Executor Andrea wasn't the only one having a rotten night.
City Guard Officer Newman was just as unlucky. He had barely started his shift when this landed in his lap, even though the murders had happened on the previous officer's watch.
Now he had to investigate the murder of the special envoys—a case with no chance of a payoff and no end of trouble.
He brought his assistant to the Embassy and found it swarming with guards and knights. "They didn't care while the envoys were alive," Newman said dryly. "Now they're dead, everyone's rushing over to look dutiful..."
"Less complaining. More work."
A figure emerged from the shadows behind him. Newman straightened at once. "Miss Janice!"
"Ma'am," Janice corrected him.
She was the Ceremonial Affairs Department official assigned to follow the case. The special envoys had died on Montreal Mountain, and her department bore no less responsibility than the Military Affairs Department.
"Yes, ma'am. The night is beautiful, but it still can't compare to you."
Janice's lips tightened. She looked unimpressed. "Annan is still in the Dungeon, waiting to clear his name. Start your investigation."
"As you wish."
Newman and his assistant entered the Embassy. The three envoys' bodies were still where they had fallen.
Newman breathed a sigh of relief. The job would be much easier if no one had moved them.
"Who's been in here?"
Newman kept his eyes on the red carpet in the corridor as he questioned a guard. It was covered in grime and deep footprints, as if a whole cavalry unit had passed through.
"A lot of people... The servants found the bodies and ran around calling for help. The guards who came checked their chests, and quite a few officials came too..."
"What about the dead?"
"No one touched them."
That was