The Woodward Academy, Year 6

Chapter 2: July

David was finishing up his breakfast when the chime sounded to indicate there was someone at the front door.

"I'll get it," Flo said, getting up from the table.

"Who could that be at this hour?" Olissa wondered. David had a pretty good idea, but just grunted, since his mouth was full of eggs at the time.

David's thought was confirmed when Flo led Garibaldi into the dining room.

"Morning, everyone," Joe said. He looked at David. "Well, slick, you said you wanted a real case. You should be careful what you wish for."

"What have we got?" David asked.

"The theft of a very important scroll from the Royal Archives."

David set down his fork and rose from his chair. "Well, let's get going, then."

"Hello, my name is Eochus Abner. I'm the curator for this branch of the Royal Archive."

"I'm David Stroud, this is Agent Garibaldi. We were told a scroll was stolen."

"Yes. It was a particularly important section of the Journal of Aleutia."

"Pardon my ignorance, but what's so special about this document?"

"The Journal of Aleutia was a lifetime record of a wizard traveling through Dugerra about a thousand years ago. It chronicles not only the goings-on in the various regions of the day, but Aleutia also wrote down every new spell, potion, and magical item he came across. This section of the journal, for instance, contains over five hundred different spells."

"Five hundred?" Garibaldi asked incredulously. "Just how big was this scroll?"

"Oh, it wasn't terribly large. Aleutia developed, over time, incredibly small handwriting, in order to save himself some money. The scroll was about this size," the curator said, pulling out another scroll, which looked to be about two inches across. "It was rolled very solidly, with almost no empty space in the middle."

"Just how long was such a scroll?" David asked.

"About twenty-five feet or so."

"Okay, so... we know the scroll was academically valuable. Was it monetarily valuable? Could the thief sell the scroll?"

"To the unscrupulous, yes. The sheer number of spells in the scroll would make it a welcome addition to any spellcaster's collection. But only a dark wizard would dare to take the journal away from the public. Any Callamandian citizen could have viewed the journal in its entirety if they so chose, learning all of its secrets. There was really no reason for anyone to steal it."

"Someone must have had some reason," Garibaldi objected.

"Well... yes, obviously, otherwise they wouldn't have, would they?" the curator said.

"Who discovered the theft?" David asked.

"Our security guard, Thomas Drury."

"Is he here?"

"Yes, I told him to wait. I knew you'd want to speak with him."

"Where did the thief break into the building?"

"We don't know. There are no signs of a break-in that we've been able to locate."

"Who had easy access to this area?"

"Well, anyone in the archive could have come back here. We don't lock the display room."

"Okay, then... who's been in the archive in the last twenty-four hours?"

"Well, let's see... myself, of course, and Thomas... Lambo, the custodian, and... well, that's it, as far as I know."

"Can you show us where the scroll was being kept?"

"Surely. Come this way." The curator led them down the hall and into a small room. It had several display cabinets, most of which were empty. The ones that held items contained magical objects, rather than scrolls.

"It was in this case. We haven't touched anything."

David was about to reach for the case, when the curator stopped him.

"Do be careful. The anti-theft spell is still in place. That's why we can't figure out how it was stolen."

David cast a spell that allowed him to see the field created by the enchantment. It glowed a dull orange, surrounding the pedestal and the clear glass case on top of it. The field went all the way to the floor.

"I assume the spell also prevents conjuring?"

"Yes, quite," the curator confirmed. "Wouldn't be much use otherwise, would it?"

"And who's responsible for maintaining the spell?" David asked.

"The security guards, of course," the curator replied.

"Okay," David said. "I think it's time we talk to Mr. Drury, then."

"Surely you don't think he stole it," Mr. Abner said in disbelief. "The man's been with us for twenty years."

"He was here, Mr. Abner," David said politely. "And I have to start somewhere."

"Very well. He's waiting in the employee lounge."

David and Joe followed the curator down to the lounge, which looked comfortable enough, though small.

"Thomas? The Rimohrs would like to talk to you."

Thomas Drury was a slightly short, older gentleman with gray hair, a hook nose, and a pleasantly wrinkled face. His voice, when he spoke, was a bit grating, however.

"You're a Rimohr?" the man scoffed. "What are you, like twelve?"

"I'm older than I look, and let's leave it at that," David said politely. "Now, Mr. Drury, you discovered the theft?"

"Yeah, when I made my final rounds this morning."

"Final rounds? So you're the night guard?"

"Yeah."

"And you're sure the scroll was there earlier in the evening?"

"Pretty sure, yeah. I mean, I didn't stare at it or nothin', but you get used to seeing things in their spot, you know? And when they're not, you, like, kind of notice. That's how I spotted it this morning. It wasn't where it was supposed to be."

"Okay. When you noticed it was missing, did you see anything else out of the ordinary? Anything out of place?"

"No, just the scroll missing. I didn't touch nothin' in the room, once I realized somethin' was wrong."

"Did you touch anything in the room before then?"

Mr. Drury scratched his head in thought for a moment, then shook negatively. "No, I just walked in and looked around. It was light out, so I didn't need a firefly, even."

"Okay, very good. Now, thinking back over the course of last night, do you remember anything that was abnormal, anything that happened or anything you saw that wasn't the way things usually are?"

"Well, yeah, but not in that room."

"Anything different in any room could be important. What did you see?"

"Well, it hardly seems important, but in the reading room, all the chairs was rearranged, pulled out from their tables and turned."

"Show me," David ordered.

Mr. Drury led them down the hall. The curator followed, out of curiosity.

Mr. Drury said, "In here."

"You've put the chairs back?" David asked.

"Well, yeah. I didn't think it was important or anythin'."

David nodded. "Can you show me how they were when you found them?"

Mr. Drury walked over and started pulling out chairs. He turned them, so that each one was facing the doorway. "They was like this. See? Nothin' major, just someone forgot to push them in when they left."

David turned to the curator. "But you told me the only ones in here yesterday were yourself, Mr. Drury, and the custodian."

"Oh, that ain't true," Mr. Drury said immediately.

"Oh?" the curator asked. "Who else was here yesterday?"

"Well, the archival assistants was here, moving those two displays. And Patty was in here yesterday afternoon."

"Who is Patty?" David asked.

"Patricia Talisman," the curator explained. "She's our archivist. She researches through the works when someone has a question."

"Is it unusual for people to be in here without your knowledge, Mr. Abner?" David asked.

"Well... no, not really. I spent most of yesterday in my office, you see. I had a great deal of paperwork to handle. It's not surprising that I didn't see Patricia. The archival assistants should have checked in with me, however."

"What does an archival assistant do?"

"They handle the physical tasks of the archive. They move things around, assemble things, disassemble things... they are what Earthers might refer to as our handymen."

David nodded. "Are they here today?"

"No. Right now, Mr. Drury and I are the only two here."

"I'll need addresses on all the rest, then." David turned to Mr. Drury. "Was anyone else here? Any visitors?"

"No, just the ones I already said."

"Have you looked for a spot where someone could have broken into the building?"

"Well, I looked, but I didn't see nothin'."

"Okay. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Drury. I may be talking to you again."

"Sure, sure. Say... your partner doesn't say much."

"It's not his turn," David replied simply.

"Oh, yeah," Mr. Drury said, then got a look of confusion on his face, waved his hand at David in dismissal, and walked out.

"Come on back, and I'll get those addresses for you," the curator said.

"Yes, can I help you?" the woman who answered the door asked. She was a middle-aged woman with dusty red hair and a pair of wireframe reading glasses on her nose. Her clothing was what one would expect of a professional librarian.

"Patricia Talisman?"

"Yes," she confirmed.

"May we come in?"

"Surely. What is this about?" she asked as she ushered them in the door.

"Last night, there was a theft at the Royal Archive," David told her, watching her reaction carefully.

"Oh, no!" she cried. "What was taken?"

"A scroll. It was a section of the Journal of Aleutia," David said, checking his notes, to make sure he'd gotten the name right.

"Oh, no," she said sorrowfully. "Which section, do you know?"

"The curator said it contained over five hundred spells."

"It was stolen from the display cabinet? But that's not possible! They're protected with an enchantment!"

"And the rest of the archive isn't?" Garibaldi asked, unable to resist the question.

"Well, not so strong a one, no. Most of the other important items are actually kept under lock and key. Those items that are on display are at more risk, so they have more protections. Truthfully, the spells on those display cases are supposed to be better protection than the vault the other items are stored in."

"Apparently not," David said.

Patricia frowned. "I don't know how someone would be able to get past the enchantment. It's a very strong spell, I'm told. I don't know how anyone could break it."

"It wasn't broken," David replied.

"What?"

"The spell is still in place. It was circumvented, not broken."

The woman grew pale. "How is that even possible? The spell goes all the way to the floor."

"You seem to know an awful lot about the security of these displays," David said.

The woman looked at him sharply. "I work in the archive daily. I was informed about the protective fields for my own safety."

David nodded and made some notes.

"You were in the archive yesterday?"

"I am in the archive most days. It's where I work."

"What were you doing there?"

"I was researching an item."

"For whom?" David pressed.

"How is that relevant?" she asked.

David stared at her intently. "Corroboration of your statement."

"Am I a suspect?" she asked.

"Everyone who was anywhere near that scroll is a suspect," David said flatly.

The woman sighed. "Very well. I was researching the history of a magical item for the king. Would you like me to contact him for you, so he can verify that?" she replied snidely.

"No, we'll handle it later," David said, surprising her. "What rooms did you visit?"

"I was in the index room, the vault, and the reading room. I moved between them repeatedly."

"Did you ever enter the display room?"

"No. I almost never go in there. It's not a very useful room for research. It's designed for the visitors."

"Very well. Did you see anything while you were there yesterday that seemed out of place, or out of the ordinary?"

The woman didn't give it much thought. "No. I was fairly absorbed with my task. A pink dragon could have come through, and I might not have noticed,"

David smirked, and closed his book. "Well, thank you for your time. We may be in touch again in the future."

"I'll be here," the woman confirmed, then showed them to the door.

As they were walking to the Rimohr carriage, Joe said, "Just one thing."

"What?" David asked.

"It's not always a good idea to reveal details of the crime."

David nodded. "But do you really think she did it? I mean, hell, if there was one person who didn't need to steal anything in the archive, it's her."

"True, but if there was one person who could most easily have done so, it is also her."

David nodded, but didn't say anything, instead mulling over the thought.

"Anyway, let's move on to our next suspect," Joe said. "You want to go with the custodian, or the archival guys?"

"Let's do the custodian first."

"All right."

"Yes?" the man asked. He was a man probably not much older than David, and shorter than the security guard had been. His hair was black and his skin had the dark complexion of someone of Mediterranean descent.

"Mr. Fields?" David asked.

"Yes, I am Lambo Fields. What can I do for you?"

"We need to talk to you about the theft last night at the Royal Archive."

"There was a theft?" the man asked in considerable surprise.

"Yes. You weren't informed?"

"No, no one has told me anything. I have been working in another place today. What did they take?"

"A scroll from the display room."

"Good lord. How did they get it out of the case? That is supposed to be impossible."

"We're not sure of that yet. What time were you in the archive yesterday?"

"I got there early morning, around eight o'clock. I finished up around four or so, I think it was. I didn't really pay much attention. I get there when I can, and I leave when I'm finished. No one usually worries about when."

David nodded. "Did anyone see you while you were there?"

"I said hello to the security guard, and I had to work around the two assistants."

David made a few more notes. He looked back up at the man and said, "Did you see or hear anything unusual yesterday? Anything that seemed out of place?"

Mr. Fields cocked his head in obvious thought, trying to remember. Finally, he looked back up at David.

"Nothing new, no. Only that they still had not moved the display cases back where they are supposed to be, despite my asking them to the day before... and most days that I have seen them for the last month."

"What do you mean, where they're supposed to be?" David asked.

"The display cases are supposed to fit within the protective field, but ever since they rearranged last month, none of them has been a perfect fit. They are all slightly off."

"Why does that bother you?" the man's voice showed clear irritation.

"It leaves a line of dirt on the floor. I cannot sweep or mop inside the field. That isn't normally important, because the display case would cover the floor. But now there is a thin line of floor on each of those damned cases where dirt is collecting."

"So... dirt can get through the field?" David asked.

"It must. Otherwise, where is the dirt coming from?" Mr. Fields asked logically.

David nodded. "Who rearranged the displays, do you know?"

"The only people who ever rearrange anything in that place. The assistants."

"Okay. Thank you for your time, Mr. Fields. We may be calling on you again."

"No problem. I hope you find that scroll. I don't bother with such things myself, but I know everything in the archive is valuable. People shouldn't be stealing them."

David nodded, shook the man's hand, and then he and Joe left.

"What do you think?" David asked Joe.

"He's the first one to try to give the impression he wouldn't do it," Joe said.

"Right," David agreed. "Of course, that might just mean he actually wouldn't consider doing it."

"Yeah. Welcome to investigations. Let's go find those archival assistants."

When they caught up with the archival assistants, the two were together, so they split up, each taking one aside and questioning them separately. Once they had finished, they stopped in a small restaurant to eat and compare notes.

"Your guy tell you anything useful?" David asked Joe.

"Not really. Supposedly they are intentionally not fixing the display case position in order to irritate the custodian, who they don't like very much."

David shook his head. "So stupid."

"If they were bright folk, they'd have better jobs."

David snorted at that, and then looked over his notes some before speaking again.

"So, what have we got?" he asked rhetorically before answering his own question. "A stolen scroll, more valuable intellectually than monetarily. No sign of a break-in that either the security guard or we could find. No sign of anyone unknown being in the archive, with the exception of the rearranged chairs. That leaves us with six known suspects, any of them with the opportunity to steal the scroll, but not a one of them with any real motive to do so. Did I miss anything?"

"Nope, that about sums it up."

"So... where do we go from here?"

Joe snorted. "You tell me."

"Hey, you're the cop..."

"Yeah, and I haven't got a clue. In this case, rather literally."

David frowned. "We can't just let this one go. The scroll is too valuable."

"I have no intention of letting it go, unless we get something more important landing on our desk. But I also don't have any good idea of how to proceed. We have two approaches we can take. Basically, pick one, and follow it."

"Okay, what are the two approaches?" David asked.

"Figure out who took it, and that will help you figure out how. Or, figure out how it was taken, and that will most likely tell you who."

"In order to figure out who first, we'd need to figure out why it was taken," David said.

"Usually," Joe agreed.

"That sounds... incredibly difficult to do."

"It could be. The only obvious reason for stealing it is to sell it to someone who insists on having the original. Unless the thief themselves have a reason to own the original."

"But what good does owning the original do you? I mean, even if you don't want to come to the archive, you can buy a damned copy of the thing."

"Right. Which would mean either the person is a nut who insists on having original everything, or there is something about the original that isn't making it into the copies... or that our thief or buyer thinks is there and isn't making it into the copies."

"Now we're talking the possibility of legends and rumors," David said.

"Yep."

"Something tells me it's going to be easier to figure out how it was taken."

"Think so?" Joe said. "Any ideas on that score?"

"Not yet," David admitted. "I do want to go back and talk to the curator some more, though, to get these other questions answered."

Joe said, "Okay, simple enough. We'll do it after lunch."

"Back so soon. Have you found the scroll already?" the curator asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately not," David told him. "I had a few more questions that I needed to ask."

"Oh? Well, do ask away, then."

"The Journal of Aleutia... are there any legends concerning the journal? Hidden messages, special information, anything like that?"

"Over the years, there have been all sorts of crazy things said about all of our most ancient artifacts, the journal included."

"Has any of them... stuck? I mean, have any of the rumors about the Journal become believed by the general public?"

"A few," the curator admitted. "The first, which is patently untrue, is that the government is keeping the 'better' bits and pieces of the journal to itself. There are gaps in the journal, you see. A month here, a year there, several times when Aleutia was not recording his activities. In most cases, he gives no explanation for it when the journal starts up again. We have no idea why these gaps occur. Perhaps there are portions of the journal that have gone unrecovered, but the government does not have them.

"Next, there has always been a thought that there are secret spells and secret knowledge hidden by Aleutia throughout the words of the scrolls, if only you can figure out his pattern. Dozens of wizards throughout the centuries have spent their lives trying to figure that one out, with no success whatsoever.

"And... yes, one other legend. It has been said, from time to time, that the random marks found on the back of the scrolls can be put together into some secret message, or perhaps a map that would lead to some powerful talisman. It's nonsense, of course, but people do persist."

"Has anyone ever tried putting those marks together?" David asked.

"No. No one has ever taken it that seriously."

David nodded. "Are those marks replicated when copies are made for people to buy?"

"No, of course not. That would double the cost of the duplication, and they add nothing to the copy. Look, what has all this to do with the theft?"

"Mr. Abner, you said it yourself. There is no reason to steal the scroll, if all you want to do is read it. That means the thief wanted to do something else with it. If we can figure out what he was after, that will bring us one step closer to finding out who it was."

"All right, fair enough."

"Now, the display cases. Mr. Fields tells us that they are not sitting exactly where they should be. Would this have any effect on their security?"

"Not where they should be? What do you mean?"

"Let's go take a look," Garibaldi interjected. "It'll be easier to discuss that way."

The three of them went down to the display room. David walked around the cabinet where the scroll had been located. He bent down and pointed. "Yes, here. You can see a line of dirt has gathered on the floor. Mr. Fields tells us that he cannot sweep or mop this up, because it is inside the protective field. The archival assistants have confirmed that they have intentionally left these displays ever so slightly misaligned, to annoy Mr. Fields. My question, though, is whether this has any effect on the security of the display or not."

"It should not. The field still surrounds the actual display cabinet on top of the pedestal. If you check, I'm sure you will find this to be true."

David did so, turning the invisible field orange once again. They could see that the display case was, in fact, still fully surrounded. The pedestal on which it sat, however, had a flange at the bottom which stuck out further than the rest, and a small portion of it was outside the field.

Very carefully, David reached down and touched the exposed portion of the pedestal. He wasn't harmed.

Standing back up, he said, "So you can touch a portion of the pedestal."

"But how would that help?" the curator asked. "Once you tried to move your hand further in, it would hit the field."

"What about pulling the pedestal out of the field, then taking the scroll out of it?" Garibaldi asked.

"How would you get it back inside the field when you were done?" the curator asked. "Nothing can penetrate the field."

"How can the field be misaligned?" David asked. "Isn't it centered on the display case itself?"

"No. There is a talisman built into the floor that aids in the creation of the field. We set whatever kind of display cabinet we wish on top of the talisman, and then the security guard creates the field. He determines its size."

"So... why didn't the security guards create a bigger field, to contain the misaligned cabinets?" David asked.

"Most likely because they were unaware of it being misaligned. You can't see the field, so unless you check it, you won't know that it's not covering that portion. They would already know how big a field would need to be for this size of display. It's the job of the archival assistants to make sure the display is placed in the right spot. So, when the displays were moved, the security guards didn't feel the need to re-check something that they logically assumed was the same as it had been."

David nodded at the man. "Okay. Will you be in your office for the rest of the day?"

"Yes."

"We'll be here, looking around. If we have further questions..."

"Feel free to ask."

"Thank you, sir."

The curator walked off, and David stepped back, then stared at the display.

"What are you thinking?" Joe asked.

"That, as unlikely as it seems, somehow that misalignment has something to do with the theft."

"Be kind of obvious on the part of the assistants, wouldn't it?" Joe objected.

"Oh, it didn't need to be them, necessarily. Anyone can see the dirt. A lot of people know how to expose a protection field. Once the thief knew about the misalignment, they could simply have taken advantage of the situation. On the other hand, someone could have paid one or both of the assistants to misalign the display cases in order to make the theft possible."

"You say that as if it had to be an outsider, but the security guard said no one else was here yesterday."

"But, Joe, how the hell would he know? He's the night guard."

"Uh... that's a good question. We should ask him about that. Why didn't you ask him before?"

"I didn't think of it. Tell you what, I need to think about this room for a while. Why don't you go ask him, and I'll stay here?"

"Okay, that works. I'll be back later."

"So, what's the big case that Joe got you so early for?" Flo asked. She and Olissa were sitting with David, having just finished dinner.

David explained the case to them, without bothering with all the tiny details.

"So who did it?" Olissa asked.

"A bit early for me to know that just yet," David replied.

"Any hunches?" Flo asked.

"Not yet, no. The problem is that there's really no reason to steal the scroll. You can buy a copy of it at most any bookstore. Hell, the Eternal Compendium has a copy of the entire journal in it. I checked when I got home. If you just absolutely must see the original, you can just make an appointment with the Royal Archive. The only reason for someone to want to take it for themselves is that they need to do something to it that the curator or archivist wouldn't let you do."

"Like tear it apart?" Olissa asked. "That would be a travesty."

David nodded. "And a much bigger crime than pure theft. Since the journal is considered a national treasure - anything in the archives is - destroying it would be an even bigger crime than just stealing it. Theft only carries a penalty of a small piece of jail time followed by exile. Destruction of Royal Treasure is punishable on par with treason."

"The punishment for which is..."

"Five hundred years in Barnard Hill's worst section."

"Wow."

"So, how will you proceed, if you don't have any idea who did it?"

"Well, I have some idea. Since we see no signs of a break-in, we are focusing on the six people who were in the archive yesterday. I'll keep digging into their stories and their lives until something pops out at me. I'm also going to keep working on figuring out how to get around that damned security field."

"Is that possible?" Flo asked.

"It has to be. Unless the thief was the security guard."

"Why?"

"Because the field was still in effect when the theft was discovered. So, either the thief got around the field, or he took it down and then put it back up when he was done. But the only person who could easily do that is the one who put it there, and that would be the security guard."

"So why couldn't it be him?" Olissa asked.

"No reason it couldn't be. He's one of my six suspects. But the man's been working for the museum for the last twenty years. Seems like if he was going to cause trouble, he'd have done so before now. Unless, that is, he's recently come into some sort of financial problems. Joe's checking that out for me."

"Who else has a really good reason to steal it?" Flo asked.

"No one has a good motive," David replied. "The curator and the archivist are pretty much ruled out unless they were stealing it for someone else. They could both do whatever they wanted with the scroll, short of destroying it, without anyone questioning them. Joe's checking their finances, too... hell, he's checking everyone's finances.

"The custodian is the only one who made any assertion of his innocence. That probably doesn't mean anything one way or the other, but it makes him stand out.

"The archival assistants would have easy access to things, and they can be in any spot in the archive without looking out of place.

"In short, it could be anybody, but nobody looks good for it."

"Do you think you'll figure it out?"

"Honestly? Right now, it doesn't look good. But we're going to keep working at it."

"Good luck," Flo said.

"Thanks."

Joe dumped six folders on David's desk as soon as David sat down.

"What're these?" David asked.

"The financial reports on our suspects. Maybe you can find something. I stared at them for three hours last night, and nothing."

"That's because you actually have to read them, not just stare at them," David quipped.

Vivian, who was at her desk nearby, chuckled. Joe scowled at David. "Shut up and read."

David slowly read through each of the files. He pulled two aside as he finished with them. Finally, he was done.

"What're those?" Joe asked, motioning to the two David had set aside.

"The only two people with financial oddities. The archivist recently acquired a huge debt, though the file doesn't explain why. One of the archival assistants recently came into some money. Again, the file doesn't say why or how."

"You're thinking it's one of them?"

David shrugged. "I'm just pointing out the two that have oddities in their records. It's something to check out, isn't it?"

Joe nodded. "Yeah, it is. Especially since we've got nothing else to go on."

David sat back. "I was wondering something last night."

"What's that?"

"Why does the archive have a night security guard? Why have an on-site security force at all?"

"Well, there's a lot of stuff there to protect."

"That's what the spells are for. A guard can only be in one place at a time. By the way, you never did tell me how he knew who had been in the archive the day before."

"The guards keep a log of visitors. He'd read through the entries for the previous day."

David nodded. "Is that self-reported, or do the guards make the entries?"

"The guards keep the record."

"Okay... so that gives us one more possibility, much uglier."

"Which is?"

"Someone paid the daytime guard to let them in without recording it."

"Ouch. That would expand our suspect list to an almost unlimited number of people."

"Yeah."

"But wait. The scroll was there when the night guard came on duty."

"We don't know that for sure. All we know is that he didn't notice it missing."

"Okay, but why would he suddenly notice it when he did, if he wasn't paying attention at the start of his shift?"

David considered. "Okay, I agree. If he was going to pay extra attention at any point, it would be at the start of his shift."

"So how would anyone let in during the day be able to steal the scroll at night?"

"Now we're back to my original question. Why do they have a security guard there? Especially at night, he can't see much. It'd be ridiculously easy to avoid a single person while you were stealing something. What good does it do to have him there?"

"A question for Mr. Abner, I guess."

"Yeah."

"You want to go now, don't you?" Joe asked with a grin.

"Some reason to wait?" David asked, rising from his chair.

"Rookies," Joe said to Vivian.

Vivian looked up at him. "I seem to remember that when you were a rookie, you caught a demighost when no one thought there was anything unusual. Rookies can surprise you," she said, winking at David.

David grinned while Joe grumbled.

"Yes, officers. What can I do for you today?"

"Mr. Abner... this may seem an odd question, but why does the archive employ a full-time security force? It seems more efficient to simply have them come in when the spells need changing."

"Well, we're trying to deter thieves, of course."

"Yeah, that worked very well, didn't it?" David replied sarcastically.

Mr. Abner blushed. "Yes, quite. Anyway, they would also be able to perhaps catch someone when the alarms went off."

"Alarms?" David asked.

"Yes. Had the protective field on the case been broken, an alarm would have sounded throughout the building. It's part of the spell. Likewise, if any item were to leave the archive, another alarm would sound. The guard, then, could try to catch the thief. Of course, Mr. Drury said there was no such alarm the night before last."

"Right, because the field on the case wasn't... wait a minute. You said if any item was taken out of the archive, another alarm sounds?"

"Correct. Each item in the archive is enchanted with a tracer. If the tracer leaves the building, another alarm goes off."

"But it didn't," David objected.

"No," Mr. Abner agreed. "It didn't."

"Mr. Abner, do your guards have to pass a spellcasting competency test of any kind?"

"We only hire Master Spellcasters of at least third level. To get to that point in any spellcasting guild, you have to know what you're doing, I assure you."

"Okay. So then, how likely is this scenario: A thief manages to break into this building, completely unnoticed. He circumvents what is supposed to be an unbreakable protective barrier, without setting off its alarm. He then steals a valuable, tagged item, and walks out without setting off another alarm. Especially when both alarms were enacted by a Master Spellcaster?"

Mr. Abner looked at him with a distinct frown. "I agree, it's a very unlikely scenario. You're saying that Mr. Drury must be our thief. I simply cannot believe that."

"Neither can I," David replied.

"I'm confused," Mr. Abner admitted with a bewildered look on his face.

"So am I," Joe agreed. "You just made a fairly good case for him being the thief. He could have simply removed both of the spells and walked out with the scroll."

"Right. It appears to be the only method by which this theft could be pulled off."

"So..."

"So why would a man who appears not to be an idiot commit a crime in such a way as to point directly at himself as the only viable suspect?"

"Some kind of problem that he has to deal with, forcing him to ignore the danger to himself?" Joe offered.

"We didn't find anything like that in the background check," David objected.

"Just because we didn't find it, doesn't mean it's not there," Joe reminded him.

"Okay, I grant you that. But I think it's far more likely that this event was planned out. And if it was planned, then it's not going to be sloppily done. You get sloppy when you do things without a plan, or your plan goes wrong. But this was too neatly done to be a mistake."

"Supposition on your part," Joe replied.

"Okay, but hear me out. Let us assume for a moment that the guard did not steal the scroll. That means that the thief has to get around not one, but two different spells. Were those spells cast by the same person?"

"No. Never."

"Do you keep a record of who did cast them?"

"Yes." Mr. Abner went to a filing cabinet and pulled out a folder. He opened it to the last entries, and showed them to the Rimohrs.

"Okay, this makes Mr. Drury look even more innocent. He wasn't the guard that cast either spell. Which means that, while it would be slightly easier for him to break them, he couldn't simply turn them off any more than a normal person could. He would have to break the spell, same as you or me.

"So, back to my thought. I can conceive of someone breaking one spell, or finding a way around it. But two of them? That seems very unlikely."

"What are you saying?" Joe asked, completely lost.

"If you can't take the scroll out of the building without setting off the alarm, and the alarm has not been set off, then the scroll hasn't been taken out of the building."

"You don't think it's been stolen?" Mr. Abner asked indignantly.

David raised a hand. "I don't think it's been stolen yet. I think it's been hidden, in preparation for being removed at an opportune moment. When, if ever, does the spell which watches for things being taken out of the archive get taken down?"

"Once a week, we change over which guard is controlling it. It was our thought that this would make it harder for someone to break the spell or bribe the guards. They'd have to know which one had cast the spell, and we pick those people at random, rather than on a schedule."

"Do you change it at a known time each week, though?" David asked.

"Yes. Wednesday evening, just at closing."

"Tomorrow. Ouch. Do you have anything planned in the archive for tomorrow?"

"There's always something going on here. Wednesday..." he paused and consulted a calendar. "We have two new displays going up, and a crate of items being added to the vault. That means that the archival assistants will be here to set up the displays, and the archivist will be here to catalog the new arrivals. We'll have Mr. Fields here to clean up when everything is done, as well. And, with the changing of the spell, all four of our security guards will be on hand. In short, everyone who works here will be in the building at some point tomorrow."

"So we could just wait and see who tries to take something out of the building," Joe offered.

David shook his head. "Wouldn't work. They'd know we were here. The ignore-me hex you used on Jim wouldn't work. Whoever did this is going to be far too hyped."

"True. And you can't follow them invisibly, because that's not admissible."

"Which would mean having to search everyone who left the building during the time of the changeover. How long does that take, Mr. Abner?"

"The spell renewal? About five minutes. It's a complex spell, and you can't have two of them cast at the same time. That's another reason for having all the guards here then; it's the archive's weakest moment."

"Why not do it at a different time, then, when there's no chance of anyone being around?"

"Well, two out of the four guards would need to be there at that time, anyway. This way, only two of them are inconvenienced by having to come in unnecessarily."

"Why not do it at the other shift change, then? The one that happens in late evening?"

"Then I would have to come in unnecessarily," Mr. Abner pointed out.

"Right," David replied evenly.

"So you think we need to search the building for the scroll?" Joe asked David.

"No point. If we find it, we'll never figure out who took it. But we absolutely need to be here tomorrow, and here visibly."

"Why?"

"To keep them from trying to take it out the door. I think our thief is confident that their hiding place is secure. If they don't think they can easily get it past us, they'll probably just leave it wherever it is. That would give us another week to find our thief. Otherwise, we have to find them before tomorrow."

Joe nodded. "It's a plan."

"While we're here, I want to look at the display room again."

"Of course you do. You're obsessive, you know that, right?"

"What's your point?" David asked.

"Excuse me, Ms. Talisman?" David asked.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Just a question. The day that the items were stolen, you were in here doing research for the king, correct?"

"Yes, I told you that."

"Yes, you did. And the king confirmed it for us. Did you see anyone else who was not an employee?"

"I told you before, Officer, I wasn't paying any attention to anything. I was deeply involved in my research. If anyone else was here, I didn't notice them. I didn't even notice the people that I know were here, like the assistants and the guard."

David nodded. "You did most of your research here in the reading room?"

"That's where it is best done," she confirmed.

"Which chair did you sit in?"

"Excuse me?"

"Which chair did you use? Where were you sitting?"

"Uh... Well, actually, I moved around. I had several items pulled out, and I set each one on its own table, so that I could move from one to another, keeping my place and also keeping the materials neat and undamaged."

"So, you sat, at some point, at each table, then?"

"Yes. Or most of them. Why is it important?"

"Mr. Drury noted that the chairs had not been pushed in. He found it unusual. I'm just looking for an explanation."

Ms. Talisman blushed slightly. "Yes, I'm sure that was my fault. I get so involved with what I'm doing, and I was also running late when I left here that night, that I probably forgot to fully clean up. I put the research materials away, of course, but something as minor as pushing in a chair, yes, I probably forgot to do that. Is that a problem?"

"Not for us. I just needed to tie up that loose end. It was something different in the archive that night, so I needed to find out if it was important, or irrelevant."

Ms. Talisman nodded. "Is there anything else?"

"No, ma'am. I'll let you get back to your work."

"Thank you."

David was about to walk out the door, and then he stopped and turned. "Oh, one more thing, ma'am. According to records, you've recently racked up a fairly substantial debt. Can I ask what the cause of that was?"

"Why is that any of your business, Officer?"

"Ma'am, please. You know the only reason to steal the scroll is for possible monetary gain. You appear to have a need for such monetary gain. I have to ask the question."

"Fine. I recently contracted to have my house worked on. It is an old house, and it is in serious need of repair. Rather than deplete my savings, I chose to take out a loan to cover the costs. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, ma'am. Perfectly okay with me. Thank you for the explanation. Who did the work?"

"A local firm owned by Robert Villa."

"Very good, ma'am. Thank you. I'll let you get back to work."

David walked out and joined Garibaldi, who was simply patrolling the archive with the guard, making sure everyone, including the supposed thief, saw him doing so.

"Anything?" Joe asked.

"It was probably her that left the chairs out, and she once again claims not to have been paying enough attention to what was happening to have noticed an earthquake."

"The debt?"

"Supposedly due to some home renovations. We can check that out, I have the name of the contractor."

"So, in short, nothing of use."

"Right."

"Mr. Ogru?"

"Please, Officer, you may call me Kakios," the man said, through a thick accent that David could not identify. "How may I be of help to you?"

"Just a question. Recently you came into a sum of fifteen thousand granas. That's a lot of money. We haven't been able to figure out where it came from. Can you explain it?"

"You dig hard into everyone like this?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. Everyone who was anywhere near the scroll around the time it was taken."

The man nodded. "Well, is no secret as to where the money came from. I won it in a grimash tournament."

"What is grimash?" David asked.

"It is a game. You use a set of tiles, try to make good combinations."

"Think of it as some weird mix of poker and dominos, David," Joe said. "I'm familiar with grimash, though I've never learned how to play it."

David nodded. "Fifteen thousand granas?"

"It was a big tournament. Many players. Each person puts in fifty granas. Winner takes home half the entry fees. Rest of the money goes to the tournament organizers."

"I see. You must be pretty good, to beat out six hundred other people."

"I play grimash all my life. My grandfather taught me."

"Well, congratulations on your good fortune."

"Thank you! Is anything else you want to know?"

"On the day the scroll was taken, who did you see in the archive? Anyone who wasn't an employee here?"

The man scratched his head. "No, no one except Miss Patricia, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Lambo. And Drudekai."

Drudekai was the other archival assistant, whom David had already spoken to. "Okay, thank you very much. I'll let you get back to work now."

As they walked away, David said to Joe, "And that's strike two. Both people can easily explain their financial oddities, leaving us right back where we started, as far as people with reason to commit the crime."

"You had a good question earlier, though," Joe said.

"Which one? I have a dozen questions."

"The scroll was supposedly in place at the start of Mr. Drury's shift. That means it was taken in the middle of the night. But there was supposedly no one here but Mr. Drury. How is it possible, if they didn't break into the building, for them to have been here?"

"Hid in the building," David said.

"Don't you think they'd have checked for people when they closed up?"

"Yes, probably, but how hard would it be to avoid one person? Unless they used some kind of detection spell..."

"We should check on that," Joe said.

"Yeah. I bet Mr. Abner would know."

"Let's go ask," Joe said, without much hope of a good result.

"Back here again?" Joe asked. David was, once more, standing in front of the empty display cabinet, staring at it intently.

"I can't shake the feeling that the answer is right in front of me, in this case somewhere."

"I don't see how it could be. It's just a cabinet. The spell is still in place."

"Is there anything more we can learn by keeping the spell in place? Haven't we made a record of everything about it?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because I want to examine that damned cabinet. Let's go get the guard, and see if he can turn the spell off."

As they left the display room, Joe said, "I like your enthusiasm, but you've got to learn to detach yourself more from the work."

David shook his head. "Look, you told me there were only two avenues of investigation in this case. Figure out who, and that would tell us how, or figure out how, and that would tell us who. In order to figure out who, we had to figure out why. We have completely exhausted options for why with no results, so figuring out who by itself is basically a dead end. That leaves me to figure out how. That cabinet is the key to how."

"And if it turns out to be just your everyday, ordinary, run of the mill display cabinet?"

"Then, frankly, we're screwed."

Joe grunted at that.

It didn't take them long to find the guard, and he had, fortunately, been the one responsible for the protection charm on the display cases that week. He was more than happy to take down the field for them on the display case.

"I don't know what you expect to find," Joe said.

David lifted the cover off the display area, to see if there was anything inside. However, the top of the pedestal appeared to be quite solid. David replaced the cover, and moved his way down to the pedestal itself, examining each side closely, making several circuits of the case as he looked lower and lower.

Finally, David reached the very bottom, and the only thing to look at was the flange that sat directly on the floor.

That's when he saw it.

"Well, this looks out of place," David said.

"What?" Joe asked, not seeing anything.

Before answering, David moved over to one of the other display cases, and examined its base, comparing it to what he was seeing on the 'incident case'. Sure enough, there was a difference.

"You're going to have to look closely, because it's hard to see," David said. "You see this shadow line?" David pointed to a hairline crack between two surfaces.

"Uh... yeah, I guess, now that you mention it, I can see it, but so what?"

"Well, two things. First, the other display case does not have this separation. And second, I can find no other place on this display case where such a separation occurs. That makes it extremely odd."

"Shit happens?" Joe offered.

"Maybe. But there's another important point here."

"Which is?"

"The side of the flange on which this occurs is also the side of the flange which was poking through the protective field. I have a thought. Go get the guard again."

When he returned, David had the guard re-engage the protective charm the exact same way as it had been. David temporarily turned the field orange, to prove to them all that it was still exposing the one piece of flange, and nothing else.

"So what?" Joe said.

"Yeah, so what?" the guard agreed. "You still can't stick your hand in there."

"Are you sure of that?" David asked. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled his wand. He concentrated, visualizing what he wanted in his mind, and then he cast a spell.

Slowly, the piece of flange that was sticking through the field separated into two layers. The top layer slowly floated upward. As it did so, the edges of the flange piece stretched, remaining attached to the rest of the flange. This created a frame, which grew larger as the top layer of the flange floated further upward. Finally, the top layer of flange was floating well above the display case, and there was a huge opening in the protective field. David simply reached in with his hand and lifted the edge of the display case.

"Well, I'll be a dragon's uncle," Joe said.

"Mother of God," the guard said, struck with both awe and terror at the sudden insecurity of the archive.

"Now we know how," David said. "What does this tell us about who?" he asked Joe.

"We need to learn a lot more about this display case," Joe said.

David returned the cabinet to its normal condition, and then turned to the guard. "You will say nothing about this to anyone, do you understand? If you tell anyone, the thief may be alerted to the fact that we're closing in on them."

"Yes, I understand, but what about the security of the archive?"

"We will speak to the curator ourselves," David told him. "But I think the problem is restricted to this one display case. In any event, if you speak about this to anyone, it could be construed as aiding a criminal."

"I understand," the man repeated, and then headed back to his duties.

Joe and David quickly found the curator.

"Your display cases," David started. "Are they purchased from a cabinet maker?"

"No. They're all made custom by the archival assistants. Why?"

"Well, that narrows it down to two suspects," David said to Joe.

"Unless someone bribed one or both of them," Joe said.

"That still makes them guilty," David replied.

"True enough. Do you want to go grab them?"

"No."

"No?"

"Remember, the scroll is still in the building somewhere. At this point, they haven't actually broken any laws."

"Are you sure it's still here?" Joe said.

"Joe, we just figured out how they got around the first alarm. I highly doubt they could use the same trick to get around the second." Turning to Mr. Abner, David asked, "The alarm that keeps an eye on all the archive's contents. Does it work by watching doorways and windows, or does it pay attention to simple presence?"

"There is a talisman in the vault. The vault is central to the building. The building is round for a reason. If any item is taken further away from that talisman than the distance to the outer wall of the building, the alarm goes off."

"So it keeps track of the distance of objects from itself. It wouldn't care if someone were to conjure an object right through the wall. Once it was too far away, the alarm would go off."

"Correct."

"Stupid question... have you checked to make sure that talisman is still there?"

"Well, yes, I have. But also, if the talisman is moved, it also sets off an alarm."

David nodded, and then turned back to Joe.

"So, unless he's found a way to bypass that alarm, and I don't see how he could, then the scroll must still be here." David turned back to the curator. "Can the tracer tag be removed?"

"It can, but it requires two people. In this branch, it would be myself and Patricia who enacted the tracer tags. Breaking them is not a trivial exercise, I assure you. The spell was crafted many years ago by a level one Master Spellcaster working for the king."

David nodded again.

"So, what we have right now is a non-crime. Until the scroll leaves the premises, it has not actually been stolen. What is the range of the tracer tags?" he asked the curator.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the talisman sounds an alarm if a tagged object goes beyond the outer walls... but how far out can it see? I'm wondering, if someone took an object out while the alarm spell was being recast, how far away would they have to get so that the talisman wouldn't notice that the object was too far away?"

"Oh, I think I see what you're asking. Once the object was outside the outer walls, the talisman would ignore it. It would consider any such object to be someone else's concern."

"And it doesn't keep a count of the tagged objects within its area of responsibility?"

"No."

"Okay. Thank you."

As they left the curator's office, David said, "So, right now, the best we could get him for is attempted theft. We have to wait until he tries to take it out of the building.

"Who do you think did it? I mean, which of the assistants?"

"Not sure. We need to talk to both of them, separately, about the cabinets."

"Let's go."

David and Joe split up to talk to the two archival assistants, and then they met back up for lunch at a nearby restaurant.

"So, what did Drudekai say?" David asked.

"He said that they both work on the cabinets. He claims there was nothing unique about the cabinet that was holding the scroll."

"Well, so now we have differing stories," David said.

"How so?"

"Kakios told me that yes, they both work on the cabinets, but Drudekai is the builder. Kakios' job is normally to paint them and do small finishing touches, like the gilding work and such. Kakios claims that he has no skill with actual carpentry. In the case of our scroll cabinet, he says that Drudekai asked to finish that cabinet entirely on his own."

"What reason did he give?" Joe asked.

"Supposedly, Drudekai wanted to practice his painting and finishing skills."

"Plausible," Joe allowed.

"But a lie," David said.

"Probably."

"We need to dig into Drudekai's life. We need to pick apart everything he's ever been."

"Why? We're pretty sure he's our guy..."

"But we still have to catch him at it. In order to do that, I think we're going to have to know why he's stealing the scroll."

"Okay."

"Can you do that? I have a wedding to go to."

"Oh? Okay, I can put that information together. Who's getting married?"

"Bonnie, the barmaid at the Slyther Inn. I need to go get cleaned up. The wedding's in three hours."

"You part of the ceremony?"

"No, just a guest."

"Okay. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Thanks, Joe. Hug Zyla for me."

"Will do."

David felt lucky that Prof. Stott was a close friend of Bonnie's. It meant that she, too, had been invited to the wedding, which meant that David would have someone to explain the ceremony to him, as he had never witnessed a Dugerran wedding, and had a feeling it was nothing like an American one.

The two entered the temple, where the wedding would be performed. The entryway was bright and airy, and people were milling about. David and Sam both set their gifts on the table clearly marked for such, and then they decided to find seats, so that they would have a good view.

The main entrance to the central ritual chamber of the temple was across from the front door, and as they walked in, David took stock of what he saw. The room was circular, with a central floor area about twenty-five feet across. Arrayed around that, but separted from it by a low wall, were five circular rows of chairs. A walkway went all the way around the room behind the last row of chairs, and six aisles allowed people to move to specific spots in the seating, or down into the central area.

As David and Sam were walking down to the front row, he asked, "What do they call this room?"

"They call it a harbor. It's a safe place to profess what you believe, and to express yourself. It is, like now, also used to make commitments of various types. The thinking is that the temple protects you from the outside world, so that you can make your commitment free of duress and other considerations."

David nodded. They took their seats in the front row, just to one side of an aisle.

"So, is this a religious place?" David asked. "I haven't really encountered much religion in Dugerra, except for Diva Devata Jumala Zot, which I've seen, and looks nothing like this..."

"It isn't a strictly religious place, though it can be used for religious ceremonies. It's more of a philosophical place, I guess. Even political discussions will sometimes happen in one of the temples. The thing most worshipped in one of these temples is truth."

David nodded. The two continued to chat while they waited for the wedding to begin. Others slowly filled in the seats around them, until the room was nearly full.

Finally, right on time, a set of chimes rang out, and the fireflies which were lighting up the seating area dimmed. Those in the center of the room, lighting the floor area, brightened slightly. David heard the tinkling of small bells coming from outside the room. In a few moments, he saw three people emerge from a doorway directly across from him. He heard bells behind him, as well, and looked to see three more people come in through the main entrance. In each case, the three people split up, two going one way around the circle, and one going the other. They passed by each other until there was one person standing at the top of each aisle. David noted that three of them were wearing pale yellow, and three were wearing pale green. The people were standing in such a way that the colors alternated.

Sam whispered to him, "The people wearing yellow represent the woman. Those wearing green represent the man." David nodded in understanding.

Once the six people had stopped moving, a seventh person appeared, again from the doorway directly opposite them. This person immediately walked down the aisle to the floor section, and she stepped up onto a small platform with a podium on it. Two candles sat on the podium, and a book sat between the candles. The woman looked up to the ceiling, rather than at any portion of the audience.

"We come together this day to witness and endorse the joining of two people into one presence. The commitment entered into here today is one not to be taken lightly, nor on a whim. It is a binding covenant between them, before each of us present today. It is a promise made before the King, before all of you, and before whatever god or gods they may believe in.

"Let the light bearers come forth," the woman said.

The six people standing at the top of the aisles each moved toward the floor, the sound of tinkling bells returning. As the woman nearest him passed by, David saw that she was carrying a triangular frame, lined with small bells, and holding a crystal in its center. She stopped on the edge of a circle that was inlaid into the floor of the room. Each of the others also stopped on the circle.

"Enact the Ambit of Truth," the woman intoned.

The man directly in front of the woman on the platform began to cast a spell. The crystal he was holding glowed a brilliant blue. In just another second, a beam of light shot out of his crystal, over to the crystal of another man, skipping the woman in-between them. The second man then chanted a similar spell, and his crystal lit up, sending light to the woman directly across from him. This went on, each person chanting a spell, and the light moving from crystal to crystal, until it rejoined with the first man. What had been formed was the now-familiar unicursal hexagram, glowing brightly between them.

Sam, knowing David would need an explanation, whispered, "The Ambit is a truth field. Anyone standing within it must tell the truth. It's like a truth potion. It guarantees that the people getting married are speaking their vows honestly."

David nodded, though he wondered if this didn't kind of invalidate the idea of trusting your partner.

With the truth field completed, the woman on the platform said, "Let the declarators enter."

David saw Bonnie enter the far doorway. Looking behind himself, he saw a man, he assumed her fiance, entering the main entrance. The two moved down opposite aisles, and then moved around the edge of the floor area until they were standing across from each other, outside the circle of light bearers, between two points of the star.

The woman on the platform said, "Bonnie Whittle, Robert Pyle, you come before these people in declaration of love and commitment. If you speak the truth, enter the ambit."

They both walked inside the hexagram, which flared a brilliant violet as they passed across it. The light became less vivid after they were inside, but it remained violet. They extended their hands to each other, one palm up, and one palm down, just like David had done during the centaur friendship ceremony. As soon as their palms touched, a small circle on the floor lit up, and glowing ropes of light appeared around their hands, holding the couple's hands firmly together. David also saw a brilliant red mark appear on the back of each of their left hands.

Sam told him, "Wow, they're doing it the old way. A lot of people have switched to wedding rings, like in Earth."

The woman on the platform said, "Bonnie Whittle, you may declare your commitment at this time."

Bonnie looked lovingly at Robert, and she said, "I, Bonnie Sarah Whittle, take you, Robert Benjamin Pyle, as my husband. I promise to stand with you through all that may come in our future: the good and the bad, the poverty and the prosperity, the joy and the sorrow, for now and until such time as this symbol of our love is gone."

The mark on Bonnie's hand flared. It burned a brilliant white for a second, and then it settled in. It no longer glowed, but was a permanent gold mark on the back of her hand.

The woman on the platform now said, "Robert Pyle, you may declare your commitment at this time."

Robert gazed at Bonnie, and he said, "I, Robert Benjamin Pyle, take you, Bonnie Sarah Whittle, as my wife. I promise to love you and care for you. I promise to protect you even with my life. I promise to stand by you in all that may come in our future, for now, and until such time as this symbol of our love is gone."

The symbol on Robert's hand performed exactly as Bonnie's had, and he was also left with a golden mark. At this point, the ropes of light holding their hands together evaporated, but the two kept their hands in place.

The woman now said, "And it is done. I present to you a new presence, two lives joined into one, for your care and support. As witness to this declaration, it is your responsibility to help this new young life to grow and flourish, to become what all life should be: the fulfillment of its grandest possibilities.

"Rise now, in endorsement of their declaration and in proclamation of your own commitment to their success."

The audience rose to its feet, and then they applauded. Bonnie and Robert embraced, kissing strongly. The light bearers raised their triangular frames, and the hexagram burst with a brilliant flash of blue-violet light that filled the room for a second, and then was gone.

Before she stepped down, the woman on the platform said, "The reception is being held in the atrium. Please feel free to join the couple for the celebration."

David and Sam joined the crowd moving out into the atrium, where they each got a cup of punch and some finger food. David didn't know very many people at the reception, so he spent most of his time near Sam, who introduced him to a few people, but for the most part, they simply chatted with each other.

Finally, most of the crowd having given their congratulations to the newlyweds, David and Sam made their way over to deliver their well-wishes.

"Congratulations," David told Bonnie. Bonnie beamed at him. "And to you, sir." David shook the man's hand. Sam, likewise, congratulated them.

"So," David started, turning to Bonnie, "have you decided what you're going to do, career-wise?"

"Not yet. It's been tough trying to find anything. I've been out of school for several years, and people assume that means you're out of practice. I've been keeping up with my skills, but no one wants to take that chance."

David nodded. He turned to Robert. "Bonnie never told me what you do for a living?"

"I'm a store clerk. Not a job that pays amazingly well, as you can imagine."

"Yeah. If it meant a better job, would you be willing to move?" he asked.

"In a heartbeat," Robert said. Bonnie wasn't as quick to say yes. "To where?" she asked.

"Bolmont," David replied.

"Well, that's not too far from all my friends, I guess I'd be okay with that. But why?"

David pulled a card out of his pocket. "When you get back from your honeymoon, contact this man. His name is E.F. Cavuto. He works for the Bank of Callamandia. He's willing to grant you an interview."

"For what?" Robert asked. "She's a scribe, not an accountant..."

"The bank has a Contracts Division. They do a lot of work for the king, and for various businesses. They also occasionally put down business negotiations onto paper, so there is a record of what is said, even if it's not a contract. Anyway, they use a great many scribes in the Contracts Division."

"How did you find out about this?" Bonnie wanted to know.

"Let's just say I'm a popular customer at the bank. I asked the local branch manager if he knew of any opportunities for scribes. He pointed me in the right direction."

Bonnie and Robert were both excited by the prospect. Bonnie still had one doubt, though. "But what if he thinks I've been out of school too long, just like the rest?"

"He told me that all interviewees are evaluated by the bank to test their skills, whether you just got out of school, or you've been in the workforce for ten years. So that should not be an issue."

Bonnie smiled widely. "Thank you, David! This could be a real lifesaver for us!"

David smiled. "Figured it was a better wedding present than that Everstore cabinet I got you."

Bonnie gave him a huge hug, and a kiss on the cheek. Robert shook his hand strongly while thanking him profusely. Finally, David and Sam both wished them good luck, and moved off.

"That was a good thing you did, David," Sam said seriously.

"I'd have hired her myself, if I had to," David admitted. "They needed a good place to start from."

"Do you actually have need of a scribe?"

David shrugged. "The guild could make use of one. And I'm doing enough stuff with my potions lately that there's a fair amount of paperwork involved."

"How's it going with your petition for advancement?"

"I still need a few more new potions."

"Are you trying to incorporate them into Stroud's Base, as well?"

"Sure. Might as well. Just makes things easier for me."

"Right. Good luck."

"Thanks."

Sam sighed.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing, really. But weddings are about the only time when I even mildly regret my chosen lifestyle. They're the one time I think it might be nice to settle down with a single partner and develop a steady relationship. Then I remember that I can't stand having people in my space for all that long, and the feeling goes away," she said with a smile.

"Hmmm. Maybe you just need to find the right guy to have in your space all the time," he offered.

"You have anyone in mind?" she asked with a grin and a nudge.

David smirked. "No. I'm content to share your space occasionally."

"How about now?" Sam asked huskily. "Weddings also make me incredibly horny."

David grinned widely. "Well, we can't leave you like that..."

"So, how goes the investigation, Joe?" Zyla asked.

"You guys really talk shop at the dinner table?" David asked.

"Do we have something else to talk about?" Joe replied reasonably. "Zyla already told us about her day before dinner was ready. I don't think Grace is ready to give us a rundown on her day, so that only leaves you and me... Unless you want to talk about the wedding you went to yesterday..."

"Hmm. Actually, you know what? I do have a question about that. I was going to ask Sam, but she distracted me, and I forgot."

"How did she distract you that badly?" Zyla asked.

"By being naked," David replied with a grin. Zyla blushed crimson while Joe chuckled at his wife.

"What's your question?" Joe asked him.

"During the ceremony, they each received a mark on their hand. What's that about? It was referred to in their vows... or at least I think that's what they were referring to... as the symbol of their love."

"Oh, they went really old style with it," Joe said. "It's called a marriage mark, or a love tattoo, by some. It serves a few purposes. First, of course, it marks you as being married to someone, and it's hard to hide, and can't be taken off. Second, it visually indicates the level of love between you and your partner. It starts out gold, and it will fade to silver, then to black, and then it will disappear, as the love in the relationship diminishes."

"Is it measuring your love for them, or their love for you?"

"Your love for them."

David nodded. "And the third thing?"

"If you should happen to cheat on your partner, the mark on your hand will fracture permanently. Even if your spouse forgives you, the mark will not repair itself. This is supposed to act as a deterrent to never do such a thing."

"What about open relationships? It's not really cheating then..."

"Then you wouldn't use that mark, most likely. It would still fracture. Any time you slept with someone other than your spouse. And the more often you do it, the more fractured it becomes."

"So, could it eventually disappear from fracturing too much?"

"Yes. And at that point, the marriage is considered to be dissolved."

"So that's what they meant by until the mark is gone."

"Yes."

"You called this old style. What do they normally do now?"

"Most folks do either a bracelet or a ring. I'm sure you've seen the men wearing the silver or gold wrist guards around Dugerra. That's a marriage symbol."

"Do those indicate the same things as the marriage mark?"

"In some cases," Joe confirmed. "For a lot of people, though, they no longer want that information made public, so the ring or bracelet is just a pretty decoration."

David nodded, then, looking between them, he had to ask, "So... what did you guys do? I don't see a mark, a ring, or a bracelet."

Joe frowned and looked away. Zyla answered for him.

"We didn't have a spiritual ceremony of any kind. We simply filed our marriage agreement with the magistrate's office."

"Oh. Can I ask why you didn't have a wedding?"

"Well, it wasn't really important to either of us," she said, "And money was pretty tight at the time. Weddings can be expensive."

"Really? Must be the cost of renting the temple. The rest of it seemed pretty simplistic."

"Temples are expensive, yes. So are the ambit generators, if they used one."

"They did."

"Plus having the clerk come out to officiate, all the cost of the reception afterward... it all adds up."

"I guess," David said. His voice indicated dissatisfaction.

"You're upset I didn't give her a wedding, aren't you?" Joe asked.

"Huh? Oh, no, that's between you two. I was just thinking that the likelihood of me ever going through a wedding myself was pretty slim. As Olissa once told me, I can hardly do the 'till death do us part' bit."

Zyla said, "That doesn't mean you can't get married. You just have to meet a woman who's okay with how the relationship will change over time."

"I suppose. Anyway, this is an unhappy topic. Why don't we go back to discussing the case?"

Joe grinned and said, "See?"

"Oh, shut up."

Mr. Abner sighed heavily. "More questions, officers?"

"Mr. Abner," David said politely, but firmly, "if you want us to retrieve the scroll, then we have to investigate. That means asking questions of the people with information relevant to the situation. As you are the person with the most information of that type, yes, we will continue to ask you questions. Now, if you'd prefer that we simply stop looking for the scroll, we will stop asking you questions. I do, however, think that your boss, and the king, might be annoyed by that decision."

Mr. Abner glared at him for a moment, but he knew that David was right. "I'm sorry. It's just that it's been very stressful, and I do have other work to do. What do you need today?"

"Is there ever a time when items are moved out of the archive building for any reason?"

"People can withdraw them, one at a time."

"How does the alarm system handle that?"

"The trace is removed from the item. A different trace is put on it, one which can track the location of the item."

"Okay, but other than that, is there ever a time when multiple items are removed from this building?"

"Only if there was need to make a repair of some kind," he replied. The curator paused, and then said, "Or if they were being sent on tour."

"Would the trace be removed at that point?"

"No, it would take too long to remove it, and then put it back when the tour is done. A tour normally displays several dozen objects. It could take a day or more to put the trace on all of them."

"So, how do you remove them from the archive? Is that done while the outer alarm is removed?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Now, are any tours scheduled for the near future?"

Mr. Abner consulted his calendar. "Why, yes. This week, we're sending off several crates of items, along with the various display items needed."

"The display items. What, exactly, do you send along?"

"Oh... cabinets, some pedestals, the posts and rope to keep onlookers away from the cabinets, a few chairs, because we generally have people to explain the items being displayed, and we want to have a place for them to rest... that's about it."

"And, the places the items are displayed on tour... are they secured in the same way as the archive?"

"Oh, heavens no. In those places, we use more guards. It would simply be too difficult to make the building itself more secure in most cases."

"This tour... it stays within Callamandia?"

"No. It's a worldwide tour."

"Shit," David said, mostly to himself.

"You're thinking someone could sneak the scroll out of the building while we're moving the items out for the tour? But we have all the guards here at that time, and all of those items go directly onto a coach."

"Actually, I think they're going one step further. I think the scroll will actually be stolen from the tour."

"I don't understand," the curator said.

"Imagine this: Our thief grabs the scroll and hides it in some part of the display stuff that is being sent on the tour. He won't hide it in the actual crates of display items, because it would be seen as soon as the items were taken out the first time on the tour. He's one of the archival assistants; he can make sure that whatever he hides the scroll in goes with the tour. You've turned off the alarm, so the scroll will go unnoticed, right onto the coach with all the other tour materials. Then, at some point on the tour, someone else, who would know right where the scroll was, steals it out of the display hall, and no one's the wiser. It's much easier to steal it from there than here, because all they have to do is avoid being seen taking it out of its hiding place. And if Drudekai has been smart - and so far, he has been quite smart - he will hide it in such a place where retrieving it is either very quick, or can be done under cover, making the retrieval of the scroll fairly safe."

"That's... well, it's fiendish, but it's also quite brilliant," Mr. Abner said.

"Yeah. The problem is, we have to find the scroll and follow it. Mr. Abner, we're going to need access to the building tonight."

"Why?"

"To search for the scroll. Also, we'll need you and Miss Talisman to be available, in case we find it."

"What for?"

"So that we can replace the current trace with a positional one. In order for us to arrest anyone, a crime has to be committed. So long as that scroll is within the archive, or part of the tour - even hidden - no crime has yet happened. We can't arrest anyone until they remove the scroll from the archive's possession. In order that it doesn't get lost, we need that positional trace on it."

"Very well. But why search at night?"

"So that the assistants won't know we've done it. I feel confident enough in Mr. Drury's loyalty to the archive to think that he won't tell them about our search."

The curator nodded. "Very well. It will be as you say."

"Thank you, sir. We'll be here at midnight."

"So, do we notify the Rimohr offices in the areas where the tour is happening, so they can watch out for the scroll?" David asked Joe the next day. They'd found the scroll hidden in one of the posts that held up the soft ropes that kept visitors away from the displays. Removing it from that post, they found, would take about three seconds. Hiding the scroll under a cloak would be child's play.

"This is our case, David. We go where the case goes."

"You mean, we have to spend the time on the road?"

"Well... you do. I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"As a squad supervisor, I can't be away from the office for that long."

"But I can't operate on my own. It's against the rules."

"I know. I'm going to send Vivian with you. You two are already familiar with each other, so she won't have to get used to the way you do things."

"Okay. But this could take a couple months. The tour's supposed to be gone for nine weeks."

"It could. And if it does, it does. But I don't think it's going to take that long. The longer that scroll sits in an insecure area, the greater the chance of it being discovered by accident. I would think that our real thief would want to get their hands on it as soon as possible."

"That makes sense. The first three stops are Gorumshead, Ramius, and Everglin, over in Pithala."

"My guess is that Everglin will be where it happens."

"Why?" David asked.

"Gorumshead's too close to this office, and Ramius is too hard to get away from unnoticed. Everglin's a long way from where the crime began, so they might hope that the Rimohrs there weren't aware of it. Plus, a lot of people still think in terms of nations. They think if they do it in another country, we can't catch them. That still happens a lot, and we use it to our advantage every time."

"What if he lives in Gorumshead or Ramius?"

"I'm not saying you don't cover them as thoroughly as anyplace else. I'm just saying that I wouldn't expect anything to happen until Everglin or later. But, since I think he'll want to move quickly, my guess is Everglin, as I said."

"I suppose that makes sense. Unless the tour is actually coming to his home town. If it's doing that, then he might just wait until it arrives, and visit the exhibition. That way, it wouldn't be at all suspicious."

"Okay, I grant you that one. But don't count on that."

"Right."

"Look at the bright side. You get a few days to rest before the tour starts. You can catch up on your paperwork!"

"Have I told you lately that I hate you?" David said with a smirk. Joe laughed.

"Well, this seems to be coming along nicely," David said. He was walking along the back half of his property, inspecting the work that had been done with Jailla. David had hired a crew to build a pond on his property.

"Yes. Why did you want this here?" Jailla asked.

"The land was boring," David replied simply. "It was a few kinds of ugly trees, and ground where very little grew. The trees that surround the pond are much nicer looking, and now the ground will hold something interesting."

"A large puddle is interesting?" Jailla asked.

"There will be fish in the pond, Jailla," David said, rolling his eyes. "Along with frogs, and whatever else decides to show up on its own. But the fish and the frogs I'm having brought in. And, of course, the plant life. Plus, there will be a small waterfall over there, which will help with the function of the pond, as well as look and sound nice."

"How can a waterfall operate on a still body of water?"

"The water will be circulated magically through pipes. This pond is basically just a huge aquarium."

"What's an aquarium?" Jailla asked.

"I knew you were going to ask that," David said with a chuckle. "It's a clear box full of water that you put small fish in to keep them as pets."

"People do that? Why?"

"Because people find it relaxing to watch fish swim."

"People are strange."

"Thanks a lot, bird-brain," David said. Jailla nipped him on the ear in reply. "Ow! Bastard."

After a few moments of walking silently, David said, "So, as you know, I have to go out of town starting tomorrow. Are you coming with me?"

"You are my wizard. Where you go, I go," Jailla said.

"Well, I just wondered, since I haven't been taking you on cases. Does that bother you, me leaving you here?"

"Not very much. There's plenty of room to fly here, and enough to see to keep me interested most of the time. It would be interesting to see how your cases are going, but I realize that most people do not take their familiars to work with them."

"Wonder why that is," David said.

"Disruptive, I suppose," Jailla replied.

"I've never known you to disrupt my day... at least not when I was doing something serious."

"That's me. Imagine if Olissa went to work with Bisperion."

David snorted. "Yeah, I see your point. Or if Ellie had tried to take Peanut to a job."

"Yes. Not all familiars are as calm as I am."

"Thank you for that. Being calm, I mean. I couldn't have handled Peanut."

"Peanut would never have spoken to you. Calmness was what you needed in a familiar. It's one of the reasons we were, and are, so compatible."

"Yeah. Okay, so we'll be leaving tomorrow evening. We're traveling just behind the tour, so that nobody sees us. Vivian is going with us."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Joe can't be out of the office that long."

"I see. Where are we going?"

"Depends on how long it takes our thief to show up. Our first stop should be very familiar. It's the History Museum in Gorumshead."

"How long will we be there?"

"Just a couple days. Long enough, I hope, for me to talk to Dean Lengel. Agent Wilson finally got a response to my questions to the higher-ups about my position while at school."

"That took much longer than it should have," Jailla opined.

David shrugged, but gently, since Jailla was on his shoulder. "At least we got an answer. Anyway, it's dinner time. Let's go see what Flo's cooked up."

"Good morning, Officer, what can I do for you today?"

"Good morning, Madame Dean," David replied with a stern look.

Dean Lengel grinned. "Okay, I deserved that. It's good to see you, David. The uniform looks good on you."

"Thanks."

"So, what did you want to see me about?" she asked, gesturing for him to have a seat.

"I need your help to figure out exactly what my position is within the school structure for this upcoming year."

"I don't understand."

"Well, I'm a Rimohr intern now. That gives me certain responsibilities, and a few bits of authority. However, the school has its own security force -"

"Such as it is," Dean Lengel interrupted. "We still haven't replaced those lost during the fight with The Clan."

David frowned. "Still. The school has its own... what we would refer to in Earth as Campus Police. You have your own security and investigation team. What I need to figure out is what my job is, relative to their authority. The Rimohr Commissioner has verified that I can act as the liaison between the school's security force and the Rimohrs. He also suggested that, if I were an official part of the security force, I would be able to detain, investigate, and perform almost all of my Rimohr duties on campus under the authority of the school itself."

"So you want me to hire you as a security officer?"

"Well... appoint, really. There's no reason for the school to pay me. I'm already being paid by the Rimohr office, and it would be silly to get two paychecks for the same job."

Dean Lengel sat back in thought for a long moment. Finally, she leaned forward again. "It's interesting that you bring this to me at this point in time."

"Why's that?"

"After the fight last year, there's been a lot of soul-searching going on within the school. The Board of Discipline voted to oust Prof. Hellerhan, even before the election. It was a symbolic move, but an important one.

"The faculty discussed your idea of making time on the Board mandatory. A lot of people saw the merit of it, but we did decide on a slightly different approach."

"Oh?"

"Yes. The Board will no longer have sitting members. The faculty will rotate through. Each time the Board of Discipline is needed, the next person will be called on to fill a seat. We've crafted the lists so that no one group of people reoccurs too frequently, and the leader of the Board is chosen by the list, not by the people on the Board."

"Won't this cause a lot of confusion for ongoing disciplinary issues?"

"Well, first off, faculty meetings will now cover any of those, but another change is that the Board handles only individual cases. They will no longer have authority over the day to day operations of security. Even DIRT will now come under the direct authority of the Chief of Security. The security chief will report directly to me and the school's Board of Trustees, who are not faculty members, they're part of the Ministry of Education."

"Oh. Well... that's probably going to help things, and it's good to know, but how does any of that have anything to do with my request?"

"Because one of the other pieces of upheaval that has happened is that Seth Tupper has resigned his position as Chief of Security."

"What? Why?"

"Too much emotional trauma from the fight. Seth's never been in that kind of situation before, and it shook his confidence in himself. He's unwilling, now, to carry the responsibility for the security force. He doesn't feel he could send people out again to get hurt or killed. This is why the security force hasn't been replaced yet."

"So, you're telling me that I couldn't be part of the security team until you hire a new security chief."

"Not exactly," Dean Lengel said.

"What, then?" David asked.

"I'm telling you that I want you to be the new Chief of Security. At least for the upcoming year."

"Are you nuts? I don't know anything about running security."

"Could have fooled me," she said. "You sure seemed like you knew what you were doing last year."

"I was leading a small group, with a limited purpose."

"And the year before," Dean Lengel pointed out.

"What... oh, the thief? That just proves how bad I was doing. I should have seen that months before we arrested the bastard."

"Nobody else saw it at all," Dean Lengel replied. "Not to mention, David, that you're a Rimohr Officer. If there's a better qualification for being the Chief of Security, I don't know what it would be."

"I'm a Rimohr intern. We both know I'm no Officer yet, to hell with what Garibaldi insists I tell people in public."

"Still, you were accepted by them on the basis of your skills. When I asked them how you were doing, they gave you a very favorable report."

"You've been checking up on me?" David asked with a grin.

"I had to have something to take to the Board of Trustees," she replied. "They don't know you as more than a name, so I had to give them a reason to allow me to hire you."

"There's another problem, though," David said. "As a Rimohr intern, I will frequently have to leave campus. Perhaps for days at a time. I can't just abandon my post here to go do that job..."

"We took that into account when we were reworking the security force's rules of operation. You will have a deputy chief, and you'll also have an office administrator. The office administrator will be Seth, up until the Yule break. He agreed to stick around and help you settle into the position before he starts looking for a new job. His normal duties will be to keep the office running and do the majority of the paperwork, to take that off your hands.

"Your deputy chief is there to be in charge when you're not available, either due to days off, or Rimohr duties."

"I get days off? Since when?" David said with a chuckle.

Dean Lengel smiled. "Yes, as a paid employee, you're entitled to two days off a week. During those days, the deputy chief can fill in for you. You will need to select a deputy chief from your security team. We simply haven't had the time to find a suitable individual."

"What about the fact that I'm still a student? You'd have a student running your security force. That can't be good for morale..."

"You're a sixth-year student with a history of activity in the security department. Nothing in the school's by-laws prevents you from holding the job. I know you won't let it affect your academic performance, or you would have suffered last year. And the students, I think, will adjust without a problem. You would qualify for the position if you had ended your schooling after your fourth year, so there's no reason you shouldn't get the job now."

"Did you clear this with the Rimohr office?" David asked.

"You just told me they suggested you take on a security position at the school," she replied.

"Yeah, as a security officer, not as a security chief..."

"Splitting hairs," she said, waving her hand dismissively. Suddenly, she got serious.

"David, we need you in this job. With Seth leaving, we have no one who understands the real problems we're facing. You and the DIRT were out front in dealing with these problems last year. You know what you may be up against. You know what works, and what doesn't. We can't afford to have someone who is unfamiliar with the situation groping around, trying to find a way forward, while the school suffers further. We need someone who both knows where the line is, and knows how to make sure that the students don't step over it. That is you, whether you want to admit it or not. It was hard for me to watch you struggling under the 'guidance' of the Board last year. I watched you try to find creative ways around their intransigence. You have every quality we could possibly want in a Chief of Security. You're smart, you're tough, you can think on your feet, and you're not afraid of stepping on toes when it comes to doing the job right. I thoroughly expect to be butting heads with you every once in a while. My version of discipline and yours do not always agree. Having said that, I know that your opinions on the matter are honest ones, coming from your real beliefs, and not some agenda. I can respect that. While we may disagree from time to time, I see no reason at all that we can't work together.

"Please, David. The school needs you. Will you take the job?"

"Dirty pool, Emile. You know I can't say no when you phrase it that way."

"I know. I can play dirty to get my job done, too," she said with a grin.

David shook his head in befuddlement at how he'd just gotten roped into this thing.

"So, Chief Stroud," Dean Lengel said, making him even more uncomfortable, "You up for some lunch?"

"Uh, sure. There was something else I wanted to discuss with you, anyway. We can do it while we eat."

"Great."

"Do you think we should split up, to cover more ground?" Vivian asked David. The two were walking around the exhibition hall, trying to watch for their thief.

"We can't," David replied. "I'm not allowed to act on my own, remember? If I need to perform a Rimohr duty, you have to be with me. There may be two of us, but we're stuck acting as one."

"Right. I forgot. It's got to be annoying, having to stick that close to Joe all the time."

"Well, Joe gives me a little more room on my own... but we're hoping to make an arrest here, and I do not want to screw it up with some technicality."

"Yeah, that's a good point," Vivian agreed. "So how are you liking the job so far?"

"Well, it's mentally stimulating, at least. At least some of the time. This last week has been pretty intense, mentally, trying to figure out who took it, and how to catch them. My first couple cases were pretty dull, though."

"That's the way it goes. They're not all the end of the world. Some are downright stupid. But we've got to deal with them all."

David nodded. After a little more walking, he asked, "Why did you become a Rimohr?"

"It was the family business. My father, who's a techno, was a cop in Italy. My grandfather was a cop in New York. My grandmother was a security officer for the government. It's just what we do."

"Do you like the job?"

"Most of the time? No, not really."

"What part do you like?"

"I like the camaraderie, the feeling of brotherhood among the team."

"You could get that in a lot of places."

"But not as intensely. There's something about police officers that builds a really tight community."

"Getting shot at will do that to a guy," David offered.

Vivian smiled. "Perhaps. Not that a lot of Rimohrs get shot at... or even hexed at. It's a dangerous thing to do, given our normal response."

"Which is?"

"Well, if our responding hex doesn't kill you, the courts will put you in wizard prison for over ten years for attempting to hex a Rimohr, no matter what else you may be convicted of."

"Yikes. Guess it's a good thing I didn't fight back when they came to arrest me."

"Fighting the Rimohrs is never a good idea. Even if you beat us, you lose, because we will hunt you down to the ends of the planets."

"Still, back to my original point... if you don't like the job, why don't you find another one?"

Vivian shrugged. "I guess I just don't 'not like' this job enough to put in the effort to change careers."

"Can I ask, what is it about the job you don't like?"

"Too many times knowing who did something, and not being able to do anything about it, because we don't have enough proof. There have been at least twenty cases like that in my career."

"How long have you been a Rimohr?"

"Seven years. I went into the Academy right out of wizarding college."

"Wait... why aren't you an Agent already?"

"Performance, most likely. They don't tell you why you don't get promoted. But I imagine that my attitude toward the job has affected my enthusiasm, which has reflected in my performance. I don't care, really. Agents do more or less the same job as Officers. They get a bit more pay, have a few more duties and a bit more authority... but it's all the same job. Find the bad guy and prove he did it to the magistrate's satisfaction."

David nodded. "Well..." he groped for a way to say what he was thinking. "I hope things get better for you."

Vivian smiled at him. "Thanks."

With that, the two of them continued their circuit of the exhibition hall.

David and Vivian were sitting in an office, resting. On the desk between them sat a glass sphere, with a ring of light inside that pointed more toward Vivian than toward David. It was the Dalmajak Cynosure, and David had focused it on the "missing" scroll. If the scroll moved, the needle would pulse, and would follow the scroll. This would let them know immediately if someone had taken the scroll from its hiding place.

"Why didn't we think of this before?" Vivian asked. "Much more relaxing."

"Well, partly because I wanted to get a feel for the room, the people who were in it. I also wanted to be seen patrolling."

"Why?"

"To lull the thief. If you never see security, you just assume that you can't see security, and they're always around watching. But if you see security at first, and then you don't, you assume that, because you can't see them, they're not watching you anymore."

"Interesting idea," Vivian said. "So, you're hoping that our disappearance will trigger the thief to act."

"Right. We'll go back out there in an hour or so, to do it again."

It turned out that was not necessary, as fifteen minutes later, the ring inside the cynosure began to pulse, and it turned slightly.

"Okay, let's go, but not too quickly. We want him to get outside the building," David said.

The two moved rapidly through the exhibition hall, following the direction of the cynosure. They thought they knew who it was pointing at, but they wouldn't take any chances. There were too many other people nearby that could be the culprit.

Once they were outside, the people began to disperse. It was now easier to see which person the cynosure was indicating. Finally, as they followed their subject, it was clear he was their target.

"Take him?" Vivian asked quietly.

"Yeah," David confirmed.

The two increased their pace until they were on either side of the man.

"Rimohrs," David said. "We'd like to talk to you."

"Got nothing to say. Sorry, I'm late for a meeting. Really must be going," the man tried.

David took the man's arm and brought him to a halt.

"Let me rephrase," David said. "You can either talk to us here, or you can talk to us in the local Rimohr office. Your choice."

The man sighed heavily. "Fine. What do you want? Really, I must get to my meeting."

David held up the Dalmajak Cynosure in front of the man. The red ring was pointing right at him.

"Remove your cloak," David said.

"No," the man said. "I will not. You have no right to detain me."

"Sir, we can detain anyone at all, for any reason, at any time in the course of our investigative duties. In this case, you are believed to be guilty of a serious crime. I'd advise you to cooperate before you force us to become more aggressive."

The man tried to glare defiantly at David, but David just stared at him impassively. Then the man tried, "You're bluffing."

"Try me," David said. "You can remove your cloak voluntarily, or sixty seconds from now you will be standing here naked after we have removed every article of clothing you're wearing."

"You wouldn't," the man gasped.

"I would," David responded.

Slowly, the man unfastened his cloak and slipped it off his shoulders. He handed it to David, who stepped away from the man while Vivian kept him under control.

David hung the cloak on a nearby tree branch, and began to go through the pockets. It didn't take very long to find the scroll.

"That's mine!" the man protested. "I bought it in the museum gift shop!"

"Really," David said. "There's just two problems with that."

"What?" the man demanded.

"First off, copies of the scroll do not contain the seal of the Royal Archive on their back. You know, like this one right here," David said, showing the official logo to the man.

"And second, the museum doesn't have a gift shop."

The man deflated immediately. The first he might have explained away. The second was an impossibility.

"Now, you'll be coming with us. You're under arrest for grand theft. You'd better hope the King of Callamandia is feeling magnanimous, too."

"Why's that?" the man asked.

"You're a Pithalan citizen, and you stole the property of the King of Callamandia. That's an act of war. For attempting to incite a war, he could demand your execution."

"Why did you want the scroll, anyway?" Vivian asked as they were walking back to the museum, the man restrained by a handcuff hex. "You could have just bought a copy."

"The copies don't contain the secrets," the man said. "If you take all the little marks on the back and line them up, they form a very potent spell that can basically turn you into a god, giving you control over all the elements, and not just the limited control of elemandy, but real control. Aleutia was a Master Elemander, they say, and he was able to ride waves across entire oceans, to keep himself free from rainstorms, to stop flooding... with that kind of power, anyone could be king of the world!"

"Oh, I get it. You're a lunatic," David said. "Gotcha."

"I am not crazy! The secret is there!"

"Buddy, anyone who actually wants to rule the world is crazy by definition," David told him. "Whether the secret is there or not."

Once they'd reached the museum, David and Vivian informed the curator that they were leaving. They also informed the local Rimohr office. After that, they arranged for transportation home.

"Almost seems too easy, at least in this last phase," David said.

"You're not in the last phase," Vivian reminded him. "The last phase is convincing the magistrate he did it."

"I'm hoping that's not too hard, given that he had it in his possession at the time of arrest."

"True, but I've seen cases go south on the weirdest things."

David nodded, then lapsed into silence as the glide cart started its journey across the ocean.

"Well, this turned out very nice," Flo said. She was walking with David along the shore of the new artificial pond. It covered over an acre of his property, and was now fully stocked with fish, some frogs, and already a few birds had taken up residence in the surrounding trees to take advantage of the available food supply.

"Yeah. I think it really adds something to the house, to have this back here. We can come out, sit at the picnic table, watch the fish..."

"Even go for a swim?" Flo asked.

"Well, it's deep enough, but it's gonna be about as cold as the Monster Moat at school."

"How about right now?" Flo asked him.

"Our swimsuits are back in the house."

"Who said anything about swimsuits?" Flo asked, removing her T-shirt. David watched in surprise as Flo stripped down. She then looked at him and said, "Come on! No one can see us. You can't even really see the house from here through the trees." With that, she turned and waded into the water. "Yipes! It is cold!" She quickly chanted a spell to take care of that problem, however, and then she lunged forward, swimming toward the middle of the pond.

David, deciding she had a good idea for cooling off from the heat of the day, quickly took off his clothes and jumped in after her. It wasn't long before he joined her in the middle of the pond. It was too deep to stand there, but they both treaded water without problem.

"This is nice," Flo said. "Race you to the waterfall inlet!"

Flo didn't wait for David to say anything, but took off swimming immediately. David lunged after her, but didn't manage to catch up before she got there. She was breathing hard, though, as she had been swimming all out.

David came up behind Flo and slipped his hands around her waist. "You win," he said quietly.

"Mm," she mewed. "What's my prize?"

David slid his hands upward, cupping her breasts and softly massaging them with his fingers. Flo closed her eyes and sighed. As David's hands continued to fondle her, he leaned in and began to nibble on her ear. Flo giggled at first, the sensation overwhelming her. As he continued, however, she realized how good it felt, and pressed back into him, her hands reaching back to rest on his hips. She could feel his erection pressing into her ass, and it felt good, too.

After a couple minutes, one of David's hands left Flo's breast and strayed down across her stomach. When it reached her vee, Flo spread her legs to give him access. David's hand immediately slipped between her legs, his finger seeking out and then slipping deep into her opening.

Flo moaned softly as David finger-fucked her, his other hand and tongue still doing their thing in their respective places. As Flo's heat rose, David withdrew his finger from her pussy and slipped it up to gently slide against her clit. Flo groaned loudly at that, and her body began to pulse as her climax approached.

In another minute, her orgasm arrived, and she cried out in pleasure, her body shuddering. David stopped moving his finger, but he left it pressing against her clit, so her shudders caused their own friction, prolonging her high. It was a long moment before Flo began to descend from her peak.

When she was able to think clearly, Flo turned to face David, and wrapped her arms around his neck. The two kissed passionately, their tongues immediately engaging as their hands ran across each other's backs. When Flo lifted herself up and wrapped her legs around David's waist, he decided to move them both under the waterfall. He carried Flo, making sure not to slip, until the water was cascading all around and over them. They continued to kiss, but Flo reached down between them and took hold of David's cock. This she positioned, and then settled down onto it, filling her pussy with his rod. Once she had him inside her, she pressed her body firmly against him. She really didn't care how long it took him to start moving now; she just wanted him inside.

For a long time, David only made small movements, keeping them both highly aroused, while they continued to tongue wrestle. Finally, however, he started to move more forcefully, thrusting his cock up into her, causing her to moan in pleasure.

The two broke their kiss, and then their grunts and cries filled the area. Flo pushed herself as tightly against him as she could, embracing him as her pussy massaged his cock. David moved faster, as he was nearing his peak.

When it arrived, David thrust upward and froze, holding Flo against him so that she could not move. She had no desire to move, anyway, as the feel of his jism filling her up felt wonderful. For a good minute, David could do nothing but shudder and jolt as his climax finished and slowly faded. Finally, he loosened his grip on Flo.

Flo leaned back and smiled at him. "That was nice," she said, and then kissed him.

"If you give me a minute, we won't be done yet," David said.

"You take all the minutes you want, as long as you stay inside of me while we're waiting," she replied. David chuckled.

It didn't take long, with Flo's body pressed against him and her pussy rippling along his shaft, for David to return to full erection. She began to roll her hips against him, moving him in and out of herself.

David enjoyed that for a long moment, then he asked, "Flo... have you ever had anal sex?"

"Well, of course I have, silly," she replied. "I'm a progressive kind of girl. Why, did you want to?"

"If you'd enjoy it," he said.

"Hells, yeah," she said. "Where do you want to go?"

"We can do it right over there," he said, indicating the spot under the waterfall's overhang.

Flo unwrapped her legs from David's waist and slowly, reluctantly, pulled herself off his cock. She moved over to the spot he'd indicated, and put her hands on a slight ledge caused by the layering of rocks that made up the waterfall.

"I can't reach bottom here," she told him. "Not in this position."

"That's okay. I'll keep you in place," he told her. He moved between her legs and rested his hand on her ass. Slowly, he inserted his thumb into her asshole.

Flo mewled, and wriggled her butt at him. "That's not big enough to be your cock," she told him.

"Just wanted to let you relax and loosen up a bit, first," he told her.

"I'll be much more relaxed with your dick in me," she told him huskily.

David took his thumb out, and then stepped forward, pressing the head of his cock to her asshole. He'd already cast the lubrication charm, and so he slowly pressed himself into her.

Flo was moaning already, and her hips were swiveling to try to get more of him inside of her. David got the message and pushed in faster, finally impaling her with his entire dick.

"Oh, that's nice," she told him. "You don't need to go too slow," she said. "I like anal a little rough."

"Your wish is my command," David said. He took hold of her hips and began to thrust. He started off slow, but picked up speed quickly, as soon as he was sure he wasn't hurting her. It didn't take long for him to be fucking her ass with all he had, holding her hips firmly and slamming into her from behind. Flo was squeaking in pleasure and muttering encouragements to him as her heat rose.

It didn't take too much of this treatment before Flo was screaming out her orgasm, her body twisting and bucking as she shoved her hips back at David, holding his dick deep inside of her. He stopped moving and simply held on, letting her climax wash over her, and enjoying the feeling of her ass clamped down on his prick.

It took a long time for Flo to settle from her high, during which time David kept his cock inside her, and merely ran his hands up and down her sides.

"Do not," she said, still trying to catch her breath, "take that out of me yet."

"Yes, ma'am," David said in a mock-subservient voice. He pulled Flo up against himself, his dick staying lodged firmly in her ass as he did so. He ran his hands over her stomach and across her tits as she managed to settle from her most pleasant ordeal.

"I'd really like you to do that again, but I don't dare. It's been too long since I've done anal, and I worry about hurting myself. But shit, did that feel good."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said softly into her ear.

"You can pull out now, if you really have to," she said.

David held her close, cupping her tits again. He didn't pull out of her yet. The two stayed like that for another few minutes before David slowly removed himself from her ass.

"Let's go lay on the shore for a while," he told her. The two swam over to where they'd left their clothes, and climbed out onto the shore, lying on the soft grass that was growing in a sunny patch. They cuddled together, David caressing Flo's body while she lay on her back, looking up at him.

After a minute, David leaned down and kissed Flo. This kiss was more tender than those of the last little while, and it lingered for a long moment while he continued to caress her body.

Finally, David broke their kiss.

"This may be a strange time to ask this question. Have you been seeing other guys over the past year? I haven't seen you with anyone."

"Here and there. Not often. Too many of them expect too much."

David nodded. "I know you're not ready for a permanent relationship."

"Nope," she confirmed.

"If you ever get to that point, though, where you do want a permanent boyfriend... I hope you'll consider me for the position."

Flo smiled at him very tenderly, and then pulled his face down so she could kiss him again.

"That's very sweet, David," she said when she let him go. "It means a lot to me that you think that much of me. And," she said, suddenly rolling and pushing him onto his back, straddling his waist, "I consider you for every position!"

Saying that, she slid her pussy down onto his still-hard cock, and then ground her pubes against his.

"Up for more, are you?" David asked with a grin.

"You only came once. I came twice. Fair is fair."

Flo began to ride David in earnest, moving up and down on him as fast as she could go. David reached up and toyed with her nipples as she bounced. He loved the feel of her on his cock, and he hoped he could hold out for a while.

Reaching down with one hand, he pressed his thumb gently over her clit. As she moved on him, her clit rubbed against it, and soon Flo was having yet another orgasm, her body shuddering in ecstasy.

When her orgasm passed, David pulled her down against him.

"I seem to be digging a bigger hole for myself here," Flo said.

"I guess we'll never be able to stop having sex," David told her with a grin. She smiled at him as he rolled them over so he was on top.

"Before we get back to having fun," Flo said quietly, "I want you to know that I would certainly want you as a boyfriend, if I wanted a boyfriend. Although I think Olissa would kill me if I tried to keep you all to myself," she finished with a smile.

David smirked, and then he started to thrust into Flo with some force. Flo's eyes went wide, and she smiled.

"Yeah, big boy. Fuck me hard!"

David obliged her, thrusting into her as hard as he could. Flo muttered a long string of encouragements as David continued to plunge his dick into her pussy. The two grunted with each stroke, loving the feelings it was causing.

David finally felt his orgasm approaching, and so he sped up his thrusts, easing off on the strength a bit. Flo didn't mind, and her praises came faster and louder. She wrapped her arms around him, her fingernails digging into his back as her hips rocked up to meet his every downward thrust.

In another minute, David slammed into Flo's pussy and froze, grunting loudly as his cock spewed its load deep inside of her. Flo had been holding off, but the feel of him pulsing inside of her was too much, and she screamed out yet another orgasm, squeezing his cock and holding him tightly.

For long moments, the two didn't move, they merely shuddered against each other as their bodies retreated from their ultimate pleasure. Finally, though, David was coherent enough to begin to move. Flo had recovered more quickly, but was in no hurry to change their position. Seeing that David was once again with her, she leaned up and kissed him. He kissed her back for a long time before they separated.

"Now I owe you two orgasms," she said with a cute little pout. "I'm gonna be completely worn out! But, mm, how much fun it's gonna be..."