Page 24 of The Thief's Mark

Locke ceased his struggles long enough to direct a furious glare at Griff. Griff didn’t budge, keeping himself from swaying on his feet via sheer force of will.

A moment later, Locke jerked his head toward his desk. “Bottom drawer on the right. Combo is 176436.”

Griff gestured at Cal. Cal glanced down at the shotgun he held. “You know, he probably stole this anyway. Maybe I could keep—”

“No.”

Sighing, Cal gave the shotgun one last mournful look, then tossed it aside, well out of Bald Locke’s reach. Crouching down by the desk, he quickly entered the combination Bald Locke had given them. The drawer opened with aclick,and Cal held up a leather ledger.

He waggled it at Locke. “What’s this?”

“Business records,” Locke said. “You’ll find what you’re looking for on the last page. It’s the most recent entry.”

Cal flipped open the book, indicating a notation near the bottom. “Here it is!” He squinted at it, furrowing a brow. “But it’s just a series of numbers. How is this supposed to help?”

Locke shot Griff a derisive look. “Aren’t you supposed to be the detective?” Griff didn’t reply, and Locke sighed. “It’s an account number at the National Treasury. The client didn’t give any more info than that—no names, and they never handled the money directly.”

“What about that man who picked up the void orb?” Griff demanded.

“I’ve only met him a handful of times. Always wore a mask and used magic to disguise his voice. Pegged him as a prottie right away though.” He glared at Griff. “You lot always have a certain way of acting.”

To Griff’s annoyance, Cal nodded in agreement at that. “Anything else?” Griff demanded. “If I find out you’re holding something back, it’ll be me and a hundred other protectors storming in here next time.”

Locke did his best approximation of a shrug within the confines of the net. “You’re welcome to try. But that’s all I know.”

Cal whistled, drawing Griff’s attention. The thief was skimming through the rest of the ledger. “Eternal Dark, there’s a half-dozen more entries for that account over the past month. Each is more exorbitant than the last, even bymystandards. That last payment alone was over a thousand gallants!”

Griff’s breath caught. No wonder they were working through the Treasury. With those kinds of sums involved, anything other than direct account transfers would’ve been ridiculously impractical. Still, who would be willing to pay such a fortune for a void artifact?

Perhaps reading the uncertainty on Griff’s expression, Locke sneered, “You’re biting off more than you can chew, Inspector. Trust me, you don’t want to stick your hand in this. My client’s definitely got friends in high places— maybe even IS one themself. You don’t know what you’re stepping in.”

“Maybe not,” Griff said. In as smooth a motion as he could manage with the growing pain in his side, he reholstered his pistol. “But I’ll manage, same as I always do. Thank you for your cooperation. I expect not to hear from you or your people again.”

Cal hurried over to join Griff, waving the ledger in Bald Locke’s direction. “We’ll be keeping this too for collateral, in case you get any ideas. May Allaria smile upon your business.”

Swaying a little on his feet, Griff hobbled toward the door, Cal right there beside him. Still trapped in the net, Locke watched them leave in silence.