Now that declarations are out of the I would like to share with you all the first chapter of the book. At this time the chapter has been mostly edited by stepmother Dr. Teresa Little. I have much appreciation for her and wish to thank her for taking the time to fix my horrible grammar and point out things that did not make sense or were worded incorrectly. I can tell a story, but I know that the story I tell does not always translate to paper. As of today our total word count is 48,168.
Presenting Chapter 1: Moore For Less Investigations: The Kid
Chapter 1
I’m sure you’ve heard this one before.
You know how these stories start. They always start with a girl. It was a
dreary Wednesday afternoon and I’d just finished filing the case notes from my
last job. Outside my window the rain splashed heavy against the windowsill.
I took a drink from my glass of bourbon
as I watched the steam powered cars pass by on the street below. It reminded me
I needed to take my Athena for a tune up. Another excuse to see Lucy I suppose.
The smell of her perfume hit me before
she could rap on the door. A combination of honey and wildflowers drifted under
my door and worked its way to my keen nostrils. I suppose I should explain
that. Let’s just say I’m not entirely human, a little gift from my parents.
I turned around to face the door and
said, “Come in.”
The door opened to a radiant woman;
human I could see. She wore a dark gray pinstriped dress with a black bodice over
a cream colored blouse. She wore a brown canvas overcoat that was dotted with
droplets of rain. Her skin was fair in color with a hint of red to it.
Her hair was a fiery red and pulled back
into a small bun. She possessed green blue eyes like the color of the sea on a
sunny day. We finalize the description with a button nose, lips painted the
color of candied apples and a look of sorrow and distress.
Distress is every man’s weakness. Well
it sure was mine anyway. She sat her umbrella in the rack just outside my
office door which read: “Moore for Less Investigations.”
“Are you Mr. Moore?” she asked timidly.
“Yes Ma’am,” I told her as I walked over to the door and
escorted her in.
My
office is not a big place; a single room with a desk and a typewriter, coat
rack, file cabinets, scrying mirror and two chairs. I assisted the lady with
her coat and escorted her to the chair and walked around the desk to sit in my
own. She appeared very worried and a bit distracted.
“And you are?”
“Oh I’m sorry,” she said with a start. “I am Arlena Silverstein.
I’m the daughter of Augustus Silverstein, the airship mogul.”
“Yes, I am familiar with your father and Silverstein Air. What
can I do for you ma’am?”
“Well you see, I have a problem. My son..,” She stammered. She
began to shiver uncontrollably.
“It’s OK.” I told her. “Tell me everything and I’ll see what I
can do to help.”
She took a deep breath
and regained her composure. She pulled a handkerchief from her waist pouch and
dotted away tears that threatened to ruin her make up.
“Three days ago, my nanny took my son Braylen to the city park.
No one has seen either since. The police said that they believe nanny just run
off with my son.”
As she spoke I pulled
out my small notepad from my desk and jotted down notes. She continued, “Well
yesterday I received this letter. The letter said that if I didn’t bring them
the new blueprint for the drive cores my father’s company was designing, I
would never see my son again.” She broke down in full sobs at this point. As I
said earlier, I’m a sucker for distressed women in need of saving.
I rose from my chair
walked over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. I knelt before her
starting right into her eyes. She shied away after a moment. Most do, some say
the golden hue makes them difficult to look directly at.
“It’ll be OK, ma’am,”
I told her. “I’m really good at finding people. You could say it’s my
specialty. Did you bring the letter? I
will need you to send me something of both the nanny and your son, also provide
me with the nanny’s address.”
She reached within her pouch and
produced the letter. It had been typed, not handwritten as I had hoped. I held
on to it anyway. I quickly sniffed the paper without her noticing. There was something
there but her perfume had soaked into the parchment.
“What of your son's father? Is he still in the picture? If so,
is he aware of the situation? If he is not, would he be involved?” I asked her
cautiously.
“His father is away on business. He is a scientist and is
currently working on a some big project up north.”
“My fee is twenty-five sovereign a day in addition to operations
fees. Will that work for you Mrs. Silverstein?”
“It’s Ms.” She corrected me. “Yes, that will do just fine.”
“Very well, I’ll send a runner over with the contract. Just jot
down an address they can reach you at on this pad.” I handed her the pad. “Also
write down a brief description of both your son and the nanny.”
She scribbled an
address and description on the pad and placed in on my desk along with a twenty
and a five sovereign note. She rose from the chair and walked to the door, I
aided her as she pulled her coat on once more. She exited my office and
retrieved her umbrella from the rack.
I bid her farewell and
returned to my desk. Looking back something felt off about the job, but a job
is a job. I did find it interesting that something this high profile was being
kept so well under wraps.
I sat at my desk and
finished my bourbon as I read over the letter again. It seemed very specific
and rather unusual. Most kidnappings involve obscene amounts of money. Asking
for blueprints for a gadget. It would have been easier to have someone steal it.
I'd have to see if I
could track down who delivered the letter. I highly doubted it was sent through
the postal service. I decided I would ask the clerk and the messengers office
it the message came from there. Or if it had any other delivery services signature.
Time to hit the
streets I told myself. I pressed the pressure release button under my desk. The
hiss of air escaping was followed by a small pop. I slid the bottom drawer of
my desk open and I withdrew my black leather gun belt custom made to carry
Lucy.
I know what you’re thinking; I named my gun after my mechanic.
Lucy is a one of a kind handgun designed to fire arcane bullets. The gun was designed and constructed by Lucille
Ravens.
Like the gun, Lucy is one of those rarities her father was an
elf and her mother a gnome. The girl was gifted with a mind that understands
machines and magic better than most and how they can work together better than
anyone. She isn’t sore on the eyes either, though she completely lacks in
social skills.
I ejected the wheel of the Six Shooter and gave it a spin. I
checked the fluid in the two glass vials just above the hammer. From the drawer
I took out two speed loaders. One with standard ammunition, and the other with
inferno rounds, you know just in case, and put them in my pocket. On the belt
were another 12 rounds, each contained a different spell. I buckled Lucy to my
hip and threw on my black cloak.
I checked myself in the scrying mirror.
I'm a handsome fellow, or so I have been told. My eyes as I said have a golden
tint to them. I have a more square shape face with a strong jaw. My cheek bones
are fairly low and I have an average size nose.
I stand about six feet in height and
built like a boxer. I keep my hair cut short in the back. It falls to about eye
level in the front I have it parted down the middle. Lately I have taken to
maintaining a closely shaven beard.
I exited the building in my gray suit
with blue vest. I wore a black cloak and top hat that shielded me from most of
the rain. I wore a custom pair of Lucy’s goggles to keep the rain out of my
eyes. Even though stopping the rain was just one of the goggles features.
It was about
mid-afternoon and the streets where busy. I decided it would be quicker to walk
to the messenger’s office. Luimere is a home to every race in the known world.
A proverbial melting pot if you will. Anywhere on these streets you are likely
to bump in those of orc, human, dwarf, elf, gnome, goblin or any mix of the
aforementioned. There are the occasional giants and ogres that have acclimated
to the urban lifestyle.
The city however does
not only breath with life of its people. We are at the peak of what many call
the age of steam. There is not a place where gears can not be seen turning and
winding, generating power. Tufts
of white steam and black smoke fill the air making the clouds above ever so
heavy with rain.
The city of
Luimere is also an industrial mecca. All manner of industry can be found here.
Automobiles, Airships ships, weapons, textiles, produce, livestock you name it;
it can be found. Everywhere you look you
can see steam pipes providing power to the many high rises and factories. These
pipes filled with copper wiring are like the veins of the very city providing
it's life blood. The massive power plant in the city's center luminescent at
all hours is its massive heart.
The city stretches
north to south alongside the Black Sea and is broken into four primary parts.
Upper city is home to the upper middle class and the insanely rich. The Middle
city is where you would find the bulk of the population as well as much of the mom
and pop shops, small factories and my office.
The Lower city is
where much of the large industrial factories of located. Many of the poorer
citizens of Luimere call Lower city home and scrap to get by on work or hustle
they can. Lower city is also litter with ruthless street gangs. The final
section of Luimere is that of Downtown.
Downtown is home to the Sky rises that stretch hundreds of feet in the air.
Downtown is fill with shop, corporations, museums, various collages of all
manner of talents.
You can not walk five feet without hearing the
release of pressure. The streets are littered with grime, moss and all other
manner of filth. You find, like in any city, the poor, the homeless, the
drunkard, and the lost. You see the well to do, the honest, and the crook.
Airships flew silently over head most of which
are converted sea vessels. Big ships fitted with massive balloons and propelled
by steam engines. I popped into the messengers office and ordered to have my
contract to be sent to the address of Arlena Silverstein.
Christopher the proprietor waved me over to his desk.
“Marcus, good to see you.”
“Good to see you as well, old friend. How is the back?”
“It could be worst. My wife doesn't hound me about housework
anymore.” He laughed wholeheartedly. I laughed along with him.
“Still I’m glad you came in today. I'm in need of your
services,” he said it in a low conspiratorial voice.
“Not a problem Christopher, You know my rates. What is the job?”
“It's nothing too big. Just a little spying. One of my guys has
been taking longer than expected with his deliveries. I have gotten rave
reviews from the receivers. But as you know time is money and the time the
amount of delivery’s he's making it not adding up.”
“Okay, I'll verify that he's not moonlighting some other job at
the same time. What's his name and where is he now?”
Christopher pointed to
the tall human with chocolate colored skin and hazel brown eyes. His black hair
was trimmed close and he wore a gallant style mustache that curled nicely at
the tips. He wore a nice auburn colored vest over an egg shell colored shirt.
His steel gray pants were held up by a brown belt.
“When's his next delivery?”
“He'll be heading out just after you pay for yours.”
“What is he driving?”
“He will be driving the company delivery van, a white painted
Hermes with the company logo on the sides.”
“Very well, delay his departure until I have left the building.
I'm follow him now and we'll see where he goes. How many deliveries?”
“Including yours, six are along the same route.”
“Quick question for you. Can you tell me anything about this
letter?” I handed Christopher the ransom note.
He took the letter
from my hand and analyzed it for a moment. Christopher handed it back to me and
said.
“This letter did not come from my shop all of our deliveries
come with our company seal. Actually, that's pretty much common practice these
days amongst delivery and messaging firms.”
“Hmm. I figured as much. Thanks, let me set up this delivery and
I’ll tail you man.”
“Thank you, Marcus.”
I left Christopher’s
office and took my contract to the clerk. He notarized it and placed it into a
brown envelope. The clerk then pressed the embossed stamp in some ink in a
small tray. He pressed down solidly on the envelop clearly displaying the
company logo. I paid for the delivery and retrieval and made my way back to my
steam powered car.
Athena’s are not as
regal as a Zeus or Poseidon or as sporty an Apollo or an Artemis. It sits four
comfortably and has modest storage space. And with a little help from Lucy is
built like a locomotive. I hopped in and started the engine. I gave the boiler
time to heat up then waited for the white Dionysus to leave the parking lot.
I followed the van
through the streets of Luimere. I was careful to keep two cars between us
during the drive. With each stop I made it a point to keep driving and loop
back around to continue observation. Nothing out of the ordinary happen during
the first two stops.
I started to let my
mind drift to the bigger case and the missing kid. Years ago I was a member of
the Luimere police force. During that time I dealt with a few kidnappings only
one of them went well. My client receiving the ransom note so late in the game
was a good sign though. I watched the driver pull up to a set of row houses.
Like the others, he
withdrew the package from the rear of the vehicle and carried it to the door.
He rang the bell and waited for the recipient. An elf female answered the door,
bare as the day she was conceived. I had to take a moment to pull my jaw off
the dashboard.
She was tall nearly as
tall as the delivery boy and extremely well fit as most elves were. Her hair
was a light green showing her wood elf heritage. Her long pointed ears gleamed
with several silver earrings. She wrapped her arms around the dark skinned
man's neck and drew him in for a deep and passionate kiss.
She stepped back from
the kiss and led the young man into her home. I sat there in the car and
waited. While I waited I set my keen ears to listen. Not the what normal humans
consider listening, when
I focus I can hear a heartbeat from fifty feet away.
The noises I did hear
made my ears burn. I almost felt like I needed a moist towel. The man
definitely had a hidden talent and awe inspiring stamina. And that is saying
something coming from me. After about an hour the chocolate skinned delivery
boy exited the elf's home. She appeared at the door as he left with a look of
complete satisfaction on her beautiful face.
The next two delivers
were much the same, the third being a pair of goblins and the forth being an
orc. Each time he spent an hour pleasing his host with from what the ladies
were referring to as his amazing manhood. I admit I was impressed and amused at
the same time. Being voyeuristic is part of private detective work, but it is
rare to come across something this amusing.
I departed after the
driver made the final delivery to the location Arlena had provided. I thought
it was odd. I knew it would not be her home address. Yet this was not even her
father office either. The sign on the front of the skyscrapers read “Devlin
Works.”
I drove back to the
messenger’s office and met with Christopher in his office.
“So Christopher, you do not have to worry about your driver
doing double duty.”
“Well that is a relief. What is he doing then?”
“Have you noticed that he makes deliveries to the same clients?”
“Yes, he has a few regulars?”
“Have you noticed that all the rave reviews have been from
female clients.”
“Well...I...uh..My gosh yes they have been.”
“Your employee is not working another angle while on the job. He
is however working some angles while on the job. I reckon you will receive
three satisfied customer notices today alone.”
He sat back in his
chair and rubbed his balding head. He opened the draw next to him and withdrew a
small stack of sovereigns. He counted out twenty-five of them and slid the
stack across the desk toward me. I picked up the money and place it in my
wallet.
“I should warn you. It is likely these females are house wives.
If you continue to employ the lad. I'd suggest either having a chat with him or
providing him an alternate route.” I told him as I stood up.
“Wise as always Marcus. Thank you. I'll have your package
delivered to your office.”
“Very well, Take care of yourself and watch that back.”
I walked out of
Christopher's office and headed to the door. The young man walked in just as I
reach the door to leave. I tipped my hat and smiled. He did the same and went
on about his business. I grinned like a clown and shook my head as I walked
back out to the street.
The rain began to drum it beat from the
thunderous clouds above. I ducked into my Athena and started up the boiler. The
engine rumbled and the steam hissed. I shifted the car in gear and pulled out
into the busy streets of Luimere once again.
