"Just her. No other witnesses."
Alain glanced from the darkly frowning O'Brien to the girl huddled in a blanket....and back. She was young, maybe fifteen. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked sullenly at the road. She had a good feeling justice would not come - the three guards standing off to the side seemed to be nodding in agreement to the two friends of a grizzly-looking, glowering man. It was pure chance that Alain had stumbled onto this scene on a routine patrol of the docks.
"Two against one....but doesn't the victim's word..."
O'Brien shook his head and cut Alain off before he could finish. "It was dark out, there's a lot of men who could fit Donwal's description. No scars or other special marks she mentioned....And his friends' alibis are solid enough. The most he'll get through court is a slap on the wrist. We're wasting our time here."
"You see the way she looks at him, the way he looks at her. Isn't it obvious that—?"
"Damnit, Al," and O'Brien sighed heavily, rubbing at his eye. "I know. I know what he's done....and there's nothing we can do. And besides." He rolled his shoulders, angled his head at the other man. "You've given us a lot more sure things the last few weeks, and a lot more we still gotta check out. I don't know who's paying your bills, but if I meet him' Drinks are on me." He clapped Alain on the shoulder and drifted away towards the girl, left with the difficult task of explaining all this to her.
"You won't meet him..." Alain rubbed at his chin and watched Donwal. He was smirking, and moving off with his two friends, huddled close to whisper to each other as they strolled down the road. One of them laughed and looked over his shoulder at the girl, who could only stare back wide-eyed. Shocked and incredulous. The hysterical sobbing began anew, and she pounded at O'Brien's chest in anger, who did nothing to stop her.
It was time to take this little campaign in a new direction.
* * *
Since he began working the contract under Talomar Longden, Alain had been able to lead the Watch to convict perpetrators of financially motivated violent crimes, as those left the biggest trail. For every criminal he could bring down, though, it seemed there was another he couldn't. Sometimes the evidence just wasn't there, and often Alain accepted that and moved on. But sometimes, while enough evidence wasn't there for the Watch and the courts, everyone involved still knew they did it.
Guards looked on dejectedly while wicked men walked free and congratulated each other for their exploits.
A letter arrived by anonymous courier to the Scathachian Sanctuary, accompanied by a dozen red roses. The letter was not handwritten, but typed out on a typewriter.
Servants of Scathach, It pains me that I cannot bring justice from among your ranks, but I am tied to my ways, and you to yours. I envy the retribution you deal out - the purity and righteousness of it stirs the deepest corners of my heart. It may be a little too early for Valentine's Day, but I couldn't help but send this gift. Believe me when I tell you these are evil men who, despite my best efforts, could not be brought to justice by the means available to me. Please enjoy. Sincerely, Your Secret Admirer
Enclosed within the letter was the true treasure - a long list of names and corresponding crimes, prominent among them rape, assault, manslaughter, and murder; and descriptions of the criminal and usual whereabouts to correspond with each name, too.
Some were the names of men they were already aware of or had already dealt with in their own manner since the list began, but most were likely new to them, and among them was Donwal, with his crime, physical description, and the location of his favorite bar, the Bounty.
Alain glanced from the darkly frowning O'Brien to the girl huddled in a blanket....and back. She was young, maybe fifteen. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked sullenly at the road. She had a good feeling justice would not come - the three guards standing off to the side seemed to be nodding in agreement to the two friends of a grizzly-looking, glowering man. It was pure chance that Alain had stumbled onto this scene on a routine patrol of the docks.
"Two against one....but doesn't the victim's word..."
O'Brien shook his head and cut Alain off before he could finish. "It was dark out, there's a lot of men who could fit Donwal's description. No scars or other special marks she mentioned....And his friends' alibis are solid enough. The most he'll get through court is a slap on the wrist. We're wasting our time here."
"You see the way she looks at him, the way he looks at her. Isn't it obvious that—?"
"Damnit, Al," and O'Brien sighed heavily, rubbing at his eye. "I know. I know what he's done....and there's nothing we can do. And besides." He rolled his shoulders, angled his head at the other man. "You've given us a lot more sure things the last few weeks, and a lot more we still gotta check out. I don't know who's paying your bills, but if I meet him' Drinks are on me." He clapped Alain on the shoulder and drifted away towards the girl, left with the difficult task of explaining all this to her.
"You won't meet him..." Alain rubbed at his chin and watched Donwal. He was smirking, and moving off with his two friends, huddled close to whisper to each other as they strolled down the road. One of them laughed and looked over his shoulder at the girl, who could only stare back wide-eyed. Shocked and incredulous. The hysterical sobbing began anew, and she pounded at O'Brien's chest in anger, who did nothing to stop her.
It was time to take this little campaign in a new direction.
* * *
Since he began working the contract under Talomar Longden, Alain had been able to lead the Watch to convict perpetrators of financially motivated violent crimes, as those left the biggest trail. For every criminal he could bring down, though, it seemed there was another he couldn't. Sometimes the evidence just wasn't there, and often Alain accepted that and moved on. But sometimes, while enough evidence wasn't there for the Watch and the courts, everyone involved still knew they did it.
Guards looked on dejectedly while wicked men walked free and congratulated each other for their exploits.
A letter arrived by anonymous courier to the Scathachian Sanctuary, accompanied by a dozen red roses. The letter was not handwritten, but typed out on a typewriter.
Servants of Scathach, It pains me that I cannot bring justice from among your ranks, but I am tied to my ways, and you to yours. I envy the retribution you deal out - the purity and righteousness of it stirs the deepest corners of my heart. It may be a little too early for Valentine's Day, but I couldn't help but send this gift. Believe me when I tell you these are evil men who, despite my best efforts, could not be brought to justice by the means available to me. Please enjoy. Sincerely, Your Secret Admirer
Enclosed within the letter was the true treasure - a long list of names and corresponding crimes, prominent among them rape, assault, manslaughter, and murder; and descriptions of the criminal and usual whereabouts to correspond with each name, too.
Some were the names of men they were already aware of or had already dealt with in their own manner since the list began, but most were likely new to them, and among them was Donwal, with his crime, physical description, and the location of his favorite bar, the Bounty.