The Sith storylines in SW:TOR are just too much fun for everything. XD
None too sure about the end of this chapter. Things are a bit rocky right now. We’ll see how everything pans out at the end of it all.
Chapter 7: How Long
Chapter 8: You and Your Friend
Will you and your friend come around
Are you and your friend gonna get on down
Will you and your friend come around
Or are you and your friend gonna let me down
If you talk to one another
I’m a hungry man
Let me know one way or the other
So I can make my plans
Will you and your friend come around
Are you and your friend gonna get on down
Will you and your friend come around
Are you and your friend gonna get on down
I relive the situation
Still see it in my mind
You got my imagination
Working overtime
Baby, baby
Taliesin looked startled, then looked down at his midsection, where a bloody patch was beginning to form, then up at Zevran, his hands still in his pockets – and his right pocket torn and smoking. “You- you-”
“I will not go back to the Crows, Taliesin,” Zevran said, and Taliesin fell backwards.
His former lover’s face was twisted in pain and hatred. “H-Howe… will punish… you…”
Howe. As in Rendon Howe? The words had been so faint, he’d hardly heard them, but…
He needed to find a payphone, now.
She shrieked, though she could hardly hear over the ringing in her ears. Ringing not from the emotional trauma, but from the point-blank gunshot.
And now Rory Gilmore was dead on the floor of his own home.
Fierce anger bubbled up within her, and before Rory had finished collapsing to the ground, before the guns had moved to track her, before she’d even finished screaming, she was behind a corner. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her gun. She still had six bullets. Time to use a couple.
She put her shoulder behind the chest of drawers and heaved at it, shoving it out into the hallway as a barricade. She could hear their footsteps – four of them. Not much room for error.
Something small and hard rattled around the corner. Grenade! She threw herself backwards, diving behind the bed, and huddled there as it went off, metal fragments shattering the window, tearing through curtains and blankets. She couldn’t hear the footsteps, but she could feel the vibrations. They were coming for her.
She popped up, fired – once, twice, three times. Felt a bullet nick her ear, felt one pass through her hat. Only one man left, but he’d ducked into the living room.
It was quiet now, and she listened for him, to hear if he was moving to flank her. Rory’s house had squeaky floorboards, there was no way even a Crow assassin could remain silent now.
The phone rang. And rang again.
The assassin had moved to the kitchen, and picked it up. “Hello? … This is Mark Travisson. … She’s dead-”
Elizabeth shot him in the ribs, then moved to grab the phone. “No I’m not. Hello?”
“Liz!” And her whole body warmed with relief. “You’re all right!”
“So are you! Ah, but… Rory’s dead.” She shook her head, still shocked that it had happened, unable to grieve just yet with the adrenaline coursing through her.
“I’m sorry. Listen, I don’t have much time. Taliesin dropped the name of Howe. You should probably…” There was a pause, as if he was scanning his surroundings, then he said “I need to run. You should run too. Take Gilmore’s car – he won’t need it.”
“I’ll… see you again, right?”
“Hope so. Take care.” The line went dead and the operator tone hummed in her ear.
No time to lose. The Crows would find out very quickly that their ambush had mostly failed. She tossed away her hat – it wasn’t very stylish to have bullet holes, and very suspicious – and after only a tiny hesitation, grabbed one of Rory’s. Car keys were where? They were in his pocket, weren’t they.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled as she knelt beside him, and now it was hard to hold back tears. His handsome ruddy face didn’t look in pain at all, only surprised, staring at the ceiling in blank wonder.
She’d wondered sometimes, when she saw bodies in her investigation, what the difference was when they had a soul. She didn’t have to wonder any longer. Rory’d had a soul, and now he did not, was dead and cooling, eyes hollow and motionless. She closed them gently.
She ought to phone the police before she ran.
There was no time.
“I’m sorry,” she said again, grabbing the keys and standing. “This isn’t what you deserve. I’ll make it right by finishing this case. I promise.”
Her arm hadn’t hurt while she was under fire. It was beginning to throb now, and both her hands were shaking.
It was a long drive back to Denerim, and the first place she went was to Wynne’s. She couldn’t go home; it was undoubtedly watched. She couldn’t go to Drakon HQ; Zevran had said the Crows were all over it. “Wynne, I need you to phone the chief. Ask him to meet me at the Gnawed Noble.”
Duncan showed up promptly, even early, with Alistair in tow. Her partner’s face lit up on seeing her, and he rushed to her and hugged her. “Oh, I am so glad to see you again. I’ve been so worried…”
“I know, Alistair,” she said gently. “It’s been a long couple of days.”
“You said you had news of a sort?” Duncan asked.
“Yes, sir,” she said, and told him everything.
Duncan stroked his beard thoughtfully when she was done. “It’s intriguing, but I won’t be able to get you a warrant for Howe’s office.”
“No, I didn’t think so,” Elizabeth said. “What do you suggest then, sir?”
“I can think of nothing that is legal, and I do not condone illegal actions by my own officers,” Duncan said, frowning. “As for Mr. Arainai, I’m not sure what we can do for him. If Rendon Howe cannot be investigated, the law would be more than happy to have him as a substitute.”
“That’s not proper justice, sir,” she said.
“I know, Detective. But someone needs to take responsibility for Cailan’s murder, and he’s the one best placed to do it.”
“Or to take blame,” she muttered.
Fortunately for her, her boss ignored that. “If he manages to help you find evidence in an above-board, lawful manner, then I’d be happy to see what I can do about arranging informant status for him. But until then, he is still the prime suspect. Now, you’re still in danger, and currently homeless, aren’t you? Miss Rossignol arrived in Denerim earlier today and came to us to find out what had happened to her apartment.”
Elizabeth smiled ruefully. “I’m sure she did.”
“We’re putting her up in the Alienage Apartments; old, but clean. It might be a good idea for you to join her there.”
“A roof over my head would be a relief,” Elizabeth said. “Well, thank you for listening, sir.” Even if your hands are tied to do anything else right now.
“I’ll drive you there, Detective.”
Leliana was cooking dinner when she walked in, and turned to face her. “Elizabeth! You look exhausted. What’s been going on? All I got out of Chief Arrynson was that you’re being chased by the Crows for some reason, and that’s why our apartment is completely wrecked.”
Elizabeth slumped at the tiny kitchen table, took her hat off, and ran a hand over her head. She seriously needed a shower. Her hair felt extremely gross. “That’s the gist of it. The Crows were hired to murder Theirin, and the man who did it was helping me discover information in exchange for safety.”
“Oh, dear. Did you make any progress?”
“Some, but not enough. I need to investigate Rendon Howe, but the only word I have to go on is the word of my informant’s former lover, and I don’t know what he actually said.”
“Do you trust him?”
“About this? Yes.”
Leliana’s eyes narrowed. “What do you not trust him on?”
Elizabeth laughed tiredly. “What don’t I not trust him on? He’s an assassin and a flirt.”
Leliana snickered. “Your kind of man.”
“Not really… and that’s what worries me.”
“You’re not making sense. Here, have some dinner.”
“So why don’t you just go investigate Howe?” Leliana asked, once Elizabeth’s appetite had begun to slow down.
“I don’t have a warrant, and the chief won’t give me one. And I understand, the evidence isn’t strong enough for one, but it’s frustrating…”
“Do you really need a warrant?” Leliana asked slyly.
Elizabeth frowned at her. “Of course I do, it’s not legal otherwise, and what good is the law if the police break it?”
“Ah, but what good is the law if rich men murder each other and sow chaos and destruction throughout the country?” Leliana rejoined. “Besides, I can get you in and out and no one will ever suspect you were looking for evidence.”
“They already suspect,” Elizabeth said. But Leliana had her interest.
And the singer knew it. “You’re lucky that when I went home to grab some things, I just swept my entire closet into my suitcase. There’s sure to be a few pieces in there that are suitable, and will fit you, even though you’re so tall.”
“Tell me about it when I’m out of the shower,” Elizabeth said. “I haven’t showered in about three days, and they’ve been exciting, sweaty days.”
“Go, go, shoo, ma cherie. All will be ready for you when you emerge.”
What Leliana had waiting for her when she emerged was not what she had expected, and for a minute she was ready to veto it just on principal. “It has glitter.”
“Of course it does!” Leliana said. “This one’s from when I was just a chorus line gal. High kicks everywhere. Of course, I’ve filled out a bit since then, so it might need some adjustments…”
“Why do I have to wear it?” Elizabeth demanded, although the… thing Leliana had set aside for herself was even more gaudy.
“Because you’re not looking for evidence tonight,” Leliana said. “You’re looking for Rendon Howe, in order to entertain him.”
“The last person I want to see tonight is Rendon Howe,” Elizabeth muttered. “And won’t he see through that immediately? He is a friend of my parents, after all.” Although now she wondered just how far that friendship went. He was supposed to be an even closer friend of Theirin and Mac Tyr.
“You’re not actually looking for him,” Leliana explained patiently. “You’re just saying that to all the guards so they’ll let you by. They won’t question it, and late enough at night, they won’t even phone ahead to check.”
Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve done this before.”
“Oui, ma cherie.”
She felt a hysterical laugh bubbling up within her. She had begun the day kissing an attractive man, had her ex-boyfriend murdered in front of her, shot and killed four men, had a very long drive, and now her roommate was expecting her to put on sparkly lingerie and seduce her way past guards to go illegally steal the evidence she needed for her case. The luke-warm shower had reminded her just how tired she was; she wanted nothing than to lie down and sleep for twelve hours. She clamped down on the laugh. She couldn’t lose control yet.
Should she, or shouldn’t she?
There wasn’t really a question about it. This wasn’t her duty. In fact, it was her duty not to do it. But if she didn’t do it, she had no idea how her investigation would proceed. If her investigation didn’t proceed, and quickly, she was going to end up dead in a ditch somewhere.
But that didn’t mean she didn’t have to come up with some kind of excuse for presenting this evidence that would fly with the law. And quickly. “All right. I’ll do it. How the hell does one put this thing on?”
“Excellent!” Leliana clapped her hands.
“This is degrading to our gender,” Elizabeth complained about an hour later, well on their way to Theirin Inc. Her hair was done up, soft and wavy, and her heavy overcoat concealed most of the awful costume she wore, but it did not cover her toned bare shins or the matching gaudy shoes. (“The shoes are the best part!” Leliana had said.) And if she had to, she could tug a little at her lapels and show a coy flash of cleavage. Awful.
“Yes, it is,” Leliana agreed. “To both genders. I think of it this way – if men want to stop being ‘tricked’ by female sexuality, then…”
“Then they have to stop falling for it?”
“Well, yes, and that every one of them has to start treating all women with the respect we deserve.”
Elizabeth frowned. “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”
“Well, normally you work the other angle, and that’s good for you. But the world’s a messy place, cherie. Some of us have to, and will take advantage of everything we can just to survive.”
“All right,” Elizabeth said, and shut up.
Would Zevran would treat her with respect no matter what she wore?
True to her word, Leliana got them into Theirin Inc.’s main building. Elizabeth had never had such a fake silly smile plastered on her face for so long, and her tiredness and stress and tension was only in her advantage in that it gave her a slightly hysterical giggly tendency. As long as she didn’t mood-swing into tears, it would be fine.
“You ladies have a gooood night,” one of the night watchmen said, seeing them into the elevator to the top floor with a smirk.
“So we get in, find the safe in his office, figure out the combination, find any damning evidence we can like a contract or a letter, seal it up again, and leave,” Leliana said. “It’s a good thing we’ll have a couple hours up here.”
“You know he has a safe in his office?”
“Please, everyone has a safe in their office. My only concern is that he might keep such a document at his home, instead. But if this doesn’t work, we’ll come up with a plan to access that one, too, never fear.”
The elevator door opened and she found herself face to face with Rendon and Nathaniel Howe.
She felt a scream rising inside and choked it down, slapping that same silly smile on her face.
“Ah, there you are, Mr. Howe! We were just looking for you.” Leliana always had a smooth cover.
Howe frowned mightily, confused, taking in their somewhat inappropriate appearance. “You were? Detective Cousland and Leliana Rossignol?”
“It’s a bit of a story,” Elizabeth said, modulating the smile into something a little more normal to her. “We were… actually… sent here for Nathaniel. You are Nathaniel Howe, yes? In training at the Warden Academy? It’s a pleasure to meet you, even in… odd circumstances like this.” She put out her hand, and Nathaniel, after some hesitation, shook it.
“It’s good to meet you as well, Detective,” he said, blinking at her. “If you don’t mind me asking, what do you mean by ‘long story’ and ‘sent here for me’?”
“Perhaps we could have this conversation not in the elevator?” Elizabeth said.
“Yes, of course,” Howe said. “Let’s speak in my office. The night guards don’t need to hear of this.” They returned down the hall to a fine office with large plate-glass windows. When they were settled, he nodded. “Proceed.”
“Well, you see…” Leliana began, having read Elizabeth’s mind somehow, “our apartment’s been a bit… destroyed in some ruckus recently, and we’ve had to move.” She had casually in her chair with her legs tucked under her, a pose that made it look completely accidental that most of her collarbone was exposed by her overcoat, with a hint of sparkles lower down.
“Money’s been short this month,” Elizabeth said, “and in order to scrape together a deposit on a new place, we’ve… had to resort to this. Apparently you’ve been doing quite well in your classes, and one of your fellows, well, asked us to come visit you.”
Nathaniel blinked again. “Really? Who was it?”
“Oh, one doesn’t ask names in cases like this,” Leliana said with a wink. “Anonymity would be worth so little if we asked!”
“I would have thought your parents would take care of you,” Rendon said to Elizabeth. “Your reputations for both of you are not served well by this.”
“I have my pride, and my independence,” Elizabeth said. “I choose to swallow my pride for my independence’s sake…” Would she really? Could she herself believe such a thing? She had to, or Rendon would sniff out their lie in a moment.
“What happened to your apartment?” Nathaniel asked innocently.
“Oh, I came home from my concert in Jader and found the door smashed in, bullet holes in the windows, and the living room looked like it had been torn apart by a wild animal!” Leliana exclaimed. “Elizabeth was out at work so I had no idea how it happened. Perhaps some gangs had a disagreement?” She shuddered expressively. “I had always thought our neighbourhood was safe.”
“That’s a shame,” Nathaniel said sympathetically. “I hope you can find a new place to live soon.” But Elizabeth hadn’t missed the flicker in Howe’s eyes.
“Yes,” she said, standing from her seat. “And towards that end, if we might be allowed to fulfill our part of the bargain?” A member of the police masquerading as a hooker. What had her career come to?
Nathaniel blushed and looked down. “I don’t know… When I graduate, you’ll be my superior. I… don’t want to objectify you.”
Good fellow, but she needed to speak with him without his father present. “I’m afraid I can’t give you much of a choice. What you say is true, and I’m not exactly pleased about the circumstances either, but I gave my word. And you can rest assured we’re being well compensated.” Most of which was a flat lie, but what choice did she have?
“You are a woman of strange honour,” Howe said, with the slightest hint of sardonicism buried in his tones, and rose and bowed. “Do as you wish. Nathaniel, I expect you home before morning.”
He left, and Leliana and Elizabeth pounced.
“Now that he’s gone, let me explain why we’re really here,” Elizabeth whispered, and Nathaniel’s eyes widened.