by Jon Evans
They were equally empty, but Swint hadn't come down from the loft yet, she was still ferreting about up there. Loft called up to her, "Do you need help up there, Constable?"
The constable appeared at the hatch momentarily, "I don't think so, Sir. I haven't found anything, but rat droppings and everything is covered in dust. I thought there might be another hatch or a hole in the roof, but I've checked and can't find anything. It's laid to floorboards up here, only the eaves are open, but there's no sign anyone has hidden anything or even been up here. It doesn't look like anyone's used it in years and years. There's no boxes or anything."
She'd managed to get herself utterly filthy, and she was blinking furiously as if her eyes were full of dust. "Right, get down here then if you're happy there's nothing up there. We'll help you down."
They caught her as she lowered himself through the hatch and then trooped downstairs. "Someone get her some water and a clean cloth for her face," Loft ordered. Swint gratefully accepted the water and cleaned herself up, swishing some around her mouth and spitting it out. She was coughing a bit from the dust but didn't seem too bothered by it.
"No-one else found anything, Captain. I think we're done here. We've picked up absolutely everything of any value, all the paper, every last jar of spice, everything from the kitchen and it's all in the cart," Gurnt said.
"Thank you all for your hard work here. We did get some evidence that points to the suspect we already have, so that will help once we've tracked him down. When we get back to Old Gate, I want everyone going through the things we've already collected. We need detailed information to send to The Palace as soon as possible," Loft said.
Chapter Eighteen
"So, what's the progress with Professor Simmerson. Was he able to find anything out yet?" Loft asked.
"He's still working on it, Sir. He's a bit cagey about what he knows. He doesn't want to tell us something if he's not right, you see?" Knave explained.
"Did he reveal anything at all yet?" Loft asked.
"He thinks the two bottles are related, but I had to press to get him to say that, Sir. He says if he's right, the larger one is a poison of some kind, and the other is an antidote for it. They're probably both plant based, not chemical he said. I'm not sure what that means though," Knave answered.
"It's about how you'd make them. It would stand to reason if Perl was making poison and antidote they'd be something he could get through the spice trade or grow in that garden of his. My recollection is that most poisons made by men are from plants because there's a lot of dangerous things out there and it's much easier to get hold of than the chemical poisons," Loft said.
"Did he say how strong a poison it was?" Gurnt asked.
"Not as such, Sergeant. He said he could test that with animals if we want him to but he didn't seem very keen to tell you the truth. He said if it were one of the well-known poisons, he'd know what it was already. Apparently, they have a whole course on it at the University, so they know what all the really bad ones are like. That means this is something new or foreign or more likely something that's not quick or powerful. He did say that for there to be an antidote at all; it almost certainly has to be slow poison because it's a bit hard to develop an antidote if your patient dies immediately," Knave said.
"I suppose it would be. I think that answers the major questions don't you, Sergeant," Loft said.
"Yes, mostly we just need to know if he's selling a poison or a drug to get people intoxicated. Completely different buyers. I reckon the same people as were after the weapons would want the poison," Gurnt said.
"I wonder what for? If you want to kill someone, this won't do it immediately, so it's no use in a fight. You'd have to give them the poison and wait a while," he mused, "Knave, did the Professor say how much you'd need to take or how often?"
"He said he wouldn't know that until the poison is identified, but he seems to think it would be more than one dose and it could be drunk or go in food. Sorry, Sir. It'll be a few days for him to be sure what it is and he can only do that if it's something the University have come across before. If it's new, he might not be able to identify it completely at all," Knave said.
"That's fine, Constable. Don't worry. It would be good to know, but I don't think it'll make much difference in actually catching our killer," Loft said.
He turned to Gurnt, "If you have to give the poison to someone more than once for it to kill them, you have to be able to get to them. Maybe they use it to poison people and then offer them the antidote? I mean, if it's not strong enough to kill you quickly, then why would you need an antidote at all? They're not going to accidentally drink a few doses over a few days are they?" he speculated.
Gurnt shook her head, "Probably not, Sir. You could threaten someone with it, make them drink the poison and then refuse the antidote if they don't pay up. They don't have to sneak it into their food or drink. They could just kidnap them. Like a kind of blackmail?"
"Surely we'd have heard though?" Loft suggested.
"I don't think so. Would you want to tell people a shadowy gang of criminals had kidnapped you, poisoned you and made you pay them off? What if they did it again? Would you rely on the Watch to find them?" Gurnt asked.
"No, I suppose I wouldn't. Why risk it?" Loft said.
"Did the Professor tell you when to come back, Knave?" Gurnt asked.
"He said tomorrow after four in the afternoon at the earliest. If he has anything to tell us it won't be before then but he said the experiments he's doing now could all take time," Knave replied.
"Right, so tomorrow afternoon I want you to pay him a visit and check if he has anything to tell us. Make sure you go in your smartest civilian clothing, not your uniform though, the Vice Chancellor doesn't like us scaring the students," Loft said.
Knave blushed, "Ummm."
"Yes, Constable?" Loft asked.
"Nothing, Sir."
"Constable, do you not have any smart clothes?" Gurnt asked gently. The deepening red of his face answered the question.
Loft reached into his purse and pulled out a few shillings. "Go and get yourself something to wear, Constable. Just promise you'll take care of it. A carefully worn suit of clothes can last years," he said.
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir. I'll go and find something right away," Knave said, standing up and saluting before he left.
Gurnt looked him up and down for a moment, "That was, unusual. I can't recall an officer doing something like that before, certainly not for a Thieftaker."
"You should speak to the doctor then. Maybe you're having memory problems?" Loft said.
That drew a scowl, and he resorted to shuffling the papers on his desk as if he were extremely busy, so he didn't have to meet her gaze.
He looked up after a moment, "Still here, Sergeant?" he asked innocently.
"I was wondering what your orders are, Sir? Do you want to go and see if we can find a bank with the same snake symbol as the clasp?" she asked, her scowl not softening one bit.
"Yes. But first I'm afraid there's paperwork. If we don't get a report out to the Commander it won't matter if we've presented him with the killer, he's a stickler for following orders. I'm going to write a report on what we found as quickly as possible. Get yourself downstairs and get everyone together to make the list of everything we've seized from the shop so we can send that with the report," he said.
"Sir," came the clipped response as Gurnt wheeled and left the room.
Loft wrestled with the report for the best part of an hour, finding the right way to draft a summary of the house search without being too long or making it look like they'd found the clasp and left, was tricky at best.
Normally he would be surprised if the whole thing was read, but he knew the Commander would want to hear that he was vindicated in ordering another search and they'd found evidence. This report might even be read by the commander himself, rather than his aide.
He had to conclude by saying that he expected to be able to follow the
money once they had apprehended the man. Loft wrote that once they'd done that, they would find out which gang he worked for and that they were also examining Perl's books. The records he kept about the weapons would explain how much they'd sold once they'd been able to decipher them and perhaps tell them who was buying.
It took another two hours for Gurnt to collate the lists of items seized and for Loft to get the completed report ready to be sent to The Palace.
Gurnt sized up the assembled watchmen and picked Corporal Amuel as the one with the smartest looking uniform and equipment. She got everyone to spend twenty minutes polishing and cleaning various bits of Amuel's kit and making her look presentable. Job done she was sent off to deliver the report.
Chapter Nineteen
"The Bank of Drake and Coyne," Gurnt read from the words carved in the stonework above the pillars that ran in front of the building. The bank was a large, square block, with a flight of stairs that ran the length of the building's front, to a covered porch of equal width, supported by classical pillars.
It was an ancient style of building, though Loft reckoned this example was built within living memory, if not his own. The stonework was too fresh and smooth to have seen many centuries. The name of the bank was carved in an arch above a large, stone version of the emblem they'd found on the clasp in the shop. It hadn't been hard to find.
There were a couple of guards posted at the entrance, dressed in green cloaks with a golden clasp and gold thread stitched in a pattern along the edges.
"That explains where they got the design on the clasp from, then," he said. There were a couple of guards posted at the entrance, dressed in green cloaks with a golden clasp and gold thread stitched in a pattern along the edges.
"Yes, I wonder if they were just being literal or thought they were droll?" Gurnt said.
"Mmm. Well, either way, they're not a small bank, they must have been doing well when they built this at least," Loft said.
They were discretely observing the bank from an alley on the opposite side of the street. He turned to the assembled Thieftakers, they all looked ready, itching to catch their man.
"Right, the Sergeant and I are going to go into the bank and look around. We can see two guards already so unless we get lucky and there's only one average height guard with black hair, this might not be easy. I've never heard of this bank before, but you can bet they'll be just as quick to go to the Commander with a complaint, as the University and the City Council, if we make a mess. So we're going to do this carefully," he said, catching each person's eye to make sure he was being heard.
"Sergeant Gurnt will give you your assignments but what I want is for you to have a good view of the entrances, stay as inconspicuous as you can and be ready to chase someone. If he's in there and he is stupid enough to run, I don't want him to get far," Loft said.
"How will we know it's the right guard? There could be a dozen in there?" someone piped up.
"Because, Constable, he'll be running, won't he? If he's stupid enough to bolt he won't stick around once he's got out of a door, even if he manages to sneak out without us chasing. If he's smart and he tries to walk off nonchalantly through a side door, that should be a giveaway too. Don't forget, he's supposed to have black hair so if you see a guard walk out that doesn't, don't grab him unless we're chasing. He shouldn't have any idea we're coming so if we don't spook him, we can find out from the bank manager which guard it should be and find him at home or on his next shift," Gurnt said.
She then went around the group and split them up into twos and threes. They were wearing leather armour and carrying less equipment than normal. No need for lanterns or heavy metal armour if they had to catch someone on foot, during the day. Loft had sought Gurnt's advice on the subject before they left in case they couldn't catch the man before he tried to flee.
The Thieftakers knew how to do this though and had learned that their armour was best used if they had to break into a building with armed occupants. It was merely a hindrance during a pursuit. To the casual observer, they looked like ordinary citizens at the moment.
Their weapons were discretely hidden. A couple of them were carrying bags that you'd see delivery boys or workmen using. They would have seemed innocent if Loft didn't know they were concealing crossbows.
Most of the Watch wouldn't pursue a criminal too far, not just because they weren't fit enough to do it but because the armour made long periods of running exhausting. In any case, it didn't protect you from rounding a corner and getting a dagger in the eye.
If they gave chase, they preferred to have the strength of numbers and send groups of armoured watchmen down lots of streets to surround the quarry. After all, their commanding officers didn't expect criminals to be caught unless it was straightforward, no use putting themselves at risk.
They split up and exited the alley through the rear. Loft was about to march out toward the bank, but Gurnt held his arm. They were the only two in standard uniform, as they wanted to look official when they went inside.
"Give them about five minutes, Sir, to make sure they've got all sides covered. It takes a while to make it look like you haven't all arrived together. That's why I sent them out the back. They'll double back from side streets further up and try and look inconspicuous," she said.
He nodded, and they waited as she suggested. A few minutes later he saw two constables walk down the street, chatting in animated fashion, "Well that's not very discrete, they're drawing attention to themselves," he grumbled.
"No, Sir. They're acting normally, as if they don't care if people look at them. You can't see their armour or any watch insignia or their weapons, right? Looks like a couple of normal workmen walking down a street and yeah, stopping at a pie stall to talk utter rubbish and buy food. If they just walked down the street all quiet and contemplative and stopped dead outside the bank then they'd look really obvious," she explained.
"Oh, I see. That's a bit counter-intuitive. You're saying the trick is to do things as normal and not worry about being spotted because you're just going about your normal life? Even if you're making noise and drawing attention to yourself?" Loft said.
"Yeah, that's the idea. Of course, it doesn't work all the time. No good playing like this in the middle of the night. Then you have to look and smell drunk or pretend to be an itinerant if you want people to ignore you on the streets. At night you can conceal yourself in the shadows and actually creep about once you're good at it. People will never know you're there if you get the hang of it. Different get up for that too," she explained.
"Lots of blacks I take it?" Loft asked.
"Nah, it's too obvious. You want a dark green or blue. Really dark but not black. I dunno why but it just seems to stand out more, some toff worked that out years ago apparently," Gurnt replied.
"Really? How'd you hear about it then?" he quipped.
"From a Sergeant in the army when I was trying not to get caught after it all went tits up," Gurnt said.
"It works then. If you got away, I mean?" Loft said with interest.
"I didn't say he was a Sergeant in our army, Sir," she said with a grin, "He was kind enough not to give me a kicking when he captured me. I was furious with myself, and as he marched me to the prison camp, he explained all the things I'd been doing wrong. Blade out and glinting in the moonlight, bright white of my eyes looking for people, all that."
"Whites of your eyes?" Loft said, trying not to look too sceptical.
"Yeah, if you look around frantically, all wide eyed 'cause it's dark it can be the only thing they see. Better if you hear them closing on your hiding place, to shut your eyes and be still. As long as you're hidden, they have nothing to catch their eye then. Or look down at the ground if it makes you feel uncomfortable having your eyes shut. Even if you can't see, with them open it's nerve wracking closing them in the dark when you're being hunted," she explained.
"Here's hoping I never have to use that little nugget of information," he said.
"
Here's hoping. They're all in place now, see?" Gurnt nodded toward the bank.
"Umm, not really, no," he replied.
"Good, that's the idea. Time for us to go down the alley, into a normal street and approach the bank," she said.
"Because it looks odd if we come out of the alley opposite?" Loft asked.
"Exactly, because what person behaving normally would walk through these filthy alleys rather than use the streets. The City Watch doesn't make a habit of patrolling alleyways. For all the guards know, we're just coming to check on security or set up an account or speak to the manager about taxes or something. We're not looking for anyone, unless we're in private with the manager, remember," she said.
As they walked, they chatted about why they actually did need to see the manager. Gurnt was right, they were probably going to get challenged by a guard or if not one of the staff and they couldn't very well discuss the possibility of a guard, being a murderer in the middle of the bank, or tell them that's why they needed to see the manager.
