Returning to the top-floor reception room at High Tide, Renato settled back into an armchair by the window. He held the hot tea the server had just brewed, raised the cup to his lips, and took a small sip.
Barnaby sat across from him, a stack of parchment scrolls and several notes covered in writing spread over the table before him. He had clearly come prepared.
He spoke at length, coughing occasionally, as though his crooked mouth hampered his otherwise fluent delivery.
Renato could tell that Barnaby had prepared thoroughly this time. The Governor's Mansion had dispensed with pointless probing and followed the usual commission process, providing the hired party with the relevant mission intelligence.
"The current captain of the Pickle Barrel is named Jans, a Southern Thousand Islander." Barnaby tapped a sheet of paper. "According to the shipowner's records, he spent more than twenty years working his way up from apprentice sailor to second mate, before the Merchants' Guild transferred him to captain this new ship. His career looks perfectly ordinary."
"But no matter how convincing the disguise, it's useless. The Merchants' Guild submitted the crew roster to Governor De Sousa long ago. Judging by the payroll records, where every payment was made on time and in full, this is definitely a false identity."
Renato returned his teacup to the tray and gestured for Barnaby to hand him the parchment. Unrolling it revealed a charcoal portrait. The artist's strokes were remarkably precise, the lines simple yet expressive.
It depicted a man of about forty, with a somewhat round face and a slightly receding hairline that exposed a broad forehead. He looked rather well-fed...
Both his appearance and his bearing seemed utterly unremarkable. He was the sort of ordinary man who would attract no extra attention standing on a street.