"How in the world did you do that?" asked Turner incredulously.
Straight after defeating Bowers in the gamble, Sigerson dragged Turner out after receiving his money, hoping everything would settle down as time passed. Turner, who was in a sort of death-like trance seeing Sigerson's near loss, seemed to have recollected himself rather rapidly.
"That? It was only a simple game of memorisation. I noticed his habit of always handling the cards after me and holding them oddly. I'll admit, I was a little taken aback for the first two rounds, but after the second when I looked carefully under the light, I saw a neat, undetectable pattern of fingerprints. Naturally, I knew something like that was going to happen but still… As you saw, I've gotten your money and I hope you'll hang onto your side of the promise."
"Yes, yes, of course," said Turner hastily, not facing Sigerson as he said this. "What can I do for you?"
Sigerson peered down at the shrivelled figure walking along with him gratefully. Now, his plan could proceed with this influential representative in the criminal underworld.
"First of all, are you still trusted among the criminals?"
"Of course, do you need something from them?"
"Do you think you can find—"
He paused to take a breath.
"—someone we can trust and rely on, is excellent at thievery, and willing to assist us in our dangerous mission?"
Thinking with his face scrunched up in concentration, Turner slowly considered the options in his reach.
"Well," he began at a snail's pace. "I do think there may be someone who fits the bill perfectly, but his price definitely won't be cheap."
"That's fine," replied Sigerson, relieved. "As long as he gets the job done, I don't mind. Call him and see if he's willing to help."
—
With the request sent by Turner himself, Sigerson now had no one with him. The two of them agreed earlier when they were walking to stay around in the vicinity while waiting for a response. He plodded to a nearby bench and collapsed onto it, keeping watch over the pub Turner entered.
There was only one entrance and exit to the pub, excluding a back door which led to a dirty alley. In the unlikely event of Turner betraying him, Sigerson had already devised a backup plan, though it would certainly put him in more danger than he was already in. No… Trust was an important factor in his plan; without mutual trust, everything would collapse, sooner or later. Sigerson shook the thoughts out of his mind, storing them for later, if they were really necessary.
As he looked around him, the detective's mood lifted slightly. He was in the middle of the park, sitting in front of a magnificent marble fountain with fragrant roses and pale gardenias encircling the paved square that was tiled beneath the bench. Three other identical benches, placed around on the other three sides, faced inwards towards the fountain but were empty, save for a few pigeons.
The bushes dotted around the park, skillfully trimmed to form leafy sculptures, gave the park a sense of lively spiritedness, which seemed to strongly protest against the current atmosphere in the city. Animosity, fear, anticipation… All of them swallowed the residents after the news of yet another war was released. Most of the citizens were still recovering from the previous famine, so this of course led to much grumbling among the poorer labourers.
Fast footsteps were coming up from behind him. A familiar scent wafted into his nose as it grew stronger and stronger with every second that passed.
It couldn't be… Please not her…
Then turning around, he sat there petrified, staring at an astonished Elena Keller. She was dressed in a plain brown dress with an apron tied around her waist.
Clearly on an errand for Blight, no doubt.
"William?" she stammered, nearly dropping her basket in wide-eyed shock. At that exact moment, Turner and a fox-like youth exited the pub in search for their third companion. Staring straight at them from across the park, Sigerson caught their attention, drew out a receipt, and scribbled a message on the blank side.
He placed his hand softly on Elena's shoulder and gently turned her to face the other side, sticking the receipt into a crevice, and walked away with her clutching his arm tightly as if trying to prevent him from running away. An awkward silence loomed over them, making the flustered detective seriously regret choosing the city park as their meeting location. Why did he not foresee this?
"So, Elena, um…"
He began to realise the weight of each and every one of his words; a single wrong step could sever his relationship with a very valuable information source. "Would you please stop clinging onto my arm like that? It's starting to hurt a little."
Slowly, Elena untangled her arm from her fiancee's and looked up at him with misty timid eyes. Sigerson turned away guiltily, not able to meet her gaze without a twinge of shame tickling his conscience. After what seemed to be an eternity of waiting, he at last plucked up the courage to speak up.
"Elena," he started, a serious expression on his face. "Are you sure you want to be seen with me? I'm a wanted criminal now, you know?"
A few moments passed before she answered the question. High up among the multitude of twisted branches were a number of twittering sparrows darting around in the tree joyously, as if rebelling against the fearful tension that had bewitched the rest of the world around them.
"I–I'll be wherever you are," she replied boldly, lifting her face in defiance.
A quick glance at his watch told Sigerson ten precious minutes had already passed by since Turner had returned with their new accomplice at their meeting spot. It only flew by for a fraction of a second, but it nevertheless sent a chill down his spine; the feeling of sharp eyes glowering at them shot through him. Taking a calming breath, he asked the resolute girl standing next to him, "Are you sure you didn't leak my position to the police?"
"W–What do you mean?"
Her dazzling blue widened in trepidation and confusion. Sigerson stood there, reading her expression and deciding that she truly was clueless, motioned to her to follow him silently.
"Listen, Elena, I don't have much time—"
Elena placed a finger to his lips before telling him with a quivering voice that she was aware of his urgency. She put on a brave smile and said, "I know you're innocent. The sooner you can prove it to those idiots, the faster we can move on, isn't that right?"
Though her tone was light and encouraging, there was no hiding anything from the detective.
Her smile is rather forced, yet she's trying to cheer me up? What's going through her mind right now?
"Is there anything troubling you lately?"
This was a question that completely caught her off guard. Although her legs kept up with Sigerson's firm steps, they felt as heavy as lead, while her lips seemed to be paralysed, unable to utter anything. She stared down at the floor, completely stunned. Sigerson patted her shoulder consolingly.
"It's alright; if it bothers you I won't ask anymore."
She nodded, wiping away a lone tear rolling down her flushed cheek.
Fearing his new companions were getting restless while waiting for him, Sigerson opened his mouth to speak again, but the words were taken right out of his mouth, as Elena gave a weak smile and said, "I suppose you want to part ways for now, don't you? I mean, your face says it all. You seem rather eager to run off already, right, Mr Detective?"
Sigerson was grinning now. Maybe it wasn't a complete waste of time meeting Elena in this most unexpected fashion. Her words, although spoken half-teasingly, encouraged him immensely, which reminded him of what his ideal outcome of this mess would be: a peaceful country no longer haunted by the phantoms of war. Within a second, he snapped back to his usual self, a paranoid, calculating shell.
At least now I know, there's been movement within Blight's household. Something's going on…
Reaching over, he firmly clasped her hands with his own, slipping her a small torn corner from his mini notebook.
"Take this and keep it safe. If you're ever in need of help, come to this address and I'll be there for you. In the meantime, stay safe and don't let anyone know the existence of this, not even Blight."
With a few comforting last words, he turned away somewhat reluctantly, waving to Elena as she waved back, uneasy but comforted.
Yes— he now had another reason to put an end to the abominable conflict that had only just begun.