I decided to take Imprid’s advice and head back to work but Delik Slin showed up while I was getting ready. “Who’s running things at the office while you’re here?”

“Welst.” He smiled.

“Welst?” He didn’t strike me as the leader type.

“Sure. Why not? I’ll be back soon.” He sat at the kitchen table and motioned for me to join him. “I hear your father just returned unexpectedly.” He raised his eyebrows, inviting me to fill him in on the visit, so I did.

“The army?” He laughed hard at that. I let him. “Really?”

I shrugged. “He asked how he could help. That’s what I came up with.”

“Still a little mad at him, after all these years?”

“What?” That’s crazy. I’m completely over it. I had been for most of my life. I waved him off. “I never even think about him abandoning us.”

Delik Slin nodded, trying unsuccessfully to hide his small smile. “That is what you have always said. Every time it comes up in conversation.”

He can be a real jerk sometimes. Usually he does it when I’m talking to some barmaid I’m trying to get to know better, but it can pop up at any time. “Thanks.” I said, as sarcastically as possible.

“Venzik also told me a solicitor came by and told you that Jade left everything she owned to you.”

“Yep.” I didn’t have anything more to say.

“Do you want me to hire some people to guard her shop and home until you are ready to go check them out?”

“Sure.” That would help me put that off longer.

“You will want to meet her employees, though, as soon as possible.”

“Why?” I had absolutely no desire to do that.

Delik Slin sighed. “So that you can have them keep running the shop.”

I just looked at him. “I don’t care if the shop is open.”

“Then I will take care of that, too.” He took in a deep breath. “You are a landlord now, you know?”

I gave him a look designed to say, ‘so what?’

He smiled. “So, do you want to rent out her house, or sell it.”

“I don’t know. Who cares?”

“Fine. I will have it emptied out, put her things in storage until you want to look them over, and rent it out for you.”

I sighed. “Thank you. I’m really not up to dealing with all of that.”

“Not a problem. I have a lot of free time. My boss is an idiot.”

We both laughed at that. “He sure is. Can you believe that guy?” I said. Seeing Delik Slin again had been really good for me, especially after Imprid’s visit. “I think I’m ready to go back to the office.”

He shook his head. “Nope. Not until tomorrow. Imprid’s orders.”

“Fine.” I made a very immature face. “So, you talked to Imprid?” He nodded. “Did she tell you Jade told me where the Kathaldi headquarter is?”

“She did.” He paused a moment. “Do you think she was telling the truth? Do you believe her?”

I thought it over, reliving our last conversation. Unfortunately, that led right into remembering her death. I took a big breath to clear those thoughts. “I do.”

“Good, because I have Welst writing a report about it. Tomorrow you will be meeting with Lord Tarin about it. About a few things, actually.”

I nodded. I had a lot to explain.

“Including the fact that several members of court and other notables in the city have vanished.”

“What? Who? Do you think they were assassinated?”

“No, I think they were Kathaldi who returned to their headquarters.”

“You do? Why? That seems like a real leap to me.”

“The Kathaldi who killed Jade was never found. We looked for his body but there was no one there. Just some blood.”

“I threw two knives into his face! Then he fell to the stones below. I don’t know if I believe he survived all of that.”

“Even if he died there is a chance he told his fellow Kathaldi what he heard at your window before he breathed his last. That is the only reason I can think of that they would all leave so soon after her death.”

“To retreat to their base and prepare for a fight?” Why would they do that?

“Or to empty it out and vanish again.”

“Crap! That makes more sense. Except why leave? Why give up good positions in Ansdron?”

“We just arrested almost forty Kathaldi. How did we identify them? Maybe they do not know the details of the information Krince provided for us. Or they cannot believe we figured it all out from that. If they believe Jade told you the names of all of the Kathaldi in the city they could be fleeing because they thought we would be arresting them next.”

“So, they may not know that we know about their headquarters.”

“Or they could.” Delik Slin said with a smirk.

“This is going to be a great report.” I said, chuckling. “You know what? We also need Welst to get to work on a letter detailing what we did to identify the Kathaldi using the abnormal bank information and get it to the other spymasters.”

Delik Slin nodded. “We should also include the vanishing Kathaldi.”

“You’re right. What about asking for troops to go attack the Kathaldi headquarters?”

“Not yet, you need to talk that over with Lord Tarin and find out what he wants us to do. Welst will need time to write the letters anyway. He will just have to wait until your meeting is over to finish them all up. Speaking of Welst, we still need to find him an assistant secretary. What about Jarim?”

“My brother?” What a stupid question.

Delik Slin must have thought so, too, because he chuckled. “Yes, that Jarim. He is someone we can trust, right?”

“I guess so. And he is my favorite. I’ll have to think about it.”

“Okay.”

It was almost time for dinner before Sir Aryoss showed up and Delik Slin left. I think Imprid had ordered my friends to attend to me so I wouldn’t have time to relive the last few days and start moping again. It was a good idea. She really is a smart lady. Poor Thilos.