Chương 21: Chapter 20: A Narrow Margin

The office overlooked one of the larger trade roads leading toward the Merchant Quarter. Wagons rolled steadily below the tall windows, iron-rimmed wheels grinding against wet stone while laborers shouted over one another through the drizzle outside. Inside, everything smelled faintly of ink and expensive wood polish. Jack stood near the front desk while a young woman sorted through stacked papers with increasingly strained patience.

Her hair had been pinned neatly at some point during the morning, though several strands had escaped and now hung loose around her face.

"You're late," she said without looking up.

"Well, that isn't possible. I wasn't invited." That made her pause and look up from her filings.

"That hasn't stopped the others from being late." Jack chuckled and let it pass.

"He requested my help. He just didn't know I was coming." The woman finally glanced toward him, clearly expecting someone older. Instead, she frowned.

"You're the investigator?"

"Sure. Let's go with that." Suspicion lingered for another second before exhaustion won the argument.

"Second door on the left." Jack nodded once and continued inward. The inner office was lavish without becoming gaudy. Dark wood shelves lined the walls beside ledgers thick enough to stop crossbow bolts. Several framed trade charters hung near the windows alongside shipping maps marked with colored pins and handwritten notes. The man behind the desk looked like he hadn't slept properly in weeks. Medium build. Blond hair beginning to grey near the temples.

Expensive coat thrown over the back of his chair instead of worn properly. His desk was cluttered in the way only stressed men allowed clutter. He looked up as Jack entered.

"Who are you, and why are you in my office?" The strain in his voice was palpable.

"Devran sent me," Jack said plainly. At that, the man's mood changed quickly.

"I hear you're the man who can fix all my problems." Jack smiled faintly.

"I don't know about all of them," he said.

"But this specific one? Yes." The merchant leaned back slightly in his chair. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"What makes you so confident?"

"You don't need confidence. You need competence. That's what I'm offering you."

"Why should I hire you?" he demanded.

"You've already hired me," Jack continued calmly.

"I'm just here to gather additional information and tell you you'll need to bring on a few more warehouse workers."

"The hell I am! I haven't heard a single argument for why I should hire you." Jack shifted his posture slightly to match the merchant's.

"How's this for an argument? Either I solve this problem for you, or you keep your money. Well, what's left of it. But if I can't figure this out, you might as well close up shop." The man laughed. Not a chuckle, but a deep belly laugh that brought tears to his eyes.

"That's the first thing you've said to me that actually makes any sense."

"But regardless, I can't go about hiring two new people," the merchant said coldly.

"I can't afford that. My margins are tight enough already."

"One could argue that you can't afford not to," Jack paused before continuing.

"But don't worry. You won't be paying them." Confusion replaced frustration. The merchant stared at him.

"… Explain." ⸻ The room off the main boathouse had likely once been used for storing pitch and tar. Old barrels still lined portions of the walls, their dark stains permanently soaked into the floorboards beneath them. Even now, the room carried the lingering smell of oil, smoke, and seawater. The team decided because of the lack of a better option this would be their new conference room. A single lantern burned near the center table. Jack stood beside it while the others gathered around.

Seraphine leaned against one wall with her arms crossed loosely. Aldric sat near the far corner sharpening a knife with slow, absent movements while Kael looked increasingly uncertain about why he'd been called into what felt suspiciously like a conspiracy meeting. Jack glanced around the room once.

"We have a job." That immediately got Seraphine's attention.

"Is it enough to move the needle?" she asked. Aldric set the whetstone down.

"Who's the client?"

"Edison Albriecht." Kael blinked.

"The merchant?" Seraphine straightened slightly.

"He owns like half the warehouses between here and the Merchant Quarter."

"The Four major ones and a couple smaller." Jack corrected. He unfolded several papers across the table.

"Albriecht has been hemorrhaging money and inventory for months and the storm only exasperated the situation. At the same time, a competitor started undercutting his prices by nearly twenty percent." Seraphine studied the numbers.

"That kind of loss should have buried him already."

"It almost has."

"And he thinks someone inside is helping?"

"He doesn't know yet," Jack said.

"That's our job." Aldric leaned forward slightly.

"Lucky for us," he continued, "I already convinced Albriecht he needs additional laborers." Understanding crossed Aldric's face first.

"You want us on the inside." Jack nodded.

"Aldric, Kael. You both report to work Monday morning." Kael looked genuinely startled.

"Me?" Jack ignored the question for now.

"Aldric has a reputation with the Watch," Jack explained.

"If this is an inside operation, his presence will make them pause." Aldric gave a faint grunt that might have been agreement.

"But you," Jack continued, looking toward Kael, "already belong there." Kael frowned.

"I do?"

"You've worked Albriecht's smaller warehouses before," Jack said.

"You work the docks regularly. You pick up extra labor when coin runs low." Realization slowly crossed Kael's face.

"To them," Jack said, "you're normal."

"That almost sounded insulting," Kael muttered. Seraphine smirked faintly. Jack continued before the conversation drifted.

"You'll be our eyes and ears inside the warehouse. Watch routines. Watch shipments. Watch people." Kael nodded slowly now.

"I can do that."

"I know." Aldric folded his arms.

"And what exactly will I be doing besides standing around making people nervous?"

"Mostly that, but your also there as a disruption. If there is an inside component I hope your presence makes them stumble or change their plans and that will help us figure out what's going on" That earned the faintest trace of amusement from Seraphine. Jack pointed toward one of the marked warehouse routes.

"You'll monitor incoming manifests and labor assignments. If someone changes behavior after you arrive, I want to know." Aldric nodded once. Seraphine, however, had remained unusually quiet through most of the briefing. Her arms stayed crossed.

"And what exactly will I be doing?" she asked. Jack looked toward her.

"During the day?" he said.

"You'll help run this place." That earned immediate irritation.

"And at night?" Jack's expression remained calm.

"You'll do what you do best." Her eyebrow lifted slightly.

"Gather information."