12. Cal
twelve
Cal
Cal mustered his best, most charming smile. “I know it’s technically against regulations, but like I said, this is an urgent matter.” He batted his eyelashes, leaning in across the counter. “Maybe you could make an exception, just this once?”
The court clerk across the polished teak counter from him appeared thoroughly unimpressed. “Like I said, I can’t do that. Now, unless there’s anything else I can help you with today, I need to ask you to leave so that I can assist someone else.”
Cal muffled a sigh. So much for sweet-talking her.
The woman seemed utterly immune to his charm.
Perhaps he should have gone with a different disguise.
But his strapping young dockworker persona usually worked so well on people like her.
Add in a few muscles and an earnest demeanor, and you had a winning combination.
Another clerk approached from behind the counter. She held up a stack of forms. “Hey, Dores, do you have a moment? I could use your help with these.”
Dores’s entire demeanor shifted in an heartbeat. She turned to the new clerk with a broad smile. “Of course. Here, let me see.”
Instantly, Cal realized his mistake. A male disguise had never stood a chance. Shadow and shade, this was what he got for rushing and not properly vetting his target beforehand. Kelsith had trained him better than that.
But he was sick of feeling like he and Griff were chasing their tails around in circles. Griff might enjoy this sort of tedious detective-work, but Cal wasn’t cut out for it. Who the Void went to this much trouble to hide their operations behind layers of paperwork?
Whoever buys highly illegal void relics, apparently…
While he waited for the clerks to finish chatting, he pondered what to do now. Their latest lead concerned a supplier named Humbrian Shipping that had done business with several of the names from their list, including Derimay Development.
He and Griff had managed to hunt down one of their ships, and while the captain hadn’t been able to supply too many details about his employer, he’d mentioned that Humbrian Shipping had been involved in some recent business dispute.
The magisters had resolved the case several weeks ago, but the court records should be stored here, and Cal refused to leave without them.
Especially after swearing to Griff that he’d have no issues obtaining them on his own.
Kelsith would have been disappointed in his messiness with the clerk. He’d caught his former mentor monitoring their investigation this past week. Unless Kelsith’s skills had seriously declined since they’d last worked together, that meant the thief had wanted Cal to see him.
Cal hadn’t forgotten their conversation outside the Treasury, nor Kelsith’s offer.
He’d felt certain at the time in his decision to turn it down.
Yet every now and then, he caught himself wondering what it would be like to return to that old life.
To work once more alongside his former partner in crime.
But then his thoughts would drift to Griff.
The investigation itself might be a bit dull, sure.
Cal had been tempted on more than one occasion to declare them even, his debt to the investigator fulfilled.
Not that there was much Griff could do to stop him if he decided to slip away in the middle of the night.
Yet he hadn’t. The truth was, he’d appreciated his time with Griff despite the tedium. It felt good to have a genuine partner…even if it was only temporary.
Not to mention the ceaseless joy he got from toying with Griff. It was all too easy to fluster the stoic inspector.
Cal thought back to the other night, and a slow, simmering heat coiled in his belly. He swallowed hard, as if that could douse the rising flames.
The way Griff had looked at him, he’d thought the inspector was about to…well, it didn’t matter. Maybe Cal wasn’t as good at reading people as he thought.
He focused back on the troublesome clerk as her workmate wandered off. Let’s put that to the test…
When the clerk turned back to him, her good humor once again fading, he abandoned all attempts at charm.
Practically hurling himself at the counter, he clutched his hands together, his voice pleading.
“Please, you’ve gotta help me. The truth is, I messed up an important contract for Humbrian Shipping that’s related to the matter discussed in this court case.
If I don’t find a way to make things right, they’ll fire me for sure.
I can’t afford to lose this job. My family is depending on me. ”
As he’d hoped, unabashed begging finally elicited some sympathy. Dores hesitated a beat before shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do more to help. But I really can’t let you look at those records. If I got caught, it could cost me my job.”
He let his shoulders slump, feigning abject dejection. “All right. I understand.” Bowing his head, he started to trudge away.
Three. Two. One…
Satisfaction seized him when the clerk called out, “Wait!”
Muffling his smirk, he plastered on a hopeful expression and hurried back to the counter.
Dores glanced around the empty office, then lowered her voice. “I can’t let you look at the records…but maybe I can go check them myself for what you need. Would it help to know the name listed for the defendant?”
Cal struggled to hold back his glee, bobbing his head. “Thanks, Dores! You’re a lifesaver!”
He waited by the counter as the clerk vanished through a door into the back.
He tried to peek after her to catch a glimpse of the layout, but he couldn’t see much.
Too bad. If this didn’t work, sneaking inside to steal the records would be Plan B.
Griff probably wouldn’t approve, but what the inspector didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
Thankfully, breaking and entering proved unnecessary. Within minutes, Dores had returned with the name of the defendant: Splendor Investments.
It sounded vaguely familiar to Cal, though he couldn’t place why. Thanking Dores profusely, he rushed out of the courthouse and down the bustling street. Here at the heart of Derimay, the colorful streets were always busy.
He spent the walk back to Griff’s apartment turning the name over and over in his head. But its source still eluded him when he spied the familiar brick building that, despite his best efforts, he’d begun to think of as home.
Griff was already inside when he arrived.
The investigator was seated at his kitchen table, poring over scattered pages of notes and muttering to himself.
He didn’t immediately notice Cal, and Cal took a moment to admire the broad slope of his shoulders.
The distinguished lines of his face. The adorable divot he got in his forehead when he was tackling a particularly hard problem.
Cal’s gaze lingered on a small scar near the inspector’s hairline, barely visible. The shape of it reminded him of the twinkling stars he used to lay on his back at night and watch from abandoned rooftops as a kid, dreaming of a better life off in the heavens.
Cal tore his eyes away. Clearing his throat to announce his presence, he slid into the seat across from Griff. “Got anything?”
Griff glanced up at him, then frowned back down at the mess of papers.
“Nothing we didn’t already know. Humbrian Shipping transports all sorts of goods all across the city from as far away as Nalax.
I’ve been compiling a list of every company they work with that has ties back to Jumic Enterprises or one of its subsidiaries, as well as who they do business with.
” He shook his head and sighed, rubbing his eyes.
“As you can imagine, it’s a Void-cursed mess.
Whatever group is behind all this must have deep, deep pockets.
The docks, the markets—Merciful Light, they even make shipments to the Siren’s Call theater! ”
Shock rippled through Cal. He sat bolt upright in his chair as the name from the court case finally clicked into place. “Eternal Dark! I knew I’d heard the name before!”
At Griff’s questioning look, he hastened to explain.
“I got that record from the clerk’s office—despite you doubting me, I might add—and it identified the defendant as Splendor Investments.
My Lord Heneford alias has a minor stake in the Siren’s Call, but I’m far from the only investor.
Splendor Investments is another. Their contribution puts my own paltry one to shame. ”
A ripple of unease coursed over Cal as he shifted his gaze to the scattered papers. The full weight of his revelation settled on his shoulders, and he swallowed. “And you’re right—they are exceedingly powerful. They should be, since they’re run by the Pentarchy itself.”
Griff’s eyes widened. “Are you certain?”
Cal gave a reluctant nod, slumping back in his seat.
“From what I understand, it’s part of a slush fund used to bankroll their various interests across the city.
That’s why we’ve been chasing down so many random leads.
They have essentially unlimited resources, so long as they can get approval from one of the councilor’s offices. ”
“So, Griff said, a hint of hope creeping into his voice. “That means that anyone working for the Pentarchy with access to the fund might be to blame, right?”
His face fell as Cal once more slowly shook his head. “A purchase as large as the void orb would’ve required considerable rearranging of funds to hide. Only members of the Pentarchy have that sort of authority.”
Silence descended in the wake of Cal’s pronouncement. They’d suspected the involvement of corrupt government officials all along. Hence why Griff had agreed to keep their investigation a secret.
But suspecting something and having proof, however tentative, were very different. At least one of Sanjarka’s five councilors was almost certainly behind a conspiracy involving the most dangerous magic in Allaria.
Maybe I should’ve fled Derimay when I had the chance…