Perspective Shift: Lucille; The Father

Flora and I headed to the upper quarter and turned into the Noble’s Ward. We passed by manors until we came upon one with the same sigil on the victim’s signet ring, House Gascoine. The building, while still grand, was pitiful compared to the others in the Ward, likely due to House Gascoine only being minor nobles. They owned no land outside their manor in the capital, thus had no subjects, but still retained their status as nobles.

“Are you prepared, Flora?” I asked, turning to the nervous former merchant.

“Um, can you do the talking please? I don’t really think I’m comfortable talking with nobles and all that,” she said.

“Of course. Just follow my lead, alright?” I said, reassuring her. She let out a sigh of relief, following me as I approached the guard at the manor’s gate.

“State your business,” said the guard, annoyed.

“We request an audience with your lord,” I said.

“He isn’t taking visitors. His son passed this morning,” said the guard, shooing us away.

“That’s actually why we’re here. We’re adventurers assisting in the investigation,” I said. He eyed me warily, scrunching his brow, before sighing and opening the gate.

“Watch what you say. He’s not exactly in a good mood,” said the guard, motioning us to follow. He closed the gate behind us and led us into the manor via the main door. The interior was the same as outside, fancy, but nothing compared to the Vasquez manor. The guard led us into a room off the main room, where the man we came to meet was sitting next to the fireplace, drinking his sorrows away.

“Who is this?” he demanded, turning to glare at us.

“They are adventurers investigating your son’s ****, milord,” the guard said, bowing.

“Leave us,” he said, taking a drink from his wine glass. He gestured to the couch across from him, and we sat down. He snapped his fingers, and a butler came up behind him, carrying a tray. “Coffee?”

“No thank you, milord,” said Flora. The noble shrugged, sipping from his cup before eyeing us warily.

“What news have you?” he huffed, his foot tapping from impatience, or a nervous tick.

“There were some...inconsistencies at the crime scene that lead us to believe there is a possibility your son was killed by someone other than the culprits behind the recent muggings,” I said, choosing my words carefully.

“What...inconsistencies?” he demanded.

“Firstly, the signet ring used to identify the body. If it was simply an escalated mugging, they wouldn’t have left behind such a valuable item. Then, the excessive wounds indicating a likely personal grudge against the victim. Finally, there were indications of magic used at the scene, not exactly indicative of your average thief,” I explained.

“So if not those thieves, who?” he asked.

“That’s why we’re here. We were hoping you could tell us if there were any enemies your son might have had,” I said.

“We’re a minor house. We don’t hold enough influence to attract many enemies. And if it was about our family, they would have targeted me, not my son,” he growled.

“Then, how about anything your son was personally involved in that may have gotten him targeted?” I asked.

“What are you insinuating?” He demanded.

“Nothing, sir. We merely wish to find the one responsible. Anything you can tell us brings us closer to that goal,” I said. He sighed and relaxed slightly.

“If you must know...my son’s business had gone under a few months ago,” he said, looking down.

“What kind of business?” I asked.

“Lending. A few bad loans was all it took for him to go under,” he said, finishing his cup.

“Do you have records of his dealings? Perhaps someone there held a grudge,” I said. He waved over the butler.

“Bring Phillip’s logs,” he said. The butler bowed and headed out of the room. “I want the killer found. Then, I want them executed.”

“I can’t speak to their punishment, but we’ll do all we can to assure they are brought to justice,” I said. He nodded.

“Now, get out. I’ve nothing more to say,” he said, shooing us away. Flora and I stood and left the room. The butler handed me a stack of files on the way out of the manor.

“Now what?” asked Flora, relieved we were out of the manor.

“We should return to the barrack. Look over the files with the captain while we wait for the others,” I said.

“Hopefully we find something. That guy didn’t seem like the type to take disappointment very well,” she said.

“It’ll be fine. We have leads. We’ll find them,” I said, patting Flora on the back. She smiled and gave me a hug.

“Thanks, Lucy,” she said. I smiled back at her and we headed back towards the guard barrack.