Bruno finished the last of the sautéed sea bass strips and sat back with a sigh as the unseen servants cleared away the dishes. You work for quality; you get to live in quality as Grandpa used to say. And my bosses are quality. Then rising to his not inconsiderable height, he addressed the room.
“Thank you, Mage Stronghold, for a most enjoyable repast.” He gave a slight bow in the mage’s direction. “But now it’s time to get to work finding that missing ring of yours. However, before we do so, I need you, and everyone else here to sign the contract with our firm, so that we are all clear on the terms and conditions.” He took out a roll of parchment and spread it out on the table so all could see it.
“Why do we need to sign it? After all, Dad’s the one who’s hiring you.” Ferdinand asked with a slight frown.
“Tyrolian, you want to answer that?” Bruno threw the question over to the dwarven insurance adjuster, who nodded his head and stepped up to the table where he pointed out a few sections.
“One of the reasons my company has been doing so well in recovering lost or stolen insured items is due to our relationship with the M’Craft Investigative Agency. Besides being a crack set of investigators who have seldom failed to find out what’s up, they have two things going for them which we, and any honest clients value.”
He held up one thick finger and pointed to a section of the contract. “First, they give everyone they meet, whether client, apparent thief, or city guardsman, the benefit of the doubt and assume innocence until proven otherwise. As a result, they and said individuals are not afraid of the truth and in fact are required to allow truth spells and the like to be used on them without resistance, but only regarding information relevant and specific to the case at hand.”
“You said apparent thief. Why is that?” Ferdinand asked.
“A simple example. On a prior case, a noble woman accidentally lost a ring while using one of the new sanitary facilities or water closets as they’re being called. The agency was called in and within a day found the ring in the possession of a local wererat from the lower class. What do you think most guardsmen would think in such a case?”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“The man obviously snuck into her house as a rat and took the ring. Open and shut case. Throw him in prison.” Ferdinand replied.
“Exactly. However, the investigators of the agency are devoted to finding out the truth. A simple examination of both parties under a truth spell quickly revealed that the ring had been found by the wererat, who worked for the city sanitation department, where it had washed down from the water closet. So instead of being unjustly accused and thrown into jail, the man got a commendation for honesty and a finder’s fee. Needless to say, having such a reputation helps investigations as those who are honest are willing to talk knowing they will be given a fair shake.”
“What’s the second reason?” Thalia Stronghold spoke up from her position by her husband’s side.
Adjuster Boneduster raised a second finger. “Integrity and Confidentiality. A less reputable group might use unrestricted truth spells to ferret out valuable information unrelated to the case or even relevant information and then sell it for money. The M’Craft Investigative Agency, on the other hand, will use truth spells only to confirm or find information relevant to a case. In addition, all information is kept in strict confidentiality, only to be released at the behest of the person involved or when requested with a valid warrant in cases of such things as treason or the like.”
He continued. “Obviously this makes it a lot easier to sign the section allowing the use of truth spells and is handy, we have found, in weeding out cases of insurance fraud or the like. In those cases, it’s amazing how fast the supposed “lost” items are found before the investigation even begins.” He smiled. “It’s also useful for cases where a relative pawned an item without permission to raise money. It allows the family to settle the matter out of the public eye, though I don’t expect that to be the case here. “
Bruno rolled his eyes at the antics of the adjuster while glancing towards the small spot in the decorated ceiling where William had been observing everything both during and after lunch, dropping occasional hints or questions to ask for both him and Wilma. Once everyone including the adjuster had signed the contract, he rolled it up and put it away as the investigation began in earnest, William following everything from his hidden vantage point.