12. Cal #2
“What else do you know about this slush fund?” Griff finally asked, breaking the silence. “Is there any way to figure out which councilor authorized the purchase?”
Cal shrugged. “I’m a thief, not a banker. But I doubt the records we have will be enough to deduce it, even for Derimay’s foremost detective. From what I’ve heard, the Pentarchy all share equal access to this account, so any one of them could have pulled it off.”
Griff nodded grimly, looking like he’d expected as much. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his shoulders. Cal couldn’t help admiring the determined glint in his eyes.
“We need to learn more,” Griff said. “Now that we have a sense of who we’re dealing with, our next step should be to speak with the individual members of the Pentarchy directly so that we can identify any potential motives.”
Cal raised his hands in a warding gesture, his eyes widening.
“Whoa, hold on there. You know I’m all for daring break-ins or dramatic confrontations.
But these aren’t Brotherhood smugglers we’re talking about here.
One word from them could get us executed—or worse, tossed in a cell for the rest of our lives! ”
Griff’s chair skidded over the wooden floor as he rose and began to pace. “Precisely. Before I make such a serious accusation, I need irrefutable proof…and that means determining a suspect and a motive.”
Cal rolled his eyes. Disbelief tinged his voice.
“Yeah, sure. Because that sounds like such a piece of cake. What would you ask them, anyway? ‘Excuse me, sir or madam. Are you by chance involved in any diabolical plots at the moment?’” Cal snorted.
“And that’s assuming you can even convince them to meet with you anytime soon. ”
“High Judge Septima and High Commander Pern won’t be a problem. As for the others, I’ll figure something out. I am, after all, still the hero of the hour for that blackmailing case. I might as well put that good will to use.”
Cal couldn’t decide whether to admire Griff’s stubborn doggedness or to disdain it.
“You really mean to go through with this, don’t you?
” When Griff only nodded distractedly, lost in thought as he continued to pace, Cal sighed.
“Of course you do. Well, in that case, we need a plan to approach them, ideally without revealing that they’re under investigation.
I don’t suppose you could finagle an invitation to a private council meeting? ”
He’d meant it as a joke, but Griff’s eyes widened.
“That’s it!” he exclaimed. Cal slowly stood, watching with a confused expression as Griff rushed across the room to his desk shoved in a corner.
Fumbling through the messy stacks of papers there, he eventually emerged with a thick roll of parchment. He held it up triumphantly. “Got it!”
Cal eyed the scroll, raising a brow. “Let me guess: that magically contains all the answers to all our problems.”
Griff’s small grin caught Cal off-guard, sending a lingering wave of warmth through him.
“Pretty much. It’s an invitation to tomorrow’s state gala celebrating the 15th anniversary of open trade with Vantor.
All of the Pentarchy will be there. It’s the perfect opportunity to speak with them one on one while their guards are down. ”
Griff rushed to retrieve his notebook and Vantoric pen from the table. Cal watched him go, impressed by his sheer enthusiasm. It was hard not to find his excitement contagious.
“We need to start planning how best to approach each of the councilors,” Griff said, scribbling frantically on the pad. “We’ll also need to review all the intel we’ve gathered thus far to make sure our records are accurate in case they need to be used as evidence.”
Cal stood there for a long moment, watching the inspector work. The lingering embers in him kindled to life, and he was startled to find a fond smile stretching his lips.
Eternal Dark, what had come over him? Sure, he’d had his fair share of celebrations as Blackjack after a successful job.
But those usually amounted to enjoying a drink or a fine dinner.
And before that, there’d been Kelsith, but their celebrations had been short-lived at best. Kelsith had never been one to stop and rest, always eager to move on to the next big thing, their next huge heist.
Cal recalled what Griff had confided in him the other night about his ex-wife. He had a sneaking suspicion that, left to his own devices, Griff had that same impulsive drive as Kelsith. Which meant, if there was going to be any genuine break, it would be up to Cal to facilitate it.
Striding over to Griff, he said, “Later. There will be plenty of time to plan tomorrow. First though, we need to stop and celebrate.”
Griff didn’t look up, continuing to write. “I can’t. The gala’s tomorrow night, and every moment until then might be critical. We need to be prepared.”
“We will be, I swear.”
Cal rested his hand atop Griff’s shoulder. Griff’s writing slowed as he cast a surprised look up at Cal. Smirking, Cal took advantage of the distraction to snatch the pen from Griff’s grasp. He danced back out of reach as Griff followed him up and tried to grab it back, then held it up.
“You can have this back after you’ve taken a break.
Eternal Dark, Griff, you did it! You put in the hard work and finished the investigation.
This part of it, in any case. Now, it’s time to rest and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
There will be chance enough in the morning to figure out what to do next. Okay?”
Griff sighed and rubbed tiredly at his eyes. “I suppose it has been a long week. A short break might help clear our heads.” He surprised Cal by meeting his gaze with an intent look. “But I didn’t do anything. We did.”
Cal snorted, feeling slightly uncomfortable. “You’re the investigator here, not me. I’m just a lowly thief along for the ride.”
“Whatever you call yourself, I never would’ve gotten this far without you. Certainly not so quickly. This is your victory as much as it is mine.”
A faint blush colored Cal’s cheeks, and he glanced away. Kelsith had never been much for praise, doling it out only sparingly. Cal found he rather liked the feeling…especially when it came from Griff.
“In that case, here’s to us,” Cal said.
Raising an imaginary glass, he looked up just in time to see Griff snatch the pen back while he was distracted. Griff held up the pen triumphantly, and Cal muffled an amused snort.
It was only then that he realized how close they were now, Griff a mere handful of paces away. The tension from last night returned, thickening the air around them until Cal swore he was about to boil alive from the heat consuming him.