Chapter III โ Almost got her blackmailed
It was still morning when I had woken up and left for the guestroom. And there she was, playing waitress. I strode over to my table, wondering if I'll get to order from her. She was quick to identify me as the guy from the doorway, or maybe just that weird ranger not leaving the fireplace corner, and didn't even give me enough time to sit down. Didn't cut me short on the inviting hip-trashing either.
I gave her my usual smirk, or at least what I could throw up with the oh-so-heart-crumbling Duncan's niece in front of me.
"So...", she began, forcing out a smile that looked so strangely natural. "Where have you been yesterday?"
"Now, now, miss Owner's Niece... I could ask you the same... except that I don't seem to have that kind of suicidal curiosity run in my family."
"Excellent!", she broke out another smile, a relieved one this time, and I just twitched an eyebrow in a what the hell is wrong with you kind of way. "So you are staying safe and away from me?"
"Away? I don't remember being the one who just paced half the darned room only to molest a stranger. Wouldn't surprise me if you ran off to whine to Duncan after it, too."
"Oh?" She angled her head and parted her lips provocatively before continuing: "Ever saw me whine?"
I just had to wipe out that idyllic smile of hers. "Only when you're talking about your employers."
She winced at me looking ready to snap back, but restrained herself from it, turning her head in the direction of the barely audible sound of footsteps. Apparently Duncan's.
"Good hearing, mistress Niece..."
She made a nervous giggling noise and shrugged lightly. "Bad floors... Shall I fetch you something?"
As if she'd have fetched me anything I asked for... Finally seeing Duncan's nose enter the room, I gave up on mentioning it. "Yeah. Whatever there is to eat." Sincerely, I was starving and it was a good thing I hadn't told her I had been hunting for food yesterday.
"Uh, fine... Just don't blame me if it's not... appropriate."
At that, she charged at him. "Good morning, Duncan!" She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, cuddled him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Had a good night, lass?", he was clearly flattered.
"Oh, yes", she had lied like only your little bitch could. "Thanks to your place being taken such good care of!"
I exhaled loudly as if sustaining a laugh and immediately earned myself an accusing glare from him. She turned, looked at me in anticipation for a brief moment, then caressed Duncan's muddled hair in an attempt at making him forget about me and ran into the service's rooms.
"What?", I said, as he had no intention of looking away from me. "I haven't touched her, if that's what your tangled tongue's trying to ask."
"But you're considering it, aren't you, since it seems to be the first thing on your mind... Bishop, let me advice you โ don't."
"Try not to take it too personally, Duncan, but I don't think women who keep on hitting on you are the biggest chicks you can find."
I had gotten him rageous, but knew he valued the damned debt he held over me higher than his tavern-keeper's pride, so I had nothing to worry about.
"By the gods, if I am not keeping the most disgusting, perverted man in the realms under my roof!", he yelled. "Bright is my brother's daughter, Bishop! And the conclusions your dirt-filled mind is capable ofโ"
"Hey, where have you been?", her voice rang from the kitchen, making Duncan realize just how loud he had been. "Two of your bakery-things and one whatever." And the little bitch knew I could hear her. "Uh, no...? Right, that should do." I was seriously expecting to get brought swill.
"I thought you already figured out your bratty niece knows how to hold her own. Now find somewhere else to look at; she'll get my order."
Duncan made a rare choice of doing something smart for once and kept silent, but wouldn't spare me the threatening glare. When the girl returned from the kitchen, she was carrying two plates for the other guests and got me wondering if whatever needed so much time to prepare, or if she was doing it on purpose. Then came a banging noise from the entrance door, which Duncan seemed to recognize as the announcement of something unpleasant. I had a pretty accurate picture of what it was going to be.
"Whoever still knocks on that door...?", asked the niece apprehensively, emerging from the kitchen again.
I had been more concerned with the plate she held in her hand, unable to see the contents from my sitting place. "Authorities. Or someone."
Duncan quickly undid his apron and threw it underneath a counter. He had been halfway to the door when it opened, revealing a blonde human dressed in a blue jester's costume โ or something equally degrading. Said he was some Nevalle guy of the Neverwinter Nine, searching for evidence on the last night's murder in the Moonstone Mask. An entertainer was killed in cold blood in her sleep and neither a weapon nor a good reason were found.
The lovely niece stood shaking in her corner for a while, then gathered the courage to finally bring me my plate. Roast eggs and even a piece of some meat. And to let the swill go to waste when she had me around... But no, maybe that was reserved for Duncan.
"There is no need to be upset, sir", Nasher's little boot-licker said. "Until we shed some more light on the case, as you should already know, we take it as our duty to check if there have been any suspicious or otherwisely untrustworthy people prowling around, or checking in at places such as inns. Have you had any of your guests leave or return here late last night?"
I turned my face from the men and gave the girl a meaningful grin. She frowned and bit her lip, dragging a chair to sit beside me and hide her nervousness from the law-bringer. "So I was out for some fun", she had said so quietly that she sounded frightened. "Certainly didn't need a murder to happen at the same time."
"Tell that to your uncle", I bit back, not watching my tone at all.
Duncan had given us a sober look, more so to her, planted there beside me, than me, the simple-hearted villain, but still addressed me: "Leave her, Bishop."
"I'm not holding her."
Lucky girl. Duncan knew not a single thing. And the Nevalle guy must had thought her for a waitress, when she was getting quite an opportunity to mark his face.
"Be back to talk to you", she whispered, getting up and leaning my way. Her dark red shirt was pretty open above the chest...
But actually, she went out with her friends somewhere around noon and was nowhere to be found for the rest of the day. Only gave me a grateful half-smile when the next morning she found out her beloved uncle still didn't know a thing.
