slogans. Wally quickly slithered across the beams prowling after Hunter. He watched the young man take a left and walk down a corridor, his head bowed, stumbling slightly and bumping into the walls. He got to the toilet and fumbled with the handle before finally getting it open. It was a single toilet. Perfect. This was Wally¡¯s chance. He looked up and down the hallway and took a deep, steadying breath. From inside his jacket, he withdrew a sharp curved dagger. He looked down at it. His mouth had suddenly gone dry. He felt his breath coming quickly. He closed his eyes and saw it again. Saw the flames licking across the flesh of those trapped Goblins. He heard their screams. He opened his eyes and gripped the dagger tight. It had to be this way. This was justice for what he did. * ¡°Where do you think they¡¯ve run off to?¡± Timmy asked his guards. ¡°Shut up. It¡¯s none of your business!¡± the one with the black ponytail said. He was a thickset man but was on the wrong side of his prime. His belly had begun to sag, his arms looked more meat than muscle, and years of drinking had turned his skin yellowish and slack. His partner was younger and fitter but definitely the dimmer of the two. He was another shaven headed ape. His eyes were just a touch too close together and he had an underbite that made it look like he was trying to swallow his own face. ¡°Just weird that they left you two to look after me. Doesn¡¯t seem fair.¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t fair,¡± the shaven headed ape growled. ¡°Shut up Pete!¡± ¡°¡®S not fair, Baz,¡± Pete said sulkily. ¡°Well it¡¯s wot we¡¯ve been told to do, so we¡¯re gonna do it. Unless you wanna tell that sickhead Eddy otherwise?¡± Pete snapped at him. Baz stuck his lip out petulantly and they both crossed their arms and took up their positions at the door again. They hadn¡¯t bothered to tie Timmy up. He was sitting on the sofa, his podgy legs crossed in front of him, as he tried to think through the custard like fog that was his brain. He knew he was supposed to be doing something and he knew it wasn¡¯t supposed to be here. He knew Wally was carrying out an important part of the mission up in the rafters but what that was escaped Timmy right now. Instead, all he could think about was how thirsty he was. He was still sweating profusely even though he was sitting still, and his heart kept speeding up and slowing down. He wanted to puke again but then he was also starving. His legs were full of nervous energy but he was too exhausted to do anything about it¡­ ¡°Hunter!¡± Timmy roared suddenly, his brain suddenly lurching back into action. ¡°Wah!¡± Baz cried out, startled by Timmy¡¯s outburst. ¡°What?¡± Timmy asked, staring at the two guards with wild eyes. ¡°Why did you shout Hunter out for?¡± Pete asked. ¡°Oh, did I?¡± ¡°Yeah, nearly gimme a heart attack!¡± ¡°Oh umm¡­ I didn¡¯t want to miss his speech,¡± Timmy stammered, licking a bead of sweat from the corner of his mouth as his mind raced. He was here to arrest Hunter! Wally was crawling across the rafters in pursuit of him. He, Timmy, had ingested an unfathomable amount of alcohol and mystery substances. He had been caught trying to sneak in and he was now being detained by these two oafs. He needed to escape, track down Hunter, arrest him, and get him back to police HQ! ¡°Wot?¡± Pete said, staring at Timmy. ¡°What?¡± Timmy replied. ¡°Did he just call us oafs?¡± Baz asked. ¡°Wot d¡¯yer mean arrest Hunter? You are a copper!¡± Pete said, pointing his finger at Timmy. ¡°Oh¡­ did I say all of that out loud?¡± Pete leapt for Timmy, but for the first time in his life, Timmy was quicker. He grabbed an overflowing ashtray from the table next to him and flung its contents into Pete¡¯s eyes. Ash and cigarette butts flew in a cancerous cascade. Pete recoiled and wretched, clawing at his eyes and spitting butts out of his mouth. Timmy whirled and flung the heavy ash tray like a discus at Baz as he began charging. The ashtray caught him between the eyes and there was clicking noise as the bridge of his nose snapped. Baz stumbled blindly, tripped over the small coffee table and slammed his head into the floor hard enough to make his head bounce. Pete flailed wildly at Timmy, still blinded by ash. Timmy stumbled backwards and went over the sofa to avoid his grasp. He hit the floor, looked around and saw his truncheon. Timmy grabbed it and rolled to his feet. THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! Pete collapsed on top of Baz unconscious. Timmy smirked triumphantly, then proceeded to vomit up the remaining bile in his stomach. He bent over double and wretched. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to die,¡± Timmy murmured, his head swimming. ¡°Wally! I¡¯m coming!¡± Timmy groaned and wheeled himself around. The room lurched from side to side as his eyes watered. It took him four attempts but he finally managed to slip his truncheon back through his belt and open the door. He had to find Wally and bring Hunter to justice! * Wally stared at Hunter, his nostrils flared and his heart thudding in his chest. He gripped the knife and tried to swallow. Hunter was standing in front of a cracked mirror at the basin with his back to Wally. He hadn¡¯t moved in some time, other than a slight quiver in his shoulders. Wally watched him, allowing hate to engulf him, willing it to. He needed naked bloodlust, unthinking, unfeeling wrath. His breath quickened. He thought of the fire. He remembered the screams. He saw the hands clawing for freedom. He remembered the ache of feeling like he could do nothing but watch. Before he knew it, his body had moved. He uncoiled from the beam hanging as low as he could before letting go and dropping into the bathroom behind Hunter. The drums and roaring chants from the rally were still so loud that they drowned out the sound of Wally¡¯s feet hitting the bathroom. Hunter continued to stare into the basin. Wally noticed now that his knuckles were white. He was gripping the basin so hard his arms and shoulders trembled. Waly levelled the knife. Hunter looked up into the cracked mirror and saw Wally behind him. He cried out and spun in surprise. ¡°Wah! Who are you! What do you want!¡± Hunter stumbled back, one hand outstretched to protect himself, the other scrubbing at his eyes. Wally faltered for a second, the blade still raised. Why was Hunter crying? ¡°Who are you?¡± Hunter said again as he backed into the corner of the room, Wally standing between him and the door, his eyes fixed on the quivering tip of the knife. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­ ¡®ere to bring you to justice!¡± Wally growled, his face cast in shadows from the hood of his cloak. ¡°Oh,¡± Hunter said. His shoulders sagged and the panic left him. ¡°You¡¯re an evil bastard! And-and you need to be stopped!¡± Wally continued, letting the well of rage build up again. ¡°You¡¯re a murdering, fuckin¡¯, asshole, bastard! And-and I¡¯m gonna-gonna make sure you don¡¯t ever ¡®urt no one again!¡± Hunter''s face scrunched up and he burst into tears. Sobs escaped his mouth as he stared at nothing. Slowly, he nodded his head, snot dripping down his lip. ¡°Why you crying for?¡± Wally snapped at him. ¡°You was a big brave man when you murdered them Goblins! Take yer punishment like a man!¡± Hunter nodded again and forced himself to stand up straight, still not making eye contact with Wally. He hung his head and let tears drip onto the floor. ¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± he said quietly. ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± Hunter whispered. ¡°It was all just talk and then¡­ then we started on the Slug and drinking and next thing I knew we was in a cart going to Goblin Town. I never knew anyone was in there¡­ we just panicked and threw a couple firebombs and ran. We didn¡¯t know they was living above the shop. It was supposed to be empty.¡± Fresh sobs cut him off. He buried his face in his hands and slid down the wall until he was sitting. Wally looked at him with disgust and confusion. ¡°You killed those Goblins!¡± he roared at him. ¡°You fucking burned them alive and you wanna sit there and cry now!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Hunter wept. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Wot? Wot? It was a accident?¡± Wally snarled at him, jabbing the knife forward. ¡°Wot? You didn¡¯t know setting fires would kill somebody? Wot?¡± Wally was screaming at him now. Hunter looked at him wordlessly. ¡°And then you wanna run around bragging about it! You animal! Think you¡¯re a big man now, coz you murdered a whole innocent family?¡± ¡°No!¡± Hunter wailed. ¡°There was a little baby in there!¡± Wally¡¯s own eyes filled with tears. ¡°A little baby that did nuffin¡¯ to no one! Little kids! Wot did they do? Huh? Wot had they ever done to anyone? But you lot wanted to be big men and you burned them! I saw it! I heard the screaming! I watched the flames take ¡®em! You fuckin¡¯ animal!¡± Rage filled Wally¡¯s soul. Vengeful, violent rage burned through his body. He gripped the knife tight, his body coiled, ready to spring, a snarl of hatred contorting his features.. ¡°Wally! What are you doing?¡± Wally turned and saw Timmy standing there, pink faced, sweating profusely. ¡°Timmy, wot are you doin¡¯ ¡®ere! You shouldn¡¯t see this!¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t see what, Wally?¡± Timmy asked him slowly. ¡°Just-just leave Timmy! Go! Let me take care of this scumbag!¡± Wally was breathing hard now, sweat pouring down his body. ¡°Come on Wally,¡± Timmy said, taking a step towards him. ¡°This isn¡¯t what we¡¯re here¡­¡± ¡°Enough Tim!¡± Wally snarled, turning the knife on Timmy. ¡°Enough! Enough of the justice bollocks! Ain¡¯t you seen by now? Ain¡¯t you seen it¡¯s all a load of shit! Scum like this get away with it every day! The only answer is the permanent one!¡± ¡°Wally you can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Hunter said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s what I deserve.¡± Timmy and Wally both looked at Hunter. He wasn¡¯t anything like Timmy imagined him to be. He wasn¡¯t some snarling, ideologue, spouting hate and inciting violence. He was just a scrawny kid. He looked no older than them and he was terrified. Worse than that, he looked so utterly defeated. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hurt anyone,¡± Hunter whispered, tears dripping from his chin as he stared at the floor. ¡°It happened so quick. One minute it was just all words and then the next¡­ And ever since everyone wanted to make me into some sort of hero. I¡¯m not. I¡¯m a monster. I k-killed those creatures. Burned them in their own beds¡­ those little kids¡­¡± he broke into fresh sobs and pulled his knees close to himself. ¡°Please¡­ do it. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t live with it anymore. Just end it.¡± Wally looked at him, he felt his rage ebb, the knife point wavered in his hands. ¡°Wally, we¡¯re police officers, this isn¡¯t right. Whatever he¡¯s done¡­¡± ¡°Whatever he¡¯s done!¡± Wally howled at him. ¡°Whatever he¡¯s done? He murdered a whole family! Burned them to death! Burned a little baby alive! While we sat in a fuckin¡¯ cafe with our feet up ¡®avin¡¯ a pint! Because I wasn¡¯t doin¡¯ my job! Because I never took the responsibility serious! Because of me that family died!¡± Hot tears burned down Wally¡¯s cheeks. The words choked him. It was the first time either of them had spoken the unsaid truth that ached them deep in their souls. Hunter may have lit the fire but what were they doing at the time? They were supposed to be patrolling the area. They knew how tense things were. Yet, they had chosen to hide away and have a drink. Would the sight of patrolling officers have been enough to deter them? Would that family still be alive if they had done their duty? Those questions haunted them. Tears stung Timmy¡¯s eyes. He looked from Hunter, to the knife, to Wally. ¡°It¡¯s because of us that family died!¡± Wally spat at him. ¡°And now I¡¯m gonna make it right!¡± ¡°By becoming a murderer?¡± Timmy asked him in a quiet voice. ¡°By ridding the world of this scumbag!¡± ¡°So the world would lose one evil man and gain another?¡± ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°You kill him and the world is worse for it. We still got the same amount of murderers but one less good man.¡± Wally blinked. ¡°I ain¡¯t a good man.¡± ¡°Yes you are.¡± ¡°No I¡¯m not! You don¡¯t know nuffin¡¯ about me Tim! You don¡¯t know what I done or what I can do!¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re not a murderer. I know you¡¯re a good copper. You come all this way, Wally. You done all this, put yourself in harm¡¯s way to protect innocent people. And you haven¡¯t done it because some officer told you to. You haven¡¯t done it to get a promotion or your name in the paper. You¡¯ve done it because it¡¯s the right thing to do. And I know you¡¯re a good friend. You¡¯ve had my back and you¡¯ve never made fun of me or mocked me to make yourself feel bigger. If you ain¡¯t a good man yet, then you will be one day. But if you do this, there won¡¯t be no coming back from it.¡± The knife trembled in Wally¡¯s hand. ¡°Killing him won¡¯t change what happened. We have to live with it, we have to live with the responsibility of those Goblins¡¯ lives on our hands. Please Wally. I don¡¯t want to lose my only friend.¡± The knife clattered from Wally¡¯s nerveless fingers. Fresh tears streamed down his face. ¡°Tim¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Timmy said, patting his friend¡¯s trembling shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re all a bit out of sorts today.¡± Hunter looked at the knife and then up at them. ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill me?¡± ¡°No. We¡¯re going to arrest you,¡± Timmy said firmly. ¡°Wally, you do the honours.¡± Wally nodded, sniffed, and wiped his face on his sleeve. ¡°¡®Unter¡­ whatever your surname is. I, Corporal Washbottom, am arresting you for¡­¡± ¡°Arson,¡± Timmy whispered. ¡°Arson and the murder of a Goblin family. You¡¯re nicked, mate.¡± ¡°Well done,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Is that a toilet?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Thank goodness.¡± Timmy bent over the bowl and wretched. ¡°Where does it keep coming from?¡± he moaned. Once Timmy was done expelling a few squirts of bile from his painfully empty stomach, they hauled Hunter up and led him through the back of the warehouse. He didn¡¯t resist. He kept his eyes on the floor and stumbled like a man in a dream as they went through the room with the still unconscious guards. ¡°Wot ¡®appened to them?¡± Wally asked. ¡°They messed with Corporal Edgewater,¡± Timmy said proudly. ¡°Nice! You kicked shit out of them!¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess I did.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a badass, Tim.¡± Once outside the warehouse there was a single horse and carriage left. They bundled Hunter in and then instructed the driver to take them back to the city. They sat in the carriage with Hunter between them. He stared down at his hands. ¡°Will¡­ will this make it alright?¡± Hunter asked Timmy quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Timmy answered truthfully. ¡°But at least it¡¯s an attempt at doing the right thing.¡± Hunter nodded and sat back with his eyes closed. Timmy looked past him to Wally who was staring out of the window up at the moonlight, a tear rolling down his cheek. Timmy slumped back and closed his eyes, merciful unconsciousness taking him straight to oblivion. Chapter 69 Nairo, Ridley, Oz, and Pelt the Pixie were marched out of the house in single file. ¡°This is very bad, Rufi,¡± Nairo said to him. ¡°I¡¯ve told you what happens when you kidnap a police officer.¡± ¡°Except you ain¡¯t here as a copper, are you?¡± Rufi replied, his crossbow pointed between her shoulder blades. ¡°You must know we¡¯ve got pigs on the payroll. You ain¡¯t here in any official capacity. In fact, you''re supposed to be on desk duty pending an inquiry. Right now, Sally, you¡¯re just a nosy citizen who¡¯s way out of her depth.¡± ¡°He¡¯s got you there, Sarge.¡± Ridley said from in front of her, his hands held laconically in front of him. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d be so confident on banking on every copper in the city to make the same distinction. Desk duty or not, she¡¯s still a copper and Blue won¡¯t see one of theirs bleed.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t give a shit if you did though,¡± Mikkel said, poking Ridley in the side with his crossbow. ¡°Save your talk until we start asking questions.¡± Nairo bit her lip and willed Ridley to stay quiet. Horrifying images of Zimeon De Woolf¡¯s bloody body hung up in that shed flashed before her eyes, reminding her just how the Goblins asked questions. It was true, desk duty, retired, or disgraced, a copper was always a copper and no one could take liberties with them. Unfortunately, that protection didn¡¯t extend to mouthy PIs. If someone had to get hurt it would be Ridley and he had suffered enough already. She looked up and down the road for a chance of escape when she saw shadows flickering in the alleyways across the street again. This time she was sure she had seen something and so were the Goblins. Chuch, who was leading the party, hissed something in Kittei. Pug and Mikkel circled around Rufi, their crossbows raised. They fired at the shadows, but oneshots were notorious for their poor accuracy over distance. The shadows melted into figures and before they knew it they were surround by at least two dozen armed Humans. They ran across the street and formed a semi circle around the Goblins and their captives. ¡°Shit,¡± Rufi hissed. The Goblins formed around Rufi, hatchets and blades in their hands as they faced down the Humans. The leader of the Humans was a bald headed man with golden teeth that glinted in the moonlight. ¡°Well well, fancy runnin¡¯ into the prince Toad on our backstreets,¡± he said, and the Human mob chuckled all around him. ¡°Hello Golden, still an ugly cunt I see,¡± Rufi said, completely unperturbed. ¡°I wonder how pretty you¡¯d look with yer tongue hangin¡¯ out yer throat.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll bleed before I do,¡± Rufi snarled, levelling his crossbow at him. ¡°Woah woah, easy there tough guy,¡± Golden said with his hands raised, a look of mock hurt on his face. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood me, Mr Graves has invited you and your mates to be his guests.¡± Golden let out a shrill whistle and at least a dozen carriages made their way down the street, stopping in front of them. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you''re gonna have to give up all your weapons though. As a matter of courtesy.¡± Rufi looked from Golden to the mob of Humans behind him. He let out a sigh and then muttered in Kittei. The Goblins around him, reluctantly, dropped their weapons and then held up their hands. ¡°Good boy,¡± Golden said as the mob collected their weapons and patted them down. ¡°Well thank you for the assistance my fine fellow Human, we¡¯ll just be getting on our way,¡± Ridley said, making to walk off. ¡°You too PI. Mr Graves wants everyone.¡± The Humans surrounded them, collecting the Goblins weapons, careful to stay out of arm''s reach. Once the weapons had been safely deposited in the back of a cab, Golden turned to him again. ¡°Sorry about this.¡± He let out a shrill whistle and his men descended on the Goblins. The Humans leapt at the Goblins, throwing themselves at their limbs bundling them down under the sheer weight of them. Chuch moved quicker than Pug and Mikkel who were both dragged down immediately. He headbutted the first Human that leapt at him and then slashed his claws at another one, opening his cheek up and spraying blood across the cobbles. He slipped a third who tried to grab his leg and elbowed another square in the nose. He moved so smoothly he was like a blur. It was like trying to grab water. Rufi chose sheer power. He had a Human wrapped around each leg but that didn¡¯t stop him flinging one man clean over the heads of the others and crashing into the side of a carriage. He punched another man with his free hand, knocking him unconscious with a single blow before two more men leapt on his back. They had heavy clubs and began raining down blows on Rufi. Chuch howled in fury and gored another man through the face with his tusks as he tried to fight his way over to Rufi. Ridley and Nairo were fighting a similarly desperate battle. Oz had disappeared as soon as the fighting started. Ridley and Nairo circled around Pelt trying to protect the petrified Pixie. They lashed out with fists and feet trying to keep the men at bay. One came too close and Ridley lashed out, booting him as hard as he could between the legs. The man went pale, his eyes bugging out, as all the air in his body burst out of his mouth. ¡°We gotta get out of here!¡± Ridley shouted over his shoulder to Nairo. ¡°We can¡¯t leave the Diamond!¡± Nairo dodged the thick end of a pipe and brought two fists down on the back of a man¡¯s neck. ¡°Shit! Where is it?¡± A body went skittering past them, taking out two more men, before crashing into the wall. Chuch had fought his way to Rufi¡¯s side. They were besieged by Humans, smashing at every part of them with bats and pipes but the Goblins wouldn¡¯t buckle. They kept standing and swinging at anything that moved. ¡°It¡¯s there!¡± Pelt screamed, pointing at the darkwood box being kicked around by the brawlers. He shot out from between their legs and dived on the box. ¡°Pelt, no!¡± Nairo screamed, but it was too late. Pelt had clicked open the darkwood box. The Diamond¡¯s ethereal glow erupted from the box and then there was a screaming, whistling sound, before a blinding hot light engulfed the battlefield. Nairo stumbled to her knees. She was blinded and deafened. Her vision was dazzling white. Her ears whistled. She felt a hand tugging hers. As her vision cleared she looked around. The men who were closest to the Diamond were laid out unconscious. Others milled about, blinking sluggishly and shaking their heads. Pelt, darkwood box under his arm, pulled at Nairo¡¯s sleeve, shouting up at her. Nairo could see his mouth moving but he sounded like he was underwater. Pelt pulled her desperately. Nairo looked around and saw men coming for her. She turned and stumbled. Suddenly, sound rushed over her as the fog in her head cleared. ¡°Run!¡± Pelt screamed. Ridley was next to her, wobbling like a drunkard. He ran into the low wall and tumbled over it. Nairo jumped it with slightly more grace and pulled Pelt over. Ridley yanked open the door to the carriage and Nairo and Pelt jumped in while Ridley clambered up to the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Oi! Wot¡¯re you doing?¡± the driver exclaimed as Ridley pulled himself up. ¡°Piss off!¡± Ridley snarled, slugging the driver in the cheek and grabbing the reins to the horses. ¡°Ow! You piss off!¡± The driver slugged Ridley back. The fighting set the horse off, it reared back and then bolted. ¡°Shit!¡± Ridley howled as the cab bounced and almost threw him off his seat. The driver shoved at Ridley trying to force him off the carriage. Ridley''s head hung precariously close to the blurring cobbles. The carriage careened around a corner almost throwing Ridley and the driver. The driver tried to grab the reins and punch Ridley at the same time. Nairo lurched through the small dividing window between driver and fare and grabbed at the driver¡¯s jacket, trying to pull him off Ridley. They skittered around another corner, throwing all three combatants the opposite direction. Nairo was yanked through the window, her hips getting stuck, the driver was now clinging to her to stop himself falling off. Ridley had slid between the driver¡¯s seat and the horse¡¯s harness, narrowly avoiding being kicked by the horse''s galloping hooves. Pulling himself up, Ridley turned around and looked at the hapless driver grappling with the trapped Nairo. Ridley reared back and planted his foot in the driver¡¯s face. With a baleful scream, the driver went head over heels, bouncing away as he hit the merciless cobbles. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Should of pissed off when I told you too!¡± Ridley shouted after him as he took the horse¡¯s reins. ¡°Sarge?¡± ¡°I¡¯m stuck!¡± Nairo said, trying to force herself back through the window. ¡°We ain¡¯t got time for you to be stuck!¡± Ridley snapped at her as he tried to wrestle the out of control horse. He reached back blindly, found the top of Nairo¡¯s head and shoved until she popped back into the cab. ¡°Sarge?¡± ¡°What?¡± Nairo called through the hatch in the cab. ¡°How do you drive one of these things?¡± ¡°This is so bad,¡± Pelt whimpered from inside the cab. ¡°You just focus on making sure that Diamond doesn¡¯t blow,¡± Nairo said to him as they were violently jerked to the left. Fortunately for Ridley, city horses didn¡¯t need much steering. They developed a keener survival instinct than their country brethren and were well versed in dodging the multitude of obstacles the city had. The horse tore down the street avoiding debris in the road as Ridley uselessly whipped the reins left and right. Nairo sat back for a second trying to catch her breath. There was a tearing sound and a whoosh of air next to her head. Nairo looked to her left and saw the barbed point of a crossbow bolt sticking through the material of the carriage¡¯s wall. She scrambled out of her seat, opened the carriage door, and stuck her head out. ¡°Ridley!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Behind us!¡± Nairo pointed at four carriages barreling after them. The carriage closest to them had a Goblin sitting in the driver¡¯s seat. Even from this distance, Nairo recognised Chuch¡¯s grey suit and his malevolent scowl. His face and suit were covered in blood. He whipped his horse furiously trying to catch up with them. Rufi hung out of the side of the carriage, loosing bolts at the carriages behind them. ¡°How did those mad bastards get out of there!¡± Ridley shouted, the wind whipping his words past his ears. ¡°Can¡¯t you go any faster?¡± Nairo shouted back. Chuch¡¯s terrified mare was gaining on them. Ridley whipped the horse and got an annoyed grunt for his troubles. Their horse took another bend at breakneck speed. Two of the carriage¡¯s wheels left the ground, throwing Nairo and Pelt into the side of the carriage. ¡°This is no good for the Diamond!¡± Pelt yelled at her, hugging the box close to his chest, his eyes squeezed shut. ¡°Keep this damn carriage on four wheels before the Diamond blows us to the stars!¡± Nairo yelled at Ridley. ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Ridley shouted back, desperately wrestling with the out of control horse. They had torn through the suburb of abandoned houses and were barreling through a closed market. Their horse ploughed through two stationary carts, sending a shower of splintered wood in the air. ¡°Hold on!¡± Ridley roared. The horse, in its panic, had bolted for what it thought was a clearing but instead turned out to be an intersection. The horse couldn¡¯t turn in time and smashed through a thin wooden fence. On the other side of the fence was a bank of dirt. For a moment the horse¡¯s hooves waved in the air. The carriage flew. Nairo experienced weightlessness as they were launched across the bank. Then the earth met them with a brutal reminder of its existence. Their carriage slammed down on the riverside. The horses'' hooves skidded out from under it. Nairo and Pelt slammed down into the floor of the carriage so hard that Nairo heard the bones of her neck click and pop. She tasted blood. For a dizzying second the carriage skidded along, creaking and groaning. Horse and carriage were almost dragged into the river. It was only the desperate, brute strength of the beast that saved them. The horse snorted and strained against the harness, dragging the carriage back onto the pathway that ran along the river. ¡°Ridley?¡± Nairo yelled. She pushed her jarred body to the window and didn¡¯t see Ridley. Had he been thrown into the river? As she fought with the door handle she saw movement. She looked through the window again to see Ridley sitting up. He had been thrown flat onto the horse¡¯s back. He looked around in confusion and then turned around and grinned at Nairo. ¡°We¡¯re alive,¡± he said in relief. There was a crash behind them and the Goblin¡¯s carriage came down the bank, albeit more carefully than theirs had. ¡°Shit!¡± Chuch was so close Nairo could see the insane twitch in his bloodshot eyes. He was covered in gore. He wrestled his horse, turning the black mare round towards them. ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡± Nairo screamed at Ridley as two more carriages flew down the bank after the Goblins. One of the driver¡¯s had realised they were coming up to the bank and had slowed his carriage down. The other didn¡¯t. The carriage sailed past them, the unfortunate horse floundered, skidded on a puddle and went straight into the river, dragging the carriage and all of its occupants after it. Nairo heard the scream of the men as the frigid water flooded their carriage. Ridley kicked his heels into the side of their exhausted horse but it didn¡¯t budge. ¡°How do you make it go?¡± he yelled, before reaching back and slapping the horse¡¯s rear. The beast whinnied and then took off again in fright. Ridley tumbled off its back and landed in a heap on the driver¡¯s seat. The horse bolted with the remains of its energy. Something was wrong with their carriage. One of the wheels had broken when the carriage landed and was dragging along the ground. The Goblins were right behind them. Rufi clambered out of the carriage with agility that belied his bulk. Their horse was level with Nairo¡¯s window. She saw the froth on its mouth and its mad, rolling eyes. Rufi steadied himself, crouched, and then leapt at their carriage. Nairo felt his massive bulk slam into the roof of the carriage almost buckling it in. The door was ripped open. She kicked at Rufi¡¯s as he tried to pull himself in. The two carriages were too close together. The Goblin¡¯s horse became tangled in their wheels. Its harness scraped against the wheel and then the reins became caught. Then the whole world was brought to a violent stop. They were yanked back as the wheel completely seized up. Nairo heard the scream of a horse. The carriage bucked and then spun over itself. The Goblin¡¯s carriage crashed into the back of theirs and splintered apart, smashing into the bank. Nairo¡¯s world spun first one way then the other. Images flashed by her eyes as her body was whipped lifelessly through the air. She was thrown from the carriage landing hard in the mud of the bankside. She rolled a few times and then came to a stop ten feet from the carriage. Nairo awoke with a snort face down in the dirt. She couldn¡¯t feel any of her limbs. Sluggishly, she rolled her neck around, her body flopping after it until she was laying on her back. She took a few shallow breaths. Panic and pain made her suddenly nauseous. She could still hear the screaming of the horses. Good. That meant she was still alive at least. Nairo tried to lift her head but she couldn¡¯t. She tried to cry out but that wasn¡¯t working either. So she laid in the freezing mud just trying to breathe. She heard movement to her left. Something was dragging itself towards her. She turned her head and saw Rufi on the ground, pulling himself with one arm towards her. One side of his face was badly scraped and bleeding. His left arm hung uselessly at his side. His suit was a ruined mass of once fine threads. ¡°No.¡± Nairo croaked. She willed herself to move, to do something, anything. But it was no good. Her body had finally given up. A tear ran down her temple as she watched Rufi grunting and cursing as he dragged his broken body across the mud towards her. ¡°Where is it?¡± he growled at her, his voice guttural. ¡°Where¡¯s the fucking Diamond?¡± ¡°No.¡± Nairo whispered again. Then she saw out of the corner of her eye another figure pulling himself across the mud. Nairo recognised Ridley¡¯s coat! He pulled himself between Rufi and Nairo. ¡°Where is it!¡± Rufi snarled again, clawing at Ridley. ¡°Up my ass!¡± Ridley mumbled as he kicked feebly at Rufi. Even with a lame arm and a torn up body, Rufi was still as strong as iron. With one hand he grabbed Ridley¡¯s leg and pulled him out of the way, flinging him like he weighed nothing. Ridley skidded across the mud and almost into the river. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo willed her body to move. She gritted her teeth and blinked away tears as she rolled her body away from Rufi and towards Ridley. Then she felt Rufi¡¯s iron grip on her ankle. ¡°No.¡± Nairo said feebly, clawing at the mud, trying to pull herself away. But he was too strong. She felt her body being yanked backwards. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°No!¡± Nairo kicked feebly, but only one of her legs responded. ¡°I will rip your fucking throat out if you don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Let her go,¡± a cold voice rang out. Nairo looked around and saw Pelt standing over Rufi, the Diamond pulsing in his hands. ¡°Do not hurt our friend!¡± Pelt said, his voice hollow and monotone. His eyes were two merciless wells of darkness. Rufi looked at the Pixie with his one good eye. ¡°Give me that fucking Diamond!¡± he snarled at Pelt. ¡°DO NOT HURT HER!¡± Pelt¡¯s voice echoed with power. The Diamond flared, almost too bright to look at. Rufi let go of Nairo and shielded his eyes. ¡°YOU WILL NOT HURT HER!¡± Nairo felt the crackle of energy pulse from the Diamond, making her teeth ache and her skin burn. ¡°I WILL KILL YOU!¡± The voice sounded nothing like Pelt¡¯s. It sounded nothing like any creature she had ever heard. The Pixie¡¯s eyes were completely black now. The remainder of Rufi¡¯s suit jacket began to singe and burn. He let out a howl of pain. ¡°No Pelt! Don¡¯t!¡± Nairo screamed. She hauled her broken body up and flung herself across Rufi. ¡°Don¡¯t do it Pelt!¡± ¡°HE WANTS TO HURT US!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you can kill him!¡± Nairo screamed over the whistling wind the Diamond was whipping up. ¡°You can¡¯t fight evil with evil! Don¡¯t do this Pelt! You¡¯ll be no better than them!¡± ¡°PELT PUNISHES THE WRONGDOERS! PELT IS STRONG! THEY ARE WEAK! PELT IS EVIL! ¡± ¡°No you¡¯re not! You''re my friend, remember!¡± Nairo pointed to her cheek where Hildy had wiped her tears. ¡°My friends don¡¯t hurt people! They save them!¡± She felt the searing heat start to lessen. The frenzied pulse of the Diamond slowed. ¡°This is the Diamond, not you Pelt! Don¡¯t give into it. It¡¯s evil, not you!¡± ¡°Pelt is not evil?¡± the Pixie murmured. The whites of his eyes returned. He blinked and looked around in confusion. ¡°Did I do it again?¡± His voice was small and afraid. ¡°No. Everything¡¯s alright, Pelt. Just please, put the Diamond away, okay?¡± Pelt looked at the Diamond and was startled. He scrambled for the darkwood box and put it back, sealing it shut. The energy dissipated and Nairo felt like she could breathe again. Her head swam. She collapsed on top of Rufi. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ hell,¡± she heard a rough voice say. ¡°Scrape ¡®em up. Clap the Goblins in chains and get them to the warehouse. And clean this fuckin¡¯ mess up! Mr Graves ain¡¯t gonna be happy.¡± She heard Pelt cry out in fear but there was nothing she could do. Darkness swallowed her. The world went black. Chapter 70 The world lurched back into nauseating existence. Nairo came back to life with a racking cough that was half a sob. Pain lanced through every nerve in her body. Her neck felt like it was frozen and her shoulders were on fire. She snorted snottily and tried to open her eyes, but everything was still black. Why was it so hard to breathe? Panic set in and for a terrifying moment Nairo¡¯s battered and sleep deprived brain conceived that she had been buried alive. Her breathing came quicker. Something was smothering her. She tried to move but she couldn¡¯t. Her body flopped and thrashed. ¡°Sarge! Sarge!¡± Nairo looked around in the blackness. ¡°Ridley? Ridley, what''s happening? I can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°You¡¯re okay,¡± Ridley said. ¡°They¡¯ve put bags over our heads.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Nairo tried to move again and heard the rattle of chains. ¡°We¡¯re chained up,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I think we¡¯re hanging up.¡± ¡°Is that why my shoulders are aching?¡± ¡°That plus getting flung ten feet from a speeding carriage.¡± Nairo groaned as images of their ill fated escape came back to her. ¡°Where¡¯s Pelt?¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯s next to you, I think.¡± Ridley replied. ¡°He ain¡¯t said much but every now and again he starts sobbing.¡± Nairo clenched her teeth. She felt like crying right now. Whether from pain or fear she wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Pelt?¡± Nairo hissed into the bag. She heard the Pixie¡¯s muffled sniffles next to her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°They took the Diamond. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Pelt sniffled. ¡°It¡¯s okay Pelt as long as they didn¡¯t hurt you.¡± ¡°I am okay.¡± ¡°Where is Oz?¡± Pelt asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Is he okay?¡± ¡°He got out of there when the fighting started,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Good. Then my friend is okay.¡± Pelt fell quiet again. ¡°Why¡¯s it so cold?¡± Nairo asked turning back Ridley ¡°I don¡¯t know. After you passed out they bagged us. It was a short ride and I haven¡¯t heard any sounds outside. I reckon we¡¯re still on the riverfront, maybe in one of those old abandoned warehouses.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Nairo groaned. She hung in silence trying to control her pounding heart. Ridley still sounded like his usually laconic self, but fear was beginning to eat at Nairo. The more she put the pieces of their situation together the more afraid she became. They didn¡¯t know where they were. They were battered and broken. They had no back up. No one even knew they were on this side of the city, let alone what they might be doing. They were at the mercy of Human gangsters. Even worse, the golden toothed one had mentioned The Landlord Bill Graves. The memory of that sadist made her nerves fray to their last strand. Her breathing was short and sharp. She felt like she was suffocating under the heavy bag over her head. Then she heard footsteps followed by the squeal of a rusted metal door being thrown open. The march of heavy boots closed in on her. Nairo turned her bagged head left and right, trying to figure out where the footsteps were coming from, but they echoed all around, disorienting her. Rough hands grabbed her. She fought but they were too strong. The bag was whipped from her head and she blinked sweat from her eyes. They were in a large warehouse space that looked like it had once been used for meat processing. There were several long butchers¡¯ tables and hooks hanging from the ceiling for carcasses to be hung from. Her stomach lurched. The place was covered in dry, brown smears of blood. The stench of death was everywhere. She looked to her left and saw Ridley, who had a nasty lump coming up on his head, Pelt, who looked miserable and terrified, and the four Goblins. All of them were hanging from meat hooks by heavy chains like prized pigs. Standing in front of her was the Human thug Golden that had kidnapped them and four of his men. He flashed her a gleaming grin. ¡°I s¡¯pose this is the last place a pig wants to find herself ain¡¯t it?¡± The men sniggered. ¡°Why don¡¯t you piss off you golden mouthed twat,¡± Nairo spat at him, terror making her rash. ¡°Oooh, that¡¯s not very professional, Sergeant.¡± Golden leered up at her. ¡°Get the bags of the Toads, make sure they¡¯re all still alive. Mr Graves won¡¯t be happy if he doesn¡¯t get his fun.¡± The men grabbed the Goblins by their legs and hauled the bags from their heads. The Goblins were bloody and broken. Rufi hung from a meat hook, swaying, blood congealing on at least a dozen wounds. He had a scrape that ran from his forehead down his cheek to the point of his chin. His arm hung awkwardly like his shoulder was out of joint. Chuch too looked like he had literally been scraped up off the roadside. Pug and Mikkel looked like they had been used as punching bags for a pack of gorillas. They were covered in lumps and swollen contusions. ¡°What was that about making me bleed first, Rufi?¡± Golden spat. ¡°This is very bad,¡± Rufi mumbled, spitting a mouthful of blood on the floor. ¡°Oh come on Rufi, where¡¯s your famous Goblin fighting spirit. Not like you to give up so easy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean bad for me,¡± Rufi said. One of his eyes was swollen shut, but the other was fixed on Golden with murderous intent. ¡°You don¡¯t do this to me. You know that.¡± ¡°Why? Huh? What makes you so fuckin¡¯ special? Your Uncle¡¯s clinked up mate! The Elves have got him and he ain¡¯t comin¡¯ back! You know what that means? You¡¯re just another fuckin¡¯ Toad swinging from a chain now! No Uncle Sammy to protect you!¡± Chuch growled in Kittei and spat at Golden. ¡°Oh and there¡¯s the big bad Choochy. What is it they call him? The Ghost? Ha!¡± Golden spat back at Chuch. ¡°You ain¡¯t never scared me!¡± ¡°Untie me and we¡¯ll find out if that¡¯s true,¡± Chuch snarled at him. ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry. By the time we untie you, there won¡¯t be enough bits of you left to have a scrap with Choochy.¡± ¡°Fuck you you pigskinned motherfuck!¡± Pug snarled, flailing against his chains trying to get at Golden. The men laughed and began beating at the Goblins with clubs, mocking them as they did. ¡°Enough!¡± Nairo barked. ¡°This is insane! What do you think you¡¯re doing? This is kidnapping and torture!¡± ¡°Oooh, big scary police lady,¡± Golden said with a mocking grin. ¡°Well go on then, go and tell on us. Oh, you can¡¯t can you? Well I¡¯m sure the calvary is ridin¡¯ to your rescue any minute now. Oh wait, no one knows you¡¯re here, do they?¡± Golden walked up to Nairo and slid his finger up her thigh. ¡°No luv, you¡¯re just some stupid bitch lost in bandit country. And copper¡¯s bodies disappear in the tar pits, just like anyone else¡¯s does. After all, you are a disgraced copper up on charges. Maybe you done a runner? Maybe you topped yourself? Couldn¡¯t face the shame of it all. Who¡¯s really gonna care?¡± Golden grabbed her inner thigh and Nairo lashed out with her knee, catching him in the nose. ¡°Ahh, you fuckin¡¯ bitch!¡± he snarled, blood pouring out of his nostrils. ¡°Just for that, now I¡¯m really gonna take my time with you! Lower her chains!¡± he barked at his men, a serrated blade appearing in his hand. ¡°Get off me!¡± Nairo screamed as he grabbed hold of her flailing legs. ¡°Sarge!¡± Ridley yelled, trying futilely to kick at Golden. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just gonna cut you a little bit, nothing you can¡¯t live without!¡± Golden laughed as he grabbed hold of her legs, clamping them together. Nairo fought hard against him, flailing her body as he brought the knife towards her face. ¡°Goooolden,¡± a voice growled from the entrance of the warehouse. The gravely, animalistic tone echoed around the warehouse. Golden¡¯s head snapped up and he looked around, fear painted on his scarred face. Nairo felt her blood run cold. She heard his heavy footsteps thudding towards them. The men backed away from the Goblins and Golden let go of Nairo, stumbling away from her. ¡°Mr Graves,¡± Golden said breathlessly. ¡°The copper bitch was¡­¡± ¡°Was she?¡± The Landlord¡¯s cold drawl cut across the warehouse. Nairo still couldn¡¯t see him but she felt his presence. Even the freezing warehouse couldn¡¯t match the cold that radiated from Bill Graves. ¡°No¡­ umm¡­ I mean¡­¡± Golden stammered, looking down. ¡°You know what I think of men who put their hands on women, Golden.¡± In a blur Bill was in front of them, a blade in his hand, his heavy trench coat whipping past Nairo. The knife stopped just short of Golden¡¯s bits. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re men¡­ and I make sure no one else will ever think of them as men either.¡± Bill¡¯s face was an inch from Golden¡¯s. Golden quivered and looked away from Bill¡¯s frozen eyes. . ¡°S-s-sorry Mr Graves¡­ I wasn¡¯t thinking¡­¡± ¡°Noooo,¡± Bill growled. ¡°You wasn¡¯t.¡± The blade vanished and Bill patted him on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s okay, your job¡¯s not to think. You done well, now go clean yourself up. Go on, piss off.¡± Bill slapped him on the cheek and then turned to face his captives. He was more terrifying than Nairo remembered. His glacial eyes pierced each one of them, his cruel mouth twisted somewhere between a frown and a feral snarl. He stood tall and imposing, his trenchcoat accentuating his height and his broad shoulders. He was breathing hard. His breath had that slight squeak of air being drawn through a nose that had been broken several times. Her own breath had stopped. ¡°Four Goblins, a PI, a lady copper, a Pixie, all come across the bridge¡­¡± He said it like the beginning of a bad joke and began pacing up and down. ¡°How many leave with all their bits still attached?¡± ¡°Bill, what is this?¡± Rufi said. ¡°You tell me short pants,¡± Bill growled. ¡°You come across the bridge, unannounced, uninvited, tooled up, and in numbers?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Bill.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± Bill snarled. He covered the space between him and Rufi lighting fast. He stood almost eye to eye with the captive Goblin. ¡°No,¡± Rufi said, his voice hesitant, but his eyes met Bill¡¯s without flinching. ¡°No,¡± Bill eyed him like a hunter admiring the latest head on his wall before turning away. He shrugged off the trench and chucked it to one of his men, revealing his sinewy frame and the thick, bunched muscles around his neck and shoulders. He was wearing the same homespun vest and workman¡¯s shirt as the first time Nairo had seen him with a pair of twin daggers holstered under his armpits. He clicked his fingers and one of his men handed him a heavy roll. The canvas roll clinked ominously. Bill paced the roll down on one the butchers¡¯ tables and then unfurled it. Inside was an assortment of cruel blades, gouging implements, and heavy knives designed for separating joints. Bill ran his finger across the weapons and then looked up at them. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to have to start asking questions.¡± Bill said, slowly and carefully rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. ¡°Bill¡­¡± Rufi began. ¡°Save your breath,¡± Bill muttered, testing the edge on a thin skinning knife. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you. Your Uncle might be locked up but I still respect the accord between us. And, by way of blood, that accord extends to you.¡± Bill turned and began to size up Pug. ¡°But these three? They¡¯re Uncles ain¡¯t nobody. Are they?¡± ¡°Do whatever you want,¡± Chuch snarled at him. ¡°Just make sure you chuck my body deep in the pits, otherwise I¡¯ll come back for you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a rush to die,¡± Bill said placidly, walking up to Pug, knife in hand. ¡°We¡¯ve got the whole night together. Although, you look half dead already. So I think I¡¯ll start with this one.¡± ¡°Mr Graves!¡± Nairo said, trying to twist herself so she could see him. ¡°Mr Graves, this isn¡¯t right. You said yourself there are rules! Torturing and murdering people in front of an officer of the law is most definitely against those rules!¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Don¡¯t quote rules you don¡¯t live by, girl.¡± Bill said, pointing his blade at Nairo without looking at her. ¡°Things have changed. There¡¯s riots on the streets. Law and order has well and truly fucked off. Could be, the Goblin problem goes away after tonight, and with it goes all rules and accords.¡± Bill scraped the point of the knife down the scales on the side of Pug¡¯s swollen face. ¡°And as for you, Sarge? I would be more worried about your own safety than these lot. Golden¡¯s put us in a bit of bother by bringing you here. But that¡¯s a problem I¡¯ll deal with later.¡± He turned back to Pug, his eyes showed no emotion, no care, no humanity. He regarded him like a butcher picking which joint to carve first. ¡°Rufi, I¡¯m going to start with the bits of him that a man can live without. Toes, finger tips, earlobes, etcetera. The longer this goes on for, the more important bits of him are gonna start getting lopped off. Bits no man wants to live without.¡± Pug tried his best to meet the Landlord¡¯s cold eyes, but he was too young, too soft still, and the Landlord was too wicked. His eyes faltered and he looked at Rufi. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this, Bill.¡± Rufi said. ¡°No? Well what if I just want to?¡± Bill replied, waving his knife around Pug¡¯s face carelessly. ¡°What if I¡¯m just sick and demented and it¡¯s been a long time since I cut a creature till they wept.¡± He whirled back to Pug, inches from his face, his voice barely above a deranged whisper. ¡°You ever hurt a creature so bad, in such irrevocable ways, that they weep. Not from pain. But from what you turned them into.¡± Bill grabbed Pug¡¯s face and forced him to look into his eyes. ¡°How many bits of you can you lose before you¡¯re not you anymore?¡± Pug swallowed. ¡°Wanna find out?¡± Bill asked, his eyes wide on the brink of being crazed. He raised his knife and slowly twisted the point into the side of Pug¡¯s cheekbone. Pug whimpered, then Bill twisted the knife sharply and the young Goblin cried out as a tear drop of blood streaked down his face. ¡°Bill!¡± Rufi roared. Bill blinked as if remembering where he was. He pulled the knife out of Pug¡¯s face and looked at the blood on his cheek. He looked down and sighed, rolling his tongue around his mouth. ¡°Yes Ruf¡¯Gar?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for this. We¡¯re not lying. Unhook us and we can talk.¡± ¡°Why? Something stopping yer mouth from working right now?¡± Rufi clenched his jaw. ¡°We¡¯re only here because¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Bill said, his voice thick and gravely. ¡°You know how this works. You¡¯ve come across the water without invitation. You come tooled up and you tried to kidnap two Humans. One of ¡®em might be a copper, but she¡¯s still Human. You killed four of my boys, injured a dozen more. You smashed Florence market half to shit in your little moonlight chase. Nothing you say can change any of that.¡± ¡°No one knows¡­¡± ¡°I know!¡± Bill roared, whipping around to face. ¡°You see thats what¡¯s wrong with your whole fuckin¡¯ generation. You wanna play Villain when it suits you! Either it all has meaning or none of it does!¡± Rufi hung his head, looking down at the bloodstained floor. ¡°Your Uncle understands that,¡± Bill continued. ¡°You think those Elves could have just come in here and snatched up Sam¡¯Sun without him knowing they were coming. We all knew they were fuckin¡¯ coming! But your Uncle¡¯s a man! He stood tall and wouldn¡¯t be run out of his home by some fuckin¡¯ Elves!¡± Bill stabbed the knife down into the butcher¡¯s block and spun on Rufi again. ¡°And instead of coming to me like a man, you snuck around like vermin and broke every accord of the Pact, like blood wasn¡¯t shed to put it in place! Like blood hasn¡¯t been shed to keep it in place! Fuckin¡¯ children, the lot of you!¡± ¡°We had to¡­¡± Rufi began. ¡°And so do I,¡± Bill growled. Silence stretched between them. ¡°What if we make a deal?¡± Ridley said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°A deal,¡± Ridley said. ¡°You ain¡¯t got anything I need PI. You¡¯re better off hanging there in silence and you might survive this.¡± ¡°How about something over those toffs in the Houses you¡¯ve been doing business with?¡± Bill stopped and looked over his shoulder at Ridley. His eyes narrowed and another blade appeared as if by magic in his right hand. He strode slowly and deliberately towards him. ¡°I would be very careful about what you say next,¡± Bill hissed, the point of the blade inches from Ridley¡¯s throat. Ridley looked down at the cruel blade and licked his lips. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been supplying muscle to the Men of Now.¡± Ridley said. ¡°I know Pleasently cut some sort of deal with you and I know he regrets it. I¡¯m guessing they¡¯ve made certain promises to you, more than just gold, and knowing how slimy those politicians are, I¡¯m betting they¡¯ve been giving you the run around on paying their dues. I mean, it¡¯s not exactly like you can just kick the door in and cut him to pieces if he goes back on his word, is it?¡± The blade inched closer. ¡°And, most importantly,¡± Ridley said, trying to pull his neck away. ¡°I know how you can get leverage over Pleasently and Stubbs!¡± The blade stopped. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Bill said. ¡°But first, you can¡¯t kill any of us.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°And no cutting, or stabbing, or taking bits off any of us, including the Goblins.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± ¡°We all walk away from here, with all our bits intact, and we forget all about it.¡± A small, amused smile flickered across Bill¡¯s face. ¡°And what about her?¡± He nodded his head at Nairo. ¡°What does she know? That bag never came off her head. She didn¡¯t see any faces, didn¡¯t hear any names, didn¡¯t recognise any voices. She was knocked loopy by the crash. Doesn¡¯t remember a thing before or after it.¡± Ridley and Bill both looked at Nairo. Her lip curled but then she nodded slowly. ¡°As long as everyone leaves safely,¡± Nairo said through gritted teeth. Bill considered this for a moment. ¡°And what¡¯s to stop me simply cutting bits off the lady copper until you tell me what I want to know?¡± ¡°Kill a copper?¡± Ridley retorted. ¡°Dress it up or down, talking about bodies disappearing, blah blah, she¡¯s a copper. You don¡¯t kill coppers, that¡¯s the rules.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you quote the fuckin¡¯ rules to me, cunt.¡± Ridley licked his lips nervously but continued. ¡°The leverage I¡¯ve got will also exonerate Uncle Sam. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want his nephew¡¯s mangled corpse on your hands when he gets out.¡± Bill paused and pulled a thoughtful face. It wasn¡¯t fear, more animalistic pragmatism. ¡°Well why don¡¯t I just take bits off you until the Sarge tells me what I want to know?¡± ¡°You could¡­¡± Ridley said, trying to think of a reason not to. ¡°But then¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Nairo''s voice was cold as naked steel. ¡°Once I¡¯m free, I will hunt you to whatever hole you rest your head in and I will put you down like the mad dog that you are.¡± Bill cocked an eyebrow. He met her eyes, searching them, before giving a small nod. ¡°There it is. Good girl.¡± he muttered like a proud father before turning back to Ridley. ¡°You¡¯ve got a deal. But, if what you tell me is a load of bollocks, I¡¯ll kill all of you, slowly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair enough,¡± Ridley said and Bill nodded to his men to lower the chains. The second Nairo¡¯s feet touched the floor she felt relief flood through her numb shoulders. She winced as she slowly lowered her arms. Pelt whimpered and curled to the floor massaging his arms. His soft cries of anguish echoed around the warehouse. ¡°The Goblins stay chained up,¡± Bill said. ¡°I hope you understand,¡± he added to Rufi. Bill¡¯s men surrounded the Goblins and kept their crossbows trained on them. ¡°We¡¯ll honour the PI¡¯s deal,¡± Rufi said, stretching his neck and nodding to his Kith. ¡°So, what¡¯s this leverage then?¡± Bill asked, leaning back on the butcher¡¯s block with his arms folded across his chest, his fingertips brushing the handles of his daggers. ¡°It¡¯s this whole case,¡± Ridley said, lighting a smoke with shaking hands. ¡°All of this. This whole mess and the way we get out of it.¡± ¡°Your bank robbery?¡± Bill asked. ¡°Yeah. A Diamond was stolen in the robbery. That Diamond was Active.¡± ¡°As in actually Magickal?¡± Bill said. ¡°And very dangerous,¡± Nairo said, feeling life returning to her swollen hands. ¡°It has the capability to kill and is highly unstable. We believe the Elves may have used it to cause the Earthquake in Ling. That¡¯s why they were here in the city; they were on their way home. They were using a Cut Pixie to maintain and look after it. The Pixie stole the Diamond.¡± ¡°A Pixie?¡± Bill said incredulously and Nairo nodded. ¡°Wait, a Pixie killed Benny?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°How did you know Benny was killed by the Diamond?¡± Nairo asked him. Rufi hesitated for a moment and then shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ve had you followed since you arrested that gumba at Benny¡¯s.¡± ¡°You have?¡± Ridley asked, a look of realisation passing across his face. ¡°The guy creeping around the flat last night?¡± ¡°No,¡± Rufi said and then looked at Bill. ¡°That was Mr Graves¡¯ man. He¡¯s been following you since your run in.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how you both found us so quickly,¡± Nairo said, angry with herself for not realising they had been trailed for nearly the entire case. ¡°We keep tabs on things,¡± Bill said by way of explanation. ¡°And is this the Pixie?¡± Pelt looked up as all eyes turned on him. He whimpered and tried to curl into a tiny ball. ¡°This is Pelt. He was Cut from his people by the Elves and forced into indentured servitude,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You killed Benny?¡± Rufi said, his voice cold. ¡°He didn¡¯t mean to,¡± Nairo said, quickly stepping between the quivering Pelt and the Goblins. ¡°Benny was in the Royale Cafe waiting for De Woolf, and he came across Pelt and kidnapped him. He tried to take the Diamond and in the scuffle¡­the Diamond went off and killed him.¡± ¡°And he killed those Humans in the Iron district?¡± Rufi¡¯s lip curled in anger. ¡°That wasn¡¯t your lot?¡± Bill asked sardonically. ¡°You know it wasn¡¯t. Since when would my Uncle greenlight some nobodies in broad daylight and leave the bodies to be found? Magick was used to kill those boys, the same Magick that caused the bang on Toliver¡¯s bridge, all done by this little Pixie!¡± ¡°It was an accident.¡± Pelt whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. ¡°I was lost and afraid. They tried to hurt me. The Diamond responds to intense emotion and it just went off before I knew what happened.¡± ¡°Pelt has been living rough on the streets trying to keep the Diamond from the Elves and to stop it blowing up and taking half the city with it.¡± Nairo explained. ¡°The Elves have used it for evil. It¡¯s a dangerous weapon that has been used to kill hundreds, if not thousands.¡± ¡°So all of this! The riots! The EIF coming to town! My Uncle being locked up! This is all the fault of some fucking Pixie!¡± Rufi snarled, taking a step towards Pelt. ¡°It is not Pelt¡¯s fault!¡± Nairo said, throwing her arms wide and standing firm. ¡°Yeah, it was the Elves,¡± Ridley growled. ¡°It¡¯s always the fucking Elves.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Pelt whimpered. ¡°I just wanted¡­ wanted them to stop. I just wanted to go back to my people! I never knew this would happen.¡± Pelt broke down in racking sobs. Rufi¡¯s expression lost its hard edge. ¡°How is Sam¡¯Sun?¡± Bill asked, his tone bored. ¡°Under Elvish custody,¡± Rufi replied. ¡°They won¡¯t even let him have a lawyer. They¡¯ve declared him an enemy of the Forest.¡± ¡°Huh, again?¡± Bill snorted. ¡°That¡¯s why we had to come across the bridge! I didn¡¯t have time to reach out and organise a sit down!¡± Rufi said. ¡°You know these Elves. There won¡¯t be any due process. If they can keep him for long enough he¡¯ll disappear into one of their Gulags.¡± ¡°My heart bleeds,¡± Bill said. ¡°If they come for one of you like that, there¡¯s nothing stopping them from coming for the rest of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got no fuss with the EIF,¡± Bill said. ¡°Right now you don¡¯t. But what¡¯s the point of being untouchable if some cunt can swan in and nab one of the Four Kings with no evidence or no crime?¡± Rufi replied. ¡°So what¡¯s this leverage then?¡± Bill said, ignoring Rufi and turning back to Ridley. Ridley hesitated, looked at Nairo, and then turned to face Bill. ¡°Your boys snatched up a little wooden box when they took us.¡± Bill looked over his shoulder at his goons and one of them nodded. Bill clicked his fingers and held out his hand for the box. ¡°That¡¯s the Diamond,¡± Ridley said. ¡°With it, you¡¯ve got Pleasently over a barrel. The Elves are putting all sorts of pressure on him to get it back. If he fails, his relationship with the faye folk goes up in smoke. ¡°This?¡± Bill asked, weighing the box up in his hands and Ridley nodded. ¡°You could hide it and let Pleasently swing. His own party would oust him if he lost the support of the Elves. The Owners wouldn¡¯t step in since they do whatever the Elves tell them to¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± Rufi said quickly. ¡°If that Diamond and the Pixie don¡¯t reappear then my Uncle can¡¯t be freed!¡± ¡°So I could get rid of Pleasently and Sam¡¯Sun, just by making this little chunk of rock disappear?¡± Bill said. ¡°Bill, you can¡¯t¡­¡± Rufi began. ¡°That¡¯s the last time you tell me what I can and can¡¯t do,¡± Bill growled, his voice low and dangerous. ¡°Or,¡± Ridley interjected. ¡°You¡¯re the hero that found the Diamond and saved Pleasently¡¯s ass. You cut whatever deal you want with him, I¡¯m guessing he¡¯ll agree to anything right now, and you free Uncle Sam. Both of them would owe you.¡± Bill looked up from the box and at Ridley. His cold eyes narrowed and then a wicked smile played across his lips. ¡°Better the devils you know?¡± he said, his voice low and throaty. ¡°Exactly,¡± Ridley said. ¡°No!¡± Nairo said firmly. ¡°We can¡¯t just hand the Diamond and Pelt back to the Elves! You know what they did with it! What they did to him! We can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice,¡± Ridley said quietly. ¡°There must be another way!¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t give them Pelt.¡± ¡°The Pixie has to go back with the Diamond,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Otherwise they¡¯ll never believe Uncle Sam is innocent.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not!¡± Nairo screamed at him. ¡°He¡¯s a criminal!¡± ¡°But he didn¡¯t do this,¡± Rufi said. ¡°The Pixie did.¡± ¡°But it wasn¡¯t his fault¡­ he¡­¡± ¡°Murdered five people,¡± Ridley said, his voice low and gentle. ¡°Whatever else, Sarge, you can¡¯t let Uncle Sam hang for a crime he didn¡¯t commit.¡± Nairo looked from Ridley to Rufi, her face curling in anger, then Pelt spoke. ¡°Please friend,¡± he said, his voice barely above a whisper. ¡°Pelt has done evil. I don¡¯t want anyone to be hurt anymore because of me. My people¡­ they don¡¯t want me. I have no family anymore. Even the Diamond can¡¯t make Pelt a Pixie again. Just make it stop. No more killing. No more pain.¡± Fat tears rolled down Pelt¡¯s cheeks. Nairo felt her own eyes tear up. ¡°It¡¯s wrong. No matter what the law says. It would be an injustice to just hand Pelt over to those sadistic Elves. It¡¯s not his fault!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t get to decide what¡¯s right or wrong, didn¡¯t you tell me that?¡± The truth in Ridley¡¯s words stung her deeply. ¡°This is the only way to stop the riots. To bring peace back to the city. Remember, it¡¯s not just Uncle Sam, but De Woolf, and Conway, and a whole city of innocent people that are suffering right now.¡± Nairo hung her head, letting her hair fall across her face, unshed tears filling her eyes. ¡°All of this over a little chunk of rock,¡± Bill mused. Gently, he undid the clasp on the box. ¡°Please! It is dangerous!¡± Pelt squeaked but Bill ignored him. He opened the box and the light of the Diamond bathed his face. His eyes went wide and it was as if something had gripped him. He stared like he was suddenly lost. Nairo could feel that bizarre energy radiate throughout the room buzzing through her teeth. The hum of the Diamond burrowed deep into Nairo¡¯s mind, making her feel nauseous. Rufi swore an oath in Kittei and shielded his face. Bill cocked his head to one side, his eyes lost focus and his hand began reaching towards the Diamond. He almost had his fingertips to it when he froze. Some animalistic intelligence fought against the allure of the Diamond. He quickly snapped the box shut and blinked. The energy vanished and everyone in the warehouse looked around as if coming out of a collective daze. Bill clenched his jaw and looked at Golden. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we bring in our friend the politician. He¡¯s got some explaining to do.¡± Chapter 71 Over an hour had passed since the Landlord¡¯s messenger had been dispatched and it had been a tense hour. Rufi and his Goblins remained chained up and surrounded by nervous Humans with crossbows. They sat in a circle, quietly talking in Kittei, and casting dark looks at the Humans around them. It was a testament to the hardiness of Goblins that Rufi and Chuch were even able to sit up. Pelt alternated between weeping and laying on the floor staring up at the ceiling. Nairo had tried to speak to him, to comfort him, but since the Landlord had opened the box, the little Pixie had withdrawn into itself and disappeared. Bill was perched on a stool behind one of the butchers¡¯ tables, sharpening a seemingly endless number of blades. He worked with quiet focus, a thin black cigar clamped between his teeth, but Nairo noticed his eyes kept twitching to the Diamond box next to him. Nairo had crawled over to a wall and sat slumped against it next to Ridley. She hurt. Her body, her mind, and her soul ached. She was past the point of exhaustion now. She felt light headed, almost delirious. She stretched her swollen legs out in front of her, not wanting to look at them, afraid of what she would see. Ridley looked no better. His body looked gnarled. His joints had all curled up like he was physically unable to straighten them out. He hugged his injured arm to his chest and was breathing fitfully. There were so many livid bruises on his face and neck that he looked more like a mistreated fruit than a man. He silently chain smoked and winced with every breath. ¡°You okay?¡± he asked Nairo after almost half an hour of staring at nothing. ¡°No. Everything hurts.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean that,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I mean are you okay? ¡°No.¡± Ridley nodded and exhaled a cloud of smoke. ¡°How can this be right?¡± Nairo asked him. ¡°How can this be justice?¡± ¡°Who said it was?¡± ¡°Then why are we doing it?¡± ¡°Because it has to be done,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°So we just trade Pelt back to the Elves? We hand them back the Diamond they used to murder so many innocent creatures and then what? We pat ourselves on the back for a job well done?¡± Ridley blew a smoke ring and didn¡¯t answer. ¡°I thought¡­ I thought if I always acted lawfully then¡­ I would always be right. I would always be moral. But this isn¡¯t right. This isn¡¯t moral.¡± ¡°But it is the law.¡± ¡°Then the law¡¯s wrong,¡± The words tasted like bile in her mouth. ¡°This whole case, the law hasn¡¯t never helped anyone.¡± ¡°Is it supposed to?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Of course it is! The law is supposed to exist to help and protect the people.¡± ¡°No it ain¡¯t. It¡¯s supposed to keep the people in check. It¡¯s there to make sure millions of self interested creatures have to abide by something that allows them to live on top of each other without murdering and warring. The law ain¡¯t never been about morals.¡± ¡°Then what is it about?¡± ¡°Control.¡± Nairo wanted to tell him he was wrong. She wanted to scream it at him. She wanted to slam her fists and stomp her feet. But she had no fight left. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean there ain¡¯t good coppers like you,¡± Ridley continued. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean everything you¡¯ve done means nothing.¡± ¡°It does.¡± ¡°No it doesn¡¯t. All you¡¯ve done this entire case is what you believed to be the right thing. Even when a damned Minotaur tried to turn us to pate you helped him. Drug addicts, Villains, degenerates, and incompetent bureaucrats, you treated everyone with dignity and respect. Maybe¡­ maybe good people don¡¯t need laws to tell them how to be good. They just are. And you¡¯re one of ¡®em, Sarge. Just because the system¡¯s corrupt. Just coz it doesn¡¯t work, doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not doing good. You¡¯re a good copper¡­ you¡¯re a good person, don¡¯t let this shithole of a city take that away from you.¡± Nairo sat silently, staring at the piles of ash and dogends by Ridley¡¯s knee. ¡°Here, you dropped this.¡± Ridley clamped his smoke between his lips and fished around in his pocket. He pulled out Nairo¡¯s badge and handed it back to her. ¡°There ain¡¯t enough good people out there Sarge. Don¡¯t stop being one just coz you¡¯ve seen how ugly this world is.¡± Nairo¡¯s hands shook as she reached out for the badge. It was tarnished and scratched. She felt like the cold weight of it in her hands. ¡°Where did you¡­¡± ¡°Picked it up after you dropped it. Thought it might be worth something.¡± ¡°Was it?¡± ¡°Naa,¡± he said, blowing a cloud of smoke. ¡°It turns out who¡¯s wearing it gives the badge its value. Without a good copper to get pinned to, it¡¯s just a bit of brass and tin.¡± She looked up at Ridley and for the first time in what felt like days she smiled. ¡°Thank you Ridley.¡± ¡°Yeah whatever,¡± he said looking away. ¡°What do I know?¡± ¡°More than you want people to think.¡± She placed a hand on his and gave it a squeeze which she regretted when they both winced in pain. ¡°When this is all done, I owe you dinner.¡± ¡°Fish head soup?¡± Ridley said, perking up. ¡°Let me save up a bit,¡± Nairo laughed. Suddenly, the sound of a horse¡¯s hooves pulling up outside the warehouse snapped them out of their contemplation. Every head swivelled to the door. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s show time,¡± Ridley said. Bill took a drag of his cigar and let smoke curl from his nose. ¡°Unchain Ruf¡¯Gar,¡± he ordered his men. ¡°You sure, Mr Graves?¡± Golden asked nervously. ¡°He¡¯s representing his Uncle. I won¡¯t have him chained like a dog in front of these fucks,¡± Bill said, stubbing out his cigar. Hesitantly, a man approached the Goblins and unlocked Rufi¡¯s manacles, while the other men kept their bows trained on the rest of the Goblins. Rufi sighed and stood up, massaging his wrists. ¡°Take a seat,¡± Bill said to him. ¡°And keep your mouth shut.¡± Rufi bit back a retort and took the seat that Bill offered him, trying in vain to straighten the tatters of his ruined suit. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The door to the warehouse screeched open and four men stomped in. At their head was Human pitbull, Albert Stubbs. He strode in wearing a fine long coat with a fur neck. Despite not having much of a neck, he still managed to look down his nose at everything around him. Disdain dripped from every twitch of his jowly face. The three men with him looked like apes in dark suits. They were the type of men who sent a message, and it wasn¡¯t one of peace and love. ¡°Mr Stubbs!¡± Bill said, as if greeting an old friend. ¡°Welcome!¡± ¡°Mr Graves, what is the meaning of dragging me here at this hour?¡± Stubbs harrumphed, his thick eyebrows knitting together when he saw the hulking, mangled figure of Rufi sitting at the butchers¡¯ table. He cast his eye further around the room and saw the three badly beaten Goblins chained on the floor, then he looked at Pelt¡¯s prone figure, and finally his eyes landed on Nairo and Ridley. ¡°What is going on here, Mr Graves?¡± ¡°Ahh, well Mr Stubbs, I¡¯ve had a very interesting evening,¡± Bill said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a seat and I¡¯ll share all with you.¡± Stubbs looked at the grimy stool, his lip curling, then he looked at Nairo again. ¡°Sargeant Nairo?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± ¡°All will be explained, Mr Stubbs. Now please, sit.¡± Bill spat the final word in a way that told Stubbs he wouldn¡¯t be asked again. Stubbs unbuttoned his coat and carefully lowered himself onto the stool. ¡°Tea? Coffee?¡± Bill asked. ¡°No thank you.¡± ¡°Good, I don¡¯t have any.¡± Bill gave Stubbs a grin that looked like a wolf baring its teeth. ¡°Mr Stubbs, this is Ruf¡¯Gar Chaw¡¯drak, blood nephew of one Sam¡¯Sun Chaw¡¯drak, who your mates have banged up under lock and key.¡± Rufi nodded at Stubbs who gave him a curl of his lip in return. ¡°And why am I meeting with a notorious Goblin criminal in some shithole on the riverfront?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I like about you Albert, you¡¯re a straight talker, for a politician.¡± Bill said, picking up one of his freshly sharpened blades and inspecting it. ¡°So allow me to repay your candour, I¡¯ve just pulled you and your boss¡¯ arse out of the fire and you are gonna pay me handsomely for doing so.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°And not only are you gonna pay, but you¡¯re also going to acquiesce to several demands, all of which are non-negotiable.¡± Stubbs stayed quiet. He drew himself up to his full height, but somehow he looked less impressive, less intimidating sitting around a table with actual Villains. Rufi dwarfed him in terms of physical presence and Bill¡¯s level of menace was incomparable. ¡°I¡¯ve got your Diamond,¡± Bill said. ¡°You¡¯ve got what?¡± ¡°You¡¯re Magick Diamond that your Elvish mates are tearing apart the city looking for.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Not important. I¡¯m a very resourceful man, you should have come to me first, I could have saved you a lot of time.¡± Stubbs turned in his seat and glowered at Nairo. ¡°Do you have something to do with this?¡± he snarled at her. ¡°The Sergeant has become an unfortunate and unwilling component in all of tonight¡¯s drama,¡± Bill said, licking his thumb and scrubbing a spot from his knife. ¡°But she did crack the case and find the Diamond. Maybe you want to give her a medal or something.¡± ¡°If this Diamond is real, and I am not saying it is, officially what would the Mayor have to do with it?¡± ¡°Maybe because his Elvish mates are desperate to get it back. And if he doesn¡¯t deliver, well, it would look very bad for him wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Would it?¡± ¡°Hmmmm. I¡¯ve been hearing all sorts from your Houses. Don¡¯t forget, my boys are all over the place and most of ¡®em have two ears and two eyes. I know Pleasently is hanging on by a thread. And I know the Owners are getting close to washing their hands of him. If he loses the Elves¡¯ backing, he¡¯s done for. He needs the Diamond badly.¡± Stubbs pursed his lips and remained silent. ¡°But your old mate Bill has ridden to the rescue once again. I¡¯ve got your Diamond. I¡¯ve got the creature that nicked it. I know who¡¯s been doing all the killings that kicked off these riots. I could put a stop to it all tonight and have the right honourable Mayor come out smelling of roses.¡± ¡°In exchange for?¡± Stubbs asked, his voice barely above a croak. Bill cleared his throat and adjusted himself on his stool. ¡°First of all you make us whole on our original terms¡­ and let¡¯s say fifty per cent on top as a goodwill gesture. Plus a couple of other little favours that we can discuss in private. Next, I want the EIF gone. No more investigations, no more arrests.¡± Bill¡¯s eyes slid to Rufi and then back to Stubbs. ¡°I want Sam¡¯Sun Chaw¡¯drak to be freed with a full acknowledgement of his innocence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not up to us, he¡¯s under the EIF¡¯s arrest.¡± ¡°Then make it up to you,¡± Rufi growled, leaning closer, his tusks glinting in the half light. His scraped face and bloodied teeth made him look like every Human¡¯s nightmare of the Goblin scourge. Stubbs flinched, only slightly, and his face retracted into a grimace. ¡°Why would you want Chaw¡¯drak freed?¡± Stubbs said to Bill. ¡°Why would I want Pleasently to keep his seat? I¡¯m just a charitable soul doing good in this wicked world.¡± Bill¡¯s flat eyes twinkled with malevolence. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°Like I said Albert, nothing is negotiable,¡± Bill said before continuing. ¡°And I want a personal sit down with Pleasently, behind closed doors, one on one.¡± Stubbs clenched his jaw, his nostrils flaring, as he made some silent calculations. ¡°Anything else?¡± Stubbs said through gritted teeth. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough, for now.¡± ¡°Where is the Diamond?¡± ¡°Right here,¡± Bill pulled the box out from under the bench and placed it between them. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Stubbs reached out to open the box but Bill placed his hand on the lid. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°How do I know it¡¯s even in there?¡± ¡°Are you calling me a liar?¡± The Landlord¡¯s men, lined up behind him, bristled and Stubbs¡¯ apes shuffled closer to their boss. Stubbs looked Bill in his cold, blue eyes and after a few seconds he gave a reluctant nod. ¡°And the thief? And the murderer?¡± ¡°One in the same. Right there, behind you.¡± Stubbs swivelled in his seat and looked at the prone figure of Pelt. ¡°A Pixie!¡± he said, giving a short bark of laughter. ¡°What game are you playing?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the second time you¡¯ve called me a liar. There won¡¯t be a third,¡± Bill growled. ¡°What¡­ really? The Pixie stole the Diamond? And killed those men?¡± Stubbs stammered. ¡°Yep. And according to what I know, your Elvish mates will understand the why and how. But from what I hear, those Elves have been a right nuisance with it.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Bill ran his tongue across his teeth and then gave Stubbs another wicked smile. ¡°I¡¯ll give you this one for free, Al, since we¡¯re mates. That¡¯s an Active Diamond. It¡¯s very dangerous. And the Elves used it in Ling.¡± Stubbs thought for a moment and then his eyes widened. Only for a flash of a second then his face reverted to his usual sour expression. ¡°I see.¡± Was all he said. ¡°And then they brought it here.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Bill looked into Stubbs¡¯ grey eyes, clearly unhappy with Stubbs¡¯ non-reaction. They held eyes for uncomfortably long. ¡°That¡¯s it then?¡± Stubbs asked. ¡°Simple as that,¡± Bill replied. ¡°And the riots? The barricades?¡± Bill clicked his fingers. ¡°All will be as it once was.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°Just like that. In fact, since I¡¯m feeling generous, I¡¯ll even give Captain Mallory a few of the ringleaders to put up on charges. Make an example of those who flout law and order.¡± ¡°And¡­ the Goblins?¡± Stubbs said, his eyes flicking to Rufi. ¡°Once Uncle Sam is free there will be peace,¡± Rufi said. Stubbs accepted this and breathed heavily through his wide nose. ¡°Then I will contact the EIF agents and they will be here shortly. They¡¯ll take the Diamond and arrest the Pixie.¡± Stubbs stood and cast a withering look around the warehouse. ¡°I trust when they arrive this place will be less¡­ messy?¡± ¡°Leave it with me, Al.¡± Bill stood and thrust his hand forward. Stubbs eyed it like it was both dangerous and filthy, before giving it a quick shake, only to have Bill tighten his grip and pull Stubbs towards him. ¡°This time, you make sure keeping me happy is top priority. I would hate for the truth of today¡¯s events to get out. Or even better, a knife gets put in your eye.¡± Stubbs clenched his jaw in fury and then nodded, prising his hand loose from Bill¡¯s. He looked at his apes and waved them on before storming out. ¡°That¡¯s that then,¡± Ridley said, stubbing out his smoke. ¡°Justice has been done,¡± Nairo said quietly. ¡°Case closed.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Chapter 72 - The Finale The EIF agents had stormed the warehouse less than twenty minutes later. The Goblins were gone and so were most of Bill¡¯s men. They had swooped in and cuffed everyone on the spot. It had taken some sorting before the EIF agents were able to figure out what had happened. The Diamond disappeared into another, larger, chest and was locked away. Ridley and Nairo were asked ¡®politely¡¯ to accompany the agents to Police HQ. The last Nairo saw of Pelt, the little Pixie had his hands bound and was being led into the back of a carriage with no windows. They had arrived at Police HQ, their horses in a lather, just after sunrise and Nairo was split up from Ridley. She had been marched from the carriage straight to the upper floors of the precinct where she was now waiting. She had no idea how much time had passed, but she could feel a great buzz of activity below her. The EIF were in a storm trying to both figure out how they had failed to find the Diamond themselves and how to take credit regardless. Cells were being emptied. Orders that made little sense to the majority were being barked. The EIF¡¯s strategy rooms were being dismantled as the Elves tried to make a lightning fast exit out of the city before questions could begin being asked. All the while, Nairo sat staring at the cold cup of coffee in her hands. Her heart ached. Just about everything else too. She was exhausted. Even her bones felt tired. Her eyes were heavy and kept blurring in and out of focus. Every joint in her body pulsed with dull pain. Despite the fatigue and pain she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Pelt. She couldn¡¯t stop herself from imagining what the Elves would do to him. The image of his sad face looking back at her as he was led away. He had actually smiled at her. A smile of relief. His pain was over. The nightmare might end for him. Nairo wasn¡¯t so hopeful. He had stolen the Elves¡¯ property. He had embarrassed them in front of the Humans. A quick end would be merciful and she knew Elves had always been deficient in mercy. Their punishments were famous for their archaic and eternal natures. Then there was Nairo herself. How many laws had she broken in the last 48 hours? How many enemies had she made? How could she possibly keep her career, let alone her freedom, after all of this? They would dishonourably discharge her and she could possibly face prison time for the things she had done. And all for what? So the Elves could get back their weapon? So Pelt could be punished for trying to reach his own people again? So Bill Graves could blackmail Stubbs? So the Mayor could curry favour with the Elves? Who had she actually helped? Only the greedy, the powerful, and the uncaring power brokers of the city. Nairo sat her cup aside and took the scuffed badge out of her pocket. She rubbed her thumbs across its tarnished surface, tracing the words ¡®for the protection of the city¡¯, the words seemed like parody now to her. She wished Ridley was here. He would have some way of summing it all up. Some way of making it not seem so horrific. Some nonchalant offhand comment that would put it in perspective. ¡°Sargeant?¡± the receptionist said. ¡°The Cap¡¯n will see you now.¡± Nairo looked up and sighed. She pulled herself rigidly to her feet and tried to smooth down her hair. She looked down at her filth and blood stained tunic and didn¡¯t even bother. Her left hip had almost entirely locked up now. She leaned against the wall of the corridor and slowly limped her way towards the Cap¡¯n¡¯s office. She straightened herself, cleared her throat, and knocked on the door. ¡°Come in!¡± Nairo opened the door and walked into the office to find the unpleasant sight of Albert Stubbs sitting behind the Capn¡¯s desk, his usual arrogant demeanour back in place. The Cap¡¯n was standing by the window. The smile melted from his face when he saw the state of Nairo. ¡°Sally,¡± The Cap¡¯n breathed. His usually fiery eyes filled with concern as he took in all the damage that had been done to her. The way she limped. The bruises discolouring her face and hands. The cut on her lip. Her torn and stained clothes. But worse of all, the haunting, pain in her eyes. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± ¡°She saved the bloody day! She¡¯s a hero!¡± Stubbs said, a broad, plastic smile spread across his face. ¡°That¡¯s what happened, Cap¡¯n. Young and plucky detective fought for justice and got it!¡± Nairo blinked in surprise and slowly looked from the Cap¡¯n to Stubbs. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Cap¡¯n and I, and the Mayor, all agree that you are the exact person worthy of all accolades following this successful operation.¡± Nairo just stood there, slightly crooked, her exhausted mind unable to unpick what was being said, so it simply shut down and waited. ¡°Have you ever heard the phrase all¡¯s well that ends well, Sergeant?¡± Stubbs said, leaning back with so much smug self satisfaction it spilled off him in syrupy waves. ¡°You will receive sole credit for finding the Diamond and bringing the creature responsible to justice. Not only have you solved a bank robbery, but five murders as well!¡± ¡°This is the type of case that makes a career,¡± Cap¡¯n Mallory said to her. ¡°We¡¯ll promote you up to Lieutenant¡­¡± ¡°Lieutenant? What about my disciplinary?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Oh pish posh, let¡¯s forget about all that nonsense. You¡¯re a hero Sarg¡­ Lieutenant Nairo, all of that was just a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°It¡¯s dropped,¡± Mallory said. ¡°Just like that?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Just like that,¡± Stubbs grinned wolfishly at her. ¡°Of course, the exact details of the case will need to remain classified and won¡¯t be released to the public, or anyone else for that matter.¡± ¡°We will be sticking with the official story of a bank robbery,¡± Mallory said. ¡°We won¡¯t be mentioning the murders of course, but that will all go in your favour during the promotion process.¡± ¡°Just red tape really. Consider yourself rubber stamped!¡± Stubbs laughed and Mallory joined in. ¡°Why just me? Ridley did just as much, even more, than I did.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, that bottom feeder got his pound of flesh,¡± Mallory growled. ¡°He received his fair reward and was sent on his way,¡± Stubbs agreed. ¡°But we can¡¯t exactly hail a person like that as the hero of this case, can we?¡± ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°That¡¯s it, Lieutenant.¡± Stubbs gave her another smile that showed too many of his yellowing teeth. ¡°What about Pelt?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The Pixie.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ he¡¯s been taken into custody of the EIF, he¡¯s under their jurisdiction now.¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± Stubbs looked at Mallory. ¡°The Elves have already taken him. I''m guessing he¡¯s on his way out of the city by now.¡± ¡°You do know what they did to him?¡± ¡°What does it matter!¡± Stubbs snapped, his cheery veneer cracking. ¡°It is time to put this case behind you, Lieutenant, and look to the future. Forget all of this happened. You¡¯ve got a bright future ahead of you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be in charge of your own hand picked squad,¡± Mallory said, trying to smile at her. His eyes had an almost pleading look to them. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to do things your way. Lead your officers how you want, the right way.¡± ¡°And who knows,¡± Stubbs continued airily. ¡°Perhaps one day we could have the City¡¯s first female Chief of Police!¡± Nairo looked from Stubbs¡¯ self assured smirk to Mallory¡¯s pleading smile. ¡°No.¡± Nairo¡¯s voice was hard. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t just forget. You have no idea, sitting there in your chair, what we went through to solve this case. You¡¯ve got no idea what really goes on out there. How seedy and corrupted it all really is!¡± ¡°Now Sally,¡± Mallory warned. ¡°No, Cap¡¯n. I let you silence me once, you won¡¯t do it twice.¡± Nairo¡¯s eyes burned as she turned back to Stubbs, her knuckles were clenched so hard one of the scabs on them cracked and started bleeding again. ¡°You really think I don¡¯t know how embarrassing this is for you and the Mayor and the Cap¡¯n? You think I don¡¯t understand this was one monumental cock up up on all your parts?¡± ¡°Now listen here girlie¡­¡± Stubbs growled, raising a warning finger. ¡°Oh fuck off,¡± Nairo snapped at him. ¡°I won¡¯t be dictated to by a thug in a suit who does closed door deals with murderers.¡± Stubbs¡¯ eyes widened and his teeth gnashed together so hard she heard his enamel crunch. ¡°Sargeant!¡± Cap¡¯n Mallory said, his face going an unhealthy beetroot colour. ¡°Not to mention all the subterfuge you allowed to happen that nearly sunk this case from the outside. Believing the Elves¡¯ lies. Allowing them to bypass official documentation of their travels. Letting them lean on the coroner to change his autopsy report. Throwing me off the case when I started asking uncomfortable questions!¡± Nairo''s voice was only a few decibels below a bark. ¡°Our Government doing deals with a known murderer and Villain. Allowing the Houses to be flooded with thugs. The Mayor being simultaneously in bed with said Villain and so deep under the thumb of Elvish war criminals that you can¡¯t even see the top of his stupid floppy bloody hair!¡± Nairo leaned on the desk, spreading her battered and bloody hands wide, her voice a low growl as she peered deep into Stubbs¡¯ eyes.. ¡°Locking up Sam¡¯sun Chaw¡¯drak under false charges with no real evidence other than the fact his scales are green. Knowing that the Elves used that Diamond to cause the earthq¡­¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Stubbs roared, flying out of his seat and standing almost nose to nose with Nairo. ¡°You will shut your mouth if you know what is good for you!¡± The two stood glaring at each other before Nairo gave him a small smirk. ¡°I will shut my mouth,¡± she said. ¡°And I will keep all of that to myself. But my silence won¡¯t come cheaply.¡± Stubbs worked his jaw furiously. ¡°Sally this is¡­¡± The Cap¡¯n began.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Quiet Mallory.¡± Stubbs snapped. ¡°What is your price?¡± ¡°First of all, an assurance of safety, for myself and Ridley and anyone else involved in this case. You will not pursue or attempt to prosecute, harass, or detain any of us.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Next, you will reinstate Lieutenant Conway and I mean fully reinstate him. No more basement bullshit. He will be a full duty detective like he once was, if he wishes to be. He will have his pension reinstated and any cases against him will be permanently dropped, with a signed order by a judge that they will never be reopened.¡± Stubbs¡¯ jaw cracked and a vein pulsed in his temple. He looked over his shoulder at Mallory before turning back to Nairo. ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Finally, there is a charitable home for working Pixie¡¯s ran by one Ms Jenkins. Your party is going to make a sizeable donation to that home which the city bank will match. Oh¡­ and my friend Ridley needs a new coat. You¡¯ll see to it he gets the best your money can buy.¡± Stubbs growled deep in his throat and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s it. You do those three things and I will hold my tongue.¡± Nairo smiled at Stubbs warmly. ¡°You can say goodbye to ever receiving a promotion now,¡± Stubbs snarled at her. ¡°I¡¯ll see to it that¡­¡± ¡°Save your threats,¡± Nairo said to him. ¡°I quit.¡± She reached into her pocket and then tossed her badge on to the desk in front of Stubbs. ¡°Turns out that badge is just a bit of scrap metal and tin.¡± ¡°Sally¡­¡± Mallory said. ¡°Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done for me Cap¡¯n,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I was once proud to serve under you.¡± Mallory opened his mouth and then shut it quickly, the pain in his eyes spoke volumes. Nairo saluted him and then turned and limped out of the room. She could feel Stubbs¡¯ fury burning the back of her neck as she walked out but there was a smile on her face. She felt like a weight had lifted off her chest. She took a deep breath and then slowly made her way down the hallway. ¡°Sarge!¡± A familiar voice called Nairo as she exited the wing to the Cap¡¯n¡¯s office. ¡°Corporal Edgewater,¡± Nairo said, giving the cherub-faced officer a tired smile. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay¡­¡± Timmy Edgewater said hesitantly as he looked Nairo up and down. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long day,¡± she replied as she looked fearfully at the stairs. ¡°Would you like a ¡®and marm?¡± said another familiar voice to her left. Nairo turned and saw Wally Washbottom standing there with a bright shiny medal pinned to his chest. He was the same gawky teenager she had met only a few days prior but something was different. He had a harder edge to his face now and he stood straighter as if he was no longer trying to hide away from the world. ¡°That would be nice, thank you.¡± Nairo leaned on the shoulders of the two young officers and gingerly made her way down the stairs one step at a time. ¡°Those are some shiny medals you boys have got.¡± ¡°They¡¯re an accommodation,¡± Timmy said excitedly. ¡°Yeah, we got ¡®em for bringing in the fella wot started that fire,¡± Wally said sheepishly. ¡°The one that killed that Goblin family?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Timmy said. ¡°And you two brought him in?¡± ¡°Yes marm,¡± Wally said, a hint of sadness in his voice. ¡°How did you find him?¡± ¡°We followed leads,¡± Wally said. ¡°And we went undercover,¡± Timmy said. ¡°And we kicked shit out of some baddies,¡± Wally added. ¡°But only an appropriate amount,¡± Timmy added quickly. ¡°Sounds like you two had quite an adventure,¡± Nairo said as they finally made it to the ground floor. ¡°Well done.¡± ¡°Sergeant¡­¡± Timmy began. ¡°Just Sally,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Sally?¡± Nairo pulled a face and held up her hand. ¡°Ma¡¯am is fine.¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am¡­ we¡¯re sorry for messing up your case and for getting you in trouble,¡± Timmy said quickly. ¡°And for being a pair of right bellends,¡± Wally added. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Nairo laughed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so harsh on you two. You¡¯re good coppers¡­ well you¡¯re good people and you¡¯re on your way to being good coppers. Just remember,¡± Nairo tapped the bright, shiny medal on Timmy¡¯s chest. ¡°The badge is only worth as much as the copper it¡¯s pinned to.¡± She looked at Wally and saw a look on his face that spoke of a deeper understanding of what she had just said. ¡°Always do what you know in your guts to be the right thing.¡± Wally nodded, his mouth a serious slash of determination. ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am!¡± Timmy said with a beaming smile. ¡°We¡¯ll see you in the Bullpen tomorrow?¡± ¡°No. But I¡¯ll be seeing you two around.¡± Nairo shook hands with the eager, if slightly sweaty, young men and watched Wally drape his arm around Timmy¡¯s shoulder as they strode back into the HQ. She sighed and made her way to the main entrance, trying not to make eye contact with all the curious coppers. She was almost at the door when a hulking figure stood in her way. She looked up into the friendly face of Corporal Charlie. He looked battered, one of his arms was in a sling, and deep lines of exhaustion crinkled his eyes. ¡°Is it true?¡± he asked her. ¡°News travels faster than I do, apparently.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Nairo nodded. Charlie¡¯s eternally jolly face frowned deeply. It aged him. All the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth deepened and even his hair looked slightly greyer and less lustrous. ¡°It¡¯s not right,¡± he said. ¡°It was my choice.¡± Charlie thought about that for a moment and then straightened up a smile returning to his face. ¡°It has been an honour and pleasure to serve under you ma¡¯am!¡± Charlie gave her a stiff salute. ¡°Not as much as it has been for me, Charlie.¡± Nairo gingerly leaned forward and wrapped her good arm around Charlie¡¯s waist giving him a gentle hug. When she stepped back she saw dewdrop tears in the corner of his blue eyes. ¡°Keep fighting the good fight, Charlie. I¡¯ll see you around.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± he croaked, looking in the distance a foot above her head as she limped out of the precinct. That was that then. Nairo took a deep breath and winced as her ribs cried out in pain. She tried to straighten her soiled tunic and then limped through the doors. Outside, the precinct was already a flurry of movement. Barricades were being disassembled, carts were starting to come in, the city was breathing back to life. The weak morning sun dispelled the dew of the previous night and it almost felt like normality. Nairo gingerly made her way down the steps. She cast one more look over her shoulder at the precinct before stepping off the final step to life as a civilian. ¡°You look pretty in the morning, Sarge.¡± Nairo turned and saw Ridley sitting on a low wall outside the precinct. One half of his dirty blonde hair was matted with blood. His left eye was black and swollen, the whites of the eye a livid red. Finger shaped bruises latticed down his neck and there were scratches all over one side of his face. He had his ripped and filthy coat wrapped tight around himself. He was hunched over, hugging his injured arm to his body. But there was that grin. That smirk that never seemed to be too far away from his face. His good eye twinkled at her. Next to him were two steaming cups of black coffee. Nairo smiled. ¡°Thanks PI.¡± She shuffled over to him and carefully eased herself down on the wall, accepting the coffee he pushed towards her. ¡°You look like shit,¡± she said to him after a sip. ¡°You too.¡± ¡°I feel like shit.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± They sipped their drinks in silence. ¡°I heard you got your fee,¡± Nairo said. ¡°And a little extra.¡± ¡°Good.¡± They sat in pensive silence for a moment, watching the morning traffic ebb into the city. ¡°Some case, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, it got pretty crazy.¡± ¡°Right? Remember the Minotaur?¡± ¡°The one I saved you from?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one that knocked it out.¡± ¡°Only after I stopped him painting the wall with you.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Ridley chuckled. ¡°Remember when you fell through the ceiling in the RatHoles?¡± Nairo laughed. ¡°Oof, my knees are gonna remember that one for a while. Not as bad as the tumble you took down the staircase.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never look at another set of stairs the same again,¡± Nairo laughed. ¡°What about the giant snake?¡± ¡°Ughh, don¡¯t remind me.¡± Ridley shivered into his coat at the memory of the monstrous Moota. They fell into silence again. ¡°So I guess that¡¯s it then?¡± Ridley said. ¡°It¡¯s been¡­ an experience, Sarge, but I guess you gotta get back to protecting law and order and all that.¡± ¡°No. I quit.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They offered me a promotion to Lieutenant in exchange for my silence so I quit. I managed to twist Stubbs¡¯ arm into getting Conway reinstated and getting us protection from any prosecution. Then I threw my badge down and quit.¡± Ridley put his coffee down and broke into raspy laughter. ¡°You didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Was the Cap¡¯n there?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I would have loved to have seen his face! What did you say?¡± Nairo grinned and thought for a minute. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something about the badge being a piece of cheap metal. I¡¯m pretty sure I told Stubbs to eff off and called him a thug in a suit.¡± Ridley snorted and then started up a hacking cough. ¡°That is priceless,¡± he said once he regained his breath. ¡°Stupidest thing is I¡¯m the one that got you that promotion.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about twisting their arm, but I blackmailed the shit out of Stubbs and Mallory. Told them every gorey detail would be all over the streets and the Houses if they didn¡¯t give Conway his pension back and promote you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, you should have seen their faces. And then you told them to shove it up their ass!¡± Ridley started laughing again. ¡°Thank you,¡± Nairo said in a small voice. ¡°You deserved it. You¡¯re one of the sharpest detectives I¡¯ve ever had the pleasure of being forced to work with. But I only did it because I thought it would have been what you wanted.¡± ¡°Not anymore,¡± Nairo said, staring into her coffee. ¡°I can¡¯t be a part of a system like that. A system that protects men like Stubbs, Chaw¡¯Drak, and Graves and helps them flourish.¡± Ridley nodded as if he understood. ¡°So you¡¯re a civvie now?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°What¡¯re you gonna do?¡± ¡°No idea. The only thing I¡¯ve ever wanted to do is be police.¡± Nairo sighed and shrugged. ¡°Well I know right now, I definitely want to have a bath and sleep for a week at least.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Ridley hesitated. ¡°If¡­ after you wake up¡­ if you want¡­ There''s always work for a PI with sharp instincts and a mean right hook.¡± ¡°Are you asking me to come work with you?¡± ¡°For me. As an apprentice.¡± Nairo grinned at him and Ridley made a point of looking away from her. ¡°Like partners?¡± Ridley set down his coffee and then extended his swollen and bruised hand. ¡°Partners. But I would be the senior partner.¡± ¡°You got a deal, PI.¡± Nairo shook his hand gently and then turned just as a carriage pulled up in front of them. Ridley tensed up. Nairo looked up and saw Rufi¡¯s half bloody face leaning out of the window. ¡°Hello,¡± he said with a grin on his face. ¡°Rufi,¡± Ridley said, nodding his head apprehensively. ¡°My Uncle and De Woolf have been released with a full pardon,¡± Rufi said. ¡°He¡¯s aware of the role you two played in making that happen. He sends his thanks and says the Kith are friends of yours.¡± ¡°Twelve hours ago you were trying to kill us,¡± Nairo said, her eyes narrow. ¡°Don¡¯t take it personally, Sarge.¡± Rufi flashed her a grin. ¡°And I owe you one personally for stopping the homicidal Pixie turning me into a pile of guts. Ridley knows how to find me should you ever need anything.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we will,¡± Nairo said coldly and Rufi shrugged in return. ¡°Oh and my Uncle sends this as a token of his appreciation.¡± Rufi chucked a set of keys at Ridley. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°A building in Little Kang that we own. It¡¯s yours now to use as a proper office. See ya down the road.¡± Rufi waved at his driver and the carriage took off. Ridley looked down at the set of keys then at Nairo. ¡°Guess we can close Mason & Squire,¡± Ridley said with a grin. ¡°And open up Nairo and¡­ what is your surname?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ridley downed the rest of his coffee and eased himself off the wall. ¡°Come on Sarge, I¡¯ve already got another case cooking and it¡¯s a doozy. Got your notepad?¡± ¡°Always,¡± Nairo said as she limped after him with a smile on her face. Book II - Chapter 1 - R&N ??1 By the thirteenth day of rain, the city was keeping count¡ª thirty two bodies and rising. People were calling it the Drowning Summer. Summer rain is nothing like its winter sibling. The rain didn¡¯t fall, it oozed from the sky, slow and heavy, drowning you inch by inch. The raindrops pounded straight down with no wind to direct them. The air was thick and humid, making it hard to breathe some days. Valderia, a city of almost ten million, felt like it was drowning and suffocating at the same time. Sally Nairo held an umbrella low over her face, wading through the puddles of Vincent¡¯s alley, deep in the heart of the RatHoles. She wore a long, dark trench coat, the collars pulled up to protect her face from the ricochets of fat rain drops. The curly main of her dark, untamable, hair was brushed back from her face. Despite her best efforts, the humidity made her hair look like a particularly aggressive tumbleweed. Her light brown eyes wandered around the asymmetrical architect of one of Verdalia¡¯s most notorious slums: The RatHoles. A cul-de-sac of social mobility, the RatHoles was the last place any creature wanted to find themselves in, and it was the first place most poor migrants ended up in. Generational blunders had created a menagerie of shoddy towers, leaning flats, and misshapen tenements, hastily erected to pack in wave after wave of desperate migrants into a city that long ago burst its seams. The RatHoles was Verdalia¡¯s sanctioned slum and home to the desperate and hopeless. The last time Nairo had been here she had found a Goblin gangster with his head almost torn off. That was nearly six months ago now, the memory of it lingering like the foul smells of The RatHoles¡¯ mounting garbage heaps. Nairo traversed through the empty slum, its residents hiding away from the rain. They were definitely watching her though. Nairo felt that creeping sensation on the back of her neck as unseen eyes followed her. She stepped out onto the broadway and saw a few signs of life. A couple of valiant vendors, still trying to scrape a few pennies, stood under shoddy stands in the rain. One of them, an olive skinned man with a greying beard, made eye contact with her. He didn¡¯t attempt to sell her any of his questionable, and most likely very soggy, pies. He knew who she was. Most unfortunate denizens of the city¡¯s most impoverished corners did. He nodded his head once in acknowledgement and then once again to direct her. Nairo nodded her thanks and continued down the broadway, the staccato rhythm of the pounding rain drowning everything else out. Nairo saw her destination, the yellow police rope was always a sure sign that she was in the right place. She walked towards the rope, her pace remained calm, but her heart began to quicken. She felt that familiar thrill of excitement, the sniff of a new case, the undercurrent of apprehension, the fear of what she could be walking into. Nairo stopped at the police cordon and looked around the entrance to the grimey alley. ¡°Yes ma''am?¡± A portly officer in a poncho who had been hiding under the lip of one of the RatHoles¡¯ wonky windows appeared at the rope. ¡°I¡¯m Nairo,¡± she said. "Oh, Sarge! ¡®Pologies, didn¡¯t recognise you.¡± They still insisted on calling her by her old title but at least this one didn¡¯t try and salute her. ¡°Come right through.¡± He held up the rope so she could pass underneath it. Nairo stepped into the alleyway and immediately felt the presence of death. It wasn¡¯t a taste, and it wasn¡¯t a smell, the rain was far too heavy for such mundane senses to be at work; it was another sense. Something primal that had kept Humans alive for centuries. It itched at the corners of her subconscious, telling her to flee, to get away from danger, but Nairo had long ago learnt to quell that voice. She followed the officer, listening to him give his report like she still had stripes on her shoulder. ¡°Found her in the early hours, Marm,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a madhouse at the moment, so the best we could do was secure the scene and wait for the detectives to arrive.¡± ¡°Who did they put on it?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°They sent Izla and Fisher.¡± ¡°Homicide?¡± ¡°Yeah, at first they thought it was, but only took ¡®em a few minutes to decide she was just a dead junkie.¡± ¡°Another overdose?¡± ¡°Yes marm. Sixteenth one this week.¡± ¡°That many?¡± Nairo said, her eyes widening. The city was rife with the whispers of tainted Burn, but she didn¡¯t realise it was that bad. ¡°Yes Marm, and those are just the ones we know about. Addicts are falling out all over the place, morgue¡¯s starting to fill up, so we¡¯ve been having to toss ¡®em in one of the old meat warehouses to stop ¡®em going bad before the coroner has a chance to do his work.¡± ¡°And this one?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Same thing Marm, overdose. She looked like she was pretty much on the end of her string anyway. Poor thing,¡± the officer tutted. ¡°Why did you call me?¡± ¡°Well¡­ we found this.¡± The officer pulled a clear bag out of his tunic and handed it over. Nairo held her umbrella lower and looked at the bag. Inside was a crumpled, dog eared card that had yellowed with time. On it, in a faint scrawl that she recognised as her own handwriting, she saw her name and her station. ¡°We found it in her hand. She must have been holding it when she died.¡± Nairo clenched her jaw. She forced her hand not to tremble. ¡°Did yer know ¡®er, Sarge?¡± The officer asked as they approached the body. The corpse had been covered with a sheet. The rain had soaked the covering, displaying the grim outline of the body. The officer bent down and rolled back the sheet, revealing an emaciated, sore riddled face. ¡°Yes,¡± Nairo whispered. ¡°Her name was Sarita, she was a prostitute, I met her six months ago.¡± Nairo looked down at Sarita¡¯s face, even in death she had found no peace. Her face was twisted in a grimace of pain. Her eyes were wide and vividly red. Her cracked lips were parted in a cry of agony. She looked thinner than the last time Nairo had seen her. Her skin was even more pallid and sickly than Nairo remembered. Sarita had already been deep in the stranglehold of her addiction when Nairo had met her whilst on the hunt for the stolen Diamond. It looked like her demons had finally gotten her. ¡°Sarita,¡± the officer noted. ¡°Do you have a surname?¡± ¡°No,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I¡¯m sure she had been picked up by the police before. If you run her name she should come up.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good shout.¡± The officer placed the cover back over Sarita¡¯s face and stood up. ¡°Thanks for that Sarge, it¡¯ll make life a lot easier when we process her if we can put a name down. Got so many Janes and Johns as it is.¡± Nairo nodded. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t leave her alone here,¡± Nairo said to the officer. ¡°She doesn¡¯t deserve to feed the rats.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t marm.¡± And now the officer did salute her. Nairo nodded politely and walked away, her heart heavy. It was a long, sluggish cab ride back up North to Little Kang. Nairo sat in the back of the carriage, staring listlessly out at the rain soaked city. Verdalia wasn¡¯t a city that enjoyed rain. It had become sluggish and worn down by the endless deluge. The normally bustling streets were empty save a few unfortunate souls, huddling under battered umbrellas, hurrying back and forth. But the traffic was endless. Heavy rain did something to drivers. It made them suddenly incompetent and insane at the same time. The roads were being constantly clogged by upturned carriages because their riders tried to force their horse through a puddle, which turned out to be a pothole as deep as a Gnome. People¡¯s tempers frayed. Fist fights broke out up and down the Broadways. Everybody was in a hurry to get out of the rain, but no one had the sense to navigate the swamped streets properly. Nairo watched a man huddled under a scrap of blanket, shivering in the rain, looking as miserable as a creature could. He was sitting on the pavement with a melting scrap of cardboard that must have once had a desperate plea for alms on it. It was a wilted lump now, much like the man that sat beside it. He was a Burner. Nairo could see that from fifty yards away. The drug problem in the city only worsened the deeper into the food crisis they went. An empty belly is easier to deal with if you have a vein full of Burn. The toxic brown sludge was tearing through the city, leaving a trail of destroyed lives and corpses in its wake. This recent explosion of overdoses was only the tip of the spear. Burn had been causing misery long before that. Now though, it was on everyone¡¯s lips when they weren¡¯t moaning about the rain. And it wasn¡¯t just desperate junkies dying anymore. It turned out creatures from both ends, and every point in between, of the social spectrum found solace in the temporary escape of Burn. Overdoses were being reported everywhere. From the slums, to the boroughs, to the academies, and even out in the fields that were full of nothing but mansions and fathomless wealth. It turned out the Bad Batch, as the whispers were calling it, was the great equaliser amongst creatures rich and poor. The children of the wealthy and the poor alike were dying, and the city was gripped in fear of it.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The cab trundled its way up through Colway¡¯s Pass and onto Makin¡¯s Broadway, the nightlife epicentre of the city. The Broadway was a sprawl of theatres, cabarets, bars, and dance clubs, and even during the day would be alive with the buzz of revelry. Today, under the heavy cloak of grey clouds, the atmosphere was sombre. No music was being played and black banners were hung on every light post. ¡°What are the black banners for?¡± Nairo called through the hatch to her driver. ¡°Makins¡¯ is in mourning, miss,¡± the cabbie shouted back. ¡°Because of that actress who died?¡± ¡°Aye ma''am. Lana LaRue, gosh, she was something special ma¡¯am,¡± the cabbie said wistfully. ¡°I actually got to meet her when she was touring the offices. Never seen a more graceful creature in all me life. Spellbinding was wot the papers called her.¡± ¡°Is she the one who overdosed?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yes ma''am. Terrible thing this Burn. Robbed Verdalia of a real treasure.¡± The cabbie¡¯s voice sounded thick with grief. Nairo sat back and looked out of the window. As they passed the Umbry Theatre, one of the largest and most exclusive theatres in the city, a small group of mourners braved the rain. They were huddled around a large canvas of a strikingly beautiful young woman. The picture was so full of life it burst from the canvas. She had bouncy dark curls, a button nose that was almost too cute to be real, dazzling blue eyes, and a charming smile that seemed obscene in the grey, rain stricken street. Her cabbie slowed down to a respectful canter and, despite the rain, took off his cap and held it to his chest in respect. Lana LaRue wasn¡¯t the first death, but she was certainly the most high profile. The entertainment industry was being rocked by overdoses. It turned out the glitz and glamour of showbiz had been hiding a much darker reality. Nairo remembered reading about LaRue¡¯s death. She was some darling of the stage, a once in a generation beauty, found dead in her dressing room. The whole city had been aghast. Nairo watched the weeping mourners and couldn¡¯t help but feel the injustice of it. Not a soul would care about Sarita. Her body would be thrown in the meat warehouse with the rest of the dead junkies. Just another faceless victim of the city''s endless cruelty. They swept through the East End, glimpsing the belching towers of the Foundries, and then straight into the Gnommish North of the city. Since Nairo had started working up North she had come to learn more about the Gnomes, and they were fascinatingly curious. Fastidious, polite, and reserved, Gnomes were the most inaccessible of the species. They kept themselves to themselves. They shopped almost exclusively at Gnommish establishments, they bought homes from each other, they spoke Gnommish at all times, and they had a deep suspicion of outsiders. She had been on this side of the city for six months now, and she was still treated with suspicion, never hostility, but she was not welcome. The Gnomes were secretive little creatures, and they didn¡¯t mind you knowing they didn¡¯t trust you. The cab finally made its way to Little Kang, the vibrant, buzzing centre of Gnommish society in Verdalia. Little Kang, named after the capital of the Gnomish Empire, was Nairo¡¯s favourite place in the entire city. It crackled with an electric energy that was unmatched anywhere in the city. Life moved at a breakneck pace here but was still remarkably civilised and organised. Gnomes were the masters of commerce and nowhere was that more evident than in Little Kang. Everything a creature could want was sold, marketed, shipped, and stored somewhere in the labyrinthine alleys and markets of Little Kang. Every inch was monopolised, commercialised, and occupied by a vendor, store, bar, or club. The Gnomes were masters of magick in their own way. While the Elves mastered the ephemeral arts of Magick, the Gnomes had mastered nature itself. They could grow things no other creature was capable of and cultivate plants in a way that was shockingly beautiful. Little Kang wasn¡¯t illuminated by glowstones like the rest of the city. Instead, it was covered in luminous mushrooms that hung and grew everywhere, spreading a neon light across Little Kang. The colours danced and glowed in a way that captivated the eye, both beautiful and efficient. Everywhere plants Nairo struggled to even describe, let alone identify, grew and wound their way around buildings and shopfronts until they became one symbiotic living organism. Little Kang always smelt of fresh flowers, exotic fruits, and fresh grass, which was more than welcome after the stench of the RatHoles. Nairo thanked the cabbie, paid her fare, and quickly ran up the steps to her new office, a gift from the leader of the Goblin mafia, Sam¡¯Sun Chaw¡¯drak, for freeing him from his false arrest. Even though Nairo baulked at the idea of accepting gifts from one of the most notorious Villains in the entire city, she had to admit the office was a definite improvement over their previous one. It was a red brick building, unusual in Little Kang, and had once been a small factory that produced shoes. There was even still some of the old machinery still lining the walls, gathering dust and rusting quietly. Nairo opened the heavy, bloodwood door and felt relief to finally be out of the rain. She hung her black trench coat on the hook with her umbrella and then shook out her mane of damp hair. It was warm, and she could smell tobacco. ¡°Take your boots off! Don¡¯t you be dripping on the hardwood! I¡¯ve just mopped!¡± a thin, reedy voice shouted from the kitchenette. ¡°Yes Mrs. Paper,¡± Nairo replied, kicking off her boots and leaving them on the mat. ¡°Are you hungry, dear?¡± Mrs. Paper appeared at the doorway. Mrs. Paper was, to put it politely, more prune than person. She was almost an entire head shorter than Nairo, age bowing her back and curling up her shoulders. Her hair was thin and white as snow, and her wrinkles were so deep it was more accurate to describe them as folds. She blinked up at Nairo and gave her something that resembled a warm smile. ¡°No thank you, Mrs. Paper, but I would love a cup of tea if the kettle¡¯s on.¡± ¡°O¡¯ course, dear. You go and rest yer bones and I¡¯ll bring it out.¡± Mrs. Paper shuffled back into the kitchenette. ¡°And ask that one if he wants one too.¡± ¡°I heard that!¡± a sarcastic voice shouted from the office. ¡°Good! Even if yer legs don¡¯t work at least yer ears do!¡± ¡°Old bag,¡± she heard him grumble. Nairo walked into their shared office and looked at her partner. Ridley was stretched out behind his desk, his feet up on the wood, a pipe in his hands. He was leaning so far back in his big, comfy chair that he was almost horizontal, blowing smoke rings into the air. Ridley was... maybe a touch older than Nairo, she wasn¡¯t sure. He was taller, but not by much, and thinner. He was¡­ handsome from certain angles but too scruffy to ever be called so. No matter what time of day or night, he always seemed to have the shadow of a beard growing in and his dirty blonde hair hadn¡¯t seen a comb in many years. He had deep blue eyes, dark enough that they looked black in low light, and a constant, self-assured smirk that still gave Nairo the itch to smack him every now and again. He was wearing a long, plush, smoking gown that he had taken to wearing recently. ¡°How was your dead body?¡± he asked her after blowing another smoke ring. ¡°Dead,¡± Nairo replied, sitting down behind her own, much cleaner and smaller desk. ¡°It was Sarita.¡± Ridley cocked his head and that and then sighed. ¡°Shit. Another overdose?¡± ¡°Yeah. She looked¡­ bad.¡± ¡°Always was gonna end that way with her,¡± Ridley said, scratching his scraggly beard. ¡°Life of a Burner rarely ends any other way.¡± ¡°Police think it was another overdose.¡± ¡°Bad Batch claims another?¡± ¡°They reckon they¡¯ve had sixteen this week alone.¡± Ridley let out a low whistle. ¡°Conway must be up to his tits in it,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I bet he wishes you didn¡¯t get his job back for him now.¡± Lieutenant Rod Conway was a formerly disgraced detective who had assisted Nairo and Ridley in their search for the missing Diamond six months ago. When they had met Conway he was already disgraced, demoted, and hidden away in the basement, working lost property. After a bit of tactical blackmail from Nairo and Ridley, he was reinstated as a full investigator and quickly worked his way back up to running a squad. Now, he was the new head of Drug Enforcement in Valderia. ¡°What a time to get a promotion,¡± Nairo agreed, accepting a warm cup of tea from the shaking hands of Mrs. Paper. ¡°Get yore feet off that desk! Was you raised in a barn?" Mrs. Paper snapped at Ridley. ¡°My desk, my feet, my office!¡± Ridley snapped back at her. They glared at each other until Ridley finally gave up and slid his feet off the desk. ¡°Manners of a chimp,¡± Mrs. Paper tutted as she shuffled out of the room. ¡°One of these days¡­¡± Ridley muttered darkly, swinging his feet back up as soon as she was out of the room. ¡°Speaking of Conway, wanna hear something funny?¡± Ridley asked Nairo. Nairo sighed, her cup paused at her lips. ¡°Is it actually funny?¡± ¡°Guess it depends on which side of the joke you¡¯re on.¡± ¡°And which side am I on?¡± ¡°The funny side.¡± Nairo nodded her head for him to proceed. ¡°Conway sent you a comms scroll while you were out. He wanted to know if there were any good officers you could recommend for his Drug Enforcement Squad.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Nairo said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him. ¡°Sent him a couple of recommendations.¡± Nairo set her tea down and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Who?¡± Ridley¡¯s face broke out in a wide grin. ¡°Our mates.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yep. Timmy and Wally!¡± ¡°Edgewater and Washbottom!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Ridley cackled. ¡°Wally Washbottom is now on the Drug Enforcement squad!¡± ¡°Why would you do that to Conway?¡± ¡°Dunno, been a slow morning,¡± Ridley said with a shrug. Nairo shook her head and sipped her tea just as the doorbell rang. ¡°Oi! Get that!¡± Ridley shouted to Mrs. Paper. ¡°When did yore last slave die?¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t yet, unfortunately,¡± Ridley muttered to himself. ¡°We expecting anyone?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh dear, come in, what¡¯s wrong sweetheart.¡± Nairo heard Mrs. Paper say, followed by the sound of sobbing. Nairo looked at Ridley. ¡°Sounds like a case,¡± he said with an inappropriate grin on his face. ¡°Is Ridley here?¡± a female voice asked. ¡°He¡¯s right in here, sweetie.¡± Nairo saw the smile drop from Ridley¡¯s face: he recognised the voice. Mrs. Paper led a young woman in. She had short, dark hair, cut into a neat bob, her eyes were red-rimmed, and fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. ¡°Emily?¡± Ridley said, standing up. ¡°He¡¯s dead, Ridley. They killed him... they killed my dad!¡± Book II - Chapter 2 - Rufi 2 Rufi was welcomed back to consciousness with a deep chesty snort accompanied by a dry hack. He blinked heavily, spikes of light jabbed into his swollen brain. Murky memories swirled dizzyingly around his head as he tried to pry his eyelids open and take stock of his surroundings. With an almost audible creak, his right eye opened a fraction while its companion remained stubbornly shut. He took another deep breath. The iron taste of blood was so cloying on his dry, sticky tongue that he almost wretched, a thin line of sticky saliva dribbed out the corner of his tender lips. He tried to raise a hand to wipe it and found two heavy metal manacles tethering him to the floor. The realisation he was being restrained snapped him out of the thick fog of possible concussion, his one good eye bright and alert darting around the dim room he had awoken in. He saw a chipped and scarred table in front of him and the bare, unadorned walls of the little box room. He relaxed and sank back into his chains. Rufi knew a police interview room when he saw one. Another shuddering sigh racked his bruised ribs, and his back cracked as he fought to sit up straight from the pathetic hunched over position he awoke in. He straightened his broad shoulders, his thick muscular chest puffing out, as his neck groaned and popped. Fighting through the mammoth hangover that had snuck in behind the cloud of possible brain injury, Rufi put together the pieces of how he had wound up in chains. Flashes of memory tumbled over one another like rats in the sewer of his mind. An image of an ugly Troll with a nasty scar running vertically across his forehead popped up. Followed immediately by another flash, this one more of a feeling than an image, that feeling being the Troll''s huge boulder smashing fist crunching into his face. That explained his headache. Bits and pieces of the ensuing chaos bounced around his aching head. Tables, chairs, glasses, lamps, plates, and smaller creatures flew through the air as they brawled around the packed pub. There was darkness for a few moments punctuated by an involuntary groan from Rufi, and the next thing he could remember was standing over the behemoth of a Troll, bringing the hard edged seat of a bar stool down on the Troll¡¯s thick skull again and again. Even in the red fog of intoxicants and wrath, he could still remember the dull thud it made as he hit the Troll. A few hits later, the thud became a wet squelch. Blood. There was blood everywhere, creatures screaming, a Gnome clutched at his awkwardly hanging, and very broken, arm moaning piteously. Then came the shouts of the blue clad officers as they tried to restrain him. He groaned again and blinked slowly, his bloodshot eye focusing wetly on the large black rectangle of imbued glass, enchanted to be able to see through only one way, and cursed. ¡°Fuck.¡± * ¡°Looks like your boy''s awake,¡± Murphy said, yawning and scrubbing at his unshaven face, stubble crackling under his rough hands. ¡°You owe me a silver,¡± Blake said, as he sat up straight and surreptitiously folded the newspaper he had been reading. He lit a smoke and barked at a passing officer. ¡°Find Detective Finn and tell him the Goblin¡¯s awake.¡± The officer nodded and scurried off, with Blake yelling after him. ¡°And get us some coffee!¡± Murphy finished off his face rub with a quick chin scratch and a rub of his eyes; the bags beneath them were dark purple and puffy. ¡°He looks like shit,¡± Murphy remarked after surveying their captive through the one-way glass. ¡°Did we do that to him?¡± ¡°He went toe to toe with a bloody Troll, I¡¯m surprised he''s alive,¡± Blake said with an indifferent shrug. Murphy laced his fingers behind his head and whistled through his teeth. ¡°From what I hear, the Troll¡¯s the one who came off worse for it,¡± Blake added. Murphy raised one of his thin feline eyebrows in surprise. The Goblin was big, no doubt, and well built too, he had to be at least six and a half feet and north of three hundred pounds, but to take on a fully grown Troll empty handed was unheard of. ¡°Is he from up our way?¡± Murphy asked as the door opened up behind him. ¡°Not one of ours,¡± answered the man behind them. They turned in their chairs to face Detective Finn, a hard nosed detective with a shock of fiery ginger hair and a matching slug of thick red hair for a moustache. He had the beginnings of a middle-aged gut and the sallow, unhealthy skin of a man who subsisted on tobacco, caffeine, stress, and chronic sleep deprivation. He threw a manila folder down on the desk between them and eyed the Goblin with undisguised loathing. Blake spun the folder until he could read it comfortably. ¡°Ruf¡¯gar Chaw¡¯Drak.¡± He read slowly phonetically, pronouncing the foreign name with obvious derision. ¡°Chaw¡¯Drak?¡± Murphy said. ¡°As in Sam¡¯Sun Chaw¡¯Drak?¡± Finn grunted in acknowledgement and lit a smoke, his eyes never leaving the battered Goblin in front of him. ¡°He¡¯s Uncle Sam¡¯s nephew.¡± "Well, aren¡¯t we lucky lads, blessed with the presence of villainous royalty?¡± Blake said. His tone suggested amusement, but the dark turn of his eyes said otherwise. Murphy picked up the folder and began flicking through it. ¡°So what¡¯s he doing this far North of Houses?¡± Murphy asked, looking at the almost comical, if it wasn¡¯t for the serious nature of some of them, list of priors. ¡°That¡¯s what I wanna know,¡± Finn growled, boring a hole through the glass. ¡°There¡¯s enough here to warrant some serious questions,¡± Murphy said, scanning down the list. ¡°Oh yeah, our boys run the whole gambit of villainy,¡± Finn grunted. ¡°Assault, burglary, possession, possession with intent, extortion, bootlegging, armed robbery, kidnapping, and he''s been in the fit for a dozen bodies.¡± ¡°And he¡¯s still on the streets?¡± Blake asked incredulously. ¡°What do you expect when your Uncle¡¯s Sam¡¯Sun Chaw¡¯Drak,¡± Murphy said. ¡°Is this right?¡± Finn looked at what Murphy was reading. ¡°Apparently,¡± he said. ¡°What?¡± Blake asked. ¡°Our boy¡¯s a war hero. Lieutenant Chaw¡¯Drak fought in Gar Swamp about eight years back,¡± Murphy explained. ¡°Bad bit of business that,¡± Blake said almost reverently. Everyone knew that particular conflict had been fought tooth and nail, as vicious and costly as any in the last hundred years. Poisons and disease killed in the thousands. The city''s soldiers were embroiled in a guerilla war against an enemy that knew the land and were particularly cruel in their preference to mortally wound over killing, leaving dying soldiers to linger for weeks, sometimes rotting in their own filth and delirious in their agony, a constant burden to their own allies. ¡°Aye,¡± Finn agreed. ¡°Our boy not only fought but earned himself a couple of medals for valour and a shiny little promotion to command.¡± ¡°He is a fucking war hero,¡± Murphy said as he read. ¡°Pretty impressive stuff here, Finn.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget he just beat a fuckin'' Troll half to death,¡± Finn grunted eyeing Murphy coldly. ¡°He¡¯s been picked up a few times but hasn¡¯t been charged with a crime since leaving the army. Maybe he''s changed his way,¡± Murphy said, a mischievous grin on his face that grew to a full beaming smile when he was rewarded by Finn''s indignant outburst of curses. ¡°Fucking scum like him don¡¯t get reformed, they just get smarter. And if that damn Troll doesn¡¯t wake up, he¡¯s looking at murder.¡± ¡°Come off it, Finn, you ain''t getting no conviction off a physical assault charge on a bloody great seven foot Troll! You might as well try and charge a Pixie with a bank robbery, it ain''t possible!¡± Blake laughed and nudged Murphy.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Don¡¯t mean I can''t put the fear in the little prick. Gotta show these scumbags they can''t walk into our manor and start making trouble.¡± Finn hitched up his trousers and smoothed back his wild ginger hair. ¡°Come on, Blake. Murphy, you stay here.¡± ¡°Yes boss,¡± Murphy said as they swept out of the room in a cloud of cigarette smoke. * Rufi looked up sullenly as the door burst open. Two detectives stomped in with uniform scowls on their faces as they took the usual positions, one by the door, the other leaning across the table over Rufi with his hands spread wide on the desk. ¡°Wanna tell us what Uncle Sam¡¯s nephew is doing dropping Trolls this far from the RatHoles?¡± the ginger haired detective growled. He was clearly wearing the trousers and from the way he was already glowering, told Rufi he was in for some more headache. ¡°I¡¯m dying for a smoke,¡± Rufi said, his voice dry and cracked but firm. The officer blinked, a muscle in the side of his head pulsed as his jaws grinded together as barely contained rage frothed in his dark eyes. ¡°A smoke is the last of your worries son,¡± the detective said. The smell of cheap, acrid cologne and tobacco turned Rufi¡¯s already wounded stomach. ¡°That Troll is in a bad way. If he doesn¡¯t wake up, you¡¯ll be facing murder in the first. 100% of your natural life sitting in Black Water.¡± Rufi just looked at him, his face blank. ¡°Facial and skull fractures, possible brain damage, definite brain bleeding,¡± the dark haired prick by the door said, reading from a brown folder. "Well, at least nothing important got damaged,¡± Rufi replied apathetically. Again he saw the vein throb in the ginger detective¡¯s temple, his face was turning a shade of red complimentary to his shock of orange hair. ¡°You think this is a joke?¡± he snarled. He threw aside the table and grabbed hold of Rufi¡¯s soiled shirt, shaking him roughly. The detective by the door took a step towards them but did not interfere. ¡°Listen here scumbag, you don¡¯t come into my borough and throw your weight around! I don¡¯t give a flying rats fuckhole who your uncle is! This ain¡¯t Goblin Town, Green holds no weight up here!¡± Their eyes locked; the heat was almost palpable. The hatred in both their eyes was open and reciprocated. As suddenly as the moment flared, it ended. Rufi grinned at the ginger detective, his eyes warm and mischievous, the murderous intent underneath expertly smothered. ¡°Any coffee in that, or is it all brandy by this point?¡± Rufi asked the other officer, ignoring the rage that pounded through his veins, his voice as level as when they first walked in. The officer by the door looked down at his cup, and then dumbly to the officer in charge, clearly they had expected this interrogation to go different. Before either of them could react there came a hurried knock at the door. ¡°We''re busy!¡± the ginger haired detective snapped, letting go of Rufi as the door opened. ¡°Sorry sir, there''s a HobGoblin on the way up. He says he¡¯s the Goblins lawyer, and he¡¯s pissed,¡± a thin, spotty faced, plod squeaked from the door. ¡°Shit! Stall him,¡± he growled, running his thick, swollen hands over his throbbing face and smoothed back his hair, before hastily putting the room back together. Rufi smirked insolently at the detective as he heard the barking cries of his lawyer, Ne¡¯boo Balba, one of the most feared litigators in the Free Cities, not only for his encyclopaedic knowledge of the law but also for his predatory nature and propensity for civil suits against law officials. Inside, however, Rufi felt his fragile stomach drop; if Ne¡¯boo was here, then that meant his Uncle must already know about last night. Outwardly, Rufi maintained his smug grin. Ne¡¯boo¡¯s words buzzed down the hallway like angry hornets, getting louder as he drew closer, and he most certainly did sound pissed, more so than usual. The door burst open and both the detectives milled about the room sheepishly like children caught at the sweet jar. ¡°Where is my nephew?" Ne¡¯boo barked as he bowled his way into the room. Ne''boo, like most HobGoblins, stood only about five feet tall and was incredibly frail looking. He had a weathered, leathery face, and his yellowish scales were so worn they looked more like aged parchment. The loose, scaly flesh on his face had wrinkled and folded around his eyes, turning them into beady little caverns devoid of mercy. Ne¡¯boo was old for a HobGoblin at almost a hundred years old, and the age showed on him. Rufi had learnt, however, not to let Neboo¡¯s wizened look trick you into any sympathy. He was as cunning and vicious as a cornered snake. He wore a finely tailored, yet simple, dark grey three-piece suit, a tasteful expression of his abundant wealth. ¡°Gratzi Ganya, uncle,¡± Rufi said, greeting Ne¡¯boo in the Kith tongue. ¡°In Forreste! I don¡¯t want you discussing with my prisoner in code,¡± the ginger haired detective snapped, trying to re-establish command of the room. Ne¡¯boo rounded on him so swiftly and with such righteous indignation that the detective was forced to take an unconscious step back. ¡°How dare you detective, question my client without even contacting his legal representative? Not only that, but from your booking sheet it looks like you didn¡¯t even give him a cell for the night but rather kept him shackled to the floor in this airless hole! Not only is that a violation of his rights as a free citizen, but a blatant disregard for the duty of care placed upon you as an officer of the law!" Despite the height difference, Ne¡¯boo was somehow nose to the nose with the officer, his naturally high voice trembling with indignation. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even treat a dog like that!¡± ¡°We¡­ we weren¡¯t interrogating him,¡± the ginger haired officer replied lamely, clearly abashed by the force with which the diminutive lawyer had dressed him down. ¡°Two officers in a locked room with a chained prisoner, as well as a third looking in, would you be able to argue that point in a court of your peers?¡± Ne¡¯boo snapped while Rufi smirked at the detectives from behind the fiery HobGoblin. The detective¡¯s sullen silence was all the response Ne¡¯boo needed. ¡°Now uncuff my client, and we shall be on our way whilst you still have a badge.¡± ¡°Hold on a minute! I can¡¯t do that! At the very least he¡¯s facing assault charges as well as possession of a controlled substance¡­ and resisting arrest." the ginger haired detective huffed, pointing a finger at Rufi. "Yes, I heard about the Troll,¡± Ne¡¯boo sniffed indifferently. ¡°Well then you know if that Troll doesn¡¯t wake up your clients facing life for murder!¡± He puffed out his chest and glared at the HobGoblin, determined not to be cowed in his own interrogation room. Neboo snorted derisively in return and raised one of his thick, leathery brows at the detective. ¡°Please, you really think you¡¯ll be able to prosecute for bodily harm on a damned eight foot four hundred pound Troll? I¡¯m sure a jury would be ever so convinced that your Troll is a victim.¡± The detective opened his mouth to argue but was cut short by Neboo. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time or mine. Would you like to know out of the four hundred and something assault cases involving Trolls in the last three years, as both defendant and plaintiff sided in favour of the Troll? Zero, that¡¯s how many. As for the alleged controlled substance, I¡¯ve already had a word with my good friend, your captain, and he agrees due to my client¡¯s military history and recent clean record that we will plead no contest and pay a fine. As for resisting arrest, you can shove that trumped up charge in the same place that I¡¯ll ram your badge if you try and take this matter any further! Now if you¡¯re quite done wasting my time and taxpayers¡¯ money, we will be going.¡± Both detectives looked at each other completely at a loss. Ne¡¯boo tapped his expensive loafers impatiently and then gestured to Rufi¡¯s chains. The ginger haired detective sucked his teeth and then sighed. ¡°Uncuff him Blake,¡± he said. ¡°But sir¡­¡± ¡°Take the damned manacles off of him!¡± Blake, the dark haired officer, stiffly walked across the room, slapped down his folder, and uncuffed Rufi. ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure lads,¡± Rufi said as he hauled himself to his feet, towering over everyone in the room. ¡°You ever find yourselves down South, look me up, I¡¯d love to repay the hospitality.¡± Rufi swaggered out of the room behind Ne¡¯boo, the delicious look of hate on the two detectives¡¯ faces dulling his aching head. Ne¡¯boo led them out of the precinct in haughty silence. Outside were two cabs and another HobGoblin. He was the rounder, more orange scaled variety. He wore simple homespun clothing more suited to a dock worker than a Villain. His chubby face was swollen on one side, and one of his eyes had puffed shut. He grinned broadly as he saw Rufi walking out. ¡°Pauli,¡± Rufi said with a grin of his own, embracing the portly HobGoblin. ¡°Did you bring him?¡± he whispered in his ear as they hugged. ¡°They already knew. He was waiting for me,¡± Pauli whispered back. ¡°Shit.¡± They separated, and Rufi cupped Pauli¡¯s face, turned it so he could look at his shiner, and tutted loudly. ¡°Who told you to knuckle up with a damned Troll.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t let him ruin those pretty looks of yours, could I?¡± Pauli said with a wolfish grin. ¡°You got the heart of a lion Paul,¡± Rufi chuckled. Ne¡¯boo cleared his throat loudly, and Rufi turned to him. ¡°Thank¡­¡± Ne¡¯boo held up a hand. ¡°Never mind that, nephew. That was foolish. You know better than to go getting drunk and brawling, especially out of our quarter of the city. This could have been very messy if your Uncle hadn¡¯t acted so swiftly.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Rufi said, trying to give the HobGoblin a rueful grin, but it died on his bloody lips. ¡°Get back to the Hall, get yourself cleaned up, and report to your Uncle. Immediately.¡± Ne¡¯boo waved at the driver to open the door to his cab. ¡°And next time have the sense to run, I don¡¯t need my mornings wasted with your foolishness.¡± With that, Ne¡¯boo climbed into his carriage and was gone. ¡°I fucking hate that guy,¡± Rufi growled and spat on the cobbles. "Yeah, but he¡¯s good at what he does,¡± Pauli said, opening their own carriage door. ¡°Come on. Uncle Sam¡¯s gonna have the scales off your ass as it is. Let¡¯s not piss him off further by being late.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starving,¡± Rufi grumbled as he eased himself into the carriage, holding his ribs. ¡°Later.¡± Pauli whistled at the driver, and they took off. "Let''s find out what your Uncle wants first." Book II - Chapter 3 - R&N 3 ¡°What?¡± Ridley stood there, his mouth hanging uselessly, his eyes wide. ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Emily sobbed. ¡°They found him this morning." Emily broke down, hugging her arms around herself, weeping pitifully. Ridley strode around the desk and wrapped his arms around her, a remarkably human gesture and not one Nairo had seen him do before. "Here, take a seat.¡± Ridley pulled out the chair opposite his desk and sat her down, his own eyes were bright and glistening. ¡°He can¡¯t be. Are you sure it was him?¡± Emily nodded, tears streaking down her face. She buried herself in Ridley¡¯s chest and wept. Ridley hugged her tight, his jaw clenched as he fought against his own tears. Nairo felt painfully intrusive in this naked moment of grief. She looked at Mrs. Paper, who was dithering by the door, and motioned for her to bring another cup of tea. ¡°What happened?¡± Ridley asked, his voice gruff. ¡°The-the- the police contacted me this morning. They wanted me to i-i-identify the body. It was him, Ridley. He looked so¡­ in so much pain,¡± she sobbed. ¡°How?¡± Ridley croaked. ¡°They¡¯re saying¡­ they¡¯re saying it was an overdose on-on Burn.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ridley snorted incredulously. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. Quinn wasn¡¯t a Burner!¡± ¡°I tried telling them that! They wouldn¡¯t listen,¡± Emily said, her eyes bright, a desperate, imploring look on her face. ¡°They just wanted to get him identified and move on. I kept saying he wasn¡¯t a-a drug addict! But they didn¡¯t care!¡± ¡°Damn coppers,¡± Ridley growled as Mrs. Paper brought a hot cup of tea for Emily. ¡°Thank you,¡± Emily said, her voice shaking. ¡°Why did they think it was an overdose?¡± Nairo asked, and Emily looked around in surprise; she hadn¡¯t even noticed Nairo sitting behind her desk. ¡°Oh,¡± Emily said. ¡°Coz they¡¯re lazy, bloody pigs who don¡¯t want to investigate anything,¡± Ridley growled. ¡°This is the Sarge, by the way. Sarge, this is Emily Quinn, her father was¡­¡± Ridley¡¯s voice tightened for a moment. ¡°Her father taught me everything I know. He showed me the ropes to the PI game.¡± Nairo bit back a smart remark. Now wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°I¡¯m Sally,¡± Nairo said to Emily with a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± ¡°Thank you. Do you¡­ work with Ridley?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re partners,¡± Nairo said, and for once, Ridley was too distracted to add ¡®junior partner¡¯ to Nairo¡¯s title. ¡°Why do the police believe your father overdosed?¡± ¡°They said he looked just like¡­ the others. That they¡¯ve had dozens of them over the last few weeks. Apparently he had the same signs.¡± The vivid image of Sarita¡¯s gnarled and twisted corpse flashed past Nairo¡¯s eyes. ¡°Did he¡­ look like he was in pain when he passed?¡± Nairo asked. Emily sobbed and nodded. ¡°Were his eyes bloodshot?¡± Again, Emily nodded. ¡°Were his¡­¡± ¡°Enough of the damned questions,¡± Ridley snarled at Nairo. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to establish the facts,¡± Nairo said to him calmly. She could see the agitation in his shoulders and the twist of his face as he forced unshed tears to stay at bay. She had seen Ridley angry, she had seen him frustrated, she had seen him wounded before, but she had never seen hurt like this before. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Emily said, laying a gentle hand on Ridley¡¯s arm. ¡°This is why I¡¯ve come to you. You have to prove he didn¡¯t overdose. Someone killed my dad, and the police don¡¯t care.¡± Ridley¡¯s jaw clenched again, and he nodded to Nairo to proceed. ¡°Was his face a sickly yellow colour?¡± Nairo asked, pulling her notepad in front of her and clicking her pen. ¡°Yes.¡± Nairo saw Ridley shut his eyes and then turn his back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Emily, I know this is painful, but I have to ask,¡± Nairo said. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Emily said, dabbing at her eyes. ¡°You say your father never took Burn?¡± ¡°Of course he didn¡¯t!¡± Ridley snapped. ¡°Quinn was a man. A real man. Sure, he drunk like a fish, but he would never touch that crap.¡± ¡°When was the last time you saw your father?¡± Nairo said, ignoring Ridley. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him in¡­ maybe a few months.¡± ¡°Is that unusual?¡± ¡°No, dad was never around much. He lived a hard life, and he didn¡¯t want to bring¡­ all of that around the family. I saw him more as I got older, but we were never in regular contact.¡± Emily frowned. ¡°So you haven¡¯t seen him for a while. No letters? No correspondence of any sort?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ridley, have you seen him recently?¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°No. I haven¡¯t seen Quinn for maybe a year.¡± Nairo nodded and noted that down. ¡°I know what you''re angling at,¡± Ridley growled at her, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°What?¡± Emily asked. ¡°She¡¯s gonna try and say neither of us have seen him in so long we don¡¯t know what he was doing. Could be he developed a habit in the months since we¡¯ve seen him.¡± Nairo looked up at him. He was right. ¡°I¡¯m just establishing facts and timelines,¡± Nairo said, her voice still placid and calm. ¡°Quinn wasn¡¯t a Burner!¡± Ridley snarled through clenched teeth. ¡°Maybe it would be best if you stepped outside and let me carry on, Ridley. Get some air.¡± It sounded like a suggestion, but Ridley knew it wasn¡¯t. He stood, arms folded obstinately across his chest. ¡°Please Ridley,¡± Nairo added. ¡°You¡¯re too close to this.¡± "It''s okat," Emily said to him, stroking his arm gently. Ridley clenched his jaw and deflated. He grabbed his smokes off the desk and stalked out of the office, slamming the door behind him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about him,¡± Emily said. ¡°He was¡­ so close to dad. Ridley doesn¡¯t have much in the way of family. Dad was all he had for a long time.¡± Nairo gave Emily a small, thin lipped smile and took a breath. ¡°You say you think someone killed your father? Why do you think that?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a natural death,¡± Emily said. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about that sort of thing, but seeing him there all twisted. People don¡¯t die like that.¡± ¡°Why would someone want to kill your father? Did he have any enemies?¡± ¡°Dad moved in some shady circles. You understand, it¡¯s part of the Private Investigator life. But I don¡¯t know about enemies.¡± ¡°Could you think of any reason why someone would want to harm your father?¡± Emily shook her head. ¡°Do you know anything about what he¡¯s been doing recently? Anyone he¡¯s been associating with? Working for?" Emily shook her head again. ¡°Dad didn¡¯t really talk about work. I think he was working a case though.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because when he goes missing for a long time, it¡¯s because he¡¯s working on a case. The last time I saw him, he did say something about having work coming up. I can¡¯t remember any details though.¡± ¡°So you also wouldn¡¯t know about any known associates or anybody he would have been in contact with recently?¡± Emily shook her head. ¡°Ridley would know more about that than I would.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you, Emily. I know this must be so hard for you.¡± ¡°You believe me though, don''t you? Dad wasn¡¯t a junkie. He just wasn¡¯t!¡± Her voice sounded so small and desperate. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nairo replied honestly. ¡°But I promise, Ridley and I will look into it.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Emily said. She sighed and wiped her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± she said. ¡°What do you do when someone dies? I¡¯ve got to make funeral arrangements, and the kids have school in the morning. It¡¯s all just¡­¡± ¡°Take your time,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Grief can¡¯t be rushed. Just take your time and give yourself a chance to grieve.¡± ¡°When you find my dad¡¯s killer. Then I¡¯ll be able to lay him to rest.¡± Emily said, her eyes suddenly hard. Nairo opened her mouth and then closed it, deciding to just give a silent nod instead. Emily gathered her belongings and stood up, wiping her nose. ¡°Thank you for your time¡­ Sally was it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sally.¡± Emily turned and walked out of the door, her tea untouched. Nairo sighed and put her pen down. She leaned back and rubbed her eyes. After a few minutes, she heard the door open again, and Ridley walked back in, soaking wet and stinking of tobacco. ¡°So?¡± he asked Nairo. ¡°You¡¯re not going to like this,¡± Nairo began. Ridley crossed his arms and sat on the edge of his desk. ¡°I¡¯m just speaking as an impartial observer,¡± Nairo said. ¡°He was an isolated, lonely, older man, estranged from his family with no support system. By your own admission, he had a drinking problem¡­¡± ¡°Who doesn¡¯t?¡± Ridley snorted. ¡°No one had seen him for months. Addicts usually become reclusive, to hide their addiction. From what Emily described of the body, it sounded exactly like what I saw this morning with Sarita¡¯s corpse. Twisted face, bloodshot eyes, yellowed skin¡ªall the telltale signs of a Burn overdose. It could be that he was just a casual user and he got some of this Bad Batch. We don¡¯t know how much of it can kill a person. I¡¯m sorry Ridley, but it all points to an OD on Burn.¡± Ridley chewed this around his mouth. His jaw worked from side to side, and his eyebrows knitted together. ¡°Naa,¡± he sniffed through his nose. ¡°Bollocks. You didn¡¯t know Quinn, I did. If he died from an OD, someone poisoned him. He wouldn¡¯t touch that shit.¡± ¡°Emily said he had no known enemies. He hadn¡¯t spoken about being threatened. Usually, when people¡¯s lives are in danger, they make contact with loved ones. They put their affairs in order. Why would someone want to kill your friend?¡± ¡°Coz he was Mack Quinn! One of the best PI''s this city has ever seen. His list of enemies¡¯ll be longer than your arm!¡± ¡°And one of them randomly decides to do what? Force him to ingest contaminated Burn? Emily said they found him in his home. So that means they would have had to break in, overpower him, force feed him Burn, and all without leaving a trace that would raise suspicion,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that sound unlikely to you?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know him,¡± Ridley growled, his eyes darkening. ¡°Quinn was as solid as they come. He hated Burn, Slug, and all that crap. He said junkies were bottom feeders. He would never have become one. And if he was in trouble¡­¡± Ridley stopped. ¡°He would have come to you,¡± Nairo finished for him. ¡°He would have!¡± Ridley said. ¡°And if his life was in danger, would he have come to you?¡± Ridley clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils. ¡°Someone killed Quinn. I don¡¯t know why... Maybe it had something to do with a case he was working, or something.¡± ¡°Every PI''s dream to get murdered on a case, right?¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Ridley said. Nairo sighed. As a copper, she had seen this before. Grief was a strange beast. It made people irrational. It made them hunt shadows and twist truths till they bent and snapped. It made them do anything other than accept they had lost someone. ¡°I¡¯m investigating this case,¡± Ridley said, his tone adamant. ¡°You don¡¯t have to get involved. It¡¯s got nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°My name¡¯s on the door,¡± Nairo said to him pointedly. ¡°Just a technicality.¡± ¡°Ridley you can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Emily came to me!¡± ¡°And it won¡¯t help her to move on if she spends the rest of her life believing someone murdered her father. She needs to accept what has happened and process her pain. Not wait for some impossible justice to soften the blow.¡± Nairo said, her voice firm. Ridley kicked his desk in frustration and began pacing. ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I do. And I¡¯m your friend. If someone killed someone important to you, then it¡¯s important to me too.¡± Ridley was her friend. It had taken her almost half a year of knowing him before she was comfortable enough to vocalise it, but he had her back when she most needed a friend in her corner. If investigating and finding no wrongdoing would help him grieve the loss of his mentor, then she would help him take that journey. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone did kill Quinn, but I¡¯ll help you investigate. How about I set up an appointment with Drake? The coroner is slammed at the minute with all of these bodies, but I¡¯m sure if I asked nicely, he would be able to push Quinn to the front of the queue.¡± ¡°I want to see the body,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it.¡± ¡°And tell that bloodsucker to treat him with care.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a vampyr.¡± ¡°Yeah whatever.¡± Ridley stalked across the office and grabbed his jacket. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To Quinn¡¯s.¡± Nairo sighed and pushed herself back from her desk, grabbing her notepad and mini baton, and followed him out into the stormy night. Book II - Chapter 4 - Rufi 4 It was a dreary midmorning when Rufi¡¯s carriage arrived at Halloway Market on the South side of the city, also known as Goblin Town. The Kith ruled everything from here to the RatHoles and down to the docks. Valderia had been carefully carved into quarters along criminal and species lines, and the whole South belonged to the Goblins. Goblin Town should have been alive with activity at this time of the morning. The market should have been in full swing, selling everything from hide leather from the mountains to Great Trout meat from the lakes of the Goblin homeland, but the pounding rain had kept all but the most hardy old matrons inside. Rufi kept his head down and avoided eye contact with the Goblins on the street. They quickly made their way around the side of the Great Hall, a sumptuous white stone building, handmade by the Goblins themselves. It was a marvel of architecture and art, speaking to the innate craftsmanship the Goblins were famed for. Rufi headed for a small entrance out to the side of the building. He slipped in, and Pauli followed him up the stairs to the small living quarters kept aside for him. The first thing that hit him was the musk of the place. It had the dank smell of a room that had been shut up for weeks. Rufi covered the entire length of his apartment in four long strides over to the far window, and it threw it open. Rufi looked around. Despite having lived here for years, there were no personal effects that showed the apartment was his, no furniture, no pictures, and it was kept so meticulously clean that it looked more like a showroom than a home. There were only four items of furniture: a chest of drawers, a closet, a chair, and a single bed. Rufi eyed his bed longingly, exhaustion crashing over him like a wave at the sight of his simple, well-made bed, the covers neatly tucked, and his pillow resting dead centre of the bed in typical military fashion. With a defeated sigh, the bloodied Goblin pulled off his sullied shirt and sat on the edge of the bed. Pauli dropped his bulk onto the plain wooden chair. They both sat silently, breathing heavily, the night¡¯s mayhem etched across their bruised, swollen faces. A yawn broke from Rufi¡¯s mouth and stretched his swollen jaw painfully. ¡°When was the last time you had a proper night''s sleep?¡± Pauli asked. He already knew the answer, however, as Rufi¡¯s sleeping habits, or lack thereof, had long been a point of contention between them. Rufi shrugged and kneaded his dry, itching eyes with a swollen knuckle. ¡°Two¡­ maybe three days¡­¡± he mumbled. ¡°When did we meet Farah ¡®bout that boat?¡± ¡°Three days ago.¡± ¡°Shit¡­ four days then,¡± Rufi said, managing a small laugh. ¡°I had a decent nap in the lockup.¡± ¡°You need to get some sleep,¡± Pauli said. ¡°When?¡± Rufi snapped irritably. ¡°I¡¯m already late to meet Uncle Sam, then we need to Yarvo the undertaker about that batch of spring onions, and then we got lunch with Parker¡­¡± Rufi trailed off. In his sleep deprived state, he could barely summon enough brain power to remember his cluttered and constantly growing schedule. "Yeah, and about ten other things,¡± Pauli finished for him. He too was worn out by the endless action of their lives. ¡°No rest for the wicked, huh?¡± ¡°Nope, and I must be the worst of ¡®em,¡± Rufi said. He flashed a grin at Pauli, who snorted derisively. At an unspoken signal, they both snapped back into action. Pauli hopped out of his chair and opened Rufi¡¯s closet. He began cycling through Rufi¡¯s lavish collection of suits, all made from the finest fabrics using the most time consuming techniques. Rufi heaved himself off the bed and filled up the basin with cold, clear water. ¡°Pull me out the navy one,¡± he said to Pauli before dunking his face in the icy water. The effect was immediate, the cold shock drove the fatigue from him, waking him up with a sharp backhand. Rufi lifted his face and used a rag to scrub the blood from his face, and then methodically washed the rest of his body, stopping only to wince when he pressed on his wounded ribs. ¡°You wore the navy one to the last meeting,¡± Pauli said as he laid out a simple crisp black three-piece made of blind spider silk harvested from the deepest depths of the Forest, where the canopy was so dense no light could penetrate it. He then ambled over to the chest of drawers and pulled out a fresh white shirt. Then, from the drawer underneath, he pulled out another shirt, this one was slightly shabbier looking and much wider. ¡°You got any of my trousers here?¡± Pauli asked him. Rufi snorted water from his nostrils and emptied the basin while rinsing the blood from the sides. ¡°Check the closet,¡± he replied while filling the basin again. All nighters and regular violence meant Pauli always kept clothes at Rufi¡¯s; over the months he had almost as many of Pauli¡¯s clothes as his own. Although Pauli¡¯s dress sense was far simpler than Rufi¡¯s. He chose to forego the flashy suits for a sturdy waistcoat and thick coarse shirts. Rufi held an enchanted cold stone to his wounded eye while he dried himself off. Pauli busied himself with ironing a crisp white shirt for Rufi. Once he was moderately dry, Rufi pulled open the bottom drawer and popped out the false bottom. Inside was Rufi¡¯s lifeline: his stash. There were half a dozen wax paper wraps and drawstring bags tucked away amongst a few stacks of gold coins. He sifted through them carefully until he found the three he was after. He threw them on to the bed, carefully replaced the false bottom, and closed the drawer. Pauli finished his ironing and began to strip, ready for his own whore¡¯s bath in the basin. Rufi, still shirtless, pulled the chair towards him and sat on the edge of the bed. He emptied the cotton bags into two neat little piles and unwrapped the wax paper, pouring its contents into a third separate pile. His expert claws nimbly separated the three piles into six equal amounts and began mixing them. He then carefully unfurled a thick dock leaf and smoothed it out next to the piles. ¡°Go easy on that Madra, I don¡¯t wanna be twitchy,¡± said a freshly washed and dressed Pauli. "Yeah, yeah, lightweight,¡± Rufi muttered, using his long pinky nail to layer the concoction on to the leaves, adding a little of each as he went. ¡°You got any sugar?¡± Pauli asked as he buttoned up his shirt and straightened his grey drivers cap. ¡°That shit will rot your teeth,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Yeah, but it tastes good,¡± Pauli said with a grin. Rufi looked about his flat and reached into the bottom drawer, pulling out a small jar of sugar. He sprinkled a pinch of sugar over both parcels and cleaned his finger tips with a few surreptitious flicks of his long digits. Now came the part that separated the tadpoles from the Goblins. With a dexterity not suggested by his bulky frame, Rufi twirled the leaf and smoothed the parcel into a perfect cone. He squeezed the ripped edge of the leaf, beads of sticky sap appeared as he squeezed, and with a final twist, he used the sap to stick the parcel together. He handed it to Pauli, who deftly hooked the corner of his bulbous cheek and neatly slotted the parcel into a comfortable hollow like a hamster hoarding food. Rufi finished his own parcel and popped it between his upper teeth and cheek. He gave a satisfied smack of his lips as he felt the numbness spread through his mouth. He pulled on a clean vest, lifted the straps of his suspenders, and lit a smoke. Rufi sat back on his bed, back hunched against the wall with his eyes half closed. He let his saliva mix around the parcel but did not suck on it. Already he felt the familiar warm buzz as his battered body relaxed. After a few minutes, the rest of the concoction kicked in, and he felt a surge of energy rush through him. With a whoop of pure excitement, Rufi leapt off the bed, and the sparkle returned to his eyes. The cold stone had worked its magic, and his right eye opened for the first time that day. Pauli had begun bubbling himself, the incorrigible smile on Rufi¡¯s face brought one to his. ¡°Let¡¯s fucking do this, Paul!¡± Rufi cried, grabbing the HobGoblin by his thick shoulders and shaking him vigorously. ¡°Do what?¡± Pauli laughed, trying to fight out of Rufi¡¯s grip. ¡°Take the world and fuck that bitch! Seize the day and rule it!¡± He yelled, grabbing Pauli in a loose headlock when he escaped his shoulder hold. Pauli bucked against him, still laughing, as he grabbed Rufi around his tapered waist and plucked him from his feet with ease. Rufi cried out in surprise and knocked the chair over as he squirmed in the HobGoblin¡¯s surprisingly strong grip. They tussled briefly and then fell apart, trying to get their breath back. The concoction pumped their blood hard, their hearts alive and jubilant like wild horses in their chests. They squared up, fists raised, panting lightly as they threw ridiculously theatrical jabs at one another. Rufi was aiming exclusively for Pauli¡¯s jiggling stomach. Pauli shot out a jab and caught Rufi lightly square on the point of his chin, hard enough to rattle his whole head. ¡°Knock out! Gone! Sleep!¡± Pauli announced and then emphasised his point by closing his eyes and snoring. ¡°Shame you didn¡¯t do that to the Troll,¡± Rufi chuckled, readjusting the parcel in his mouth. ¡°C¡¯mon, stop pissing around, Uncle Sam¡¯s gonna roast me as it is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m dressed and ready. You¡¯re the one holding us up.¡± Pauli held out Rufi¡¯s shirt for him to slip into. Rufi¡¯s dexterous fingers spidered their way up the buttons while Pauli picked him out a pair of ruby cufflinks and matching tie. Rufi haphazardly knotted the tie, then redid it with more care after a reproachful tut from Pauli. Next came his matching midnight black waistcoat. Three piece suits had made a comeback recently amongst younger Kith, and Rufi, as always, made sure he was ahead of the trend, buying a brand new wardrobe for the third time that year. He buttoned up the waistcoat and tutted at the sight of a loose thread. Pauli caught his eye. ¡°You¡¯re not changing suits.¡± ¡°It¡¯s frayed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not frayed. It¡¯s brand new.¡± ¡°Look.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a loose thread,¡± Pauli snapped, plucking the thread with his sharp claws. ¡°You can make a hole doing that,¡± Rufi muttered reproachfully. He stood tall and tugged the waistcoat from the bottom, making sure the fit was snug but not tight. The waistcoat flattered his taught stomach and tapered waist while accentuating his broad, muscular shoulders. Next came his gold watch, ring, and a lighter. Pauli handed him a shoulder holster, elasticated on one side so it fit perfectly and unnoticeably against his ribs on the left. Rufi walked over to the big oak wardrobe, pushed aside the many hanging suits, and slipped a finger into the corner of the back panel of the wardrobe. The whole panel came away from the wardrobe revealing weapons for every occasion. There were throwing knives, thin stiletto blades, a three foot double headed axe, a two foot double bladed sword, a crossbow, a one-shot miniature crossbow, several different varieties of hammers and hatchets, a phial of acid, and the young Goblin Villain¡¯s weapon of choice: the obsidian tomahawk. In pitched warfare, obsidian was too fragile and would never withstand an impact with steel. In the city, however, people didn¡¯t tend to wear steel armour, and obsidian could deal vicious damage without causing fatal injuries, for the most part. It was more expensive due to them breaking or chipping, but that cost was better than doing time in Black Water for what should have just been a bit of every day violence. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Did you dump all your tools last night?¡± Rufi asked Pauli as he picked his weaponry as surreptitiously as he picked out his clothes. ¡°Course,¡± Pauli said. Rufi threw a pile of weapons on the bed, and silently they began to load up their persons with weapons the same way people fill their pockets with loose change and house keys. First, he tucked a new twinkling tomahawk into the holster strapped under his arm, followed by a stiletto blade in an ankle holster, a switchblade in his pocket, and a cosh tucked into his belt. After a pause, he picked out a thick hunting knife with a knuckle duster built into the handle, tucking it into the back of his trousers. ¡°Really?¡± Pauli said. ¡°Too much?¡± ¡°Just a little.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Rufi sighed petulantly. He untucked the nine-inch blade and threw it back into the wardrobe. He gave a little shuffle to settle all his new arsenal more comfortably and slid on his crisp black suit jacket, loving how perfectly it had been tailored. He buttoned his jacket and walked over to the long, free standing mirror in the corner of the room. There he was, Rufgar Chaw¡¯drak, forty three years old and just coming into his long prime years. He admired his build¡ªsix and a half feet and three hundred and twelve pounds¡ªa powerful, proud, red blooded Goblin warrior. He was the pinnacle of Kith genetics, an apex predator, and he knew it. Rufi slicked back the tuft of jet black hair between the two sharp ears high on his head and grinned at himself. "Aww, he¡¯s a handsome sod, ain¡¯t he?¡± Pauli¡¯s reflection mocked. He pinched Rufi¡¯s cheek and made cooing noises at him. ¡°Piss off,¡± Rufi said, slapping away his thick hands. He turned to Pauli and held out his arms. ¡°How do I look?¡± Pauli kissed the tips of his digits and made a loud smacking noise. ¡°Top class. Why, people will stop in the streets in awe, only to scurry home and tell their families they saw a king¡­ no, an emperor today!¡± He grinned at Rufi with a mischievous twinkle in his beady little eyes. ¡°You know Paul, one day you could just say fine, or yeah, Rufi, you¡¯re looking good,¡± Rufi said, scowling as he smoothed out his jacket sullenly. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Lead the way brother,¡± Pauli said, opening the door and standing to one side. Rufi took a quick look around the room as he patted himself down, making sure he had everything. Who knew when he would next be back here? After a second of hesitation, he grabbed the rest of the grub on the chair and tossed the small packs to Pauli, who pocketed them without a word, then strode out of the flat, whistling to himself. Once Pauli had locked up, he met Rufi downstairs and plucked the smoke he had just lit from his long digits and began toking on it. ¡°Prick,¡± Rufi said as he pulled another smoke out. Rufi leant forward and hooked his sallow cheek with a crooked finger and expelled the sodden green lump of grub that had been nesting in the hollow of his cheek. He spat a wad of green phlegm and shuddered as the final bitter wave washed over him. The rain had finally slowed down to something that could be described as a drizzle. Pauli popped open an umbrella and had to stretch his arm to get Rufi under it. The market was rapidly coming back to life now that the rain had eased like a flower opening its petals after a storm. Awnings were being thrown up, and doors were being flung open. Rufi smiled and waved at the old matrons huddling in their cowls, still haggling viciously, and nodded at the Goblins working tirelessly in Goblin Town¡¯s many workshops and artisan craft houses. Goblin Town had become almost a throwback compared to the city¡¯s other economic centres. Trades were all kept within the clans, and their shops and market stalls were run entirely by Kith. Despite the rain, the stall owners still hailed Rufi, asked after his uncle, and requested him to give him their greetings. Others would offer them their best stock or ask them to stop and have a drink or eat something. Rufi waved them all off politely, touching his hand to his heart every time he refused in a traditional gesture of heartfelt thanks. They arrived at the main entrance to the Great Hall and nodded a greeting at the two hulking guards standing on either side of the doors. They were twins and stood just a shade over seven feet tall and well over three hundred and fifty pounds of brawny, granite hard, muscle. They had short squat tusks and ears almost like a HobGoblin and round eyes that betrayed the threat of their physical presence with their almost palpable simpleness and naivety. They were little more than a couple of mountain boys who found themselves in the big city with no skills or family. They had come to the hall in search of a meal and the comfort of the familiar. Uncle Sam had put them to work on the doors of the Hall as guards. Although there was no actual guard work to do, instead their job was to be servants of the community, to chat with the workers, hold the hand of lost children, and walk the elderly home when it was dark. It was work their cheery dispositions were made for, and their impressive gladiator like appearance added to the overall aesthetic of the Hall. ¡°Alright boys,¡± Rufi said, grinning at the two ¡®guards¡¯. ¡°Morning Shoya,¡± they replied in unison, using the Kith honorific for big brother. It was a title many of the younger Kith used for Rufi, who had status but not the years to be called uncle. ¡°You are healthy and strong, yes?¡± asked one, possibly Dan¡¯jo. He spoke slowly in the way of someone unfamiliar with the language they spoke. ¡°Fighting fit,¡± Rufi laughed, poking one of the massive brothers in his solid stomach, making him squirm and cry out in a way that was most unbecoming for such a monolithic creature. Rufi and Pauli entered the almost cavernous Hall, which was more of a large empty room in keeping with the style back on the mountains. The ground floor was open to any Kith in the community. They could come in and sleep, eat, relax, play board games, converse, or simply sit in silence and sip tea alone with their thoughts. The floor was covered in furs, with a few low tables lined against the walls. In the middle of the Hall was a huge firepit that was used for keeping the place warm in the winter and cooking industrial quantities of meat. This early, the Hall was mostly empty. A few elders sat in one corner playing some sort of board game with little black and white pieces. An old matron slowly and methodically beat the dust and dirt from the furs. A class of younglings occupied another corner, all sat cross-legged and frowning in concentration as they were taught how to read and write in the Kith tongue by a stern old Goblin. Rufi quickly made his way around the main hall to a solid stone staircase. He took the stairs three at a time. At the top, he walked around the ring of the upper tier and through another set of heavy oak doors that led to the corridor outside his uncle¡¯s office. The short hallway to the office was quiet and lined with young Kith sitting outside the nondescript wooden door. None of them spoke. Some shot hot glares or sullen looks at Rufi and Pauli but kept to themselves. These were the assorted young boys of the Goblin Heads, drivers, nephews, and bodyguards, none of them important enough to be on the other side of that door, and it burnt them that Rufi, who was their age or younger than some, was. Rufi swept past them. He had no smiles or jokes now, his face was hardened in an imperious mask. For their parts, the assembled young boys kept their jealous glares for Rufi¡¯s back only. Each of them was perhaps only a few years younger than Rufi, some were older than him, but most would never get to see the inside of that room let alone attend a meeting. Rufi took a breath, straightened his jacket, knocked once, and then entered the room. He stepped through the door into a large, sparsely furnished room that spiritually, if not geographically, had never left the mountains. Animal furs and heads that his uncle had hunted and stuffed himself hung from the walls and covered the floors. The only piece of modern furniture was a grand oak desk opposite the door, reserved purely for meetings with non-Kith. The left side of the room was a workshop where his uncle worked on his incredibly detailed white stone models. In the centre of the room was a dropped circle around a firepit. Six pairs of eyes swivelled to bore holes in Rufi. Arranged in a loose circle, so none sat at their head, were six of the most powerful creatures in the Free Cities, the Jung. Each of them represented one of the six separatist clans that had fought against the centralisation and unification of the hundreds of Goblin clans in the Northern Mountains. The six council members that sat before him had either fought in the civil war or distinguished themselves in the ensuing species war between humans and Kith that took place in Valderia after thousands of Kith were displaced by the violence in the mountains and forced to seek refuge in the unwelcoming Free Cities. There was: Jar¡¯hax Darbba of the Hidea clan, Zoa the smuggler, Bali An¡¯danana Valderia¡¯s Chief Blacksmith, the HobGoblin and his Uncle¡¯s financial advisor Aftor Oblin, Hali ¡®Har the Mother of War, and finally Zafra Har¡¯kad of the Kolak Clan, who, other than throwing around his weight and stirring shit wherever he could, did nothing of import as far as Rufi was concerned. ¡°Nephew¡± Sam¡¯Sun growled, the word escaped his thick lips, narrowly avoiding his thick jurassic tusks as more breath than word. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late, Uncle,¡± Rufi said, his head only slightly bowed in penance as he skirted around the circle to his place, behind his Uncle and definitely not in the circle. ¡°I was a little tied up.¡± ¡°So I heard,¡± Sam¡¯Sun grunted, casting a surreptitious look over Rufi¡¯s bruised face. With a grunt, he swung his powerful head back to the group. ¡°Rolled out of the wrong bed, Ruf¡¯Gar?¡± Zoa said with a titter, and a slight ripple of amusement passed around the circle. ¡°Something like that, Shoya,¡± Rufi replied, a forced smile pulled across his bloodied lips. ¡°Ha!¡± Zafra cried, making a noise like a pelican clearing its throat. ¡°When I was your age, we would fuck all night, fight all day, and we were never even a minute late for morning role call! Isn¡¯t that right, Jar¡¯Hax?¡± ¡°You speak true, Zafra, but these children today." The wizened old soldier sighed and shrugged her thick shoulders. ¡°The city has softened their scales.¡± Rufi¡¯s jaw clenched so hard he heard the enamel pop as he fought back a response. He hung his head as if remorseful to hide the curl of anger on his face. ¡°Our business is concluded here,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said. ¡°Let the circle be broken, and may you be safe in your journeys.¡± The occupants of the circle slowly rose and began filing out of the room, a few hushed conversations taking place as they left. Sam¡¯Sun waited until the door shut before gesturing for his nephew to join him in the circle. Rufi reluctantly sat in front of his uncle. ¡°Brawling with Trolls in Gnommish Territory?" Sam¡¯Sun said, his voice deep and devoid of any inflections. ¡°The situation¡­ got out of hand,¡± Rufi said, picking his words carefully. ¡°I apologise.¡± ¡°Apologise not for actions you do not regret.¡± Rufi swallowed. Uncle Sam had a way of looking into a creature and seeing truth. He couldn¡¯t be lied to. ¡°It was foolish. I understand that.¡± ¡°You could have been killed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not scared of Trolls.¡± Silence stretched between them, Sam¡¯Sun¡¯s heavy breathing filling the air. Rufi kept his gaze carefully low. ¡°We have a meeting. The Kings will hold court.¡± Rufi looked up in surprise. ¡°You will attend with me.¡± ¡°Yes Uncle.¡± ¡°Good. We leave immediately.¡± ¡°Yes Uncle.¡± Rufi¡¯s mind raced. The Four Kings of the criminal underworld meeting was rare, and it meant something was terribly wrong in Valderia. But why was he coming along? Rufi had a sinking feeling in his stomach. This wasn''t good. Book II - Chapter 5 - R&N 5 Thunder had rolled in by the time they arrived at Quinn¡¯s office. The crackle of lightning was in the air. Thunder boomed over their heads as they approached the rundown little yellow brick basement flat. Clearly Ridley had learnt his real estate tastes from Quinn, as the deceased PI had chosen a veterinary shop¡¯s basement as his flat/office. Ridley had been silent the entire journey. He had stared out of the window and chain smoked the entire ride down South. Quinn¡¯s office was in one of the adjacent back alleys to the teeming docks. The Goblin controlled docks were the lifeblood of the city and one of the main reasons it had become a centre of commerce and political power within the Forest. Night and day ships came into the docks carrying goods from as far as the Abweigh Deserts and as exotic as the Lands of Nor and Quess. They were also the centre of most black markets and illicit goods that were smuggled into the city, which may have been why a PI thought it was a good place to make his base. The docks still teemed with life. Even the driving rain couldn¡¯t stop the buzz of activity, but it could certainly slow it down. The backroads were less bustling. In fact, Nairo hadn¡¯t seen a single soul out on the cobbles since they had entered the spidery alleys. The only sound was the pounding rain and the ominous rumbles of thunder in the distance. They approached Quinn''s flat from the rear entrance that backed onto a nearly flooded alleyway and walked down a short flight of steps to the back door. Ridley tried the door handle, and it was unlocked. ¡°Quinn would never have left the place unlocked,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°The police probably didn''t have the key to lock up after they left,¡± Nairo said, and Ridley ignored her. He pushed the door open and then hesitated before stepping into the gloom. The office, much like Ridley¡¯s former place of business, doubled as Quinn¡¯s home. The place had the trapped, lived in smell of a person who didn¡¯t get many visitors. There were piles of unwashed clothes strewn about and a sink full of unwashed dishes, mainly whisky tumblers. On the countertop, there were half a dozen empty green bottles of cheap spirits and more dotted around the room. It stank of sweat, cheap booze, and smoke. In the centre of the room was the chalk outline of where Quinn''s corpse must have been found. Ridley swept past this, seemingly taking no notice of his mentor¡¯s final resting place. Instead, he made straight for the rickety desk in the corner. He began pilfering through stacks of papers before pulling open the drawers. Nairo stood awkwardly to one side, unsure of what they were looking for and perturbed by the loneliness of the place. There were no pictures. No real personal effects. Quinn had clearly lived here, but it hadn¡¯t been a home. She¡¯d seen bedsits that had a more homely vibe than this hovel. ¡°This isn¡¯t right,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°What?¡± Nairo said. ¡°It¡¯s not right... something¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°What¡¯s not right?¡± ¡°Things have been moved.¡± ¡°How can you tell?¡± Nairo said, looking around at the general slovenliness of the place. ¡°Quinn was fastidious,¡± Ridley said, picking up a small leather bound journal. ¡°Really?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Not about that crap,¡± Ridley said. ¡°About his cases, his notes, his files, you would have liked him. You could have compared notepads.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°All of these papers, they¡¯re in the wrong order. Some of these should have been filed away. And look!¡± Ridley held up a datebook. It looked like several pages had been ripped out. ¡°Maybe he didn¡¯t need those pages anymore?¡± Nairo said. ¡°No. Quinn didn¡¯t rip things out of his date book. This is where he kept all the information about meetings, cases, and payments. He didn¡¯t even like crossing things out. Look!" Ridley thrust the datebook at her. Nairo reluctantly took it and thumbed through it. It was true. Whatever you wanted to say about Quinn¡¯s homekeeping abilities, his note-taking was detailed and precise. There were dates going back almost two years. Case notes, payment details, names, addresses, and everything else he could scrawl into the margins. ¡°And what was it doing out like that?¡± Ridley continued, his eyes were flicking around the dim room restlessly searching for more evidence to fit his premise. ¡°Quinn didn¡¯t just keep it out. It was always locked away in that draw. And that draw is always locked.¡± ¡°Maybe the police¡­¡± ¡°Quinn hid the key. He hid a lot of this stuff. He was one of the best PI¡¯s in the city, he didn¡¯t just leave stuff like this out in the open where anyone could find it.¡± ¡°At least now I know where you got your paranoia from,¡± Nairo said, examining the torn out pages of the date book. Ridley was right. There was not a single other page torn out. Quinn seemed to prefer a simple system of ticks and little x¡¯s rather than deleting or removing anything. "Ridley, this doesn¡¯t prove...¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± Ridley said. ¡°It¡¯s not right. This whole place feels wrong.¡± ¡°Maybe because someone died in here. Someone who meant a lot to you.¡± ¡°No. It ain¡¯t that. Someone¡¯s been in here. Looking for something.¡± ¡°The police have been in here. Could be they moved things about.¡± ¡°This ain¡¯t random cop nosiness. Someone was looking for something particular. Does that datebook say anything about the most recent case he was working on?¡± Nairo tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and flicked through the date book to the most recent entries. ¡°No. In fact, it ends about two months ago. That¡¯s where the pages are missing.¡± Ridley¡¯s eyes flashed in the darkness. ¡°Didn''t Emily say he was working a case?¡± ¡°She assumed. She hadn¡¯t seen him in months and guessed that he must be working a case, and that¡¯s why she hadn¡¯t heard from him. She didn¡¯t know for certain.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°See those bottles,¡± Ridley said, pointing at the counter while peering around the single foldable bed in the corner. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°That¡¯s pickled rice wine, Gnommish swill, it¡¯s bloody horrible. Quinn would only drink that stuff when he was on a case. It was like a tradition for him.¡± Nairo looked at the bottles, her stomach gurgling at the thought of pickled rice wine. ¡°Quinn was working a case. Look at the state of this place. He didn¡¯t live like this. He was working something hard... You said two months worth of dates were missing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s been on the scent for two months and he gets too close? Finds something out he shouldn¡¯t have? So they kill him. Stage it to look like an overdose. Then they pilfer through all of his notes and remove any evidence of themselves. It¡¯s a good cover up. OD¡¯s are in the papers and the gossip rags daily at the minute. They poison him, leave the coppers to make their assumptions, and no one ever investigates.¡± ¡°It sounds plausible,¡± Nairo admitted. ¡°But what could he have been investigating that would make someone not only want to kill him but to plan such a careful murder? Come on, Ridley, you know most murders are committed by someone the victim knows, and they''re very rarely ever that clean. It¡¯s usually in the heat of the moment.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare but not impossible,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Could have been a professional hit. Maybe they hired someone.¡± ¡°Or maybe your friend was at the end of his string,¡± Nairo said, trying to keep her voice gentle. ¡°This place, Ridley... it doesn¡¯t speak of someone who was healthy and happy. It screams that the person who lived here was isolated and depressed and slowly drinking themselves into an early grave. The simplest answer is usually the correct one. Coming up with an elaborate conspiracy involving poisoning and mystery assassins is just you trying to avoid facing the reality of the situation.¡± Ridley narrowed his eyes at her and turned away. He dropped to his knees and yanked at the bed. ¡°Ridley, what are you¡­¡± Ridley yanked harder and pulled the little fold up bed away from the wall. He scurried behind it and began running his fingertips along the skirting board. ¡°You see, that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, Sarge.¡± Ridley muttered as he followed the skirting board around the room. ¡°You didn¡¯t know Quinn. The man was brilliant. He could sniff the truth out from ten miles away. He could tell you if someone was lying just by listening to the pitch of their voice. I once saw him beat up four men in a pub with a drink in his hand, and he didn¡¯t spill a drop. Quinn had a mind like no one I¡¯ve ever met. He wasn¡¯t some sad drunk. He was a PI, and he was one of the best.¡± ¡°All PIs are drunks,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Yeah fair. But it doesn¡¯t mean their suicidal or drug addicts, and I¡¯ll prove it!¡± Ridley stopped his mad scramble around the room. He stood up and began tracing his finger up an almost invisible line that stopped halfway up the wall. It looked at it curiously. He looked to the left and right, tracing his fingers around the wall like a blind person reading braille. "Come on, Quinn," Ridley muttered. "What have you hidden for me?" "Ridley..." Nairo said, but she shushed and continued feeling around the wall. "What''s that?" Ridley muttered, tracing his finger over something on the wall. He then looked up and seemed to be tracing a seam in the ceiling backwards, over his head. He turned around and looked over Nairo¡¯s shoulder and gave a short bark of triumphant laughter. He brushed Nairo out of the way and began feeling up the brickwork behind her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nairo asked him. ¡°You see Quinn was smart, or as you like to call it ¡®paranoid¡¯, he hid things and not just behind locked drawers.¡± Ridley grunted as he found a brick that moved. Jamming his fingers into the space around it, he wiggled the brick until it slid out. "You see Sarge?" He said with a cocky grin. ¡°What? What¡¯s in there?¡± Nairo asked, standing on her tiptoes to see in. Ridley turned and flicked on his lighter to look into the hole, and there was... ¡°Nothing,¡± Ridley said. "Oh." For a moment, Ridley looked despondent, and then anger flashed across his face. He spun and hurled the brick at the wall behind him. ¡°It can¡¯t be like this!¡± he shouted. ¡°Quinn didn¡¯t OD! He wasn¡¯t a fucking junkie! There has to be something here! Quinn would have known someone was trying to kill him! He would have left me a clue! He would have!¡± Ridley slumped against the kitchen counter, his back to Nairo as he slammed his fists on the countertop, making the bottles rattle. ¡°Ridley,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I know there¡¯s something here! I know it! I¡¯m just too fucking stupid or blind to figure it out!¡± ¡°Ridley.¡± ¡°Save it, Sarge! I don''t need your feel good psycho mumbo jumbo right now...¡± ¡°Look!¡± Nairo said, pointing in the direction he had thrown the brick. Ridley turned around. The brick had broken in half when it hit the wall. It was hollow. Rolled up papers had fallen out of it and began to unfurl. ¡°I knew it!¡± Ridley howled. He ran across the room and scooped up the pieces of paper. He brought them back over the window where the light was better and began to lay them out on the countertop. ¡°They¡¯re a bunch of dates?¡± Ridley said, his eyes flying across them. ¡°They¡¯re all from the last two months,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Except those two. That¡¯s in the future, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Far in the future,¡± Ridley said. ¡°This one¡¯s for tomorrow, though.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the usual place?¡± Nairo asked, reading the scrawl next to the two dates. ¡°The Preston graveyard,¡± Ridley said. ¡°A graveyard?" ¡°Quinn used to like meeting clients there.¡± ¡°At a graveyard?¡± ¡°Perfect place. Anybody there is too wrapped up in their own shit to pay any attention to two people meeting. It¡¯s quiet. And if anybody¡¯s trying to listen in, it would be pretty obvious.¡± ¡°I guess. But what time?¡± Ridley shrugged. ¡°Quinn was never a morning person but could be any time.¡± ¡°And you think he was meeting someone there?¡± ¡°Has to be. Why else would he be there?¡± Nairo nodded and then continued to read through the pages. ¡°Look at the bottom of that page, it just says ¡®HH?¡¯ What does that mean?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ridley said. ¡°But this is it! This is the evidence Quinn wanted me to find! He was working a case and someone did kill him!¡± ¡°Ridley, none of this proves he was killed. How do you know why he put them there or even when?¡± ¡°What, it¡¯s just a coincidence that someone¡¯s ripped out the last two months of pages from his date book, and then we find a secret stash with a bunch of dates that match the missing months? Come on, Sarge! What did you once tell me about coincidences? One coincidence is just a coincidence, two coincidences are a clue.¡± ¡°And what did you once tell me about coincidences?¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Coincidence can either be a detective''s best friend or his worst enemy, just depends on who it''s working for.¡± ¡°Quinn taught me that,¡± Ridley said, a wolfish grin on his face. ¡°There¡¯s a case here, Sarge. Forget that he was my mentor. Forget that I want there to be a case here and just use your own instincts. Something don¡¯t smell right here.¡± Nairo chewed on the inside of her cheek. She had to admit, something seemed off. ¡°Fine,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We can work the case, but I still don¡¯t think Quinn was murdered, and before you go off half-cocked, let¡¯s talk to Drake first. He said he can see us this evening after the coroner¡¯s gone home, and then we¡¯ll get some answers.¡± ¡°Fine by me,¡± Ridley said, but Nairo had the feeling he had only half heard her. He began moving around the room, collecting up every piece of paper he could find. He then walked over to the bedside cabinet and pulled open the drawer. He looked inside and then slowly removed a heavy signet ring with the letter Q embossed on. Ridley held the ring in a shaking hand. He closed his fist around and shut his eyes for a moment. He tucked the ring away in an inside pocket of his coat and turned to the chalk outline for the first time since they had entered the room. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Quinn, I¡¯ll drag whoever did this into light, and I¡¯ll finish what you started.¡± His voice was low and even, full of bloody promise. Book II - Chapter 6 - R&N 6 ¡°Getting anywhere with those?¡± Nairo asked Ridley after almost an hour of silence. ¡°Maybe,¡± Ridley grunted. They were sitting in the coroner¡¯s waiting area. Drake had promised them they could see the body after hours, yet despite the sun already setting, the coroner¡¯s office was still buzzing with activity. Since they had arrived, three more bodies had been wheeled in with dark sheets over them. It was a never ending parade of corpses. Everyone looked exhausted and short tempered. Uncharacteristically, Ridley had waited patiently. Usually by this point he would have had at least two arguments with the receptionists, stormed off, found something to eat, and chain smoked his way through a whole pack of smokes. That part had happened actually, but otherwise he sat pouring silently over the sheets of paper they had found. ¡°All the dates correspond,¡± Ridley said to her. ¡°They¡¯re all real, apart from the future date at the bottom.¡± ¡°So we can assume Quinn was logging something?¡± Nairo said, glad to finally have some conversation. ¡°Quinn always kept a paper trail for every client he did work for. He said it was the best way to ensure you didn¡¯t get stiffed on the payments.¡± ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you have learnt that from him?¡± Nairo said, attempting a playful smile, and was met with a stone wall. ¡°Don¡¯t like paperwork,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Quinn always said a strong paper trail always doubles as solid blackmail material and an alibi for the coppers.¡± ¡°Smart man, Mr. Quinn.¡± ¡°Yep. He was careful. Cautious. He always set the meeting place. He always went early. He did his research on every client. That¡¯s how he stayed alive and out of jail for so long. PI''s mix with unsavoury types every day and Quinn didn¡¯t have your high moral standards when it comes to clientele.¡± ¡°Is this about that pervert that wanted us to follow his ex-wife?¡± ¡°That would have been a good paying job,¡± Ridley said. ¡°But Quinn liked to work with the underbelly of society. He said they paid the best, and most of the time what they wanted was fairly straightforward. Blackmail material, incriminating evidence to disappear, information on rivals, that sort of stuff.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine why anybody would want to kill him,¡± Nairo said flippantly. When she saw the hurt in Ridley¡¯s eyes, she quickly apologised. ¡°Sorry. Bad joke.¡± ¡°All your jokes are bad,¡± Ridley said, giving her the ghost of a smile. Nairo gave him a wry smile in return. ¡°So what about HH?¡± she asked. ¡°Could mean anything. Like I said, Quinn was a touch paranoid, it could be someone¡¯s name, a place, an event, it could be anything.¡± Ridley said, frustration creeping into his voice. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why he would be so cryptic. If I was meant to find this, then he should have at least given me a clue, somewhere to look, anything!¡± ¡°Maybe you weren¡¯t meant to find it,¡± Nairo said. ¡°If he wasn¡¯t murdered then he wouldn¡¯t leave any clues for you to find, right?¡± Ridley didn¡¯t say anything, his mouth was a hard slash, and his brows furrowed as he stared at the grimy floor tiles. ¡°Ms Nairo?¡± the receptionist said. ¡°The junior coroner will see you now.¡± ¡°Finally,¡± Ridley growled. He folded up the papers and tucked them away in his coat before standing up and stalking across the floor. They made their way down some steps to the basement labratory of the morgue. The last time Nairo had been in here, they had snuck in through the backdoor to examine the mangled corpse of Benny ¡®Two Coats¡¯ Tuco, who had his head near ripped off by a magical Diamond. ¡°Hello Sally,¡± Drake said as they walked in. Drake was tall and thin to the point of physically lilting. He always had a little stoop in his back and had a habit of wringing his hands like everything was just too much for him to bear. He was dressed in a blood spattered apron and was wearing rubber gloves over his long, spindly fingers. His gangly height, pale skin, and macabre profession had led Ridley to assume he was a vampyr. ¡°Hello Drake, thank you so much for doing this,¡± Nairo said, giving him a warm smile that coloured Drake¡¯s pale cheeks. ¡°Oh anything for a friend,¡± he murmured. ¡°Hello Ridley.¡± ¡°Dracula,¡± Ridley said, giving him half a nod. ¡°Oh, haha,¡± Drake gave a nervous little titter. ¡°I get it¡­ because you think I¡¯m a vampyr.¡± "Yeah, you¡¯re definitely not a vampyr,¡± Ridley said, giving him a little wink. ¡°Hush,¡± Nairo snapped at Ridley. "Drake, did you have a chance to examine the body?¡± ¡°Ahh yes I did, Mr. Quinn, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I am just waiting for the final paperwork to be signed off. It should be here in a few minutes. Would you like something to drink?¡± Drake asked. Ridley looked around, and the corpse strewn room. ¡°No thanks,¡± he said. Drake nodded and stood awkwardly for a moment. "It¡¯s so nice to have a name with the body for a change. I¡¯ve inspected dozens of John¡¯s and Jane¡¯s in recent weeks.¡± ¡°All of them overdoses?" Nairo asked, looking around the room. Every bit of space was taken up by bodies covered in white sheets. The room smelt uncomfortably like a butcher¡¯s shop. Nairo¡¯s stomach gurgled, and she tasted bile in the back of her throat, but she forced the feeling down and tried to keep her composure. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Yes,¡± Drake sighed. ¡°It¡¯s worse than people know. This tainted Burn is ripping through the drug addicts like a plague.¡± ¡°So it''s confirmed its a tainted batch?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°The papers are still calling them overdoses.¡± ¡°Well, strictly speaking, they are. But this strain of Burn seems to be almost four times as strong, and this is why so many are dying. They are using the usual amount, and it is too powerful. We haven¡¯t been able to inspect any of it down here, but I have a friend in the police lab, and they say it has been mixed with some other substance they can¡¯t identify, and that is what is killing the addicts. Especially those with lower tolerances. Many more are getting sick and dying from vomiting and diarrhoea. The lucky ones are those who go to sleep and never wake up again.¡± ¡°How awful,¡± Nairo said, the sick feeling churning in her stomach again. ¡°Is it¡­ deliberate? Did whoever brought it into the city know?¡± ¡°This I can¡¯t say,¡± Drake said with a shrug of his bony shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, drug dealers are pretty stupid,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it past them to have cut it with something and not realise they would be killing of their users.¡± ¡°Stupidity or deliberate malice, I don¡¯t know which would be worse,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Well ain¡¯t too many people gonna cry over a bunch of dead junkies,¡± Ridley said. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for all these rich kids and famous people popping their clogs, nobody would even care.¡± At the mention of famous people, Drake made a little noise, like a squeak, and then covered his mouth with his hands. ¡°What?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Is it feeding time?¡± ¡°What? No. I shouldn¡¯t¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be professional,¡± Drake said. ¡°Then you definitely should,¡± Ridley replied, his natural instinct for juicy gossip pricked his attention. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear it from me,¡± Drake said. ¡°Never do,¡± Ridley replied while Nairo mouthed the words along with him and rolled her eyes. ¡°I just carried out the examination on Lana LaRue,¡± he said the words with an excited titter. ¡°That dead starlet?¡± Ridley said. Drake¡¯s eyes grew wide, and for the first time since meeting him, Nairo saw a flash of anger in his eyes. ¡°Mr. Ridley, she was much more than that! Lana LaRue was a generational talent. Her acting¡­¡± Drake had a dreamy look in his eyes. ¡°When she wept on stage, things stirred in my soul. She could make a whole audience laugh or cry with just a flicker of her eyelashes! Lana was being prepared to take over stage business in this city, that is, until she met such a cruel end.¡± Drake looked sadly down at the floor, his eyes moist. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were such a fan of the theatre,¡± Nairo said to fill the awkward silence. ¡°Oh yes,¡± Drake said, nodding his head. ¡°I dreamt of being on stage since I was a little boy, but alas, my big, clumsy feet and stage fright put an end to my dreams.¡± ¡°How did she die?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Overdose,¡± Drake said. ¡°She overdosed the same as the others, but, judging from the damage to her body, she took a dose far bigger than any other I¡¯ve seen so far. Her beautiful organs were... ravaged.¡± ¡°One actress OD''s, and now suddenly the whole city is up in arms about the drug epidemic,¡± Ridley said, rolling his eyes derisively. ¡°We lost a bright star, Mr. Ridley, and now our world shines less bright because of it. Although the gossip was she was planning to retire young and disappear from the life of fame. Lana was a sensitive soul. She was too kind and pure for the cutthroat world of showbiz. I heard her only dream was to get married and have a family, living in obscurity out in the Forest.¡± Drake¡¯s voice dripped with admiration as he held his hand to his heart. ¡°It is always the best of us that go young.¡± ¡°I imagine being Burner might have had something to do with it too,¡± Ridley said, and then was elbowed in the ribs by Nairo. ¡°Don¡¯t be callous,¡± she said to him. ¡°What? Why would someone who has the world at their feet, gold, fame, and a legion of admirers be doing Burn? It¡¯s so stupid.¡± Ridley said. ¡°Mr. Ridley,¡± Drake said with as much steel in his quavering voice as he could manage. ¡°The stage is a cruel place. The pressure on someone so young¡­ you couldn¡¯t even fathom what she was going through. I¡¯m not surprised she needed something to take the edge off.¡± Luckily, there was a knock at the door before Ridley could snipe back. A young woman in a white frock came in and handed Drake a manilla file. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Dearly.¡± Drake opened the file and took a deep threat, trying to compose himself. ¡°Your Mr. Quinn died of an overdose,¡± he said bluntly. ¡°How do you know?¡± Ridley said. ¡°He has all the same signs of a Burn overdose: bloodshot eyes, yellowing of the skin, bleeding in the oesophagus, ruptured blood vessels, and degradation of the heart.¡± ¡°Could anything else cause that?¡± Ridley asked. Drake blinked and looked at him. ¡°Nothing that I know of,¡± Drake said. ¡°It is the exact same presentation as the other OD¡¯s.¡± Ridley clenched his jaw. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Of course I am! This is my job, Mr. Ridley. I am very good at it, and I have looked at nearly fifty corpses that all present in the same way.¡± ¡°I want to see him,¡± Ridley said heatedly. ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be¡­¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°Ridley,¡± Nairo said, laying a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Where is he?¡± Ridley growled again. Drake looked from Ridley to Nairo. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ just through there,¡± Drake said, pointing to a flap of curtain leading into the next chamber of the lab. ¡°But you really shouldn''t.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be quick.¡± Ridley brushed past Nairo and stormed through the curtain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Drake, he¡¯s going through a lot,¡± Nairo said, patting Drake on the arm. ¡°It¡¯s okay Sally, these are hard times.¡± Nairo nodded and then followed Ridley through. He was standing with his back to her, staring down at the corpse of Quinn. His hand was on the white sheet covering the corpse, but he hadn¡¯t pulled it back. ¡°Maybe this isn¡¯t a good idea,¡± Nairo said to him softly. ¡°You don¡¯t want to see him like this.¡± Ridley looked at her, his eyes glistening, but his jaw set stubbornly. He yanked back the sheet, and Nairo looked down at the face of a man in his fifties who had lived life hard. He was pudgy, not fat, just soft around the edges. He had a scruffy grey beard, and his hair had long ago thinned on top. His face was frozen in a grimace of pain, his bloodshot eyes wide and unseeing. Other than the incision wounds from the autopsy, his body was untouched. She heard Ridley¡¯s breath catch in his throat. She saw the slight tremble in his hand, but then it was gone. ¡°What do you see?¡± he asked her, his voice flat. ¡°He looks¡­ he looks like Sarita did this morning,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Does he?" ¡°Yes. Exactly the same.¡± Ridley breathed heavily and began walking around the corpse of his mentor. She noticed he refused to look at Quinn¡¯s face. Instead, he studied his body. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Nairo asked him. ¡°The usual,¡± he grunted. ¡°Defensive wounds. Some clue as to what he was doing or what happened to him before he¡­¡± Ridley stopped. He stared at Quinn¡¯s forearm. There were a series of thin slices on the inside of his arm. Nairo had seen marks like that before: on Benny¡¯s arm. The Goblin had been a burn addict, and Ridley had explained to her that Burners would slice themselves and pack the wound with Burn. It was the quickest and most intense way to get high. Nairo swallowed and watched Ridley. He simply turned the arm back over and straightened up. ¡°Okay,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough.¡± Ridley turned and stormed out of the room. ¡°Ridley, wait!¡± Nairo was about to go after him, but she stopped and looked down at the naked body of Quinn. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have taught him how to deal with his emotions in a healthy way?¡± She asked the corpse before gently laying the cloth back over him. She stood in respectful silence and then after a second of hesitation she reached out and touched his cold hand. ¡°I¡¯ll look after him for you. You just rest easy now, Mr. Quinn.¡± She bowed her head and then followed after Ridley. Book II - Chapter 7 - Rufi 7 Rufi leapt out of the carriage and looked up and down the street, one hand on his chest just a few inches from the concealed tomahawk holstered under his arm. When he was satisfied the street was empty, he ran around to the other side of the carriage and opened the door. Sam¡¯Sun Chaw¡¯drak, despite his hefty bulk, moved surprisingly easy for a creature of his considerable years. He stepped down out of the cab, the whole carriage teetering under his weight, and alighted on the cobbles with only a small grunt. Sam¡¯Sun looked so alien in this urban, backstreet setting. In his whole life, Rufi had only ever seen his uncle outside of Goblin Town on a handful of occasions. The sleeting rain had returned during their journey, but Sam¡¯Sun refused something as Human as an umbrella. He gathered the hem of his thick cloak and held it over his head as he strode into the disused warehouse space that was to be their meeting place. The Four Kings were the rulers of the four compass points of Valderia¡¯s underworld. Between them, they controlled almost all of the major crime in the city, and they got a slice, directly or indirectly, of every creature¡¯s action. If you wanted to break the law in this city, you would do it by their rules and pay their taxes or find yourself sinking to the bottom of a tarpit. The Kings were responsible for keeping a lid on the city¡¯s crime and ensuring nothing newsworthy ever happened. Despite their agreed territorial boundaries and willingness to work together, the Kings were in no way friendly. Peace was mutually beneficial and therefore maintained. It was rare for them to ever need to meet, and if they did, they would take it in turns to host somewhere private and where no other eyes would see them. This was their first meeting in nearly three years and was to be hosted by the Gnommish Triad. Sam¡¯Sun swept up to the abandoned warehouse, and two almost identical Gnomes in dark suits approached him. The Triad favoured dark suits, small rapiers, and wild hair colours. They would grow their tufts of hair long, dye them obscene colours, and tie them back in ponytails. They were also fond of tattoos that depicted their ranks, although in recent times this tradition had lost favour as it had become too easy to identify high ranking members. The Gnomes barred Sam¡¯Sun¡¯s entry to the warehouse and gave him a pair of deep bows. ¡°Sam¡¯Sun sir,¡± the Gnome on the left with bright blue hair said. ¡°The Yano thanks you most graciously for your attendance. If you would please, sir, we would check for weapons.¡± Sam¡¯Sun nodded and stepped to one side. There was no chance any creature would ever pat down one of the Four Kings. Rufi stepped forward and unholstered his tomahawk, took the switchblade from his pocket, and the knife from its leg holster. The Gnomes graciously accepted the weapons and then patted him down. They were almost half Rufi¡¯s height, so he had to awkwardly bend down so they could check his jacket. Once satisfied, they pulled the doors open and welcomed them in. Inside, the warehouse was empty apart from a small bar and a singular table with four chairs pulled up to it, a glowstone set directly above it. The rest of the warehouse was bathed in darkness. Sitting at the table was a single figure, a Gnome dressed in a crisp black suit. His hair was dyed dark black, and he had a small tattoo of a five-pointed star inside a circle on the side of his head. He stood when he saw Sam¡¯Sun and inclined his head respectfully. ¡°Sam¡¯Sun Gana,¡± the Gnome said, using the Gnommish term of respect for an elder male. ¡°Yano,¡± Sam¡¯Sun returned bow with a small nod of his own head. ¡°Please.¡± The Yano indicated for Sam¡¯Sun to sit down. Rufi took two strides to get in front of Sam¡¯Sun and pulled the chair out for him. Sam¡¯Sun grunted his thanks. ¡°You remember my nephew, Ruf¡¯Gar.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the Yano looked Rufi up and down. ¡°You had an eventful night last night, I understand.¡± ¡°Yeah, you could say that.¡± Rufi said, keeping his face carefully neutral despite wanting to snarl in fury at himself. Of course the pub he had fought the Troll in last night would have been under Gnommish control. And of course Uncle Sam had to have used the Gnomes to pull some strings with the police since it was in the Northern boroughs. Rufi hated making himself look like a fool, especially in front of creatures he hoped to one day share a table with. Backing away with a respectful bow, Rufi took his place in the shadows behind Uncle Sam. The Yano waved a finger, and another dark-suited Gnome appeared and handed him a golden bottle with a round bottom. It had an intricate carving of a dragon on it and a label that Rufi couldn¡¯t read. ¡°Kurrhara wine, from the vineyards of my home,¡± the Yano explained. His voice still held the accent of the Gnomes, but he spoke carefully and with great eloquence. Only Gnomes with expensive educations in foreign lands spoke Forreste so well. ¡°Made from grapes that only grow once a decade. This bottle has been maturing since before either of us were born.¡± The Yano poured the amber coloured wine into small fluted glasses with no stems. He placed the bottle down gently and then pushed a glass across the table to Sam¡¯Sun with both hands. Sam¡¯Sun took the glass in his massive hand, using only his index finger and thumb, and took a small sip. ¡°Delightful,¡± he growled. ¡°A good wine is much like a good relationship,¡± the Yano mused, rolling the glass in the light. ¡°Left to mature without too much outside interference creates a beautiful bond and a wonderful wine.¡± He sipped and closed his eyes. ¡°I can almost smell my home. Feel it. Hear the flowing waters and the chirping of the lake birds. So close yet so far away.¡± Sam¡¯Sun nodded in understanding. ¡°Has that business with Terabor been settled?¡± the Yano asked with his eyes still shut. ¡°It is ongoing, but Hali Har assures me we will have a resolution soon,¡± Sam¡¯Sun replied, his glass back on the table, barely touched. ¡°Good. If you need my assistance, the Triad has many friends in Terabor. We would be happy to assist.¡± ¡°In exchange for?¡± ¡°Must there be an exchange?¡± Sam¡¯Sun just looked at him silently. ¡°The Republic has certain interests that may create conflict. Things have¡­ shifted and the Royal family is interested in strengthening bonds with the Mountains.¡± Sam¡¯Sun thought about this, his laconic eyes giving nothing away. ¡°This is a matter we will discuss.¡± The Yano nodded his head and refilled his glass. Rufi heard the sound of another horse pulling up. There was a slight commotion at the doors before they were thrown open, and malevolence incarnated stalked into the warehouse. ¡°Bill,¡± the Yano said, a forced smile on his face. Bill ¡®The Landlord¡¯ Graves stomped into the warehouse, bringing an ephemeral cold with him. Bill was tall for a Human. He was lithe and powerfully built around his shoulders and upper back. He had a long face with an elegant nose made crooked by frequent breaks. A scar ran through his high forehead, through his eyebrow, and across his cheek. The hair on his temples had started to grey. Bill¡¯s eyes were the things that every creature who met him remembered. They were glacier blue and devoid of any compassion or empathy. They were two frozen chips of malice that promised violence without hesitation. He wore a long, navy coloured coat, a simple homespun vest, and a workman''s shirt without the collar. Behind him came a bald headed man with a mouthful of gleaming gold teeth. Rufi narrowed his eyes at the thug. The last time he had seen Golden, Rufi was chained up and hanging from a meat warehouse''s ceiling, and Golden had taken great pleasure in beating him like a pinata. ¡°Not interrupting the tea party, am I?¡± Bill said, his voice a guttural growl that emanated from deep in his chest. ¡°Please, have a seat,¡± the Yano said, indicating the chair opposite Sam¡¯Sun. Bill stalked around to his side of the table and looked at Sam¡¯Sun with a mocking smile on his face. ¡°Hello Sam, good to see you.¡± ¡°And you, Bill.¡± Sam¡¯Sun replied, not raising his eyes to acknowledge Bill. Bill threw himself into his seat and looked from the Yano to Sam¡¯Sun like an animal assessing which one to devour first. The Yano serenely poured another glass of wine and offered it to Bill. ¡°This is Kurrhara wine, from my homeland. It is¡­¡± The Yano didn¡¯t get a chance to finish speaking before Bill picked up the glass and downed it in one. ¡°Hmmm, it¡¯s lovely. I¡¯m not usually a fan of the foreign swill but that is nice. Bit too sweet.¡± He slid his glass back to the Yano for a refill like he was a bartender. The Yano, his face carefully composed, poured another glass and slid it back to Bill who ignored it. ¡°Shall we get down to business?" I hate the smell this far up North,¡± he grunted, leaning back in his chair. ¡°We are not yet gathered,¡± the Yano said. ¡°So? The important ones are here, aren¡¯t they?¡± Bill said, his cold eyes locked on the Yano. ¡°We will observe the rules,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said. "Oh, will we?¡± Bill growled, pushing his chair back, the legs screeching along the floor, as he leaned forward and glowered at Sam¡¯Sun. ¡°Yes.¡± Sam¡¯Sun met his gaze with cool, unbothered eyes. Rufi felt the tension crackle in the air. His muscles tightened and his fists clenched at his side. He wanted nothing more than to tear across the room and rip Bill¡¯s face open. Behind The Landlord, he saw Golden¡¯s teeth glimmering. He would be next. Rufi would yank everyone of those ridiculous golden teeth out of his head. ¡°Fine,¡± Bill said with a sniff, leaning back, the tension disappearing. ¡°Just thought that we were all busy men.¡± Sam¡¯Sun held his gaze for a moment longer. He looked at Bill like one would look at a disobedient child. The door opened again, and two more people entered. The first was Wesley the Weasel. He was a man of average height, average looks, and a below average dress sense. He was wearing a tan bowler hat with a matching tan trench coat, under which he wore a brown corduroy suit with matching tie. He had a verminous, twitchy little face with a sharp pointed moustache that looked like a rat¡¯s whiskers. Behind him came a young woman. She couldn¡¯t have been older than her early twenties. She was just a touch shorter than Wally. She had light brown hair and eyes, olive coloured skin, and a bright white toothed smile. She was dressed simply in a knee length black dress that flattered the small amount of curves that she had and a silken scarf draped around her back and across the crooks of her elbows. ¡°Sorry we¡¯re late,¡± Wesley said, his nose twitching. ¡°Traffic¡¯s a nightmare with all this rain.¡± Wesley walked up to the table and thrust his hand at each of the Kings. ¡°Bill, you¡¯re looking well.¡± ¡°Wesley,¡± Bill shook his hand and squeezed harder than was necessary. ¡°Yano, love the suit you''re looking sharp as always.¡± ¡°Wesley.¡± Yano gave his hand an efficient pump up and down. ¡°Sam¡¯Sun, good to see you again.¡± Sam¡¯Sun grunted, his hand swallowing Wesley¡¯s, his grip firm but not painful. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°It¡¯s been too long. We should do this more often. Maybe on more of a social occasion? You should all come down to the Waca Lounge. We got the best booze and entertainment in the whole city. And our chefs? It¡¯s a miracle I haven¡¯t doubled in size already!¡± Wesley chattered, laughing and patting his growing stomach. ¡°Wesley sweetheart,¡± the young girl said, laying a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get me a drink and let us get on?¡± ¡°Oh right, yeah, gotcha. What¡¯s on tap, Yano?¡± ¡°A beautiful wine from my home country.¡± ¡°Oooh sounds delightful. I¡¯ll grab a couple of glasses!¡± Wesley wandered off to the small bar in the corner of the room while the girl sighed and sat down in the fourth and final seat. She rested her face in her hands, her elbows on the table, and gave each of the Kings a little smile. ¡°Bill.¡± ¡°Delilah.¡± ¡°Yano.¡± ¡°Ms Delilah.¡± ¡°Sam¡¯Sun.¡± ¡°Delilah, niece, you look well.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sam. And let me say, I was greatly concerned when I heard about your incarceration, and so were my brothers.¡± ¡°Suppose they''d be empathetic, wouldn''t they?¡± Bill said, a nasty smile playing on his lips. Delilah ignored his words and continued. ¡°But my brothers are greatly concerned about quite a few things going on in Valderia at the minute. They feel like you¡¯re all losing your grip.¡± ¡°The twins need not be concerned,¡± the Yano said. ¡°And what would they even know about what¡¯s going on out here?¡± Bill growled, leaning forward and tapping his finger on the table. "They know a great many things, Bill. I''m even surprised by it sometimes. Oh, Yano, that thing has been taken care of. You don¡¯t need to worry about your snitch problem anymore.¡± She flashed the Yano a sweet smile before looking back at Bill. ¡°Everyone ends up in Black Water eventually, Bill.¡± Bill curled his lip but left the threat unanswered. Bill might be halfway a psychotic but even he would hesitate before tangling with the Taverly Twins. The Twins and their firm were perhaps the most notorious Villains in Valderia. They were the stuff of legend. Bill commanded the largest force of fighting men. Sam¡¯Sun was a revolutionary and community leader who just happened to have an army of Goblin warriors at his beck and call. The Yano was the underworld representative to the Gnommish Royal family and their Republic with near unlimited resources at his disposal. But the Taverly Twins? They were just two lads from Bowery Street that had fought wars against the entire East End with only a handful of their childhood friends at their side. Even scarier, they won. They had taken on all comers and bullied the entire East End into submission, and they had held off the rest of the Kings from poaching their territory. No one willingly ever messed with the Twins, and them being locked in Black Water for attempted murder didn¡¯t change that. ¡°You see, since my brothers have gone inside, you two have almost caused a species war,¡± she said, looking at Sam¡¯Sun and Bill. ¡°Sam¡¯Sun, you were arrested. And now we¡¯re making headlines with a Bad Batch of burn killing off our customer base. From where they are, things look out of control.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really not good,¡± Wesley said, coming back with a drink for Delilah. ¡°The Twins are not happy¡­ and neither am I. This shit is bad for business. I can¡¯t have actresses OD¡¯ing and all that other shit, it kills the mood, people don¡¯t wanna party with black bloody banners hanging everywhere.¡± ¡°Thank you Wesley, I was just getting to that.¡± Delilah gave him another small smile that never quite reached her eyes. ¡°Of course, sweetie.¡± Wesley gave her a nervous smile and then stepped back into the shadows with the other seconds. "Well, let¡¯s get down to business then,¡± Bill said. ¡°Just what fucking game are you playing Yano?¡± ¡°There is no game, Bill.¡± the Yano responded tersely. ¡°It¡¯s all over the papers. My man in parliament is shitting feathers. The Mayor¡¯s involved.¡± Bill said. ¡°The police are also under pressure,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said. ¡°They have organised a new drug enforcement squad. They will be looking for someone to hang for this.¡± ¡°This is not my product,¡± the Yano said firmly. ¡°Mate, all the Burn comes from you. If it ain¡¯t yours, then who¡¯s is it?¡± Bill said. ¡°You know we only buy from you Yano,¡± Delilah said. ¡°That¡¯s the deal. So any Burn on our streets has come from you.¡± The Yano sighed and then waved a finger to his second. The Gnome rushed forward and placed a parcel on the table. He unwrapped it and laid it bare. In front of them was a quarter kilo of black paste, compressed into a block. ¡°This is it,¡± Yano said, his mouth curling in distaste. ¡°This is the so called ¡®Bad Batch¡¯.¡± Bill and Delilah looked at it while Sam¡¯Sun watched the Yano. ¡°Looks like Burn to me,¡± Bill said. ¡°Because you just sell it, you don¡¯t know it. Look at the red and orange hairs. My Burn has no impurities like this.¡± Yano waved his finger again, and another package was placed on the table. ¡°This is my Burn. You see how it is pure black. How the paste isn¡¯t sticky.¡± He took a little ball and rolled it in his fingers. ¡°This swill here, is sticky, and impure, and mixed with who knows what. It does not even smell right. That is what is killing the users. Not my product.¡± Delilah took the ball from Yano and rolled it thoughtfully in her fingers. ¡°So you¡¯re saying someone else has been selling Burn in Valderia without permission?¡± Delilah asked. Rufi felt his heart quicken and sweat drip down his back. ¡°Worse,¡± the Yano said. ¡°Someone has smuggled Burn into the city and sold it wholesale.¡± ¡°Bullshit,¡± Bill said. ¡°How¡¯s it got into the hands of dealers in all of our territories then?¡± ¡°Because someone in this city is involved. Someone bought the wholesale package, broke it down, and sold it to dealers all over the city,¡± Yano said, ire rising in his usually neutral voice. ¡°Who else could grow and smuggle Burn other than you?¡± Delilah asked. ¡°And who else has enough connections in the drug game to sell that much weight other than you?¡± Bill said accusingly. Rufi¡¯s mouth went dry. It couldn¡¯t be. From where he stood though, he was sure he recognised the wrapping on the impure Burn package. ¡°It was not my organisation,¡± the Yano said firmly. ¡°Why would I sell a tainted product that is killing the users? This is bad for business.¡± ¡°Very fucking bad,¡± Bill said. ¡°Not only is it drawing attention, and not only is it killing off the customer base, but it¡¯s also putting people off Burn altogether. All of my dealers are light this week because people are scared and staying away.¡± Delilah said. ¡°Listen, we¡¯re not saying you done it deliberately,¡± Bill said, his tone almost reasonable. ¡°Maybe you didn¡¯t know it was a Bad Batch. Mistakes happen.¡± ¡°This is not my product!¡± The Yano slammed his hand on the table. Bill''s eyes narrowed, and his whole demeanour changed. He looked like he was about to come across the table and strangle the Yano. The Gnomes behind their leader shifted, their hands falling towards hidden blades. The Yano collected himself and cleared his throat. ¡°I assure you, Mr. Graves, this is not my product. I do not know where it has come from, but I am investigating.¡± Bill snorted and sat back. ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯re gonna investigate yourself?¡± ¡°I hate to say it, but I agree with Bill,¡± Delilah said. ¡°If this was you or someone in your organisation, then you investigating it doesn¡¯t seem right.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡± the Yano said. ¡°I trust that you know how bad this is for your reputation and that if the opportunity to sweep it all under the carpet and avoid admitting wrongdoing comes your way, you would take it in a heartbeat. I would too,¡± Delilah said, picking her words carefully. ¡°I¡¯ll sort it out,¡± Bill said. ¡°I¡¯ll send a couple boys who know how to ask questions.¡± ¡°Your thugs won¡¯t be putting hands on any of my people,¡± the Yano warned Bill. ¡°Let us take care of it,¡± Delilah said. ¡°The Firm has always been good at getting to the bottom of things.¡± ¡°And how do I know it wasn¡¯t one of you?¡± the Yano said. ¡°Perhaps an opportunity came your way to earn a little extra gold outside of our Accord and you did business with a third party. You don''t know the product. Maybe you were given it at a discounted rate and didn¡¯t realise you were selling deadly poison.¡± The three of them looked at each other with naked suspicion. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Bill said, glowering at Delilah. ¡°Ain¡¯t like there¡¯s many rules over East. You could have easily done a deal that cut us out and made you a heap of gold.¡± ¡°Like you wouldn¡¯t stick a knife in any of our backs the first chance you got,¡± Delilah shot back at him. Again, they were locked in a triangle of suspicious looks. ¡°We must have the truth,¡± the Yano said finally. ¡°This is too damaging to our reputations and our business. We must find out who from outside the city sold this tainted product and who within the city distributed it. We must see to it that they are very publicly made an example of. Not only will that deter future encroachment on our business, but it will also restore confidence in the customer base if they know this product did not come from us.¡± ¡°What we need is an unbiased investigator,¡± Delilah said, her eyes sliding to Sam¡¯Sun, followed by the Yano¡¯s and then finally Bill¡¯s cold eyes. Sam¡¯Sun looked at them with a bored expression. ¡°I do not deal in poison,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said. ¡°Exactly,¡± Delilah replied. ¡°You¡¯re the only one with nothing to gain or lose, no matter who is found guilty. And you¡¯re the only one we know for certain didn¡¯t sell the Bad Batch.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Yano said. ¡°Yeah, you and that moral fucking high horse of yours,¡± Bill growled. ¡°And whether you are involved with drugs or not, you know this level of police and media attention is no good for any of us,¡± the Yano said. ¡°There¡¯s famous actresses and children of important people dying, Sam¡¯Sun, if those in power believe we cannot control the filth of this city¡­ then you know what will happen to all of us.¡± Sam¡¯Sun sighed heavily. He thought deeply and in silence. ¡°Whatever the results of this investigation, you will all honour it?" Sam¡¯Sun framed it like a question, but it wasn''t. ¡°Yes,¡± the Yano said. ¡°Of course,¡± Delilah said. Bill crossed his arms and gave a terse nod. ¡°None of my people will be responsible for meting out the punishment?¡± ¡°I will take care of this,¡± the Yano said. Sam¡¯Sun thought again. ¡°Then I will look into it. My Kith does not have any connection with the drug world, but we will investigate. And in the meantime, I suggest we work on removing this Bad Batch from the streets, even if that means all sales have to be shut down for a period of time. The death of that actress has taken hold of the hearts and minds of the public. They will soon turn on us if the deaths continue.¡± ¡°Lana LaRue was a star in the making,¡± Delilah sighed. ¡°From some poor family in the East End. Rose up on sheer talent and the ability to give a blowjob that would make your eyes cross, apparently. Everyone loved her. She was marketed as Valderia¡¯s sweetheart. Sam¡¯Sun¡¯s right, the people loved her, and her death is riling them up in a way I haven¡¯t seen before.¡± ¡°She was a once in a generation talent,¡± Wesley said wistfully from the shadows. ¡°The best ones always go young.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not going to be easy,¡± Delilah said, ignoring him. ¡°Every moron with a one shot is slinging Burn nowadays, but we will see what we can do.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± the Yano said. Again, Bill simply nodded. ¡°Is our business concluded?¡± Yano asked. The three members of the table nodded. ¡°Then let us depart in good health.¡± Bill was the first to rise from the table. He stopped to glare at the Yano. ¡°This better not have been your people, Yano. Coz I¡¯ll paint the fucking wall with the lot of you.¡± Bill didn¡¯t wait for a response. He stalked out of the warehouse, Golden close behind him. Delilah sighed and watched him go. ¡°Honestly, that man has no class.¡± Delilah rose from the table, and Yano and Sam¡¯Sun stood. Delilah came around the table and placed a delicate kiss on each of the Yano¡¯s cheeks and then tiptoed to do the same to Sam¡¯Sun. As she brushed his leathery scales with her cheek she stopped to whisper in his ear. ¡°The Twins won¡¯t be away for so long, and they¡¯re not happy with Bill.¡± She stood back and smiled at them both. ¡°Come Wesley.¡± ¡°Yes dear.¡± Wesley appeared out of the shadows holding Delilah¡¯s coat for her to slip back into it. ¡°Whatever you need Sam¡¯Sun, just let us know.¡± With that, they walked out of the warehouse. Sam¡¯Sun looked at the Yano, and they gave each other a small bow. ¡°If it was one of your people, you should make that right before I can find out,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said, turning and walking out of the warehouse with Rufi behind him. After collecting his weapons, Rufi opened the door to the carriage for his uncle and then stepped in behind him. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Sam¡¯Sun growled at him. ¡°What?¡± Rufi said. He didn¡¯t think so, but his nerves must have been playing on his face. ¡°Just¡­ bit of an intense meeting, that¡¯s all. I¡¯d love to get that fuck Bill in a locked room.¡± ¡°Forget Bill,¡± Sam¡¯Sun growled. ¡°Do you not realise what has just happened?¡± ¡°What? The investigation?¡± ¡°Ha,¡± Sam¡¯Sun grunted. ¡°They have put the knife in my hands and covered us in blood. Now I have to be the one to bring the blade down on one of them.¡± ¡°You¡­ you think one of them sold the Bad Batch?¡± Rufi asked tentatively. ¡°Of course they did. And we will make a vindictive enemy when we out them. But if we do not, we look weak and ineffective. This will not end well.¡± Rufi nodded and swallowed. ¡°You will lead the investigation.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Of course you. The fewer of our people that know about any of this, the better. We cannot be seen to be running errands and cleaning up the mess of the Gratzkys,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said, using the Kith word for non-Goblins, directly translated as ''the soft ones.'' ¡°The level of collusion between us and them is not known to our people. They think we simply have an Accord, not that we actually have involved interests. They would not understand the need for such arrangements.¡± Rufi nodded. ¡°And out of all of the Kith I could trust with this, you probably have the most experience with these poisons.¡± Rufi didn¡¯t say anything to that. Sam¡¯Sun wasn¡¯t wrong. But he also had no idea how right he was. ¡°I will do this for you, uncle.¡± ¡°Make sure there are no mistakes, Nephew. We cannot afford any more attention.¡± ¡°Yes uncle.¡± Rufi swallowed dryly and sat back in the carriage, his mind racing. He had just been tasked by his uncle, and indirectly by the Four Kings, to lead an investigation hunting for¡­ himself. Book II - Chapter 8 - T&W 8 ¡°Stop! Valderia Police! You¡¯re under arrest!¡± ¡°We won¡¯t kick shit out of you if you stop runnin¡¯ now!¡± ¡°That¡­ never¡­ works!¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna kick shit out of you when I catch you!¡± Corporal Timmy Edgewater and his partner Corporal Wally Washbottom raced through Black''s Alley in hot pursuit of the thief. Timmy, slightly less doughy than he had been, still felt like his lungs were going to explode as he struggled to keep pace with his longer-limbed partner. The thief in question was a little potbellied purse snatcher, but he was surprisingly spritely. He threw a left down Hangman¡¯s Lane and leapt a fence going down to Lynford Gardens. ¡°He¡¯s in the gardens!¡± Wally huffed. ¡°You keep on him,¡± Timmy wheezed. ¡°I¡¯ll cut around to the Waterymill exit.¡± Timmy veered off as Wally leapt the fence, catching his foot and tumbling over. He was up in a second, covered in brambles and twigs, as he shot off, limbs flailing like a marionette¡¯s puppet. Timmy willed on his chubby frame, jogging around the fenced gardens, trying to spot their thief. He dodged a horse and carriage and then almost slipped in the horse¡¯s droppings. After a near miss with a gaggle of Gnome matrons who were hurrying through the light rain, their heads bowed, paying no attention to the trundling officer, Timmy saw the Watermill exit to the gardens. He put on an extra, and what was probably his final spurt of speed, and charged towards the gate. Just as he turned the corner, the thief came flying through the gate and barreled straight into him. His head cracked into Timmy¡¯s nose, and they both went flying. The thief¡¯s ill gotten gains spilt across the rain drenched cobbles. The thief was on his feet before Timmy with a rusty blade in his hand. He growled and menaced Timmy with the blade. ¡°Out of me way pig!¡± he snarled. Timmy¡¯s eyes grew wide as he saw the blade. He tried to scramble back to his feet, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to get there before the thief stuck him with that nasty looking blade. ¡°Timmy!¡± Wally roared as he cleared the gate with a single leap. The thief turned just in time to see Wally fall out of the sky and land on him with a thump. They tussled on the soaking wet floor while Timmy leapt to his feet and pulled out his truncheon. ¡°Stop resisting!¡± he cried as he brought down the truncheon on the thief. THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! The thief howled in pain as Timmy laid about his head and arms with the truncheon. Wally extricated himself and was on his feet, truncheon in hand. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ under¡­ arrest!¡± Wally huffed, punctuating each word with a blow of his truncheon. Red faced and sweaty, the two young corporals proceeded to kick shit out of the blade wielding thief until he finally dropped the knife and laid on his belly. Wally bent over double, wheezing and coughing while Timmy slapped the manacles on the thief. ¡°I¡¯m bloody knackered,¡± Wally said. ¡°Why¡¯d yer ¡®ave to go and run for?¡± ¡°Coz you was gonna kick shit out of me!¡± The thief moaned piteously. ¡°We only kicked shit out of you coz you run!¡± Wally said. "Well, I didn¡¯t know that!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve learned a valuable lesson today then,¡± Timmy said as he hauled the thief to his feet. ¡°Don¡¯t go snatching purses and don¡¯t run from Edgewater and Washbottom!¡± ¡°Yer name''s Washbottom?¡± the thief sniggered. ¡°Wot of it?¡± Wally growled at him, menacing him with his truncheon. ¡°Oh ermm¡­ nuffin¡¯, sir.¡± the thief said demurely. ¡°Come on, let''s get this scum back to the station.¡± Wally said to Timmy. ¡°Ooh and some hot tea, I¡¯m starving,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Yeah, might be some sausage in the canteen if we¡¯re lucky!¡± Wally said as they dragged the thief back to the meat wagon parked up around the corner. ¡°You lot got sausages?¡± The thief said dreamily. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a proper sausage in months!¡± ¡°There¡¯s lots of perks to being a copper,¡± Timmy said to him. ¡°Much better than robbing purses.¡± ¡°Yeah, you get a truncheon and a nice uniform,¡± Wally said. ¡°Respect from your community,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Three square meals a day, and the pay ain¡¯t ¡®alf bad.¡± Wally added. ¡°And you get to feel like you¡¯ve made a difference in the world each day.¡± ¡°Plus, kicking shit out of fellas is fun.¡± ¡°Wally!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Kicking shit out of people is not a perk of being a copper,¡± Timmy said. ¡°It ain¡¯t?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Then wot is it?¡± Wally asked. ¡°I dunno¡­ like a part of the job, I guess.¡± ¡°Fun part.¡± ¡°You two certainly kicked shit out of me good and proper,¡± the thief muttered. ¡°Did we?¡± Wally asked. ¡°Yeah. That was maybe¡­ top three shit kickin¡¯s I¡¯ve ever had from a copper.¡± ¡°Did yer here that, Tim? Top three!" ¡°Wait¡­ how many times have you had shit kicked out of you by coppers?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°Oh I dunno¡­ maybe three or four?¡± the thief replied.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Get in the damn wagon!¡± Timmy said, shoving him into the meat wagon. ¡°Cheek of it, I swear.¡± Wally said, shaking his head. ¡°We caught this one snatching purses down Cabery Street,¡± Timmy informed the officer on duty in the meat wagon. ¡°Nicely done, corporals,¡± the officer said with a nod of his head. ¡°Want a lift back to the station?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Timmy and Wally hopped on to the side of the wagon and they took off straight for the Police headquarters. Life was different for Timmy and Wally now. Ever since they had brought in the Human responsible for a brutal arson attack that left a family of Goblins dead six months ago, they were finally being treated with a modicum of respect by their fellow officers. It also helped that Corporal Charlie Nelson, a legend among policemen, now counted them as friends of his and the fact their names had been tied to the backroom whispers about that missing Diamond case. Their fellow officers had stopped making fun of them, at least to their faces, and they were no longer at the very bottom of the hierarchy. Things had been good for Timmy and Wally. They had their special accommodations from the Mayor, the Cap¡¯n knew their names and would even say hello to them on occasion, and they had received a pay raise with an official bump up from Junior Corporals to fully fledged Corporals. Upon arriving at HQ, they leapt from the wagon and brought their prisoner inside. The HQ was buzzing with activity, mainly because most officers were trying to hide out from the rain and were making themselves look as busy as possible, lest they be ordered back out into the storm. Timmy and Wally brought the thief to the duty Sergeant¡¯s desk to get booked in when they were intercepted by another young officer. ¡°Corporal Edgewater? Corporal Washbottom?¡± he squeaked. ¡°That¡¯s us,¡± Wally said. ¡°You¡¯ve been given a special secondment. Your to report to Lieutenant Conway in the basement.¡± The officer saluted smartly and took their thief from them, leaving Wally to look at Timmy, white face. ¡°Special secondment?¡± Timmy said to him. ¡°Oh no,¡± Wally said. ¡°Not again!¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be like that this time,¡± Timmy said, patting his friend reassuringly on the shoulder. ¡°¡®Ow do you know that?¡± Wally said. ¡°Umm¡­ well I don¡¯t. But I¡¯m sure it will be fine. Look, our last secondment didn¡¯t end so badly. We might even get another...¡± ¡°You mention an accommodation and I¡¯ll lamp you, I swear Tim!¡± They made their way down several flights of stairs until they finally reached the basement. Neither of them had been down here before. It was dingy and dim but looked like it had recently been cleaned. They walked along a short corridor until they ran into a weathered detective, juggling a coffee and a stack of papers. He looked like he hadn¡¯t slept in weeks. ¡°What?¡± he snapped at them. ¡°Wot?¡± Wally replied. ¡°Oh umm¡­ we¡¯re Washbottom and Edgewater, we were told to report to Lieutenant Conway.¡± Timmy said. The man looked them up and down and then shook his head, muttering under his breath. ¡°End of the corridor,¡± he said, nodding his head and then walking away, still shaking his head. They kept going until they saw an office with brand new lettering on the door: Lieutenant Roderick Conway Head of the Drug Enforcement Squad ¡°Drug enforcement?¡± Wally read. ¡°Wot¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I dunno,¡± Timmy answered. ¡°Are you going to knock?¡± ¡°Why me? You knock.¡± ¡°I knocked last time.¡± ¡°No you didn¡¯t, I did!¡± ¡°Get in here!¡± a gruff voice barked at them through the door. Timmy and Wally jumped, and then Timmy hastily turned the doorknob. Inside the office was overspilling with piles of papers. They were everywhere. Somewhere deep inside the stacks was a small desk and a grizzled, grey haired detective. The place had the musty smell of damp papers with a slight hint of strong spirits. ¡°What?¡± the grizzled detective barked at them. ¡°Lieutenant Conway?¡± Timmy said hesitantly. ¡°For me sins, yeah.¡± He looked up from his papers and recognised them. ¡°Aren''t you the two wet behind the ear welps that almost got their ears lowered by the Landlord? I thought I recognised your names.¡± Now Timmy looked at him properly, he also recognised the Lieutenant: he had been the one to set them up on the stakeout that led to them being captured and almost killed by The Landlord six months ago. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you¡­ Umm lieutenant, sir.¡± Wally said dumbly. ¡°Yep. It¡¯s me, and it¡¯s you. Shut the door and come in. And drop the rank lad. Call me Conway.¡± Conway said, leaning back in his chair and appraising the two Corporals with a ghost of a smile on his face. ¡°Fits that she would recommend you two.¡± ¡°We were recommended, sir?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°By the former Sergeant Nairo,¡± Conway said. Timmy¡¯s heart skipped a beat at the mention of the name. Sergeant Nairo was the detective who had seconded Timmy and Wally the first time. That case had changed their lives and led them through the darkest corners of the city¡¯s underbelly, almost costing them their lives and their souls. ¡°Wot¡¯s she got to do with this?" Wally exclaimed. "Tim, I told you this was a bad idea!¡± ¡°I reached out to Nairo and asked if she could recommend me officers. Good police that I could trust.¡± ¡°She said she could trust us?¡± Timmy said, feeling his cheeks redden. ¡°Apparently.¡± Conway said. He sighed and ran his thumbs around his waistband and then scratched at his stubbly jaw. ¡°Do you boys know what we do down here?¡± ¡°I thought this was missing property,¡± Wally replied. ¡°Wally!¡± Timmy said. Conway gave a dry chuckle and nodded. ¡°It was, and it was my beat. I was rotting down in the basement for years before Nairo and her PI mate pulled me back into the world. By the sounds of it, she also pushed you boys up the ladder a couple steps. Now, I have the pleasure of being in charge of the new Drug Enforcement Squad.¡± ¡°Wot¡¯s that?¡± Wally asked. ¡°We¡¯re new,¡± Conway said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve heard about all the OD¡¯s and this so called Bad Batch that¡¯s been causing them?¡± ¡°Yessir,¡± they replied in unison. ¡°We¡¯re here to put a stop to that. Find whoever¡¯s smuggling Burn into the city and bring ¡®em to justice. That¡¯s our main focus, but anything to do with illicit controlled substances falls under our purview. Right now though, our only concern is finding this Bad Batch and getting it off the streets.¡± Timmy and Wally nodded along. ¡°To do this, I¡¯ve been given permission to second any officers I need. This will be plain clothes gig for the main part, but you might still need to do some boots on the cobbles work. You¡¯ll be dealing with some of the nastiest little pricks in the city. The drug game is cut throat and violent. You¡¯ll be given temporary bumps in rank to detective while on this secondment, and your pay packet will reflect that. If you do this right, there could be a permanent position for you here. So what do you say, boys? Are you game?¡± Timmy looked at Wally. ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°A bump up to detective?¡± Timmy said. ¡°¡®Ow much extra do we get?¡± Wally asked. ¡°You¡¯re either in or your out, don¡¯t waste my time,¡± Conway growled. ¡°We¡¯re in, sir!¡± Timmy said quickly before Wally could open his mouth. ¡°You can count on us!¡± ¡°Good. This is a tough assignment, boys. I need officers that ain¡¯t gonna be turned by the glint of gold and have the guts to tangle with real Villains. I can¡¯t be holding anyone¡¯s hand.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve dealt with Villains before,¡± Timmy said with a confidence he didn¡¯t feel. ¡°Yeah, kicked shit out of plenty of them,¡± Wally blustered. ¡°Well, there¡¯ll be a bit of shit kicking, but being a detective is more about using yer brains. Thinking tactically. Putting together dots that no one else can even see. We¡¯re not here to rip and run a few street level thugs, we¡¯re looking for the big fish. The top Villain that¡¯s smuggling this shit in by the tonne.¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m gonna put you boys on stakeout work to begin with. We need to collect information and start figuring out the hierarchy. We start with the street level dealers and we follow them up the chain. You¡¯ll be given your assignments shortly. For now, get out of them blues. It¡¯s time to do some real police work.¡± ¡°Yessir!¡± Timmy and Wally gave Conway their best salutes and walked out of the cramped office. ¡°Wally! We¡¯re real detectives!¡± Timmy whispered gleefully. ¡°Yeah,¡± Wally said, looking slightly green. ¡°Oh man Tim, why have we gone and got seconded again for?¡± ¡°Coz we¡¯re bright up and coming stars of the Valderia police force!¡± Timmy laughed, patting his friend on the back. ¡°Trust me Wally, we do this right, and we¡¯re gonna get fast tracked to detective permanently! Trust me!¡± ¡°Oh man.¡± Book II - Chapter 9 - R&N 9 Morning came, and the rain had retreated to a miserable drizzle. Nairo and Ridley had spent most of the morning camped out in the Preston graveyard under a mausoleum roof waiting. They had long ago run out of coffee, and Nairo¡¯s stomach was already grumbling after their meagre breakfast of stale oatcakes. They were sitting with a clear eyeline of a particular bench by a small pond. Graveyards in the rain were somehow more macabre. Nairo shivered into her trench coat as the wind picked up. ¡°Guess you weren¡¯t wrong about Quinn not being a morning person,¡± Nairo said. ¡°He wasn¡¯t usually sober enough to do anything this early,¡± Ridley said with a ghost of a smile on his face. ¡°We would be out most nights until sunrise. I don¡¯t think I saw a morning for like three or four years.¡± ¡°How did you two meet?¡± Ridley shrugged. ¡°I was just a lost kid doing¡­ things I shouldn¡¯t have been. I got involved with a shady crew boosting anything we could get our grubby hands on. One day, we got involved in a missing persons case Quinn was working on. Turns out we robbed the house of an old lady that had gone missing a week earlier, and Quinn caught us fencing some of her jewellery. How the old bastard managed to track us down, I still don''t know." Ridley grinned ruefully at the memory. "You were a burglar?" Nairo asked. She knew surprisingly little about Ridley''s past or anything about his personal life. He seemed to only exist in the present and whatever case he was involved with. Even after six months, she wasn''t even sure what his surname was. "Naa," Ridley said. "Just a little toerag opportunist. But Quinn saw something in me. Dunno what, but he made me an offer. He wouldn''t shop me into the coppers if I helped him track down the old lady." "Did you find her?" Nairo asked, and Ridley shook his head. "Even so," Ridley said. "Quinn took pity on me and brought me under his wing. Showed me the ropes of being a PI.¡± ¡°What exactly is the PI introductory course like?¡± Nairo said. ¡°How to pick locks and antagonise the law?¡± Ridley looked at her and rolled his eyes. ¡°You know there¡¯s a lot of similarities between being a PI and a copper. You investigate, you make deductions, and you learn to tell if people are lying. Except, you also have to learn how to pick clients and jobs that ain¡¯t gonna get you killed or locked up. And if they are, how to make sure it¡¯s worth your while. Besides, I already knew how to pick locks before I met Quinn.¡± ¡°One day you''re going to have to tell me who you are,¡± Nairo said. ¡°And I mean right from the beginning. I want baby pictures and everything.¡± Ridley grinned at her wolfishly and then perked up. ¡°Look!¡± A young woman dressed all in black, carrying an almost comically large umbrella, approached the bench. She looked around sheepishly and then made an attempt to wipe the bench. After a few seconds, she sat down. ¡°Is that Quinn¡¯s client?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Has to be,¡± Ridley said. Together, they stood up and walked across the graveyard towards her. The young woman looked up at their approach and seemed like she was readying to run. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Nairo said with a warm smile on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t be startled. My name¡¯s Sally Nairo, and this is Ridley. Are you here to meet someone?¡± The woman looked them up and down, bit her lip, and then nodded warily. Up close, she was beautiful in a carefully composed way. She had thick lips, accentuated by her choice of bright red lipstick. She had heavy, dark eyes with a bit too much mascara on, and Nairo was sure the perfect little mole next to her nose was drawn on. Her hair was dark brown and tied up under a black beret that matched her black dress, her black coat, black gloves, and her black umbrella. She was young with soft eyes. ¡°Were you here to meet a PI named Quinn?¡± Ridley asked. The woman¡¯s hazel eyes widened at the mention of the PIs name. ¡°Yes¡­ did he send you? Is everything alright? Did he find something out?¡± She had a musical voice, a slight lilt to it that marked her as not from Valderia. ¡°Umm¡­ I don¡¯t know how to tell you this. Nairo began. ¡°Quinn¡¯s dead,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Oh dear.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes glistened with tears as if on cue. ¡°How? What happened? Was it because of-of me?¡± ¡°We¡¯re still investigating the cause of his death,¡± Nairo said, shooting a look at Ridley. ¡°We think he was murdered,¡± Ridley said, ignoring Nairo¡¯s look. ¡°Oh gosh.¡± A single tear ran down her cheek. ¡°Why would he be dead because of you?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Who are you? How did you know I would be here?¡± The woman responded, fear etched across her beautiful features. Nairo glared at Ridley. The woman was obviously frightened and, judging by her outfit, in mourning. The direct approach would only frighten her off. ¡°May I sit?¡± Nairo asked, and the woman nodded. Nairo wrapped her coat around herself and sat down while Ridley lit a smoke impatiently. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Eliza Hartwell.¡± The name sparked a faint memory in Nairo¡¯s mind. ¡°We¡¯re friends of Quinn. Ridley used to work with him. When we heard he had passed we decided to investigate and we came across this meeting in his paperwork. We didn¡¯t know who he would be meeting or why.¡± ¡°What happened to Quinn?¡± Eliza asked. ¡°Poisoned,¡± Ridley said. ¡°We think. But definitely murdered.¡± ¡°Is a theory that we¡¯re working with,¡± Nairo said quickly. ¡°Ms. Hartwell, were you a client of Quinn¡¯s?¡± Eliza nodded and wiped a tear from her cheek. ¡°Oh gosh, all it¡¯s been is death and tears recently. I don¡¯t think I can take anymore of it,¡± Eliza said, her voice faint. ¡°Has someone else died, Ms Hartwell?¡± Nairo asked. Eliza looked at her and then looked away quickly. ¡°What was Quinn doing for you?¡± Ridley said.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Eliza stayed quiet. ¡°Ms. Hartwell, we don¡¯t mean to pry into your personal affairs, but it would really help us if we were able to piece together Quinn¡¯s final days. It might help us figure out what happened to him.¡± ¡°Was Quinn killed because of what you had him doing?¡± Ridley said with barely contained frustration. Eliza¡¯s eyes widened again and fresh tears dripped down her cheeks. ¡°I-I-I¡­ didn¡¯t mean for anything to happen to him,¡± she croaked. ¡°Quinn was such a nice man. Oh gosh, I couldn¡¯t bear it if I got him killed!¡± Eliza broke into sobs. Her thin shoulders shook as she buried her face in her hands. Nairo took the chance to glare at Ridley and mime at him to ease off. Ridley tutted and took a couple steps away from them, staring at the pond as he puffed his smoke. Nairo placed a comforting hand on Eliza¡¯s back. After a few moments, the young woman was able to compose herself and speak. ¡°Quinn was investigating the death of a dear friend of mine. Everyone said she was just another OD, but I knew she wasn¡¯t. Not my Susie. She stopped all that. Went completely clean, and then¡­ and then they found her dead. The police wrote it off as a Burn overdose, and they wouldn¡¯t even listen to me! I told them she didn¡¯t touch the stuff! She never had! But they wouldn¡¯t listen.¡± Ridley¡¯s head twitched, and he made eye contact with Nairo. He didn¡¯t need to say a word, she could see it in his eyes, it sounded all too familiar. ¡°Who was your friend?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°What was her name?¡± ¡°Susan Delaney¡­ well you probably know her by her stage name, Lana LaRue.¡± ¡°The starlet?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. ¡°You¡¯re Eliza Hartwell the singer!¡± Nairo said, realising finally where she recognised her from. ¡°You perform all across the East End! I¡¯ve seen your posters.¡± Eliza gave her a small, well practiced, self deprecating smile. ¡°Yes, that''s me.¡± ¡°Quinn was investigating LaRue¡¯s OD?¡± Ridley said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t an OD,¡± Eliza replied firmly. ¡°You think it was a murder?¡± Nairo asked her. Eliza swallowed and looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know why anyone would want to hurt Susie, she was such a sweet girl. She never hurt anyone, she wouldn¡¯t even speak ill of people, she was¡­¡± Eliza¡¯s voice became strangled and she fought back tears. ¡°And Quinn was investigating, on your behalf, to find out if someone had killed her?¡± Nairo clarified, and Eliza nodded. ¡°I told him everything, and he said that he would look into it.¡± ¡°When was the last time you saw Quinn?¡± ¡°The day after she passed. So two days ago.¡± ¡°Did Quinn say anything when you came to him?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Did he believe you that your friend hadn¡¯t overdosed?¡± Eliza looked up at Ridley quizzically. ¡°I didn¡¯t come to Quinn,¡± she said. ¡°He found me. He believed me straight away. He was the one who suggested that there had been foul play. I thought maybe it had been an accident. Maybe she had taken something and not realised what it was, but Quinn was adamant that someone had done something to Susie.¡± Nairo and Ridley shared a significant look. ¡°Quinn came to you,¡± Ridley repeated. ¡°Yes. He came to the theatre the next morning. He explained who he was, and then he started asking lots of questions.¡± ¡°What kind of questions?¡± Nairo asked, her notebook in her hands. ¡°Oh¡­ umm¡­ he was asking if Susie was worried at all before she died or was she acting strangely. And he was really interested in her new beau.¡± ¡°Her what?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Her boyfriend, although from what Susie said it was more serious than that.¡± ¡°Why was he asking about him?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Because¡­¡± Eliza¡¯s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°He¡¯s an Owner.¡± ¡°What? Like a real one?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Well, on the further out branches of the family tree, but yes, a real Owner.¡± ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Eliza hesitated. ¡°If I tell you all of this, will you¡­ can you¡­ find out what happened to Susie? You worked with Quinn, right? So you¡¯re an investigator too?¡± ¡°We are, yes.¡± Nairo said. ¡°Then please, I¡¯ll tell you everything I told Quinn, just find out what happened to Susie. If someone did hurt her¡­ then they need to face justice. Will you do that?¡± ¡°We will,¡± Ridley said firmly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Eliza dried her eyes on the hem of her gloves. ¡°His name is Friedrich Shumacker. He¡¯s quite a bit older and notorious around Valderia as a playboy. He¡¯s been shacked up with some of the most beautiful women over the years, even though he¡¯s married. He¡¯d been seeing Susie for maybe six months. They were so sweet together, you know? It was like real love. She adored him. She was so young and inexperienced, but Fred, that¡¯s what he prefers to be called, was so good to her. He really did love her. Susie was even planning to leave the stage for him.¡± ¡°I thought she was the next big up and coming star?¡± Nairo said. ¡°She was. They were gearing up to push her to the moon and make her the face of every stage in Valderia. But Susie was a simple girl. All the fame was always just a bit too much for her. She wanted a quiet life. She wanted to have Fred¡¯s babies and settle down somewhere far from the smoke of the city. Her head was full of baby clothes and stars. She was always a dreamer, that girl.¡± ¡°But you said this Fred was married?¡± Nairo said. ¡°How could she have settled down and started a family with him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s an Owner, he does what he wants. You think his wife, sitting back at home with his baby, didn¡¯t know about his philandering? Everyone knew. Fred has¡­ a big appetite, and he satisfies it with gusto. Everyone in the showbiz circuit knows about Fred.¡± Eliza spoke like she had intimate knowledge of Fred¡¯s appetites. ¡°And did Lana¡­ Susie ever say anything to you about any violence between them?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Oh gosh no!¡± Eliza laughed. ¡°Fred¡¯s a teddy bear. He¡¯s more likely to hurt himself than someone else.¡± ¡°Did Susie ever say anything about being worried or afraid of anyone? Could you think of a person that might want to harm her?¡± Eliza chewed her lip. ¡°She was worried, yes. She thought that someone was stalking her.¡± ¡°Stalking her?¡± ¡°Yes. She swore she was being followed and that someone had been in her flat,¡± Eliza said. ¡°How recent was this?¡± ¡°Only a week or so before her death. She was so frightened the poor thing, she never wanted to be alone. She swore she had seen a figure outside her window one night. But Susie was liable to imagine things like that. She was an actress, they¡¯re all a little high strung.¡± Nairo noted all this down. ¡°And you said that she didn¡¯t take drugs?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Not at all?¡± ¡°Well¡­ of course she partied like any of us, but never Burn! You know just the fun stuff. But even that she quit. Gosh, I couldn¡¯t even get her to have a drink at brunch the day before¡­ before she passed. She was serious about cleaning her act up and being a good wife to Fred. She was totally sober before¡­ it happened.¡± ¡°You got a way we can contact this Fred character?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Why do you want to talk to Fred?¡± Eliza asked. ¡°In cases like this where there is no obvious suspect, we have to start eliminating people from our enquiries,¡± Nairo said gently. ¡°And Fred would most likely have been one of the last people to see Susie alive. It would really help us if we could speak to him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s an Owner,¡± Eliza said. ¡°You don¡¯t just get to walk up to him and start asking questions. I don¡¯t even know where he lives or anything.¡± Eliza chewed her lip thoughtfully. ¡°There¡¯s a memorial show for Susie tonight at the Umbry Theatre. Everyone is going to be there, and I¡¯m sure Fred will be too. You could come to that. All of Susie¡¯s friends will be there, if you wanted to find more information that would be the best chance you would have. I could get you in.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ms. Hartwell,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Please, just find out what happened to Susie. I can¡¯t bear anymore deaths.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will.¡± Ridley said. Eliza thanked them and collected herself before leaving. Ridley watched her go, puffing on his smoke. ¡°Married older man running around with a young starlet who¡¯s got big dreams of settling down and starting a family with him while he¡¯s got a wife and kid at home? Could be Fred didn¡¯t have such long-term plans for Susie.¡± Ridley said. ¡°In cases like this, it¡¯s most often the partner that did it,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Could be she threatened to tell his wife, and he had her clipped. But how does killing Quinn fit into it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯re right,¡± Nairo said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I think Quinn stumbled on something, and he was silenced. The two deaths sound too similar and happened too close together to just be coincidences. Two individuals, both dying of ODs despite the people closest to them swearing neither touched the stuff, and there''s also a prior connection between them? That''s too many dots not to consider they join somehow. And now there¡¯s Owners involved? Someone like that would definitely have the gold and the connections to make a problem just disappear.¡± Ridley flicked his smoke into the pond. ¡°Owner or not, if he killed Quinn, I¡¯ll watch him burn.¡± Book II - Chapter 10 - Rufi 10 ¡°So then I had to chase the fucker halfway through the RatHoles. I¡¯m running, and I¡¯m running, and I¡¯m telling him when I catch you I¡¯m gonna do this and I¡¯m gonna do that, you know? I¡¯m gonna take this and shove it there. I''m gonna rip your dick off and feed it to you. You know the usual. Keep in mind though, I can barely fucking breathe at this point and this fuck is still running. We hit the Sherbert building, those big yellow high rises, and now I got fucking stairs to deal with. Halfway up the third flight of stairs, and I think my heart¡¯s about to fall out my arsehole. And then he just stops. Starts twitching and shit. I¡¯m just grateful I don¡¯t have to go up any more stairs. So I¡¯m still threatening him, telling him what I¡¯m gonna do and the fucker keels over backwards. Takes a header over the fuckin¡¯ bannister and falls thirteen floors back down!¡± ¡°Thirteen?¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t no fucking way you chased him up thirteen flights of stairs.¡± ¡°I swear on my tusks.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d he fall?¡± "Well, that''s the the thing. I¡¯m like fuck, I gotta run all the way back down. So now I¡¯m chasing this fuck back down the stairs. I get there, and he¡¯s still alive! He¡¯s all twitching, going blue and shit, holding his throat. Turned out the little prick had swallowed the coins as he was running up the stairs and now he¡¯s fuckin¡¯ choking!¡± ¡°Fuck me.¡± ¡°So what did you do?¡± ¡°I got paid.¡± ¡°Oh you sick fuck.¡± "How?" ¡°I don¡¯t even wanna hear the rest, you¡¯re gonna put me off my food.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Mikkel?¡± ¡°What?¡± Mikkel said. ¡°I got bills to pay. You think it¡¯s cheap having three kids with three women?¡± "Wait, I thought you had four kids?" "Oh shit, yeah." The group of Goblins burst into laughter as the bamboo door to their private room in the Gnommish restaurant slid open. ¡°Finally!¡± Mikkel exclaimed. ¡°I was growing fuckin¡¯ mushrooms waiting on you.¡± Rufi grinned at his friends and stooped to enter the small, bamboo lined room. ¡°Traffic,¡± Rufi said with a shrug. ¡°You alright, Mik?¡± ¡°Rufi, Paulie,¡± Mikkel shook hands with them. Mikkel was one of those annoyingly handome Goblins that knew it. He had fine, almost delicate features, pearl white tusks, and twinkling green eyes, a rarity amongst the Kith. ¡°Pug.¡± Rufi said with a grin. ¡°Rufi! Pauli! Come sit, come sit!¡± Pug, the youngest of the group, had a round face that was always ruddy from incessant Chaaraam leaf chewing. At some point their group had adopted Pug, although none of them was sure when or why. ¡°Chuchy.¡± Rufi extended his arms and embraced the silent, grey suited Goblin. There were very few creatures in the Free Cities that could get that close to Chuch, let alone hug him, but he accepted the gesture with a small pat on Rufi''s back. He then separated and grabbed Rufi''s face, scowling at the swelling around his eye. ¡°Why the fuck didn¡¯t you get me?¡± Chuch growled at Rufi. ¡°What? That thing last night?¡± Rufi said innocently. ¡°Yeah,¡± Chuch said. ¡°It just happened, Chuch. Not like I planned it.¡± ¡°I should have been there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Next time I wanna kick shit out of some fucking Trolls, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re there.¡± Chuch glowered at him and then shrugged. ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡± Chuch nodded tersely at Pauli before ignoring him completely. ¡°Come on, leave ¡®em alone,¡± Mikkel said to Chuch. ¡°Let ¡®em sit down before you start.¡± Rufi shrugged out of his heavy coat and hung it up before easing himself down to sit cross legged facing the door. The room wasn¡¯t large, and it was made even smaller by the hulking Goblins. There were a few cushions to lean against in lieu of chairs and a low square table in the middle. ¡°Can we order?¡± Pug said. ¡°I¡¯m starving.¡± ¡°Tell me something new,¡± Mikkel said. ¡°Drinks first. I got the girl bringing that fizzy Gnome beer.¡± ¡°Ahh that shit gives me gas,¡± Ridley groaned. ¡°Gnommish food always gives me the shits,¡± Chuch said. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t we go to Sollo¡¯s?¡± ¡°Coz we always go to Sollo¡¯s,¡± Mikkel said. ¡°If I have to look at one more brined fuckin¡¯ sausage, I¡¯m gonna lose my mind.¡± ¡°I like brined sausage,¡± Chuch growled darkly. ¡°Oh sure, sure, what¡¯s not to like?¡± Mikkel said, looking away from Chuch¡¯s glower. "So what the fuck happened, Ruf?" Mikkel said, changing the subject swiftly. "I heard there was six of ''em!" Pug said excitedly. "Nine feet tall all of ''em!" Chuch snorted and rolled his eyes. "You ever seen a nine foot Troll?" he growled at Pug. "Well... not really," Pug said with an impish grin. "Coz they don''t get that big," Chuch said. "Only back home, and even then they''re more monster than Troll. Our people wiped out the ones that big centuries ago," he said with a note of pride in his voice. "I would have fuckin'' loved to have been apart of those raiding parties." "Rather you than me," Mikkel said. "So were there six of ''em?" "Would I be sitting here if there was?" Rufi said with a rueful grin on his face. "It was just some fuckin'' Foundry worker on his night off. He had too much to drink and got mouthy so I had to settle his account. No big deal." "Is he... you know?" Pug asked, looking around. "Coppers said he ain''t woken up yet," Rufi said with a non-commital shrug. "Grashnok," Chuch said with a wicked grin on his face. Grashnok was the Goblin title for a Troll Slayer and one of the highest ranks a Goblin warrior could achieve. The title could only be given to a Goblin who had killed a Troll in one-on-one combat. A legendary feat in the Mountains. ¡°We need to talk business,¡± Rufi said, changing the subject, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. "We could have talked business back at the pool hall," Chuch growled, noticing Rufi''s discomfort. ¡°Business we can¡¯t talk anywhere there¡¯s Kith.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s true?¡± Pug said, looking at Mikkel and then Rufi. ¡°What¡¯s true?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°There was a meeting. The Kings?¡± Pug whispered the final word and then looked around like a naughty child frightened of being overheard. Rufi raised and eyebrow and then looked at Pauli who gave a small shrug. ¡°Food first, then business.¡± Rufi said as the door slide open and a small Gnome waitress came in with a tray of pink, fizzy beers. She was dress in the traditional heavy cloth robes of the Gnommish Empire. She had small delicate features and long, fluttering eyelashes. She bowed and kept her eyes low, placing down the tray and then stepping back without turning her back. ¡°Paul, order us some grub.¡± Ridley said while he handed out the beers. Paul spoke to the waitress in surprisingly passable Gnommish. The server was taken aback for a moment before she began to rapidly scrawl down their order. ¡°None of that octopus crap this time,¡± Chuch growled. ¡°In fact, no seafood,¡± Mikkel added. ¡°Ooh, get those crispy rice cake things though,¡± Pug said. ¡°Oh and the duck! They got any duck? And make sure the noodles are spicy.¡± Pauli relayed all this, and the server nodded and bowed her way out of the door, sliding it shut behind her. ¡°So what were you boys talking about?¡± Rufi asked after taking a deep drink of his beer. ¡°You don¡¯t wanna know,¡± Pug said, snorting into his beer. ¡°Just collection dramas,¡± Mikkel said. ¡°I¡¯m telling you when the fuck did it become such a ball ache to get creatures to pay what they owe? I¡¯m up to my fuckin¡¯ elbows in claret at the minute. Used to be you slap a guy around a little and he paid. Now I¡¯m putting in real fuckin¡¯ wet work and they still ain¡¯t paying!¡± ¡°Sign of the times,¡± Pauli said. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± Mikkel asked. ¡°Everyone¡¯s broke. It¡¯s why loans are up and collections are down. Everyone needs more gold, but they can¡¯t afford to repay it.¡± ¡°Why not? There¡¯s gold everywhere!¡± Mikkel said. ¡°Just last week, Bobby¡­ you remember Bobby right?: ¡°Bobby with the teeth?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°No¡­ Bobby Bentnose,¡± Mikkel said. ¡°Oh yeah right, from the Docks.¡± ¡°Right, well just last week I see him at the bar and he¡¯s got three girls on his arms, Slugged out of his cranium, buying drinks for everybody, throwing around gold like he¡¯s shitting it. I ask him, I says Bobby, what¡¯s going on? He tells me, him and that little crew he works with just boosted a crate of melons, and I mean good melons, not soft, not rotted. Quality fucking produce, and he shifts ¡®em on for four gold a piece! They made out like fuckin¡¯ kings!¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Rufi whistled and then burped. ¡°That¡¯s a real score.¡± ¡°Right? And Bobby Bentnose is as dumb a fuck as you can find, and even he¡¯s hittin¡¯ the big time. There¡¯s gold just falling out of people¡¯s pockets right now.¡± ¡°Bobby Bentnose?¡± Chuch said, his voice low and dangerous. ¡°Where do they stay?¡± ¡°Ohh¡­ err¡­¡± Mikkel looked to Rufi, who shrugged. ¡°I dunno. I could find out.¡± Mikkel said. ¡°Do that.¡± They all knew Bobby Bentnose was about to receive a late night visit from Chuch, and he would be relieved of the burden of all that heavy gold. ¡°That¡¯s Faces,¡± Pauli said, continuing the conversation. ¡°Straight goers are suffering more than ever. Folks are spending more on groceries than their rents nowadays. Just to keep a family fed is doing their nut.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess,¡± Mikkel said. "But there''s gold out there, that''s all I''m saying." "Corse there is," Rufi said. "We''re doing better than ever." "Historically, when the economy''s down, the rich get richer, and so do the Villains." Pauli said. "It''s the regular straight ones that feel it." "Read that in a book, did yer?" Chuch snorted derisively. The door opened again before Pauli could respond, and the Gnome waitress returned with another server, carrying to giant metal trays laden with steaming, sizzling Gnommish cuisine. There were heaped servings of thick noodles, racks of meat laid across steaming beds of fragrant rice, stews, skewers of meat, and stacks of buns and dumplings. The Goblins fell on the food. They grabbed handfuls of meat and rice, forgoing utensils, slurped the stews straight from the bowls, and ripped dumplings open to let the steam out. They communicated through grunts and hand gestures as their mouths were constantly full. After almost twenty minutes of solid eating, they began to slow. Pug was spooning waterfalls of noodles into his mouth while Ridley sat back, belched, and lit a smoke. ¡°I needed that,¡± Ridley said, patting his stomach. Chuch had finished long before the others and was surreptitiously cleaning his teeth and claws. Mikkel downed his beer and poured another one for the table. ¡°Chew!¡± Mikkel snapped at Pug. ¡°You''re gonna choke again.¡± Pug mumbled around the noodles and then slurped them up, sweat dripping down his forehead. ¡°Woo that¡¯s spicy!¡± he gasped, gratefully guzzling down the beer Mikkle had poured him. Pauli was dutifully ploughing through the remaining dumplings, dipping them one by one into a dark brown sauce, and popping them into his mouth. ¡°So what are we here for, Shoya?¡± Chuch asked Rufi. Rufi sipped his beer and sighed. ¡°The Kings did meet last night,¡± Rufi said, keeping his voice low. ¡°Shit,¡± Mikkle said. ¡°It¡¯s about this Bad Batch, right?¡± Rufi nodded. ¡°There¡¯s too much heat right now because of it. Especially after that actress''s death, it¡¯s all over the papers.¡± ¡°Lane LaRue, now there¡¯s a piece of ass I could have worn out for weeks,¡± Mikkle said dreamily. ¡°So what did they say?¡± Chuch asked, ignoring Mikkle. ¡°What do you think they said?¡± Mikkle replied. ¡°It¡¯s obviously gonna be the Triad, ight? All the Burn comes through the Gnomes, everyone knows that.¡± ¡°This is what they were saying. Bill and Delilah were pointing the finger at Yano and he pointed right back at them," Rufi explained. "It makes sense. Why would Yano sell a tainted product? It hurts his rep and makes him look bad," Mikkle said. "He ain¡¯t got nothing to gain other than a bit of gold and he''s already got mountains of that. "He said it could just as likely be The Firm or the Landlord. They don¡¯t know the product as well as he does. Maybe they got a line on something cheap and decided to deal around the back and cut him out,¡± Rufi said. "It''s what I would do," Chuch said. ¡°Could definitely see that fuck Bill doing something like that,¡± Mikkle growled. ¡°Could be,¡± Rufi said, glancing at Pauli who looked up only briefly from his dumplings before going back to eating. ¡°Anyway, they all had valid points. They argued it back and forth a bit but one thing they all agreed on was that the OD¡¯s have to stop. It¡¯s bad for all of our interests.¡± ¡°Yeah, dead junkies ain¡¯t good for nobody,¡± Pug agreed. "Shut up Pug, we''re talking." Mikkle clipped the young Goblin around the ear and motioned for Rufi to continue. ¡°Exactly,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Anyway, once they hit that sticking point, they looked to Uncle Sam to settle their squabbles, as usual.¡± ¡°Uncle ain¡¯t got no involvement with drugs,¡± Mikkle said. ¡°That¡¯s why they looked to him,¡± Rufi said. ¡°He¡¯s the only one with nothing to gain or lose. So it was put on us to find out who smuggled in the Bad Batch and who sold it.¡± Rufi looked at Pauli again, and he gave a slight nod of his head, noticed only by Chuch. ¡°Uncle Sam has put me in charge of finding out.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Mikkle said. Pug whistled through his teeth and Chuch raised an eyebrow. ¡°Makes sense,¡± Mikkel said. ¡°You know the game. Them long tusks in the Jung wouldn¡¯t even know where to start.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a big step up,¡± Chuch said. ¡°Working for the Kings.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Rufi said, despite the good food, his stomach had turned sour. ¡°Where do we start?¡± Mikkle asked. ¡°My gold''s still on Yano. Or at least it has to be a Gnome. No one else grows Burn. Would have had to have come from them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Chuch said. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t Yano, it was definitely someone from outside of the city, so finding them might be a longshot,¡± Chuch said. ¡°There had to have been a contact in the city,¡± Mikkle replied. ¡°The way that shit¡¯s spread, it¡¯s everywhere. No one from outside could have distributed it like that. This package has been chopped up and pushed all around the city. That means it¡¯s someone with a lot of connections and someone with the infrastructure to move that much weight. We ain¡¯t talking a kilo or two. The Bad Batch is everywhere, and these deaths have been happening for weeks now. That means we¡¯re looking at maybe somewhere near half a tonne of the shit.¡± ¡°Had to have been someone well connected then,¡± Chuch said. ¡°No stranger could smuggle that much in and distribute it without anyone hearing about it.¡± ¡°But how could they have got it in the Docks without us knowing about?¡± Pug asked. ¡°Quiet Pug," Rufi said quickly. "Listen forget the how, I''ll worry about that. I need you boys tracking down the rest of the Bad Batch. We need it off the streets and we need the deaths to stop. I need you hitting up every dealer you know, focus on where there¡¯s been the most OD¡¯s.¡± ¡°Taking drugs back off the streets?¡± Mikkle said, grinning as he picked his teeth. ¡°Feels wrong.¡± ¡°What are we gonna do? Buy it?¡± Pug asked incredulously. ¡°Don''t be thick,¡± Chuch said. ¡°We tell ¡®em to hand it over or we take it.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Whatever you gotta do, it needs to be gone. We¡¯ve got the full support of the Kings here.¡± "Yeah, and if they don¡¯t like it, they can get their gold back off whatever cunt sold it to them in the first place,¡± Chuch said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Rufi said. ¡°I need you boys on this day and night. We don¡¯t do this then I look like a cunt and even worse, Uncle Sam looks weak in front of the other Kings. Take whatever muscle you need and hit up every contact you have.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Mikkle said. ¡°Once they hear Chuchy is on the prowl for Burn, they¡¯ll be lining up to hand it over.¡± Chuch gave him a grin that showed too many teeth. ¡°Chuch, no killing¡­ if it can be helped,¡± Rufi said. ¡°We don¡¯t wanna draw more attention.¡± Chuch pulled a face and then nodded. There was a knock at the door, and then it slid back. A dark suited Gnome with a purple ponytail and a tattoo on the side of his neck depicting a pair of black wings bowed respectfully at the door. ¡°Ruf¡¯Gar, you honour my restaurant with your presence,¡± he said, his voice flat and lacking the usual clipped Gnommish accent. ¡°Honours all mine, Tiko.¡± Rufi said, incling his head. ¡°Food was delicious.¡± ¡°That is wonderful to hear. But I wish you had let me know you were coming, I would have ensured the best of everything, and of course your meal is my pleasure today.¡± He bowed again. ¡°Much appreciated,¡± Rufi said, raising his glass to the Gnome. ¡°I am sorry to encroach on your evening, but may I speak of business with you?¡± Rufi sighed and looked at the other Goblins. ¡°You boys finish up and get out there. I¡¯ll meet you back at the Hall. Paul.¡± Rufi rose and nodded to Pauli. ¡°You want me with you?¡± Chuch asked. ¡°Naa, I need you out on the streets.¡± Rufi gave his shoulder a squeeze and chose to ignore the suspicious look in Chuch¡¯s eyes. ¡°Can we order another round first?¡± Pug called after Rufi. "Yeah, but don¡¯t get too pissed!¡± Rufi said as he exited the room with Pauli behind him. The last thing he heard was Pug asking the room if they wanted shots. Rufi and Pauli followed Tiko through the winding restaurant, into the bustling kitches and down the basement. They walked past rows of Gnomes packing something up into crates with false bottoms and then through to another room that was little more than a windowless storeroom with a desk in it. Tiko closed the door behind after checking no one was standing outside. ¡°Tiko what the fuck?¡± Rufi said as soon as the coast was clear. ¡°Please tell me it¡¯s not our package.¡± Tiko lit a smoke and then handed one to Rufi, while Pauli took up position just out of Tiko¡¯s eyeline. He ran his hand through his purple ponytail. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Rufi, I swear.¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Rufi leaned back against a crate, his hands on his knees. ¡°This is bad.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me?¡± Tiko said, jabbing a finger at himself. ¡°The Yano has launched a full investigation. Red Hands have been summoned from the homeland. They¡¯re looking into everyone of us. He knows it was one of his own people.¡± ¡°You think that¡¯s the biggest problem we¡¯ve got?¡± Rufi said, looking down at him. ¡°The Kings met last night. They¡¯ve put a full blown investigation in place and, you¡¯ll love this bit, Uncle Sam has put me in charge of it!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, I¡¯m in charge of fucking finding us!¡± Rufi snarled through gritted teeth. Tiko¡¯s expression changed. His eyes narrowed, and Rufi felt like his hand had strayed near his belt, where there was undoubtely a concealed blade. ¡°What does that mean for me?¡± he asked. Rufi stared him down for a moment and then raised his hand. ¡°Relax, you go down, and I go down with you,¡± he said. ¡°But what it means is, I have to come up with answers.¡± ¡°This is good though,¡± Tiko said, his hand dropping from his waist. ¡°You could delay the investigation and give us time.¡± ¡°Would you delay an order from the Yano?¡± Rufi asked him. ¡°No.¡± ¡°And I can¡¯t delay an order from Uncle Sam. The Kith will look weak if we don¡¯t solve this quickly.¡± Tiko rubbed his eyes and sank down on a crate opposite Rufi. ¡°I need your supplier,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Rufi it¡¯s not that simple.¡± ¡°Then make it that simple. They fucking swing for this, or we do. The Kings know someone in the city distributed this shit. And a fucking good job we did of it. It¡¯s everywhere!¡± ¡°They screwed us both, Rufi. If I had known¡­¡± ¡°How the fuck didn¡¯t you know?¡± Rufi growled at him. ¡°I saw the package. The Yano had half a square of it and half a square of real Burn. Even I could tell the difference!¡± ¡°They switched the damn package. They must have mixed it up with some clean Burn¡­ I don¡¯t know. I checked it!¡± ¡°Did you check it all?¡± ¡°Of course not! It was half a tonne of product that needed to be gone the same night!¡± Rufi sat back and toked on his smoke. ¡°Listen, there¡¯s no point of us pointing fingers at each other. We¡¯re both in the shit here, and we¡¯re both liable to get our throats slit if it lands on us.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Right now I need you to tell me who sold it to you.¡± ¡°I don''t know. They used intermediaries, and so did I. Remember, we thought we were being smart by staying as far removed as possible.¡± ¡°Who were their intermediaries?¡± Tiko sighed and played with his gold hoop earring. ¡°Dwarves.¡± ¡°Dwarves!¡± ¡°You said to use creatures that weren¡¯t connected to the Kings!¡± ¡°But fucking Dwarves? Fine, whatever. What Dwarves? Who are they?¡± ¡°They¡¯re a little gem smuggling outfit just outside of the Foundries. They¡¯re nobodies really, but they had the connection.¡± ¡°And they came to you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So you never met the suppliers?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°And you ain¡¯t got no idea who they could be?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Well they have to be Gnomes, right? Nobody else grows Burn.¡± Tiko looked at him like he wanted to argue, but then he nodded. ¡°Most likely yes, they¡¯re Gnomes.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Rufi said, stubbing out his smoke. ¡°I need you to find these Dwarves and press them¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Tiko said quickly. ¡°Even meeting with you right now, I¡¯m taking a huge risk. Like I said, we¡¯re all under investigation. And a Black Wing has no business talking to Kith.¡± ¡°Tiko if we don¡¯t find these lot, we¡¯re fucked.¡± ¡°I know, but I can''t.¡± He lowered his voice and looked around the room, paranoia flashing in his eyes. ¡°My men aren¡¯t my men. I can¡¯t trust anyone, and I certainly can¡¯t take any muscle and go intimidating Dwarves without a very good reason.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Rufi growled, kneading his brow. ¡°Fine. You get me a location and try to make contact on the sly. I¡¯ll go and deal with the Dwarves. And I need you to put together a list of everyone you sold your half to. We need to get to them and make sure they keep their mouths shut.¡± ¡°Okay. Yes, okay, that can work.¡± ¡°Alright, just keep your head and be cool. We¡¯ll sort this shit out. If I can hand over the suppliers and get the rest of the Bad Batch off the streets we should be alright. Once the deaths stop and the papers find something else to print, hopefully the Kings will forget about who distributed it in the city.¡± ¡°Hopefully.¡± Tiko stuck his hand out and Rufi shook it. ¡°We¡¯re in this together, Tiko.¡± ¡°Together,¡± the Gnome repeated. ¡°Up to our fucking necks in it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem Rufi, my neck¡¯s a lot lower than yours.¡± There was no hint of mirth on Tiko''s sombre face. Rufi grinned but he felt the bile churning in his guts again. This was all too messy. If either of them survived this, it would be a miracle. Book II - Chapter 11 - T&W 11 ¡°If this is what detectives do, I¡¯d rather stay a corporal,¡± Wally moaned for the fourth time that day. Since their secondment, Timmy and Wally had been posted up on various street corners staring at little to nothing. Lieutenant Conway had limited intelligence to work with when it came to the drug game in the city and even less manpower. Right now, he was having to patrol corners where the sparse information they had said there was drug activity. Unlike other crimes in the city, it seemed like drug dealing had little oversight or structure. So far they had seen a few transactions happening, but each time they were different dealers and in different places up and down the street. What made it worse was that Timmy and Wally had no idea what was being sold. They were told they were there only to catch Burn dealers, but it was impossible to see what was actually being sold or if any deals were even happening. At one point they had watched two young men shake hands for nearly an entire minute, only for no coins to be exchanged, and both individuals walked away with no further evidence of anything illicit taking place. To compound their misery, every time the rain came back, the streets would completely empty. The previous day they had spent the entire afternoon watching the gutters overflow with not a soul on the cobbles. ¡°Surely there must be a better way than this?¡± Timmy said, sharing Wally¡¯s frustration, as fat drops of rain started falling on the window of the ramshackle little flat they were posted up in. ¡°I¡¯m not bein¡¯ funny,¡± Wally said, which definitely meant he was about to say something offensive. ¡°But I thought this Lieutenant Conway guy was supposed to be a legendary street detective? Shouldn¡¯t ¡®e ¡®ave like a whole bunch of snitches and stuff?¡± ¡°He is a legend,¡± Timmy said. ¡°I heard he once busted an entire Purple Centipede smuggling gang by himself after being kidnapped and picking the locks with a toothpick.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Wally snorted. ¡°But he also spent nearly a decade in the basement in Missing Property. Can¡¯t imagine snitches having that long of a shelf life.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± Wally said. ¡°But I bet ¡®e ain¡¯t got Murphy and Calloway and all them other proper detectives sittin¡¯ on corners and starin¡¯ at nuffin¡¯. I bet they''re doin¡¯ proper police work. It¡¯s just us that gets the crap assignments.¡± Timmy couldn¡¯t disagree with that. After all, everyone else in the squad was a real detective with years of experience. They came from all over the city and every department: Homicide, Robbery, Missing Persons, there was even a detective who worked in the paranormal department. He was a bit whacked and tried to convince Conway they could find the Burn dealers by contacting spirits of dead junkies, but at least he was a real detective. ¡°We just gotta show Conway he can trust us, that¡¯s all.¡± Timmy said. ¡°If we could bring him some proper intel he would take us seriously.¡± ¡°Where we gonna get intel on Burn dealers from?¡± Wally said sulkily. ¡°You know anyone slingin¡¯ Burn? Coz I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°We must know one person involved in the game,¡± Timmy said, his brow furrowed. ¡°Not me,¡± Wally said. ¡°You gotta be a real scumbag lowlife to sell that crap. And I don¡¯t know no one like that. Just normal people that rob and stuff.¡± Timmy¡¯s suddenly sat bolt upright. ¡°Who¡¯s the worst person we know?¡± he said excitedly. ¡°Well there¡¯s Wonky Eye Bob that flashes his bits at old ladies. He¡¯s pretty scummy.¡± ¡°What? No! I mean, we know a snitch, Wally!¡± ¡°We do?¡± ¡°Tommy Plumb! The pimp porno snitch!¡± Wally pulled a face of disgust, and then his eyes widened in excitement. ¡°Oh yeah! ¡®E¡¯s a proper scumbag! I bet ¡®e would know all about Burn!¡± ¡°We could get him to snitch and then take the intel back to Conway! Then he would take us seriously! I bet we won¡¯t be sitting on any more street corners!¡± ¡°Yeah ace! Let¡¯s go!" ¡°Oh but¡­ we can¡¯t leave our post.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± "Because we¡¯ve got orders to stay here.¡± Wally rolled his eyes. ¡°Come on Tim, you¡¯re thinkin¡¯ like a plod again. You need to think like a detective. Detectives don¡¯t hang about looking at empty street corners, they¡­ you know, go and detect things!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. And Conway did say we should follow up on any leads.¡± ¡°Right? And this is a lead. A certified scumbag who¡¯s bound to know where the Burn is getting dealt. Trust me, nothing¡¯s gonna happen on this corner now the rain¡¯s started up again. We can grab a cab, squeeze Tommy Plumb, and be back before our shift¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do it!¡± * Locating Tommy Plumb had been simple enough. His gang operated their seedy operation from an abandoned industrial estate out West and Timmy and Wally knew the address from the last they had to drop in on Tommy unannounced. This time, however, they were going with the full weight of the law behind them. They were still ready to crack some heads and kick shit out of anyone that gave them a problem. One of the thugs on guard outside was a hook nosed vermin named Terry, and he clearly remembered the two officers. ¡°Wot d¡¯you want?" he cried out when he saw them alight from the police wagon. ¡°We ain¡¯t done nuffin¡¯!¡± Terry had borne the brunt of Timmy and Wally¡¯s new found courage under fire six months ago. He was special to the pair as he was the first person they had ever kicked shit out of as partners. ¡°Relax, we¡¯re ¡®ere to talk to your boss,¡± Wally said. ¡°Unless you got a problem with that?¡± Wally narrowed his eyes, his hand falling to his hip where his truncheon was strapped. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°N-n-no corse not!¡± Terry whimpered. ¡°He¡¯s inside.¡± ¡°Thank you kindly,¡± Timmy said as he strode past the thugs. Although Timmy¡¯s legs were a little too short and portly to stride, he did walk with his head held high. Timmy and Wally steeled themselves before walking into the small factory. Tommy Plumb was a pimp and pornographer. Last time they had walked into a startlingly raunchy scene that they were unprepared for. Today was slightly different. The printing press was still churning out stacks of black and white images of nude women, with several greasy men gathered around cutting the pictures and putting them in piles, but at least there was no live sex show today. The place smelt awful. Like old sweat and bodily fluids. It was cloying. ¡°Where¡¯s Tommy?¡± Wally barked at one of the men. They looked up, saw the badges, and then panicked. One man began hastily shoving pictures into his pockets, and another took off running. ¡°Coppers!¡± A voice shouted, high and shrill. ¡°We¡¯re not here to nick you!¡± Wally cried after him, but the man was already worming his way out of a window. In his haste to hide evidence, one of the men got his jacket caught in the printing press. The machine jammed, bucked, and then belched smoke as the man screamed. He was slowly being sucked into the printing press. ¡°Help me!" Wally rolled his eyes and looked at Timmy. ¡°Just take the jacket off!¡± Timmy snapped at the man who was flailing wildly while the other men were still scattering out in blind panic. "Oh, for goodness sake!¡± Timmy walked across the floor and pulled the man out of his jacket. ¡°Wot¡¯s going on out ¡®ere!¡± A nasty, shrill little voice shouted above the din. Timmy and Wally turned and then wished they hadn¡¯t. Tommy Plumb was hard to look at at the best of times. His body and head were just a series of round balls of varying sizes. He had milky white skin that was covered in scabs and pimples. His face was squashed and verminous, with yellowing teeth of all different sizes and angles. And today, he was entirely naked and wearing a little birthday hat on his head. He was also remarkably hairless for such a girthy man. ¡°Oh my,¡± Timmy said, feeling the bile gurgle in the back of his throat. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna be sick,¡± Wally said, blanching, unable to draw his eyes away from the melted butterball of Tommy¡¯s body. ¡°Wot are you lot doin¡¯ ¡®ere again!¡± ¡°Why are you naked?" Timmy said. ¡°Is that a piercing?¡± Wally said, looking down. ¡°I was shaggin¡¯ obviously!¡± Timmy snapped at Tommy before looking at Wally. He reached down and flicked the piercing, giving a horrifying shiver of pleasure. ¡°Feels great when they play with ¡®it.¡± "Oh, I¡¯m gonna puke,¡± Wally said, slapping a hand over his mouth. ¡°Put some damn clothes on!¡± Timmy pleaded. A half conscious woman staggered out of the office behind Tommy, holding a can of grease and a grotesquely phallic root vegetable. ¡°Tom, come back! We¡¯re just getting to the fun stuff!¡± Wally did throw up now. ¡°It¡¯ll have to wait,¡± Tommy grunted at her. ¡°The coppers are here.¡± ¡°Are they joining in? Because you¡¯ve only paid for one and it¡¯ll be extra¡­¡± ¡°Shut up and get inside! And put some clothes on!¡± Tommy snapped at her. ¡°Come on then officers, you¡¯ve spoiled the mood anyway. And you lot get that damn printing press working and go find Jackson! I ain¡¯t paying him if he¡¯s done a runner ¡®alfway through ¡®is shift!¡± Timmy turned and lumbered into the office, giving them the pleasure of watching his cottage cheese like backside wiggle away. "Oh, this was such a bad idea,¡± Wally said to Timmy. ¡°It was your idea.¡± ¡°Why would you listen to me? I never ¡®ave good ideas!¡± ¡°Come on, we¡¯re here now. Let¡¯s find out what we need to know and go.¡± Thankfully, Tommy had pulled on a robe by the time they entered his office. The woman had chosen to remain naked from the waist up and was sitting on a sofa smoking. ¡°Wot¡¯s all this about then?" Tommy snapped at them. ¡°I ain¡¯t done nuffin¡¯!¡± ¡°We¡¯re not here for you,¡± Timmy said. ¡°We need some information.¡± ¡°Huh, I ain¡¯t got no information for you piggies,¡± Tommy said, his beady little rat eyes flicking over to the smoking prostitute. ¡°Oh leave off Tom, everyone knows your a grass,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°You shut your cocksuckers up! I ain¡¯t no grass! But¡­ I mean¡­ wot did yer wanna know? Just out of curiosity?¡± ¡°We need to know who¡¯s slingin¡¯ Burn in the city,¡± Wally said, feeling slightly more composed now that Tommy¡¯s body was hidden by the robe and his desk. ¡°Ha! Who isn¡¯t?¡± Tommy laughed. ¡°You gotta be a bit more spiffic boys. Everyone and their nan is slinging Burn.¡± "Well, who¡¯s selling the Bad Batch that¡¯s killing people?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°Bad business that,¡± Tommy said. ¡°I don¡¯t get meself involved wiv all that. Killed off three of me best girls already.¡± ¡°Then help us find who is selling it so we can bring them to justice,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s so many wannabe¡¯s slingin¡¯ Burn and wotever else nowadays I couldn¡¯t even tell you who¡¯s got it¡­¡± ¡°I can,¡± the woman said, leaning forward and making Wally blush. ¡°Shut up,¡± Tommy said. ¡°You don¡¯t know nuffin¡¯.¡± ¡°Hold on, let her speak,¡± Timmy said, struggling to keep his eyes on the woman''s face. ¡°Miss?¡± ¡°Call me Harley, sweetheart," she replied. ¡°Ms. Harley, any information you can give us would be really helpful.¡± ¡°Save it lads,¡± Tommy said. ¡°You ain¡¯t got enough gold for this one here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what you want for free,¡± she said, shooting Tommy a withering look. ¡°Wot!¡± Tommy said, his bulbous little eyes bugging from his head. ¡°You might have lost three girls, but I¡¯ve lost a lot of friends to that shit,¡± she snapped at Tommy before turning to Timmy. ¡°I don¡¯t know who¡¯s bringing it in, but it¡¯s everywhere. I know that the dealers down in the RatHoles have had it for a while now, and they¡¯re crying out for business, because no one will buy anything from the RatHoles at the minute. They¡¯ve even slashed their prices to entice the Burners back in.¡± ¡°The RatHoles?¡± Wally said, visibly swallowing. ¡°Yeah. They usually sell out of those big wonky towers, easier to see coppers coming. I can¡¯t give you many names, the dealers change all the time, but I do know there¡¯s a big fish who goes by the name of Cameron. He¡¯s some young Face from over East.¡± ¡°Thank you so much, Ms. Harley,¡± Timmy said, furiously scribbling down everything she said in his notebook. ¡°Thank me by catching those bastards, sweetheart.¡± ¡°We will,¡± Timmy said, looking up too quickly and getting an eyeful of naked flesh. His face reddened immediately, and he panicked and started to stare at the ceiling. ¡°Your help has been invaluable!¡± he squeaked. "Yeah, but I think we need to go now!¡± Wally agreed as he stared determinedly at the floor. ¡°And remember that I ¡®elped you out wiv this!¡± Tommy said to them. ¡°One day I¡¯m gonna need a favour from you boys.¡± ¡°Yeah okay, we gotta go!¡± Wally said, flapping a hand at him. Timmy and Wally hastily exited the office. ¡°This is coming out of your time,¡± Harley said to Tommy. ¡°Wot! That¡¯s not fair.¡± ¡°You can either whinge about it or bend over.¡± ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t make a mess with that grease this time.¡± Thankfully, Timmy was out of earshot before he could hear anymore. They burst out of the warehouse doors and didn¡¯t stop until they were safely back in the police wagon, heading back to HQ. Wally shivered and spat out of the window. ¡°That guy creeps me out,¡± he said. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Can we not go back to ¡®im again. For like¡­ a while at least.¡± ¡°Agreed. We need to get a better class of snitch.¡± They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the rain coming down on the wagon¡¯s roof. ¡°Tim?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Wot do you think they was doin¡¯ with that root vegetable?¡± Book II - Chapter 12 - R&N 12 ¡°Is this a memorial or a nightclub?¡± Ridley muttered as they pulled up to Lana LaRue¡¯s memorial service. For once, he wasn¡¯t exaggerating. The memorial was being held at the Umbry Theatre, the largest and oldest theatre in Valderia, and it was awash with the glitz of an opening night. There were expensive carriages everywhere with white horses that looked like they belonged in a best of show. Giant torches lit with Glowstones the size of a Human head shone bright beams of kaleidoscopic light into the night sky. There was even a red carpet with guards checking names. Just outside of the red carpet, separated by a red velvet rope, were throngs of fans and reporters, all trying to snatch the attention of those attending. ¡°Is that Roq Champeaux the QuarkTable player?¡± Nairo said, staring out of the cab window. ¡°And look, that¡¯s that celebrity chef, what¡¯s his name, Finn something.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a whose who of the rich and famous,¡± Ridley said, like he had a bad taste in his mouth. ¡°I wish we had dressed a little nicer now,¡± Nairo said, looking down at her crumpled blouse and mud stained trousers. ¡°We¡¯re here on business, Sarge.¡± Ridley reminded her. ¡°Right of course,¡± Nairo said. They stepped out of their carriage and made a beeline for the red carpet. As soon as Nairo stepped on the plush carpet, she felt the tremendous heat of attention. She felt curious eyes from the masses fall on her. Keeping her eyes low, Nairo followed Ridley to the entrance. ¡°Names?¡± the guard said gruffly. ¡°We ain¡¯t on there,¡± Ridley said. He then flashed the two special invites Eliza Hartwell had sent to their office. The guard looked at the invites curiously and then at them. He looked Ridley up and down and cocked an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re with Ms. Hartwell?¡± he asked sceptically. ¡°We¡¯re with the band,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I play the oboe.¡± ¡°Right,¡± the guard said, but he had no reason to detain them, so he stepped back and allowed them through. ¡°The oboe?¡± Nairo whispered to Ridley after they had walked by. ¡°Yeah¡­ the big pipe right?¡± ¡°I think.¡± Ridley shrugged, and they walked along the red carpet behind an elderly couple that were dressed up like they were on a night out. The woman¡¯s gown had so many sequins on it that Nairo felt herself going cross-eyed as they walked behind them. ¡°Remember,¡± Ridley muttered out of the side of his mouth to her. ¡°We find the Owner and we try and get him alone to question him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how easy that¡¯s going to be,¡± Nairo said. ¡°He¡¯ll more than likely have guards with him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Just focus on finding him and getting a seat nearby.¡± ¡°Right.¡± They walked through the ancient hallways to the theatre proper. It was one of the most sumptuous hallways Nairo had been in. There was thick carpet everywhere that muffled footsteps and equally thick, cream coloured wall paper on the walls. There were posters of old shows lining the walls, displaying the long and illustrious history of the theatre. Some of them dated all the way back to the first days of Valderia. Red jacketed ushers stood at the doors to the theatre, checking tickets and directing people to their seats. Ridley skirted by them and made his way to the upper tier of seating. ¡°You think he¡¯ll be up here?¡± Nairo asked as she followed him up the thin, winding staircase. ¡°The posh nobs usually have the private boxes,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°I doubt we could get into them, so our next best bet is to be up high enough to see into them.¡± At the top of the stairs they stepped into the dimly lit theatre, and for the first time it felt like they were at a memorial service. The entire theatre had been dressed in black. There were long black curtains on the stage, black banners had been hung around the theatre, even the seats had black ribbons tied to them. On the stage there was a giant painting of Lana LaRue surrounded by wreaths of flowers. Nairo stopped to look at the painting. Most portraits were stuffy and composed, but this one burst with life. Lana was laughing with a bright gleam in her twinkling green eyes. She was perfect. Her teeth were straight and white. Her nose was small and cute. She had dimples in both cheeks and the bounciest red hair Nairo had even seen. She was thin but curvaceous enough, with a long neck and perfect, unblemished skin. She almost didn¡¯t seem real. ¡°Sarge,¡± Ridley hissed. Nairo turned around and saw that he had made his way to the far left of the stage, closest to the VIP boxes. Nairo caught up with him as he peered into the boxes. He was attracting the attention of haughty guests around him who tutted and eyed him with open hostility. ¡°Is that¡­ Mayor Pleasently?¡± Nairo hissed. ¡°Shit, it is.¡± Ridley said as he looked into the box furthest from them, the floppy blonde of the Mayor¡¯s hair giving him away. ¡°Everyone really is here¡­ including the Weasel.¡± Ridley nodded his head across the theatre at a box opposite them. Sitting in the shadows of a VIP box with two hulking goons behind him and a young, brown haired woman next to him was Westley the Weasel. ¡°Guess even Villains appreciate the theatre.¡± ¡°It was probably his dealers that sold her the Burn in the first place,¡± Nairo said coldly. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, if you would like to find your seats, the memorial service will begin shortly,¡± a man in a tuxedo shouted from the stage as ushers walked up and down the aisles holding up signs for theatregoers to find their seats. The theatre began to settle down, and the lights dimmed further. Ridley and Nairo took the seats immediately behind them, still curiously searching around, trying to spot their Owner. ¡°Why¡¯s it got to be so dark?¡± Ridley muttered as he peered into each box, trying to figure out which one belonged to Shumacker.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Melancholic music began to play as a hush fell over the audience. ¡°Wait,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Is that him?¡± She pointed to the box next to the Mayor¡¯s. A family had just entered, there was a wife with a black veil, a baby in her arms, a tall man in a black suit who looked like a butler, and another man in an expensive looking black two piece suit. He had dark hair that was greying on the sides, a clean shaven face with a little dimple on his chin, and looked like he had been quite an athlete in his prime years, despite the middle-aged spread in his midsection he was carrying now. The Mayor looked over and greeted him with a sycophantic smile and wave, that the man returned with a small, dismissive nod. ¡°He looks the right age,¡± Nairo whispered. ¡°And he¡¯s got a wife and baby.¡± ¡°And he looks like he was born with a silver spoon shoved up his ass,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Shh!¡± someone from behind them hissed at them. ¡°I think that¡¯s our man,¡± Ridley said, ignoring the shusher. ¡°Keep an eye on ¡®em.¡± They settled back into their seats as the curtain was raised. On stage was a rotund man in a black three piece suit that was barely containing his enormous gut. He was enormous, standing at least six and a half feet tall and with a gut that distended well over his belt line. He had wild black hair that stuck up like it had been shocked. He dabbed his already sweaty brow with a black handkerchief and then dabbed dramatically at the corners of his eyes. ¡°Welcome all, my name is Ozyamdal Litteragi, director, proprietor, writer, and dear friend to the departed.¡± He paused for a polite applause. ¡°It is with the heaviest of hearts that I take to the stage tonight for the final curtain call for our beloved¡­¡± his voice caught in his throat, and he dabbed at his eyes again. ¡°For our beloved Lana LaRue.¡± Again, there was a polite applause, punctuated by sniffles, and the odd sob from the audience. ¡°Lana was the best of us. As sweet and pure as fresh snow. She was the future of our industry and the darling of our hearts. For her to be taken so cruelly¡­ so young¡­¡± again Ozymandal¡¯s voice broke, and this time he sobbed. He covered his face with the black handkerchief as his shoulders trembled. More weeping broke out in the audience. A young girl ran on to the stage from the wings and hugged him. Nairo watched the Owner¡¯s VIP box. Shumacker looked unmoved. Literally, he was like a frozen block of ice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, do forgive me.¡± Ozymandal dabbed at his eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°Let tonight be a celebration to a light that burned so bright. Let us join together and celebrate the life of Lana LaRue as her friends, nearest and dearest, knew her best!¡± Applause broke out. ¡°Oh boy, this is so hammy I could slap two slices of bread on him and make a sandwich,¡± Ridley snorted from the seat next to her. ¡°He is laying it on a bit thick, isn¡¯t he?¡± Nairo agreed. There was something too performative about the presentation, almost as if even the breaks in his voice had been rehearsed. ¡°Actors,¡± Ridley said, rolling his eyes. The stage was cleared, and a small choir entered, taking up their positions just out of the main light. Eliza Hartwell walked on stage in a beautiful, satin black dress that hugged her figure. She dabbed at her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°This was Lana¡¯s favourite song. Wherever you are baby, I hope you hear this,¡± Eliza said, looking up to the heavens. Music began, and the choir started to hum. ¡°Come on, we ain¡¯t here to enjoy the show,¡± Ridley murmured to Nairo. He jumped out of his seat and stalked down the rows until he found the stairs. ¡°We need to try and get into the VIP box.¡± ¡°No chance,¡± Nairo said. ¡°It¡¯s going to be guarded. Especially with the Mayor in the box next to him. We won¡¯t even get close.¡± Nairo was right. They couldn¡¯t even get to the foot of the stairs that led up to the VIP boxes. There were guards and police stationed at the entrance to the stairs, and they didn¡¯t look like they could be easily fooled by one of Ridley¡¯s bizarre aliases. Nairo and Ridley circumvented them, trying to find another access route but everywhere was closely guarded. After three failed attempts they realised there was no way of getting through. ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait until the intermission,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Great,¡± Ridley sighed. "Well, I don¡¯t fancy going back in there, we might as well try and do something useful with the time.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t LaRue¡¯s body found in this theatre?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go and have a look at the scene.¡± ¡°How? It¡¯s backstage.¡± Ridley shrugged and made a beeline for the backstage entrance to the theatre. It was surprisingly easy to slip their way backstage as everyone was busy watching the show. After slipping an usher a gold piece, they were able to make their way into the bowels of the Umbry theatre, and it was rather disappointing. The glitz and glamour of show business ended at the curtain, apparently. Backstage was a bare, slightly dirty, and disorganised space. There were people running around in a panic, holding dresses, costumes, pieces of sets, with half completed make up, and pushing around large crates. Nairo had learned from Ridley that when you were somewhere you shouldn¡¯t be, you just walk confidently in one direction and not make eye contact with anyone. That was what they did. They strode forward, aiming for where they assumed the dressing rooms would be. ¡°Umm excuse me?¡± a shrill, timid voice said from behind them. They stopped and turned to see a young, harried looking woman holding a clipboard and blinking owlishly at them from behind thick spectacles. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked. ¡°We¡¯re with the band,¡± Ridley lied. She blinked again and looked them up and down. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°We¡¯re with Ms. Hartwell,¡± Nairo said. ¡°How do you fans keep getting back here?" The woman sighed. ¡°This is a memorial show! Can¡¯t you at least have some respect tonight of all nights! Security!¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re not fans,¡± Nairo said quickly. ¡°We¡¯re Ms. Hartwell¡¯s guests. Look.¡± Nairo held up their invitations, and the woman peered at them. ¡°What¡¯s up, Stef?¡± a burly, red jacketed security guard said as he made his way over to them. Stephanie looked at their invitation suspiciously. ¡°These are invitations, but that doesn''t mean you can be backstage,¡± she said to them. ¡°Can you escort these two back to their seats?¡± ¡°We need to talk to Ms. Hartwell,¡± Nairo said. ¡°It¡¯s about some important business she has going on, and she won¡¯t be happy if you send us away,¡± Ridley warned the girl. Stephanie chewed her lip and then ran her hand through her greasy, tousled hair. ¡°Okay fine. Roger, take these two to Eliza¡¯s dressing room. If she doesn¡¯t want to see them, then throw them out¡­ Mariah, that costume isn¡¯t going on until the final quarter! I needed the blue one! The blue one!¡± Stephanie ran off, waving her clipboard at a beleaguered seamstress. ¡°Sure thing,¡± Roger muttered before nodding at Nairo and Ridley. ¡°Come on.¡± He led them through the frenetic maze that was the backstage area until they reached Eliza¡¯s dressing room. He knocked twice and waited. "What?" ¡°Ms. Hartwell, I¡¯ve got two of your guests here, they say they need to talk to you.¡± ¡°Guests? I don¡¯t have any guests! Go away!" Roger turned to them and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s be having you.¡± ¡°Ms. Hartwell, it¡¯s us!¡± Nairo shouted through the door. ¡°Quinn¡¯s friends!¡± There was a scraping noise followed by the clattering of furniture falling over. ¡°Just a minute!¡± There were more frantic sounds, and then the door cracked open. Eliza was standing there in just a slip, her eyes wide and her pupils the size of small saucers. She rubbed at her nose. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°We need to talk. Can we come in?¡± Ridley said, brushing past the security guard and pushing the door open. ¡°Okay. Yes. Sure. Thank you, Roger, I¡¯ll take it from here.¡± ¡°You sure, maam?¡± Roger asked. His only response was the door being slammed in his face. Book II - Chapter 13 - Rufi 13 Rufi stalked towards the rundown tenement, his heels clicking on the rain slick cobbles. He flicked his smoke and kicked open the door. Six oneshots suddenly swivelled towards him, with six scared Humans holding them and two of his Goblins standing sheepishly to one side with their hands raised. ¡°Fuck sake, Mik, was it this?¡± Rufi growled at Mikkel, who shrugged and pulled a slightly embarrassed face. ¡°Hands up!¡± one of the Humans barked at him. He had a shaved head and too many gold rings to be tasteful. ¡°Oh fuck off,¡± Rufi snarled at him, shaking rainwater from his long black coat. ¡°I¡¯m serious, I¡¯ll put a hole in you!¡± the Human said. Mikkel sighed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Do you know who this is?¡± Mikkel asked him. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit who ¡®e is!¡± ¡°Ruf¡¯Gar Chaw¡¯Drak.¡± The Human blanched for a minute, and Rufi looked at him with a bored expression. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m very busy right now. I don¡¯t have time for this. Hand over the Burn and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± ¡°Why you robbin¡¯ us for!¡± Another grubby Human with a thick gold chain said. ¡°Yore sposed to be a proper Villain, why you rippin¡¯ us off for!¡± ¡°Yeah, we pay our taxes to the Weasel!¡± Rufi took a deep breath and then shook his head. ¡°Mik, did you explain?¡± ¡°I tried to. But these fucking snorters are so wired they pulled the oneshots before I had a chance,¡± Mikkel said. ¡°¡®E said ¡®e was taking all our Burn and we should be lucky ¡®e ain¡¯t taking our gold too,¡± the Human with the gold rings said. ¡°Which is true,¡± Mikkel said to him. ¡°Listen, we¡¯re not here to rob you,¡± Rufi said. ¡°No, we¡¯re just taking your Burn,¡± Mikkel said. ¡°Unless you¡¯re payin¡¯ for it, that is robbin¡¯ us!¡± the man with the gold chain said. ¡°We¡¯re recalling a dodgy product, that¡¯s all.¡± Rufi said. ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°You¡¯re selling bad fucking Burn you moron!¡± Rufi snarled at him. ¡°No we ain¡¯t!¡± the Human with the gold rings said. ¡°None of our Burners have dropped out!¡± ¡°What, you keep tabs on ¡®em?¡± Mikkel asked, rolling his eyes. ¡°Naa¡­ but we would ¡®ave ¡®eard if they was.¡± ¡°Six OD¡¯s have been reported in this area in the last week. You clowns are the ones pushing product around here. You do that maths,¡± Rufi said impatiently. ¡°Well so wot?¡± the Human with the gold necklace said. ¡°They¡¯re only fuckin¡¯ junkies. Who cares?¡± ¡°I care, and furthermore, I don¡¯t need to justify anything to you pricks. Hand over the Burn or I¡¯m gonna lose my patience.¡± ¡°This ain¡¯t right! We pay the Firm! We just paid our tax last week!¡± ¡°Take it up with them. Maybe you¡¯ll get your money back.¡± The Humans looked at each other, and Rufi could see them steeling themselves, trying to suck up every ounce of courage the Slug coursing through their veins gave them. ¡°Now boys,¡± Rufi warned. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything you won¡¯t live to regret.¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± The oneshots fired as if on some silent signal. Two misfired immediately going well wide of Rufi as he threw himself to the floor. Another bolt thudded into his chest, hitting the thick protective jerkin he wore, another backfired, the bolt twanging wildly and shooting the man next to it in the neck. Mikkel was across the room in a flash. He sliced the man with the golden chain across the face with a flick knife. The Goblin by his side speared another, slamming him through the wall behind him. Rufi leapt to his feet, hatchet in hand, as he began to lay about left and right, hacking at the Humans. They wailed and fought weakly. After only a few seconds of mayhem, the room fell still. Two men were unconscious. Another two rolled around on the floor clutching at their sliced faces. The one who was put through the wall made a strangled groaning sound. And the unfortunate man who was shot in the throat gurgled and bled out on the floor. The only one left was the Human with the golden rings. Mikkel was behind him, his thick forearm wrapped around his throat, holding him up on his tiptoes. He choked and rasped, his face turning purple. Rufi wiped his hatchet on one of the downed men''s shirts and tucked it away. He swore when he saw the hole in his shirt from the oneshot bolt. He yanked out the bolt and threw it to the floor. Rufi surveyed the scene and shook his head. ¡°Look at this fucking mess!¡± The Human had now turned blue and was starting to go limp. ¡°Drop him, Mik!¡± Mikkel let the man go. He flopped lifelessly to the floor and then began coughing and gasping for air. ¡°This shirt¡¯s ruined now,¡± Rufi said to Mikkel. ¡°Sorry Ruf, how was I supposed to know they would pull this?¡± ¡°What did you say to them?¡± ¡°I told ¡®em I was here to take their Burn, or words to that effect.¡± The second Goblin walked back into the room, dragging the unconscious Human behind him. Rufi looked at him and shook his head. ¡°You alright Kal?¡± ¡°Yes Shoya.¡± ¡°Grab that idiot up.¡± Kal lifted the wheezing man like he was a bag of groceries. Rufi grabbed him by the face and shook him awake. ¡°Where¡¯s the Burn?¡± The man gurgled, and Rufi slapped him hard enough to knock snot out of his nose. ¡°In the kitchen!¡± the man cried out. ¡°Under the sink!¡± Rufi nodded to Kal who walked back through the hole and retrieved two blocks of Burn. ¡°Is that all of it?¡± Rufi growled. ¡°Yes! I swear!¡± Rufi looked at the block of Burn and his stomach churned. It was wrapped in that same red string. He motioned for Kal to open it. He took a pinch in his finger and immediately felt how sticky it was. He held it up to the light and could see the little orange hairs. ¡°That it?¡± Mikkel asked. ¡°Yeah, this is the Bad Batch,¡± Rufi growled. ¡°Who did you get it from?¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t no snitc¡­¡± Kal gut punched him in the gut before he could finish the sentence. The man crumpled to his knees and then vomited. ¡°Oh fucks sake,¡± Rufi said, dancing back to avoid getting splashes of puke on his shoes. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Disgusting,¡± Mikkel said, pulling a face while he lit a smoke. The man wheezed and was dragged back up to his feet by Kal. ¡°Where did you get it from?¡± Rufi repeated. ¡°C-C-Cameron,¡± the man gasped, a string of saliva and puke dribbling down his chin. ¡°Cameron?¡± Rufi repeated, looking at Mikkel. ¡°Cameron Haney?¡± Mikkel asked, and the man nodded. ¡°He¡¯s a small time fish from over by the Dowry Manor. I didn¡¯t think he stepped up to wholesaling,¡± he told Rufi. ¡°Find out if he¡¯s still holding, we¡¯ll have to pay him a visit too.¡± Then Rufi eyed the broken man. ¡°You put a hole in my shirt and got puke on my shoes. If I ever see your face again, I will rip your throat out with my tusks. Do you understand me?¡± The man whimpered and nodded. Rufi looked down at the man with the bolt through his neck. He had gone completely still, a pool of blood oozing around him. ¡°Make sure he disappears.¡± The man nodded fervently, and Kal let him fall to the floor. The three Goblins walked out of the abandoned tenement and back into the storming rain. ¡°Kal, take one of those bricks back to the pool hall and give me the other one. Mik, you¡¯re with me.¡± Rufi said. Kal nodded and tossed him the block of Burn before getting into a waiting carriage and leaving. Rufi hopped into his own carriage, where Pauli was sitting reading through his notepad. He looked up and saw the expression on Rufi¡¯s face, then the hole in his shirt, and then the blood on both him and Mikkel. ¡°Diplomacy didn¡¯t work?¡± Pauli asked. ¡°When the fuck does it ever? Rufi growled. ¡°Take us North! To the Foundries!¡± he barked at the soaking wet driver. ¡°Why we going up there?¡± Mikkel asked as he tried to scrub blood from his shirt sleeve. ¡°I wanna confirm this is the Bad Batch and maybe even find out what it is,¡± Rufi said. ¡°We still got that Warlock up there?¡± ¡°The little Gnome with the funny eye?¡± Pauli asked. ¡°Yeah wotsisname?¡± ¡°Shabaaz.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one. Let¡¯s pay him a visit.¡± Rufi said, sitting back and scowling. * The Foundries were the economic powerhouse of Valderia. They were a belching, smog stained, bone crunching, endless series of monolithic factories the size of small towns, producing everything that could be made from metal or wood. The Foundries churned through 200,000 trees a year, turning them into furniture, planks, art pieces, weapons, and more. They never stopped. Like a cancerous tumour, the factories grew and grew and belched noxious gas every minute of every day. The Foundries had fallen under Goblin control once Sam¡¯Sun unionised the Goblin workforce. Goblins were, by far, the most skilled tradesmen in the Great Forests. They were monstrously strong yet could work such delicate feats of engineering and craft that it was almost a magic unto itself. As such, every factory was crying out for skilled Goblin foremen and tradesmen. By unionising, Sam¡¯Sun held Valderia¡¯s economy in the palm of his hand, and at his word, he could bring it screeching to a halt. Of course, Sam¡¯Sun was wise enough to know that particular stick must be wielded sparingly. As was the. waywith Valderia, once the Goblins took control of the legitimate business, the illigimate followed. Kith ruled the illicit black markets of the Foundries and even though Sam''Sun allowed the other gangs to earn, it all was done under the supervision of the Kith. They pulled up to the edge of the Foundries, and even the constant downpour couldn¡¯t stop the ceaseless production of the place. It did however take the ash out of the air, making it almost breathable for a change. The three Goblins scurried through the rain, bypassing the usual security checks once the Troll guards saw who they were. They made their way into the Fourth Quadrant Market, which was unusually empty, thanks to the rain, and into one of the labyrinthine back alleys. It took a few minutes before they figured out where they were going, and they finally arrived at an apothecary. Mikkel pushed the door open, and the Goblins rushed in, glad to be out of the rain. An ancient Gnome sat behind the counter. She looked up and peered at them. ¡°Good eeevening gentlemans,¡± she crooned, putting down the hefty book she had been reading. ¡°Welcome to Madame Malka¡¯s Medicinial Menagerie. What ails you today?¡± ¡°A case of stupid,¡± Rufi said. ¡°My friend here suffers badly from it.¡± Mikkel grunted a curse in Kittei, the Goblin tongue. ¡°We¡¯re looking for Shabaaz,¡± Pauli said to her. The little Gnome didn¡¯t react: she had a great poker face. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know that name.¡± ¡°Chaw¡¯Drak,¡± Rufi growled at her, slamming his massive hand on the desk and leaning over it so she could get a good look at his face. ¡°You know that name, don¡¯t you?¡± Madame Malka blinked and then nodded in understanding. ¡°He is just down those stairs.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Rufi said, brushing past her and walking through the shop. The little apothecary was so cramped, the hulking Goblins struggled to get through it without knocking everything over. They lumbered down the narrow stairs and into a basement garden. Rufi was taken by surprise for a moment. It was like a wild jungle down here. The smells were fantastic. The scent of sharp fruit, exotic flowers, and wild herbs created a heady and intoxicating aroma. The lights were a pulsating mix of red and bright yellow Glowstones, mimicking natural light, and added to the ephemeral beauty of the place. Rufi peered through the vines and flowers, picking his way through with care. ¡°Is this a fuckin¡¯ jungle?¡± Mikkle asked as he walked in. ¡°I hope there ain¡¯t no snakes.¡± ¡°Why would there be snakes?¡± Pauli asked. ¡°What, you¡¯d be surprised to see a snake in all this?¡± ¡°I suppose not.¡± ¡°Hush,¡± Rufi snapped at them. ¡°Hello? Shabaaz?¡± ¡°Who calls my name with such an ugly tongue?¡± They heard a weedy voice rasp from somewhere in the dense foliage. ¡°Ruf¡¯Gar Chaw¡¯Drak!¡± Rufi shouted back. ¡°Ohh¡­ come to me then.¡± The voice called back. ¡°I¡¯m trying,¡± Rufi muttered, almost tripping over a thick knot of vine only to walk into a stunning row of blue headed sun flowers that were almost as tall as him. He navigated these and ducked under a thick knot of slimy vines that hung from the ceiling into a clearing in the middle of the basement. There was a circle of low wooden tables in the middle of the basement with a Gnome in a heavy brown cloak working diligently at one of them. He was pruning a little tree with immense care. Collecting every leaf and twig he pruned and laying them gently on a cloth by his side. ¡°Shabaaz?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°Yes, that is me.¡± Shabaaz turned to them. He was ancient, even by Gnome standards, his face was so shrivelled and lined it was difficult to make out any features other than his beak-like nose and the hole where his missing eye was. His good eye looked the Goblins up and down. ¡°Why have you come seeking me, Nephew of Sam¡¯Sun?¡± he rasped. ¡°I need some information on some Burn,¡± Rufi replied, holding out his hand for the block that Mikkel was holding. Shabaaz tutted and screwed his lined face up in distaste. ¡°Hateful, evil plant. I do not involve myself in such low uses of the Art.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to grow it,¡± Rufi growled impatiently. ¡°I just need you to look at it.¡± Again Shabaaz tutted, but then he motioned for Rufi to put it on his table. Rufi set it down and then watched curiously. The Gnome tucked his sheers away in his robe and pulled on a pair of thick spectacles. He licked his lips with a tongue that rustled like parchment and threw back the cloth wrapping on the Burn. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked almost immediately. ¡°Burn,¡± Mikkle said. ¡°You sure this guy¡¯s an expert?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Shabaaz said, pulling a magnifying lens from one of his pockets. He bent down and peered at the Burn. ¡°This is poison.¡± ¡°We know,¡± Mikkle said, rolling his eyes. ¡°We ain¡¯t asking you to do any of it.¡± ¡°No fool, I mean it is tainted.¡± ¡°It is the Bad Batch then,¡± Rufi said, not sure if he should be relieved or feel sickened by the knowledge that was his package. ¡°Oh no,¡± Shabaaz said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a bad grow, this had been deliberately tainted.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Shabaaz sighed at their ignorance. He picked up a pair of tweezers and a long thin knife. He cut into the block and began picking thin stems out of it. When he had found one that was right, he placed it down on a white sheet and pulled another, larger magnifying glass on a stand towards himself. ¡°Look at this,¡± he said, motioning with a crooked, knobbly finger for Rufi to inspect it. Rufi rubbed his tired eyes and then leaned forward and looked at the strand of Burn. ¡°What am I looking at?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°Look at those little pustules, you see them?¡± ¡°Ermmm¡­¡± ¡°The little round balls.¡± ¡°Oh yeah.¡± ¡°Those are Camilophy eggs.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Shabaaz snorted and shook his head again. ¡°Camilophy are a pest that nests in certain crops. Their eggs are particularly toxic if ingested. They feed off the plant, stripping it of its nutrients until they are ready to hatch. This is why some of these strands have discoloured.¡± ¡°A bug infestation in the crop is causing all these deaths?¡± ¡°Yes. If they enter the body, they cause fatal heart attacks, strokes, aneurysms, and a great deal of pain to the host before that,¡± Shabaaz explained. ¡°But that always happens, right? Pest spoil crops that doesn¡¯t mean it was deliberate.¡± Rufi said. Shabaaz sighed. ¡°You know nothing, do you? Camilophy infests wet crops, crops that must be submerged in water whilst growing, like rice. We Gnomes have many cures and tricks to prevent the Camilophy from nesting in our crops. But this, what you call Burn, is a dry crop. It grows in beds of soil, not water. No, someone has introduced Camilophy to these crops and kept them deliberately moist until the eggs were laid, this is why the plant is so sticky now. Then they were cut and dried with the eggs still attached. No self respecting Gnome Warlock would ever miss an entire crop infested with Camilophy. This is deliberate I suspect. "Why?" Rufi said, feeling sweat tickle down his temple. "It is an old Gnommish warfare tactic used to poison unsuspecting villages and settlements in the old times," the Warlock explained. ¡°So someone has deliberately tainted this Burn?¡± Rufi asked him, his heart thudding in his chest. ¡°I would bet my one remaining eye on it,¡± Shabaaz gave him a toothless grin. ¡°Could anyone else have done this? Or does it have to be a Gnome Warlock?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°This plant is only found in the heartlands of the Empire, as is the Camilophy. Only Gnomes have the Art to do such a thing. Rufi straightened up and then looked at Pauli. ¡°Someone¡¯s deliberately poisoned Burn and then sold it all across the city?¡± Mikkel said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rufi said, his mouth running dry. ¡°But I¡¯m gonna find out, and I¡¯m gonna rip the heart from the fuckers that did this.¡± Book II - Chapter 14 - T&W 14 ¡°You two have a snitch?¡± Conway said, leaning back in his chair, befuddled. ¡°Yes sir,¡± Wally said. "Technically, he¡¯s Corporal Nelson¡¯s snitch,¡± Timmy said. ¡°But ¡®e leant ¡®im to us,¡± Wally added. ¡°He leant you a snitch?¡± ¡°Yes sir. For that arson case six months ago.¡± Timmy answered. ¡°And is he reliable?¡± "Well, the info didn¡¯t actually come from ¡®im,¡± Wally said. ¡°Who did it come from?¡± ¡°The¡­ umm¡­ working lady that was umm¡­ servicing him at the time,¡± Timmy said, blushing at the memory of the topless woman. ¡°The information comes from a prostitute?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Conway sighed deeply and furrowed his brows in thought. ¡°What did she say exactly?¡± Conway asked. ¡°She said some of her friends had OD¡¯d from bad Burn that they purchased in the RatHoles,¡± Timmy began. ¡°Did she where in the RatHoles?¡± ¡°Some big wonky towers,¡¯ Wally said. Conway thought for a moment and then nodded for him to continue. ¡°She said they¡¯ve had to slash their prices because addicts have been scared off and that they¡¯re crying out for business at the moment,¡± Timmy finished. ¡°Did she give you any names?¡± ¡°No. She said the dealers change all the time, but she did say she knew one of the big distributors.¡± Timmy flipped through his notebook. ¡°Goes by the name of Cameron from out East.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s more solid intel than we¡¯ve managed to get so far.¡± Conway rubbed the heel of his hand across his forehead. He looked exhausted. ¡°Good work boys, that¡¯s proper detective work.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Timmy and Wally beamed proudly. ¡°Have you two ever gone under cover?¡± Conway asked. ¡°Oh¡­ ermmm¡­¡± ¡°Once,¡± Wally said. ¡°It didn¡¯t go well,¡± Timmy said. Their first and only attempt at undercover work saw them accidentally cause a brawl in a gambling den and then get kidnapped by The Landlord and held hostage until Sergeant Nairo arrived to rescue them. ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Conway said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this time you¡¯ll be with a veteran who¡¯ll show you the ropes. I need you boys to go undercover in the RatHoles as addicts.¡± ¡°Us as junkies?¡± Wally exclaimed. ¡°But their filthy sods. Gimme the hives just bein¡¯ near ¡®em.¡± ¡°Well you¡¯ll have to get over that,¡± Conway snapped at him. ¡°I need two fresh faces. You¡¯re the youngest detectives I¡¯ve got on the squad. No one will think you¡¯re coppers. No one thinks you¡¯re coppers when you¡¯re in uniform, so it shouldn¡¯t be hard once Sarpele works his magic.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Wally said. ¡°Sarpele, the number one undercover operative in all of Valderia,¡± a musical voice hissed in their ears. Timmy and Wally jumped and spun around to see a short, dark haired man standing there. He was unremarkable in every way. He was average height, average build, and he had the sort of face that could fit a thousand personalities. He could be a blue collar worker, a wealthy businessman, a seedy criminal, or high flying lawyer. The one thing he didn¡¯t look like was a copper. Ultimately though, he had a forgettable face. You could look at it a hundred times and still struggle to recall it. Did he have big ears? A large nose? Thin lips? Thick eyebrows? Possibly. ¡°When did you get there?" Wally said, holding his chest. ¡°Sarpele is never far my friend,¡± he whispered. ¡°This is Sarpele, he¡¯s a specialist in undercover operations. He¡¯ll be holding your hands through this assignment,¡± Conway said, clearly less impressed by Sarpele¡¯s sudden appearance than Wally and Timmy. ¡°Oh, nice to meet you sir,¡± Timmy said. ¡°I¡¯m not a sir. I have no rank.¡± Sarpele said, eyeing up the two corporals. ¡°Officially, I¡¯m not even employed by the VPD.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± Timmy said. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Sarpele walked around them, measuring them up. ¡°You sure about these two wet mice on the streets, Rod?¡± ¡°They¡¯re tougher than they look,¡± Conway grunted. ¡°They tough?¡± Sarpele stopped close to Timmy¡¯s side. ¡°You tough?¡± ¡°We¡¯re tough,¡± Wally said. ¡°We¡¯ve kicked shit out of plenty of crooks.¡± ¡°But have you had shit kicked out of you?" Sarpele appeared by Wally¡¯s side as if by magic. ¡°Woah! Huh? Yeah, plenty times.¡± Sarpele rubbed a hand across his mouth and then whispered in Wally¡¯s ear. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Why not!¡± ¡°Coz you have to be tough to be in the streets!¡± Sarpele dropped seemlessly in to a thuggish East End accent. Even his posture morphed to make him seem like a lout spoiling for a fight. ¡°You gotta be made of iron on these streets, son! Wot you gonna do when some cunt puts a razor in yore face and asks if yore a pig? Wot you gonna do then? Coz there ain¡¯t no back up. Ain¡¯t no boys in meat wagons stormin¡¯ into the rescue. You¡¯re on your jack jones and you¡¯ll be bent over and fucked if you don''t play it right!¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Wally¡¯s eyes widened, and he looked at Conway, who was hiding the ghost of a smile behind his hand. ¡°We¡¯ll say¡­ we¡¯ll say¡­ you can¡­ piss right off coz-coz¡­¡± Timmy stammered. ¡°We ain¡¯t no pigs and I¡¯ll stick one yer eye if you say it again!¡± Wally finished for him. They stood shoulder to shoulder and glowered at Sarpele. ¡°I suppose they¡¯ll do,¡± Sarpele said to Conway, dropping back into his normal, colourless voice. ¡°I¡¯ll dress ¡®em up and make ¡®em look pathetic enough. Don¡¯t let him talk though,¡± Sarpele said, pointing at Timmy. ¡°Afraid no amount of makeup could hide the fact that he¡¯s a grass.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a snitch!¡± Timmy said adamantly. ¡°You definitely are,¡± Conway said. ¡°Yeah, sorry Tim, but it¡¯s pretty obvious.¡± ¡°It is?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Bet you would snitch on your own mother,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°Breeding cats for food is strictly prohibited in Valderia! What else could I do?¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Conway said. ¡°Sarpele work your magic and get these two ready to do hand to hands in the RatHoles by morning.¡± * Sarpele had certainly worked his magic on the boys. He had spent hours picking through random scraps of clothes in the former Missing Property office, making them try on every ragged, filthy piece until he was satisfied. In the end, Timmy was dressed in a torn shirt with one ragged sleeve, a vest that had a brown smear across the back, a pair of trousers that had patches in both knees, and a pair of scuffed boots with no laces. Wally had fared worse. Sarpele had dressed him in a vest that barely came down to his belly button, a pair of corduroy workman¡¯s trousers that came to about mid-shin, and a pair of sandals. ¡°I¡¯ll catch me death out there in just these!¡± Wally moaned as he tried to pull his vest down. "No, you won¡¯t! Think, have you ever seen a cold Burner?" Sarpele said to him, tapping the side of his head. ¡°I dunno! But I¡¯m not a Burner!¡± ¡°You are! Going undercover isn¡¯t just about coming up with funny names and putting on a costume! It¡¯s about inhabiting a life. Stepping into the shoes of another person and becoming them. ¡°Why can¡¯t my new person wear longer clothes!¡± Wally moaned. ¡°Because¡­ you gotta show the flesh if you want the customers!¡± Sarpele said, a glint in his eyes. ¡°Wot?¡± Sarpele sighed and looked to the ceiling for help. ¡°You¡¯re a prostitute, lad. You sell yourself to feed your addiction!¡± Wally looked thunderstruck. His mouth flapped wordlessly for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not doing that!¡± he cried out. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything,¡± Sarpele said to him. ¡°That¡¯s just your cover story.¡± ¡°Why does it ¡®ave to be so¡­ gross?¡± ¡°It fits.¡± Was all Sarpele said. ¡°And you, Timmy, you are new to the Burn game. You¡¯ve run away from home and are lost out on these cobbles. I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s the only way to explain your size.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Timmy said, looking down at his round belly. It was true, you didn¡¯t see many overweight Burners. ¡°And I will be your pimp-slash-father figure on the streets.¡± Sarpele had dressed himself in a ragged brown cloak with a walking stick. At some point he had found a wig and fake grey beard. He stooped over his stick and suddenly looked three decades older. ¡°I¡¯ve been on these cold, cold cobbles for more than half me life,¡± he rasped. ¡°Lost me family, me kids won¡¯t talk to me anymore, lost me job and me home. All I got left is the Burn.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so sad,¡± Timmy said. ¡°It¡¯s a load of bollocks,¡± Wally muttered bad temperedly. ¡°This ain¡¯t never gonna work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all about how you sell it lad,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°People see what they want to see. Now let¡¯s get to work!¡± * They had a police wagon drop them about a mile from the RatHoles and they had to walk the rest of the way in the drizzling rain. Along the way, Sarpele kept stopping to smear them with mud and stick bits of twigs and leaves in their hair and clothes. Wally baulked when he pointed at the dog poo. They trudged on in silence, their ragged clothes providing no protection from the rain. By the time they arrived at the RatHoles, Timmy and Wally were thoroughly miserable. Their cheeks were red, their noses were running, and they were soaked to the bone. They looked pathetic. Sarpele led them through the maze of the RatHoles. Timmy had only ever heard stories about the place. He had been warned since he was a small boy to never go there. That the people were foul and lacked any morals. They would stab you, and rob you, and do worse things if the mood took them. Everyone in the RatHoles was a dirty immigrant or a filthy drug addict, is what his mother told him. Not like the good, decent people where he was raised. They would only rob you at the end of the week when their pay had run out. Even coppers were advised to never go to the RatHoles with anything less than a full squad at their back. Now he was here though, it wasn¡¯t as terrifying as he once thought. It was filthy and dingy. The buildings were all misshapen and liable to collapse at any moment, and he was sure he saw a rat the size of a small baby, but they hadn¡¯t been stabbed yet. In fact, the denizens of the RatHoles almost completely ignored them. They fit right in. The trio shambled deeper into the maze until they found the buildings the prostitute had described. They were two of the tallest towers in RatHoles, and it was a miracle they were still standing. The tower on the left had begun sinking in on itself and was now only being propped up by the tower on its right. Even so, Timmy could make out cracks running the length of the brickwork that foreshadowed the inevitable collapse of the two towers. ¡°We¡¯ll post up and watch for a bit before we make our move,¡± Sarpele hissed at them. He had fully committed to his role as an enfeebled old Burner. His body quivered with the effort of walking, his stick shaking perilously on the wet cobbles. He walked with a stoop so pronounced he was almost face to face with the floor. Even though Timmy knew he was a fairly fit and capable man, he still felt himself tensing every time the walking stick wobbled, ready to catch him if he fell. Wally was far less into his role. He walked stiffly and kept pulling self consciously at his vest. Timmy was much happier with his own undercover persona. All he had to do was look naive, scared, and lost. Three things that didn¡¯t need much pretending. They made their way into an abandoned low-rise building opposite the towers and made their way up the stairs, having to hold on to Sarpele¡¯s arms and help him up every step. When they arrived on the second floor they saw the place wasn¡¯t empty. There were about fifteen people all huddled around in small groups. Some were asleep, or unconscious, Timmy couldn¡¯t tell, others sat staring at nothing, or gibbering quietly. Only a few seemed conscious enough to notice the new strangers. ¡°¡®Oo are you?¡± A young man with a completely yellow set of teeth and clothes three sizes too big for him said, a rusty knife in his hand. ¡°Just three souls in need of somewhere to dry our bones,¡± Sarpele wheezed, as if the single flight of stairs had winded him badly. ¡°I just need to rest me old bones a minute.¡± ¡°This is our gaff. Piss of and find yer own!¡± the man snarled, levelling the knife at them. ¡°Surely there¡¯s space for three more bodies?¡± Sarpele said, his voice throaty and feint like he was ready to keel over. ¡°Please, we¡¯ve come a long way. I just need to rest me weary bones.¡± The man looked at Sarpele and the edge disappeared from his posture. ¡°Come on Connor, let ¡®em rest a while,¡± a dark skinned girl said to him. ¡°Not like we pay rent or nuffin¡¯.¡± She flashed them a crooked smile and motioned for them to take a seat. Connor looked like he was going to argue but then gave up. ¡°Fine, wotever. You can find somewhere over there. But if you try and nick anyfing I¡¯ll gut you. Understand?¡± ¡°We ain¡¯t gonna nick nuffin¡¯,¡± Wally said hotly. Timmy and Wally took Sarpele under the arm and assisted him to the far side of the empty space and sat him down by the window. ¡°I thought this place was going to be empty,¡± Timmy whispered. ¡°Better it isn¡¯t,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°We can blend in and go unnoticed.¡± ¡°Cheek of it, tryna kick an old man out into the rain and accusing us of being thieves on top of that!¡± Wally said haughtily. ¡°He¡¯s not an old man, remember?¡± Timmy hissed back. ¡°Yeah¡­ well e¡¯ don¡¯t know that! Typical scum behaviour.¡± ¡°Focus on what we¡¯re here for lad,¡± Sarpele hissed at him. ¡°And don¡¯t draw attention to us.¡± ¡°Right. But this place stinks,¡± Wally muttered. Sarpele turned himself and faced the window while Timmy and Wally watched the rest of the room. ¡°We wait and see how much action there is,¡± Sarpele whispered to them. ¡°We¡¯ll try and get some names and faces. After that, we¡¯re going to go and make some hand to hand buys. See if we can gather any more information.¡± Timmy nodded and looked around them. The place made him itch. The pervasive desperation of it was almost sauffocating. All around him he saw creatures in despair. Moaning, whimpering, scratching at themselves. It made him want to be sick and cry at the same time. ¡°Let¡¯s just do wot we need to and get out of ¡®ere,¡± Wally muttered. Book II - Chapter 15 - R&N 15 ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know you would be coming back here,¡± Eliza tittered nervously as she quickly cleared away a few things, including a little pile of orange powder. ¡°Did we interrupt the party?¡± Ridley said with a wry grin on his face. ¡°What? Oh no¡­ I just¡­ you know it¡¯s just a little umm¡­ after a performance it just helps me too¡­¡± Eliza stammered. ¡°Hey, relax, we ain¡¯t the police,¡± Ridley said, looking around the cramped and messy dressing room. "Well, she used to be.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Eliza¡¯s eyes widened and she wiped at her red nose again. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not anymore.¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Oh right¡­ okay. Well¡­ ummm¡­ what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Is that Shumacker up in the VIP box?¡± Ridley asked, looking at the pile of scrunched up lingerie in the corner of the room. ¡°Oh, probably.¡± ¡°Is he a middle aged man with dark hair, greying on the sides, and clean shaven? He had a woman and a young baby with him.¡± Nairo said. ¡°That sounds like Fred.¡± ¡°He brought his wife to his mistress¡¯ memorial service?¡± Ridley said incredulously. ¡°Of course, it would look strange if she didn¡¯t accompany him to such a big event. But he brought the baby too?¡± Eliza asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ridley said. ¡°That is strange,¡± Eliza said, sitting down on a collapsable wooden chair and downing the remains of her champagne. ¡°But from what I hear, his wife isn¡¯t totally right upstairs. She¡¯s so protective of that baby, she won¡¯t let him out of her sight for a minute. She won¡¯t even let Fred go near him unless she¡¯s there.¡± ¡°Did his wife know about Lana?¡± Nairo asked. Eliza lit a smoke and then gave a small titter. ¡°If she didn¡¯t, she was the only one in the city. Fred¡¯s an Owner, he does what he wants, and everyone, including Leanne Shumacker, has to accept it.¡± ¡°That his wife¡¯s name?¡± Ridley asked, and Eliza nodded. ¡°Do you think you could get us face to face with Shumacker? We still need to talk to him.¡± Eliza poured more champagne and shook her head. ¡°No chance. At social events like this, Fred is the dutiful Owner. He has security around him at all times.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Ridley grumbled. ¡°Anyway, I told you Fred didn¡¯t hurt Susie.¡± ¡°We still need to eliminate him from our investigation,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I wish I could help, but me and Fred aren¡¯t exactly close like that. Drink?¡± she asked offering them the bottle. "No thank you, we''re working." Nairo said quickly before Ridley could be tempted. But his mind was solely on the case. ¡°Can you take us to Susie¡¯s dressing room?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°The one she was found in.¡± ¡°Why do you want to go there?¡± Eliza said sharply. ¡°To see the scene of the crime,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°There may be some clue there as to what really happened.¡± ¡°The police have already been in there,¡± Eliza said. ¡°Despite that, we might still be able to find something useful. You said yourself, the coppers called it a suicide straight away, there may be something they didn¡¯t even bother looking for,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Okay¡­ that makes sense,¡± Eliza conceded. ¡°I can take you there, but I don¡¯t want to go in.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Nairo said. Eliza hopped off her chair, slightly unsteady on her bare feet, and she tottered towards the door. ¡°Umm, do you want to put something on before we go?¡± Nairo asked, looking at the sheer slip Eliza was wearing. ¡°Oh gosh!¡± Eliza tittered, her cheeks ruddy and her eyes slightly unfocused. ¡°Here,¡± Nairo said, taking off her black long coat and draping it around the singer¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Thank you!¡± Eliza said, flashing Nairo a white toothed smile before wandering out of the room. ¡°Nice going, Sarge.¡± Ridley muttered as he walked past her. ¡°You ruined the view.¡± ¡°Keep it in your pants, Ridley.¡± He grinned at her, and they followed behind Eliza as she led them through the warren of tiny dressing rooms until they reached one that had police rope across it still. There were black candles and flowers laid out in front of the dressing room. ¡°No one¡¯s been in here since,¡± Eliza said, hugging the coat around her. ¡°You can just wait here,¡± Nairo said to her. ¡°We¡¯ll only be a few minutes.¡± Eliza nodded and wiped at her nose miserably. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Ridley removed the police rope and opened the door. The dressing room was bigger than Eliza¡¯s and had more creature comforts and less mess. There was a large mirror above the dresser with little Gowstones all around the edges. Opposite to that was a little, squashed sofa, and a wardrobe bursting with clothes. One corner of the floor was piled high with discarded clothes. ¡°It''s very... pink,¡± Ridley said, looking around the room. It was true. Nairo didn¡¯t know how old LaRue actually was, but the dressing room felt like that of a teenage girl. There were posters of beautiful dresses hung all around, punctuated by paintings of horses and fields. There were packs of empty sweet treats strewn around the room and, as Ridley had said, a lot of pink. There were pink dresses, pink wigs, pink powders, and even the sofa was dressed in a pink blanket. Nairo and Ridley began their silent dance of discovery. Ridley began rummaging through the drawers of the dresser while Nairo opened the closet. Without speaking, they both knew they were looking for anything hidden. Most drug addicts had little hiding places for their stashes. Usually they were in false bottoms, the back of closets, under beds, or inside furnishings. Quickly and efficiently, they made their way around the room, bumping into each other occasionally. ¡°Nothing,¡± Ridley murmured after a few minutes. ¡°I remember reading in the papers that the police had found an opened packet of Burn when they discovered the body,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Yeah, that tracks. So what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ridley asked her. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°There should be.¡± ¡°Yep. Paraphernalia. Pipes. Lighters. Hell, there¡¯s not even a razor blade or an empty pack of smokes in here. No Chaaraam. Nothing.¡± ¡°So what was she doing? Eating the Burn?¡± ¡°Doubtful,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Nothing else was found with the body and removed?¡± ¡°Not as far as I can remember. I could send a comm to Conway and get the police report.¡± ¡°Do that. Where was she found?¡± ¡°On the sofa.¡± They both turned and faced the sofa where Lana LaRue had spent her final moments. ¡°Give me a hand,¡± Ridley said. They pulled the sofa forward in the cramped space and then pulled up the pillows. "Well, the girl had a sweet tooth,¡± Nairo said, picking up a half finished packet of powdered chocolate balls that had become wedged in the side of the sofa. ¡°She was eating before she died?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Burners don¡¯t eat when they¡¯re high, makes ¡®em sick.¡± ¡°Could have been from before,¡± Nairo said. ¡°There¡¯s loads of empty packets around here.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Ridley said thoughtfully. ¡°Bag that. We¡¯ll take it with us.¡± Nairo nodded and slipped the half eaten packet of sweets into an evidence bag. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else here,¡± Nairo said, looking around the room and feeling an odd sense of sadness. Susan ''Lana LaRue'' Delaney had barely begun life. She was just a kid really, dragged out of suburban anonymity and thrust into the limelight. And now she was dead. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Nairo asked, wandering over to the drawers that Ridley had pilfered through. ¡°What?¡± Nairo picked up a nearly empty plastic pill bottle. Inside there were a few sticky looking twigs with small black berries on them. ¡°Dunno,¡± Ridley said. Nairo looked at it curiously. There was something familiar about the bottle, but she couldn¡¯t place it. Without thinking, she popped the bottle into her pocket besides the half eaten pack of sweets. ¡°It looks like Eliza was at least telling the truth about LaRue going straight,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Not even a bottle of wine in here.¡± ¡°Shame Eliza doesn''t follow her example,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Its showbiz, Sarge. They¡¯re all high as pigeon balls. But it does paint a picture. Lots of drugs, lots of alcohol, lots of partying. How straight LaRue was is up for debate but she wasn¡¯t doing anything in here.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Come on, I think it should be close to the intermission. We might be able to catch Shumacker coming out of his box,¡± Ridley said. They left the room and Eliza showed them the quickest way back to the theatre. Ridley¡¯s internal clock was spot on as usual. The lights had come back up, and the mourners were all flooded towards the bars and toilets during the intermission. Nairo and Ridley hung around the bar closest to the VIP boxes, trying not to raise suspicion. It was quieter here. Most VIPs order drinks and food to their boxes, so it wasn''t particularly busy. Just when they had given up hope of running into Shumacher, they heard raised voices coming down the stairs. A woman¡¯s shrill voice punctuated by the pitiful cries of a baby. ¡°I will not stay here a minute longer to be embarrassed!¡± ¡°Do as you wish Leanne,¡± a bored, disaffected man¡¯s voice replied. ¡°I am going home!¡± The door to the stairs opened, and the Shumacker¡¯s came storming out. Lady Shumacker was first. She was an elegant woman who was probably absolutely stunning in her younger years. She was tall, with a long neck, dark hair, blue eyes, and high cheek bones. Her eyes seethed fury as she stormed by them, clutching a squealing babe to her breast. She made eye contact with them for only a brief moment before raising her nose haughtily and storming past. Wilfried ¡®Fred¡¯ Schumacker came next. He was quite an average man up close. Average height, average build for his age, with a plain, somewhat chinless face. He sighed as he watched his wife storm away before turning to the butler. ¡°Carter, see Lady Shumacker gets home safely. I will return by myself.¡± Shumacker said as if already bored with the whole display. The Butler was altogether more striking than his master. He was a whole head taller, broader in the shoulders, with a long face. He had thick eyebrows and eyes so dark they almost looked black. He looked younger than Shumacker, but life had worn him rough. He had the faint remains of a scar across his left cheek. ¡°Yes sir,¡± Carter, the Butler replied. He had the guttural accent of Valderia¡¯s working class accent masked with the sweet sugar of one educated at a place where everyone had double barreled surnames. The Butler gave Shumacker a stiff bow and then turned to follow his Lady. He looked at Nairo and Ridley standing there, there was a flash of suspicion in his dark eyes, and then he was gone. ¡°This is our chance,¡± Ridley hissed at Nairo, stepping towards Shumacker. ¡°Ahh Fred! Good to see you old chap,¡± a gaunt old man suddenly appeared from another staircase and shook hands with Shumacker. With him came three guards that firmly placed themselves between Ridley and Shumacker. They eyed Ridley with open hostility. As the relentless PI tried to duck around them, Fred was already gone, having been whisked away by more social interactions back up to the private box. ¡°Damn it!¡± Ridley snarled. ¡°What are you doing here? This is a private members lounge,¡± a haughty usher said to them as he came over with two more red jacketed security guards. ¡°Oh shove it up your ass,¡± Ridley snapped at him. ¡°Come on, Sarge. We ain¡¯t getting close to him here.¡± Together, they left the theatre with more questions and very few answers. "Sounds like Lady Shumacker might not be as naive as people think," Nairo said. "It''s one thing for your husband to have secret affairs," Ridley said. "And another to have it rubbed in your face." ¡°It didn¡¯t seem like he was particularly bothered,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Most Owners are borderline psychopaths. Must be in the genes.¡± ¡°What¡¯s our next move?¡± Nairo asked as they climbed into a waiting cab. ¡°We need to find out more about this Shumacker,¡± Ridley growled. ¡°Time to start poking bushes and asking questions?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Yeah. Something ain¡¯t right with him. I got a gut feeling.¡± ¡°Could be you¡¯re hungry,¡± Nairo said playfully. ¡°Want to stop for mystery meat and a beer?¡± ¡°You read my mind, Sarge.¡± Book II - Chapter 16 - Rufi 16 ¡°What does he want?¡± ¡°I dunno Ruf, he just said he wanted a sit down.¡± ¡°But what did he say exactly?¡± ¡°Just that he¡¯s heard some things, and now he wants a sit down.¡± ¡°Fuck sake." Rufi slumped back in the carriage as it bounced through the East End towards the Workman¡¯s Quarter. ¡°And he wanted to meet at the factory?¡± Chuch asked. ¡°He said the factory,¡± Pauli said. ¡°Not the club?¡± ¡°Not the club.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it Ruf,¡± Chuch said, flicking his tongue across his teeth. ¡°Bobby Fish ain¡¯t to be played with,¡± Mikkel said, getting a dark look from Chuch. "If he wants to meet then we meet." ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?¡± Rufi asked, flicking his smoke out of the window and lighting another. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if it comes to it, I¡¯ve always wanted to plug one of those old Fim fucks,¡± Chuch growled, a wicked leer on his face. ¡°Oh please Chuchy,¡± Mikkel said dismissively. ¡°The last thing we need is a war with the Firm.¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m worried about them?¡± Chuch growled. ¡°Naa¡­ I wasn¡¯t sayin¡¯ that,¡± Mikkel said. ¡°Just that¡­ we don¡¯t need the aggro right now. Ain¡¯t that right, Ruf?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be no aggro,¡± Chuch said, his voice flat and inflectionless. ¡°Mik¡¯s right,¡± Rufi said. ¡°We¡¯re s''posed to be handling this. Not starting wars. You sure he didn¡¯t say anything else?¡± Rufi asked Pauli. ¡°The message was very clear,¡± Pauli said. ¡°But I think we can guess what might have upset him.¡± Pauli¡¯s eyes rolled over to Mikkel. ¡°Don¡¯t put this on me!¡± Mikkel snapped. ¡°Last thing I fuckin¡¯ need is a demon like Bobby Fish on my back.¡± ¡°You scared?¡± Chuch mocked. ¡°No. But I ain¡¯t suicidal either. You might wanna go tusslin¡¯ with every fuckin¡¯ bent nosed Face in place but I¡¯m happy counting my gold and keeping my scales clean.¡± Chuch muttered something in Kittei which Mikkel chose to ignore. ¡°Shit!¡± Rufi rested his head back. ¡°Bobby fucking Fish. Of all the people we could have pissed off, it had to be him.¡± ¡°Bobby¡¯s a business man,¡± Pauli said. ¡°He¡¯s not above reason. And remember, you¡¯re acting with the full authority of the Kings on this. If we have stepped on his toes, he might just have to swallow that.¡± ¡°You think Bobby Fish is swallowing anything?¡± Mikkel said. ¡°This is the same Bobby Fish that beat three hitmen to death with bare hands in a cell in BlackWater. The same Bobby Fish that took on a fuckin¡¯ Troll with only a butcher¡¯s knife.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullshit,¡± Chuch spat. ¡°All them old stories from back in the day are bullshit.¡± ¡°No way, I heard it from the old boys. The reckon Bobby had to be part Kith the way he threw down. Ain¡¯t no badder Human in the city.¡± Mikkel said. Chuch snorted and rolled his eyes. ¡°Still just a fuckin¡¯ Human,¡± he growled. The carriage pulled up to a small factory on a narrow lane. The factory stood alone at the end of the lane. Rufi rubbed his face and blinked heavily, dispelling the nagging need for sleep, and opened the carriage door. The lane was teeming with industry, even in the constant drizzle, men and women worked tirelessly. They rolled heavy barrels towards the warehouse while others came the other way with heavily wrapped pallets, loading them onto carriages and sending them back out. The procession was seemingly never ending. Foul smells emanated from the factory. Many of the men and women working had wraps around their noses to try and ward off the pungent odours of rendering fat. Rufi hopped out, and the other three Goblins followed. They walked towards the factory¡¯s door, but their entrance was barred by four heavies in dark long coats. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Bobby,¡± Rufi said to them. ¡°You are,¡± one of the men replied. ¡°They¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Just you,¡± another said. ¡°That¡¯s not gonna happen,¡± Chuch growled. ¡°Bobby wants to talk to you. Yer mates can wait out here,¡± the man said, ignoring Chuch. Rufi shrugged as if he wasn¡¯t bothered and looked over his shoulder. ¡°You lot wait here,¡± he said. ¡°Rufi,¡± Chuch warned. ¡°Wait here, Chuch. I¡¯ll be out in a minute.¡± Rufi turned back to the men and they opened the factory door for him. Three of the men remained outside, and one followed Rufi in. The factory was dim, busy, and full of powerful odours that stung Rufi''s nostrils. Dozens of neat rows of candles hung from the ceiling of varying sizes, shapes, and colours. Inside the warehouse, the staff were almost all women. They worked in lines, studiously dipping wicks, measuring, and trimming candles to size. It was surprisingly quiet. Few looked up at the arrival of the well dressed Goblin. Working for Bobby Fish long enough had probably taught them to not take notice of anything that wasn¡¯t to do with their work. The thug patted down Rufi and relieved him of his various weapons. ¡°Leave off ¡®im, Tel,¡± a rough voice growled from down the cramped hallway. Rufi looked up and saw a hulking figure shambling towards him. Bobby Fish was built like a battering ram. He had thick, rounded shoulders, almost no neck, and a head that looked like it could smash through a wall. His thin, receding hair had been meticulously combed back and might have once been blonde but had darkened a few shades over the years. His forehead was tall with a thick brow that was littered with thin scars. He had thick eyebrows and small, dark eyes that couldn¡¯t have looked friendly if he had tried. He hadn¡¯t shaved in a few days, and his stubble was coming through white. A small smile spread across his thick lips. He was hefty across the chest, arms, and legs, and his hands were massive for a Human. They looked like frying pans with sausages around the rim. He wore a simple, beige workman¡¯s shirt with a stained and greying apron around his waist. ¡°We ain¡¯t gotta worry about Sam¡¯Sun Chaw¡¯Drak¡¯s nephew doin¡¯ anythin¡¯ silly, do we?¡± he said, eyeing Ridley in a way that would look friendly on anyone else, on Bobby Fish it looked more like a mocking invitation to disagree. ¡°¡®Corse not, Bobby,¡± Rufi replied. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Bobby turned away and began walking the way he had come, waving for Rufi to follow him. Bobby wasn¡¯t particularly tall, but his presence was massive. He swallowed the entire space with his shambling gait, his massive arms swinging as he walked. ¡°Ever seen a Chandler¡¯s factory before?¡± he asked Rufi over his shoulder. ¡°No, can¡¯t say I have.¡± ¡°Fuckin¡¯ melted gold this is,¡± Bobby said, waving a hand at the dripping rows of candles. ¡°Really?¡± Rufi said as he followed behind. ¡°I would have thought with all the Glowstones people wouldn¡¯t be in for candles as much nowadays.¡± ¡°Naa, you think them wot are livin¡¯ ¡®and to mouth in the boroughs can afford to keep replacing Glowstones in every room? We sell these a dozen for half a gold.¡± He grabbed a thin white candle from a stack. ¡°These ¡®ere are fuckin¡¯ ¡®orrible. They stink something awful coz of the rendered Mang wyrm fat we use. But you can get two dozen for half a coin and when yore poor as fuck, you can¡¯t really be too discernin¡¯, can ya?¡± ¡°I guess not.,¡± Rufi said. ¡°But these ¡®ere,¡± he pointed to a half filled crate of fine, amber coloured candles. ¡°These are made from Feetle Beeswax. Rarer than a virgin on Osterly lane. Only find ¡®em ¡®round the shores of Glowery Lake in the Elvish Forests. These here sell for a gold a piece. All the fancy fucks at them underground restaurants buy ¡®em up by the dozen.¡± Rufi pulled an impressed face. ¡°Mr Drummon, the new shipment of a Hornbeetle fat has come in,¡± a young lady in a pristine white apron said to Bobby as they passed. ¡°Thank you Sandra, I¡¯ll conclude this little bit of business and come ¡®round toot sweet.¡± ¡°Yes Mr Drummon.¡± She gave a little curtsy and disappeared into the gloom. ¡°Drummon?¡± Rufi said. ¡°What? Did you think me surname was Fish? Don¡¯t be fuckin¡¯ soft lad,¡± Bobby grunted, chortling and shaking his head. "Come on, let''s have a chat." He kicked open a door and led Rufi into his shabby little office, that was really just a store room with a desk in it. Bobby pulled off his apron and threw it to one side, sitting himself down in a large comfy chair, and smoothing back his hair. He took a deep breath and snorted. Rufi sat down in the chair opposite him. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Cuppa?¡± Bobby said, and then without waiting heaved himself back out of his chair and began pouring boiling water from a tin pot on the side. He tossed a pair of teabags into each chipped cup, humming to himself. Rufi watched him intently. He didn''t like how quick the big man moved. He didn''t like how small this room was. And he hated the fact that he couldn''t see what Bobby''s hands were doing. But a big part of being a villain in Valderia was keeping your nerve, even if that meant you ended up with a hole in you. Bobby turned and Rufi braced himself. In his hands were two steaming cups of tea. "Sugar?" he asked. "Just milk," Rufi replied. Bobby set the cup down in front of Rufi and then reached behind him. He picked up a small milk jug and came around the desk to pour it. He reached across Rufi, close enough that Rufi could smell the sweat and congealed fat off of him. Close for Bobby to stick a blade in him. "Just a splash?" Bobby asked him, a nasty leer on his face. Rufi nodded. His eyes never leaving Bobby''s hands. He couldn''t see the other hand furthest from him, Bobby''s body was in the way. Rufi''s knuckles whitened around the arms of his chair, read to throw himself backwards. Bobby tipped the little milk jug and poured a splash of milk into Rufi''s tea and then ambled back around to his side of the desk without a word. Rufi let go of the breath he had been holding. his hands relaxed and the chair''s arms creaked as he released them. Bobby settled back down and smiled at him over the rim of his cup. It was a mocking little smile without a hint of warmth. He sipped his tea, never taking his eyes from Rufi, and then smacked his lips. "Nothing beats a lovely cuppa, does it?" he asked. Rufi licked his lips and then picked. uphis own cup and took a sip. "Always hits the spot," Rufi replied casually. ¡°Corr, that¡¯s a nice suit you got on there,¡± Bobby said to him abruptly. ¡°Bet it¡¯s proper expensive.¡± ¡°Nothing I can¡¯t afford,¡± Rufi replied. ¡°I bet. Business good over yore side?¡± ¡°I do alright.¡± ¡°How much did it cost?¡± ¡°Eight gold.¡± Bobby whistled through his teeth and then leaned forward and set his cup down. ¡°See me, I could never wear nuffin¡¯ that tasty. Not in my line of work. Wot with all the blood, and the slicing, and all the holes, I¡¯d do me nut just tryna keep the wardrobe full. You had any holes put in yore shirts recently, Rufi?¡± Rufi swallowed his scalding hot tea, the taste suddenly bitter in his mouth, and his heart fluttered for a moment but he kept his face still. ¡°Listen Bobby¡­¡± ¡°¡®Old on,¡± Bobby said, raising one of his massive hands. ¡°Let me tell you first wot I¡¯ve ¡®eard. I always find discourse is easier when both parties knows whre the other party is comin'' from.¡± Bobby leaned back in his chair and picked up his cup again. ¡°I¡¯ve ¡®eard, you and yore little mob, ¡®ave been runnin¡¯ all over town, knocking down dealers and stealing their product. Now me, I couldn¡¯t give a shit about it. I don¡¯t deal drugs. Fuckin'' filthy trade that one. But I do collect protection money. So imagine my shock when one of these fuckin¡¯ little skeezy, scumbag, drug dealin¡¯ cunts that pays me protection comes to and tells me some big fuckin¡¯ Goblins knocked him over and nicked ¡®is Burn. Well, as you can imagine, I¡¯m all a flutter about it. Goblins? Knockin¡¯ over dealers out East? Surely not. So I says to ''im who was these big fuck off Goblins then? And then he tells me these weren¡¯t just any Goblins. They were proper Faces around the place, real Villains. Now my interest is more than piqued. He tells me, the Goblin wot robbed him, was some fancy suit wearing prick by the name o'' Chaw¡¯Drak. Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, Rufi, but the only two Chaw¡¯Draks in Valderia that would be up to some sort of Villainy would you and yore Uncle. Now, I don¡¯t see Sam¡¯Sun sticking up some low life¡¯s and nickin¡¯ their Burn, so me deduction skills led me to yore door. But then the tail twists again. Coz it turns out, you¡¯ve not only knocked them over, but you¡¯ve gone and killed one of ¡®em and put two more on death¡¯s door. Cut ¡®em all to fuckin¡¯ pieces and put ¡®em through the brickwork as far as I¡¯m led to understand. And I¡¯m thinkin¡¯, surely not. Surely, Ruf¡¯Gar Chaw¡¯Drak, nephew of Sam¡¯Sun Chaw¡¯Drak, who is renowned around Valderia as bein¡¯ a creature who respects and upholds the Accords, surely ¡®is nephew ain¡¯t gone and done something this fuckin¡¯ cowboy over a couple squares of Burn. So I think to meself, well Bobby, you got two options. You either grab your butcher¡¯s knife and Talia, that¡¯s me favourite oneshot, and you get to work, or you call Rufi in for a friendly fuckin¡¯ chat and a cup of tea.¡± Bobby downed the rest of his tea and sighed. Quicker than Rufi could blink, a oneshot appeared in Bobby¡¯s meaty fist, pointing directly at Rufi¡¯s belly. Rufi blinked but didn¡¯t move a muscle. He looked slowly down at the oneshot and then at Bobby. ¡°So now Rufi, you''ve had your cuppa, so why don¡¯t you tell me wot the fuck is goin¡¯ on before I put a hole in you, stuff two separate halves of your body in a vat of rendering fat and turn you into a couple hundred fuckin¡¯ candles some cunt will use when they¡¯re havin¡¯ a late night shit in the outhouse.¡± Rufi swallowed. His throat had gone completely dry. ¡°It weren¡¯t like that Bobby,¡± Rufi said. ¡°No?¡± ¡°No. Firstly, we didn¡¯t kill that boy. His mate¡¯s oneshot misfired and he killed him accidentally.¡± Bobby tutted sympathetically. "That''s the thing with these little crossbows ain''t it. Got a mind of their own, sometimes Talia here goes. offfor no reason at all." His finger curled tighter around the oneshot''s trigger. "But you was there nickin¡¯ their Burn?¡± ¡°No¡­ well yes, but not like that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re makin¡¯ my ass ache here. What do you mean, not like that?¡± ¡°We were taking the Bad Batch off the streets.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Burn that¡¯s been causing all of the overdoses.¡± ¡°What? I thought that was just a bunch of fuckin¡¯ junkies OD¡¯ing.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a tainted strain. The stuff¡¯s everywhere and we¡¯re getting it off the streets to stop the deaths. Those dealers were selling the Bad Batch, that¡¯s why we were there,¡± Rufi said, his heart hammering in his chest. ¡°What the fuck ¡®as that got to do with you? Yore lot don¡¯t even sell Burn.¡± ¡°The Kings had a meeting. They decided that the Bad Batch needed to be taken off the streets. There¡¯s been too many high-profile OD¡¯s and the heat is starting to affect everyone¡¯s business. So they put that on my uncle, who put it on me. That¡¯s what I was doing there.¡± ¡°The Kings?¡± Bobby breathed the word and wrinkled his nose in disgust. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m acting with their authority.¡± ¡°Shit on their fuckin¡¯ authority,¡± Bobby snarled. ¡°I don¡¯t work for the Kings.¡± ¡°Delilah was there,¡± Rufi said. ¡°She agreed to it. She was already supposed to have moved on getting the Bad batch off the streets in the East.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t fuckin¡¯ work for Delilah,¡± Bobby growled. ¡°I love ¡®er like a little sister, but I also wouldn¡¯t take orders from my little sister.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just following orders, Bobby. It wasn¡¯t my intention to step on any toes.¡± ¡°Well you fuckin¡¯ ¡®ave. I can¡¯t ¡®ave those what pay me protection being clipped in my own fuckin¡¯ manor. Can¡¯t be ¡®avin¡¯ that at all. People will start to talk. And the second they think you can¡¯t protect ¡®em is the second they start gettin¡¯ late on payments. Then I¡¯d ¡®ave to remind ¡®em why they pay me in the first fuckin¡¯ place. Much easier to just sort out the one problem and save meself future headache.¡± Bobby raised the oneshot. ¡°Wait, Bobby, I swear to you it¡¯s all above board. I¡¯m not spinning you a story. The Four Kings all agreed, Delilah agreed, she should have already cleared the streets. I don¡¯t know why no one has told you, but if I had known that, I would have come to you first. I didn¡¯t know those dealers were under your protection.¡± Bobby¡¯s lip curled, and he thought for a moment before lowering the oneshot slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what was agreed or wasn¡¯t but I can tell you this: Delilah ain¡¯t made any moves to get Burn off the streets. If she ¡®ad I would ¡®ave ¡®eard about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that up with her,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Yeah, good luck with that,¡± Bobby snorted derisively. He looked at Rufi again and then placed the oneshot down on the desk. ¡°So all of this is some fuckin¡¯ game being played at the Table?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Rufi said, relaxing only slightly. ¡°Believe me, I ain¡¯t happy about it either.¡± ¡°Sounds like the Kings ¡®ave taken a big old shit on yore plate and asked you tuck in, mate.¡± ¡°Yeah, it feels like that.¡± Bobby sighed and pulled open a drawer underhis desk. He pulled something out and Rufi flinched. It was a bottle of whisky. He plonked two glasses down on the table and poured them a measure each despite Rufi''s protests. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be a woman about it, I wasn¡¯t gonna shoot you.¡± Bobby said, pushing the glass towards Rufi. ¡°You weren¡¯t?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain I wasn¡¯t.¡± Rufi downed the whisky and exhaled deeply. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t like this fuckin¡¯ drug game. It¡¯s a dirty business. I¡¯ve always said it. I can¡¯t stand these fuckin¡¯ junkies and not to mention the jumped up little turds slingin¡¯ the shit. But if you think anyone is just gonna give up their Burn coz it¡¯s killin¡¯ creatures, yore off yore trolley, mate. That shit¡¯s addictive, and not just for the junkies sellin¡¯ it. These dealers are crawlin¡¯ out of the wood work, tearin¡¯ chunks off each other over a fuckin¡¯ street corner in the arse end of nowhere. They¡¯re as lowlife as the addicts. Problem is, there¡¯s a lot of gold in the Burn game and it¡¯s givin¡¯ too much power to fuckin¡¯ nobodies who ain¡¯t done a bit of work in their lives. Now they¡¯re strutting around with piles of gold like their real Villains.¡± Bobby sniffed and looked down into his empty glass. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing a couple of them end up getting shot accidentally.¡± Rufi looked at Bobby curiously. ¡°You have anybody in particular in mind? Someone higher up on the food chain?¡± Bobby sniffed and poured himself another glass. ¡°¡®Ow about the cunt that supplies all these other little cunts around ¡®ere, including the cunts you robbed?¡± Rufi chose his words carefully. ¡°That could be a problem that I¡¯d be interested in taking care of.¡± Bobby nodded. ¡°¡®Is name¡¯s Cameron Haney.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him. Took a big step up recently.¡± ¡°Yeah, if you wanna call it that.¡± ¡°You know where I can find him? I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s out by Dowrey Manor but that information seems to be old.¡± "Yeah, he¡¯s moved on to a bigger warehouse now. He¡¯s runs a breaker¡¯s yard on the Landlord¡¯s side of the river now. Reckon ¡®e must ¡®ave cut some sort of deal with that prick Bill. It¡¯s down by Lacey¡¯s Square where the river¡¯s the widest. He moves product into the city from the little dock there and then shifts it up river.¡± ¡°Is he heavy?¡± ¡°Naa, he¡¯s just some little cunt from the manor. But with the amount of gold I ¡®eard ¡®e¡¯s makin¡¯, he could definitely afford some serious muscle. I can¡¯t see ¡®im ¡®andin¡¯ over his Burn peacefully.¡± ¡°Not a problem,¡± Rufi said. Bobby nodded and scratched the stubble on his cheek. ¡°Well I think that¡¯s our discourse concluded. Say hello to your uncle for me.¡± Rufi downed the rest of his whiskey and stood to go. ¡°And Rufi, if you kill anyone else under my protection,¡± Bobby said. ¡°The next time you won¡¯t see me. Understand?¡± "Understood." Rufi walked back out of the factory with his guts churning. He exited the factory and took a deep breath through his nose. He was drenched in sweat. He took another steadying breath and then made a beeline for his carriage. He hopped in and spoke before the others could begin questioning him. ¡°Put together a crew. I need a dozen ready to get their claws wet. I want ¡®em armed and heavy.¡± ¡°Fuck that, I¡¯ll go do Bobby right now,¡± Chuch said, a blade appearing in his hand. ¡°What? No, not for Bobby. That¡¯s sorted. I found out where Cameron Haney is holed up and where he¡¯s moving the Bad Batch from.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Chuch said, disappointment in his voice. ¡°Cameron Haney, he¡¯s wholesaling the Bad Batch,¡± Pauli explained. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°Landlord¡¯s side of the river. Down at a breaker¡¯s yard on the waterfront. By the sound of it, he considers himself a bit of a Villain, and he¡¯s got a bag of goons with him.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just gonna roll into Bill¡¯s territory heavy?¡± Mikkel asked. ¡°Remember what happened last time we did that?¡± ¡°Fuck Bill,¡± Chuch snarled. ¡°Yeah,¡± Rufi said, remembering all too well the Landlord¡¯s hospitality. ¡°Fuck Bill. He was there at the Table, he knows we¡¯re supposed to be getting this shit off the street. Instead, he¡¯s fuckin¡¯ renting space to one of the biggest distributors. Fuck him.¡± ¡°Nice,¡± Chuch said, a wicked grin on his face. ¡°So we knock on the door and boost the lot?¡± ¡°Exactly. Pauli, get me eyes on the warehouse. I want as much info as we can get. Chuch, you round us up some troops. Make sure their tusks are red, I don¡¯t want any rookies on this one.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The carriage began trundling back down South and Rufi leaned back in his seat. Armed robbery of a big time drug dealer wasn¡¯t on his list of things to do today, but it was just another bit of crap to add to his ever growing pile. Shit, he was tired. Book II - Chapter 17 - T&W 17 Night had descended on the RatHoles and Timmy had never wished to be somewhere else more in his young life. The rain had intensified and was coming down in forlorn sheets, washing the day¡¯s filth from the cobbles, while they were holed up in the abandoned tenement. Wind had joined the rain, making the building so cold he shivered constantly. Still, he had it better than Wally, who¡¯s nearly non existent disguise left so much of his milky, goose pimpled flesh exposed to the cutting winds. Sarpele was huddled deep into his cloak and fake beard, quietly muttering to himself as he rocked back and forth. He had set himself up so he could see the towers without it looking like he was watching. Timmy had to admit that his commitment to the part was astounding. It was easy to forget there was a healthy, sharp eyed undercover detective in there somewhere. Timmy really found himself believing he was a half senile, crippled old man with weak eyes. Despite Wally¡¯s hushed protests, Sarpele had demanded they stay overnight in the tenement as most drug activity didn¡¯t take place until the sun went down. As the sun fell and the thick thunderclouds blotted out the moon, business had picked up, but only minutely. The towers were quiet. All around them in the tenement, addicts itched, coughed, and moaned as their need for another fix worsened. ¡°Ughh,¡± Wally muttered, all of his gangly limbs huddled into himself as he desperately tried to get warm. ¡°I wish they¡¯d shut up.¡± Timmy agreed. The moans were haunting. The addicts sounded like they were in dire pain, most of them were too weak and malnourished to scream or writhe, so they just moaned piteously and begged. The other addicts, those not so deep in their addiction, tried to care for them. They soothed their burning brows with rainwater and tried to get them to drink. But the addicts pleaded, they bargained, they threatened, and they wept. All they wanted was another hit. Just one. That wouldn¡¯t kill them, right? And if it did, it was better than this. ¡°They''re in pain,¡± Sarpele muttered. ¡°Wish you that you never experience a want so deep or painful. They¡¯re experiencing withdrawals, and withdrawals from Burn are the worst. Their bodies are on fire, they have fevers, nausea, diarrhoea, and painful cramps all over their bodies. Many of them will die just from the need.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¡®orrbile,¡± Wally replied, hugging his knees to his chest. ¡°Serves ¡®em right for takin¡¯ that junk in the first place.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± Sarple said. ¡°Well yeah. No one forced ¡®em to become junkies. Everyone knows wot that stuff does to you, and they still went and done it anyway.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve never considered what might drive a creature to do something so destructive?¡± Sarpele asked. Wally looked at him and shrugged his narrow shadows. It wasn¡¯t something he had ever considered. ¡°You still have much of the world, and it¡¯s pains to explore young Washbottom,¡± Sarpele sighed. ¡°Help me up.¡± They took Sarpele under his arms and helped him shakily to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m going to do some surveillance around the towers. We are getting no useful information holed up in here. Might be we¡¯ll have to attempt a buy tonight if nothing more happens. I will be back shortly. Do not speak to anyone and keep to yourselves while I¡¯m gone.¡± Sarpele took up his walking stick and began muttering nonsense to himself as he shuffled away. Timmy and Wally slumped back down again, miserably. ¡°I wish we were back on the beat,¡± Wally muttered to Timmy. ¡°At least we¡¯d be ¡®ome by now with our feet up, nice and warm. Nan was s¡¯posed to be making a lovely ¡®otpot with onion gravy tonight.¡± Timmy stomach rumbled at the thought of food. They hadn¡¯t eaten since that morning at the precinct. ¡°Instead we¡¯re stuck ¡®ere with a bunch of nasty junkies in the freezin¡¯ cold!¡± ¡°Keep your voice down,¡± Timmy muttered out of the side of his mouth. ¡°Not like they¡¯re listenin¡¯,¡± Wally said. ¡°Look at ¡®em. Rolling around in the filth, crying, and moaning all for some bloody Burn. Why do we even care if they OD on that crap. I say let ¡®em. Least that¡¯s one less problem for the rest of the city to deal with.¡± Timmy sighed. This morning, he probably would have agreed with Wally. As coppers on the beat, it felt like half of their day was taken up dealing with petty theft and erratic public behaviour of addicts. They lied, they stank, they were filthy, and they were a nuisance. They would spit at you and call you pigs and generally be as vile as they could be, and in the end they were usually slung back out onto the street because it wasn¡¯t worth the city¡¯s time and gold to prosecute them. So the next day, they would be dealing with the same junkie nonsense. But seeing them here, like this, made Timmy¡¯s heart ache. They were just people. They had friends. They cared for each other. They tried to tend to each other and soothe their pains. They weren¡¯t some completely different species. As Timmy looked around the room, he saw a young girl sitting against a wall, her head lolling down, a bloody rag wrapped around her arm. She sniffed and wiped tears from her face as she grimaced in pain. She couldn¡¯t have been any older than them, perhaps even younger. She didn¡¯t look like the junkies either. She was cleaner, her skin not yet mottled, and even her teeth were still mostly white. She had orangey-red hair, tied back in a ponytail, and light green eyes that were full of pain and fear. She lifted the bloody rag, and Timmy saw there was a nasty gash across her arm that was bleeding freely. ¡°She¡¯s hurt,¡± Timmy whispered to Wally. ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°That girl, she¡¯s injured.¡± ¡°So wot? Everyone here is.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s bleeding.¡± ¡°Tim,¡± Wally warned, knowing that earnest look in his partner¡¯s eyes. ¡°Sarpele said we was to keep to ourselves.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just let her bleed. Look, she¡¯s all alone. We won¡¯t be bothering anyone else.¡± ¡°Tim,¡± Wally hissed, but it was too late: Timmy was already up on his feet, shambling towards the girl. She looked up as he approached, and fear blossomed in her eyes. Timmy gave her a crooked smile and opened his mouth before remembering he was under strict instructions not to speak, lest he give away his cover. He pointed at her wound and tried to give her a friendly smile. She shrank away from him for a moment. He dropped to his knees and then mimed for her to show him. The girl looked around in panic. With great reluctance, Wally followed Timmy over and sat down next to the girl. ¡°He wants to ¡®ave a look at your arm,¡± Wally said to her. Now he was closer, he could see how young and afraid she was, and it softened his voice. ¡°I¡¯m Wally and this is Timmy. ¡®E¡¯s proper good at first aid.¡± Timmy gave her his warmest smile, which always made him look like a complete simpleton, but in this instance that made the girl feel safer. ¡°I¡¯m Marney,¡± the girl said, her voice as quiet as a mouse. She shakily extended her arm to Timmy. Carefully, he took her arm in his podgy hands and peeled away the rag. ¡°¡®Ow did you do that?¡± Wally asked, wincing as he saw the gash. "I was being chased by some¡­ bad people, and I had to jump a fence. There was wire at the top, and I cut my arm,¡± she explained in her soft voice, tears welling up in her eyes. Timmy examined the wound. ¡°Is it going to need stitches?¡± Marney asked, her voice fearful. Timmy shook his head. He then mimed for her to stretch her legs out. Once she did, he carefully rested her forearm on her leg so the wound was facing upwards. He held up a finger and then trundled off. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Wally asked her. Marney nodded and bit her lip as the air wafted across the wound. ¡°Doesn¡¯t your friend talk?¡± she asked. ¡°No, he¡¯s not a¡­¡± Wally was about to say allowed to. ¡°He¡¯s not able to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so sad,¡± Marney said, wincing. ¡°Makes ¡®im a good listener though,¡± Wally said. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Timmy returned with a small foil bowl of rainwater and the remains of the foul smelling spirits Sarpele had been sipping on as part of their cover. He sat them down and then tore a length of his sleeve off. He dabbed it in the bowl and then began to clean her word. Marney took a sharp intake of breath and closed her eyes. Timmy looked up at Wally and mouthed for him to talk to the girl to distract her. ¡°Oh ermm¡­ so Marney¡­ you look¡­ umm¡­ you don¡¯t look like you belong ¡®ere,¡± Wally stammered. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone belongs somewhere like this,¡± Marney said, wincing in pain. ¡°Yeah right,¡± Wally said. ¡°Where are you from?¡± ¡°Northern boroughs, out by Longshade.¡± ¡°Oh right. Did you umm¡­ ¡®ave you run away from ¡®ome?¡± Marney nodded and looked away from him. Once Timmy had finished wiping away the excess blood, he folded the wet rag and pressed it against the wound. He looked at Wally and then picked up the bottle of spirits, pulling a pained expression. ¡°¡®E says this bit is gonna ¡®urt,¡± Wally said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m used to pain,¡± Marney said, a rueful grimace on her face. She held her hand out for the bottle after Timmy had soaked the rag. He handed it to her and she took a deep drinking, her face fluching as the spirits burned her throat. Timmy tenderly dabbed at the wound. Marney winced and screwed her eyes shut. As she did, Wally noticed all the bruising on her arms. They were finger shaped and some were fresh. He also noticed the bruising around her neck and the shadow of her healing bruise under one eye. ¡°Is there somewhere else you can go?¡± Wally asked. ¡°Like a relative or somethin¡¯?¡± Marney shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s only me and my dad¡­ and I can¡¯t go back there.¡± Wally looked at her bruises again. No, she couldn¡¯t. He felt a well of rage flare up inside of him. She was only a tiny little thing. She was thin, much thinner than was healthy, and she couldn¡¯t have been more than a couple inches over five feet. Who would batter around such a defenceless person? ¡°This place ain¡¯t safe,¡± Wally insisted. ¡°Someone like you¡­ you¡¯re not safe ¡®ere with all these junkies. You should go somewhere else.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Marney said. ¡°There isn¡¯t anywhere else for me. At least it¡¯s dry and indoors, that¡¯s better than other places I¡¯ve been recently.¡± Timmy placed one more fresh, rolled up rag on her wound and then carefully tied it around her arm. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, beads of sweat on her forehead. ¡°Can I finish this?¡± she asked holding up the bottle. Timmy looked nervously at the bottle, then at Wally. ¡°I think you¡¯re a little young to¡­¡± Wally began. Before he could finish, Marney had picked up the bottle and glugged the remains of the foul liquor. She coughed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before sighing deeply. She tried to roll down her sleeves, but Timmy stopped her. He pulled her sleeve back up and saw the tell tale fresh horizontal slits on her arms. Timmy¡¯s eyes widened and he looked at Wally. ¡°You¡¯re a Burner?¡± Wally said incredulously. ¡°Yeah, so what, what¡¯s it got to do with you?¡± Marney said defensively. She pulled down her sleeve and hid her arm from him. ¡°Wot you goin¡¯ and doin¡¯ that crap for?" Wally said, loud enough that others looked over. ¡°What?¡± Marney said. ¡°What¡¯s it to you? You do as well. Otherwise, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yeah right¡­ but you¡¯re so young. Why would you wanna be goin¡¯ and doin¡¯ Burn for?¡± ¡°My reasons are my reasons,¡± Marney said, her eyes hard. Wally was about to respond when Timmy held up his hand to him. Marney drew her knees to her chest and buried her face in her legs. After a few moments, they saw her shoulders shake and heard her sobs. Wally felt like he had been punched in the stomach. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± Timmy shuffled so he was sat next to Marney and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her back gently. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay,¡± Marney said after collecting herself. She wiped her eyes on her bare knees. ¡°It¡¯s just been¡­ a long day. And one of my friends¡­ she umm¡­ she passed away.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Wally said. ¡°Wot happened?¡± ¡°Overdose,¡± Marney said, taking a shaky breath. ¡°This Bad Batch going around. She hadn¡¯t had any in days because everyone is so scared of OD¡¯ing. Then she came to me all excited that she had found a fresh supply, and it was the good stuff. I was meant to take it too, but then I wanted to be clear headed so I could¡­ do some stuff. And when I came back¡­ she was¡­ she was dead. It was so horrible. Her face was all twisted up. She looked like she was in so much pain before she died. And then the dealers came looking for her to pay her tab. They didn¡¯t care she was dead. They wanted me to pay, and I didn¡¯t have the coin. So then¡­ they wanted me to pay another way.¡± Her words were babbled and jumbled as fresh tears rolled down her face. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ animals,¡± Wally growled through gritted teeth. ¡°Then they did this,¡± she held up her arm. ¡°And said they would kill me if I didn¡¯t pay up. So I ran, and I just kept running. And I don¡¯t know what to do. When they find me, they¡¯ll kill me.¡± Marney buried her face in her knees again as she wept. Fortunately, there was crying and moaning all around them, so hers didn¡¯t draw any attention to them. ¡°We can help,¡± Wally said, without thinking. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Umm,¡± he looked at Timmy and panicked. ¡°We¡¯re police officers,¡± Timmy said so quietly, the words were little more than whispers. ¡°What!¡± Marney gasped. ¡°Shh,¡± Wally said, holding a finger up to his lips. ¡°We¡¯re undercover.¡± ¡°We can take you somewhere safe,¡± Timmy whispered. ¡°And you tell us who these people are, and we¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t bother you again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a rat,¡± Marney hissed at them. ¡°And if anyone finds out I talked to the police, I¡¯m dead!¡± ¡°We can help¡­¡± Wally tried, but Marney shook her head vehemently. ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand, rats are even worse than junkies. These are dangerous people. They¡¯ll kill me!¡± ¡°Not if we find them first,¡± Timmy said. Marney bit her lip and looked at the two of them. ¡°You don¡¯t look like coppers,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± Wally replied. ¡°Just give us their names, and we¡¯ll leave you out of it completely,¡± Timmy whispered. ¡°Tell us where we can find them, and we¡¯ll arrest them. They¡¯ll have more to worry about than chasing up a debt with you. No one will know you helped us.¡± Marney looked from the earnest, soft face of Timmy, to the gaunt, fiery eyed face of Wally. ¡°You promise?¡± she whispered. They both nodded. ¡°I only know one of their names,¡± she said. ¡°He goes by Trembles.¡± ¡°Trembles?¡± Wally said. ¡°Wot kind of name is that?¡± ¡°I dunno, it¡¯s just what they call him. He runs an operation just North of the Houses, on Derby street.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he look like?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°He¡¯s a big guy, has a couple gold teeth and has his hair all slicked back.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Timmy whispered. ¡°We¡¯ll find him and take care of him.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. I promise.¡± For the first time, a weak smile broke out across Marney¡¯s face and transformed it. She looked even younger and innocent. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No need to thank us,¡± Wally said. ¡°Just doin¡¯ out jobs.¡± ¡°But you should let us get you out of here,¡± Timmy said. ¡°There must be a shelter or something we can take you to.¡± Marney shook her head. ¡°They¡¯ll send me back to my dad on account of my age. I can¡¯t go back there. I¡¯d rather die on the streets.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Thank you, but no.¡± Marney said firmly. Timmy sighed and looked at Wally. ¡°Take this then." Timmy produced a small, white card with his name and station on it. ¡°If you get in trouble or you just need help, come and find us. My name¡¯s Corporal Timmy Edgewater, and this is Corporal Wally Washbottom. Anytime you need help, we¡¯ll be there.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Marney took his card and wiped tears from her eyes. ¡°Why are police here anyway?¡± ¡°We¡¯re undercover, staking out the towers, trying to find who¡¯s selling Burn,¡± Timmy explained. ¡°Bad time for it,¡± Marney replied. ¡°There¡¯s hardly any business going on here at the moment. Every Burner knows to stay away from the RatHoles, all of their stuff is the Bad Batch.¡± ¡°Bad Batch?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s what¡¯s killing everyone.¡± ¡°Wot d¡¯you mean?¡± Wally said. ¡°All of the OD¡¯s. It¡¯s not just from regular Burn. There¡¯s a tainted strain going around. Everyone¡¯s calling it the Bad Batch. Apparently, one hit can kill you or make you really sick. It¡¯s why all of these Burners here are hurting so bad. No one can trust any of the product at the moment, so those that ain¡¯t desperate enough are staying away until the Bad Batch runs out and the good stuff comes back.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure about this?¡± Timmy asked. Marney nodded her head. ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s really helpful,¡± Timmy said. They heard the tip tap of a walking stick come back up the creaky stairs. ¡°Shit,¡± Wally said, hopping up. ¡°Thanks for everything,¡± Marney said as they gathered up their supplies before Sarpele returned. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of it¡¯,¡± Wally whispered to her. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about nuffin¡¯.¡± Marney gave him a small smile, and they scarpered back to the other side of the room. Sarpele came shambling back in, drenched, and still rambling. He sat down on the floor and shook out his hair and beard. He grumbled to himself until he was sure no one was paying attention to them. ¡°No luck,¡± he muttered. ¡°The place is a ghost town. If we want information, we¡¯re gonna have to go in and get it ourselves.¡± ¡°Go into there?¡± Wally said, looking at the foreboding towers. ¡°Yes,¡± Sarpele grunted. ¡°We can do a couple of hand to hand transactions and try to get a few names and faces at least. I don¡¯t understand why it¡¯s so dead.¡± Sarpele reached for his bottle of spirits. He raised it and then shook it. ¡°Did you drink this?¡± Wally shrugged. ¡°Got thirsty.¡± ¡°You¡¯d best be sober for this boy,¡± Sarpele growled. ¡°There¡¯s no telling what awaits us in those towers. It¡¯ll be dangerous, and we might not have a clear way back out if things go wrong. I need you both sharp.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Wally said, and Timmy nodded. ¡°Good. Nothing more nerve wracking than the door being locked behind you in a room full of nasty bastards.¡± Timmy looked up at the ominous towers and then swallowed. Book II - Chapter 18 - R&N 18 The Umbry theatre was almost deserted when Nairo and Ridley arrived the next morning. The rain had eased, but the sun had yet to make a return. Instead, the sky was full of listless grey clouds, with not a hint of blue anywhere. ¡°Some summer this is turning out to be,¡± Ridley muttered as he stepped out of the carriage and straight into an ankle deep puddle. They walked into the theatre and made their way straight to the backstage area, only to be waylaid by no less than three different ushers and security personnel. They had to use Eliza¡¯s name and threaten one of the ushers before they were able to make it backstage. This sort of thing had been much easier when Nairo had a badge. They could barge their way in pretty much anywhere they liked. Now they had to employ subterfuge and bribery, which was time consuming and left Nairo feeling dirty. Backstage was still a buzz of activity but certainly less frantic than at show time. As they walked in, a number of dancers, clad in baggy workout gear, were being drilled through a complex routine of pirouettes and high kicks. There also seemed to be quite a lot more people simply hanging out, smoking, and drinking, while make-up artists and hair stylists flitted about them. Ridley, using his uncanny ability to remember directions, walked confidently straight to Eliza''s dressing room. If his beaten up loafers had trodden a path once, he seemed to be able to remember it with preternatural accuracy forever more. They worked their way through the backstage warren and knocked on Eliza¡¯s door. There was no answer. Ridley tried the handle and it was locked. ¡°You looking for Eliza?¡± a sweet voice asked them. They turned to see a stunning young woman in an outfit with far too little cloth and far too many sequins on it. She wore her hair in a dark bob that seemed to be in fashion at the moment and heavy mascara that shimmered in the light. ¡°Yes, we were supposed to meet her,¡± Nairo said. The woman gave a little trilling laugh. ¡°Oh honey, I haven¡¯t seen Eliza awake before lunch time in years!¡± ¡°Great,¡± Ridley said, rolling his eyes. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Hannah Hoxley, I am¡­ was a backup singer for Lana LaRue.¡± An almost practiced flash of mournful sorrow flittered across her features. ¡°Oh really?¡± Ridley said, looking at Nairo. ¡°Yes, for three years,¡± Hannah said, laying a hand on her chest. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll do without her.¡± ¡°Ms. Hoxley, we were actually here to talk to Eliza about Ms. LaRue¡¯s passing,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Would you be able to answer a few questions for us? It would really help with our investigation.¡± ¡°Investigation?¡± Hannah raised a finely plucked eyebrow. "I thought the police had already ruled it an accidental overdose?" "We''re not the police, maam." Nairo said. "We''re private investigators. I''m Sally Nairo and this is Ridley." "Private investigators? Hannah said, her eyebrow arching even higher. She thought for a moment and then looked up and down the hallway. ¡°Follow me.¡± Hannah tiptoed away on outrageously large heels, leading them further backstage until they reached a disused dressing room. She looked around again and then nodded for them to enter. She snapped the door shut after casting another furtive glance around. ¡°Eliza put you up to this, didn¡¯t she?¡± Hannah said to them. ¡°She had some concerns around the death of Ms. LaRue,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Oh gosh. Lizzie, you silly cow.¡± Hannah looked up to the ceiling and then pushed a loose strand of hair from her face. ¡°She¡¯s convinced that Lana didn¡¯t overdose, every time she has too much to drink she¡¯ll say it to anyone. I keep telling her, that sort of thing could really get her in trouble if the wrong person heard it.¡± ¡°Like who?¡± Ridley asked. Hannah looked at him and then tittered nervously. ¡°It¡¯s just an expression, darling. But, you know, people don¡¯t like that sort of thing hanging over them. Everyone just wants to mourn Lana and then, you know, move on. It¡¯s not healthy to hold on to this sort of thing. Grief is terrible for the skin, it can age you ten years, just like that.¡± Hannah clicked her bony fingers and then gave them another nervous smile. ¡°Well, so far we¡¯ve found nothing to suggest foul play,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Maybe if you could answer some of our questions, it would help put Eliza¡¯s mind at ease.¡± ¡°Yeah, grief¡¯s a funny thing,¡± Ridley said. He had circled to the side of the room so that Hannah wouldn¡¯t be able to look at him without turning her head, but he could still see her every expression. ¡°I suppose I have some time,¡± Hannah said. ¡°Please have a seat.¡± Nairo gestured to the crumpled sofa and then sat herself down on the makeup chair in front of the large mirror to one side of the room with her notepad in hand. Hannah eased herself down and sat with a perfectly straight back, one long leg folded over the other. ¡°Ms. Hoxley,¡± Nairo began. ¡°Please, call me Hannah.¡± ¡°Hannah, did you see Ms. LaRue the night she died?¡± ¡°Of course, we were preparing for the show all afternoon, and then we were in makeup together.¡± ¡°When was the last time you saw her?¡± ¡°Oh, maybe an hour before before she, you know, passed.¡± ¡°Did she seem odd to you at all?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Was she behaving strangely, or did you get any indication there was something wrong?¡± ¡°No, she was normal old Susie, that was her real name, she was bubbly and chatty as always. In fact, I would say she was back to her old self.¡± ¡°Back to her old self?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Yes," Hannah said turning to look at Ridley. "She had been a bit, I don¡¯t know if down is the right word, but she wasn¡¯t her usual self before that day. She was stressed about something, it was wreaking havoc with her complexion.¡± ¡°How long had she been like that?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Maybe a week could have been a little bit longer,¡± Hannah said, waving a hand airily. ¡°She didn¡¯t say what was the matter?¡± Nairo said. ¡°No. I just assumed it was the stress of the tour getting to her.¡± ¡°This is the tour that she was in the middle of when she passed?¡± ¡°Yes. Twenty four shows in a month is a gruelling schedule for anyone.¡± ¡°But she seemed fine when you saw her that day?¡± ¡°Back to her old self.¡± ¡°Could you tell us a bit about Ms. LaRue¡¯s drug use?¡± A fiery look flashed across Hannah¡¯s eyes. ¡°She didn¡¯t use drugs,¡± Hannah said haughtily. ¡°Well, not like that! You know, she liked to have a good time, like any of us. But she never touched the hard stuff. Never!¡± ¡°What did she use?¡± ¡°Just¡­ the normal stuff, okay? Chaaraam leaf after a show. Maybe a bit of Slug every now and again when she needed a pick me up. Pink fizzers when we were out on the town. Just¡­ normal stuff.¡± ¡°You never saw her use Burn?¡± ¡°That toxic crap rots your skin, turns your teeth yellow, and my gosh don¡¯t get me started on what it does to your hair!" Hannah said. "So you never saw her use Burn, or saw any indications she might be using it? Especially in the lead up to her death." Nairo asked. "No!" Hannah said emphatically, but then she stopped and looked down at her hands with a dramatic lilt in her posture. "But then Susie had become distant before she passed. I hardly felt like I knew her by the end.¡± ¡°Eliza said that Ms. LaRue had gone completely straight, she hadn¡¯t touched a drug or a drop of drink before she died.¡± Nairo said. ¡°Eliza would say that,¡± Hannah replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°She lying?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Let¡¯s just say, Eliza had a somewhat unhealthy fondness for Susie. She thought she could do no wrong and she would believe anything that came out of Susie¡¯s mouth.¡± ¡°Did you see Ms. LaRue take any drugs prior to her death?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Well, not personally, no. But she had stopped coming out with us. Again, the stress of the tour. Poor thing was exhausted all the time, constantly complaining of backaches and the such. She was being run into the ground. We¡¯d only just returned from the Genero tour and we were right back to it.¡± ¡°Susie had been in Genero?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Yes, we just wrapped up six dates there last month.¡± ¡°Last month? Do you remember the dates?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Not off the top of my head, but there¡¯s flyers all over the place, if you grab one of those it will have the exact dates.¡± Hannah said with a flippant wave of her hand. Ridley nodded and fell silent. ¡°So Suzie wasn¡¯t coming out and partying anymore?¡± Nairo said, continuing her line of questioning. ¡°No, she was with her married man most of the time since we returned. Who knows what they got up to in private.¡± Hannah grinned wickedly. ¡°Friedrich Shumacker?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yes, him.¡± Hannah pulled a face at the mention of the name like she had smelled something foul. ¡°You¡¯re not a fan?¡± Ridley said. ¡°It¡¯s just, well it¡¯s not right, is it? A married man more than twice her age. And the stories I¡¯ve heard about him, it just wasn¡¯t right. It was a strange relationship, that¡¯s all, and I don¡¯t think he was a good influence on her.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°He would fill her head with nonsense ideas and, let¡¯s just say, Fred Shumacker is definitely a very experienced man. His appetites are the stuff of legend. If Susie did fall into bad ways, I guarantee it came from him.¡± ¡°Do you believe that Shumacker could possibly have done something to harm Ms. LaRue?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°No,¡± Hannah said bluntly. ¡°By all accounts, they were both very much in love. The way he would dote over her. They were so saccharine it made my toes curl. No, he was as taken with Susie as most people were with her. Only difference is he could buy her everything and take her anywhere she wanted. Susie had that effect on people. They just wanted to shower her with affection and gifts. This is what I keep telling Eliza, why would anyone want to hurt such a sweet thing as Susie?¡± ¡°He is a married man,¡± Nairo said, and Hannah snorted derisively. ¡°He¡¯s an Owner, sweetie, he could have a whole harem of women, who¡¯s going to tell him anything?¡± ¡°Did Susie ever talk to you about a stalker?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Ha! Which one?¡± Hannah said, waving a dismissive hand at Ridley. ¡°The girl was adored from here to the Algrave Lakes. She had doting fans everywhere. Some of those were a bit intense. I¡¯d take it as a compliment personally, but Susie was just too inexperienced. The attention used to frighten her, the poor thing.¡± ¡°But did she mention a stalker recently?¡± Nairo asked. Hannah sighed and smoothed down her dress. ¡°Listen, Susie had what you would call a nervous disposition. All the fame and attention was all a bit much for her. Sometimes, she would overreact or work herself up into seeing things that weren¡¯t there or imagining people were following her¡­¡± ¡°But did she talk about it recently?¡± Ridley persisted. Hannah looked at him and then shrugged noncommitally. ¡°She was all in a flutter a couple of days before she passed. She said she had seen someone outside of her window and that she reckoned someone had been in her apartment while she was gone. But that¡¯s silly. She lived in one of the gated apartments with twenty four hour security. No one could have gotten in there. Like I said, she was just a bit fragile sometimes.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°And this was a couple of days before she passed?¡± Nairo clarified. ¡°Yes, I think.¡± ¡°Thank you Hannah, you have been very helpful in clearing up a few things for us.¡± Nairo said with a professional smile. ¡°I hope I have,¡± Hannah replied, rising gracefully. ¡°And I hope we can just put this whole business behind us and move on.¡± ¡°Well we won¡¯t take up anymore of your time,¡± Ridley said, walking over and opening the door for them. ¡°But then I suppose there¡¯s not much to be doing now, with the tour cancelled.¡± ¡°Oh the tour hasn¡¯t been cancelled,¡± Hannah said, letting out another little titter of laughter. ¡°It hasn¡¯t?¡± ¡°No, dear, this is showbiz and the show must alway go on. We still have thirteen more dates to fill.¡± ¡°How are you going to do that without Ms. LaRue?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°It¡¯s now a memorial tour. We¡¯ve sold out everything. There¡¯s even talks of extending the tour and doing the circuit around the Forest, hitting all the major cities where Susie was beloved. I¡¯ll be taking Susie¡¯s place as leading lady.¡± She gave them a small, humble smile but couldn¡¯t hide the flash of hubris in her eyes. ¡°Oh wow, congrats.¡± Ridley said. ¡°Thank you, love. I¡¯ll be sure to see that you can get a couple of tickets. Taa taa for now, I must be off for hair and make up!¡± She flashed them another smile and then tottered away on her mountainous heels. Ridley watched her go and then turned to Nairo. ¡°You getting a tingly feeling in the back of your neck?¡± he asked. ¡°More like in my guts,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Something¡¯s¡­ off here. She shut down every possible line of inquiry.¡± ¡°Almost like she wants us to think this was just an OD,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°And now they¡¯ve sold out the tour in memory of Susie, and she gets to be the leading lady? Smells like a motive to me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves here,¡± Nairo warned. ¡°She definitely felt like she was trying to lead us to a conclusion, but I didn¡¯t get the feeling she was hiding anything. I mean, does she strike you as cold and calculated enough to poison a coworker so she could steal her spot?¡± ¡°Showbiz is a cutthroat world,¡± Ridley muttered as they walked back towards the stage. ¡°Sally! Ridley!¡± They turned to see Eliza bustling up to them. She had a heavy dress bag under one arm and a wig under the other. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed. Her hair was askew, her face was blotchy, and she was wearing the same workout attire as the dancers. In the daylight, Eliza certainly looked less glamorous. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I woke up late, and I¡¯ve been running around ever since! It was quite a night last night!¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright, we haven¡¯t been waiting long,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Please come this way. I want you to speak to someone.¡± Eliza bustled towards her dressing room, and fumbled with the knob. The door opened, and a tall, elegant man with piercing blue eyes and wavy blonde hair stood there. He wore a loose white blouse with several buttons opened to reveal the musculature of his chest. ¡°Lizzie sweetheart, I¡¯ve been waiting for almost twenty minutes! I almost died of boredom in here!¡± ¡°Gerald, honey, I¡¯m so sorry. It¡¯s been an absolute morning of it!¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± he said, accepting her soft kisses on his smooth cheeks before standing back and appraising her. ¡°Who¡¯s bed did you roll out of, sweets?¡± ¡°Oh stop!¡± Eliza laughed and slapped him on his well muscled chest. ¡°And who are these¡­ interestingly dressed individuals?¡± Gerald asked, cocking a thick blonde eyebrow at Nairo and Ridley. ¡°These are the investigators I told you about last night,¡± Eliza said, walking into the small dressing room and closing the door behind them. ¡°Oh Lizzie, I thought you were joking about all that. You haven¡¯t really gone and found some gumshoe types to investigate this, have you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t go to them¡­ they found me¡­ sort of,¡± Eliza said, dumping her dress on a pile of discarded clothes. ¡°Oh please Jerry, just speak with them. They just want to pick that beautiful little brain of yours.¡± Gerald rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. ¡°Fine, but we need to work. I¡¯ve got three other girls that need seeing, and that bitch Hannah will have my balls if I¡¯m late to her appointment.¡± ¡°Of course! Of course!¡± Eliza clapped happily and turned to Nairo and Ridley. ¡°Sally and Ridley, this is Gerald Hunt, the best hair and make up artist in all of Valderia. He knows everything that goes on back here.¡± ¡°Oh please,¡± Gerald said with mock modesty as he brushed his wavy hair out of his face and extended his hand. ¡°Pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± Nairo extended her hand. He had incredibly soft hands. He leaned forward and dropped two gentle kisses on either of her cheeks. He smelt like an intoxicating mix of powders and flowers. ¡°Hand shake is good for me,¡± Ridley said, extending his hand as far as he could away from his body. Gerald flashed him a white toothed smile and gently shook the tips of his fingers. ¡°He¡¯s a handsome one, isn¡¯t he?¡± Gerald said to Eliza. ¡°He is?¡± Nairo said incredulously. ¡°A bit skinny for my liking, but a bit of blush, a little foundation, and we could round out those cheeks.¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± Ridley grunted. He then skirted around the room until his back was firmly against the wall. Eliza sat down on the makeup chair and faced the mirror. Gerald began to unfurl a large canvas roll of all of his equipment. Nairo had never seen so many combs, scissors, jars, and bottles of powders before. Gerald fussed with Eliza¡¯s hair and tutted reproachfully. ¡°What have I told you about not sleeping with your bonnet on?¡± He scolded her gently. ¡°It¡¯ll take me twenty minutes just to straighten out this bird¡¯s nest!¡± Gerald selected a thick, boar¡¯s hair brush and began to brush out Eliza¡¯s tangled hair. ¡°You can ask your questions while I work,¡± Gerald said to Nairo, lighting a smoke and continuing with his brushing. ¡°Okay, was it Gerald Hunt?¡± Nairo asked, taking out her notepad. ¡°She¡¯s even got a notepad, that¡¯s so kitsch,¡± he said to Eliza. ¡°Yes, it is sweetie, Gerald Reginald Hunt.¡¯ ¡°Mr. Hunt, how well did you know Ms. LaRue?¡± ¡°Call me Gerald. Mr. Hunt is my father, and he¡¯s a right bastard. I knew Susie very well. I did her hair and makeup from when she arrived from the little suburbs they found her in.¡± ¡°Did you see her on the night she died?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯d just finished doing her hair.¡± ¡°How long was that before she passed?¡± ¡°Thirty minutes maybe.¡± ¡°Were you the last person to see her alive?¡± Gerald stopped for a moment and then kissed his fingertip and rubbed it behind his ear, an old superstitious gesture to ward of the evil eye. ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°How would you describe Ms. LaRue¡¯s disposition?¡± ¡°Sunny and bubbly as always.¡± ¡°Had Ms. LaRue been acting unusually in the weeks prior to her death?¡± Again, Gerald stopped, and this time he gave Nairo a curious look. ¡°She¡¯d been stressed. Run down by the schedule. That ogre Manny was working her like a street girl.¡± ¡°Manny?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Ozyamdal Litteragi,¡± Eliza said. ¡°He¡¯s the director and financier of the troupe.¡± ¡°That fat bloke who did the opening ceremony last night?¡± Ridley said. Gerald snorted and rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh yes, that¡¯s our Manny, any chance to be centre stage.¡± ¡°He had been working Ms. LaRue hard?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Oh yeah. Poor thing was being turned out every night, sometimes twice a day on that bloody tour. He had her going from one city to the next, to the next, for nearly three months! Poor Susie was too sweet to ever put her foot down. Gossip is, it was actually her lover boy who finally forced Manny to come home.¡± ¡°Friedrich Shumacker?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Mmm,¡± a dreamy look came over Gerald¡¯s face for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s the one. He hadn¡¯t seen Susie in months, and he pulled some strings and forced Manny to come home. Manny was fuming. They were absolutely raking in the coin on those tours.¡± ¡°Shumacker has that sort of influence?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Fred Shumacker is a very powerful man.¡± There was a mischievous glint in Gerald''s eye. ¡°He and Manny go way back, they¡¯ve hated each other since we were in nappies.¡± ¡°They hate each other?¡± ¡°Of course. Fred¡¯s always had a soft spot for the theatre. I reckon he always wanted to be an actor but was never allowed to be one.¡± ¡°I thought big, powerful Owners can do whatever they want,¡± Ridley said derisively. ¡°They can, until a bigger and more powerful Owner comes along and tells them they can¡¯t. Fred¡¯s not a real Owner. His father was like a third cousin or something. He has enough gold and clout to throw his weight around, but he doesn¡¯t really have any power in his own circles. It¡¯s why he spends so much time with us little people. Well that and all the fucking, I suppose.¡± ¡°Fred slept with other actresses?¡± Ridley asked. Gerald and Eliza burst out laughing. ¡°Sweetie, there isn¡¯t a hole, man or woman, that Fred Shumacker hasn¡¯t tried to stick his dick in,¡± Gerald said with a wicked smile. ¡°Fred¡¯s well known to be a total slut,¡± Elisa said. ¡°Freddie loves an orgy, and once he gets going, he¡¯s not picky about who it¡¯s with.¡± ¡°Mhmmm,¡± Gerald said, making a noise of agreement. ¡°He throws these big masquerade parties. Lots of drink, lots of drugs, and lots of flesh. He¡¯s got one coming up tomorrow night, in fact.¡± ¡°Lovely,¡± Ridley said, pulling a face. ¡°So he was cheating on Susie?¡± ¡°No,¡± Gerald said. ¡°For perhaps the first time in his life, Gerald was a one woman man once he fell for with Susie.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he married?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Like I said, a one woman man.¡± Gerald flashed him another wicked grin. ¡°Why do Litteragi and Shumacker hate each other?¡± Nairo asked, trying to get the interview back on track. ¡°Women, gold, broken promises, take your pick,¡± Gerald said offhandedly as he switched to a finer comb. ¡°Rumour has it they¡¯ve chased the same woman several times and, obviously, Freddie won every time. And let me tell you, Manny has a little dick and holds big grudges.¡± ¡°Including Susie,¡± Eliza said. ¡°Lizzie,¡± Gerald warned her. ¡°Manny was sweet on Susie?¡± Ridley said. Gerald sighed and put down his comb and picked up his smoke. He turned to face them, his arms crossed, and a look of defiance on his face. ¡°We¡¯re getting into territory I¡¯m not comfortable with,¡± he said. ¡°Since when have you been shy about spreading gossip?¡± Eliza said to him. ¡°Since the lady in a man¡¯s trench coat started writing things down,¡± he snapped back at her. Nairo looked down at her trench coat and frowned. ¡°I like the fit.¡± ¡°And it looks good on you sweetie, but I like my job, and like I said, Manny holds grudges. I don¡¯t want to go spreading his shit if it might land on me.¡± ¡°We can guarantee anonymity,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Please Jerry,¡± Eliza said, batting her thick lashes up at him. ¡°If someone did hurt Susie, if someone¡­ killed her, we have to do something about it.¡± Gerald looked at her and then sighed, wiping the heel of his hand across his brows. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know anything for certain, just rumours and gossip.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll take them as such,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Manny loved Susie, he lusted after her, apparently he tried it on more than once.¡± Gerald said reluctantly. ¡°He does with most of the girls,¡± Eliza said, a bitter edge to her voice. ¡°It¡¯s very much a favour for a favour with Manny. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if more than half the girls out there right now vying for a spot on the poster have fucked or sucked Manny at least once. It¡¯s an open secret.¡± ¡°Did Susie?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°No. She was an actual talent. But that didn¡¯t stop him trying.¡± Gerald said. ¡°It was more than that,¡± Eliza said. ¡°He was obsessed with her. It was why she was rocketed up to top billing so quickly. He would have given her anything to get her in pants. And Susie was so sweet she never understood why. she just thought he was being kind.¡± ¡°And then Fred comes wandering along with his good looks and his absolute self assurance, and Susie melts for him. And Manny has to watch another girl get taken by Freddie Shumacker.¡± ¡°How many times has this happened prior?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°At least three, maybe more. Like I said, they¡¯ve been going round this merry go round for a long time.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing Manny can do about,¡± Eliza said. ¡°Fred¡¯s rich. He¡¯s a patron of the theatre. We only survive because of wealthy patrons like him.¡± ¡°I thought you said Manny was raking it in on the tours?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Which is why he wanted to tour so relentlessly,¡± Eliza said. ¡°But we haven¡¯t had a star like Susie in so long. Before her, it was half empty theatres and matinee shows.¡± Gerald said. ¡°And there¡¯s no money in Valderia. Between rent costs, wages, hush money, drugs, lavish parties, and city taxes, Manny¡¯s lucky to break even. This run that we¡¯re doing now was barely going to pay itself off. If it didn¡¯t happen for any reason, Manny would be bankrupt.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t the tour not happen?¡± Ridley asked, and Gerald faltered for a moment, realising he had said too much. ¡°Oh¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°Tell them Jerry,¡± Eliza said. Gerald took a deep breath. ¡°Susie was¡­ well she was only talking about it¡­ but she was planning on quitting the stage mid-run." ¡°Why?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°All that time away from Fred, I think it really opened her eyes to the fact that this wasn¡¯t the life she wanted.¡± ¡°I told you, Susie was obsessed with her idyllic little life as a mother and a wife,¡± Eliza said. ¡°Bless her little cotton socks,¡± Gerald said. ¡°She was planning on leaving and settling down with Freddie. If you ask me, it was probably his idea.¡± ¡°And do you think Manny might have tried to hurt Susie in revenge?¡± Ridley asked. Gerald took a long drag of his smoke and then looked at Eliza. ¡°Manny¡­ has a dark side,¡± Eliza said carefully. ¡°He¡¯s done things with girls in the past¡­¡± ¡°Lizzie,¡± Gerald hissed. ¡°Gerald, if he has a history of violence we need to know,¡± Nairo said. ¡°He¡¯s not violent,¡± Gerald said. ¡°Gosh, he hasn¡¯t got enough balls to slap a girl around. He¡¯s more¡­ manipulative. He likes to get them young and promise them the world. He gets them into partying, and then comes the drugs, and then they''re putty in his hands. He works them endlessly, has his fun, and then¡­¡± Gerald chewed the thought around his mouth. ¡°Sells them on.¡± ¡°Sells them on?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Don¡¯t be naive,¡± Gerald said to him testily. ¡°Pretty young girls, hooked on junk and strung out, where do you think he sells them?¡± ¡°Into prostitution,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Not right away,¡± Gerald said. ¡°First it¡¯s the nude artists, the porn papers, then eventually they wind up selling it on the cobbles.¡± Gerald¡¯s voice sounded bitter, and his eyes were harsh. ¡°He¡¯s done this before?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Many times. Like I said, Manny was always hard up for gold. He spent it like he was an Owner. Always throwing big parties and ridiculous feasts for all his rich mates. Supplying girls for entertainment was a way of keeping him in coins.¡± Gerald stubbed out his smoke and then looked around. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m late. I have to get going. Lizzie I need to get you done.¡± Gerald turned back to his work with the air of a man who was done talking. ¡°Thank you for your time Gerald,¡± Nairo said, standing up. ¡°This all stays between us, okay? I¡¯m not going to testify or anything like that, and I don¡¯t want my name brought up. Manny¡¯s not a man to cross, and I prefer to be employed than back out on the streets. Okay?¡± Gerald said without turning around. ¡°Understood.¡± Nairo said. Ridley and Nairo left the room and didn¡¯t speak until they were back outside the theatre. ¡°Shumacker and Manny,¡± Nairo said thoughtfully as they waited for a cab. ¡°It sounds like this poor girl was surrounded by men who either would have her or see to it no one else would.¡± ¡°More importantly,¡± Ridley said, lighting a smoke. ¡°Either one of them could have clipped Quinn to keep him quiet if he figured something out they didn¡¯t want anyone knowing.¡± Ridley held up a small, black and white flyer he had grabbed on the way out. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°The tour dates from Genero,¡± Ridley said, folding the flyer up and tucking it into his pocket. ¡°So which one do you like more for it?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°The sexual deviant Owner boyfriend or the abusive director?¡± ¡°We stay on Shumacker for now,¡± Ridley said. ¡°If anyone could pull off a professional hit on Quinn, it would be someone with a lot of gold and a lot of clout. Manny doesn¡¯t fit the bill just yet.¡± ¡°We need to get Shumacker in a room,¡± Nairo said. ¡°But we¡¯ll never get close to him with his security around him.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Jerry say he¡¯s hosting a party tomorrow night?¡± Ridley asked, raising an eyebrow at her. ¡°You mean an orgy,¡± Nairo corrected. ¡°Sounds like the type of place where he won''t have guards around him.¡± ¡°Are you seriously suggesting we go to an orgy?¡± Ridley shrugged and gave her a little smile. ¡°We pursue the naked truth wherever it leads us.¡± Nairo sighed and closed her eyes. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to an orgy.¡± Book II - Chapter 19 - Rufi 19 Rufi spat out the lump of Chaaraam he had been chewing on. Tonight the package was laced with a lump of Como Powder, a desiccated flower bud that spiked the user¡¯s focus and energy levels. Rufi felt like he could literally see in the dark. He had been lying on the opposite riverbank from the breaker¡¯s yard for almost two hours as his Goblins slowly took up their positions. Rufi was dressed from head to toe in black, his weapons smeared in ash to ensure no glints of light would alert the sentries. It had rained on and off ever since Rufi had taken up position, and despite being cold and soaking wet, that worked in his favour. The sentries huddled together under any cover they could find, sharing smokes, and not paying much attention to the small dock at the back of the breaker¡¯s yard. A bulky figure slithered into cover next to him, similarly dressed in black. ¡°Chuch¡¯s boys are almost in position,¡± Pauli said to him as he settled down. ¡°How many have you counted?¡± ¡°At least a dozen,¡± Rufi replied. ¡°Last boat came in an hour ago. They packed everything up, so I don¡¯t think they¡¯re expecting another one.¡± ¡°We good then?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Did you hear back from Tiko?¡± ¡°Yep, looks like he sold nearly a third of the shipment to Cameron.¡± ¡°A third?¡± Pauli said. ¡°Where the hell would a low level dealer like him get that much coin from?¡± ¡°I dunno,¡± Rufi said. ¡°But it¡¯s all in there for the taking. If we pull this off, we can eliminate a massive chunk of the market in one night. Another week or two and it should all be gone.¡± ¡°You think the Kings will stop asking where it came from in the first place?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡± Rufi rolled onto his back and began checking his weaponry. He had a short, single bladed sword strapped to his thigh, a steel hatchet on the opposite hip, two oneshots, a thick club across his back, and a medley of knives strapped around his body. He took a deep breath and felt oddly calm. This was a world Rufi understood. No more subterfuge, no more clever words, no more underhanded backroom deals, just clear cut violence. ¡°Once we¡¯re in there, stick close to me,¡± Rufi said to Pauli. ¡°Keep your head down and don¡¯t get too involved.¡± Pauli nodded and licked at his thick lips nervously. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, just stay by me.¡± Rufi patted his broad back and could feel the nervous heat coming off him. That was to be expected. Pauli, for all his brilliance, was no fighter. He could definitely throw hands and get involved, but this was a different level of violence. He hadn¡¯t served. He wasn¡¯t in the Deep Forest with Rufi and Chuch. It made him softer. More liable to panic. There was a slight hissing sound to his left, and a figure appeared in the darkness next to them. ¡°Fuck Chuch! I nearly shanked you!¡± Rufi growled at him, his hand loosening from his blade. ¡°You should have heard me way before then,¡± Chuch replied. ¡°You¡¯re getting sloppy.¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Rufi said to him. ¡°You think I¡¯m letting you kick in the back door with just him next to you?¡± Chuch said, nodding his head at Pauli. ¡°That was supposed to be the plan,¡± Rufi growled. He loved Chuch, but he could be a fucking arsehole sometimes. ¡°Whatever, you¡¯re here now. Are your boys in place?¡± ¡°Yep. We should be lighting up in a few minutes,¡± Chuch said, his voice as placid and emotionless as ever. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± They pulled their black balaclavas down over their faces and stole down the bank of the river. A small boat was waiting for them. The river was only two hundred meters wide here. They could row across in a few minutes as long as the guards were distracted. Rufi hopped in the boat while Chuch and Pauli pushed it out. They jumped in, and here Pauli proved his worth to the mission. Pauli was abominably strong in his shoulders and backs. He grabbed the oars and began to row them across without so much as a splash, the boat skimming the surface of the sluggish river. Rufi watched the warehouse for any sign of movement. Then the chaos began. A fire erupted somewhere on the other side of the warehouse, and he heard men shouting and running. Then there were a few screams. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Come on!¡± Chuch growled, a blade in his hands, willing the boat on. They reached the opposite bank just as another fire erupted to their left. They stole from the boat and up the bank in silence. Two guards remained standing at the back entrance, but their attention was fully on the fires on the opposite side of the building. They never heard the near six hundred pounds of Goblin steal up behind them. Rufi thumped one across the back of his head with his club, and Chuch brained the other one with the pommel of his machete. They laid the guards down and then entered the warehouse in single file. Heavily armed men were running back and forth along the gangways and the warehouse floor. There were a lot more than twelve of them. Cameron must have been hiding these ones in the warehouse. Rufi calmly assessed the situation. There was no way they would be able to steal nearly two hundred kilos of Burn and get out without being seen now. Rufi looked at Chuch and he nodded in understanding. ¡°Stay here,¡± Rufi whispered to Pauli. ¡°Guard our exit.¡± Pauli nodded and gripped his club tighter. Rufi and Chuch stole from the shadows of the back entrance and worked their way around large stacks of broken down machinery. The warehouse space was big but not big enough that they didn¡¯t have a clear eyeline to the other side. There had to be at least twenty men, all armed, running towards the main entrance where Chuch¡¯s Goblins were trying to break in the front door. They would be there a while. The door was heavily reinforced with massive metal beams. Men were in the upper tiers taking pot shots down at the Goblins with heavy crossbows. This wasn¡¯t good. They couldn''t afford for this to become an extended siege. Just as Rufi was calculating another plan, four Humans rounded a corner. They were running with a barrel full of arrows to take to the men on the gangways. They stopped dead when they saw the two black garbed intruders. One opened his mouth to yell, and Chuch took him through the throat with a throwing knife. His cry turned into a bloody gurgle as he slumped to the floor. Rufi covered the space between them into two bounding steps. He brought his heavy, iron studded, club down on one of the men. The unfortunate man dropped the barrel and raised his arm to protect himself. The club snapped his forearm in two and then brained him anyway. The man at the back of the group turned and ran. Rufi took off after him while Chuch dealt with the remaining Human. Rufi leapt at the fleeing man and gored him around the waist. As the hapless thug tried to scream for help, Rufi slammed his face into the floor. Once. Twice. Three times, and his body went limp. Taking deep breaths, Rufi pulled himself to his feet and looked behind to see Chuch following him. They slunk back into the shadows and watched the continued chaos in the warehouse. The door was under heavy attack now. There were booming blows shaking the whole side of the warehouse as the Goblins outside tried to break their way in. More men flooded into the warehouse carrying more arrows and more crossbows. ¡°This fuckers got an army,¡± Chuch growled, his golden eyes glinting in the darkness. ¡°Where is he?¡± Rufi said. ¡°Who? Cameron?¡± ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s not out here directing traffic.¡± Rufi¡¯s eyes roamed around the warehouse until he saw an office on the third floor with yellow frosted windows. He saw a shape hovering in front of the window. ¡°There he is.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Cut the head off the snake?¡± Chuch asked. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s three flights, and once we¡¯re on the second, we¡¯ll be exposed. We gotta move quick and hard before they have a chance to rally. Don¡¯t engage, just move ¡®em out of the way.¡± Chuch nodded. Now Rufi was glad to have him by his side. If you ever found yourself outnumbered fifteen to one, Chuch would be the Goblin you would want at your side. He was unflappable and could keep a clear head no matter the odds. ¡°Stairs are over there,¡± Chuch said, nodding his head at a flight of metal steps. They were in the middle of the warehouse floor. ¡°Alright. We go, and we go hard. Now!¡± They tore from their cover and sprinted towards the steps. A man stepped accidentally in front of them and had a chunk sliced off his face for his troubles. He fell to the floor screaming. Rufi and Chuch were already on the second tier by the time anyone noticed. The next flight of stairs was halfway around the tier. They ran anticlockwise. Three Humans, taking potshots at the Goblins outside, turned to see them. One got a shot off and hit a glancing blow on Chuch''s leg. His steps never faltered. He brought his machete down and hacked the shooter through the chest. Rufi barreled straight through the other two, knocking one over the railing onto the warehouse floor below and sending the other flying through the window. Now more Humans had seen them. They screamed and turned with their crossbows raised. ¡°Shit!¡± Rufi growled. He put his head down and sprinted for the stairs, bolts clanging and flying all around him. He hit the stairs and took them two at a time. He heard Chuch on the steps behind him. They hit the upper tier and kept running. A crossbow bolt hit Rufi in the side of the shoulder. It was a ricochet and only dug a few inches deep, but the pain seared across his upper body. He yanked the bolt out and then ducked behind a barrel of arrows as the men on the third tier loosed bolts at them. Chuch skidded to a halt behind him, breathing heavily. ¡°You good?¡± Rufi shouted at him. ¡°Yeah,¡± Chuch said with a grimace of pain. He had lost his machete and now had a pair of daggers in each hand. Rufi heard more coming up the stairs behind them. ¡°They¡¯re gonna surround us,¡± Rufi growled. ¡°You try and keep them from swarming up the stairs, I¡¯ll draw the fire of the ones up here. I¡¯ll clear the landing and head straight for the office. You follow up behind. Okay?¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Chuch said. He patted Rufi on the back and then ran towards the stairs. A man was just cresting the stairs when Chuch¡¯s boot caught him in the mouth. He flashed his blades, slashing at the men, forcing them back down the stairs. Rufi broke cover and sprinted the opposite way at the same time. There were only four men on this tier, and like fools, they had all loosed their crossbow bolts at the same time. As they tried to winch in another bolt, Rufi fell on them in a violent frenzy. He smashed one man across the mouth with his club and then hurled it at another, knocking him over the railing and sending him plummeting down to the warehouse floor. He pulled out his hatchet as the third man grabbed him around the waist. Rufi brought the hatchet down on his back, chopping at any bit of meat he could reach. He looked up just time to the handle of a crossbow coming down on his face. He turned his head away at the last moment and took a nasty blow around the ear. He stumbled as the final thug brought the crossbow down again. Rufi raised his arm and took the blow on his forearm. With visceral snarl, he brought his hatchet around and caved in the man¡¯s skull. He flopped lifelessly over the railing and fell. Rufi stumbled forward, feeling the hot, sticky wetness of blood spreading across his balaclava. He was sucking wind hard as he reached the office. Rufi raised his leg to kick the door in. Just as his boot made contact with the door, some generational battle instinct that had kept his people alive for thousands of years kicked in. He threw himself to one side as the door flew open and a bolt flew right by where the middle of his chest had just been. Rufi snarled and thundered into the office, flying across the desk and grabbing up the sandy haired Human that was trying to grab for another oneshot. He was slight, even for a Human, and looked like he was barely out of his teenage years. He was wearing some sort of ridiculous furlined long coat and a single golden tooth in his mouth. He fought against Rufi, but only for a moment, before the Goblin overpowered him and slammed him into the wall. ¡°Cameron Haney?¡± Rufi growled as the youth tried to stand. ¡°You¡¯ve fucked up big time, pal.¡± Cameron said, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± ¡°Cameron Haney?¡± Rufi said again, slightly non-plussed. ¡°That¡¯s fuckin¡¯ right! And I¡¯ll have your head on a¡­¡± He didn¡¯t get any further as Rufi boxed him square in the forehead, stunning him. Rufi grabbed him, wrapped a thick arm around his throat, and placed a knife under his chin. ¡°Now you¡¯re gonna hand over all your Burn, and if you comply and don¡¯t annoy me any further, I might let you live this night.¡± ¡°Oi! Come out with yore ¡®ands up! We¡¯ve got yore mate!¡± Rufi looked up, and Cameron chuckled through bloodied teeth. ¡°What was that?¡± Cameron said. ¡°Shut up,¡± Rufi growled, squeezing tight enough to cut off Cameron¡¯s air. He dragged the youth, gasping and wheezing, to the door and thrust him out in front of him as a meat shield. Rufi peaked over Cameron¡¯s shoulder and saw a dozen men surrounding a bloody Chuch, holding him down, with as many crossbows pointed at him. He snarled and snapped at them but there was a bolt buried in his thigh and it was bleeding badly. The Goblin¡¯s assaulting the front door had apparently given up as the warehouse had fallen silent. A baldheaded thug with half an ear missing and an ugly zigzag scar across his forehead levelled a crossbow at Rufi from across the tier. ¡°Let ¡®im go!¡± he shouted. ¡°Fuck off!¡± Rufi snarled back. ¡°We¡¯ll kill yore mate!¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll open up this cunt from ear to ear!¡± Rufi shouted back. Rufi dug the tip of his knife into Cameron¡¯s throat, making him thrash and kick uselessly. ¡°You do that, and we¡¯ll kill the lot of you!¡± the thug shouted back. ¡°Well then, I guess it¡¯s a matter of who wants to die less,¡± Rufi said, his voice steely calm, even though his heart was thudding in his chest. ¡°What do you say Chuchy, you ready to meet your ancestors as their equals?¡± Rufi shouted. ¡°I¡¯m ready to die right here and feast in the Halls of Warriors!¡± Chuch shouted back, maniacal laughter in his voice. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ Goblins,¡± the bald headed thug spat. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ tapped the lot of you!¡± ¡°Hey Cameron,¡± Rufi said, shaking the youth. ¡°You ready to die, mate? I dunno where the fuck you pigskin fuckers end up once your dead, but are you ready to find out?¡± Cameron fought against Rufi''s grip and then screamed when Rufi dug the blade into his cheek. ¡°I¡¯m guessing Cameron here is paying you decent coin if you¡¯re willing to do all this for him. Is he up to date with all his payments? Coz if I off this cunt and then you kill me, you¡¯ll be out of a wage, and you¡¯ll be hunted from here to the Mountains.¡± The thug hesitated and looked at Cameron. ¡°Alright! Alright!¡± Cameron gargled. ¡°Stop! Nobody has to die!¡± ¡°You hear that?¡± Rufi shouted to the thug. ¡°You let my man go there, and you pack up all the Burn you got and give it to my man waiting at the back. Once he¡¯s got that and we¡¯re all safe and sound I¡¯ll let your boy go.¡± The thug looked at Cameron, who gave him a reluctant nod. ¡°Do as he says!¡± The thug turned to his men and rapped out a few quick orders. Chuch was let up but the crossbows were still trained on him. He stood up and spat blood from his mouth. After a few more tense minutes, twenty three bricks of Burn, tied with red string, were stacked up and piled into two big duffel bags. ¡°Where¡¯s the rest?¡± Rufi growled in Cameron¡¯s ear. ¡°That¡¯s it! That¡¯s what I got left. I sold the rest!¡± ¡°You better not be fuckin¡¯ lying to me,¡± Rufi snarled in his ear. ¡°I¡¯m not! That¡¯s all of it!¡± Rufi nodded to Chuch, who was walked down the steps with crossbows still trained on him. Pauli came out of the shadows and shouldered the two heavy bags and then walked slowly backwards to the rear exit with Chuch limping behind him. ¡°Right, the rest of you fuck off to that side of the warehouse. Leave your crossbows.¡± The men dropped their crossbows and crossed the warehouse floor. ¡°Turn around!¡± Rufi barked at them. ¡°Face the wall!¡± They did as instructed. Rufi dragged the still struggling Cameron down two flights of stairs and then walked through the back exit. Pauli and Chuch were already in the boat with the Burn. They pushed the boat out to the water. Men had gathered by the backdoor, watching them cautiously. Rufi backed up with Cameron all the way to the water¡¯s edge. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you around Cam,¡± Rufi growled in his ear. He kicked Cameron in the back, sending him flying into the gathered men, turned, and leapt in the water after the boat. He heard the twang of crossbows just before he hit the freezing water. Gasping for air, he swam as fast as he could. Chuch and Pauli dragged him into the boat and began rowing furiously. One more bolt sailed through the air and landed short. ¡°I¡¯ll fuckin¡¯ kill you!¡± Cameron screamed from the dock. ¡°When I catch you, I¡¯ll fuckin¡¯ burn you alive!¡± In response, Rufi stood up and stuck both his middle fingers up at Cameron. Cameron¡¯s men had regrouped enough to launch their own boat into the river to pursue them. They only made it a third of the way across before they suddenly bailed as their boat went down. ¡°I put holes in all their boats,¡± Pauli wheezed as he pumped the oars back and forth. ¡°Good thinking,¡± Rufi said, slumping down in the boat. He patted Chuch on the shoulder. ¡°You alright?¡± In response, Chuch began chuckling. Then laughing. Then he roared triumphantly. ¡°You¡¯re fucked Chuch,¡± Rufi said, laughing along with him. ¡°Dump the Burn in the river and let¡¯s get the fuck out of here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± Chuch said as he heaved the duffle bags into the water. "You''re bleeding," Rufi said. "Still hungry." Book II - Chapter 20 - T&W 20 It was almost completely dark when Timmy, Wally, and Sarpele scurried from the tenement to the wonky block of flats. They were made from some sort of yellow brick that had not held up well to the test of time and weather. The bricks were crumbling and the mortar was badly cracking in places. There was a rusted iron fence that led into the square of the building. A miserable lookout stood huddled by the gate under a battered umbrella. ¡°Wot?¡± he said suddenly. ¡°We¡¯re here to buy,¡± Sarpele replied. ¡°Really? Well go on then.¡± The lookout opened the gate and hurried them through. They walked into the ground floor of the tower block where another spotter sat looking as listless as a creature could. ¡°You here to buy?¡± she asked, spitting a thick wad of yellowy phlegm on the floor. ¡°Yes,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°A quarter.¡± The spotter¡¯s eyes lit up with greed and then she frowned. ¡°I ain¡¯t got that much down here.¡± ¡°We can wait,¡± Sarpele said, leaning on his stick and breathing heavily. The spotter raised an eyebrow with a hoop piercing in it. ¡°Naa, I ain¡¯t going all the way up there. You can go. Go on, twelfth floor. Piss off!¡± Sarpele looked at the stairs and then sighed. Timmy and Wally took him under each armand began helping him up the stairs. ¡°Hold on!¡± the girl snapped and they froze. ¡°Show me yer gold.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sarpele said. ¡°Show me yer gold old man. I ain¡¯t sending you up there if you ain¡¯t got the gold.¡± Sarpele nodded and then fished around deep inside his cloak. After a few moments of searching, he withdrew an ancient pouch tied with a drawstrings. With shaky hands, he pulled open the bag and upended it into his palm. Three shining gold coins and a medley of dirty pennies and coins tumbled into his cupped hand. The girl peered into his, clearly not wanting to get close to the dirty old man, and then nodded. ¡°Go on then. Try not to break yore hip or anything on the way up.¡± ¡°Thank you kindly, dear.¡± Wally and Timmy held him under his armpits and slowly they made their way up the stairs. They passed a few more spotters but were quickly waved on up the stairs. The building should have been condemned years ago. Dust fell from the staircase as they ascended and there were so many ominous creaks and cracks that Timmy was sure at some point they would just fall straight through one of the steps. Halfway up they were panting and sweating badly. Whoever had designed the tower block had made the stairs far too steep and irregular. They pushed on, afraid to even whisper to each other lest a hidden spotter overhear them. After almost twenty minutes of climbing, with a rest break in between, they arrived at the twelfth floor. There was more activity up here. A few rail thin kids were hanging out and smoking on the landing, playing some sort of game which involved chucking stones at the brickwork to see who could take the biggest chunk of. They saw the three junkies and sent them down the hall. Timmy was panting and sweating profusely when they arrived at the flat. Sarpele nodded at Timmy to knock. He raised his fist and as went to knock the door opened and a nearly naked, long haired man in just a pair of shorts opened the door. His eyes were gleaming red and almost shut. He had a scruffy beard and an ugly tattoo covering half of his torso. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± he croaked, unsteady on his feet. ¡°We¡¯ve come to buy,¡± Sarpele said breathlessly. ¡°Fuck. Did you climb all them stairs?¡± ¡°Yes we did,¡± Wally said tetchily. ¡°And if you wouldn¡¯t mind, I think the old fella is gonna collapse if we don¡¯t get ¡®im sat down so ¡®e can catch ¡®is breath.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± A gruffer voice barked from within the flat. ¡°Some old junkie,¡± the man shouted back. ¡°They buying?¡± ¡°You buying?¡± he asked them. ¡°Obviously!¡± Wally snapped. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Let ¡®em in!¡± The man stood to one side and eyed Wally suspiciously as they passed. Inside, the flat was hazy and dim. All the curtains were drawn shut and only a few candles lit the space. The room was stiflingly hot and the thick smog didn¡¯t help. Inside were four men and a woman. They all looked about Wally¡¯s age. Two of them were almost as naked as the man who answered the door. One of them had dirty lank hair and looked like he hadn¡¯t washed this month. The other was pale and baldheaded with a number of piercings all over his face. The woman was less naked, but only just. One side of her pink hair was completely shaven and she wore a thick rope of gold around her neck. She was lounging on a filthy sofa, her legs intertwined with the biggest man in the room. He had darker skin than the others, a shaved head, and a tattoo that covered half his face and head. He had a oneshot resting on his lap, and he wore just a vest of body armour and his underwear. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they serve you downstairs?¡± the bald man demanded. ¡°The girl said she didn¡¯t have enough,¡± Sarpele wheezed, shaking where he stood as if just the act of staying upright was taxing him. ¡°How much do you want?¡± he barked. ¡°A quarter.¡± Again Timmy saw a flash of greed in the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°You got coin?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Sarpele withdrew his bag again and it was snatched by the red eyed doorman. He pulled open the pouch and poured the contents into his hand. He sifted through with one long digit, mouthing along as he counted. At one point he got confused, scratched his head, and started again. ¡°Give me that!¡± The bald headed man snapped at him. He snatched up the coins and counted them quickly before giving them to the pale man with the piercings. ¡°Do ¡®em up a quarter,¡± he said to him. The pale man pulled an open block of Burn from under the sofa and began tearing small lumps off and placing them on a pair of scales. While he was doing this the red eyed man looked at them curiously, smoking on a pipe that gave off an acrid, bitter tasting smoke. ¡°I ain¡¯t seen you before,¡± he said. ¡°You seen these before Ty?¡± ¡°No,¡± Ty, the bald headed man on the sofa, growled. ¡°Where you from old timer?¡± the red eyed man asked. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°They got gold, who cares Nate,¡± the woman, stretching out on the sofa and lighting a smoke. ¡°I care, so mind yore fuckin¡¯ business, Sooty.¡± Nate snapped at her before turning back to them. ¡°Where you from?¡± ¡°Buxberry,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°That¡¯s pretty far from here,¡± Nate said, taking another long hit on his pipe and coughing. ¡°Gimme some!¡± Sooty said, snatching the pipe from him. ¡°We walked a long ways,¡± Sarpele confirmed. ¡°No Burn out East?¡± Ty asked them. ¡°Nothing good,¡± Sarpele answered, keeping his eyes down. ¡°Don¡¯t them two talk?¡± Sooty asked, blowing a thick cloud of smoke. ¡°Wot are they like your kids or something?¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Sarpele gave a dry chuckle. The pale man finished wrapping up their Burn and tossed it to Nate who looked at the thick package. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of Burn,¡± he said. ¡°Where did you bums get that much coin from?¡± ¡°We earned it,¡± Sarpele said, holding out his hand expectantly. ¡°Oh yeah, how did you do that?¡± Nate asked, still holding onto the Burn. ¡°Give ¡®em their Burn and get rid of them,¡± Ty growled, growing bored with the conversation. ¡°Come on Ty, it¡¯s been dead in here,¡± Nate said. ¡°And I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°The boy works,¡± Sarpele said, waving a hand at Wally. ¡°Oh yeah? Wot do you do? And I wanna hear it from him!¡± Nate said, wagging a finger at Sarpele. Timmy saw Wally shift uncomfortably, unconsciously pulling at his short vest. ¡°You know¡­ just fings,¡± Wally muttered. ¡°Like wot?¡± ¡°Just whatever there is to do.¡± ¡°He sells his arse for it, don¡¯t he!¡± Sooty cackled from the sofa. Wally turned bright red as the others laughed. ¡°No I don¡¯t!¡± he snarled before he could stop himself. ¡°Ooooh, ain¡¯t often you meet a Burner with a backbone,¡± Nate said, but the smile was gone from his face. Sarpele shot a warning look at Wally. "Also, ain¡¯t too often you meet a Burner with such clean arms.¡± Nate¡¯s voice had dropped low and suspicious. Now Ty was listening again. He leaned forward, the oneshot in his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t cut,¡± Wally said, rubbing at his bare arms. ¡°No?¡± Nate replied. ¡°Do you fatty?¡± Timmy squeaked and shook his head. ¡°Coz I ain¡¯t never seen a Burner with tits like that, not even the female ones.¡± ¡°Lock the door,¡± Ty growled. ¡°What? Why are you doing that?¡± Sarpele said. ¡°We''ve paid our gold, just give us our Burn and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± Nate crossed the room and slammed the heavy bolt across the door. ¡°You ain¡¯t goin¡¯ nowhere you old git,¡± Nate said. The pale man and the lank haired man both stood to one side of the room with heavy poles in their hands. Sooty scrambled to one side of the sofa, her legs curled under her, a look of eager anticipation on her face. ¡°Search them,¡± Ty growled. Nate and the other two men walked across the room and tried to grab hold of Sarpele and Wally, but Wally moved first. He threw a wild fist at the pale man and caught him unaware. His fist grazed his eyebrow and ripped out one of his piercings. ¡°Shit!¡± the pale man cried, stumbling back and holding his bleeding eyebrow. Nate swung at Sarpele, who ducked under his punch and cracked him across the knee with his cane. Ty roared and leapt into the fray. He raised his oneshot and pointed it directly at Sarpele''s chest. Timmy saw the big man rising. "Sarpele! Watch out!" In a moment of instinctual panic, Timmy leapt. Ty squeezed the trigger as Sarpele turned to face him. The bolt flew at the same moment that Timmy crashed into Sarpele throwing them to ground as the bolt flew by and shattered the window behind them. Ty snarled, tossing the oneshot to the side, and ran at Timmy, wrapping his meaty hand around his throat and slamming him into the wall. Timmy gasped, his eyes bulging as the bigg man''s grip squeezed his throat like a vice. He punched and kicked uselessly at Ty, but the man was an unflinching wall of muscle, determined to pop Timmy''s head off like a cork in a champagne bottle. Sarpele pulled himself to his feet only to be punched in the stomach by Nate, who was hobbling on one leg. Sarpele took the blow and fired back one of his own at Nate¡¯s throat. The tall man gargled and fell to the floor clutching his neck. Wally wasn¡¯t doing so well. He had ended up scrapping with the pale and long haired man. Their three emaciated bodies looked like matchsticks having a quarrel. The long haired man was laying about with his pipe, but fortunately for Wally, he could barely raise it, let alone bring it down with much force. The pale man, blood dripping down his face, was more ferocious. He clawed and punched and even bit Wally, who could do little more than cover his head with one from the pipe blows and fend off the pale man with his other. Timmy croaked as he saw blackness curling into his vision from the edges. His face had turned purple, and he could hear his neckbone crunching under Ty¡¯s iron grip. Then the hands went slack, and Timmy slumped to the ground, gasping for air. As his vision cleared, he looked up and saw Sarpele, cane in both hands, swinging relentlessly at Ty, beating the big man back. He landed another vicious blow across Ty''s forehead, which staggered him back and split his brow open. With a screech, Sooty leapt from the sofa and fell upon Sarpele. She clawed and kicked him, and they both became tangled in his long cloak. Timmy lurched to his feet, coughing and spluttering. He tried to grab Sooty around the waist and pull her off, but it was like trying to handle a feral cat. She writhed and twisted and slashed at Sarpele with her nails. Finally, Sarpele wormed loose of his cloak and bodily through the wild young woman across the room. She hit the wall with a crunch. That momentary distraction gave Wally an opening. The long haired man looked to see what had happened, and Wally kicked him squarely between the legs as hard as he could. With a silent gasp, the man dropped the pipe and crumpled to the filthy carpet. Wally grabbed the pipe and swung it at the pale man, hitting him across the jaw and slumping him. Wally raised the pole and hit him two more times just to be sure. Panting and bloody, the three coppers looked around at the only person still standing. Ty looked at them, then at his fallen comrades. He made a silent decision. He scooped up the remaining block of Burn and then sprinted towards the kitchen. ¡°Don¡¯t let him escape!¡± Sarpele cried. "Where''s he gonna go?" Wally said. "We''re like twelve floors up!" Timmy and Sarpele took off after him. Ty jumped the table and then leapt through the window, smashing straight through it. ¡°He¡¯s jumped out of the window!¡± Wally gasped. "He''s killed hisself!" Sarpele ran to the window and then saw that Ty had landed on a balcony of another flat in the opposite wonky tower. ¡°Come on! He¡¯s getting away!¡± Sarpele shouted over his shoulder before leaping out of the broken window. Timmy and Wally ran to the window and then stopped. ¡°I¡¯m not jumping out of a window twelve floors up!¡± Wally said. ¡°We have to!¡± Timmy said. ¡°We can¡¯t leave Sarpele to chase him alone.¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Wally moaned. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ll go together.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°On three. One. Two. Three!¡± Timmy ran at the window and jumped as hard as he could. Which wasn¡¯t very hard at all. His bulk barely squeezed through the widow. For a second, he felt weightless¡­ and then he felt altogether too heavy. He plummeted, missed the balcony, and landed on the one below, belly first on the railing. ¡°Timmy!¡± Wally cried from the apartment window. ¡°You okay?¡± Timmy gurgled and flopped onto the balcony. He wheezed and floudered around on the floor trying to get to his feet. He couldn¡¯t find the words to shout back so he waved at Wally to carry on. Timmy stumbled to his feet, holding his guts, and lumbered into the abandoned flat. He heard feet running and Sarpele shouting from somewhere inside the tower block. Timmy galvanized himself and forced himself into a shambling run. He pulled open the door and heard heavy footsteps right above him going towards the stairs. Timmy spluttered and felt like throwing up as he ran to the stairs just as Ty came down. They smacked headlong into each other and tumbled down the flight of stairs. Ty was back on his feet in a flash, desperation and adrenaline pumping through his body. ¡°Stop! Police!¡± Timmy wheezed as Ty kicked him and took off running. Sarpele was down the stairs in a flash. He leapt over Timmy, sparing only a brief glance back. ¡°Come on!¡± he yelled at Timmy as he pursued Ty. Timmy groaned and followed after them, his vision blurring. Ty burst through a door and disappeared into a flat. Sarpele went in after him, and Timmy followed a few seconds later and skidded to a halt. There was a giant hole in the floor. Timmy looked down and saw it dropped to the next floor. With another beleaguered groan, Timmy dropped through the hole and landed on a soiled mattress placed underneath it. He rolled off the mattress, looked around, and saw Sarpele disappearing through a hole in the wall. What was going on? This place was like a rabbit¡¯s warren. Timmy squeezed through the hole into the next flat, then through another one, and then dropped down another hole. It was completely dark on this floor, and he could no longer hear sounds of pursuit. Had he gotten lost? He stumbled in the darkness and saw another hole in a wall. He blindly flopped through it and realised too late there was no floor in the next room. He stared at the floor below, panicked, and tried to heave his bulk back through the way he had come. His feet slipped and he cartwheeled down. He hit the floor with a resounding thud, kicking up dust and dirt. A pathetic groan had barely escaped his lips when the floor gave way underneath him. His whole world exploded into damp, rotten beams of wood, plaster, bricks, and dust. He landed in a pile of debris and laid completely still, barely conscious. ¡°Ughhh,¡± Timmy groaned. ¡°Timmy!¡± Sarpele was standing there, covered in sweat and dust, hands on his knees as he sucked wind. ¡°You got him!¡± ¡°Waahhh?¡± Underneath Timmy, there was movement, and then he heard groans similar to the ones escaping his own mouth. Timmy flopped over and rolled down a pile of debris. He hefted himself to his knees, blinking owlishly as he saw a dark skinned hand flop from underneath the pile. ¡°Landed right on top of him!¡± Sarpele gave a short, bitter bark of laughter and then coughed. ¡°Well done, lad! That¡¯s your collar. You can read him his rights.¡± Timmy looked at Sarpele; the whole room was wobbling. ¡°You have the right to remain¡­¡± Then he puked and collapsed face first in the debris. His world went mercifully still. Book II - Chapter 21 - R&N 21 ¡°You nervous?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Did you make sure to wear your special panties¡­ ow!¡± Ridley laughed, rubbing his arm where Nairo had punched him. ¡°You don''t know Sarge, you might get lucky tonight.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here in a professional capacity,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be quite a few girls there in a professional capacity.¡± Ridley dodged out of the way as Nairo swung another punch at him. ¡°What? Might be good for you to finally get a little action.¡± ¡°I do just fine thank you,¡± Nairo said, brushing back a loose strand of her curly hair. ¡°Are you wearing makeup?¡± ¡°Shut up, Ridley!¡± ¡°Alright. Alright.¡± Ridley said. ¡°Geez, I thought going to an orgy might mellow you out.¡± ¡°Ughh, stop saying that word.¡± ¡°Orgy?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve done a lot of things I never thought I would ever do, but going to an orgy together really is at the top of that pile.¡± Ridley laughed and then smoothed back his hair. He had actually shaved and bathed for the occasion, and he had even ironed his shirt. ¡°There you are!¡± Gerald waved at them from the corner of the street. He was dressed in ludicrously tight white trousers and a flowing white shirt with frilly collars and cuffs. His shirt was unbuttoned almost to his navel. His lion¡¯s mane of long blonde hair was freshly coiffed and smelt like dandelions in the sun. ¡°I thought you might have gotten cold feet. It does happen.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to investigate, that¡¯s all.¡± Nairo said to him pointedly. ¡°Sure, sure, of course. You are very professional, Ms. Nairo¡­ but I wish you would let me do something with your hair.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my hair?¡± Nairo said, trying to smooth down her wild curls. ¡°Wrong? No, nothing, but it could be so much more right.¡± Gerald said with a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯ll book you in one day. Give you the full pampering treatment.¡± ¡°That sounds lovely,¡± Ridley said, grinning at Nairo. ¡°And as for you, Mr. Ridley, you look dashing.¡± ¡°He does?¡± ¡°I do?¡± ¡°Oh yeah. The gaunt, insomniac look is all the rage right now. I know models that starve themselves for weeks to get the sort of jaw definition you¡¯ve got going on.¡± ¡°Solid diet of cheap coffee and smokes,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Nothing like it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let them know,¡± Gerald said, linking arms with both of them and leading them down the street. They were in one of the poshest boroughs of the city, only a stone¡¯s throw from the Houses of Parliament. The streets were spotless; all the paving slabs were crack free and symmetrical, there wasn¡¯t even a loose cobble in sight. The houses were all four story, grey stones, with long windows and elaborate arches everywhere. It didn¡¯t feel like the type of place people lived in but rather just visited. There were little signs of life other than the odd person out walking their little floofy dogs or a solitary carriage trundling by. ¡°Now, just a warning, things can get a little intense at these parties,¡± Gerald said. ¡°First timers aren¡¯t pressured to take part, and if you want, you can just hang out by the bar all night. If you¡¯re not interested in partaking in the night¡¯s activities, I recommend you stay on the first floor and make sure to knock before entering the bathroom. I¡¯d keep your drink in sight at all times. Some people think it¡¯s funny to pop something in there. And do remember, there will be some very powerful people at this party, doing some very naughty things, so don¡¯t go asking names and being all detectivey, okay?¡± ¡°But we''re here to investigate,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Sure, sure, but you¡¯re there to talk to Fred, right? So stick to that. If I can, I¡¯ll try and get Fred alone so you can speak to him. He¡¯s a lot more¡­ accessible at these do¡¯s than at any other time. Although, you¡¯ll want to catch him early in the night, otherwise, he might be¡­ engaged.¡± ¡°They got food?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Oh yes. Private chefs who make the most delightful little nibbles. Do you know Garvoire¡¯s?¡± ¡°Funnily enough, we know the chef,¡± Ridley said. Gerald stopped mid stride and looked at him. ¡°You know Francois Garvoire?¡± ¡°Yeah, we met him a few months back on another case we were working,¡± Ridley said. ¡°He was very¡­ intense,¡± Nairo added. ¡°His food is amazing, though.¡± ¡°This fish head soup!¡± Ridley murmured dreamily, his mouth filling with saliva. ¡°Wow, you two are just full of surprises. I don¡¯t think Francois will be there himself, but his chefs will be catering.¡± They rounded another corner, and Gerald stopped in front of the four storey building on the corner. ¡°Here we are!¡± He walked up to the doorman, who was wearing a long red coat and a shiny black top hat. ¡°Good evening, Stephen.¡± ¡°Good evenin¡¯ Mr Hunt,¡± the doorman said, doffing his hat. ¡°You here for the party?¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not a party until Gerald Hunt arrives. Oh and Stephen, these are my guests, Sally and Ridley.¡± ¡°Good evenin¡¯ sir, good evenin¡¯ marm.¡± Stephen held the door open for them. ¡°Thank you squire,¡± Ridley said, tucking a half penny into Stephen¡¯s breast pocket. Stephen looked down at the half penny, clearly unimpressed. ¡°Thank you sir, very generous,¡± he said robotically. They walked into a luxurious lobby, with carpet so thick Nairo felt like she was walking on air. There was a giant gilt mirror at the end of the lobby and glistening golden chandeliers. Gerald walked to the lifter and pressed a button to call it. They stepped in, and Gerald instructed the little Pixie on duty to take them to the third floor. ¡°Does Shumacker own a flat here?¡± Nairo asked, looking around at the lifter¡¯s luxury interior. ¡°He owns the building, darling.¡± Gerald said, checking out his hair and teeth in the mirror. They exited the lifter and were met by another little Pixie in a miniature doorman¡¯s outfit. ¡°Good evening, sirs and lady,¡± the Pixie said, it¡¯s voice distant and dreamy. ¡°Welcome. Do you require masks?¡± The Pixie gestured to a collection of eye masks on the table by him. ¡°No thanks, I¡¯ve brought my own.¡± Gerald pulled a sequinned black mask from his pocket and slid it over his golden mane. ¡°It¡¯s a masquerade, remember, you¡¯ll need masks.¡± Nairo looked at Ridley, who shrugged and selected a mask from the pile. There were all sorts of different decorations and styles. Some were frilly, some were brightly coloured, and some were in the shape of various animals. Nairo picked a bird themed one with a large black feather. ¡°May I take your coats?¡± The Pixie asked. ¡°Not on your life my little friend,¡± Ridley said reflexively. Gerald cleared his throat and looked pointedly down at him. ¡°Come on Ridley,¡± Nairo said, pulling off her trench coat. ¡°We¡¯re trying to blend in.¡± ¡°Guard this with your life,¡± Ridley growled at the Pixie, dropping the coat in his arms and almost knocking him over with the weight of it. ¡°Oooh, Sally, you look wonderful!¡± Gerald said. ¡°A dress?¡± Ridley said, raising both his eyebrows. ¡°It is a party,¡± Nairo said, feeling slightly self conscious all of a sudden. ¡°Black really suits you sweetie,¡± Geral said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you in a dress,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Well big shocker, Mister PI, I own a dress.¡± Ridley smirked and then pulled down the cuffs of his shirt. ¡°Ready to do this?¡± he asked her, and Nairo nodded. Gerald opened the door and walked in with a beaming smile. Nairo wasn¡¯t sure what she had expected. A part of her thought it would be a cornucopia of flesh, a wild flood of debauchery as soon as they walked through the door. She was slightly let down by what was, despite the luxury, a rather mundane dinner party. Everything was white and purple. The walls were covered in wood panelling that had been painted a brilliant white, as was the ceiling. The carpet was a deep, plush purple, with splashes of gold. The room was lit by one monstrous golden chandelier that looked like it cost more than Nairo¡¯s entire worth. The centre of the room had been entirely emptied of furniture. To one side of the open planned living room, there was a small bar, complete with a Pixie bartender, and on the other side was a quartet playing gentle music. There was much laughter and a buzz of conversation when they entered. Already the room was hot and filled with the smells of expensive alcohol and exquisite food. A statuesque, dark haired woman in her fifties detached herself from the gathering and approached them. She wore a shimmering red dress with a slit in the side all the way up to her hip and a feathery black cat mask. ¡°Gerald! Honey! You¡¯re finally here!¡± she exclaimed, throwing her arms wide and giving Gerald a warm hug with a kiss on either cheek. ¡°Martha, you look fabulous! I swear you¡¯ve never aged a day!¡± Gerald said, his hands lingering on Martha¡¯s hips. ¡°And who are these two little darlings?¡± Martha asked, her hand sliding down Gerald¡¯s chest. ¡°Martha, these are two of my new friends, Ridley and Sally.¡± ¡°Pleasure to meet you both.¡± She gave them a dazzling smile. ¡°I like him,¡± she said to Gerald. ¡°He¡¯s nice and tight.¡± ¡°Down Martha, they¡¯re newbies, let¡¯s break them in gently.¡± Gerald said. ¡°I¡¯d love to break him in,¡± Martha said with a wicked smile. ¡°You would?¡± Ridley said nervously, inching slightly closer to Nairo. ¡°Oh stop Martha, you are wicked!¡± Martha gave a sparkling laugh and then took Gerald by the hand. ¡°Come Jerry, there¡¯s a lovely dark skinned boy I think you would just love to meet.¡± She led him away, much to Ridley¡¯s relief. ¡°Corr, they¡¯re a bit much aren¡¯t they,¡± Ridley said, unbuttoning his top button. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Can you see Shumacker?¡± ¡°No, but we¡¯re gonna look like a right pair if we just stand here by the door. Come on, let''s get a drink.¡± ¡°Gladly,¡± Nairo said, feeling the hungry eyes of saggy, middle aged men as she walked through the room. ¡°Two shots of something expensive and dark,¡± Ridley said to the Pixie. ¡°And whatever she¡¯s having.¡± ¡°Same please.¡± The Pixie poured their drinks, and they propped themselves up at the bar, scoping the room. ¡°Lot of fat sweaty blokes here ain¡¯t there,¡± Ridley commented as he downed one of his drinks. ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Nairo said as she made accidental eye contact with a man in a lion mask. He flicked his tongue at her and winked. ¡°No Shumacker though,¡± Ridley said. ¡°You don¡¯t think he¡¯s already¡­ you know.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope he¡¯s quick about it if he is. I can already feel my skin crawling.¡± ¡°Entree sir?¡± A Pixie floated by them with a tray almost as big as himself. ¡°Yes please,¡± Ridley said without asking what they were. He stuffed two of the little pastries into his mouth and then grabbed a handful. ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s delishos,¡± he said through a mouthful. Nairo picked one up and tried it. It was some sort of savoury meat concoction, and it was the best thing she had eaten in months. She grabbed two more before the Pixie walked away with a half empty tray. ¡°Keep ¡®em comin¡¯!¡± Ridley called after him as he downed his second drink. ¡°Reload me, bartender.¡± ¡°Ridley, we¡¯re not here to eat and get drunk,¡± Nairo chided. ¡°No, it¡¯s just a perk of the job. Quinn always used to tell me, when you¡¯re working in the shit, always try and pocket a bit of gold.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It means take the perks where you can get ¡®em,¡± Ridley said, happily popping another pastry into his mouth. ¡°Are those tiny steaks!¡± A Pixie passed them with a tray laden with bite size pieces of sizzling steak on toothpicks. Ridley scooped the whole tray off the surprised Pixie. He popped three into his mouth at once. The smell of sizzling meat made Nairo¡¯s stomach growl. ¡°Fine we stuff our faces, but no getting drunk,¡± Nairo said as she popped a piece of steak into her mouth. It was beautiful. The steak was perfectly cooked and was so buttery. Nairo hadn¡¯t eaten a real piece of meat in so long. She couldn¡¯t stop herself from wolfing down four more. ¡°Go easy there,¡± Gerald laughed, as he walked over. ¡°You¡¯ll get a cramp!¡± ¡°Pish off,¡± Ridley growled like a hungry dog. ¡°So you don¡¯t want to know where Fred is?¡± Ridley¡¯s head popped up, butter dripping down his chin, and he swallowed a massive mouthful of steak. Gerald helped himself to a piece of steak and then ordered a glass of wine. ¡°He¡¯s upstairs and apparently he¡¯s alone,¡± Gerald said. ¡°You might want to get up there now. The funtime drugs are coming out, and things are gonna get a little crazy.¡± Ridley wolfed down another bite of steak and downed his drink. ¡°Come on, Sarge.¡± Nairo took another sip of her drink to clear her mouth. ¡°Thank you, Gerald.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome darling, just remember what I told you about upstairs.¡± He flashed her a wolfish grin and watched them go. Ridley was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. They ascended the marble wrought staircase. There was red lighting everywhere upstairs, and it was so dim she could barely see. ¡°Which room is he in?¡± Nairo whispered to Ridley, feeling suddenly like an intruder. ¡°He didn¡¯t say,¡± Ridley muttered back. As they crept through the landing, they heard the squeaking of bed springs around them and giggling followed by fleshy slapping. Ridley pulled a face and then chuckled. Nairo felt a blush rising on her cheeks and was glad for dim lighting. A door burst open to their left and Nairo and Ridley froze. A skinny man came running out of the room, fully naked, with a sock puppet being the only thing saving his dignity. He was red in the face and unsteady on his feet. A naked woman followed him out of the room with a whip in one hand. She grabbed him by the sock puppet and dragged him back into the room slamming the door shut. Ridley blinked and looked at Nairo. ¡°Did he have a¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s just keep going,¡± Nairo said. ¡°It was so floppy.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± They made their way to another door, and it sounded fairly silent. Ridley tested the handle and it turned. They opened the door and found a portly man hanging from the ceiling, spread eagle, and completely naked except for a bag over his head. ¡°Melissa?¡± he said, turning his head towards the door. ¡°Wrong room!¡± Nairo said, almost jumping at the sight of him. ¡°How did you get up there?¡± Ridley asked him as Nairo slammed the door shut. ¡°How did he get up there?¡± he asked Nairo. Nairo shrugged. ¡°What do you think he was going to do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even want to know.¡± They heard more wild giggling and moaning from the next two rooms and gave them a wide berth. Finally, they came to the last room on the landing. Ridley went to try the handle and Nairo stopped him. She knocked on the door and waited. ¡°Come in,¡± a man¡¯s voice said. ¡°Are you decent?¡± Nairo asked through the door. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Nairo opened the door to a large office. There was a stuffed bookcase to their left and a large, expensive looking desk opposite. A man was sitting by the tall windows that led onto a modest balcony. The windows were open and a cold breeze was blowing into the room. The man was sitting half facing the window, in a grey smoking jacket, puffing on a thin black cigar while staring up into the sky. Next to him on a small side table was a mountain of powders and leafs. ¡°Wilfreid Shumacker?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Call me Fred.¡± He rolled his head to one side to look at them. His eyes were a dull red, and there was the glistening track of a single tear on his unshaven cheek. He looked so much less put together than the first time they had seen him. He was unshaven, his hair was a tousled mess, and he was completely naked other than the bathrobe. ¡°I don¡¯t know you,¡± he said. ¡°No sir,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°May we come in?¡± ¡°Please, and there¡¯s no reason for formalities. Here we¡¯re all just flesh and blood. Reduced to our basest desires like rutting animals in heat.¡± He said this almost bitterly. Nairo and Ridley walked into the office and closed the door behind them. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Ridley jumped as he looked over his shoulder and saw a young, pale skinned man and an almost identical young woman, intertwined on the fur carpet, sleeping peacefully. ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about them. They¡¯ve worn themselves out.¡± Fred said, waving a nonchalant hand. ¡°You¡¯re not their replacements, are you?¡± ¡°What? No!¡± Nairo said, feeling herself blush again as she realised she could see the outline of his manhood as he uncrossed his legs. ¡°Oh good. I don¡¯t think I could go again for at least another half an hour. Drink?¡± ¡°Please,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Whisky or bourbon?¡± ¡°Anything dark is good for me,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Good man.¡± Fred clamped his cigar between his teeth and took the top off a crystal decanter. He poured a generous measure for Ridley and one for himself before looking at Nairo. ¡°No, thank you.¡± ¡°You prefer something more fun?¡± he asked, gesturing at the menagerie of drugs next to him. ¡°No thanks.¡± Fred looked at her curiously, then put the decanter back on the table and passed Ridley a glass. He then licked his fingertip, dabbed a pile of pale orange crystals, and then rubbed his finger across the inside of his cheek. He smacked his lips and downed half of his drink. ¡°So if you¡¯re not here to fuck or get high, what are you here for?¡± Fred asked them. There was no accusation in his tone nor curiosity. ¡°We were hoping to discuss the passing of Lana LaRue with you,¡± Nairo said. At the mention of the name, Nairo saw a pulse of agony pass across Fred¡¯s serene face. He looked out of the window again and up at the sky. ¡°Why?¡± he croaked. ¡°We believe Lana¡­¡± ¡°Susie. Her name was Susie.¡± ¡°We believe Susie¡¯s death may not have been an overdose¡­¡± ¡°Why? Who are you? What business do you have making such theories?¡± Again Fred¡¯s tone wasn¡¯t harsh. He sounded like a wounded child. ¡°We¡¯re Private Investigators,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Oh there it is,¡± Fred said. ¡°Who put you up to this? Susie had no money if that¡¯s what you¡¯re hoping for. There¡¯s no coins to squeeze from this tragedy. But if gold is what you¡¯re after.¡± Fred lumbered unsteadily from his chair before they could speak and grabbed a bag from the desk. He tossed it at Ridley¡¯s feet, and it spilled open. Gold glimmered in the moonlight. More gold than Nairo had ever seen in one place. Fred stumbled back to his chair and picked his glass back up. ¡°Take it and leave me to my drink.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want your gold,¡± Ridley said, his voice cold as he kicked the bag back towards Fred, spilling more coins across the carpet. ¡°Everybody always wants my gold,¡± Fred muttered as he downed the rest of his drink. ¡°Did Susie?¡± Ridley asked. The question stung Fred. He was too inebriated to keep anything from his face. He looked at Ridley, his eyes ablaze with fury. ¡°Susie was as pure as the white snow. She didn¡¯t care that I¡¯m an Owner, or that I¡¯m rich! And I didn¡¯t care that she was a famous starlet. We loved each other, so deeply¡­¡± Another tear traced its way down his cheek as he took another hit of the orange powder. ¡°And a friend of mine was murdered,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Murdered because he found something out about Susie that he shouldn¡¯t have. Perhaps, that someone wanted her dead and he was killed in the exact same way.¡± ¡°Susie wasn¡¯t murdered. She died of an overdose.¡± Fred said, his voice devoid of emotion again. ¡°What if she wasn¡¯t?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°We believe there were some suspicious events around Susie at the time of her death and that perhaps there was foul play.¡± ¡°Why would anyone want to harm Susie?¡± Fred replied, pouring another brimming glassful of whiskey. ¡°She was the most gentle, innocent soul.¡± ¡°That was sleeping with a married man,¡± Ridley said. Fred looked at him, almost as if he was confused by the statement. ¡°So?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think that¡¯s a bit messed up?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°You¡¯re married with a kid.¡± ¡°My wife knows and understands. Now she¡¯s given birth to my heir, she knows her position will always be secure. The gold is all she is worried about. Susie loved me and I loved her.¡± ¡°And would your wife¡­ could your wife have harmed Susie?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°We find in cases of infidelity, it is usually the partner that is the main suspect.¡± Fred leaned his head back and gave a short laugh. ¡°My wife didn¡¯t even know about Susie. She stays in our manor out by the Glacial Lakes and rarely comes into the city. Like I said, as long as all her needs are met, she doesn¡¯t care where I am or what I¡¯m doing. She knew all about this part of my life before she married me.¡± He waved a hand at the two naked people sleeping on his floor. ¡°Still, jealousy can make people do crazy things,¡± Ridley said. ¡°There has to be love to be jealousy,¡± Fred said. ¡°She barely lets me touch her since our son was born, and I can¡¯t say I¡¯m too bothered.¡± ¡°And you can¡¯t think of anyone else who might have had a dislike towards Susie, or someone who might have wished her harm?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°No. Susie was perfect. So sweet and kind. Anyone who met her loved her.¡± ¡°Not even Manny Litteragi?¡± Nairo asked, carefully watching his face for a reaction. Fred snorted into his whisky. ¡°That fat worm wants to get in every actress''s panties,¡± he replied. ¡°And how do you think he would have reacted when he found out Susie wanted to quit halfway through the run?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°How do you know that?¡± Fred asked sharply. ¡°We know. And if we know, there¡¯s a chance Manny might have.¡± Ridley replied. ¡°And what would he gain from killing Susie?¡± Fred asked. ¡°Revenge?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Manny¡¯s as greedy a fat sot as I¡¯ve ever met. He wouldn¡¯t kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.¡± ¡°But Susie was clean before she died, wasn¡¯t she?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Yes. She¡¯d gone off the drink and drugs.¡± ¡°But then she overdoses?¡± Fred slammed his glass down and leaned forward, his face buried in his hands. He sobbed so violently his whole body quivered. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t¡­ know¡­ why!¡± he whimpered. He raised his face to the moonlight, looking at the stars again. ¡°I don¡¯t know why she would! My poor Susie! Why did you leave me!¡± he slurred, tears rolling down his cheeks. ¡°Please. Leave. I can¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to do this anymore!¡± ¡°We¡¯re sorry¡­¡± Nairo began. ¡°Just go! Please!¡± Fred said, tears dripping from his chin. ¡°Leave the memory of Susie alone. Please!¡± Nairo looked at Ridley, and he nodded. Fred¡¯s outburst had awoken the two naked lovers. They rose groggily. Unbidden, the girl walked over to Fred, completely ignoring Ridley and Nairo. She fell to her knees in front of him and began untying his bathrobe. Nairo and Ridley quickly exited and left Fred to his grief. ¡°Let¡¯s get the fuck out of this weird place,¡± Ridley said. They raced down the stairs, slipped out of the front door, and collected their coats from the Pixie. They took the stairs rather than wait for the lifter and gave Stephen a quick terse nod as they exited. Only once they were around the corner and down the street did their pace slow. ¡°Ughhh, I¡¯m going to need to bathe for a week after that,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m gonna burn these clothes.¡± They walked in silence down the quiet street. ¡°You still like Shumacker for it?¡± Nairo asked. Ridley shook his head. ¡°I dunno," Ridley said. "That wasn''t an act. He might be a lot of things, but he''s no murderer. Let alone a cold, calculated one that would poison his lover.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re back at square one,¡± Nairo said dejectedly. ¡°You know, the same question keeps popping up with everyone we speak to.¡± ¡°Why would anyone want to hurt Susie?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Yes. Every one of them has said the same thing. Maybe we should think about motives instead of suspects.¡± ¡°Take your pick,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Being a powerful man¡¯s mistress for one.¡± ¡°But Shumacker didn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°The wife?¡± ¡°He said she didn¡¯t even know about Susie.¡± ¡°So he thinks.¡± ¡°By the sounds of it, I don¡¯t think she¡¯d care. After all, it¡¯s not like Susie is the only woman he¡¯s slept with since they¡¯ve been married. And I doubt she¡¯s killing all of them.¡± ¡°True, we¡¯d run out of room in the graveyards,¡± Ridley said. ¡°If the motive ain¡¯t love or jealousy, then it¡¯s usually gold. In a murder this calculated, I¡¯m guessing it wasn¡¯t a crime of passion.¡± ¡°What about her quitting the stage?¡± Nairo said. ¡°A lot of people relied on her for their wages. She was the main star after all.¡± ¡°The director Manny stood to lose the most if she quit.¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Plus he has a history of despicable behaviour.¡± Nairo said. ¡°Being despicable doesn¡¯t equal being a murderer. And besides, like Shumacker said, how does it help him financially if Susie¡¯s dead?¡± ¡°Gerald said he¡¯s sold out the memorial tour.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pretty big gamble to take,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Killing your starlet and hoping her memorial tour does big business.¡± ¡°Eliza and Gerald said he was also sweet on Susie. Could have been a revenge killing. Revenge for bankrupting him and revenge for rejecting him.¡± ¡°You like Manny for this?¡± ¡°He has the most motive. After all¡­¡± ¡°Who would want to hurt Susie?¡± Ridley finished for her. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s look into the director. See what we can dig up on him.¡± ¡°After we bathe.¡± ¡°After we bathe.¡± Book II - Chapter 22 - Rufi 22 Rufi blinked blearily. He was sure he had been awake a moment ago. He pulled himself upright and took stock of his surroundings. There were pictures of famous Goblin pit fighters on the walls, the cracked window Pug had broken during one of his drunken escapades, and his chipped desk that was entirely too small for his bulk. He was back in the pool hall, in his little office at the back. That was a positive, at least. He straightened up and wiped a bit of drool from his chin. He looked down at his suit. He was wearing the dark purple one with the red shirt. Didn¡¯t he put that on yesterday? Or was it the day before? Rufi rubbed at his face and leaned back in his creaky chair. There were three piles of gold on the table in front of him. Had he been counting them when he fell asleep? With a deep sigh, he heaved his bulk from the chair and shuffled over to the little sink in the corner. He had to bend almost double to get close to it. He turned the tap on, let it run for a minute, and then splashed cold water on his face. He scrubbed his eyes and hair, then began slurping the cold water until he felt somewhat alive again. He stood, ignored his reflection, dried his face, and then slumped back into his chair. He opened the top drawer to his desk, pulled out a smoke, lit it, and then began putting together a parcel with plenty of Madra. He had just cut up his Chaaraam leaf when there was a knock at the door. ¡°Yeah?¡± Rufi shouted, his mouth clamped around his smoke as he began to roll up the parcel. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Pauli called back through the door. ¡°Come.¡± Pauli opened the door and walked in with a steaming cup of coffee. ¡°Lifesaver,¡± Rufi grunted as he accepted the coffee. He popped the parcel into his mouth, worked it into a comfortable position with his tongue, and then slurped at the coffee. ¡°Stick that in the safe, would you?¡± Pauli scooped the coins up into a small sack. ¡°Did you count it?¡± ¡°Errr¡­¡± ¡°Do you even remember what it was for?¡± ¡°Refresh my memory.¡± Pauli shook his head and poured the coins back out, counting them with speed that only a HobGoblin had. ¡°It¡¯s from the card game,¡± Pauli muttered as he finished. ¡°Big Sally¡¯s?¡± ¡°That was like three days ago, Rufe. This is from Yarlow¡¯s.¡± ¡°Oh right,¡± Rufi said, toking his smoke. ¡°Good haul?¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± ¡°Put it in with the rest. We gotta start getting Uncle Sam¡¯s Tribute together soon.¡± ¡°Yep, and we¡¯re only halfway there.¡± ¡°Halfway!¡± Rufi said, sitting up, feeling the electric pulse of the Madra coursing through his veins, waking him up like a slap in the face on an icy morning. ¡°What do you expect?¡± Pauli said as he took down one of the paintings to real a safe in the wall. ¡°You¡¯ve had the boys running around town boosting burn. Not to mention the payouts and all the partying after Cameron¡¯s. We¡¯re light.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Rufi muttered. ¡°Put Pug and Mik back out on the streets and get ¡®em collecting. Anyone that¡¯s due needs to be hit up. What about Red Roger? Doesn¡¯t he owe us for that shipment of lamb ribs?¡± Pauli pulled out his little notebook and flipped through. ¡°He¡¯s paid half.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get the other half off him. And tell Mik to chat with the Weatherman, ask if there¡¯s anything coming in we can boost. Oh and tell the Different Dom that we ain¡¯t buying those pork shoulders if he can¡¯t transport it himself, save us a few coins.¡± ¡°He ain¡¯t gonna be happy about that.¡± ¡°Fuck him. He should be thankful I even let him do business after those rotted salmon he gave us.¡± ¡°You want Chuch to have a word?¡± Rufi paused with his coffee at his lips and thought. ¡°Naa, I wouldn¡¯t do that to Dom. How is Chuchy?¡± ¡°Recovering. He took a bad one in the leg, so he¡¯s more of a miserable cunt than usual.¡± ¡°Any chatter about that situation?¡± ¡°Words flying all over the city. They know it was Green but they don¡¯t know who or why. Cameron ain¡¯t heavy enough to do anything about it, but the Landlord ain¡¯t too happy that action went down on his borders.¡± ¡°Serves him right for renting space to a rat like Cameron.¡± ¡°Other than that, everyone¡¯s waiting to see who starts moving the Burn. Until then, it¡¯s all just gossip and conspiracies.¡± ¡°Good, so it¡¯ll stay like that.¡± Rufi rose from his seat and downed the rest of his coffee. ¡°You hungry?¡± ¡°I could eat.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s grab some breakfast. What we got in the coldbox?¡± ¡°Breakfast?¡± Pauli laughed. ¡°Ruf, it¡¯s nearly midnight.¡± ¡°Oh shit,¡± Rufi said, grinning. ¡°Late dinner then.¡± Just then there was a frantic knock on the door. ¡°What?¡± Rufi barked. Pug came bustling into the office looking like he¡¯d been running hard. ¡°Ruf!¡± he gasped. ¡°What? What¡¯s happened, Pug?¡± Pug shook his round head and bent over double, his hands on his knees. ¡°Have you been fuckin¡¯ running through the neighbourhood again?¡± Rufi growled at him. ¡°What have I told you about that? We don¡¯t run! Especially when people can see us.¡± Pug stood up and held his side, wincing from a painful cramp. ¡°Emergency comm scroll come in for you,¡± Pug gasped. ¡°From who?¡± ¡°Dunno. But they knew the code. Said for you to meet ¡®em out in Drawer¡¯s Lane.¡± ¡°Out by the Foundries?¡± Pauli said. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What did the message actually say, Pug?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°Said for you to meet at Drawer¡¯s Lane. The little people have been located. No good.¡± Rufi thought for a minute, and then he shot a look at Pauli. ¡°Out by the Foundries?¡± Rufi said to him. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Pauli, who usually arrived at these sorts of mental conclusions a step ahead of Rufi, nodded. ¡°Shit!¡± Rufi growled. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He turned and grabbed his jacket, pausing only to secure his hatchet and grab a blade from his desk drawer. ¡°You want me to come?¡± Pug asked, still trying to catch his breath. ¡°No, you stay here,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Good, I could do with a lay down.¡± Pug said, wiping his brow. Rufi stomped out of the office and through the pool hall. A few players nodded to him but most minded their own business once they saw the thunder on Rufi¡¯s face. Rain was pouring down outside the hall. It was so heavy, Rufi could barely see. He waved his arm at one of the carriages that were always parked up outside. The driver, who had erected a mini awning above himself to keep some of the rain off, pulled up, and Rufi and Pauli jumped in. ¡°Drawer¡¯s Lane! Out by the Foundries!¡± Rufi shouted to the driver. ¡°And don¡¯t stop for a fuckin¡¯ thing!¡± Once they started moving, Pauli turned to him. ¡°Tiko?¡± ¡°Yeah, sounds like he¡¯s found our Dwarvish middlemen. Why would he send an emergency scroll about it though?¡± ¡°I dunno. Smells wrong,¡± Pauli said. ¡°At this time of night as well? In the middle of a storm? Surely they could wait until morning?¡± ¡°You think we could be walking into something here?¡± Rufi asked, lighting a smoke and flicking his used parcel out of the window. ¡°We¡¯ve been making a lot of noise with all this Bad Batch business,¡± Pauli said. ¡°And Tiko is the one who sold Cameron that Burn, right? What if Cameron went back to him and they¡¯ve hatched a scheme together?¡± ¡°Tiko ain¡¯t that fuckin¡¯ stupid,¡± Rufi growled. ¡°You and me are the only other creatures that know that Tiko was apart of the Bad Batch deal. And now we¡¯re in a cab flying out to the edge of the city during a rainstorm at midnight with no backup.¡± Rufi gritted his teeth. He hated it when Pauli made too much sense. ¡°Then be ready for some shit to go down,¡± Rufi said. ¡°And if Tiko has double crossed us, I¡¯ll tear his fuckin¡¯ heart out.¡± * They arrived at Drawer¡¯s Lane half an hour later. The rain still hadn¡¯t relented. Rufi hopped out of the cab, and despite his insistence for Pauli to stay put, Pauli came after him. Rufi looked up and down in the lane, squinting against the rain. The road was empty. There were only a few workshops this far out, and they were all dark. In fact, the entire street was dark, there weren¡¯t any Glowstones or even cobbles. They really were on the fringes of the city. Rufi loosened his hatchet and palmed his blade. He looked around again and began walking towards the last workshop on the lane. Pauli stuck close to his side, checking over both shoulders constantly. Rufi felt his pulse quicken. If this was a trap, it was a damn good one. He couldn¡¯t see anything in this damn rain. As he approached the squat, wooden workshop he saw the shadow of a small figure. He flicked out the blade of his knife and his hatchet was in his hand a second later. ¡°Tiko?¡± he shouted above the rain. The figure looked around, and then he saw a hand waving to him. Rufi walked slowly towards him, checking every corner and crevice as he did. As they drew closer, Rufi saw Tiko¡¯s purple hair in the dull light of the moon. He stepped into the workshop¡¯s front yard, feeling an itch between his shoulder blades, like he was just waiting to get shot in the back. They stepped onto the porch and got under the lip of the roof. Tiko was standing there, wrapped in a heavy black cloak, a mountain of dog ends surrounding him. ¡°What took you so long!¡± Tiko snapped at them as they arrived. ¡°What the fuck is this, Tiko?¡± Rufi replied, his weapons still in his hands. ¡°I found them Rufi,¡± he said, his voice barely a whisper above the pounding rain. Now that Rufi looked at him properly, he could see the fear in his eyes and the jitter in his movements. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Rufi asked, looking at the dark workshop. ¡°Where are the Dwarves?¡± ¡°In there,¡± Tiko said. ¡°They¡¯re all¡­ they¡¯re all dead.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a massacre,¡± Tiko said, his voice quivering. Rufi turned towards the door, keeping Tiko in his peripheral vision. He pushed the half closed door open. The smell of blood, guts, and shit wafted out of the workshop. ¡°Here,¡± Tiko offered Rufi a Glowstone lantern. Rufi pressed his fingertips to the stone, and it lit up. ¡°Stay with him,¡± Rufi instructed Pauli. With his hatchet in his right hand, Rufi held the lantern high and walked in. He heard the maddening buzz of flies before he saw the first body. It was a Dwarf, or at least it had been. It was now missing a head. The corpse''s glistening neckbone reflected the lantern''s light, a pool of steadily congealing blood surrounded the decapitated body. Ridley felt his stomach turn sour. He walked further into the workshop and saw three more bodies, all beheaded. One had its stomach opened up, guts poured out onto the dusty floorboards. Rufi stepped over the corpse and saw two more headless bodies pinned to the wall. There was blood everywhere. Their deaths hadn¡¯t been quick. Rufi held the lantern up, feeling sweat trickling down his brow, his nostrils flaring as his breathing became more erratic. He could feel panic setting in. An animal instinct to run from all this blood and death. Rufi, arm held across his nose, turned from the bodies when something on the floor caught his eye by the corpse that had its guts opened up. He forced himself not to look at the corpse. There was writing of some sort on the floor by the dead body¡¯s hand. He turned around and moved the lantern closer. It was written in blood. Rufi¡¯s eyes flicked to the corpse. Had he written this in his final moments, while his guts oozed out of his stomach? The urge to vomit almost overwhelmed Rufi. He swallowed hard and focused on the writing. It was difficult to make out at first but once he found the correct orientation, he read: ¡®Turnbull Wrhous 8.¡¯ What did that mean? Whatever it was, it was important enough for this creature to spend his last moments writing it in his own blood. Rufi stood up and gritted his teeth before walking into the final room. Here the corpse was splayed out on a stack of boxes. It looked like he had been tortured. His hands and feet were tied, so he was spread eagle, cruel cuts and incisions covered his flabby body. Rufi felt acidic bile rise in his throat. This corpse was not only missing his head but also his manhood. Rufi took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. He heard a creak and almost bolted. He stood very still. It was just the building settling. No way whoever had done this would still be here. These corpses looked long dead. Rufi held the lantern up and looked around the room. There was blood and viscera splattered everywhere. Rufi undid his top button. His head was swimming, and he was finding it harder and harder to breathe. The stench of the place made him feel faint. He looked at the corpse''s wrists. There was a single loop of red string tied around his wrist. Rufi reached out a shaking hand and pulled the string off. He tucked it into his pocket, looked around the room once more, and then walked as quickly as he could back out of the workshop without taking in any more horror. ¡°Rufi what is¡­¡± Pauli said, but Rufi barged right past him. He stormed out into the rain and then vomited. He stayed hunched over, spitting bile, letting the cool rain wash away the horror. He stood up straight, and let the rain rinse the vomit form his chin, taking deep breaths as he did. He turned and walked back to them after a minute. ¡°What the fuck was that, Tiko?¡± Rufi growled at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Tiko said, his eyes wide, his pupils quivering in fear. ¡°That¡¯s some bad shit, man. I ain¡¯t never seen no evil shit like that before!¡± Pauli, deciding no one was going to fill him, poked his head inside the door, then quickly retreated. ¡°What the fuck!¡± Pauli said. ¡°There¡¯s four more of ¡®em in there,¡± Rufi said to him, spitting into the rain. ¡°All of ¡®em with their heads cut off. Two of ¡®em were nailed to the fuckin¡¯ wall! The last one looks like he was tortured before they killed him.¡± ¡°What?¡± Pauli said, his eyes wide. ¡°Who the fuck did you buy that Burn from Tiko?¡± Rufi growled. ¡°I don¡¯t know Rufi. I don¡¯t know! But this is some evil shit man. This is¡­ this¡­ who the fuck would do this? Why would they do this?¡± ¡°Whoever they are, they¡¯re covering their tracks,¡± Pauli said. ¡°They know we¡¯re looking for them.¡± ¡°Whoever it is Ruf, maybe¡­ maybe we¡¯re better off not finding them,¡± Tiko said, his tone pleading. ¡°We have to. Otherwise it¡¯s our asses, remember?¡± ¡°Maybe the Kings will just forget about it? You know, once the OD¡¯s stop. You got most of the shit back now, right?¡± ¡°And you think Yano is gonna forget about it?¡± Rufi asked. Tiko blanched and then ran his hands over his shaved head. ¡°Shit! Shit! Shit! This is so fucked!¡± ¡°Get it together, Tiko!¡± Rufi snapped at him. They stood in silence while the rain pounded down. ¡°What does Turnbull Warehouse 8 mean to you?¡± Rufi asked after a minute. ¡°What?¡± ¡°One of the Dwarves wrote it on the floor while he was bleeding out.¡± ¡°Say it again.¡± ¡°Turnbull Warehouse 8.¡± Tiko looked into the rain as he thought. ¡°There¡¯s Turnbull Lane on the riverfront,¡± Tiko said. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a shipping yard down there?¡± Pauli said. ¡°There¡¯ll be warehouses too.¡± ¡°Warehouse 8,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Is that where the drugs are coming in?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tiko said. ¡°Could be. They wouldn¡¯t have used the main docks, your lot are too hot over there.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s where we¡¯re going,¡± Rufi said. ¡°You still wanna find them!¡± Tiko exclaimed, waving his hands at the workshop. ¡°You wanna end up fucking headless corpse with no dick and balls!¡± ¡°They cut his dick off?¡± Pauli said, blanching. ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck who they are or what they¡¯ve done,¡± Rufi snarled. ¡°I¡¯m gonna find ¡®em and end them. Simple as. Otherwise, you and me are gonna lose our heads. Understand?¡± Tiko swallowed and then nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t go with you though,¡± Tiko said quickly. ¡°Even being out here for this long has put us at risk of me being found.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Rufi said. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this myself. You go on, and I¡¯ll let you know what I come across.¡± Tiko nodded gladly. Without a word, he pulled up his hood, turned, and then disappeared into the storm. Rufi took one look back at the workshop and swallowed. ¡°This is fucked.¡± Book II - Chapter 23 - T&W 23 ¡°It¡¯s called good cop, bad cop,¡± Conway explained. ¡°You think you boys are up for it?¡± ¡°Wot, like one of us acts like a div and the other like proper sharp?¡± Wally asked. ¡°No, not quite.¡± Conway said patiently. It had been over an hour since they had brought Ty in. Conway said they were leaving him to sweat. Sarpele had disappeared to remove his disguise and ¡®decompress¡¯. Since Timmy had technically caught the drug dealer, Sarpele said it was only right he should be able to interrogate him. Neither Timmy nor Wally had ever interrogated a suspect before, so Conway was giving them the crash course. ¡°You want to gain the perp¡¯s trust,¡± Conway said, leaning back in his chair. ¡°The only way you can get a criminal to trust a cop is by comparison.¡± ¡°To wot?¡± Wally asked. ¡°To a bad cop, a real nasty piece of work. You wanna really turn the screws on the perp, threaten him, and degrade him the whole way. Then when the other copper is friendly and polite and talks about wanting to help the perp out, he¡¯s gonna trust him and want to deal with him rather than the bad cop.¡± ¡°Oh right,¡± Wally said, nodding along. ¡°You think you can do that, Tim?¡± Conway asked. Timmy was only half listening. The other half of his focus was on trying not to fall off his chair. He had been given a cold stone and some painkillers when he returned to the precinct. His stomach hurt fiercely and his ears wouldn''t stop ringing. His focus kept fading in and out of the room. His back was also starting to stiffen, and his neck had lost the ability to turn. ¡°Ermm¡­ yeah okay,¡± Timmy said. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, Tim.¡± Wally said. ¡°Bein¡¯ the good cop will be easy for you.¡± ¡°No,¡± Conway said. ¡°Timmy will have to be the bad cop.¡± ¡°Me? Why?¡± Timmy said. ¡°Because you near knocked the fella out and you put the cuffs on him. He ain¡¯t gonna trust you.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair enough,¡± Wally agreed. ¡°But I¡¯m no good at acting hard,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Well you¡¯re gonna have to figure it out.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t Sarpele do it? He¡¯s really good at acting.¡± ¡°No. Sarpele is our undercover man, I don¡¯t want any criminals spending too much time looking at him. He¡¯s more valuable to us on the street.¡¯ Timmy sighed and slumped in his seat. ¡°You can do this, Tim.¡± Wally said encouragingly. ¡°He¡¯s probably already brickin¡¯ it.¡± ¡°He¡¯s looking at at least 10% down BlackWater for dealing. If we can get him on assaulting an officer, then it¡¯ll be 25%. These little punks can''t stand up under those sorts of numbers. If he rolls over, we can reduce his sentence. But we need a big fish. No one selling a brick here or there. We need the wholesaler.¡± Conway said, jabbing his long, gnarled finger on the desk. ¡°We need to start making some big arrests.¡± ¡°Yessir,¡± Wally said. ¡°Understood.¡± Timmy murmured. ¡°Good. Now come on.¡± Conway led them out of his office and down the hall to the interrogation room. "Remember, I¡¯ll be right on the other side of the glass. Wally, you let Timmy lead at the beginning, when you feel like Tim¡¯s taken it too far, you pull him back. Send him to get a coffee or something, and then you play the nice guy. Understood?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± They chorused. As they made to leave the office, Conway grabbed Timmy¡¯s arm. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to get rough with him.¡± ¡°Yessir,¡± Timmy squeaked. They walked out of the office and Timmy¡¯s legs felt like jelly. He was already starting to sweat. ¡°You got this Tim,¡± Wally whispered to him. ¡°You just gotta be a ¡®orrible bastard. Alright? Just think about all them bastards wot made fun of you and terrorised you at school and stuff.¡± Timmy nodded and then twisted the doorknob. Ty was sitting slumped in his chair with a frown on his face. He seemed more bored than scared. He looked up and grinned as Timmy lumbered into the room. ¡°What? They sent the fat little piglet to¡­¡± Timmy tore across the room and slammed the clipboard he was holding into Ty¡¯s face. He had caught himself by surprise. The adrenaline and likely concussion made his brain slow and gelatinous, so his body had taken over. Ty tumbled backwards over his chair and landed with a thump. ¡°What the fuck!¡± he cried out . Timmy blinked and looked down at Ty. Well... since he was there already, Timmy started to put the boots to him. ¡°Tim!¡± Wally yelled as he ran around the table and tried to pull Timmy back. ¡°You fucking pigs!¡± Ty snarled and spat at Wally. ¡°Did ''e just spit on me?¡± Wally cried out, turning around and kicking Ty in the face. "You ''orrible little..." Timmy shoved Wally out of the way to get his own kicks in. Before long, both young officers had surrounded the drug dealer and were profoundly kicking shit out of him. * Conway kneaded his brow with his knuckle. ¡°What was that?¡± he asked. Timmy and Wally stood sheepishly in front of him, looking down at the floor. Ty was in the next room being examined by the precinct¡¯s nurse. He had a swollen eye, a fat lip, and a fresh cut on his forehead from where the clipboard had hit him. ¡°I was being the bad cop,¡± Timmy muttered. ¡°You were supposed to interrogate him first!¡± Conway said, throwing his hands up. ¡°And you?¡± he said to Wally. ¡°¡®E spat on me,¡± Wally said sullenly. "And called us pigs," Timmy added. "An'' called us pigs," Wally said. ¡°Of course he did! Your mate smacked him in the mouth with a clipboard before you even asked a question!¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Sorry,¡± Timmy said. ¡°I guess I got carried away.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s my fault for sending in two rookies.¡± ¡°Give us another go, Conway! We¡¯ll do it right this time!¡± Wally pleaded. ¡°No. I¡¯ll take care of it. You two just watch and try and learn something.¡± Conway took a deep breath, scratched his stubbly beard, muttered under his breath, and then walked out of the room. ¡°We really cocked that one up,¡± Wally said miserably. ¡°Yeah.¡± Timmy said, sitting down before his legs gave way underneath him. * Conway pushed the door open with his shoulder. ¡°We good here?¡± he asked the nurse. ¡°He¡¯ll live,¡± she said, standing up and collecting her things before walking out. Conway pulled out his chair and sat down while Ty glared at him. ¡°You come to have a pop too, old man?¡± Ty growled at him. ¡°Naa, I¡¯ve had a lifetime of grazing my knuckles on punks like you. Besides, it looks like my boys did a number on you anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah? Uncuff me and send those little pricks in here again, and we¡¯ll see what¡¯s what.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you already have your chance, and you turned and ran, leaving your mates behind?¡± Ty shifted in his seat and frowned at Conway. ¡°Listen son, I¡¯ve taken shits tougher than you, let¡¯s drop the act and put the numbers on the table.¡± ¡°What numbers?¡± Ty growled. ¡°10% for possession with intent. Another 5% for possession of a deadly weapon. And another 10% for assaulting a police officer. If I can get the use of a deadly weapon against a police officer to stick, you¡¯ll be looking at attempted murder. That¡¯s 50%.¡± Ty¡¯s jaw clenched, but Conway saw the fear in his eyes. These young punks were always the easiest to rattle when big numbers started getting thrown around. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit! My lawyer would never let you get away with that!¡± Ty said hotly. ¡°Oh, you got a lawyer?¡± Conway said offhandedly. ¡°Yeah¡­ of course.¡± ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Conway asked. ¡°I¡¯ll get a comm scroll out to him, and we¡¯ll get him here ASAP.¡± Ty licked his lips and then shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll get one.¡± ¡°Good. You¡¯ll need one. And I hope you sold a lot of Burn ¡®coz those lawyers are expensive. A case like this, with this many serious charges,¡± Conway whistled through his teeth. ¡°Could take months. Especially if my officers are too busy to appear in court. We could stretch this for years. And every time your lawyer comes to court, he¡¯ll be charging you. Then of course, if you don¡¯t win, you¡¯ll be bankrupt and doing the big stretch anyway. BlackWater¡¯s not a place you wanna go if you''re penniless. Trust me.¡± Ty shifted in his seat, licking his swollen lips, sweat beginning to bead down his forehead. ¡°Hey listen,¡± Conway said, closing the file and putting his hands on the desk, palm up. ¡°You¡¯re just a kid. A big fucker, but just a kid. I don¡¯t wanna see you do 25 years in the bang up. For what? For slingin¡¯ a bit of burn, tryna feed yourself? And I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t know who my officers were when you took a shot at them.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Ty said quickly. ¡°I just thought they was junkies tryna pull a scam! I wouldn''t have shot them if I''d known!¡± ¡°Exactly. But¡­ you¡¯ve just admitted to a Lieutenant and three witnesses behind that glass that you did in fact take a shot at them.¡± Ty¡¯s eyes grew wide, and his lips spasmed as if trying to find the words to wriggle out of it. ¡°So, whether you knew or not, you¡¯ve tried to kill an active policer in the line of carrying out his duty. That¡¯s a serious charge. You won¡¯t find any leniency in the courts for tryna kill a cop.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°They won¡¯t care. And I have a duty to report your confession.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± ¡°I know, kid. Life¡¯s rough and it¡¯s probably been shit for you up to this point. I can¡¯t imagine anyone who¡¯s lived a good life ends up in the RatHoles slingin¡¯ Burn. How old are you? Twenty?¡± ¡°Nineteen,¡± Ty rasped, his mouth dry. ¡°Nineteen? And now you¡¯re gonna do twenty five in BlackWater?¡± Conway sighed and sat back. ¡°You¡¯ll be 44 when you see the cobbles again, if you ever get out.¡± ¡°Wait. No. Isn¡¯t there¡­ isn¡¯t there something you can do?¡± Ty said, leaning forward, desperation in his eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t do it again! I swear. I¡¯ll go straight. I promise!¡± Conway mulled over this, running his tongue around his mouth. ¡°I mean you saw my officers,¡± Conway said. ¡°They¡¯re pissed. The big one would have done you in right here if we hadn¡¯t stopped him. Getting shot at in the line of duty ain¡¯t something any copper takes lightly.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know!¡± Ty pleaded. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can do for you, kid. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got information!¡± Ty said suddenly. Conway looked at him in mock surprise. ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Yeah. Yeah. I can tell you lots of shit that happens on the streets! I know a bunch of shit!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, Tylos, is it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, Tylos, I''m not interested in street shit. And with your charges, the prosecutor¡¯s office ain¡¯t gonna be interested in a couple little punks going away. I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re just not a big enough fish to cut a deal.¡± ¡°But I know¡­ I know who the big fish is,¡± Ty said, almost reaching across the table in desperation. ¡°You do?¡± Again Conway put on a mock surprised voice. ¡°I''m not interested in some little hood slinging the odd block here and there. I need the wholesaler.¡± ¡°The wholesaler.¡± Ty swallowed and sat back. ¡°But I don¡¯t expect a small timer like yourself to even know who that is,¡± Conway said flippantly. He pushed his chair back and collected his folder. ¡°Wait!¡± Ty held up a hand and then looked around the room. He hesitated and Conway made for the door. ¡°I know who it is!¡± ¡°You have a name?¡± Ty nodded and Conway sat back down. ¡°But you have to promise me I won¡¯t do any time,¡± Ty said. ¡°That I can¡¯t guarantee,¡± Conway said. "But I can get the attempt murder charges dropped and you¡¯ll be charged with possession with intent. It¡¯s the best deal on the table.¡± ¡°Will I have to testify?¡± ¡°No. I just need a name and a location. We¡¯ll do the rest.¡± ¡°So no one will know?¡¯ ¡°Just our little secret.¡± Ty wiped sweat from his bald head. ¡°Gnomes,¡± Ty whispered. ¡°Gnommish Triad supplies all the Burn.¡± Conway snorted and stood up. "Yeah, thanks for that. Everyone and their mum knows it¡¯s the Triad.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°You got a name?¡± ¡°Tiko.¡± Conway looked at him and then at the mirror. ¡°Tiko?¡± ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s a high ranking Triad.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he look like?¡± ¡°I dunno, like a fuckin¡¯ Gnome! Wait! He¡¯s umm¡­ he¡¯s a little dude with purple hair¡­ and umm¡­ he¡¯s got a tattoo under his ear.¡± ¡°What tattoo?¡± ¡°Shit¡­ I dunno. I never seen him up that close! Umm¡­ I think it¡¯s like a pair of hands or wings maybe?¡± ¡°Black wings?¡± ¡°Yeah. Yeah¡­ I think so.¡± Conway jotted down this information. ¡°You know where this Tiko can be found?¡± ¡°Not really. I swear! We don¡¯t deal with Tiko directly. No one does. It¡¯s all just workers and stuff. I know that he runs a restaurant in Little Kang but I don¡¯t know which one.¡± Conway thought for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Thank you Tylos, you¡¯ve been most helpful.¡± Conway stood up and nodded to the officer standing in the corner. ¡°Get him down to booking and charge him with possession with intent.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Ty said, breathing as if he¡¯d just run a race. Conway turned a cold eye on him. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me too quickly lad. Even a few years in Black Water is a rough ride. I¡¯d seriously consider getting out of this game, you ain¡¯t built for it.¡± Conway opened the door and walked out and straight into the adjoining room where Timmy and Wally had been watching. ¡°That was amazin¡¯!¡± Wally said. ¡°¡®Ow did you do that? He volunteered to snitch!¡± ¡°Good cop, bad cop,¡± Conway said. ¡°That kid didn¡¯t have the stones to do the time. They rarely do. That¡¯s the problem with drug dealers, they want the easy money, but they can never do the hard time.¡± ¡°But like you mind controlled him!¡± Wally said enthusiastically. ¡°¡®E was like one of them puppets on a string! Can you teach us to do that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll learn,¡± Conway said, looking around. ¡°Where¡¯s Timmy?¡± ¡°Think e¡¯s ¡®aving a lie down. ¡®E¡¯s a bit banged up.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯ll be a short nap. I¡¯m gonna run this information through the force. See if anyone knows of this Tiko fella. If we can get a lock on his location, I¡¯m gonna need all hands on deck for surveillance. Might even be a bit of infiltration involved.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go wake ¡®im up, sir!¡± Wally said. ¡°Naa, let him sleep for a bit. Come on, I¡¯ll buy you something to eat. You must be starving.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°And after that, we track down this Tiko and anyone that¡¯s doing business with him. They''re all gonna be swinging from the hangman''s noose once we catch them.¡± Book II - Chapter 24 - R&N 24 Nairo hunched under her umbrella, the collars of her coat pulled up tight to her face, as she waited. She had been following Manny all morning, and it was starting to wear on her. The theatre director was a surprisingly early starter. He was out of his small rented accommodation above a dressmaker¡¯s in the Goblin quarter before most of the cabs had even started. Despite being a rotund man, he insisted on walking everywhere. His towering height made him easy to follow, at least. He had visited a small patisserie, then a cobbler¡¯s, then a dressmaker¡¯s, before settling in for a midmorning coffee. Nairo had shadowed him every step of the way. She was forced to lurk in alleys and hide behind bushes while she waited for him to conduct his business. So far, nothing had happened that made her soaking wet feet worth it. Their background check on Manny had provided nothing either. Nairo had Conway run him through the police records, and nothing important had come back. Once, when he was nineteen, he was arrested for drunk and disorderly, and then a couple of years later he had picked up a minor possession charge. Other than that, the man was clean. Nairo watched him sipping his coffee and felt an uncharacteristic amount of vitriol for him. Maybe it was his stupid hair, all sticking up at odd angles, or his fat wobbly cheeks, or the idiotic little pointed moustache he had. Manny was a literal mountain of a Human. He had to be over six and a half feet tall and so fat that his arms and legs looked disproportionately small. As did his feet. They were almost comically small, and he insisted on wearing shiny loafers that click clacked with his every step. Even the way he sipped his coffee made Nairo want to punch him. He was drinking from a tiny cup, taking exaggerated sips, with his pinky finger sticking straight out. He was like a caricature, but of what Nairo wasn¡¯t sure. Despite her distaste for the man, he hadn¡¯t yet done anything that might suggest he was up to something. Manny waved the waiter over with a flamboyant gesture and then exchanged some words before giving out a little piggy snort. He dropped a coin on the table and blew a kiss to the staff behind the counter before exiting the shop. Nairo sank back into the shadows of the alley she was lurking in, thankful for the grey skies and dreary rain. Fortunately, Manny¡¯s size and the fact that he was carrying a bright pink umbrella, made him easy to follow from an inconspicuous distance. He stopped and hailed a cab. Nairo quickly ran across the street and hailed her own cab. ¡°Where to marm?¡± The sopping wet driver asked. ¡°Follow that cab!¡± Nairo said, hopping in, glad to be out of the rain. Manny¡¯s cab made its way up the arterial broadways of the boroughs and into the city proper. It took about twenty minutes to fight through the sluggish traffic before he was dropped outside the Valderia Bank. Nairo¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she alighted from her own cab and looked up at the imposing white stone building. She hadn¡¯t been back here since their last case, when she had still been a copper. Nairo watched Manny waddle up the steps to the bank. She looked across the street and saw a small cafe with covered outside seating. She crossed the road, ordered a black coffee, and watched the bank. An hour passed. Nairo had drunk two coffees and reread all of her notes from the case. Finally, just as the rain eased up, she saw Manny come storming out of the bank. Nairo flitted back across the street just in time to see Manny hail a cab. ¡°The Umbry theatre!¡± he barked in his oddly squeaky voice. He had a thunderous look on his face. His round cheeks were bright red and spittle flecked his rubbery lips. He lumbered into the cab and rode away. Nairo hesitated. What had got him so angry? She looked up at the bank and then the retreating cab. Chances were if he was going to the theatre, he would be there for some time. She could pop into the bank and then follow him after. Nairo skipped up the steps and walked into the bustling bank. Life had returned to the bank since the last time she had visited. People had short memories, and the bank had worked hard to repair its reputation after losing a priceless Diamond and having to fire their previous manager for being a degenerate gambler. Nairo walked across the lobby and looked around. No one out here seemed to have witnessed a shouting match, so she had to assume Manny had been in a private room somewhere. ¡°Sergeant!¡± A bubby voice called to her. Nairo turned around to see a young blonde secretary with a beaming smile sitting behind the main desk. ¡°Isabelle,¡± Nairo said with a smile of her own. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡± ¡°And you, Sergeant!¡± ¡°Please call me Sally, I¡¯m not with the police anymore.¡± Isabelle had assisted them in their missing Diamond case. She had worked for the previous bank manager Zimeon De Woolf and had been crucial in helping them to try and locate him. ¡°Oh dear, I hope it wasn¡¯t because of that missing Diamond thing,¡± Isabelle said, lowering her voice and looking around. ¡°Only partly,¡± Nairo answered. ¡°How have you been?¡± ¡°Good. I got a promotion to senior secretary.¡± ¡°Congrats.¡± ¡°Thanks. Do you have an account with us?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m here on a case, actually.¡± ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t with the police anymore?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m a private investigator now.¡± ¡°Oh wow, with that other guy, what was his name¡­¡± ¡°Ridley. Yes, we¡¯re partners.¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± Isabelle said, flashing her another award-winning smile. ¡°In fact, you might be able to assist me, if that¡¯s okay?¡± ¡°Anything for you, Sar¡­ Sally.¡± ¡°That man that just walked out of here. The large guy with the silly hair.¡± ¡°Oh Mr. Litteragi,¡± Isabelle said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Yes, him. Could you tell me what he was doing here?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I don¡¯t know Sally, that is kind of confidential.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me details, just a jist of what it was about.¡± Isabelle scrunched up her lips and nose and then looked around to make sure no one was listening. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°He was meeting with Ms. Maple, she¡¯s head of debt management,¡± Isabelle whispered. ¡°He has loans out with the bank?¡± ¡°Lots,¡± Isabelle mouthed the word. ¡°And he¡¯s behind?¡± Isabelle nodded. ¡°He comes in, maybe once a month, with all these big stories and plans about how his troupe is going to hit the big time. The bank entertained him while he was doing all of those big tours, but then the gold never appeared. And now Lana LaRue has passed¡­¡± She paused and looked to the heavens. ¡°The bank is recalling all of his debts.¡± ¡°And that means?¡± ¡°He could lose everything.¡± Nairo nodded thoughtfully. ¡°One last question, do you know how long he¡¯s had these loans for?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Oh gosh, I don¡¯t have access to that sort of information, but he''s been coming in since I started working here." "And the bank have let him get away with it for that long?" Nairo asked. "Mr. Litteragi is a well known man, and a lot of people have either stepped in for him or made assurances on his behalf. But when payday arrives, he never turns up.¡± ¡°Thank you Isabelle, you¡¯ve been really helpful.¡± ¡°My pleasure, Sally. Say hi to Ridley for me.¡± ¡°I will do.¡± * ¡°Did she say hi or like¡­ hi?¡± ¡°She said hi, Ridley.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve got a shot?¡± Nairo paused and gave this some serious thought. ¡°No, she¡¯s out of your league.¡± ¡°Says you.¡± Ridley pouted and went back to his work. ¡°Is this what you¡¯ve been doing all day while I¡¯ve been drowning out in the rain following that mountain of gloop?¡± Nairo said, looking at the random screwed up pieces of paper with scribbles all over them. Ridley rubbed his tired eyes and leaned back in his chair. ¡°These are the dates we found at Quinn''s,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I can see that,¡± Nairo replied as she hung up her dripping coat and tousled her wet hair. ¡°And these are the dates from LaRue¡¯s last tour,¡± he said, pointing at another scrap of paper. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t make sense.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because, LaRue wasn¡¯t in Valderia for half of these.¡± Nairo bent over the desk and looked at the scribble dates. ¡°This half she was,¡± Ridley said. ¡°But the second lot of dates, she was on tour.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m guessing Quinn didn¡¯t make a quick intercity tour to meet her.¡± ¡°Fat chance, Quinn didn¡¯t even like going up North, let alone leaving the city.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re sure these dates are meeting times?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°They have to be. Quinn kept records of every meeting with clients, except those pages were ripped out of his diary, remember?¡± Nairo nodded. ¡°So why else would he have those exact missing months stashed away unless they were important meetings?¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± Nairo said, pulling Quinn¡¯s diary towards her and thumbing through until she reached the missing dates. ¡°It looks like they match up. So who was Quinn meeting if it wasn¡¯t Lana LaRue about her stalker?¡± ¡°Remember what Eliza told us?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Quinn came to Lana. What if this case he was working in these missing months made him think that Lana was in danger?¡± ¡°So he went to warn her?¡± ¡°And maybe whoever he was working for didn¡¯t want Lana to be warned?¡± ¡°So they killed Quinn?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible. Or perhaps he was investigating the same person who killed Lana. I mean, why would a murderer hire Quinn?¡± ¡°I dunno,¡± Ridley said, sitting back and crossing his arms, scowling furiously at the papers. ¡°I wish the old man hadn¡¯t been so paranoid. He could have at least left me a letter or something to explain all this crap.¡± ¡°If he hadn¡¯t been so paranoid, he probably wouldn¡¯t have made copies of these dates and hidden them,¡± Nairo said. ¡°And besides, take it as a compliment; he obviously thought you were smart enough to figure it out.¡± ¡°Well at least you can¡¯t disappoint the dead,¡± Ridley said moodily. ¡°How did you get on?¡± ¡°Looks like our boy Manny is in big time debt to Valderia bank,¡± Nairo said, sitting down on the edge of Ridley¡¯s desk. ¡°He had a meeting with them this morning and he left in a right huff. Isabelle reckons they¡¯re recalling his long standing debts now that LaRue is dead. They don¡¯t think he can maintain the troupe and pay them back.¡± ¡°Which throws even more doubt on the idea of him killing her,¡± Ridley said, still sulking with his arms crossed. ¡°He would have known without her the troupe was bankrupt. And with that much debt¡­ it would be stupid to kill her for any reason.¡± ¡°She was leaving. If he found out about it and confronted her and she told him it was true. He could have flown into a rage. Knowing how much debt he has, he could have just snapped,¡± Nairo said. ¡°And then what? Carefully planned and staged a murder to look like an overdose?¡± Ridley said. ¡°When people snap, they usually grab the first heavy thing to hand and go to town.¡± ¡°True,¡± Nairo conceded. ¡°And besides, if he killed her, why kill Quinn?¡± ¡°Maybe Quinn found out?¡± ¡°If Quinn found out that fucker would have been in cuffs that day. The only way it makes sense is if Quinn found out, didn¡¯t tell anyone, and then let Manny know that he knew.¡± ¡°Blackmail?¡± ¡°Quinn wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Ridley said darkly. ¡°Then you¡¯re right, it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Nairo said, sighing. ¡°Just¡­ my gut tells me this guy is no good.¡± ¡°Well we already know he¡¯s a scumbag,¡± Ridley said. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s a murderer.¡± Nairo flopped into her chair behind her desk and kneaded her eyes. ¡°We just need something,¡± Nairo said in frustration. ¡°Some proof that LaRue was murdered, then we could go after him.¡± ¡°How are we going to prove that?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Everyone thinks she OD¡¯d.¡± ¡°What if we could prove she was poisoned?¡± Nario said. ¡°How?¡± ¡°They can test for stuff like that,¡± Nairo said. ¡°The coroner¡¯s have tests they can do for substances.¡± ¡°You think your mate Drake would do that?¡± ¡°If I ask nicely,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°And gave him a bag of blood.¡± ¡°Not the vamp stuff again,¡± Nairo said, rolling her eyes. ¡°If they haven¡¯t done the autopsy yet, we could get him to screen for any foreign substances.¡± ¡°Including Burn?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°She wasn¡¯t on Burn.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Ridley said. ¡°If we can prove she wasn¡¯t using, that strengthens our argument.¡± ¡°Good idea,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I¡¯ll contact him today.¡± ¡°Here, this will make you laugh,¡± Ridley said, throwing a comm scroll at her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Conway sent another comm after you asked him to run fatty¡¯s name through the records. I told him all about Manny¡¯s proclivities and what he does to the girls so he gave us a name to follow up on.¡± Nairo unrolled the scroll. ¡°Tommy Plumb?¡± she read. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Some snitch who part times as a pimp and pornographer,¡± Ridley said. ¡°And why is that funny?¡± ¡°Coz of who¡¯s snitch he is.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Your mates.¡± ¡°Edgewater and Washbottom?¡± Ridley nodded with a grin. ¡°They¡¯re detectives and now they¡¯ve got snitches? Maybe we were wrong about those two.¡± Nairo said. ¡°Not a chance,¡± Ridley said, hopping up and grabbing his coat. ¡°Come on Sarge, let¡¯s go see the Vampyr then pay the Wally Washbottom''s pimp a visit.¡± Book II - Chapter 25 - Rufi 25 Rufi was back in black and armed to the teeth. He had a mouthful of Madra and his red rimmed eyes trained on the docks below him. He had found a low rise building to camp out on and was carefully surveying the docks below him. One thing he knew as soon as he arrived: these docks should not have been this busy. Most of the smaller wharves and docks had died off once the Valderia Docks had been built on the southern mouth of the river. Nowadays, they were mainly used to quickly transport small shipments from the main docks up the river and into the city proper. Right now, they were teeming with frantic activity. A small barge had pulled up under the cover of night and was hastily being unloaded by half a dozen small, heavily cloaked figures. From their build, Rufi guessed they were either Human children or Gnomes. He rolled the Madra parcel around his mouth and guessed it was unlikely that prepubescent Humans had masterminded the distribution of the Bad Batch. That meant it was Gnomes, and that opened up a whole new line of nasty possibilities in Rufi¡¯s drug spiked and sleep deprived mind. Was Tiko secretly in on all this? Was Yano? Was this some sort of power play by the Gnomes? Was it a faction within the Triad trying to take power by discrediting Yano? The Triad were the most secretive of all the gangs, but Rufi knew they played intensely powerful political games. Since all of their ranks were centrally assigned, the only way for one to move up was to get rid of someone else. It was a good system. It ensured only the powerful survived. But it also meant the further up the ladder of power you went, the more of a treacherous snake pit it became. There was no doubt Yano had become the Yano by being the most cunning and cutthroat of all of them. As Rufi watched, he noticed more crates being loaded back onto the barge. He saw lights going out in Warehouse 8. Were the Gnomes packing up? It made sense. They had killed the Dwarvish middlemen and now they were disbanding their operations. Rufi seethed silently to himself. His crew had hardly been subtle in getting the Bad Batch off the street. Word must have got back to these Gnomes, and now they were breaking down their operation and moving on. It could have been the fatigued part of Rufi¡¯s mind, but he considered whether he should just ride in there and try to kill them all before they disappeared. After a few minutes of considering a plan, he shook the thought from his mind. Gnomes might be tiny compared to him, but they were viscous and cunning warriors. Plus, you never knew with Gnomes, they could have all manner of poisoned darts and venom tipped weapons. Just a scratch could render even a creature of Rufi¡¯s considerable strength immobile in minutes. He also had no idea how many of them were in there. He could call for backup. But by the time the cavalry arrived, they would be long gone. Anyway, he¡¯d made enough noise with that last job on Cameron, a second pitched battle would draw too much heat. Rufi spat a mouthful of green spit and settled down to watch. The Gnomes scurried back and forth frantically. More crates were loaded onto the barge and then they began to board. He counted at least thirteen of them. Good thing he decided against confronting them. The lights were all extinguished now and Rufi could barely see anything. He let his eyes acclimate to the darkness. He could just pick out the ripples of moonlight on the barge. They were going upriver? They weren¡¯t leaving the city? So they were packing up but not disbanding their operation. Rufi thought about all the crates being loaded onto the barge. Could it have been another shipment? He had no way of knowing. He watched until the ripples disappeared, and then he waited another half an hour. They didn¡¯t return. There was no more movement in Warehouse 8. Rufi ran his tongue around his mouth and then flicked the spent parcel out. He needed a closer look to figure out what they were up to. He pulled his scarf up over his mouth and pulled up his hood. Rufi slinked from the rooftop. Down the rusted ladder fire escape, a single homeless man digging around in the garbage in the alleyway looked up for a moment. He saw the hulking, all black figure, with weapons strapped to his back and hip, and then slowly turned away and practiced the most important survival skill in Valderia: minding your own business. Rufi watched him for a moment before stealing across the street, moving in and out of the shadows. For such a bulky creature, Rufi moved on silent feet. He flitted across the wharf and then paused behind the carcass of a broken barge. He listened carefully. When he was satisfied, he moved out of cover and scaled the chain link fence with a single hop. He landed and crept up the warehouse¡¯s exterior. Hugging the shadows of the warehouse, he willed his breathing to slow down and began listening again. He couldn¡¯t hear anything, but the nape of his neck prickled. Some sense was warning caution. He climbed a small tower of pallets and tried to look through the window of the warehouse. It was no good, the Gnomes had blacked out all the windows. He crouched down and weighed his options. They could have left a guard. They could also be returning. Knowing Gnomes, there could also be booby traps. They knew someone was looking for them so extra precautions wouldn¡¯t be unlikely. Rufi tiptoed around the perimeter of the warehouse. The main loading doors to the wharf were chained shut. He went back the other way and the front door also had a heavy padlock on it. Rufi could probably pick the lock but how long would that take? And how much noise would he make doing it? If anyone were inside, he would alert them instantly to his presence. Rufi muttered a curse, sweat trickling down the back of his neck. He didn¡¯t like this. He should just back off and call the boys. As he weighed up his options again, he looked up and noticed a ventilation duct that led to a chimney. It looked just big enough for him to fit through. ¡°Fuck it,¡± Rufi growled. He climbed the tower of palettes again and reached up, jiggling the vent¡¯s covering. The rusted grating came off in his hands. Rufi hadn¡¯t expected it to detach so easily and almost dropped it, catching it at the last second as it plummeted past him. Rufi froze. When he heard no movement, he carefully lowered the grate and then felt for the rim of the duct. Securing a firm grip, he pulled his near three hundred pound frame up. The metal squealed as it accepted his bulk. He slid his feet in and then waited, breathing heavily through his nose. With a final muttered oath, he slid himself down the chimney. It was narrow enough that he could prop his feet and hands against the sides and slowly lower himself. It was filthy and dusty, but the ascent was easy enough thanks to the cracked brickwork within the chimney. His feet alighted gently inside the pitch black warehouse. He crouched and shuffled out of the fireplace, pivoting behind a stack of boxes and waited. It was completely dark in the warehouse. Thanks to the blacked out windows, the moonlight couldn¡¯t even shine through. One of the Goblin¡¯s natural adaptations that made them such fearsome warriors was fantastic night vision, but even this couldn¡¯t help Rufi now. It was too dark. He sat on his haunches and waited for his breathing to return to normal and allow his eyes to adjust to any light there was. The warehouse was still silent, yet it didn¡¯t feel empty. That tension itched at Rufi¡¯s neck again. Slowly, he stood up, feet splayed, ready to dive for cover. The warehouse was still. He peered into the darkness, his eyes adjusting enough to make out shapes. This was no good. He needed to look around. Reaching into one of the many pockets of his black combat suit, he pulled out a small stone. He lowered his mask and blew gently on it. Within a few seconds, it began to glow, weakly at first and then bright enough to make Rufi squint. He held the stone aloft and got his bearings. The warehouse was almost completely empty, stretching too far for the stone''s small light to reach the far wall. He walked out of his shelter behind the boxes and looked around, his hand resting on the hilt of his steel tomahawk. He pulled the weapon when he heard scuttling to his left. He was already facing the source of the noise before his mind could catch up, his body acting on instinct. He heard the sound again, followed by the muffled squeak of a rat. ¡°Shit,¡± Rufi muttered to himself, but he didn¡¯t sheath the tomahawk straight away. He continued to work his way around the warehouse, searching for signs of danger. Once he was satisfied that nothing was going to leap out at him and that there were no traps set, he finally took stock of the place. It had been thoroughly emptied. There were tiers of pallets stacked carelessly in corners, empty food wrappers, and discarded bottles. Rufi poked around in one corner of the warehouse, where it looked like beds had been laid out on the floor. Had they been sleeping here? Or was it for the guards? There were enough discarded food containers to suggest they had been here for a few weeks. Rufi bent down and picked up one of the containers, giving it a surreptitious sniff. Black bean rice and stir fried vegetables. Rufi would recognise the pungent, spicy odour of Gnommish food anywhere. He threw the container on the floor and kicked the beds to one side. In another pile of trash he found some printed writing. He didn¡¯t know what it said, but he recognised the Gnommish language, although it didn¡¯t look like the Gnommish he saw in Little Kang. Rufi continued towards the other end of the warehouse. He stopped and knelt down by several pallets covered in tarpaulin. He saw thick empty wraps of some sort of parchment with loose bits of red string. He recognised that wrapping. It was the same as the Bad Batch. And that red string that had been used to tie up the tortured Dwarf. ¡°Well, I¡¯m definitely in the right place,¡± Rufi muttered. But there wasn¡¯t even a scrap of Burn left. They had cleaned the place out thoroughly. They had killed their only contacts in the city and now they¡¯d disappeared up the river. They were doing an excellent job at covering their tracks. Rufi looked at the stack covered in the tarpaulin. He put the Glowstone between his teeth and pulled the tarpaulin off slowly. Under it was a large wooden crate. It looked like it hadn¡¯t been open. There was more of the strange Gnommish scrawl on it. Rufi wiped sweat from his brow and looked around. The rain was just starting up again; he could hear it tinkling on the corrugated metal roof. There was a crowbar set beside the box. He grabbed the crowbar, hesitating for only a second. He eyed the box with suspicion. It could be a trap. Why else would they have left it here? Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Only one way to find out.¡± Rufi jammed the crowbar under the lid of the box and began jimmying it open. It only took him a few seconds to wrench the lid free. Instinctively, he took a step back and waited. He then leaned forward and peeked over the rim of the box. ¡°What the f¡­¡± Rufi threw himself backwards as something black and chitinous struck at his face. He hit the floor hard, the Glowstone skittering from his grasp. He heard the thing scrabbling against the wood as it climbed out of the box. Rufi scrambled to his feet, his tomahawk in his hand. He spun and saw the thing dropping to the floor. It was massive and looked something like a pony sized scorpion. It had a scarab-like carapace, but instead of pincers, it had two hooked claws that dripped a viscous substance. Its face was a series of bulging eyes with little searching pincers where the mouth was. It was long with a thick, scaly tail, that had a head sized knot of rugged scales like a club. Its six legs tapped and scratched the concrete floor as it menaced Rufi. It didn¡¯t move quickly but it did move suddenly. It lashed out first with its venomous hook, trying to slash at Rufi¡¯s legs, then brought its clubtail whipping around. Rufi dodged the hooks but couldn''t move in time to avoid the tail. He threw his arms up and took a sledgehammer blow to the chest, his armour only protecting him enough to stop his ribs from shattering. He flew across the warehouse, smashing through a stack of empty crates. The crates collapsed on top of him, trapping him. Rufi wheezed as he tried to breathe, his lungs shocked into spasm by the force of the blow. He heard the thing scuttling towards him. With power found in desperation, Rufi kicked the boxes off of himself and rolled just in time to avoid another crushing blow from the clubbed tail. Crates exploded around him. He looked at his small tomahawk and realised he didn¡¯t want to get close enough to that thing to use it. He sheathed it and drew the curved scimitar slung across his back. He stumbled backwards, still struggling to regain his breath as the creature pursued him, lashing out with its cruel hooks and devastating tail. Rufi fended it off with his sword, realising as he backpedalled that he had no escape. All the doors were still locked, and there was no way he would be able to climb back up the chimney with this thing chasing him. Panic flashed across his mind. But only for an instant. Rufi¡¯s training and his instincts took over before fear could overwhelm him. He would have to kill this thing, or at least trap it, as escape wasn¡¯t an option. He lashed out with the scimitar, catching the creature with a glancing blow on its armoured head. It flinched but shrugged the blow off. Its tail whipped around again, and Rufi ducked, slashing at the tail as it whipped by, but again, his blade simply bounced off of it. The damn thing was practically armour plated. They had danced and fought their way to the edge of the Glowstone¡¯s weak light, and Rufi had a sneaking suspicion this thing could see in the dark. In fact, it was growing more confident the further they got from the light source. Its strikes were coming faster and from different angles as it sought to trap him or smash his head in. Rufi pulled out his tomahawk and threw it at the creature¡¯s face. One of its hooks shot out and batted the axe away, but that gave Rufi enough time to dive to his right, avoid the crushing tail, and bring the fight back into the light of the Glowstone. He ran to where he had dropped the stone and then stood behind it, his sword ready. The creature didn¡¯t immediately pursue. It clicked and chittered at the edge of the light, its tail whipping backward and forward. ¡°Ahh, so you don¡¯t like the light,¡± Rufi said, grinning. ¡°If I was as ugly as you, I wouldn¡¯t either.¡± The creature hissed and darted forward, slamming its tail down at him, but the strike was slow and inaccurate. Rufi dodged with ease, grabbed the Glowstone, and thrust it forward. The creature hissed and retreated a step, lashing out with its hooks at the light and missing. Rufi sheathed his sword and then began patting down his pockets. He withdrew two more Glowstones and breathed them to life, holding them in one hand like a shield of light. The creature hissed and snapped its mandibles, backing further away from the light. That bought him some time, but Rufi doubted he could blind the thing to death. He had to think quickly. The monster kept circling around him, trying to get behind the stones so it could strike at him. Rufi circled with it, his mind racing, as the creature backed him up. Too late he realised it was backing him into a corner. He thrust the stones at it, forcing it back a step when his foot clinked against something. He looked down for a second and saw the discarded spirit bottles. He had knocked over one of the bottles, and the strong smel of alcohol filled the warehouse. ¡°Okay,¡± Rufi muttered as an idea formed in his mind. He took a few deep breaths and then rolled the three Glowstones across the floor at the monster. It hissed and leapt back away from the light. Rufi tore a strip from his shirt and grabbed three of the bottles. One was nearly empty, one was a third full, and the last had a little bit more than that. It would have to do. He heard the thing hissing and scratching at the floor. Fortunately, backing Rufi into a corner meant it only had one angle to attack him from, and the three Glowstones were blocking its path. Rufi poured two of the bottles into the fullest one, his hands steady despite his racing heart. The creature charged at the light and then backed off a step. It hissed and skittered around and around, trying to find somewhere the blinding light wasn¡¯t. Rufi finally managed to empty both bottles and tossed them to one side. He twisted up the cloth, soaked it in the spirit, and then dipped it into the bottle, leaving enough exposed to act as a wick. He fumbled for his lighter, sparked it, and turned to face the creature. It was gone. Rufi stood, bottle in hand, lighter poised to spark it. His eyes flicked around the darkness searching for the monster. Now his own Glowstones were working against him, blinding him. He could hear it still. In the darkness, he heard the creature¡¯s legs scuttling and scraping. ¡°C¡¯mon you fuck!¡± Ridley growled through clenched teeth. ¡°Come on!¡± Then he heard the stack of pallets on his left shift. ¡°Shit.¡± The creature had scaled the pallets! It paused as the pallets shifted underneath it, its legs bunched, ready to pounce. Ridley touched the flame to the spirit soaked rag and it went up immediately, the ignition of the new light source made the monster flinch, and then it leapt. Rufi hurled the incendiary. It hit the creature full in the face as it jumped. The bottle smashed and sent a shower of flames spitting across the back of the creature and the warehouse. Then it landed on Rufi. Its weight bore the big Goblin down onto his back. The fire had blinded it. It scrabbled madly, its chitinous legs clawing and scratching at Rufi. He grabbed its hooked claws and held them away from his face as it tried to stab at him. The creature hissed and squealed as the flames ate at it. Rufi roared and bucked as he tried to throw the thing off of him. Their mad struggle sent fire spitting around the warehouse. Rufi wrestled with the hooks, bridged at his hips, and created enough space to get his knees under the monster. Its mandible snapped at Rufi¡¯s face, its many eyes bulging and swivelling in pain and hunger. Rufi let out a bloodcurdling roar in the creature¡¯s face and kicked upwards at the same time it lashed its tail down. The tail smashed into the concrete no more than a few inches from where Rufi¡¯s head had been. The monster was sent cartwheeling into a stack of pallets, crashing through them like kindling. Rufi leapt to his feet and looked around. The flames had spread. The dry pallets and boxes provided the perfect fuel for the hungry flames. Where the creature had landed was quickly turned into a bonfire by its widely thrashing body. The flames licked at the monster. It squealed and hissed, unable to extricate itself as the flames cooked it alive. Rufi watched as the massive body curled in on itself and one last gasp of air escaped the monster before it fell still, the flames swallowing it. Rufi turned and ran towards the door. He threw his bulk at it, and it barely budged. ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡± Rufi snarled as he kicked at the door. It rattled under his blows, but the padlock held fast on the other sign. The fire was quickly turning into a roaring inferno. The heat pulsated in waves and licked at Rufi¡¯s back. He turned around and saw the flames spreading across the warehouse, smoke quickly filling the place. The chimney! The flames hadn¡¯t reached it yet! He ran across the warehouse, shielding his face from the intense heat. He kicked some burning boxes out of his way and scrambled into the fireplace. He dug fingers into the crumbling brickwork, braced his back against the wall of the chimney, and began to frantically claw his way up. Smoke was filling the chimney. He fought to breathe. Great hacking coughs burnt his throat and chest. Blindly, he kept going up. He could feel the heat singing his back as the fire licked against the chimney stack. There was no more air, only smoke. Rufi held his breath and closed his eyes as the smoke stabbed daggers in them. His lungs burned and his muscles ached. He had to breathe. He had to¡­ Rufi felt his fingers close around the rim of the duct. With one last desperate push, he pulled his screaming body out of the smoking chimney. Rufi opened his eyes and gasped. He sucked great lungfuls of air. He kicked his feet and pushed himself out of the duct. His head spun. He didn¡¯t even notice he was falling until he crashed through the tower of pallets. Rufi lay on the ground, rain pounding down on him as he took sweet lungfuls of air. Then the coughing started. He hacked and wheezed, curling up on the soaking wet ground and half spitting and half vomiting. His whole body was shivering and shuddering. He felt sharp, stinging pain on his back and in his sides. His bruised ribs ached dully. He heard the building cracking and groaning behind him, then there was a tremendous crash. Rufi didn¡¯t even roll over. He knew the roof had caved in. He had to move. He had to get away. Slowly, he dragged himself away from the fire, still coughing and spluttering, his head spinning. He clawed at his mask and hood. Pulling them away and letting the cold rain wash over his head and face. That revitalised him enough to stagger to his feet. Clutching his ribs, he limped away from the burning warehouse. Book II - Chapter 26 - T&W 26 Lieutenant Conway took a steadying breath as he paused outside of the Capn¡¯s office. He wiped a gnarled hand over his lined forehead and then scratched the stubble on his cheek. He looked down at his untucked and thoroughly creased shirt and considered tucking it in. Conway sucked his teeth and opened the door without knocking. Sitting behind a large wooden desk was a diminutive Dwarf. Captain Mallory of the Valderia PD was a creature of short patience and low tolerance for foolishness. He had a bright orange beard, a pallid beetroot tinged complexion, and a face so chiselled he could cut rocks with it. He looked older than the last time Conway had spoken to him properly. That was six months ago when Mallory had yanked the carpet from under his feet and had him suspended pending investigation for assistant Sally Nairo and Ridley in their missing Diamond case. Just as suddenly, Conway had been reinstated by letter and was given his own division, the Drug Enforcement Squad. It was a joke of an assignment, though. No one cared about drugs in the city. It was a posting with just two detectives, and his office had been kept in the basement. But that suited Conway fine. The further away from the brass he was the more likely he would actually get some good police work done. And he had been left alone until the OD¡¯s started. Once they made the papers and the children of rich people started dying, then all of a sudden everyone was anti-drugs and wanted the streets cleaned up. All of a sudden, Conway found himself the head of over a dozen detectives in the most important division in the PD. And now the piper was demanding payment. ¡°Rod, thank you for coming,¡± Mallory said curtly, indicating with one of his cement block hands for Conway to sit, and reluctantly he did. ¡°Cap¡¯n,¡± Conway said with an equally curt nod. ¡°I¡¯m going to cut right to the meat, Rod. What have you got for me?¡± ¡°I left my sack of presents down in the basement. I didn¡¯t realise you wanted me to bring it with me.¡± Conway said with his usual level of disdain when talking to authority. Mallory clenched his teeth, the muscle on the side of his head twitching. ¡°You know what I mean,¡± he growled. ¡°It¡¯s all there in my report, I dunno why you needed to drag me up here. Do you want me to read it to you?¡± ¡°I was hoping you would have more than this,¡± Mallory said, jabbing his finger at the report on his desk. ¡°A handful of low level thugs and a couple bricks of Burn? Is that it?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not trying to arrest street level dealers,¡± Conway explained patiently. ¡°We¡¯re trying to buy our way up the food chain.¡± ¡°Ahh yes I see. After weeks of investigation and hundreds of hours of overtime, you¡¯ve got the name for a single Gnome, Tiko?¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Conway said. ¡°He¡¯s the wholesale supplier.¡± ¡°And Tiko is who? Where can we find him? Do we have eyes on him?¡± ¡°We¡¯re trying to run him down at the minute. PD doesn¡¯t know a lot about him.¡± ¡°Of course they don¡¯t!¡± Mallory snarled, slamming his hand on the desk. ¡°None of these Gnomes use their real names! Half the time they assume each other¡¯s identities on a whim!¡± ¡°We know he operates an underground restaurant out of Little Kang,¡± Conway said, forcing his tone to remain even. ¡°I could have guessed that! Which one?¡± ¡°Gossip says it¡¯s called the Golden Bowl. It operates under a doctor¡¯s office.¡± ¡°And why isn¡¯t that in the report?¡± ¡°Because I haven¡¯t confirmed it yet. We¡¯re still trying to get some eyes in there, but it¡¯s difficult.¡± ¡°Bloody Gnomes,¡± Mallory grunted. ¡°You¡¯ll never get an officer in their undercover. Gnomes don¡¯t hire or work with anyone outside of their species.¡± ¡°This is why we¡¯re working on it still.¡± ¡°Not good enough, Rod. Bodies have been dropping for weeks! The mayor is in a flap, that animal Stubbs is breathing down my neck, and the papers are having a field day with all of this. Did you see this morning¡¯s headlines?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t read that crap,¡± conway said waving a dismissive hand. ¡°Well the Mayor does! And his voters do! They called us incompetent! Said we can¡¯t stem the flow of drugs into the city! That sort of talk is damning for us!¡± ¡°I appreciate that but¡­¡± ¡°No buts, Rod. I dragged your arse of the shelf and put you in charge because no matter what has happened between us I know you¡¯re a good detective. But, maybe, you spent too long on that shelf and you¡¯ve got rusty.¡± Conway glared at Mallory. ¡°I need results,¡± Mallory said. ¡°I need a big time player in manacles, and I need Burn on the table! A lot of it! Do you understand me? If the chatter is saying this Tiko is a player, then I want him arrested!¡± ¡°For what?¡± Conway said. ¡°We can¡¯t tie him to anything. The only evidence we have is a lowlife Burn seller from the RatHoles that fingered him to save his own neck. It¡¯ll never play in court.¡± ¡°Then find some evidence! If he¡¯s Triad then he¡¯ll be up to his dirty little fingers in it!¡± ¡°Like I said, we¡¯re working on it¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got 72 hours,¡± Mallory said. ¡°By the end of the week, I want someone in manacles, and I want the press to see lots and lots of confiscated Burn on the table. Understand?¡± Conway bit back the hundreds of different insults and curses he wanted to hurl back at Mallory. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Good. Now go do your job.¡± Conway rose stiffly and walked out of the office, his fists trembling with unspent rage. * ¡°Wot do you think¡¯s got the Lieutenant so pissed?¡± Wally asked as he stretched out in his chair and cracked his back. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I hope it¡¯s not got anything to do with us,¡± Timmy said as he copied out his notes from the field into a dossier. Conway had stomped back to his office and slammed the door so hard papers fell off the walls. After that, they had seen Sarpele slip into his office. That had been nearly twenty minutes ago. ¡°Probably about that Tino feller,¡± Wally guessed. ¡°Tiko,¡± Timmy corrected. ¡°Johnsen and Bailery haven¡¯t had any luck getting eyes on him?¡± ¡°Naa, they¡¯ve been out in the rain for two days and nights now like mugs. Said the place is a fortress, one way in and one way out.¡± Wally leaned forward and lowered his voice. ¡°They did say they¡¯ve seen a bunch o¡¯ them Gnome Triad gangsters comin¡¯ in and out. So we¡¯re definitely in the right place.¡± ¡°Gnome Triads,¡± Timmy repeated, his little eyes widening slightly. ¡°They¡¯re bad news.¡± ¡°The worst,¡± Wally agreed. ¡°I hear they''re all into poisons and torture and stuff. Yer see at least wiv a Goblibn, they¡¯ll rip yer to pieces there and then. But Gnomes, they like to take their time wiv you. Cut you all up and pour poisons into the wounds, that¡¯s wot I¡¯ve ¡®eard.¡± ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± ¡°Short leg Tammy told me.¡± ¡°An always reliable source of information,¡± Timmy said, trying not to roll his eyes. ¡°Everyone knows these fings,¡± Wally said, waving a hand before stretching out like a cat before a fire. ¡°You always say that, but I don¡¯t know these things!¡± ¡°That¡¯s coz you¡¯re not from the cobbles like me,¡± Wally said, jabbing his thumb at himself. ¡°I am!¡± ¡°No you¡¯re not. Bet you wasn¡¯t even allowed to play on your road until you was grown up!¡± Timmy pursed his lips. Wally was right, but he also never had anyone to play with, so he never found out if he was allowed to go further than his road. Inside was a much safer place for Timmy growing up. ¡°Edgewater! Washbottom!¡± Conway¡¯s gruff voice snarled at them from across the office. Wally jumped so hard in his chair he tumbled over backwards. ¡°Yes sir?¡± Timmy said. ¡°My office, now!¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± Wally muttered as he pulled himself up to his feet. ¡°This ain¡¯t good.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± Timmy said as he closed the dossier he had been working on. ¡°Coz nothin¡¯ good ever happens to us,¡± Wally moaned as he followed Timmy. ¡°Not true,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Remember when we found that box of grapes and we were allowed to eat a few?¡± ¡°Mmmm yeah,¡± Wally said. ¡°That was me best day as a copper.¡± Timmy knocked on Conway¡¯s door. ¡°Get in here!¡± Conway barked. They walked into the cramped office and found Conway behind his desk and Sarpele lurking in the shadowy corner. ¡°Sit,¡± Conway growled. ¡°Yes sir?¡± Timmy said as they took their seats. ¡°You two are going back undercover,¡± Conway said. ¡°Really?¡± Timmy said. ¡°Why?¡± Wally moaned. ¡°We was rubbish at it!¡± ¡°Not according to Sarpele you weren¡¯t,¡± Conway grunted. ¡°You two were fabulous,¡± Sarple said, patting them warmly on their shoulders. Timmy looked up at him and blinked in surprise. He looked completely different again. He was wearing a fine pinstripe three piece suit, in a deep plum colour. He had a striped black and purple tie with a golden tie clip. His dark, greying hair was slicked back, and he was clean shaven. He even smelled different. His cologne was sharp and masculine and filled every inch of the small office. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I need eyes in the Golden Bowl restaurant,¡± Conway said. ¡°We¡¯re suddenly in a rush and there¡¯s no way I¡¯m getting a copper in as staff. So, you three are going in as businessmen out for a boozy dinner. Sarpele¡¯s pulled a couple strings and managed to get you reservations for tonight.¡± ¡°Businessmen?¡± Wally said. ¡°Wot¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Fellers who sit around and talk out of their arses for a living,¡± Conway growled. ¡°Oh right,¡± Wally said nonplussed. ¡°You¡¯ll need to suit up and clean yourselves up a bit. Sarpele has just the thing for you both!¡± Sarple said, his voice strong and authoritative. ¡°Good,¡± Conway said. ¡°At some point in the night, I¡¯ll need one or two of you to slip away and do some poking around. All I need is you to get eyes on something that tells us there¡¯s Burn in the place.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just raid it anyway?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t these underground restaurants illegal? ¡°Somewhat,¡± Conway replied. ¡°But if we raid and don¡¯t find anything, we tip our hand to Tiko and he goes underground.¡± ¡°Prey should never know they¡¯re prey until it¡¯s too late for them,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°Exactly. Sarpele will tell you the rest. I need you moving sharpish on this. Cap¡¯n wants someone¡¯s head and if it ain¡¯t a Villain¡¯s, it¡¯ll be ours.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Timmy and Wally said. * ¡°I still don''t get it,¡± Wally said as their carriage entered the main Broadway bisecting the Nortern boroughs and leading straight to Little Kang. ¡°Wot do we do?¡± ¡°We do business,¡± Sarpelle hissed the word ¡®business¡¯. ¡°We buy things. We sell them. We do deals. We make acquisitions. We shmooze.¡± ¡°My mate Lenny the Wart sells nuts at the market down Qondy Lane and ¡®e don¡¯t ¡®ave to dress like this.¡± Wally tugged at his short collar. ¡°No he¡¯s a market stall owner, businessmen are involved in business,¡± Sarpele corrected. ¡°He¡¯s in the business of sellin¡¯ nuts,¡± Wally countered. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make him a businessman.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± Sarpele signed and smoothed back his hair. ¡°Okay, I have a friend, I modelled this character off of him. I¡¯m Dominick Devares, but my friends call me Domingo¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± Wally asked. ¡°They just do, okay? Anyway, Dominick he¡¯s in the business of acquiring product in wholesale quantities.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s a wholesaler?¡± Wally said. ¡°No. He¡¯s a businessman. Because he buys in bulk from several retailers, then he repackages and markets the product in smaller quantities.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s a trader?¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s a businessman. Because he puts his own branding on the product and sells it at a massive markup while hiding where he actually got it from.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s a liar?¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s a businessman.¡± Sarpele gave him a little wink. ¡°So businessmen scam people?¡± Timmy, who had been following the conversation closely, summarised. ¡°No, they do business,¡± Sarpele replied. ¡°We¡¯re arriving at Little Kang soon. Listen to pull this cover off, all you¡¯ve got to do is act like you¡¯re the most important person in the room. Like no one else matters, no one else has a life, like they¡¯re all just little paper cut outs there to serve you.¡± ¡°Businessmen sound like a bunch of knobs,¡± Wally muttered. ¡°Now you¡¯re getting the idea,¡± Sarpele said, flashing him a smug grin. ¡°Now let me get a good look at the two of you.¡± They sat up straight and adjusted the uncomfortable suits Sarpele had given them. Wally was dressed in a pinstripe suit similar to Sarpele, but his was midnight blue. He wore a crisp white shirt, which was probably the cleanest shirt Wally had ever worn, and a matching midnight blue tie. He had jewelled cufflinks and shiny pointed shoes with no laces. Timmy had poured himself into a plain black suit. They had tried a vest, but it wasn¡¯t big enough and the jacket couldn¡¯t be buttoned up. He had a striped black tie and a shining pair of shoes with laces. Embarrassingly, he had almost torn his trousers when he bent over to tie them. Sarpele had told them that while the suits mattered, it was all about the accessories. He had given them a gold pocket watch each, jewelled cufflinks, and a silver pen for their breast pockets. He had also given them gold lighters, even Timmy didn¡¯t smoke, and Wally only smoked when he could nick one from someone. Sarpele had told them that rich people subtly communicated their wealth with such small, unnecessary luxuries. He had also forced Wally to have a haircut and a shave, taming his wild mophead with a pair of sharp scissors and a handful of some foul smelling goop that made his hair rock hard once it dried. Timmy was told he was fairly presentable as he was. ¡°Good, you look like a proper pair of tits,¡± Sarpele said with another flashing grin. ¡°Right, remember you¡¯re a pair of junior account men.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been good with numbers,¡± Wally moaned. ¡°No, not accountants, account men. You get new clients and manage them for the business, and I¡¯m your senior. What¡¯s my name?¡± ¡°Oh errr¡­¡± Wally said. ¡°Domonick Devares, but your friends call you Domingo,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°So we call you Domingo?¡± Wally asked. ¡°No, you¡¯re not my friends, you¡¯re my juniors. You¡¯ll call me Mr. Devaras, understood?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is our business?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, anyone who asks isn¡¯t worth your time answering. We¡¯re here celebrating a big business win, okay?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± they chorused. "Err what game were we playin''?" Wally asked. "What?" Sarpele said. "You said we won sumfin''" "No, we... had a goood day of business, made lots of gold." "Oh right," Wally said. "That game." ¡°Good. No Timmy, you¡¯re Thomas Habblebery,¡± he said. ¡°And Wally, you¡¯re Waldo Cavvastock.¡± ¡°Waldo?¡± Wally scoffed. ¡°What a silly name.¡± ¡°Right, we¡¯re here. Remember, your cover starts the second we step out of this cab.¡± They nodded. Sarpele kicked open the cab door, flicked a gold coin to the cabby, and stepped out into the teeming frenzy of Little Kang. Timmy was awestruck by the place. It was so alive. So frantic. The kaleidoscopic neon lights captivated him. Timmy had grown up with mostly candles and the odd Glowlamp, but this was a whole new world of colour. Massive mushrooms growing from ceilings and walls pulsated vibrant neon colours in shades he could barely describe. All the writing, in that funny Gnommish scrawl, all the pictures, they were all done with the same neon paint. He barely knew what to look at; he was so overwhelmed. And that was just the buildings, let alone what was in those building. There were shops of every description, and many Timmy¡¯s simple life experiences couldn¡¯t describe. He had no idea what half of them were, but they were everywhere. Every spare foot of commercial property was occupied and selling services and goods Timmy had never seen. Apothecaries, massages, herbs, spices, foods, rumination, eye doctors, ear doctors, podiatrists, noodle bars, pet shops, the list just kept on going. There was no rhyme or reason to any of it, but a cold, calculated utilitarianism to the whole affair. And the creatures! There were Gnomes everywhere! Timmy couldn¡¯t even believe this many Gnomes lived in the city, let alone in a small corner of it. Little Kang teemed and buzzed with the energy of the creatures. He had never seen Gnomes so much as raise their voices before, but here they were: drinking, eating, shouting in their foreign tongue, laughing, some were even vomiting quietly in corners. It was the end of the work day so the streets were flooded with grey suited Gnomes on their way home from work stopping to snatch a quick half pint or a takeaway order of spicy noodles. They would stop and chat frenetically with another Gnome and then move on with similar speed and efficiency. Everything in Little Kang seemed to occur at a breakneck pace. ¡°Timmy!¡± Timmy tore himself away from the wild sights around him and saw that Sarpele and Wally had already waded through the mass of Gnomes and crossed the street. Timmy quickly huffed after them, bumping into many Gnomes along the way. They didn¡¯t seem to mind. Being bumped into, brushed past, and nudged out of the way seemed to be a cultural thing amongst Gnomes. Timmy squeezed through a gaggle of female Gnomes drinking from a small barrel and shrieking hysterically. Timmy had a sneaking suspicion they were talking about him, but he didn¡¯t have time to worry. He met up with Wally, and Sarpele led them down the street and then ducked into a narrow side alley. This was perhaps the cleanest and neatest alleyway Timmy had ever been in. All the trash was neatly piled and tied down waiting for the collection, there wasn¡¯t even any vermin or puke. Sarpele stopped outside a bland looking metal door with a picture of a sick Gnome pulsing above it. ¡°Here we are,¡± Sarpele laughed and slapped Wally hard on the shoulder. Sarpele cleared his throat and knocked authoritatively on the door. After a few seconds a small, purplish face appeared at the window next to the door. ¡°Private room under the name Devares,¡± he said, flashing the Gnome a gleaming smile. ¡°Trust me, you¡¯re gonna love the noodles here. Best in the city,¡± he said to Timmy and Wally. The window shut and Sarpele kept grinning. He smoothed back his hair and tugged at his shirt collars. He stood like he hated being still. He bobbed and fussed with his suit and grinned and smoothed back his hair. He looked like a proper knob, so full of himself. Timmy realised again how good Sarpele was at disappearing these roles. He couldn¡¯t even imagine him as the crooked old man he had been only a short while before. Now he believed Sarpele was Domonick Devares and had never been anything else in his life. The door opened and a female Gnome in a traditional, heavy cotton wrap bowed deeply to them. ¡°Mr. Devares, thank you for coming. Please follow me.¡± She had a very gentle voice, barely above a murmur, but she spoke clearly and confidently. She turned and led them through a drab doctor¡¯s office. "Gee, I hope you ain¡¯t got none of these sick people are working down there!¡± Sarpele said and then laughed as if he had said something witty. He shot a glance at Timmy and Wally and they both began to nervously titter. ¡°Oh no Mr. Devares,¡± The Gnome said, laughing softly. ¡°I assure you, hygiene and cleanliness are of the utmost importance to my people. If you would come this way and watch your heads, please.¡± They hunched over and followed the Gnome down another flight of stairs hidden in a backroom of the surgery. The Gnome opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, and they were transported to a whole different land. The floors were covered in bamboo, as were the walls, and there were exotic plants twisting and growing out of the strands. They were some of the most beautiful flowers Timmy had ever seen. Instead of an open planned restaurant, the Gnommish preferred private dining. Every room was walled off with more bamboo and had a sliding door in. ¡°If you would please take your shoes off,¡± the Gnome said to them, bowing again and indicating a small shoe rack outside their room. ¡°Honey, these shoes are genuine black maw alligator, they cost more than a house.¡± Sarpele said. ¡°Make sure you look after them.¡± ¡°Of course, Mr. Devares.¡± The Gnome bowed again and kept her eyes firmly planted on the floor. Sarpele kicked off his shoes as if their cost meant little to him, and then he left them haphazardly on the floor for the Gnome to collect. Despite knowing this was all an act, Timmy really wanted to punch Sarpele right on his nose. Timmy and Wally kicked off their shoes but placed them on the rack. The Gnome picked up Sarpele¡¯s shoes and carefully placed them on the rack, straightening all of their shoes until they perfectly parallel at a uniform distance from one another. She then stood up and slid their door open for them. The room was sunken into the floor with small, comfortable looking sofa benches built into the side s of the sunken circle. There was more foliage decorating the room and even a small water feature behind the seating. The room was small but very cosy. Timmy could easily imagine spending hours in this place. ¡°Have you been to us before?¡± The Gnome asked as she stepped aside to allow them in. ¡°First time here,¡± Sarpele said as he walked by her into the room. ¡°But I¡¯ve had plenty of Gnommish grub. Start us off with two bottles of that rice wine you lot love so much. Then give us a couple shots of something sweet, and then we¡¯ll do a tray of beers.¡± Timmy¡¯s eyes widened at the impressive drinks order. Sarpele threw himself into the cushioned sofa and began unbuttoning his top button. ¡°Bring us some of those crab cake things and something else spicy and crunchy. Something salty too. We¡¯ll order food after we¡¯ve had a drink.¡± He then waved a dismissive hand at the Gnome. ¡°Of course, Mr. Devares.¡± The Gnome bowed deeply and shut the door after Timmy and Wally. Timmy struggled to fit his bulk in the tight space of the room. After a while, Wally shoved him from behind, and he flopped into the sofa, almost knocking over the table. Sarpele looked around and held a finger to his lips. ¡°I¡¯m telling you boys, until you¡¯ve bagged yourself a lady Gnome, you ain¡¯t really lived. The things they teach those girls will make your eyes cross!¡± Sarpele let out another loud laugh and slapped the table. He held his finger to his lips and then gave them a gesture to join in. ¡°Oh¡­ yeah right¡­ I¡¯ve always wanted to¡­ shag a Gnome bird.¡± Wally said, slightly too loudly. ¡°Well after the job you two done today, I¡¯ll buy you a couple after we eat. Ever had a hot oil massage from a naked Gnome?¡± Sarpele said, watching the shadows under the door. ¡°What?¡± Timmy said, his eyes widening in surprise. ¡°They do that?¡± ¡°Of course! You see what I mean about you kids, you ain¡¯t lived yet! You got a lot to see and fuck!¡± Sarpele laughed again, and they joined in. There was a knock and then the door slid back. The Gnome had returned with a laden tray of drinks. She knelt down at the door way and passed over two trays of drinks and food. She bowed again. ¡°When you wish to order more, simply press your finger to the mushroom next to you,¡± she said, pointing at a softly glowing mushroom next to Sarpele. ¡°I will be with you shortly after.¡± "Say sweet thing, you''re not on the menu are you?" Sarpele said, looking the Gnome up and down lustily. The Gnome gave a bashful, and entirely rehearsed, titter and closed the door behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t go far, these won¡¯t last us long!¡± Sarpele shouted afrter her. Sarpele lit a smoke, clamped it between his teeth, and began pouring shots. He handed them a glass each and raised his. ¡°To business done good and a pile of fucking gold!¡± ¡°Pile of gold!¡± Timmy and Wally repeated, they clinked their glasses and down the fiery spirit. Timmy almost spat his back up. He had never drunk anything so strong before. He could feel the vapours pouring out of his nose. ¡°You¡¯re such a lightweight, Habblebery!¡± Sarpele laughed. He began pouring them more drinks and forcing them to down them. This went on for so long, Timmy had forgotten why they were there, he was just having a great time. He was steadily munching through something deep fried and salty while Wally was chortling and snorting into his beer at some joke Sarpele had made. They clinked glasses for no reason and down them, guffawing like fools, but Sarpele had fallen silent. They looked up and Sarpele¡¯s face had changed again. He was back to the drab undercover detective they had first met. ¡°That should have thrown them off our scent,¡± he muttered. Timmy swallowed a half chewed mouthful, suddenly remembering what they were supposed to be doing. ¡°Time to get down to business.¡± Sarpele said, his tone deadly serious. Book II - Chapter 27 - T&W 27 Sarpele had ordered another round of drinks and finally some real food to ensure the waitress wouldn''t bother them again until summoned. After it had arrived, he began laying out his plan. ¡°Knowing these Villains, their criminal operations will always be in a backroom or even a basement,¡± he said as he spooned noodles onto his plate. ¡°I need you two to poke around a bit. Timmy, you¡¯ll excuse yourself to the bathroom. You¡¯ll probably be led there, but that¡¯s okay. I want you to keep n eye out for any Triad members.¡± ¡°Triad members?¡± Timmy said, feeling more than a little tipsy already. ¡°What do they look like?¡± ¡°They¡¯re Gnomes,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°They usually wear black suits and have crazy hair colours. Look out for any tattoos or weapons. See if they¡¯re guarding any rooms in particular. If they are, we can bet that¡¯s where the action is.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Wot about me?¡± Wally asked. ¡°I¡¯ve got a special mission for a man of your¡­ frame.¡± Sarple replied. ¡°Wot¡¯s that?¡± Wally asked, not liking the sound of it. Sarpele looked up and Wally¡¯s eyes followed him. ¡°I¡¯m not gettin¡¯ in there!¡± Wally said. ¡°Afraid you are my slender friend. Once Timmy finds the room, you¡¯ll wriggle your way through the vents and listen in, see if you can spot any Burn or hear any talk about Burn. Understood?¡± ¡°Why do I always ¡®ave to wriggle round the ceiling!¡± Wally moaned. ¡°Because you¡¯ve been blessed with a wriggler¡¯s shoulders and hips,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°Now Timmy, you get snooping while me and Wally figure out how to get him up there.¡± Timmy nodded and squeezed out of his seat. ¡°Remember your cover!¡± Sarpele hissed at him as he pushed the door open. Timmy hadn¡¯t realised how stifling the room had become. With all the drinking, smoking, and sizzling food, his cheeks had turned pink, and he had worked up a good sweat. As he slid on the little slippers the restaurant had left outside their room, a Gnome appeared at his elbow. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was the Gnome who had originally greeted them, but she was dressed the same. ¡°Hello sir, can I be of assistance?¡± ¡°I need the toilet¡­ please.¡± Timmy replied. ¡°Of course, if you would follow me.¡± The Gnome turned and led him down the hall. Timmy was surprised how many rooms they had managed to cram under the doctor¡¯s office. It was implausible if not impossible. As they took several lefts and rights, Timmy guessed the restaurant must stretch under multiple businesses. In his tipsy state, Timmy tried to remember what else had been around the doctor¡¯s office at street level. They passed a swinging metal door that led into the bustling kitchen. Timmy had a peek inside and saw, amongst the chaos of the kitchen, two dark suited Gnomes standing watch outside of another door in the back of the kitchen. ¡°Here we are sir,¡± the Gnome said, bowing deeply. ¡°Oh yeah, thank you.¡± Timmy pushed open the door and quickly locked it behind him. The bathroom was actually quite nice. Lots of bamboo, some porcelain, and the odd statue and flower dotted around. Most importantly, it was cool and quiet, somewhere Timmy could think. Timmy had always liked toilets. They were the only place where it was not only socially accepted but expected for you to be alone. And in most places, it was the only room with a lock. Timmy had spent many lunchtimes as a youth in the toilets, hiding from bullies. He used the facilities since he was here anyway, and he had drunk a lot of beer. Once he was finished, he wandered over to the sink, washed his hands, and then rinsed his face. The cool water helped to clear his mind. They needed to get into that room behind the kitchen. If the Gnomes were doing anything illicit, it would be back there, and perhaps they didn¡¯t need to send Wally through the vents. Timmy flushed the toilet again, straightened out his crumpled suit, and then walked out. The Gnome lady suddenly reappeared and led him back to his room. As they passed the kitchen again, Timmy peeked through the flapping door once more and this time saw something startling. There was a massive Goblin in the kitchen. He was wearing all black and covered in blood. Timmy only caught a glimpse before they walked past, but he was certain about what he had seen. He followed the Gnome, but this time kept a careful mental picture of which direction they were moving and how many steps. ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Sarpele asked once Timmy had sat down and they had waited a minute or two to ensure they were alone. Wally was red faced and looked particularly grumpy. ¡°Yes!¡± Timmy whispered excitedly. ¡°There were two Triad members guarding a door at the back of the kitchen.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°But there was also a Goblin!¡± ¡°What?¡± Sarpele said. ¡°A Goblin?¡± Wally squeaked. ¡°Yeah, he was massive and all dressed in black and covered in blood.¡± ¡°Where was he?¡± ¡°In the kitchen, looked like he was going to that room the Gnomes were guarding.¡± ¡°What is a Goblin doing with the Gnome Triad?¡± Sarpele said, his brows creasing in consternation. ¡°And he was covered in blood?¡± ¡°Yeah, he might have been bleeding. I only saw for a second.¡± ¡°We need eyes and ears on that meeting,¡± Sarpele said quickly. ¡°Wally, we¡¯re going to have to really jam you up there.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t fit!¡± Wally moaned. ¡°We¡¯ll grease you up this time,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°Get that suit off.¡± ¡°You want me eavesdropping on a Goblin Triad meeting stark bollock naked?¡± Wally said, horrified. ¡°Wait,¡± Timmy interjected. ¡°I think there¡¯s another way.¡± ¡°Thank you Timmy,¡± Wally said, relief flooding his voice. ¡°The restaurant is too big to just be under the doctor¡¯s surgery,¡± Timmy explained. ¡°I think it goes across multiple businesses. That back room is about fifty five steps that way.¡± Timmy pointed the way he had walked. ¡°Do you remember what was behind the surgery?¡± Sarpele thought about this. ¡°It was a little warehouse space for the shops in front I believe,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°If we can get into there, I bet there¡¯s another way into that backroom. That Goblin didn¡¯t come through the surgery or the restaurant, I would have seen him.¡± ¡°It makes sense, but if you¡¯re wrong, we could miss our chance,¡± Sarpele said. ¡°Better than stripping me naked and greasin¡¯ me up,¡± Wally said. ¡°Trust me, nobody wants that.¡± ¡°Alright, but we can¡¯t all go. I¡¯ll stay here, and you two make an excuse to get back outside. Let¡¯s pretend Wally¡¯s gotten too drunk and needs some air. Can you do that?¡± Sarpele asked Wally. ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s move quickly. I¡¯ll remain here in case they think we¡¯re trying to run out on our bill.¡± Sarpele tapped the mushroom, and a moment later the Gnome lady appeared at the door. ¡°Yes Mr. Devares?¡± ¡°This lightweight¡¯s had too much to drink,¡± Sarpele said, waving a dismissive hand at Wally, who had splayed himself face down on the table. ¡°He needs some air before he pukes on the noodles.¡± ¡°I see. Come this way.¡± The Gnome said. Timmy helped up Wally, who was doing a stellar job at pretending to be completely legless. He stumbled and slurred and knocked over things as Timmy helped him out of the room. Timmy slipped his shoes on, but Wally remained shoeless. With his arm around Timmy¡¯s shoulders, Wally stumbled back up the steps. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Mr De-De-Devares is a top bloke,¡± Wally slurred to Timmy. ¡°You fink¡­ he¡¯s gonna be mad?¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Timmy said, playing along. ¡°You just get some fresh air and you¡¯ll be right as rain.¡± ¡°I hate the rain,¡± Wally said, banging into a desk in the doctor¡¯s surgery. The Gnome looked over her shoulder and tutted irritably. She opened the main exit for them. ¡°When you are ready to come back in, please knock.¡± She shut the door with a snap after them. It was raining again. Wally looked down at his bare feet and sighed. ¡°Come on,¡± Timmy hissed at him. They ran around the side of the doctor¡¯s surgery to the back. Sarpele was right. There was an empty lot surrounded by buildings and a low warehouse space that backed onto various shops and the doctor¡¯s surgery. Timmy tried the door and it was locked. They peered through the windows but couldn¡¯t see another way in. ¡°Here Tim, gimme a boost up,¡± Wally said. Timmy laced his fingers and hauled Wally up to the flat roof. He slithered up and out of sight. After a few seconds, his head popped back over the lip. ¡°There''s a ¡®atch ¡®ere!¡± he said to Timmy. ¡°Quick, gimme yore ¡®and.¡± Together they heaved Timmy up to the roof. The rain was coming down heavy enough to mask the sound of their movements. There was a small hatch that hadn¡¯t been secured properly. With a few yanks, they were able to snap open the clasp holding it shut. First Wally dropped through, then Timmy, who landed with an ungainly thud. They looked around the dark, musty room, trying to feel their way. Timmy did a quick mental recount of his journey through the restaurant. He walked to the furthest side of the warehouse. ¡°Wot you doin¡¯?¡± Wally whispered. ¡°The backroom has to be here somewhere,¡± Timmy said, pointing at the floor. He shifted around a few boxes. ¡°Look!¡± There was a hole in the floor with a ladder leading down. ¡°Oh I don¡¯t like the look of that,¡± Wally hissed. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Timmy scrambled into the hole and began climbing down the ladder with a nervous Wally following close behind. They reached the bottom and found themselves in a dark tunnel. Timmy tried to orient himself using his mental map but realised he didn¡¯t need to. They could hear voices floating down the tunnel and they were speaking Forreste. Timmy and Wally tiptoed down the tunnel, the voices growing louder. They could see more figures moving around in the distance. Timmy looked around and saw a small passage leading off to their left. He went down it, Wally hugging close behind him. He couldn¡¯t hear the voices anymore, but he was sure they were behind the room now. There was a small storage cupboard to their left. Timmy tried the handle and it opened. They hurried in and shut the door behind them. The room was pitch black, but they didn¡¯t dare search for a light source. The voices were clear now. Timmy patted Wally¡¯s shoulder and pointed up to a slit of light at the top of the back wall and then he realised Wally couldn¡¯t see his finger. He had got the idea though. They felt around in the darkness and found a box they could both stand on. They dragged it to the wall and peered through the grate. * ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Tiko said, puffing on his smoke and running his other hand through his hair. ¡°You¡¯re telling me they were Gnomes.¡± ¡°Yes they were fucking Gnomes,¡± Rufi growled. He was stretched out on a table, holding bandages to his bleeding side. He still stank of smoke and blood. ¡°Either that or they were children. Which one do you think is more likely?¡± ¡°Did you get a look at them?¡± ¡°No, I was too far and they were wearing cloaks.¡± ¡°And they went upriver?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only two directions up and down, I can tell the difference.¡± Rufi clenched his jaw and shifted on the table. His burned back was starting to pulsate with pain, joining in with his shredded ribs. ¡°What the fuck was that thing?¡± ¡°Describe it,¡± Tiko said. ¡°It was huge. It looked like a scorpion, kind of. But it didn¡¯t have a stinger, it had a massive club on its tail, and it was all black, with like hooks instead of pinchers.¡± Tiko looked at him with horror. ¡°It didn¡¯t cut you with its hooks did it?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. This was done by its legs. Why, what is it?¡± ¡°A Carrambus,¡± Tiko muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one but I¡¯ve heard about them. They¡¯re venomous. If it had scratched you with its claws, your organs start shutting down, your blood doesn¡¯t clot properly. You basically turn into mush from the inside out.¡± ¡°Let me guess, the Carrambus can only be found in the Gnommish Republic?¡± Tiko nodded and sat down on a box. ¡°This is so fucked, Rufi,¡± he said, holding his head in his hands. ¡°What the fuck have we stumbled into here?¡± ¡°I was hoping you could tell me,¡± Rufi growled. ¡°That Bad Batch was deliberately tampered with.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I had a Gnommish Worlock examine it. He says it''s got some sort of egg or something from a parasite in it. Apparently they¡¯re used by Gnomes to poison each other during war.¡± ¡°Camilophy?¡± Tiko whispered. ¡°Yeah, something like that. Either way, he said that it was deliberate.¡± ¡°Shit. Shit. Shit.¡± Tiko hunched over and looked like he wanted to be sick. ¡°Tiko, what the fuck is going on here? The Bad Batch was deliberately tainted using Gnommish methods. Gnomes at the warehouse where it was being stored. A Gnommish fucking monster left behind. Mate, every single fact is pointing back at your lot and you¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t know anything about it?¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Tiko looked up at him with narrowed eyes. ¡°That maybe there¡¯s some inter-Triad bullshit going on and I¡¯ve been caught in the middle of it.¡± ¡°You think I would know?¡± Tiko snapped. ¡°I¡¯m barely middle management, Rufi. If there¡¯s some sort of higher game being played here, I don¡¯t know a thing about it. I¡¯m just as stuck as you.¡± Rufi growled and laid his head down. ¡°Look, you said the warehouse has been emptied?¡± Tiko said. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And you took a whole load of product off Cameron?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And my boys have cleaned out any suppliers up North and yours have been clearing out down South?¡± ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve taken kilos of it off the streets.¡± ¡°Then maybe it¡¯s over,¡± Tiko said. ¡°Whoever these fucks are, maybe they¡¯re done and they¡¯ve left. They know the heat is on them and they¡¯ve got out of Valderia before they get caught. The OD¡¯s have almost completely stopped. We¡¯ve cleaned it up and nobody knows a thing. So¡­ maybe we just leave it here.¡± ¡°And what do I tell my uncle?" Rufi said. ¡°I was supposed to find the fucks that sold it.¡± ¡°I know¡­ but the main thing they wanted was the deaths to stop, right? And now that¡¯s happened.¡± ¡°Yeah I guess.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Tiko said, standing up and stubbing out his smoke. ¡°Good. All¡¯s well that ends well, right?¡± Rufi cocked an eyebrow and then looked down at his bloody body. ¡°Oh right. We need to get you some medical attention. Come on, I¡¯ll take you to our warlocks, they¡¯ll get you patched up.¡± Tiko helped Rufi up off the table. * ¡°Come on, we need to go!¡± Timmy hissed at Wally. They jumped off the box and slipped out of the storeroom, down the tunnel, and back up the ladder. Luckily, the warehouse door was locked from the inside so they were able to let themselves back out without having to scale the roof again. They ran around the side of the doctor¡¯s surgery and straight into Sarpele. ¡°Where have you two been?¡± he hissed at them. ¡°We found them! We heard the whole thing!¡± Timmy said. ¡°And it makes no bloomin¡¯ sense!¡± Wally said. ¡°Not here.¡± Sarpele looked over his shoulder. ¡°I paid for our meal and made our excuses but the Gnomes were suspicious. We need to get out of here and back to the precinct. Come on!¡± * They were back in the precinct and standing in front of Conway in less than half an hour. They had tried to explain what they had heard to Sarpele and he agreed it made no sense. So now they were rapidly filling in Conway. ¡°Wait hold on,¡± Conway said. ¡°A Goblin was there at the restaurant?¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Timmy said. ¡°¡®E was all bloody and burned up. Looked like ¡®e¡¯d been through it,¡± Wally added. ¡°And you said they seemed friendly?¡± Conway asked. ¡°Yeah like they woz workin¡¯ together.¡± ¡°Green and the Gnomes working together?¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°Did you catch any names?¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Timmy replied. ¡°One of the them was the Gnome Tiko and the other one was called Roofey, or something.¡± ¡°Roofey? Rufi? Ruf¡¯Gar Chaw¡¯Drak!¡± Conway sat bolt upright in his chair. ¡°You¡¯re sure he called him Rufi?¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°What the hell is Sam¡¯Sun Chaw¡¯Drak¡¯s nephew doing in a Gnommish restaurant discussing business?¡± Conway muttered to himself. ¡°What did he look like?¡± ¡°He was bloody massive,¡± Wally said. ¡°And all green and umm¡­ well like a Goblin, sir.¡± "He was young, I think." Timmy added. ¡°Sounds like Rufi,¡± Conway said. ¡°And they were discussing the Bad Batch?¡± ¡°Yessir,¡± Timmy said. ¡°But it didn¡¯t make any sense. They were talking about getting it off the streets.¡± ¡°Off the streets?¡± ¡°Yessir. They were talking about how much they had managed to take from dealers and that they were hoping all of it was gone and that the OD¡¯s would stop.¡± Conway sat back in his chair and scratched his cheek. ¡°And then they woz talkin¡¯ about Gnomes, and warlocks, and eggs, and a massive monster thing and umm¡­ like which Gnomes was selling it and which Gnomes was tryna get it back,¡± Wally babbled. ¡°Wait, the Gnomes sold it?¡± Conway asked. ¡°Yes but from the sounds of it, it wasn¡¯t Tiko¡¯s Gnomes but maybe different Gnomes?¡± Timmy said unsure. ¡°It was all a bit confusing, sir. But my understanding is that Tiko wasn¡¯t the one selling it, he was trying to get it off the streets, and the Goblin was helping him.¡± ¡°Why? Why would Gnomes be taking Burn off the streets? And why the hell would the Goblins be helping them? Uncle Sam doesn¡¯t involve himself in the drug game, so why would his nephew be involved in this?¡± Conway sighed and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Well they got one thing right, the OD¡¯s are slowing down. It looks like this tainted batch of Burn might be off the streets.¡± ¡°So what does it all mean?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t got a clue but we still need answers. This case isn¡¯t over until we have the main dealers hanging from a rope. By the sounds of it, that might be this Tiko and Chaw''Drak.¡± Book II - Chapter 28 - R&N 28 "Why are we in the arse end of nowhere?¡± Ridley said as they alighted from their cab. ¡°This is apparently where our informant has his place of business,¡± Nairo replied, looking around the abandoned industrial estate. ¡°Anyone working this far off the grid has to be up to something shady,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Well he¡¯s a pimp and a pornographer, what did you expect?¡± Ridley shrugged and lit a smoke as they approached the only building that seemed to have any activity. It was a ramshackle old factory building with crumbling brickwork that was surrounded by mountains of trash and detritus. There were two men standing outside, huddling away from the rain under a tin awning. They eyed Nairo and Ridley with open, yet impotent, suspicion. ¡°¡®Oo are you?¡± one of the men spat at them. He had a mouth full of black teeth. ¡°I¡¯m Nairo and this is Ridley, we¡¯re here to talk to your boss,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Oo¡¯s my boss?¡± the man said with a stupid leer on his face. ¡°Some feller called Tommy Plumb,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Wot d¡¯yer want?¡± the other man said. ¡°We need to ask him some questions regarding a possible homicide we¡¯re investigating,¡± Nairo said, already bored with the duo. ¡°Wot ¡®omicide? Tommy ain¡¯t got nuffin¡¯ to do wiv no ¡®omicide!¡± the black tooth man growled, his hand dropping to his waist where Nairo suspected he had a concealed weapon. ¡°Wot¡¯s a ¡®omicide?¡± the other man whispered to him. ¡°You know¡­ when two fellers is sweet on each other,¡± the black tooth man whispered back. Ridley snorted and shook his head. He fished in his pocket and produced two silver coins. ¡°Here, go buy a book or something,¡± he said, flicking the coins at the men and stalking past as they scrabbled to collect them. ¡°Honestly, the state of education in this city is shocking.¡± Nairo looked at the two men and shook her head as she followed Ridley into the factory. There was the steady thrum of an ancient printing press churning out mildly erotic, but mostly blurry, black and white pictures. There were only two men in the factory, hastily collecting, stacking, cutting, and glueing the pictures. There was another naked man lying on a grotty sofa, snoring gently, and the strong smells of narcotics lingering in the air. ¡°Where¡¯s the boss?¡± Ridley shouted to one of the men who pointed to a little official cubicle in the back of the factory. Ridley nodded and then stopped to look at the pictures before Nairo shoved him in the small of his back. She strode across the sweltering factory and knocked on the door. ¡°Wot?¡± a sharp, verminous little voice barked at them. Nairo didn''t bother with introductions. She pushed the door open and walked in, her black trench coat swishing around her ankles. ¡°¡®Oo are you?¡± ¡°You Tommy Plumb?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Tommy Plumb was a little melted ball of cheese. He had sallow, waxy skin, an unhealthy amount of sheen on his bald head, and was so rotund his chins had swallowed his neck. He had a small scrunched up face covered in scabs with sharp little rat-like teeth. ¡°Relax, we ain¡¯t coppers,¡± Ridley said as he walked in behind Nairo. Tommy quickly snapped shut a draw and turned in his seat. It was then Nairo realised he wasn¡¯t wearing any trousers. Fortunately, the rolls of his stomach prevented her from seeing enough to make her sick. ¡°¡®Oo are you then and wot are you doin¡¯ in me factory?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ridley, this is Sergeant Nairo.¡± ¡°I thought you said you wasn¡¯t coppers!¡± ¡°Oh yeah¡­ she isn¡¯t¡­ anymore,¡± Ridley said, flashing him a wolfish grin. Tommy¡¯s yellow eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°We¡¯re here to ask some questions regarding a certain individual you may know,¡± Nairo said, growing impatient. ¡°Ozymandial Litteragi.¡± ¡°¡®Oo?¡± ¡°Manny the Umbry theatre director,¡± Ridley said, blowing a cloud of smoke as he perched on the arm of the sofa. ¡°Big Manny?¡± Tommy said and then caught himself. ¡°Even if I did know ¡®oo that was, why would I tell you? I ain¡¯t no rat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what we¡¯ve heard,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Wot? ¡®Oo you bin talkin¡¯ to?¡± ¡°Edgewater and Washbottom,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°¡®Oo?¡± ¡°Wally and Timmy. They¡¯re two corporals who told us you were a reliable snitch.¡± Tommy muttered the names to himself and then his eyes widened. ¡°Wot the fat kid and the skinny one? Oh bloody ¡®ell! Wot am I runnin¡¯ a bloody information exchange! First Charlie, now them two, wot am I just bein¡¯ passed around by yore lot?" Tommy huffed and wiped a bead of sweat from his bald head. ¡°Charlie¡­ as in Corporal Nelson?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yeah! He passed me on to those two and now they won¡¯t bloomin¡¯ stop pesterin¡¯ me!¡± ¡°Bit ironic, you getting pimped out, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ridley said, smirking at him. ¡°Dunno wot you mean,¡± Tommy said, crossing his podgy arms across his chest. ¡°And I¡¯m plenty busy right now, so maybe you wanna piss off since you ain¡¯t even coppers.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± Nairo said, eyeing the crumpled stack of pictures Tommy had been ¡®enjoying¡¯. ¡°Just a bit of market research,¡± Tommy said without an ounce of shame. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to stay and watch.¡± Tommy flicked his tongue out at her and rubbed his nipple through his shirt. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick,¡± Nairo muttered. ¡°Ridley, you know how I always tell you kicking shit out people is illegal.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I think we can make an exception here.¡± ¡°Great. But I don¡¯t really want to touch him. You got any gloves on you?¡± ¡°Wait! Why you gonna assault me for! I ain¡¯t done nuffin¡¯!¡± ¡°We could use that bat he¡¯s got behind his desk,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Good idea,¡± Ridley stood up, his smoke clamped between his lips. ¡°Wait, hold on! I was only jokin¡¯!¡± Tommy laughed nervously. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean nuffin¡¯ by it.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll tell us what we want to know about Manny?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yeah alright, wotever. But I don¡¯t know much about ¡®im. ¡®Onestly!¡± Tommy said, holding up his podgy hands when he saw the steel in Nairo¡¯s eyes. ¡°Only wot I¡¯ve ¡®eard ¡®ere and there. I don¡¯t know the geezer.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never done business?¡± Ridley asked, eyeing the stack of lewd images. ¡°Wiv ¡®im? Wot business would I ¡®ave with the likes of ¡®im?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve heard he¡¯s also in the flesh trade,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Well¡­ I dunno alright. Like I said, it¡¯s all just rumours.¡± ¡°What are the rumours?¡± ¡°That ¡®e likes to you know¡­ sample ¡®is own wares. I mean the geezer gets a steady pipeline of young, fresh girls all day long. Some of ¡®em he keeps and some of ¡®em ¡®e passes on, you know?¡± ¡°Passes on?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Yeah to Mama Noor,¡± Tommy said. ¡°Who?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Mama Noor,¡± Ridley said. ¡°She operates one of those high class brothels on behalf of the Weasel.¡± ¡°Yeah out East, it¡¯s called the Gilded Cage.¡± Tommy said, nodding eagerly. ¡°Manny sells ¡®er the girls ¡®e don¡¯t want no more. Girls like that ain¡¯t no good for me. Cost too much and got too many high class ideas in their ¡®eads. If you wanna know more about Manny, you gotta go and see ¡®er.¡± Nairo looked at Ridley for confirmation and he nodded. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll do that.¡± Nairo flipped her notebook shut. ¡°But speaking of these rumours,¡± Ridley said to Tommy, dropping his smoke and stubbing it out with his shoe. ¡°What have you heard?¡± Tommy licked his cracked lips and shrugged. ¡°¡®E¡¯s a real piece of shit,¡± Tommy said. ¡°Likes to party, gets ¡®em young, sometimes very young, gets ¡®em ¡®ooked on anyfin¡¯ that makes ¡®em easy to control and then strings ¡®em out. Once e¡¯s done or ¡®e needs some gold ¡®e sells ¡®em to the flesh ¡®ouses. Least¡­ that¡¯s wot I¡¯ve ¡®eard.¡± ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We¡¯ll let you get back to your¡­ work.¡± ¡°The offer to stay is still on the table,¡± Tommy said and then cringed when he saw the dark look on Nairo¡¯s face. She yanked open the door and walked out. Ridley grinned at Tommy and followed her out of the factory. ¡°This case keeps dragging us to the most disgusting places,¡± Nairo muttered to him as they walked back to their cab. ¡°It ain¡¯t that bad,¡± Ridley said. ¡°At least we¡¯re not wading through literal Human excrement and filth this time." "I''ll take the Great Moota over than sleazeball anyday." Nairo muttered and Ridley chuckled. "Now on to the brothel!¡± *The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The Gilded Cage wasn¡¯t hard to locate. While prostitution was technically illegal in Valderia, owning and managing a club with dozens of beautiful women of negotiable affection was in a legal grey area, and in Valderia legally grey was good enough to make mountains of gold. The brothel was located just East of the city proper, close enough that wealthy men could stumble to it after a night drinking in the private clubs of the city¡¯s heart but far enough away that their wives wouldn¡¯t see them leaving. Nairo looked up at the heavily curtained, black painted front of the club. It had a picture of a golden canary in a golden cage, painted in that same luminescent paint the Gnomes favoured. There was no name and nothing else to identify the building. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like the type of place we can just walk in and start asking questions,¡± Nairo said to Ridley. They were posted up across the street watching the club. ¡°Probably not,¡± Ridley said. ¡°But we need to get in and talk to Mama Noor.¡± ¡°We could try and sneak in but then it might be difficult to start asking questions if we¡¯ve broken in,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Naa no chance. The place will have security. And even if we did get in, how would we find her to have a chat? No, we¡¯re gonna have to go in and ask for her.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea but you¡¯re not gonna like this.¡± Nairo looked at him curiously and then she shook her head. ¡°No.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s the only way we can get her in a room.¡± ¡°No Ridley.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon Sally.¡± ¡°Ridley.¡± ¡°Sally.¡± Nairo glared at him, her lips pursed. ¡°I promise I will never bring it up again.¡± Ridley said. ¡°Never?¡± ¡°Promise.¡± Ridley crossed his heart with a finger. ¡°Fine,¡± Nairo said through gritted teeth. ¡°Great, you¡¯re gonna have to lose the coat.¡± Nairo huffed and pulled off her trench coat. ¡°Really wish you didn¡¯t always dress so¡­ unappealing.¡± ¡°Piss off.¡± Ridley grinned as he folded her coat over his arm. ¡°Come on, and maybe unbutton a bit.¡± Ridley said as they walked across the street. ¡°I will kick you straight in the¡­¡± ¡°And don¡¯t talk.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just play along.¡± Ridley approached the entrance to the Gilded Cage and tugged at the bell. They stood back and waited. Nairo tried to straighten her hair, feeling her cheeks already beginning to redden. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine Sarge,¡± Ridley muttered to her. ¡°Just like going undercover.¡± The door opened and a well groomed doorman greeted them. ¡°Good afternoon sir and madame, do you have a membership?¡± He had a very dry and polite manner, like a country club waiter. ¡°No we don¡¯t squire,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Ahh well I¡¯m afraid this is a private membership only club.¡± The doorman began to close the door. ¡°Wait,¡± Ridley said. ¡°We¡¯re here looking for work.¡± ¡°You are?¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m not, she is.¡± Ridley pointed his thumb over his shoulder at Nairo who gave a small, self conscious smile. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we aren¡¯t looking to hire.¡± The door began closing again. ¡°Hold on, do you know where she¡¯s from?¡± Ridley said, lowering his voice. The doorman looked at Nairo from under his wispy eyebrows. ¡°No sir.¡± ¡°She¡¯s from Aeloria,¡± Ridley whispered, waggling his eyebrows. ¡°You know what they say about those Aelorian girls, right?¡± The doorman looked at Nairo again. ¡°She¡¯s a bit pale to be from Aeloria, no?¡± ¡°She was trained in the finest pleasure houses, kept from sunlight to maintain her porcelain complexion,¡± Ridley lied smoothly. ¡°She looks a bit rough now but that¡¯s because of the journey she¡¯s had getting here. Trust me, she¡¯s the real deal.¡± The doorman thought this over. ¡°And you are?¡± he asked Ridley. ¡°I¡¯m her translator,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Afraid she don¡¯t speak much Forreste but she¡¯s a quick learner. I was hoping to speak to Mama Noor and cut a deal for her.¡± The doorman looked from Ridley back to Nairo, who had subconsciously crossed her arms and was biting the inside of her cheek, trying to resist the urge to kick Ridley as hard as possible in his backside. Luckily, this made her look lost and nervous to the doorman. When he looked back at Ridley, there was a twinkling gold coin in the PI¡¯s fingers. ¡°Just a quick chat and if she says no, she says no.¡± The doorman took the gold and secreted it in an inside pocket before clearing his throat and nodding. ¡°Come this way.¡± Ridley grinned and followed the doorman with Nairo trailing behind. The Gilded Cage was luxurious, dimly lit, and smelled of perfume and flowers. The black and purple motif continued on the inside. The walls were all painted black and with plush purple carpeting. Their way was lit with flickering gold candelabras. Gentle music seeped through the brothel. ¡°You may wait here,¡± the doorman said, indicating a small lounge area with a bar. ¡°Cheers,¡± Ridley said, swanning in, ordering a drink, and making himself immediately too comfortable. He threw himself down in a leather armchair, lit a smoke, and then signalled for Nairo to sit. ¡°An Aelorian prostitute, really Ridley?¡± Nairo hissed at him. ¡°That¡¯s a horrible stereotype!¡± ¡°Shh, you don¡¯t speak Forreste remember,¡± Ridley said to her while sipping his drink. Nairo huffed and rolled her eyes. They sat there in silence for another ten minutes before the doorman came back. ¡°Mama Noor will see you now,¡± he rasped. ¡°Lovely,¡± Ridley said, jumping up and following the doorman. They were led through the brothel to a garden square that the building surrounded. There was a fountain in the middle of the garden with a statue of a Pixie spouting water high in the air. Around the Pixie was a small pond with glittering silver fish swimming around. The garden as almost silent other than the trickle of the fountain. The sounds of the city were blissfully blocked out by the high walls of the Gilded Cage. Sitting alone on a stone bench was a woman. She had a nutmeg complexion, with large dark eyes, and flawless skin. Her long black hair hung in a braid over her shoulder. She had a golden nose ring and long eyelashes. She wore a loose fitting all white dress with a light shawl pulled up over her head and shoulders in the fashion of the east. Her fingertips were all dyed a dark orange. Her long, graceful fingers were scattering breadcrumbs into the pond for the fish. Despite her wrinkle free skin and beauty, Nairo had to guess she was at least a decade older than her, maybe more. The woman was a captivating beauty. She radiated a sensual warmth and elegance that made Nairo feel like a gawky teenager in front of her. The woman looked up from under her heavy lashes as they approached and gave them a flicker of a smile. ¡°Welcome to my garden.¡± Spoke perfect Forreste but had a heavy accent that Nairo couldn¡¯t quite place. ¡°How may I be of service?¡± Nairo waited for Ridley to speak and then looked at him. His cheeks had reddened slightly and his mouth moved like he was searching for words. ¡°I am Mama Noor,¡± she said, flashing Ridley a perfect white toothed smile. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Oh ermm¡­ I¡¯m umm¡­ who am I?¡± Ridley gave a nervous little laugh and scratched the back of his head. ¡°Oh right, I¡¯m Ridley.¡± ¡°Reedley?¡± Mama Noor repeated, his name sounding lyrical in her mouth. ¡°And are you here for business or pleasure?¡± The word pleasure dripped from her mouth with a crackle of sexual energy. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ridley said and then looked over his shoulder at Nairo as if remembering she was there. ¡°Business. Definitely business.¡± ¡°Ahh,¡± Mama Noor gave a disappointed sigh and then beckoned them to sit on the stone bench opposite her. ¡°You have come with a girl from Aeloria?¡± ¡°Err¡­ yeah that¡¯s right.¡± Ridley squirmed as if lying to this woman was somehow uncomfortable for him. Mama Noor turned her dark eyes on Nairo and judged her. She then spoke in a tongue Nairo had never heard before. Nairo looked at her and then at Ridley. ¡°She is no Aelorian,¡± Mama Noor said, her tone unchanged. ¡°Who are you?¡± Four men stepped out from the shadows of the garden, oneshots in their hands, trained directly on them. Ridley raised his hands and Nairo followed suit. ¡°Hold on,¡± he said quickly. ¡°We did lie, but we don¡¯t intend you any harm.¡± ¡°I have many enemies, Mr. Reedley,¡± Mama Noor said, not raising her eyes from the pond. ¡°I would speak your intentions quickly and clearly.¡± ¡°We¡¯re private investigators,¡± Nairo said, taking over from the flustered Ridley. ¡°We¡¯re here investigating a possible homicide, and we were hoping you could assist us in our investigation.¡± Mama Noor looked at Nairo in surprise. ¡°What an interesting response,¡± she said. ¡°And who¡¯s murder do you believe I have information about, former Sergeant Nairo?¡± Nairo blinked and tried to keep her face neutral. ¡°You know who I am?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she replied. ¡°The only thing more powerful in this city than gold and sex is information. I make sure to keep plenty of all three. I know who you are, but I still don¡¯t know why you are here.¡± ¡°May we lower our hands?¡± Nairo asked. Mama Noor thought for a moment and then nodded, her men lowering their weapons. ¡°Thank you,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We¡¯re looking for information on Ozymandal Litteragi.¡± Nairo saw a flash of something in Mama Noor eyes at the mention of the name but then it disappeared. ¡°What would you like to know?¡± ¡°We have heard a lot of rumours about him. About his behaviour and the way that he treats his female employees.¡± ¡°I assure you, whatever you have heard is only the tip of the spear,¡± Mama Noor replied. She threw the rest of the crumbs into the pond and gathered her shawl around her. She slid off one sandal and tucked her leg under her in an impossibly graceful movement. ¡°So it¡¯s true about his abuse of them?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yes. Manny is one of those foul little creatures that never received enough love and attention from the fairer sex growing up. Now, he has power and influence, yet he is still a petty little man at heart.¡± ¡°He sells the girls to you?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Sometimes and only the ones that reject his advances. I have no use for the addicts and the broken girls. I run a clean high class business here, Ms. Nairo, and I only deal with Manny to get those girls away from him before he can sink his claws into them.¡± Her lip curled in distaste every time she said his name. ¡°And what does he do to these girls?¡± ¡°Bullies and manipulates mostly. Bribes them with promises of stardom and then threatens them once his promises prove false. These girls come to Valderia with big dreams of becoming stars. They come without family, without friends, without gold, and most of them do not even have a place to sleep. They are easy prey for a predator like him.¡± ¡°Or for you,¡± Nairo said before she could stop herself. Mama Noor looked at her, cocking her head to one side so a loose strand of hair perfectly framed her heart shaped face. ¡°You disapprove of my business, Sergeant?¡± ¡°I disagree with vulnerable women being trafficked and pimped,¡± Nairo said bluntly. ¡°As do I,¡± Mama Noor replied. ¡°My girls are here of their own volition.¡± ¡°And how many women would choose to sell their bodies if they had any other options?¡± ¡°And how many other options are there for young women in Valderia?¡± ¡°Plenty.¡± ¡°Where they won¡¯t be mauled by their bosses? Have promotions dangled at the end of sexual favours? Where they won¡¯t have to deal with the indignity of lecherous superiors and coworkers who don¡¯t take them seriously unless they dress and act like men?¡± Mama Noor ran her gaze over Nairo¡¯s trousers and workman''s shirt. ¡°I never had to,¡± Nairo replied frostily. ¡°Then you are one of the lucky ones. You should not look down on those of us who have not been so fortunate.¡± Nairo felt a blush creep into her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m not looking down on them,¡± she said hotly. ¡°I¡¯m looking down on the people who can talk so casually about buying and selling women like their joints at a butcher¡¯s shop!¡± ¡°Sarge,¡± Ridley warned, finding his voice again. ¡°We¡¯re not here to debate the morality of the sex trade.¡± ¡°Only once you have been sold and bought like meat can you appreciate the hand of a kind butcher,¡± Mama Noor said, a deep sadness in her eyes. Nairo saw it and felt abashed, her anger dissipating. ¡°Miss Mama Noor,¡± Ridley said, trying to get the interview back on track. ¡°Just Mama Noor is fine,¡± she said. ¡°Has Manny ever been violent towards these girls? Do you think he would be capable of killing if his advances were rejected?¡± Mama Noor ran a finger down the hem of her shawl. ¡°I think any man is capable of violence, especially one whose pride is so fragile. If you are asking me has he ever been violent? Then no, not that I am aware. He is manipulative, he is predatory, but as far as I know, he has never forced himself on any of his girls or hurt them physically. Manny wishes to be¡­ lusted over. He needs to feel like these women want him. He would not take them by force.¡± ¡°And if the girl of his dreams chose another man over him?¡± Ridley said. ¡°As I said, all men are capable of great harm. Now I thank you for coming here today. If there is nothing else you wish to indulge in, then I must ask you to leave.¡± "We still have more questions," Nairo said. "And yet I find myself woefully short of answers." Mama Noor gave her a brief smile and then reached for her bag of breadcrumbs again. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± Ridley stood up. Nairo glared at Mama Noor and slowly rose herself. ¡°Please come again Sergeant,¡± Mama Noor said. ¡°I find you fascinating.¡± ¡°Unlikely,¡± Nairo said before turning and walking away with Ridley behind her. Mama Noor sighed, adjusted her shawl, and went back to feeding her fish. ¡°What do you think?¡± Ridley asked once they were back outside. ¡°Manny our man for this?¡± ¡°He sounds like an utter piece of shit,¡± Nairo said as he shoved her arms into her coat. ¡°Could be that getting rejected by LaRue, her choosing Fred over him, and then her planning to quit and bankrupt him finally pushed him over the edge, and he snapped.¡± Ridley nodded as he lit a smoke. ¡°The only thing that doesn¡¯t make sense is the method,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Too calculated to be a crime of passion.¡± ¡°You heard her in there,¡± Nairo said. ¡°He¡¯s a manipulator. That means he plans and he plays games. It might not have been a crime of passion but just cold calculated revenge.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± Ridley said. ¡°But until we¡¯ve got some solid evidence, we can¡¯t make a move on him. And we still have no idea why he would take out Quinn as well.¡± ¡°Then we better get back on his trail and find some evidence.¡± Book II - Chapter 29 - Rufi Last time with Rufi: Rufi staked out the docks and watched the suspicious creatures in Warehouse 8 hastily pack up and move their operation upriver. Determined to uncover more, he sneaks into Warehouse 8 and finds it abandoned, except for a monstrous, scorpion-like creature hidden in a crate. Rufi barely survived his battle with the beast and narrowly avoided becoming trapped in the blazing warehouse. Rufi escapes with more questions than answers. 29 Rufi sauntered back into the pool hall, flicking rain from his shoulders. The hall was Rufi¡¯s place of business, his hangout, his dormitory, and his headquarters. He had taken it off some shlub who was deep in debt and couldn¡¯t pay. Since then, it had become a notorious hangout for any young goon, criminal, thug, fraudster, stick up kid, fencer, and general Villains in the Southern Boroughs. It was a constant hive of illicit activity. Many young criminals would use it as neutral grounds to meet, discuss business, or make sales, as they were guaranteed protection under the strength of Rufi¡¯s name: nobody came to the pool hall and started trouble unless they wanted to wind up missing an ear or an eye. Unlike older Kith, Rufi had always encouraged non-Goblins to do business at the pool hall as this allowed him to stay tapped in with everything happening in his area. Everything from selling stolen produce and pilfered meats, to fencing jewellery, to illegal betting, to hiring heavies, happened at the pool hall all day and all night long. You could even get a decent dinner on most days as well. Today however, the pool hall was unusually quiet. There were a couple of the usual louts posted up at the bar and a couple of younger, uninitiated Goblins in the booths, but the pool tables were empty. Rufi nodded to those that were there and made his way to the bar. He sat down, lit a smoke, while a glass of rum appeared at his elbow. He nodded at Mavis, the elderly barkeep who had come with the place, and looked around. The pool hall had been getting quieter and quieter. The streets weren¡¯t happy with Rufi¡¯s investigation. Most criminals had no idea what was going on, all they knew was that Rufi and his mob were going round robbing and killing drug dealers. That was enough to scare off most of the half hearted ones. Then there was that business with Cameron. Rufi had underestimated how much pull the young Human had amassed. He was well liked, and fucking him over like that had divided people. Then there were the others who were like rats that smell smoke, gone underground just in case. Rufi took a slug of his rum and sighed, either way it was bad for business all around. ¡°Are the boys in the back?¡± Rufi asked Mavis who nodded in reply. Rufi stood, finished his drink, and walked to the back office. Inside he found Pug, Mikkel, and Pauli. On the table in front of them was another pile of Burn, wrapped up in that damn red string. ¡°You got some more?¡± Rufi asked, walking behind the desk and throwing himself down into his chair. ¡°This is two day¡¯s worth,¡± Mikkel replied, rubbing his tired eyes. ¡°That has to be the last of the bricks,¡± Pug said, he looked equally exhausted and had a fresh bruise coming up under his eye. ¡°We hit up a couple more dealers today, and they¡¯re selling scraps. Ain¡¯t no one wholesaling Burn on this side of the river.¡± ¡°And the other side?¡± Rufi asked. Pug looked at Mikkel who shrugged. ¡°I dunno Ruf, but we ain¡¯t walking across the bridge to go and ask the Landlord¡¯s boys.¡± ¡°Yeah fair enough,¡± Rufi said. ¡°The OD¡¯s have stopped,¡± Pauli said as he poured four cups of coffee. ¡°Or the papers have stopped reporting on ¡®em,¡± Mikkel said. ¡°Same thing as far as we¡¯re concerned,¡± Rufi said, accepting a coffee from Pauli and then dumping four heaped teaspoons of sugar in. ¡°You sure no one¡¯s moving anymore weight?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all crying about it,¡± Mikkel said, lighting a smoke and handing one to Pug. ¡°Everybody¡¯s starving right now. Between the Gnomes shutting things down and us doing what we¡¯ve been doing, ain¡¯t nobody making any gold right now.¡± ¡°How long can that last?¡± Pauli said. ¡°There¡¯s way too much coin in it for operations to stay shut for long.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t have to stay shut,¡± Rufi said. ¡°Just long enough to make sure this shit¡¯s off the cobbles.¡± The door burst open and Chuch stalked into the office. He was wearing his grey suit again today and half of his jacket was stained with blood. Rufi sat up at the sight of the blood and then relaxed when he realised it wasn¡¯t Chuch¡¯s. ¡°Been having fun?¡± Rufi asked him. Chuch muttered something and then took Pug¡¯s coffee from him. He took a big gulp and stretched his neck. He clicked his fingers and Pug handed over his lit smoke with only a small downturn at the corners of his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s all gone,¡± he said finally. ¡°The Bad Batch?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve been terrorising dealers from the RatHoles to the Foundries and everything in between. No cunts selling anything.¡± Rufi nodded and thought. ¡°We sure no one¡¯s stock piled anything?¡± Pauli asked. ¡°Maybe just waiting for the heat to die down?¡± ¡°Naa,¡± Chuch growled. ¡°Half of ¡®em are swearing off the Burn game with us breathing down their necks and the coppers all over it. It¡¯s too much headache. They¡¯re all moving on to other drugs.¡± Chuch took another gulp of coffee. ¡°Plus I told ''em I¡¯d come back and cut them from cock to throat if they sold any more of that red string Burn.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°We should have just done that in the first place,¡± Mikkel said with a grin. ¡°Could have saved us a bunch of headache.¡± Rufi took a deep breath and sat back in his chair. He stared up the water stained ceiling. ¡°I¡¯m calling it,¡± Rufi said. ¡°We¡¯re done with this shit.¡± ¡°You going to Uncle Sam?¡± Pauli asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll tell him it¡¯s all off the streets.¡± ¡°And what about who sold it?¡± Pauli said. Rufi shrugged. ¡°Trails gone dead. No reason to point fingers if I can¡¯t prove anything. Besides, none of the Kings held up their side of the deal, so why should we be running around doing their dirty work?¡± ¡°Fuck them,¡± Chuch growled. ¡°It¡¯s time for us to get back to business,¡± Rufi said. ¡°We¡¯ve wasted far too much time on this. Tribute¡¯s nearly due and I ain¡¯t gonna be late in paying. You boys rest tonight and then I want you back out on the cobbles tomorrow. Any late payers get chased down. I want all the young boys back out there putting in their work. Chuch, we¡¯re gonna be light this month so ask around your circle, see if there¡¯s any greens coming in we can snatch.¡± Chuch nodded. ¡°Finally!¡± Mikkle said, jumping up and stretching. ¡°I haven¡¯t made a coin in days! Fuck resting. C¡¯mon Pug, we got work to do.¡± ¡°Good. Paul your with me. Let¡¯s go to the Hall.¡± ¡°Want me to come?¡± Chuch asked. ¡°Naa, you take it easy shoya, you¡¯re still healing remember.¡± Rufi patted him on the shoulder and walked out of the office with Pauli behind him. * Sam¡¯Sun Chaw¡¯Drak was a creature of habit. He had been alive for over a hundred years and he had found a routine that suited him. He rarely left the Town Hall, especially after dark, and could be found most nights in his study, reading or sculpting. Every evening he would have dinner at a different family''s home, as was fitting for the Ustra¡¯a, but come nightfall he would be back in the Town Hall. He would speak with other Kith, he would play board games, he would see to the fires, and eventually he would retire to his study. For one of the most powerful creatures in the entire Free Forests, Uncle Sam led a simple life. That was where Rufi found him now, locked away in his study, carefully sculpting a figurine from white stone. Goblins believed deeply in skilled crafts. They believed every true Goblin should find a craft and dedicate themselves to becoming masters of it. Whether this was with a blade, woodwork, sculpting, building, metalwork, writing, or even reciting history, a Goblin¡¯s true worth was the expertise they could provide to their clan and pass onto future generations. Uncle Sam was a master sculptor and historian. He created endlessly detailed statues and figurines of famous Goblins from the Kith¡¯s long and illustrious histories. He had created hundreds, maybe even thousands, of these figures, always out of white stone. His immensely powerful hands were nimble and delicate tools when he was sculpting. He eschewed the use of actual tools and would use his claws and tusks to create his masterpieces. When Rufi arrived at his study, he found his uncle hunched over his sitting desk on the floor with a magnifying glass, carefully carving details with his thumb claw into a figurine the size of a Human¡¯s palm. ¡°Gratzi Ganya, uncle,¡± Rufi said, greeting his uncle in the Kith tongue. ¡°Gani Gratz, nephew,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said without looking up. Rufi went to the firepit in the centre of the room, stoked the embers and then poured two cups of steaming tea. He sat patiently, not touching his tea, while his uncle finished. After a few minutes, he heard Uncle Sam rise and begin cleaning his hands. He then walked over to the pit and stepped down into the circle and sat at its head. Rufi offered him the tea and Sam¡¯Sun thanked him. They sipped their tea in silence. ¡°Speak nephew,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said after a few minutes of silence. ¡°We¡¯ve taken it all off the street,¡± Rufi said. ¡°All the Burn in the city?¡± Sam¡¯Sun asked sceptically. ¡°No. It wasn¡¯t all the Burn, it was a tainted batch. We¡¯ve located all of it and the OD¡¯s have stopped. The papers have moved on.¡± Sam¡¯Sun made a thoughtful rumbling noise in his throat. ¡°The police haven¡¯t. They are still investigating.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t find anymore of it.¡± ¡°You are sure?¡± ¡°As sure as I can be.¡± ¡°And your investigation?¡± ¡°Dead end,¡± Rufi said, sipping his tea quickly so he had an excuse to look anywhere but at his uncle. ¡°I could point fingers but I have no evidence.¡± ¡°And who would you point that finger at?¡± Sam¡¯Sun asked. ¡°Probably the Gnomes. But it still makes no sense for Yano to sell a bad product. It took a Gnome warlock less than a minute to tell me this batch was tainted. I can¡¯t see him not being able to spot that if we did.¡± Sam¡¯Sun nodded and made another rumbling noise deep in his chest. ¡°Hmmm.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry uncle, the trails gone cold. Whoever it was, they¡¯ve covered their tracks and they¡¯ve left the city. I could keep digging, but the other Kings aren¡¯t playing ball. They kept selling Burn even though they said they would shut down operations.¡± ¡°This is unsurprising,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said. ¡°You knew they wouldn¡¯t?¡± Sam¡¯Sun placed down his tea and crossed his legs, absentmindedly kneading his ankle. ¡°Do you know why I do not allow our people to sell drugs?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s poison?¡± ¡°So is alcohol. Tobacco. Women. Gambling. All of these vices destroy and ruin but they are controllable. Nephew, if you ever sit in my seat, you will understand that power is control. If you cannot control it, you must destroy it. Drugs are like wildfire. They rip through a whole community. They turn people into empty shells, but even worse, they raise up those who should not be risen. They put gold in the pockets of creatures we do not trust and should not work with. It creates addiction for both the user and the seller. They become addicted to the fast coin. You have children who have never paid their dues making more gold in a week than loyal soldiers do in a month. It creates rifts and envy. Then they sit in a cell looking at 20% and they cannot do the time. So they talk because they know no better. Then, everything comes tumbling down. These drugs poison everyone and everything they touch.¡± Rufi nodded. Uncle Sam wasn¡¯t wrong. He was rarely wrong. And it made Rufi¡¯s guts twist that he was the one who sold the Bad Batch in the first place. Sam¡¯Sun sipped his tea and nodded. ¡°I accept you have done what you could. It is better we do not place blame on anyone if we cannot prove it. And perhaps, it is better that we do not know. A war can be avoided with ignorance. I will go to the Kings and tell them it is over. With no more deaths, the newspapers will move on, and the police will surely follow. This matter is ended.¡± Rufi nodded and closed his eyes. It was over then. He¡¯d actually gotten away with it. Book II - Chapter 30 - T&W Last time with Timmy & Wally: Timmy and Wally sneak into a hidden tunnel beneath the Gnommish restaurant and overhear a secret meeting between Tiko and Rufi. Strangely, instead of dealing Burn, they seem to be trying to get rid of it, fearing that a rival faction deliberately tainted it with a deadly parasite. Shocked by the revelation, Timmy and Wally report back to Conway, who is even more baffled by the idea of Goblins and Gnomes working together to clear the drug from the streets. While the OD cases are slowing, the case is far from closed and Conway still wants the real dealers caught and hanged. 30 It had been three days since Timmy and Wally went undercover in the Gnommish restaurant and a week since the last report of an overdose. The Drug Enforcement Squad¡¯s case had ground to a standstill. Their surveillance of Tiko had produced no evidence of him selling Burn. In fact, it looked like there was no Burn being sold citywide. The entire industry seemed to have disappeared overnight. Slowly, one by one, detectives were being reassigned and sent back to their old postings. Timmy and Wally, still technically only being Corporals, were among the first to be decommissioned. They were back in their blues and walking their beat as if the whole thing had just been a vivid dream. But the blues suddenly felt more itchy than before. Their boots were more uncomfortable. Their work suddenly felt dull and unimportant compared to the excitement of being a detective. ¡°Nuffin¡¯ to report on Marley Street,¡± Wally said tonelessly as they plodded along. ¡°Other than rain,¡± Timmy muttered. The rain was coming down thick and heavy, and the leather ponchos they had been issued with did little to keep them dry. ¡°How many hours ¡®til we can clock off?¡± Wally asked. ¡°Still three more.¡± Wally sighed as they took a left down Foxworthy Gardens. The streets were quiet. Valderians still hadn¡¯t grown accustomed to the torrential summer rains and as soon as the storms would whip up again, the streets would empty. That suited Timmy fine. He would rather plod around in the rain than actually have to deal with people. ¡°¡±What d¡¯yer reckon Conway¡¯s up to?¡± Wally asked idly. ¡°I don''t know. But I bet he¡¯s dry,¡± Timmy replied. ¡°And probably halfway down a bottle by now.¡± ¡°What do you think Sarpele¡¯s doing?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°I dunno,¡± Wally replied. ¡°Wot does ¡®e do? Like does ¡®e work for other squads? Or like does ¡®e just disappear until they need someone undercover?¡± ¡°He could be anywhere,¡± Timmy laughed. ¡°That could be him.¡± Timmy said, nodding his head at a lone stall owner who was still trying to sell his flowers in the pounding rain. ¡°Don¡¯t joke, I¡¯m seriously worried about that guy,¡± Wally said. ¡°¡®E could be anyone! Anywhere!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Timmy sighed. ¡°Wish we could have spent more time with him undercover.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Wally said, sniffling and wiping his nose. ¡°¡®E was a right mental case.¡± ¡°It was better than splashing about in the rain.¡± ¡°True. And ¡®ow good was that Gnommish grub?¡± ¡°So good!¡± ¡°Right? I never had proper Gnommish grub before. Everyone always says that foreign grub is proper smelly and all that, but I thought it was proper quality.¡± ¡°Too bad we could never afford to eat there for real,¡± Timmy said. ¡°If we woz businessmen we could,¡± Wally said, waggling his eyebrows at Timmy, who chuckled. ¡°I still don¡¯t know what a businessman is,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Me neither. But they eat good!¡± Wally said. They shared a laugh and rounded Pebblebury Park. They were on the home stretch back to the precinct where they would be able to change into something dry, have a hot drink and a bite of dinner, before coming back out for their final loop before home time. They trudged wearily back to the precinct, the wind picking up and sluicing rain into their faces. They bent low and fought the gale the whole way back in silence. They walked through the double doors into the precinct and immediately hauled off their soaking wet ponchos, hanging them on an overstuff hook with dozens of other ponchos drip drying in the corner. They nodded at Myrtle behind the desk and made a beeline for the canteen. ¡°I ¡®ope there¡¯s something decent in the canteen,¡± Wally said as they nodded greetings to other soaking wet coppers. ¡°Doubt it,¡± Timmy said, almost slipping on a puddle in the middle of the corridor. ¡°Ho there!¡± a great voice boomed from behind them. ¡°Corporal Edgewater and Washbottom!¡± They turned to see the towering figure of Corporal Charlie Nelson wading through the other officers towards them. Charlie was a legend of the force. He had been a Corporal for longer than either of them had been alive and had routinely turned down every opportunity for promotion. He was a true blue copper. He did things fair, he could knock a Troll out with one punch, and he was the kindest soul around. He was as tall as a fully grown Goblin warrior and almost as strong, with thick blonde hair and a strong blonde moustache, with twinkling blue eyes that radiate warm but stern authority. ¡°Charlie!¡± Timmy said, waving back at him. ¡°How are you boys? I heard you¡¯d been made big time detectives!¡± Charlie said, the corners of his eyeswrinkling with pride. ¡°Yeah, we had,¡± Wally said dejectedly. ¡°But the case sorta went cold and we got busted back down to the cobbles.¡± ¡°Ahh that¡¯s a shame! But it¡¯s a great look for two young bucks like you to have even been considered for the role. Head up! I¡¯m sure you did your best!¡± ¡°We tried,¡± Timmy said. ¡°We even went undercover a couple of times.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me all about it over a pint later on,¡± Charlie said, slapping Timmy warmly on the back and almost knocking him over. ¡°But for now lad, you¡¯ve got a prisoner that wants a word.¡± ¡°We do?¡± Wally said. ¡°Yeah, young girl got picked up a couple of hours ago. She keeps mentioning both of you by name and saying she has information.¡± Timmy looked at Wally and shrugged. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll go check it out. Thanks Charlie.¡± ¡°No problem boys. And I¡¯ll see you in the pub later.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Yessir!¡± They both saluted and ran off before Charlie could reprimand them for saluting him. ¡°Since when do girls know our names?¡± Wally said. Timmy shrugged, and they made their way down to the cell block. They nodded at the eternally disinterested guard on duty who waved them through without looking up from the dirty magazine he was idly flicking through. The cellblocks were pretty much empty other than a single drunk humming tunelessly; the rain had even driven the criminals off the street, it seemed. At the far end of the block they stopped at a cell with a small hunched over figure, hugging her knees to her chest sorrowfully. ¡°Marney!¡± Timmy said, his heart jolting at the sight of the young addict they had met whilst undercover in the RatHoles. ¡°You came!¡± Marney ran towards them, smiling widely while clinging to the bars. She looked even rougher than the last time they had seen her. She had the shadows of another black eye, her lip was swollen on one side, and her clothes were filthy and covered in splatters of blood. Her hair hung lank around her face like it hadn¡¯t been washed in months and her fingernails were chipped and caked in grime. ¡°They said you woz askin¡¯ for us¡­¡± Wally said, looking as horrified as Timmy felt. They had both completely forgotten about her. So much had happened since they left the RatHoles, but that didn¡¯t stop Timmy from feeling like a complete bastard. ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ve still got your card.¡± She held up the dogeared card. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°They picked me up for trespassing¡­ and a little bit of theft,¡± Marney said, looking away from them. ¡°I was just hungry and I needed somewhere to sleep!¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Wally asked, noting the fresh bruises. ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Marney said, letting her hair fall across her face. ¡°Do you think you could help me out? I know I shouldn¡¯t ask but is there anything you can do?¡± Timmy looked at Wally. What could they do? They were just Corporals, they didn¡¯t have any pull. ¡°I don¡¯t know Marney,¡± Timmy said. ¡°We¡¯re not really important around here.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ but you¡¯re detectives. You could try, couldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ we¡¯re not really detectives,¡± Wally said, going pink around his ears. ¡°We umm¡­ we were just on assignment. Now we¡¯re back to being Corporals.¡± He waved a hand at their blue uniforms. ¡°Oh right,¡± Marney said, deflating. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Hopefully they take it easy on me¡­ I guess.¡± Timmy looked at Wally again. ¡°We really wish we could help you,¡± Timmy said. ¡°If you like, maybe we could put in a good word for you with the arresting officer and the Duty Sergeant. Who arrested you?¡± ¡°I dunno,¡± Marney said sullenly. ¡°Some arsehole called Mockney or something.¡± ¡°Mockney?¡± Wally said. ¡°Do you mean Detective Mortney?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°Yeah that sounds right.¡± ¡°Why would a detective be your arresting officer?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°Well¡­ umm¡­ there might have been someone in the bakery that I broke into and umm¡­ I might have hit him¡­ a little bit.¡± ¡°¡®Ow much is a little bit?¡± Wally asked. ¡°I brained him with a cake tin. They¡¯re charging me with assault with a weapon. But I didn¡¯t mean to! I was eating, and he came out of nowhere and grabbed me, and I panicked and hit him.¡± Marney¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. ¡°Oh jeez,¡± Timmy said. ¡°How much trouble am I in?¡± Marney asked. ¡°Depends on if the baker wants to press charges and how badly he¡¯s injured,¡± Timmy explained. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Marney, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything we can do for you.¡± ¡°But¡­ wait what if I have information?¡± she asked desperately. ¡°What kind of information?¡± Timmy said. ¡°Are you still looking for Burn dealers?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Wally said. ¡°The case ¡®as kind of gone cold coz we can¡¯t get any major players. We ain¡¯t interested in street level dealers no more.¡± ¡°Not street level!¡± Marney said quickly. ¡°I know who¡¯s bringing in loads of Burn. Word¡¯s been all over the streets for last couple of days, a new shipment is coming in.¡± ¡°How much?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°Big,¡± Marney said. ¡°Big enough to go all around the city.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Wally asked. ¡°His name¡¯s Cameron. He¡¯s a Human dealer, he moves big weight. He was the one whose warehouse got burned down by the Goblins. Now he¡¯s back up and running and putting word out that there¡¯s a new shipment coming in.¡± ¡°Do you know where?¡± Timmy said. Marney shook her head. ¡°I do know he¡¯s mainly based on the out West of the river and that the shipment¡¯s s''posed to be coming in the next day or two.¡± ¡°Does this Cameron have a last name?¡± Wally said. "Probably, but I don¡¯t know it. Can¡¯t be too many Camerons selling tonnes of Burn in the city, can there?¡± Marney said with a hopeful little smile that accentuated the welling around her lips. ¡°Okay. Thanks Marney.¡± Timmy said. ¡°Is that good enough?¡± Marney asked. ¡°Can you help me out?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll try,¡± Timmy replied. ¡°We¡¯ll go straight to the head of the Drug Enforcement Squad, if anyone can get you off, he can.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Marney said, reaching through the bars and grasping his hands. ¡°Thank you so much. Both of you!¡± ¡°No promises,¡± Timmy said. ¡°But we¡¯ll try.¡± * ¡°How reliable is this intel?¡± Conway growled at them ten minutes later as he sat back in his chair and squinted at them. ¡°I don¡¯t think she would lie,¡± Wally said. ¡°She¡¯s clinked up looking at robbery and assault,¡± Conway said bluntly. ¡°And she¡¯s an addict. She can¡¯t help but tell lies to save her skin.¡± ¡°But¡­ she¡¯s a good girl really,¡± Timmy said. ¡°She¡¯s just got into a bad way. I think we can trust her.¡± Conway ran his tongue across his teeth and breathed heavily through his nose. ¡°Morris!¡± Conway barked. A second later, a balding detective with thick glasses stuck his head through the door. ¡°Cameron, big time Burn dealer from out West, ring any bells?¡± Morris nodded and then disappeared. He returned with a folder and plopped it down on Conway¡¯s desk. ¡°Cameron Haney, 24 years old, stepped up in a big way recently. He¡¯s been lifted a couple of times for low level distribution and once for carrying a concealed blade. He was one of the distributors that was robbed by the Goblins and they burned down part of his warehouse.¡± Morris said. ¡°He¡¯s a real player?¡± Conway asked. ¡°Intel says he is, although that¡¯s a recent development. He seems to have been a nobody before that.¡± ¡°Do we know where he¡¯s operating from now?¡± Morris flicked through the file. ¡°Our last observations put him on Grain Street, although if he¡¯s getting it in by boat he¡¯ll have a warehouse somewhere along the river.¡± Conway mulled this over for a minute. ¡°Well it¡¯s the most solid lead we¡¯ve had in a while.¡± Conway cleared his throat and then grabbed a pen before scribbling a few notes. ¡°Who did you say the arresting detective was?¡± ¡°Mortney,¡± Timmy replied. ¡°Oh he¡¯s not gonna be happy,¡± Conway muttered. ¡°Mortney rarely is,¡± Morris replied. ¡°I¡¯ll get your girl released. She¡¯s now a confidential informant for the Drug Enforcement Squad. Tell her to get back out there and find us a time and place for this shipment. If any information she gives us leads to Haney¡¯s arrest, we¡¯ll wipe all of her charges.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Wally said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit dangerous?¡± Timmy asked hesitantly. ¡°Sending out a young girl to ask about after a big time drug dealer?¡± ¡°Being an addict and breaking into people¡¯s businesses and braining ¡®em is a dangerous game, Edgewater.¡± Conway growled in response. ¡°If she don¡¯t wanna do the time, then we need more information.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Timmy muttered. ¡°And as for you two,¡± Conway said. ¡°I¡¯ve had my budget cut to the bone, so I can¡¯t recommission you, but I can borrow you. You¡¯re back on the squad. I want you out West, working your way up and down the river looking for any warehouses with docks that our man Haney could use to bring in the shipment. Morris, I want you to look through the deeds and leases for all the warehouses on the riverfront. See if any have changed hands recently. That should help narrow down the list. I want this warehouse found in the next 24 hours, understood?¡± ¡°We¡¯re back on the case?¡± Wally said excitedly. ¡°For a little bit,¡± Conway said. ¡°Can we ditch the blues?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯ll be good cover. Gives you an excuses to walk up and down without anyone questioning you. Now get moving. I¡¯ll talk to Mortney and get your girl released.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± They both saluted smartly and hurried away with a new vigour in their step. They''d got Marney out of trouble! They were back on the case! They had a new lead! And they could be a part of one of the biggest drug busts in Valderia history! They just had to track down and capture Cameron Haney first, how hard could that be? Book II - Chapter 31 - R&N 31 ¡°This is a waste of time!¡± Ridley growled, kicking an empty crate petulantly. ¡°This is real detective work,¡± Nairo said patiently, not taking her eyes from Manny Litteragi¡¯s apartment door. ¡°We¡¯ve been following this whale for three days now, and we have nothing!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve run out of leads.¡± Nairo sighed, feeling like she was having this exact conversation for the tenth time. ¡°Until the autopsy comes back with something suspicious, we have nothing to confront Manny with other than rumours and accusations.¡± ¡°Better than sitting here with our thumbs up our asses,¡± Ridley said, waving his arms at the rundown flat they had been renting by the hour. ¡°And if we confront him with no real evidence, we show our hand, and he knows we¡¯re on to him. This way, he¡¯ll carry on with his normal routine and we build more information.¡± ¡°How does knowing he likes a cream cake with a stupid tiny cup of coffee get us any closer to finding out if he killed Quinn?¡± Nairo sat back and dropped her pencil on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nairo confessed. ¡°But we have nothing else, Ridley. No other suspects. No motives. Not even a shred of evidence that proves either Quinn or LaRue were even murdered. We just have to keep working this until something comes up.¡± Ridley scrubbed his face with his hand and sighed. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard from Drake?¡± he asked. ¡°Not yet. He said the backlog has been so bad that bodies have been sitting on ice for weeks. Now that the OD¡¯s have slowed down, they¡¯re working their way through them. But he¡¯s had to send away for the chemicals and tests he needs to check for poisons. They could take a few days to arrive.¡± ¡°So we sit and we wait,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°With our thumbs up our asses,¡± Nairo confirmed. Ridley crossed his arms and sat back in his chair sullenly. After a minute, he got up and began pacing. ¡°Tell me what we do know,¡± he said. ¡°We know that both Quinn and LaRue are dead,¡± Nairo said, not taking her eyes from the street in front of her. ¡°We know they are both suspected to have died from overdoses on Burn and we¡¯re mostly certain neither of them did Burn. We know that Quinn was in the middle of an investigation. We know his apartment was broken into at some point and case notes and diary entries were removed. We know that Quinn left hidden notes with dates on them, possibly hinting at the fact that he knew he was in danger. We know that Quinn had contact with LaRue shortly before both of their deaths. We know Quinn initiated this contact. We know that Quinn wasn¡¯t working for LaRue because the dates we found do not match the dates we know she was out of the city.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ right,¡± Ridley said, lighting a smoke and continuing to pace. ¡°What do we know about LaRue?¡± ¡°We know Lana LaRue was madly in love with Friedrich Shumacker and planned to leave the stage to be with him. We know she was young, idealistic, madly in love, and wanted to settle down and start a family. We know she liked to party but had gone sober shortly before her death. We know she was worried about a stalker in the lead up to her death. And we know she didn¡¯t employ Quinn." "What about suspects?" Ridley said, lighting another smoke, his eyebrows furrowed in conentration. "Start with Shumacker." "We know that Friedrich Shumacker is a wealthy Owner on one of the the distant branches of the family tree. is married, has a child, and wantonly cheats on his wife. We know he was happy to run away with LaRue and start a new family. We know that his wife had no idea about this affair¡­¡± ¡°As far as Shumacker says,¡± Ridley interjected. ¡°As far as he says.¡± Nairo repeated. ¡°We¡¯re fairly certain Shumacker would not kill LaRue, and he had no motive for killing her as far as we know." "What about the director?" Ridley said. "We know Manny Litteragi lusted after LaRue and had made several attempts to bed her, which were all resoundly rejected. We know that Manny is in deep financial trouble and losing LaRue would have bankrupted him. We know he¡¯s now making good coin from her memorial tour. We know he¡¯s a complete low life shitbag who abuses his power and mistreats young females under his employ. We know he uses them, gets them addicted to drugs, then sells them on to brothels.¡± Nairo took a breath. ¡°We know a lot,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re still no closer to solving this thing.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°So what don¡¯t we know?¡± Nairo thought for a moment and then took a deep breath. ¡°We don¡¯t know why Quinn was killed. We don¡¯t know why LaRue was killed. We don¡¯t know how they were killed or by who. We don¡¯t know who was employing Quinn at the time of his death. We don¡¯t know who broke into Quinn¡¯s apartment and stole those documents. We don¡¯t know if it was the same person that killed him. We don¡¯t even know if it is one killer or several. We don¡¯t know why Quinn made contact with LaRue or what they spoke about. We don¡¯t know if Quinn¡¯s hidden notes even have anything to do with his death. We don¡¯t know who was, or if there even was, a stalker. We don¡¯t know who had anything to gain from LaRue¡¯s death. We don¡¯t know why they would also need to kill Quinn. In fact, we don¡¯t even know for certain if the person who killed LaRue also killed Quinn. Because we don¡¯t know how they were killed, we also can¡¯t establish who had the opportunity to kill them or even a proper timeline.¡± Nairo gasped, running out of breath on the final syllable. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Ridley stopped pacing. ¡°Shit. We don¡¯t know a lot,¡± he said. ¡°Hence why we¡¯re no closer to solving this case.¡± ¡°Ughhh,¡± Ridley huffed, scratching his hair in agitation. ¡°We¡¯re stuck following the fat man, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Nairo said. ¡°And there he goes! Come on, grab your coat.¡± Ridley sighed and followed Nairo out of the flat. * It was well after midnight by the time they arrived back at the office. The rain had returned and was pelting down as they exited the cab. They were bone tired, ratty, and sick of each other. They had followed Manny all day and night and had gained no new information for their troubles. As far as they could tell, Manny was simply going about his business, blissfully unaware he was in the middle of a possible double homicide investigation. ¡°You know, for someone who is supposed to be broke, he sure does eat well,¡± Ridley said to Nairo as the cab pulled up. ¡°The memorial tour must be doing well,¡± Nairo said, stifling a yawn. ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯m starving. You wanna grab a bite?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°No, I¡¯m exhausted,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I just wanna drop off these notes and call it a night.¡± They alighted from the cab and ran with their heads down through the pelting rain. Ridley put his key in the lock and tried to turn it. The door was already unlocked. He looked over his shoulder quizzically at Nairo. ¡°Mrs. Paper forgot to lock it?¡± Nairo said with a shrug, but Ridley shook his head. Ridley had a preternatural sense for danger, and Nairo had learnt to trust his instincts when something felt off. With a finger pressed to his lips, Ridley gently turned the handle of the door. He opened it just enough for them to step in before silently closing it behind them. The office was dark, but Nairo was sure she saw a flicker of light from the backroom to the main office. Ridley gestured at their shoes. They slowly slipped them off and tiptoed to the end of the hallway. Ridley cocked an ear and Nairo held her breath. There was an almost imperceptible shuffling noise from somewhere. They stood in silence. Ridley placed a hand on the doorknob to the office. He twisted it agonisingly slowly. Nairo felt rainwater trickling down the back of her neck. She had always hated going through closed doors. You never knew what, or how many, nasty things waited for you on the other side as a copper. Ridley pushed the door open, and they waited. The room was empty. Nairo peered into the dark corners, half expecting something to leap out at her. Her heart thudded in her chest, and her mouth had gone completely dry. Ridley slid over to the left side of the room and was slowly walking around his desk. She saw his eyes narrow and then she looked at her own desk. The drawers were open. She never left them open. Someone had been in here. She looked around and saw one of the windows at the back of the office was open. She pointed at it, and Ridley crept over to it. He stuck his head out and then withdrew it, shaking his head. Nothing. Nairo was just about to open her mouth and speak when they heard the creak of a floorboard. Nairo turned like a startled meerkat. The backroom where they kept the files! She saw the flicker of light again and then it disappeared. They both stood with bated breaths. Nairo listened hard, but the pounding rain was making it hard to hear anything, and the office was so dark she didn¡¯t want to move too quickly and stumble over something. Ridley was making his way over to the door. They stood on either side of it. They heard another floorboard squeak, then the sound of wood sliding, followed by a thud. ¡°He¡¯s going out of the window!¡± Ridley cried out, breaking the silence like shattering glass. He ran at the door and bounced off of it. Nairo tried the handle. It wasn¡¯t locked but it wasn¡¯t budging. ¡°They¡¯ve blocked it!¡± Nairo said to Ridley. He was already on his feet, running towards the open window at the back of the office. He dove out headfirst. ¡°Shit!¡± Nairo kicked at the door, pain lancing up the heel of her bare feet. She kicked it again and it fell open. Filing cabinets were open everywhere. One of them had been wedged in front of the door. She ran to the window and looked out down the dark street to see Ridley looking around wordlessly. ¡°Where¡¯d he go?¡± Nairo shouted down and Ridley just held up his hands. He looked up and down the street, but it was empty. ¡°Fuck!¡± Ridley screamed over the rain. He stormed back into the office through the front door and slammed it shut behind him. He stood there, dripping rain and looking around the now lit office. Every drawer, bag, and cabinet had been pilfered through. The backroom was even worse. Files had been flung everywhere, every drawer was opened, and the cabinet that had been blocking the door had spilt its guts when it got knocked over by Nairo. ¡°Did you get a look at them?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°No. He just disappeared!¡± Ridley said, flicking rain out of his eyes. ¡°This place has been ransacked,¡± Nairo said, looking around at the ruin of her neat filing system. ¡°Has it?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°What?¡± He ignored her. He threw off his soaking coat and stalked around his desk. He pulled out his coin bag and chucked it on the desk. ¡°They weren''t thieves,¡± he said. He then stepped over a pile of discarded papers and opened another drawer. ¡°Shit!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Quinn¡¯s diary¡­ it¡¯s gone.¡± Nairo ran around her desk and slammed two shut so she could get to the third one at the bottom. ¡°All the case files! They¡¯re gone! Witness statements. Interview notes! Everything on Manny! It¡¯s all gone!¡± Ridley walked into the backroom and banged a few filing cabinets shut. ¡°All of Quinn¡¯s notes are gone as well. Everything we found at his place.,¡± he said. ¡°Has anything else been taken?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Would we be able to tell in all of this?¡± Ridley asked, flapping his hand at the ruin of their office. ¡°No. This was a professional job.¡± Nairo said, trying to force herself to calm down and see the office as any other crime scene. ¡°The door wasn¡¯t forced, so he must have picked the lock. No valuables were taken. Then the place was ransacked to disguise what they were actually looking for.¡± ¡°All of our notes, everything we had from Quinn, everything on LaRue¡¯s death.¡± Ridley¡¯s eyes flashed coldly. ¡°Still don¡¯t think this was a murder? Someone¡¯s covering their tracks. It means we¡¯re poking around in the right direction.¡± ¡°We must have gotten close,¡± Nairo said. ¡°It had to be Manny,¡± Ridley said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even know we¡¯re investigating him.¡± ¡°He must know we¡¯ve been around asking questions. He could have figured out we were tailing him and that¡¯s why he¡¯s been keeping up the normal routine, just leading us around like dogs on a leash!¡± Ridley slammed his desk drawer shut and slumped into his chair. ¡°At least they didn¡¯t get the hidden notes.¡± Ridley pulled the secret notes they had found in Quinn¡¯s apartment from his pocket. ¡°And I¡¯ll bet an apple to a slab of ribs that whoever just robbed us also turned over Quinn¡¯s place. Someone¡¯s hiding the truth of all this and there¡¯s gotta be a good reason why.¡± Nairo looked around the office and then the thought hit her. ¡°And now a murderer knows where our office is and where we lay our heads at night!¡± Ridley looked at her, the thought making him as uncomfortable as it did her. ¡°Lock the doors and let¡¯s clean this shit up.¡± Book II - Chapter 32 - T&W 32 ¡°This is such a bad idea.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not. We¡¯re good at this now.¡± ¡°Says who?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve gone undercover twice now.¡± ¡°That was with Sarpele! And besides, we got rumbled the first time!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but this time will be different, trust me.¡± ¡°We¡¯re gonna get gutted and ¡®ung from the ceiling.¡± Wally moaned, his shoulders drooping. ¡°Why do you keep saying that? Who even does that?¡± ¡°These mad fuckers!¡± ¡°Next you¡¯ll tell me everyone knows that,¡± Timmy huffed. ¡°Well they do,¡± Wally muttered sullenly. They continued walking in silence along the riverfront to Cameron Haney¡¯s new warehouse. Locating Cameron hadn¡¯t been that difficult. Only one property on the Landlord¡¯s waterfront had changed hands in the last week. Cameron had paid the full amount in gold under an assumed identity. The warehouse had been an old fish processing plant that had long since shut down due the Forest wide food restrictions. The building had sat empty for nearly a year until Cameron bought it a week ago. Ever since, it had been a hive of activity. With limited resources, Conway had them on 12-hour shifts watching the warehouse trying to get any intel that would tell them when the shipment was coming in. So far, all they had seen was endless work, men going in and out, and more and more barricades and defences going up. Rumour on the street was that Cameron¡¯s last warehouse had been robbed, and it looked like he wasn¡¯t about to let that happen twice. Other than that, they had no idea what he was up to. After days of fruitless watching, Conway decided they needed men on the inside. There were only three detectives left in the Drug Enforcement Squad: Conway, Morris, Sarpele, and Timmy and Wally on temporary reassignment. Conway and Morris were both too old and smelt like coppers, according to Sarpele. The undercover expert himself was on a different covert assignment that even Conway didn¡¯t know anything about, which left Timmy and Wally. They were of the right age, the right species, and still nobody would believe they were coppers. With the amount of work going on in the warehouse, Cameron had been taking on extra hands for the heavy labour. The plan was to get them in and observe until they found some clue as to when the next shipment was coming in. ¡°Let¡¯s go over our covers again,¡± Timmy said, trying to reassure his friend and quash his own growing nerves. ¡°I¡¯m Desmond Crawley and your Oliver Stokely,¡± Wally repeated in a monotone. ¡°We¡¯re out of work dock hands looking to make a bit of gold.¡± ¡°And where do we live?¡± ¡°Your on Foxley Lane with your ma and I live down in the Sinkholes in one of them boardin¡¯ ¡®ouses. Why do I always ¡®ave to live in the ratty places?¡± ¡°Dunno¡­ it suits you.¡± ¡°Wot d¡¯yer mean?¡± Wally said. ¡°I could be from somewhere nice. Maybe I could have a little family, and a missus, a nice lookin¡¯ one. With some little kiddies runnin¡¯ around.¡± ¡°You think anyone would believe that?¡± ¡°Which bit?¡± Timmy shook his head and swallowed a laugh as they approached the bustling warehouse. ¡°Woah hold on there boys, you lost?¡± A gravel faced man with a squashed nose and mean eyes said to them, holding his hand up as they approached. ¡°Naa mate,¡± Wally said. ¡°We¡¯re ¡®ere to work.¡± ¡°Says who?¡± the man asked, and Timmy noticed the short sword strapped boldly to his hip. ¡°Word around the docks is yore lot are looking for workmen,¡± Wally replied. ¡°Men¡­ not little boys.¡± ¡°Mate I been working the dockyards since I was eight years old. I could unload a skiff at dawn before breakfast by meself.¡± Wally said, pointing a thumb proudly at his chest. ¡°And him?¡± the man asked, nodding a sceptical head at Timmy. ¡°This is me main mucker Ollie. Strong as a bull ¡®e is. Once watched him down a bottle of black rum and bite through a plank o¡¯ wood wiv his bare teeth.¡± Timmy, caught off guard by Wally¡¯s outrageous lies, bared his teeth and grimaced at the man who was equally befuddled. ¡°We don¡¯t need no planks bitten mate,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s had his breakfast,¡± Wally laughed, slapping Timmy on the back. ¡°I¡¯m Des Crawley, I live down in the Sinkholes.¡± ¡°We just need a bit of work mate,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Docks ¡®ave dried up and Des has got kids to feed. We ¡®eard there was work goin¡¯ and we¡¯re ¡®ere to work.¡± The man looked them up and down again, sucking his teeth and crossing his arms in the universal ¡®get lost before I give you a clip around the earhole¡¯ posture. ¡°Oi Connor! Come give us a ¡®and with these damn boxes!¡± a man shouted at the guard. ¡°I¡¯m busy!¡± Connor shouted back. ¡°Doin¡¯ what?¡± ¡°Gettin¡¯ rid of these two toerags!¡± A tall, ginger haired man came around the corner of the scrap metal wall that had been erected around the warehouse. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Wot do they want?¡± he asked, looking at Timmy and Wally. ¡°They¡¯re tryna work but¡­¡± ¡°You two got a pair of strong arms between ya?¡± the ginger haired man asked. ¡°Yeah deffo,¡± Wally said. ¡°We used to work on the docks.¡± ¡°Good. Come on.¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± Connor the guard said. ¡°Unless you wanna break your back takin¡¯ out all that scrap from the warehouse,¡± the ginger haired man said to him. Connor muttered and frowned before taking a step back and letting Timmy and Wally through. ¡°Cheers mate,¡± Wally said to the ginger haired man. ¡°I¡¯m Des and this is Ollie.¡± ¡°Al,¡± the man said, shaking their hands. ¡°You boys have got good timing. We need all hands on deck today. You¡¯ll break your backs no doubt but the pay''s decent.¡± ¡°How much?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°Two gold a piece,¡± Al said. ¡°Oof, that¡¯s a little stiff, ain¡¯t it?¡± Wally asked. ¡°Trust me lad, these ain¡¯t the types of folks you wanna haggle with,¡± Al said as he led them into the warehouse. ¡°And on that note, keep your eyes on your work and don¡¯t talk anymore than you need to. Understand?¡± ¡°Err¡­ yeah alright,¡± Wally said. The warehouse reeked. There¡¯s something infinitely potent about the smell of fish guts. It stains the very foundations of a building. Even though it hadn¡¯t been in operation for a year, it smelled like there had been fish in there this morning. Half the warehouse was already empty. Men were buzzing about working on the other half, dismantling machinery, chopping down tables, piling up old crates, and destroying anything they couldn¡¯t loosen. That half of the workforce looked very much like Timmy and Wally, just ordinary men looking for work that didn¡¯t mind putting their back into it. The other half looked much more specialised. They were erecting perimeter fencing around the warehouse, welding, sawing, and hacking endlessly. Others were fixing gates with spikes at the top and building a heavy wooden staircase that led to an equally weighty looking room behind another gate and padlocked door. They were almost silent in their work. They were efficient, highly skilled, and expensive tradesmen going about their business. Mixed in between all of these workers were thuggish guards. They patrolled the warehouse, hands on weapons, scowling around and giving everyone a suspicious side eye. ¡°Come on,¡± Al said to them. ¡°You can join the chain gang.¡± Al set them up in a chain of men who were passing along endless scraps of metal and broken timber. Wally and Timmy set about trying to keep an eye on everything without attracting attention. They worked for hours without break. Occasionally, someone came around with a bucket of water and a ladle for them to drink from, but other than that, the work never ceased. Their backs ached, and they were caked in sweat and grime. They worked all the way until the sun was high in the sky on this rare cloudless day. By the time they were given a lunch break, they had almost forgotten why they were here. They flopped out of the warehouse, glad to breathe untainted air and sat down on some discarded timber. Timmy, pink faced and dripping sweat, hunched over and scrubbed his face on his dirty shirt. Wally coughed and spat on the floor. ¡°Mate I¡¯m knackered,¡± he wheezed to Timmy. ¡°I¡¯m starving,¡± Timmy said. ¡°You boys didn¡¯t bring any lunch?¡± Al asked them as he walked over with the bucket of stale water. ¡°Naa¡­ times is ¡®ard,¡± Wally said as Timmy guzzled at the lukewarm water. ¡°I hear that,¡± Al said, sighing and sitting down the wood next to them. ¡°Here, I¡¯ve got some spare jam sandwiches.¡± He tossed a limp, squashed slice of folded bread with a thin layer of jam to each of them. ¡°Cheers!¡± Timmy said as he took a big bite of his. ¡°So you said you got kids, Des?¡± Al asked after chewing his own bite of stodgy sandwich. ¡°Oh yeah right,¡± Wally said, nodding his head. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Six.¡± ¡°Six? You look pretty young to have that many kids,¡± Al laughed. ¡°Yeah, ''ard to keep me ''ands of the wife... coz she''s a proper stunner,¡± Wally laughed as Timmy shot him a warning look: Wally was starting to get too comfortable with his wild lies. ¡°What about you?¡± Timmy asked to divert Al¡¯s attention. ¡°Just the two boys,¡± Al said. ¡°It¡¯s rough right now, I don¡¯t get to see ¡®em much. I¡¯m all over the city looking for anyone needing a back to break.¡± ¡°Back breakin¡¯s about all there is right now,¡± Wally said, nodding his head as he took another bite. ¡°Ay, and even that¡¯ll only get you enough to put some food on the table for one night,¡± Al said. ¡°You boys might be a bit too young, but there was a time when a man could do an honest day¡¯s work and live an honest life on it. Now? You couldn¡¯t even afford a slice of ham after breaking your back all day.¡± ¡°I miss ham,¡± Timmy sighed. ¡°When I was little we could still get pork pies at the end of the week but not anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you lads, I don¡¯t even recognise half this city anymore,¡± Al said. ¡°Time was you would know everybody on your street. Families would have lived there for generations. You grew up and you could find work just like that.¡± He clicked his fingers. ¡°Nowadays you can¡¯t even sell yourself for cheap enough. There¡¯s all these desperate refugees and all that that will work just for a roof over their heads, let alone a full belly.¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯re working for these lot?¡± Wally asked, casting a dark look at the armed guards. Al sighed and brushed crumbs from his worn work pants. ¡°I don¡¯t know fully what they¡¯re about¡­ but I know enough.¡± ¡°We heard they was in the drug game,¡± Timmy whispered. Al looked up sharply at Timmy and then at the guards who were congregated by the gate having a smoke. ¡°I knew it was something dodgy,¡± he replied, keeping his voice low. ¡°They¡¯ve been in a crazy rush the last three days to get the warehouse ready. You¡¯ve seen all the gates and locks everywhere?¡± Timmy and Wally nodded. ¡°Wot¡¯s it for d¡¯you reckon?¡± Wally asked and Al shrugged. ¡°¡®Fraid that¡¯s above my head and yours too. I wouldn¡¯t go asking too many questions either.¡± ¡°Yeah right, of course.¡± ¡°But I do know whatever it is, they need things finished by today, so there might not be any more work for you boys tomorrow.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Timmy asked and then remembered his cover. ¡°That¡¯s shit. Where are we s¡¯posed to work tomorrow?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t help you there lad,¡± Al said, standing up and stretching his stiff back. ¡°But I¡¯ll make sure you get paid for what you done today. Let¡¯s get back to it.¡± ¡°Yeah sure,¡± Timmy said. ¡°I just need to go toilet first.¡± Al nodded and hobbled back into the warehouse. Timmy and Wally watched him until he was out of sight. ¡°They need it done by tonight?¡± Timmy hissed at Wally. ¡°That must mean the shipment is coming in, right?¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± Wally agreed. ¡°We need to get word to Conway,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Cover me.¡± Wally stood up and began stretching with his back to him. Timmy quickly fished around in his pocket for the scrap of Comm Scroll Conway had given him. He scrawled a quick message and watched the ink slowly fade: Shipment coming in tonight. Timmy chewed his lip as he waited for a response. ¡°Oi!¡± They both looked up like startled mice. ¡°Lunch is over! Get back to work!¡± one of the guards barked at them. ¡°Oh yeah, sorry mate! Just on our way!¡± Wally yelled back. Timmy stood up and behind him and had just enough time to read Conway¡¯s response. A force is being put together. Keep your cover. Shipment will be under cover of darkness. We¡¯ll move on them tonight. Timmy swallowed and shoved the paper back into his pocket as he looked around at all the barbed wire, spikes, fences, and gates as they walked back into the warehouse. Conway better bring a lot of backup. Book II - Chapter 33 - R&N 33 Nairo awoke with a throbbing headache. Pain pulsed just above her left eyebrow. She pulled herself up and blinked. The office had only been partly put back together. They had bad temperedly thrown papers back into drawers and put right some of the furniture before Ridley had produced a bottle of Elvish vodka. After that, they drank until they had fallen asleep. Nairo was on the small crumpled sofa while Ridley had fallen asleep across his desk, bottle still in hand. Nairo yawned and scratched her mop of thick brown curls. She hauled herself out of the depths of the sofa and stretched her back, groaning as several different joints popped simultaneously. Shuffling to the kitchen, Nairo put some water on to boil for coffee, then drank two big cups of water until she felt Human again. She splashed water on her face and then searched for two clean mugs. Giving up after only finding one, she poured Ridley¡¯s into a pint glass, dumped in enough sugar to make a dentist blush, and walked back into the office. Ridley stirred fitfully and then sat bolt upright. ¡°The wolves are flying!¡± he cried out blearily. Nairo chuckled and plonked down his pint of coffee. ¡°Vampyr Werewolf hybrid nightmare again?¡± she asked, sitting down behind her desk. Ridley groaned and rubbed his sore neck. He sipped at the piping hot coffee and then coughed throatily for a few minutes before lighting a smoke and standing up to stretch. ¡°Shit, I thought you would have cleaned this place up before I got up,¡± he said, looking around the dishevelled office. ¡°When did your last maid die?¡± Nairo said. ¡°She hasn¡¯t yet, unfortunately.¡± Ridley grumbled as he kicked a pile of papers out of his way. ¡°So we know who did this, right?¡± ¡°You think it was Manny?¡± Nairo asked, blowing on her coffee. ¡°Well¡­ it definitely wasn¡¯t him in person,¡± Ridley said. ¡°No way he¡¯s squeezing through these windows. But yeah, he must have hired someone.¡± Nairo sighed and then Ridley rolled his eyes. ¡°Here we go,¡± he muttered. ¡°It just doesn¡¯t quite add up,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Why do you always have to bring up maths?¡± Nairo smirked at him. ¡°Okay first, if Manny did hire someone, they would have had to know what to look for, right? I mean, it wasn¡¯t exactly like we just had one neat folder that said Manny Litteragi on it, did we?¡± Ridley yanked open the window, sat on the window sill puffing his smoke, and motioned for her to carry on. ¡°Whoever it was got everything. Including Quinn¡¯s datebook. There was nothing in there that said anything about Litteragi.¡± ¡°Could he be he gave the thief instructions of everything he needed to take,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Could be, but he got everything. Every scrap of paper we had on this case, and some of it made no reference to Manny and would have been stuff that Manny wouldn¡¯t even have known about.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°Like our investigation into Shumacker,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Why would Manny want that?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not investigating anyone else,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Manny is the only person in Valderia that would want to block our investigation.¡± ¡°That we know of.¡± ¡°Even worse,¡± Ridley said. ¡°If it was Manny, that means he knows we were tailing him.¡± ¡°And that means the boring daily routine he went about was for our sakes. He¡¯s been leading us on for days,¡± Nairo said. ¡°If it was him that stole the documents.¡± ¡°Why wreck the office though?¡± Ridley said. ¡°I mean, he¡¯s gone out of his way to pull papers and knock things over.¡± ¡°Maybe to hide what he had stolen, throw us off the scent?¡± ¡°Or he¡¯s a dick,¡± Ridley muttered. They looked around the office and fell quiet. Without a word, they stood and began picking up files and tidying up. Nairo didn¡¯t need to look at Ridley to know his mind was whirring; she could practically hear it ticking over. While it didn¡¯t sit right with Nairo, she knew that Manny was the only viable lead they had and was the only person they knew of who had anything to gain by sabotaging their investigation. A knock at the door broke the pensieve silence. Nairo looked at Ridley, who in turn looked at her expectantly. She scowled at him and walked to the door. ¡°We¡¯re closed right now!¡± Nairo shouted through the door. ¡°You can come back later today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Emily! Is Ridley there?¡± Nairo unlocked the door and saw Quinn¡¯s frightened and dishevelled daughter standing in the doorway, looking over her shoulder. ¡°Come in,¡± Nairo said, standing to one side. Emily rushed in and made straight for the main office. Nairo looked around outside before closing the door and locking it. ¡°Emily?¡± Ridley said. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± Emily looked around the office and then at Ridley. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°What happened here?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Oh this¡­ nothing, don¡¯t worry about it. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ridley asked, leaning the bat in his hand back against his desk. ¡°Here, have a seat,¡± Nairo said, easing the young woman into a chair. She was tense and cold, like she had been outside for hours. She was clutching a paper bag to her chest and looked pale and sleep deprived. ¡°Last night,¡± she began. ¡°Last night there was a¡­ a noise outside. A window was smashed on Frank¡¯s, my husband''s, carriage. We thought it was just kids. He went outside to see what had happened, and I was at the door. Anyway, when we came back inside, and this was on the kitchen table.¡± She reached a quivering hand into bag and pulled out a silver dagger. ¡°It was stabbed onto the table with this note.¡± She held the note out to Ridley. He took it and read it before cursing under his breath and handing it to Nairo. She turned the paper around and read: You¡¯re dad¡¯s dead. You and your children aren¡¯t. No more investigations. No more questions. Or that can change. Nairo flipped the paper over and looked at the back before looking at Ridley. His jaw was clenched so hard she could see the muscles twitching in the side of his head, and his eyes radiated vengeance and fury. ¡°He was in my home, Ridley!¡± Emily said, her eyes welling with tears. ¡°The kids were asleep upstairs.¡± She then looked around the office. ¡°Was he here too?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Nairo answered. ¡°Whoever it was stole all the documentation we had on the case.¡± Emily sank into her chair and buried her face in her hands. ¡°Son of bitch!¡± Ridley snarled and kicked the desk. ¡°Listen Emily, I know you¡¯re scared but we can¡¯t stop now¡­¡± ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo snapped at him. ¡°She¡¯s frightened. This isn¡¯t the time.¡± Emily looked up between her fingers and her eyes were hard. ¡°Stop?¡± she repeated. ¡°This is proof! Someone murdered my father and now they want to scare me off finding them? Whatever you have been doing, it¡¯s working. They must feel trapped, like you¡¯re getting too close and they¡¯re trying to scare us off!¡± Nairo, who was reaching out a comforting hand, pulled it back, looking at Ridley in surprise. ¡°There¡¯s Quinn¡¯s daughter,¡± Ridley said with a wolfish grin on his face. ¡°We think we know the bastard that did it¡­¡± ¡°Ridley,¡± Nairo said sharply. ¡°We have a lead and we are investigating, but we don¡¯t have any solid evidence that he killed your father or Lana LaRue.¡± ¡°Lana LaRue?¡± Emily said. ¡°That starlet that died? What does she have to do with my dad?¡± Ridley sighed and sat down behind his desk, rubbing his eyes. ¡°We think Quinn had some sort of contact with her before she died and that he was killed to cover up her murder,¡± Ridley explained. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We think your father was trying to help Ms. LaRue. That her life was in danger, and Quinn found out somehow, and he tried to warn her. They were both killed in identical ways.¡± Emily pressed her clenched fist against her heart and closed her eyes, nodding slowly. ¡°That sounds like dad. He couldn¡¯t ever bear to see a young girl in trouble. He would go and put himself in harm¡¯s way, wouldn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Quinn was a tough old bastard, but he definitely had a soft spot,¡± Ridley said. ¡°So my dad was killed to cover up another murder?¡± Emily asked. ¡°We think. That¡¯s the best theory we have right now.¡± Nairo said. ¡°Problem is, we can¡¯t put a timeline on Quinn. Whoever killed him stole the last two months of his datebook. We have no idea what he was doing in the two months prior to his or Lana¡¯s death.¡± Ridley said. ¡°The last two months?¡± Emily repeated. ¡°Yeah, why do you know something?¡± Ridley asked. Emily shook her head. ¡°I hadn¡¯t seen him, remember. But his estate and will finally cleared and he left us a lot of gold.¡± Emily said. ¡°He gave me direct access to all of his accounts. I was just at a meeting with the bank two days ago.¡± ¡°How much gold?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Too much,¡± Emily said. ¡°Way too much for my dad¡¯s normal rates.¡± ¡°Maybe he had been saving up?¡± Nairo said, and Emily shook her head. ¡°Quinn spent gold like it was water,¡± Ridley said. ¡°He always said hordes of gold were for Owners and Dragons,¡± Emily said with a watery smile on her face. ¡°But the bank manager explained all of this gold had come into his account in the last two months.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even know Quinn had a bank account,¡± Ridley said. ¡°He usually worked coin in hand.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t,¡± Emily said. ¡°That¡¯s why it was so odd when it was left in his will. It was also why the bank manager had to meet with me personally. Dad only opened the account two months ago.¡± ¡°Did they say where the payments came from?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°No,¡± Emily replied. ¡°All of the payments were made in coin at different branches of the bank with no record of who paid it in.¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Ridley growled, banging his fist on his desk. ¡°But I do have this,¡± Emily produced a folded piece of paper from her handbag. ¡°It¡¯s a record of all the payments.¡± She handed it to Ridley, who¡¯s eyes lit up immediately. ¡°Where¡¯s my coat!¡± he shouted, standing up and running around the desk, tripping on a stack of papers and dissapearing a cloud of paperwork. ¡°Over there, on the floor,¡± Nairo said as Ridley cursed and dragged himself up. Ridley stumbled over to it, picked it up, and rifled through the inside pockets until he pulled out the folded papers they had found hidden at Quinn¡¯s. He ran back to his desk and laid them out flat. ¡°Look!¡± he said excitedly to Nairo. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The dates! They match up! This is a record of his meetings with a client! They must have paid him every time they met up! Quinn was working a case before he died!¡± Nairo looked at the dates and they did match, every single one of them. ¡°And that is a lot of gold,¡± Nairo said, looking at the number at the bottom of the bank letter. ¡°So whoever it was is loaded,¡± Ridley said. ¡°And they must have had Quinn working something real dirty if they were willing to pay him that much!¡± ¡°Do you think whoever my dad was working for was involved in his death?¡± Emily asked. ¡°It makes sense,¡± Ridley said, looking up at Nairo. ¡°Some of it does,¡± Nairo conceded. ¡°It had to be Manny,¡± Ridley growled. ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Nairo said. ¡°He was broke, remember?¡± ¡°No,¡± Ridley said. ¡°He¡¯s always flush with other people¡¯s gold. He¡¯s only broke now because they want it back.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°I do,¡± Ridley growled. ¡°He¡¯s broken in here and he¡¯s threatened Emily. We can¡¯t wait, Sarge. We move on this scumbag today.¡± ¡°And do what?¡± Nairo said. ¡°I can¡¯t take him in and interrogate him.¡± ¡°I can though.¡± Ridley pulled on his coat. ¡°Thank you, Emily. I¡¯d get your family somewhere safe for a couple of days. Stay at relatives or something until we clear this up.¡± Emily stood up and nodded. ¡°Frank¡¯s got an aunt on the other side of the city we could stay with.¡± ¡°Good, go there now and don¡¯t pack too heavy.¡± Ridley said. ¡°We¡¯re catching this bastard today!¡± Book II - Chapter 34 - T&W 34 Darkness had swept over Valderia, and with it came the thunderstorm. Rain sprinkled at first, accompanied by the ominous booming of thunder, before becoming a steady sheet of rain. The distant horizon was lit by forks of lightning lancing across the thick clouds. Cameron¡¯s warehouse had gone dark. The gates were sealed shut. The windows were blacked out. Men stood on patrol at every corner and entrance, gripping weapons and peering into the darkness. ¡°We¡¯re definitely gonna die now.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to die.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re right, we¡¯re going to be killed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the same thing.¡± ¡°No, dying sounds alright next to being beaten to death and hung from the ceiling.¡± ¡°Why would they beat us to death and then hang us from the ceiling?¡± ¡°Coz they¡¯re sickos.¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± ¡°We are not fine.¡± ¡°We¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°We¡¯re fucked.¡± "No, we¡¯re not.¡± ¡°No¡­ you¡¯re right, you¡¯re fucked.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°This was your idea.¡± ¡°This was Conway¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°Conway told us to hang about as long as we could.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°We¡¯re hiding in a pile of bloody broken timber, in a warehouse full of gangsters, in the dead of night, and there''s a storm coming in! And my ass has fallen asleep! And I¡¯m soakin¡¯ wet! And I¡¯m starvin¡¯!¡± ¡°I could eat,¡± Timmy conceded. ¡°You won¡¯t ¡®ave to worry about that when we¡¯re dead!¡± ¡°Shh! Keep your voice down!¡± Wally grumbled and then hunched inwards, hugging his arms around his chest and drawing his knees up to his narrow chest. ¡°This was such a stupid plan,¡± Wally muttered into his kneecaps. Timmy had to agree, it wasn¡¯t his finest idea. They had hung around as long as they could, and in that time they were certain something was happening tonight. As the day drew to a close, more armed thugs arrived, and there was a lot of activity on the dilapidated dock at the back of the warehouse. It was being cleaned and prepped for an arrival. They overheard snippets of orders being barked, and it sounded like they needed everything in place for tonight. When the workers were finally told to leave for the day, evening had barely begun. Timmy knew they couldn¡¯t leave. The place was too heavily fortified, and there were too many guards for the police to simply barge in and arrest everyone. They needed an inside man. So when the opportunity arose, in a moment of what he thought was inspirational brilliance, Timmy grabbed Wally, and they dove into the pile of disused timber, worming their way into a little hollow they could hide and watch from. That had been almost four hours ago. The sun had set, more goons had arrived, and now the rain had started again. They were cold, miserable, hungry, and stuck with so many splinters Timmy thought his arse must resemble an indecisive porcupine at this point. So they sat and waited, watching the guards and staring at the little scrap of Comm roll Conway had given them. He was giving them routine updates of the police¡¯s movements outside the warehouse, but it sounded like they didn¡¯t have enough men, and they were moving slowly to get into position. ¡°¡®Ow much longer do we ¡®ave to be ¡®ere?¡± Wally moaned, wiping his snotty nose on his sleeve. ¡°Until the shipment comes in,¡± Timmy said, shifting from one numb butt cheek to the other. ¡°That could be hours still! What time is it anyway?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ hold on, Conway''s sent a message!¡± They hunched around the paper, trying to keep the steady drip of rainwater off of it. Movement at the gate. Confirm if it is CH. ¡°CH?¡± Wally said. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Cameron Haney,¡± Timmy said. He shifted so he could peer through their peephole in the pile of broken timber. He could just about see the front of the yard. There was a flurry of activity as the gate was rolled back and several armed men stood to either side of it, weapons ready. A young man swanned through in a long, camel coloured coat with fur at the neck. A guard followed him, holding an umbrella up so the man could stay dry. He snapped a few orders that Timmy couldn¡¯t hear over the rain. ¡°Get that damn gate closed!¡± he heard the man shout as he got closer. ¡°I want two of you out here by the gate, the rest of you inside and at the dock. Boat¡¯s coming in in five minutes! I want it unloaded in two! You hear me? Now move!¡± ¡°That¡¯s gotta be Cameron, right?¡± Wally said. ¡°Has to be,¡± Timmy agreed, scrawling a confirmation message back to Conway. ¡°And he said the boat¡¯s coming in five minutes!¡± Confirm it is CH. Boat is coming in five minutes. The guards followed Cameron into the warehouse, leaving only two posted at the main gate. Timmy looked down at Conway¡¯s response. Not enough time. The battering ram hasn¡¯t arrived. Can you get the gate open? ¡°Get the gate open!¡± Wally moaned. ¡°¡®Ow are we gonna do that?¡± ¡°The battering ram hasn¡¯t arrived,¡± Timmy said. ¡°They won¡¯t be able to breach the gate without force.¡± ¡°We ain¡¯t got a battering ram! What can we do?¡± ¡°We can open it from the inside.¡± ¡°Wot?¡± ¡°We just have to take out those two guards and get the gate unlocked. Then the boys can come in.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Tim, that¡¯s suicide!¡± Wally hissed at him. ¡°They got weapons and there¡¯s loads more of ¡®em inside the warehouse! If they make any noise we¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Gonna be killed and hung from the ceiling, I know.¡± Timmy said, chewing his lip. He didn¡¯t like it anymore than Wally did, but what else could they do? ¡°If we don¡¯t get that gate open, our boys are going to be sitting ducks for those thugs with the crossbows.¡± Another message came in from Conway. Boat patrol is ready and waiting. Gate needs to be open for the raid team. Can you open it? Timmy clenched his jaw and then wrote back: Affirmative. Gate will be open. Watch for our signal. ¡°Tim!¡± Wally moaned. ¡°Why you gonna tell him that?¡± ¡°Because¡­ we¡¯re going to get that gate open!¡± ¡°We¡¯re so dead,¡± Wally groaned. ¡°Come on,¡± Timmy said, his heart fluttering in his chest. ¡°We just gotta take out two guards. That¡¯s not so hard right? Just bonk ¡®em on the head. You¡¯re good at that.¡± ¡°I am,¡± Wally conceded. "And there''s only two of them and two of us, and we''ve got the advantage," Timmy said, feigning confidence. "Wot advantage?" Wally said. "We know they''re there, but they don''t know we are," Timmy said. Wally looked at him sceptically before sighing and searching around for a suitable length of wood. They armed themselves with some shards of wood that looked hefty enough to do some damage and wormed their way out of the pile of timber. Fortunately, Cameron had insisted on there being no lights outside the warehouse, so it was almost completely dark. The rain was heavy enough now to mask any noise, and the guards were facing outward, peering into the street while trying to keep the rain out of their eyes. They were a right pair of guerillas. Tall, broad shouldered, baldheaded, and armed with one shots and sabres. Timmy had watched them while they were hidden in the timber, and they didn¡¯t seem like normal lackadaisical thugs. These two were trained and took their jobs seriously. Even worse, they were standing on either side of the twelve foot gate, which meant that taking down both of them at the same time would be nearly impossible without either Timmy or Wally sneaking across the open ground in front of the warehouse. ¡°The one on the right, closest to us, has the key to the gate,¡± Timmy said, not needing to whisper due to the thundering rain. Wally looked up just as another boom of thunder drowned out the world, and then a flash of lightning lit up the sky. Timmy looked down at the Comm scroll and saw another message. We¡¯re in position. Gate needs to be opened. ¡°We need to get both of them at the same time,¡± Timmy said. ¡°If we take out only one, the other one might sound the alarm. One of us is going to have to sneak across to the other side of the yard.¡± Wally looked at Timmy. There was nothing sneaky about Timmy. With a sigh he nodded. ¡°I can get across,¡± he said. ¡°Good luck,¡± Timmy said to him, slapping him on the back. Bent over double, Wally scuttled around the pile of timber until he was hugging the wall of the warehouse. Timmy looked back at the guards, and they were still watching the street. He looked back and saw that Wally was poking his head out behind the piles of discarded materials, steeling himself to pop out into the open. There was another boom of thunder and that seemed to startle Wally into a run. His long limbs flitted across the warehouse door, like the shadow of a scarecrow. Timmy¡¯s heart was in his throat. There was another flash of lightning and it lit up the yard. Wally was only halfway across when the lightning flashed. He froze like a mouse halfway across the kitchen floor. Throwing caution to the wind, he straightened up and sprinted the final yards to the other side of the warehouse, diving into cover behind a pile of rusted metal. The yard went dark again. Timmy couldn¡¯t barely breathe. He felt dizzy with fear. After a few seconds of peering into the darkness, he saw the shadow of Wally creeping out behind the pile of metal and creeping along the outer wall. Timmy took a deep breath and steeled himself. His approach would be just as perilous. There was nothing but open ground between him and the guard. It was dark, but not dark enough that he wouldn¡¯t be seen if one of the guards turned around. He had to start moving. Wally was getting closer. His legs felt like jelly. Rain, or perhaps tears of fright, blurred his vision as he crept out from his hiding place. Together, they closed in on the two guards. Thunder roared again, followed by the treacherous flash of lightning. Wally had made it the corner of his wall. He was only feet from the guard. Timmy was out in the open when the lightning flashed. He froze and watched the guards, his heart hammering so hard in his chest it hurt. The yard went dark again. Timmy willed his legs to keep moving. The lump of wood in his hands felt too heavy and his hands shook so badly he thought he was going to drop it. He was within spitting distance of the guard now. He raised his stick. BOOM! Thunder roared and then lightning crackled across the sky. The guard turned around. Timmy froze. ¡°What the¡­¡± guard said, his eyes widening. ¡°Ahhh!¡± There was a strangled cry from behind him. The guard turned for a second. Timmy leapt and swung as hard as he could. The guard threw up his arm and caught the majority of the blow on his forearm, the club only glancing across his forehead. He stumbled back, losing his footing in the muddy yard. Timmy swung again but missed, his club bouncing off the chainlink of the gate. He saw Wally grappling with his guard out of the corner of his eye. Timmy slipped in the mud and was kicked hard in the thigh by his opponent. His foot went out from under him and the guard was on his feet in an instant. He lifted his oneshot and clicked the crossbow¡¯s trigger. Timmy screwed his eyes shut and tried lift a hand to protect himself. There was a twang but no pain. Timmy opened his eyes and saw the guard throw the misfired oneshot to the side. He reached instead for the sabre at his waist. Timmy leapt up and grabbed his hand. The guard stumbled back against the gate under Timmy¡¯s bulk. They grappled for the blade and then the guard opened his mouth. He took a deep breath to shout, and in desperation, Timmy jammed his hand in the man¡¯s mouth. The cry was muffled, and the man gagged, his eyes bulging. He let go of the sabre and grabbed Timmy¡¯s wrist, yanking his hand out of his mouth. He tried to shout again but only managed to choke out a strangled cry. Timmy headbutted the man in the sternum, winding him and knocking them both into the mud. Timmy scrambled, half blind with the rain and mud. The guard¡¯s knee slammed into his nose, filling his eyes with tears and almost knocking him senseless. The man tried to pull himself to his feet and slipped on the churned up mud. Lightning flashed again, and Timmy saw the gleam of his blade in the guard''s hand. He threw himself back as the blade swished through the air a finger¡¯s length from his nose. The man lunged again, but it was a poor strike, and he slipped to one knee. He grabbed the fence with his free hand and started pulling himself upright. He opened his mouth to shout again. Timmy grabbed a handful of mud and hurled it at him. The ball of mud splattered into the guard''s face, mouth, and eyes. He gargled and cried out. Timmy felt his club in the mud next to him. He rose from up, looking like some sort of swamp monster, and brought the club down on the man¡¯s head. There was a crack and the guard dropped to his knees. Timmy raised the club again, but the man flopped completely senseless, face first into the mud. Timmy, gasping for air, turned to see Wally and his guard locked in a muddy brawl. They were rolling around, kicking, punching, headbutting, and biting each other. Wally wasn¡¯t strong, but he was wiry and had a grip like a feral dog on a bone. The guard was desperately flailing and rolling trying to get Wally off of him. Timmy lumbered over, raised his club in his shaking hands, and brought it down on the guard. He hit him with a savage blow to the ribs that knocked the wind out of him. The next blow knocked the sense out of him. The third was just for good measure. Timmy dropped the club and reached out a hand to pull Wally up. They both stood, bent over, hands on knees, sucking wind and shaking. Timmy wiped a hand across his bleeding nose and spat blood from his mouth. ¡°You alright?¡± Wally gasped. Timmy nodded and spat again. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I think so. He cut me though.¡± Wally straightened up and showed Timmy the bright red slash across his side. ¡°It ain¡¯t too bad though, I don¡¯t think. Did you get the key?¡± Timmy shook his head. He took Wally under one arm, and they hobbled back over to Timmy¡¯s guard. Timmy rifled in his pockets, found the key, and then fumbled with the heavy padlock. It was so dark, and the rain was making it hard to grip anything. Finally, he managed to get the key in and turn the lock. The padlock fell into the mud. Together, they heaved at the gate, pushing it back enough for Wally to slip through. He stood in the street and waved his arms. After a few seconds, two dozen riot gear officers melted out from the shadows and began running across the street. They heaved the gate open and charged across the muddy yard into the warehouse. Conway ran up behind them and stopped when he saw Wally. ¡°You okay, lad?¡± he said, grabbing the wobbly Corporal under the arm before he saw the blood seeping through his shirt. ¡°Shit! It¡¯s alright, lad. You just sit here. Where¡¯s Edgewater?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here sir,¡± Timmy said, stumbling around the gate, his nose dripping blood. ¡°Good lad. Take a seat here. Keep pressure on his wound. We¡¯ll get you two patched up. You done good work, lads.¡± Conway nodded to them and then charged into the warehouse, where it sounded like there was mayhem going down. ¡°You alright?¡± Timmy asked Wally as he sank down next to him. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t think we¡¯re dead, so it went better than expected,¡± Wally said, chuckling dryly as the rain poured down on them. ¡°And we weren¡¯t hung from the ceiling,¡± Timmy added. ¡°Another successful undercover mission?¡± Wally said. ¡°We¡¯re getting good at this,¡± Timmy agreed, laying his head back against the gate and watching lightning fork across the sky. Book II - Chapter 35 - R&N 35 ¡°Ridley! Slow down!¡± Nairo shouted as she hastily paid the cab driver. Ridley had already stomped across the busy street, a carriage laden with browning onions almost crashing into him. Nairo hopped around the incensed driver and followed Ridley up the steps to the Umbry theatre. ¡°Ridley, we can¡¯t just stomp in there and¡­¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ridley snarled over his shoulder. ¡°That slimy fuck has broken into our office and threatened Quinn¡¯s daughter. If he wants to play dirty, I¡¯ll show him how it¡¯s done.¡± ¡°What evidence do we even have?¡± Nairo said as she caught up with him. ¡°Don¡¯t need evidence to kick shit out of someone,¡± Ridley grunted as he blew past the usher at the door. ¡°Oh great, so now we¡¯re going to commit assault,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to come, Sarge.¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m here, aren¡¯t I?¡± Nairo fell into stride with Ridley as they marched through the bowels of the theatre in the backstage area. It was only noon, and the theatre had no matin¨¦e on today, so there were only a few people milling around, slowly preparing for the night¡¯s show. Ridley spotted a red jacketed usher and made a beeline for him. ¡°Where¡¯s Manny?¡± he snapped at the startled man. ¡°What? Mr Litteragi?" "Yeah, the wobbling fat fuck.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t seen him today. Who are you? Do you have permission to be back here?¡± The man said, regaining his footing and squaring up to Ridley. "Yeah, my permissions on the end of my shoe, wanna see?¡± ¡°Ridley,¡± Nairo put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get between him and the usher. ¡°Ridley? Sally?¡± They turned around and saw Gerald, his lionel golden hair bouncing around as he came running over. ¡°Gerald,¡± Nairo said, glad to see a friendly face. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gerald asked. ¡°These two are trespassing,¡± the usher said, still nose to nose with Ridley. ¡°No they¡¯re not,¡± Gerald said with a little laugh in his voice. ¡°These are friends of the troupe, Henry. I¡¯ll take them to where they need to be. Come on.¡± Gerald put a gentle arm around Ridley¡¯s shoulder and led them away. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gerald hissed at them. ¡°Where¡¯s Manny?¡± Ridley growled, his eyes crackling with ill intention. ¡°Manny? He¡¯s not here. Why what¡¯s happened?¡± ¡°He broke into our office and threatened the daughter of a good friend of mine,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Oh dear,¡± Gerald said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°No,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Yes,¡± Ridley said, eyeing Nairo hotly. ¡°He nicked all the files we¡¯ve been building on LaRue¡¯s murder, and he tried to scare off Quinn¡¯s daughter by threatening her and her children at their home.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like Manny,¡± Gerald said, his voice soft and worried. ¡°Oh gosh, but I wouldn¡¯t put it past him. He does know some real unsavoury characters.¡± ¡°Where can we find him?¡± Ridley said. ¡°We¡¯ve already gone by his flat, he isn¡¯t there.¡± Geral worried one of his golden locks and looked at Nairo. ¡°He umm¡­ he was here. He¡¯s gone with one of the new girls.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Gerald sighed and brushed his hair away from his face. ¡°To go get high. There¡¯s a den just off the river on Palace Square. He likes to take girls there.¡± ¡°I know the place,¡± Ridley grunted, spinning on his heels and marching away. ¡°You do?¡± Nairo said, but he was already gone. ¡°That boy is on a path to hurting somebody,¡± Gerald said as he watched him go. ¡°Yeah, hopefully it¡¯ll only be himself,¡± Nairo said. She flashed Gerald a brief smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll try and keep him on a leash.¡± ¡°Good luck,¡± Gerald said without much conviction. Nairo took off running after Ridley. * ¡°Where are we going?¡± Nairo said as they leapt out of their second cab into the bustling northern sector of the city proper. There was a market in full swing selling all sorts of garments, hats, and supposedly waterproof shawls. ¡°A Marrek Den,¡± Ridley grunted as he weaved his way through shoppers and stalls. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Marrek¡¯s a nasty little drug. Gives euphoria and hallucinations, but the comedown is vicious, plus it¡¯s pretty addictive in the long run. The den¡¯s a little spot run by some Gnome villains.¡± ¡°Triads?¡± ¡°Not quite. They¡¯re associated, and they pay tax to them, but their independents for the most part.¡± ¡°And how do you know them?¡± ¡°Any self respecting PI knows where the lowlifes of the city congregate,¡± Ridley said over his shoulder. ¡°And what¡¯s the plan here?¡± ¡°Barge in, find Manny, kick shit out of him.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°Then¡­ we improvise.¡± Nairo rolled her eyes and narrowly avoided colliding with a group of Dwarves haggling over a meter of dyed cotton. As she turned to apologise, she spotted Ridley diving down an alleyway and hurried to keep up. The alleyway was dank with floating piles of trash almost ankle deep. Nairo gingerly made her way through and then blanched when she saw a half eaten rat carcass float by. Ridley stopped at a flight of stairs going down. He trotted down the steps and then banged on the door. Nairo didn¡¯t hear what happened next, but she heard the sound of a heavy metal bolt being slid back and a door opening. She quickly hopped down the steps and followed Ridley inside. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Den was an appropriate name for the underground hovel. It was really just an empty space with a series of yellowing sheets thrown up as dividers. The place reeked of something sharp and acrid. Clouds of dark smog rolled across the ceiling and stuck in Nairo¡¯s lungs. She coughed and blinked tears from her eyes. As she followed Ridley, she looked into the rooms and saw creatures splayed out on thin cushions, clutching long wooden Marrek pipes. They sucked on the pipes like a baby on a bottle. Their limbs were all slack, their faces gormless, and their eyes unseeing as they stared up at the ceiling. There were all manner of creatures in here. Humans, Goblins, Gnomes, and even a Dwarf. There was a low murmur of conversation, punctuated by manic giggles and moans, but most creatures simply sank into the floor and stared upwards. The absolute despondency of the place itched at Nairo. Ridley had stopped at the counter to speak with a scarred Gnome. The tip of one of his ears was missing, and he had a nasty burn down one side of his jaw. They murmured quietly to one another as Nairo approached. ¡°Now Reedly, you know I don¡¯t like-a any trubble in here,¡± Gnome said with a heavy mountain accent. ¡°No trouble Poli, I just need to talk to the feller,¡± Ridley said smoothly. ¡°Why you know talk-a to him someplace else?¡± Poli asked, narrowing his good eye suspiciously. ¡°He¡¯s a hard man to track down. I¡¯ll be five minutes.¡± Ridley said. Poli sucked his teeth and looked at the Gnome who had let them in before nodding. ¡°You make any trubble and I cut you with this.¡± Poli produced a nasty serrated dagger and jabbed it at Ridley. ¡°Come on Poli, that any way to treat an old friend?¡± Ridley said with a disarming smirk on his face. ¡°You no my friend. You trubble maker!¡± Ridley shrugged and followed the Gnome to the back of the den. The Gnome silently pointed at a corner segment. Ridley nodded and walked up to it and threw the sheets wide open. Inside, Nairo saw Manny Litteragi, in fact, she saw far too much of Manny Litteragi. He was almost completely nude except for his socks and a comically small pair of briefs. He had a naked young woman wrapped around him. Her eyes were glazed over, and she looked barely conscious as Manny suckled and kissed her neck while pawing her breasts. Manny froze and looked up at them. ¡°Who the hell are you!¡± he demanded, completely sober. ¡°I¡¯m the person you robbed, you fuck!¡± Ridley snarled, stomping into the room and aiming a kick at Manny¡¯s rotund stomach. ¡°I haven¡¯t robbed anyone!¡± Manny wailed, throwing the girl to one side and squirming away from the kick. Ridley was on him, aiming stiff punches at his ample gut and chest but Manny was big, too big for Ridley to control. He flopped over and began wailing. ¡°Help me! Help me! I¡¯m being assaulted! Oh, please help me!¡± Manny scrambeld on to all fours, his briefs riding all the way up his arse, showing off his pendulous backside. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo said, trying to pull the incensed PI off Manny. ¡°Why¡¯d you do it?¡± Ridley yelled at him, kicking his backside. ¡°Why did you kill Quinn?¡± ¡°What? Who have I killed? Help me!¡± Manny pulled at the sheet to help heave his bulk up, pulling the whole curtain down on top of them. ¡°What you doing?" I told you Reedly you no start trubble!¡± Poli appeared, dagger in hand with three other Gnomes, wielding clubs. ¡°Shit.¡± Nairo turned just in time to dodge a blow from one of the Gnomes. She swiped a kick at the Gnome as Ridley fought to extricate himself from the curtain. Nairo grabbed one Gnome and tossed him into the next room. Another one took his chance and thumped her across the bat with his club. Nairo cried out and stumbled forward, almost tripping over Ridley. She grabbed the Marrek pipe and swung it blindly at the Gnomes, the hot ash within the pipe flew out and burnt the eyes of the Gnome closest to her. He screamed and dropped his club, frantically wiping his eyes. Poli lunged forward to stab Nairo and crashed into Ridley who finally managed to free himself long enough to trip backwards and slam head first into Poli. Nairo quickly kicked the fallen dagger away. Another Gnome leapt on her back, pummeling her with his small fists while the third swung his club with wild abandon. He hit Nairo once in the elbow, then in the stomach, and on the third swing, Nairo spun, and he cracked his own partner across the back of the head. The Gnome fell senseless from Nairo¡¯s back and lay stunned on the floor. Ridley rolled across the stained carpet grappling with Poli. He headbutted the Gnome and then roared in pain when Poli bit him. The naked young girl was slowly coming to her senses as they brawled all around her. She whimpered at first and then began screaming. Ridley found his footing and pulled Poli bodily off the floor and hurled him into the wall. He spun, grabbed the Gnome that was menacing Nairo with his club by the back of his head, and slammed him face first into a pillar. Breathing heavily, he looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s Manny?¡± Nairo turned and saw the wobbly white arse of the director disappearing up the stairs. ¡°He¡¯s running!¡± Nairo shouted as she took off after Manny with Ridley close on her heels. They tore through the den, most of its occupants completely unaware that anything had happened, and then took the steps two at a time. Manny was running deeper into the alleyway, his marshmallow body jiggling and bouncing as he ran as fast as his peculiarly small feet could. The chase was one of the more visually unappealing that Nairo had ever taken part in. Fortunately, it did not last long. Manny had run maybe a hundred yards before he stumbled and then slowed to a desperate walk. She could hear his desperate wheezing from ten feet away. He sucked wind and stumbled before collapsing to one knee as they caught up to him. Manny raised a podgy hand and flopped down against a wall, gasping and spluttering. ¡°P-p-please¡­¡± Manny huffed. ¡°I-I-I haven¡¯t done anything¡­¡± His face was soaked in sweat and ghostly white. He was breathing so heavily that Nairo was worried he might pass out or have a heart attack. ¡°Nice try,¡± Ridley growled at him, lighting a smoke and standing over the trembling director. ¡°We know all about you, you sick fuck.¡± Manny looked up at him, his eyes shaking in fear, his hair slick with sweat. ¡°Why did you kill Lana LaRue?¡± Ridley snapped at him. ¡°Wha-what?¡± Manny stuttered, gulping air like a fish out of water. ¡°Lana wasn¡¯t killed. She overdosed!¡± ¡°We know she didn¡¯t use drugs,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Her murder was staged to look like an overdose.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?" Manny cried out. ¡°Who are you people?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask the fucking questions!¡± Ridley snarled. ¡°I¡¯ll not stand for this!¡± Litteragi said, his voice regaining some of its strength. ¡°Do you know who I am? I am¡­ I am an important man in this city! You cannot hunt me down¡­ like some sort of-of animal in the streets!¡± ¡°Oh yeah. Wanna bet?¡± Ridley said a nasty leer on his face. Nairo put a hand on Ridley¡¯s shoulder and pushed him back a little. She kneeled down and tucked her hair behind her ears. ¡°Mr. Litteragi, my name is Sally Nairo and this is Ridley. We¡¯re Private Investigators, looking into the death of Lana LaRue. We believe she was murdered.¡± ¡°And you did it!¡± Ridley added. ¡°M-murdered? Who would¡­ why would¡­ I did not murder that sweet girl!¡± Manny cried out, wobbling on the dirty cobbles. ¡°Why would I kill Lana?¡± ¡°Jealousy?¡± Ridley said. ¡°She knocked you back more than once.¡± ¡°We know you made advances on her, Mr. Litteragi,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Of course I did! She was stunning! But I didn¡¯t¡­ I would never harm one of my girls!¡± Manny said, his voice desperate and pleading. ¡°No, you just get ¡®em hooked on drugs and sell them off,¡± Ridley said coldly. A dark look flitted across Manny¡¯s face. ¡°What I do with my girls is none of your business!¡± He snarled at Ridley. ¡°Your girls?¡± Ridley shouted. ¡°They¡¯re fucking Human beings, you piece of shit!¡± Ridley swung a kick at Manny. Nairo just managed to get between them, Ridley''s blow skimmed across Manny¡¯s face, making him cringe and cower into the gutter. ¡°I never hurt Lana!¡± Manny wailed. ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t! She was my star! A once in a generation talent! She was going to make me rich!¡± ¡°But she wasn¡¯t, was she?¡± Nairo said. ¡°She was planning on quitting, wasn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Manny said aghast. Nairo looked at Ridley and cocked an eyebrow. Even Ridley¡¯s demeanour was less certain now. ¡°We know everything, Mr. Litteragi,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We know what you do with the girls. We know about Queelaria. We know about your mountain of debt. We know you made advances on LaRue. We know she was planning to leave the theatre to start a family with Fred Shumacker¡­¡± At the mention of Shumacker''s name, Manny¡¯s face curled up with festering hatred. ¡°That fuck¡­ Friedrich Shumacker¡­ this is all his fault!¡± Manny choked out, spittle flecking his rubbery lips. ¡°It¡¯s always been him! You think I killed Lana? What about Stacy? Gwen? Cecilia?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Shumacker has been doing this for decades!¡± Manny spat. ¡°He takes a liking to one of my girls, fills her head with nonsense about true love and then ruins them! Everyone of them dead or in the gutter once he¡¯s done with them! You think it¡¯s me? Ha! He¡¯s the devil! He tears these girls apart, and they disappear once he¡¯s done with them! Stacey killed herself! Gwen fell ill when he discarded her and died rotting in an asylum! And no one¡¯s ever heard from Cecilia again! This is what he does! He¡¯s an empty pit¡­ a fucking cesspool of a Human that drowns anything beautiful, anything precious that gets too close. And he enjoys it. He¡¯s always enjoyed twisting the knife in me! He takes pleasure in stealing the girls he knows I love!¡± Manny was quivering with rage now. ¡°I would never hurt Lana! I loved her! She was the sweetest little thing! Why would anyone hurt her?¡± Manny broke down now. His rage crashed into pathetic tears. He sat, nearly naked, in the gutter, weeping piteously. ¡°I would never hurt her. I would never. I wouldn¡¯t.¡± He sobbed. Nairo looked at Ridley. ¡°You still think this is our cold, calculated killer?¡± Ridley looked at the broken, weeping man before them. ¡°Fuck!¡± Book II - Chapter 36 - T&W 36 Conway sat back and crossed his arms, staring daggers into the youth opposite him. Cameron Haney, 24 years old, blonde haired, blue eyed, with a bit of fluff on his lip and a fresh black eye, glared right back. Conway cleared his throat and pulled the file towards him. ¡°Would you like to know what we¡¯re charging you with?¡± Conway asked, and Cameron gave a small, noncommittal shrug of his shoulders. ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s bullshit,¡± he said. ¡°Import and distribution of a controlled substance in the quantity of over five kilos. Attempted murder of a police officer. Resisting arrest. Possession of a deadly weapon. Payment in commision of a crime. Laundering gold. Purchase of property by means of deception and fraud. And my favourite, commissioning of criminal enterprise.¡± Conway looked at Cameron. ¡°How old are you? 24? You¡¯re looking at¡­ sixty maybe seventy percent of your natural born life in a concrete hole. That¡¯s what, fifty years? You might see sunshine again when you¡¯re in your mid seventies.¡± Cameron shifted in his seat. ¡°I want my lawyer,¡± he said. ¡°You have one?¡± Cameron pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll get one.¡± ¡°Better be a bloody good one,¡± Conway said. "Although I can¡¯t imagine you''re too flush with gold right now. What with the purchase of that new warehouse, all those goons you hired, and the fact that we¡¯ve got forty kilos of your Burn sitting in the lockup. You did pay for that up front, didn¡¯t you?¡± Cameron stayed silent. ¡°Because I¡¯d hate to think there¡¯s some real nasty sorts waiting for their gold while you''re sitting here clinked up. I¡¯d imagine you wouldn¡¯t last long in BlackWater with that sort of debt hanging over your head.¡± ¡°I dunno what your talking about,¡± Cameron said, sniffing and shrugging his shoulders. ¡°I was just there visiting a mate. If there was anything illegal going on, it ain¡¯t got nothin¡¯ to do with me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Conway said, nodding his head. ¡°I was just visiting a mate. There¡¯s about two hundred other inmates who all got locked up just for visiting a mate at the wrong time.¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t got nothin¡¯ on me.¡± ¡°Son, d¡¯you know what the problem with hiring muscle is? They ain¡¯t got no loyalty to you. My detectives are all having this exact same conversation with all those men who we nicked in the warehouse. Quite a few of ¡®em have priors, and they ain¡¯t looking to do double time for reoffending, not for you. I¡¯d bet my left ear, there¡¯s at least half a dozen of ¡®em right now, signing sworn affidavits that you owned the warehouse, that was your Burn, and that you hired them to protect it.¡± Conway saw a trickle of sweat run down Cameron¡¯s temple. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re not thick. How many thugs that can be bought for a couple gold pieces are gonna do the time? We¡¯re putting this up as a criminal enterprise case, which means everyone gets the same charges and the same time. I bet you don¡¯t even know most of their names, do you?¡± ¡°Lawyer,¡± Cameron choked out. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to go that way though,¡± Conway continued. ¡°Gimme the names of your suppliers, and I¡¯ll see how many of these charges we can reduce down. You¡¯ll do some time, maybe a few years, but you¡¯ll see sunlight again. ¡°How many wanna be Villains like you are there in this city? I don¡¯t care about you. I want whoever is bringing this poison into my city. They¡¯re the ones that should be doing the big time, not you.¡± Cameron¡¯s forehead glistened with sweat now, his eyes shone brightly, and his leg had begun bouncing nervously under the table. ¡°Gimme their names, it¡¯s the only move you¡¯ve got left.¡± Conway pushed a blank piece of paper towards him and uncapped his pen, holding it out to Cameron. Cameron looked down at the paper, then at the pen, and finally at Conway. ¡°And how long do you think I would last if I snitched?¡± Cameron spat at him. ¡°Get me my fuckin¡¯ lawyer, pig.¡± Conway sighed and pushed the cap back onto his pen. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some time to think on it.¡± Conway stood up and left the charge sheet on the table where Cameron could read it before exiting the room. Timmy and Wally were sitting outside of the interrogation room, waiting anxiously. They were battered and bloody but refused to leave the station. Wally had been stitched up by the on site nurse, and now they sat pressing coldstones to their various lumps and bruises. ¡°Did he talk?¡± Timmy said as soon as Conway came out. ¡°What are you two still doing here?¡± Conway snapped at them. ¡°I sent you home hours ago.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t go ¡®til we know we got the son of a bitch,¡± Wally said, half of his face an ugly shade of purple. ¡°We got him, but he ain¡¯t talking,¡± Conway sighed. ¡°I got a feeling he¡¯ll stay tight lipped until he knows he¡¯s facing big numbers, then it¡¯ll all come out.¡± ¡°But what about about the suppliers?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t the river patrol get them?¡± Conway shook his head. ¡°They were only a minute or two behind but they disappeared in the fog. We¡¯re searching right now, but there¡¯s no sign of ¡®em.¡± ¡°We got the Burn though?¡± Wally said. ¡°Yep, forty kilos of it.¡± Wally whistled through his teeth. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of Burn.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a drop in the ocean,¡± Conway growled. ¡°We need the suppliers if we really want to make a dent in the trade.¡± ¡°Were there any clues in the warehouse?¡± Timmy asked. ¡°No idea,¡± Conway said. ¡°No one¡¯s been back there yet. We got a couple lads stationed outside, but it¡¯s been all hands on here with all the interviews.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°We¡¯ll go!¡± Timmy said. ¡°No you will not!¡± Conway said. ¡°You¡¯ll go home and rest! You¡¯ve been beat to shit! You deserve a couple hours of downtime.¡± ¡°We¡¯re good to go, sir.¡± Wally said, heaving himself to his feet. ¡°We wanna catch these bastards.¡± ¡°And besides, all we¡¯re doing is looking around, right?¡± Timmy said. ¡°Nothing dangerous about that.¡± Conway scratched his stubble and then sighed. ¡°Fine. You can go and have a look and see if there¡¯s any clues as to who the suppliers are. The warehouse is secure so you shouldn¡¯t get into any trouble there. But as soon as you¡¯re finished you write your reports and head home for the day, understand?¡± ¡°Yes sir!" Timmy and Wally limped away while Conway watched them go. He hated to admit it, but he had to admire them; they had guts. * Rufi stole across the waterfront, his gleaming leather loafers sinking into the mud. It was still a few hours before sunrise, and the coppers had only left a couple of blue shirts on guard out front of Cameron¡¯s warehouse. Rufi scaled the chain link fence around the back and landed with a gentle thud. With the back of his tomahawk, he popped the lock to the rear entrance and stole into the warehouse. The near complete darkness was punctuated by shafts of gleaming moonlight. Rufi paused for a few seconds and waited. Silence. He crept into the warehouse and peered around. The place was a mess. Arrow bolts stuck out of every wall and all across the floor. There were dried puddles of blood, torn metal, and broken wood everywhere. The police had come in here heavy it seemed. A part of Rufi almost felt sorry for Cameron. Getting raided and robbed twice in the span of a week was a tough break, even for a piece of shit like him. The police hadn¡¯t left much, but Rufi needed something¡ªsome reassurance that this wasn¡¯t a fresh supply of the Bad Batch. Feeling around while letting his eyes adjust, Rufi pieced together the layout of the warehouse. He stepped around the puddles of blood and worked his way across the warehouse carefully. He kept one ear trained on the outside, listening for any sounds of someone approaching. Across the warehouse floor, he saw the moonlight glinting from more metal. As he approached, he saw a broken metal door hanging off its hinges and a staircase leading upwards. He thought back to Cameron¡¯s last warehouse and knew that the stash room would be at the top of those stairs. He stepped over the ruined door and placed one foot on the bottom step. It creaked under his bulk. He froze and waited a few seconds before beginning his ascent. At the top of the stairs, he stepped through another busted open door and found himself in a now almost empty room. Rufi pulled his lighter out of his pocket, flicked it on, and held up the light. There were only a few broken crates and cardboard boxes laying about. Rufi kneeled down and held his flame closer to the boxes. Then he felt a shard of ice pierce his chest. There on the floor was a single piece of red string. ¡°Fuck.¡± Rufi growled in the darkness. He picked the string up and inspected it. It was the same string, it had to be. He tucked it into his jacket pocket and stood up. Then he heard the door to the warehouse open. * ¡°You sure you two are gonna be alright in there?¡± The officer on guard asked as he pulled the warehouse door open. "Yeah, we¡¯ll be fine now we got these torches,¡± Timmy said as he hobbled past them. ¡°You said Lieutenant Conway sent you?¡± the officer asked sceptically. ¡°Yeah mate. We¡¯re special detectives on secondment,¡± Wally said as he limped into the warehouse, still clutching his wounded side. ¡°If you say so,¡± the officer said, walking back to the front gate. Timmy and Wally held up the bright glowstone torches and looked around the ruined warehouse. ¡°Ahh man, that was a whole day¡¯s work clearing this place up!¡± Wally moaned as he looked around. ¡°I hope Al got paid before he left,¡± Timmy said as he looked at the wreckage of the warehouse. ¡°What¡¯re we even looking for?¡± Wally asked. ¡°I dunno,¡± Timmy replied. ¡°Some sort of clue maybe.¡± ¡°A clue about what?¡± ¡°Who sold the shipment to Cameron.¡± ¡°You reckon they left an invoice?¡± Wally asked, wincing as he tried to grin. ¡°Would be nice. With like a home address on it,¡± Timmy chuckled dryly. ¡°You take the left, I¡¯ll take the right, and we''ll work our way back to the middle. Then we¡¯ll go upstairs.¡± * Rufi hugged the wall to the stashroom and peered around the corner. There were only two of them. They had glowstone torches but he couldn¡¯t see any weapons. There would be backup outside though. He could take them if he needed to, but putting hands on coppers was never ideal. What did they say there were, special detectives? Rufi forced his heartbeat to slow down and tried to figure out a route to sneak out of the warehouse. He looked around at the windows. They had all been barred shut. The only way to the back door was down the stairs. He looked at the stairs and remembered how treacherously they had creaked when he went up them. There was no chance he could creep down them without being heard. He could make a dash for it. That seemed the best solution. If there were more coppers out there though, he¡¯d have a time outrunning them through the sucking mud of the river banks. ¡°Shit!¡± Rufi breathed. He listened to the two detectives talking. They sounded young, too young, like kids. And not very bright kids, either. Special detectives or not, Rufi could smell a rookie copper from a mile off, and these two reeked. He peered around the corner and saw one of them step into the moonlight. He was a scrawny beanpole with a youthful face and big ears. He also looked like he¡¯d had seven shades of shit kicked out of him recently. They were just kids. Another idea occurred to Rufi. He pocketed his lighter, loosened his tomahawk in its strap, and took a deep breath. * ¡°Find anything?¡± Timmy called out to Wally. ¡°Naa nuffin¡¯ but blood and arrows,¡± Wally shouted back. ¡°Let¡¯s have a look upstairs,¡± Timmy said, walking towards the steps. ¡°Evening detectives.¡± Timmy froze with his foot on the bottom of the step. He whipped his torch up and found himself staring at a Goblin. A massive Goblin. He was standing at the top of the stairs with his hands raised and a genial smile on his face. ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± Timmy stammered, his tongue feeling twice as big in his mouth. ¡°Just a concerned citizen,¡± the Goblin said, taking a step down the staircase. ¡°What are you doin¡¯ ¡®ere?¡± Wally asked, taking a subconscious step back from the imposing figure slowly making his way down the stairs. ¡°I heard there was a bit of action here, and I just came to see if you needed any help.¡± The Goblin was halfway down the stairs now. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± Timmy said, backing away from the staircase. ¡°H-how did you get in here?¡± ¡°Through the back,¡± the Goblin smiled again. ¡°But you¡¯re right, I am imposing on your investigation. So I¡¯m just gonna make my way back out again.¡± ¡°Hold on, what were you doing up there?¡± Timmy said as Wally stepped to his side. ¡°Just having a look around. Lot of blood about, watch your step, be a shame to get any on you.¡± The Goblin¡¯s smile never slipped, but his eyes were hard, and his hand crept towards the inside of his jacket. ¡°You can¡¯t just¡­ leave,¡± Wally said, but his voice had no conviction. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m gonna do. Just slowly make my way out of here. Real calm like.¡± The Goblin backed slowly towards the rear exit. ¡°We¡¯ll call for backup,¡± Timmy said. ¡°There¡¯s a dozen officers out there.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s where they should stay. It¡¯s always good when things stay where they should.¡± The Goblin¡¯s voice was cold and threatening. ¡°Coppers. Civilians. Blood. All things have their places.¡± He was at the exit now. ¡°You boys have a nice night.¡± With that, he vanished out of the warehouse. Timmy and Wally stood staring at the door. ¡°Did that just ¡®appen?¡± Wally asked. ¡°Did a massive bloody Goblin in a flash suit just walk out of here?¡± Timmy blinked sweat from his eyes. ¡°Do you know who that was?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°That was the Goblin from the Gnommish restaurant we went undercover in. That was Ruf¡¯Gar Chaw¡¯Drak.¡± ¡°Bloody ¡®ell,¡± Wally breathed. ¡°Good. I thought I had one of them concussions.¡± ¡°You might,¡± Timmy said, still staring at the door. ¡°Tim?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Can we go ¡®ome now?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Book II - Chapter 37 - R&N 37 It was another miserable summer day in Valderia. Storm clouds had rolled back in over night, bringing a relentless deluge of rain. Thick stone-sized raindrops hammered straight down on the airless city. Creatures sweltered under raincoats, and the streets had formed a canopy of umbrellas and hastily erected awnings in front of shops. The gutters had overrun and the river had swollen so much it was threatening to burst its banks and drown everything within a mile. But the city marched on. Still shops opened, business was done, crimes were committed, and Ridley and Nairo plugged on with their case. After Manny Litteragi had proved to be a dead end, they had gone back to the drawing board, in this case, it was a literal drawing board. They had stared at the barebones of their case for hours. Drinking, arguing, eating, and sleeping in between. Finally, they had decided to look at Friedrich Shumacker, the Owner and former boyfriend of Lana LaRue. Fingers kept getting pointed back at him, and he was a man of means and power. If anyone could have staged two murders to look like overdoses, it would be him. ¡°I managed to run down those names,¡± Nairo said as she shook rainwater from her hair and closed the door behind her. Ridley was sitting by the window, staring out into the rain and chain smoking. He was becoming increasingly reticent as the case grew colder. ¡°Shumacker¡¯s mistresses?¡± he said after a long pause. ¡°Yes. We have Stacey Alibaster, Gwen Fortuna, and Cecilia Brown. All former employees of the Umbry Troupe. I¡¯ve sent their names to Conway. He should be able to get us addresses, but it sounds like he¡¯s pretty busy up there.¡± ¡°That big drug bust?¡± Ridley asked, not looking away from the window. ¡°You heard about that?¡± ¡°Everyone has. Cameron Haney got caught with forty kilos of Burn. Apparently, the city has gone dry.¡± ¡°At least the OD¡¯s have stopped.¡± Nairo sat down at her desk and rubbed her aching neck. ¡°Could be a day or two before we hear from Conway again.¡± ¡°And in the meantime, we just sit here and twiddle our thumbs?¡± Ridley said, stubbing out his smoke and lighting another. ¡°You got another idea?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°The wife.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Shumacker¡¯s wife.¡± ¡°What about her?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the one thing we¡¯ve heard from damn near every person we¡¯ve interviewed about LaRue?¡± ¡°Why would anyone want to hurt Lana?¡± Nairo repeated it wearily. ¡°Exactly. We thought Manny had motive. We thought Shumacker had motive. Turned out we were wrong. The only person left who might bear some sort of ill will towards Lana LaRue would be¡­¡± ¡°Shumacker¡¯s wife,¡± Nairo finished. ¡°But he said she didn¡¯t even know about LaRue.¡± ¡°According to him,¡± Ridley said. ¡°How many cheating husbands do you think there are that think their wives are completely clueless?¡± ¡°Fair point. But from the sound of it, Schumacker¡¯s been doing this for decades, long before he met his wife. She must have known what he was about before they ever got married.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s happy about it now,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s as good a motive as any of the others we¡¯ve investigated.¡± ¡°Better than sitting here with our thumbs up our asses.¡± ¡°Agreed," Nairo said. "How do we find her?¡± ¡°At home, I¡¯m guessing.¡± ¡°And you know where that is?¡± Ridley clamped his smoke between his teeth, stalked across the office, and pulled a sheaf of paper from his top drawer. ¡°I found it when we first started investigating him. Fancy taking a ride out to the Forest?¡± Nairo sighed and pulled her coat back on. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± * The Shumacker manor was located in the Wormdown Grove about ten miles from the outskirts of the city. Wormdown was an old Hamlet that the Owners had swallowed up when the workers migrated to the city. Now it was a sprawling series of estates, each owned by various offshoot branches of the richest, and most secretive, elites of the city. They were colloquially known as the Owners. An apt name since they owned the very land and a majority of the buildings within the city. They had been humble small landowners many generations ago, but they had been smart. They had seen the great changes coming and knew that little villages and hamlets would give way to megacities like Valderia. They kept hold of their land and leased it out. Then brought more and leased that. Until, eventually, they were rumoured to own three out of every five buildings and streets in Valderia. There were only five families originally, but through generations of promiscuity, marriage, bastards, and divorces, the five families had splintered into dozens of lesser families, each owning scraps of the actual empire, but that was enough to make them exceedingly wealthy. The original five families, it was rumoured, were almost as wealthy as the Elves. The Shumackers were one of these lesser branches. They had married into one of the five families generations ago and had managed to maintain their position and wealth through further marriage and offspring. Their estate was one of the smaller ones, but it was well kept and just ostentatious enough to be fashionable. Nairo and Ridley pulled up to the large iron wrought gate, the manor house a small, white blob in the distance. A footman approached them, hiding under a large black umbrella. ¡°May I help you?¡± he drawled in an accent that was so uptight it wouldn¡¯t be able to pass wind if it tried. ¡°We¡¯re here to speak with the lady of the house regarding an ongoing investigation,¡± Nairo said, holding up a hand to keep the rain out of her face. ¡°Is Lady Shumacker home?¡± ¡°Of course, do you have an appointment?¡± the footman asked. He was shorter than Nairo but still managed to look down his nose at her. ¡°Listen mate, we¡¯re here about a murder. The Lady will want to talk to us before she has to be summoned by the police.¡± Ridley snapped at the footman. ¡°You¡¯re police?¡± ¡°She said we¡¯re here investigating a murder, didn¡¯t she?¡± Ridley said. Nairo shot him a dark look. She had told Ridley, under no circumstances, would she impersonate a police officer in the course of their investigations. Despite this, Ridley kept coming up with creative ways to let people assume they were police. The footman looked from Nairo to Ridley. ¡°This is what is called obstructing the course of justice,¡± Ridley said to the footman. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. He hesitated, then unlocked the gate and stood aside for them. ¡°I shall announce your arrival,¡± the footman said. ¡°What are your names?¡± ¡°Edgewater and this is Washbottom,¡± Ridley said as he strode past the footman. ¡°Our boss is Lieutenant Conway.¡± Nairo rolled her eyes and crunched her way up the long gravel path to the house. The manor was beautifully kept. The whole perimeter was lined with Fortress hedges, standing at least twelve feet high and trimmed to precise symmetry. There were fountains, potted plants, emerald green lawns, and even a swinging bench hanging from a tree. It looked like the idyllic grounds for a stately home. They were led to the enormous main doors and asked to wait in the foyer. Ridley looked around and whistled. "I''ve never been in a house with a foyer,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can describe this place as a house,¡± Nairo said. ¡°You could build a dozen homes just on the lawn back in the city.¡± ¡°How much evil shit do you gotta do to get a house like this?¡± Ridley said. "Depends on what you consider evil,¡± a voice said from down the hall. A tall, elegant woman walked towards them. She wore a figure hugging dark green dress. Her auburn hair was tied in a bun, showing off her long neck, with a choker of glittering green diamonds around it. She had hazel coloured eyes and perfectly white teeth. Her face was smooth and wrinkle free but her eyes were weathered, exuding surety that belied her age. On her hip was a small child, perhaps a toddler, smiling and gurgling. Over her shoulder came the hulking butler they had seen at the theatre for Lana LaRue¡¯s memorial show. It was hard to imagine Lady Shumacker as that fierce woman who stormed out of the show that night. The butler looked the same, however. Tall and dark with a hard jaw and suspicious eyes. ¡°Mrs. Shumacker?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Call me Leanne. And you are?¡± ¡°Edgewater and Washbottom.¡± Ridley said without missing a beat. ¡°But you can call me Sally, and this is Ridley,¡± Nairo said, trying to hide her annoyance. ¡°I understand you¡¯ve come to question me regarding a murder." Leanne said, a playful smile on her face. ¡°Who is it I have murdered?¡± ¡°Not you,¡± Nairo said. ¡°There has been a murder, and we were hoping you might be able to help our investigation.¡± ¡°Fascincating. Please, do come this way.¡± The butler stepped in front of them and pushed open a set of double doors and into the lounge, and then a set of french doors that led to a glass conservatory. There was already tea placed on the table. ¡°I do love watching the rain,¡± Leanne said as she walked towards her seat, the butler jumping to pull it out for her. She gently sat herself down and then gave her son to the butler. He whisked the child off to the other side of the conservatory to play on a rocking horse. ¡°Please sit.¡± Nairo and Ridley sat opposite Leanne and the butler reappeared to pour the tea. He kept his eyes low while Ridley watched him curiously. ¡°Milk? Sugar?¡± the butler asked. His voice sounded like he went to an all boys school where everyone had double-barreled names, but Nairo couldn¡¯t miss the slight gutter twang of Valderia¡¯s harder corners buried underneath. ¡°Four sugars,¡± Ridley said. The butler continued to pour the teas, handing them out, before stepping away from the table. ¡°So what can I help you with, detectives?¡± Leanne asked, blowing on her tea, which accentuated her gorgeous cheekbones and luscious lips. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about the death of Lana LaRue, the actress?¡± Nairo began. Leanne looked at her and sipped her tea. ¡°I have, yes. Tragic really, but the stage is a harsh place for young girls. I should know.¡± Leanne gave them a glittering smile. ¡°You were an actress?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°And a singer. And a dancer. But that was all a lifetime ago,¡± Leanne said, that twinkle reappearing in her eyes. ¡°Is that where you met your husband, Friedrich?¡± Nairo asked. Leanne gave a small smile and then nodded. ¡°Yes. He saw me on stage and had to have me, and my husband usually gets what he wants. I was barely seventeen when I met Fred.¡± ¡°Your husband likes his starlets?¡± Ridley asked, and the smile faded from Leanne¡¯s face. ¡°He has a¡­ type,¡± she said, smiling again, but this time it did not reach her eyes. ¡°How long have you and Mr. Shumacker been married?¡± Nairo said. ¡°It feels like a lifetime.¡± Leanne laughed and stirred her tea, a curious look in her eyes. ¡°But officially it will be nine years next month.¡± ¡°Congrats,¡± Ridley said as he slurped his tea. ¡°How old¡¯s the kid?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Your son,¡± Ridley said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the boy on the rocking horse. ¡°Teddy? He¡¯s just turned two,¡± Leanne said, beaming brightly at her child. ¡°He your first?¡± Ridley said. ¡°My only child, yes.¡± ¡°Just I saw those names on the fireplace,¡± Ridley said, pointing over her shoulder at the grand fireplace, on which were seven names on white parchment, being held by small teddy bears with black ribbons tied around them. Leanne looked over her shoulder and then blanched. The colour drained from her face, and she looked away from them, her eyes bright, and her slender neck bobbing as she swallowed. The butler shifted beside them. ¡°Those are¡­ my babies that didn¡¯t make it.¡± Leanne¡¯s voice was barely above a whisper. ¡°We tried many times before we were blessed with Teddy.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Nairo said, looking at Ridley, who gave a small shrug as if to say, ¡®How was I supposed to know?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s quite alright,¡± Leanne said, taking a steadying breath and flicking a finger under her eye to wipe away a tear. ¡°My first, Annabele, was the reason Fred and I even got married. Accidents do happen, and Fred, to his credit, made an honest woman of me as soon as he found out I was pregnant.¡± Ridley exchanged a look with Nairo: Fred was certainly a creature of habit. ¡°But what does any of this have to do with a murder?¡± Leanne asked them. ¡°From what I understand, Lana LaRue¡¯s death was an accident?¡± ¡°We believe it may not have been,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Did you ever meet Ms. LaRue?¡± ¡°No. Like I said, I retired from the stage a decade ago when I fell pregnant, Fred insisted on it. I¡¯m afraid I haven¡¯t been back to Valderia much since.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t go to the city much?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°No. I don¡¯t go anywhere really.¡± Leanne laughed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid motherhood has made me rather boring! I spend most of my days here or at one of our villas on the lakefront.¡± ¡°Mr. Shumacker doesn¡¯t like you going out?¡± Nairo said. "Oh, Fred doesn¡¯t mind very much either way. But with running this place, being a mother, and being a Shumacker, there just isn¡¯t much time for anything else. Plus, I had my fill of Valderia. I¡¯m much happier out here. Things are slow and consistent.¡± Leanne looked wistfully out of the window. ¡°And were you aware of any relationship Fred may have had with Ms. LaRue?¡± Nairo asked, picking her words carefully. Leanne sipped her tea and shrugged her slender shoulders. ¡°Fred is a patron of the Umbrey theatre, I¡¯m sure they must have known each other in some capacity.¡± Leanne said, looking into her tea cup. ¡°Mr. Schumacker never spoke about her to you?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Surely you¡¯re not suggesting my Fred had anything to do with Ms. LaRue¡¯s unfortunate passing?¡± ¡°No, we don¡¯t think so,¡± Nairo said as Ridley began opening his mouth. ¡°We¡¯re just eliminating people from our investigations.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± Leanna said, her voice hardening. ¡°Because my husband is a very powerful man, and I would hate to think what would happen if you were going around accusing him of something so ridiculous.¡± Nairo locked eyes with Leanne. Her bright hazel eyes were suddenly dark and icy. A child¡¯s cry from behind them broke the moment. Little Teddy had fallen off of his horse. Leanne was out of her seat in an instant, but the butler was quicker. He crossed the conservatory in three massive strides and scooped up the fallen boy tenderly. Leanne raced to his side, and together they calmed the child, kissing his scraped knee and stroking his dark hair. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that is all I have time for today,¡± Leanne said to them as she took her child from the butler. ¡°Show these people out,¡± she said to the butler before walking away. The butler turned to them imperiously and held his hand up for them to leave. Nairo wanted to ask more questions, but Leanne was already gone. Ridley looked at the butler¡¯s hand and then up to his face before smiling. ¡°No problem, Jeeves,¡± he said, downing the rest of his tea and standing up. ¡°That isn¡¯t my name,¡± the butler said as he opened the doors and led them back to the main entrance. ¡°What is your name?¡± The butler hesitated. ¡°Reginald,¡± he said curtly. ¡°Reginald¡­ got a last name?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Not one that I need to divulge to you.¡± The butler pushed open the main doors and signalled for the footman to escort them to the end of the lane. ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged a carriage to take you back to the city.¡± Without another word, he slammed the doors shut behind them. Nairo and Ridley battled back through the rain to the waiting cab. ¡°Spectre Lane in Little Kang?¡± the driver confirmed with them as they got in. ¡°Yes please,¡± Nairo said as Ridley looked back up at the manor house. ¡°Something ain¡¯t right there,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll talk when we get back to the office,¡± Nairo said, her eyes flicking to the driver, and Ridley nodded before settling back into his coat and brooding. ¡°Something¡­¡± Ridley muttered again. Book II - Chapter 38 - R&N 38 ¡°You think Leanne Shumacker murdered LaRue and Quinn?¡± Nairo asked as they walked into the office. It was a question she had been bursting to ask the entire way back from the Shumacker Estate. But they had been waylaid by constant traffic and stops at the police station and the coroner¡¯s office to collect files on Shumacker¡¯s previous mistresses. The entire time Ridley had been sitting, hunched over in his coat, chewing on something fiercely. All in all, Nairo had waited almost four hours to finally ask him. ¡°Dunno,¡± he said bluntly. ¡°All that brooding and that¡¯s all you¡¯ve come up with?¡± Nairo snapped in exasperation as she threw the files down. ¡°Something¡¯s gnawing at me, but I can¡¯t put it together,¡± Ridley muttered as he poured them a drink. ¡°Walk me through the madness then.¡± Nairo threw her coat on to her desk and looked up at him expectantly. ¡°I didn''t get any vibe from her that she was lying,¡± Ridley said. ¡°And my bullshit meter is spot on, you know this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re rarely wrong,¡± Nairo conceded. "But she was an actress." ¡°She didn¡¯t seem to have any idea about LaRue or the affair,¡± Ridley continued. ¡°Which tracks with what Fred told us,¡± Nairo said. ¡°But that¡¯s the thing¡­¡± Ridley sipped his rum and lit a smoke. ¡°What kind of wife gets asked if they know anything about a relationship between a gorgeous starlet and her husband and doesn¡¯t ask anymore questions?¡± ¡°You expected her to be suspicious that Fred was cheating?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be? Any wife would be.¡± ¡°She must know what Fred is like,¡± Nairo said. ¡°She knew him before they got married, even got pregnant by him. There¡¯s no way she can¡¯t know about his proclivities.¡± ¡°Exactly. Just the mention of Fred and another woman should have set her on edge. But it didn¡¯t. She brushed it off like she couldn¡¯t imagine him cheating.¡± ¡°Or she doesn¡¯t care,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Or that,¡± Ridley admitted. ¡°Which also tracks. I didn¡¯t get the impression from Fred that they had a particularly close marriage.¡± ¡°But then, why pretend?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Would you admit to a pair of strangers that your husband''s cheating openly on you with another, younger woman?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair. Ughh, Schumacker is a real dirtbag!¡± Nairo said. ¡°Is this his M.O? Find a pretty starlet, knock her up, get her to quit her career, marry her, and then hide her away on his estate?¡± ¡°Seems like he has previous for it,¡± Ridley said. ¡°But Fred Shumacker being a lascivious dirtbag isn¡¯t a crime.¡± ¡°It should be,¡± Nairo muttered, crossing her arms. ¡°What about that butler?¡± ¡°You noticed it too?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°The scars on his knuckles and face?¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Or the fact he makes a lousier cup of tea than you?¡± ¡°Both. And more. If he¡¯s a real butler, I¡¯ll eat my hat.¡± ¡°What do you think? Some sort of bodyguard?¡± ¡°Makes more sense,¡± Ridley said. ¡°But why have him pose as a butler? It''s not unusual for rich people to have security. Plus¡­ I dunno he didn''t strike me as someone who would jump in front of an arrow for some rich tart.¡± ¡°If I had to put gold on it, I¡¯d say he¡¯d be more like to be the one shooting the arrow,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Exactly,¡± Ridley downed his rum and thumped his tumbler down on the table. ¡°But none of that has anything to do with LaRue and Quinn''s murders! Leanne Shumacker being in denial about her husband¡¯s extramarital affairs and the creepy butler means nothing right now.¡± He crossed the room and sat on the window sill, staring broodily out into the darkening street. "She could have killed LaRue in revenge," Nairo said. "This could just be a crime of passion, after all." "What, she got the creepy butler to do it?" Ridley scoffed. "Why not?" Nairo asked. "Because... well, firstly, she would be the most prolific mass murderer in the history of the Forest if she was killing anyone her husband slept with," Ridley said. "Secondly, crimes of passion are just that: passionate. They''re not cold, calculated murders." "In the first instance," Nairo said. "But if she''s known about the affair for months, she could have come up with a plan." "But why?" Ridley asked. "Why the cover up? Just hire some thug to off her. In fact, just make her disappear. Why leave a body? If she had months to plan, she could have arranged for an accident to happen or for a kidnapping... something. Why leave a body behind and pretend it was an overdose?" Nairo tutted. That was this whole case in a nutshell. It just didn''t make any sense. Every piece of evidence seemed to be working at odds with each other. "It would really help if we knew how these murders were being done," Nairo said. "How can we find the killer when we don''t even know how they''ve been killed?" Ridley muttered and went to his favourite spot on the window sill to stare out into the rain. Nairo yawned and pulled the three files towards her, flipped them open, and began reading. ¡°Oh wow,¡± she muttered as her eyes sped across the files. ¡°What?¡± Ridley asked after tearing his gaze away from the window. ¡°Shumacker¡¯s previous mistresses,¡± Nairo said as she continued to read. ¡°It''s just like Manny said, two of them are dead.¡± ¡°How?¡± Ridley asked quickly. ¡°One by suicide and one from... a mysterious long-term illness that left her bedridden and emaciated.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°Stacey committed suicide eight years ago. Gwen died four years ago.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Nothing that sounds like LaRue¡¯s death?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°What about the suicide?¡± ¡°Ruled as self-inflicted poisoning. Suspected to be from drinking something called Phosphosate Magania.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?" ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°The other one?¡± ¡°Not much here. She fell ill about six years ago and never recovered. She was in a hostel for the last two years of her life before she passed quietly in her sleep. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant death though, all her hair fell out and her teeth rotted.¡± ¡°What the hell does that to a person?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°No idea." ¡°Sarge, you¡¯re being real useless today you know that?¡± Ridley growled. ¡°I was a police officer, not a coroner!¡± Nairo snapped at him. ¡°Then we need to go talk to a coroner,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Is the Vamp on shift?¡± ¡°Drake isn¡¯t working today.¡± ¡°¡®Coz of the full moon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s werewolves¡­ and it¡¯s not even a full moon tonight.¡± ¡°It is somewhere.¡± Nairo rolled her eyes. ¡°I can check in the morning if he¡¯s back in.¡± ¡°What about the third one¡­ wotshername¡­¡± ¡°Cecilia?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s not dead, is she?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°No,¡± Nairo answered, reading through the file. ¡°Though she¡¯s in the wind. Her last known address was from a year ago. There¡¯s nothing else about her since. No record of employment, no new address, no tax payments, no hospital visits. She¡¯s just disappeared.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I mean, this is all pretty suspicious, ain¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°In the last decade, three women Shumacker was sleeping with have died and a fourth has vanished.¡± ¡°One committed suicide and the other died of sickness,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Hardly suspicious circumstances. And people go missing all the time in this city, it¡¯s surprisingly easy to do.¡± ¡°And LaRue?¡± ¡°That one is suspicious,¡± Nairo admitted. ¡°And what if the other one was just a pair of lazy coppers who didn¡¯t want to look any further into an open and shut suicide? Or an overworked doctor who didn¡¯t have time to dig into a woman¡¯s illness ¡®coz he thought she was gonna die anyway?¡± ¡°What are you saying, Ridley? That Shumacker is some kind of serial killer? That he dates women and then murders them in elaborate and impractical ways?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a rich fuck!¡± Ridley exploded. ¡°You saw all those weirdos at that orgy! They get into some weird kinky shit. When you''ve got too much gold and you can buy anything, you start to explore some dark places.¡± ¡°I thought we eliminated Shumacker from the investigation?¡± ¡°Only because you bought his sad sack crying act.¡± ¡°You believed him too!¡± ¡°Naa, I still had my suspicions,¡± Ridley said, waving a hand at her. ¡°Plus, did you notice how conveniently he threw us off the scent with Manny?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Aren''t these serial killer types are all great liars? Like it¡¯s part of the psycho package.¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± ¡°Shumacker¡¯s the only link between these women. They¡¯ve all wound up dead or missing and probably dead, and he¡¯s the only thing they have in common.¡± ¡°They all worked at the Umbry Theatre.¡± ¡°Which Shumacker is conveniently the patron of. It¡¯s worth looking into, Sarge.¡± Nairo sighed and tapped a finger on the desk as she thought. ¡°How about we at least try to track down this missing woman?¡± Ridley said. ¡°If we find her alive, she might have some new info on Shumacker for us. If she¡¯s dead, then that makes four dead women and one very alive and very suspicious Shumacker.¡± ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll look for Cecilia.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Ridley said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°What was her last known address?¡± ¡°Boxgrove Wharf on the Goblin side of the river.¡± ¡°Grab yer coat Sarge, we¡¯re on the hunt!¡± ¡°More like a wild goose chase,¡± Nairo sighed, standing up and pulling on her coat. ¡°You can hunt geese too!¡± Ridley cried out as he ran out of the office. * Cecilia¡¯s home on the wharf turned out to be a four storey boarding house backing onto the river. The surrounding area was busy with the usual frenetic pace of the riverfront, but it was a decidedly unfriendly atmosphere. Nairo and Ridley drew hard looks the moment they stepped out of their cab, and those looks pursued them all the way to the red brick tenement''s door. Nairo pulled up her collars and hid away from the drizzling rain and suspicious eyes. Ridley followed her lead, tucking his hands in the pockets and undoubtedly gripping some heavy and metal, just in case. A woman was sitting on the steps to the tenement. She was around middle aged but years had worn on her hard. She wore a faded apron and looked like she had just gotten off work from a long shift of hard graft. She sipped a bottle of beer and blew smoke as they approached the steps. ¡°¡®Fraid you ain¡¯t allowed guests in here, love,¡± the woman said, eyeing Ridley. ¡°I¡¯m not a tenant,¡± Nairo said. ¡°My name¡¯s Sally, and this is Ridley, we¡¯re looking for a former resident by the name of Cecilia Brown. Do you know of her?¡± The woman looked at her curiously and then took a deep drag on her smoke. "Yeah, I know Cissy,¡± she said, blowing smoke out of her nostrils. ¡°What¡¯s that girl done now? She in trouble again?¡± ¡°Not that we know of,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°We just want to ask her some questions regarding a case we¡¯re working on.¡± ¡°Case? You two coppers?¡± The woman asked, her demeanour hardening as she eyeballed them. ¡°Do we look like coppers?¡± Ridley asked, leaning on the brickwork. The woman thought for a moment, looking him up and down. ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ she could be.¡± ¡°Lady¡¯s got a sharp eye,¡± Ridley said, smirking at Nairo. ¡°We¡¯re Private Investigators working a possible homicide in the city. We think a former partner of Cecilia¡¯s may have been involved.¡± The woman gave a short bark of laughter and then sighed, looking up at the sky. ¡°Ain¡¯t no trouble that girl wouldn¡¯t get into for a swinging dick.¡± ¡°Does Cecilia get in a lot of trouble?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Trouble hounds that girl like a bad smell. Shit, ain¡¯t anyone boarding here that ain¡¯t in trouble in one way or another, most of ¡®em to do with men.¡± ¡°This is a women¡¯s shelter?¡± Nairo asked, looking up at the tenement. ¡°Of a sort,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Miss Oxley, she owns the place, gives room and board to girls out on their ear or on the run from some bastard.¡± ¡°Cecilia was on the run?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Not strictly speaking. But she got slung out of her on account of bringing johns back here.¡± ¡°Cecili''s a prostitute?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°When she needs the coin. Cissy could turn a man¡¯s head from down the block, she got work whenever she needed it.¡± ¡°Do you know when she was kicked out?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Couple months back.¡± ¡°You know where she went from here?¡± The woman took a slug of her beer and then looked at Ridley. ¡°Why would I tell you that? For all I know, you could be the ones hounding the poor girl.¡± ¡°Like I said, we just wanna talk.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t no man just wanna talk with Cissy.¡± ¡°Well I just want to talk to her,¡± Nairo said. ¡°She¡¯s not in any trouble, we just want some information on a man she used to date.¡± ¡°Which man?¡± ¡°His name¡¯s Fred,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Ohh¡­ the rich one.¡± ¡°Cecilia spoke about him?¡± Nairo said. ¡°All the damn time. Stupid girl had it in her head that he was gonna come back and rescue her and ride off into the Forest to play happy families. Girl will go to her grave still thinking he¡¯s coming back for her.¡± ¡°So can you help us out?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°All we need is an address.¡± The woman leaned over the side of the steps and spat. ¡°I don¡¯t know where she is now. I can tell you though, it¡¯s the end of the month, and she¡¯ll be hurting for coin, so she¡¯ll probably be working the cobbles.¡± ¡°You know where?¡± ¡°Only one place to sling flesh down here darling, on the docks.¡± Ridley nodded and handed the woman a smoke. ¡°Much appreciated,¡± he said as he hopped down the steps and flagged a cab. ¡°Thank you,¡± Nairo said to the woman. ¡°You make sure no harm comes to Cissy,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Life''s been cruel enough to that girl.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Book II - Chapter 39 - R&N 39 The docks pulsed with the infinite energy of boundless commerce. No amount of rain could force the docks to become still. Ships braved storms, stevedores faced the driving rain, merchants sheltered their wares with hastily erected awnings, thieves swaddled themselves in long coats, and the women of the night bared their flesh in obstinate defiance of the elements. Everything could be found, bought, sold, and stolen on the docks. No matter what time of day or night, the endless hunger for gold forced creatures out onto the riverfront to find a crust. The docks were teeming when Nairo and Ridley arrived. They shouldered and fought their way through the endless waves of dockworkers, buyers, sellers, and stealers. They dodged dock urchins and ducked pushy merchants until they came to the quieter side streets adjacent to the docks. Here the women worked. Sailors came off the boats all day and night with jingling pockets of coins ready to drink and fuck their way to oblivion before stumbling back on to their ship and setting off to the next port. The women and some men did very well on the docks, but it was a harsh life. Sailors, stevedores, merchants, and whatever else crawled off the docks were rarely kind and often drunk. It took a strong back and even stronger desperation to walk the cobbles here. Nairo and Ridley split up and began questioning those working on the cobbles. They received many propositions but few answers. The prostitutes were cagey and mistrusted anyone who came looking for anything other than flesh. Most simply walked away the second they started asking questions. ¡°Any luck?¡± Nairo asked Ridley as they joined up on a corner. ¡°Naa, but I¡¯ve had some very good offers,¡± Ridley replied, lighting a smoke. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe what that lady would do for half a gold coin.¡± ¡°Lovely,¡± Nairo said, rolling her eyes. ¡°You can come back in your own time, right now we need to find Cecilia.¡± ¡°Would help if we even knew what she looked like,¡± Ridley said. ¡°For all we know, we could have walked up to her already asking questions about herself and spooked her.¡± Nairo chewed on her lip and looked around the dingy streets. ¡°This could be a massive waste of time,¡± she said. ¡°We don¡¯t even know if Cecilia is out here.¡± ¡°Or even alive,¡± Ridley muttered. ¡°Stop it. She¡¯s not dead.¡± As they spoke, a young girl trotted past in ludicrously tall heels. She looked hardly older than a teenager. She had fiery red hair tied in a ponytail and beautiful, dark green eyes that flashed in the light of the Glowlamp. She had a bandage wrapped around her forearm and fresh bruises around her lips and arms. Nairo felt her stomach churn as she watched her. She was too young to be out here. Too innocent looking. ¡°You paying or just looking?¡± the girl asked Nairo, snapping her out of her daze. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t do girls,¡± the young girl said. Ridley snorted and choked on a mouthful of smoke. ¡°No, I¡¯m not paying,¡± Nairo replied stiffly. "Well, looking ain¡¯t free either,¡± the girl said, turning to stalk away. ¡°Hold on,¡± Ridley said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We¡¯re looking for someone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of the point,¡± the girl said, smirking at Ridley. ¡°Her name¡¯s Cecilia Brown,¡± Ridley said. The girl was still young and hadn¡¯t learnt to smother her expressions the way the other working girls had. ¡°You know her.¡± Nairo said. ¡°I dunno. Never heard of her,¡± the girl said quickly. ¡°We don¡¯t mean her any harm,¡± Ridley said, stepping out from the shadows. ¡°We¡¯re Private Investigators working a case that involved one of her ex-boyfriends. We just wanted to get some more info on the guy from Cecilia.¡± The girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously. ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not just making that up?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we look like PI¡¯s?¡± Ridley asked, waving a hand at his trench coat. ¡°Well¡­ I guess, but that¡¯s not proof.¡± ¡°Here,¡± Nairo said, offering her one of their cards. ¡°I¡¯m Sally Nairo, and this is Ridley. We operate an agency out of Little Kang.¡± The girl peered down at the card, holding up to the light. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Ridley asked her. The girl looked at Ridley. ¡°Marney,¡± she replied. ¡°How do you fancy two gold to tell us where Cecilia is?¡± Ridley asked, jingling the coins in his pocket. ¡°That should be enough for you to call it an early night, no?¡± Nairo saw the greed light up her jade coloured eyes. ¡°Make it five.¡± ¡°Piss off,¡± Ridley snorted. ¡°Three,¡± Nairo said. ¡°That¡¯s outrageous!¡± Ridley said to her. ¡°You know what you could buy around here for three gold coins?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Marney said, holding out her hand. ¡°Coins first.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°No,¡± Ridley said bluntly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We¡¯ll give you two now and one more once we hear your information.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Marney said, pouting and waving her fingers at Ridley. He grumbled something and then plonked two gold coins in her outstretched hand. Marney looked at the coins and then disappeared them into her bra. ¡°Cissy was here but you missed her. She just picked up a john.¡± ¡°She was here!¡± Nairo said. ¡°Where has she taken him?¡± Marney held out her hand again and Ridley put another coin in it. ¡°She uses a little knockup house about half a mile down the road. It¡¯s got a green door, you can¡¯t miss it.¡± Marney looked at the coin and then looked up at them. She chewed her lip and fussed with a strand of her hair. ¡°Are you going there now?¡± ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Just¡­¡± Marney looked down at her feet. ¡°I didn¡¯t like the look of that john. He was¡­ I dunno. He was kinda scary looking, you know? You just¡­ get this vibe about creeps.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Nairo said. ¡°We¡¯re going there right now.¡± Marney nodded and stepped back from the light. ¡°Get yourself off the streets,¡± Nairo said to her. ¡°It¡¯s not safe out here. Take that gold and do whatever it is you think you need to do, and then find somewhere safe for the night.¡± Marney looked away as they ran down the street towards the knockup house. They arrived at the little ramshackle room by the hour joint, panting and red faced. Ridley barged through the green door with Nairo on his heels. There was an exhausted looking Gnome sitting behind the counter. He looked like he hadn¡¯t slept in days. ¡°We got rooms for one hour, one half hour, or fifteen minutes,¡± he mumbled blearily as they walked in. ¡°Where¡¯s the girl that just came in here?¡± Ridley snapped at him. ¡°She brought a man with her.¡± ¡°Lots of girls, lots of men come in. You pay if you want stay,¡± the Gnome said, slowly waking up as he sensed something was wrong. Ridley lunged across the counter and grabbed the Gnome by his filthy vest, yanking him over the counter. ¡°What room is she in?¡± he growled at the Gnome. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo said, pointing to the rack of keys behind the Gnome. ¡°Only one key¡¯s missing. Room six!¡± Ridley dropped the Gnome and they ran up the stairs while the belligerent Gnome cursed at them. They took the stairs two at a time until they came to a dark landing. It stank of damp and sweat. The yellowing wallpaper peeled from the cracked brickwork and the carpet was threadbare and missing in places. Ridley counted the doors until they reached number six. He placed his ear to the door and listened. Nairo waited, feeling like even her heartbeat was too loud. Ridley shook his head. Something felt wrong. Nairo stepped forward and knocked on the door. ¡°Cecilia?¡± she called through the door. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Silence. Nairo raised her hand to knock again when they heard the sound of wood scraping and something slamming open. Ridley didn¡¯t hesitate. He stepped back and slammed his foot into the door just by the handle. The desiccated wood of the frame exploded open and the door fell away. The room was in near darkness. There was a figure on the floor gasping and twitching and a tall shadow by the window. The figure glanced over his shoulder and then leapt out of the window. ¡°Shit! I¡¯m on him!¡± Ridley shouted to Nairo. He raced across the room and threw himself head first out of the window. Nairo turned and pounded back down the stairs. ¡°Call for help!¡± she screamed at the Gnome as she flew out of the green door. The rain was heavier now, and the poorly lit backstreets of the dock disoriented her for a moment. She looked to her left and saw Ridley sprinting down the street. She tore off after him. She could just about make out the tall figure in front of him. They chased the figure to the end of the street, where he dived into an alleyway. He had long legs and was easily outpacing them, but it looked like he was starting to hobble. He must have hurt himself when he leapt out of the window. Ridley took the turn into the alley at full pace and slammed his shoulder into the wall. Boncing off, he righted himself and sprinted into the darkness. He never saw the blade. It whistled through the air and should have skewered him through the side. Luckily, Ridley kept a hip flask on both of his hips, buried in the voluminous pockets of his coat. The dagger stabbed into his rum flask, pierced the steel, and only went through by a couple of inches. The tip of the blade gouged into Ridley¡¯s side, slicing him open and spraying blood across the brick walls. Ridley cried out and tried to turn and face his attacker. The blade was stuck in his coat pocket, and the attacker was wrestling to free it. Ridley threw a punch that barely glanced the man¡¯s shoulder. Nairo came around the corner and could only see the outline of the tussling figures. The attacker looked up, saw her, and let go of the blade. He drove a fist into Ridley¡¯s gut before turning and running down the alley. Ridley wheezed and fell to his knees. ¡°Ridley! Are you okay?¡± Nairo said, running to his side. ¡°Ge-get him!¡± Ridley spluttered. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding!¡± Nairo said as she drew her hand away and saw the bright red blood splattered across her hand. ¡°Don''t worry! Get him!¡± Ridley groaned, coughed, and then dry heaved. ¡°Come on,¡± Nairo said, throwing his arm over her shoulder and helping him limp out of the alley. ¡°He¡¯s getting away!¡± Ridley gasped. ¡°He¡¯s got away,¡± Nairo said, looking into the dark alley and seeing no sign of their assailant. They made it back to the light of the main road and assessed Ridley''s wound. He was badly cut but it wasn¡¯t deep. ¡°That¡¯s gonna need stitches,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Later,¡± Ridley said, holding his side. ¡°We need to get back to the girl. ¡°Can you walk?¡± "Yeah, but I think he might have broken one of my ribs. He hits like a fucking run away cart.¡± Nairo helped Ridley limp back to the knockup house. The Gnome was standing outside cursing again until he saw that Ridley was covered in blood. ¡°You no come in here! You no bring trouble here!¡± the Gnome shouted at them. ¡°Piss off!¡± Ridley growled. They walked back through the green door and up the stairs to room number six. Inside, the woman was still on the floor, panting and moaning weakly. ¡°Get a light,¡± Ridley grunted at Nairo. She looked around and saw a lamp on the bedside table. She lit the candle and brought it down. On the floor was a beautiful woman. She had golden hair and soft blue eyes. Her lips were full, and her teeth sparkled in the lamplight. She was too thin though, and her skin was caked in a thick layer of powder to hide her blemishes. She was writhing on the floor, her fingers clawing at nothing. Her eyes swivelled and spun grotesquely as her body twitched and spasmed. ¡°Cecilia?¡± Nairo said, dropping to her knees and tucking her hair behind her ears. ¡°Cecilia, can you hear me? Can you tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡± Cecilia croaked and groaned, her eyes rolling over to look at Nairo, her once beautiful features contorted in agony as she struggled for air. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Ridley said, one hand trying to stem his bleeding wound and the other propping himself up on the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nairo said as she tried to scan her body for signs of injury. ¡°It hurts¡­¡± Cecilia moaned, her hands twisting and clawing at the air. ¡°What hurts? What did that man do to you?¡± Nairo said, panic fraying her voice. ¡°He¡­ he¡­ killed me¡­¡± Cecilia gasped. Her chest was rapidly pumping up and down, her breathing becoming shallow as her clawing hands started to slow and freeze up. ¡°What did he do?¡± Ridley said, grimacing with pain. ¡°Why did he do it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± Cecilia slurred, her eyes dimming. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I¡¯ll see her again¡­ Mummy¡¯s coming¡­¡± A rattle of air escaped Ceclia¡¯s throat, and she fell still, her hands gnarled, her face twisted in agony, her eyes bulging and staring at nothing. She died with a gentle gasp on the grimy floor of the knockup house. Nairo fell back and stared at the dead woman. She looked just like Sarita had in that rain soaked alley. Just like Quinn on the coroner¡¯s table. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Nairo whispered, but Cecilia couldn''t hear her. The rain continued to pound on the window and the street fell silent. Book II - Chapter 40 - T&W 40 ¡°Wait, hold on¡­ say that again.¡± ¡°Which bit?¡± ¡°The bit about the giant fucking Goblin in Haney¡¯s warehouse!¡± ¡°Oh right yeah,¡± Wally said, looking instinctively at Timmy. "Well, we were searching the warehouse, and as we were going upstairs, he came down.¡± Timmy explained. ¡°The Goblin?¡± Conway said. ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°What did he look like?¡± ¡°¡®E was a massive bloody Goblin,¡± Wally said. ¡°Like all green with big tusks and a fancy suit.¡± ¡°A fancy suit?¡± ¡°Yeah like wot Sarpele was wearin¡¯ when we went undercover in that noodle spot. Looked proper tasty.¡± Wally said. ¡°Was he armed?¡± Conway asked. ¡°Probably,¡± Timmy said. ¡°But he didn¡¯t draw a weapon.¡± ¡°But he definitely ¡®ad one,¡± Wally added. ¡°And what did he say?¡± ¡°Not much,¡± Timmy replied. ¡°He said he was just a concerned citizen seeing if we needed any help and that he was going to leave.¡± ¡°And you let him?¡± Timmy and Wally looked down at their shoes. Conway sighed and sat back. He knew that was unfair. They were two rookie officers that had already been beaten half to shit; they didn¡¯t stand a chance against a red blooded Goblin gangster by themselves. ¡°It¡¯s alright boys, that¡¯s not on you.¡± Conway breathed heavily and looked up at the ceiling, his brow creased in thought. ¡°What the hell would a Goblin be doing at a Human gangsters warehouse on the Landlord¡¯s side of town?¡± ¡°We think he was the same Goblin from the Gnommish restaurant,¡± Timmy said. ¡°What?¡± Conway said, sitting up. ¡°The one who was all cut up and bleedin¡¯,¡± Wally said. ¡°Chaw¡¯Drak?¡± ¡°Yeah ¡®im.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Pretty sure,¡± Wally said. ¡°We got a pretty good look at him,¡± Timmy added. ¡°I¡¯m sure it was him.¡± ¡°Ruf¡¯Gar Chaw¡¯Drak was in that warehouse?¡± Conway tapped his index finger on the desk and narrowed his eyes, the deep wrinkles on his forehead furrowing in thought. ¡°First he¡¯s turning up at the Gnome¡¯s restaurant now he¡¯s breaking into a warehouse being used to house Burn? What hell is going on in this city?¡± Timmy and Wally looked at each other and then back at Conway before shrugging. "Did he have anything with him?" Conway asked. "Did you see him take anything?" Timmy and Wally shook their heads in unison. "So what was he doing there?" Conway mused, more to himself than Timmy and Wally. This time they both shrugged their shoulders in unison. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we bring in Chaw¡¯Drak,¡± Conway said. ¡°You want us to do it?¡± Wally said, his eyes growing wide. ¡°No,¡± Conway said, almost chuckling at the look on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll get some units to bring him in. I¡¯ve got a different job for you two. The crates we found in Haney¡¯s had Gnommish scrawl all over it. We also found this.¡± He held up a crumpled shipping manifesto. ¡°We¡¯ve had our own boys look at it, and they¡¯ve translated it, but it sounds like a bunch of gibberish and names of places they don¡¯t recognise. I¡¯ve got a Gnommish snitch from out in the Foundries. He¡¯s a cagey little sod, but he¡¯s harmless enough. I want you boys to go down there and show him this. See what light he can shed on who we¡¯re dealing with here. His name¡¯s Coilus Depry, he¡¯s one of them Rebel Kingdom Gnomes, so we don¡¯t have to worry about anything getting back to the Triad. I¡¯ve already sent word to him, he¡¯ll be expecting you.¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± Timmy and Wally said. ¡°And I¡¯ll be having a word with Ruf¡¯Gar Chaw¡¯Drak. Time to find out what he¡¯s up to.¡± * ¡°Is that it?¡± Wally asked, staring out of the window of the police wagon. ¡°Yeah, must be.¡± Timmy said, poking his head out of his own window. Even the driving rain couldn¡¯t stop the churn of the Foundries monstrous chimneys. The chimneys of the megafactories came into view first. They belched black and grey smoke into the miserable sky, signalling their arrival at the edge of the Foundries. Timmy and Wally stepped out of the police wagon and found themselves being given a wide berth. The misshapen denizens of the Foundries glared at them suspiciously with their haunting red eyes and scurried away into the labyrinthine alleys of their homes. The rain had made the Foundries somehow more miserable to live in than they already were. For once, ash wasn¡¯t falling from the sky, but that was the only positive of the rain. The streets had never been properly cobbled, and now they had turned into rivers of mud. Black tar dripped from the building as decades of ash and soot were finally cleansed from the building fronts, mixing with the mud to create a mire that would be impossible to remove from the bottom of your boots. The noise was almost unfathomable. Due to the metal construction of almost every building, the tinny sound of rain pinging from them echoed and clashed all around the two rookie officers. It was overwhelming. ¡°Where did this Depry feller say to meet ¡®im?¡± Wally shouted over the cacophony. ¡°He said there¡¯s a pub on the outskirts,¡± Timmy shouted back. ¡°We should be right here.¡± They looked for something that resembled a pub, but everything was just square boxes of rusted metal and mud. After a moment, they saw a door open and light peel out from the building. Inside Timmy caught a glimpse of something that vaguely resembled a drinking establishment. He tapped Wally on the shoulder and pointed. They staggered and slipped their way through the mud towards the little metal shack. The pub was exactly like any other pub but also completely different. It had a bar. It had some tables. It had a medley of sad drunks and a general buzz of low conversation. But the bar was made of scrap metal. The tables looked like stumps of great trees. The sad drunks had red eyes and metal appendages where legs and arms should have been. And the buzz of conversation almost stopped dead when they walked in. The place was so poorly lit that Timmy couldn¡¯t even recognise the species of some of the patrons. ¡°You see him?¡± Timmy whispered to Wally. He looked to his left and saw that Wally had already made his way to the metal bar. The Goblin behind the bar had an eye patch and a grizzled scar running through the left side of his face where his eye and ear were missing. He had nasty burns along one arm and a shock of grey hair on his head. He looked at them curiously. ¡°What¡¯ve you got on tap, mate?¡± Wally asked as he leaned on the bar and then quickly pulled his arm back when the sharp metal bit into him. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Ain¡¯t got no taps,¡± the barkeep growled. ¡°Got bottles of brown and shots of white liquor.¡± ¡°Oh right,¡± Wally said. ¡°Ermm¡­ two bottles of brown then.¡± The barkeep slammed two bottles on the bar and popped them open with the claw on his thumb. ¡°Ten penny,¡± he said. Wally eyed the fizzing drinks incredulously as he dropped the coins into the barkeeps waiting hand. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± Timmy hissed at him. ¡°We¡¯re on duty, remember?¡± ¡°Would look right suspicious to walk into a pub and not order a drink,¡± Wally said as he handed Timmy a bottle of lableless brown. ¡°Didn¡¯t you learn nuffin¡¯ from Sarpele?¡± Timmy couldn¡¯t argue with that. ¡°Your man¡¯s over there,¡± the barkeep said as he handed Wally back his change. ¡°Who?¡± Wally said, trying to sound casual. ¡°The Gnome.¡± The barkeep nodded his head and went back about his business. Timmy and Wally followed his nod and saw a small hooded figure hunched over at a corner table. ¡°Cheers,¡± Wally said, nodding his head and took a sip of his drink. He spluttered and looked at the bottle before looking at the barkeep, who raised an eyebrow at him. Wally said nothing and turned to follow Timmy. ¡°Are you Depry?¡± Timmy asked the figure in the corner. ¡°You Conway¡¯s boys?¡± he replied. ¡°Yeah,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Then I¡¯m Depry. Have a seat.¡± They sat down and the Gnome removed his hood. He looked just like most other Gnomes but his skin had a reddish tint to it rather than the usual blue. ¡°Conway sent us to¡­¡± Timmy began. ¡°I know,¡± Depry said. ¡°Let me see it.¡± Timmy took the manifesto from his inside pocket and slid it across the bar. Depry picked it up and flipped it open, his eyes flicking across the writing on it. His expression grew from indifference to something that Timmy couldn¡¯t quite understand. It was somewhat akin to fear but not quite, more concern or even anxiety. Depry looked up and flicked the paper back across the table like he no longer wanted to even touch it. ¡°What is it?¡± Wally asked, picking up on Depry¡¯s odd reaction. Depry looked around the bar and licked his lips. ¡°I would stay away from this boys,¡± he said, his voice barely above a whisper. ¡°What does it say?¡± Timmy asked, and Depry shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re stumbling into a very dangerous game here. Best you don¡¯t involve yourselves if you like all your bits where they are.¡± ¡°We¡¯re police,¡± Timmy said, trying to sound confident. ¡°We don¡¯t fear criminals.¡± ¡°You should,¡± Depry whispered, his eyes flickering the candlelight. ¡°Just¡­ tell us wot it says and we¡¯ll decide about that,¡± Wally said. ¡°It¡¯s not what it says, it¡¯s where it¡¯s from,¡± Depry replied. He downed the rest of his drink and pulled his hood up. ¡°That there is Triad business. You know the Triad?¡± ¡°The Gnommish Triad, right?¡± Wally said. ¡°Exactly. That piece of paper has come all the way from the heart of the Empire itself. Whatever you boys are mixed up in, it involves the Emperor¡¯s Triad, and I don¡¯t want no business with them. I travelled thousands of miles to get away from the Emperor¡¯s persecution, and I¡¯m not trying to get involved in any of his dark dealings.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re saying the Gnommish Emperor sent whatever this piece of paper came with?¡± Timmy asked. Depry snorted and shook his head at them with a wry smile on his face. ¡°Not personally o¡¯ course. But whatever was sent on this manifesto has come from his Triad.¡± ¡°Like¡­ the Triad in this city, right? The ones from Little Kang and all that?¡± Wally asked. Depry looked more uncomfortable now. ¡°Yes. Exactly. If it was something illegal, then you want to be looking at them for it. After all, they¡¯re the only Gnomes in this city doing crime, right? Giving the rest of us a bad name.¡± Depry stood up and nodded at them. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything to do with this, you understand? Tell Conway my debt is settled.¡± Depry spirited away from the table and was out the door in a flash. ¡°So the Gnommish Triad is bringing the Burn into the city,¡± Wally said. ¡°But we already knew that, right?¡± ¡°But why was that other Gnome and the Goblin talking about taking it off the street if they brought it? And why would they be selling that much weight to a Human like Haney?¡± Timmy said, looking down at the manifesto in his hands. ¡°Why would a Goblin be working with them anyway?¡± Wally asked. ¡°It don¡¯t make no sense.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the HQ. Maybe Conway had some luck with the Goblin,¡± Timmy said, raising his bottle to his lips before Wally stopped him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t,¡± he said, pulling a face. Timmy put the bottle down, and they left the pub as quickly as they could. * Rufi sighed and looked around the interview room. It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d been in one, not even close, but it was one of the first times he¡¯d been in one and unsure of why. The coppers had been polite enough when they had brought him in. He wasn¡¯t charged with anything and they hadn¡¯t even put manacles on him. All he was told was that he was being brought in for questioning. It had to be about Haney¡¯s warehouse and those two rookies. But how had they known who he was? He hadn¡¯t let anything slip, and there was no other way for them to ID him. What would they say? Goblin in a nice suit? That described half of the residents of Goblin Town. It could have been that warehouse fire. Or even that dead drug dealer. Or half a dozen other things he had done since being put on the hunt for the Bad Batch. Ridley sucked his teeth and lit another smoke. The door finally opened and a grizzled, old grey haired copper walked in. He set a file down on the desk and placed a cup of coffee down in front of Rufi before taking a seat himself. ¡°Ruf¡¯Gar Chaw¡¯Drak,¡± Conway said, his eyes roaming over the Goblin in front of him. ¡°Nice to finally put a face to the name.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Rufi said, blowing a smoke ring. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Lieutenant Conway, head of the Drug Enforcement Squad.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even know we had one of those,¡± Rufi said, snorting derisively. ¡°You know I once tried to lock your uncle up?¡± Conway said, getting comfortable in his chair. ¡°Years ago now. Thought I had him on a triple homicide down on the Docks. Some stevedores turned up with their throat cut and their bellies opened up. Had the whole case right there but somehow your uncle just managed to wriggle out of it. Witnesses disappeared, files went missing, it was a very professional cover up job.¡± Rufi¡¯s face remained bland and expressionless. ¡°And now I¡¯ve got his nephew sat here in front of me. Guess the apple does fall far from the tree does it?¡± ¡°You charging me with something old man? Or we just having a stroll down memory lane? Coz I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°Oh, I know you are lad.¡± Conway flipped open the file, holding it so Rufi couldn¡¯t see the contents. ¡°You¡¯ve been a very busy boy the last couple of weeks.¡± Rufi eyed the folder and said nothing. ¡°I mean the streets are buzzing right now and your name keeps popping up. Jacking up drug dealers. Homicides. More drugs. More beatings. I¡¯ve even got one junkie who swears you had something to do with Cameron Haney¡¯s warehouse getting robbed.¡± Conway looked over the file at Rufi, whose face was a frozen mask of indifference. ¡°But nothing to charge me with?¡± Rufi said. ¡°You don¡¯t deny any of it?¡± ¡°How long you been a copper?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°Coz you should know by now, my job ain¡¯t to deny shit. You¡¯re job is to prove I did it.¡± ¡°Such is the justice system,¡± Conway said, scratching the stubble on his cheek. ¡°But you see, you haven¡¯t asked the most interesting question yet.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Why would the head of the Drug Enforcement Squad know so much about you? I mean, everyone knows Uncle Sam doesn¡¯t get involved in drugs. But yet, here¡¯s his blood nephew sitting in an interrogation room with me, and you haven¡¯t even asked why.¡± Rufi shrugged and ashed his smoke into the coffee Conway had brought him. ¡°You¡¯re a copper, you don¡¯t need a reason to bother innocent people like me.¡± Conway gave a dry chuckle and snapped the folder shut. ¡°I¡¯ve been investigating the Burn distribution in this city and your name keeps popping up. Why do you think that is? Rufi said nothing. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re involved in selling Burn?¡± Rufi took a drag of his smoke. ¡°Does your uncle know?¡± Rufi¡¯s smoke paused at his lips. ¡°He doesn¡¯t does he?¡¯ Rufi blew a smoke ring. ¡°I have eyeball witness testimony from two sworn officers that they saw you in the back of a Gnommish Triad front conversing about Burn with a known Triad member in the Golden Bowl restaurant.¡± There it was. Just a second. The mask cracked. Rufi looked surprised. He gathered his face remarkably fast, but Conway saw it. ¡°And then those two same officers saw you in a warehouse being used as a drug stash, just a few hours after we raided the place.¡± Those two rookie fucks were undercovers? Rufi clenched his jaw and forced his face to remain completely still. He dropped the remains of his cigarette in the coffee. ¡°You see, I think you¡¯re involved in the distribution of Burn. I think you¡¯re working with the Gnommish Triad to supply Haney. I think something went wrong, and you went back to the warehouse to see for yourself. And I think you¡¯re doing it all without the knowledge of your uncle.¡± ¡°Quite an imagination you got there,¡± Rufi said calmly. ¡°But if you got the evidence to make a charge stick, then why don¡¯t you go ahead and charge me?¡± ¡°Not quite yet,¡± Conway said. ¡°But I just wanted to see.¡± ¡°See what?" ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, kid. I saw it.¡± Conway stood up and grinned at Rufi. ¡°You¡¯re free to go. For now.¡± Conway walked out of the room whistling. Rufi watched him go. He wanted to fly across the room and snap the old fucker''s little pencil neck. Instead, he took a deep breath, pocketed his cigarettes and his lighter, and then looked at the coffee with the smoke floating in it. Smoke was peeling from the end of it, the last depserate spurts of life in it, as the dog end slowly drowned in the dark liquid. In a moment of petulant rage, Rufi flicked the cup off the table, spilling coffee across the carpet before stalking out. Book II - Chapter 41 - R&N 41 ¡°Sarge? Sarge! Sally?¡± Nairo blinked and looked up. Ridley was standing in front of her, bloody and exhausted, holding out a cup of coffee to her. ¡°Thanks,¡± Nairo croaked, wrapping her hands around the warm cup. Ridley sighed and eased himself down in the chair next to her. ¡°You alright?¡± she asked him absentmindedly as she continued to stare at the brown stain on the wall in front of her. ¡°Yeah, the on site nurse stitched me up. Said it was a long cut but not so deep. Although my favourite flask was taken down in the line of duty.¡± Ridley blew on his coffee and winced as the pain in his side flared up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡± Nairo said, barely paying attention. They sat in silence. Nairo''s coffee steamed in her hands, untouched. ¡°Don¡¯t carry this one, Sarge.¡± Ridley said eventually. ¡°It ain¡¯t your fault.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s fault is it then?¡± Nairo voice was a raw rasp. ¡°The fucker who killed her.¡± An officer walked past them, casting a curious look at them before continuing on his way. ¡°You know¡­ this whole time I still thought we were chasing shadows,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I thought it was just some paranoid fantasy you had dreamt up. There¡¯s no way someone¡¯s running around the city poisoning people and making it look like overdoses. That¡¯s just some¡­ nonsense that only Ridley could come up with.¡± ¡°It does sound pretty bonkers,¡± Ridley admitted. ¡°And now another person''s dead. A girl who¡¯s been abused and chewed up by this city. A girl who was forced into the sex trade, plucked off the street, and murdered in some grotty back alley knockup house.¡± Nairo¡¯s hand quivered. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ridley said, his shoulders slumping as he fought exhaustion and pain. ¡°Why Ridley? What would make someone do this?¡± Ridley shrugged his shoulders and frowned. ¡°What¡¯s the point of it all?¡± Nairo continued. ¡°LaRue. Quinn. Cecilia. Where does it end? What the fuck could be so damn important that someone would kill people like this?¡± ¡°Gold. Revenge. Love.¡± Ridley said. ¡°It¡¯s always the classics.¡± Nairo blinked and rubbed her face, wincing as the memory of Cecilia¡¯s writhing body, her grasping hands, the choking sounds she was making, all flashed across her mind. ¡°Sergeant¡­ umm Ms. Nairo,¡± a tall detective said. ¡°Just Sally is fine, Izla.¡± Nairo replied, looking up at the worn, lined face of homicide detective Izla. ¡°We¡¯ve got your statement and your partner¡¯s,¡± Izla said. ¡°You¡¯re free to go now, but we might need you for further questions.¡± ¡°Of course. You know where to find us.¡± Nairo stood up, setting down her untouched coffee and shrugging on her coat. Izla nodded and then stood aside. Nairo barely looked around the precinct as she left. She thought coming back here would mean something, but all she felt was an empty ache. It all felt so meaningless. The precinct. The case. The murders. They stepped out into the drizzling rain and Nairo took a deep breath. ¡°What now?¡± she asked Ridley. ¡°Nothing,¡± he replied. ¡°You need to get some sleep in your own bed. We¡¯ll pick up in the morning.¡± Nairo felt like she should argue but she just didn''t have the energy. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the office first thing,¡± Nairo said, hailing down a cab. ¡°Try and sleep,¡± Ridley said to her. ¡°You need it.¡± ¡°You too.¡± Ridley nodded and watched her climb into the cab before hailing down his own. He was asleep before the cab had even pulled away. * Nairo felt marginally better come morning. She had been so tired that even the haunting images of Cecilia¡¯s final moments couldn¡¯t stop her from falling into a deep dreamless sleep. When she finally awoke, the sun was actually out, and there were even patches of blue sky. She grabbed two coffees and a couple hard scones on the way into the office. She unlocked the door and walked in to find Ridley sprawled out on the floor. For a heartstopping moment, she thought he was dead. Then he let out a half grunt, half snore, and she realised he hadn¡¯t made it to the makeshift bed in the back room. She set the coffees down and gently shook him away. Ridley groaned and blinked. ¡°Am I dead?¡± he asked her. ¡°No, but you look three quarters of the way there.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± Ridley said as he slowly pulled himself up to all fours. The side of his shirt was soaked with blood. His stitches must have torn when he slumped to the floor. He grimaced and muttered a few choice curses as Nairo helped him up. Together, they limped to the sofa, where Nairo laid Ridley out and began unbuttoning his shirt. ¡°Easy there, Sarge,¡± he mumbled. ¡°Buy me a drink first.¡± ¡°Oh shut up,¡± Nairo snapped at him as she pulled off his bloodied shirt. ¡°Good, your stitches are still in tact. Why would you sleep on the floor with a wound like this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t remember,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Stay there, let me get the medical kit. We¡¯re going to need to clean this up and put a fresh bandage on.¡± Nairo threw his ruined shirt in the trash, grabbed a fresh one from the closet, and snagged the medical bag on her way. She knelt down next to the sofa and began to gently clean his wound. It wasn¡¯t life threatening but it was a vicious cut. It ran from just above his protruding hip bone and along his side, ending just below his ribs. If that hip flask hadn¡¯t been there, Ridley would have been skewered like a trout on a grill. ¡°You doing better?¡± Ridley asked her through gritted teeth. ¡°I slept,¡± Nairo answered as she washed blood from his abdomen. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°We have to get back on Shumacker,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Shumacker?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the only one connected to all of the bodies, and he¡¯s the only one that has a halfway plausible motive.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You think he¡¯s covering his tracks?¡± Ridley asked, wincing as Nairo began to clean his stitches. ¡°Why else would you kill Cecilia now?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Maybe we spooked him by going to his home, or he heard we were asking about Cecilia?¡± ¡°Whether it was Shumacker or not, Cecilia¡¯s murder was definitely someone cleaning their tracks. That means we were shaking the right tree.¡± ¡°So they cut the tree down?¡± ¡°You¡¯re learning Sarge,¡± Ridley said, smirking through the pain. ¡°Question is, how do we track down Shumacker?¡± ¡°He has an office in the city,¡± Nairo said as she taped a fresh bandage over his stitches. ¡°We start there, and if he¡¯s not there, we go back to his home.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± Ridley said, sitting up with Nairo¡¯s help. "Shit, I forgot how much it hurts getting knifed.¡± ¡°Broke your streak,¡± Nairo said as she cleared away the medical supplies. ¡°What?¡± ¡°A while back when we first met, you said you hadn¡¯t been stabbed once this decade.¡± ¡°Streak still stands. I don¡¯t count this as a stabbing.¡± ¡°No? ¡°No, it¡¯s a cutting. Big difference.¡± Ridley grinned up at her. Nairo rolled her eyes and shook her head. ¡°Get dressed and let¡¯s get back on the hunt.¡± ¡°Aye aye, Sarge.¡± * ¡°What the hell is B&B Holdings?¡± Ridley asked as they walked up to the nondescript white stone building just a stone¡¯s throw from the Houses of Parliament. ¡°One of Shumacker¡¯s real estate companies,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°How did you find this place?¡± Ridley said. ¡°It was in his file with half a dozen other businesses. But this is the one that Shumacker runs himself. The others he¡¯s just on the board or one of the named owners.¡± ¡°And who said paperwork is a waste of time?¡± ¡°Only you.¡± Ridley grinned at her as she held the door open for him. He was still limping badly, every step shooting pain up the side of his body. He hugged his left arm to his body and looked thin and drawn with the pain and lack of rest. ¡°Good morning and welcome to B&B Holdings, how may I assist you today?¡± A smartly dressed young man said from behind the reception desk. ¡°Hi, my name is Sally Nairo, and this is Ridley, we have an appointment with Mr. Shumacker,¡± Nairo said. The young man¡¯s smile faltered, and he looked down at his date book quizzically. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Mr. Shumacker is out of the city at the moment,¡± he replied. ¡°His date book is completely empty.¡± ¡°Since when?¡± Ridley said. ¡°He left yesterday.¡± ¡°Did he say where he was going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. I believe he¡¯s on holiday with his family.¡± ¡°Did he say when he would be returning?¡± Nairo asked. "No, he didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Did he leave a mailing address or a way to contact him?¡± The man gave a fretful smile and shrugged. ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit weird, ain¡¯t it?¡± Ridley said. ¡°For him to just disappear overnight without any way of contacting him.¡± Again, the man gave a helpless shrug. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time. What did you say your names were? I can note it down and get Mr. Shumacker to contact you when he returns.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ridley said, walking back out of the office. ¡°You think he¡¯s in the wind?¡± Nairo asked as she joined him outside. Ridley screwed a smoke into the corner of his mouth and flicked his lighter. Without the use of his other arm the flame kept going out. Nairo tutted, took the lighter from him, and lit his smoke. ¡°Thanks,¡± he mumbled, taking a drag. ¡°The killer starts covering his tracks, and at the same time Shumacker leaves the city with no word of where he might be? I¡¯d say our boy¡¯s done a runner.¡± ¡°Could just be he¡¯s off partying somewhere,¡± Nairo said. ¡°That guy said he was on holiday with his family,¡± Ridley said, furrowing his brows. ¡°Did Lady Shumacker look like she was getting ready to go on holiday?¡± ¡°No,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°We must have spooked him bad when we went to his house. He¡¯s cleaning up his trail and fled the city. Shit! How are we gonna track him down?¡± Ridley growled in frustration. ¡°He could be anywhere,¡± Nairo said. ¡°With his resources, he could hide wherever he wanted for as long as he wanted.¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Ridley kicked at the cobbles with the heels of his shoes. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time we get the police involved,¡± Nairo said. ¡°They could put out an alert for Shumacker and contact PD¡¯s all across the Free Cities.¡± ¡°And tell ¡®em what?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°You got solid enough proof that Shumacker ordered these murders that the Cap¡¯n would be willing to go after an Owner? I mean, they don¡¯t even think LaRue¡¯s or Quinn¡¯s deaths were murders!¡± ¡°No,¡± Nairo said, sighing deeply. ¡°Someone must know where he¡¯s gone. Or at least why he would need to kill Cecilia. She hasn¡¯t been involved with him for years and now he goes and kills her? It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°Only one person knows that,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Manny?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go pay the fat man a visit,¡± Ridley said, tossing his smoke and hailing down a cab. * They had dropped by Manny¡¯s home first but found the place locked up, so they made their way straight to the Umbry theatre. The theatre was quiet at this time of the morning. The cleaning staff had barely finished tidying up after last night¡¯s performance when Nairo and Ridley arrived. They walked straight in and to the backstage, where a solitary janitor was quietly brushing up. ¡°Had a party in here last night?¡± Ridley asked, looking at the mountain of empty bottles and trash strewn about. ¡°Not one that I was invited to,¡± the old janitor said with a dry chuckle. ¡°Have you seen the boss?¡± ¡°Mr. Litteragi?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I have,¡± he replied. ¡°But his office is locked, which usually means he¡¯s sleeping off a hangover. It¡¯s right up them steps.¡± The janitor pointed to a set of skeletal wooden stairs that led up the balcony. Ridley and Nairo nodded their thanks and made their way up the stairs. The door to the office had a frosted pane of glass and the curtains were drawn across the window. The room was dark inside. Ridley tried the handle but it was locked. Nairo knocked and they waited. There was no sounds from within. ¡°You reckon he¡¯s in there?¡± Ridley asked, knocking again, this time more loudly. Nairo put her ear to the door and listened. There was no sound from within. She shook her head while Ridley peered through the dark window. He cupped his hands and around his face and tried to peek through a gap in the curtains. ¡°Someone¡¯s in there,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Looks like a woman¡¯s foot.¡± ¡°Ughh,¡± Nairo sighed, rolling her eyes. ¡°I have seen enough of Manny Litteragi¡¯s naked body to last me a lifetime. Maybe we should wait for him to come out.¡± ¡°Something¡¯s not right,¡± Ridley said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Get that door open, Sarge.¡± Ridley stood back from the window, his lips pursed and worry written in his eyes. Nairo tried the handle again. ¡°Maybe I could pick the lock¡­¡± ¡°Kick the damn thing down!¡± Ridley snapped. Nairo looked at him and then stepped back. She slammed her boot into the door and it shuddered. She took a step back and kicked it again. On the third attempt, the door flew open, and Nairo wished it hadn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t an office, it was a mausoleum. Three bodies were splayed out across the room. Manny Litteragi was slumped across his desk, his face twisted in agony, and his eyes were red and bulging. There were claw marks across the surface of his desk as if he had torn at it in his final moments of intense pain. On the floor were two more bodies. One was a woman with dark brown hair cascading around her head. She wore a figure hugging, short, black sequinned dress and matching black heels. She was young. Her body was twisted in a horrifying spasm, her red fingernails were frozen in a gnarled lump, and her eyes were livid red. ¡°Eliza,¡± Nairo whispered, and she stepped towards the body. Lana LaRue¡¯s friend, the only one who believed she hadn¡¯t overdosed, the one who sought justice for her friend, lay dead, twisted in agony on the carpet. Nairo looked away. She felt her breath coming hard in her chest. She looked over at Manny. His massive body was limp and perfectly still. She checked his pulse out of habit. He was cold and lifeless. Nairo felt panic creeping up her spine. ¡°Sarge!¡± Nairo jumped at the sound of Ridley¡¯s voice. She whirled around and saw him crouched by the third body. It was half hidden behind the sofa, as if the person had writhed and spasmed so hard that they had fallen over the back of the sofa. She couldn¡¯t see the face, but she could tell it was a man, and she could see curly golden hair peeking out from behind the sofa. ¡°Oh no¡­ Gerald?¡± Now she felt tears sting her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s alive still!¡± Ridley barked at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He¡¯s still breathing but he¡¯s unconscious!¡± Nairo didn¡¯t know what to do. She stood there, frozen for a moment, before her instincts and training took over. She ran out of the office. ¡°Get help! Call the police and a medic team!¡± she screamed down at the startled janitor. ¡°Move man!¡± The janitor jumped and dropped his broom. He took off running, repeating Nairo¡¯s instructions to the ushers. Nairo walked back into the office, feeling like her legs were made of jelly. ¡°Who could do something this evil?¡± Nairo whispered as she gazed into the unstaring, lifeless eyes of Eliza. Three more bodies to add to the pile. Book II - Chapter 42 - Rufi 42 Rufi took a deep breath. The rumours were all over the cobbles. The overdoses had started again. By morning, it was in the papers. By the afternoon, it was in the pubs. And by evening, the Kings had convened another meeting. Sam¡¯Sun was waiting for Rufi and had whisked him away in a black carriage before he could say a word. ¡°How many are they saying?¡± Sam¡¯Sun asked as their carriage went North out of the Goblin Town and into the East End. ¡°Ten so far,¡± Rufi replied numbly. His mind was racing. How could there be more of it? He had snatched Haney¡¯s supply, and the coppers had got the fresh batch. There was no way there was anymore of the Bad Batch on the streets. ¡°Eight junkies, a singer, and some famous theatre director.¡± ¡°All of them last night?¡± Rufi nodded. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Most of ¡®em were junkies down in the RatHoles and one of them was a hooker down by the Docks. The director and the singer were found in the Umbry theatre.¡± Rufi felt his stomach churn. He wanted to vomit. He had given his uncle his word that it was over, and not only was there a fresh wave of overdoses but two high profile ones to go with it. Sam¡¯Sun sighed wearily. ¡°They will put this at our feet,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Sam¡¯Sun waved away his apology. ¡°You were certain the product was off the streets?¡± ¡°Yes. Haney was the main supplier and I robbed him. Then the coppers got his fresh batch. Unless they were selling to more than one supplier,¡± Rufi said. ¡°And you have no idea who the supplier is?¡± Rufi clenched his jaw. He couldn¡¯t point fingers at the Gnomes, not with his own personal involvement in distributing the Bad Batch. Besides, what evidence did he actually have? A few scraps of paper with Gnommish scrawl and some red string? Rufi shook his head in response to his uncle¡¯s question. ¡°The only thing I¡¯m sure about is that they¡¯re not from inside the city.¡± Rufi said. ¡°We will tread carefully here, Nephew.¡± Sam¡¯Sun said. ¡°Do not speak if it can be helped.¡± Rufi nodded. Their carriage rolled to a stop around the back of the famous Waca Lounge. Rufi stepped out of the carriage and looked up and down the street before opening his uncle¡¯s door. Sam¡¯Sun stepped down with a hand from Rufi, and they made their way to the back entrance. Two Humans stood guard at the door. They patted down Rufi, took his weapons, and then welcomed Sam¡¯Sun in. The Waca lounge¡¯s private backroom was certainly more plush than other meeting spaces. It was well lit but still dim and cosy, with golden candles flickering in elaborate candelabras on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. There was a smattering of comfortable sofas lining the walls of the room for the seconds. The table in the middle was a large poker table with a velvet green tabletop. The other three Kings were already sitting around the table and looked like they had been here for a while. That wasn¡¯t good. Sam¡¯Sun was similarly perturbed by the scene before him. ¡°Have I interrupted?¡± Sam¡¯Sun said, stopping short of the table. The Yano looked decidedly unhappy. Delilah gave him a sheepish smile. Bill gave him a predatory grin. ¡°You told us this Bad Batch was off the streets and the deaths would stop,¡± Bill growled, his arms crossed with a triumphant smirk on his face. ¡°Ten more overdoses were recorded last night,¡± The Yano said. ¡°And two of them were very high profile,¡± Delilah added. ¡°Eliza Hartwell and Manny Litteragi. Their names and faces are all over the papers. Eliza was a well known singer and Manny had many powerful friends.¡± ¡°Care to explain yourself?¡± Bill said, clearly enjoying the opportunity to look down on Sam¡¯Sun. Sam¡¯Sun¡¯s baleful eyes roamed around the table. Rufi felt a crackle of wrathful energy radiate from him. ¡°No.¡± The word thundered even though Sam¡¯Sun had not raised his voice. It rumbled from deep within his chest and rippled across the room. ¡°No?¡± Bill repeated, baring his teeth like a dog ready to bite. ¡°Who are you to stand me on trial?¡± Sam¡¯Sun said, keeping his voice perfectly level. The Yano looked away from Sam¡¯Sun, Delilah took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder, while Bill leaned forward and stabbed his long index finger at Sam¡¯Sun. "Well, when you give a feller a job to do and they fuck it up and prove themselves to be incompetent¡­¡± ¡°You need to watch your fucking mouth Bill,¡± Rufi snarled, taking a step towards the Landlord, his fists balled. "What the fuck did you just say to me?" Bill leapt from his chair, sending it skittering across the floor, his second, Golden, appeared from the shadows behind him. Sam¡¯Sun was suddenly between Rufi and Bill. He was shorter than both of them but so broad and impassable they almost looked like squabbling children next to him. ¡°Gentlemen!¡± Delilah cried out, standing up and slamming her hands on the desk. ¡°You are here under the Firm¡¯s assurances and protections. Please do not disrespect that.¡± Men slowly circled the table, hands disappearing inside jackets. Rufi didn¡¯t take his eyes off Bill. The Landlord leered wickedly back at him, the skin stretching thin across his skull. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking turn you inside out you little¡­¡± Bill spat. "Bill!" Delilah said again. Bill¡¯s jaw worked, the muscles twitching under his skin, his cold eyes drilling into Rufi, who didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°Big balls for a cunt that was strung up from my warehouse ceiling not too long ago, huh?¡± Bill snarled at Rufi, a nasty smile on his face. ¡°One day,¡± Rufi warned Bill. ¡°Anytime you want, cunt.¡± Golden snarled at Rufi from over Bill¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Quiet yourself, Nephew,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said in Kittei. ¡°Your place is not to speak here. Go.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Rufi stood where he was, his heart thumping in his chest, anger and adrenaline swelling his muscles with furious energy. He could taste blood in his mouth, and the corners of his vision began to bleed red. He could hear the wardrums pounding... ¡°Nephew.¡± Sam¡¯Sun growled over his shoulder. Rufi blinked. He looked around the room. Taking a deep breath, Rufi stepped back from the table. "If he wasn''t your nephew..." Bill breathed in Sam''sun''s face. Sam''Sun didn''t lift his eyes. He looked straight at Bill''s chest where his heart was. "But he is," Sam¡¯Sun muttered, low enough for only Bill to hear him. ¡°Always remember who he is and who I am, William. You forget yourself too often.¡± Bill said nothing. The threat hung like a guillotine between them. ¡°Your second needs to take his place,¡± The Yano said to Bill. Bill stared at Sam''Sun for a few seconds longer and then looked over his shoulder at Golden and nodded his head. Golden melted back into the shadows. ¡°Please gentlemen, can we conduct ourselves with just a bit of professionalism?¡± Delilah said. ¡°Or are we just a bunch of crooks on the street corner?¡± ¡°And what would you know about that, girl?¡± Bill snarled at her. ¡°Easy there Bill,¡± a familiar voice warned from the shadows. Rufi looked over and saw Bobby Fish sitting languidly on a sofa, swirling whisky around a glass. Bill eyed Bobby coldly. ¡°Why? Has she got her hands red before?¡± Bill said. ¡°Maybe, maybe not,¡± Bobby said. ¡°But lest you¡¯re doubting how red my hands are, I wouldn¡¯t disrespect a Taverly in front of me.¡± Bill grinned at Bobby and then sat down in his chair. He smirked at Delilah and then at Sam¡¯Sun. ¡°Well take your seat then, Sam, and let¡¯s get on with this shit.¡± Sam¡¯Sun stood for a moment longer. He looked at Bill and exchanged a mutual nod of respect with Bobby Fish before sitting down. Delilah took a deep breath and then smiled at them. ¡°Sam¡¯Sun, I apologise if it felt like you were being accused or questioned,¡± she began. ¡°But we were given assurances that the Bad Batch was off the streets, and now we have a new wave of overdoses and more media attention.¡± ¡°We were also given assurances, Niece,¡± Sam¡¯Sun replied. ¡°All Burn selling was to cease in the city. You all were supposed to clear your streets and warn your dealers. Instead, my Nephew has spent two weeks cleaning up your mess, dealing with your drug dealers, and putting himself at risk because of your mistakes.¡± Delilah looked around the table. ¡°I warned my people,¡± she said. ¡°I too,¡± the Yano added. Bill remained silent. ¡°And Cameron Haney?¡± Sam¡¯Sun growled. ¡°To whom does he belong?¡± Delilah looked at Bill. ¡°He¡¯s from your neck of the woods,¡± Bill said to Delilah. ¡°I¡¯m not the one giving him refuge,¡± Delilah countered and Bill shrugged. ¡°The little squirt came to me wanting a safe place to rest his head. I didn¡¯t ask too many questions¡­¡± ¡°But you took his gold,¡± the Yano said. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Then he was your man,¡± the Yano said. ¡°No chance. He come over from the East End. Ms. Taverly here should have done something about him.¡± ¡°You may pass the blame as you wish,¡± Sam¡¯Sun interjected. ¡°But the fact remains, none of you ceased operations, and more Burn came into the city. My Nephew took care of this boy Haney''s supply and yet he was restocked again. If the police hadn¡¯t taken that then we would be looking at far more than just a handful of overdoses.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll deal with Haney once he lands in BlackWater,¡± Delilah said. ¡°For now, we need to know where this new package has come from and how it got onto the streets.¡± ¡°Sam¡¯Sun, may we question your nephew?¡± the Yano asked. ¡°After all, he conducted this investigation, only he has intimate knowledge of what is going on.¡± Sam¡¯Sun thought for a moment and then raised his hand, beckoning Rufi to the table. Rufi cleared his throat and stepped out of the shadows to stand at his uncle¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ruf¡¯Gar,¡± the Yano said, nodding his head. ¡°Tell us of your investigation.¡± Rufi looked at his uncle, who nodded for him to proceed. ¡°First of all, Yano was right. This is a specific strain of Burn that has been laced with something that is killing the addicts,¡± Rufi began, willing his voice to sound certain even as he carefully chose which parts of his story to hide from the table. ¡°How do you know?¡± Delilah said. ¡°I took some of the Bad Batch to a Gnome Warlock we have out in the Foundries. He said it had been tainted with something, and that was what is killing users.¡± ¡°What is it tainted with?¡± the Yano asked. Rufi licked his lips. If he revealed the source of the taint was something that could only be found in the Gnommish empire, then the fingers would automatically point at the Yano and his Gnomes. If that happened it wouldn¡¯t be too far until they got to Tiko and then Rufi himself. ¡°This I don¡¯t know,¡± Rufi said. ¡°But it could have been accidental. Just a poor grow.¡± The Yano looked at him curiously for a moment and then gestured for him to continue. ¡°Me and my boys made our way through every top level distributor in the city. Haney was our last stop and he had kilos of the shit. We took it all and sunk it in the river. After that, we did another circuit of the dealers and everyone was dry, nobody was holding any sort of weight. I managed to track the Bad Batch to a warehouse on the riverfront, but whoever had been there was long gone.¡± ¡°No clues as to who they were?¡± Delilah asked. ¡°No. Just a bunch of empty boxes and bottles of beer,¡± Rufi lied. ¡°This wouldn¡¯t be that warehouse that caught fire all of a sudden, would it?¡± Bill asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Convenient that,¡± Bill said. ¡°All that evidence gone up in smoke.¡± Rufi ignored Bill and continued. ¡°Whoever was selling it was using the river. They would come up by boat, deliver to Haney, and then leave the same way. How Haney got the gold together to get a second package, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m assuming it was on consignment. How the police knew it was coming in, I don¡¯t know either. I only got wind of it after they had raided the place. I searched the warehouse afterwards and found the same packaging as the other kilos of the Bad Batch, so we can assume it was the same product and the same supplier.¡± ¡°So this Cameron Haney is the main source of this tainted product?¡± The Yano asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then it is him we need answers from.¡± The Yano looked at Delilah. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the twins,¡± Delilah said. ¡°Not possible,¡± Rufi said. ¡°From what I hear, he¡¯s still at the police precinct. They¡¯re trying to get him to flip. He won¡¯t land in BlackWater for weeks.¡± ¡°So if Haney was the main distributor and he got both his packages lifted, then how the fuck are people still dying?¡± Bill said. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rufi replied. ¡°If you¡¯re all being straight, and none of you have done a side deal anywhere, then there¡¯s no way it could get back into the city. No one wants to touch the shit anymore. Not with my boys breathing down their necks and all those OD¡¯s. Even the junkies are sketchy about trusting Burn at the minute.¡± The Yano sighed and tutted. ¡°Ruf¡¯Gar is right,¡± he said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense. Burn does not have a long shelf life. After the weeks spent in transportation, there is not much time before it starts to rot. Especially if it is being kept on a boat or in a riverside warehouse. The moisture will ruin it. And there¡¯s no way a fresh supply can be grown, cropped, dried, and transported in such a small time frame. Any of this tainted product being sold has to have started rotting by now.¡± ¡°So why the fuck are people still dying?¡± Bill growled. ¡°This is your concern,¡± Sam¡¯Sun said, rising from the table. ¡°I will have no further involvement in this matter.¡± He stood and looked imperiously around the table at the other Kings. ¡°You sell poisons and then complain about the deaths. This is why I will not deal with such things. Do not contact me on this matter again.¡± "You do not stand with us, Sam''Sun?" The Yano asked. Sam''Sun looked at the Gnome. His expression was implacable. "I have never stood with you creatures," Sam''Sun growled. "Never forget, our relationship is one of convenience and necessity. I will not have my people dragged into your games. Put your houses in order." Sam¡¯Sun turned and strode out of the Waca, leaving the Kings to stare at his broad back. Rufi fell into step with him, grateful to escape. He helped his uncle into their carriage and then got in after him. As their carriage pulled away, Sam¡¯Sun sighed and closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Uncle, I shouldn¡¯t have lost my temper,¡± Rufi said after a few minutes of pensive silence. ¡°You will learn Nephew,¡± Sam¡¯Sun replied. ¡°You have done well in this matter. And whatever it is you aren¡¯t telling them, I hope you will take care of it without further need for lies.¡± Rufi swallowed and looked at his uncle¡¯s impassive face. ¡°Yes Uncle.¡± ¡°We will have nothing to do with this mess from now.¡± Rufi stared into the distance from the window of his cab. How he wished that would be true. Book II - Chapter 43 - R&N 43 Two days had passed since the deaths of Manny Litteragi and Eliza Hartwell. Nine more overdoses had been reported since, all of them junkies from the various slums of Valderia. It was all the newspapers wrote about. They had leapt on the connection between LaRue, Eliza, and Manny. The less reputable rags were spreading stories about how the Umbry Theatre was cursed. The more legitimate papers filled their pages with biographies and odes to the deceased genius and lifetime contributor to the Arts, Ozymandal Litteragi. Ridley had to stomach reading about how wonderful of a man Litteragi had been. How he had been a genius at this craft and, sickeningly, how he had always fought for women¡¯s rights in the theatre. Interestingly, Eliza Hartwell¡¯s death received much less fanfare. Most articles about her contained not so subtle suggestions at a physical relationship between her and Manny. Gerald was only mentioned as the third victim of overdose and survivor. He had been unconscious since they had found him, and doctors said it was unlikely he would recover. The deaths had hit the Sarge particularly hard. Ridley hadn¡¯t seen her since they were brought in for questioning at the police station. Of course, she had told the boys in blue everything, and, of course, they had dismissed her out of hand. Overdoses were bad enough, but to suggest a serial killer murdering dozens of people over the course of a month while the police just stood by completely unaware was too outrageous for them. She had gone home, and Ridley hadn¡¯t seen her since. That was okay with him. The case had hit a brick wall. With Manny dead, Eliza dead, Cecilia dead, Gerald in a coma, Shumacker in the wind, and all their case notes and evidence stolen, the investigation had completely stalled to a halt. Ridley was sitting on the roof of their building, chain smoking and staring out at the city. It was a rare cloudless night, and the crescent moon shone a yellow light across Valderia. Ridley was halfway through a litre of firerum, and a destroyed landscape of smoke ends littered the floor around him. In his hands he held the much creased secret papers he had discovered in Quinn¡¯s flat. He looked down at the dates and numbers, an irrational anger taking over him. He wanted to ball the bloody paper up and launch it over the roof into the gutter. He wanted to tear it to pieces. To set it on fire. To do anything to get rid of the mocking scrap of parchment. Instead, he smoothed it down across his thigh and read each number again, perhaps for the hundredth time. ¡°You old bastard,¡± Ridley slurred. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you just leave me a fuckin¡¯ note with the name of the bastards you were investigating?¡± Ridley hiccuped and lit another smoke, tracing his finger down the column of dates. ¡°But no, Quinn has to be the smartest man in the fuckin¡¯ room. It was always a test with you old man, wasn¡¯t it?" Ridley took a drag of his smoke and furiously scrubbed his eyes with his sleeve. "And I always was too fuckin'' stupid, wasn''t I? Not smart enough to figure out what it all means." He slurped at the bottle and hiccuped wetly. "It was always about the job wasn''t it? Even your death. You couldn¡¯t have been killed coz you messed with a man¡¯s wife, could you? Or coz you chiselled someone on a debt? No, it had to be some big fuckin¡¯ case, with a bunch of sexy women, murder, drugs, showbiz¡­ fuck sake, Quinn! You died a cliche!¡± Ridley chuckled drunkenly. He tipped the bottle to his lips again, tears glistening in the corner of his eyes. ¡°A PI through and through. Here¡¯s to you, you old git!¡± Ridley tipped the bottle back, leaning in his chair. The rum caught in his throat, and he spluttered, rocking forward and spitting alcohol across Quinn¡¯s secret message. ¡°Shit!¡± Ridley wheezed, punching his chest with one hand and wiping rum off the paper with the other. The paper was upside down as he carefully wiped it. He looked at the strange series of digits at the bottom of the paper. They looked different now they were upside down, or he was just seeing them differently. The intuitive instincts of the PI wandered into Ridley¡¯s brain, had a look around, lit a smoke, and cleared its throat. Ridley continued to stare at the paper. His instincts coughed louder. Ridley stared harder. His instincts sighed and then waved its arms to get Ridley¡¯s attention. ¡°Sonofabitch!¡± Ridley slurred. He leapt from the chair and stumbled around the rooftop for a moment. After a few seconds of perilous teetering near the edge of the building, he regained control of his legs, picked a direction, and then used the power of inertia to drive his inebriated body forward towards the door. His instincts shook its head, popped up its collar, and drifted back into the shadows. * It had taken Ridley almost ten minutes to get down the stairs without falling. Although he probably had fallen and not noticed. He slammed into his office door. He tried every key in his pocket and then realised the door was still unlocked. He stumbled inside and bumped along the wall until he reached the office. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mrs. Paper snapped at him. ¡°You smell like a brewery!¡± ¡°Map?¡± Ridley cried out at her, tripping over his own feet and almost cracking his head on his desk. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Map! You old batty¡­ bat!¡± ¡°Map? You want a map?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Mrs. Paper blinked from behind her spectacles and then pointed to Nairo¡¯s desk. ¡°Sally keeps one in her desk.¡± Ridley lurched over to Nairo¡¯s desk and yanked open the drawers until he found a small, rolled up map of Verdalia. ¡°Eur¡­ Eure¡­ Got it!¡± Ridley mumbled as he threw the map down on the desk and unfurled it. ¡°What is going on?¡± Mrs. Paper asked. ¡°Why do you need a map?¡± Ridley waved a hand at her. His very limited processing powers were being used to study the map. He slapped down Quinn''s note next to it and traced his fingers across the line of numbers, mouthing along as he did. ¡°It¡¯s a fuckin¡¯ location!¡± Ridley crowed triumphantly, throwing his arms in the air, over balancing, and falling into Nairo¡¯s office chair. ¡°What is?¡± Mrs. Paper said, caught up in Ridley¡¯s jubilation. ¡°Quinn¡¯s code! I cracked it! The old bastard ain¡¯t smarter than me!¡± Ridley jabbed his temple with his index finger. ¡°I¡¯m a bloody genius.¡± ¡°If you say so, honey.¡± Mrs. Paper said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Why don¡¯t you kick off those shoes and have a little lie down?¡± ¡°No time!¡± Ridley yelled, leaping back to his feet and slamming his knee against the desk. ¡°Need the Sharge!¡± ¡°Sally hasn¡¯t come in today¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to her!¡± he said, stumbling around the desk. He grabbed his coat, rolled up the map, and stuck it in the inside pocket so it was still hanging halfway out. ¡°It¡¯s almost the middle of the night!¡± Mrs. Paper said. ¡°Why not wait until the morning?¡± ¡°Genius doesn¡¯t wait!¡± Ridley lurched past her and out the door before she could say another word. After a few seconds, there was a knock at the door. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Yes?¡± Mrs. Paper called through the door. ¡°I don¡¯t know where she lives,¡± Ridley shouted through the door. Mrs. Paper sighed and rolled her eyes. One day she would get a proper job with a sane employer. One day. * ¡°Sharge! Sharge! Open up!¡± Nairo sat up and wiped her eyes blearily. ¡°Sharge! It¡¯s me the genius... I mean Ridley!¡± Nairo stumbled out of bed and ran to the front door of her small apartment. She pulled on a nightgown and unlocked the door. ¡°Ridley? What are you¡­¡± ¡°No time!¡± Ridley said, barging into her flat. ¡°Time? Do you know what time it is?¡± Nairo snapped at him as he brushed past her. ¡°You stink. Have you been bathing in rum?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been bathing in genius!¡± Ridley said, knocking into her coat stand. ¡°Shh!¡± Nairo hissed. ¡°You¡¯re going to wake up the neighbours!¡± ¡°Good! They should see my brilliance!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? And why are you here?¡± Nairo padded barefoot into her living/dining room, where Ridley was trying, unsuccessfully, to remove his coat. He stopped and looked down at Nairo. She was wearing just shorts and a nightshirt. She pulled her nightgown tighter around herself. ¡°What?¡± she snapped at him. ¡°Never seen your feet before,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re nice.¡± ¡°What? Ridley, what do you want? If this is about the case I don¡¯t want¡­¡± ¡°It is, and trust me, you do!¡± Ridley said. He reached into his coat and yanked at the map. He fought with his coat for a second before freeing the map. ¡°Why have you got a map?¡± Nairo asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. ¡°The numbers on Quinn¡¯s paper¡­¡± Ridley belched wetly. ¡°They¡¯re not numbers!¡± ¡°They¡¯re not?¡± ¡°Well¡­ they are. But they¡¯re not just numbers.¡± ¡°Ridley, it¡¯s seriously late. I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°You see, Quinn had to be the smartest person in the room. He had to be!¡± ¡°Sounds like someone else I know,¡± Nairo muttered. ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why me and Quinn split eventually, we both had to be the smartest. That¡¯s why I like working with you, coz you ain¡¯t the smartest and you don¡¯t mind it.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Nairo said sarcastically. ¡°Ridley, you should really leave¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re a map!¡± Ridley said, cutting her off and throwing the map down on the table. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ they¡¯re a location¡­ on a map!¡± ¡°They¡¯re coordinates?¡± Nairo said. ¡°That¡¯s the word!¡± Ridley cried out, flopping down onto Nairo¡¯s sofa and wiping at his brow. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to remember that word for ages now! He unfurled the map and waved Quinn¡¯s paper in her face. ¡°Where do they point to?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°I dunno,¡± Ridley said and then he leaned forward and whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, Sharge, I¡¯m drunk as a rat in a brewery. There¡¯s too many little numbers. But you can read maps, right?¡± Nairo looked at the map, then at the paper, and then at Ridley¡¯s earnest, red face. She sighed and snathed the paper from him before kneeling down and smoothing out the map. She brought a candle closer to the table and peered at the map. She read the coordinates and traced her finger along the map. ¡°Did ya find it?¡± Ridley said. ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Okay. Let me know.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Nairo followed the longitude with her finger and then stopped. She grabbed a pencil and then double checked her reading of the map before circling a small square. ¡°Is that it?¡± Ridley asked, craning his neck to peer at the map. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The Pearlston Graveyard,¡± Nairo replied, her brows furrowed. ¡°A graveyard?¡± Ridley said, sitting back and scratching his head. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± Nairo looked at the scrap of paper again. ¡°HH1477,¡± she muttered. ¡°What if HH is someone¡¯s initials?¡± Ridley looked at her, and his eyes widened in thunderstruck comprehension. ¡°It¡¯s a gravestone! It¡¯s someone¡¯s grave! It¡¯s a¡­ plot number. Like a grave number, 1477!¡± ¡°The coordinates lead to a grave?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Quinn you dirty old dog! What did you figure out?¡± Ridley, lurching from the sofa, overbalanced and went cartwheeling over the back of the sofa. "Ridley!" Nairo cried. "Are you okay?" ¡°We have to go there!¡± ¡°Where, to the graveyard?¡± "Yes!" Ridley''s disembodied voice said, his feet waving in the air. "Now?" ¡°Now!¡± ¡°Ridley I¡­¡± ¡°Am a damn detective!¡± he snapped. His feet disappeared, and after a moment of scrabbling about and fighting the forces of gravity, his face appeared over the top of the sofa. ¡°And a bloody good one! You ain¡¯t a genius like me, but you¡¯re a great detective.¡± Ridley swallowed as if he were on the verge of vomiting. ¡°You caught a bad case¡­ I caught us a bad case, that¡¯s true. And people have died. And now we gotta find the bastard responsible, and¡­ I can¡¯t do it without you. Let¡¯s bring this poisoning fucker to justice, Sharge.¡± Nairo looked at him and blinked away a tear. ¡°Ridley, those people are dead because of us. If we hadn¡¯t started¡­¡± ¡°And Quinn and LaRue were murdered before we got involved,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Is that okay? Is it okay that their killer would have got away with it?¡± ¡°No,¡± Nairo said quietly. ¡°Those deaths ain¡¯t on you." Ridley heaved himself back to his feet and held onto the sofa unsteadily. "They¡¯re on whoever this evil bastard is. We¡¯re gonna catch him. We¡¯re gonna kick shit out of him. Then we¡¯re gonna hand him over to the coppers so he can live the rest of his miserable, bastard life in BlackWater.¡± Nairo took a deep breath and then nodded. ¡°Let me get changed.¡± ¡°Nice on Sharge.¡± Ridley said with a lopsided smirk on his face. ¡°Where¡¯s your toilet?¡± ¡°Down the hall, to the left.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m gonna go puke, and then I¡¯ll meet you downstairs!¡± * After vomiting, downing a big mug of black coffee that Nairo forced upon him, and vomiting again, Ridley had sobered up enough to be almost sensible by the time they arrived at the Pearlston Graveyard. ¡°Woken up in the middle of the night and whisked away to a graveyard,¡± Nairo sighed as they stood in front of the black wrought iron gates of the cemetery. ¡°You sure know how to treat a girl, Ridley.¡± Ridley chuckled and then hiccuped. He wiped the corner of his mouth and looked at the gate and fencing. ¡°Ever broken into a graveyard before?¡± he asked. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°First time for everything,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Have you?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Just gotta watch out for empty graves¡­ and vamps.¡± Ridley said as he gripped the metal bars and looked for a foothold. ¡°Why would vampyrs be in a cemetery?¡± Nairo said as she laced her fingers so she could boost him over the fence. ¡°I thought they sucked fresh blood.¡± ¡°They¡¯re degenerate hell-spawn,¡± Ridley grunted back. ¡°Who knows what they¡¯re doing here.¡± He stepped on Nairo¡¯s laced fingers and boosted himself over the fence. Nairo couldn¡¯t help herself; she gave him an extra shove and sent him arse over tea kettle. He landed in a spiky bush of some sort and swore loud enough to make the corpses blush. Nairo chuckled and then squeezed through a gap made by a broken bar that Ridley had missed. Ridley rolled out of the bush and swung a bad tempered kick at the flora. He brushed himself down and then blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of Nairo at his side. ¡°How did you get over here?¡± ¡°Jumped,¡± Nairo said as she breathed her glowstone torch into life. ¡°Really?¡± Ridley said as he followed her. Their banter died on their lips as they looked upon the graveyard. The yellowish crescent moon had become obscured behind a heavy cloaking of fog, blanketing the graveyard in a cloak of near darkness. Headstones, sticking out like broken teeth, were the only feature Nairo could see. It was the most still place Nairo had ever been in, even the air seemed to die as it entered the place. There were no animals, no insects, and nothing stirred. ¡°Well this isn¡¯t creepy,¡± Ridley said, his voice carrying across the graves. ¡°Come on,¡± Nairo said, her voice barely above a whisper. Hesitantly, they began to wind their way through the graveyard, checking plot numbers at the foot of graves as they went. Most of the graves didn¡¯t even have plot numbers, so it took them almost twenty minutes of walking before they could orient themselves and then another twenty minutes before they came to plot number 1477. A gentle misting of rain passed over the graveyard when they came upon the grave that Quinn¡¯s secret message had led them to. ¡°HH,¡± Nairo said, shining her torch down at the non-descript grave. ¡°Hubert Hess,¡± Ridley read from the headstone. ¡°Beloved son.¡± Nairo looked at the headstone and then at Ridley. ¡°Who the hell is Herbert Hess?¡± Ridley exclaimed, throwing his arms up, his voice echoing in the darkness. Book II - Chapter 44 - T&W 44 Captain Mallory swallowed and took a deep breath. He felt like he had aged a decade in the last three days. His guts ached constantly, and his acid reflux was so bad his breath could melt steel. He smoothed down his beard the best he could and reached a hand up to knock on the door of Albert Stubbs, chief whip for the Men of Now. He hesitated, his fist inches from the door. Nothing good was on the other side. He looked down at the green carpet and saw he was standing on a well worn patch. How many men had stood where he was right now? Hands frozen, legs trembling, fighting the urge to run and find a dark hole to hide in. Mallory clenched his jaw, his nostrils flaring. He was the damn Captain of the Valderia police force, he can¡¯t be standing here quivering in his boots. As he steeled himself to knock on the door, he was interrupted by a voice from within. ¡°Get in here, Mallory!¡± The voice was deep and guttural. Mallory¡¯s guts churned, and he felt bile bite at the back of his throat. He wrenched the door open and walked into the office. The office was as utilitarian as its inhabitant. Not a thing was excessive or out of place. There were no personal effects, or effects of any kind, in the room. It was bare, almost intimidatingly so. There was a large, expensive looking desk in the middle of the room with a single chair for guests. The chair was small and spartan, made of sturdy but uncomfortable naked wood. Sat opposite the chair was a hulking figure. There was nothing this man could have been but an authority figure. It was etched across every heavy line of his thick face. Albert Stubbs was the first man you saw when you had made a mistake and often the last you saw before taking an involuntary nap. He had a blunt head and a short, thick neck like a fighting dog. He was broad but not particularly tall, which made him look even more like a lump of man. His brawn had started melting to fat in his middle age, but there was no doubt the power still pulsed through him to separate a man from his consciousness with a single blow. His hair was grey, as were his eyes. He seemed to suck the colour from everything around him. The expensive tailored suit he wore should have been blue but had bled to grey and was too tight about his shoulders and arms. He sat, a thick cigar smouldering in an ashtray, with his hands clasped before him and a brutal look of malice on his face. ¡°Albert,¡± Mallory said, inclining his head and sitting down on the chair, hoping the man couldn¡¯t hear the churn of his guts as he did. ¡°Do you read, Captain?¡± Stubbs growled. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Mallory said, blinking in surprise. ¡°Do you read? Can you understand when letters are put in a particular order to create words, which then create sentences?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Stubbs picked up the newspaper on his desk and tossed it across to the Captain. Mallory didn¡¯t even look down. He had already seen the morning headlines. Even so Stubbs insisted he read with a flick of his hand. Mallory picked up the paper and began scanning the headline. ¡°Outloud,¡± Stubbs commanded. ¡°Ten dead as coppers crap out,¡± Mallory read. ¡°And this one.¡± Stubbs tossed another paper at him. ¡°Promises broken: overdoses continue across city.¡± ¡°And this one.¡± ¡°Incompetence and Scandal, another blow to Mayor Pleasently¡¯s credibility.¡± ¡°72 hours ago Mallory, you stood on a stage with our Mayor shaking hands and confidently pronouncing our streets to be drug free,¡± Stubbs said, his voice barely above a whisper. ¡°Three days later, we have ten more bodies, two of which have made headlines from here to Genero! The fat swine Litteragi was beloved by many, including those who sign your fucking pay slips!¡± ¡°Alb¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! Shut your damn mouth!¡± Stubbs roared, slamming his meaty fist on the desk. ¡°You made promises, Mallory! Even worse, you made those promises publicly!¡± Mallory deflated and looked down at his feet. ¡°You have made the Mayor look a fool! You¡¯ve made me look a fool! You¡¯ve made this entire Government look incompetent! I told you I wanted arrests! I wanted Burn on the table! And instead, you bring me more bodies!¡± ¡°We made arrests sir,¡± Mallory said weakly. ¡°We put Burn on the table. The city has run dry¡­¡± ¡°Then why are these fucking junkies still overdosing?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Mallory was about to utter the one phrase a subordinate cannot and should never say. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°Captain, and for how much longer I refer to you as such is undecided, you need to fix this.¡± Stubbs¡¯ voice had returned to a husky growl. ¡°We need high profile arrests. We need heads being cracked, doors being kicked in, dealers being put on parade and made to pay for their crimes. This is now your number one priority, do I make myself clear?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Now get out of my office and do your fucking job!¡± * Unlike Captain Mallory, Conway was much better at avoiding the heavy hand of management. He had sent all of his detectives out on the street from sunrise to sunset trying to figure out where there was still Burn in the city. He had sent Timmy and Wally to RatHoles that morning after four more bodies were discovered. The coroners were already on the scene when they arrived at the rundown little tenement they had once gone undercover in. The residents of the RatHoles had turned out in force to stare curiously and generally be a nuisance to the police. Timmy and Wally ducked under the police rope and made their way into the building. It was just as dank and draughty as the first time they had been inside but was noticeably quieter. They walked up the creaking stairs to the large room where the addicts had set up camp. Inside, there were only four bodies now. They were covered in white sheets waiting to be bagged and transported to the morgue. ¡°Oh man,¡± Wally whispered as they saw the four covered bodies. ¡°Wot are we even meant to be doin¡¯ ¡®ere?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Timmy replied as one of the coroners assistants walked up to him. He was a tall, pale, gangly man whose body lilted slightly like he didn''t have the musculature to remain upright. ¡°Oh hello detectives,¡± he said, his voice a gentle little whine. ¡°My name¡¯s Drake, I¡¯m a junior coroner.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Edgewater and this is Washbottom,¡± Timmy said, shaking the man¡¯s surprisingly cold and limp hand. ¡°What are we looking at here?¡± ¡°Four more overdoses,¡± Drake said, tutting sympathetically as he looked at the dead bodies. ¡°No chance they all just croaked of natural causes¡­ at the same time?¡± Wally asked. Drake looked at him curiously, and the beginnings of a wry grin disappeared from Wally¡¯s lips. ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Drake replied. ¡°They are presenting the same as the others.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Damn,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Is there anything else you can tell us? Something that might help us figure out why this happened?¡± ¡°No, sorry. Other than some strange bruising on one of the victims, I suppose.¡± ¡°Bruising?¡± Timmy said. ¡°Yes, like they were grabbed very roughly around the neck. But that could have been sustained at some other point. Unfortunately, these drug addicts are often riddled with wounds and cuts. It can be very difficult to tell when and how they happened.¡± ¡°Yeah, I understand,¡± Timmy said, sighing and closing his notepad. ¡°Do you know if there were any witnesses?¡± ¡°I believe the other addicts have been taken downstairs, but where they are, I¡¯m not certain.¡± ¡°Well thanks for your time.¡± ¡°You are welcome. We will be taking these bodies away as soon as the wagon arrives.¡± With that, Drake floated away back to the bodies, and Timmy and Wally went back downstairs. ¡°That guy was creepy,¡± Wally whispered. ¡°He looked a bit like one of them vampyrs.¡± ¡°He did, didn¡¯t he?¡± Timmy agreed. ¡°Gotta be a bit weird to wanna be ¡®round all them dead bodies all day long,¡± Wally said, and Timmy nodded his head. They made their way back out of the tenement where officers were trying to clear the gawking crowd to make way for the coroner¡¯s wagon. Timmy and Wally walked over to the officer that seemed to be in charge. ¡°Where are the witnesses being kept?¡± Timmy asked. The officer turned and looked the pair of gawky detectives up and down. ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Edgewater and this Washbottom, we¡¯re special detectives,¡± Timmy replied. ¡°Special?¡± Again, the officer looked them up and down. ¡°You can check with Lieutenant Conway if you fancy wasting ¡®is time,¡± Wally said, jutting out his chin. The officer considered this and then shrugged. ¡°What do you need, special detective?¡± The officer said with an emphasis on the word special. ¡°The witnesses, where are they?¡± Wally said. "Witnesses?" ¡°When those people up there overdosed,¡± Timmy said. ¡°They were just a bunch of junkies,¡± the officer said with a shrug. ¡°Didn¡¯t think we¡¯d need witnesses for OD¡¯s.¡± ¡°You let them go?¡± Wally said. ¡°D¡¯you see what we¡¯re dealing with here?¡± the officer said sourly. ¡°I ain¡¯t got time to be babysitting a bunch of fiends!¡± With that, he turned and began shouting at the RatHole¡¯s residents to clear a path and move on. ¡°Well this was a massive waste of time then,¡± Wally said. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to wait for the coroner¡¯s report,¡± Timmy said. ¡°See if there¡¯s anything in there that¡¯ll tell us something.¡± ¡°Like wot?¡± Wally said miserably. Timmy sighed and shrugged. They were blundering around blind. They had been chasing OD¡¯s for two days now and had no idea what they were supposed to be doing. Conway had simply told them to stay out of the precinct, away from reporters and anyone important. ¡°Wanna get a pastry?¡± Timmy asked him. ¡°Yeah,¡± Wally said, his voice heavy. ¡°With the powdered sugar?¡± ¡°Yeah definitely,¡± Timmy said as they plodded away from the crime scene. ¡°Timmy! Wally!¡± They turned and saw a hand waving at them from the crowd, followed by a head of fiery orange hair. ¡°Marney?¡± Wally said, breaking out in a toothy smile as they saw the young girl weaving her way through the crowd towards them. ¡°How are you guys?¡± she said, giving them both enthusiastic hugs. ¡°I knew I would find you guys here. Still working the case?¡± Both special detectives blushed awkwardly as she hugged them. ¡°Yeah¡­ we¡¯re still workin¡¯ it,¡± Wally managed to say as Timmy¡¯s cheeks reddened. ¡°And did you¡­ I know you¡¯ve already done enough for me¡­ but did you manage to talk to Trembles?¡± Marney asked, scratching her arm awkwardly and looking down at her beaten up shoes. Wally looked at Timmy guiltily. They had promised to track down this Trembles thug and scare him off, but they hadn¡¯t even thought about it with all the madness of the last few days. ¡°Umm¡­ we¡¯re still trying to track him down,¡± Timmy lied. ¡°He¡¯s a slippery one.¡± ¡°Oh right, yeah, of course.¡± Marney said. ¡°But we¡¯re on it!¡± Wally said. ¡°You leave it with us.¡± ¡°Yeah I know, you two are awesome.¡± Marney smiled brightly up at them, tucking her hair behind her ears, revealing fresh livid bruises on her neck. They stood there awkwardly for a moment. ¡°We¡­ were gonna go get some pastries,¡± Wally said. ¡°Oh right, yeah you two must be busy,¡± Marney said. ¡°I¡¯ll let you get on.¡± ¡°Do you want to come?¡± Timmy asked her. ¡°We¡¯re buying.¡± Marney smiled at him and patted her non-existent stomach. ¡°I could eat, I guess.¡± * Marney could eat. She had devoured three heavy cream filled pastries already. She shovelled flaky, sweet pastry into her mouth, cream exploding in her cheeks, as she chomped away and downed it with coffee that had barely cooled. Timmy and Wally watched her with fascination. After she managed to choke down half a pastry in a single bite, she looked up and gave them another, cream covered smile before sitting back and patting her stomach. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten that well in ages!¡± she laughed. ¡°Do you want anymore?¡± Wally asked. ¡°Not right now,¡± Marney said. ¡°But could I have one of those smokes?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Wally offered her the smoke and lit it for her. Marney took a quick drag and then pulled her feet up onto her chair, hugging her knees to her. ¡°So how is the case going?¡± she asked them before dropping her voice. ¡°I heard you got Cameron.¡± ¡°Yeah we did,¡± Wally said. ¡°Thanks for that tip.¡± ¡°Me and Wally did it!¡± Timmy blurted out. ¡°I mean¡­ we were the ones that went undercover and took out the guards.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Marney said, her eyes going wide. ¡°Just you two?¡± ¡°Yeah corse,¡± Wally said as if it were no big deal. ¡°Had to go behind enemy lines and take out a couple of ¡®eavies.¡± ¡°Wally got stabbed,¡± Timmy blurted out again. ¡°Did you!¡± Marney leaned forward eagerly like a child being told an exciting bedtime story. ¡°Lemme see!¡± Wally looked around shyly before raising his shirt and revealing the patched up wound. ¡°Woah!¡± Marney said, peering at the wound closely. ¡°What happened to the guy that did it?¡± ¡°Timmy bashed ¡®is brains in and we arrested ¡®im,¡± Wally said, patting the blushing Timmy on his meaty shoulder. ¡°Oh wow! You guys are like those detectives from the stories! You¡¯re proper heroes!¡± Marney gushed. ¡°No¡­¡± Timmy said humbly. ¡°We¡¯re just doing our jobs.¡± ¡°You know sometimes you gotta risk yer life in the line of duty,¡± Wally said blithely. ¡°Man, being a detective sounds so cool!¡± Marney said, resting her chin on her grubby knees. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s alright,¡± Wally said. ¡°Except for all the bodies,¡± Timmy said. ¡°That bit¡¯s not so much fun.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Marney said. ¡°You must have seen a lot of ¡®em.¡± ¡°Eight in just the last two days,¡± Wally said. ¡°All OD¡¯s?¡± Marney asked, and Wally nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even make sense!¡± ¡°Senseless death,¡± Timmy said, nodding his head. ¡°No, I mean there¡¯s not even any Burn in the city no more.¡± ¡°What?¡± Timmy said. ¡°City has dried up, what with the Goblins jacking up all the dealers and then Cameron¡¯s resupply getting nabbed by you lot. There¡¯s hardly a scrap of it anywhere. Plus, no one even wants to touch Burn anymore. Most users have moved over to other stuff. It¡¯s not as good as Burn, but at least you ain¡¯t gonna die off of one hit!¡± ¡°Wait, so no one¡¯s doing Burn anymore?¡± Timmy clarified. ¡°No one I know. Everyone¡¯s been warned off of it. That¡¯s why when the OD¡¯s started again, it caught everyone off guard. I mean, there¡¯s definitely no Burn in the RatHoles right now. People are hurting something fierce for it, but all the dealers have been warned off.¡± ¡°So how come the OD¡¯s started again?¡± Wally asked. Marney shrugged her bony shoulders. ¡°All I know is that you couldn¡¯t get Burn in Valderia if you had a million gold coins. No one wants anything to do with it.¡± Timmy looked at Wally. ¡°Then why are people dying still?¡± Timmy said. Marney shrugged. ¡°Can I have another one of those jam cakes?¡± ¡°Yeah sure, but then we need to get back to the precinct and talk to the Lieutenant,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Cool. What¡¯s a Lieutenant?¡± Book II - Chapter 45 - R&N 45 ¡°Hubert Hess,¡± Nairo announced, dumping a collection of old, battered files on Ridley¡¯s desk. Ridley curled his lip at the stack of reading and then waved his hand at Nairo. ¡°Give me the synopsis,¡± he said. Nairo flopped down behind her desk and rubbed her tired eyes. ¡°You assume I¡¯ve already read them?¡± Nairo said, and Ridley just cocked an eyebrow at her. ¡°Fine, I have.¡± She sat forward and pulled the files towards her. ¡°Hubert Hess died a decade ago. He was born in Lower Walkham, his father was a lawyer and a small landowner. His mother died during childbirth, and his father remarried twice. Not much is known after that in the official records, just school and stuff, until he turns fifteen and he gets pinched for robbing a man at knifepoint down near the RatHoles. And then¡­ all of this.¡± Nairo flung a thick blue folder onto Ridley¡¯s desk. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°His police record.¡± Ridley let out a low whistle as he flicked through it. ¡°Our boy was a real Villain,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Or at least a wannabe,¡± Nairo said. ¡°He got picked up four more times that year. Burglary, theft, carrying a concealed weapon, assault, drunk and disorderly, groping¡­ his list of petty and not so petty crimes keeps going.¡± ¡°Let me guess, daddy kept him out of BlackWater?¡± Ridley said. ¡°More than likely. That is until he turned twenty and celebrated by stabbing a copper during a foot chase. The officer survived and fingered him in court. Somehow, the charges were reduced to resisting arrest and fleeing the scene of a crime. Hess was convicted and given a four year sentence.¡± ¡°Only four years for stabbing a copper?¡± Ridley exclaimed. ¡°How good of a lawyer was this guy¡¯s dad?¡± ¡°Must have been one of the best,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Anyway, Hess does his time, comes out at the age of twenty four and steps up his villainy. Just two years out of prison, and he¡¯s running a brothel, a card house, and he¡¯s loan sharking on the side. ¡°Colourful, but what does it have to do with our case?¡± ¡°Look at where he was arrested for pimping.¡± Ridley flicked through the file and read the charge sheet. ¡°Vincent street,¡± he read. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right around the corner from the Umbry theatre?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s gotta be half a dozen brothels around there, it¡¯s the East End.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t like to read, do you?¡± ¡°And miss out on the chance to be condescended to by you?¡± Nairo rolled her eyes and jabbed a finger at the file. ¡°Read the bottom of the page. Who else was picked up during the raid and listed as one of the clients?¡± Ridley scanned the list of names. ¡°Sonofa¡­ Manny Litteragi!¡± ¡°Yep. Our dead theatre director was nicked in Hess¡¯ brothel,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Which means they must have known each other,¡± Ridley said. ¡°More than that,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°From what we know about Manny, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was supplying Hess with girls.¡± ¡°Shit, you¡¯re probably right,¡± Ridley said, leaning back in his chair. ¡°But what does it all mean? Why was Quinn investigating some pimp who died a decade ago? How could he possibly factor into all of this?¡± ¡°If it was important enough for Quinn to write down in his secret notes, it has to be something major,¡± Nairo said. ¡°What else did you dig up?¡± ¡°Not much,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Hess stays out on the street for another couple of years. He gets arrested half a dozen more times, all similar charges, but avoids prison again. Then one day he¡¯s found floating in the river after being stabbed a couple dozen times. The murderers were never found.¡± ¡°You got the coroner¡¯s report?¡± Ridley asked. Nairo dug around in the files and came up with a thin brown one and began reading. ¡°Victim, a 29 year old male. Stabbed at least 23 times in the torso, neck, and head. He suffered breaks to his jaw, nose, and both orbital bones. Teeth were missing, possibly when facial damage occurred. Victim was found floating in the river, possibly two days after his murder. Cause of death: knife inflicted stab wounds.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Someone really wanted our boy dead.¡± ¡°He must have really upset somebody,¡± Nairo agreed. ¡°Had to be street related. Killing someone like that is personal. Maybe a grudge or revenge and leaving him floating in the river sends a message.¡± ¡°He seemed up to his neck in crime, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he upset the wrong person and paid the price for it.¡± Ridley took the file from Nairo and looked over it. ¡°How does the son of a successful lawyer end up knee deep in the game and then butchered?¡± ¡°You think we need to look deeper into this Hubert Hess?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know how he fits into this, but Quinn wouldn¡¯t have gone to the trouble of tracking down his grave if he didn¡¯t have reason.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the limits of what my contacts can tell us,¡± Nairo said, waving a hand at the folders. ¡°Then it¡¯s time to hit up my links,¡± Ridley said, standing up and grabbing his coat. ¡°I know just the fella to talk to.¡± ¡°Wonderful,¡± Nairo said. ¡°I do love talking to your friends.¡± Ridley flashed her a grin and grabbed his coat. ¡°Come on Sarge, let¡¯s find out who Hubert Hess really was.¡± * ¡°A bookshop?¡± Nairo said as they stepped out of the cab. ¡°Where did you think we were going?¡± Ridley said as he pulled up his collars to ward off the cold mist of rain. ¡°Knowing you, it could have been anywhere from a seedy pub to an abattoir that doubles as a strip joint.¡± ¡°Listen, the Bloody Pole is a great place to get information.¡± ¡°And about half a dozen diseases.¡± Ridley chuckled as they walked down the quiet backstreet in the East End. ¡°So why a bookshop?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°We¡¯re paying a visit to the Librarian,¡± Ridley replied as he sidestepped a man walking a shaggy haired dog and smoking a pipe. ¡°Who is the Librarian?¡± ¡°He¡¯s like an encyclopaedia of Villainy.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°At some point, the Librarian realised information can be worth as much gold as anything else on the street. He¡¯s like a¡­ central point for the underworld. You need to run a name or a face, you go to him. He ain¡¯t so active nowadays, too many new Faces popping up for even him to keep tabs on, but if Hess was running game in this side of town a decade ago, then the Librarian will know about him.¡± Ridley stopped outside a peeling dark green door above which a faded green sign with orange cursive read: The FarAway Bookshop. The windows were grimy and blocked by shelves of books, but Nairo could see some yellowish light peeling out between hefty tomes. Ridley cleared his throat and jangled the bell rope. They waited a minute. There was a scrape of a bolt being drawn back and the door opened. A short man with brown skin and a thick black beard opened the door. He was so broad, his shoulders brushed either side of the hallway. He squinted at them. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°We¡¯re here to see the Librarian,¡± Ridley said after the man said nothing. ¡°You are?¡± the man said. He had a thick accent that Nairo couldn¡¯t quite place. ¡°Ridley. He knows me.¡± The man thought on this a moment before closing the door. After a few more minutes, the door opened again, and the squat man nodded his head. ¡°He will see you.¡± They followed him into a dimly lit passage. He opened another door and they walked into the bookshop proper. The place stank of musty old books. Every wall and most of the floor space was crammed full of books both old and new. Many didn¡¯t even have covers. There was a hint of damp about the place and there was an odd tilt to everything as if the bookstore was slowl collapsing in on itself under the weight of all those words. The squat man held up a hand. ¡°I need to check for weapons,¡± he said. ¡°Got plenty of those mate,¡± Ridley replied. The squat man cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms across his thick chest. Ridley sighed and pulled off his coat, laying it down gently on a stack of books. ¡°It¡¯ll be quicker this way,¡± he said to the man before holding out his arms and letting him pat him down. ¡°I don¡¯t carry weapons,¡± Nairo said, but the man still patted her down. ¡°Come,¡± he said after he was satisfied they were unarmed. They walked under an arch that was made of books so tightly crammed together they seemed to be completely unsupported. They wound their way around another set of shelves that reached to the ceiling until they finally came upon a tiny old man sitting in a big comfy chair with a book in his lap. He could not have looked more like a friendly old grandpa if he had tried. He had tufts of white hair sticking out on the sides of his head, and his pate was completely bald. He had a thick, bristly white moustache and a peppering of stubble on his chin. His spectacles were round and a finger width thick. He wore an oversized cardigan the same colour as the front door that was made of some sort of thick yarn. His little feet rested up on a small plinth, and of course he was wearing slippers. He was next to a small fireplace with a fire crackling away and a blanket across his lap. He looked up and gave them a small smile. ¡°Ahh Ridley, rumour had it your ticket had finally been punched,¡± the Librarian said with a wicked glint in his eye. ¡°You know better than to believe rumours,¡± Ridley replied with a grin. ¡°Ahh my boy, the only power rumours have is whether they¡¯re believed or not. The Agastonian empire was brought down by a rumour after all,¡± the Librarian said. Despite his frail appearance, his voice was strong and clear still. ¡°Must have been one hell of a rumour,¡± Ridley said, picking a sturdy stack of books to sit on. ¡°The rumour doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s who believes it that does.¡± The Librarian gestured for Nairo to take a seat. ¡°And this must be former Detective Sergeant Sally Nairo.¡± Nairo paused as she sat and looked at him in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said. ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°Ahh a police officer leaving the force and joining a reprobate such as Ridley does get tongues wagging in every corner of Valderia. You my girl, are somewhat of a legend on the cobbles.¡± ¡°I am?¡± ¡°Why else would I know you?¡± The Librarian''s eyes twinkled behind his glasses, and Nairo suddenly felt like she needed to be careful. This wasn¡¯t just someone¡¯s friendly old grandpa she was dealing with. ¡°So what can I do for you, Ridley?¡± The Librarian asked, placing a leather bookmark on his page before shutting his book. ¡°I take it this is not simply a social visit.¡± ¡°¡®Fraid I¡¯ve caught a tough one I need some help with,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I am sorry about Quinn,¡± the Librarian said and Ridley faltered at the mention of the name. ¡°He was a good man. He had his faults, but he played the game as straight as he could.¡± ¡°How do you know we¡¯re here about Quinn?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°It could be that I already knew,¡± the Librarian said. ¡°Or it could be just a reasonable deduction. Quinn dies, and a week later his protege appears at my door on business.¡± Again, he gave Nairo that knowing smile. ¡°Maybe and maybe not,¡± Ridley said bluntly. ¡°I¡¯ve got a name from back in the day I¡¯m chasing up.¡± The Librarian rested his back in his chair and pursed his lips thoughtfully. "You are here about Hubert Hess, of course?" Nairo blinked in surprise and even Ridley looked thrown off balance. "How did you know that?" Nairo asked. "You''re treading a worn path, Ms Nairo," The Librarian said. "Quinn," Ridley said with a tone of self-reproach. "Of course he would have come to you." "He was the one who introduced us, was he not?" The Librarian said, giving Ridley another small, knowing smile. "Be happy in the knowledge that you are stumbling down the same path Quinn did, shortly before his death." ¡°So what did you tell him?" Ridley said eagerly. ¡°Come now Ridley, you know that¡¯s not how this works,¡± the Librarian chided. ¡°Now it would be crass for me to put a price on the table since this is for Quinn, but let us trade information for information.¡± Ridley looked at Nairo, who gave a small shrug. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Not from you,¡± he said before turning to Nairo. ¡°I want to know who stole that Diamond six months ago.¡± Nairo¡¯s eyes widened, and she looked at Ridley and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°That is my price,¡± the Librarian said with a tone of finality. ¡°If you wish to know what I told Quinn about Herbert Hess, then you will tell me what I want to know. If not, you may leave.¡± Nairo gritted her teeth, her nostrils flaring, she looked at Ridley and he frowned. ¡°We don¡¯t have much other play here,¡± he said to her. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Knowing things is what I do,¡± the Librarian said. ¡°First you tell us what you know about Hess, if it is worth it, then I¡¯ll tell you,¡± Nairo said. "No,¡± the Librarian replied bluntly. Ridley just held up his hands. ¡°It was a Pixie the Elves were travelling with. They had Cut him and were using him to maintain the Diamond. He stole it.¡± Nairo said through gritted teeth. The Librarian closed his eyes and smiled. ¡°Rumours are such wonderful things,¡± he said, chuckling dryly. ¡°Thank you, my dear.¡± ¡°Now, what about Hess?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Ahh yes, Hubert Hess, what an interesting man.¡± The Librarian took his glasses off and began polishing them with a cloth. ¡°I suppose you already know some of the basics, what can be found in a police file, for example?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ridley said. ¡°But did you know who the Hess¡¯s really were?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nairo said. ¡°Ahh you don¡¯t, then you will find our trade to have been a fair one.¡± The Librarian put his glasses back on and smiled at her. ¡°Hubert Hess was the great, great, great, great, three times removed, nephew of Redville Tillstock, one of the five original Owners.¡± ¡°He was an Owner?¡± Ridley said incredulously. ¡°Very tenuously, but yes, he was. His family had a very small slice of the pie. Enough that his father was able to go to a prestigious school and enough that Hubert also did. They had very little power or influence, but just enough they could live a comfortable life. But that wasn¡¯t enough for Hubert. He loathed the fact that his family had been shunted aside, his branch of the family tree had been left out in the cold to wither and die, while others ruled as kings and queens. Of course, it was enough for his father, and his father, but Hubert was a man of high ambitions with a nasty chip on his shoulder. Rumour has it, at school he had actually tried to get in with his cousins and play at Owner. He was resoundly rejected by them. Eventually, he must have realised there was no game in playing it straight so he became a crook. You¡¯ll know all about his arrests and his juvenile record, of course?¡± ¡°But now we know how he kept skirting the consequences,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Yes. His father¡¯s connections were just enough to keep Hubert from facing serious time, even for stabbing that policeman. But after he got out of BlackWater, his father washed his hands of him so Hubert was on his own. He started running girls. He was a good looking lad from what I remember, he had a real charm about him. Young girls love the tall, dark, and dangerous types, don''t they? Anyway, he got in with the theatre crowd and began pimping girls from the stage that didn¡¯t quite have the talent to make it big in showbiz. He made a healthy living from it, too. Branched out to underground gambling and then loan sharking. Hubert was on his way to being somebody, but that arrogant streak of his always kept him in trouble. He didn¡¯t want to play by Accords on the cobbles. He refused to kick up to the Firm and as you can imagine, that got him in a lot of trouble. He had a few run ins with them, one ending with a Face about the place being stabbed in the guts by Hubert. After that, he was a marked man. Then the police raided one of his brothels but again, Hubert walked. However, those pesky rumours started. How had Hubert avoided jail time again?¡± ¡°He turned informant?¡± Nairo said. ¡°That was the rumour,¡± the Librarian replied with a little smile. ¡°The Firm believed he had ratted on them to stay out of jail.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why he was butchered,¡± Ridley said. ¡°Had his face smashed to bits, I heard,¡± the Librarian said, the fire reflecting off his glasses. ¡°His guts ripped to shreds and his body thrown in the river to send a message. Thus ended the ambitions of one Hubert Hess.¡± ¡°Was Hess working with Manny Litteragi?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Is that where he got the girls from?¡± ¡°The theatre director?¡± the Librarian said. ¡°Oh no, this was more than a decade ago, Manny was little more than a hanger on, a runner, at this point. He knew Hess, everyone in that world did. Hubert fancied himself a patron of the arts, like the other Owners. He would rain gold on them, and they treated him like he was someone important. I even remember him bankrolling a few productions. It was the one place where a cheap gangster like him could associate with the upper crust. But Hubert had a nasty streak a mile long. He would sweet talk these young girls, get them strung out on anything addictive he could get his hands on, and then pimp them when they were desperate. He was vicious in the way he conducted his business. It was one of the reasons he drew the attention of police and the Firm, nobody liked the way he did things. He would beat his girls half to death if they stepped out of line and if they wanted to quit¡­¡± the Librarian paused, and a frown of distaste stretched the corners of his mouth. ¡°He would slice them across the face. Disfigure them so they could never go back to the stage or make money anywhere else.¡± Nairo felt the bile rise in the back of her throat. ¡°Glad he got was coming to him then,¡± Ridley said, a snarl curling across his lips. ¡°They almost always do,¡± the Librarian said. ¡°One more question,¡± Nairo said, gathering herself and pushing down the rage that was burning in her stomach. ¡°Did Hubert Hess ever have any relationship with Friedrich Shumacker?¡± The Librarian considered for a moment. ¡°I like her, she asks the most interesting questions." He said to Ridley." Not as far as I am aware. Friedrich would have been a few years older than Hess. They may have frequented some of the same establishments. I know Hess was particularly fond of the Umbry theatre as was Shumacker but I never knew about Hess having any real ties to any actual Owners, as much as he tried. They would have seen him as just some mongrel, not even really apart of their bloodline anymore, and that¡¯s before he became a violent pimp. Although, with Friedrich¡¯s well-known appetites, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he had used Hess¡¯ services at some point.¡± ¡°And you can¡¯t think of any reason why Quinn might have been looking into Hess?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that your job to find that out?¡± the Librarian asked but then added. ¡°If there is a link, then I¡¯m afraid it died with Hess and Quinn. Perhaps if you find who killed Quinn, you¡¯ll find out why he was looking into Hess.¡± ¡°Who said Quinn was killed?¡± Ridley said, his eyes narrowing. The Librarian gifted him another knowing smile. ¡°Rumours,¡± he whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have anything more to tell you I¡¯m afraid. Thank you for your visit, it was most illuminating.¡± The Librarian turned back to his book and flipped it open to the page he was reading. The squat man appeared from behind one of the bookshelves and ushered them out. Once the door snapped shut behind them, Nairo turned to Ridley. ¡°You feel like there was something he wasn¡¯t telling us?¡± she asked. ¡°Every fucking time I talk to him,¡± Ridley growled. ¡°Come on, let''s get back to the office. There¡¯s something more to this Hubert Hess, I feel it in my guts.¡± Book II - Chapter 46 - Rufi 46 Rufi curled into his long coat, hiding behind his collars, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets, as the relentless wind kicked up. The abandoned industrial block wasn¡¯t exactly the best place to escape the weather, and Rufi was already beginning to feel the cold. His body still ached from the battle with the Carrambus. His cuts had healed well, but the burns on his back were so tender it made even wearing clothes painful. Rufi hooked his cheek and spat out a thick wad of Charram and blinked lethargically. He had been overindulging in the leaf to dull the pain, and it was beginning to make him slow and sloppy. The weak morning light did little to dispel the chill of the night as dew formed on the cracked brickwork of the factory he was waiting in. He checked his watch again and tutted. After another five minutes, a carriage finally pulled up, and Tiko jumped out, looking conspicuous with his hood pulled up over his head. He threw a furtive glance up and down the road before flitting across the desolate street and into the factory. ¡°About time,¡± Rufi said as he lit another smoke. ¡°Forgive me, it hasn¡¯t been easy to get away,¡± Tiko said, pulling down his hood and looking around the factory. ¡°I¡¯m alone,¡± Rufi said. ¡°And I¡¯ve already checked the place out, there¡¯s no one here.¡± Tiko nodded and sighed heavily. He looked like he hadn¡¯t slept in days. ¡°What happened, Rufi? This was supposed to be over, there¡¯s no more Bad Batch on the streets.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t,¡± Rufi said, sounding more defensive than he intended. ¡°There can¡¯t be.¡± ¡°Then why are there more bodies?¡± Tiko snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rufi growled. ¡°Unless there was someone else bringing it in. I took Haney¡¯s last stock and the coppers got the fresh package.¡± ¡°And that was also the Bad Batch?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± Rufi twirled his smoke around the tips of his fingers as he thought. ¡°Because¡­ I found this.¡± Rufi held up the red string. ¡°String?¡± Tiko said, nonplussed. ¡°This red string has been everywhere,¡± Rufi said. ¡°On all the packages, even the one the Yano showed the Kings, and it was tied around those dead Dwarves.¡± Tiko blanched at the memory of the butchery. ¡°I found this in Haney¡¯s second warehouse after the coppers raided.¡± Tiko took the red string and inspected it. ¡°Does it mean anything to you?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± Tiko said as he looked at the string curiously. ¡°What aren¡¯t you telling me, Tiko?¡± Tiko looked up and arched his brows. ¡°Nothing.¡± Rufi glared at the little Gnome. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°What are you accusing me of, Rufi?¡± A moment of tension crackled between them. ¡°So you ain¡¯t found out anything about who these Gnomes selling this shit might be?¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t exactly go around asking too many questions.¡± "No, you just leave that shit to me, right?¡± Again, they glared at each other. ¡°You know how delicate my situation is,¡± Tiko said, picking his words carefully. ¡°You know what Tiko? I¡¯m sick to the tips of my fucking tusks hearing about your delicate situation. This whole move was your idea and your fuck up, yet I¡¯m the one having to clean the mess. I¡¯m the one getting dragged in front of the Kings. I¡¯m the one having to lie to my own uncle to protect your ass.¡± Tiko pursed his lips and clenched his jaw. ¡°We¡¯re in this together¡­¡± he began. ¡°Then start pulling your fucking weight,¡± Rufi growled, standing up and flicking his smoke. ¡°Find out who these Gnomes are and why they¡¯re so hellbent on selling this Bad Batch in Valderia. Start with that string. Next time we speak, you better have answers for me.¡± Rufi pulled up his collars and stalked out of the factory. Tiko looked at the red string in his hand and then at Rufi¡¯s back before spitting and muttering something in Gnommish. * Rufi stomped back into the pool hall, cold, tired, and ravenously hungry. His burns itched and the wounds in his side had started radiating pain all throughout his torso. He had spent the day chasing up every loose end and late payer in his book. He had taken his eyes off the game for too long, chasing the Bad Batch around the streets. It was time to get back to doing what he did best. Shaking off his coat, Rufi flung it on the stand by the door and stalked through the pool hall. It was busy tonight. The rain and wind had driven the prey from the street, so the predators had slunk away to find somewhere warm and dry. The place was full of Faces. Hardnose Ron was in the corner nursing a pint. Gak¡¯tar the Cleaver was throwing darts with Ombob Bentlegs. The Redturn Lane boys had two tables and were squabbling over some bet on a game of pool. Happy the Gnome scowled from under his hood in a booth completely alone. Even the Shoreham mob had stopped in to discuss business with Ten Legs. Every Face in the place nodded, extended hands, or shouted greetings across the hall to Rufi. He returned it all with small nods and polite smiles, but he wasn¡¯t much in the mood to stop and chat. He had a thunderous headache brewing from the Charaam, and his mouth tasted like ash and mud. All he wanted to do was lay down in a dark room and die quietly for at least a few hours. ¡°Shoya!¡± a voice called from his left. Rufi groaned inwardly and turned to see who was calling him. It was one of the young boys, Tom¡¯Tom, a round-faced Goblin with short tusks and mottled green scales. He waved Rufi over. With a sigh, Rufi dragged his feet to the booth where the young Goblin, two of his companions, and a thick set Human were hunched over. ¡°Wot you gone adn called Rufi into this for?¡± the Human snapped at Tom¡¯Tom. ¡°Shoya will straighten this out,¡± Tom¡¯Tom said before turning to Rufi. ¡°Shoya we need you in the middle of this situation.¡± Rufi tried not to groan. One of the more serious responsibilities on an elder¡¯s shoulders was to mediate disputes. In most circles, Rufi would never be considered an elder, but Tom¡¯Tom was barely out of his twenties, little more than a child, and he was dealing with notorious crook Halfhanded Henry, so called because he always did business with half his hand in your pocket. ¡°What¡¯s the trouble?¡± Rufi asked, pulling up a seat. ¡°No trouble Rufi,¡± Henry said. He was a boorishly ugly man, with a bent nose and golden teeth at odd intervals. He was always scruffy, but today he looked particularly dishevelled, his beard overgrown and his grey, thinning hair lank across his greasy forehead. ¡°Henry¡¯s tryna chisel us out of a square deal,¡± Tom¡¯Tom said hotly. ¡°Oi, be careful who you call a chisler,¡± Henry warned, pointing a finger at Tom¡¯Tom. ¡°We agreed thirty five gold for three boxes of broccoli,¡± Tom¡¯Tom retorted. ¡°Those broccoli¡¯s were brown by the time I got ¡®em!¡± Henry said. ¡°Who am I gonna sell brown broccoli¡¯s at near twelve coins a box?¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°You put us on the score!¡± one of Tom¡¯Tom¡¯s partner said. ¡°If they was brown that¡¯s your fault! We did the job!¡± Rufi held up a hand before they could continue. The bickering parties fell silent and turned to Rufi expectantly. ¡°Henry, what did you pay the boys to do?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°To boost the goods or to sell you the goods?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I said if they nicked the veg then I would buy it off them,¡± Henry said, picking his way cautiously through his explanation. Rufi turned to Tom¡¯Tom. ¡°What did you think you were doing?¡± ¡°He said he would give us thirty five gold if we boosted the shipment,¡± Tom¡¯Tom said. Rufi scratched his ear. ¡°And the goods are no good?¡± Rufi asked Henry. ¡°Brown and limp as my cock,¡± Henry replied. "Here have a look." Henry pushed a small wooden box towards him. Rufi popped the lid open and saw. asad assortment of mashapen heads of broccoli. Rufi frowned at the box and poked his finger around. They weren''t quite rotten yet but they were well on their way. ¡°And how long did the boys have possession of the goods?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°We boosted it last night,¡± Tom¡¯Tom said quickly. Rufi tutted and rolled his tongue around his cheek as he thought. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s how it¡¯s gonna lay down,¡± Rufi said, massaging the jolting pain above his eyebrow. ¡°Henry, you''re gonna give the boys twenty four gold for the three boxes.¡± Rufi raised his hand as both parties opened their mouths to protest. ¡°You know as well as I do, you¡¯ll get those boxes off for thirty five still out East. Eleven gold ain¡¯t a bad profit for doing nothing. And as for you lot.¡± Rufi turned to the three young Goblins. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for not getting at least half up front. They don¡¯t call him Halfhanded for nothing. Take this as a lesson. Plus, I don¡¯t remember you running this by any of us. Your tax is fifteen percent. We¡¯ll round that up to an even four gold. I¡¯m assuming you got the gold on you, Henry?¡± Henry looked at Rufi sheepishly before digging into his jacket and producing a tinkling bag. After surreptitiously counting out twenty four coins, he handed them to the crestfallen Goblins, who then placed four coins in front of Rufi. ¡°Pleasure as always, Henry.¡± Rufi said. Henry popped his hat back on his head and scarpered as quick as he could out of the hall with his pilfered broccoli. Tom¡¯Tom pouted at Rufi with his meagre stack of coins in his pocket. ¡°Why so glum?¡± Rufi asked him. ¡°We was supposed to get paid out proper from that one, Shoya.¡± Tom¡¯Tom said. ¡°Not that we don¡¯t appreciate your council,¡± one of his partner¡¯s said. "But we had to put in proper work for that," Tom''Tom said. Rufi sighed and stood up, pocketing the coins and rolling the knuckle of his index finger across his eyebrow. ¡°Well lucky you, I know a fella who¡¯s running around with three boxes of broccoli you can lift.¡± The three Goblins looked up eagerly. ¡°Can we?¡± Tom¡¯Tom asked and Rufi shrugged. ¡°He ain¡¯t one of us. Do as you please. But make sure you pay your tribute this time, don¡¯t make me come looking for it.¡± The Goblins nodded and zipped out of the booth on the hunt for Halfhanded Henry and his brown broccoli. Rufi shook his head and nodded to the barkeep before stumbling into his office. He left the light off. Feeling about by touch only, he found the sagging sofa. He yanked his tie loose, unbuttoned his top button, kicked off his shoes, pulled off his jacket, and collapsed face first into the sofa, where blissful oblivion swallowed him. * ¡°Is he dead?¡± ¡°Give him a poke and find out.¡± ¡°Wave that kebab in front of his snorter, if he don¡¯t stir he must be dead.¡± The smell of meat and grease wafted through the darkness of oblivion. The voices were just faint murmurs, but the scent was all encompassing. Greasy, thick cut meat with an aftertaste of strong spices and a sharp tang of onion invading Rufi¡¯s nostrils. He was already sitting up before his eyes had fully opened. He groaned as the aches and pains in his back and side flared up. Blinking heavily, Rufi looked around the office. Pauli, Pug, Mikkle, and Chuch were all sitting around an upturned crate with a small mountain of thick cut kebab meat heaped on it. There were flat breads, crunchy salads, and tubs of sauces arrayed around it like petals on a flower. Rufi¡¯s mouth flooded with saliva. Still barely conscious, Rufi reached out and grabbed a long sliver of meat. He draped the whole thing into his mouth and chewed slowly. ¡°There he is!¡± Pug laughed, thrusting a bottle of beer at Rufi. "Oof, you¡¯re looking rough Shoya,¡± Chuch growled as he tore a flat bread in half and chucked it across to Rufi¡¯s side of the meat mountain. ¡°Headache,¡± Rufi mumbled around a mouthful of meat and bread. He grabbed a pickled spice from the pile of salad, bit the end, and dripped the juice all over the pile of meat. ¡°Too much of the leaf,¡± Pauli said, disapprovingly. Rufi shrugged, swallowed, and washed it down with half the bottle of beer. He belched and finally felt halfway awake. ¡°Where¡¯d you get this from?¡± Rufi asked, pulling another long cut of meat and biting into it. ¡°No Tongue Abu,¡± Mikkle said as he tucked a paper towel into his collar like a bib. ¡°I thought he got run out of the city after that thing with the tainted lamb?¡± Rufi said. ¡°Naa¡­ he smoothed that over. Come back with a kilos of butchered goat meat this time. He¡¯s back to slinging kebabs out by the Docks.¡± Chuch said. ¡°Expensive?¡± Rufi asked. ¡°Done our nut getting this lot,¡± Mikkle said. ¡°He¡¯s making a lot of coin right now,¡± Chuch said with that wicked glint in his eye. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± Rufi warned him. ¡°You know Abu goes way back with my uncle.¡± Chuch shrugged innocently and then gave Rufi a wicked grin. They continued to devour the mountain of meat, drowning it as much of Abu¡¯s flaming chilli sauce as they could stomach. Before long they were sweating and belching enough to cause condensation on the walls. Rufi sighed and sat back, lighting a smoke and patting his stomach. ¡°I needed that,¡± Rufi said, chucking his pack of smokes to Chuch. ¡°A smoke, a drink, and a blowjob, and I¡¯ll die a happy Goblin,¡± Mikkle laughed, pilfering one of Rufi¡¯s smokes. ¡°I saw Hairy faced Harry out front, want me to give him a call?¡± Pug cackled. ¡°You dirty bastard,¡± Mikkle said, clipping Pug around his ear. A knock at the door interrupted them. ¡°Yeah?¡± Chuch called out. ¡°Message for Shoya,¡± the call came back. Pauli hopped off his stall, cleaned his hands the best he could, and opened the door. He took the letter and offered it to Rufi, who waved his hand for Pauli to open it. Pauli slit the wax seal open with his thumb claw and scanned the note. He looked up at Rufi and handed it to him without a word. Rufi took the letter and sat up as he read: Got something for you. Meet at the other place at midnight. T Rufi frowned at the letter and looked at Pauli. ¡°What?¡± Chuch said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Rufi said, crumpling up the letter. ¡°Just some business I gotta take care of. What time is it?¡± ¡°11:30,¡± Mikkle said, checking his wristwatch. ¡°Shit. I gotta get moving,¡± Rufi said, brushing himself down and standing up creakily. ¡°You think this is okay?¡± Pauli asked. Rufi looked at him curiously. ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t usually send it like that,¡± Pauli replied, picking his words carefully. ¡°Who? Send what?¡± Chuch growled. ¡°I told him to dig something up and shout me when he did, that¡¯s all.¡± Rufi said as he straightened his tie and tried to smooth out his crumpled shirt before giving up and pulling it off. ¡°Grab the purple one out of the closet.¡± ¡°What business, Ruf?¡± Chuch said, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Nothing major,¡± Rufi said offhandedly as he slipped into a fresh shirt and buttoned it up. He caught the concern in Pauli¡¯s eyes. "Listen, just.. stay local tonight alright. Could be something¡­ could be nothing.¡± ¡°You walking into something?¡± Chuch asked. ¡°No. It¡¯s just Pauli being an old fishwife.¡± ¡°You ain¡¯t going anywhere with just him as backup,¡± Chuch growled, jabbing a finger at Pauli. ¡°I ain¡¯t going anywhere with him. Paul, you stay here. Relax boys, it¡¯s just a bit of business. I¡¯ll be back in an hour.¡± Before they could protest anymore, Rufi pulled on his jacket, secured his tomahawk and switchblade, before walking out of the room. He was glad to get out of there and get some fresh air. He walked through the pool hall and grabbed his long coat on the way out. He stepped into the cold, damp night air and took a deep breath. His carriage pulled up in front of him and he hopped in. He might finally be getting some answers about what the hell was going on in Valderia. * Rufi stepped out of his carriage thirty minutes later. He alighted from his cab on Vickers Ave, a disused strip of businesses and houses he and Tiko had originally used to house the Bad Batch when it had first come in. It was a strange place to meet, but then Tiko was always paranoid. He refused to ever meet Rufi in the same place twice in a row. Rufi pulled up his collars against the steady rain and buried his hands in his pockets. Then on second thought, he untucked his switchblade and stuffed it into his pocket. His fist curled around the cool metal as he walked into the abandoned row of three story houses. He stepped through the broken down door and into the building. There was just enough light peeling through the badly boarded up windows for him to see in. Goblins had naturally good night vision, and Rufi gave himself a second for his eyes to adjust. He walked through the first house and through a hole in the wall into the second. He looked around. Where was Tiko? He stepped carefully through the debris ladened former living room, expecting to see the diminutive Gnome posted up, ready to berate Rufi for being late. But the house was still. Rufi¡¯s eyes continued to adjust, and he saw a flicker of movement to his left. He turned his head and saw a small figure in a long cloak with the hood drawn up. ¡°Tiko?¡± Rufi said. The figure half turned, and it looked like a Gnome¡­ but it wasn¡¯t Tiko. The figure spun and fled back the way Rufi had come. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Rufi¡¯s survival instinct suddenly went into overdrive. He tore down the passage and through the hole just in time to see the door slam shut. He heard the heavy thunk of something locking in place. Then he felt the floorboards tremble from behind him. Rufi turned. A hulking mass in the darkness lumbered towards him, so big it had to hunch and squeeze to fit through the doorways. Rufi¡¯s eyes widened as the thing passed through a beam of light from outside. Rufi was looking at a Troll. But not a city Troll. This one was a monster from the mountainsides. It was over seven feet tall and four feet wide. Its arms were so long and muscled, its knuckles dragged across the floor. It stepped out of the shadows and looked at Rufi with dull eyes. Then it roared like some territorial animals spotting a challenger. Spittle flew from a mouth full of blunt, stone crushing teeth. The sound of its battle cry rattled the plaster work on the dilapidated walls. ¡°Fuck!¡± Rufi breathed. And then it charged. Book II - Chapter 47 - Rufi 47 Seconds flashed by like hours in front of Rufi. He saw the monstrous Troll lurch forward, using his knuckles to propel himself across the cramped hallway. His shoulders were so brawny and rocky, they scraped trenches into the wall either side of him. His maw opened wide enough to crush Rufi''s skull in one bite. The Troll''s skin was a greyish blue, thick, and leathery, with shards of hard scales the size of a man''s face around his throat, shoulders, and upper chest. Rufi saw the spittle fly from the behemoth¡¯s mouth. It closed the distance between them with terrifying speed. Rufi¡¯s feet finally came unglued just as the Troll raised a fist the size of Rufi¡¯s head. Spinning on his heels, Rufi threw himself into the stairwell next to him and time sped back up. The Troll slammed into the wall where Rufi had been, sending up a shower of plaster and bricks. Rufi took the stairs three at a time, tearing off his long coat as he did. The Troll spun, swinging a massive fist and forearm, trying to catch the fleeing Goblin. He ripped half the decaying bannister down with one hand and then lurched up the steps after Rufi. The stairs groaned and snapped up under the Troll¡¯s tremendous bulk. Rufi hit the top of the stairs and threw his coat down at the Troll, temporarily blinding him. The Troll roared as the staircase began collapsing, clawing at the longcoat. With a mighty leap, the monster threw himself at the landing. His giant hand clawed at the walls, and he scrabbled and pulled himself over the precipice as if he weighed nothing. Rufi rounded the corner and threw off his suit jacket and ripped the buttons of his shirt open, freeing up his movement. He flicked his knife out and unholstered his tomahawk. He looked at the two weapons and cursed. They were perfect for the urban jungle, but this was a real monster, and they looked pitiful by comparison. The Troll pulled himself on to the landing and saw Rufi standing, weapons ready, legs spread, and it actually grinned at him. It was a stupid, mocking grin, but a grin nonetheless. ¡°Silly Goblin,¡± the Troll uttered. His voice sounded like rocks in a grinder. ¡°Fuck you!¡± Rufi snarled. The Troll pounced. It was astonishingly quick. Too quick for something so big. His massive frame swallowed up the entire hallway, the building sagging under his weight. Rufi leapt back and stabbed with his knife. The blade scraped against the Troll¡¯s armour plate scales and turned away without even leaving a scratch. The Troll barreled into him, sending Rufi into the wall behind him like he was a small child. Rufi hit the wall, the breath knocked out of him, and the Troll roared, raising both his fists like a sledgehammer. He brought them down with another bloodcurdling battle cry. Rufi threw himself sideways through a doorway into a bedroom. The Troll¡¯s fists smashed straight through the wall, turning bricks to dust in an instant. The Troll snarled in fury and followed Rufi into the bedroom. He could barely squeeze through the door, one massive shoulder getting through and the other stuck fast. Rufi bounced back to his feet and brought his tomahawk down on the Troll¡¯s head. The obsidian tomahawk shattered across the Troll¡¯s skull. Chips of obsidian and thick hide splattered across the room. The Troll stumbled back, a sizable flap of skin hanging from his scalp. If he noticed, he was unfazed. He roared and charged the doorframe, exploding into the room and ripping the wall apart. Rufi circled and tried to give himself some space. The bedroom was less cramped than the hallway, but his only means of escape was now blocked by the Troll. Why had he run upstairs? All the windows were boarded up here. He had no way of getting back out to the street, and the Troll had destroyed the stairs. He was trapped. He would either stand and fight or die. During his time at war, Rufi had found life to be so utterly simple. Wake up, survive, kill, go to sleep again that night. There was beauty in the simplicity of violence. Kill or be killed. Rufi was breathing hard, trying to force the panic back down. His hands shook as adrenaline thudded through his body. Then he tasted it: blood. He didn¡¯t know if it was his, but it set off a primordial survival instinct. He felt the rage, the bitter fury, the unbridled aggression of generations of warrior Goblins pulsing through his body. He felt his muscles rippling and expanding. He could smell blood now. His vision was tinted red. He circled the Troll, snorting and snarling like an animal. How many generations had Troll and Goblin fought to the death like this? How many of his ancestors had slain Trolls with their bare hands? How many of his predecessors had died at the hands of monsters like this? Rufi would join those honoured ranks tonight, or he would meet his ancestors covered in the blood of their old enemy. He would kill or be killed. The Troll roared and swung for Rufi. This time Rufi didn¡¯t run. He ducked his head, tucked his chin into his chest, and rolled the blow across his shoulder. Even rolling with the punch almost knocked him off his feet. He got in close to the Troll and threw three quick punches. Two to the gut and one to his chin. The Troll, caught off guard, staggered around Rufi, his immense size working against him in the cramped confines of the room. Rufi stayed inside the swing of those massive fists and threw another uppercut. The Troll took this one and fired back with a blow of his own that rattled Rufi¡¯s teeth. Rufi stumbled and took another heavy blow across the side of the head. He raised his arms to fend off the next punch and threw two quick jabs at the monster¡¯s eyes, snapping his head back. Rufi took this chance to slam the heel of his foot into the Troll¡¯s knee. He had hoped to hear a pop or a crack, but he might as well have tried to break a cement post. The Troll grabbed Rufi in a bear hug, and Rufi heard his own body pop and crunch as the monster squeezed. The Troll opened his mouth wide to tear through Rufi¡¯s face. In a moment of blind panic, Rufi lashed out with his tusks and gored the Troll through the bottom of his mouth, just behind his chin. The Troll howled, his grip loosening as Rufi¡¯s mouth flooded with the Troll¡¯s steaming hot blood. Rufi tried to manoeuvre his tusks to get at the Troll¡¯s neck, but it pulled him back. They locked eyes for a moment, and Rufi spat the creature¡¯s own blood back into his eyes. Blinded, the Troll made the mistake of taking one hand from Rufi to wipe his eyes. Rufi pulled up his legs, dug his feet into the monster¡¯s stomach, reared back his head, and then slammed it into the Troll¡¯s nose. There was an awful crunch. Rufi felt like he had just headbutted a charging ram. His head whiplashed back and his vision went black for a moment. The Troll howled and flung Rufi into the chimney breast. There was a sickening crunch as Rufi¡¯s body smashed through it. The Troll, still blind, lashed out wildly and slammed his forearm across Rufi¡¯s chest, driving him further into the brickwork. Before Rufi could even wheeze in pain, the Troll grabbed him by the throat and whipped him into another wall with enough force to put him straight through it and into the next room. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Rufi hit the floor and skidded to a halt at the base of the furthest wall. His body twitched and spasmed. He could barely breathe from the impact. He groaned and rolled his limp body over, willing his battered body to rise, but he couldn¡¯t coordinate his limbs. It was as if his whole body was malfunctioning. His legs shook as he gritted his teeth and tried to pull himself upright. He felt hot blood coursing down his neck and back. He raised trembling fingers to the back of his head, and they came back bloody. The Troll wrenched at the bricks and widened the hole Rufi¡¯s body had made so he could step through. The beast''s face was covered in blood. His nose, which was already squashed, now looked like a scrunched up ball of paper. Blood flowed in rivulets from his chin, and his jaw wouldn¡¯t close properly, hanging open like a dog panting for breath. At the sight of the Troll, Rufi grabbed hold of the window sill and pulled himself back to his feet. He stood there, quivering with the effort of just standing, and raised his fists. The Troll stumbled forward and threw a massive fist at Rufi, who somehow ducked it. The punch shattered the board across the window. Splintered planks of wood rained down on them. Rufi scrambled for one and brought it down on the Troll¡¯s head. He might as well have hit him with a pillow for the effect it had. The Troll shrugged off the blow and backhanded Rufi, sending him sprawling across the floor again. On his hands and knees, Rufi dragged himself out of the room. He had to put some distance between him and the Troll. His injury-addled brain couldn¡¯t think of anything else but to get away from the murderous monster. As he crawled in the dust back into the hallway, his hand brushed something metal. His knife! His swollen fist curled around it, and he pulled himself towards the next flight of stairs leading up. He looked back and saw the Troll lumbering towards him. He had no choice. He had to go up. Rufi dragged himself up the stairs. His right leg wasn¡¯t working properly. It felt limp and sluggish. The Troll grabbed Rufi around the ankle halfway up the stairs, dragging him back down like a sack of potatoes. Rufi turned just in time to see a hammer fist coming down. The blow hit him in the guts so hard he almost blacked out. Bile rocketed up his throat as vomit spewed down his chin. The Troll raised his fist again, and Rufi blindly brought the knife down onto the Troll¡¯s face. The blade flashed in the half light. Rufi didn¡¯t see where he stabbed the Troll but he was rewarding with a jolt as the blade bit and sunk into flesh. The knife was wrenched from his hand as the Troll howled and threw himself backwards. Rufi didn¡¯t wait. He turned and crawled up the stairs, coughing and spewing thick ropes of bile, blood, and saliva as he went. At the top of the stairs, he looked over his shoulder at the rampaging Troll. He was snarling and crying out, slamming his body against the walls, the knife sticking out just below his right eye. Somehow, Rufi had stabbed the Troll straight through the cheek, almost to the hilt of the blade. The Troll gripped the blade and tried to yank it out. He let out a piteous whine of agony when the blade didn¡¯t budge. Rufi¡¯s head swam. His breathing was ragged. He felt like he was going to black out. The Troll let go of the blade and then focused on Rufi. The eye above the blade swivelled in blind madness, but the other locked onto his prey with murderous intent. He stumbled onto the stairs and began climbing after Rufi. Rufi gritted his teeth and crawled into the hallway, willing his broken body to function. The Troll was halfway up the steps by the time Rufi had managed to drag himself to his feet. He looked around and then yanked one of the spindles out of the bannister and held it like a club. His vision swam, and he could hear a clicking sound every time he drew a laboured breath. The Troll tumbled to the top of the stairs. The monster was moving sluggishly now. His movements were uncoordinated and lethargic. Blood was still dripping from his chin and now his mouth was bleeding as well. He raised a hand in front of him and closed in. Rufi summoned up the last dregs of energy he had left. The Troll grabbed Rufi¡¯s ripped shirt. Rufi gritted his teeth and swung the spindle. He cracked the Troll across the temple. The creature stumbled and swayed. Rufi reared back and smashed him across the forehead, then the ear. The Troll¡¯s good eye lost focus, his body went limp. Rufi let out a battle cry that shook the foundations of the building and swung again. He cracked the Troll across the temple again. The Troll toppled, his body going slack. He fell backwards, crashing through the bannister and over the edge, dragging Rufi with him. They plummeted onto the second flight of steps, smashing through the decrepit woodwork, straight down through the missing staircase, to the concrete of the ground floor. The Troll''s body made a sickening, wet, fleshy sound as he hit the concrete, Rufi landing on top of him. A great cloud of dust and blood flew into the air as rotten shards of wood rained down on them. The building fell still. Rufi blinked but only saw darkness. He wasn''t sure if he was dead, unconscious, or awake and totally paralysed by the fall. He knew he wasn¡¯t dead when he felt air whistle out of his mouth. He knew he was conscious when the dust settled and he saw a beam of light from outside. And he knew he wasn¡¯t paralysed by the great rivers of pain flooding through his broken body. He was sure he had only survived by landing on the Troll. He then felt the Troll¡¯s massive chest rise arithmetically as the creature drew a stuttered breath. He heard a groan escape the monster. Rufi rolled himself off the Troll and lay there as splinters of wood continued to rain down on them. After what felt like an eternity, movement returned to his extremities. He twitched his fingers and then felt his feet moving. Rufi heard the Troll wheeze, his breath little more than a weak rattle. Rolling over, Rufi dragged himself to the Troll¡¯s side on his elbows. The monster was in a bad way. One of his legs was bent at an unnatural right angle, and a shard of bone was sticking out of his shoulder. There was also a pool of blood slowly spreading around his head. Rufi slapped the Troll¡¯s face and saw his eyes flicker open. ¡°Who¡­ sent¡­ you?¡± Rufi panted through clenched teeth. The Troll groaned and turned his head away. Rufi raised a trembling hand and grabbed hold of the knife still sticking out of the Troll¡¯s cheek and yanked it towards himself. The Troll screamed in agony. ¡°Who¡­ sent you? Was it¡­ Tiko?¡± ¡°No hurt,¡± the Troll mumbled through his broken mouth. ¡°Who was it?¡± Rufi snarled, spraying blood and bile across the Troll¡¯s face as he wrenched at the knife again, feeling the blade scrape against bone. The Troll shrieked and then whimpered, his broken body flailing as he tried to desperately defend himself. ¡°Who¡­¡± ¡°Little creatures!¡± the Troll cried out. ¡°G-g-gnomes! They pay me to kill Goblin!¡± ¡°Who was it? Was it Tiko?¡± The Troll drew a quivering, desperate gasp of air. ¡°They want me kill Goblin..." The Troll wheezed, his eyes lost focus and his mouth drooped. "But Goblin kill me¡­¡± The Troll¡¯s death rattle echoed around the building as its final breath escaped its ruined mouth. Rufi¡¯s body sagged. He collapsed against the dead Troll¡¯s chest. His vision began to darken, his breaths coming shorter and quicker. His lung felt like they were shrinking. There was a muffled bang and a scrape at the front door. He heard voices. But he couldn¡¯t stay awake¡­ The last thing Rufi saw was the door break open, and then his world went black. Book II - Chapter 48 - R&N 48 Nairo rubbed her exhausted eyes and looked up at the sound of the office door opening. Ridley came bustling in, dripping wet, hugging a paper bag under his coat like a small child. ¡°Was he there? Did you get any?¡± Nairo said, pushing files aside to make space. Ridley grinned at her and set the bag down. ¡°The rumours were true, Abu No Tongue has returned to the city!¡± ¡°Did you manage to get any meat?¡± Nairo asked as she grabbed a couple of plates and cups from the kitchen. ¡°Naa,¡± Ridley said, unfurling the paper bag. ¡°It was all gone by the time I got there, but even if it wasn''t, we¡¯d never be able to afford it.¡± ¡°How much is lamb going for now?¡± Nairo asked as she set the plates down. ¡°Goat," Ridley corrected. "About three months factory wages for a kilo,¡± Ridley replied. ¡°Wow,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Guess meat is off the menu still.¡± ¡°But, Abu was doing meat dripping baps with cheese and chilli sauce!¡± Ridley reached into the bag and withdrew a hefty white roll, soaked in fat, dripping with melted cheese and Abu No Tongue¡¯s famous chilli sauce. The smell was amazing. Nairo hadn¡¯t smelt sizzling meat in so long. She held her plate up, and Ridley placed the bun down and poured a hefty portion of spicy chips next to it. Nairo gently picked the bun up. The goat fat had compromised the integrity of the roll, and it oozed and almost melted through her fingers. Speed was key to enjoying this meal. She tucked her hair out of the way and took as big a bite as she could manage of the roll. She hadn''t ever had goat, but it tasted exactly how she remembered lamb. Meaty, rich, and a little barnyardy. She didn¡¯t even care about how greasy the fat was, it tasted too damn good to worry. She chased the bite of bap with a few chips that had been coated in some sort of spicy powder. After a few more bites, the heat of the sauce and powder had made Nairo¡¯s eyes water and her cheeks redden. Stoically, she continued on, dousing the flames in her mouth with rum. ¡°That was so good!¡± Ridley sighed as swallowed the last mouthful of his bun, licking his fingers, before lighting a smoke. ¡°That was the best thing I¡¯ve eaten since we had those chicken skewers over by the Foundries,¡± Nairo agreed. ¡°You still think they were chicken?¡± Ridley asked, a wicked grin on his face. ¡°They were!¡± Nairo protested, and Ridley laughed. ¡°Naa, that meal right there is going up next to the fish head soup.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Nairo said, shaking her head. ¡°Not even close.¡± ¡°Okay, not next to but underneath.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Nairo said, popping her last chip into her mouth. ¡°So what did you get on Hess?¡± Ridley asked Nairo. ¡°Anything new?¡± ¡°No,¡± Nairo said, licking her fingers clean. ¡°I¡¯ve read and re-read every scrap of paper we have on him. There¡¯s nothing to suggest a solid connection between Shumacker and Hess. Or Hess and any of the victims. He wasn¡¯t killed in a similar way. There¡¯s nothing to link him with any of this.¡± Ridley tutted and blew a smoke ring. ¡°So why was Quinn looking into him?¡± Ridley wondered aloud. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re approaching this wrong?¡± Nairo said. ¡°What d¡¯you mean?¡± ¡°We¡¯re being too specific, wondering why Quinn was looking into Hess. But why does any PI look into someone?¡± ¡°Coz they¡¯re nosy bastards?¡± Ridley replied. ¡°No¡­ well yeah sometimes. But because someone has paid them to. Think about it: Hess was brutally murdered, and his killers were never found. Maybe someone in his family commissioned Quinn to look back into his murder.¡± ¡°A decade later?¡± Ridley said skeptically. Nairo shrugged. ¡°We know they¡¯re wealthy. Maybe they¡¯ve been trying this whole time to find justice and Quinn was just the latest PI they¡¯ve employed.¡± ¡°Sounds like a stretch Sarge,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I know, but what else do we have?¡± ¡°In this case? Nothing but rumours and leaps of logic.¡± Ridley chuckled dryly and rolled his smoke around his fingertips. ¡°Anything in those files with a next of kin or an address?¡± ¡°Yes. By the looks of it, only his father is still around. His mother died during childbirth, and he had no siblings. His first stepmother divorced his father when Hess was still a child, and the other one died a few years back.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s his father now?¡± ¡°The Morecamb estate,¡± Nairo replied. ¡°Where¡¯s that?¡± ¡°On the edge of the city up North. Not too far from here.¡± Ridley sighed and eased himself up, holding his side. ¡°How¡¯s the wound?¡± Nairo asked as she watched him gingerly put weight on his left leg. ¡°Only hurts when I¡¯m awake,¡± Ridley said with a crooked grin. ¡°Come on Sarge, let¡¯s go bother an old man about his dead son.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound so fun when you put it like that,¡± Nairo said as she grabbed her coat. * It took almost an hour to reach the Morecamb estates. Traffic in the Northern quarter was abysmal at the best of times, and with the flooding from the rain their carriage was at a crawl for almost the entire journey out of the city. The country lanes were hardly any better. Trees had fallen and lakes had formed in dips in the road, meaning their carriage had to double back twice and their horse almost became stuck in a particularly deep patch of mud. They finally arrived as the light began to fade. The Morecamb estate was a grand old house from a bygone era, when this whole area had been a farmstead and orchard. Now, it was run down and miserable looking. The wood had cracked everywhere, what little stone had been used was tarnished and faded, the grounds were unkempt and overgrown, and the place had the air of something that had long been forgotten about. ¡°This the place?¡± Ridley asked, looking around at the state of it. ¡°Apparently,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Not exactly where I would have expected a fancy city lawyer to retire to.¡± Ridley pushed the gate open, and they threaded their way carefully through the overgrown grass, the wind whipping up and sending a chill through them. Nairo tightened her coat around her and looked up at the grey clouds. They stopped at the tall door to manor estate. Ridley raised a fist and knocked. ¡°You reckon he¡¯s home?¡± Ridley asked when there was no response. ¡°He¡¯s seventy two, I wouldn''t expect him to be anywhere else but at home,¡± Nairo replied, knocking again. Ridley stepped back from the door and looked up at the grimey windows. Everything was dark and there were no signs of life. ¡°You sure this is the right place? It looks abandoned¡­¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Who are you?¡± Nairo and Ridley both jumped and turned to see a whip-thin young woman in a frock and apron glaring at them suspiciously. ¡°Who are you?¡± Ridley shot back. ¡°I asked first,¡± the woman said, crossing her arms. ¡°Touche,¡± Ridley said. ¡°I¡¯m Sally Nairo and this is Ridley, we¡¯re investigators looking for Howard Hess,¡± Nairo said, stepping away from the door. ¡°Mr. Hess isn¡¯t expecting guests,¡± the woman said suspiciously. ¡°No he ain''t, but here we are,¡± Ridley said with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s important that we speak to him. It¡¯s about his son.¡± The woman let out an involuntary gasp and covered her mouth. She composed herself and shook her head. ¡°Mr. Hess does not like unexpected visitors. He¡¯ll be upset for a week again.¡± ¡°We just need ten minutes of his time,¡± Nairo said. "Please?" The woman wrung her hands fretfully before nodding and motioning for them to follow her. She picked up the bucket of laundry she had been carrying and led them down the back of the garden towards a turgid lake on the estate''s grounds. ¡°Mr. Hess doesn¡¯t live in the big house?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°No. Mr. Hess rents the guesthouse by the lake,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Rents?¡± Nairo said. ¡°That¡¯s right. I believe the estate is owned by a distant cousin or such of Mr. Hess.¡± ¡°And you are?¡± Nairo asked her as they trudged downhill towards a small wooden cabin on the lakeside. ¡°Heather Dewey, if it pleases you, I help Mr. Hess out a couple of times a week. Cleaning, cooking, laundry, that sort of thing.¡± Up close, the log cabin looked as rundown and destitute as the rest of the property. Most of the wooden logs had sagged and cracked. The windows were filthy, and there were weeds and vines creeping across almost every inch of the cabin. The roof looked like it had collapsed at some point and then been shoddily repaired. The wind kicked up fiercely across the small lake, and the cabin rocked slightly under its force. ¡°Now before you go in there, please try not to upset Mr. Hess,¡± Heather said. ¡°His health has been very fragile recently, and if he goes getting upset, I¡¯ll be up the hospital for another week with him.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll try not to upset him,¡± Nairo said. ¡°Is he sick?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°He¡¯s old,¡± Heather said bluntly. ¡°His mind is starting to go. He doesn¡¯t remember things well and he gets confused, which makes him agitated, which makes my life miserable. Half the time he doesn¡¯t even remember who I am!¡± ¡°Great, he¡¯ll make an outstanding source then, won¡¯t he?¡± Ridley muttered sourly. Heather pursed her lips and then knocked on the cabin door. ¡°Mr. Hess! You¡¯ve got visitors. They say they¡¯re investigators.¡± Heather pushed open the door to the dimly lit cabin, and Nairo and Ridley followed her in. The cabin was bathed in near darkness. A single candle meekly illuminated the gloom. Inside was so sparse it could hardly be thought of as a place someone lived. There was hardly a scrap of furniture, just a rickety little single bed, a few drawers, a trunk, and a desk on the bare wooden floorboards. The cabin creaked miserably, the logs of its wall so deformed that the wind blew straight through in places, whipping dust and leaves around the frigid room. Mr. Hess sat by the window overlooking the lake. Years of grime caked the window pane, discolouring it yellow, and bathing the old man in a sickly shade. He was sitting, hunched in a wheelchair, a heavy blanket across his lap, staring unblinkingly with his pale grey eyes. He had thick grey hair and was still clean shaven but that was the only sign of virility left in him. He was thin to the point of emaciation, his skin was wrinkled and dry, and his body had the hunch of a man who had nothing left but time, and even that was growing shorter. ¡°Mr. Hess?¡± Heather repeated. With great reluctance, Howard Hess turned his head to look at them. ¡°I have no guests today Mary,¡± Mr. Hess said, his voice a papery rasp. ¡°I¡¯m not Mary, Mr. Hess, I¡¯m Heather, remember? Mary left six months ago.¡± Heather smiled tiredly at Nairo and Ridley. ¡°They¡¯re investigators, sir, they wanted to ask you some questions.¡± Mr. Hess looked at them curiously as if seeing them for the first time, and Nairo got a glimmer of the sharp intellect the former lawyer must have once possessed. ¡°Do I need my lawyer present?¡± Mr. Hess asked. ¡°Can you afford one?¡± Ridley replied, looking around the desolate cabin. ¡°Ridley!¡± Nairo snapped before turning to Mr. Hess. ¡°No sir, you¡¯re not under caution, and we¡¯re not police officers. We¡¯re Private Investigators working on a case we hoped you could help us with.¡± Mr. Hess waved a tired hand to Heather and then motioned for Nairo to continue once Heather had left. ¡°What possible help could an old cripple be to you, Miss¡­?¡± ¡°Nairo,¡± she said, taking out her notepad, while Ridley sidled around the room subtly checking the place out. ¡°It¡¯s actually concerning your son, Hubert, Mr. Hess.¡± At the mention of his son¡¯s name, the man¡¯s face morphed from exhaustion to a mix of anger and disgust. ¡°I should have known,¡± Mr. Hess spat bitterly. ¡°That boy will continue to embarrass me until I rot under the earth.¡± ¡°Mr. Hess, we wanted to¡­¡± ¡°The kindest thing to ever happen was that my first wife, his mother, died giving birth to that monster,¡± Mr. Hess said, his nose and lips curling into a vicious snarl. ¡°She never had to see what he became.¡± Nairo looked at Ridley, who had stopped his snooping to cock an eyebrow in surprise at the venom in the old man¡¯s voice. ¡°So what has he done now?¡± Mr. Hess said to Nairo haughtily. ¡°He¡¯s dead, Mr. Hess.¡± Nairo said gently. Mr. Hess blinked. His lip quivered in poorly hidden fright, and then he nodded, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°Of course¡­ yes¡­ I know that. Served him right too. Stars know what he had done to deserve it¡­ but I¡¯m sure he did!¡± Mr. Hess fell into a hushed mutter as he looked out of the window again, blinking heavily, looking suddenly unsure. Nairo looked at Ridley, who shrugged, his face clearly saying this was a waste of time. ¡°Mr. Hess, do you have any idea why your son was murdered?¡± Nairo asked him, speaking softly. Mr. Hess looked at her out of the corner of his eye and shook his head. ¡°No I don¡¯t. I haven¡¯t spoken to Hubert since¡­ a very long time, and I prefer to keep it that way.¡± ¡°Do you know a detective by the name of Quinn?¡± Nairo asked. ¡°Who?¡± Mr. Hess said. ¡°Did you hire someone to find out why your son got turned into a shish kebab?¡± Ridley snapped, losing his patience with the old man. ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Mr. Hess exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at Ridley as if it were the most absurd idea he had ever heard. ¡°I don¡¯t know, justice or something,¡± Ridley said, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°Ha justice! Now there¡¯s the biggest load of codswallop I ever swallowed!¡± Mr. Hess snorted. ¡°Justice! Justice? What is justice? Hmm? Is it just to do what you¡¯re told? To follow orders? To do well at school, make all the right friends, do favours, never put a toe out of line, keep your beak white, mind yourself, and prosper quietly, only to have the very fruit of your own loins throw your name in the gutter?¡± Frothing, white spittle flecked Mr. Hess¡¯ lips. ¡°For him to turn into some degenerate low life. Some gutter trash. Cavorting with low-bred women and assorting with thugs. My boy! My Hubert!¡± ¡°Mr. Hess¡­¡± Nairo said, panicking slightly as the old man¡¯s face went an unhealthy shade of purple. ¡°Mr. Hess, please calm down¡­¡± ¡°The shame! The utter humiliation!¡± Mr. Hess croaked, tears glistening in his eyes as the outrage left him and his body deflated into decrepit shame. ¡°He¡¯s a monster,¡± Mr. Hess whispered, looking frightened. ¡°The things he¡¯s done¡­ Those people he hurt¡­ the women he¡¯s hurt¡­ the things he has done!¡± Mr. Hess was gripping the arms of his wheelchair so tight that his knuckles turned white and popped audibly. ¡°My son is evil!¡± Mr. Hess croaked before descending into a fit of coughs so violent his entire body shook. ¡°Heather!¡± Nairo shouted as she ran to the door. ¡°Heather!¡± The young nurse came running down the slope. ¡°Oh dear! What¡¯s happened? Mr. Hess? Mr. Hess are you alright?¡± Heather ran to pour the old man some water and then reached for a brown bottle of some sort of ointment. Ridley stayed where he was. He lit a smoke and watched the old man dispassionately from the shadows. ¡°I asked you to not upset him!¡± Heather snapped at them as she gently fed Mr. Hess some water. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for you to leave. Don''t worry Mr. Hess this is the last time these detectives will bother you.¡± She turned them furious. "I told the other detective last time not to bother him again! Why can''t you people just leave a sick old man alone?"" Ridley stopped on his way to the door and looked at her. "Who?" "The other detective," she said. "What was his name?" Ridley asked. "What? I don''t know... Quill or something." "Quinn?" Ridley said. "Yes, that was it. He upset Mr. Hess frightfully last time he was here. And like I told him, I''m saying the same to you, I''ll call the police if you come back here!" Nairo snapped shut her notepad and nodded at Ridley for them to leave. They walked out and back up the hill to their carriage. ¡°Well that was a waste of time,¡± Nairo said, grumpily stuffing her notepad into her pocket. "But Quinn was here." ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Ridley said, his voice disinterested, his brows furrowed in thought. ¡°What?¡± Nairo said. ¡°What?¡± Ridley replied. ¡°What have you figured out?¡± ¡°Figured out? Nothing. Just¡­¡± ¡°Something doesn¡¯t feel right in your guts,¡± Nairo said, frowning. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°This whole bloody case, your guts haven¡¯t felt right. Are you sure you don¡¯t have a worm again?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Ridley said, climbing into the carriage. Nairo blew a strand of loose hair out of her face, knowing it wasn¡¯t worth bothering him when he was like this. Better to let his brain tick over and then make fun of him later. It was more satisfying that way. ¡°Marm, a scroll just came in for you,¡± the driver said, passing back a roll of parchment. Nairo unfurled her and suddenly grew very excited. ¡°What?¡± Ridley said, noticing her reaction. ¡°Driver, take us to the coroner¡¯s office!¡± ¡°The autopsy?¡± Ridley asked, sitting up. ¡°Drake¡¯s got answers for us!¡± Ridley stuck his head through the window between driver and fare. ¡°Extra three gold in it if you don¡¯t stop for anything, mate! And don¡¯t spare the rod!¡±