Bounder Ch. 07

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I gave my crew a few last instructions and told Mumford and Maitlan to make a direct trip home to my house and wait there for further instructions. Both were to stay inside entirely for at least two or three days, before Mumford was to resume normal household business as usual. I warned them both I might need their help soon, and for them to be available for any sudden message deliveries.

Earlier today back at the Ormsbridge Vigile watch station, I had written out a fairly concise three page report of most of the relevant facts that I thought Sir Adrian needed to know, and omitted the few details that I was sure that he didn't want to officially know. The critical fact was that while Junior Patroller Flerrie la'Clerkes could conclusively swear under oath that Edwina na'Weir had committed for certain at least the murder of Danelle na'Gwenyr, and that her brothers (and also likely her father) had further complicity as well with the previous death of her sister Rochelle, that no criminal charges could either be made, or should be, given their recent accidental deaths.

I didn't admit to still having Edwina as a captive, and I was rather hoping that Flerrie might omit that salient little fact in any verbal statements she might made. Officially for the record, she had already died from her wounds sustained during her capture.

I sent Flerrie, rather unhappily, off to deliver this sealed report into the direct hands of none other than Sir Adrian himself and I told the valiant but very annoyed young lass that I'd been seeing her again soon, probably in a week or two. A half-truth. The more I thought about things, the more certain I was that my part in this little extra-judicial enterprise wasn't entirely completed, and until the last threads of this problem had been unwound to my satisfaction I couldn't even begin to consider just what sort of relationship the lovely guardswoman and I might or could have.

Already I was too confused and mentally exhausted to be able to think even half straight... and the honest young patroller needed someone better than a dishonest rogue and a scoundrel like me! At least for right now. I'd fought the fight for 'good', delivering Sir Adrian's justice (or mostly so) but I was still a bounder... and likely always would be.

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Koch located for me a small barrow wagon and with our captive now hidden inside a large produce crate he helped me port her through the dark and quiet streets and alleys to a small abandoned warehouse near the docks here at the west side of town. Located in one of the worst sections of the city, I owned this abandoned warehouse and another small safe-house here. This warehouse had an opening to the city sewers below and there was a large underground room there, remote and quiet that would make a fine place to conduct a lengthy intimate interrogation of my sole surviving captive! Secured in my soundproof and virtually inaccessible subterranean dungeon, my young witch could scream forever and never be heard!

Once she was safely delivered, Koch then encamped off to visit his sister for a few days to probably greatly enjoy the spending his share of the inn's cash box, not to mention the various cut purses he'd acquired recently. Despite almost becoming a lizard's dinner, it had been a profitable week for the former leg-breaker!

As for me, my new friend and I would be just fine left alone together!