Goblin Precinct (Dragon Precinct) Read Online Free Page B

kicking back in. “There’s gotta be somethin’ wrong with the boat.”
    “That’s what I was thinkin’, too, but I looked it over five times—even paid off that friend’a Horran’s down in the docks to check it out, and he said it was ship-shape.”
    As they turned the corner onto Frannik’s Lane toward the main branch of the Cliff’s End Bank, Dru asked, “You trust Horran’s friend?”
    “After payin’ him three gold? Yeah, I trust him.”
    Dru winced. “That’s overpayin’, ain’t it?”
    “I wanted an honest assessment, and the guy I’m buyin’ from wouldn’t be payin’ more than that in a counterbribe.”
    Nodding, Dru said, “Yeah, you’re probably right. So, you gonna do it?”
    Hawk sighed. “Still not sure. I mean, what’s Dad gonna do?”
    “Seriously? That’s your worry? Hawk, your Dad—”
    Whatever Dru was going to say about Hawk’s Dad was lost to the very tall, very thin man in the tailored suit who met them in the middle of Frannik’s Lane in front of the bank.
    He had his hands together, fingers interlaced, over his heart as he asked, “Oh, please, for Ghandurha’s sake, tell me you’re here to investigate the robbery, yes?”
    “Yes, sir, we are. I’m Lieutenant Dru, this is my partner, Lieutenant Hawk.”
    “I’m Than Martel, the manager of this branch. I’m so very glad to see you—this is such a disaster, especially with Mr. Grovis about to be on the rolls! Please, for Ghandurha’s sake, tell me you’ve investigated robberies before, yes?”
    “Of course we have, sir.” Hawk was surprised he was so outraged at the question. It wasn’t like he wasn’t asked it every single time he and Dru showed up at a scene. He wondered if Torin and Danthres got the question, too. (Grovis and Iaian probably did, but he’d expect people to be unsure of the pair of them on sight.)
    Dru added, “I’m sorry, Mr. Martel, but did you say that Harcort Grovis is gonna be made a member of the court?”
    “Yes, he told us all last week. Why?” Martel had a very mouse-like face for a man so tall, and now his cheeks were twitching.
    “No reason,” Dru said, though Hawk assumed his partner was thinking the same thing he was: why hadn’t Grovis mentioned that Daddy was being made into Sir Harcort? It was unlike their fish-faced partner to miss a chance to gloat about his family.
    Martel clapped his hands once for no obvious reason. “Now, then, I suppose you’ll need us to clear the bank. Er, where is your magickal examiner?”
    Hawk exchanged glances with Dru. “I’m truly sorry, Mr. Martel,” Hawk said, “but our M.E. isn’t available. Don’t be worryin’, though, he’ll be back soon, and he can cast the peel-back then. Meantime, we need to be havin’ a look ’round.”
    “I’m sorry, but—well, please, for Ghandurha’s sake, tell me what you’re doing here?”
    Angrily, Dru said, “Hey, look, we don’t just go where the M.E. points and arrest somebody. The peel-back isn’t completely conclusive every time, and sometimes all it tells us is what the perp looks like, not where he is or who he is or anything like that. We still need to do our jobs—the M.E. just helps. So if you’d be so kind as to show us into the bank and tell us what happened, we’d be grateful.”
    “Yes, but—well, you two shouldn’t even be the ones handling this case. I mean—well, please, for Ghandurha’s sake, tell me that the only reason why Lieutenant Grovis isn’t here is because he’s on another case.”
    Without thinking, Hawk said, “Why would we want him here?”
    “Isn’t it obvious?” Martel was now staring with his long face twisted into an expression of shock and disgust. “He knows this bank—his father owns it, after all. Shouldn’t he be the one to investigate?”
    “Trust me,” Hawk muttered, “whatever he knows about the bank is more than made up for by what he don’t know about policework.”
    Martel frowned and moved closer. “I’m sorry, what