Dragon Precinct by Keith R. A. DeCandido Read Free Book Online Page B

to do something on this scale. Even so, we’ve asked all of them to extend their stays, and they’re all willing.” Torin grinned. “They all wish to cooperate with the investigation of the murder of so great a hero.”
    Danthres snorted. “Right, so they can tell their friends that they helped the Guard find the man who killed Gan Brightblade.”
    Osric leaned back in his chair. “I’ve been to dozens of spring weddings in Iaron, Tresyllione—trust me, that’s the kind of story that can only lighten it up.”
    “I’ll take your word for it. I have no plans to ever set foot in Iaron.”
    The captain put the dagger down, finally. “I want this case closed. I can give you extra help if you want it.”
    “Not the idiots on the other shift, please,” Danthres said in a pleading voice.
    “That’s all I’ve got. I can’t take the others off their cases.”
    “I don’t want Dru and Hawk off their case,” Danthres said. “That damn rapist needs to be taken down.”
    “Agreed,” Torin said, “though that only leaves Iaian and Grovis.”
    The look on Danthres’s face made it clear what she thought of that notion. Torin had to suppress a grin. Iaian was long past it, and Grovis was never in any danger of approaching it.
    Osric shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. If I take them off the fake-glamour ring, the Brotherhood’ll cut out my other eye.”
    Torin grinned. “Can’t Lord Albin intervene?”
    “I assume that was a joke, ban Wyvald.” Osric picked up the dagger again. “The only people in Flingaria who are unmoved by Gan Brightblade’s death are the Brotherhood of Wizards. As far as they’re concerned, there’s no more important case than the bad glamours.” He leaned forward again, pointing his dagger at the lieutenants. “But as far as I’m concerned, yours is. All right, since I can’t give you any extra detectives, I can at least give you extra guards for foot patrols or rounding people up.”
    “Good,” Danthres said. “We’ll need Mermaid to see if any of our gang of seven tried to hire a boat. Genero said he and Brightblade were going to do that today, but I don’t see any good reason to believe him.”
    “He’s a Temisan priest, Tresyllione.” Osric’s incredulity was understandable to Torin. While the clergy of the dozens of religions that were favored in this part of Flingaria had its share of charlatans and ne’er-do-wells, Torin knew that those who worshiped Temisa were among the most well regarded and tended toward both the lowest amount of corruption and the nastiest punishment of same.
    Danthres, however, would not be dissuaded. “He’s a Temisan priest who wears a sword and leather armor and lies to investigators, Captain.”
    Osric nodded. “Fair point.”
    “And we’ll need to backtrack their movements,” Torin said. “Maybe they encountered someone on the way here. And we should question whoever took in their horses outside the city.”
    “That we’ll do,” Danthres added.
    “I’ll make sure Jonas takes care of you,” Osric said. “What else?”
    Danthres looked at Torin, then back at Osric. “We also should talk to Brightblade’s friends again, but not until tomorrow after they’ve had time to sleep on it.”
    “In their rooms this time,” Torin added. “I want to get a look at their accommodations.”
    Nodding, Danthres continued: “If one of them did it, having a night to think about what they’ve done might make them more nervous. After all, they’re self-styled heroes, but not murderers, and first-time murderers usually have a hard time sleeping.”
    In fact, Torin knew that many of the murderers they’d put away in their decade together, first-time or not, had no trouble sleeping, but Torin also made it a rule never to disagree with Danthres in front of the captain. It was better that he thought they were a perfect team—just as it was better that he thought they were intimidated by his stubble and eyepatch. It made the work run more