“Is there anything at all that you can tell me about the man that hired you?” he asked, panting.
“Not more than I have already told you,” Jazz said, confused. “Why? What happened?”
“The ruby. It’s gone,” Jake said.
Jazz instantly got up and said, “How? I thought you guys updated your security. I told you all the flaws in it and all the information that man had about your mansion!”
“Exactly. How did a thief get into this mansion? I covered every entrance and every exit thoroughly,” Jake said.
“We are running out of time,” Jazz said. “I am starting to think that this is an inside job. Which means that they won’t have to worry about coming in but getting out.”
“No bear of mine would do something like this,” Jake said. “I trust them all with my life.”
“You have a tracker with you. I know because he was the one who tracked me, allowing Lawrance to surround me with his darkness,” Jazz said. “Get him out and send a team with him. I need a map so I can plot out where the thief might go.”
“We are letting this thief help us?” Lawrance asked, standing at the door. “We can’t trust her, Jake. She might even be involved with the other guy.”
“I am a thief, and I am your best chance at figuring out where a thief might go and do,” Jazz said. “Whether you choose to trust me or not is none of my concern. But you can’t deny that I am currently your only hope.
Whatever you have to decide, decide now. Before the thief is too far away and your ruby is gone.”
“This is my decision, Lawrance,” Jake said. “I trust her.”
“As you say, Boss,” Lawrance said. He cast one last suspicious look towards Jazz before walking away.
A minute later Jazz had a town’s map in front of her, which she studied intently for a minute.
“The man gave me very clear instructions to come to the bell tower. He said that once I was inside, I would be completely safe. I guessed that he had some sort of enchantment around it,” Jazz said. “I am guessing that he has changed the meeting spot. The thief already has the ruby, so we need to stop worrying about how he got in and think about how he got out.”
“He is not on the premises. My tracker made utterly sure that there was no one here,” Jake said.
“Your tracker wouldn’t be looking for an insider. Even if he does see one of the clans, he would assume that they are not the ones he is looking for,” Jazz said.
“I already told you,” Jake said, frowning. “I trust my clan completely, it’s not an inside job.”
“If this was an outside person, there would be clear evidence of it,” Jazz said. “From what you have told me, I can’t see how someone could have broken in-”
“It’s not one of us,” Jake said, cutting her off.
Jazz returned to studying the map, imagining how she would escape if she was the thief.
“Alright, he would try and escape to the cliffs,” Jazz said. “It is broad daylight, so he won’t risk the streets. As unobservant as humans are, even they will notice it. It will create problems, no matter how minute. He would head down this track towards the cliffs. Humans never go there because of how dangerous it is.”
“Right,” Jake said. “I will send a team right now. My tracker will go with them. If the thief took that path, we would know.”
“Near the cliffs, there is an abandoned temple. There is a good chance that the man is there, waiting. He draws energy from powerful and sacred places. That’s why he asked me to come to the bell tower,” Jazz said.
Jazz listed any other possibilities that she could think of, trying her best to think of all possible escapes.
“Thank you,” Jake said. “I am very grateful for your help.”
“I will come with you,” Jazz said.
“What?” Jake asked, shocked.
“Let me come with you. I am a very fast runner and I am good at combat. I can be very helpful to you,” Jazz said.
Jake looked at her for a minute, eyes narrowed.
