The Gadget: The Rondon Chronicles Book One by V. Timlin (speed reading book .TXT) 📕

“Of course.” Nat nonchalantly produced the document from his pocket—the man snatched it and scrutinised it for long minutes. Anouk chewed her lips from behind her mask. She glanced around. They were just a few yards away from Madam Valeria’s doorstep, where an argument could draw unwanted attention. She looked back at the man again who held the paper only an inch from his nose.

After a small eternity, he tossed it back to Nat, a disgusted expression on his face. “I’ll make a complaint to Madam Valeria. She’ll sort out this outrageous coup.”

Anouk’s eyebrows flew up. A coup? Really?

“You do that. But till then, it’s goodbye.” Nat bowed again and started to walk away.

“This doesn’t end here. You’ll hear about this,” the man shouted after them. His terrier barked as if in agreement. A few passers-by looked between them and the man, with curious expressions. They needed to get out of sight as soon as possible.

Nat twisted his neck over his shoulder. “The rat-catcher is heading to the brothel.”

“Super,” Anouk growled.

“It’ll be a little while before they come for us. We’d better hurry.”

Nat hurried to the street corner and they came to an alley. The fading light didn’t reach the secluded area. The strong scent of piss hit Anouk’s nostrils and she wrinkled her nose. Excellent, they had found a local urinal.

Nat took a torch out of his pocket and switched it on. In its shaft of light, the alley appeared as any other—narrow and surrounded by high stone walls.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” The name of the lane had been in the newspaper, but she couldn’t see any street signs. Maybe it didn’t have one and not that this was the first without. In Rondon the street signs seemed to be randomly distributed. As if the traffic department had played darts with the Rondon map when deciding which streets and alleys would get a sign. There was no logic.

Nat swept the beam from side to side over the cobblestones like an intangible brush. He halted, took a couple of steps and knelt down. “Yes.”

Anouk walked over to see what he had found. Under the yellow light, splatters and larger stains of blood dried on the stones looked dark and disturbing… the crime scene. Anouk was visibly shaken and felt sickened to the core. Poor girl… She staggered a couple of steps back and tore her gaze away from the stains.

Nat came to her side and put his hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Anouk nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. Just needed some air. That’s all.”

He gave her a gentle squeeze. “Do you want to leave?”

Yes. This place gave her the creeps and it stunk. She cleared her throat and straightened, then shook her head. “No. It’s connected to Madam Valeria, so yeah, we better check this lead.”

Nat grunted in acknowledgement and studied the alley. “This is a perfect place to meet in secret and commit a murder without too big of a risk of being overseen.”

He was right. The alley was along a busy street, but a narrow extension of a building made the alley a secluded dead end. A veritable nook hidden from prying eyes.

“She was killed here?” In the newspaper, there was no mention if Shannah had been murdered there or if her body had just been dumped there.

“Hard to tell,” Nat mused. “Perhaps she was dragged here or lured, using some excuse.”

The thought of a murder possibly happening in the alley just a day or two earlier made Anouk’s skin crawl.

A screech cut the air. Anouk started back, fumbling for her pistol. Angry curses drifted from the street.

“Fucking blind bat, look where ya goin’.”

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe slowly. There was no danger. She was armed and a bounty hunter, goddammit. Feeling a tad more centred, Anouk opened her eyes.

Nat was kneeling again next to the blood-covered stones. He moved his torch back and forth with slow sweeps, stopping once in a while to examine a spot.

“Seeing anything special?”

Nat didn’t reply for a moment. He stood and let the beam of light brush the walls. “No.” He took a step towards Anouk. A series of metallic clicks echoed in the alley.

“What was that? Did you kick something?”

“Aye,” Nat grunted. Something flashed when the shaft of light moved over the cobblestones a few feet from where Anouk was standing, Nat bent down to pick it up.

Anouk leaned over Nat. “What is it?”

He held a small, button-like object in his hand that gleamed golden.

“A cufflink.”

“The murderer’s?”

Nat turned the bauble. “Mmm, maybe. There’s no carving on it.”

“So basically, it could belong to anyone.”

“Yes, although I think this is gold and not brass which means whoever lost it has a bit of money.”

“You know Madam Valeria. Would she look the other way if the killer was a noble born?”

“Madam Valeria usually is very adamant that girls are not allowed to come to harm. That’s why she has no problem finding new girls to work for her.” Nat paused and looked at the cufflink again.

“Alright, for the sake of argument, let’s say the murderer left that behind. In that case it could mean he, or she, was in a hurry, or flustered,” Anouk said. “Maybe someone heard Shannah’s screams which means there might be a witness. And if Shannah put up a fight, the assailant might have been wounded. In which case we should check the nearby hospitals.”

“I don’t think…” Nat snapped his hand closed around the cufflink.

Footfall came from the mouth to the alley. Anouk’s heart leaped into her throat. Were the rat-catcher and Madam Valeria’s men already coming? Nat switched off his torch.

“Come.” He took Anouk by her arm. “There is a ladder to the rooftop.”

They tiptoed towards the low building that cut the alley in half. The footsteps at the mouth halted. Anouk touched her Phines with her clammy hands. Had they been heard?

They reached the ladder.

“Go,” Nat whispered. “I’ll watch your back.”

Anouk bobbed her head and climbed as fast and quietly as