Redstone: Sanctuaries
Chapter 25: Problem Solving

Blake took Lucy that morning. They crossed the main Redstone road, directly into a dark, narrow alley, leaving behind the morning commotion and sunshine. The stone stairs led them down to the mossy stone-walled housing with shabby-clothed people strewn across the floor. Most of them sleep because they just come home from work, the rest is stoned.

There is an antique shop on one corner of the street. Its chapped windows are covered with plywood. The wooden door is rusty in the hinge, a little rompal. Blake grabbed the hilt, kicked the lower left end of the door and lifted the door leaf slightly as he pushed it inside.

Ein O'Connor leapt in shock from behind his desk as Blake burst in. He was counting gold coins, accompanied by two tall men known to Blake as Jim and Joe. Blake never knew which one was Jim and which one was Joe, both smelling bad and he was reluctant to look at their ugly faces.

"Damn it!" maki Ein stroking the chest. "You came like a demon! Knock on the door, Krucher! For the seven seas, I always say knock on the door!"

Blake looked around. His nose shriveled smelling the musty scent of this place. His eyes stopped on the bags of gold coins on the table. "Auction, eh?" tanyakanya.

"Well, usual ...," Ein said lazily. His hands scooped up the gold coins that had not been inserted in the small pockets, holding them to the large cloth bags in his lap. The banknotes were done, neatly arranged to the left of the table while to the right there was a pile of paper letters. Blake knew it was a letter of sale and purchase agreement. Ein is one of the contactees.

"Where's Wilson?" Blake asked. "I haven't seen him since yesterday. Going with Van Heiden?"

Ein shrunk her nose with her shirt sleeves folded up to her elbows. "Maybe. I don't know. What do you want?"

"If he comes, tell him I want to talk."

"Speak what? You look like you want to kill people. I don't feel good."

Blake smiled kindly. "Oh, just talk about the usual fun stuff. For example, why would he give Devon the Ghost Relic that should be mine."

"Relik Ghost belongs to no one, Krucher," Ein reminded. His eyes looked at Blake sharply. "We're just some kind of ship. Expeditionary. We don't have those things."

"You're also involved, O'Connor?"

Ein tied up her money bag, put it under the table. He glanced at Lucy at a glance, then raised his shoulders. "Go away if you have nothing else to look for. I'm busy. Next time, do not enter suddenly. Jim and Joe carry guns. You don't want them to be shocked and shoot wrong."

Blake walked slowly closer to Ein's desk. Both of the young man's hands were stored in a coat pocket. "My friend O'Connor," he whispered low in sweet-talking hospitality, "you just threatened me?"

"If I wanted to threaten you, Jim would've put a gun to your shady head." Ein cleared the table as fast as lightning, not allowing Blake to see for too long the items that had been there. "Listen, Krucher, Van Heiden knows you're back and forth in the Marquis' manor. You're suspected. My advice is that you act ordinary first. Do small jobs. Distribute all the relics as usual, the little pedicab-toothed loot, enrich yourself, that sort of thing. Stay away from Jose Argent. He's just gonna get you killed."

"Do you know who almost got killed?" Blake squinted. "Devon's."

"Thank God. It could be you."

"Do you know who's been killed?" Blake put his palm on the table. His eyes looked at Ein furiously. "Ask, Billy, Wilhelm, Stud, Otto. They all disappeared, then their bodies were found blue."

"Every day there's a dead man in Redstone." Ein leaned her wide back against the back of the chair. "My people are dead this week, too. Don't be dramatic. Like you care about them."

"I don't care if they starve to death, die of fighting, die of being shot by the police, or die of their own fault." Blake sat in the corner of the table. "They died carrying the Ghost Relic in their pocket. Funny thing is, it's the Ghost Relic that should be in my hands."

"They stole it from you?"

Ein was silent for a long time, her eyes staring at the table. He looked back at Lucy, who was still standing guard at the door. He knew no lie would escape Lucy's ears. "I don't know," he mumbled.

"He's lying" said Lucy flatly.

Ein groaning. "You ask Devon. He's the one who brought your relics!"

"Devon said it was given to him by Wilson."

"I'm not involved" Ein said.

"Lie again," Lucy voiced the statement while growling.

Blake looked at Ein with glittering eyes. "You're reckless, yeah."

"I know what's going on, but that doesn't mean I'm involved!" Ein corrected her statement earlier. His eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Again, the chosen ones are usually useless ones! Otto, for example, is just a burden. He can't even keep watch properly!"

"Shut your mouth" Blake said coldly. "He's my guy. Whether he is useful or not, I am decisive, not anyone else. Not yous. Not old Van Heiden."

"Be careful when you speak, Krucher," rebuked one of the twins.

"I'm talking to you?" Blake looked astonished. "no? Then don't habitually recite from the side. I could have mistaken you for a fly and hit your head on the table. We don't want that to happen, do we?"

Ein raised her hand in a gesture of restraint towards the twins, who seemed ready to punch Blake. "I don't understand what your problem is, Krucher. Devon's fine, right? Forgetit. Go home. Wilson'll see you when he gets home. I'll make sure he's sorry for involving Devon."

"I don't need an apology" said Blake casually. "What I want to know is what Wilson wants to do by using my people. Why didn't he just use his brothers if he wanted to experiment? There are many brothers, right?"

Silence swept through the house. Blake frowned, observing the faces in front of him. No one disputes it. No one gave a response. It was obviously out of fear of being mispronounced in front of Lucy. That is, he was right.

"What experiment?" tanyanya seriously. He can guess where this conversation is going, but still needs clarity.

Ein sneaks out slowly. "You just ask Van Heiden. Not me. I'm just being in touch."

"What experiment?"

"Exit, Blake. This is enough. I know you can guess what happened. Your brain is smart." Ein signaled his two tall guards to repel Blake.

The young man had already jumped down first from the table, then within the same second raised one leg high and slammed the heel of his shoe onto Ein's table. The wood was crushed in a loud voice, split into two halves. Ein swore in shock. Jim and Joe didn't even get to move.

"Gosh, what is this? I'm sorry, I just want to rest my legs. Your table is very fragile" said Blake in a made-up tone of wonder. He put his hands in his pocket, showed off a tingly grin as three people in front of him were alarmed, then took out a pocket of money. He took a handful of gold coins from there, then threw them one after another into Ein's fat body. "This is for the restitution of your table, this is for your surprise, this is for my sudden arrival, this and this ..." He threw all the coins in his hand in anger. Ein raised both of her arms protecting the face. "You like money, right? Take all. I paid you! Well, tell me what experiments were done on my people!"

***