Page 63 of The Study of Poisons
Bunton paused. “For what?”
“Murder, and the buying and selling of illegal goods.”
“That’s quite the list. Aren’t you forgetting something?” Bunton’s gaze slid past Valek’s shoulder. “Or is it just you here to arrest me?”
What was the point of being the most feared man in Ixia if no one recognized him? Perhaps Valek should wear a name tag. “They’re on the way.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Bunton opened the door.
Two of his squad members rushed in. They pounced on Bunton, taking him down and cuffing his wrists. Valek took advantage of the distraction to hit a couple of the goons with darts laced with sleeping potion. Then he yanked two more darts from his sleeve and lunged at the closest guard. Too bad the office wasn’t large enough for a proper fight. Valek jabbed him with a dart, then spun away to prick the last goon. As he waited for the potion to kick in, he dodged and wove and avoided most of the men’s clumsy strikes. A few of them slipped past his defenses, but the heavy fabric of his uniform kept the blades from cutting his skin. Eventually they all slowed and tottered and collapsed to the floor.
His team yanked Bunton to his feet, bookending the black market dealer.
“You can’t prove anything,” Bunton said. “I’m a legitimate businessman.”
Valek plucked Sven’s dagger from Bunton’s belt and pulled the weapon from its scabbard. The black metal shone in the weak morning sunlight. The unique etchings on the blade were clearly visible. His grip on the hilt tightened as the desire to stab the knife into Bunton’s heart shot through him. He raised his eyebrows at Bunton instead of killing him.
“I bought it from someone else. I’d no idea it was stolen.”
A loud crash sounded from below. Followed by the crack of splitting wood and the ring of shattered glass hitting the floor. Ah, the smashing had begun.
“Do you want to tell me again how you’re legitimate?” Valek asked.
“They won’t find any contraband and you’ll have to pay for all that damage.”
“Take him down with the others,” he said to his squad. Then he did a sweep of the rooms, ensuring everyone had been either knocked out or escorted downstairs.
Bunton seemed rather confident about the contraband, so Valek searched for hidden storerooms. Nothing. There could be an underground storage area, but that would be rather obvious. Before he joined his squad, Valek scanned the ceiling, checking for spiders. Or in this case, a concealed entrance.
He found it in the fifth room he entered. The panel blended with the wooden beams supporting the roof and he almost missed it except for a strange knot in the wood which ended up being the latch.
When Valek pulled the panel down, a set of stairs unfolded, reaching the floor. Nice. He climbed up and poked his head into the building’s attic. Beams of sunlight pierced the small holes in the walls of the vast space, revealing stacks of crates and piles of illegal merchandise. Gotcha.
Valek joined his team in the main bay. They had made a proper mess of Bunton’s equipment and supplies. Bunton and his employees all stood along one wall with their wrists manacled.
One of his soldiers came up to him. “Sorry, sir, we were unable to find any incriminating evidence.”
Bunton smirked.
“Then it’s a good thing I found plenty,” Valek said. “It’s all in the attic.”
The dealer’s good mood disappeared, but his confidence remained. “You still can’t prove murder.”
Valek’d had enough. He strode to the man and leaned close. “Who said Ihave toprove it?”
For the first time, Bunton appeared uncertain. His gaze swept Valek, probably noting the lack of a uniform and military insignia. “The Commander requires a full hearing for all those accused of causing the death of another person,” he said.
“If that’s what you need to tell yourself to get through the next couple of months, then go right ahead,” Valek said. He gestured to his squad. “Take the workers and family members to the watch building for questioning. Bunton and his goons are going to the castle for interrogation.”
They paraded their captives through the streets of Castletown. Neighbors and the curious lined the streets to watch the show. The squad members loudly proclaimed they’d arrested all the black market dealers as a warning to any others who might be considering going into the business. The show would work. At least, temporarily. Eventually a new group of people would fill in the gaps despite the danger. Greed never died.
Ari’s and Janco’s squads joined the parade. Ari scowled at everyone, playing the part, while Janco waved at the onlookers. A slice along Janco’s upper arm bled, otherwise he appeared uninjured.
“Trouble?” he asked Janco, nodding at his arm.
“I fell for the old damsel-in-distress trick,” he said in disgust.
“Oh?” Valek hadn’t heard that one.
