Commission

Bang, bang, bang—

A series of knocks came from outside the reception room door.

Rozanne, chewing on a piece of bread, looked up with an embarrassed expression. "Could Captain Dunn be back already? ...No, if it were him, he probably wouldn't knock."

She looked at the lunch in front of Angel, which had already been touched, blinked, and muttered as though trying to convince herself.

"Come in, the door isn't locked." Klein put down his fork and answered the knocking.

The door was pushed open from outside, and a richly dressed woman entered. A gentle female voice came with her. "Excuse me, is this the Blackthorn Security Company?"

Seeing the three people in the reception room gathered around a table with half-eaten lunches before them, a trace of apology appeared on her slightly plump face. "I'm sorry, I haven't interrupted your meal, have I?"

You already have... Angel thought. She put the bread she had not yet had time to eat back into its lunch box, wiped her hands with a napkin, shifted her position on the sofa, and faced the woman at the door.

"This is the Blackthorn Security Company. What can we do for you?"

Upon receiving confirmation, the woman sighed in relief, and a smile returned to her face. "I have a commission. I'd like to hire you to find something I've lost."

A commission?

Angel's first reaction to her words was that it seemed rather absurd. The Nighthawks were the Church's Beyonder force, under the Church's jurisdiction. They also accepted commissions from local police agencies, but they were not a civilian organization like a private detective agency or a mercenary group. This woman had probably come to the wrong place.

But she immediately realized that the woman had most likely come because of the Blackthorn Security Company sign.

Seeing the expectation in the woman's eyes, Angel did not respond. Instead, she looked toward Rozanne, wanting to see how the security company handled a client who had accidentally come to their door.

Rozanne had stopped eating the moment the visitor pushed open the door and entered the reception room. She did not panic upon hearing that there was a commission, merely replying in a businesslike tone, "The fee for recovering lost items ranges from ten to fifty Gold Pounds, depending on the difficulty and required time limit. You'll need to provide detailed information about the item. If it was stolen, we'll also need the time and place it was lost. The more detailed the information, the more likely we are to find it."

"For lost-item recovery commissions, twenty percent of the fee must be paid in advance, with the remainder due upon success. However, we cannot guarantee that the item will be found. If we fail to complete the commission, only half of the advance payment will be refunded."

So whether or not they found the lost item, the client would have to pay at least ten percent of the commission fee... Listening to those rather harsh terms, Angel shifted her gaze toward the woman, only to see that instead of looking dissatisfied, she smiled.

"Those are reasonable terms. Can you take the commission now? I can sign a contract immediately."

Rozanne seemed not to have expected her to be so straightforward. Her expression visibly froze, but her excellent professional instincts kicked in, and she quickly recovered. "Please wait a moment. I'll draft a contract. In the meantime, you can discuss things with our security personnel here."

Reluctantly leaving her lunch behind, she quickly went around the partition at the back of the reception room. Soon, the crisp clacking of a typewriter could be heard.

The woman went to the sofa that had originally belonged to Bredt and sat down elegantly. Her eyes assessed Angel and Klein, as if evaluating which of them was in charge.

Klein took the initiative to ask, "How should we address you? And what sort of item are you looking for?"

As though she had already rehearsed the answer, the woman replied swiftly, "Just call me Mrs. Green. I'm looking for a gold ring. It originally belonged to my husband, but it was stolen a week ago. This ring is very important to me, and I hope you can find it as soon as possible."

"A gold ring... stolen a week ago..." Klein nodded, repeating the key points in Mrs. Green's words. "What other characteristics does the ring have? If convenient, it would be best if you could explain in detail why it is important, so we can analyze where it might have gone."

"The ring isn't pure gold. It's a little harder than ordinary gold rings, and its diameter is about this wide. One side is flat, with the raised word 'green' stamped on it." Mrs. Green gestured to indicate the ring's size. "There's no need to analyze it. I know where it is. You just need to help me get it back."

As she listened to Mrs. Green's description, the shape of the ring gradually formed in Angel's mind. It sounded very much like a ring-shaped seal. But upon hearing that last sentence, she could not help interjecting.

"You know where it is? Then why do you need us to find it?"

Mrs. Green took a folded sheet of paper from her handbag and handed it to Angel. "This is a report a private detective I hired gave me yesterday. He has already traced where the ring went."

Angel took it, unfolded the thin sheet, and laid it flat on the tea table. Klein leaned over as well, studying it curiously.

It was an investigation report issued by the Jules Detective Agency. It described in considerable detail how they had questioned more than ten witnesses and suspicious individuals over three days, identified the suspect responsible for the burglary, and then used the suspect's testimony to determine how the stolen goods had been sold off.

When Angel saw the report's final entries—"Location where stolen goods were sold: Labor Mutual Aid Society, Docklands," "Average time before stolen goods are sold: ten days," and the red-ink note, "Suspected gang organization"—she frowned.

She raised her head, looked at the hopeful-eyed Mrs. Green, and asked:

"Since you've already found the suspect and traced where the item went, why not report it directly to the police? I think the Tingen City Police Department would welcome a case with such clear evidence."

"The police won't do anything. These gangs have existed for so many years. Do you think the police don't know about them?" Mrs. Green clearly held deep prejudices against the police. Then her tone changed. "Besides, I don't want the police involved. They always make a grand show of things, work inefficiently, and yet manage to stir up the entire city."

"Originally, I wanted Detective Jules to get the ring back directly. Steal it if necessary, or negotiate with them and buy it back. But once his investigation reached this point, he refused to continue. Even offering him more money didn't help."

That made sense. Since this so-called Labor Mutual Aid Society had gang connections, a private detective would naturally be unwilling to invite trouble. Investigating and gathering evidence was one thing; directly contacting them or even stealing something was another. The latter was far more difficult and risky than the few Gold Pounds he could earn.

The same was true for the Blackthorn Security Company. When Mrs. Green first spoke, Angel had assumed the commission involved finding clues about the stolen item or checking suspicious individuals. She had not expected the Jules Detective Agency to have already done all that, leaving behind the most troublesome step.

From Cole Granger's memories, Angel knew that although Tingen City did not have openly visible gangs like a major city such as Backlund, various Mutual Aid Societies and trade associations monopolized or semi-monopolized certain industries and low-level labor. They formed quasi-gang organizations that appeared legitimate on the surface while secretly conducting all sorts of criminal business. They normally collected membership fees and commissions, arranged labor, maintained industry rules, and even guarded people's homes. But whenever they encountered an illegal business with high profits, they would pounce on it greedily and take a huge bite.

The shortage of police manpower caused the Tingen City Police Department to turn a blind eye to these gray areas. So long as no one died and they did not extend their claws toward the powerful and wealthy, the police could not be bothered to deal with such a mess.

Seeing Angel hesitate, Mrs. Green said with some urgency, "I know this final step is difficult. How about this? I can double the commission fee. One hundred Gold Pounds, as long as you find a way to get the ring back."

One hundred Gold Pounds—almost two years' salary for an ordinary person... Even if the ring were pure gold set with diamonds, it would not be worth that much, much less an impure gold ring. It had to have some other value, perhaps as a seal, and Mrs. Green urgently needed it. Otherwise, her losses would far exceed one hundred Gold Pounds.

Angel did not answer Mrs. Green immediately. Instead, her eyes swept repeatedly over the information before her as she analyzed the feasibility of the commission.

"That's already an exceptionally high commission fee. How did you find us? Were you referred by the detectives?"

Klein asked from beside her.

Mrs. Green revealed an embarrassed smile and answered hesitantly, "Actually... Detective Jules did recommend several security companies. He thought that a task involving a gang organization would be more suitable for a capable security organization."

Judging from her vague answer, the detective's recommendations probably did not include this place. Was the Blackthorn Security Company's operation really that much of a failure, or was it hidden too successfully?

"But those security companies are completely unable to spare anyone for this kind of job. Several serious cases have occurred in succession recently—murders and disappearances. The wealthy people of all Tingen City have hired every private detective and security guard they can find. I only came here because I thought I might as well try."

No wonder Mrs. Green had accepted Rozanne's harsh terms without hesitation when she heard that they might take the commission. She had agreed to sign a contract immediately and had even raised the price on the spot.

Unfortunately, those hundred Gold Pounds would not be easy to earn. Finding lost cats and dogs would be one thing, but this commission involved stolen goods already sitting in a gang's pocket. One wrong move could lead to conflict, perhaps even deaths. Angel did not know what Captain Dunn—or rather, the Nighthawks—thought of such high-risk commissions, so she did not dare agree rashly.

"Mrs. Green, we'll take your commission. Once Miss Rozanne brings out the contract, the commission will take effect after you sign it and pay the advance."

Hm?

Angel looked at Klein in surprise. At some point, he had extended his left arm and was holding a silver chain, with a yellow crystal tied to its end.

"If your information is accurate, you should have that ring by tomorrow."