As Arthur sat in the back of the rickshaw, he found it difficult not to cast a wary eye over everyone who filled the street leading to Diaboli Theatrum.
People were everywhere, their conversations blending together as they talked about their finds or shouted out applications for scavenging groups. He wrinkled his nose as he smelled the mix of sweat and dirt from the groups carrying the larger hauls.
His gaze darted from one piece of broken equipment to the next, and he couldn’t help but grin. The thought of it all being repaired and sold to add to his hoard was an enticing prospect, even as he mulled over his ideas about who was behind his most recent trouble.
“I know from Chris it was a cultist, or at least, someone claiming to be. Though it wouldn’t be the hardest thing to fake.”
That thought had him eyeing up the numerous ex-gangsters in the crowd. Men and women in suits moved about, helping to carry loads or point people in the right direction. Any of them, he knew, could hold a fairly major grudge. Most had turned to work for A Iocus Daemonium without batting an eye.
He still remembered the attack on The Watchdog Knights compound. They had destroyed the wall and killed or injured a fair number of people. Any of them could easily have lied to Chris about being a cultist.
One of them, a short man wearing a badly torn black suit, noticed him staring and turned away quickly. Arthur wasn’t sure he knew the man’s name, though, from his lack of equipment, he doubted he was one of Carina’s lieutenants.
As Theobold pulled them up in front of Diaboli Theatrum, Arthur grabbed his cane before his briefcase. He didn’t want to enter unarmed. Augustus exited the vehicle behind him and glared at anyone who got close.
Theobold quickly chained the bike to a nearby lamppost and then got into position behind Arthur. People moved out of their way as they entered through the front door, with the two guards saluting him as he moved past.
Inside, he could see customers milling about, as well as two extra guards on the stairwell down. To his surprise, he saw another two guards standing in front of the counter. These carried well-cared-for bats and knives, and they glared at anyone who approached them.
Arthur hung back as he watched a customer make a purchase. When they handed over their money, both guards checked the total once each before double-checking that he’d not hidden anything in the bundled-up shirt. After the thorough inspection was completed, they smiled and let the man go.
From his expression as he brushed past Arthur, he wasn’t happy about the extra scrutiny. Before someone else could march their way to the counter, Arthur moved up and nodded to the familiar face sitting there.
“Hi Benny.”
“Arthur! I mean, hello, sir.” Benny flashed him a gap-toothed smile as he finished putting the coins away below the counter.
As he did, Arthur noted the way both of the guards watched the procedure.
“So, they aren’t here for the customers alone, then. Carina is taking this seriously,” he thought.
“How are things treating you?” He asked as he tapped his cane against the ground.
“I’m doing fine,” Benny said, as he did his best to sit up straight. “Miss Heady said I’m trusted to work the counter, which is a nice change from guarding the stairs. Leo checks up on us a lot, so we’re never ignored.”
Arthur laughed. “So it seems. I’m here to meet with Carina, actually. How has she been lately?”
“Busy. Almost too much. You didn’t hear it from me, but someone’s been stealing. We caught them, but we don’t know if they have any accomplices. Even Miss Heady’s power didn’t get the answers, nor did Leo.”
As he spoke the bald man’s name, he shuddered. Arthur didn’t need to explain. While Carina’s power forced people to answer her question, Leo had no such ability, which meant he’d need a different way. One that involved a lot of pain, if he had to guess.
“And neither of them got anything at all?”
“We found out what they stole,” Benny said with a quick nod as he pulled out a small piece of paper.
Arthur resisted the urge to tap his foot as the man read it over once before reading it out loud.
He stole a bottle of perfume, some jewelry, a pack of golf clubs, and an assortment of clothes for both men and women. He was also not taking the right amount of money from customers, causing us a loss. Make sure you double-check that you are being paid correctly. – Miss Heady. Store Manager.
Arthur couldn’t help but grin at the use of her title.
“So she’s using a title now. Interesting. Those items are strange as well, an eclectic mix that doesn’t point to one particular person. None of it is useful, however. There was no food or supplies for surviving alone in the city. That tells me it’s someone who has a more stationary position.”
“Do you know who normally buys those kinds of items?” Arthur asked as Augustus motioned a customer away from the counter.
“Uhhh.” For a moment, Benny looked unsure as he read the list over again. “No one in my circle, sir. This is all high-end stuff.”
Arthur smiled. “That’s what I figured. Thanks Benny. I’ll tell Carina how helpful you were.”
“Bye, sir,” Benny said, turning to the next customer as Arthur walked toward the elevator.
Once he’d passed the counter, he fished his keycard out of his briefcase and got the doors opened. Augustus moved in first, checking the space. When he was happy with it, he squeaked, and Arthur followed him inside.
Theobold came in last and hit the button for the bottom floor. The last thing Arthur saw on the top floor was Benny’s guards checking over another irate customer.
***
With a ding, the elevator doors opened slowly to reveal that the hallway to the underground office wasn’t empty this time.
Another pair of guards stood at the end of the hall, with two bats leaning against the wall nearby. Their bored expressions changed quickly when they saw his party, and they grabbed for their weapons.
By the time Arthur had stepped out of the elevator, both had moved forward, weapons raised. Augustus reacted to the potential threat first. He bared his teeth as he pushed his way to the front of their small group.
His bat was larger, and his practice swing showed his proficiency. Theobold’s sword flashed out next, adding to the display of dominance. Both men dropped their weapons and held up their hands in the universal sign of surrender.
Arthur resisted the urge to growl in frustration at the display.
“What are you two doing?” He snapped at the two men.
The taller of the two gave a little wave without putting his hands down. “I’m sorry. My orders are to check on anyone coming through for any hidden items. After what Bobby did, we can’t be too careful.”
“Who’s Bobby?” Arthur asked. “Also, if you came at us with weapons raised to do this, why? Have you had trouble?”
The shorter one stepped back, seemingly happy to let the other one do the talking. His friend gulped and tossed a quick glance down at his weapon on the ground.
“You want to know who Bobby is, um, sir?” He asked.
“Yes. Who are you?”
“Keith, sir.” His voice trembled as he spoke, and Arthur resisted the urge to roll his hands.
“Ok, Keith. No one’s going to hurt you. Explain to me what I want to know.”
“Right. Yes. Of course. So, Bobby is the man they caught stealing those items and messing with the books. Miss Heady could tell you more than I could. As to why the weapons? Well. You’re all big. We didn’t know if you were going to refuse us or if things would get violent.”
“Has that happened?” Arthur waved for Theobold and Augustus to stand down. They did, but he could feel the reluctance coming from Augustus.
“No sir. Some of the guys who are higher-ups in the cult complain, though.”
“I see. Well, do your job, gentlemen, but make it quick. I need to talk to your boss.”
Keith didn’t look comfortable, but he reached forward and gently patted him down. His hands moved so fast that Arthur wondered if he even felt anything. When it was over, he turned to Theobold and Augustus.
Arthur shook his head. “I wouldn’t. Tell me, have you had any other issues with stealing now that Carina has so many people on the lookout?”
“No, sir,” Keith said.
There was something in his tone that Arthur didn’t like, and so he tried activating his Customer Empathy ability. A wave of guilt hit him as he examined Keith, informing him of the lie.
“A rehearsed response then. Carina may have drilled them on it. Does she not think I’ll find out how bad things have gotten? No, probably for the customers. There’s a good chance she simply didn’t want to freak people out.”
“I see. Well, keep up the good work.”
“Thank you, sir!” Keith grinned as Arthur moved past him into the office area proper.
Once inside, he found himself assaulted by the noise of the sheer number of people moving around him. All hurried about, but in the same way that the dragons at the head office had. It was an act to look busy and draw attention away from themselves.
Interspersed throughout the crowd, ex-cultists wearing fancier suits stood barking orders and holding impromptu meetings, middle management types trying to prove their worth.
As he made his way to Carina’s office, he selected the occasional person on his route to target with his Customer Empathy power. A multitude of emotions hit him in different amounts, depending on who he targeted.
From the lower-level office drones, he received a mixture of stress, anxiety, and annoyance. Stress also radiated from the middle management, but suspicion and a touch of fear infused it.
They clearly knew more than those below them did, but it was also obvious that those lower down had picked up on the tension. Arthur kept his head up as he walked, trying to display an air of confidence.
When he reached Carina’s office, he saw Leo standing outside. The bald man looked tired even as he nodded to Arthur.
“Sir.”
“Is she in?” Arthur asked, knowing the answer to the question from the shadows through the window on the door.
Leo moved to open the door. “She is. Please go on in.”
“Thank you.”
He stepped inside quickly and didn’t turn around as he heard Augustus step in behind him and shut the door.
“Hey Carina,” he said in a voice as calm as he could make it. “We need to have a chat.”
***
The first thing he noticed when her purple eyes rose to track him was her sheer exhaustion.
Now that he was looking for it, he could see it in the rest of her body language as well. Her slumped shoulders, wrinkled clothes, and unkempt hair all came together to tell the story of being tired and overworked.
Sandy stood next to the desk with a steaming pot of coffee, and from the way her arm trembled, he guessed she’d been standing there for a while.
With what appeared to be a monumental effort, Carina sat up straight and waved for him to take a seat. As he moved over, he tried using Customer Empathy on her.
It didn’t work, and so he simply sat down and looked across the desk.
“What’s been happening here?”
He did his best not to sound demanding, but he also didn’t want to beat around the bush. This was important, and he needed answers. The last thing he wanted was for whoever got to Chris to try this again.
Before she answered his question, her eyes moved to Sandy and narrowed.
“Put down the pot and get out.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sandy said, sounding panicked as she put down the coffeepot and exited the room.
As soon as he heard the door shut, Carina slumped back into her seat. With a tired-sounding sigh, she answered his question.
“I found out who’s been cooking the books.”
“Bobby,” Arthur said.
She blinked at him. “How did you know about Bobby?”
“Keith mentioned him on my way in. It seems you’ve been having stock loss issues.”
“Of course Keith blabbed.” Carina let out a sigh as she rubbed her temples. “It’s why I have him guarding the door down here. But yes. Bobby was the one stealing, though according to him, it was on behalf of someone else.”
“And he wouldn’t say who?” Arthur asked, remembering what Benny had said.
Carina nodded. “No, he claims all he got was envelopes filled with your money telling him what to take. He had a drop-off point in one of the abandoned buildings, but no one has been there since we took him.”
“What have you done with him?”
“He’s being held in an office under guard. I wasn’t sure what you’d want to do with him. I figured you’d be against killing him.”
“I am,” Arthur agreed. “Do you have any of his payments around?”
“Sure,” Carina said before she pulled an envelope out of a drawer and handed it over.
He took it, noting the weight, before he tipped it over and let the coins fall to the desk. They clattered and bounced, but as each landed, he noted it was all on the same side—Dragon head up.
“Counterfeits.” Arthur shook his head as he cleaned them up. “This many tells me it was someone in the cult for certain. Someone high up too to throw this amount around too, I bet. Tell me. What are the ex-board members doing with themselves lately?”
“Them? They stay in the bunker, mostly. Why?”
“I need to talk to them. Call it a hunch.” Arthur flashed a smile.
In truth, it was more than a hunch. The more he heard, the more it seemed to fit in his head. However, he didn’t understand why or even who. Multiple people had worked under Richard and Rathnil on the board. Without knowing if it was a group effort or an individual, he couldn’t let the rage that burned at the thought out.
“Shall I fetch them?” She asked, rising from her chair.
Arthur nodded toward Augustus to get to the door.
“Because I think it’s high time that I paid them a visit.”
Carina made to speak, and he cut her off. “Not you. You’re getting some sleep. I can resolve this myself, I’m sure. If not today, then I’m more than capable of setting it all in motion.”
A smile came over him as he spoke, and from the way she smiled back, he knew it was a malicious one.
One last thought crossed his mind before he left the room to get Leo to grab the people he needed to speak to.
“Time to find out who exactly has been messing with my people.”316Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPCT69MRrE
