Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. Glad you all like the story so far, well onward.
Werner and Karl decided to have an early lunch and entered a nearby tavern. Taking a table in the back they ordered food and began to discuss what they had learned that morning. Werner asked Karl what he made of the morning's interviews.
Karl sat in silence for a moment and then he began to speak. "They were lying when they said they had not been in contact with Von Galt weren't they?"
"In deed they were," Werner affirmed; "Though I cannot see why they would be so secretive about it."
"Maybe they are changing camps and throwing their support behind Von Galt?" Karl speculated.
"No, I think not." Werner said shaking his head. "While I think their disparaging of him seemed a little excessive; they clearly do not believe he has a hope of becoming the Elector, and they are right. He doesn't stand a chance; and if they were to switch to his camp that would make them enemies of the Leitdorfs, and as that family controls a good deal of the city, they could quite possibly have the Stokers replaced in their guild. No, they would not take such a risk with so little chance of success."
"What about the boy, Max, that Franz told us about, do you think he poisoned Maxwell?"
"It certainly looks suspicious, but I must have more evidence of his guilt, though I will admit that if he is innocent his flight does him no favors. Still, as I just said, we must have more evidence. So after we have eaten we will go to his home and question his mother and search his home. Perhaps we shall find something that the Watch overlooked."
As they clearly were not going to get anywhere with the investigation until they had more information Karl switched topics. "That is a rather odd girl of Stoker, what do you think she meant by that rhyme of hers?"
Werner looked slightly sad. "Yes it is rather unfortunate, but many people from here are said to be," here he paused, seeking the right word; "Touched. She is fortunate to be born to a wealthy family. If they had been poor she would have been abandoned and if they had been rural peasants she might very well have been burned."
Karl shuddered, remembering the cold eyes of the witch hunter who had sought to burn him.
"As for her rhyme, doubtless it is just some nonsense she made up; still, I will admit it was unsettling."
After they had eaten they made their way to the home of Max and his mother. It took them a while, there were a lot of houses near the cattle market, but at last, after asking several people for directions, they found it. It was a small affair, part of a cluster of houses clearly owned by people of the working class.
The woman who opened the door was about forty. She might have been pretty once but a life of hard work had worn at her and she had clearly taken to drink some time ago. She must have guessed what they were there for because her face immediately became hostile and she tried to close the door. Werner, however, without seeming to do so, placed himself so that he blocked the door from closing.
"What you want?" She snapped at them, her voice was slightly slurred and Karl could smell cheap liquor on her breath.
"Good day madam." Werner said in a polite voice, completely ignoring the hostility in hers. "I am Brother Werner and this is my assistant Karl. We have been charged with investigating the recent deaths that have been occurring and I was hoping you might be able to assist us."
If he was hoping to sooth the woman's temper he was to be disappointed. "Oh, of course you are! We die all the time but it's only when the rich die that the gods seem to care" She snorted; she was obviously, if not entirely drunk, then at least slightly tipsy. With another snort she turned and headed back into the house. Werner apparently decided this was an invitation to come in and Karl followed his lead.
The inside was small and dirty. There was a small fireplace and a table and a couple of chairs. On the table were a number of dirty dishes. Everything was covered with a layer of dust.
"I don't know nothing!" She spat. "I don't know if he killed that bugger or not, though if he did the little twit deserved it!"
"Oh?" Werner inquired, his tone inviting her to continue.
"Yeah, he did! Stokers, ha! Little more than glorified butchers they are. Though you wouldn't know it to see them going around putting on airs, just as if they were nobs themselves! I worked for them you know? Kept that idiot girl of theirs I did and then they gave me the sack, said I drank too much!"
Personally Karl thought they were right but kept that to himself as Werner began to speak again.
"I know your son is not here. I really must speak to him, however. Might you have any idea where he might have gone?"
"Like I would know! You check his whore?"
"His what?" Werner asked in a surprised voice.
"You hear me! Some painted tart down at Palace of Pleasure." The last words were delivered with a snort and roll of the eyes. "Silly for her he is. I told him and told him; he's throwing away good money on her he is! As if we got money to throw away! But does he listen to the woman who brought him into the world and fed and clothed his ungrateful hide, not him!"
"I see." Werner said. "I don't suppose you would happen to have her name would you?"
"Don't know, don't care!"
"I see, well, I was hoping we might search his room to see if we might uncover some clue as to his whereabouts."
"As if I could stop you! But you're wasting your time. The bully-boys of the Watch already looked!"
"Never the less." Werner said, heading to the door she had indicated. Inside was a small room furnished only by a bed and small chest. The bed had been over turned and the chest opened and its contents scattered about the room. It did not take them long to search the small room. They found nothing and soon left.
By unspoken consent they made their way to the Palace of Pleasure. Unlike Max's home it took little effort to find. It was located in an ally in the part of the city were the lower and middle class parts came together. Karl pounded on the door several times before it was opened by a large, fat bald man.
The man wore a suit of fine cloths that was far too small for him and was stained and dirty. He appeared to have just awoken from sleep. Never the less, he managed to muster up an oily and insincere smile. "Greetings, good sirs, allow me to introduce myself. I am Henry, known by some as Henry the Heavy!" Here he gave a chuckle of false good humor. "I fear you are early gentlemen, it is barely three in the afternoon, and all the girls are still asleep."
"We did not come for your girls services." Werner said, taking his paper out to show to the man. Karl didn't know if the man could read but he clearly recognized the seal and went pale at the sight of it. "We have learned that Max, a boy working for the Stokers and suspected of being involved in Maxwell Stoker's murder, was a regular of one of your girls. Now I don't for a moment suspect you of involvement, of course, but I must speak to that girl."
At Werner's words the man relaxed visibly. "That would be Olga; I heard her talking about the boy with some of the other girls. Crazy about him she is, you would think a girl in her profession would have more sense, but there you are.
"If you will come this way pleas gentlemen," He said indicating a side room; "I'll wake her and send her down to answer your questions."
They sat in silence for several minutes before the girl joined them. She looked to be about twenty or so. She had thick blond hair hastily pulled back and tied with a ribbon and eyes made hard by her profession. What Karl noticed most about her though was her size. She was almost as tall as he was and, while still decidedly feminine, nearly as muscular.
"Boss said you wanted to speak to me." She said in a wary voice.
"Don't worry my dear." Werner began, smiling like a grandfather speaking to his favorite grandchild. "You aren't suspected of any wrong doing we just need to ask you a few questions about Max."
At the mention of Max her hard eyes softened somewhat. "I like Max, stupid as he is."
"How did you meet?"
"How do you think? He first came here about a month ago. Boss nearly turned him away, but he had money. Once the boss saw that he became as greasy and accommodating as you please. It was busy that night and I was the only one available.
"He was nice. Polite as you please and didn't hit like a lot of them do. He came again a few days later and asked for me specifically." Here she stopped for a minute and took a deep breath and seemed for a moment she might cry. "No one ever did that before, except the ones who like to hit. Boss usually sends those ones to me; because I am so big and strong I can take a lot of hitting.
"But Max never hit me. He was always nice and said I was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Men get like that sometimes; you know they don't mean it. But he sounded like he did. He even brought me little presents some times."
"So he had money," Werner mused, mostly it seemed to himself; "Did he ever say where he got it?"
"No, I didn't want to know."
"Earlier you said he was stupid, why did you say that?"
"Oh, it was just the way he was sometimes. He would get real excited and say he was going places. That he wouldn't be working in the kitchens forever; that he was going to be somebody. He said when that happened he'd marry me and I'd be a proper lady. Like I said, he was stupid." Though she tried to laugh it sounded false.
She had nothing else to add and they soon departed. As they walked toward their inn something began bothering Karl, the hairs on the back of his neck started tingling. They were being watched, he was sure of it. Inside him the wolf growled, it didn't like this. The hunter should not be hunted.
"So you noticed it too?" Werner said softly. Karl nodded, so Werner has sensed it as well.
"Keep walking," Werner said softly; "Don't look back, we'll never spot them in this crowd." They were now in a crowded market area. Werner nodded towards an alley. "We'll head down that alley, go a little ways and then double back. Hopefully we'll get a look at them."
Karl nodded and as they passed the alley they suddenly darted into it. They hurried down it, turning into new alleyways several times; at last Werner seemed satisfied because he held up his hand to stop Karl just as they rounded a corner. They pressed themselves against the wall and listened. After a minute or two they stepped away from the wall and looked back around the corner. There was no one there.
"Did we lose them?" Karl asked. Werner stood in silence for a moment stroking his chin.
"I don't think so. I think it more likely our unknown friend knows we are on to him and is giving us some space to avoid detection." He paused again. "I think we had better change inns. It may be that he doesn't know where we are staying; but if he does, then we should move before he returns."
Karl agreed and they soon procured rooms at a new inn. While Werner remained there Karl went to get their belongings and horses from the inn they had been staying at. As he approached it he felt the tingling again, their stalker was back.
Determined to catch him this time Karl slowed his pace to give himself time to think. Deciding to just chance it he spun around to see if he could spot his pursuer. It proved to be a wasted effort as the street was still crowded, even though the afternoon was getting on.
Not ready to give up Karl resumed walking. After about ten minutes he suddenly darted down another alley. Unlike last time he did not go far. Instead he took a side street and used it to double back. He was just in time to see someone going into the same alley he had entered. Not wanting to give the man too much of a head start Karl hurried after him. As he came to entrance he knocked into a woman causing her to drop her basket.
Her subsequent burst of cursing drew the attention of Karl's target. For just a moment they stared at each other. It was too dark for Karl, standing in the still bright street, to see much; but he got the impression of a tall man with a slender build. While Karl's eyes were hampered by the changing light his nose was not.
He inhaled deeply, trying to get the man's smell. The man smelled of sweat, horses, tobacco as well as a lot of earthy smells. The man was clearly not from the city. Then the moment ended as the man came to himself and bolted. Determined not to lose him Karl gave chase.
The man was fast, but even in his human form Karl was faster than any human and quickly gained on him. Seeing this, the man changed tactics and rushed from the back alleys and back into the crowd. Karl lost sight of him several times but quickly regained it.
The man, seeing Karl gaining again, knocked over a vegetable cart, blocking Karl's path. Karl could have easily leapt over it but a human could not and Karl did not want that attention. By the time he had pushed his way around it the man's lead had increased. Then the man did something unexpected.
He ran towards a two story tavern. As he reached it he jumped up and grabbed the sign. Pulling himself up he balanced on the pole and then jumped and grabbed the edge of the roof. He gracefully pulled himself up and the climbed up to the peak of the roof and disappeared over the other side.
Karl hurried to the back of the tavern but the man was gone. He sniffed the air but the wind was blowing the wrong way and carried the man's scent away and mingled it with all the other smells of the city. Cursing, Karl headed back to retrieve his and Werner's belongings.
Author's Notes: Hey everyone, hoped you liked the chapter. A note on the province they're in; many in the rest of the Empire think people from there are touched in the head. But as you can see there is a second chapter so read on. Please keep praying for Shawn, persecuted Christians, Saeed Abedini and everyone else who needs it, including Amir Hekmati, an American in poor health being held in Iran. Keep reading and may Jesus bless you.