9. Griff #2
Still, he saw no other option but to stick to his story. “That’s right, sir. I have reason to believe a fugitive may be hiding nearby. I was trying to procure their assistance scouting the area outside for anything suspicious.”
High Commander Pern nodded. Then, he turned toward the protectors, his voice crisp. “Well? You heard the inspector. I suggest you listen up!”
That finally snapped the protectors to begrudging attention.
Beneath the High Commander’s watchful eye, Griff related the fake details he’d prepared ahead of time.
When he was finished, the protectors flashed High Commander Pern hasty salutes and hurried past. They funneled out the door until only Griff, the High Commander, and Sasha remained.
“Sorry about that, Inspector,” High Commander Pern said. “I’ll make sure to speak with their captain to ensure that kind of thing doesn’t happen again.”
“Thank you, sir,” Griff said, bowing his head.
He expected the High Commander to depart.
His nerves flared when he lingered instead, dropping his voice.
“Any news yet on the Siren’s Call case? As you can imagine, I’m under significant pressure to catch this…
Blackjack.” High Commander Pern grimaced as he said the name, like he’d tasted something sour, and his aura throbbed.
Griff shook his head even as guilt soured his stomach. Merciful Light, he hated lying to his superior officer like this. But it wasn’t like he could turn Cal over.
“Not yet, sir. I’ll let you know as soon as I uncover anything.”
High Commander Pern nodded. “Good. Keep up the good work, Inspector. I sense great things in your future.”
With that, he finally turned to leave. Sasha trailed after him, flashing Griff another friendly smile and salute as he passed.
Griff returned it, puffing out a relieved breath.
Thank the Light. Carrying out a bank heist had seemed like a poor enough plan when it was a room full of protectors they had to contend with, let alone the leader of the entire Watch.
Once he was certain the High Commander was gone, he allowed his gaze to sweep over the room in search of Cal. A hint of worry trickled through him when he saw no one over by the wards, nor anyone he recognized as Cal’s last disguise. Had Cal run into some problem or had to swap disguises?
Another thought gnawed at the back of his mind, persistent despite his attempts to dismiss it: what if Cal had taken this chance to run and leave him high and dry?
“Ah, Inspector! I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. The Goddess herself must smile upon us!”
Muffling a groan, Griff turned to see Lord Heneford ambling over. The elderly noble was dressed in the same embroidered finery he’d worn to the theater two nights ago and had the same affable grin.
Griff tried to keep the impatience out of his tone as he inclined his head. “Lord Heneford. I’m afraid I’m rather preoccupied at the moment with—”
He trailed off, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the noble’s all-too-familiar aura.
Lord Heneford’s eyes twinkled as he leaned in. Even after recognizing the aura, Griff almost recoiled in shock when Cal’s voice came out of Lord Heneford’s mouth. “See? I told you I had it handled.”
He threaded an arm through Griff’s and tried to pull him toward the teller windows in the back. For a moment, Griff was too stunned to protest. Of all the nobles Cal might choose to impersonate, he’d picked this one?
“Why pretend to be Lord Heneford? Do you know him?” As Griff’s initial shock faded, the pieces clicked into place. Yanking his arm free, he glared at Cal. “Hold on. It was you that night on the balcony talking to me, wasn’t it? Merciful Light, did you rob the vault right under my nose?”
Cal gave a low chuckle. When he spoke, his voice had reverted back to Heneford’s drawl. “Oh, I’m not pretending to be Lord Heneford: I am him. And I’d already robbed the vault long before then. I just stuck around to watch the show.”
Griff’s mind reeled as Cal resumed guiding him forward. Despite the small crowd, only one of the teller windows was open, resulting in a short queue. Cal took up position at the back of the line. He shot Griff a wink.
“By the way, thanks for that tip about the wards. Knowing their precise configuration and location made them much easier to disable. We make a good team.”
Griff huffed at that. Secretly, though, he had to admit there was some truth to that. He’d certainly had worse partners than Cal during his years in the Watch.
As they awaited their turn, Griff found himself sneaking furtive glances at Cal.
Even with the Heneford disguise, there were still glimpses of the real Cal beneath in his manner…
and the brightness of his aura. It was hard to believe that such a prominent figure was really Cal in disguise.
How many more such identities had he accumulated over the years?
“You know, if you can build a fake identity like this, it means you could find the same success as yourself,” Griff said. “You could be a real merchant or lord instead of playing one for pretend.”
Cal didn’t break character, though Griff caught the slight stiffening of his shoulders to match the new tightness in his aura. “Perhaps. But why in the Void would I do that when this is so much more fun?”
Despite his teasing tone, his aura gave him away. Griff didn’t call him on it. It wasn’t really any of his business. Besides, they had more pressing matters to focus on right now.
They reached the front of the queue, and their hands brushed as they stepped forward. The brief contact sent a tingle rippling up Griff’s arm. He subtly shifted away as Cal beamed at the attendant.
“Hello, my dear. I’m here to check on the status of my holdings.”
“Of course, sir. May I have your full name and account number?”
While Cal rattled both off, Griff let his gaze wander over the room, searching for any troubling auras. But the protectors had yet to return, and none of the other patrons seemed to be paying them any mind. So long as Cal had disabled the wards, they should be in good shape.
Once the teller had verified Cal’s information, she called for another attendant to take them into a private office. Griff held his breath as they approached the warded double doors. He puffed it out once they passed into the back without Cal’s enchantment fading.
Step one of their plan had gone off without a hitch.
While Griff would never have admitted it to Cal, he couldn’t deny that he felt a hint of the same thrill Cal must at a successful job done.
He’d take good old-fashioned police work any day.
Still, he could see how this feeling of defying the odds might become intoxicating.
Especially to someone born with few other opportunities.
By the Light, am I really trying to justify grand theft right now? He must be spending too much time around Cal if he was beginning to view that sort of criminal behavior as understandable. He wasn’t supposed to enjoy breaking into the Treasury, even if it was for a good cause.
The sooner they tracked down that account information and figured out who was behind all this, the better.