The Chimney: The Merc Papers
Page 30
A loud thump in the other room quickly ended her meditation. Her journey to find the path again would have to wait for another time. Unfortunately, she didn’t find the answer she was looking for. She would have to try again when her mind was more settled.
Getting to her feet, she quickly got dressed and exited her bedroom only to find Sarah in the kitchen. Her roommate was mixing something up in a large bowl—hopefully it wasn’t more of her charcoal muffins. It was hard to tell if she was just getting up or just getting in.
“Did I wake you?” Sarah asked.
Emily made her way into the kitchen and took a glass from the cupboard. “No. I was going over a few things,” she answered.
Filling the glass with water, she took a seat at the table and pulled the morning paper toward her. The main story was about the Crystal Exploration Corporation exceeding its quota on mana crystals. There was also something about the arrest of an orc by the name of Rakgu as well as a Bureau member talking about the Terra dust epidemic. That brought back memories. The sight of that vir, sitting alone in Goblin Town, one breath away from death. Emily pushed the paper away.
“Not much in it this morning,” Sarah said as she added a few more ingredients to the mix. “Pretty much the same news every day.”
Somehow, Emily didn’t doubt that. From what she’d seen so far, the morning paper was nothing more than a long list of depressing stories. They simply changed the names and locations.
“Did you just get in?”
Sarah smiled mischievously. “Is that the sound of disapproval I hear?”
“It’s none of my business.”
“Maybe it seems that way because you went to bed early.”
“Probably. How can anyone tell what time it is in this city?”
“You’ll get used to it.” Sarah laughed.
She spooned the mixture into the bays of a muffin pan and slipped it into the oven. Emily cringed. She could almost taste that charcoal flavor. Sarah poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table across from her.
“So, where were you yesterday?” she asked.
Emily leaned back in her chair. She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell Sarah. The regrettable event at the forge was a path she felt had to be traveled alone. Besides, she wasn’t sure how Sarah would react to the news of the howne’s death. If she was horrified, it might strain their relationship. If she approved of it—well then, that would probably be worse. Best to skirt the issue altogether. While the tenets forbade lying, leaving out certain details was acceptable.
“I found Galbassi.”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “You found him? Where?”
“He was hiding out in the dower forges on tier eleven. Tar helped me locate him.”
“Well, what happened?”
“Nothing… really. After I confronted him I let Foh’s men handle the situation.”
“Foh? You mean Iakob Foh, that crook who hangs around with those sl— those orcs?”
Emily smiled. At least Sarah was trying to change her views of the other races.
“Yeah, that’s the one. He wanted Galbassi as much as I did. So his people dealt with Galbassi’s crew.”
“Does that mean it’s finished? Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Yes and no.” Emily shrugged. “In the end, what does it matter? All that matters is it’s over.”
“I suppose. Still, I have to admit, I didn’t think you would find him.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Sarah said. “I mean—I don’t know. Finding someone in a city this large, and a city you know little about, that’s something. You’re like a natural-born Merc. It’s a shame they don’t hire women. Me, I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“Thanks… I guess. Speaking of Mercs, did Berk say anything when I left?”
“Plenty. Actually, we spent most of the night together.”
Emily stared at her in disbelief. “Seriously.”
Sarah laughed. “Not like that, silly. He’s nice and all, but he is still just a Merc.”
“So, what did you guys do?”
“Exactly what you told him to do. We investigated the MRC.”
“You went with him?”
“You left him holding a magic amulet.” Sarah actually rolled her eyes. “Did you honestly believe he was going to use it?”
“Oh. I guess I didn’t think that all the way through.”
“No, you didn’t. That’s why I had to tag along, to use it for him, not that it did any good.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to get you involved in this.”
“Oh, it’s all right. It was kind of fun in a strange sort of way. It’s not every day you get to play at being a Merc.”
Emily drank the last of her water and set the glass aside. “So, I take it you didn’t find anything.”
“No,” Sarah replied. “We spoke with a Mr. Jacob, but according to Berk, he didn’t have anything new to add. He did, however, offer a reward if we find the dower’s research.”
“Well, isn’t that nice. It sounds like he was quite broken up over the deaths of Hardbrew and the others. So, I guess Mira’s little trinket didn’t work?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Sarah confessed. “It didn’t come with any instructions. I held it up and walked round the room while Berk questioned a few of the employees, but nothing happened. I didn’t know if it was supposed to change colors or vibrate or what.”
“Mira wasn’t all that clear on its use, was she?”
“She didn’t seem to hold out much hope in it to begin with.”
Sarah sipped her coffee. Emily took another look at the paper, and that’s when she saw it. It was obvious, really, if she thought about it. Then again, her mind was preoccupied with other matters.
“You know, I think we might be looking at this all wrong.”
Sarah looked at her from over the rim of her cup. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t think the MRC had anything to do with Hardbrew’s death or the other dower’s. Sure, they’re more interested in the research than anything else—but why kill off the three people who could provide that research for you?”
“I thought it was obvious, because they didn’t want to share it,” Sarah answered.
“But that’s the problem. You would only have to share the research if you had it in your possession, and it doesn’t sound as if the MRC have it in their possession. If they did, they wouldn’t still be looking for it.”
“Makes sense,” Sarah said. “Why kill off the only three people who know where that research is, or if it even exists?”
“Exactly.”
“Then it was the Church after all.”
“No.” Emily shook her head. “I don’t think it was the Church either.”
“Then who?”
Turning the paper around, she tapped on the headlines. Sarah pulled it closer.
“I don’t see how an orc getting arrested has anything to do with this case. Unless you think the orcs are behind it.”
“No. Not that one. The one about the Crystal Exploration Corporation.”
Sarah looked at the paper again. “I’m still not following you.” She skimmed over the story. “It says the CEC managed to exceed its Bureau quota in spite of heavy protests for the Church of Gaea and the destruction of one of its heavy drillers.”
Emily tapped the paper before getting up from the table. “Think about it,” she said. “Hardbrew explained that, if implemented, their technique could double, if not triple, the mana output. That would easily put whoever owns it ahead of their competition.”
“Oh. I see what you’re saying,” Sarah exclaimed. “And if that happened, the Bureau, being the Bureau, would pull its contract from the CEC and reward it to the MRC.”
“If the MRC was in possession of the research.”
“But what does the Church have to do with it?”
“Nothing. The Church of Gaea is
a convenient scapegoat. Blame it on the Church and nobody investigates the mining companies. Besides, it also implicates the church in something more serious than nonviolent protests. The killing of three dowers would have to affect the church’s credibility.”
“Well, I guess,” Sarah said, although she didn’t sound fully convinced. “But nobody knew the Church was supposedly behind the assassinations.”
“That’s only because whoever is behind this underestimated how little everyone cared about the dower,” Emily answered.
“I’m not following you.”
“After the death of Boulderjaw, the MRC must have realized their research was in jeopardy. I don’t think they cared who killed Boulderjaw. They simply needed to secure the research. They knew they had to make it look good for the Bureau, so they hired the Red Wolf Company to look into the matter, but really the Red Wolves were trying to find and secure whatever information they could from the other dowers. They didn’t want to waste resources investigating the deaths, so they assigned the case to Berk. Berk had already confessed he’d never done an investigation before, so he went along with Captain Petrova’s theory that Boulderjaw’s death was an accident, caused by a fire.”
“So, what you’re saying is, the CEC tried to frame the Church, but no one was looking into the whole Church of Gaea angle to begin with,” Sarah concluded.
“Not until we came along.”
“Where does that leave us?”
“Unfortunately, it’s only a theory. Without evidence, there’s nothing we can do. The next stop would be to check out the CEC. Maybe Mira’s little amulet will work there.”
“Actually, the next stop is the Bird,” Sarah said. “Our shift starts in an hour.”
~~~***~~~
Emily sat in the corner of the kitchen, peeling potatoes while trying to figure out how to prove the CEC was behind the assassinations. Unfortunately, all she could think about was Galbassi and the terrified look on his face when he disappeared into the darkness.
The more she replayed the events in her mind, the less they made sense. The only conclusion she could reach was that her tyng betrayed her; but that was oversimplifying the situation. There was no way the memoria metal could have straightened out on its own. She never had to maintain concentration before. Once she thought the tyng to the length she wanted, that was the length they remained. The only explanation was that she must have thought the rod straight, and therefore she was directly responsible for Galbassi’s death.
If she was being honest with herself, there was a side of her that wanted him to pay for what he did: not only to her, but to Alison and Marc as well as all the other victims whose trophies were hanging on the howne’s wall. Then, of course, there was the matter of Amanda. Galbassi claimed he watched her die. At least that’s what it sounded like. Somebody believed he was responsible. Somebody was seeking revenge—but who?
Amanda was more headstrong than Emily could ever be. Stubborn, confrontational, never one to let small matters like the tenets get between her and what she wanted. So why did she come to New Doral? What was she looking for? Emily couldn’t imagine a worse place for her sister—a place where women were treated less than equal. Amanda would never have tolerated such a system. She would have rebelled against it. Maybe that’s what got her killed.
Kate burst into the kitchen, slamming her tray down on the counter. She was grinning from ear to ear. One thing Emily learned was that when Kate was happy, something was wrong.
“You have a visitor,” she said in her singsong voice.
“Who is it?” Emily asked.
“I don’t know. He didn’t say, but he is kind of cute.”
“What does he want?”
“He didn’t say.”
“Did he say anything?”
“Yeah. He said he wanted to see you, and he sounded desperate.”
Who would be desperate enough to come to the Bird to see her at work? Her first thought was Tar, but she quickly nixed that idea. Not only wouldn’t Tar be allowed in the place, but Kate would never refer to an orc as being cute. Getting up from the stool, she wiped the stray potato peels off her lap before heading for the door.
“I think he’s a Merc,” Kate called out.
Emily stopped walking.
That little bit of information should have been expressed sooner. The thought of a Merc desperate to see her didn’t bode well. Did the Blue Tigers finally catch up to her? Taking a deep breath, Emily continued into the main room. She was relieved to see the back of Berk’s head. He was sitting at the bar, talking to Sarah. His hand nervously tapped on the tanker of ale he was nursing. When Emily entered, he quickly turned around and a look of relief washed over his face, but it soon turned to one of curiosity—or was that disappointment?”
“I thought you were a waitress,” he said.
“I was, but I had a slight disagreement with a few of the—wait a minute. Did you come here to see me in one of those skimpy outfits?”
Now his face turned red. “Ah… No, no, of course not.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because I need your help.”
“I thought we were helping you,” Sarah said.
“I know. You are, and I’m grateful…”
“But?”
“Captain Petrova has been on my back. He’s coming down hard on me to close this case, especially after what happened to Hardbrew, and to tell you the truth, I don’t know where to go next. I was positive the MRC had something to do with the assassinations, but now… I don’t know.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Sarah placed her hand on Berk’s shoulder. “Emily’s got it all figured out.”
“She does?”
“Now wait a moment,” Emily said. “It’s only a theory.”
Sarah wasn’t listening.
“Yeah, she says the CEC is behind the assassination. They wanted to stop the dwarfs from sharing their research with the MRC. Maybe even steal it for themselves, and then pin the blame on the Church of Gaea because they’ve been causing them so much trouble.”
Berk’s eyes lit up. “That’s great,” he said. “It all makes sense. With this information, I can close the case and get the captain off my back. I can go back to doing buster work.”
“It’s only a theory,” Emily shouted. “We have no proof.”
Berk slumped back down on his stool. “Oh yeah, I forgot. The captain’s going to need proof.”
“That’s usually how it works.”
“So, we go to the CEC and poke around,” Sarah suggested.
“It won’t be that easy,” Emily said. “If they’re behind this, they’ll never let us in, let alone answer any of our questions.”
Berk bolted up straight. “Ross Mullen,” he said.
“Who?”
“Ross Mullen. He’s head of the CEC’s manufacturing and distribution. If anyone knows anything about it, he will.”
“And this Ross Mullen, he’s going to talk to us?”
“Well, yeah, he’s my cousin,” Berk said. “Well, second cousin really. He’s my great-aunt Trudie’s eldest daughter’s son. I’ve only met him once or twice, and that was a few years ago, but I’m sure he’ll remember me.”
Somehow Emily didn’t doubt that. Berk wasn’t someone you could forget easily.
“You coming?” Berk asked. He was already standing at the door.
“In case you haven’t noticed, we’re working.”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” He looked around the main room. Their loud conversation had attracted a bit of attention. “I’ll wait for you guys then,” he said before returning to the bar.
Emily shook her head and walked back to the kitchen. It was going to be a long day.
~~~***~~~
Berk was true to his word. He sat at the bar for the remainder of Emily and Sarah’s shift, which was another four hours. Although Tom usually enjoyed having Mercs at the Bar, often pointing out how good they were for business, he wasn’t too pleased with Berk. Main
ly because the man nursed his one drink for the duration of the time he was there. Emily cleaned up the kitchen, then waited for Sarah to get changed before joining Berk in the main room. From there it was off to the CEC headquarters. Fortunately, he was still in possession of one of the Red Wolve’s hot-tops.
The CEC headquarters was located on tier nine, right across the street from the MRC headquarters. All in all, there were three similar-looking buildings in the area, the third one belonging to the TWC, otherwise known as the Tunnel Works Corporation. They were a smaller mining company and nobody was sure who owned it, but it was said to be friendly to the uhyre and even employed orcs in positions of authority.
Each of the buildings was clearly marked with enormous letters mounted on their exterior walls. Berk pulled up to the main entrance outside the CEC where a humongous ogre stepped out of a tiny gatehouse. He was dressed in a blue uniform and wore a hat that was three sizes too small for his head. As he leaned on the roof of the hot-top to see into the driver’s side window, the vehicles tilted to one side.
“Appointment?”
“Merc Business.” Berk held up his ID. “Red Wolf. Here to see a Ross Muller.”
The ogre squinted at the small piece of paper Berk was holding, then took it out of his hand. The fact that he had to turn it around a few times would indicate he was having some difficulty reading it, assuming he could read. Ogres were not known for their intellect.
“What did you say your name was?”
Berk snatched his ID back.
“Officer Berkeley Morris.”
The ogre stared at him for a while before returning to the gatehouse. Squeezing his frame through the narrow door, he leaned over a console with his finger raised and looked unsure of what to do next. Eventually he tapped one of the buttons. Nothing happened. He tried another one. Still nothing. On the third try, a small green stone on the top of the console lit up.
“What is it, Meareg?” the stone asked. It appeared to be some version of a whisper stone.
“I have an Awful Broccoli Moses to see Mr. Mallet.”