Death: Chapter 3: The Harlot and the Dog

  Once inside the office, Lex directed me to the location of the safe. He told me that Brim had testified the only thing missing was the schematics—none of his other possessions had been touched. It was like the perpetrator had no interest in anything else… or no time. In the missing item's place, they left behind an amulet—almost like a taunt.

  I took a look. Sure enough, the money was untouched. There were also a few books inside the safe. One was titled "Manuscript of Something Unintelligible", another was "Wards and the Children’s Escape", and then—oddly enough—a "Collection of Poetry?" I never took Mr. Brim for the poetic type… then again, what do I really know?

  The amulet itself looked like a sun sigil, placed right where the schematics had been. I wasn’t familiar with the symbol, but Lex stared at it with a strange expression.

  “Do you recognize it by any chance?” I asked.

  “Actually, yes,” he riposted. “Some nuns used to wear these during their missionary work. I always thought it was just decorative. They stopped using them after the war.”

  I frowned. That should’ve clicked. It sounded like something I should’ve remembered… but I didn’t.

  Why can’t I recall something that basic?

  I should really stop drinking. I feel like I know myself less every day.

  “Well,” I said to Lex, “the perpetrator clearly wants us to look at the church… but which one? It’s not exactly obvious.”

  Lex, lost in thought, scratched his chin. “Maybe we should check with Barndeny. He’s been skulking around for a while—maybe he’s got something of note.”

  Then, lowering his voice, Lex added, “Between you and me, I’m kinda worried about him. Man’s under worse stress than we are. Henpecked husband with five kids… that’ll change your entire outlook on life.”

  He said it with a radiant smile, like he admired the guy.

  I stood there, stunned. Damn… that explains a lot. Five kids?! I can barely afford myself!

  Before I could spiral further into my own existential crisis, Lex clapped his hands. “Come on. Let’s head outside—he usually patrols near the gate around this time.”

  I sighed and muttered to myself, “Alright then… let my guardian angel light the way.”

  As I was sinking into deep pity for our overworked supervisor, I—ignorant as ever—spotted him chatting by the front gate with none other than the well known, Miss Sophia.

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  Miss Sophia had a reputation. A sophisticated woman, they called her. The kind who could worm her way into the hearts—and wallets—of lonely men. Her “business” thrived, especially among the military types who had grown desperate for one reason or another. Rumor had it that many flocked to her, given that most women in this area were traditionally bound by strict local customs.

  As we approached, we heard her voice float through the air—angelic, laced with innocence and suggestion, every word dipped in sugar and sin. It had a rhythm to it, like a lullaby whispered behind a curtain.

  And Barndeny? The man was looking more like a smitten pup than our grizzled, grumpy supervisor.

  I cleared my throat loudly.

  Barndeny jolted upright like he’d been caught stealing communion wafers and scrambled to compose himself

  Cough, cough… “Report. What did the head honcho say?” Barndeny barked, trying to sound like he hadn’t just been wagging his tail in front of Miss Sophia.

  I grimaced and answered, “We’re supposed to find the stolen item. We found a pendant at the scene—left behind like some kind of calling card—and we were hoping you could help identify it. We suspect the church might be involved somehow.”

  While giving the report, I side-glanced at Lex, who was now deep in conversation with Sophia. For a moment, I thought—Is Sophia actually smitten? Could my angelic golden retriever of a partner really be that charismatic?

  Huh… maybe.

  I always thought Sophia was rumored to be tougher to impress than a spinster guarding her final cat. But there she was, smiling at Lex like he’d just quoted poetry in the rain.

  Shaking off the thought, I turned back to Barndeny. “Anyway… have you seen this sun-shaped pendant before? Maybe around the factory or with the locals?

  He answered, “Not near this premises. I used to see it often on the nuns at the battlefield nursery.” He paused, then added with a nervous chuckle, “Gotta thank them, actually—they introduced me to my lovely wife!” He stammered, eyes darting sideways toward the local pedestrians, trying to look authoritative as they gossiped nearby.

  I thought to myself, Damn it… dead end.

  But just as that frustration sank in, Sophia chimed in with a saintly tone, “Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen, but I’ve seen those pendants near the local parish. Some of the nuns come and go with very… solemn movements.”

  I asked, “Which parish?”

  She answered, “John D’s Parish. He’s been the talk of the town these days. He’s spearheading the humanitarian aid effort in the area… I think?” She shrugged slightly. “Either way, what we do know is that he took in the nuns who were sent out to the Eastern Front a few years back. Some of them keep their memorabilia hidden—for personal reasons or repentance. You men are usually not privy to a woman’s heart.”

  After that comment, I turned to Lexington—who had somehow appeared next to me like a ghost—and said, “I think we have our lead.”

  Barndeny chimed in, “Well, I guess you two will have to continue without me. Someone’s got to stay behind and supervise security for Mr. Brim. He ordered a tightening of the guard—or a ‘purge,’ quote-unquote—and if I execute it properly, I might just have job security for a while longer.”

  He handed me a letter, sealed with Mr. Brim’s official wax stamp.

  “Lucky for you, Mr. Brim said you’re both on paid leave for the duration of the investigation. You’ll be ‘fired’ in the purge,” he added, using air quotes, “but don’t worry too much. As long as you get results, you’ll probably be back… maybe even with a promotion. Just redeem this letter at the local bank.”

  Then he handed another envelope to Lex. “This one’s for you. Gotta keep the records matching.”

  Lexington accepted the letter with his usual sunny grin and said, “Hey, our adventure is about to begin!”

  I just stared at him, internally screaming, How can he be happy about this?!

  Meanwhile, Sophia stood there, gazing at Lex with starstruck eyes, her usual air of sophistication quietly unraveling.