Chapter 5 – I Try Some Detective Skills of My Own
I waited ten minutes after he left – just to make sure he wouldn’t return immediately in case he forgot anything – before creeping out of the office. The door clicked shut and I snapped on the padlock – there were keys for it lying on Kairo’s desk. There was no way I was going to just sit in the office for who knows how long, doing nothing. He thought I was useless, and I was determined to prove him wrong. It was time to do some investigating on my own.
I took his advice and started at the coffee shop. At mid-morning, the café was only inhabited by a family enjoying a brunch and a ragged-looking man staring at a laptop screen in the corner. Jared wiped down a recently-emptied table.
“Hello again,” I said, approaching him.
“Hello again to you too, Miss Taylor! Kai was here earlier, not long after you left. I’m not sure where he went.”
“Don’t worry. I’m here to speak to you, not my boss. Is there somewhere quieter?”
He glanced around furtively, dumped the cloth on the counter and led me through a door marked “staff only”.
Behind the door was a small break room. A pile of magazines lay on a beaten side table, along with an ashtray and a teacup. A microwave stood on a cabinet, next to a kettle with a television above it.
“I’ve heard you’re the person to talk to for information. Apparently, nothing happens without it being discussed in this coffee shop. How true would you say that is?”
“Depends on where you get your information from...And what you’re willing to trade for a little bit of knowledge.”
He gestured for me to take a seat on one of the poufy couches.
“I’ll stand, thank you. My source is none other than Kairo. As to your price...Name it, and I’ll see if I can match it.”
“I doubt you’ll be able to pay my cash fee, but I am willing to do a trade. Information for information. Tell me something of value, and I’ll answer questions worth the same. Does that sound fair?”
I was struck by the sudden change in him. He was no longer the cheerful guy behind the counter, but a calculating businessman. His eyes were narrowed slightly, making their colour seem darker. I wondered exactly just how much he knew, and how he managed to stay alive this long knowing so many secrets. The only answer was that he used information as a weapon – he knew too much to keep alive, but what he knew was far too valuable to lose. I shivered. It was disconcerting.
“Sounds fair enough,” I answered. “Should I give you my questions first, or tell you something I know?”
I hoped he would chose the former, since I had to think back to find information of value.
“Since this is your first time here, I’ll let you ask your questions first as a favour.”
I rewarded him with a smile.
“What do you know about the jewellery thefts?” I asked.
Grinning, he leaned back against the couch and rested his right ankle on his left knee.
“The jewellery thefts? Well, aren’t you interesting. Kai stopped taking theft case years ago, so I know he’s not the one who wants this information. I’ll save you the trouble of paying me. Don’t dig into it. It’s far above your level, darling. That’s all I’ll tell you.”
“But – “
“Trust me – you don’t want to get involved with this. Even though it involves theft, it would be a massive challenge – even for someone like Kai.”
His tone was deadly serious. I knew that, for now, I would have to let the issue rest. It didn’t matter; I’d find other information sources.
“Okay. I won’t get involved in it. Thanks anyway.”
I stood up to leave.
“Wait! I need to ask you something before you go.”
“What?”
His eyes flickered to the side hesitantly, before focussing on me again.
“How much do you know?”
“What do you mean?”
“How much do you know about the people who live in this area?”
I frowned at the strangeness of the question. Instead of answering him honestly – that I barely knew anything about them – I came up with something more enigmatic.
“I can’t answer that question, because you couldn’t answer mine. Information for information, remember?”
I smiled to myself and walked out.
YOU ARE READING
The Raven Conspiracy
Teen FictionThe Raven Conspiracy The thefts, murders and secrets are only the beginning “It was only my first day, but I was ready to quit.” Working as an assistant to an investigator is so much more than Maya thought it would be. Where fetching coffee leads t...
