Weapon of Vengeance (Weapon of Flesh Trilogy) (18 page)

“I’ll have your head!”  The baroness lunged past the
two intervening guards, reaching for the other woman’s throat.

Crimson Rose broke the guardsman’s hold on her arms
with a quick jerk, and dodged like a prize fighter, still taunting.  “And I had
your husband’s, so get over it, Baroness!”

“You vile piece of filth!”  Baroness Patino lunged
again, but Norwood stepped between the two.

“No wonder your husband went philandering if he had
you to come home to!”

The captain grabbed Crimson Rose around the waist
while addressing the baroness.  “Lady Patino, I must insist that you calm down
this—”

The baroness took no heed.  The roundhouse swing she
cast at the woman in red had real force behind it.  Crimson Rose saw the blow
coming and ducked.  Lady Patino’s fist met squarely with Norwood’s chin, and
set his ears ringing.

A burly private relieved Norwood of the crimson-clad
woman, and the captain rounded on the baroness.  “Lady Patino, that is
enough
!”

She took a step back, stopped short by the volume
and tone of his order.  He couldn’t arrest her for accidently striking him—nobles
enjoyed immunity from such petty crimes—but he’d be damned if he would let this
row continue.

“Corporal!  Separate them all.  Put them each in a
different room under guard.”

“Aye, captain!”

Saffron Gown wailed anew.  “Why am I to be
arrested?  I’ve done nothing wrong.  I just came to find out what happened to
poor Euey!”

“No one’s being arrested.  We’re just separating
everyone for your own safety until we can get things settled.”  Norwood turned
back to the baroness.  “Lady Patino, you said you came here to clear up a
misunderstanding.  I would very much like you to do so.”

“In private, Captain.”  She flashed a glare at the
other women as they were being taken away.  “I’ll not have rumors about this
spreading throughout the city.”

“Very well.”  He waved her into his office and
closed the door firmly behind him.

“Please have a seat, Baroness.”  Norwood rubbed his
jaw as he took his own chair.  His ears had stopped ringing, but the baroness
packed quite a punch.  He felt better with his desk between them.  “I must
admit that I’m surprised at your behavior, milady.  When we spoke at your home
this morning, you mentioned that you knew your husband spent time with other
ladies, and didn’t have a problem with his conduct.”

“Yes, well…”  She pressed her lips together in a
hard line and looked away.  “I’m afraid I wasn’t completely truthful with you
this morning, Captain.  I knew of two of his…acquaintances.  They’re both
ladies of high standing, and the affairs were discreet.  Or at least, I thought
they were.”

“I’m afraid I still don’t understand.”

“Then
listen
, Captain, and I will endeavor to
help
you understand.”  Her eyes flashed back to his, and she spoke with
the authority of one long used to being obeyed.

He spread his hands in a gesture of surrender and leaned
back in his chair.  “I’m listening.”

“The two ladies I refer to, Jondelee Oaks and Vurita
Miles, are from good families, but not noble blood.  I knew of their
associations with my husband because I approved them in the first place as a
means to overcome…family difficulties.”

“Please elaborate on these difficulties.”  The
captain couldn’t question the baroness outright about her husband’s death
without revealing to her that it was murder.  Perhaps learning more about these
difficulties would shed light on the crime.

“The baron, as you know, has no heirs and, despite
our best efforts, we have been unable to conceive a child.”  She took a deep
breath and sighed.  “It was necessary to…contract the services of a surrogate.”

“I see.”  It was not unheard of for royalty to have
surrogate mothers produce heirs, and Norwood instantly understood why the
baroness would want to keep the issue confidential.

“Miss Oaks and Miss Miles were candidates for that service,
but neither knew of the other, or that we were interviewing more than one young
lady.  They both arrived at our home late this morning asking about Eusteus’
death, and instantly fell to blows when each realized why the other was there. 
Your guards restrained them, and insisted they be brought here to clear up the
mess.  I insisted on coming along.”  She fixed him with another significant
look.  “I won’t have them spouting rumors about me.  I’ve warned them, but in
their current states, I had to come to make sure.”

“Perfectly understandable.”

“Well, I arrived and found two more…women here
asking about Eusteus.  One of them, the one in red, is little more than a
common tramp.  I’m afraid I lost my temper.”  She looked away, withdrew a silk
handkerchief from her handbag and dabbed it to her eyes.  “I’ve just discovered
that my late husband was a whoremonger, Captain.  If this gets out, I’ll be a
laughingstock.”

Norwood didn’t dare tell her that he suspected it
was already all over the city.  He watched her closely, wondering if her tears
were genuine.  She had already lied to him once today, by her own admission.

“How do you propose we resolve this situation,
milady?  No laws have been broken, and I can’t very well imprison any of these
ladies just to keep them from spreading rumors.”

“Jondelee and Vurita will keep their mouths shut. 
They know I’ll ruin them both if they start telling stories.  No contracts have
been signed, so they have no claim to any compensation.  The other young lady,
the one in that
ghastly
yellow dress, seems to have been honestly duped
by my husband.  Though I’m not pleased with her, I bear her no ill will.  If
she agrees to keep her affair with Eusteus a secret, I have nothing else to
say.  As for that
whore
in red…”  Her face flushed, and she pressed the
handkerchief to her lips.  “I would see her publicly flogged if I had my way,
but as you say, no law has been broken.  I would blame my philandering
husband
if he were alive to…”  She turned away, and a muffled sob escaped the
handkerchief.

Norwood wasn’t sure what to do to console her, so he
merely waited until she pulled herself together.  “We’ll issue them all
warnings in the interest of preserving your reputation, milady, but nothing
more can be done.”

“I understand, Captain.”

“Very well, then.”  Rounding his desk, he extended a
hand to her.  “You have my most sincere condolences on your loss.  I’ll do
everything in my power to preserve your good name.”

She took his hand and stood.  “Thank you, Captain.”

Norwood ushered the grieving widow out of his office
and closed the door.  “Well, now I’ve got five suspects instead of one.”  The
women had seemed quite willing to kill one another.  Might one of them have
turned their fury on the baron?  As he returned to his desk, absently rubbing his
jaw, he wondered if any of the late baron’s pugnacious paramours were
associated with any of the local ecclesiastical orders.

N
orwood
followed the footman across the lush palace lawn, squinting at the blazing
midday sun gleaming off of the white garden wall.  Precisely at the center of
the lawn, a colorful blue-and-white-striped awning shaded an elegant luncheon. 
The Duke and Duchess of Twailin sat on silk-upholstered chairs at a small
table, sipping wine and enjoying the dazzling beauty of a bright and cloudless
day.  The captain of the Royal Guard felt a twinge of guild that he was about
to ruin that day.

“Milord Duke.”  Norwood stopped ten feet from the
table and bowed.  “Milady.”

“Ah, Captain Norwood.”  Duke Mir regarded him with a
thin smile, dropped his napkin onto his empty plate, and rose.  “Punctual as
always.  You’re familiar with the captain, aren’t you Aerieanna?”

“Of course.”  Lady Mir shaded her eyes from the
glare and smiled up at Norwood.  “It’s good to see you in health, Captain. 
You’ll forgive me if I don’t linger to listen to matters pertaining to the
Royal Guard.  Such dreary topics give me a headache.”

“I don’t blame Your Ladyship.”  The captain bowed as
she rose.  “They often give me headaches as well.”

An amused smile graced the duchess’ lips.  Nodding
to her husband, she strolled toward the palace.  A footman paced in her wake, a
shading parasol held high above her coif.

“So, Norwood, what warrants an appointment on such
short notice?”  The duke gestured toward the rose beds that lined the wall, and
Norwood fell in beside him.

“Unfortunately, milord, murder.”

Mir stopped mid-stride.  “Murder?  Who?”

“Baron Patino, milord.”

“You’re positive?  I heard that he passed of natural
causes.”

Norwood wasn’t surprised that was what the duke had heard. 
He’d spread that news himself.  “That’s the official explanation, milord, but
Master Woefler discovered the remnants of the magic that killed him.”

“Magic?  That’s unusual, isn’t it?”

“Quite, milord, which is why I’m approaching this
cautiously.  I’m spreading the news that it was natural causes to give the
impression that we don’t know it was murder.”  They resumed strolling.

“You hope to put the culprit at ease and draw him
out?” 

“Him or her, milord.  It’s an even more unusual case
than you might think.  The magic, it seems, was wielded by a priest or
priestess.”

“You jest!”

“No, milord.”  Norwood shrugged helplessly.  “I
trust Master Woefler’s judgment when it comes to such things.”

“Yes, as well you should.”  The duke walked in
silence for a while, then sighed deeply.  “Damn it, I thought this violence was
at an end!”

“Violence, milord?”  Norwood knew what the duke
meant, and felt he needed to nip this notion in the bud.  People were beginning
to feel safe for the first time in more than a year, and he would try to hold
back the river with a mop and bucket before he’d let that feeling be tainted. 
“By all accounts, the violence
is
at an end.  There hasn’t been a single
killing south of the river since the Fiveway Fountain incident, except for an
occasional derelict in The Sprawls, and there’s no reason to link simple gang
violence to the death of a baron.  I believe this is an isolated incident.”

“I suppose so.”  Mir pursed his lips.  “So how do you
plan to proceed?”

“Discreetly, milord.”

“Yes.  Yes of course, but a
noble
has been
murdered, Captain.  We must direct our resources appropriately.  As you just
said, that other matter seems to have burned itself out.  Let the City Guard
take over the investigation of the Fiveway Fountain incident.”

Norwood bit his lip to hold back an acerbic retort. 
It rankled him that the life of a single baron outweighed those of nearly
thirty commoners, but he had been expecting just such an order.

“I’ll do so if you command, milord, but I think it
dangerous.  Shifting Royal Guard efforts may start rumors.  To maintain
secrecy, I planned to personally conduct the murder investigation with the help
of a few select guardsmen.  That’s why I came to speak with you, milord.  I
need your help looking into Baron Patino’s background.”

“What kind of help?”  Suspicion creased Mir’s brow.

“I’d like to access the Royal Archives to obtain the
official version of the baron’s life: financial details, the line of succession
for his title and properties, religious affiliations, that kind of
information.  But to do so, I’ll need a writ of permission from you.”

Norwood had already received much of this information
from Lady Patino, but he didn’t know if he could trust her.  By imperial law,
the baron’s title, properties, and most of his wealth would go to his heir. 
The baroness would retain her title and receive a stipend, but only until she
remarried.  Unless she married another noble, any subsequent children would be
commoners, since the baroness had held no title prior to her marriage.  The
captain had to admit that this soured her motive for killing her husband, but
jealousy was still a huge motivator, and Baroness Patino topped his list of
suspects.

“The Royal Archives are in Tsing, Norwood.  I’m not
about to have you away from Twailin for a month!”

“No, milord, but I can ask questions by
correspondence.  A fast messenger takes little more than a week one way.” 
Which
will give me time to finish with the Fiveway Fountain investigation
.

“But to wait weeks for the information you need will
give the killer time to flee.”

“Which is another reason I want to keep this
investigation as small and secret as possible, milord.  If we don’t shout from
the rooftops that this was murder, why should the killer flee?”

Mir chewed his lip for a moment, and then shook his
head.  “No.  No we must pursue this with all alacrity.  I’ll send an immediate
appeal for the information you need.  You should have an answer tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”  Norwood stopped short, staring at his
liege in puzzlement.  “How…”

“After that…difficulty a few years back, I asked
Master Woefler to devise a means of magically corresponding with Tsing.”  Mir
looked sternly at Norwood.  “This is a
secret
means of communication,
mind you. 
No one
is to know of it.”

“Or course, milord!”  Norwood could see the advantages
to such a boon, not the least of which was military.

“Good.  Give a list of the information you need to
Master Woefler, but don’t ask for the man’s entire life history.  I can make
the request high priority, but the more you want, the longer it will take.”

“I’ll have a list to Master Woefler this afternoon,
milord!  Thank you.”  This would speed up his investigation immeasurably.

“Find whoever killed Baron Patino, Norwood.  That
will be thanks enough.”

“I’ll do my best, milord.”

Lad drew the black silk scarf up to secure it just
below his eyes as he watched the coach lurched away from the curb in front of
the Royal Guard headquarters. 
If you want something done right, do it
yourself
, he thought.

Bemrin’s report had been worse than dismal.  The
Master Inquisitor had deployed his operative before he received Lad’s warning
that Patino’s widow knew about his mistresses.  Consequently, not only had his
spy obtained no information about the baron’s death beyond “natural causes”, but
she had planted herself smack in the Royal Guard’s sights.  Captain Norwood had
questioned her himself.  Fortunately, the talented young Inquisitor’s cover
story, along with copious tears, seemed to have satisfied him.  Unfortunately,
the Royal Guard would be checking up on her to ensure that she kept her alleged
affair with the baron a secret.  She was effectively out of commission until
they lost interest, just when Lad needed all the operatives he had combing the
streets.

Lad didn’t believe Patino died of natural causes,
but how could Kiesha have killed him to make it look natural?  Her previous
methods had not been particularly subtle.  She did favor poison, however, so
perhaps an envenomed needle.  An inconspicuous wound might be overlooked by a
hasty investigator.

But not Norwood
.  The captain was known for his
diligence.  And there was only one way to find out exactly what the captain of
the Royal Guard knew.

“So here I am…”

Lad had first gone to Norwood’s townhouse, but
discovered some changes since his previous visit.  All the windows were now
barred, and instead of one huge mastiff on the back porch, there were two, both
in the captain’s bedroom.  Neither precaution posed an impervious barrier to
Lad, but he balked at killing the man’s dogs just to ask a few questions.

Instead, he’d come to the Royal Guard headquarters. 
Peering into the captain’s office window from a nearby rooftop, Lad devised a
better plan to get him alone for a chat.  It was no great distance between
Norwood’s work and home, and a Royal Guard carriage always transported the
captain to and fro.  Lad would simply share the ride.

The coachman’s whip cracked and the carriage
accelerated.  Lad tensed as it approached the line of shadow where he waited,
gauging the rocking of the carriage as it rumbled over the cobblestones.

Noise and motion mask your
movements.  Use them to your advantage.  Remember! 
The moment the vehicle passed
into the gloom, Lad moved.

Three steps and a perfectly timed leap put his foot
on the carriage step and his hand on the door handle without any jostle to
alert the driver.  The latch turned easily—
Vehicles rarely have locks. 
Remember!
—and he was inside, a flicker of shadow in the darkness.  Norwood
only had time to draw a breath before Lad’s hand clapped over his mouth, pressing
his head back hard against the cushioned seat.  The captain reached for the
dagger, but Lad plucked it from the sheath before he could touch it.

“Quiet, Captain!”  Lad pitched his voice low to
prevent the driver from hearing.  The hissed command, or perhaps the dagger he
held up before the captain’s face, ceased Norwood’s struggles.  “I have
questions for you about Baron Patino’s murder.  As before, I’ll provide what
information I can in return.  If you call out, I’ll vanish, and you’ll get
nothing.  Nod if you understand.”

The fear and anger in Norwood’s eyes evolved into
recognition and frustration.  But there was curiosity there, too, and after a
moment, he nodded.

“Good.”  Lad released his hold on the captain’s
mouth and, as proof of his sincerity, returned the dagger hilt first.  “Please
put that away.” 

“Don’t you
ever
use a godsdamned front
door?”  Norwood snatched the dagger and jammed it into its sheath, his eyes
flinty before widening with realization of what Lad had said.  “Wait!  How did
you know Patino was murdered?  I’ve kept that a secret!”

Lad sat down across from the captain.  Already he’d
learned two important details: the baron’s death was, in fact, murder, and
Norwood knew it.  “I knew he was murdered because I know what he was involved
in that got him murdered.  What I need to know is how he was killed.”

“If I tell you how he died, you tell me what he was
involved in.”