Pleasant holidays were always short-lived.
After finding time to visit the Tingen branch of Backlund Bank and open an anonymous account in disguise, Klein's Monday off came to an end. Once again, he boarded a public carriage bound for Zouteland Street.
On the way, he took out a one-penny coin and passed it through the window, buying a copy of today's Tingen Morning Post from a newsboy. Quite a few passengers in the same carriage did likewise.
After all, under the influence Roselle had left behind, industrial papermaking and printing technology had grown increasingly mature. The price of a newspaper had fallen to a point where even Klein before joining the Nighthawks could have afforded one.
This brought newspapers to an ever-wider readership. Most people who chose to take public carriages could read, and were more willing to spend the money on a paper.
Unfolding the newspaper, Klein failed to find the report he had expected. The Tingen Morning Post made no mention of the Alfalfa Tragedy or Tris-not even in a tiny corner column.
Granted, the tragedy had happened at sea, and the ship had subsequently returned to Enmat Harbor. It had little connection to Tingen, so it was possible the paper simply hadn't covered it.
Still, Klein was genuinely surprised that a story with a twist like Tris's hadn't made it into print.
Both the striking contrast with his appearance and the dramatic revelation that an apparent hero was actually the mastermind made excellent material for selling newspapers.
Could Joyce Meyer have remained undecided after yesterday's divination and ultimately chosen not to report it to the police?
Klein pondered this, hiding most of his face behind the upright newspaper. Soon, another possibility occurred to him: if Beyonder elements were involved, the authorities might have suppressed the story.
He