The Hunch
Vhalar 110 716, 23rd Break
Location: Patrick's Apartment
He'd just gotten off work and made it home less than five bits ago, the lantern placed on the table as he moved a chair onto its feet. His apartment may have looked barren before but the fact he had clothes, and other things scattered about proved such a thing wasn't the case. He came home to find that his apartment had been ransacked, thrown apart as though somebody had the intention to rob him. In fact they did. The knights were here not long ago and with little to go on, they investigated the surrounding streets for any signs of stolen property. Investigated being a loose term he deemed hardly appropriate, as he already knew they wouldn't find a thing out there at this rate. The best they could do with no suspects or clues, was merely increase patrol around this part of the Earth Quarter. Whatever worked for them at least, though it didn't play very well in favor for Patrick now.
He had a hunch; one that started to look more and more accurate with each passing bit, and it involved somebody who was in fact one of the knights. Could it really be that Kar was actually after the black book? He had remembered meeting with him four days ago, the reports the knight accumulated at his own place given to Patrick to read while he was there. For a moment when Patrick was alone there was a page, a torn page he'd come across that was written in a different language. One that looked exactly like the language written in that damned book, the same book that Wendell found and gave to him that day. The same damned book he had studied over time and time again, only to put it away and leave it to be... the book he'd given to Rei with the instruction for her to hide it. Even from him. Where it was now he didn't know, and that was a good thing too considering his predicament now.
He wasn't absolutely certain about Kar as he did his best to ask about that torn page, and he'd been given the excuse that it was actually found at the crime scene the dead Aukari was at. Horse bogs! Patrick looked the rest of that room up and down after the knights had been there, and only that black book had been spotted thanks to Wendell. Now of course Wendell had been gone for a while, and Rose only had the name of the ship that left with him in company. Not that it mattered now, because Patrick had to first determine just how safe he was. How safe Rei actually was now that she had the book in possession. There were no doubts after tonight because the book was no longer here, and not a single one of his possessions were stolen. The missing page which just so happens to conveniently be in Kar's own place, and then the fact the apartment looked ransacked when in truth it was just trashed.
Something wasn't right here and now he began to wonder about Kar, what motives did the knight have if he wanted the book. He was investigating the murder that day sure but there was more to it then this, more that Patrick had to be missing as of right now. He needed that torn sheet. He needed to learn what that book contained that Kar wanted, more importantly he needed to be cautious if things were to go south. Kar became a likely suspect but there was still the chance another was a suspect, there were too many unanswered questions unless... unless Kar was the one who killed the Aukari. Could he have been trying to cover up the murder? Had the Aukari been that much of a threat to Rharne? Somebody wanted that damned book for certain, and Patrick wasn't inclined to let them have it so easily.
He stood up after sitting down for a while with thoughts still focused on the intent, the question of how safe he really was on his mind. Should he doubt Kar? Did he really have something worth hiding? No. No he knew about the black book, even if he didn't openly verify it. The fact he assumed there to be a book meant something, and there also existed the issue that the other knights didn't seem to know. Why wouldn't they know? If Kar were personally investigating this, then wouldn't his reports be sent to his betters? Patrick walked over to the door and pulled the key out of his pocket, an insertion into the keyhole led to a locked door right then, although the sense of security didn't seem to thrive in here. He felt violated... vulnerable... exposed. Just how long would it be until he would meet with his enemy? Until he'd find a dagger at his throat or worse; in his back when he least suspected it. He'd have to go to work like everything was normal, he didn't want anybody to get suspicious of his problems.
No... No, no, no. He had to stay here. He had to stay safe and make sure nobody else would be hurt, if these bastards wanted the book so badly then he'd wait for them. He had time and he knew they'd come back to try again, if they really were desperate enough to stage such a scene. He moved over to the lamp on his table once more, the words of the book still sound in his head. He didn't know the words or understand their meaning, but the script was enough for him to remember. The writings and the variations of text... both in that book and on that torn parchment Kar had at his place. Everything at this rate seemed to point to Kar, and Patrick as he leaned down to look at the flame, he blew it out with one puff of soft air. He had a hunch. All that remained was to see if he was wrong...
