If there was one thing Nick hated about his job, it was how every case was the same. Every case was not literally the same, but after doing the job long enough Nick was starting to feel like he was doing the same four or five cases over and over. It made the work easy, but even a synth gets bored sometimes.
He sat at Ellie’s desk talking to another parent whose child had been kidnapped by raiders. This one was from Finch Farm. Nick already knew it was most likely one of two groups, but he was still going to ask questions from this terrified woman.
He sometimes asked questions when he already knew the answer just to help reassure the person in his client chair that he was taking their problem seriously. People where less impressed if the detective they hired solved the case without any fanfare before taking the case. People liked a good show, and for some reason they wanted as much of a show when hiring a detective as they did for any other service.
“Did the raiders tell you where to go to give them the money?” Nick asked with as much sympathy in his voice as the situation called for. Half his job was convincing people he was the right man for the job. A certain level of grave sympathy was called for at these times, especially when the person he was talking to was near panic themselves.
“That’s the strange part, they told me to leave the money outside the satellite array,” she said. “But that would be suicide.”
Both Nick and Ellie started from that statement. The Revere Satellite Array was super mutant territory. No one went close to there unless they thought they had a chance to take out the super mutants, or had a death wish, or both. It was unlikely for the super mutants to have stolen the boy; they don’t take hostages, they take lunches.
“It sounds like that to me, too,” Nick agreed. “I will look into that. I’m sorry about your circumstance, but I see what I can do to save your son. If I have any more questions, I will come see you. Will you be available at Finch Farm?”
“I will tomorrow. Your associate told me we will stay the night here and leave in the morning,” the settler explained.
“My associate?” Nick asked before realizing what this woman was saying. “Never mind, I know who you’re talking about. I’m sorry you have been misled, but she is not associated with me and I’m sorry that she told you otherwise.”
“I don’t think she told me,” the settler responded. “When I started looking for help finding Dennis, she just showed up and said she would escort me here. I just assumed that she was associated with you.”
“She’s not,” Nick said a little too curtly. “I will get on this case, have a good day.”
The settler took the hint and left the office quietly. She seemed more shaken up after finding out she was being escorted by a charlatan than she was before. Nick lit a cigarette and thought for a moment. He found his thoughts revolving around Marian more than Dennis.
Business had been picking up lately, which both excited and disturbed Nick. He didn’t mind getting the extra business, it meant that people were able to come to him for the help they needed. It disturbed him because it hinted at the possibility that kidnappings were going up.
Nick wasn’t sure if Marian was responsible for any, or all, of these kidnappings. He never found any evidence that she was responsible for anything, but this was not the first person to tell him that they were escorted by his “associate”, “partner” or a half dozen other terms hinting that they were working together. How dare she tell people she worked with him to give them a false sense of security? How many people had she mislead and caused them harm in his name? It was time for Nick to stop ignoring this woman like he had been for the past month and approach her on her behavior.
“Nick?” Ellie broke into his thoughts, “Is it ok if I spend time with Marian and finish up the notes for this case afterwards?”
Ellie had become good friends with Marian. Nick may have been doing his best to ignore her, but he knew every time she visited Diamond City when he was home because Ellie would disappear from the office for hours to spend time with her. He suspected she was feeding Marian also, but he hadn’t figured out how to stop that.
“No,” Nick insisted as he stood up, clearing the chair for Ellie to fill up. Which she dutifully did. “I need you to finish the notes on this case, the whole super mutant angle sounds like a red herring, but I want to have the notes out before I explore the possibilities.”
Ellie took the notes off the clipboard and started writing them out in a more legible way with complete sentences and other changes that made it easier for Nick to make sense of them. “If you insist,” Ellie sighed, showing her disappointment in being denied time to spend with her friend.
Nick didn’t care about Ellie’s disappointment. She was still his secretary, and she was still going to work for him while she was on the clock. Still, he did need to talk to Marian and put an end to her using his name without his permission. This was an errand he could do while waiting.
“When you meet up with Marian, where do you meet her?” Nick asked.
“Around this time, she will be buying necessities. Usually she’s buying ammo, though I have had to search for her a few times. If she’s waiting for someone, she’ll be at the bench near Dr. Sun’s,” Ellie told Nick off handed.
“Thank you,” Nick said before putting out his cigarette and walked out of his office.
Marian was not in either place that Ellie described, but he remembered the comment the settler made about leaving the next day. He decided that meant she would need a place to stay for the night. Nick Valentine made his way over to the Dugout Inn. As he hoped, Marian was walking out of door.
Nick almost didn’t recognize her. She had shaved her hair into an enlisted haircut. One month ago, this would have made her look more like a smiling skull, but she looked healthier than she had a month ago. She must have been getting more rest and food since the last time he saw her. The dark circles around her blue eyes had disappeared and her sallow complexion had changed to a more sunburnt peaches and cream one. She still looked dangerously thin, but she no longer looked like she was one missed meal away from starving. The starvation shake she had when Nick met her was also gone. Even her backpack looked more filled out.
She turned the corner and looked straight at Nick. Suddenly her friendly smile disappeared, along with their month-long truce of mutually ignoring the other’s existence.
She continued to walk towards him. Nick was sure she planned to walk right past him. He would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed. He waited where he stood lighting a cigarette as she approached.
“I’d like a word with you,” Nick said with his most authoritative voice.
“Sanctimonious?” Marian asked quickly and continued to walk past Nick.
Nick growled at that one. How much time did this woman spend thinking of ways to insult him? Probably as much as he did on her.
“That is not what I meant, sweetheart,” he called after her and started walking next to her. “I want you to stop telling people we are associated.”
Marian turned towards the exit to Diamond City. “It is hard to stop doing something I would never do to begin with,” she retorted.
Nick continued to follow her. He knew he would be able to keep up with her without a problem. Where she was going was now becoming interesting. “Then why is it I am having clients telling me that they are being brought to my office by my partner?”
“It is my understanding that you have a partner, why don’t you ask him?” Marian waved at Danny who stood in his usual post. She moved her assault rifle from her shoulder and held it ready in her hands.
Nick happened to notice she even had her second safety on the trigger. Marian was too well trained to be from common raider stock. Then again, she was also too well spoken to be one. Her dictation and literary references hinted at a formal education of some sort.
“Because he’s not the person they are referring to when they tell me that my partner has them set up at the Dugout Inn for the night,” Nick was trying very hard to keep his temper. The fact that Nate had stopped visiting Nick was a sore subject. He missed his friend, but he wasn’t about to tell that to this woman. He wondered for a moment how she had heard about Nate, then remembered how everyone was affected by Nate somehow. She could have heard about him literally from anyone.
“What name do they give you when they talk about your partner?” Marian asked as she walked next to the Wall with the decrepit building on the other side of them.
“I never bother to ask for a name,” Nick said. He was starting to feel like he had lost control of this conversation. “I’m having people tell me they are being escorted by someone who matches your description. They are telling me that she is my partner. I want to know why they would believe such a thing.”
Marian was silent for some time. Nick could hear her holding back another Socratic barb. Maybe she was ready to admit that she was using his name without permission. They walked past the abandoned parking lot. Both of them took a moment to kill the mongrels that came charging out of the fenced in area. Two dogs were lying dead in the street before they had a chance to attack the travelers. A third one managed to use its pack mates as a distraction as it jumped at Marian. She let out a grunt of panic as she fired at the lunging mongrel. The animal was decapitated before it had a chance to hurt her. Nick was impressed despite himself. Her weapon’s modifications showed that it was not made for hip fire shooting.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“I am shocked that the great detective everyone says you are can’t even figure out something so basic as what is happening,” Marian said before continuing her journey. “Since apparently you need help, I’ll explain to you what is going on. Hi, Lucas.” Lucas waved back to Marian. “I overhear a person talking about someone they care about being kidnapped or missing. I offer to escort them to Diamond City. Personally, I would rather have a second option for where to take them, but you seem to have a monopoly on finding people. In their panic and slight relief knowing they have an option, suddenly, they will conflate us in their minds. I don’t tell them anything, they simply make assumptions. I hope you’re not this lost when working on things that actually matter, Philo Gubb.”
Nick wasn’t sure rather he wanted to apologize to Marian or strangle her. He decided not to do either. What she was saying smacked too much of truth. Detectives are as much psychologists as they are anything else. Having to talk to people for information, being able to read between the lines, figuring out when someone is telling the truth or not, even deciphering what is not being said. These are things he had to do in his job every day. How did this obvious detail slip past him?
“I would rather you tell people that we were not associated with each other,” Nick settled on.
“Mr. Valentine,” Marian said curtly, “I could walk around carrying a sign as gaudy as the one in front of your office that says, ‘not associated with Nick Valentine’. Half the people in their worry would only see your name, the other half would decide that means that I would not be someone to assist them on arriving to your office safely and would choose not to get the help they need, or worse.”
Nick was silent. Marian was right. Damnit, Marian was right. They couldn’t avoid the misunderstandings, but he still didn’t like the idea that people thought they were associated.
Before Nick could follow that train of thought, Marian broke in. “If that is all you wanted to talk to me about, then this is where I will be on my way.”
Suddenly, Nick realized where they were. They were standing outside the Boston Public Library. Marian was heading towards the front entrance. Nick remembered that area had been cleared out of super mutants about a year ago, but a new group had since arrived and the tunnels leading to the library had become dangerous again.
“What are you doing?” Nick called out to her.
“Just what it looks like, I’m going into the library,” Marian turned back.
“That way is dangerous,” he explained. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to warn her. He would almost be relieved to have her gone, but she didn’t deserve to be killed by super mutants. Especially not for a book.
“I have been informed of that,” she said in a stilted cadence. “That is why it has taken me this long to bother trying. However, I am starving for something to read. I can only read Piper’s article that does little more than give the Dugout Inn free publicity so many times before I want to burn the place down myself. I have tried the back way, but I do not have the patience to stand there and try all one million possible codes to get inside. So, I am going to go hunting and find out if my life is really worth a good story.”
Nick had to stop himself from chuckling. Of all the things to make a person desperate, reading about the Bobrov’s moonshine may be one of the more unique and understandable reasons Nick had ever heard. Though he secretly felt that if he was cut off from any reading material, he might feel the same.
“There is a trick to the intercom,” Nick explained. He decided her life was worth more than a good story.
Marian stood there looking straight at him, scowling. “I do not know the trick to the intercom. If I did, I would be using it.”
Nick decided to show this woman that she wasn’t as cleaver as she thought she was. “Come on,” he instructed as flicked away his cigarette. He walked to the intercom. He could hear her footsteps following behind him. They were extremely quiet, Nick had to pay attention to hear them.
He pushed the intercom button and waited for the prompt. “One, two, three, four, five, six,” he said into the box. As it welcomed the mayor, he looked over at Marian who didn’t bother hiding her shock.
“The Boston Mayor was a complete idiot,” she announced. “Who the hell uses that for a security code? And who the hell let him use it?”
“I didn’t vote for him,” Nick responded as he opened the now unlocked door. “After you, sweetheart.”
Marian looked at Nick quizzically before entering the library with him behind her. He made sure to close the door, for some reason super mutants keep trying to invade the library. He quickly grabbed Marian’s arm and pulled her back. He didn’t think about his strength as he did so, or how shocked she was going to be.
“What the fuck?” Marian called out. She tried swinging around in Nick’s grip, but he was holding too tight. Before he could stop her, he felt the elbow of her free arm striking his stomach. He wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her into his body and making it impossible for her to fight him. He didn’t want her to hurt herself trying to fight him.
“Stop it!” he ordered. “You were about to walk into a tripwire.”
Marian looked down at the tripwire, then looked up toward the bouquet of grenades that were attached to it.
“It’s something used to protect the library from super mutants,” Nick explained before letting go of her.
Marian carefully stepped over the tripwire, and Nick followed. She slung her rifle over her shoulder, and Nick saw her rubbing her right arm slightly before letting her left-hand drop.
“Are you ok,” Nick found himself asking.
“I don’t get you, Mr. Valentine,” Marian answered. She didn’t look at Nick, she was looking around as if she was taking in every detail of the building. She seemed to think that one sentence was an answer, because she didn’t bother to elaborate, she just asked, “Where are the stacks?”
“What do you mean?” Nick asked for clarification.
“Where are the majority of the books?” Marian answered.
“I mean, what don’t you get about me?” Nick clarified before walking towards the stacks, showing Marian where the two-hundred-year-old books sat, waiting for someone to read them, or set them on fire.
“You had two chances to have me gone,” she explained. “Both times you stopped me from getting myself dead. That’s what I don’t get.” She looked at the book spines carefully before saying under her breath, “Library of Congress.” She then seemed to mosey along the aisles.
Nick wasn’t quite sure why he stopped her from getting herself killed twice. Of course, he did. He just wasn’t going to tell her why he did. “I have a client who needs you to get her home,” he half lied.
Marian didn’t respond. She just looked at the moldering book spines as she walked down the aisle. Occasionally she would reach out and touch a book before walking on. On the rarer moment, she would take a seemingly random book off the shelf and either read the back cover or open it up and read the inside cover.
Nick found himself following her quietly. He knew he should turn around and go back to his office and get to work. Marian’s behavior made it feel like he was witnessing something very intimate about her. It made him almost as uncomfortable as he would be if he was watching her undress. Just like a guilty voyeur, he stayed around and watched.
“How much are you charging people to bring them to me?” Nick said, reopening their fight. If he was going to be uncomfortable, he would rather have it be over something he understood.
“I don’t see how that is any of your business, Soft-boiled,” Marian responded. She was flipping through a copy of “The Tale of Genji”, she put it back on the shelf.
“In this case, it is literally my business,” Nick countered. “You have made it clear that I can’t disassociate myself from you. Since I can’t help that fact, I want to make sure you are not overcharging people who you bring to me.”
Marian picked up a book, looked at the front cover. She opened it up and flipped through a few pages before settling on one towards the front. Nick watched her blue eyes rove down the page before she closed the cover. She then pushed the book into Nick’s chest. He found himself taking the book from her.
“Here,” she demanded. As soon as the book was safe in Nick’s hold, she let it go and walked away from him. “I charge my usual fee for bringing people to you. It’s distasteful enough for me to find myself bringing people to you. I will leave taking advantage of people’s unfortunate circumstances to you, Philo.”
Nick looked down at the book cover. It was titled “Ellis Parker Butler, a Collection of Short Stories”. Nick wasn’t sure why Marian was recommending this book to him, but it did sound like an interesting read, he had never heard of this author before.
“What is your usual fee?” Nick asked as he pocketed the book.
“Are you looking to hire me?”
“It will be a cold day in hell before I give you any caps,” Nick responded.
“Then that will be the day I ask for them,” Marian shot back before removing another book from the shelf. Nick saw the title “The Lottery”. He wondered if she knew what she was getting into by reading that book. Since she wasn’t reading the back cover or opening it up before she slid it into a rear pocket of her backpack, he could only assume she did.
She walked out of the stacks and headed back to the library exit. She seemed somewhat more relaxed than she was when she entered, perhaps she truly felt her life was worth a good story. They took turns stepping over the tripwire as they left the building.
“I hope you are satisfied,” Marian concluded their conversation as they walked back towards Diamond City.
Not really, but he had to admit that there was no satisfactory conclusion to his complaint. If he tried to distance himself from her professionally, too many people would simply not come to him with their problems. Nick had to hand it to Marian, she was making his job easier by simply walking the clients to his door. He wondered how many people would have died trying to get to Diamond City, or they would stay at their settlements and their loved ones would disappear forever. Nick had lost this fight and is still gaining by the loss.
“I guess I have to, Doll,” Nick said. He wasn’t sure where that nickname came from, but it seemed to fit somehow.
“Then if there is nothing more you need from me, I will let you go,” Marian told him before walking off to talk to a Diamond City guard.
Nick made his way back to his office alone. When he got back, he found Ellie waiting for him with the case file prepared and sitting on his desk.
“I hope you were able to take care of what you needed,” Ellie said. Her rapid-fire speech was a sharp contrast to Marian’s slower more careful pronunciation.
“I got some answers,” Nick responded cryptically. “Do you know how much Marian’s usual rate is?”
“It’s kind of weird,” Ellie said. “She told me she asks for whatever she needs to survive until tomorrow.”
Nick was quiet for a second. He looked at Ellie as he thought about what that could mean. He wasn’t sure how much that would be, but Marian didn’t look like someone who had enough caps in her pocket to buy a tato. He reached into his own pocket and pulled out some caps before handing them to Ellie. “Take the rest of the night off, have fun with Marian. And make sure she eats.”
Ellie smiled like she was glad someone was letting Nick in on a big secret before she was out the door. It wouldn’t be very late before Ellie came home; Marian would want to be well rested for her work in the morning. That was always how it was when Marian brought someone to his office.
Nick moved to his desk and put the copy of the book she gave him in the top drawer, he would read it in the diminishing free time he had. It seemed that he never had time between cases anymore, and now he knew why.
“Enough to live until tomorrow.” That phrase floated around Nick’s head. He wasn’t sure if that meant she was asking for any caps at all. If she was, it didn’t sound like she was asking for many. Nick knew his regular fee. Maybe a free meal on occasion wouldn’t encourage her too much. He would have Ellie record it as her commission.
Nick lit a cigarette, letting Marian leave his mind altogether. He had a case to focus on. It was already proving to be an interesting case.