24
The next morning, Calrain and Wellion set out to interview their latest suspects. Calrain had sent a missive to Lord Raffis last night, asking for members of his immediate family, and amongst the list was one Mostil Harcan, Sir Raffis’s younger brother and businesspartner.
“What an idiot,” Wellion said, shaking his head as they made their way across town via cab. “Using the initial of his real first name. I had thought he was smarter thanthat.”
Calrain shrugged. “I am quite certain he never expected you to come all this way, sniffing at hisheels.”
They had spent a bit of time looking into Mostil, and it turned out that if Lord Raffis had died while in captivity, Mostil would be nominated as guardian to his baby son, and could work his way into a position to take everything by the time the child wasgrown.
“It really is an ingenious plan,” Wellion said admiringly. “Kidnap strategic members of society and use their absence to grow the business’s wealth, and then get rid of Raffis when the time is right. No wonder Lord M was willing to put up with my father for so manyyears.”
“It just seems so cold,” Calrain said. “I know greed drives men to do all sorts of unsavory things, but would Mostil really denounce his brother for tax evasion? It is a seriouscrime.”
“One that does not lead to the confiscation of his entire fortune,” Wellion pointed out, “which means it is the perfect way to get rid of Raffis, short of killing him. As far as being cold, I should think I am a perfect example of how relationships between siblings can goawry.”
Calrain flinched at the ice in Wellion’s voice. Turning away from the former bandit, he glanced out the window at the passing scenery. Calrain had always wished he could have grown up with a real family, but looking at how Wellion’s lot in life had turned out, he was thankful he’d at least been raised by a group of people who were mostly moral. He couldn’t imagine growing up in a den of thieves, with a father who barely valued him and a sister who ended up stabbing him in theback.
It isn’t as if I need a family anyway,Calrain reminded himself as he hopped out of the cab. He had Tariel now, and Riann, and Yarim. They were all the family heneeded.
“Remember, let me do the talking,” Calrain said in a low voice as they approached the modest townhouse where Mostil resided, close enough to the docks he could hear the cry of gulls and smell the sea spray on the wind. “You just listen. Remember the signal we agreedupon?”
“Yes.” Wellion rolled his eyes. “I’m to scratch my head if he tells alie.”
They walked up the steps, then knocked on the door and waited. The two of them were both wearing fine suits, and Wellion wore the black wig and mustache he had purchased yesterday. He lowered his lashes to hide the color of his distinctive eyes as the housekeeper opened thedoor.
“Good morning,” Calrain said cheerfully. “Is Mr. Harcan in? I have come to speak to him about hisinsurance.”
“Mr. Harcan isn’t expecting anyone from the insurance company,” the woman said with a small frown. “What did you say your namewas?”
“Mr. Fredric Elcat, at your service.” He bowed with a flourish. “And this is my associate, Mr. Taldrish. We know your employer isn’t expecting us, but we are a team of private investigators, and we are currently investigating the company he uses. It would really be very helpful if we could speak to him. He may even get monetary compensation should our investigation lead to an arrest andconviction.”
“Oh, all right,” the woman relented. “I’ll ask him if he wants to seeyou.”
The housekeeper led them to a small drawing room to wait while she fetched Lord Raffis’s brother. While the house was tastefully decorated with bold, masculine colors and furnishings, the decorations and furniture were much simpler than in Lord Raffis’shouse.
“He either does not make as much as his brother, or Raffis has other business interests that bring in more income,” Wellion said in a lowvoice.
Calrain nodded. Wellion looked like he wanted to say more, but Calrain shook his head as they heard footsteps coming down thehall.
“Good morning,” the young man said pleasantly. He was tall and well-built, in his mid-twenties, with a thick head of silver-blond hair and shrewd gray eyes. “My housekeeper tells me you are private investigators, looking into my insurance company. What seems to be theproblem?”
“We have reason to believe that Paxtall Insurance has been overcharging their customers and slipping hidden fees into their contracts,” Calrain saidsmoothly.
Wellion’s eyes flashed with recognition, and Calrain gathered this was, indeed, the man they sought. “We were hoping you might tell us a bit about your experience withthem.”
Mostil’s eyebrows rose as he took a seat. “I have reviewed that contract myself, and I don’t recall anything about hidden fees. What sort of fees are we talkingabout?”
Calrain spent the next five minutes continuing to spin the yarn about insurance fraud, all the while surreptitiously asking questions about Mostil and his role in the company. It turned out that while Lord Raffis had provided the initial financing, and occasionally came down to inspect the ships and check on the operations, Mostil did most of the work. Calrain could see how such an arrangement could make a man bitter, especially when Lord Raffis clearly had so much more than his youngerbrother.
“This has been a very informative conversation,” Calrain said, pretending to wind down the interrogation. “I must say you have been veryhelpful.”
Mostil smiled. “I am always happy to assist in any effort to apprehend criminals. I thank you for bringing this to my attention—if I find that I truly have been swindled, I intend to take swiftaction.”
“We do have one more question,” Calrain said. “Have you ever heard of a man called LordM?”
Mostil blinked, and Calrain caught a subtle tightening around the lines of his mouth. “Who?”
“Lord M,” Calrain repeated. “Do you know of anyone by thatname?”
