I took out a cigarette and lit it. I also offered one to Peridot, but she refused to take mine and instead pulled a bubble-gum flavored cigarette from her table behind and lit that up.
What a choice.
"Well then, to begin with. Nick's gang was being funded for petty assassinations. Most of the money he was receiving came from two places. On the specific dates you mentioned, his gang had picked up two jobs."
I pursed my lips.
"Three years ago. He had picked up two jobs on the 13th of May?"
"Correct."
Peridot turned her laptop my way. She changed the windows and a map appeared on the screen. Two streets were marked on it.
"On the same day, though it is difficult to confirm which incidents were caused by Nick, he did mark his presence at these two places."
"And how do you know this?" I asked. The incident had happened over three years ago, there was no way CCTV footage was still that easily accessible. Peridot simply shrugged at my question.
"I verified it myself. Don't ask for my sources, darling."
"It's really hard to trust information brokers when they are shady like you."
Peridot laughed. "You are always a riot. Anyway."
Wow. Zero regard for my doubts. As expected from the best in the game. Was she perhaps just a scam artist? It wouldn't be surprising if she was.
"The two places marked here are the headquarters of the companies that had paid him at the perfect timeline to fit a job on the 14th of May."
I nodded.
There was no way to identify what incidents Nick had caused, but I knew from attacking him personally that he was connected to my incident. Now, which of these two had paid him to carry it out, was the main question.
At the current rate.
"I should look into both of them, yeah?"
Peridot nodded.
"I don't like your methods, darling. You should take a more nuanced approach and find things out through other methods."
"I am taking a nuanced approach by asking you things."
"But you will charge in too, right?"
"Of course."
Information was information.
"That is that," I said. Violence, after all, could never be replaced by anything else. The people who spoke beatings would surely not understand words. "This is this."
Peridot sighed and pulled a pen drive out of her laptop. She tossed it over to me, and I grabbed it with one hand.
"I am afraid I could only look into one of the two businesses right now… the other is just, too closely guarded."
My eyes widened a little. Something even Peridot couldn't look into easily, they must be quite high-profile in terms of crime then.
"This one. They had paid Nick's gang to cause a death. These people are in touch with some members of the municipal body, but the possibility of a strong political backing is still out in the air."
I nodded again.
"What do they do?" I asked. "What's their business."
"Games, apparently. They are a gaming company."
"Sorry?"
"Branches everywhere, including in the Aversque Boulevard. New Engine Gaming Solutions, Private Limited. And…" Peridot smirked a little. "If you are planning to go investigate, I have a lead for you."
"What is it?"
"They are opening arcades all around. Swallowing old businesses and creating new ones at the same time. Of course, the arcades are more like Computer Casinos or those Japanese Pachinko Parlours."
"Gambling, then?" I asked.
Peridot nodded.
While the gambling did not interest me, I was going to find out what connection this company had to that incident three years ago.
I looked at my phone. Arcades… gambling…
Things were perhaps not that disconnected.
"Twenty grand?"
"Let's make it thirty?"
"After you crack into that second group, I will consider it." I stood up and stretched my arms above my head again. The cigarette had finished, and once again it barely left a hit. How deeply saddening.
"I'll wire it over."
"Sure. I'll send you three different accounts."
"Whatever. Take care, Peridot. Thanks again for that day."
I waved my hands at her and headed for the door.
"Give me whatever information you get from that place."
"Sure. I'll send you my account for the payment of that."
Peridot chuckled and I pushed the door open. Of course, I was going to give her any information worth selling. That was how our arrangement worked.
I glanced at my phone again as I stepped out.
A conversation… had not happened in the group yet.
I guess Mrs. Benson was quite lucky.