The Dream Thief by Kari Kilgore (books for 10th graders txt) 📕

"He was just..." he said. "I only wanted to know who your suppliers are. That's all. He was never supposed to try to hurt you."

Loretta walked closer, gratified when Mr. Norwood drew back.

"I find it interesting that two men attacked me in short order asking me the same questions. I don't suppose you hired any other criminals to inquire into my private business? Perhaps the same day you were last supporting that business, very generously, I might add?"

"I asked around," he said, nearly stammering. "I didn't hire anyone else. I swear it. I asked one of the shaw pilots. I can't... I don't remember what his name was."

Loretta’s mind strained with trying to put this shivering coward together with the cold, arrogant Director she’d met right before her life got so damn messy. Mr. Norwood slumped against the side of his house, in danger of slipping down to the floor with Rullin. He was barely able to meet her gaze.

"Rhysto," she said. "A bigger criminal than Rullin could ever hope to be. He was waiting inside my bedroom closet that night, Mr. Norwood. He was not kind."

At that, he did slide to the floor, letting the lamp drop with a bang before covering his face with his hands.

"Rhysto," he wailed. "He is not kind. I didn't want that. I didn't want that."

After a few more repetitions, Loretta waved her right arm in the air. She felt absurd doing that with nothing to say, but questioning him further herself wasn't going to do any good.

It was time to frighten him a bit, make sure he understood she wasn't working alone anymore. Before Mr. Norwood looked up, Karl and Bill stood at the bottom of the steps.

"That may be, Mr. Norwood," Loretta said. "But you still haven't told me what you do want. Why should such a loyal client be so interested in my suppliers? Looking to cut out the middle woman and save yourself a bit of coin? You could simply stop buying such items altogether."

"I wanted to! I tried!" He lowered his hands and jumped when he saw the two men, knocking his head against the side of the house. "Roma, she wouldn't hear of it. She loves... You know how she loves such things."

"If you didn't want me to stop selling them," Loretta said, standing over the cowering man, "if your dear wife wouldn't hear of it, then why were you interfering with me in the first place? I am not looking for a partner."

The man covered his face again, moaning and shaking his head. Loretta motioned Bill forward.

"Mr. Norwood, is it?" Bill said. "I'm one of those worthless shaw scum you were just referring to. This young man here, barely more than a boy himself?" He walked up onto the porch, fists opening and closing. "That's my younger brother. Whatever you got him mixed up in, whatever empty promises you made him, drove him to beat an even younger boy half to death. It will destroy my own mother, but I'll have to turn him in to Constable Law. Being a Director, you know as well as I do how easily they get people to give up their secrets. What makes you think my brother will protect you when he sold me out so easily?"

"No, please," Mr. Norwood said without lowering his hands.

"Please what, Mr. Norwood?" Loretta bent down, hands on her knees. "I'm afraid none of us can hear you."

"Please don't turn him in," he said. "We can find some other way. I know we can. My career won't survive such a scandal. I won't survive."

"Sir, you're giving us no other option." Bill stood beside Loretta, and Mr. Norwood shrank closer to the floor. "Unless we know what drove you to interfere in this lady's personal business, we'll have no alternative than letting the Ministry handle this."

Mr. Norwood lunged forward, grabbing Bill's leg.

"If you're a shaw pilot, you know what he's like," he whispered, tears running down his cheeks. "I had to do something to get him away from my home, from my family. He threatened the most horrible things to my wife."

Olsen Norwood didn't need to say another word, not for Loretta's sake. Of course. It all made sense now.

Bill pushed him away and brushed at the wrinkles on his pants.

"I know what who is like, Mr. Norwood?" Loretta said.

"Rhysto! I never should have contacted him, never!" The man was sitting forward, talking so loudly Loretta was afraid he would wake his neighbors. She didn't care quite as much anymore. "I only wanted to start up my own little side business, nothing to compete with you, just a tiny bit here and there. I can send things outside Waldron's Gate, that's all, and get things from there too. Our friends… Our friends started asking me if I knew any other purveyors of such items when you grew busier, when your visits were less frequent. I never wanted to hurt you, Ms. Schofield, the furthest thing from it. I never expected that beast to bother you."

He slumped back against the house. "I never, ever expected him to come here either."

Loretta watched Karl walking up the porch stairs, not sure what to do or say. If Rhysto was bold enough to attack others in town the way he'd attacked her, if he'd even attacked a Director's wife, the pilot had gotten even more out of control.

None of them would be safe, not as long as the man was drawing breath. Anything they did could make it all worse.

Karl stood beside her and mouthed one word to spur her into action.

Gemma.

"Mr. Norwood, listen to me." She squatted down beside him, and when he didn't respond she grabbed his chin. "Listen to me. You're right not to trust him. You need to tell me what he did. We might have to lock him up to stop him, but we can't do that