CHAPTER 34 Red Herringbone Bag

CHAPTER 34

Red Herringbone Bag

Brownie

“Master Jack!” Page Saryl bowed low to the man who’d just interrupted.

Brownie was almost pleased to see the man, if only because he was a suspect and about to be subject to interrogation.

It wasn’t like she held a grudge against him for his part in her kidnapping. She knew that he had been undercover and actually working for Duke Wyldon; she just missed Suzette, and he reminded her of the destroyed lyre harp.

Jack nodded at the page girl and smiled a sunny half smile. His teeth almost shone with a sparkling light. The man must have at least Charisma thirty to be that suave. “Saryl, I’d like to ask you to hold off summoning anyone.”

Rufus was not amused, cutting in. “Why?”

“I know who did it.”

The whole room held their breath, but Jack didn’t continue. Instead, he made a shooing motion to the page. “So you can rest easy that Minstrel Bronwynn is innocent. Just don’t tell anyone, alright? We are still investigating, and it’s important to keep what you know close to heart until everyone is caught.”

“Really? Phew.” The page girl released a really long breath, and then nodded vigorously. “Alright, Master Jack! I won’t say anything, promise!”

“Lovely.” Jack waved the page out and down the hallway before stepping inside and closing the door.

Brownie wasn’t getting up to greet him, and she wasn’t going to relinquish her comfy chair for questioning. He’d have to stand.

Rufus crossed his arms from his armchair and demanded, “Alright, Jack, out with it. Who stole Minstrel Bronwynn’s red bag and moved it into Lady Tate’s room?”

“I did. ”

Brownie was the first to reply. “What?! Why?”

Jack shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “How else was I going to get you past all of the guards and into the holding cell to talk about the incident?”

“Minstrel Bronwynn has nothing to do with this investigation,” Rufus almost growled. His voice rumbled, and Brownie felt a tingle in her spine. It was actually really sweet how angry he got on her behalf.

Wait, she was supposed to be concentrating on the traitor who’d stolen her beautiful custom-made red herringbone bag. It was a bag she carried as a distraction, but it was still pretty . And expensive.

Jack turned to Brownie. “Duke Wyldon wanted your report and opinion on the whole affair. But he didn’t want you to be labeled as one of us, an official investigator, in case someone from the castle is reporting to the Assassin’s Guild.”

“She could still be placed in unnecessary danger by your antics,” Rufus said. He linked his fingers and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

Jack waved away the commander general’s concern with a flippant hand gesture. “Minstrel Bronwynn is an esteemed world-traveling bard who’s tougher than you think. I should know; I’ve seen her fight.”

“Does this mean I get my bag back?” Brownie cut in. “Because if not, you’re going to need to replace it.”

“It’s technically evidence, though it’s not like we haven’t returned other things already.” Pjori snarkily looked at Rufus, speaking for the first time in a while. The man was the quiet type.

“She needs her tuning tools for her job,” Rufus countered. “That would be like taking a bard’s instrument as evidence and not giving it back. Or a knight’s sword.”

Pjori, obviously teasing Rufus now, retorted, “Until properly investigated, all evidence should be—”

“I have been properly investigated, so return my bag, thank you.” Brownie didn’t let him finish. No one was allowed to tease Rufus on her watch.

“Here you are, Minstrel Bronwynn.” Jack pulled her bag from out of nowhere. “I took the liberty of liberating your bag for you.”

Brownie let a tiny little bit of the hostility she held toward the man go. Just a bit. “Thank you.”

She took the bag and slung it over her head, then opened the flap to see if anything else had gone missing.

“If you are wondering,” Jack said before she had the chance to ask, “your money was still in the bag when I left it in Lady Tate’s room. And it went walking between there and here.”

“Looks like there are a few other rogues in the duke’s employ,” Rufus said dryly. Brownie noticed he too had relaxed when Jack handed over the bag.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Jack smiled and flicked his head so his hair wouldn’t fall in front of his face .

“The duke will replace the stolen money, I’m sure,” Pjori cut in. “So let us get this over and done with, shall we?”

Jack and Rufus both made to reply, but Brownie was faster and louder. “Rufus and Pjori both heard my testimony. I don’t know anything about Lady Tate other than she has questionable taste in fashion and a job to melt Duke Wyldon. She didn’t. The end.”

Rufus covered his smile with a paw, and Pjori snorted. Jack nodded seriously, as if everything she’d said was of extreme importance. “Perfect. I’ll accompany these two to the capital to report to the duke. You may join us or remain here until your performance request expires.”

“Why do you want Minstrel Bronwynn to join us?” Rufus demanded.

He stood up and offered Brownie a paw. As she took it, she remembered him doing the same for Lady Tate, and Brownie held it longer than she needed to.

They were such soft and tempting paws.

“Because she knows enough about the slave trade, the Assassin’s Guild, and what its members look like that she might be able to recognize someone. I only stayed with the actual transport crew; Minstrel Bronwynn here could recognize the undercover agents in Duchess Calisto’s employ, or in town, or—”

“The only person I know who got away that I could recognize is you ,” Brownie retorted.

“I’m easily recognizable, it’s true,” Jack shot back, “but we didn’t capture everyone that night. An extra set of eyes would go a long way. I heard the young spy that Marquess Dorset captured escaped as well.”

“He wasn’t working for the slave traders or the Servalt Assassin’s Guild. He was a Blackfog spy,” Brownie pointed out.

“Still—”

“Minstrel Bronwynn,” Pjori cut in. “Are you coming or not?”

Rufus looked like he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue. She had originally been planning on joining him in the capital anyway. She wanted to go shopping and maybe start a sudden citywide musical number or two.

Servalt’s capital had some very on-key shopkeepers.

This sounded as good as a sudden citywide musical number … and who said she couldn’t still fit one in on the new timetable?

Brownie smiled. “Of course I’m coming.”