Bitter Cold Truth: A Tale of the Everburning City

(8-1) In the instance of seeming coincidence

"Ester and Cade Destir," Bertram said, as he fished through the pile as if there was some sort of organisation to it. Samuel doubted it, until Bertram drew out a sheet of paper and set it on the desk. "Here we are. Cade and Ester both work in Civil Maintenance. Building repair, pipe fitting, that sort of thing. They live in Riverwash, just two stops from the hospice."

"Convenient," Angela murmured.

"Hey, take a freebie when it's offered," Samuel said. He reached into his desk and set an old pad of paper in front of Angela. "Take a few notes about their background, then wait by the front entrance. I'll meet you there."

"Where are you going?" Angela asked.

"Have a couple of requests for the records department. I'll meet you there," Samuel said, as he turned away and walked down the hall.

Samuel smiled in relief that Angela didn't pry. He wasn't sure how comfortable she would be with what he was about to do.

A quick walk across the hall, weaving around various noisy conversations brought him to one of the few offices in the building important enough to be fully enclosed.

Records.

Samuel opened the door and stepped through, waving to the woman at the desk.

She looked up, and the reflexive frown she wore as she looked up faded into something halfway between a smile and a grimace. Her glasses slid halfway down her nose as she looked up, but she didn't bother to push them back. "Samuel Fraser. We've been expecting you."

"Really, Isabel?" Samuel asked, approaching her desk. "Captain asked you to make my requests top priority?"

"Yes, actually," Isabel Astrolae admitted. She hummed under her breath, and said "adroit as ever."

"Complements from you and Eudora always seem a little patronising," Samuel said as he sat down in the chair in front of her desk. "The two of you tend to be the smartest people in the room. No matter the room. Is Eudora sick?"

Isabel Astrolae and Eudora Yael were clerks, and their positions were permanent loans from the Bureau of Statistical Analysis. Having a career in being able to find useful information from usually hostile bureaus and agencies, their work has helped Samuel break through a few of his harder cases in the last few years.

"No, she's just in the back," Isabel said, gesturing with her thumb to the maze of shelves behind her. She then leaned forward and shoved her spectacles back up her nose a little. She then pulled a metal pen quill out of her hair and opened an inkwell. "So, Sam, what am I dropping everything else in my life for?"

"I need everything you can find on Clovis Hannover. Owns a tavern on the far end of the Billows called the Frosty Hearth," Samuel said.

"Got it. Clovis Hannover, Frosty Hearth," Isabel recited, writing on her pad. "Any particular reason I'm looking, to highlight findings of interest?"

"Look for any connection with rejects, or Rosemary and Milano Miller," Samuel said. "Rosemary Miller's a Parliamentarian.

"Eudora will be right on it. Anything else, Inspector Fraser?"

Samuel blinked. "You're not going to ask me why I'm looking into this?"

"I was instructed to keep my curiosity to myself," Isabel admitted. She leaned forward, and added "forcefully."

"Yeah, it's that kind of case," Samuel muttered, irritation slipping into his words. "Sorry if the captain was hard on you."

"You'll need to tell me about it when you wrap up this case and figure out what you're allowed to talk about," Isabel said, leaning forward as she tucked the quill back into her hair.