The Mutilated Merchant (The Edrin Loft Mysteries Book 1)

by Jon Evans

  "Yes, Sir. He was able to provide useful information that made it much clearer what happened. For instance, that Perl's eyes were removed while he was alive, as a form of torture. Knowing that meant one of two things, either it was part punishment and part warning to others, or it was to extract information. I think he wanted to know where the poison was and Perl certainly didn't tell him as he had days to retrieve it. If we can keep the doctor at Old Gate, he'll be a tremendous asset to the Kalider Watch. He'll bring patients in, give them a reason to come to the Watch House," Loft said.

  "I understand the part about his autopsy, though I'll thank you not to recap the grisly details in future. I'm not sure why you think his patients visiting Old Gate is a boon though?" Cadogan asked.

  "Westgate isn't the most affluent area, Sir. The locals don't want to talk to us if other people know about it. I think they'll be more willing to talk to us if they are on the premises to see the doctor. It doesn't look like they're just coming to inform on someone," Loft said.

  "And you are confident the autopsies are of use in your duties?" Cadogan asked.

  "Without a doubt, Sir. Not for every crime or even murder, I'm sure. Doctor Gardener can tell us things about how people died we can use to find their killers. He can tell us what type of weapon was used, or if someone was poisoned, which means the magistrates are more likely to convict them," Loft explained.

  "Loft, they convict almost everyone we bring them," Cadogan pointed out.

  "Yes, Sir. But now they'll convict the rich and powerful ones too; they'll have to if we can prove they are criminals," Loft countered.

  "True, I'm sure more than a few lawyers have got rich murderers released since I've been Commander. Very well, if you can keep any additional cost within your budget, I have no issue with you using the doctor. I can't spare funds for you to have the lift repaired though. I know the mechanism was sold off decades ago and we certainly can't afford a new one," Cadogan said.

  "Understood, Commander," Loft acknowledge, disappointed but hardly surprised.

  The Commander drummed his fingers on his desk while he pondered and then rang a small bell to summon Lieutenant Golate. They conferred in whispers for a moment, and the aide bustled back out to the outer office.

  "So, I want you to concentrate on smuggling from now on. If anything happens that we'd normally assign to the Thieftakers, I'll divert it to another Watch House. If you have anything happen around Old Gate, notify Golate immediately, and I'll have that taken off your hands as well. We need results quickly, Captain if we are to capitalise on the policies Mohran is promoting," Cadogan said.

  "Yes, Commander. I'm hopeful that we can find out something useful among the information we have from Perl, and perhaps there's something we can use in Stenberg's belongings as well," Loft said.

  "Good. How's the head wound? Nothing serious I hope," Cadogan asked.

  "No, Sir, the doctor says it'll be fine."

  "He burned you with magic though?" Cadogan asked.

  "Yes. I think Stenberg also used it to destroy a lock in Perl's shop when he killed him," Loft said.

  The Commander seemed less than happy to hear that information. "I hope he's a unique case. We can't have rogue wizards wandering around the city killing people and working for criminals. If you even get a hint of similar things in the future, let me know immediately. I might be able to find some professional help, and I know the Regent would want to be informed," Commander Cadogan said.

  Golate came back in and deposited a letter on the Commander's desk. Cadogan signed it and handed it back to his aide who rounded the desk and passed the signed letter to Loft.

  "Sir?" Loft said.

  "It's authorisation for you to confiscate the goods from Perl's shop, anything from his estate or the estate of Stenberg on behalf of the Old Gate watch. Anything you've found, keep it, use it, or sell it. If you can raise enough funds for your lift repairs, you're authorised to go ahead. Otherwise, you can use it for other equipment you might need. Not the poison or anything else illegal, obviously you have to destroy any of that," Commander Cadogan said, "That's the best I can do. Maybe it'll help you find the smugglers."

  "Thank you, Sir. I'm sure it'll be a big help," Loft said, somewhat take aback by this development. The weapons alone could be worth a substantial amount. Maybe not enough to have an engineer make a replacement mechanism but perhaps they could find something second hand. At least he'd have enough to pay the doctor without having budget problems.

  "Dismissed," the Commander said, reaching for the next file from his in-tray as Loft saluted and left.

  "Loft. Just the contents, not the shop or the house, those are forfeit to the Crown," Commander Cadogan said.

  "Yes, Sir."

  Epilogue

  "Report," the order was barked impatiently as the man entered the room and sat at the head of the table.

  "I left the brooch as you instructed. The watch found it, and then they found the bank," his subordinate said.

  "What went wrong then?" his superior asked as he poured himself a goblet of wine.

  "I do not know, your Grace. Our agent knew his responsibility, to lie in wait for Loft and kill him. The plan was proceeding as we had expected, our information suggested that Loft was not an accomplished fighter. Yet somehow, he defeated him, seemingly in single combat."

  "He was one of our best agents, and this watch Captain killed him? We need to know more about this man. I hadn't heard of him before the events of this week, and yet now he looms large, drawing my attention and consuming my time. The report he filed doesn't reveal how he won his life back on that rooftop, at least, nothing but his rather unbelievable account of the conflict," the seated man stated.

  "Yes, your Grace. I shall endeavour to find out more about him and report back to you."

  The other man considered this before replying, "No, you stay out of it, I don't want you drawing attention to yourself. Your group is too important to our goals to risk exposure by becoming familiar with the Thieftakers. Warn your associates to give them a wide berth where possible."

  "Of course. Whatever you think is best."

  "I shall engage other resources to find out more about him and what he's up to."

  "Maybe his reports will tell us more in the coming months?"

  "I have read his account several times now, and I believe he holds back on some details. Nothing too obvious, nothing to arouse suspicion, but I still think Captain Loft is selective about what he commits to paper," the older man said, absentmindedly twisting the ends of his moustache.

  "Yes, sir. What about our supply situation? With Perl gone now, we have a serious problem."

  "Of course we do, we have at best, a week's worth of supplies left at the most? We shall have to distribute the command to everyone to stop using their caches for now. Rest assured, I am arranging for a new agent to replace Perl. Our supply lines will be restored as soon as possible."

  "Your Grace, without supplies though, our security is severely compromised. Everything we do carries an additional risk."

  "Which is why I need you to pass the order to all groups to avoid any unnecessary risks at the moment. Any operations that can be curtailed or postponed should be. If any groups feel they have a time sensitive task, they should notify you immediately. If you feel it necessary, redistributed remaining caches of supplies to any groups with time sensitive activities to enable them to operate as normal. If you have any doubt, refer the decision to me for authorisation."

  "Yes, Your Grace."

  "I also want to build greater caches for the future, so we'll need to raise more funds for that purpose. Once we have increased our income, we can get an additional supply line setup and keep our stocks supplied from more than one route," he said before taking another sip of his wine.

  "I understand. I shall distribute your orders immediately," the subordinate said, brushing something from his shirt sleeve with his fingers.

  This provoked an irritable reaction, "Do you ha
ve to come here and get that stuff all of my carpet, hmm?"

  "My apologies, your Grace. I was in a hurry to get here and give my report."

  "Yes, yes, of course. It's just that we can't very well have cleaners come into the building and I don't want it looking slovenly. We're not animals after all. Now, I want everyone to know that if they find out anything about the Thieftakers, or encounter them in any capacity, they're to inform you immediately."

  "I will let them know. Have you considered having them dealt with more permanently?"

  "I have, but I think that's premature. The situation with our agent was different, he was the killer they were looking for. It's unfortunate that he was unable to dispose of Loft and died himself. On a positive note, Stenberg was the first link in a chain that could have led to the rest of us, and now he is dead, they have no way to reach the next link. I would rather he'd escaped, but in any case, we'd probably have had to move him out of this city to one of our other operations. He was selected and trained for his duties and performed admirably for many years. I expect we'll have more than one man to replace him in the next year or so, as our strength grows in this city. Loft seems like a troublemaker, so my expectation is that he'll get himself killed by one criminal or another soon enough," he replied with a shrug, dismissing the notion that the Watch might be a problem.

  "We could hire outside help to carry it out?"

  "I don't want to waste our financial resources on a dubious threat with an uncertain outcome. Another failure would raise suspicions and give them another chance to find a link. We have other demands on our funds that are easier to justify than outside help. It would be an indulgence to arrange that, simply because we lost our agent. Maybe we'll have another opportunity to deal with him in the future, but as long as he's not getting closer to us, I would rather keep him at arm's length."

  "Very well, your Grace. I shall ensure all your instructions are distributed to all our groups."

  "See that you do. Now, I have to go and get changed," he said flipping open a small pocket book, "My aide has put some ghastly official function in my diary, and there's a strict dress code. You may consider yourself dismissed. We will maintain our next scheduled meeting unless another emergency crops up."

  The servant bowed, deeply and by the time he stood upright, he was alone in the dimly lit room. He lit a small lantern and blew the candles out, then carefully locked the door behind him as he left. He was quiet and discreet but did not creep about. In the unlikely event, he was stopped by an officious watchman he had a valid reason for being here and wasn't concerned about looking suspicious.

  As he walked, he considered the problem of Loft. His superior was right, of course, they couldn't afford to make an obvious attempt on his life. He was sure if he could envision a way engineer an accident or perhaps a vendetta between the Thieftakers and a dangerous gang, he would receive authority to take action. He had no intention of waiting, he would apply his considerable experience and as much time as possible to planning this operation.

  Time, he thought, as if I have copious free time for such, what had his employer call it 'indulgence'? Then again, with their supply lines disrupted they were effectively taking at least a few weeks off from active operations. Maybe he would find the time after all.

  The thought cheered him and he began to whistle a playful melody as he made his way home through the darkened streets of Kalider, a song on his mind and murder in his heart.

  Thank you for reading, The Mutilated Merchant, the first Edrin Loft Mystery.

  If you liked this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It may not seem like much but each review really does help and is very much appreciated.

  If you would like to hear when the next Edrin Loft book, or my future projects will be out, you can sign up to my mailing list at my website:

  jonevansbooks.com