Adeline

Once I'd finished helping the cook prepare for the banquet, I returned to my room to find an envelope on my bedside table. How clandestine! I opened the envelope and retrieved the letter first:

My new best friend,

Since it might be a few days before you get your payout, I'm leaving you some notes and a map of the city. There are two places you need to visit. I've circled them for you. One, the tailor. Get yourself some new clothes because you're probably tired of wearing the same thing, and I hear there's a big party happening soon. Two, the guard compound. You'll want to meet with Captain Kavelin, ask about the murders. You can trust them both, but try not to speak with anyone else.

I'll meet up with you soon,

Your new best friend ☺

My heart soared while I read the letter from Feargus Finlay, and it began to race as I counted out the notes. Two hundred! There was no currency exchange at Palisade—everything a Partisan needed would be provided by the Assembly, and being Councilwoman Blanchett's daughter meant getting everything I wanted—almost. Under the sole of each one of those shiny shoes was a bribe, and I would have traded each one of those shiny shoes for a single hug. But now, standing in this beautiful boudoir, surrounded by so many wonderful people living such colourful lives, I was rich, and I'd done it all on my own—well, not exactly. What's important is that I owed my mother nothing.

The brothel would be closed to regular clients for the next two days while we prepared for the banquet. A curious locale for a banquet, wasn't it? But the atmosphere at the Goose and the Gander was pleasant and the food was delicious. I was looking forward to the event ever so much. But first, I needed something suitable to wear.

After snuggling into my winter coat and struggling into my impractical boots, I tucked my hair into my hat and slipped my sun-goggles over my eyes. I was quickly becoming a mistress of disguise, if I do say so. Tanis approved my request to take the rest of the day off, and so I made my way through the two doors with geese in the glass and out into the slushy streets of Jaska. I was pleased my disguise was working! Hardly anyone looked my way as I strutted around the city.

Feargus Finlay's map led me to a storefront with a crooked sign—FLOREA'S. The weight of the dense snow had been too much for the fastenings to bear, and if the shop were open, I would have offered repairs. The windows on either side of the entrance were grimy and the displays were empty, so I referred back to the map, looking around until I spotted a skinny alley to the side of the building. I scurried along the wall behind the depressing shop and there it was: THE STEEL NEEDLE

If the name on the perfectly placed sign weren't enough of a clue, the windows on either side of the door to this shop were sparkling clean, and the displays were filled with high-end fabrics and garments draped over wooden dress forms.

How wonderful!

I stepped inside from the cold, and a melodious bell sounded my arrival.

From behind the sales counter, a middle-aged woman with an hourglass figure emerged between a set of silk curtains. Her long, auburn hair had been tied back with a big blue bow. She smiled when she saw me, my tinted gaze locked on to her telltale grey eyes. I could trust them both, he'd said, so I removed my hat and my sun-goggles, and as I approached the counter, the woman whose complexion was at first rosy had turned ashen.

"It's like something out of a nightmare," she said.

Frantically, I patted my big hair. "I'm so sorry. I don't mean to offend your senses. Your shop truly is beautiful, and I know I'm a bit of a mess, but I do have money."

The seamstress waved a bejeweled hand dismissively, and I was glad to see some of the colour had returned to her cheeks.

"Relax, my dear. You are objectively attractive, even while dressed as a mountaineer. But I'd finally forgotten how much I detest your mother and you look exactly like her."

Well, I couldn't come up with anything sensible to say in a short amount of time, but my mouth had plans of its own. It smiled widely and said, "I hate her, too."

"Then we're off to a fantastic start, darling. Adeline, I presume?"

I nodded, still smiling, and tucked each of my gloves into my pockets. I reached across the counter and shook hands with the woman who introduced herself as Vivienne Delaterre. I'd heard the name—she was one of the greats, of course! A renowned educator among the telepaths back at Palisade. We'd all studied from her books.

"Vivienne Delaterre," I squealed. "It's truly an honour."

The seamstress didn't smile, but she certainly didn't have to when her eyes sparkled like the sunshine hitting the ocean.

"Mister Finlay tells me you require a new wardrobe."

I nodded, but this isn't a story about shopping, of course. That day, at the Steel Needle, I learned there were people—important people within our ranks—working against my dear, sweet mother. One of whom was the seamstress who, after several rounds of adjustments, sent me out the door with two new dresses, two pairs of slacks, two blouses, and a three-piece ensemble that would be best described as a sneak suit.

I could hardly wait to wear it!

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The young man who answered the gate at the guard compound had dark, shoulder length hair—windswept and perfectly paired with his brown puppy-dog eyes. Angular features and a sculpted figure—I imagined—beneath what appeared to be civilian outerwear. Very handsome, indeed, and he'd answered my call rather quickly.

"Good afternoon," I chimed. The tops of my cheeks burned with excitement—or perhaps a mild case of frostbite. "I'm here to see Captain Kavelin."

The man responded with an easy smile. "Found him," he said. "And I've been waiting for you. Come on, I'll pour us some soup."

I was getting quite hungry, actually, and I still hadn't grown accustomed to the cold.

While we filed through the courtyard, we chatted about the weather, and according to the Captain, that winter had been the coldest Amalia had faced in a decade. The city was prepared, but he worried for Oskari and for some of the other smaller villages that had been forming around the territory in recent years. I was more than happy to tell him that, due to a generous donation, Oskari would prosper through the winter months, into the coming spring, and beyond. His shoulders seemed to relax, and I thought it was sweet.

The guard compound was impressive but in desperate need for a freshening up. The structures were sound, but the roofs were warped and cracked. There were none of the beautiful stained glass designs found elsewhere throughout the city, and though I was disappointed, I didn't suppose they would be especially practical.

Captain Kavelin kept his office in a small bunker-like building. The front door was locked and reinforced, but the metal parts were rusted and the wood was splintering. Fortunately, the inside of the Captain's office was far cozier than the outside. The air smelled of stock and wood-burning fire, and it made me think of my friends again. Commander Michael surprised and delighted us all with his culinary skills, and we all adored his vegetable soup. He made it often, and while he claimed it was because it was easy, we all knew it was because it was one of the few things on the menu that Father Strauss could eat.

The Captain took my coat, my hat, and my sun-goggles, but not before complimenting me on them. He offered me a chair, and he waited until I was comfortable before serving us each a bowl of soup from a pot over the fire. He took a seat opposite mine and I watched as he slurped noisily from his spoon.

Frankly, I'd been dying to the same, so I slurped noisily from my own spoon, and with confidence.

Marat Kavelin smiled across the desk—a desk that was tidy and organized. I could never keep an organized desk. In the corner, I spotted a solitary cot with a fur blanket.

"Do you live here, Captain Kavelin?"

"Technically, no."

"But actually?" I returned.

"Oh yeah." Slurp. "It's easier that way."

"Your dedication's admirable." Among so many other things, I thought.

The Captain nodded, choosing that moment to get down to business. "How much do you know about the murders?"

"Only that there have been several victims and that each had been strangled with a belt."

"That's the idea. But here's the problem: the only other connection between the victims I've found is they're all customers of the Goose and the Gander."

Slurp. How much did he know about me?

"I bet now you're wondering how much I know about you," the Captain said.

I couldn't help but laugh. "How did you know?"

The Captain flashed me a quick grin. "For starters, I know you're working at the Gander for Finlay. But here's the thing, and here's where I need your help: someone connected to the Gander is responsible—a client, an employee, I don't know. The victims are from all ends of the city—no friends in common, no family in common, none of them even go to the same barber. It's not coincidence, and I need you to find out who's murdering men with belts before I have no choice but to lead the investigation to the brothel myself."

"If you're so convinced someone connected to the Gander is responsible for a string of brutal murders, why wouldn't you investigate it?"

"Tanis runs a clean operation, donates to the city, and never brings us any trouble. So, we turn a blind eye to certain things here and there, and we help keep the brothel under wraps. It's better that way. There are people living in this city—lots of people, actually—who'd prefer not to know a place like that exists, and the way we work it, they get to pretend it doesn't. An investigation would only alarm the public and bring nothing but trouble to the Gander's doorstep."

"I see," I said. "Would you mind terribly if I told Tanis you've already identified the connection to the brothel and that you're not angry with her?"

Captain Kavelin chuckled. "Of course not. Tell her whatever you want. I'm not hiding anything from Tanis. In fact, tell her to come see me if she has any questions."

I slurped from my spoon and the Captain continued.

"Listen, I'm not asking you to pull off some multi-layered triple-agent scheme," he said, and then he, too, slurped. "But I do need you to expedite things."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"I need you to get into their heads—clients, employees, whoever."

"You want me to read their minds?"

"Yeah." Kavelin pushed his bowl to the side. "I'm surprised you haven't been doing that already. It's what you do, right?"

"It's what I can do." I corrected. I hadn't done any mind-reading since I arrived at the Goose and the Gander—well, I'd hardly done any mind-reading. Listening in on the cook was an impulsive decision to protect myself and a new friend, and it was a decision I deeply regretted.

"So what's the problem?" The Captain asked.

"What you're asking me to do is invasive, and rude, and you, too, Captain Kavelin, are rude for asking. Is this why you brought me here and served me soup? To butter me up?"

"What? No, I didn't bring you here to butter you up with soup. That was my dinner. Figured it would be rude of me to not offer you some."

"Well, yes—that, too, would have been rude. The aroma is delightful."

The Captain chuckled—of all the things! I frowned.

"Listen, I know you don't work for Palisade anymore, and I respect that. I really do," he said. "I know what I'm asking of you. But people are dying. That's never good, right?"

"There haven't been any other murders," I replied. "Maybe they've stopped."

"No more murders? Yeah, I guess I must have just imagined the dead body my patrolmen found this morning."

"Strangled with a belt?"

The Captain nodded.

I crossed my arms.

"So?" he asked.

"Fine," I finally said, catching a glimpse of the nameplate on his desk. "Have it your way, Captain Marat Kavelin. I will read all the minds in the Goose and the Gander and find your murderer for you. But just. This. Once."

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