Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
From: arsmith@nyx.cs.du.edu (Alan Smith)
Subject: [NTY]  Gunther...Gunther?
Message-ID: <1993Jun29.234108.14640@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>
References: <1993Jun29.040127.4077@midway.uchicago.edu>
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 93 23:41:08 GMT

"Why are you asking us this?" Melwis asked Palandun directly after explaining  
the Generican legal system.
  "I want to charge Gunther Toodie with slave trading." Palandun replied.  He
went on to relate his little adventure with Dawg the Dragon.  By the time it
was over a guardsman was already on his way to Gunther's house with a warrant
for his arrest.
  "How many witnesses do you have?" Melwis asked, "Can you produce them?"
  "They're outside." Palandun replied.

Expecting a half a dozen on the outside Melwis proceeded to the front door.
what he saw was a full half a thousand outside the gate.  "How did he kidnap
all these people?"  Melwis wondered.
  "He didn't" The bismanian replied, "connectives of theirs sold them.  
That one's husband sold his wife and both children.  That one was sold by a
lover-"
  "Enough.  Garris!" Melwis said, commanding the attention of his chief 
Guardsman.  "Get your people together, I want to know who sold them and I
want that person arrested."
  "M'lord, that will take-"
  "Then take it."
  "Yessir."  The ambassador and the ruler watched as the guardsmen set up
and began taking statements.  Eventually they were interrupted by a runner 
informing them that Gunther's house was on fire, Gunther nowhere to be seen,
presumably aflame.

Picking through the ashes the next morning reminded Palandun of the battle
at Gorrin Cor in the fourth orc war.  His platoon had seen little action on
the night of the battle, the whole division was put in tactical reserve.  They
had mostly spent the night saddled up and ready to move, watching the city burn
below them.  Next morning they had the unenviable task of picking through the
ruins and trying to find and identify the dead.  "By his buttons, the butler."
the detective said, poking at so much charcoal.  "This would be the anteroom."
  "And this his office?" Palandun asked.  "I don't see any bodies."
  "Nor I." The detective replied.  "Maybe he was in some other room."
  "No.  We'd find the guardsman there."  They both pondered for a bit.
  "So," the detective, "he hears that the guards are here to arrest him,        
guessing that his scheme is over, he sets himself on fire rather than face 
a trial."
  "Possible.  Doesn't really sound like him."
  "No.  But what other options did he have?"  Palandun didn't answer right 
away, instead looking over the edge where the wall used to be.  On impulse,
he jumped off, landing safely if a bit roughly on the street below.
  "Mole hole!" Palandun shouted up.  "Little burrowing creatures always dig
their burrows with at least two entrances.  That way if a predator comes down
like a snake or a weasel they can escape the other way."
  "That's interesting." The detective replied, "but what does it have to do
with the price of cod?"
  "That's what Gunther did.  He saw the guardsman coming so he jumped out this
way and escaped."
  "Setting fire to the house to slow down the follow-up.  He could be anywhere
by now."
  "Suppose we'll have to ask Mrs. Toodie."

Getting Mrs. Toodie to talk wasn't easy.  Her husband may have sold her into
slavery for one of her guards, but she still loved him and stood by him.        
Getting an answer was easy, getting one that helped wasn't.
  "Where is he?" They asked.
  "Ydoine."
  "Wrong, no ships going there."
  "Alasir."  They went this way through all four specificas, the three 
subkingdoms of Alasir, most of the Antillies, the Dark Continent, and Alpha.
It was midafternoon when she finally clammed up and they quit.
  "No we are stuck." Palandun said, grabbing a bite to eat at the mess hall
at Glorshanned Keep.
  "Not at all." the detective replied.  "Consider.  He didn't leave by land."
  "Why not?"
  "Our riders would have rode him down, found the hotel he stayed in, something.
He also didn't cut cross-country.  He'd never survive, no wood-skills."
  "Okay, so he left by sea.  That still leaves the better part of Nexus."
  "No, it doesn't.  Three ships left last night:  The _Al Faram_ bound for
Rameshan, the _Hsing H'sai_ bound for Cathay and the _Southwatch_ bound for
specifica of the Sugars.  He didn't go to specifica for the same reason he
didn't go by land.  He didn't go to Cathay because Mrs. Toodie mentioned it."
  "So he went to Rameshan.  I suppose we'd better go get him."
  "I can't go.  Out of my jursidiction."
  "Well, I'll take leave of Melwis and hop the next ship, they found my stuff?"
  "Sitting in a warehouse.  It's been delivered to the inn."

  Palandun found and knocked on Ja'nis' door.  She opened it.  "When I got up
this morning I was going to have you arrested."  He said.  "But I spent a lot
of time with Mrs. Toodie today and she explained everything.  You coulda picked
a better employer."
  "I know." She said, eyes downcast.
  "I'm going after him, you want to come?"
  "I can't.  I'm bound over as a witness."
  "Too bad.  I'll send you a note or two."
  "You forgive me?"
  "For what?  Wasn't your fault."

The next ship for Rameshan left that afternoon.