"We should talk to both of them." Kaede agrees with the guard. "Mr. Thorn to see if there was a reason that someone wanted to butcher Mr. Harker, and Mr. Vinder to see same for his daughter, as unlikely as that is. "
”Yes, of course,” the clerk answers while accepting the note, ”they’re in separate holding cells- which one would you like to speak with first?”
"Mr. Thorn, I think. Mr. Vinder isn't... Well. I don't think that conversation's going to go well for anybody," Tera says bleekly.
The clerk leads the investigators back upstairs to the holding cell where Ibor Thorn sits and opens the, apparently unlocked, door. Ibor is a handsome but narrow-faced young man with a strong build and calloused hands. He sighs as a new round of questioning seems immanent and protests, "I already told Hemlock everything... I came in for my shift this morning and found the mill just like it was. I ran and got the watch straight away."
"Sal, that wasn't the best way to phrase that," Tera says as she runs a hand down her face. She turns to Ibor Thorn and tries to give him a comforting smile, and fails. "We don't suspect you did it. The evidence we've found doesn't point to you. As Sal said, we'd just like to know if someone might have a reason for wanting Mister Harker dead."
Marcus is surprised by the obvious deflection in Ibor's tone, and even more shocked when the others don't immidiately see it as well.
"I've seen better pretending than that from a trout with three hooks in him! Best to just come out with it all now, If Kaelaah finds out you're keeping secrets, this rooms gonna get warm fast!" Marcus' anger at being misled is almost enough to make him sound brave, but his voice cracks at the end and he hopes that a glare from the Flame-wielder is enough to crack the mans nerve.
Tera turns and looks at Marcus with her mouth agape, not quite able to believe that he is indeed that angry.
"M-Marcus? Are you okay?"
Ibor seems a bit overwhelmed as the silence in the holding cell is suddenly shattered by a cacophony of competing questions. He seems to fixate on Marcus as the young fisherman’s voice rings out until the others are still. Then he starts to laugh. ”Alright, alright, go easy on me,” he jokes over the fiery threat.
Looking towards the door, his voice drops and he continues, ”Listen, I like you kid, you’re funny, so I’m gonna tell you and your friends something... you can’t tell anyone that I told you, though... Harker and Katrine were meeting at the mill late at night pretty often, alright, but I don’t think that was the most dangerous thing he was up to... I don’t have any proof but I think he was skimming money from the mill- you know, taking a cut for himself and then turning over altered records? If it’s true and the Scarnetti’s found out that I was even suspicious of it but didn’t tell them they’d have me fired, at least... maybe worse...”
”There’s no one big thing, just a handful of small ones...” he answers, ”a delivery here or there that I never saw in the books, off-hand comments about building up his ‘nest egg’, being low on funds right after finishing a big job... that sort of thing...”
"Do the undead even care for gold?" Marcus asks, trying to think things through, "Could the Scarnetti's have summoned this thing to do their bidding?"
"Well, that's something in common with the note you found, Salomae," Kaede slowly says, as if getting to watch her words some. "It was also about a business venture of sorts. But if that's the case, why the ritualistic part of the murder?"
"I dunno, but I don't think we should be worrying Mr. Thorn with it," Tera says, hoping to remind the others that they probably shouldn't be blabbing about there being an undead about.
Ibor Thorn nods knowingly as Sal comments on his partner’s shady dealings, and maybe even into her question about the Scarnetti. His expression quickly changes to shock, however, as the conversation shifts to undead and ritual murder. ”Whoa, hold on,” he protests, ”no, the Scarnetti can be harsh if someone crosses them but there’s no way they’d have anything to do with any undead or evil rituals...”
Tera sighs and turns back to Mr. Thorn.
"Mr. Thorn, if you promise to keep what we have told you in here quiet, I'll explain what we found at the mill. If you do let slip what we've so far let slip in front of you, then I'm afraid that we'll be sparking a panic."
Ibor raises his hands as if to defend himself. "Whoa, no," he exclaims, "I don't want to know any more about any of that!"
"Harker wasn't dumb enough to show off any wealth where the Scarnetties might see it, and he was too greedy to give it away- if he was sneaking it out of town it was through someone I never met, but just as likely he's got it hid somewhere nearby. That's all I got, please..."
"Yeah, I think we've gotten all we can from Mr. Thorn."
In a louder voice, she tells Ibor that they're done.
"Thank you for answering us. I apologize for any distress we put on you and wish you well."
"Yeah. I think we're done here," Zache mutters, unable to think of anything further.
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Thorn," Kaede formally states to the shaken millwright. "We will give our utmost to deal with this threat to Sandpoint."
As the party leaves the room, she asks, "to Mr. Vinder then?"
"Yes, if for no other reason than to offer him some comfort."
"Very well," the clerk announces sticking his head in the cell. "I'll be back to turn you lose after they're through, Master Thorn."
As he leads the marked around the corner towards Ven Vinder's cell he quietly adds, "I'll talk to Sheriff Hemlock about how to approach the possibility of embezzlement with Lord Scarnetti... but, perhaps, you could leave any interactions with him to us... given, well, what happened with Lord Kaijitsu..."
Any protest his reference to the incident with the late Lonjiku Kaijitsu may have elicited is cut short as they come into view of deceased woman's father. Behind the wooden bars of the cell, Ven's eyes are red and puffy from weeping, and his chin is bruised and his knuckles bloody from fighting. He scowls at their arrival and hisses, "oh good, a godsdammed parade... let's all hassle the weeping man! You bottom-feeding, dungsacks..."
The clerk puts his hand on his keys and then offers, "I think, maybe, you should speak to him through the bars..."
"Can you let me in to speak with him," she asks the clerk and the others. "I... I just want..."
Seeing Vin Vinder like this is almost worse than she was afraid of, and her words falter as she tries to find the right ones.
Kaede stops to stand in front of Ven with a look of sorrow in her eyes. "No, sir," She starts, calmly staring straight into the scrappy store owner's eyes, "What happened to your daughter was awful and noone should have to deal with heartbreak like this. So, we're going to do something about it, but we'd like to know some things from you first. First, while this looks like your daughter was a victim of circumstance, can you think of anyone that would want to harm her?"
She pauses for a moment, and with a softer tone. "Secondly, we will find the despicable beast that caused this and bring him to justice. Is there anything that you want us to tell him when we do?"
"Mr. Vinder, please," Zache agrees, adding his own voice to the mix. "We're not here to mock or gawp at you. We're concerned first and foremost with finding out what happened - and taking care of whoever's responsible."
Or whatever, as the case may be.
"How in the hells would I know who was responsible?!?" Katrine's father growls while shaking the wooden bars of his cell. "Nobody would ever wanna hurt my little girl, it's that Banny Harker what got her killed! That no good son of a b!tch, always fillin' her head with his stories about gettin' rich, all the while stealin' her virtue, then gettin' her killed! You want justice?!? Go find who that dungsack pissed off instead of lockin' up A GRIEVING , for no godsdammed reason..."
"Mister Vinder," the clerk answers very calmly, "you assaulted two members of the watch... that's why you're locked up."
Ven snarls and smacks the inside of his cell door with both hands. "I wish I had murdered that worthless f@#k... if I'd killed him when I had the chance my daughter'd still be alive..." Anger still burns in the broken man's eyes, even as tears begin to roll down his cheeks again.
"This was a mistake," Tera whispers to Sal as Ven's temper takes over. "We're not going to be able to talk to him or help him when he's like this."
Ven Vinder slumps against the bars of his cell and sighs as Sal's calming magic rolls over him. He composes himself with a deep breath and then stands up straight and steady for the first time since the marked's arrival. "I appreciate what you kids are trying to do," he says rather monotonously, "I really don't know of anyone who would want to hurt my daughter. She was always a good girl, even if she did compromise herself with Banny Harker. That boy had her convinced he was going to be rich and they would live in luxury, and no amount of explaining what a miller earns would convince her otherwise. She never did talk about his business at all- probably didn't want me to know she was spending so much time at the mill, or with him. I don't think she ever even mentioned any of his friends. I know Titus Scarnetti owns the mill, and Ibor Thorn runs it with Banny; if you have questions about the business you could ask them. Or go look through his place; if he was scheming to get rich, there might be evidence of it there."
”Ahem...” the clerk starts after the silence hanging in the hallway begins to feel awkward, ”Sheriff Hemlock has already deputized you, if I’m not mistaken, so there should be no issues with you searching my Harker’s residence. Is there anything else I can do for you before you leave?”
Marcus can't help but feel bad for the grieving father.
when I left, mother was heartbroken. I cannot imagine this pain.
"The house is worth checking out. If he was cheating the business, he may also have had more unsavoury dealings."
Kaede bows in thanks. "Thank you, Mr Vinder," she says with a solemnity in her voice. "For what it's worth, My prayers are with you, and we will hunt this monster down." With a second swift bow, she steps away from the cell and toward the others. "The house sounds like a good next step, then to Mr. Habe's place."
Tera nods at Kaede's suggestion, not sure if she could go through Habe's at the moment. Ven's greif fueled fury had shakern her, and then there was the note. Did Ven know about it? What would happen if he did? She didn't want to think about what kind of damage Ven could cause if he decided that she was responsible for Katrine's death.
With a nod, the clerk leads the marked back up to the ground floor and out to the entrance of the barracks. "You're off to a fine start," he offers, "you got some useful information and calmed Mister Vinder down. As I said, Sheriff Hemlock will follow up with Lord Scarnetti, but please do come back and report whatever else you learn in your other investigations. And, remember, as deputies you will have to turn over any evidence you discover."
"I'd be most comfortable at the cathedral. It's safer there than out in the open, though I'm not sure how hungry I am."
The marked arrive back at the Cathedral just as midday prayers are ending. Lunch is a hearty stew of vegetables dried in the fall and salted fish. Perhaps the most notable thing, though, is that it seems that no news of the murders has yet reached within these sacred walls.
Marcus does his best to get useful clues without revealing anything that might not yet be public knowledge.
Using the steam coming off his bowl and a scarf pulled over his head to cast his face into shadow as props, Zache sets to work gathering information on the undead in a more unorthodox method to his teammates - by telling stories. He speaks of the legend of the Horse-Cutter Wight, of the Walking Bones of Hollow Ridge, and of many other old legends. Between his own short tales, he encourages others to share what they've heard, and what they know, and tries to sort fact from fiction in what he hears.
Kaede's idea for gain information is more academic. After swiftly eating, she slips to the library. "Excuse me, " she asks whomever is in charge of the stacks, "but, can you help me find some books? I need to find the texts about local incursions from the restless dead."