A Murder in Alvedara - Chapter 9 - Preparing for a Siege

[Kane]

A Murder in Alvedara – Chapter 9 – Preparing for a Siege

16th of Sennach, 99 Last Age

Thankfully I hadn’t been called to see the Prince.  The last murder either didn’t concern him or he knew as little as I did. I had spent the last two days at my office or on the streets. I needed to return home for fresh clothing and handle at least some of the family’s most pressing business. I’d done everything I could and had to wait for more information. I had passed word through the information brokers and street runners that I would pay well for good information. My hooks were out; I just had to hope that someone would bite. Greed is always a good motivator.

My trip home was thankfully uneventful. My lovely, but shrewish wife was at her family’s estate in the hills outside town, away from the growing heat and stench of the city. Ours was the most political of marriages; her family’s wealth for my family’s position at court and influence with the High King. We kept the right appearance in public but privately we spent almost no time together. What we did out of the public eye was our own business as long as it didn’t bring shame to either family.  For all I knew she may have been one of the women Alastar was sleeping with. If so, he had poor taste in women.

I spent the better part of the afternoon clearing family accounts and issuing orders to the staff. I wanted no family distractions for the rest of the arc at least. I was preparing for a siege; as I knew the pace of my investigation was going to increase. The body count was far from over. I had clothes sent to my office and told the staff not to expect me home for at least the next ten days. My only business was to find the killer..

I had a quick supper and then prepared to leave when Sergeant Bashar arrived. He didn’t have to say anything, we had another body.  “Where?”

“On the edge of the city to the southeast, near the cattle market. The body is fresher, maybe less then a day old.”

Was there a time pattern emerging?  Was he killing every three days? If so, then I had maybe two days before the next death.  The next victim was still alive and we had less then 48 hours to keep him that way. “Send for Yolan and have him meet us there. Tell the men they’re on duty until we catch the killer.”